Gameday 71 (Sat, 30 Mar) - Results

Boston v Philadelphia 1-3 - Mired in a four-game losing skid that put them in danger of missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time in 19 years, the Philadelphia Flyers battled hard and got a strong performance from their battered defense to defeat the Boston Bruins 3-1 Saturday at Wells Fargo Center. Ilya Bryzgalov, who allowed eight goals in his previous two starts, made 33 saves for the Flyers, who got goals from Mike Knuble, Matt Read and Rulsan Fedotenko. The loss dropped Boston's record to 2-4-1 in its past seven games. The Flyers opened the scoring late in the first period while on the power play. With Zdeno Chara in the penalty box for holding, Knuble took a Braydon Schenn pass from behind the net before beating Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask. It was the 40-year-old Knuble's second goal in two games since returning to the lineup after being a healthy scratch for eight games shortly after the Flyers acquired Simon Gagne in a trade with the Los Angeles Kings on Feb. 26. With Knuble's scoring surge, the veteran forward who signed as a free agent with Philadelphia in January has provided some much-needed secondary scoring. It's been a triumphant return thus far for Knuble, who was occasionally a healthy scratch last season with the Washington Capitals. The disappointing campaign, during which he scored six goals and 18 points in 72 games, effectively ended his three-year run in the nation's capital. The Bruins carried the play through the first 40 minutes, outshooting the Flyers 12-7 in both the first and second periods. And, without injured defensemen Braydon Coburn and Andrej Meszaros, each out indefinitely with shoulder injuries, Bryzgalov and the Flyers managed to hold on. Earlier in the day, the Flyers announced the acquisition of veteran defenseman Kent Huskins from the Detroit Red Wings. But with Huskins not yet with the Flyers, rookie Oliver Lauridsen made his NHL debut. Read doubled the Flyers' lead 3:18 into the second period when he finished a perfect cross-ice pass from Jakub Voracek to beat Rask and notch his first goal since Feb. 18. Boston got within 2-1 five minutes into the third period when Nathan Horton found a rebound off Dennis Seidenberg's point shot and beat Bryzgalov for his 10th goal of the season. But the Bruins could not muster any more offense from there. Through the final minutes of regulation, the depleted Flyers defense managed to keep Bruins skaters to the perimeter, blocking a number of their shots. Fedotenko sealed the game with 58 seconds remaining when he stole the puck form Aaron Johnson at the Boston blue line and flipped it into the empty net for an unassisted goal, his first in over two months. With the win, the Flyers have 31 points, tying them in the conference with the Buffalo Sabres, Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington, whom they play host to Sunday. Going into Saturday night's action, Philadelphia is four points behind the eighth-place New York Rangers.

NY Islanders v Pittsburgh 0-2 - The Pittsburgh Penguins might have assembled a veritable virtual All-star team, but it's the unheralded players and unnoticed plays extending their winning streak. Backup goalie Tomas Vokoun made 35 saves for his second consecutive shutout, Matt Cooke scored the winner the shift after being a major part of an extended 5-on-3 penalty kill, and the Penguins won their 15th consecutive game, 2-0 against the New York Islanders on Saturday afternoon. The Penguins tied the 1982 Islanders for the second-longest winning streak in NHL history and established a franchise record by winning their 12th straight game at home. Jarome Iginla made his Penguins debut, joining Brenden Morrow and Douglas Murray as veterans who joined the team this week after being acquired in trades. But even with the additions, the Penguins began Saturday's game not only without their No. 1 goalie between the pipes but also without their top two defenseman (based on ice time). They ended it without their two leading scorers too. Defenseman Kris Letang missed his second consecutive game because of a lower-body injury and the team announced early Saturday that defenseman Paul Martin would be out for approximately six weeks because of an unspecified broken bone in his upper body that will require surgery Sunday. Captain Sidney Crosby was knocked out of the game during his first shift by a puck to the face, and goals leader Chris Kunitz was given a game misconduct late in the second period upon being penalized for checking from behind. James Neal scored about five minutes after Cooke's goal with 11:50 left in regulation, but the Penguins hardly need insurance goals these days. Pittsburgh has won by shutout in each of its past three games, all of them finished by Vokoun. Starter Marc-Andre Fleury was back in uniform on the bench Saturday after missing Thursday's 4-0 win against the Winnipeg Jets. He left Tuesday's 1-0 victory against the Montreal Canadiens with an upper-body injury. The Penguins have not allowed a goal in 208:24, a franchise record. Vokoun's scoreless streak of 162:42 is a personal best and the record for a Penguins goalie. Vokoun's shutout was his third of the season and 51st of his career. Pittsburgh has allowed nine goals over the past 11 games. The team's 15-0-0 March marks the first time in League history a team that played at least 10 games had a perfect record over a calendar month. The NHL record for most wins in a row is 17, set by the Penguins March 9-April 10, 1993. The game remained scoreless through two periods, but the Islanders began the third with 93 seconds of 5-on-3 play. New York, which entered with the NHL's top road power play, was awarded a five-minute advantage with 3:37 left in the second when Kunitz was penalized for his hit on Josh Bailey. Brooks Orpik was called for tripping 3:04 later. Bailey went face-first into the boards in the left-wing corner on the play and did not return. Islanders coach Jack Capuano said after the game that Bailey underwent unspecified testing and "fortunately is OK." It was the second game in a row the Penguins were buoyed by a third-period 5-on-3 kill of almost a full two minutes. Cooke was a major part of the penalty-killing unit that denied all three Islanders' chances. His goal was his sixth of the season but first since having two against the Montreal Canadiens on March 2, the first game of the Penguins' winning streak. Cooke pounced on a rebound of a Deryk Engelland shot, turned and beat New York goalie Evgeni Nabokov with a wrist shot. Reigning 40-goal scorer Neal's goal was his first in 10 games. Neal skated down the right wing and fired a wrist shot that beat Nabokov to the far side for his 18th of the season. Cooke's goal came about 30 seconds after Vokoun made a game-altering save on a Michael Grabner breakaway. Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin had an assist in his second game back after a nine-game absence because of a shoulder injury. The Penguins took four of five from the Islanders this season in what could be a Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round series preview. The Islanders entered the game tied with the New York Rangers for the eighth Eastern Conference playoff spot; Pittsburgh opened a nine-point lead atop conference over Montreal. The Islanders had a season-high three-game winning streak snapped.

Carolina v Winnipeg 3-1 - Only the inside of the Carolina Hurricanes' dressing room may really know whether a Saturday afternoon meeting with the Winnipeg Jets rose to must-win status. But a March rut that has imperiled what had been a promising bid to win the Southeast Division certainly pushed the Hurricanes to play with desperation against the Jets at MTS Centre, resulting in a 3-1 win. Carolina coach Kirk Muller acknowledged that a loss to Winnipeg would have damaged his team's aspirations of taking the Southeast Division, the Hurricanes' surest path to the Stanley Cup Playoffs if they can pass the Jets, but Muller said that his club was taking a big-picture view that began Saturday against Winnipeg. The victory ended Carolina's 0-6-1 slide and nudged the Hurricanes within four points of the division-leading Jets, who have dropped consecutive games heading into a three-game road trip. Carolina owns three games in hand on Winnipeg (18-16-2) and moves on to face the Montreal Canadiens to begin a four-game week. Fresh off a 6-3 loss Thursday night against the Toronto Maple Leafs in which they surrendered a third-period lead, the Hurricanes also began the afternoon with a 3-9-0 mark against Southeast Division opponents. Despite the loss Thursday, the effort against the Maple Leafs satisfied Muller and the Hurricanes, and they carried that play into Winnipeg, using an Alexander Semin goal 1:06 into the game to establish an early lead. The Hurricanes provided themselves some early life against an opponent that has struggled in the first period this season. Carolina put the Jets in a 2-0 hole on goals from Semin and Jussi Jokinen and carried that advantage into the first intermission. Opponents have outscored the Jets 35-18 in the opening period this season. Staal sealed Carolina's first win since March 12 with a goal 28 seconds into the third period that rebuilt a two-goal lead. Goalie Justin Peters, who began the season third on Carolina's depth chart, rebounded from consecutive games in which he allowed four goals after stepping in for Dan Ellis, who was injured March 21. Peters made 27 saves winning for the third time in eight appearances. Ondrej Pavelec returned to the net for Winnipeg after backup Al Montoya played in a 4-0 loss to the Penguins in Pittsburgh on Thursday. Montoya's start broke a streak of 11 consecutive starts by Pavelec, who made 25 saves and helped the Jets to hold off back-to-back Carolina 5-on-3 advantages late in the second period. After arriving Friday in Winnipeg, Muller met with his team and set the tone for his team's meeting against the Jets. Winnipeg cut into Carolina's lead in the opening two minutes of the second period. Evander Kane sped down the right boards on his off-wing and backhanded a pass into the Carolina crease that Olli Jokinen tipped past Peters at 1:26 for a 2-1 game. But the Winnipeg's first goal and another lively MTS Centre crowd could not push the Jets to build second-period momentum. Trailing 2-1 in the second period, the Jets faced four Carolina power plays in a 7:15. The Jets held a Carolina power play that began the game on 3-for-12 roll over its past four games scoreless on six tries -- but the penalty trouble stalled any Winnipeg momentum. The Jets threatened several times in the opening 30 minutes. Dustin Byfuglien rocketed a first-period shot off the post, and Nik Antropov nearly beat Peters through the pads. Peters then stopped Bryan Little's second-period breakaway that kept the score at 2-1. Winnipeg survived Carolina's consecutive two-man advantages in the second period, but Staal's team-leading 16th goal gave the Hurricanes a 3-1 lead. Tuomo Ruutu, who assisted on Carolina's first two goals, exited the game with what the Hurricanes reported to be a lower-body injury halfway through the first period after playing just three shifts. Ruutu played his first game of the season March 21, and his absence is the latest for a club missing goaltenders Ellis and Cam Ward, plus Justin Faulk and Bobby Sanguinetti on the blue line and forward Chad LaRose, who missed the game with the flu.

Nashville v Colorado 0-1 - Wins have been few and far between for the Colorado Avalanche, especially in the past few weeks. Indeed, their hopes of making a run at the Stanley Cup Playoffs have disappeared with eight losses in nine games. Now, reduced to playing the role of spoiler, the Avalanche managed some semblance of satisfaction Saturday with a 1-0 overtime victory against the Nashville Predators at the Pepsi Center. Goalie Semyon Varlamov made 34 saves and rookie defenseman Tyson Barrie scored 50 seconds into the extra period as the Avalanche snapped a four-game losing streak and continued the Predators' woes on the road. While the Predators salvaged a valuable point to remain in the hunt for a Western Conference postseason berth, the loss was their fifth in a row on the road, where they've gone 1-9-2 in the past dozen games and are 5-11-3 overall. Saturday's game was a far cry from the teams' first meeting Feb. 18, when the Avalanche chased starter Chris Mason in the second period en route to a 6-5 win. Varlamov acknowledged that a lack of confidence has affected his play and that of the Avalanche in general. The Avalanche are in last place in the Western Conference and 29th in the overall standings. Varlamov was especially good when the Avalanche were shorthanded. He made 12 saves during six Predators power plays, which included a two-man advantage in the first period that lasted 33 seconds. The Predators also had what turned into a four-minute power play spanning the second and third periods after Avalanche defenseman Ryan O'Byrne iced the puck and high-sticked Brandon Yip in the face on the ensuing faceoff to earn a double minor. The Avalanche haven't gotten much offense from their defense this season, but Barrie and partner Greg Zanon hooked up for the winning goal. Right wing PA Parenteau passed to Zanon for a shot that Rinne stopped, but Barrie pinched down the right side to bang in the rebound. Barrie, who was recalled March 25 from the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League, has two of the three goals scored by Avalanche defenseman this season. Barrie figured he wouldn't have been in position to collect the winning goal if Varlamov hadn't played as well as he did. Avalanche right wing Milan Hejduk sustained a shoulder injury halfway through the first period and didn't return. There was no further update after the game.

Washington v Buffalo 4-3 - On a night when the Buffalo Sabres' front office said they'd likely be sellers at the trade deadline, the current on-ice product blew a two-goal lead in the third period and gave up a point to a team they are looking up to in the standings. Matt Hendricks and Alexander Ovechkin scored in the shootout to give the Washington Capitals a 4-3 victory over the Sabres at First Niagara Center on Saturday. Sabres forward Ville Leino scored twice and Jhonas Enroth made 35 saves in his sixth start of the season. Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, appearing in his 600th NHL game, also scored for Buffalo. Ovechkin recorded his 17th goal of the season and Troy Brouwer scored shorthanded for Washington, while defenseman Mike Green scored with 39.2 seconds left to play in regulation to send the game to overtime. Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby made 20 saves in the win. Green's goal came about 12 minutes after he hit the post on a similar play. His shot from the point rang off the left goal post and out with about 13 minutes left, but with the goalie pulled and less than a minute to play, his rocket from about the same area hit the post, hit Enroth and found the back of the net to force the extra period. Leino scored his first two goals of the season after missing the first 27 games of the season with a hip injury he sustained in training camp. In eight games this season, he has six points. It was Leino's first goal since April 5, 2012, and his first two-goal game since March 2, 2012. Saturday was the first time he'd scored at home since Dec. 7, 2011. His best offensive game of the season came following the team's game on Thursday in Florida, where he was benched for the final two periods after taking an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty at the end of the first period. Leino's mind, however, was on the missed opportunities and the blown lead in the game on Saturday. The Sabres are now 4-4-5 in their last 13 games and are 0-1-2 in their last three. Rolston was at a loss for words when asked after the game about the team's inability to close out close games. Prior to the game, the Sabres traded veteran defenseman Jordan Leopold to the St. Louis Blues for two picks in the 2013 NHL Draft. Sabres general manager Darcy Regier said before the game that based on where the team is in the standings, 13th place in the Eastern Conference heading into the contest, more moves could be made before the trade deadline on Wednesday. The Capitals have won four of their last five games and visit the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday. Even though the New York Rangers lost to the Flyers on Saturday to help Washington's playoff chances, the Capitals aren't scoreboard watching just yet. Buffalo got off to a quick start Saturday. Ehrhoff opened the scoring 3:01 into the game, when he skated down the left wing and fired a shot off the crossbar. The puck ricocheted back to Ehrhoff as he continued going to the net and he put it in past Holtby for his fourth goal of the season. Ehrhoff has two goals and three assists in his last five games. Leino scored his first goal of the season 1:19 into the second period to give Buffalo a 2-0 lead. Tyler Ennis accepted a pass from Leino in the Washington zone and put a shot on goal. Holtby kicked the puck back into the slot, where Leino buried the rebound. Washington responded 1:02 later on the power play with a goal from Ovechkin. On the left wing, the Capitals' captain waited for a screen and then leaned into a wrist shot from 44 feet out to beat Enroth. Leino scored his second goal on the power play with 9:44 to play in the second period. Marcus Foligno outworked Capitals defenseman Steve Oleksy in front of the net and redirected a point shot from Tyler Myers through Holtby's legs. Leino was on the doorstep to tap it in. Brouwer scored shorthanded to make it a one-goal game at 2:43 of the third period. From behind the net, Holtby whipped a Buffalo dump-in up along the left-wing glass and the puck squeaked through Sabres defenseman Andrej Sekera at the point. Brouwer picked the puck up and skated in to beat Enroth on his short side.

NY Rangers v Montreal 0-3 - Just about the only positive to come out of Saturday night for the New York Rangers is they won't have to face the Montreal Canadiens again this regular season. But with the way the Rangers are playing of late, just about any opponent represents a significant challenge. Michael Ryder scored 47 seconds into the game and the Canadiens never looked back, sweeping the season series against the Rangers thanks to 34 saves by Carey Price in a 3-0 victory. Rangers coach John Tortorella said Saturday morning his team was running out of time to figure things out this season and meet the heavy expectations placed on a group that was expected to contend for the Stanley Cup. Instead, the Rangers are clinging to the eighth playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Rangers remained in eighth by virtue of the New York Islanders' 2-0 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins earlier in the day, but the 10th-place Carolina Hurricanes won 3-1 against the Winnipeg Jets to pull within a point of the Rangers and Islanders. And that is the message Tortorella wants his team to understand: In spite of winning once in their past five games, and scoring three goals in the four losses, the Rangers remain in a playoff spot. The precariousness of their position appears clear to the Rangers players, and they face a huge stretch that could make or break their season. Of the Rangers' next seven games, four are taken up by home-and-home matchups with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Toronto Maple Leafs. The other three games are against the Jets, Hurricanes and Islanders, all teams they are fighting for a playoff spot. In the other dressing room, things could not be much better for a Canadiens team that doesn't appear to care that they are still considered by many to not be legitimate contenders despite having seven regulation losses in 34 games, the lowest total in the Eastern Conference and tied for second-lowest in the NHL. Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher added goals for the Canadiens (22-7-5), who increased their lead in the Northeast Division to three points over the Boston Bruins, who lost 3-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers earlier Saturday. The Rangers (16-15-3) dropped their eighth straight game at Bell Centre dating to a 4-3 shootout win March 17, 2009, and they were again stymied by a Canadiens team that allowed them to score one goal in three meetings this season. Martin Biron, despite allowing three goals on 26 shots, was perhaps the Rangers' best player. The Canadiens did not pepper him with shots, but the quality was far greater than the quantity. Price made a number of fine stops, but the bulk of them were on shots from the perimeter as he improved his save percentage against New York to .987 in three games and earned his third shutout of the season, with two coming at the expense of the Rangers. Subban's second three-point night of the season gave him a goal and four assists in his past two games, and 27 points in 28 games overall, pulling him to within one of League-leaders Kris Letang of the Penguins and Ryan Suter of the Minnesota Wild in defenseman scoring. With 14 games remaining, Subban is 11 points shy of his career-best total of 38 in 77 games in his rookie season in 2010-11. For a Rangers team that spoke prior to the game of how it needed to bounce back following a disappointing 3-0 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, things could not have started much worse. The team botched its first line change, leaving Ryder with an entire sheet of ice ahead of him to skate to the net. His initial shot didn't hit the target, but as the Rangers were still scrambling to get back in position, Ryder managed to get to the puck while surrounded by three defenders and beat Biron five-hole at the 47-second mark. It was Ryder's fifth goal in his past five games, and he has seven goals and seven assists in the 14 games since he was acquired from the Dallas Stars on Feb. 26 in a trade for Erik Cole. The Rangers had a 10-3 lead in shots on goal through the first half of the first period, and got their fair share of quality chances. J.T. Miller was robbed by Price on an excellent chance from the slot off a setup by Callahan at 11:58, and Marian Gaborik was turned aside on a breakaway at 16:28. Instead, it was the Canadiens who went to the first intermission with a 2-0 lead when Plekanec came down on a 2-on-1 with Subban and put a slap shot past Biron inside the far post at 18:11. Montreal got the bulk of the chances early in the second, but it was a rather obvious goaltender interference penalty on Rick Nash that ultimately cost New York when a rebound off a Subban point shot was put home by Gallagher for the rookie's 11th of the season to make it 3-0. The Rangers, who had scored three goals or more in 60 minutes twice in their previous nine games, appeared somewhat resigned to the fact they wouldn't do it in 20 minutes of the third. Ultimately they didn't score one, extending their streak without a goal to 127:47.

Toronto v Ottawa 4-0 - The red-hot duo of Joffrey Lupul and Nazem Kadri took over the Battle of Ontario on Saturday night as Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Ottawa Senators 4-0 at Scotiabank Place. Kadri had his second hat trick of the season, scoring his second and third goals of the night in a span of 2:04 in the third period to blow the game open. Lupul scored the game's first goal and assisted on all three of Kadri's, and Kadri assisted on Lupul's goal as both players finished with four-point game. Kadri was all smiles after the victory, which came with plenty of blue-and-white jerseys in the packed house at Scotiabank Place. Lupul also scored his third consecutive game-winning goal. He has five goals and four assists in his past four games, while Kadri has six goals and eight assists in his past eight games. Toronto's third consecutive victory gives the Maple Leafs 44 points, the same number as Ottawa; the Senators are fifth in the East and Toronto is sixth because they've played one fewer game. James Reimer continued to dominate the Senators, making 31 saves for his second shutout of the season. He has a career record of 7-1-1 against Ottawa, including 5-0-0 at Scotiabank Place. Ottawa's Ben Bishop made 19 saves as his four-game winning streak ended. The atmosphere was electric for the latest matchup between the provincial rivals, with three fights taking place in a wild first period. Matt Kassian dropped the gloves against Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren in separate scraps, while Colin Greening fought with Mark Fraser.The Leafs took the lead on their first power play. Daniel Alfredsson was called for hooking Michael Kostka at 2:03, and a minute later, Kadri's shot from the top of the right circle was tipped by Lupul and went through Bishop's five-hole. Ottawa took seven minutes to get a shot on Reimer, but then had several chances in the remainder of the opening period. Reimer closed his pads to stop Guillaume Latendresse on a breakaway near the eight-minute mark. Jim O'Brien rifled a shot from the slot with seven minutes left that hit the crossbar, and a broken play with five minutes left turned into a shot by Chris Neil that appeared to have Reimer beat. Greening, who was standing to the right of Reimer, tipped the puck into the net, but the referee whistled the play dead prior to the puck crossing the goal line. The Leafs made it 2-0 in the second on a play that began 200 feet from the Senators' net. Neil tripped John-Michael Liles in the Toronto zone, which led to a delayed penalty. Reimer left his net for an extra attacker, and after a scramble in front of the net, Lupul deflected the puck with his skate to a wide-open Kadri, who was waiting to the right of Bishop. Kadri easily tipped the puck into the net at 12:45. The Battle of Ontario shutout dampened the spirits of the Senators, who had won six out of their past seven games prior to Saturday.

New Jersey v Florida 2-3 - The stakes weren't nearly as high, but Saturday's game between the New Jersey Devils and Florida Panthers looked awfully similar to their previous meeting at BB&T Center, except the outcome. Shawn Matthias tied the game by scoring his second goal with 27 seconds remaining in regulation, and Dmitry Kulikov scored his first goal of the season at 1:43 of overtime to give the Panthers a 3-2 victory. The game ended with the same score as Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, when the Devils won in double overtime. The Panthers had been 0-5 in games decided in overtime this season, along with a 2-1 shootout record. Kulikov beat Martin Brodeur with a wrist shot from the wing after taking a cross-ice pass from Brian Campbell, who had stopped a New Jersey clearing attempt in the high slot. It was Kulikov's first goal since Jan. 9, 2012, when he scored in a 2-1 victory against the Vancouver Canucks. Matthias continued his torrid run for the Panthers, scoring his 10th and 11th goals in his past 16 games. By comparison, he had never scored more than 10 goals in the past three seasons despite playing at least 51 games each time. Matthias also had two goals in Thursday's 5-4 shootout victory against the Buffalo Sabres. Matthias' tying goal marked the second night in a row that the Devils squandered a lead in the standings in the final 30 seconds of regulation and left with one point instead of two. New Jersey allowed a goal with 15 seconds left Friday night before losing 5-4 in a shootout to the Tampa Bay Lightning. With goaltender Jacob Markstrom on the bench for an extra attacker, Matthias tied the game when he fired into a wide-open net after the rebound of Scottie Upshall's backhander from the side bounced to the middle of the ice. Markstrom, making his sixth start in seven games, stopped 24 shots as the Panthers won for only the second time (2-16-4) in 22 games this season when they allowed the first goal. Steve Bernier scored twice for the Devils, snapping a 13-game goal drought. His last goal had come March 2 in a 4-3 shootout loss against the Buffalo Sabres. After playing for the Panthers in 2010-11, Bernier has five goals in 11 games [including playoffs] against his former team during the past two seasons. Brodeur, playing on consecutive nights for the first time this season, stopped 27 shots. It was the first time in 16 games the Devils allowed more than 25 shots, a streak that included six overtime or shootout games. Brodeur is 2-0-3 in five games since returning from a back injury. The Devils have lost three in a row past regulation for the second time this season. The overtime loss helped the Devils increase their lead over the New York Rangers and New York Islanders for seventh place in the Eastern Conference to four points. New Jersey has 39 points; the Rangers and Islanders have 35, both lost on Saturday in regulation. The Devils won the first meeting against the Panthers this season, 2-1 at New Jersey last Saturday. The teams will meet for the third and final time this season in Newark on April 20. New Jersey played its third consecutive game without star forward Ilya Kovalchuk, who hurt his shoulder against the Panthers on March 23. But defenseman Henrik Tallinder was back in action after missing 11 games with a lower-body injury. The game was tied 1-1 heading into the third period before Bernier gave New Jersey the lead with a power-play goal at 7:57. With Matthias in the penalty box for hooking, Bernier scored when he tipped Tallinder's shot from the point while standing in front of Markstrom. Bernier opened the scoring 3:42 into the game after a turnover in the Panthers zone. Bernier got a stick on a pass by Kulikov and the puck went right to Devils center Stephen Gionta at the right faceoff dot. Gionta passed to the slot to Ryan Carter, who immediately backhanded a pass to Bernier to the right of the net for a backhanded redirection. Matthias got lucky on his goal at 12:55 of the first when he scored on a power play. Jonathan Huberdeau's pass from the side to the front of the net went off the left skate of Matthias and past Brodeur. Huberdeau finished with two assists and took over the NHL rookie scoring lead with 25 points, one more than Cory Conacher of the Lightning. Florida outshot New Jersey 13-7 in a scoreless second period.

Los Angeles v Minnesota 3-4 - Minnesota Wild erased a two-goal deficit against the Stanley Cup champions, playing its second game in as many nights and fifth in eight days. The Wild scored three consecutive goals in the shootout and got the stop it needed from goaltender Niklas Backstrom in a 4-3 victory against the Los Angeles Kings at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday. After having its seven-game winning streak snapped just 24 hours earlier in Dallas, Minnesota looked to be in trouble midway through the second period, down two goals to a team that was resting in St. Paul on Friday, while the Wild were in Texas. But a goal by rookie Charlie Coyle towards the end of the second turned the tide and provided the fuel for the Wild's tying goal midway through the third period. Coyle's goal came thanks to some gritty work by Zach Parise and Minnesota captain Mikko Koivu behind the net. Koivu fed the puck to Coyle in front, but he had his stick lifted before he could get a shot off. He stayed composed, gathered in the puck from his knees and fired past Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick for his fourth of the season. Minnesota's top-line also buried the tying goal on the power play midway through the third when Koivu fired a cross-slot, no-look pass to Parise at the left post. His snap shot beat Quick for his team-leading 15th of the year. For Koivu, his two assists extended his points streak to seven games. He was also credited with the winning goal in the shootout. The Kings grabbed a 1-0 lead on the power play 7:58 into the game when Dustin Brown scooped up a loose puck in the left corner, drove to the slot and beat Backstrom with a wrist shot for his 14th of the season. L.A. entered the contest 13-1-1 when scoring first this season. But Minnesota got even less than six minutes later, as its red-hot second line capped a pretty series of passes with a goal by Matt Cullen from the top of the left circle. Left wing Pierre-Marc Bouchard entered the zone with the puck and passed to Devin Setoguchi at the right circle. Setoguchi fed the puck back to Cullen for a snap shot that beat Quick to the top corner at 13:19 for his seventh of the season. Cullen, who started the season slowly, now has points in four straight games and 19 points in his last 19 games. The Kings struck again with the extra man 3:44 into the second when Jeff Carter rifled a shot from the right circle past Backstrom for his 19th of the season. Williams added a breakaway goal at 11:24 to make it 3-1. For Carter, the goal was his 400th career point. Minnesota, which boasts one of the top penalty killing units in the NHL, has now allowed five power-play goals in its last two contests. Backstrom stopped 28 shots to win his League-leading 19th game of the season. The victory was also his eighth straight, a career high. The Wild are now 4-1 in shootouts this season. Quick made 25 saves and dropped to 12-10-3 on the season. L.A., which would have pulled even with Minnesota with a win in regulation, now has 41 points, fifth best in the Western Conference. In the midst of a four-game road trip, the Kings embark on the second half of their own back-to-back set Sunday night in Dallas. Minnesota's 44 points pulled it even with the Vancouver Canucks atop the Northwest Division, with the former controlling the tiebreaker thanks to two more wins and having one game in hand. The Wild will host St. Louis Monday before heading off on a three-game road trip which brings them to San Jose on Wednesday and Los Angeles on Thursday.

Vancouver v Edmonton 0-4 - Taylor Hall and the Edmonton Oilers were ready to go from the opening faceoff Saturday. Hall scored twice as the Oilers set a franchise record for the fastest three goals from the start of a game, then completed his third career hat trick before the first period was eight minutes old as the Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-0 at Rexall Place. The victory was the third in a row for Edmonton (14-13-7). The Oilers are one of four teams tied with 35 points, one behind eighth-place St. Louis in the Western Conference playoff scramble. The Calgary Flames come to Edmonton on Monday before the Oilers begin a four-game trip. The Canucks had their six-game winning streak snapped and dropped into second place behind the Minnesota Wild in the Northwest Division, both teams have 44 points, but the Wild have a game in hand. The four goals allowed by Vancouver in the Oilers' first-period outburst were only two fewer than the Canucks had allowed during the six-game winning streak. Hall scored 16 seconds after the opening faceoff, and Ladislav Smid scored his first goal in more than a year with a blast from the top of the left circle at 2:05, sending Cory Schneider to the bench after he was beaten on the only two shots he faced. But Hall greeted Roberto Luongo by finishing off a quick 2-on-1 pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at 2:43 for a 3-0 lead. The Oilers' previous record for fastest three goals from the opening faceoff was 3:25, set against Colorado on Dec. 16, 1981. It was also the Oilers' third goal on just three shots, the last time a team scored on its first three shots in a game was Oct. 14, 2009, when the Dallas Stars did it against the Nashville Predators. The Oilers got their first power play when Steven Pinizzotto was called for interference at 7:42, and Hall needed just 11 seconds of the man advantage to complete his hat trick. He came off the right wing, moved to the front of the net and knocked the puck through Luongo's pads at 7:53 for a 4-0 lead, on just five shots. The four goals were more than enough for Devan Dubnyk, who stopped all 23 shots by the stunned Canucks for his second shutout of the season and the sixth of his career. Vancouver outshot Edmonton 8-3 in the second period and had a pair of power plays but couldn't beat Dubnyk, whose best stop may have come early in the period when he denied Alexandre Burrows on a redirection. Luongo denied Hall's bid for a fourth goal with a spectacular blocker save midway through the third period. He also robbed Jordan Eberle from point-blank range with just under four minutes remaining. While he was obviously delighted to play most of the game with a four-goal lead, Krueger was also pleased that the Oilers never let the Canucks get back into the game.

Phoenix v San Jose 2-3 - Joe Pavelski remained red-hot Saturday, and so did the San Jose Sharks. Pavelski scored for the fourth straight game and added an assist, leading the Sharks to their fourth straight victory, a 3-2 shootout win against the Phoenix Coyotes at HP Pavilion. Logan Couture opened the shootout and beat goaltender Jason LaBarbera to his glove side for the only goal. Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi stopped Steve Sullivan, Radim Vrbata and Mikkel Boedker in the breakaway competition to help San Jose earn a second point in the standings. Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored for the Sharks in the third period, on his 26th birthday, no less, and Niemi finished with 27 saves. With 40 points, the Sharks moved past the Detroit Red Wings (39) and into sixth place in the Western Conference, one point behind the Los Angeles Kings. They're six points ahead of Phoenix, their Pacific Division rival. Boyd Gordon and Vrbata scored for the Coyotes, who lost for the eighth time in their past nine game, and LaBarbera stopped 32 of 34 shots. Pavelski has scored all four goals during his streak since moving from a second-line wing to the third-line center, skating between Ryane Clowe and TJ Galiardi. His first three goals were at even strength, but his goal against Phoenix came on a power play at 10:24 of the second period, as the Sharks pulled even after Gordon put the Coyotes up 1-0 with a goal late in the first period. Vrbata put the Coyotes ahead 2-1 just 33 seconds into the third period. Wide open in the slot, Vrbata took a pass from Doan and ripped a shot that was denied by Niemi. But the Sharks’ goaltender couldn't control the rebound, and Vrbata moved in untouched for an easy goal, as defenseman Brent Burns got caught too low. But with just five minutes left in the third, Pavelski fired the puck at LaBarbera, and Vlasic rammed the rebound into the net, pulling the Sharks even at 2-2. The Sharks had a good chance to score midway through overtime when Burns hit Patrick Marleau just right of the crease with a pass, but he couldn't get the puck past LaBarbera. With just over a minute left, Coyotes forward Martin Hanzal intercepted a Joe Thornton pass deep in San Jose's zone but couldn't beat Niemi. Phoenix center Antoine Vermette misfired just seconds later, and the Coyotes didn't get a shot on goal during a power play that lasted the final 12.6 seconds of overtime. Niemi entered the game after back-to-back shutouts and had a shutout streak of 121 minutes and 40 seconds. But his streak ended at 136:23 when Gordon scored at 14:43 of the first period. Evgeni Nabokov still owns the franchise’s individual shutout streak record of 170:58, set during a span of four games from Jan. 20-31 in 2009. Niemi and Thomas Greiss combined to set the team shutout record of 190:51 from Jan. 23-Feb. 2, 2012. Niemi had a pair of shutouts during that four-game stretch. Phoenix grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first when Gordon ripped a rebound past Niemi from close range for his second goal of the season. Niemi had stopped a shot from Rob Klinkhammer, who controlled the puck behind the net and fired from just left of the crease, but Gordon beat him to the glove side. The Sharks outshot Phoenix 14-11 in the first period, but trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes. With No. 1 goaltender Mike Smith (upper body) on injured reserve, LaBarbera started against the Sharks for the second time this season. He gave up four goals when the Sharks beat Phoenix 5-3 in their home opener. Smith notched a 1-0 shutout against San Jose at HP Pavilion on Feb. 9 in a shootout. The Sharks finally broke through against LaBarbera and pulled even on Pavelski's power-play goal at 10:24 of the second period, with Gordon in the box after drawing a four-minute penalty for high-sticking Sharks defenseman Justin Braun. The Sharks played without defenseman Jason Demers, who showed up at HP Pavilion on Saturday morning "not feeling good," according to McLellan. That forced the Sharks to juggle their lineup and move Burns from top-line wing back to defense and insert forward Adam Burish back into the lineup in Burns' spot with Thornton and Martin Havlat. Burns had scored a goal in three straight games and had five goals and 10 points in nine games since moving to forward on March 12 against the St. Louis Blues. Demers took a hard hit Thursday from Detroit's Cory Emmerton, a possible reason for him being out, although McLellan provided no specifics. Phoenix defenseman Keith Yandle played his 400th NHL game, all with the Coyotes, who took him in the fourth round of the 2005 NHL Draft. Coyotes coach Dave Tippett remained one win shy of 150, but he was more concerned with the lost point.