National Hockey League Game Capsules
Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) – David Krejci scored twice and Tuukka Rask made 24 saves, as the Boston Bruins clinched the Presidents’ Trophy with a 4-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday at TD Garden. Patrice Bergeron netted his 30th goal and Gregory Campbell also scored for the Bruins, who were coming off shootout losses in each of their last two games and locked up home-ice advantage throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Boston, which will finish with the best record in the NHL for the first time since the 1989-90 campaign, will close the regular season on Sunday in New Jersey before starting the playoffs at home next week. The Bruins were 8-0-1 in their last nine at home and finished 31-7-3 at TD Garden. Cody Hodgson scored the lone goal for the Sabres, who will host the New York Islanders on Sunday to close the disastrous 2013-14 season. Buffalo, which has lost six in a row, will finish with the worst record in the NHL. Sabres goaltender Matt Hackett was taken off the ice on a stretcher midway through the third period with an apparent leg injury after stopping 20 shots. Boston’s Torey Krug was charging toward the net and was checked into the crease before falling onto the outstretched right leg of the goaltender with 11:35 remaining in the contest. Hackett remained on the ice and was immobilized before being lifted onto a stretcher and carted into the locker room.
Final Score: Philadelphia 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)
Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Mark Streit’s errant pass hit the back of the net with 2:50 remaining in overtime and lifted the Philadelphia Flyers over the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3, at CONSOL Energy Center. Streit skated up the right wing, in a 2-on-2 with Sean Couturier trailing on the opposite side. He attempted to backhand the puck across ice, but the disc deflected off a Pens defender’s stick then found its way through Marc-Andre Fleury for the game decider. Jakub Voracek netted the first two goals and Claude Giroux the other in regulation for the Flyers, who locked up the third seed in the Metropolitan Division and are heading to a first-round matchup with the Rangers. Steve Mason departed the game after two periods with an upper-body injury after stopping 21-of-22 shots. Ray Emery picked up the win despite allowing two shaky goals over 22:10 of action. James Neal totaled a goal and two assists for the Penguins, while Jussi Jokinen also tallied and Kris Letang sent the game to the extra session on a late marker. Fleury ended up with only 17 saves in defeat.
Final Score: Montreal 1, NY Rangers 0 (OT)
Montreal, QC (SportsNetwork.com) – Brian Gionta scored on a penalty shot in overtime and the Montreal Canadiens concluded the regular season with a 1-0 win over the New York Rangers at Bell Centre. The Rangers turned the puck over near the blue line in the Montreal zone. Gionta had a step on former Canadiens defenseman Raphael Diaz, who tripped the Montreal captain in the neutral zone. New York goaltender Cam Talbot stopped the first 26 shots he faced, but Gionta used a deke before scoring on a backhander at the 2:04 mark of the extra session. Carey Price made 41 saves to record his sixth shutout of the season as Montreal (46-28-8) moved one point ahead of Tampa Bay for home-ice advantage in a first-round playoff matchup with the Lightning. Tampa Bay needs to win Sunday at Washington to secure home ice. The Rangers (45-31-6) will open the playoffs at home against Philadelphia.
Final Score: Ottawa 1, Toronto 0
Ottawa, ON (SportsNetwork.com) – Craig Anderson stopped 28 shots for his fourth shutout of the season, helping the Ottawa Senators to a 1-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The loss finished off a disappointing end to the season for Toronto, as the team went 2-12-0 over its final 14 games to finish with a mark of 38-36-8, missing the playoffs for the eighth time in the past nine campaigns. Toronto had been in second place in the Atlantic Division on March 13 prior to the collapse. Toronto has already made a big change, naming Brendan Shanahan as the new team president on Friday. The Hall of Famer had been serving as the director of player safety since June 1, 2011. James Reimer turned aside 36-of-37 shots in the loss. Jason Spezza had the only goal of the game for the Senators, who are riding a season-high five-game winning streak and close off their campaign in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Final Score: Columbus 3, Florida 2
Sunrise, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Ryan Johansen supplied the game-winner with Columbus on the power play 5:58 into the third, as the playoff-bound Blue Jackets edged the Florida Panthers, 3-2, in the regular-season finale for both teams at BB&T Center. Cam Atkinson and Mark Letestu each scored once, while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 33 shots for the Blue Jackets, who clinched the Eastern Conference’s first wild-card spot and will take on the Metropolitan Division champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the postseason. Vincent Trocheck and Jimmy Hayes netted a goal apiece for the Panthers, who went 16-20-5 at home and finished the season with 66 points. Roberto Luongo allowed three goals on 38 shots in the setback.
Final Score: Nashville 7, Chicago 5
Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) – Patric Hornqvist scored the go-ahead goal with 58.2 seconds remaining in the third period, as the Nashville Predators won a wild one against the Chicago Blackhawks, 7-5, at Bridgestone Arena. Paul Gaustad had a goal and two assists, while Hornqvist, Shea Weber, Matt Cullen and Craig Smith all notched one of each for Nashville, which is 5-0-1 in its last six games and concludes the regular season Sunday at Minnesota. The Blackhawks (46-21-15) played their regular-season finale and will open the playoffs on the road against either Colorado or St. Louis.
Final Score: San Jose 3, Phoenix 2
Glendale, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) – Joe Pavelski scored twice and the San Jose Sharks grabbed a 3-2 win over the Phoenix Coyotes. Logan Couture scored the other goal and Antti Niemi made 30 saves for the Sharks, who finished off their regular season with a mark of 51-22-9 to take second place in the Pacific Division. San Jose will meet Los Angeles when the playoffs begin. Shane Doan and Mike Ribeiro scored for the Coyotes, who have lost seven straight to find themselves eliminated from postseason contention. Mark Visentin stopped 29 shots in his NHL debut. Phoenix will host Dallas, which took the final wild card spot in the Western Conference, in the season finale on Sunday.
Final Score: Edmonton 5, Vancouver 2
Edmonton, AB (SportsNetwork.com) – The final game of his career didn’t include a point, but it did include a fond farewell as Ryan Smyth skated off the ice. The only mark the longtime Edmonton left wing had on the scoresheet was a roughing minor in the second period, but he did get to see the team he played for for much of his career get the win as the Oilers downed the Vancouver Canucks, 5-1. Smyth’s last shift on the ice, his 24th of the game, saw him finish out the contest and he took a standing ovation from the crowd, handshakes from the Canucks players and staff, who came back out on the ice, congratulations from his teammates and lastly, an embrace with his wife and kids on the ice before walking into the locker room for a final time. The 38- year-old ranks fifth in franchise history with 296 goals, second in games played at 971 and tied with Hall of Famer Glenn Anderson for first in power- play goals with 126. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Will Acton each posted a goal and an assist while Jeff Petry, Roman Horak and Jordan Eberle all scored for the Oilers (29-44-9), who finished dead last in the Western Conference and third worst, overall. Ben Scrivens stopped 40 shots. Zack Kassian and Shawn Matthias each posted a goal and an assist for the Canucks, who have lost their last three. Jacob Markstrom gave up all five goals on 22 shots in the loss.
Final Score: Anaheim 4, Los Angeles 3 (SO)
Los Angeles, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Anaheim locked up the top seed in the Western Conference by getting to overtime, and Devante Smith-Pelly scored the lone shootout goal in the Ducks’ 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center. A regulation loss by the Ducks would have set up a winner-take-all showdown for the West’s top seed Sunday in Anaheim against the Colorado Avalanche. The Ducks, who won their third straight game, will face Dallas in the first round of the playoffs. Anze Kopitar had two goals in the Kings’ regular-season finale. Los Angeles (46-28-8) will begin the playoffs on the road against San Jose.
Categorized in: NHL