Capitals applying the pressure
They keep up the pace in a shootout victory
Viktor Kozlov scored in the third round of the shootout to lead the Washington Capitals past the host Carolina Hurricanes, 3-2, last night.
Alexander Ovechkin scored his club-record 61st goal, Alexander Semin also scored, and Nicklas Backstrom had two assists for the Capitals, who have won six of seven to threaten the Bruins for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Cristobal Huet made 25 saves and stopped Carolina's three shooters. Kozlov then ended the shootout by skating in on Cam Ward and beating him with a wrist shot to his glove side.
Jeff Hamilton and Erik Cole scored power-play goals for Carolina, which picked up a point to strengthen its grip on the Southeast Division lead. The Hurricanes hold a 4-point lead with five games remaining.
Ward tied a career high with 42 saves in his career-best 15th straight start for Carolina. Huet improved to 6-2 since he was dealt to Washington at the deadline.
Ovechkin - the league's leading scorer and the first player in 12 years to reach the 60-goal mark - broke Dennis Maruk's 26-year-old club record midway through the second period, a nifty score that broke a 1-all tie.
Senators 6, Sabres 3 - Daniel Alfredsson had two of Ottawa's five third-period goals, and Anton Volchenkov snapped a third-period tie with less than two minutes left in regulation to rally the Senators in Buffalo.
Volchenkov, who also had a pair of assists, scored his first of the season with a slap shot from right point that ricocheted twice before going past Buffalo goalie Ryan Miller for the winner.
Christoph Schubert, Dean McAmmond, and Antoine Vermette also scored for Ottawa, which rebounded from a 7-5 loss to Montreal Monday to win for only the sixth time in the past 15 games.
The Senators moved within 5 points of the Northeast Division-leading Canadiens.
Flyers 2, Rangers 1 - Mike Richards scored a breakaway goal 2:16 into overtime, giving Philadelphia a late comeback win in New York.
Danny Briere scored his 30th goal 7:32 into the third period to tie it. The Rangers tried to protect a 1-0 lead they earned just 1:41 in when Jaromir Jagr hit the 20-goal mark for the 17th straight season.
Martin Biron made 31 saves in the victory. Henrik Lundqvist finished with 23.
Penguins 2, Devils 0 - Marc-Andre Fleury had 31 saves and Pittsburgh clinched a playoff berth and took a big step toward winning the Atlantic Division title, beating host New Jersey.
Ryan Malone scored a first-period power-play goal and Marian Hossa added one into an empty net for the Penguins, who opened a 4-point lead over the Devils in the division and pulled within a point of Montreal for the best record in the East.
Flames 3, Canucks 2 - Daymond Langkow and Dion Phaneuf scored 41 seconds apart in the third period and Calgary rallied to beat Vancouver at home, moving into first in the Northwest Division. The Flames took a one-point lead on idle Minnesota.
Predators 3, Blue Jackets 0 - In Nashville, Dan Ellis stopped 36 shots for his fifth career shutout, and the Predators beat the Blue Jackets for a second straight victory to keep their fading playoff hopes alive.
Red Wings 2, Blues 1 - Johan Franzen's power-play goal snapped a third-period tie and Henrik Zetterberg added his 150th career goal, helping visiting Detroit beat St. Louis for its fourth straight victory.
Coyotes 5, Sharks 4 - Martin Hanzal scored on a wrist shot with 1:37 left in overtime to give the Coyotes a win in Phoenix. Joe Thornton had the hat trick for the Sharks.
Lightning 3, Panthers 1 - Jeff Halpern had a goal and an assist and host Tampa Bay hurt Florida's late playoff push.
