Wednesday, April 6, 1988/The Battalion/Page 11 HJ NHL playoffs begin >a m e thronij JHL ight- Associated Press The Calgary Flames are expecting a shootout at the Saddledome with Los Angeles Kings when the playoffs start Wednesday miles ft 'fen kini! 'omt wi!;; The Flames Finished with 105 loints this season, tops in the league, hey also were first in goals scored ith 397. The Kings scored 318 [oals, fifth in the league. “I’ve said ever since February that ship guMy rather not play L.A. because of lieir scoring punch,” Calgary goal- fender Mike Vernon said. The Kings finished 30-42-8 with 8 points, fourth in the Smythe Divi- lon. While Los Angeles has one of best offenses, their defense inked last, allowing 359 goals — 44 a game. The Flames were 13th, lowing 305 goals and 3.77 a game. Smythe Division: Jets vs. Oilers ost eatfc eason nJ s of tht| that too! lore. on the k those c® jury.il ired the After finishing a disappointing :ond and failing to win the divi- >n title for the first time in seven woreaicB'ears, the Edmonton Oilers hope to edeem themselves against Winni- hampi iBteg- The Oilers, led on offense by /Vayne Gretzky, Mark Messier and lenn Anderson, have beaten Win- ripegin 14 straight playoff games. Patrick Division: Devils vs. Islanders The Islanders hold a 35-1-3 re- :ord over the Devils at Nassau Col- seum and will have four potential tome games. The Devils nailed down the last playoff spot on the final day of the season for their first postseason berth since moving to New Jersey in 1982. New Jersey has the hot goaltender in rookie Sean Burke. Burke, who played for the Canadian Olympic team, was 10-1. Flyers vs. Capitals The Flyers, Stanley Cup finalists last year against Edmonton, had a weak finish due to an unusual amount of injuries. Both teams were inconsistent in the late stages of the Patrick race, when the Islanders took charge. Adams Division: Hartford vs. Montreal At one point near the end of the season, the Canadiens had a 15- game unbeaten streak and finished with the second-best record in the league. The defensive-minded Canadiens are big, fast and talented and have many players back from their Stan ley Cup championship team of two years ago, including 50-goal scorer Stephane Richer. As for the Whalers, it looked for a while as if they wouldn’t make this year’s playoffs at all. But a late-sea- son slump by Quebec helped. Sabres vs. Bruins The Bruins had a midseason streak that put them in first until the Canadiens ripped off a 15-game un beaten streak. The Bruins slumped at the end but still finished with the fourth-best record in the NHL. The Sabres, one of the league’s youngest clubs, overcame a slow start to finish a strong third. Norris Division: Toronto vs. Detroit Detroit lost superstar Steve Yzer- man to injury late in the season, still finished strong, becoming the first divisional title-winner this season. The Red Wings won their division by the biggest spread, 17 points over St. Louis. Although Toronto (21-49-10, 52 points) enters the playoffs with the worst record among the 16 teams and the worst for a playoff team since the 80-game schedule was adopted, the Maple Leafs have given the division champions trouble this year. Chicago vs. St. Louis The Blackhawks finished third in the Norris, a spot they had sewn up for nearly a month. But they slid to ward the playoffs with an 0-7-1 re cord and carry a two-year postseason drought into their first-round series with the Blues. The Blackhawks were swept 3-0 by Toronto in the 1986 playoffs and 4-0 by Detroit last year. The Blackhawks were 9-24-7 on the road. stros rally to top Padres 6-3 )rioks discus® HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Bass Frffil.-Bnch-hit a two-run single and Billy ield, ®atcher doubled in the winning run Innrlai B the eighth inning, rallying Hous- Actm ■llpn to a 6-3 victory over San Diego in thtjuesday night. ■ Terry Puhl, who was playing be- irther ir® use Hass had a pulled right ham- savin pfri'ig niuscle, started Houston’s everalt ; ,®lb with a single off pitcher Ed ith VaiyBfhitson’s hand. Rafael Ramirez ou Pi Pnubled to right field off reliever ofbrinr f nce McCullers, 0-1, before Bass jhgled to left, scoring both runners. trtedlv® That tied the score 3-3, setting the ifWinfi tage for Hatcher’s double down the d at J ed to pti SW’i uld hatti he final s conus eft-field line b- that scored Chuck JacJcson, pinch-running for Bass. The Astros had tried to trade Bass to the New York Yankees for Dave Winfield on the weekend, but Win field vetoed the deal as a 10-and-5 player. The Astros added two more runs in the eighth when pinch-hitter Steve Henderson’s single scored Hatcher and Glenn Davis, who was intentionally walked, scored on a wild pitch by Mark Davis. The Padres had taken a 3-1 lead on Keith Moreland’s two-run double in the eighth inning. Garry Temple ton singled off starter Mike Scott, 1- 0, and Tony Gwynn walked on four pitches prior to Moreland’s hit. Dave Smith pitched the ninth for a save. The Padres, who won the season series 13-5 in 1987, took the lead on Chris Brown’s solo home run over the 400-foot mark in center field in the third inning. Brown continued his hot-hitting streak from spring training, when he hit safely in eight of the final nine games. Glenn Davis tied it in the fourth with a home run over the left field fence, the first home run Whitson had yielded to the Astros in 101% innings. :iated Pit t confirm de prop he Yankt t .31! i 1 had an :wo seas by theli -year, with ike Hal Las mkees!!; ardinglfi i me istthem, games ai ainst th ; his am. » said, ve years ig an an d eat tow ebypidr o moreii MSC OPAS Stark Series presents TAMU SYMPHONIC BAND Mr ' ® il1 J - Dean, Director priI 8:00 p.m. Rudder Theatre Tickets $2 Available at door • Enter a New Dancing Dimension Never Experienced Before. • The Music You Want to Hear. J.- ■: • The Wildest Drink Specials. • v*.c' ' A.* 313 S. College ■ 846-1542 ■ Open Late Nights WACKYWednesday Coupon BUYAN ICE CREAM OR FROZEN YOGURT CONE, and get another of equal value FRED COUPON GOOD WED, 4/6/88, ONLY! Coupon not good in combination with other coupons. 601 University Drive, College Station (409)846-4288 Store hours: 10a.m. to midnight