NEW JERSEY VS. CAROLINA OTTAWA VS. TORONTO WASHINGTON VS. PITTSBURGH PHILADELPHIA VS. BUFFALO COLORADO VS. VANCOUVER DETROIT VS. LOS ANGELES DALLAS VS. EDMONTON ST. LOUIS VS. SAN JOSE

Thursday, April 26 Canucks work overtime Joy Russo ESPN.com There was a bit of a gap between Calgary and Vancouver in the Pacific Division at the end of the regular season. The Flames held a 12-point lead over the Canucks, who were just one game above .500. Vancouver 4, Calgary 3 Date Result Goalie 4/18 Canucks 5, Flames 0 McLean 4/20 Flames 7, Canucks 5 Vernon 4/22 Flames 4, Canucks 2 Vernon 4/24 Flames 3, Canucks 2 Vernon 4/26 Canucks 2, Flames 1 McLean 4/28 Canucks 3, Flames 2 McLean 4/30 Canucks 4, Flames 3 McLean But a playoff berth is a playoff berth, and despite realignments, a first-round meeting between the two clubs was nothing new in the NHL. Before the 1994 Western Conference quarterfinals, Calgary and Vancouver had four previous meetings in playoff openers with the Flames holding a 3-1 series edge. The previous meeting in 1989 had to be a reminder for Calgary, which came dangerously close to being eliminated by Vancouver – Calgary advanced with an overtime win in Game 7 of the Smythe semifinals. In 1994, the series paired speed and scoring. Calgary's forwards included Theo Fleury, Robert Reichel, Gary Roberts and Joe Nieuwendyk, and they faced off against Vancouver's Pavel Bure, Geoff Courtnall and Trevor Linden. The Canucks came out with a surprising 5-0 win to take the opener, but the Flames answered back with three consecutive wins to take a commanding 3-1 lead. What happened next became one of the most memorable comebacks in playoff history. The turnaround The Canucks began their comeback in Calgary. Vancouver won Games 5 and 6 - both overtime victories – to force a decisive game on the road. The odds were against the Canucks, who never won a seven-game playoff series. But Kirk McLean made "the save" in overtime to keep the score tied at 3. The Flames top line of Fleury, Roberts and Reichel had a 3-on-1 break. Reichel sent a shot toward a wide-open net, but McLean kicked his pads out at the last second to rob Calgary. At 2:20 of the second overtime, Bure split the Flames' defense and beat Mike Vernon one-on-one to give the Canucks the series. Series MVP Bure and McLean already made names for themselves, but the series arguably catapulted the players to a higher level. The Canucks lost to the Rangers in the Cup finals, but Bure and McLean were the main reasons Vancouver got there. An honorable mention to Fleury, who had six goals and four assists in the seven-game series. Joy Russo is a staff editor for ESPN.com Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories