Flyers goon it up for a change.
Boston Brawlers @ Pittsburgh 2-0 - A few minutes before playing the Boston Bruins, the Pittsburgh Penguins lineup looked to be entirely healthy. Less than two minutes into the first period, Pittsburgh was playing without its top two centers. Minus Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh lost to the Bruins 2-0 at Consol Energy Center on Saturday. Boston goalie Tuukka Rask made 30 saves for his third shutout of the season. The Bruins (36-22-10) have won five in a row and seven of their past eight to tie the Washington Capitals for the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference, seven points ahead of the Ottawa Senators. Pittsburgh (39-19-10) is three points behind the Metropolitan Division-leading New York Rangers, who played the Buffalo Sabres later Saturday. Crosby was a late scratch for unspecified reasons after participating in warm-ups. Penguins coach Mike Johnston was notified Crosby was not feeling well and was seeing doctors minutes before the game.
Craig Adams replaced Crosby 7:18 into the first period. Because Crosby was in the submitted lineups, the change had to be made according to Rule 7.1, which states changes to starting lineups must be reviewed and approved by the referee prior to the start of the game. Malkin seemed to sustain a lower-body injury after a cheap hit from Bruins forward Chris Kelly during his first shift. He returned to the Penguins bench midway through the first period but was absent to start the second after playing 4:15. Johnston said it is uncertain if Crosby or Malkin will be available against the Detroit Red Wings the next night but said the Penguins "think they might be able to play." Lucic scored 9:53 into the first period; the Bruins have scored first in 11 straight games. Boston captain Zdeno Chara scored an empty-net goal from his zone with 37.7 seconds remaining.
Rask wasn't tested much in the third period, facing eight shots that had little chance of scoring, but he made an impressive glove save on Penguins defenseman Ian Cole at 8:43. After being set up by Rob Scuderi, Cole one-timed a slap shot aimed toward the upper-right corner of the net, but Rask used his glove to stop play. Penguins goalie Thomas Greiss made 28 saves but took his fourth regulation loss in 16 games played (8-4-3). Lucic scored after Penguins defenseman Ben Lovejoy blocked a David Pastrnak wrist shot that returned directly to its sender. Pastrnak gathered the puck a second time and set up Lucic between the faceoff circles, where he sent a wrist shot under Greiss' blocker. Forward Nick Spaling began the game in Crosby's place as center between David Perron and Patric Hornqvist. Pittsburgh had the better scoring chances in the second period and managed to get two shots past Rask that hit the left post. Slightly more than one minute into the second, Spaling's wrist shot hit the post about 30 seconds after Blake Comeau was denied by Rask's left pad. Comeau seemed to have Rask beaten on a forehand-to-backhand deke that caused the goalie to fall forward. The same post robbed Daniel Winnik with 7:49 remaining in the period. Bruins defenseman Dougie Hamilton's stick broke on an attempted slap shot that sent the Penguins charging into the Boston zone with a 3-on-1. Kris Letang fed Winnik, whose snap shot avoided Rask but did not go into the net.
Chicago @ San Jose 6-2 - The Blackhawks and Sharks entered the third period tied 2-2, but Saad and Bickell quickly gave Chicago a 4-2 lead. Saad put Chicago ahead at 1:21 with his 21st goal of the season. As Teuvo Teravainen sent Saad a cross-ice pass on the rush, Sharks rookie defenseman Mirco Mueller lost his footing and fell down. Saad kept going and beat Niemi to his stick side from close range. Bickell scored from the slot at 4:56. Brad Richards sent a pass from below the goal line to Bickell, who was wide open. Bickell beat Niemi to his glove side for his 12th goal of the season and third in 24 games. Sharp made it 5-2 at 15:10 with his second goal of the game, this one on the power play. He beat Niemi with a shot through traffic from above the right circle. Hossa scored an empty-net goal with 2:15 left in the third. Patrick Kane, who leads the Blackhawks in goals (27), assists (37) and points, missed his seventh game with a fractured clavicle; Chicago has gone 5-1-1. Coach Joel Quenneville said the Blackhawks have played the right way during Kane's absence. Chicago took the lead at 6:03 of the first period when Sharp scored on his rebound. He took a pass from Antoine Vermette, skated past Sharks defenseman Justin Braun on a breakaway, and tried to beat Niemi with a backhand from close range. Niemi made a right-pad save, but Sharp got the rebound left of the crease and elevated a sharp-angled shot over Niemi, who was face-down on the ice.
The Sharks scored the first goal in seven straight games before Saturday.
After Sharp's goal, the Blackhawks turned up the pressure, taking four of the next five shots and dominating play. But the Sharks tied it 1-1 at 16:49 on Karlsson's 12th goal of the season. Sharks defenseman Matt Irwin, who returned to the lineup after missing three games with an upper-body injury, shot from the left circle, and the puck caromed off Crawford to Karlsson in the slot. He beat Crawford with a wrist shot, scoring his third goal in the past five games. After outshooting the Blackhawks 14-9 in the first period, the Sharks outshot them 12-4 in the second, but each team scored on the power play.
With Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon in the penalty box for interference, Keith scored at 8:45, giving Chicago a 2-1 lead. Keith took a cross-ice pass above the right circle from Hossa and beat Niemi to the far side. The goal was Keith's eighth of the season and ended an 18-game drought. Thornton answered at 12:16, with some assistance from Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook. Thornton sent a shot from the right point through traffic, and the puck caromed off Seabrook's stick past Crawford. Former Blackhawks forward Ben Smith and former Sharks forward Andrew Desjardins, who were traded for each other March 2, faced those teams for the first time. Smith centered San Jose's fourth line, and Desjardins skated at left wing on Chicago's fourth line. Desjardins had two hits and a takeaway and blocked a shot in 9:08. Smith one hit and one shot and won seven of 10 faceoffs in 11:28. The Sharks recalled forward Daniil Tarasov from Worcester of the American Hockey League. Tarasov was on the ice for warm-ups but was a healthy scratch.
NY Rangers @ Buffalo 2-0 - Mackenzie Skapski made 20 saves and Keith Yandle scored 7:31 into the third period to give the Rangers a 2-0 win. Skapski earned his first NHL shutout in his second start. He got his first victory against the Sabres in his NHL debut when he made 24 saves in a 3-1 win on Feb. 20. Skapski made two big saves early on that kept the game scoreless. The 20-year-old rookie stopped Tyler Ennis on a breakaway 6:15 into the first period and made a sprawling glove save on Sabres captain Brian Gionta during a 2-on-1 with Philip Varone against Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi 1:02 into the second period. Skapski has won his two starts this season, each against the Sabres, and has a 119:46 shutout streak. He was recalled from Hartford in the American Hockey League on Feb. 4 to back up Cam Talbot when starting goalie Henrik Lundqvist sustained a vascular injury. Yandle gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead with his fifth goal of the season and first since he was acquired in a trade from the Coyotes on March 1. Yandle received a pass from Martin St. Louis and took a wrist shot from high in the attacking zone that beat Sabres goalie Anders Lindback through a screen. It was Yandle’s first goal since Dec. 23. St. Louis scored his 20th of the season, an empty-net goal with 32.7 seconds remaining.
Winnipeg @ Tampa Bay 2-1 - Blake Wheeler scored the game-winning goal at 12:44 of the third period to lift the Winnipeg Jets to a 2-1 win against the Lightning. Wheeler intercepted a pass by Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman in the Jets offensive zone and sent a wrist shot around the block attempt of Anton Stralman and past Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. Drew Stafford also scored in the third period to help the Jets move one point ahead of the Kings for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. The Kings lost 2-1 to the Predators later. The Jets held the Lightning to a season-low 16 shots on goal. Nikita Kucherov scored for the Lightning, who lost at home for the seventh time this season and trail the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers by two points for first place in the Eastern Conference. Kucherov gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead at 4:13 of the third period with his 26th goal when he sent a wrist shot by Jets defenseman Mark Stuart and past goalie Ondrej Pavelec high on the glove side. However, Kucherov was assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct at 8:01 for sending Winnipeg defenseman Toby Enstrom into the boards face-first. Enstrom had to be helped off the ice while bleeding from his forehead, but was able to return. The Jets capitalized on the extended power play to tie the game at 10:00 when Stafford scored on a wrist shot from the left circle that beat Vasilevskiy from a sharp angle. It was Stafford’s 14th goal; Lee Stempniak and Jiri Tlusty got the assists.
Montreal @ NY Islanders 3-1 - Carey Price has earned consideration for the Vezina and Hart trophies because of his sensational play this season. After a scoreless first period, Plekanec scored his 20th goal of the season 58 seconds into the second. Plekanec finished off a tic-tac-toe setup with Alex Galchenyuk and PA Parenteau, swatting Galchenyuk's feed past Neuvirth from the right circle to give Montreal a 1-0 lead. Pacioretty doubled the Canadiens' lead with a shorthanded goal at 3:13. With Brandon Prust in the box for hooking, Neuvirth tried to play the puck behind the net but coughed it up to Eller, who fed Pacioretty in front for a one-timer. It was Pacioretty's 34th goal of the season and his second shorthanded goal; he's scored one in each of the Canadiens' past two games. It was a solid performance by Montreal's penalty kill, which was perfect until Bailey's goal 2:18 remaining and Neuvirth on the bench, giving the Islanders a 6-on-4 skating advantage. Matt Martin had a golden opportunity to get the Islanders on the board with about eight minutes left in the second period, but whiffed on the doorstep, giving Price enough time to cover the puck before it crossed the goal line. Bailey ruined Price's shutout bid via the power play. With Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov in the box for tripping and Neuvirth pulled for an extra skater, Bailey collected a loose puck in the slot and quickly put it between Price's pads to make it 2-1. It was Bailey's 15th goal of the season. But the Islanders couldn't score again and Eller sealed the win for Montreal when he scored an empty-net goal with 24.4 seconds left. Canadiens forward Torrey Mitchell sustained an upper-body injury in the first period and did not return.
Florida @ Carolina 2-0 - Brandon Pirri scored a power-play goal in the second period, and Dave Bolland scored into an empty net with 40 seconds remaining for the Panthers, who trail the Capitals by six points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference. Ellis was on top of his game in the first period when the Hurricanes had a 15-8 advantage in shots. He stopped Jeff Skinner twice at the right post, then got square to an Elias Lindholm redirect attempt at the top of the crease. Pirri gave Florida a 1-0 lead at 16:20 of the second period. He skated the puck the length of the ice before orchestrating a give-and-go with Jimmy Hayes. When he received the return pass, Pirri tucked a bad-angle backhand inside the near post. Chris Terry was in the box for holding Jonathan Huberdeau's stick. Carolina pressed hard in the final minutes. Ellis turned in his best save of the period on a wraparound shot from Eric Staal. Florida had a bit of good fortune too, when Ron Hainsey and Jeff Skinner each hit the post in the final minutes. The Panthers had two good looks at an empty net after Carolina pulled Ward with 3:01 remaining. Justin Faulk wiped away Derek MacKenzie's tap in near the crease, and Jussi Jokinen missed the net from center ice before Bolland scored his fourth goal into the empty net.
Toronto @ Vancouver 1-4 - Dorsett scored at the end of a penalty kill that turned the game early in the second period, and had two assists to help the Canucks to a 4-1 win at Rogers Arena. On Thursday, Dorsett took a slashing penalty away from the play that led to the first goal in a 4-0 loss to the Kings. Dorsett, who is known more for an aggressive forecheck, scored his first goal in 24 games on a 2-on-1 rush just after a Canucks penalty expired 6:09 into the second period. Jannik Hansen scored 32 seconds later, and Vancouver (39-25-5) bounced back for their third win in four games. Chris Higgins opened the scoring, Shawn Matthias ended it into an empty net with 2:58 left, and Eddie Lack made 28 saves. Phil Kessel scored on a penalty shot with 7:22 left to spoil Lack's shutout, beating the goalie with a deke to the backhand after being hooked by Canucks captain Henrik Sedin on a breakaway. The game turned after Toronto center Tyler Bozak hit the crossbar on a rebound on a power play five minutes into the second period. The Maple Leafs, who gave up two shorthanded goals in the loss to the Flames, kept the Canucks pinned but bobbled a hard cross-ice pass late in the advantage. Vancouver broke out 2-on-1 and Dorsett beat Bernier with a far-side wrist shot over the glove. It wasn't a shorthanded goal because the penalty ended while the rush was headed up ice, but Toronto coach Peter Horachek blamed the 21st-ranked power play, which finished 0-for-6, including a short 5-on-3. Hansen made it 3-0 on the next shift with a rebound when Bernier got caught out of his net after sliding right on a cross-ice pass and ending up under Canucks forward Ronalds Kenins, who appeared to be knocked into the goalie by a Toronto player. Lack made his best saves early, stopping a Leo Komarov breakaway 90 seconds in, Trevor Smith alone in tight with five minutes left in the first period, and Kessel off the rush with 1:15 left. Lack stopped Smith on a shorthanded breakaway with 8:29 left in the third period. After several scoring chances at either end in the opening five minutes, Vancouver took a 1-0 lead with 3:16 left in the first period. Center Brad Richardson, playing his first game since mid-January returning from a foot injury, got the puck behind the Toronto net at the end of a good cycle and passed out front to Higgins, who was back after missing three games with a lower-body injury. Higgins was cutting into the slot behind defenseman Morgan Reilly and one-touched the pass over Bernier's blocker on the far side. The Canucks had four regulars return from injury, including top-four defenseman Bieksa and checking forward Richardson, who each was out more than 20 games. Canucks forward Alexandre Burrows was a late scratch with an undisclosed injury, and top-line right wing Zack Kassian was given a 10-minute and game misconduct after knocking down a linesman during an altercation with Phaneuf. Toronto dirty dog Nazem Kadri returned to the lineup after missing three games for disciplinary reasons.
Minnesota @ St Louis 3-1 - Dubnyk made 41 saves, the most in this stretch of 27 straight starts with Minnesota, and Nino Niederreiter and Kyle Brodziak scored 17 seconds apart late in the third period to help the Wild defeat the St. Louis Blues 3-1 at Scottrade Center on Saturday. Dubnyk, who entered the game 0-7-0 in his career against the Blues with a 4.72 goals-against average and .843 save percentage, is 20-5-1 with the Wild after starting the season 9-5-2. Dubnyk was bombarded with shots, including 21 of them in the second period, but he was able to thwart each attempt. Wild coach Mike Yeo is glad to start Dubnyk in back-to-back games. Dubnyk was in goal for a 2-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks at home Friday. Niederreiter's 22nd goal came off a rebound with 6:33 remaining and Brodziak lifted a backhand goal past Blues goalie Brian Elliott after a Vladimir Tarasenko turnover 17 seconds later to break a 1-1 tie.
Thomas Vanek also scored for the Wild, who won in regulation in St. Louis for the first time since Oct. 20, 2007 (13 games). The Blues were 9-0-3 during that stretch. Minnesota (38-24-7) will remain the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. David Backes scored for the Blues (43-20-5), who held first place in the Central Division at the start of the day. They could fall into second place if the Nashville Predators get a point against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday. Elliott made 16 saves and lost to the Wild for the first time in his career (6-1-0). Backes scored his 23rd goal at 4:57 of the second period on a tipped shot of Alexander Steen's wrist shot from the blue line upstairs over Dubnyk nine seconds after a Blues power play ended. Parise thought he tied the game 13 seconds after Backes' goal when he redirected Spurgeon's shot from the right point past Elliott, but after review, it was determined Parise directed the puck in with his skate and the goal was disallowed. It didn't matter, when Vanek's 17th goal and 600th NHL point tied the game at 5:43 of the second off a feed from Justin Fontaine to the slot. Vanek one-timed a shot over Elliott's glove. St. Louis outshot Minnesota 21-5 in the second and held most of the offensive zone time, but failed to take the lead.
The Blues thought they took a 1-0 lead 1:41 into the game when Patrik Berglund's tip of Jay Bouwmeester's shot hit the net and initially ruled a goal. Officials went to video review to determine if Berglund had touched the puck with a high stick and quickly ruled he didn’t. But right before the puck was dropped, another review was needed. After a second look, it was obvious the puck never went in and hit the side netting instead of going in, and the goal was waved off.
New Jersey @ Phoenix 4-1 - Tootoo and Mike Cammalleri each had a goal and an assist, and the Devils scored three times in the first 9:25 of the third period to put away the Coyotes. Adam Henrique and Stephen Gionta scored goals and Travis Zajac and Damon Severson each had two assists for the Devils, who broke open a tight game. Schneider made 30 saves, 21 of them in the first 30 minutes when the Coyotes controlled the play and had most of the scoring chances. Cammalleri scored his 25th goal, reaching that milestone for the sixth time in his career and with the fourth different team. The first goal of the game came off a wild bounce. With Coyotes forward B.J. Crombeen in the penalty box for high sticking, Zajac's shot from the right point sailed over the net and bounced high off the glass and back over the net. Henrique swatted it out of the air at the right post at 18:03 for his 14th goal of the season and third in the past four games. Gionta made it 2-0 at 50 seconds of the third period, putting home the rebound of a Tootoo shot for his fifth goal of the season. Cheap Shot Shane Doan cut the New Jersey lead to 2-1 by deflecting a Mark Arcobello shot past Schneider for his 13 th goal and first in 15 games. It took 19 seconds for Tootoo to restore New Jersey's two-goal lead, putting in the rebound of a Cammalleri shot for his eighth of the year. Cammalleri scored at 9:25 to give the Devils a 4-1 lead.
Nashville @ Los Angeles 2-1 - Viktor Stalberg scored the go-ahead goal 7:43 into the third period and goalie Pekka Rinne made 23 saves to give Nashville a 2-1 win. Stalberg scored the game-winner when he attempted a pass to Calle Jarnkrok, who was cutting to the net; Jake Muzzin inadvertently deflected the puck past Quick, breaking a 1-1 tie. Rinne earned his 200th career win for the Predators, who moved ahead of the St. Louis Blues for first place in the Central Division with 93 points. The Blues have 91 points but have played two fewer games. Smith ended Nashville's scoring drought at 113:33 with a power-play goal at 6:37 of the third period, tying the game 1-1. Ryan Ellis' shot leaked past Quick trickled toward the goal line; Smith chipped it inside the right post. Nick Shore was serving a penalty for playing the puck with his hand during a faceoff.
Quick, whose shutout streak ended at 118:10, made a two-pad stack save on Jarnkrok in the opening minutes and backstopped the Kings with eight saves in the second period, his best on a one-timer from the slot by Filip Forsberg. Jeff Carter's team-leading 24th goal gave the Kings a 1-0 lead. Ellis blocked Andrej Sekera 's shot and the puck came to Carter, who scored on a snap shot at 7:44 on the power play for his sixth goal in seven games. The Kings looked poised for a defensive, low-scoring win behind Quick before the two-goal, 66-second breakdown.
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