Red Wings Pummel Grumbling Avalanche

NHL playoffs

Detroit made Colorado goalie Patrick Roy eat his words Thursday night. As a result, the Red Wings are just one win away from eliminating the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Igor Larionov and Kirk Maltby each scored two goals as Detroit stunned the Avalanche 6-0 at Joe Louis Arena to take a formidable 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals.

Vyacheslav Kozlov and Sergei Fedorov also scored for the Red Wings, who are trying to end a 42-year drought without a Stanley Cup championship, the sport’s longest.

During the two-day break leading up to Game 4, the charismatic Roy all but guaranteed a Colorado victory.

“Everybody’s ready for Game 4 and I really want to see how much Detroit is ready to pay the price,” Roy had said. “That’s what I want to see. We don’t care what’s happened so far. It’s what’s going to happen from now until the end of the series. It’s time for us to win.”

It was bad enough that Roy’s teammates didn’t respond. But he also has been soundly outplayed in this series by Detroit goalie Mike Vernon, who just lets his talent do the talking.

Roy allowed five goals before being benched for the third period. That’s as many goals as Vernon has allowed during the entire series. Still, Roy wasn’t backing down.

“It’s not what I expected, that’s for sure,” Roy said Thursday. “We played stupid. I’m a team guy. I’ll stay with the boys. But, I have to say I’m disappointed.”

There were nearly 20 minutes in delays as numerous fights broke out in the last half of the third period. A total of 236 minutes in penalties were called, 204 in the third period.

“It maybe got a little out of hand,” Colorado forward Adam Deadmarsh said. “Maybe we were frustrated. Those things happen in big games.”

Red Wings 6, Avalanche 0

Colorado 0 0 0 - 0

Detroit 2 3 1 - 6

First period-1, Detroit, Larionov 3 (Kozlov, Lapointe), 1:52 (pp). 2, Detroit, Larionov 4 (Lapointe, Shanahan), 7:15.

Second period-3, Detroit, Kozlov 8 (Fedorov), 12:24. 4, Detroit, Fedorov 4 (Lidstrom), 16:54 (pp). 5, Detroit, Maltby 2, 19:13.

Third period-6, Detroit, Maltby 3 (Kocur, Draper), 5:25.

Shots on goal-Colorado 2-13-4-19. Detroit 14-11-13-38.Power-play opp.-Colorado 0 of 8; Detroit 2 of 12.Goalies-Colorado, Roy 9-6 (25 shots-20 saves), Billington (0:00 third period, 13-12). Detroit, Vernon 11-3 (19-19).A-19,983 (19,983).

With relatives like this …

When Flyer forward Trent Klatt leveled Ranger forward Ken Gernander with a jarring body check just 2 minutes, 8 seconds into Game 3 Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden, he left Gernander with a concussion and a partial separation of his right shoulder, injuries that, at the least, will keep Gernander out of Friday’s Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals.

But Klatt did more than add to the Rangers’ growing list of injuries in this year’s playoffs. He created an uncomfortable family feud, because Klatt and Gernander are brothers-in-law, having married sisters.

“I want to talk to him,” Klatt said. “I would just like him to understand that it’s just part of the game, nothing personal.

Klatt, 26, and Gernander, 27, who were college teammates at Minnesota, have been friends for nearly eight years.