Results - Sat, Mar 22, 2014

St Louis @ Philadelphia 1-4 - The Blues had less than two minutes of power-play time in the first period Saturday afternoon against the Flyers. But with the St. Louis attack coming in waves at the Philadelphia defense, it seemed the Blues had extra men at all times. The Flyers were able to regroup and find some timely scoring in a 4-1 victory at Wells Fargo Center. Scott Hartnell, Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds and Voracek each had a goal and an assist for the Flyers, who won their fifth straight and are 8-2-1 since the NHL season resumed following the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Claude Giroux had two assists to extend his scoring streak to six games, Steve Mason made 32 saves, and the Flyers remained one point ahead of the New York Rangers for second place in the Metropolitan Division. The Rangers kept pace by beating the New Jersey Devils 2-0 on Saturday night. The only bad sign for the Flyers was the loss of forward Steve Downie to an upper-body injury on the first shift. He collided with Blues forward Patrik Berglund in the neutral zone 45 seconds into the game and remained on the ice for several minutes. Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said Downie would be re-evaluated Sunday. Jaden Schwartz scored for the Blues, who lost consecutive games for the fourth time this season; they were beaten 4-0 by the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday. Goalie Ryan Miller stopped 15 of 18 shots. Despite the loss, the Blues became the first Western Conference team to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Boston Bruins beat the Phoenix Coyotes 4-2 on Saturday night. The Blues dominated play in the first period and led 1-0 on Schwartz's shorthanded goal, the 11th the Flyers have allowed, tying the Edmonton Oilers for the most in the NHL. But the Flyers were able to turn things around starting in the second period. The Flyers started the second period on a power play after Vladimir Sobotka was called for hooking with seven seconds remaining in the first. Working the puck in the St. Louis zone, Giroux sent a cross-ice pass to Voracek in the right circle. Voracek found Hartnell, who lifted a shot over a sliding Miller for his 19th goal 57 seconds into the period. Philadelphia took the lead at 13:24 on Brayden Schenn's 18th goal. Simmonds tipped a pass by Chris Porter in the neutral zone and Schenn grabbed it and skated across the St. Louis blue line. He sent the puck back to Simmonds, who danced through the slot and got a shot on net from in close. Miller made the save but left a rebound loose in the crease for Schenn, who drove to the net and scored. The Blues dialed up the pressure in the third period, outshooting the Flyers 11-3, but Voracek's 19th of the season at 15:41 of the third provided the Flyers with some much-needed insurance. Hartnell forced a turnover by Derek Roy deep in the St. Louis end and slid a pass to Giroux. The Philadelphia captain then sent a pass across the zone to Voracek, who fired a shot from the left circle that beat Miller past his blocker. When the Blues weren't turning over the puck they were peppering Mason. They had five shots on three third-period power plays and 11 shots in the final 20 minutes. But Alexander Steen hit the post on the power play before Mason scrambled to stop Roy twice in the crease at even strength with 9:02 left. The Blues went 0-for-6 with the man-advantage.
Detroit @ Minnesota 3-2 - Red Wings forward Gustav Nyquist has picked a good time to get hot. Nyquist's goal 5:19 into the third period lifted the Red Wings to a 3-2 win against the Minnesota Wild on Saturday afternoon at Xcel Energy Center. It was Nyquist's fifth goal in his past four games. Detroit is 3-1-0 in that stretch, including three straight wins, and has moved into the Eastern Conference's second wild-card spot for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Red Wings and Washington Crapitals each have 79 points, but Detroit has two games in hand. Detroit and Washington are one point ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets and one behind the Toronto Maple Leafs, who hold the top wild-card spot. Nyquist created his own luck on the winner, taking a pass from Riley Sheahan at the Wild blue line along the right wall. He drove to his left and dropped behind a crashing Tomas Tatar, who became the perfect screen between him and Wild goaltender Darcy Kuemper. Nyquist snapped a shot through the screen that snuck inside the right post for his team-leading 21st goal of the season. Brendan Smith and David Legwand scored on the power play for Detroit, and Jimmy Howard stopped 28 shots. He has won his past three starts. Mikko Koivu opened the scoring on the power play and Charlie Coyle scored on a penalty shot for Minnesota. Kuemper made 27 saves in the loss. With 83 points, the Wild hold the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference. Detroit led 2-1 after two periods but surrendered the lead 15 seconds into the third when Coyle was hauled down on a breakaway. Coyle was awarded a penalty shot and beat Howard with a backhand-forehand deke for his eighth of the season. It was Coyle's first goal in nine games and second in his past 24. Over that stretch, he's gone from second-line center to second-line wing to third-line center. He began the day at third-line wing but coach Mike Yeo said he noticed Coyle from his first shift Saturday and decided to push him up in the lineup. The Wild led 1-0 on a power-play goal by Koivu at 5:38 of the first period. Defenseman Ryan Suter held the puck at the blue line and skated down the left wall, passing to Koivu near the left dot. Koivu one-timed a shot over Howard's glove for his ninth of the season, first since Dec. 27. Detroit countered with a power-play goal nearly five minutes later. Legwand's shot caromed off the left post and came to Smith at the bottom of the right circle. Smith's backhander slipped past Kuemper at 10:34 for his fourth of the season. Legwand gave Detroit the lead in the second period with a power-play goal after Minnesota defenseman Clayton Stoner was whistled for high sticking. Legwand took a behind-the-back pass from Sheahan and beat Kuemper to his glove side for his 12th with 2:36 remaining in the period. The Wild had a chance to tie the game late after a holding penalty on Detroit's Niklas Kronwall put Minnesota on the power play with 3:27 to play. Minnesota pulled Kuemper with two minutes remaining to get a 6-on-4 advantage, but managed two weak shots on Howard. It was the second straight game in which the Red Wings have had to kill a penalty late in the game in order to get points. The Red Wings nearly sustained another injured player in the opening minutes. After a dump-in from center by Koivu, he and Kronwall raced for the puck behind Howard. Kronwall got tangled in Koivu's stick and crashed headfirst into the end-wall. He laid on the ice for several seconds before slowly getting to his feet and to the bench with the help of trainers. He went down the tunnel to the locker room but returned to the game late in the first period and played regular shifts the rest of the game.
Florida @ Los Angeles 0-4 - One of the first people Jonathan Quick saw in the dressing room after his win Saturday was former Los Angeles Kings goalie Rogie Vachon, resplendent in a black-on-black suit. Vachon sat next to Quick during Quick's media session, and it was probably the most Quick has smiled in a long time, at least in front of reporters. The memorable moments came after Quick passed Vachon for the most wins in Kings history with a 24-save, 4-0 victory against the Florida Panthers at Staples Center. Quick impressed Vachon with arguably the highlight save of the NHL season when he reached to his left and somehow gloved a backhand attempt by Tomas Fleischmann 3:04 into the second period. The save appropriately highlighted a win Quick said he'll appreciate after he's done playing. It was Quick's 30th NHL shutout, two behind Vachon for No. 1 in Kings history. Los Angeles also got contributions from its fourth line; center Mike Richards and usual grinder Trevor Lewis scored in the first period. The one drawback in the conclusion of the five-game homestand was that captain Dustin Brown left the game in the second period with an upper-body injury, according to the Kings. Brown played four shifts in the second period, when he scored his 13th goal of the season. Fleischmann was following up a shot off the boards by Dmitry Kulikov on a Florida power play. The play was reviewed to see if Quick brought the puck across the plane of the goal line in his glove. Some of the home crowd gave the 28-year-old a standing ovation upon seeing the replay. The outstretched glove of Quick might as well have been a reminder that no Western Conference team wants to play the Kings in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Los Angeles would be even more formidable if Richards can get going again. Richards took a pass from Lewis in the corner, drove to the net and slipped it five-hole on Florida goalie Roberto Luongo with 2:44 left in the first period while he avoided defenseman Brian Campbell. It was exactly the type of play the Kings would like to see more of from Richards, who has 10 goals on the season but four since Thanksgiving. Richards went through a 23-game drought earlier this season. Kings coach Darryl Sutter put Richards on a line with Lewis and Kyle Clifford to shake Richards and Jeff Carter out of slumps. Carter had an assist on a third-period goal by Alec Martinez. Lewis played one of his best periods of the season in the first and scored his fifth goal to finish a great possession. He whacked the puck in from the high slot at 11:03 after it bounced off Clifford. Lewis circled up top with the puck before he went to the net. Luongo received little support from his defense and finished 0-3-1 with 13 goals allowed against the Kings this season, with the other games for the Vancouver Canucks. Luongo stopped 72 of 76 shots in his previous two starts.
Montreal @ Toronto 4-3 - Tomas Plekanec scored with 8:46 left in the third period to give the Montreal Canadiens a 4-3 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre on Saturday night. Plekanec snapped a wrist shot from the right circle that beat goalie James Reimer to the short side for his 18th goal of the season, handing the Maple Leafs their fourth consecutive loss. It came after the Canadiens had failed to hold leads of 2-0 and 3-2. Montreal went on a power play after Maple Leafs forward James van Riemsdyk was called for goalie interference at 9:14. Plekanec's goal came two seconds after the penalty expired, leaving Toronto coach Randy Carlyle frustrated. Toronto's Nazem Kadri tied the game at 3-3 with a power-play goal 2:49 into the third period. Joffrey Lupul found Kadri in front of the net for a quick shot that squeezed between the post and Price's pad for his 18th goal of the season. The Maple Leafs had chances in the final minutes but couldn't get another puck past Price. Price finished with 33 saves, one more then Reimer, on a night when each team had 36 shots and plenty of scoring chances. The victory moved the Canadiens (39-26-7) within one point of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the race for second place in the Atlantic Division. Toronto (36-28-8), which visits the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, owns the first wild-card position in the Eastern Conference for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The teams combined for five goals in the first period, followed by a scoreless second period. Max Pacioretty put the Canadiens ahead at 5:47. David Desharnais dropped a pass to Pacioretty, who fired a low wrist shot that beat Reimer for his 31st goal of the season. Rene Bourque made it 2-0 when he scored 1:05 after Pacioretty's goal. Bourque broke in against Reimer and sent a wrist shot over the goaltender's glove for his ninth goal of the season. It was Bourque's first game since March 8 after being a healthy scratch for the past five games. Lupul got the Maple Leafs on the board at 11:02. Mason Raymond slipped a pass from the half-wall to a wide-open Lupul, who ripped a one-timer from the high slot past Price for his 20th goal of the season. Tyler Bozak made it 2-2 with 1:57 left in the period when he put a loose puck behind Price, but Montreal regained the lead 64 seconds later when Brian Gionta's shot deflected off the stick of Maple Leafs defenseman Tim Gleason and past Reimer for his 15th goal of the season. Bozak's goal was the first power-play goal allowed by the Canadiens since March 6; they had killed off 25 consecutive penalties. Maple Leafs center Dave Bolland played in his first game since suffering a cut left ankle tendon Nov. 2. After missing 56 games, Bolland played 9:01; he had no points and one shot on goal.
NY Rangers @ New Jersey 2-0 - In a vintage goaltender's duel between two of the best the NHL has to offer, Henrik Lundqvist defeated Martin Brodeur, getting the 50th shutout of his career in the Rangers' 2-0 victory against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday at Prudential Center. The shutout by Lundqvist, who made 10 of his 21 saves in the third period, broke a tie with Ed Giacomin for most in Rangers history. Brodeur, the NHL's all-time shutout leader with 124, made 25 saves. Rick Nash scored the decisive goal midway through the second period, and Derek Stepan had an empty-net goal. He has every reason to be after guiding the Rangers to their fourth win in five games and fourth straight on the road. They lead the League with 23 road victories. Lundqvist is 26-9-6 with six shutouts in 41 regular-season games against Brodeur, who is 15-21-5 with three shutouts. Nash scored his 23rd goal of the season 10:33 into the second period. Chris Kreider fed Stepan down the middle of the ice, Stepan ripped a shot from the top of the right circle that went wide of the left post, Kreider skated through the crease, and Nash picked up the puck along the left-wing boards. He quickly snapped a shot into the net with Brodeur on his knees. Brodeur had kept the game scoreless when he denied Mats Zuccarello at 7:27. Derick Brassard skated down left wing and fed Martin St. Louis, who delivered to Zuccarello steaming down the middle of the ice. He ripped a snap shot from 30 feet that Brodeur deftly turned away with his left pad. The block prompted chants of "Marty! Marty!" Devils defenseman Andy Greene was whistled for tripping with 2:03 remaining in the third period when New Jersey was generating quality opportunities. Despite being one man down, DeBoer opted to pull Brodeur with 1:25 remaining and they did get some chances. A scrum with Lundqvist on his back and Zajac and Jagr pushing at the puck resulted in a video review that was inconclusive and ruled no goal with 38.9 seconds left. Stepan scored his 15th of the season with the Rangers on a power play with seven seconds remaining. He has five goals and 15 points in 13 games since the break for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The Rangers are third in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind the second-place Flyers but three ahead of the fourth-place Washington Capitals and four in front of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Lundqvist (five shutouts) is tied with Chris Osgood at 26th on the NHL list for career shutouts. He became the Rangers' all-time wins leader Tuesday with his 302nd, an 8-4 decision against the Ottawa Senators. The Devils took 13 shots that missed the net and had 14 blocked. The first of five saves in the first period by Lundqvist came off the stick of Jagr at 9:49. He broke in 1-on-1, stopped short in the crease and looked to curl the puck inside the left post, but the Lundqvist got his right pad down in time. Devils defenseman Anton Volchenkov sustained a lower-body injury midway through the second and didn't return, leaving New Jersey with five defensemen. Volchenkov played seven minutes and took 10 shifts before exiting. The Devils did not update his status afterward.
Carolina @ Winnipeg 3-2 - The Hurricanes used goaltender Cam Ward's first-period work and three goals in a span of 2:53 in the second period to beat the Jets 3-2 on Saturday. Ward started after sitting the previous three games and stopped 34 shots. Injuries have caused Ward to miss 21 games this season, and the 30-year-old goalie has seen free-agent acquisition Anton Khudobin challenge him for the starting job, but he rallied to earn his first road win since a 4-3 victory against the New Jersey Devils on Nov. 27. The Hurricanes concluded their road trip at 2-1-0. The Jets remain stalled six points behind the Phoenix Coyotes for the Western Conference's second wild-card spot into the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Jets open a five-game road trip Monday against the Dallas Stars. Hurricanes captain Eric Staal scored and Jordan Staal added a power-play goal for the Hurricanes, who are 29th in the NHL with the man advantage at 13.0 percent. Riley Nash also scored for Carolina. Jets center Jim Slater broke a 39-game goal-scoring drought when he beat Ward in the second period. It was his first goal since Jan. 22, 2013. Little drew the Jets within a goal when he scored in the third period. With goaltender Ondrej Pavelec out for the fourth consecutive game with a lower-body injury, Al Montoya started for the Jets, making 29 saves in the loss. The Jets' home-ice woes resumed after a two-game winning streak this week. Since Feb. 27, the Jets are 3-4-2 at home. The injury-ravaged Jets had defenseman Zach Bogosian, left wing Dustin Byfuglien and Slater back in the lineup, but Bogosian left the game with an upper-body injury in the second period and did not return. Bogosian's injury is not expected to be serious, according to Jets coach Paul Maurice. In the opening 10 minutes, Ward helped Carolina fend off a 42-second 5-on-3 shorthanded situation and Winnipeg's 9-0 advantage in shots on goal. Included in Ward's early work was a sprawling save on Little's in-close scoring chance, a stop on Devin Setoguchi and another diving stop on Eric O'Dell's wraparound bid. After Ward stopped the Jets' first-period assault, Winnipeg's persistence paid off when Slater tipped Mark Stuart's left-point shot through Ward's pads at 7:48. But then the Hurricanes began their three-goal outburst in a second period in which they outshot the Jets 21-8. Eric Staal tied it with his 17th goal 37 seconds after Slater had opened the scoring, firing a rebound from the slot into the empty Winnipeg net after Montoya misplayed the puck. With the Hurricanes on a power play, defenseman Andrej Sekera, who had two assists, sent a long outlet pass to Jordan Staal at the far blue line. Staal moved in on Montoya and beat the goaltender high at 10:10 for his 15th goal. The game worsened for Winnipeg when Nash put Carolina up 3-1 after jabbing in his ninth goal off a scramble in front of Montoya at 11:18. Little moved the Jets to within a goal 1:27 into the third period, poking Michael Frolik's centering pass under Ward for his 21st goal. However, Ward held off the Jets after Little's goal and stopped 14 of 15 third-period shots to lock down the win. An assortment of injuries have limited Ward, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2006 after guiding the Hurricanes to a Stanley Cup title, to 43 games in the past two seasons. Ward is 9-11-5 with a 3.09 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage this season. If Ward can rediscover his earlier form, he and Khudobin could provide the Hurricanes with a solid tandem.
Calgary @ Edmonton 8-1 - Flames left wing Curtis Glencross scored a hat trick to lead the way offensively in an emotional 8-1 rout against the Oilers on Saturday night at Rexall Place. It was Glencross' first hat trick of the season and third of his career. Glencross, who played 26 games for Edmonton in 2007-08, went into the game with seven goals in 26 games the season. Flames goaltender Karri Ramo, making his first start since Feb. 1 because of a knee injury, made 24 saves. The Flames scored four goals in a span of 3:05 to take control of the game in the second period. Mike Cammalleri, Matt Stajan, Paul Byron and Glencross scored to give the Flames a 5-1 lead. Flames defenseman Mike Giordano scored in the first period. Kevin Westgarth and Glencross, with two goals, extended the lead in the third. Jeff Petry scored the lone goal for the Oilers, who have lost two straight. Oilers goalie Viktor Fasth gave up five goals on 16 shots before being replaced by Ben Scrivens in the second period. Scrivens made 12 saves. Petry gave the Oilers an early lead, scoring on the power play at 4:34 of the first period. The Oilers defenseman fired a shot from the point that went through Ramo's pads. It was the first shot Ramo faced in the game. Giordano tied the game at 8:29, stepping into a point shot that found its way through Fasth. Cammalleri put the Flames up 2-1 at 4:13 of the second, capitalizing on an Edmonton turnover to start the Calgary outburst. Oilers left wing Matt Hendricks had his clearing pass intercepted by Mikael Backlund, who found Cammalleri in front for an easy one-timer for his 23rd goal. Cammalleri has 13 points during a seven-game point streak. Stajan converted on a penalty shot 1:07 later, beating Fasth with a backhand shot. Stajan was awarded the penalty shot after being slashed by Oilers defenseman Mark Fraser while on a breakaway, causing him to lose control of the puck. It was Stajan's first goal since rejoining the team following the death of his infant son. He pointed to the sky after scoring the goal and then skated to the bench, where he was embraced by his teammates. Byron scored 40 seconds later to give Calgary a 4-1 lead. He took a pass from Cammalleri in front and beat Fasth. Despite the Oilers calling a time out in an attempt to regroup, the Flames scored a fifth goal at 7:18, when Glencross fired a shot off a rush over Fasth, who was replaced by Scrivens after the goal. Glencross increased the lead to 6-1 at 4:50 of the third period, taking a pass from Stajan in front and beating Scrivens. Westgarth scored at 5:27 to give the Flames a 7-1 lead. Glencross scored at 13:19 to complete the hat trick and put the Flames up 8-1. The margin of victory was the largest ever by the Flames against the Oilers in Edmonton. Calgary won the season series between the teams with the victory, winning all three games at Rexall Place. The Oilers won the two games played in Calgary.