COLORADO GRABS WIN OVER DETROIT

Mike Keane scored with 2:29 left in overtime Sunday, giving the Colorado Avalanche a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

Yet it was a game that will remembered more for Paul Coffey's chance to be either hero or goat. Coffey scored two of Detroit's goals, but also made a major blunder by knocking in one of Colorado's.Stephane Yelle and Adam Deadmarsh were credited with the other Avalanche goals, helping goaltender Patrick Roy snap a personal five-game losing streak against Detroit. Roy, winner of two Stanley Cup titles, is 28-7 in playoff overtime games, 4-2 this season.

Roy and Detroit's Chris Osgood both were superb in goal. Roy had 29 saves, Osgood 27. In the overtime, Osgood had a crucial stop to rob Joe Sakic at 9:55 and another on Claude Lemieux 17:08.

Moments later, however, Keane fired a shot from just inside the blue line that went through defenseman Mike Ramsey and between Osgood's legs for the winner.

The Avalanche were 3-2 in OT through the first two rounds. Four of their six second-round games with Chicago went into overtime, including a triple-overtime thriller in Game 4. Detroit is 1-2 in overtime games.

Game 2 will be played Tuesday night at Joe Louis Arena. The best-of-7 series then moves to Denver for the next two.

The wide-open shootout many expected between these two high-scoring teams never developed. Colorado scored 326 goals during the season, one more than the Red Wings. But both teams played a more cautious style and referee Don Koharski kept a tight rein on play, especially in the early going. There were 15 minor penalties, eight on the Avalanche.

There also were an unusual number of mistakes on both sides, but none as glaring as Coffey's.

Detroit was 3-1 against Colorado and 5-0 against Roy while winning an NHL-record 62 games this season. But the free-wheeling confidence that marked the Red Wings then has ebbed in the playoffs.

Detroit was pushed to six games by Winnipeg in the first round, then had to rally from a 3-2 deficit to eliminate St. Louis in seven games of the second round.

The Red Wings' sudden vulnerability was never so evident as in the second period when Coffey's improbable mistake enabled Colorado to forge a 1-1 tie.

Yelle was credited with his first goal 44 seconds into the second period, even though he had little to do with the score.