Gameday 77 (Fri, 05 Apr) - Results

Ottawa v Buffalo 2-4 - In a whirlwind of 12 seconds, the Buffalo Sabres managed to pull away and take two points from the Ottawa Senators on Friday. Rookie Brian Flynn scored with 5:23 remaining in regulation, and Jochen Hecht added a goal a dozen seconds later as Buffalo defeated Ottawa 4-2 at First Niagara Center. The Sabres have won back-to-back games after gaining two points in their previous four. Buffalo, considered sellers when they traded defensemen Jordan Leopold and Robyn Regehr and captain Jason Pominville before the NHL deadline Wednesday, have not given up hope of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs despite being four points out of eighth place with 10 games to go. Luke Adam also scored for Buffalo. Defensemen Marc Methot and Eric Gryba had the goals for Ottawa. Mika Zibanejad of the Senators and Adam Pardy of the Sabres each recorded two assists. With Flynn, Adam and defenseman Mark Pysyk, the Sabres' youth movement is on. Flynn, with four goals this season, is trying to make the most of this chance. The Senators have dropped three straight and continue on to the third of a seven-game road trip Sunday against the Florida Panthers. Buffalo gained the lead when a shot from the point by Buffalo defenseman Mike Weber went wide of the net but ricocheted off the end boards onto the stick of Hecht, who threw the puck across the crease. Flynn got to it and backhanded it past Ottawa goaltender Robin Lehner. Hecht said he didn't see Flynn there, but knew center Kevin Porter was around the net for a possible tip-in. On the next shift, Hecht scored on a backhand from 32 feet out as he spun around to avoid the reach of Senators forward Kyle Turris. Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller made 35 saves. With his first of the second period, Miller set the record for saves as a member of the Sabres with 13,309. Dominik Hasek previously held that distinction. Lehner, coming off a career-high 47-save performance against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, stopped 26 shots. An early third-period goal by Gryba gave the Senators a 2-1 lead. He scored at 1:41 on a wrist shot from the point through traffic. Buffalo responded quickly when Ott, standing in front of the net, deflected in a shot from Pysyk along the wall near the top of the left faceoff circle. Ott's seventh of the season came 1:34 after Gryba scored. In the wake of Buffalo trading Pominville to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday, Ott was promoted to alternate captain. Adam put Buffalo ahead 1-0 6:21 into the game. On the forecheck, Flynn passed the puck back to Weber at the right point. He moved it over to his partner Pardy, who then swung it back cross-ice to Adam in the faceoff circle, where a one-timer beat Lehner over the right shoulder. It's been a relatively long journey back to the NHL for 22-year-old Adam. He started the 2011-12 season centering the Sabres' top line but was sent down to Rochester of the American Hockey League in February 2012 after failing to register a point in his 25 of his last 26 games. Numerous Rochester players had been brought up before Adam got the call again Monday. Adam played in his first game of the season Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. He skated with Porter and Flynn, who started the season in Rochester as well. Adam's goal Friday was his first since Dec. 17, 2011 and his first at home since he scored a pair on Nov. 26, 2011 against the Washington Capitals. He has 14 goals and 11 assists in 73 NHL games. Ottawa tied the game 1-1 with 7:31 to play in the first period. As forward Jakob Silfverberg skated over the Buffalo line with new teammate Cory Conacher and Zibanejad, he dropped the puck to Methot. He wristed a shot through some traffic to beat Miller for his second goal of the season. Conacher, in his first game with Ottawa after being traded from the Tampa Bay Lightning for goaltender Ben Bishop on Wednesday, was on the ice and in front of the net for both Senators goals.

NY Rangers v Pittsburgh 1-2 - Hours after being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, Jussi Jokinen watched helplessly as his new team was torched by the opposition's newest players. Two days later, Jokinen became the latest NHL trade deadline acquisition to make an instant impact with his new team. Jokinen scored in regulation and again in the shootout during his Penguins debut, leading Pittsburgh to a 2-1 victory against the New York Rangers on Friday night. Marc-Andre Fleury held off the Rangers until Rick Nash tied it with 4:49 left in regulation, two seconds after a power play expired. That allowed the Rangers to avoid being shut out for the second time in three weeks by Fleury at Consol Energy Center. Pittsburgh's Pascal Dupuis was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct while the Penguins were seeking retribution on Rangers defenseman Michael Del Zotto; Pittsburgh winger James Neal left the game with about 8 1/2 minutes to play in regulation after being caught in the face by the elbow of Del Zotto. Neal stayed down for several moments and looked woozy as training personnel attended to him. But he skated off on his own power. Through coach Dan Bylsma, the team provided no update on his condition other than to say, "We'll see in the next few days how he's doing." Known for his shootout proficiency, Jokinen opened the tiebreaker by using what he called his "No. 1 move." Jokinen beat Henrik Lundqvist after skating down the right wing and cutting across the slot. He was the only shooter to score for either team, moving into a tie with Zach Parise and Pavel Datsyuk for the career lead with 32 shootout goals. Jokinen also broke a scoreless tie when he scored 30 seconds into the third period for Pittsburgh (29-10-0), which had lost its previous two games after a 15-game winning streak. The Rangers beat the Penguins 6-1 in New York on Wednesday in the first half of a home-and-home series. New York newcomers Ryane Clowe, Derick Brassard and John Moore combined for eight points against the Penguins at Madison Square Garden that night after being picked up in trades Tuesday and Wednesday. All three were shut out in the return match. The play of Jokinen played a part in that. The Finn, who turned 30 on Monday, won 13 of 15 faceoffs and was credited with a takeaway in 15:02 of ice time. Jokinen scored his seventh of the season on his ninth shift with the Penguins and his only shot on goal of the game. He one-timed a feed from Chris Kunitz as he slowly skated backwards in the left circle. Kunitz was behind the goal line and to the right of Lundqvist when he made the pass. Jokinen's line provided what appeared to be all the offense Pittsburgh would need until Nash's 14th of the season, which came three seconds after a lengthy review looking into whether the puck had crossed the goal line as Fleury sprawled out into the net. A video ruling confirmed the on-ice call of no goal, but Stepan extended his point streak to three games when he won the ensuring faceoff in the left circle back to Nash, who in one motion wristed it past Fleury for his fourth goal in six games. That ruined Fleury's chance for his second shutout of the season. At one point late in the second period, Fleury was without his glove when it got knocked off and kicked behind the net. Fleury maintained his positioning and held his bare hand out as if it was gloved while play continued. A New York shot was blocked, and an official retrieved the glove and handed it to him as play went the other way. Fleury made 34 saves during regulation and overtime and remained perfect this season in three shootouts, bouncing back after allowing a season-high six goals Wednesday. Aside from that blowout loss, Fleury has allowed a total of three goals in his past six outings, five of them starts. Still, Nash's goal earned the Rangers (18-15-4) a single point and moved them past the New York Islanders into seventh place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Both teams have 40 points, one more than the ninth-place New Jersey Devils, two ahead of the Winnipeg Jets and three more than the Philadelphia Flyers; the Rangers are seventh because they've played fewer games. Playing in his 500th game, all with the Rangers, Lundqvist allowed fewer than three goals for the ninth consecutive start. He made 26 saves through 65 minutes, but it wasn't enough for New York to win its third straight. The Rangers play the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh on Saturday night. The incident between Del Zotto and Neal heightened an already-intense rivalry. Lundqvist was upset he got bumped by Penguins agitator Matt Cooke's stick during the third period. Coming off a season high for goals on Wednesday, the Rangers were much less potent. But as a group after the game, they were satisfied with their effort against the League's highest-scoring team. The Penguins were playing their third game without Sidney Crosby, who sustained a broken jaw in a win against the Islanders on Saturday. He is out indefinitely. Pittsburgh also was out top defensemen Paul Martin and Kris Letang. The Penguins, who have not lost three in a row all season, extended their lead in the Atlantic Division to 18 points over the Rangers and Islanders and moved up five points over the Montreal Canadiens for the Eastern Conference lead. Pittsburgh's long winning streak was snapped Tuesday by the Buffalo Sabres, the Penguins' only loss at Consol Energy Center in their past 14.

Columbus v St Louis 1-3 - The St. Louis Blues put a little space between themselves and the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Western Conference playoff race Friday night. Their captain had a lot to do with lifting his team on his shoulders to gut out a victory 24 hours after a tough road win against the Chicago Blackhawks. David Backes scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period, and his spirited play that typically includes hitting everyone in sight helped lift the Blues to a 3-1 victory over the red-hot Blue Jackets at Scottrade Center. Just nine seconds after the Blue Jackets scored late in the second period to tie the game 1-1, Backes restored the Blues' lead when Alexander Steen flipped a puck into the slot and Backes sprawled to the ice and beat a surprised Bobrovsky from the seat of his pants. Chris Stewart scored his first goal in six games and Patrik Berglund scored a shorthanded goal into an empty net with one second remaining as the Blues improved to 3-0-0 against their Central Division rival. Rookie Jake Allen was solid on goal, picking up his ninth win of the season by stopping 26 shots as the Blues (20-14-2) won their third in a row. St. Louis remained in eighth place, one point behind Detroit. But the Blues increased their over Columbus and the Edmonton Oilers in the race for the last playoff berth in the Western Conference, to three points. The Blues also have games in hand against every team they're battling in the playoff race. The Blue Jackets (16-15-7) had their three-game winning streak stopped in defenseman Adrian Aucoin's 1,100th career game. Artem Anisimov scored for Columbus and Bobrovsky stopped 16 shots one night after making 38 saves in the Blue Jackets' 3-1 road win against the Nashville Predators. St. Louis was back home after a 4-3 shootout win against the Blackhawks 24 hours earlier. The Blues, who began the night 5-for-56 on an anemic power play in the last 21 games, finally got one on their third try of the game when Stewart converted Alex Pietrangelo's feed from below the goal line with 4:02 left in the second period to break a scoreless tie. Pietrangelo maneuvered around ex-Blue Nikita Nikitin to find Stewart in the low slot, and the Blues' forward was able to slip a backhand between Bobrovsky's pads. The Blues were lifted by the play of Allen, who made a number of key stops, including one on Mark Letestu's shorthanded breakaway in the first minute of the second period. Columbus did get the equalizer when Anisimov skated out from behind the net and was able to beat Allen to the short side with 1:24 left in the second period to tie it 1-1. Marian Gaborik picked up the assist, his third point in two games since joining the Blue Jackets from the New York Rangers in a trade deadline deal. However, Allen thwarted the Blue Jackets the rest of the game. He even got the benefit of a call when the Blue Jackets thought they had the equalizer with 13:20 remaining. Cam Atkinson's shot from the slot got past Allen, but the officials immediately ruled no goal because Matt Calvert was ruled to be in the crease interfering with Allen. The first period was pretty indicative that both teams played the night before and had to travel. There were few scoring chances, Atkinson had the best ones, but he was denied twice by Allen from point-blank range with 5:17 remaining. It was Allen who had something to prove after being lifted from his last start against Edmonton on March 26 when he allowed three goals on seven shots.

Detroit v Colorado 3-2 - Qualifying for the Stanley Cup Playoffs has become a rite of spring for the Detroit Red Wings, who have earned a berth in an NHL-record 21 consecutive seasons. The Red Wings are in position to extend their streak with 10 regular-season games remaining, but it has been more difficult than usual. They needed a goal from Pavel Datsyuk, his second of the game, with 15.4 seconds left in overtime for a 3-2 win against the Colorado Avalanche at the Pepsi Center on Friday night to remain in seventh place in the jam-packed Western Conference. The victory kept them one point ahead of the St. Louis Blues, who come to Joe Louis Arena on Sunday. Datsyuk reached with his stick to poke a loose puck behind Avalanche goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere after Henrik Zetterberg, who earlier in overtime was stopped on a breakaway, passed the puck in front. The victory was Detroit's second in the past five games; both have come against the Avalanche, who have lost 11 of their past 13 games and are in last place in the overall standings. The Avalanche outshot the Red Wings 16-6 in the third period and tied the game 2-2 on a goal by PA Parenteau at 6:29. Parenteau was at the base of the right circle when he redirected Jamie McGinn's diagonal pass behind goalie Jimmy Howard. Howard survived a barrage by the Avalanche in the final minutes of regulation before Datsyuk's game-winner. The Red Wings took a 2-1 lead in the first period when they sandwiched goals by Datsyuk and Gustav Nyquist around one by Mark Olver, who scored on a breakaway at 11:36 off a pass from David Van Der Gulik. Nyquist scored 13 seconds later after an Avalanche turnover in their own end. Nyquist skated to the right side of the net and slipped the puck between the post and Giguere's left skate. Datsyuk was in the slot when he scored on a power play at 8:27 – 32 seconds after Avalanche defenseman Erik Johnson went off for interference. Datsyuk completed a pretty passing play with Zetterberg, who controlled the puck along the left-wing boards, and Johan Franzen, who passed to Datsyuk from the left circle. Red Wings defenseman Kyle Quincey logged 21:40 in ice time and was minus-2 while wearing a full face shield after sitting out nine games with a fractured cheekbone. Another defenseman, Danny DeKeyser, played 16:36 in his NHL debut. A Detroit native, DeKeyser signed as a free agent with the Red Wings on March 30. He played three seasons with Western Michigan University and captained the Broncos this season.

Dallas v Anaheim 3-1 - One of the more difficult feats to achieve in hockey is beating a team three times in a row, no matter how wide a gap that exists in the standings. Anaheim Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau expressed concern about doing just that in the morning skate, and his fears came true in the first 20 minutes Friday night. The Dallas Stars' nothing-to-lose energy produced three goals en route to a 3-1 victory that salvaged the finale of the three-game mini-series. Alex Chiasson scored his first NHL goal and Lane MacDermid his second in as many games with Dallas, which appropriately got the youngsters on the board in its first win since a couple of trades earlier in the week officially signaled a rebuild. The Stars lost 4-0 to the Ducks at home Monday and 5-2 at Honda Center on Wednesday. Anaheim captain Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and four assists in the two games but missed Friday with a lower-body injury. Nystrom acknowledged that "I think we took advantage" of Getzlaf's absence, and Boudreau was blunt when asked where he missed the NHL's sixth-leading scorer. The Ducks went 0 for 4 on the power play. Anaheim still threw plenty at Dallas, specifically Teemu Selanne, who had numerous chances all game and hit the post in the third period. Matthew Lombardi made his Ducks debut and looked good early on the power play. But Kari Lehtonen got 15 blocked shots from his defense to help withstand a big push in the third and end a four-game losing streak. He finished with 27 saves, including 10 in the third period. Dallas emerged from an odd opening period with a 3-1 lead, and it could have been more after Ray Whitney hit a post and was stoned by Viktor Fasth's right leg. Chiasson, 22, bumped to the top line with Whitney and Jamie Benn in his second NHL game, drove hard to the net and finished a centering pass from Vernon Fiddler in the final minute. Nystrom scored shorthanded on a bad decision by Fasth to come out to the hash marks for a loose puck. Nystrom got to it and went around Fasth to easily put it in the open net for a 2-1 lead at 13:54. Anaheim had tied it at 1-1 on Andrew Cogliano's chip after Bryan Allen's dump-in took an odd carom at 9:23. That goal came 18 seconds after MacDermid, a 23-year-old who was part of the Jaromir Jagr return from Boston and was acquired for toughness, scored on a tight backhand to complete a great passing sequence by the fourth line. MacDermid later left with an upper-body injury and did not return. It was the only thing that dampened the night for the Stars. Drama unfolded before the game when Jonas Hiller was too ill to serve as Fasth's backup. Rob Laurie, a 43-year-old former professional roller hockey goalie, was signed to a one-day professional tryout contract and took warmups in a No. 43 jersey. His NHL career lasted less than four minutes until minor-league call-up Igor Bobkov arrived to take his place.

Calgary v San Jose 1-2 - The San Jose Sharks survived a scare from the struggling Calgary Flames on Friday night and continued their climb up the Western Conference standings with a 2-1 victory at HP Pavilion. The Sharks won their seventh straight game and moved past the Los Angeles Kings into fourth place in the West with 46 points. San Jose matched its season-high winning streak of seven games, the Sharks also won seven in a row to open the season. They also improved to 6-0-0 on their seven-game homestand, which ends Sunday against the Dallas Stars. Joe Pavelski scored the game-winner, his team-high fifth of the season, with just 2:06 left in regulation, knocking the puck past Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff from just to the left of the crease. Sharks forward TJ Galiardi dug the puck out from along the boards and sent it toward the net into a sea of bodies. Crashing to the ice, San Jose's Brent Burns knocked the puck off his skate to Pavelski, who was in the right place at the right time. Antti Niemi made 23 saves for the Sharks in his 15th consecutive start and is now 19-8-5 this season. Mikael Backlund scored Calgary's only goal late in the first period. Kiprusoff made 39 saves in one of his best performances of the season but ended up with the loss. The Flames took a 1-0 lead late in the first period on Backlund's power-play goal, but after a scoreless second period, the Sharks pulled even on Dan Boyle's seventh goal of the season at 2:40 of the third. Boyle got the puck out of San Jose's zone, sending a pass ahead to Couture along the right boards. Couture sent the puck back to Boyle in the slot, and he unleashed a shot that deflected off Kiprusoff's glove and into the net. On paper, this set up as a huge trap game for the Sharks. San Jose had won six in a row and was 13-1-4 at home. Calgary had lost three straight, including an 8-2 debacle at home Wednesday night against the Edmonton Oilers. They were 3-11-2 overall on the road and 0-11-1 in their previous 12 road games. What's more, the Sharks faced a reeling Flames that team that had a depleted roster and just 30 points. Jarome Iginla, the face of the franchise, defenseman Jay Bouwmeester and forward Blake Comeau were all traded in deals during the week before the trade deadline. The Flames were also without defenseman Mark Giordano, who remained in Calgary with his wife for the birth Thursday night of his son. Defenseman Brett Carson, called up Thursday from Abbotsford of the American Hockey League, played his first NHL since Dec. 15, 2011. Roman Horak, recalled from Abbotsford on Wednesday, played his second straight game, skating on the top line with Alex Tanguay and Cammalleri. Calgary certainly didn't play like a team that was buried in the West. San Jose outshot Calgary 17-10 in the first period, but Backlund scored the only goal at 17:55. After Couture went to the box for hooking Matt Stajan, Backlund won a faceoff with Patrick Marleau in the right circle, sending the puck to Cammalleri. Cammalleri skated to the high slot and zipped a pass to Backlund, who moved in and wristed a shot from the right circle that beat Niemi to the far side. The Sharks allowed a power play for the first time since March 23 when they lost 2-0 to the Minnesota Wild. Kiprusoff is having one of the worst seasons of his career, but he played one of his best games against San Jose, his former team. He entered Friday night's game with a 6-10-2 record, 3.64 goals-against average and .868 save percentage. He was also just a few days removed from a stressful trade deadline where he reportedly told the Flames that he wouldn't report to a new team if they traded him. Just not enough for Calgary to pull off the upset against a surging Sharks team that owns the NHL's longest current winning streak.