NHL Final Scores & Recap

(Saturday, February 23rd)

Final Score: New Jersey 4, NY Islanders 2

Newark, NJ - Zach Parise and Brian Gionta tallied in the third period to lift New Jersey over the New York Islanders, 4-2, at Prudential Center. Patrik Elias and John Madden also scored for the Devils, winners of four straight games and six of seven. Martin Brodeur won his 34th game of the season with a 19-save effort plus an assist. Josef Vasicek and Ruslan Fedotenko scored for the Islanders, whose six-game win streak came to an end. Rick DiPietro allowed four goals on 42 shots.

Final Score: Ottawa 4, Pittsburgh 3 (OT)

Pittsburgh, PA - Daniel Alfredsson’s goal with 3.2 seconds left in overtime lifted Ottawa to a 4-3 comeback victory over Pittsburgh at Mellon Arena. Alfredsson gained control of the puck in the low slot after Andrej Meszaros dished off behind his back. The Sens captain fanned on his initial shot, a forehander, but took two more strides and lifted a backhander past Ty Conklin just inside the left post. Dany Heatley scored twice to reach 30 goals for the season and Cory Stillman once for the Senators, who overcame a three-goal deficit to win for the second time in the last three games. Ray Emery got stronger as the game progressed, earning the win by making 32 saves. Petr Sykora, Colby Armstrong and Jeff Taffe tallied for the Penguins, whose three-game win streak ended. Conklin made 24 stops in the loss.

Final Score: Chicago 6, Los Angeles 5 (OT)

Los Angeles, CA - Patrick Sharp’s second goal of the game, coming with 3:12 left in overtime, clipped a late Kings rally and sent Chicago over Los Angeles, 6-5, at Staples Center. Jonathan Toews and Martin Havlat had a goal and assist each for the Blackhawks, who blew a four-goal lead but recovered to win for the fifth time in six games. Andrei Zyuzin and Jason Williams also hit the net and Patrick Lalime hung on for the win by making 34 saves. Anze Kopitar and Mike Cammalleri picked up a goal and two helpers apiece for the Kings, who have dropped three of four. Peter Harrold, Patrick O’Sullivan and Tom Preissing also scored in a tough loss. Starter Dan Cloutier was pulled after allowing five goals on only 17 shots through less than half of regulation. Erik Ersberg took the loss in his NHL debut, despite allowing just the game-winning goal on 19 shots.

Final Score: Carolina 6, Washington 3

Raleigh, NC - Matt Cullen registered two goals and an assist, as the Carolina Hurricanes bested the Washington Capitals, 6-3, in a critical Southeast Division clash at the RBC Center. Eric Staal and Joe Corvo each posted a goal and two assists for the Hurricanes, who improved to 2-0-1 on their current six-game homestand that continues Tuesday against New Jersey. Erik Cole added a goal and an assist, while Ray Whitney, Sergei Samsonov and Tim Conboy all collected two assists. Cam Ward stopped 31-of-34 shots to earn his 26th win of the season. Mike Green had a goal and an assist for Washington, which has dropped two straight and four of five overall. Alexander Semin and Brooks Laich also tallied, and Alex Ovechkin had three assists to snap a three-game scoreless streak. Olaf Kolzig yielded all six goals on 42 shots in defeat. With the loss, Washington falls six points behind Carolina for first place in the Southeast Division.

Final Score: NY Rangers 4, Buffalo 3

Buffalo, NY - Sean Avery scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period as the New York Rangers took down the Buffalo Sabres, 4-3, in a back-and-forth contest at HSBC Arena. Avery tallied with 5:05 left in regulation, picking up a loose puck after Brendan Shanahan’s blast from the slot was blocked and jamming it by Ryan Miller for the go-ahead tally. The Sabres had a final chance to tie the game when Michal Rozsival was whistled for interference with 23 seconds to play, but Thomas Vanek’s spinning blast went well wide as time expired. Avery also picked up an assist as the Rangers posted their third win in four games. Jaromir Jagr, Nigel Dawes and Brandon Dubinsky all tallied for New York, while Henrik Lundqvist made 26 saves in the victory. New York bounced back from Tuesday’s 6-5 overtime loss to Montreal that saw the Rangers blow a five-goal lead. Chris Drury who was signed by the Rangers as a free agent this past offseason, added an assist in his first game back in Buffalo. Drury played three seasons with the Sabres, including posting a career-best 37 goals and 69 points a season ago. Ales Kotalik notched his second straight two-goal game for the Sabres, who lost for the third time in five games. Jason Pominville contributed his 17th goal of the year, and Miller allowed four goals on 35 shots. Buffalo was without their captain, forward Jochen Hecht, who sat out while nursing a strained leg muscle.

Final Score: Toronto 3, Atlanta 1

Toronto, ON - Alex Steen scored the game-winning goal early in the third period to help the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 3-1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers at Air Canada Centre. Steen, who earlier on Saturday signed a two-year contract extension, added an assist while Nik Antropov also had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs, who have won three of their last four games. Vesa Toskala made 24 saves in the win. Mats Sundin scored in possibly his last game for the Maple Leafs. Sundin’s name has been mentioned in several rumors ahead of Tuesday’s NHL trading deadline. Mark Recchi scored the lone goal, while Kari Lehtonen stopped 22 shots for the Thrashers, who have dropped their last three games.

Final Score: Florida 2, Philadelphia 1 (OT)

Philadelphia, PA - Olli Jokinen scored with 1:16 left in overtime, capping the Florida Panthers’ stunning 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers at the Wachovia Center. With the loss, Philadelphia’s losing streak reached 10 games, and matched the longest such streak in franchise history. Craig Anderson stopped 40-of-41 shots, as the Panthers broke a three-game losing streak with the victory. Antero Niittymaki stopped 23-of-25 shots, as the Flyers equaled a losing streak set from December 2-27, 2006. Daniel Briere scored the only goal for Philadelphia, which fell to 23-1-1 while leading after two periods. Additionally, Flyers center Mike Richards tore his hamstring while being tugged down near the Florida net in the third period.

Final Score: Columbus 3, Montreal 0

Montreal, QC - Pascal Leclaire made 31 saves to record his league-leading ninth shutout of the season and 10th of his career, as the Columbus Blue Jackets blanked the Montreal Canadiens, 3-0, at the Bell Centre. Manny Malhotra had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who went 3-2-0 on their five-game road trip. Rick Nash and Andrew Murray also lit the lamp for Columbus. Carey Price allowed three goals on 22 shots for the Canadiens, who have dropped two straight after a four-game winning streak.

Final Score: Boston 5, Tampa Bay 3

Tampa, FL - Glen Murray scored two goals, including the game winner, as the Boston Bruins defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-3. Milan Lucic, Mark Stuart and P.J. Axelsson all tallied goals for the Bruins, who have won four of five. Alexander Auld got the win, stopping 25-of-28 shots for Boston, which has won eight of its last 10 road games. Michel Ouellet, Mathieu Darche and Vaclav Prospal all lit the lamp for the Lightning, who have lost four straight. Johan Holmqvist received the loss after allowing five goals on 28 shots.

Final Score: Dallas 6, Nashville 3

Nashville, TN - Mike Ribeiro had two goals and two assists as the Dallas Stars beat up the Nashville Predators, 6-3, at Sommet Center. Brenden Morrow had a goal and three assists while Loui Eriksson lit the lamp twice for the Stars, who have won four of their last five games. Mike Smith made 24 saves in the win. Ryan Suter, J.P. Dumont and Ville Koistinen each had a goal for the Predators, who have dropped three of their last four games. Dan Ellis started the game between the pipes, but was pulled after two periods as he gave up four goals on 18 shots. Chris Mason finished the game in net and gave up two goals on 11 shots.

Final Score: Vancouver 4, Detroit 1

Vancouver, BC - Ryan Kesler scored a pair of third-period goals, as the Vancouver Canucks kept their winning streak going with a 4-1 win over the struggling Detroit Red Wings. Sami Salo and Alexander Edler also tallied for Vancouver, which has won four in a row. Roberto Luongo stopped 28-of-29 shots for the Canucks, who lost the first three games against the Red Wings this season, but came out victors in the final matchup. Pavel Datsyuk scored the lone goal for Detroit, which has lost two in a row and eight of nine. James Howard allowed four goals on 35 shots.

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