Results - Sat, Mar 29, 2014

Boston @ Washington 4-2 - The Bruins have been nearly unstoppable since returning from the 2014 Sochi Olympics, winning 14 of 17 and steamrolling their competition. Their recent dominance was rewarded Saturday with an Atlantic Division title after a 4-2 victory against the Crapitals at Verizon Center. Forward Jarome Iginla scored twice to reach 30 goals for the 12th time and tie Montreal Canadiens forward Guy Lafleur for 24th on the NHL goal-scoring list. Forwards Carl Soderberg and Patrice Bergeron scored for Boston, and backup goalie Chad Johnson made 31 saves for his sixth straight win and 11th in his past 12 starts (11-0-1). Forwards Jason Chimera and Evgeny Kuznetsov scored, and goalie Braden Holtby stopped 32 shots for Washington, which remains in a four-way tie with the Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs at 80 points. The Bruins dictated the pace of play throughout the first period, tilting the ice in their favor and snuffing out most of the Capitals' attempts to counterattack before they could even start. Holtby, who faced 15 shots in the first 20 minutes, was forced to make several key saves to keep the game scoreless. Most impressively, he slid across the crease to swallow Bruins forward Chris Kelly's attempt in front created by a backhanded setup from Soderberg with about six minutes left in the period. The Capitals' first sustained offensive-zone time came during a late power play when Bergeron tripped Ovechkin, but Johnson stopped all four shots from the NHL's top unit. Iginla's first goal gave Boston a 1-0 lead early in the second period. After serving a minor penalty for slashing, Soderberg took advantage of the Capitals' sloppy neutral-zone play, fishing a puck out from along the boards and springing Iginla free. Iginla finished a breakaway with a snap shot past Holtby at 2:48. Soderberg extended the Bruins' lead to 2-0 at 7:35 with a power-play goal, deflecting Bergeron's shot from the slot just enough for it to trickle past Holtby. Forty-one seconds later, Iginla scored again, following his own shot and depositing the rebound. Nine players in League history have more 30-goal seasons than Iginla, who has scored 10 goals in his past nine games. The 36-year-old had four goals in his first 24 games of the season. With time winding down in the second period, the Capitals made one last rush up ice. Chimera was able to slide a shot past Johnson with 10 seconds remaining to make it 3-1. The Capitals began the third period with renewed energy, hemming the Bruins in their zone on a dominant shift by Washington's third line that drew a penalty. The power play that followed featured several quality chances as the Capitals frantically attempted to close within a goal, but the Bruins held them off. Boston scored an insurance goal on the power play at 13:17 when Bergeron pounced on a loose puck near the crease for his 26th of the season. Kuznetsov scored his second goal in as many games with 55 seconds remaining, but the game by that point was out of reach.
Tampa Bay @ Buffalo 4-3 OT - Steven Stamkos put one into the wrong net before scoring the game-winner into the right one. The Lightning defeated the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 Saturday with an overtime power-play goal from Stamkos after he had given the Sabres a third-period lead with an own goal during a delayed penalty. Tampa Bay has at least one point in 11 straight games as it competes with the Montreal Canadiens for second place in the Atlantic Division. Montreal leads by two points (93-91) after a 4-1 win against the Florida Panthers on Saturday. The Lightning has a game in hand; the teams play each other at Tampa Bay on Tuesday. With four forwards on the ice in overtime, Valtteri Filppula fed Stamkos in the right circle and his one-timer went between the post and the glove of Sabres goalie Matt Hackett at 1:53 for his second goal of the game. Or third, depending how you want to count the own goal, which gave the Sabres a 3-2 lead with 11:46 to go. Stamkos' hard cross-ice pass went jumped the stick of teammate Michael Kostka, hit off the right-wing boards and slowly made its way down to the opposite end and into the goal that had been vacated by Ben Bishop for an extra skater. Cory Conacher, whose hooking penalty created the situation, was given credit for the goal at 8:14 as the last Buffalo player to touch the puck. Another came late in the third period when Lightning defenseman Eric Brewer protected a wide-open side of the net and deflected away a shot by Sabres forward Johan Larsson. Buffalo has lost 11 of 13, with one of the wins 3-1 at Tampa Bay on March 6. The teams played three one-goal games this season. The Lightning tied this one 3-3 less than two minutes after the own goal during a 5-on-3 power play. Teddy Purcell passed from the left wing to Ryan Callahan in front, where he guided the puck past Hackett at 10:07. Tampa Bay had the two-man advantage after Mike Weber was called for cross-checking 1:00 after Conacher was put in the box for his hooking penalty. After a pregame ceremony that inducted goaltender Dominik Hasek into the Sabres Hall of Fame, the teams played a four-goal first period. The Sabres scored twice in a 1:47 span to take a 2-0 lead. Matt D'Agostini took a cross-ice pass at the offensive blue line, skated left to right between the circles, and his shot went over Bishop's right shoulder at 12:20. Buffalo forward Zemgus Girgensons created a turnover by Kostka, and the puck came to Sabres defenseman Christian Ehrhoff at the left point. His long shot was tipped down by Cody Hodgson through Bishop's legs at 14:07. The Lightning answered with two goals in a 1:54 span. Nikita Kucherov won a race to a loose puck on the goal line to the left of the Sabres net. He skated behind the cage and passed to Alex Killorn, whose one-timer went through Hackett's legs with 2:08 left. Tampa Bay forward J.T. Brown chased down his dump-in at the end boards, emerged with puck and passed out front to Stamkos, whose one-timer beat Hackett with 14 seconds remaining. Stamkos has 23 goals this season, nine since returning from a broken right tibia on March 6. Earlier in the week, the Sabres announced they will retire Hasek's No. 39 next season.
Detroit @ Toronto 4-2 - Darren Helm made the most of his opportunity to play on the Red Wings' first line. Helm scored a hat trick and Jimmy Howard made 25 saves to lead the Red Wings to a 4-2 victory against the Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre on Saturday night. Helm's three-goal night was the first of his career and his first goals since Nov. 29 when he scored two against the New York Islanders. The Maple Leafs have lost eight straight games in regulation, the first time that has happened since 1985. Toronto is two points behind the Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets in the Eastern Conference wild-card race for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Maple Leafs have six games remaining in the regular season; the Red Wings and Blue Jackets have eight. To make matters worse, Phil Kessel, the Maple Leafs' leading scorer, took a pass from James van Riemsdyk off his right foot in the first period and was seen limping after the game. Kessel, who reportedly had precautionary X-rays on his toe, has 77 points in 76 games this season. Helm made it 1-1 with a shorthanded goal 3:05 into the second period. It was the 11th surrendered by the Maple Leafs this season and tied them with the Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers for the most allowed in the NHL. Helm tipped a shot from outside the right circle by Kindl past Maple Leafs goalie Jonathan Bernier (24 saves) for his second goal of the game at 7:57 of the second to give the Red Wings a 3-1 lead. Helm finished the hat trick with a breakaway goal after he raced past Maple Leafs defenseman Cody Franson and slipped the puck past Bernier to give the Red Wings a 4-2 lead. Helm now has 10 goals this season. Lupul cut the Red Wings' lead to 3-2 with 1:03 left in the second period when he beat Howard through the five-hole for his 22nd goal of the season. With a delayed penalty about to be called against Helm for tripping, Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly connected with Lupul for the assist, but Helm’s hat-trick goal put an end to the Maple Leafs' comeback. Franson gave the Maple Leafs a 1-0 lead at 10:57 of the first period when he fired a slap shot from the blue line that beat Howard high to the blocker side for this fifth goal of the season. The play started when Jay McClement won a faceoff following an icing call against the Red Wings. McClement got the puck to Jake Gardiner, who passed it to Franson for the shot. With the score tied 1-1 and the Maple Leafs still on the power play following Helm's shorthanded goal, Lupul had a chance to put Toronto ahead again, but was denied by Howard after a cross-crease save. Gustav Nyquist gave Detroit a 2-1 lead 1:32 after Helm's shorthanded goal. Johan Franzen found Nyquist alone in the slot in front of the Maple Leafs goal when he snapped a wrist shot through Bernier's five-hole for his 26th goal of the season. Nyquist's goal was his 21st in the past 26 games and his 10th in the past eight.
Montreal @ Florida 4-1 - The Canadiens' top line and their gold medal-winning goaltender were too much for the Panthers on Saturday night. Max Pacioretty scored twice, and Thomas Vanek and David Desharnais each had a goal and an assist to lead the surging Canadiens to a 4-1 victory at BB&T Center. It was Montreal's fifth consecutive victory and eighth in nine games. Carey Price made 36 saves for his fourth win in a row. Price did his best work in the final 20 minutes, when the Panthers outshot the Canadiens 15-3 but couldn't get a puck past him. Desharnais hit the empty net with 23.4 seconds remaining to ice the win. The Canadiens maintained their hold on second place in the Atlantic Division, which would give them the home-ice edge in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They lead the Tampa Bay Lightning by two points; the Lightning beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in overtime. Brad Boyes had the lone goal and Dan Ellis made 15 saves for the Panthers, who've dropped five of their past six games and are out of the playoff race. Montreal came out flying, with Pacioretty forcing Ellis to stop him on a breakaway 20 seconds into the game. The Canadiens then killed two penalties against the League's worst power play before taking the lead midway through the period. Vanek, acquired from the New York Islanders at the NHL Trade Deadline, got his 27th of the season and sixth in 12 games since the deal at 10:47 to open the scoring. Florida defenseman Brian Campbell whiffed on a pass in the neutral zone; Vanek picked up the puck, raced in and fired from the slot. Ellis made the save, but Vanek knocked in the rebound to put Montreal in front. The Canadiens made it 2-0 at 17:03, one second after a penalty to Florida defenseman Erik Gudbranson expired. Before Gudbranson could get back in the play, Pacioretty came backdoor and easily knocked in Alexei Emelin's pass from inside the left circle. Florida dominated the first 13-plus minutes of the second period, but Price kept the Panthers off the board with a superb glove stop on Tomas Fleischmann 1:58 and an excellent stop on Scottie Upshall from the high slot 10 minutes later. The Panthers then paid the price for a bad line change, leading to Pacioretty's second of the night at the 14-minute mark. Vanek was left free to carry the puck into the Florida zone. He found Desharnais, who was left alone for a 2-on-1 down low and slid the puck to an unchecked Pacioretty for an easy tap-in. It was Pacioretty's team-high 35th of the season. Boyes finally got the Panthers on the board at 16:09, finishing a 3-on-2 rush by picking a small opening on the top short-side corner from the right faceoff dot for his 19th of the season, most on the Panthers.
New Jersey @ NY Islanders 1-2 SO - The New Jersey Devils reached a shootout Saturday night for the 10th time this season. They lost for a 10th time. Frans Nielsen and Brock Nelson beat Cory Schneider and the Devils came up empty against Anders Nilsson in the tiebreaker to give the Islanders a 2-1 victory at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Nilsson denied Adam Henrique and Patrik Elias in the shootout. New Jersey, which has lost 14 consecutive shootouts dating to last season, has scored once in 30 attempts this season. Henrique scored for New Jersey, which earned one point and trails the Detroit Red Wings by five for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference's race to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Schneider stopped 19 of 20 shots for the Devils, who are 2-4-2 in their past eight games. When Nielsen scored in the opening round, it marked the fifth time in six shootouts that Schneider has allowed a goal to the first shooter he's faced. New York, which had 10 rookies in the lineup, broke a scoreless tie when Nielsen was credited with his 23rd goal of the season 2:12 into the second period. After Josh Bailey made a nice play in the neutral zone to get the puck to Nielsen, the Islanders' center tried to send a pass in the slot to Anders Lee, but the puck deflected off Elias and past Schneider. Henrique tied it at 10:20 with his team-leading 25th goal. With the teams at even strength, Damien Brunner made a nice move around Islanders defenseman Kevin Czuczman and set up Henrique for a shot that Nilsson denied. But the Islanders goalie left a juicy rebound in front, which Henrique easily tapped in to make it 1-1. Devils defenseman Jon Merrill left the game with 7:07 remaining in the third period when he was struck in the face by a Travis Hamonic slap shot. Merrill quickly headed for the dressing room and did not return. Forward Stephen Gionta sustained an undisclosed injury early in the third; his status for the game Monday against the Florida Panthers at Prudential Center is unknown.
Columbus @ Carolina 3-2 OT - The Blue Jackets played 60 minutes of hockey without a power-play opportunity. When they finally got their chance in overtime, they made it count. With the Blue Jackets skating 4-on-3, Ryan Johansen scored on a wrister from the slot at 2:40 of overtime, and Columbus defeated the Hurricanes 3-2 at PNC Arena on Saturday night. With the win, Columbus remains in the top wild-card position for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Eastern Conference with 82 points. Columbus and the Detroit Red Wings are two points in front of the Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs, both of which lost Saturday. The Blue Jackets own the tiebreaker against the Red Wings because they have more non-shootout wins. The play was set up with nice passing. After taking a fed from James Wisniewski in the neutral zone, Artem Anisimov absorbed a hit from Justin Faulk before making a pinpoint backhand pass to Johansen. The Blue Jackets were completing a back-to-back after losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 on Friday night in Columbus. The effects showed in the early minutes of the game, as the Hurricanes' forecheck tested goaltender Curtis McElhinney, who stopped 25 shots after facing Pittsburgh 24 hours earlier. The teams played 36 minutes of scoreless hockey before Carolina broke through with Jeff Skinner's 29th goal at 16:29 of the second period. Skinner launched a shot off a pass from Riley Nash, then grabbed his own rebound to beat McElhinney. The Blue Jackets tied the game 2:17 later on a Skinner turnover. From the boards in the Carolina defensive zone, he sent an errant pass into the slot, where Matt Calvert grabbed it and quickly fired a shot under the crossbar for the tying goal. After 40 minutes without a power play for either team, the Blue Jackets had to kill three penalties in the third period. Columbus killed the first one, but Andrei Loktionov gave the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead on a power-play goal at 6:38. He took a pass from Nash in the right circle and scored on a low shot to the far post. The Blue Jackets tied it 50 seconds later on Anisimov's 20th of the season. Khudobin tried to sweep away Nathan Horton's shot but fanned, allowing Anisimov to lift a backhand into the net from outside the left post. Columbus finally went on the man advantage in overtime when Jiri Tlusty smothered the puck with his hand. The Blue Jackets knew what they had to do.

Anaheim @ Vancouver 5-1 - Sucks goaltender Frederik Andersen was doing his best to deflect questions about earning more starts as the Stanley Cup Playoffs approach. The 24-year-old rookie was turning away inquiries about playing more behind No. 1 goalie Jonas Hiller as easily as he did 31 shots in a 5-1 win against the Canucks at Rogers Arena on Saturday night. But Andersen eventually admitted he wants to make the choice a hard one for coach Bruce Boudreau. Andersen made his best saves early against the Canucks and was good when the Ducks, playing for a second straight night (they dropped a 4-3 overtime decision to the Oilers on Friday), were outshot 15-6 in the second period. But even after the game turned into another romp over the Canucks, his teammates were quick to credit their young goalie. Anaheim has won all four games against the Canucks this season. With the latest victory, the Ducks leapfrogged the San Jose Sharks, moved into top spot in the Pacific Division and dealt the Canucks already-slim hopes of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs another blow. Andersen leads NHL rookies in wins (17), and his .926 save percentage is better than Hiller's (.913), but Boudreau isn't planning to change up his goaltending rotation yet. For the Ducks, the status quo includes beating the Canucks. Luca Sbisa and Matt Beleskey scored 71 seconds apart in the first period, and Corey Perry scored 6:45 into the third period and set up Mathieu Perreault's power-play goal with 5:57 left. Daniel Winnik added two assists for the Ducks. Anaheim rested 43-year-old forward Teemu Selanne, but it didn't matter against a Canucks team that they have dominated this season. The only downside for the Ducks was seeing captain and leading scorer Ryan Getzlaf go to the dressing room after blocking the shot that led to the 2-on-1 rush and Perreault's goal. Getzlaf, who was given the second assist on the goal, did not return for the final six minutes, but Boudreau said it was a precautionary move with the game decided. Brad Richardson scored and Eddie Lack made 16 saves in his 16th straight start for the Canucks, who lost in regulation for the first time in five games (3-1-1) and remained five points behind the Phoenix Coyotes for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference. But Vancouver has six games remaining, the Coyotes have seven and the Dallas Stars, who moved four points ahead of the Canucks, have eight to play. If the Canucks miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in six seasons, their record against the Ducks will be a big part of it. Vancouver has been outscored 21-6 while losing all four against Anaheim, including twice in early January during a two-month spiral out of the race. Tortorella thought the Canucks were doing a better job of it through most of the second period, but an ill-advised cross-ice pass through the neutral zone, followed by a blown defensive coverage left Koivu all alone in the low slot to make it 3-1 with 8:58 left in the period. Despite playing the night before, Anaheim scored twice early. Sbisa opened the scoring 7:36 in with his first goal of the season and first in 42 games dating back to March 12, 2013. The defenseman's point shot through traffic appeared to hit a leg in front and dipped between the legs of Lack, who was screened by Kyle Palmieri. Beleskey doubled the lead two shifts later, driving to the net after his first shot was blocked and getting a nifty between-the-legs pass back from Rickard Rakell that left Beleskey with an empty net. Richardson, who was robbed by Andersen with the paddle of his stick on a shorthanded chance in alone earlier in the period, put the Canucks on the board two-and-a-half minutes later. But after giving up Koivu's goal against the flow play in the second, Perry erased any lingering doubts in the third period. After hitting each post behind Lack in the first period, Perry converted his own rebound as he spun through the crease 6:45 into the third period. It was the second goal in seven games for Perry, who leads the Ducks and is tied for second in the NHL with 38. Perry then set up Perreault for his sixth goal in the past eight games.


Winnipeg @ Los Angeles 2-4 - It had been 18 years since the Winnipeg Jets played in Los Angeles. Judging by Saturday night, they might want to wait a while before their next visit. The Kings continued their deliberate spring by beating Winnipeg 4-2 at Staples Center. Anze Kopitar scored his 23rd and 24th goals in the first period for the Kings, winners of six straight and 14 of 17. The Kings usually churn out one-goal games, but they gave goalie Jonathan Quick an unusual early 3-0 cushion and forced Winnipeg goalie Ondrej Pavelec from the net after 20 minutes. The Jets made their first appearance at Staples Center since the franchise moved from Atlanta for the 2011-12 season; they last played here representing Winnipeg in 1996 before the original Jets moved to become the Phoenix Coyotes. The current version of the Jets lost for the fifth time in eight games. Kopitar's goals were a combination of deft hands, puck luck and poor play by Winnipeg in its own zone. Kopitar had the puck go in off his legs at 7:53 of the first when he followed Marian Gaborik's shot. Jets defenseman Mark Stuart had his stick flung into Pavelec a moment before Pavelec could move to his right to stop Kopitar. Kopitar flicked in a backhand at 17:37 of the first for a 3-0 lead after Gaborik tipped Willie Mitchell's shot after the Kings controlled play in the Jets' end. It was a tough start for Pavelec, who returned after missing six games with a lower-body injury. He allowed three goals on 16 shots, and Al Montoya replaced him to start the second period. Trevor Lewis began the three-goal opening period with a quick shot from the left side that beat Pavelec at 2:42. Lewis, who went 28 games without a point to start the season and 38 games without scoring a goal, recorded a career-high sixth goal. Tyler Toffoli made it 4-1 on a wrist shot that beat Montoya on a 2-on-1 at 4:59 of the third. Winnipeg didn't come back with a second-period push. It went more than 10 minutes without a shot on goal to start the second and had a total of four shots for the period. Matt Halischuk broke the shutout 1:54 into the third when he banged inEvander Kane's pass from the corner to make it 3-1. Blake Wheeler sped past Slava Voynov and beat Quick for his 26th goal on a power play at 8:56 of the third. Quick made a remarkable save on Wheeler in the final minute when he raised his right leg while prone. Winnipeg scratched right wing Devin Setoguchi for the second straight game. Jets defenseman Zack Bogosian missed a third straight game because of a lower-body injury.