Sizzling Lightning move to top of NHL
The wins just keep coming for the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Lightning scored three first-period goals, then held off a late rally to defeat the Florida Panthers, 5-3, last night in Sunrise, Fla.
Dimitry Afanasenkov, Dave Andreychuk, and Cory Stillman scored in the opening period, and Dan Boyle and Chris Dingman added goals in the second as the Lightning moved to the top of the NHL in points, 2 better than Philadelphia in the East and 1 better than Detroit in the West.
Nikolai Khabibulin had 29 saves for the Lightning, who extended their winning streak to eight and got their 39th regular-season victory -- both franchise records.
Sabres 5, Maple Leafs 1 -- Miroslav Satan had a goal and two assists, and Derek Roy scored Buffalo's first two goals as the Sabres remained undefeated against host Toronto this season. Martin Biron made 32 saves for the Sabres, 3-0-1 against the Maple Leafs.
Darcy Tucker scored for the Maple Leafs, who had won three straight.
Senators 3, Predators 2 -- Peter Bondra scored with 7:01 left to lift Ottawa over visiting Nashville. Ahead, 2-0, through two periods on goals by Mike Fisher and Peter Schaefer, Ottawa blew its lead when Andreas Johansson and David Legwand scored to tie it in the third.
Bondra restored Ottawa's lead when he scored for the second straight game at 12:59.
Devils 4, Hurricanes 1 -- John Madden had a goal and an assist, and Martin Brodeur made 25 saves to help New Jersey beat Carolina in Raleigh, N.C. Brian Rafalski, Patrik Elias, and Jamie Langenbrunner also scored for the Devils.
Canadiens 4, Kings 2 -- Mathieu Garon made a season-high 46 saves, and Richard Zednik had two goals and an assist to power Montreal in Los Angeles. It was the seventh victory in eight games for the Canadiens.Canucks 4, Blue Jackets 0 -- Johan Hedberg stopped 32 shots for his second consecutive shutout and Markus Naslund had a goal and an assist to lead Vancouver past host Columbus.
Penguins 2, Mighty Ducks 1 -- Ric Jackman and Matt Bradley scored first-period goals and rookie Andy Chiodo stopped 26 shots as Pittsburgh snapped a 16-game home winless streak with a victory over Anaheim.
Blues 4, Islanders 2 -- Former Islanders goalie Chris Osgood stopped 39 shots, and Keith Tkachuk scored his team-leading 27th goal late in the second period to lead St. Louis over New York in Uniondale, N.Y.Capitals 2, Flyers 1 -- Power-play goals by Jeff Halpern and Anson Carter lifted host Washington over Philadelphia.
