NEW YORK, 30 April 2004 — Joe Sakic scored the only goal of the game in overtime as the Colorado Avalanche kept alive their NHL playoff aspirations with a 1-0 win over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday.

The Avalanche still trail the best-of-seven Western Conference second round series 3-1. The series moves to San Jose for Game Five on Saturday.

Sakic took advantage of San Jose’s Mike Rathje being unable to handle a bouncing puck in front of the goal to drill a shot past San Jose goalie Evgeni Nabokov at 5:15 into overtime.

The goal sent the sell-out Denver crowd into a frenzy and kept the Avalanche’s playoff hopes alive, though only two other teams have come back from an initial 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.

It was the fifth overtime winner of Sakic’s career, tying him for second on the all-time list with Mario Lemieux. It was also his first goal of the series.

Colorado, who signed Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya as free agents, were considered Stanley Cup favorites at the start of the season and despite a high-powered offense struggled down the stretch to slip into the Western Conference’s fourth-seed.

The game was a battle between goaltenders Nabakov and David Aebischer, with Nabokov brilliant at times. Aebischer also made several key saves to post his first career playoff shutout.

Colorado out-shot San Jose 36-27, including 6-1 in the overtime period.

Offensive Outburst Brings Leafs Back Into Playoff Series

In Toronto, Canada, three unanswered goals in the second period was all the Toronto Maple Leafs needed to claw back into the NHL’s Eastern Conference semifinal series with a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday.

The win means Toronto trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series with Game Four today in Toronto.

“I think tonight was a good playoff hockey game,” said Toronto defenseman Bryan Marchment. “We were down 2-0 in the series and we went out and played a good game as a 21-man unit.

“We stuck with our system and we stuck with things that had worked for us.”

After a scoreless first period that yielded just 11 shots on goal, the Maple Leafs finally produced some offense with three second-period goals, the first two within 90 seconds of each other. Toronto had scored just twice in the first two games.

Toronto’s Alexander Mogilny scored his second goal of the playoffs at 5:12 of the second period on a long breakaway, which was followed up 90 seconds later by Alexi Ponikarovsky’s first goal of the playoffs on a tip from Bryan McCabe’s shot.

Chad Kilger rounded out Toronto’s three-goal outburst in the second period at 15:11 before the Flyers responded with a power play goal at 18:52 by forward Tony Amonte.

Leafs forward Darcy Tucker rounded out the scoring in the third period on a power play, with three Flyers sitting in the penalty box.

“They (Philadelphia) haven’t been in this situation in the playoffs yet, when they are up against a little adversity and down a few goals,” said Toronto enforcer Tie Domi of the bruising encounter. “Tonight we had everybody going and were doing the little things. But the playoffs (are) game-by-game ... (and) the next game will be different.”