Red Wings sweep Avalanche

Franzen notches another hat trick

New York's Jaromir Jagr instigates a board meeting with Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby. (BRENDAN McDERMID/Reuters)

Johan Franzen outscored the Colorado Avalanche by himself.

Franzen's second hat trick in three games fueled the visiting Detroit Red Wings' 8-2 rout last night that completed a sweep of the injury-riddled Avalanche.

Franzen's nine goals in the series matched Colorado's total, and his three goals in Game 4 made him the first player with two hat tricks in one series since Jari Kurri did it for Edmonton in 1985.

He also bested Gordie Howe, the Hall of Famer who set the franchise record of eight goals in one series (seven games) in 1949.

In his first taste of the bitter rivalry, Franzen was simply too dominant to experience the bad blood that usually boils this time of year between the teams.

The "Mule" scored on a breakaway in the first period and added a shorthanded backhander and a redirection into the net in the second, when the Red Wings scored four times to take a 7-1 lead.

"I got really lucky," Franzen said. "I think they gave up after 4-1, so I got a couple of freebies."

The Red Wings advance to the Western Conference finals against the winner of the Dallas-San Jose series, which the Stars lead, 3-1.

Franzen needed just 10 playoff games to score 11 goals and break the Red Wings' record for most goals in one postseason, which was held by three players, including Brett Hull, who needed 23 games to do it in 2002.

"I don't expect to score that much the rest of the playoffs," Franzen said. "I only hope I can contribute something offensively."

The 28-year-old Swede, who scored 27 goals during the season, had a hat trick in Game 2. He is the second Red Wing to post two hat tricks in one playoff series, joining Norm Ullman, who did it against Chicago in 1964.

Thanks to Franzen, this series never was very close or contentious, unlike the other five times the teams met in the postseason, after which the winner went on to win the Stanley Cup three times.

None of those series was this one-sided, on the ice or in the trainer's room.

Detroit Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios was a scratch because of a lower body injury, but it hardly mattered against a depleted Colorado team that was missing four key players: center Peter Forsberg (groin, ankle), leading scorer Paul Stastny (knee), and forwards Ryan Smyth (foot) and Wojtek Wolski (shoulder).

Colorado coach Joel Quenneville resorted to playing seven defensemen and 11 forwards instead of the usual 6-12 setup.

Franzen and Nicklas Lidstrom scored on 2-on-1 breaks in the final 86 seconds of the first period to send the Red Wings into the first intermission with a 3-1 lead and prompted Quenneville to replace goaltender Jose Theodore, who allowed three goals on 15 shots, with Peter Budaj.

Rangers 3, Penguins 0 - Jaromir Jagr didn't get the chance to celebrate his goal because the New York captain was flattened just as he shot.

After a season-saving victory over Pittsburgh, no one could stop him from applauding the adoring Madison Square Garden crowd that wasn't ready to say goodbye.

Jagr, facing impending free agency, snapped a scoreless tie in the second period and sealed the win that forced a Game 5 with an empty-net goal.

New York is a major long shot to rally in the series and advance to the Eastern Conference finals, but Jagr and the Rangers showed they still have lots of fight left.

"We have to believe," Jagr said. "That's where you start everything. If you don't believe, you don't have a chance. You have to believe that anything is possible. Then you have to put the pieces together."

The Penguins, who lost for the first time in eight playoff games this year, will try again to finish off the Rangers in Pittsburgh Sunday. Game 6 would be back in New York Monday night.

Only two NHL teams have come back to win after trailing, 3-0, and none have done it since the 1975 New York Islanders against Pittsburgh.

"We have to learn from our mistakes and we have to be strong in our building," Penguins forward Marian Hossa said. "It won't be easy, but we don't want to come back here."

The injury-plagued Rangers beat the Penguins at home for the fifth time in six games despite missing supreme pest Sean Avery, hospitalized in intensive care since lacerating his spleen in New York's Game 3 loss Tuesday.

New York's Blair Betts sat out after fracturing an orbital bone while blocking a shot Tuesday. He is sidelined indefinitely and will undergo surgery this weekend.