AVALANCHE VICTORY HAS RED WINGS FEELING BLUE

The Detroit Red Wings tormented Patrick Roy all season. This time, he took some revenge.

"We came to Detroit with the objective of winning two games," Roy said after Colorado's 3-2 overtime victory Sunday over the Red Wings. "Right now, we've got one and we've got to keep going."Roy made 29 saves and Mike Keane scored with 2:29 left in overtime as Colorado took Game 1 of the best-of-7 Western Conference finals. Roy, who helped Montreal win two Stanley Cup titles, is 28-7 in overtime playoff games, 4-2 this season.

This playoff victory was especially sweet for Roy.

The Red Wings, who won an NHL-record 62 games this season, were 5-0 against Roy, 3-0 after he joined the Avalanche. They averaged 5.41 goals against Roy this season.

On Dec. 2, the Red Wings scored nine goals against Roy in an 11-1 rout of the Montreal Canadiens. Angered and embarrassed that coach Mario Tremblay left him in to face the onslaught, Roy vowed never to play another game for the Canadiens. Four days later, he was traded to Colorado.

He was in goal again March 2 for the first five goals when Detroit defeated the Avalanche 7-0.

Did the Avalanche ever consider starting somebody else in this series?

"No, we didn't have any concerns at all," coach Marc Crawford said. "We pay Patrick a lot of money and he is our goalie of record in all our games in the playoffs."

Roy, in the third year of a four-year contract worth $16 million, was 13-3-1 against Detroit before this season. And his career playoff record now is a sparkling 79-46.

"We'd be foolish to look any further than him," Crawford said. "He's a proven playoff performer."

Despite outstanding play by both Roy and Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood, this game will be remembered more for Paul Coffey's monumental blunder. Coffey scored both of Detroit's goals, but also inadvertently knocked one in cleanly for Colorado.

"I wouldn't say it went in cleanly," Detroit coach Scotty Bowman said. "I would say maybe `dirty.' When you lose position, it happens. Obviously, he didn't want to get caught with the puck there."

Coffey's error, which tied the game 1-1, came 44 seconds into the second period.

Osgood moved over to cover Stephane Yelle, who was being pushed off to the left side of the net by Nicklas Lidstrom. Yelle slid the puck harmlessly across the empty Detroit crease.

But Coffey, trying to clear, mistakenly shot the puck into the open net. Coffey, who appeared somewhat sluggish despite his first-period goal, raised his head and closed his eyes in disgust.

Coffey dressed quickly and left without talking to reporters.