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BOX SCORE
MONTREAL (AP) -- Grant Fuhr isn't quite ready to go on a
retirement tour.
|  | | Montreal's Francis Bouillon is too late to stop Cory Stillman's shot from crossing the goal line as goaltender Jeff Hackett watches and Calgary's Martin St. Louis, front, charges the net. |
"I haven't really worried about that yet," Fuhr said after
backstopping the Calgary Flames to a 3-3 tie against the Montreal
Canadiens on Tuesday night.
Fuhr, a 19-year NHL veteran, wasn't about to concede that he
might have played his last game in Montreal.
"It's not something that I've really given a lot of
consideration," the 37-year-old goalie said. "I keep plugging
away day by day, and if all goes well and the body feels good, then
I'll come back and play another year."
Fuhr, who won five Stanley Cups with the Edmonton Oilers, turned
away 27 shots while making his first start in 11 games.
"It's nice to get back in the game again and play a little bit
-- get a feel for it again," Fuhr said.
The Flames ended a six-game road trip in which they went
2-2-1-1.
"We're pretty happy taking six out of 12 points on the trip,"
Fuhr said. "For a team that hasn't been in the playoffs for three
years, our sole goal is to make the playoffs. I think if we keep
playing this way, we should pretty much be able to be in the
playoffs."
Derek Morris and Cory Stillman scored on Calgary's first two
shots on Jeff Hackett, and Valeri Bure put the Flames ahead 3-1
after Montreal's Dainius Zubrus scored early in the second period.
Martin Rucinsky's 11th and 12th goals of the season sent the
teams into the third period tied at 3.
"It's unfortunate that we blew a two-goal lead, but we played
hard," Fuhr said. "And if we keep playing that hard, good things
are going to happen."
Montreal was bolstered by the return of three injured players to
the lineup, including defenseman Patrice Brisebois and forward
Benoit Brunet, who were each playing their first game of the
season.
"I missed my team because hockey is my life and my teammates
are my family," said Brisebois, who assisted on two Montreal
goals, including Rucinsky's game-tying effort. "I put my equipment
on and I could feel that energy."
Brisebois saw 22:16 of ice time, and Brunet played 17:43.
"You saw those players come back after not playing for six
months, and you don't need me to say what they mean to our team,"
Canadiens coach Alain Vigneault said. "They're talented, smart
players. With a couple more like them back, we'll have a good idea
of what kind of team we really have."
The tie ended a three-game losing streak for the Canadiens, who
also got center Sergei Zholtok back after missing one game with a
bruised cheek. Montreal still has seven regulars on the injured list.
Morris beat Hackett with a screened shot only 24 seconds into
the game, and Stillman's deflection of Phil Housley's shot fell
behind Hackett on a power play at 5:50.
Zubrus, who equaled a career high with his eighth goal, scored
1:32 into the second period before Bure feathered a shot through
Hackett's legs on a power play at 4:34.
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ALSO SEE
NHL Scoreboard
Calgary Clubhouse
Montreal Clubhouse
RECAPS
Washington 4
NY Islanders 2
Calgary 3
Montreal 3
New Jersey 2
Pittsburgh 1
Carolina 4
St. Louis 2
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