Results - Thu, Apr 10, 2014

Buffalo @ NY Rangers 1-2 - The New York Rangers will have home-ice advantage in the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Rick Nash scored with 1:42 left in the third period to give the Rangers a 2-1 win against the Sabres on Thursday at Madison Square Garden. The win, coupled with the Philadelphia Cryers' 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, ensured New York will finish second in the Metropolitan Division. Benoit Pouliot scored late in the second period for New York; Henrik Lundqvist made 23 saves. Drew Stafford scored for Buffalo; Matt Hackett stopped 28 shots. New York dominated the second period but couldn't find much of a rhythm in the third, going the first 13:38 without a shot. Martin St. Louis took a drop pass from Derek Stepan at the left wing and found Nash at the top of the right circle. Nash one-timed a shot past Hackett's outstretched glove for his team-leading 26th goal of the season. His nine game-winners are almost double that of Carl Hagelin, who ranks second on the Rangers with five. New York's third-period struggles were a contrast to the second, when they had the first six shots and maintained possession in the Buffalo zone for long stretches. The Sabres were unable to mount much of an attack and failed to register a shot until 9:06. When they got that shot, they made it count. Stafford opened the scoring when he tipped Mike Weber's slow wrist shot from the right point past Lundqvist. Stafford scored his 16th goal of the season in his return after missing four games with an undisclosed injury. New York continued to apply pressure, outshooting Buffalo 17-1 through the first 18:15 of the period. The Rangers finally beat Hackett with 32 seconds remaining. Mats Zuccarello found Pouliot in stride at the left circle with a cross-ice backhand pass and the wing wristed a high shot to score. Pouliot's 15th goal of the season extended his point streak to seven games, tying a career high he set in December. The primary assist extended Zuccarello's point streak to six games, continuing an impressive run that included the two connecting for the game-winning goal in a 4-1 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. The play started with an errant clearing attempt by Sabres defenseman Henrik Tallinder that was quickly sent the other way by Rangers defenseman Marc Staal. Seconds later, the puck was behind Hackett after another costly turnover by the Sabres, who have lost nine of their past 10 and will finish the season with the NHL's worst record.
Washington @ Carolina 5-2 - Playing one night after being eliminated from contention for the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, a well-fought victory was little consolation for a team that has won three straight. Even the line of Jason Chimera, Eric Fehr and Joel Ward, with nine points among them, couldn't find a silver lining. The Chimera-Fehr-Ward dominated throughout the game, with each player scoring a goal and earning an assist on each of their linemates' goals. All three goals were the result of hard work on the forecheck. Washington opened the scoring on Ward's 24th goal 62 seconds into the game. Chimera began by winning a battle along the end wall. He freed the puck for Fehr, whose backhand pass found Ward in front of the net. The same line put Washington up 2-0 at 10:58 of the second, when Chimera scored his 15th goal. The Capitals used the identical formula, winning battles in the corner until Chimera skated around the top of the crease and slipped the puck around Hurricanes goaltender Anton Khudobin. Fehr and Ward picked up the assists. The Hurricanes generated some energy after a tenacious power play and found the back of the net shorthanded less than three minutes later. Jordan Staal made a perfect pass through two defenders to Jiri Tlusty, who buried the puck into an open net for his 15th goal at 17:36. Washington quickly pushed the lead to 3-1, catching the Hurricanes flat-footed defensively. Marcus Johansson made a pass from the right faceoff dot to Troy Brouwer, who put his shot inside the left post with 36 seconds remaining in the second period. Defenseman Karl Alzner started the play by knocking down a clearing attempt with his glove at the left point. The two-goal cushion helped the cause of starting goaltender Braden Holtby, who stopped 36 shots to earn his 23rd win. Brouwer scored again, his 25th of the season, at 3:37 of the third, firing a one-timer from the slot off Johansson's pass from the boards. Like his teammates, Brouwer didn't take much joy from his personal performance. With less than two minutes remaining, Hurricanes forward Radek Dvorak popped in the rebound of a Justin Faulk shot to cut Washington's lead to 5-2. It was Dvorak's fourth goal.
NY Islanders @ Montreal 2-0 - Ryan Strome and Brock Nelson scored and Evgeni Nabokov made 19 saves to lead the Islanders to a 2-0 win against the Canadiens at Bell Centre. The Canadiens' loss, coupled with the 4-2 win by the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Philadelphia Flyers, cut Montreal's lead on Tampa Bay for second place in the Atlantic Division to one point. The Lightning have 97 points with two games to play and the Canadiens have 98 points with one game remaining; Montreal holds the advantage in regulation and overtime wins, the first tiebreaker. The Lightning host the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday and finish the regular season at the Washington Capitals on Sunday. The Canadiens play their final game of the regular season Saturday at home against the New York Rangers, who clinched home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs Thursday. The Canadiens were playing the back end of a back-to-back after losing 3-2 in overtime on the road against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday, a game Montreal led 2-1 in the final minute of regulation. Nabokov's victory was the 350th of his career and the shutout was the first by the Islanders franchise in 77 games in Montreal. He gave all the credit for it to his teammates, who gave him a relatively easy night at the office. Islanders forward Johan Sundstrom left the game at 10:52 of the second period after going heavily into the boards on a hit by Canadiens defenseman Douglas Murray. Sundstrom was carrying the puck behind the Canadiens' net when he was met at the other side by Murray, who hit him into the boards from behind. Sundstrom remained down for several minutes before being helped off the ice and being taken to a hospital for observation. He was expected to remain overnight, Islanders coach Jack Capuano said. Murray, who was playing his first game after serving a three-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Michael Kostka, was given a major penalty for checking from behind and a game misconduct. The Islanders, missing seven regulars to injury, had 11 rookies dressed for the game, including Sundstrom; if it weren't for Canadiens goaltender Carey Price and his 28 saves, those kids could have blown Montreal out. The Islanders dominated the first half of the opening period, running up a 9-2 advantage in shots on goal by the midpoint of the first but failing to grab a lead. The Islanders began the second period much the same way they did the first and sustained it for 20 minutes, outshooting Montreal 14-6 and grabbing a 2-0 lead before the second intermission. The major penalty to Murray opened the door for the Islanders to open the scoring at 15:05 when Strome's shot went off the post to the right of Price, bounced off the camera inside the net and came out. The Islanders celebrated but the play needed to go to video review before the goal was confirmed. Nelson made it 2-0 with 19.8 seconds to play in the second when he skated into the Montreal zone and fired a shot from the left circle that beat Price to the top corner on the short side. The Canadiens did not start the third period any better, needing just over seven minutes to register their first shot on Nabokov, drawing a smattering of mock cheers from the Bell Centre crowd, and finishing with five shots in the period without ever really threatening to score.
New Jersey @ Ottawa 1-2 SO - The Senators pretty much secured a win against New Jersey once goalie Robin Lehner stopped Jaromir Jagr on a breakaway late in overtime. Erik Karlsson scored in the shootout to give Ottawa a 2-1 victory Thursday, with New Jersey falling to 0-12 in the tiebreaker this season. Karlsson snapped a shot past goalie Cory Schneider on the Senators' fourth attempt for the only goal. New Jersey's Dainius Zubrus failed to score on Lehner after Travis Zajac, Adam Larsson and Jagr were denied. The Devils have lost 16 shootouts in a row dating to last season, the worst streak in NHL history. New Jersey has not won a shootout since March 10, 2013, when Patrik Elias scored to give the Devils a 3-2 win against the Winnipeg Jets. Michael Ryder drew New Jersey even at 1-1 with 2:34 remaining in the second period. Ryder scored his 18th goal well after a delayed penalty had been signaled against Ottawa. Mike Hoffman gave the Senators a 1-0 lead with his third goal at 11:20. Lehner made 38 saves in regulation and overtime, including Jagr's breakaway with 42 seconds remaining. Ottawa forward Mika Zibanejad, who assisted on Hoffman's goal, was taken to a hospital after sustaining an undisclosed injury. Zibanejad did not play after ending his second shift of the third period at 4:51. Elias returned after missing the past two games. The forward left New Jersey's 2-1 win against the Washington Capitals in the first period Friday after he hit his head on a stanchion when he was checked by Tom Wilson. Ottawa's Ales Hemsky was awarded a penalty shot by referee Dan O'Halloran at 10:48 of the second period after he was hooked on a breakaway by New Jersey defenseman Marek Zidlicky. Hemsky's shot went wide to the left. Hoffman scored 32 seconds later to give the Senators a 1-0 lead. Zibanejad set up the goal at 11:20 when he carried the puck past the goal line and put a centering pass back to the slot, where Hoffman jumped up to put away his first in 11 games. Senators left wing Colin Greening returned after he was sidelined for six games because of a lower-body injury. Hemsky's penalty shot was the Senators' second of the season, and the third called against the Devils. Ottawa's Kyle Turris failed to score on a penalty shot against Steve Mason of the Philadelphia Flyers on Nov. 19. Schneider allowed a penalty-shot goal by Derek Stepan of the New York Rangers on Jan. 26. Martin Brodeur stopped J.T. Brown of the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 15.
Philadelphia @ Tampa Bay 2-4 - In his first start since March 22, Anders Lindback stopped 34 shots to lead the Lightning past the Cryers 4-2 on Thursday night. It was Lindback's second win in three days. He played the final 54:17 against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday after starter Ben Bishop left with an injury and stopped all 25 shots he faced in a 3-0 win. Steven Stamkos and Tyler Johnson each had a goal and an assist, but coach Jon Cooper was most pleased by the play of Lindback, who has struggled with injuries and inconsistency for most of his two seasons with the Lightning. The team said Wednesday that Bishop will not play for the remainder of the regular season and that his status for the Stanley Cup Playoffs is uncertain. The Lightning broke a 1-1 tie 4:33 into the third period on Richard Panik's third goal of the season and first since Dec. 19. Panik's first shot was blocked by goaltender Ray Emery, but the rebound went back to Panik and he backhanded the puck past a screened Emery. Defenseman Eric Brewer gave Tampa Bay a two-goal lead when he pinched in, took a pass from Johnson and beat Emery from the slot at 9:43 for his second goal of the season. The Flyers cut the margin to 3-2 at 12;22 when Sean Couturier centered a pass that deflected off Lightning forward Ondrej Palat's stick and into his own goal. Earlier in the period, Radko Gudas got into the crease and made two saves while Lindback was sprawled on the ice. With Philadelphia's Scott Hartnell in the box for holding, Stamkos put the finishing touch on the win at 14:14 when he scored his 25th goal of the season. The goal was assisted by Valtteri Filppula and Victor Hedman. It was the second assist of the game for Hedman. The victory moved the Lightning within one point of the Montreal Canadiens for second place in the Atlantic Division. Tampa Bay has two games left and Montreal has one; the team that finishes second will have the home-ice advantage in their Eastern Conference First Round playoff series. The Flyers saw their hopes of finishing second in the Metropolitan Division ended with their loss and the New York Rangers' 2-1 victory against the Buffalo Sabres. Each team had chances in the second period before the Flyers scored 1:21 before intermission to tie the game at 1-1. With Johnson in the penalty box for tripping, Wayne Simmonds got a shot through Lindback's pads from in front of the crease. The goal was Simmonds' 27th of the season. Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek assisted. Simmonds' goal came after a prolonged surge during which the Flyers buzzed the Lightning net. That was a turnaround from the first half of the period when Tampa Bay had several solid scoring opportunities, including shots by Alex Killorn and Ryan Callahan that hit the post. The Lightning grabbed a quick lead when Johnson one-timed a cross-ice pass from Stamkos past Emery 2:00 into the game for his 24th goal of the season, breaking Stamkos' franchise record for goals by a rookie. Stamkos has 23 in 2008-09.
Toronto @ Florida 2-4 - Nick Bjugstad, a rookie from the University of Minnesota, had the first two-goal game of his career and took over the Panthers scoring lead with 38 points. He scored for the first time since March 1 to snap a 20-game goalless drought that included a brief demotion from the first to the third line. Brad Boyes had a goal and an assist, and Brandon Pirri also scored for the Panthers, who led after the first period for the first time in 18 games. Sean Bergenheim had two assists. MacIntyre got his first career start almost 13 years after being a fourth-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings and more than six years after making his NHL debut as a member of the Vancouver Canucks. MacIntyre, who previously had five career relief appearances, finished with 33 saves. MacIntyre's first start came in the building that hosted the 2001 NHL Draft, although it was known as National Car Rental Center when the Red Wings called his name. The loss continued a late-season slide for the Maple Leafs, who have lost 11 of their past 13 games and were eliminated from playoff contention Tuesday after a 3-0 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tyler Bozak had a goal and an assist, and Paul Ranger also scored for the Maple Leafs. Bozak set a career-high with his 19th goal, topping the 18 he scored in 2011-12. Jake Gardiner had two assists. Florida won for the third time in four games against Toronto this season. The Panthers have won seven of the past nine against the Maple Leafs at BB&T Center. Boyes broke a 1-1 tie with three seconds left in the second period when he redirected Bjugstad's pass across the crease on a wraparound. Boyes was hit in the face by a stick while he was scoring his team-leading 21st goal. Bjugstad increased the lead at 3:23 of the third when he beat MacIntyre with a wraparound while Ranger knocked him to the ice. Bjugstad made it 4-1 with a shorthanded goal at 6:02 when he beat MacIntyre on a 2-on-1 after taking a feed from Tomas Fleischmann. Pirri celebrated his 23rd birthday by opening the scoring at 6:06 of the first period when he beat MacIntyre high to the glove side with a shot from the left circle. Pirri's 13th goal was his fourth in the past six games, but this one might have been even more special considering he's a Toronto native. Bozak tied the score at 1-1 at 4:13 of the second when he took a feed from Gardiner on a 3-on-2 and beat Luongo with a wrist shot to the short side. Ranger scored in the third when his wrist shot from the point went off Boyes' stick. Overall, though, it was another disappointing performance for the Maple Leafs, who had a three-point lead for second place in the Atlantic Division on March 13 after a win against the Los Angeles Kings.
Boston @ Winnipeg 1-2 SO - Evander Kane scored with 1:57 remaining in regulation to force overtime and rookie goaltender Michael Hutchinson beat the team that drafted him in the Jets' 2-1 shootout victory against the Bruins on Thursday night. Kane's goal assured the Jets of one point, and Bryan Little scored in the tiebreaker. Hutchinson made 32 saves through overtime and denied all three Boston shooters. Goaltender Chad Johnson made 36 saves for the Bruins. But Hutchinson, the Bruins' third-round pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, earned First-Star honors in his second NHL start. Brad Marchand scored midway through the first period for the Bruins, and Johnson made the lead stand up until Kane's goal tied the game. The single point gave the Bruins a League-best 115 points and moved them closer to the franchise's first Presidents' Trophy since the 1989-90 season. The Bruins hold a three-point lead on the Anaheim Ducks for the lead in the overall standings. Each team has two games remaining, with the Bruins hosting the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday. The Jets conclude their season Friday on the road against the Calgary Flames and will miss the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the seventh consecutive season, including each of the three seasons since they relocated to Winnipeg from Atlanta. Maurice said that Hutchinson may start at Calgary.

Boston and Winnipeg brought altered lineups into the game. The Bruins rested defenseman Zdeno Chara, and center Patrice Bergeron was scratched with what Bruins coach Claude Julien termed "an undisclosed minor injury." Forward Chris Kelly (back) also did not play, but the Bruins added right wing Jarome Iginla and defenseman Kevan Miller to their lineup after each player sat out the past two games. Center David Krejci, who sat out a 4-3 road shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday, also returned to the lineup. Nine Winnipeg regulars, including captain Andrew Ladd, sat out the game with injuries. Hutchinson, who spent his first three pro seasons in the American Hockey League and ECHL as a Bruins prospect before signing with the Jets last summer, stopped several Boston opportunities, including Iginla's first-period breakaway and a one-timer by Iginla late in the second period. He also stopped Marchand's third-period backhanded chance to keep his team within a goal. Hutchinson will report to the St. John's IceCaps of the American Hockey League for the Calder Cup Playoffs later this month. The 24-year-old met with Jets goaltending coach Wade Flaherty this week to review his depth play and on-ice spatial awareness, and the work paid off.
Los Angeles @ Edmonton 3-0 - Marian Gaborik scored two goals in a 3-0 win Thursday night, giving the Kings a sweep of the four-game season series. Kings center Anze Kopitar scored his 200th NHL goal and rookie goaltender Martin Jones made 17 saves to earn his fourth shutout of the season. Los Angeles outshot the Oilers 23-3 in the third period and stretched their winning streak against Edmonton to six games. The Kings, who lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, were not assessed a penalty for the second straight game. They conclude their regular season Saturday night against the Anaheim Ducks and will play the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Viktor Fasth stopped 45 shots for the Oilers, who were shut out for the 10th time this season. Seven of those have been at home. Kopitar scored 27 seconds into the game on the Kings' first shot. He took a feed from Justin Williams in front and lifted the puck over Fasth. Gaborik extended the Kings' lead at 9:00 of the first period, getting an opportune bounce in the slot and firing the puck past Fasth. L.A. defenseman Willie Mitchell fanned on a point shot that bounced to Gaborik, who was unattended in front. Gaborik added his second of the game at 13:55 of the second period, beating Fasth with a quick wrist shot that seemed to catch the goaltender off-guard. Gaborik went in 1-on-2 but was able to get his shot through defenseman Justin Schultz. The Kings dominated all four games against the Oilers this season, recording at least 40 shots in each game. Once L.A. grabbed a quick lead Thursday, Edmonton seemed to lack the energy to mount a comeback. Gaborik appeared to have scored his third goal of the game during a third-period power play when he fired a rebound past Fasth. However, the goal was waived off because Williams was ruled to have interfered with Fasth on the play. That was about the only disappointment for the Kings on a night when they looked like a team that could make a long playoff run. The game against the Canucks may be the last in the career of Oilers' forward Ryan Smyth; TSN reported Thursday that Smyth is expected to announce his retirement Friday after 20 seasons in the League.
Colorado @ Vancouver 4-2 - Goaltender Semyon Varlamov was the last player in the Avalanche locker room, explaining changes in his style after a franchise-record win when his coach walked by and extended his hand. Varlamov made 38 saves in a 4-2 win against the Canucks on Thursday night, breaking Roy's single-season record with his 41st win and lifting the Avalanche into first place in the Central Division. Defenseman Tyson Barrie scored the game-winning goal on a 2-on-1 break with 7:30 left in the third period, and John Mitchell scored into an empty net with 43 seconds left to match the Colorado record of 52 regular-season wins. Paul Stastny scored the other two goals to help the Avalanche extend their season-best point streak to nine games (8-0-1). Colorado and the St. Louis Blues each have 111 points with two games left. The Avalanche, who hold the tiebreaker over St. Louis, also moved four points ahead of the Chicago Blackhawks and are now guaranteed home-ice advantage in the Western Conference First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. On the go-ahead goal, Barrie toe-dragged defenseman Alexander Edler down and out as he cut into the middle of the ice, and then used teammate Maxime Talbot as a decoy before firing the puck past goalie Jacob Markstrom high on the blocker side. It was the 22-year-old defenseman's 13th goal, five of which have been game-winners. Barrie, who is from Victoria, a 90-minute ferry ride from Vancouver had "20 to 25" friends and family members watching in the stands. It was a special night for Varlamov too. He made some great stops late, including a glove stop on Edler from the slot with five minutes left to play, to preserve the win and break the Colorado record set by Roy in 2001. Varlamov, who leads the NHL in wins and is third with a .927 save percentage, was also quick to credit Roy and goaltending coach Francois Allaire for improving his game, simplifying his positioning and improving his post-play techniques. Markstrom is making similar style changes under Canucks goaltending coach Roland Melanson, but it wasn't enough in his first start for Vancouver. It was Markstrom's first NHL start since Dec. 20, but the promising 6-foot-6 Swedish goaltender is still looking for his first NHL win since Oct. 11. Markstrom looked good at times, and the goals included a breakaway for Stastny and the 2-on-1 for Barrie, but he wasn't satisfied with the result. Henrik Sedin and David Booth scored, and defenseman Dan Hamhuis had two assists for the Canucks, who were eliminated from playoff contention Monday, fired president and general manager Mike Gillis on Tuesday, and named former captain Trevor Linden president of hockey operations Wednesday. Sedin opened the scoring on a deflection at the side of the crease, knocking Hamhuis' point shot through traffic past Varlamov low on the blocker side. Stastny tied it less than five minutes later on a breakaway. After stealing the puck from rookie Nicklas Jensen at the Colorado blue line, Stastny skated in alone and snapped a quick shot through Markstrom's five-hole before he could get down. Stastny put the Avalanche ahead 5:21 into the third period. Markstrom made a good right-pad save on defenseman Erik Johnson's one-timer off a nice pass from rookie Nathan MacKinnon, but the rebound went to Stastny alone in the slot, and he quickly fired in his 25th goal high on the blocker side. Booth tied it 1:39 later, corralling the puck after a Hamhuis point shot bounced off the end boards and beating Varlamov high from the side of the net.