Denver ? After squandering seven leads against Detroit, the Colorado Avalanche were finally able to build on one.

They sure needed it.

Patrick Roy stopped 31 shots and Chris Drury scored late in the third period as the Avalanche beat the Red Wings 3-2 Saturday to even the Western Conference finals at two games apiece.

Drury scored his fifth of the playoffs and second game-winner of the series by one-timing a pass from Peter Forsberg over Dominik Hasek’s glove with 3:17 left.

It marked Colorado’s first two-goal lead since Game Four against San Jose in the conference semifinals and just the second lead the defending Stanley Cup champions have held against Detroit.

Drury’s game-winner in overtime of Game Two was the only other Colorado lead to stand.

“We have given up so many leads, but today we did a better job,” said Forsberg, who has at least one point in 11 of his last 12 playoff games. “Maybe we’re learning, hopefully we’re learning. It’s going to be a long series and if we’re going to win, we have to be able to keep the lead.”

Drury’s goal proved vital, as Brett Hull made it 3-2 with 2.7 seconds left on a wrister from just outside the crease. Colorado won the ensuing faceoff and Detroit wasn’t able to get off a shot.

Game Five is Monday night in Detroit.

“I thought we pressed right to the end,” Detroit coach Scotty Bowman said. “I was very proud of our team today. You like to get the results, but we played well. I know that’s not good enough, but it’s always worse if you lose and play poorly.”

Joe Sakic, who had just two shots in Game Three, put Colorado up 2-1 45 seconds into the third period, beating Hasek stickside with a wrister from the slot. Greg de Vries set up the goal, stealing a pass from Chris Chelios near the center line.

It was Sakic’s ninth goal of the playoffs.

“I thought that when Sakic scored the goal at the start of the third, they got more of the momentum after that,” Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom said. “We couldn’t really get it going like we did in the first and second period.”

The Avalanche vowed to play better defense in front of Roy after he faced 42 shots in Game Three, a 2-1 loss in overtime, but that wasn’t the case early.

The Red Wings peppered Roy with 16 shots in the first period, including several from close range. But just like in Game Three, when he stopped 40 shots, Roy kept the Avalanche in it.

He stopped Boyd Devereaux on a one-timer from just outside the crease early in the first, then a hard shot from the right circle by Hull 30 seconds later.

Roy also made a sliding stop with his chest on a shot by Tomas Holmstrom on a Detroit power play in the second, and had a kick save on a shot by Hull on a power play with four minutes left in the game.

It was the 237th career playoff game for Roy, moving him past Mark Messier for most in NHL history.

“We came out a little flat,” Colorado’s Dan Hinote said. “Thank God for Patty once again.”

Colorado’s Steven Reinprecht opened the scoring 7:50 into the game after Sergei Fedorov broke his stick and couldn’t stop Rob Blake.

Fedorov tried to get in Blake’s way after a puck caromed out of the corner, but didn’t slow him much without his stick. Blake fanned on a shot from the slot, but Reinprecht gathered the loose puck and lifted a backhander over Hasek.

It was Reinprecht’s sixth goal of the playoffs and his first since Game Six against San Jose in the conference quarterfinals.

But just as in the first three games, Colorado couldn’t hold the lead.

Maple Leafs 1, Hurricanes 0

Raleigh, N.C. Darcy Tucker scored in the first period and Curtis Joseph turned away 27 shots as Toronto beat Carolina to stay alive in the Eastern Conference finals. With assistant coach Rick Ley filled in for an ailing Pat Quinn behind the bench, Toronto snapped Carolina’s three-game winning streak and now returns to the Air Canada Centre for Game Six on Tuesday night trailing 3-2 in the best-of-seven series.