Results - Sun, Apr 06, 2014

NY Islanders @ Columbus 0-4 - The Blue Jackets knew they didn't have time to dwell on the past. They had to focus on the task at hand in this heated race to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves, Mark Letestu and Boone Jenner each scored a goal and had an assist and the Blue Jackets defeated the rookie-laden Islanders 4-0 at Nationwide Arena on Sunday. Columbus is one point behind the Detroit Red Wings for the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. The New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs trail the Blue Jackets by three points. Columbus scored three times on the power play, including twice in the first period, to back Bobrovsky's fifth shutout of the season and second in three games. He has nine for his career. Bobrovsky was at his best during a 45-second sequence in the middle period when he was without his stick, and briefly his blocker, but made two saves. The margin of victory was the largest for the Blue Jackets in 14 games since beating Detroit 4-1 on March 11, but Letestu said there was no time to relax in the third period. A big first period helped Blue Jackets overcome their recent shortcomings when they converted two power-play opportunities in the first. Jenner scored his 14th, the second-most by a Columbus rookie after the 17 by Rick Nash in 2002-03, at 4:26. Letestu had a shot from the right circle that Jenner tipped while stationed at the edge of the crease. The puck trickled through the pads of Nilsson and sat on the goal line for three seconds. That was long enough for Jenner to evade Hamonic and New York defenseman Kevin Czuczman and reach around Nilsson for the poke. Johnson's fifth goal, first since Feb. 6, followed at 13:10 after he received a pass from defensive partner James Wisniewski. Johnson, a left-handed shot, fired a one-timer from the right dot that dinged the upper-left post. Columbus increased a 2-0 lead entering the second period with a goal by Letestu and a power-play goal by Murray to put the game away. Letestu was on the receiving end of a Jenner set-up at 10:11. Letestu completed the give-go after Jenner's pass went through the legs of New York rookie defenseman Scott Mayfield, giving goalie Anders Nilsson (29 saves) no chance. The goal was Letestu's first in 22 games. The rookie Murray also ended a drought, scoring for the first time in 39 games since Nov. 25 with a shot between the circles at 18:53. Murray played his second game since missing 15 games after arthroscopic knee surgery. The Islanders had to reconfigure their lineup after another round of injuries caused the promotions Mayfield and forward Johan Sundstrom from the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League. New York lost forward Michael Grabner and defenseman Calvin de Haan to injuries in a loss Saturday to the Washington Capitals, adding to a list that already includes forwards John Tavares and Kyle Okposo and defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky.
Buffalo @ Philadelphia 2-5 - Brayden Schenn was a center through his junior career, and he played the position well enough to be the fifth player picked at the 2009 NHL Draft. Schenn also has been primarily at center during his four-season professional career. This season, however, he's flipped between center and left wing. The adjustment hasn't always been easy, but he certainly had an enjoyable experience on the wing Sunday. Schenn scored his 19th and 20th goals of the season to help the Cryers snap a four-game skid (0-2-2) with a 5-2 win against the Sabres on Sunday. Matt Read and Vincent Lecavalier each had a goal and an assist, Mark Streit had three assists, and Steve Mason stopped 17 shots. Zac Rinaldo scored the Flyers' other goal. Philadelphia is two points ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets for third place in the Metropolitan Division and two points behind the second-place New York Rangers. The Flyers and Blue Jackets each have played 78 games; the Rangers have played 79. Cody Hodgson had a goal and an assist, Mike Weber had a goal, and Nathan Lieuwen made 32 saves as Buffalo lost its third straight game. The Sabres lost defenseman Chad Ruhwedel to a concussion when Rinaldo hit him in the head at 4:29 of the third period. Rinaldo was assessed a match penalty, which means the NHL Department of Player Safety will automatically review the hit for supplemental discipline. Christian Ehrhoff also left the game with 1:10 to go when he was hit in the ear by a Scott Hartnell dump-in. Ehrhoff ended up with a lacerated ear and needed 40 stitches to close the cut. Nolan also said Lieuwen was unavailable to the media after the game because he was not feeling well following a collision with Flyers forward Jay Rosehill with 2:23 remaining. The Sabres already have used 44 players this season, setting a team record. Leading 1-0 after one period, the Flyers started rolling when Rinaldo scored off a give-and-go with Read at 7:40 of the second. Schenn made it 3-0 when he scored on the power play later in the period. Schenn outmuscled Ruhwedel for a puck behind the Buffalo net. He got it to Lecavalier in the right circle, and after Lecavalier moved it to Streit at the point, Schenn drove to the net, leaped and tipped Streit's shot behind Lieuwen. Schenn's goal also snapped Philadelphia's 0-for-12 drought at home on the power play. In 13 home games since the Olympic break, the Flyers are 8-for-54 (14.8 percent) with the man advantage; they're 5-for-16 (31.2 percent) in six road games. Lecavalier's goal with 2:02 remaining in the second made it 4-0. After scoring a total of five goals in their previous four games, including back-to-back shutout losses against the St. Louis Blues and Blue Jackets, the offensive production provided a shot of confidence to a team in need of some as it tries to finish its push for a playoff spot. They had a chance to pull back into the game after Rinaldo's penalty put them on a five-minute power play. They had one shot but it turned into Hodgson's 19th goal when he tipped Ehrhoff's point shot past Mason at 7:26 of the third. Schenn responded with his 20th goal at 15:10. Wayne Simmonds backhanded a loose puck in the Philadelphia zone to center ice, and Schenn picked it up at top speed. He got to the right circle and wired a shot that beat Lieuwen to the short side over his glove. Weber closed the scoring with his first goal in 84 games. Hodgson retrieved the puck behind the Philadelphia net and sent it in front to Weber, who pinched down the slot and tapped it past Mason at 17:48.
Anaheim @ Edmonton 2-4 - The Sucks continued their trend of playing from behind Sunday night against the Oilers despite scoring the game's opening goal. Three unanswered second-period goals paced the Oilers to a 4-2 win against the Sucks at Rexall Place, preventing Anaheim from extending its one-point lead on the San Jose Sharks at the top of the Pacific Division standings. Taylor Hall, David Perron, Justin Schultz and Jordan Eberle scored for the Oilers, who have won two in a row. It was Edmonton's first regulation win against Anaheim at home since Nov. 30, 2007. Jakob Silfverberg and Perry scored for the Sucks, who have lost two straight. Anaheim has fallen behind by at least two goals in its past four games. The Sucks have a game in hand on the Sharks. They'll play that game Monday against the Vancouver Canucks when they conclude their two-game trip to Western Canada before hosting the Sharks on Wednesday. Goaltender Viktor Fasth made 34 saves for the Oilers in the win, beating his former team for the first time since being traded to Edmonton a day prior to the March 5 NHL Trade Deadline. Jonas Hiller stopped 24 shots for the Sucks. Silfverberg opened the scoring 1:20 into the game, benefiting from a fortunate bounce in front of the net. Silfverberg's initial shot was stopped by Fasth, but the rebound bounced in off Oilers center Sam Gagner. The Oilers tied the game on the power play at 6:17 of second period when Hall scored his 27th goal. The Oilers left wing was able to squeeze a shot from the side of the net through Hiller. Perron, with his 27th goal, gave the Oilers the lead at 9:21, snapping a shot through Hiller from the faceoff circle. The goal came shorthanded as Sucks right wing Kyle Palmieri had just stepped out of the penalty box with the teams playing 4-on-4. Hiller has struggled of late for the Sucks. He gave up four goals on 17 shots in a 5-2 loss against the Nashville Predators on Friday following a three-game mental break. The fickle fans of Anaheim have voiced concerns that Jean-Sebastien Giguere should not have made way for Hiller in the first place. Schultz increased the Oilers lead to 3-1 at 16:38 of the second period, getting to the puck off a scramble in front and knocking it into the net before Hiller was able to cover it up with his pad. The Sucks cut the lead to 3-2 when Perry scored his 42nd goal 25 seconds into the third period on the power play. Perry redirected a Getzlaf point shot past Fasth, with Patrick Maroon providing a screen in front. Getzlaf came close to tying the game six minutes into the period on the power play, but his point shot hit the goal post behind Fasth. Eberle scored his 27th goal into an empty net with 14 seconds left in the game.


2nd Period Major Penalties:

01:35 EDM	Steven Pinizzotto  Fighting (maj) against  Matt Beleskey
01:35 ANA	Matt Beleskey  Fighting (maj) against  Steven Pinizzotto
06:19 EDM	Matt Hendricks  Fighting (maj) against  Patrick Maroon
06:19 ANA	Patrick Maroon  Fighting (maj) against  Matt Hendricks
08:31 EDM	Justin Schultz  Tripping against  Jakob Silfverberg
13:12 EDM	Steven Pinizzotto  Misconduct (10 min)
13:12 ANA	Matt Beleskey  Misconduct (10 min)
14:01 ANA	Patrick Maroon  Fighting (maj) against  Mark Fraser
14:01 EDM	Mark Fraser  Fighting (maj) against  Patrick Maroon