Thu, 28 Mar - Fixtures

Carolina v Toronto 7pm ET
NY Islanders v Philadlephia 7pm ET
Winnipeg v Pittsburgh 7pm ET
NY Rangers v Ottawa 7.30pm ET
Buffalo v Florida 7.30pm ET
Los Angeles v St Louis 8pm ET
Phoenix v Nashville 8pm ET
Columbus v Edmonton 9.30pm ET
Colorado v Vancouver 10pm ET
Detroit v San Jose 10.30pm ET

Gameday 68 (Wed, 27 Mar) - Results

Montreal v Boston 6-5 - Playing on the second night of a road back-to-back with their star goaltender benched to start the third period, the Montreal Canadiens could have been excused if they relinquished first place in the Northeast Division to the Boston Bruins with little fight. Instead, the Canadiens overcame multiple deficits in that third period and left TD Garden with sole possession of first place. Andrei Markov scored with 8.2 seconds left in regulation to tie the game and Brendan Gallagher connected in the sixth round of the shootout to give the Canadiens a 6-5 win Wednesday. Montreal has held at least a share of first place in the division every day since Feb. 19. That streak was less than 10 seconds from ending before Markov's shot hit Boston defenseman Zdeno Chara and went past Tuukka Rask to tie the game at 5-5. The goal came during a 6-on-4 power play with goaltender Peter Budaj off the ice for an extra attacker. After the two goaltenders combined to deny the first 11 shooters in the tiebreaker, Gallagher won it with a wrister that slipped between Rask's legs. The Canadiens had trailed 4-2 after Boston's four-goal second period. Boston also led 5-3, before Gallagher started the comeback with his first goal of the night at 12:18 of the third period. The Bruins' line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Tyler Seguin combined for nine points in the losing cause. Bergeron finished with one goal and three assists. Marchand's goal was his second in his past 12 games. The Bruins had scored just eight goals in their past five. Michael Ryder, in his second game back in Boston with the Canadiens since winning the Stanley Cup with the Bruins in 2011, scored twice for Montreal. Montreal's slumping offense had scored just two goals in two games, so the Canadiens were looking for a fast start against the Bruins. That's just what they earned when Ryder got them on the board at 4:15 of the first period. P.K. Subban doubled the lead at 2:53 of the second period with a blast from the right point that went off the left post and in. But it didn't take long for the Bruins to answer and get their comeback in gear. Just 39 seconds after Subban's goal, Dougie Hamilton ended a wild possession in the Montreal zone with a shot from the high slot that eluded Carey Price to cut the Canadiens' lead to 2-1. Marchand then tied the game with a second effort in front of Price. Marchand's initial backhander went over the net and off the glass. It deflected back to the front of the net, where Marchand banked the puck off Price and into the net at 7:23 to tie the score at 2-2. Bergeron's power-play goal at 17:01 put the Bruins ahead for the first time. Nathan Horton capped the second-period scoring spree when he cashed in on a pass from David Krejci at the end of a 2-on-1 at 17:36 for a 4-2 lead. The Canadiens switched to Budaj in goal to start the third, then grabbed a little bit of momentum with a goal. Ryder scored his second of the night at the end of a 2-on-1 with Tomas Plekanec. The Canadiens were within 4-3 just 3:58 into the final period. Seguin extended the Bruins' lead when he cashed in the end of a 2-on-1 with Marchand at 11:50. But Montreal again pulled within one, when Gallagher's follow-up shot beat Rask to the glove side at 12:18 to cut the lead to 5-4. With 1:27 left in the third period, Boston defenseman Aaron Johnson was called for a minor for delay of game when he deflected the puck out of the rink in his own end. The Canadiens then pulled Budaj and got a fortunate bounce off Chara for the tying goal.

Phoenix v Minnesota 3-4 - After watching their two-goal lead evaporate in about 10 minutes, the Minnesota Wild prolonged their night in the final minute of regulation against the Phoenix Coyotes, then saved it in overtime. Minnesota jumped ahead 2-0, fell behind 3-2 in the third period but forced overtime on a goal by Ryan Suter with 54.3 seconds remaining in regulation before Mikko Koivu's game-winner at 2:43 of OT, eight seconds after a Wild power play expired, gave the Wild a 4-3 victory. The victory extended Minnesota's franchise-best winning streak to seven games; Phoenix has lost seven in a row. Trailing 2-0 midway through the second period, the Coyotes faced a dire situation, with Minnesota's Pierre-Marc Bouchard racing in on a breakaway that would have put Phoenix in a three-goal hole. But LaBarbera made the save to keep it a two-goal game, and give his team some momentum. LaBarbera said he needed to pay his teammates back for an error he made earlier in the period in which Wild forward Matt Cullen whacked a LaBarbera clearing attempt out of midair and scored into an open net to make it 2-0 at 5:29. Less than a minute after LaBarbera's big save, Phoenix's Rob Klinkhammer scored a greasy goal, fighting off a body check in front of Wild goaltender Niklas Backstrom to snap home his fourth goal in eight games this season. Just over three minutes later, Boyd Gordon tipped Keith Yandle's shot from the half wall through Backstrom's armpit, tying the game at 2-2. Phoenix went ahead 1:52 into the third period after Backstrom robbed Shane Doan with a skate save on a chance in-tight. The rebound squirted free to Michael Stone in the right circle, and the defenseman rifled a shot through a swarm of bodies and past a still recovering Backstrom for his third of the season. Minnesota led 1-0 after one period on a goal by Torrey Mitchell and grabbed the two-goal edge on Cullen's sixth of the season early in the second. Backstrom made 24 saves to improve to 18-7-2. LaBarbera, playing in place of injured starter Mike Smith, stopped 33 shots. For Suter, his third goal of the season extended a sizzling March in which the defenseman has had at least one point in all but three games. After an unusually slow start to the season, especially in his own zone, his plus-2 effort Wednesday made him a plus player for the first time this season. His 27 points are second among all NHL defensemen. Minnesota will head to Dallas on Friday for the front half of back-to-back games this weekend. The Wild defeated the Stars at the American Airlines Center on Monday night for their first victory in Texas in a decade. They return home Saturday to host the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings. The Coyotes continue their three-game road trip Thursday against the Nashville Predators before finishing their trip Saturday against the San Jose Sharks.

Colorado v Calgary 3-4 - The Calgary Flames caught a glimpse of what life could be like without the face of the franchise Wednesday. Mike Cammalleri made sure to pick up the slack. Cammalleri scored twice and Joey MacDonald made 27 saves as the Flames held on to beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 at Scotiabank Saddledome, extending Calgary's winning streak at home to eight games. Flames captain Jarome Iginla was a healthy scratch for the game and it was announced afterwards that he had been dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Kenneth Agostino, Ben Hanowski and Pittsburgh's first round pick at the 2013 NHL Draft. With the distraction, the Avalanche couldn't take advantage and with the loss and are winless in their last 10 on the road. The Flames started MacDonald against Colorado (11-17-4) in place of Miikka Kiprusoff, who played 24 hours before against the Chicago Blackhawks. Inspired by the absence of its captain, Calgary (13-15-4) bombarded starter Semyon Varlamov, outshooting Colorado 14-2 en route to building a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. With former Flames forward Chuck Kobasew in the box for hooking, Roman Cervenka fed fellow Czech Jiri Hudler in the slot. After a couple of whacks on Varlamov, Hudler was able to bang home his seventh of the season at 8:10. Steve Begin extended the lead to two at 12:01 after his backhand from the goal line bounced off the stick of Shane O'Brien and trickled behind Varlamov. The second period made for some more explosive hockey between the Western Conference's most generous defenses. After Jamie McGinn and Cammalleri exchanged near-identical rebound goals 12 seconds apart to open the period, Avs captain Gabriel Landeskog scored a strange one just after MacDonald denied a streaking Duchene with a dazzling second-effort. Coming off the wing, Duchene poked the puck through Flames defenseman TJ Brodie and put a low shot on MacDonald. He handled the initial shot and reached back to snag the rebound in mid air before it had a chance to get into the net. On the ensuing faceoff, Landeskog's centering attempt from below the goal line ricocheted off the outside of the net, up MacDonald's pad and trickled into the net to cut Calgary's lead to 3-2 at 9:14. Again, Cammalleri answered the goal, one-timing a Dennis Wideman feed from the bottom of the left circle behind Varlamov to return the lead to two with 7:19 remaining in the period. Calgary was outshot 16-2 in the third period, but MacDonald was there to bail his teammates out. After losing track of the puck on a rebound that bounced up into the air, MacDonald scrambled to make a toe save off McGinn before gloving another attempt moments later. The saves sparked the Flames, who couldn't solve Varlamov or the post on ensuing chances. After working his way through the slot, Cervenka found Hudler parked to Varlamov's left, but struck the iron instead. On Calgary's next shot, Lee Stempniak slipped a shot under Varlamov's arm, but the puck trickled just wide of the post at the 10-minute mark. Luck continued to follow the Avalanche. With both Matt Stajan and Alex Tanguay in the penalty box for a 5-on-3 advantage, Milan Hejduk broke his stick on his attempt from the point. The puck floated over to Ryan O'Reilly, who lifted his fourth over an out-of-position MacDonald to cut the lead to 4-3 at 12:34. An inspired Duchene almost tied the goal with five minutes remaining, walking around Calgary blueliner Jay Bouwmeester and firing the puck just overtop of MacDonald's cage. He followed it up with another glove save off Duchene with 25.2 seconds remaining to preserve the win.

Anaheim v San Jose 0-4 - Exactly one minute after the puck dropped Wednesday at HP Pavilion, Joe Pavelski scored on a wraparound, giving the San Jose Sharks a 1-0 lead against the Anaheim Ducks. The Sharks made it 2-0 on Patrick Marleau's goal at 4:52 of the first and 3-0 on Brent Burns' power-play goal with 10:40 still left in the opening period. San Jose, a team that couldn't shoot straight for much of the season, has suddenly remembered how to score in bunches. The Sharks opened their seven-game home stand with a 4-0 victory, beating the Ducks for the second time in three days and sending them to their fourth straight defeat. San Jose won the five-game season series with Anaheim, going 3-2-0. San Jose goaltender Antti Niemi stopped 22 shots, earning his second shutout of the season, and Tommy Wingels added a shorthanded goal in the third period. Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller, who entered the game with a career 2.16 goals-against average against San Jose, allowed four goals on 29 shots. Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau used his timeout after San Jose's three-goal, deja vu outburst. In their 5-3 win against Anaheim on Monday night, the Sharks jumped to a 3-0 lead on goals by Burns and Pavelski in the first period and one by Martin Havlat just 34 seconds into the second. The Sharks, fighting just to make the playoffs, have won two straight games for just the second time since Jan. 31 when they capped a seven-game streak to start the season with a shootout win against the Edmonton Oilers. They have 36 points and are tied with the St. Louis Blues for seventh in the Western Conference. Thanks to its blistering start, which included a 12-game point streak, Anaheim is still solidly in second place in the West with 48 points, but the Ducks have hit their first true rough patch of the season. Next stop, Chicago, where the Ducks will continue their four-game road trip against the 25-4-3 Blackhawks. Thursday was initially scheduled solely as a travel day, but Boudreau said the Ducks will now practice after they arrive in Chicago. The Sharks have played two of their best games of the season in their home-and-home series against the Ducks. Those wins came after San Jose traded veteran defenseman Douglas Murray to the Pittsburgh Penguins and just days before the April 3 trade deadline. Pavelski scored for the second straight game since being moved from a second-line wing to the third-line center. Clowe, in his first game after missing four straight with a shoulder injury, made a rush down the right boards and sent a pass ahead to TJ Galiardi, who went behind the net and sent the puck to Pavelski, and the latter beat Hiller with a wraparound, putting the puck just inside the left post, for his ninth goal of the season. Minutes later, Clowe put a big hit on Ducks center Dave Steckel, sending him into the boards. Anaheim defenseman Bryan Allen shoved Clowe in the back, igniting a long bout that landed both of them in the penalty box at 4:03 for five minutes and seemed to give the Sharks even more energy. Just 49 seconds later, Marleau took a pass from Logan Couture in the slot and ripped a shot past Hiller, making it 2-0 with his team-high 16th goal of the season. Then with Ducks defenseman Sheldon Souray in the box for holding Wingels, Burns ripped a shot from the left circle passed Hiller at 9:20 of the first period. The goal was Burns' fourth in eight games since making the switch from defenseman to forward. After a scoreless second period, Wingels put San Jose ahead 4-0 at 6:44 of the third with a short-handed goal. Defenseman Dan Boyle hit Couture with a pass, sparking a 2-on-1 rush, and Wingels beat Hiller to his stick side for a goal to go with his two assists. Just before Wingels scored, Ducks forward Corey Perry punched a trailing Boyle in the face. There was no penalty for the punch, but soon after the goal, an angry Boyle and Perry started trading punches in a spirited fight. Both received two minutes for cross checking and five for fighting. Veteran forward Radek Dvorak, who signed with Anaheim on Sunday and cleared waivers Monday, was officially added to the Ducks' roster Wednesday after his immigration issues were resolved. Dvorak, who had been playing in Switzerland, was in the lineup and played his first game of the season for the Ducks. He was on the ice for 11:08 and had one shot, one hit and one takeaway.

Wed, 27 Mar - Fixtures

Montreal v Boston 7.30pm ET
Phoenix v Minnesota 9pm ET
Colorado v Calgary 10pm ET
Anaheim v San Jose 10pm ET

Gameday 67 (Tue, 26 Mar) - Results

Florida v Toronto 2-3 - It has been an interesting season for Joffrey Lupul, to say the least. The veteran right-shooting left wing broke his arm in the Toronto Maple Leafs' fourth game of the season when he was nailed with an errant Dion Phaneuf slap shot, missed 25 games, then stormed back with three goals in two games before being suspended for two for an illegal hit. Since returning from the suspension, Lupul has picked right up where left off, scoring twice Tuesday night in a 3-2 nail-biter against the visiting Florida Panthers. The Panthers, who have been decimated with injuries and are last in the overall standings, gave the Maple Leafs a tough test. Despite a slow start, Toronto managed to win its third straight at home behind 40 saves from Ben Scrivens. Lupul, who scored once in a 3-2 shootout loss at the Boston Bruins on Monday, opened Tuesday night on a line with Nazem Kadri and Nikolai Kulemin. But when the Maple Leafs were outshot 16-7 in the first period and failed to generate any serious offense, Lupul was placed on a line with old mates Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak. The trio worked instant magic. Lupul, the seventh pick by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2002 NHL Draft, was well on his way to an all-star selection last season when the shoulder injury brought an abrupt end to his year. It would not be a stretch to suggest he was the best left wing in the NHL at the time of his injury, and he's working to get back to that level. The Maple Leafs vowed in the morning to come out strong against the inexperienced visitors, but did anything but. In fact, Toronto looked lethargic through the opening 20 minutes. With Maple Leafs defensive pair Cody Franson and Mark Fraser backing in a little too deep, allowing the Panthers the opportunity to rush the net, Florida left wing Tomas Fleischmann scored his seventh goal of the season on a 25-foot floater that found its way between the legs of Fraser and goaltender Ben Scrivens 6:39 into the game. Though the Maple Leafs continued to struggle early in the second period, things started to look up when Mikhail Grabovski took off alone with the puck from his own blue line. Alas, he started to lose the puck as he crossed center, then stumbled and fell at the Florida blue line to a sea of groans from the frustrated locals in the stands. Things took a turn for the better a few minutes later when Phaneuf scored his sixth of the season on a blast from the right point that found the far corner of the net. Phaneuf actually wound up to shoot, but delayed for a second, causing Panthers goalie Jacob Markstrom to drop. Seeing this, the Maple Leafs captain took aim at the far side of the goal and hit his target at 9:41. Toronto appeared to get a lift from the goal, and shortly afterward, Lupul drove hard to the net but failed to tip a pass behind Markstrom. The Maple Leafs continued to hold a territorial edge, but the Panthers served notice they weren't about to lay down when defenseman Erik Gudbranson showed great determination skating back hard to poke the puck away from Toronto's James van Riemsdyk, who was driving hard to the net with just under three minutes remaining. That was shortly after Panthers defender Brian Campbell forced Scrivens to make a toe save on a well-placed slap shot from the left point. With Florida's Filip Kuba serving a tripping penalty to start the third period, Lupul, Kessel and Bozak clicked on the power play 22 seconds in. Kessel made a deft cross-ice pass to Bozak, who in turn spotted Lupul driving the net. The puck got to the speedy wing, who simply redirected it past Markstrom. The Panthers came right back with a goal 33 seconds later when Shawn Matthias flew past startled defenseman Jake Gardiner, cut to the net and sneaked one past Scrivens. Less than three minutes later, Lupul scored his sixth in seven games with Kessel and Bozak again assisting. There was some concern initially that Carlyle and Lupul wouldn't get along based on their experience together in Anaheim, but that has not been the case. The coach, for his part, said the Ducks made a big mistake with Lupul before trading him to the Edmonton Oilers to acquire star defenseman Chris Pronger.

Montreal v Pittsburgh 0-1 - By his own estimation, Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price came within about five millimeters of playing a perfect game Tuesday. It's taking better than that to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins these days. Sidney Crosby scored, Tomas Vokoun and Marc-Andre Fleury combined for the Penguins' third shutout of the season, and Pittsburgh won its 13th consecutive game by beating Montreal 1-0 at Consol Energy Center. That and the play of Fleury and Vokoun. Fleury made 25 saves over the first two periods, but did not play the third because of an undisclosed injury. Fleury appeared dazed after Canadiens captain Brian Gionta pushed Pittsburgh's Tyler Kennedy into Fleury during the final minute of the second period. Play was stopped for several moments while Fleury composed himself, and he remained in the game through the end of the period. Vokoun made 12 saves in relief. Crosby's second-period goal was his 15th of the season for the Penguins, who have also won 10 in a row at home and have opened up a seven-point lead over the Canadiens and Bruins in the race for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Montreal was shut out for the first time since Feb. 9 and has lost consecutive games for the first time this season. Price stopped 24 of 25 shots for Montreal, which had its five-game road winning streak snapped. The Penguins streak is the NHL's longest since the Washington Capitals ran off 14 straight in January-February of 2010. That's one of four streaks in NHL history longer than the Penguins' current run. The League record is 17, set by the Penguins late in the 1992-93 season. Fleury, who extended his personal winning streak to eight, earned his League-best 18th victory. Two of his best stops were pad saves on Michael Ryder four minutes into second and on Andrei Markov during a power play about 4 1/2 minutes later. But he was robbed of the chance for his second shutout of the season, and team-record 24th of his career, on a play that coach Dan Bylsma said the Penguins "took exception to." Gionta's response? "If you watch the replay, their own guy falls on Fleury. It's pretty much self-explanatory."

Bylsma said Fleury would continue to be evaluated, but offered no other details. The combined shutout was the fourth in Penguins' history and first since Feb. 2, 2011, when Brent Johnson fought New York Islanders counterpart Rick DiPietro during the final minute of a 3-0 win. The Penguins' streak began against the Canadiens on March 2 in Montreal, but that game was vastly different than this one. Pittsburgh claimed a 7-6 victory that night on Brandon Sutter's overtime goal. But the run-and-gun ways of the early portion of Pittsburgh's winning streak have given way to defensive struggles. The Penguins have allowed nine goals in their past nine games. Vokoun's best stop was denying a wrister by Montreal leading goal-scorer Tomas Plekanec from the inside of the right circle with 6:24 left. For the second time in a three-day span at Consol Energy Center, a game remained scoreless passed its midway point. Crosby broke it up both times, extending his point streak to five games with 6:41 left in the second Tuesday. Linemate Chris Kunitz hit Crosby with a perfect pass from inside the Penguins' blue line on their left wing across the ice to Crosby at Montreal's blue line on the right side. Crosby's wrist shot beat Price high and to the far side. Pittsburgh welcomed Brenden Morrow to the lineup two days after he was acquired in a trade with the Dallas Stars. Morrow left briefly for the dressing room late in the second period for an equipment issue but returned to play during the third. He had no points or shots, one hit and an even rating in 12:55 of ice time often skating on a line with Dustin Jeffrey and James Neal. The Penguins also had Kris Letang, in the lineup for the first time in four games. The League's top-scoring defenseman was taken off the injured reserve list Tuesday afternoon after missing time because of a lower-body injury. Letang logged more than 24 minutes but told RDS after the game that he was not 100 percent after the first period. The Penguins' winning streak has coincided with the month of March. At 13-0, they've set a team record for most wins in a calendar month. Pittsburgh has won nine in a row against Northeast Division teams, and nine of the 13 victories during its streak have been by one goal. Montreal lost despite a heavy advantage in shots on goal for the second time in four days. They outshot the Buffalo Sabres 39-18 in a 2-1 home loss on Saturday and held a 37-25 advantage in shots against the Penguins. Veteran forward Jeff Halpern played 14:51 for Montreal, three days after being claimed off waivers from the New York

NY Islanders v Washington 3-2 - The New York Islanders started fast, took a strong counter punch and found a winner late Tuesday night, and they will wake up Wednesday morning two points from a playoff spot because of it. John Tavares scored his 20th goal of the season with 5:18 remaining in the third period, and the Islanders claimed a key 3-2 victory against the Washington Capitals at Verizon Center in their quest for a spot in the top eight of the Eastern Conference. Washington defenseman Mike Green lost the puck in his feet to the left of his own net; Moulson scooped it up and fed Tavares for a quick one-timer from the right circle. Tavares became the second player to reach 20 goals this season. The Islanders, who haven't made the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2007, moved past the Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes into ninth place in the East with the victory. They trail the eighth-place New York Rangers by two points; the Rangers also have a game in hand. Washington forward Brooks Laich took responsibility for the Islanders' game-winner, and coach Adam Oates called it a "tired play." Laich was on the ice for 50 seconds before the goal and 80 seconds in his previous shift. The Capitals (15-17-1) came home from a road trip with three straight wins and a chance to move into ninth, but a slow start and a second loss in as many contests against the Islanders damaged their charge towards a sixth consecutive playoff berth. The visiting Islanders (15-15-3) jumped out to a two-goal lead early in the first period. Michael Grabner scored his 11th of the season at 5:24 of the opening period on a one-timer off a pass by Keith Aucoin. This is Aucoin's first season with New York after four years in Washington's organization. He helped the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League to back-to-back Calder Cup victories, and had 22 points in 49 games for the Capitals. It was Grabner's first goal in six games. Josh Bailey made it 2-0 at 7:56 of the period. Frans Nielsen took the puck behind the Washington net and three Capitals players went with him. He still got the puck to Kyle Okposo in the left corner, and then the Islanders wing found Bailey in nearly the same spot where Grabner connected from. While Tavares' line has carried the Islanders at times, New York showed off some depth in this contest with goals from three different units at even strength. Washington dominated possession for the opening 30 minutes, but didn't have the shot advantage to show for it. Okposo had a great chance for a three-goal lead on the power play, but Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby stopped his point-blank attempt. Moments later when Matt Martin missed a long pass and another great chance at the third goal, the Capitals went the other way and Mike Ribeiro scored on the counter attack at 10:05 of the second period. It was the 11th of the season for Ribeiro, who is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and might have been playing in his last home game with the organization if general manager George McPhee were to deal him before the April 3 trade deadline. Ribeiro is the highest-scoring potential UFA in the League this season with 35 points, but the Capitals have also clawed back into playoff contention and may try to keep him as their long-term option at center behind Nicklas Backstrom, a hole the organization had been looking to fill for years before acquiring Ribeiro in June. Washington's top line had the puck in New York's end a lot in the opening two periods, and defenseman John Carlson made it a 2-2 contest at the end of a long offensive shift. Marcus Johansson, who was inches away from a pair of goals earlier in the game, set up Carlson for a shot from the right point that leaked through Islanders goaltender Evgeni Nabokov at 13:28 of the second. Arthur Staple of Newsday reported it was the seventh time this season the Islanders have blown a two-goal lead. They are now 4-2-1 when they surrender such an advantage.

 

Winnipeg v Carolina 4-1 - The Winnipeg Jets had to learn a hard lesson last week when they lost back-to-back games to divisional rival Washington: There's no room for clunkers in this abbreviated season. The Jets showed they'd gotten got the message Tuesday night by beating the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1. It's the second straight victory for Winnipeg, which is first in the Southeast Division with an 18-14-2 record. Although the second-place Hurricanes have three games in hand, the Jets pushed their lead to six points over Carolina, which is 0-5-1 in the last six. Evander Kane played a role in all the Winnipeg goals. After setting up Jokinen on a 2-on-1, he dished to Tobias Enstrom for a power-play blast in the second period. Five minutes later, Nik Antropov popped in the rebound of a Kane slap shot. Kane capped his night, and finished off the Hurricanes, with an unusual goal in third period. Hurricanes defenseman Jamie McBain tried to break up Kane's set-up pass through the slot, but instead backhanded the puck past Hurricanes netminder Justin Peters from the hash marks. The Jets withstood an early push from the Hurricanes as Winnipeg goaltender Ondrej Pavelec made some sparkling saves in the first period, particularly during a Carolina power play. Although the Hurricanes got on the scoreboard first when Jiri Tlusty scored his 14th goal of the season, Winnipeg looked fortified for withstanding the early onslaught. That was a fortunate turn of events for the Jets. Coach Claude Noel admitted to being worried after a morning skate he felt would leave observers thinking, "these guys are awful." Pavelec was busy all night, stopping 38 shots for his 15th win of the season. Having played in all but three of his team's 34 games, it's no surprise he has seen the second-most shots in the League. Pavelec's description of Carolina's play was far more charitable than the assessment from Hurricanes coach Kirk Muller. In his first full season as Carolina's coach, it is clear that Muller is showing a level of frustration that corresponds with the mounting winless streak. With four days off to prepare after back-to-back 4-1 home losses to Florida and New Jersey, Muller had tried to sell a positive message ahead of the game with Winnipeg: The team could use a little rest and refocus, then start the push to the playoffs. Did it bother him that the team didn't respond to the time off? Earlier in the day, the Hurricanes waived forward Jussi Jokinen, a 30-goal scorer just three seasons ago. While not a direct message to the team, the move certainly was an indicator that there is little margin for error for the team. Having scored just one goal in each of the last five games, Muller isn't sure the Hurricanes are getting the message. The Hurricanes now face a three-game road trip against three team in playoff position - Toronto, Winnipeg and Montreal. With the Hurricanes now in 10th place, there's no mistaking what the upcoming games mean to Carolina.

 

NY Rangers v Philadelphia 5-2 - New York Rangers coach John Tortorella came up with a winning combination when he juggled his lines before Tuesday's game against the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. With his team in a goal-scoring slump, Tortorella put Derek Stepan back in the middle of a trio with Rick Nash and Carl Hagelin. The new unit accounted for four of the Rangers' five goals as they continued their dominance of the Flyers with a 5-2 victory that kept them in eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Stepan scored a goal and set up three others, including a pair by Nash. Hagelin had an assist, and all three players finished plus-3. Henrik Lundqvist stopped 32 shots for New York, which also got goals by Brad Richards and rookie Chris Kreider. The Rangers improved to 11-1-0 in their past 12 games against the Flyers, including 3-1-0 this season and 5-1-0 in their past six visits to Wells Fargo Center. Stepan set up Rick Nash's first-period goal and a second-period power-play tally by Brad Richards before beating Ilya Bryzgalov to make it 3-0. After the Flyers cut the margin to 3-2 on goals by Wayne Simmonds late in the second period and Jakub Voracek early in the third, Stepan got his third assist of the game on Nash's wraparound goal at 7:42. At 16-13-3, the Rangers have 35 points, two more than the ninth-place New York Islanders. The Rangers have played one fewer game. The Rangers will visit the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. The loss, combined with the Tampa Bay Lightning's 2-0 win against the Buffalo Sabres, dropped the Flyers (13-17-2) into 14th place in the East. The Flyers host the Islanders, Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals later this week. Flyers coach Pater Laviolette changed up three of his lines but didn't get the same results as Tortorella. The Flyers have scored two or fewer goals in 21 of their 21 games. Defenseman Kimmo Timonen, who was honored before the opening faceoff for playing his 1,000th NHL game last week, said the Rangers simply wanted the game more. Nash opened the scoring at 14:54 of the first period when he took a pass from Stepan after a turnover and beat Bryzgalov with a wrister from the slot for the 300th goal of his career. Richards, who has struggled offensively for most of the season, scored his fifth at 3:14 of the second period when he took a feed from Stepan and blasted a slap shot from near the top of the right circle during a power play. It was Richards' first goal in eight games. Stepan reached double figures in goals at 5:46 when Nash's shot hit him in front of the net and he was able to pick up the loose puck and maneuver around Bryzgalov before tucking the puck into the net. The Flyers got one back when Simmonds jammed a puck past Lundqvist at 17:53 of the second during their only power play of the game. It became 3-2 at 6:28 of the third when Claude Giroux won an offensive-zone draw back to Bruno Gervais, whose straightaway slapper hit Voracek and deflected past Lundqvist. It was Voracek's sixth goal in 11 career games against the reigning Vezina Trophy winner. But the Rangers regained control when Nash came out from behind the net and put a wraparound past Bryzgalov's stick 1:14 after Voracek's goal. Kreider's first NHL goal since Feb. 5 ended all doubt about the outcome, and left the Flyers trying to figure out how to right the ship.

 

Buffalo v Tampa Bay 1-2 - The Tampa Bay Lightning gave their new coach something to be optimistic about. With Jon Cooper watching the team he'll officially begin coaching on Wednesday, the Lightning put together an energetic effort and held off the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 on Tuesday night at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Cooper told the media before the game that he thought the Lightning still had a chance to make the playoffs. A few more efforts like this one and he might be right. With Mathieu Garon solid in net and Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis providing the offense, the Lightning showed little resemblance to the lackadaisical group that helped get former coach Guy Boucher fired. The Lightning were the aggressors all night, winning the battles for loose pucks and backchecking forcefully as they limited the Sabres to a season-low 14 shots on goal. In addition to seeing another much-needed two points vanish, Buffalo also lost its top scorer, Thomas Vanek, who left the ice during the third period with an upper-body injury and did not return. Tampa Bay had just two shots in the opening period, but grabbed a 1-0 lead at 16:01 when Stamkos backed into the left circle to find some space, took a pass from St. Louis and one-timed the puck over Ryan Miller's glove. It was Stamkos' League-leading 23rd goal of the season of the season. The Lightning opened up a two-goal lead at 8:15 of the second when St. Louis got his eighth goal of the season while Tampa Bay had a two-man advantage. With Buffalo defensemen Robyn Regehr and Mike Weber in the penalty box, St. Louis buried a feed by Teddy Purcell from Miller's left. Stamkos had the other assist. Buffalo had its best scoring opportunity in the middle period when Jason Pominville collected the puck just outside the crease to Garon's right. The Lightning netminder made an excellent cross-ice move to thwart the scoring chance. The Sabres broke up Garon's shutout bid with 3:08 left in regulation when Jordan Leopold skated down the slot and fired home a slap shot for his sixth goal of the season. Even though Buffalo cut the deficit to one goal, the Sabres didn't generate any serious scoring threats before time ran out. Foligno and Lightning defenseman Keith Aulie engaged in a lively battle near the midpoint of the second period. Foligno decked Aulie early, but Aulie popped back up and eventually floored Foligno before the officials stepped in. Trying to overcome a two-goal deficit is difficult at any time, but especially against Tampa Bay, which has dominated the third period this season. In all, 47 of the Lightning's 105 tallies have come in the final period; they are first in the League in third-period scoring. Tampa Bay (14-18-1) held the Sabres (13-16-4) scoreless on four power plays, three in the game's first 22 minutes. Lightning forward Benoit Pouliot returned to action after missing 11 games with an upper body injury. He played 5:52 and had two hits and one shot on net. Both Buffalo and the Lightning are battling long odds as they try to claw their way upward into a playoff position. Tampa Bay helped itself Tuesday night; Buffalo did not.

 

Edmonton v St Louis 3-0 - The Edmonton Oilers have a full arsenal of terrific young talent, but a crafty old-timer turned back the clock Tuesday. Forty-year-old Nikolai Khabibulin, playing in only his seventh game of the season, displayed some of his youthful brilliance of yesteryear with a scintillating 43-save effort for his 46th career shutout to lead the Oilers to a 3-0 victory against the St. Louis Blues at Scottrade Center. Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall each had three-point games, with Eberle picking up two goals and Hall scoring once, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two assists and the Oilers (12-13-7) snapped a three-game winless streak. Edmonton also won for the first time in St. Louis in seven games dating back to a 5-3 win Dec. 11, 2009. Khabibulin, 3-3-1 on the season, turned back wave after wave of shots throughout the game, including 21 in the second period alone. It was the first time he's blanked the Blues in 47 career starts against them. The Blues (17-13-2), who came in 11-1-1 in the last 13 against the Oilers and outshooting them 43-19 for the game, dropped their third in four games as they teeter on the edge of the postseason cutoff line. They held a closed-door meeting before media members were allowed into the locker room 22 minutes at game's end, and coach Ken Hitchcock did not address the media until 10:45 local time, or an hour, 17 minutes after the game. The Oilers cashed in on a Blues turnover when they broke out on a 3-on-1 following a David Perron turnover. Nugent-Hopkins poked the puck to Hall, who saucer-fed a pass to the top of the crease to Eberle. Eberle made no mistake in getting his eighth of the season with 8:31 remaining in the opening period, redirecting the puck into an open side past Jake Allen. Khabibulin was up to the task for the Blues' best chance, when Vladimir Tarasenko's wrister from the slot was snapped up by the 40-year-old's mitt to preserve the 1-0 lead. He also stopped Steen, Perron and David Backes on breakaways. Despite getting outshot 21-5 in the second period, the Oilers made the most of their limited opportunities, getting goals from Eberle at 3:26 and Hall at 5:17 to go up 3-0. Eberle got his second of the game when he took Nugent-Hopkins' pass and snapped a shot from the right circle over Allen's glove, and then Hall, who has 11 points in the last 11 games, cashed in on a breakaway attempt from Eberle, after Allen made the initial save but Hall pounced on the doorstep. The play unveiled after Eberle blocked a Barret Jackman wrister from the blue line. The ladder goal chased Allen from the game after allowing three goals on seven shots in favor of Jaroslav Halak, who stopped all 12 shots he saw. It was a bit of redemption for the Oilers, who lost twice to the Blues this month. They fell 4-2 here on March 1 and lost 3-0 at Rexall Place on Saturday.

 

Calgary v Chicago 0-2 - It wasn't perfect, but the Chicago Blackhawks did what coach Joel Quenneville hoped they'd do Tuesday. They built a lead heading into the third period against the Calgary Flames at United Center and then finished it off strong for a 2-0 victory. After two straight losses that saw them cough up leads in the final period, it was a step back in the right direction for a team that's still playing without injured star forwards Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa. Nick Leddy and Brent Seabrook scored for Chicago (25-4-3), while Kane added even more points to his remarkable season totals. Kane leads the Blackhawks with 41 points (17 goals and 24 assists) and has five goals and nine assists in his current point streak. He also continues to spark the offense in the absence of Sharp and Hossa, who are likely out for the rest of this week and maybe longer with upper-body injuries. Emery started in goal for Chicago and picked up his second victory in as many starts against the Flames (12-15-4) this season. Unlike the first win, on Feb. 2 in Calgary, Emery didn't get a ton of work. He only needed to make 16 saves, but he made several big ones late in the third to earn his first shutout since Feb. 1, 2010, when he also blanked Calgary while playing for the Philadelphia Flyers. That's because the Flames were outplayed by a wide margin. Calgary, outshot 16-3 in the second period and 35-16 for the game, lost for the fourth time in its past five games and dropped its seventh game in the last 10 – keeping the Flames 14th in the Western Conference. The loss could also ratchet up pressure on Flames general manager Jay Feaster to make one or more trades before the pending April 3 deadline, including one for Jarome Iginla, the longtime face of the franchise. This wasn't one of Iginla's better outings, either. He finished with no points, two shots and a minus-1 rating and had the puck deflect off his stick and flutter past Miikka Kiprusoff (33 saves) on Seabrook's goal at 17:48 of the second period. After the game, Iginla fielded numerous questions about trade speculation that will surround him until he is either dealt to a new team or sees the deadline expire without being moved. The Flames have to improve off this game, because they were pretty lackluster from start to finish. Seabrook's goal put Chicago up 2-0 and culminated a period dominated by Chicago, which got 13 more shots on goal and drew three penalties resulting in power plays. That was after Leddy had already given Chicago a 1-0 lead 7:09 into the game with his career-high fifth goal, which he put through the pads from the left circle after Kane's pass intended for Dave Bolland was tipped by Curtis Glencross and went straight to him. Kiprusoff had a clear view of the shot, but the puck kicked off the inside of his left pad and snuck past him. The Hawks outshot the Flames 11-6 in the first, but did let two more power-play chances go by without scoring, which continued a downtrend in production in three games since Hossa joined Sharp on the sidelines. Coming into the game, the Blackhawks had scored just one goal without Hossa and Sharp in their previous seven power-play opportunities (14.3 percent) and the dry spell stretched all the way to one for their last 11 after a failed 4:00 advantage early in the second against Calgary. After going 0-for-5, it stands at one for the last 12 (8.3 percent).

 

Columbus v Vancouver 0-1 - Cory Schneider kept his eyes open long enough to keep the Vancouver Canucks in the game late, and Maxim Lapierre closed his to end it. Lapierre roofed a backhand deke in the third round of the shootout for the only goal of the game, and Schneider overcame an uneventful start to make 17 saves before stopping all three attempts in the shootout as the Canucks beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 1-0 Tuesday at Rogers Arena. The way Sergei Bobrovsky was playing, it wasn't a bad strategy. The Columbus goaltender was the biggest story of a slow-moving game until that final shot, bouncing back quickly from a rare off night in Saturday's 5-2 loss at Nashville by making 21 of his 34 saves in the first half of the game. He sent the game to the shootout by making a sprawling left pad breakaway save on Jannik Hansen with 30 seconds left in overtime, and stuffed Mason Raymond and Jordan Schroeder in the shootout before Lapierre finally beat him high. Bobrovsky, who was pulled after four goals in 10 minutes of the loss in Nashville, declined to do post-game interviews in English. His coach, Todd Richards, wasn't surprised by his strong play, pointing to his 8-0-2 streak to start March. While his goalie bounced back, Richards wouldn't say the same of his team, which started the month on an 8-0-3 run before the loss in Nashville. Despite moving within a point on the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, there wasn't much to like outside of the crease after being outshot 12-2 in the first period, 21-6 by the midway point of the game and 34-17 overall. The Canucks got exactly what they were looking for as they try to play through a run of injuries that left them without six forwards and with defenseman Keith Ballard playing left wing on the third line. With so many regulars out, Vancouver has relied on tight defense and a strong Schneider for five straight wins to move two points ahead of the Minnesota Wild atop the Northwest Division. It was Vancouver's second 1-0 win in the last three games. Schneider was reduced to the role of spectator while Bobrovsky turned away Tom Sestito alone in tight, and stuffed Lapierre on a partial break down the right wing in the first period, then denied Daniel Sedin and Jordan Schroeder from point-blank range early in the second. He got a break when the rebound of a high shot off his left shoulder landed behind him, but was cleared away. By the time the Blue Jackets registered their sixth shot, and arguably first real scoring chance, midway through the second, Bobrovsky had made 21 saves. Despite the start, Columbus matched Vancouver over the second half of the game, forcing Schneider to make some of the bigger stops, including a glove on that sixth shot from Foligno in the high slot. He got a piece of another rising Foligno shot midway through the third period and a couple of breaks, first when Prospal knocked a rebound just over the net, and again when defenseman Dan Hamhuis got his skate on Foligno's shot at an open net with 1:20 left to play. For the rest of the Canucks, the key was not trying to force too much, or cheat on offense after being turned aside repeatedly in the first 30 minutes.

 

Tue, 26 Mar - Fixtures

Florida v Toronto 7pm ET
Montreal v Pittsburgh 7pm ET
NY Islanders v Washington 7pm ET
Winnipeg v Carolina 7pm ET
NY Rangers v Philadelphia 7.30pm ET
Buffalo v Tampa Bay 7.30pm ET
Edmonton v St Louis 8pm ET
Calgary v Chicago 8.30pm ET
Columbus v Vancouver 10pm ET

Gameday 66 (Mon, 25 Mar) - Results

Toronto v Boston 2-3 -

Some temporary line changes and a commitment to working hard at both ends of the rink paid off in a triumphant homecoming for the Boston Bruins on Monday. Coming off a 1-3-0 road trip, the Bruins juggled all four of their forward lines for the first two periods and earned a split of a home-and-home series with the Toronto Maple Leafs by rallying from 2-0 down en route to a 3-2 shootout victory at TD Garden. Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron scored Boston’s shootout goals, while Tuukka Rask stopped two of three shooters. Rask finished with 23 saves in regulation and overtime. The Bruins lost 3-2 at Toronto on Saturday after they failed to complete a comeback from a 3-0 deficit. Julien noted that he’s a little concerned about potential fatigue. He cancelled the team’s morning skate Monday and cancelled Tuesday’s practice after the win. The new line combinations didn’t wake up the Bruins’ offense (six goals in their prior four games) until the second period. Milan Lucic’s new line featured Rich Peverley at center and Jordan Caron on the opposite wing. In the second period, Lucic brought the Bruins to within 2-1 down with 10:11 remaining in the period as he scored his first goal in 16 games off a feed by Peverley. In the third period, Lucic was back with Nathan Horton and David Krejci, while Bergeron was back centering Brad Marchand and Seguin. The return to normalcy kept the Bruins rolling in the right direction, as Bergeron’s goal with 10:36 elapsed in the third period tied the game at 2. Dougie Hamilton actually went on the forecheck and created a turnover below the goal line before he passed to an open Bergeron in the slot. The Maple Leafs, trying to make the playoffs for the first time since 2004, hadn’t beaten the Bruins in eight tries prior to Saturday. So earning three of a possible four points from their Northeast Division rivals was another sign of a promising future for the Leafs. One positive was the return of Joffrey Lupul. The forward returned from a two-game suspension and made his presence felt just 2:04 into the second period after the both teams failed to score in the first. Lupul was wide open on the goal line to the left of Rask for a one-timer after a feed from Jake Gardiner on the power play. Gardiner sold the shot to the Bruins’ penalty killers before making the slap pass. Toronto doubled its lead on a Nikolai Kulemin breakaway. After Nazem Kadri, the NHL Third Star last week, blocked Aaron Johnson’s slap shot, the Toronto center fed the puck ahead to Kulemin, who dragged the puck to his forehand and roofed the puck at 8:01 for a 2-0 lead. The Bruins, who outshot the Leafs for the second straight game, might not have been at their best but they played better in all facets than on their recent road trip.

New Jersey v Ottawa 2-3 - The Ottawa Senators have the New Jersey Devils' number in the shootout this season. The Senators beat the Devils 3-2 on Monday night at Scotiabank Place, giving them back-to-back shootout wins against New Jersey. Mika Zibanejad went high on Martin Brodeur for his first career NHL shootout goal and Daniel Alfredsson, after being held scoreless in his first six attempts this season, had his first shootout goal in the win. The victory now gives Ottawa (18-9-6) at least one point in eight out of its past nine games. Brodeur made 12 stops in regulation, while Ben Bishop made 32 saves for the Sens. It was the 14th consecutive game where the Devils (15-11-7) outshot their opponent. Bishop is now 4-0 in the shootout this season. The Sens' goaltender was rendered speechless for a moment as he tried to think of a reason for his success. Phillips and Colin Greening scored for Ottawa, while Andrei Loktionov and Marek Zidlicky had the goals for New Jersey. Ottawa struck early in the first, when Mike Lundin passed across the blue line to Phillips, who sent a rocket past the stick side of Brodeur for his fifth of the season at 2:12. The Sens nearly made the score 2-0 at 11:26, when Jakob Silfverberg fed a cross-ice pass to a wide open Kyle Turris, who was streaking down the left side. Turris' snap shot hit the post on Brodeur's glove side. The puck bounced back, hit Brodeur and hit the same post again. The flurry caused New Jersey coach Pete DeBoer to call a timeout to regroup his squad. The Devils would get a quality opportunity in the opening minutes of the second period. Adam Henrique came down the right wing on an odd-man rush and shot a wrister on the Ottawa net. Bishop made the pad save, but the rebound went to Loktionov, who shot and hit the crossbar. After dominating the Sens through the majority of the period, Loktionov would capitalize for the Devils, tying the game 1-1. After regaining control of his rebound, Steve Bernier passed the puck across the goal mouth to a wide-open Loktionov. Bishop was caught far out of position, allowing the Devils' center to put the puck high into the Sens' net at 4:47. But the Sens weren't finished. With 16.9 seconds left, Turris' wrist shot from the high slot was initially saved by Brodeur. Greening was skating to the net, scooped up the rebound and put it five-hole for his fifth of the season. The Devils responded early in the third when they caught the Senators on a line change. David Dziurzynski was unable to catch Zidlicky, who skated across the zone and sent a wrist shot past Bishop at 6:05. New Jersey's Bryce Salvador (lower body) and Stephen Gionta (upper body) both left at the end of the first period and did not return. There was no update on the status of either player. With 1:22 left in the third, Erik Condra to a puck to the mouth and immediately left the ice. After repairs, Condra returned to the bench before the end of the shootout. With only 14 shots on goal, the game on Monday marked the lowest shooting total for the Sens this season.

 

Los Angeles v Chicago 5-4 - It was exactly what the Los Angeles Kings needed coming off two straight shutout losses. Not only did the defending Stanley Cup champions beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 at United Center on Monday, but they did it by shattering a lengthy scoring drought and coming back from one-goal deficits three times. Tyler Toffoli and Dustin Brown were responsible for the final comeback effort, combining to score a pair of third-period goals that pushed Los Angeles back in front for good after Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews put Chicago up 4-3 early in the third. Toffoli tied it 4-4 about five minutes after Toews scored and Brown potted a rebound of Anze Kopitar's shot into a wide opening of the net with just 1:27 left in the game for the clincher. Kings goalie Jonathan Quick (21 saves) made sure it did. Despite allowing four goals, Quick was great when he had to be, coming up with three big stops after Brown's goal, with the Blackhawks' net empty, to preserve the victory. Jarret Stoll and Dwight King also scored for Los Angeles (18-12-2), which heads to Washington, D.C. for a White House visit on Tuesday before flying to St. Louis for the next leg of a five-game road trip. Michael Frolik, playing right wing on the top line for Chicago in place of injured Marian Hossa, scored two goals and set up the goal by Toews. Patrick Kane also scored his team-high 17th marker for the Blackhawks (24-4-3), who dropped their second game in a row. Chicago coach Joel Quenneville found himself with a rare moment to be critical of his team afterward, which was actually the second game in a row that's been the case. The Hawks also blew a late one-goal lead in Anaheim on the last game of their road trip last week to lose that game. Despite scoring four times, the Blackhawks went 0-for-4 on the power play, including a four-minute advantage in the first period that resulted in just two shots on goal. They also allowed a shorthanded goal by Stoll and forced goalie Corey Crawford (31 saves) to make a big save on a different shorthanded breakaway by Brown. Things started well for Chicago, as Frolik put the Blackhawks up 1-0 just 5:55 into the game with his second goal of the season. It was also his second goal of the year against the Kings, whom he scored against in a season-opening 5-2 win at Staples Center. After Toews won a faceoff in the Kings zone, the puck went back to Duncan Keith, who worked it along the boards to Brandon Saad at the top of the left circle. Saad slid a crisp pass to Frolik in the slot, which he quickly snapped low and hard between Quick's pads. Crawford, meanwhile, stopped all seven shots the Kings put on net in the first, which meant the seventh straight period in a row without a Los Angeles goal. The drought ended at 4:21 of the second on Kopitar's goal. The Kings' leading scorer collected the puck just inside the Chicago blue line after an attempt to chip it into the zone hit a linesman. He then walked right to the slot before firing a hard wrister into the top right corner of the net for his 10th goal. Stoll then put Los Angeles up 2-1 with his shorthanded marker 3:04 later, after the Blackhawks turned it over in the Kings zone to create an odd-man rush. After carrying the puck into the right circle, Stoll beat Crawford to the glove side with a wrister and just like that the Kings were rolling. Frolik's second of the game stole some of the momentum back before Kane's tally at 19:19 of the second made it 3-2 Blackhawks. Once again, Los Angeles had an answer. This time it was King, who was credited with a goal off a rebound of Drew Doughty's shot that tied it 3-3 after deflecting off his skate blade and eluding Crawford with just 0.5 left on the clock. It was reviewed in Toronto and upheld. Toews, however, quickly put Chicago up 4-3 just 3:51 into the third with his fifth goal in the last four games to give him a four-game goal streak. Frolik again was pivotal by blasting a slap shot from the high slot that hit Toews in front and dropped the puck to his feet. The Blackhawks captain swatted it past the sprawled Quick for his 16th goal, but Toffoli's blast through traffic tied it up yet again, 4-4, at 8:06, setting up another nail-biting finish in the Windy City.

 

Edmonton v Nashville 2-3 - Eight days ago, Nashville Predators left wing Sergei Kostitsyn suffered through a nightmarish game against the Edmonton Oilers. On Monday, Kostitsyn picked up a goal, his first since Feb. 14, a span of 14 games, and an assist against the very same Oilers in Nashville's 3-2 win at Bridgestone Arena. On March 17 in Edmonton, Kostitsyn became the subject of ridicule across North America for giving up on a play and going for a line change. The decision led to a 2-on-1 for Edmonton and turned into a shorthanded, go-ahead goal in the third period as the Oilers prevailed, 3-2. Predators coach Barry Trotz scratched Kostitsyn in the next game, one day before the player's 26th birthday, to hold him accountable. Since then, Kostitsyn, who led Nashville in goals and points in 2010-11, has gone a total of plus-3 in three games, finishing even or better in each. In fact, life has improved enough for the Belarusian, who struggles at times with his English, to joke about his misfortune. Just like his joke, his assist showed perfect timing. Taking advantage of an Edmonton breakdow, he held the puck with poise in the Oilers' zone, then found streaking defenseman Kevin Klein wide open for an easy tap in at 4:31 of the second period. In the first period, Kostitsyn tied the game at 1-1 at 11:51. Mike Fisher dug the puck out of the corner and delivered a flawless saucer pass into the goalmouth, where Kostitsyn slammed it past Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk. Fisher has a seven-game points streak (eight points in total). Martin Erat had the secondary assist on that goal, his first of two on the night, giving him six points in his last three games. The win was Nashville's third in a row, as the Predators continue to dominate at home, improving to 9-2-4. Earlier in the period, Edmonton capitalized on Patric Hornqvist's goaltender interference penalty at 7:42 of the first period to earn the game's first goal. Oilers center Shawn Horcoff screened Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne as Corey Potter's slap shot from the point was redirected by Taylor Hall into the net 11 seconds after the call. Nashville made it 3-1 at 11:33 of the second when Chris Mueller, sent in in alone by Brandon Yip, ripped a wrist shot high over Dubnyk (23 saves). In that second period, Edmonton center Eric Belanger suffered a groin injury period and did not return. Edmonton cut the lead to 3-2 at 7:03 of the third period when a puck went off Horcoff's skate and trickled through Rinne, who made 24 saves to earn his 13th win. In the final minute, as Edmonton pulled Dubynk for an extra attacker, Kostitsyn was among the players that Trotz put on the ice to seal the victory.

 

Minnesota v Dallas 7-4 - The Minnesota Wild have waited a long time to win at American Airlines Center, over 10 years to be exact. On Monday, they got two goals and an assist from Zach Parise in a 7-4 win against the Dallas Stars, as the Wild earned their first victory in Dallas since March 21, 2003, a span of 16 games. Minnesota had not won in regulation in Dallas since March 8, 2002. Cal Clutterbuck, Matt Cullen and Mikko Koivu each had two points for the Wild, who won their sixth straight game behind a 22-save performance from Niklas Backstrom. Dallas had led 2-1 after the first period, but trailed 4-2 at the second intermission. Alex Goligoski gave Dallas the lead with his first of the season 5:31 into the opening period as he beat Backstrom with a 33-foot wrister from the slot. Derek Roy fed Goligoski, who is tied for the Stars' team lead with 16 assists, after stealing the puck from the Wild's Ryan Suter behind the Minnesota net. Minnesota got a scare at 6:42 of the opening period when Clutterbuck had to be helped off the ice after crashing violently into the Dallas net with an apparent right leg injury. However, in somewhat amazing fashion, Clutterbuck returned to the ice early in the second and finished the game with two assists. However, the Wild's spirits lifted a bit at 7:35, when Parise slid in his own rebound for his 13th of the season. Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen had twice denied Minnesota wing Devin Setoguchi at close range, but Parise knocked the rebound off Setoguchi's second shot of the sequence out of the air. His attempt struck the crossbar and landed behind Lehtonen, but Parise got his stick in there to push the puck over the line to make it a 1-1 contest. Dallas' Eric Nystrom was tripped by the Wild's Jonas Brodin at 17:27, setting up the game's first power play. And the Stars needed just 20 seconds to convert, regaining the lead at 17:47 when Jaromir Jagr scored his team-leading 14th goal from the edge of the right faceoff circle. After Ray Whitney's blast was denied by Backstrom, Loui Eriksson slipped the puck over to Jagr and he knocked it into the open net to make it 2-1. The Wild lasted little time tying the game for a second time early in the second when Koivu beat Lehtonen through the five-hole with a 27-foot wrister from the slot at 3:42. Parise picked up his second point of the night with the primary assist on Koivu's eighth of the year. At 7:42 of the second, Parise made a strong bid to put Minnesota ahead for the first time as he tried to knock a rebound in after Lehtonen had made a pad save on a shot by Koivu. However, the goal was nullified when replays showed that Parise had pushed Lehtonen into the net. However, the Wild did equalize at 9:33 and again it was Parise finding the back of the net for a 14th time this season and second time in the game. After Koivu won a faceoff with Dallas' Vernon Fiddler, who appeared to injure his hand on the draw, Koivu sent a puck toward the Stars' net that deflected off Lehtonen's right pad before landing at the skates of Parise who was just inside the right faceoff circle. Parise quickly buried a 13-foot wrister into the empty net to make it a 3-3 affair. Minnesota then took its first lead of the night at 14:22 of the second when Cullen netted his fifth of the season, flipping a wrister into the far side of the Dallas net after a long-range blast by Pierre-Marc Bouchard deflected off Jared Spurgeon. Cullen corralled the carom and quickly finished from the right side. But Dallas wasn't quite finished, getting a third goal from a defenseman at 7:02 of the third to tie the game yet again at 4-4. Philip Larsen's 24-foot wrister from the slot struck Backstrom on his glove side before trickling over the line, his second of the season. The play started when the Wild forward Mike Rupp lost possession in the neutral zone. Tomas Vincour then tapped the puck to Reilly Smith, who fed a streaking Larsen for the goal. However, the Stars got a four-minute power play when Rupp was issued a double-minor after high sticking Whitney on the near side of the boards. But just 20 seconds into the power play, the Wild went ahead 5-4 when Kyle Brodziak scored his sixth of the year with Minnesota shorthanded. Clutterbuck had the initial shot from the left faceoff circle, which Lehtonen made a glove save on. But Brodziak crashed the net and tapped in the rebound despite failing to strike the puck cleanly. Minnesota added late goals by Dany Heatley, who netted his ninth with a backhand with 1:28 left. Lehtonen headed to the bench with 1:28 left and an empty-netter by Bouchard with 16 seconds left made it a 7-4 final. Dallas got a pair of assists from Eriksson in the loss and Lehtonen made 35 saves in his 12th straight start for the Stars.

 

Detroit v Phoenix 3-2 - While the Detroit Red Wings are finding their stride and sharpening their special-teams play for the stretch drive, the Phoenix Coyotes are fading from the Western Conference playoff picture and searching for answers. And when Pavel Datsyuk is in the vicinity, all the Coyotes seem to locate is trouble. Datsyuk helped set up Johan Franzen's power-play goal late in the second period and scored the game-winner on the power play 6:12 into the third, as the Red Wings rallied from a 2-1 deficit Monday for a 3-2 victory, sending the reeling Coyotes to their sixth straight loss. Datsyuk, who collected his 500th NHL point in Anaheim on Friday, continues to haunt the Coyotes. He now has 14 goals and 57 points in 39 career games against Phoenix, the most he has collected against any team outside the Central Division. The Red Wings have now won five straight on the road and three in the last four days, following up a two-game sweep of the Ducks in Anaheim with another victory. Ian White also scored for Detroit. After going six games in a row without a power-play goal, Detroit now has at least one in eight straight games, going 5-2-1 and solidifying its playoff position. The Coyotes had a golden chance to tie the game with 4:12 left in regulation when Lauri Korpikoski was awarded his first career penalty shot after being taken down from behind by Detroit's Jakub Kindl on a shorthanded breakaway. But Detroit goalie Jonas Gustavsson stopped Korpikoski with a glove save to preserve the lead and the Red Wings' win. Martin Hanzal and Rob Klinkhammer scored first-period goals for the Coyotes, who are 0-5-1 in their last six games, their longest losing streak in coach Dave Tippett's four-year tenure, and fell four points behind San Jose for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Tippett pointed to the game-winning goal, when Henrik Zetterberg's pass across the crease from behind the net deflected off Coyote David Schlemko's skate a right to Datsyuk, as an example of the black cloud that is following his team. The power play was set up by a bench minor penalty that was also a bad-luck scenario. Jason LaBarbera, subbing for the injured Mike Smith, made 32 saves in a losing effort and played well, but Franzen's goal with 38.6 seconds left in the second period, set up by Datsyuk and Niklas Kronwall, took the wind out of the Coyotes. Phoenix fell behind for the sixth straight game when White let a shot go through traffic and beat LaBarbera to the blocker side at 4:01. But the goal seemed to light a fire under the Coyotes. After a blast from the point by Phoenix defenseman Michael Stone ping-ponged off both posts, Radim Vrbata's power-play shot from the half wall found Hanzal just outside the crease, and he re-directed the puck by Gustavsson at 7:56 for his seventh goal in the last seven regular season games against Detroit. It was Phoenix's first first-period goal since a March 12 win against the Kings, but they weren't done. Gustavsson stopped a Keith Yandle bomb from the point and a David Moss rebound, but was down and out when Klinkhammer roofed his third goal in seven games as a Coyote at 12:17. The Coyotes failed to build on their first lead in almost two weeks, missed several opportunities with a shaky Gustavsson surrendering rebounds left and right. And when Stone took a high-sticking penalty with just over two minutes left in the period, Franzen cashed in on the power-play and the Red Wings took all the momentum to the third.

 

San Jose v Anaheim 5-3 - To a man, the San Jose Sharks said that this had little to do with the wake-up call trade of popular defenseman Douglas Murray. It was difficult not to call a 5-3 win Monday against the Anaheim Ducks a turning-the-page game, though, particularly after the way it unfolded. Martin Havlat broke a 15-game scoring slump. Joe Pavelski got his first goal in 10 games. James Sheppard scored for the first time since Dec.11, 2009. This for a talented team ranked 30th in the League in scoring. Hours earlier, the Sharks said goodbye to Murray, who was sent to the Pittsburgh Penguins. San Jose has stumbled badly since a 7-0-0 start and players talked at the morning skate about how they almost expected a move. But they didn't draw a line to their performance. Anaheim is 0-3 since its victory Wednesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Ducks pulled to 3-2 and 4-3 on goals by Francois Beauchemin and Corey Perry in the third only to give up an empty-net goal to Dan Boyle. This can't really be called a spiral for Anaheim, which outplayed the Detroit Red Wings for much of the game Sunday. But it is starting to show cracks in its defense, and at least one player acknowledged that they have lost some edge. San Jose coach Todd McLellan had Pavelski center Sheppard and T.J. Galiardi on the third line for balance, and it paid dividends in the form of Pavelski's first goal in 10 games. Sheppard made it happen when he took the puck off Perry's stick and fed Pavelski for a quick shot in the high slot for a 2-0 lead at 7:10 of the first. Pavelski had one goal in the previous 18 games. Sheppard lifted a shot from the left side that arced through traffic and over Havlat in the third period. It was only the third time in 26 games that San Jose scored four or more goals, and it came with diversity. Anaheim could have been down more than 3-1 going into the third period if not for an error-prone second period in which it killed three power plays and needed Viktor Fasth to turn aside breakaways by Sheppard, Burns and a partial breakaway by Tommy Wingels. The Sharks also outworked the Ducks for a 1-0 lead. Thornton outraced Bryan Allen to the puck at the end boards and got it to Havlat, who found Brent Burns for a wrist shot far side on Fasth at 5:46. Poor starts have troubled Anaheim the past three games. The Ducks been outscored 12-4 since the Chicago game. Anaheim was 7-1-1 against San Jose in the previous nine meetings.

 

Trade Deadline

The San Jose Sharks on Monday traded veteran stay-at-home defenseman Douglas Murray to the Pittsburgh Penguins. In exchange for the 33-year-old Murray, San Jose will receive a second-round pick in both the 2013 and 2014 NHL Drafts. The 2014 second-round pick that San Jose acquired in the Murray deal turns into a third-round pick if Murray doesn't re-sign with the Penguins.

“We have tremendous respect for Douglas as a hockey player and a person,” said San Jose GM Doug Wilson said. “He has been a warrior for our hockey club for the past eight seasons and he has been in the Sharks family for the past 14 years. This deal places Douglas in a quality situation which he deserves.”

Murray, in his eighth season with the Sharks, has three assists and a minus-8 rating in 29 games this season. He has 64 blocked shots and 56 hits. The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Swede has six goals and 59 points in 451 career games for San Jose, which selected him in the eighth round (No. 241) of the 1999 NHL Draft.

"San Jose has become home for me and I'm leaving with an empty feeling with the teams we had here not getting it done," Murray told the San Jose Mercury News on Monday. "But it's extremely exciting going to Pittsburgh, going to the best team in the league already. They always have some great players and I'm just excited to get there, get used to the team and take a run at the Stanley Cup."

It is the second major move by the Penguins in a 24-hour window. Sunday night, the team traded highly touted prospect, Joe Morrow, a defenseman, for Dallas captain Brenden Morrow, who they believe to be a top-nine forward on their team.