National Hockey League Game Capsules

New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Rick Nash’s goal with 1:42 left to play closed out the New York Rangers’ regular-season home schedule on a positive note, lifting the Blueshirts to a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres that clinched home-ice advantage for the first round of the upcoming playoffs. Nash’s one-timer off a Martin St. Louis feed, coupled with Philadelphia’s loss to Tampa Bay on Thursday, secured second place in the Metropolitan Division heading into New York’s finale at Montreal on Saturday. The Rangers will face either the Flyers or Columbus in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Henrik Lundqvist did his part by stopping 23-of-24 shots and Benoit Pouliot also scored to help the Rangers overcome a 1-0 deficit late in the second period. Drew Stafford accounted for Buffalo’s lone goal, with Matt Hackett coming up with 28 saves in the lowly Sabres’ fifth consecutive loss.

Final Score: Washington 5, Carolina 2

Raleigh, NC (SportsNetwork.com) – For the first time in seven years, the Washington Capitals aren’t gearing up for the playoffs. Eliminated on an off- day, the Capitals responded with their biggest offensive output in six weeks. Troy Brouwer had two goals and the Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 5-2, for their third straight win, though the late-season streak won’t do them any good. The Capitals were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since the 2006-07 season after Detroit and Columbus clinched the last two spots in the Eastern Conference. Joel Ward, Jason Chimera and Eric Fehr also scored and each player had two assists. Braden Holtby had 36 saves as Washington wrapped up a perfect three-game road trip. Jiri Tlusty and Radek Dvorak scored for the Hurricanes, who have lost three in a row, and Anton Khudobin gave up five goals in 21 shots.

Final Score: NY Islanders 2, Montreal 0

Montreal, QC (SportsNetwork.com) – Evgeni Nabokov made 19 saves for his fourth shutout of the season in the New York Islanders’ 2-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. Ryan Strome and Brock Nelson scored for the Islanders, who snapped a three-game skid. Carey Price turned aside 28-of-30 shots for the Canadiens, who failed to lock up the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic Division. Montreal now leads the Lightning by just one point for the second spot in the division. Tampa Bay beat the Flyers on Thursday.

Final Score: Ottawa 2, New Jersey 1 (SO)

Ottawa, ON (SportsNetwork.com) – If only New Jersey found success in the shootout. A day after being eliminated from playoff contention, the Devils’ woes in the tiebreaker continued. Erik Karlsson netted the lone shootout goal as the Ottawa Senators clipped New Jersey, 2-1, at Canadian Tire Centre. The Devils reached a shootout Thursday for the 12th time this season and squandered precious points by losing all 12. The club has dropped an NHL- record 16 consecutive shootouts overall. Robin Lehner made 38 saves for Ottawa, which was also eliminated from postseason contention this week. Cory Schneider finished with 31 saves for the Devils, who will miss the playoffs for the second year in a row after reaching the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals.

Final Score: Tampa Bay 4, Philadelphia 2

Tampa, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Steven Stamkos and Tyler Johnson each had a goal and an assist as the Tampa Bay Lightning grabbed a 4-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Eric Brewer and Richard Panik also scored for the Lightning, who have 97 points and are just one back of Montreal, which lost to the Islanders on Thursday, for the second spot in the Atlantic Division. Anders Lindback stopped 34 shots for Tampa, which has won its past two. Philadelphia has 91 points and is holding on to the third spot in the Metropolitan Division. The team is tied with Columbus in points, but holds the first tiebreaker for having one more win in regulation or overtime. Both squads have two games to play. Wayne Simmonds and Sean Couturier scored for the Flyers, who had won their previous two. Ray Emery gave up four goals on 30 shots.

Final Score: Florida 4, Toronto 2

Sunrise, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Nick Bjugstad posted his first two-goal game and finished with a career-high three points as the Florida Panthers picked up a 4-2 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at BB&T Center. Bjugstad assisted on Brad Boyes’ tie-breaking goal with three seconds left in the second period before scoring twice in the third to help the Panthers win for the second time in their last three games. Brandon Pirri potted Florida’s other goal on his 23rd birthday, while Roberto Luongo turned aside 27 shots in the triumph. Tyler Bozak and Paul Ranger each scored or Toronto, which has lost three straight games. Drew MacIntyre, 30, made his first NHL start between the pipes and stopped 33 shots in the setback.

Final Score: Nashville 2, Phoenix 0

Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) – Pekka Rinne stopped 29 shots for his second shutout of the season as the Nashville Predators dropped the fading Phoenix Coyotes, 2-0. Phoenix’s free-fall continued, as its sixth straight loss saw the team remain two points behind idle Dallas for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference. The Stars and Coyotes both have two games left, with the clubs meeting in Phoenix in Sunday’s regular season finale. Craig Smith and Patric Hornqvist scored for the Predators, who have won four of their last five. Rinne won his 162nd game to pass Tomas Vokoun for the franchise record. Thomas Greiss gave up both goals on 23 shots for the Coyotes, who went 15-16-10 on the road this season.

Final Score: Minnesota 4, St. Louis 2

St. Paul, MN (SportsNetwork.com) – Kyle Brodziak scored two goals to help the Minnesota Wild end a nine-game losing streak against the St. Louis Blues with a 4-2 win at Xcel Energy Center. Nino Niederreiter added a goal and one assist for the Wild, who are streaking into the playoffs. Minnesota, which clinched the Western Conference’s first wild-card spot, has won four straight and picked up at least a point in its last seven games (6-0-1). John Curry, the fifth goalie to start a game for the Wild this season, made 43 saves in his debut with the club. While Minnesota is rolling, St. Louis saw its losing streak grow to a season-worst four straight. The Blues were leapfrogged by Colorado for first place in the Central Division. Both teams have 111 points, but the Avalanche have more non-shootout wins. Ryan Miller was pulled in the third period after allowing four goals on just 13 shots.

Final Score: Winnipeg 2, Boston 1 (SO)

Winnipeg, MB (SportsNetwork.com) – Evander Kane tied the game in the final minutes of regulation and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Boston Bruins 2-1 in a shootout on Thursday. Bryan Little had the only goal of the shootout, beating Chad Johnson through his legs on Winnipeg’s first try. Michael Hutchinson, who was drafted by the Bruins in 2008, made his second NHL start and stopped Brad Marchand with his blocker on Boston’s final try to get his first win. He had 32 saves in regulation and overtime. Johnson had 36 saves for the Bruins, who moved three points ahead of idle Anaheim for the NHL points lead. The Bruins, who have already locked up the Eastern Conference’s No. 1 seed, are trying to win the Presidents’ Trophy for the first time since the 1988-89 season.

Final Score: Los Angeles 3, Edmonton 0

Edmonton, AB (SportsNetwork.com) – Marian Gaborik scored two goals, rookie Martin Jones made 17 saves and the Los Angeles Kings blanked the Edmonton Oilers, 3-0, at Rexall Place. Gaborik also picked up an assist on Anze Kopitar’s 200th career goal. The Kings matched a franchise single-season record with their 46th win. Los Angeles, which snapped a three-game losing streak, will face San Jose in the first round of the playoffs. Viktor Fasth stopped 45 shots for the Oilers, including 23 in the third period.

Final Score: Colorado 4, Vancouver 2

Vancouver, BC (SportsNetwork.com) – Tyson Barrie scored the winning goal in the third period and the Colorado Avalanche now sit atop the Central Division thanks to a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. The Avalanche now have 111 points, same as St. Louis, which lost to Minnesota on Thursday. However, Colorado has four more wins in regulation or overtime to hold the tiebreaker and both teams have two games to play. Anaheim leads the Western Conference with 112 points, while Boston is tops in the NHL with 115 points. Paul Stastny scored twice, John Mitchell had a goal and Semyon Varlamov stopped 38 shots for the Avalanche, who have won eight of their last nine games. David Booth and Henrik Sedin scored for the Canucks, who were knocked out of playoff contention on Tuesday in a loss to Anaheim and have dropped five of six. Jacob Markstron gave up three goals on 27 shots.

Categorized in: NHL