Thunder playoff hopes disappearing as season winds down

Steve Carp

Wednesday, April 7, 1999 | 10:24 a.m.

The games are dwindling to a precious few for the Thunder, but to its credit, the effort isn't matching the number of times the team has remaining to suit up and skate.

Only seven games remain after Las Vegas battled Manitoba at the Thomas & Mack Center Tuesday, but came out on the short end of a 6-4 count. And with its playoff hopes evaporating, pride is fueling the Thunder to finish the season on a positive note.

"I thought we found a way to lose instead of finding a way to win," coach Bob Bourne said. "We created a lot of good chances. We came out real strong and we skated strong."

At 34-35-6 with 74 points and seven games left, the Thunder virtually has to win out and hope eighth-place Milwaukee collapses down the stretch to secure the final Western Conference playoff spot. And with efforts such as Tuesday's, at least Bourne can take satisfaction in the fact his guys didn't mail in the remainder of the season.

"The effort's there, no question," he said. "But the fact is it's not easy to stay in it when you know there may not be much to play for."

In what was a back-and-forth affair that saw Las Vegas hold a territorial edge in play (the Thunder outshot the Moose 41-24), the Thunder squandered 1-0 and 2-1 leads. It also saw starting goalie Petr Franek stop Patrice Tardif on a penalty shot late in the first period after Tardif was hauled down on a breakaway by Yvegny Shaldybin.

But Franek's luck gave out toward the end of the second period. Two Manitoba goals in fewer than six minutes saw Franek depart in place of Konstantin Simchuk.

Ultimately, the Thunder was done in by two of its alumni -- Bill Bowler and Kent Fearns. Bowler had two goals and a pair of assists while Fearns had a pair of goals to lead the Moose.

Before the game, the Thunder learned defenseman David Shaw had left the team for personal reasons and would not return for the remainder of the season. Shaw, who had 13 points in 24 games, informed general manager Bob Strumm of his decision Saturday.