National Hockey League Game Capsules
Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) – Patrick Sharp scored the go-ahead goal in the final minute of the second period and Marcus Kruger found the net in the first minute of the third to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Sunday. Jeremy Morin also scored and added an assist for the Blackhawks, who have won three straight after a three-game skid and pulled within a point of Colorado for second place in the Central Division. The Avalanche are slated to host Pittsburgh later Sunday. Corey Crawford stopped 21 shots in the victory and Ben Smith scored into an empty net in the final seconds. Brian Elliott made 31 saves for St. Louis, which was coming off a 4-0 loss to Colorado on Saturday but still sits on top in the Western Conference. The Blues, however, remained two points behind idle Boston in the Presidents’ Trophy race. Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Sobotka scored for the Blues, who will close the season with four games in six days, starting Tuesday against Washington.
Final Score: Florida 3, Dallas 2
Sunrise, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Sean Bergenheim’s goal with 4:31 remaining capped a furious Florida rally that catapulted the Panthers to a 3-2 victory over the playoff-hopeful Dallas Stars at the BB&T Center. The Panthers potted three unanswered goals after Dallas’ Jamie Benn scored twice in the game’s first 21 minutes to deal the Stars a potentially damaging defeat, with Scottie Upshall and Brandon Pirri also lighting the lamp for a Florida team that had lost five straight and eight of nine coming in. Dallas remained just one point ahead of Phoenix for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with four games left on the schedule. The teams will face off next Sunday in Arizona in the regular-season finale. Roberto Luongo did his part as well for Florida, turning aside 35 shots that included a 16-save third period. Kari Lehtonen came up with 21 saves in defeat.
Final Score: Columbus 4, NY Islanders 0
Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) – The Columbus Blue Jackets used a potent power play to bounce back from a deflating loss. The Blue Jackets scored three times with the man advantage in a 4-0 win over the New York Islanders. With every point of great importance, Columbus had at least one slip through its grasp Friday, losing to the Chicago Blackhawks on a goal in the waning seconds of regulation. The Blue Jackets secured two crucial points Sunday to close within one of Detroit for the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Columbus also tied Philadelphia for third place in the Metropolitan Division. The Flyers are currently playing Buffalo. Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves in his career-high 29th win of the season. Anders Nilsson surrendered four goals on 33 shots as the Islanders saw their point streak end at seven games (5-0-2).
Categorized in: NHL