European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 18, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 26 the stars and stripes Friday March in 1988 playoff races far from settled As nil season winds Down by the Asmil tej Fiat with 2v weeks remaining before pm Szoit time in ssi ill open season on no l playoff berths and division lilies. Two Battles Are going on in the sin Lam Patrick division with three icarus chasing first place and the others vying for the fourth and final playoff spot. In the Adams division Quebec leads Hartford by one Point in the race for the last playoff spot while in the moms Divi Sion the Toronto Maple Leafs and Minnesota North stars Are fighting for fourth place. Three teams have locked up playoff spots in the smythe division but the fourth one is up for grabs Between los an Geles and Vancouver. Also up for grabs is the Overall league title. Calgary and Montreal arc battling for the Home ice Edge should they meet in the playoffs plus the 1200,000 that goes in the top Fin Isher in the 21-learn league. The flames five Points ahead or Edmonton in the smythe division moved a Point ahead of Idle Montreal tuesday with an 8-6 Victory in Hartford. But no division is closer than the Patrick where All six teams Are within 11 Points of each other. The Washington capitals entered wednesday night s action in first place by a Point Over Philadelphia which fell 3-1 to the rangers on tuesday and has lost sin of its last seven games. We control our own  Dave Poile the capitals general manager said. The capitals have 10 games left eight against Patrick division rivals. We know How important these eight games  five of the Nin games the flyers have left Are against teams in their division. The new York islanders who Are third three Points in Back of the capitals have Only four of their nine games within the division. The Patrick s second tier also is Light. The rangers Are fourth with 70 Points three ahead of the Pittsburgh penguins and new Jersey. After wednesday night s Home game against Washington the rangers have Only one Infra division game left. New Jersey has five of us nine remaining games against Patrick division opponents. Pittsburgh has six of 10, in the Adams division whalers general manager Emily Francis feels Hartford will have to win at least six of its last nine games to make it into he playoffs. We expected it to be a fight 10 the finish said Francis whose Cam finished first last season. But we did t expect itto be a tight for the last playoff spot we Hurt ourselves with a Lack of production. We Are Way off As far As scoring is concerned. We will have to find some goats in those last games or we will gel ourselves in hoi  luckily for the whalers they Don t have to play the Nordi ques again this season. Quebec which has spent most of the season in last place beat Hartford in six of eight meetings twice last week and climbed past the whalers tuesday nightly beating Toronto. They cleaned up on us Francis said. Quebec coach Ron Lapointe said last week was critical As far a the Nordi Qun fortunes were concerned. If they had won those games we would t be close right now he said. We woo twice and that put us Back in the race. The nordic lies have a tougher schedule facing Calgary Montreal. Boston and Philadelphia twice in their last nine games. The whalers also have nine games left but the opposition in t to stiff. The Morris division has two of the Neil s worst teams one of which will get a playoff berth. Toronto has 50 paints four More than Minnesota which has two games in hand. Neither seems to be Able to play Well when needed. The same applies to the smythe sprint Between los Angel Sand Vancouver although the fourth place Kings have an eight Point Cushion Over the canucks fifth with 50 paints regardless of the outcome the Nordques whalers rang ers penguins and devils will Likely finish with More Points than either Toronto Minnesota los Angeles find Vancouver. But either Hartford or Quebec and two of the three Patrick division teams will be eliminated. In 1985-86, Buffalo was fifth in the Adams division with 80 Points More than five teams which made the playoffs but the sabres traded their hockey Clicks for Golf clubs at the end of the season. That makes you wonder whether there is a flaw in the system said Lapointe. But you have to live with the sys  Yankee pitching staff extends scoreless Streak to 21 innings by the associated press pitching was supposed to be the weak Point of the new York Yankees but any pitching failings have not been evident during the exhibition season. Three new York pitchers limited Texas to four singles wednesday As the Yankees routed the rangers 11-0 at fort Laud Crdal. Fat. Starter Rick Rhoden allowed four hits in six innings. Lee Guei Lerman followed with two innings and Tim Stoddard one As the Yankees extended their shutout string to 21 innings. Joel Skinner had two hits and drove in three runs Bobby Meacham also had two hits and scored three limes and Don Mattingly hit his first Homer. In  wednesday tigers 10, pirates 4 is Detroit snapped an eight game losing Streak by beating Pittsburgh As Darren Evans drove in three runs and Eric King allowed one hit in five innings. Pittsburgh starter Mike Biel eced was pounded for six runs on nine hits in four innings. Bluejr s9, Pir tvs is Cecil i Eider had three hits and drove in five runs including three with a Homer leading Toronto to its Victory Over a Pittsburgh split squad. Red sox a twins 4 Pat Dodson s run scoring single with two out in the ninth lifted Boston to its Victory Over Minnesota Dennis of can Boyd pitched the first four innings for the red sox allow baseball Roundup ing one run. Mike Smiths receiving a trial with Boston after being released by Minnesota blanked his old teammates on three singles from the fifth through the eighth Steve Carlton Winner of 529 Mjor league games went the lint live innings for the twins giving up two runs one on Homer by Spike Owen. Rookie Chris Sabo s tic breaking Homer leading off the seventh gave Cincinnati a Victory Over St. Louis. Sabo who had three hits connected for his second Spring Homer off Scott Terry. Cincinnati starter Tom Browning pitched five scoreless innings allowing Only three hits. Astros 7 dives s fat Keeys two run double in the sixth capped a six run rally As Houston handed Atlanta its seventh straight loss. Astros is 4, royals is 3 Gerald Young and Billy Hatcher each tripled and scored in the first inning sparking Houston to its split squad in Mph Over Kansas City. Phwlw8,mets7 Rick Schu s ninth inning sacrifice Fly scored Bob Dernier to give the Phillies the win after they blew an Early 6-0 Lead Mike Schmidt and Chris James each drove in two runs and Stone went 4-for 5 with an rib to Pace an in hit Phillies attack. Royals is 10, dodgers 2 Frank White drove in three runs As the royals split squad routed the Dodg ers. Bret Sac Hagen pitched five innings allowing six hits for the win.  Jimmy Jones Greg Booker and Lance Mccullers combined for a four Hitler and Catcher Benito Santiago hit his first Home run of the Spring for san Diego. Giants 11, indians 3 Harry Spilman Hod four hits and three Bis to Lead san Francisco s 22 hit attack. Joel Youngblood and Brett Butler added a pair of rib singles for the giants who got five Strong innings from starter Alice hair Nakor. Bntnl3, St 6 Dale Sveum hit a two run double singled and scored twice in Milwaukee weight run seventh inning As the Brewers ended an eight game losing Streak against Sao Francisco s split squad. The Brewers totalled 19 hits including four apiece by by. Eur Hoff and Jim Adduci. White so 13, orioles 0 Greg Walker paced Chicago is Hil attack with a Home Tun and give Bis Angela 7, athletics � Mark Mclenore singled Home Jack Howell from second base with two out in the i4lh inning to give California the Victory. Foo Pron Mario Lern Lith. Breaks own team Mark Lemieux penguins top Leafs by the associated teis Pittsburgh Mario Lemi Gujt scored his 58th goal and had two assists to break his team record for Points with 142 and Lead the Pittsburgh penguins to a 5-2 Victory Over the Toronto Maple Leafs wednesday night. Lemieux now in his fourth season broke the Points record of 141 he set in 198586. Lemieux has a is Point Lead Over Edmonton s Wayne or Tiky in the nil scoring race. Lemieux has four goals and 14 assists for is Points in his last eight games. The Maple Leafs ire 2-1 pm in their last 12 games and have Tost eight of their last nine. In other nil games wednesday capitals 8, Rugen 4 new York Washington keyed by a goal and an assist from Lou Frances Chetlin scored three limn within 2 26 of the second period. The capitals also nil Roundup scored on All three shots they took in the final session. The capitals second straight Victory and 13th in 16 games since the All Star break improved their first place Lead inthe Patrick division to three Points Over Philadelphia. The Rangin who had won seven of nine games before wednesday night remained fourth in the division one Point ahead of Pittsburgh. Red wings 2, North Shire 1 bloom1ngton, Minn. Greg Stefan made 35 saves and Lee Norwoo scored the winning Goat As Detroit clinched at cast a tie for the Norris Divi Sion championship. It was Stefan s fourth straight Victory since resuming from o ligament injury he suffered Jan. 67 the red wings Are 8-0-1 in their last nine games including 7-0-1 since leading scorer Steve Yzerman suffered a season ending genre injury March i. Canadje4, Winnipeg. Manitoba Brian Hay. Ward the goaltender the jets traded away two years ago came Back to Stop 24 shots As the canadians extended their unbeaten string to ii games. Canucks 3, Kings 3 Inglewood Calif. Center Bria Bradley playing in his fifth game with Vancouver scored with 10 47 left in regulation As the canucks tied the los an Geles Kings 3-3. With the lie the Kings need two Points to Clinch the fourth and final play off spot in the smythe division