Home Delivery

Penguins plan to ignore Rangers pest Avery

BY STEVE ZIPAY | steve.zipay@newsday.com

April 26, 2008

Article tools

E-mail

Share
- Digg
- Del.icio.us
- Facebook
- Fark
- Google
- Newsvine
- Reddit
- Yahoo

PITTSBURGH - After Sean Avery's performance against the Devils in the first round, which included an NHL rule change prompted after he faceguarded goaltender Martin Brodeur, the Penguins and coach Michel Therrien vowed to ignore the Rangers' super-pest and his yapping in Game 1 Friday night.

"If he expects to talk to me, he'll be doing all the talking, not me," vowed Sidney Crosby.

"I'll try not to get involved with him. Skate away," said goaltender Marc Andre-Fleury.

"They've got some dangerous players who you've got to focus on and we don't want to have any distractions. This is what he's looking for," Therrien said.

Avery was on his best behavior and his wrister nicked Fleury's right shoulder and went in the net for his fourth goal of the playoffs and a 3-0 second-period lead.

"I don't have to reel Sean in," Rangers coach Tom Renney said before the game. "I expect him to compete as hard as ever."

Jagr comes clean

Jaromir Jagr, who posted two assists Friday night - including a sweet one-handed feed from behind the net (while fending off Sergei Gonchar) for Scott Gomez's goal that tied the game at 4 - made the most of his first playoff game since his deparure from Pittsburgh in 2001.

Jagr tried to clarify the circumstances of the split from the team with which he won two Stanley Cups.

"We went through the tough times with bankruptcy and the team didn't have a lot of money," Jagr said. "Marty Straka, Robert Lang, Alex Kovalev were free agents, all three of them. We weren't going to be able to sign all of them. I thought, it's going to be a lot easier for a team to trade one guy than let go three guys. That's why I made the step. It's going to be easier for the organization."

Orr gets a chance

RW Colton Orr (broken toe) who missed the last five games of the regular season and the Devils series, replaced Ryan Hollweg on the fourth line.