Penguins clinch playoff berth with 3-1 victory over Sabres
Ovechkin shines as Caps snap Elliott’s streak, top Flames
BUFFALO, New York, March 22, (AP): Nick Bonino scored the go-ahead goal with 5:29 left and the Pittsburgh Penguins clinched their 11th straight playoff berth with a 3-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.
Sidney Crosby and Conor Sheary also scored, and Matt Murray made 29 saves. The Penguins (46-17-9) improved to 8-1-1 in their past 10 and are in the hunt to finish with the NHL’s best record.
Sam Reinhart scored for a Sabres team that’s sputtering on offense. Buffalo has just five goals in regulation in its past five games.
Capitals 4, Flames 2
In Washington, Alex Ovechkin had a goal and two assists, TJ Oshie scored his 30th of the season and the NHLleading Washington Capitals defeated the surging Calgary Flames.
The top line of Ovechkin, Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom dominated the entire game. Ovechkin led all players with a season-high 11 shots, finally beating Flames goaltender Brian Elliott late in the third period for his 29th goal.
Devils 3, Rangers 2, OT
In Newark, New Jersey, Joseph Blandisi scored on an odd-man rush with 54.6 seconds left on the clock in overtime, and New Jersey handed New York a rare road loss.
John Quenneville set up Blandisi’s third goal of the season, and Quenneville and Taylor Hall also scored for the Devils. New Jersey got just its second win in 14 games (2-10-2) behind 38 saves by Cory Schneider, including a stop on Kevin Hayes in close just before Blandisi’s winner.
Senators 3, Bruins 2
In Boston, Kyle Turris scored twice and Craig Anderson made 33 saves as Ottawa beat Boston to end a four-game losing streak.
Mike Hoffman had two assists for the Senators, who moved six points ahead of Boston for second place in the Atlantic Division with their first win since March 11.
Red Wings 2, Canadiens 1, OT
In Montreal, Anthony Mantha scored at 4:10 of overtime to lift Detroit over Montreal.
Mantha got his 15th goal of the season on a wrist shot from close range to give the Red Wings their third win in four games.
Justin Abdelkader scored early in the first period for Detroit. Artturi Lehkonen tied it for the Canadiens at 17:31 of the third.
Coyotes 5, Lightning 3
In Tampa, Florida, Oliver EkmanLarsson had a goal and an assist during Arizona’s three-goal third period, Louis Domingue stopped 36 shots and the Coyotes damaged Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes.
Arizona, with the NHL’s secondworst record, also got goals from Christian Fischer, Christian Dvorak,
Radim Vrbata and Connor Murphy.
Hurricanes 4, Panthers 3
In Sunrise, Florida, Jeff Skinner scored two goals, including the gamewinner with 3:55 left, to lead Carolina past Florida.
Sebastian Aho had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes, and Teuvo Teravainen also scored. Cam Ward stopped 33 shots.
Jets 3, Flyers 2
In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele each had a goal and two assists, and Winnipeg edged Philadelphia for its third straight victory.
Mathieu Perreault added a goal and an assist to help the Jets post their second three-game winning streak of the season.
The teams were tied 1-all until Wheeler beat goalie Steve Mason at 7:02 of the third period.
Blues 4, Avalanche 2
In Denver, Magnus Paajarvi and Jaden Schwartz scored in the third period to send the St. Louis Blues past Colorado.
Patrik Berglund had two goals, including an empty-netter to seal it for the Blues. They tied idle Nashville for third place in the Central Division with 83 points, and St. Louis holds the tiebreaker by virtue of more regulation and overtime wins.
Canucks 5, Blackhawks 4
In Chicago, Daniel Sedin scored a power-play goal 2:12 into overtime and the Canucks beat Chicago to end a six-game losing streak.
With his twin brother Henrik Sedin screening goalie Scott Darling, Daniel Sedin connected on a high, long shot. The score withstood a video review for goaltender interference and snapped the Blackhawks’ five-game winning streak.
Wild 3, Sharks 2
In St Paul, Minnesota, Martin Hanzal and Charlie Coyle scored 15 seconds apart for Minnesota late in the second period, and the Wild stopped a five-game losing streak.
David Schlemko and Patrick Marleau had goals for the Sharks shortly before the second intermission, too, giving each team two scores in a 63-second span to set a record for the fastest four-goal stretch in Wild history.