Kings Put up 8; BOS, PHI, ATL Fall

Apparently nobody actually wants the 8th and final playoff spot in the East. Of the 5 teams sitting 6 through 10--separated by only 4 points--and battling for the final 3 spots, 3 of them played tonight, and all of them lost. In the West, the Kings looked to stay on track as they were at home against the Northwest Division-leading Canucks. An offensive outburst in L.A. gives us Thursday's Game of the Night:

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At least for tonight, you can say that the Kings broke out of their recent offensive slump, and after some questioning, they show once again why they should be a true contender in the playoffs.

Jonathan Bernier was making his 3rd start of the year, his 2nd-straight, and the Kings gave him plenty of cushion early. They had a 3-0 lead after the 1st period, and were up 5-0 at the 10-minute mark of the 2nd in front of a sold-out Staples Center.

For the Kings: Dustin Brown had a hat trick, and 1 goal each came from Anze Kopitar, Justin Williams, Alexander Frolov, Michal Handzus, and Jarret Stoll.

Vancouver scored 2 quick goals later in the 2nd period, to put a little hesitation in the Kings, cutting the lead to 5-2.

Brown would score his 3rd of the night 3:30 into the 3rd to make it 6-2, but Kyle Wellwood would answer for the Canucks over a minute later to make it a 3-goal game again. 6:38 into the period, Justin Williams would all but put it away, making it 7-3 L.A.

Wellwood would get 2 goals for Vancouver, and Ryan Kesler also tallied for the Canucks.

Roberto Luongo played the whole game for the Canucks, allowing 8 goals on 29 shots. Jonathan Bernier made 27 saves to move to 3-0-0 on the year, allowing a total of 4 goals in those 3 starts.

The Canucks remain 3rd in the West with 96 points and their magic number to clinch remains at 1.

The Kings stay 7th, but with 94 points, they are now a much more comfortable 7 points ahead of the 9th-place Flames and are only a point behind Detroit for 6th and 2 behind Nashville for 5th with 5 games remaining.

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I'm going to be nice here and not use the word 'boring,' but let's just say that a game featuring a team fighting for their playoff lives going against the top offensive team in the NHL should be a bit more up-beat.

But the Capitals did what they had to do to finish off a potential first-round opponent in the Thrashers.

The 1st and 2nd periods saw a total of 13 shots each, with both teams trading 7-6 advantages. The 1st goal of the game was scored by Nicklas Backstrom on a deflection of a Mike Green shot with 58 seconds left in the 1st period.

Tim Stapleton would tie it for Atlanta with 2:09 remaining in the 2nd period, giving the Thrashers life as they had done a pretty good job holding the Capitals in check for the first couple of periods.

But Atlanta couldn't slip the big goal they needed past Semyon Varlamov.

Matt Bradley did squeak a big goal past Ondrej Pavelec 9:46 into the 3rd period, and that was all she wrote.

Pavelec finished with 22 saves for Atlanta, while Varlamov stopped 19 for Washington.

The Capitals have already wrapped up top spot in the East, and they now have 112 points with 5 games remaining and 3 of those at the Verizon Center, including one more against Atlanta. It was the 50th win for the Capitals, and they have an 8 point lead over the Sharks for the best record in the NHL.

The Thrashers loss keeps them in 9th with 80 points but still only 2 points back of Philadelphia, Montreal, and Boston, thanks to the Flyers and the Bruins falling on this night. They have 4 games remaining while those 3 other teams each have 5. The Rangers, who sit 2 points behind Atlanta in 10th, have 6 games left.

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Panthers 1 Bruins 0

Florida's Scott Clemmesen shuts down Boston with a 36-save performance, and Keith Ballard scored in the 1st period to give the Panthers all they would need. Boston has 82 points and they remain tied for 6th with Philadelphia and Montreal, but sit in the 8th spot because of fewer wins. Florida is 13th in the East with 74 points.

Sabres 2 Maple Leafs 4

Toronto holds off the Northeast Division-leading Sabres at Air Canada Center. Buffalo remains at 96 points, 2nd in the East, a point ahead of Pittsburgh. They hold a 5 point lead over Ottawa for tops in the division. Toronto is last in the East with 71 points.

Flyers 4 Islanders 6

New York puts up 6 on the Flyers and they beat them for the 1st time in their last 16 tries, going 0-12-3 in their last 15 against Philadelphia. The Flyers sit 6th in the East with 82 points but are only 2 points ahead of 9th-place Atlanta. The Islanders are 12th in the East with 74 points.

Hurricanes 3 Senators 4 (SO)

Ottawa holds off Carolina in a shootout to win their 6th-straight, clinch and playoff spot, and pull within 5 points of Buffalo for the lead in the Northeast Division. They have 91 points and sit 5th in the East, 3 back of New Jersey for 3rd, but Ottawa only has 4 games remaining while the Devils have 6 and the Sabres have 5. Carolina is 11th in the East with 76 points, 6 points behind 8th, but they only have 4 games left as well.

Blue Jackets 2 Red Wings 3

Detroit keeps rolling as their win gives them their 7th-straight and they now have 95 points on the season. They are 6th in the West, a point behind Nashville for 5th and 5 points behind Phoenix for 4th, with a game-in-hand on each. They are a point ahead of the Kings who sit in 7th. Columbus is 14th in the West with 77 points.

Blues 2 Predators 3

Nashville holds their lead over Detroit in the West, collecting 96 points on the year. They are 5th in the West but are only a point up on Detroit on 2 up on L.A., each of whom have 2 games-in-hand on the Predators. They are, however, still next in line to clinch a spot. St Louis is 10th in the West with 83 points, 7 points back with only 5 games left.

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Friday's Schedule:

Blackhawks @ Devils, 7:00, NHL Network

Canadiens @ Flyers, 7:00

Rangers @ Lightning, 7:30

Sharks @ Wild, 8:00

Oilers @ Stars, 8:30

Flames @ Avalanche, 9:30

Canucks @ Ducks, 10:00, Prime Ticket

Flames Within 2

The biggest story of the night on this 7-game Wednesday was the race for the 8th and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The 8th-place faltering Avalanche were at home against Anaheim, while the 9th-place Flames were at home versus Phoenix. The Flames needed a win to stay at least 4 points within Colorado, and that is our Game of the Night:

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After being shutout by Boston, 5-0, on Saturday and sitting a tough 6 points out of a playoff spot, Calgary is all of a sudden on the verge of tying Colorado for 8th.

On Sunday, the Flames beat the Capitals in Washington and Colorado lost to the Sharks in San Jose. That put Calgary within 4 points. Tonight, the Ducks held off Colorado, and Calgary is now within 2 points of the Avalanche for 8th with their win over Phoenix.

Nobody found the back of the net until the 2nd period, when Rene Bourque put Calgary ahead 1-0 on the power-play 14:23 into the period.

In the 3rd, Ales Kotalik put it past Jason LaBarbera 3:46 into the period to make it 2-0 Calgary. But Phoenix would make it interesting with a goal from Lee Stempniak with just under 7 minutes to go to make it 2-1.

Miikka Kiprusoff held his ground and gave Calgary a huge win on home ice. He finished the game with 29 saves. Jason LaBarbera got the start for Phoenix in place of the usual Ilya Bryzgalov and played well, also ending the game with 29 saves.

Phoenix' loss keeps them at 100 points, and 4th-place in the West, 4 points behind San Jose for the lead.

The Flames now have 87 points on the year and have 5 games remaining. They are 2 points behind the 8th-place Avalanche, who have 6 games remaining.

The fight should be interesting the rest of the way, and it will be made even more interesting very quickly, as the Flames face off with the Avalanche in Denver on Friday with a chance to tie them in points.

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Panthers 2 Sabres 6

Buffalo wins their 3rd-straight and extends their Northeast Division lead to 7 points over Ottawa. They also jump over Pittsburgh for 2nd-place in the East with 96 points. Florida is 14th in the East with 72 points.

Hurricanes 2 Canadiens 1

Carolina keeps their very slim playoff hopes alive, as they will have to run the table in their remaining 5 games and hope for some help from other teams. But they'll take every win they can get, as they keep going in a very positive direction after a dismal 1st half of the season. They have 75 points, sit 11th in the East, and are 7 points back of 8th. Montreal loses their 2nd-straight, and although they remain tied in points with Philadelphia and Boston, with 82, the Canadiens sit in the 8-spot because they have played 1 more game than each of the other two teams. They are only 2 points up on the 9th-place Thrashers and 4 up on the 10th-place Rangers.

Lightning 2 Penguins 0

Steven Stamkos and Steve Downie would score for Tampa Bay, as they stun the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Mike Smith made 27 saves to record his 2nd shutout of the year for the Lightning. Pittsburgh's lead over New Jersey in the Atlantic Division remains at 1, and they drop down to 3rd in the Conference with 95 points. Tampa Bay is 12th in the East with 74 points.

Blackhawks 4 Wild 0

Chicago finally gets back on track, as Antti Niemi made 21 saves for his 7th shutout of the season. Chicago moves up to 101 points, 2nd-place in the West, 3 back of the Sharks for 1st with a game-in-hand. Minnesota is 13th in the West with 80 points.

Sharks 1 Stars 5

The last time San Jose was in Dallas, the Stars put up an 8-spot and won 8-2. It wasn't much of a better showing on Wednesday. Steve Ott recorded a hat trick for Dallas, and Evgeni Nabokov allowed all 5 goals for San Jose on only 21 Stars' shots through the first 2 periods. The Sharks remain 1st in the West with 104 points. Dallas has 82 points and sits 12th in the West, 7 points back of 8th.

Ducks 5 Avalanche 2

A huge loss on home ice for Colorado could come back to haunt them. Maybe they're panicking because they're such a young team trying to handle the pressures of making the playoffs, but whatever it is, they better get back to playing the hockey they were playing the whole year that got them in the top 8 in the first place. Jason Blake had a point on every Ducks' goal, finishing with a goal and 4 assists. Anaheim is 11th in the West with 82 points. Colorado has gone 1-5-1 in their 7 games, and have seen their playoff positioning melt before their eyes. They still remain 8th in the West with 89 points, but are only 2 up on Calgary with a game-in-hand on the Flames. Friday night is showdown night in Denver, and the Avalanche better have a quick turnaround because in comes Calgary with a chance to tie Colorado in points in a head-to-head matchup.

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Thursday's Schedule:

Panthers @ Bruins, 7:00

Sabres @ Maple Leafs, 7:00

Flyers @ Islanders, 7:00

Thrashers @ Capitals, 7:00, CSN, Versus

Hurricanes @ Senators, 7:30

Blue Jackets @ Red Wings, 7:30

Blues @ Predators, 8:00

Canucks @ Kings, 10:30, FS West, NHL Network

Kings End Slump; BOS, ATL Both Win

The battle for 8th in the East rages on and the fight at the top of the West continues as well. But the Kings came into Tuesday on a 4-game losing streak and headed to Nashville to play the Predators, a team they are chasing in the West standings. That is our Game of the Night:

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The Kings had lost all 3 games against Nashville so far this year, and were 0-6-1 against them going back to last year.

Jonathan Bernier, former 1st-round pick, made his 2nd start of the season. In his 1st start on March 12th in Dallas he let up 1 goal. He let up fewer tonight.

The game was scoreless after 2 periods. The Kings outshot the Predators 18-8 in the 1st period, and the Predators outshot the Kings 15-4 in the 2nd. The only scoring came in the 3rd.

Scott Parse scored 7:50 into the 3rd period to record his 3rd goal in the last 2 games to give the Kings a 1-0 lead. Sean O'Donnell would tally his 3rd goal of the season to seal it for the Kings with 2:01 left in regulation.

Jonathan Bernier gets his 1st career shutout and is now 2-0-0 this season. He ended the game with 34 saves. Pekka Rinne also played great for Nashville, as he ended with 29 saves.

The Kings now have 92 points, sit in 7th in the West, and are 7 points up on 9th-place Calgary with only 6 games remaining. L.A. is 3 up on 8th-place Colorado, 1 point behind the Red Wings for 6th, and now only 2 points behind Nashville for 5th with 2 games-in-hand on the Predators.

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5 4 (OT)

Another awful 1st period for Washington, but another offensive and explosive comeback, only to see it fall short in overtime.

The Capitals looked like they were sleeping in the 1st period for the 2nd-straight game. In fact, they have allowed 13 or more shots in each of the last 5 first periods. They hadn't done that all year.

Ottawa outshot the Capitals 13-4 in the 1st period, and had a 3-1 lead going into the 2nd. Peter Regin started the scoring for the Senators 1:24 into the game. Alex Semin would tied it for Washington 3 minutes in.

A minute-and-a-half later, Jason Spezza made it 2-1 Ottawa, and Chris Campoli made it 3-1 with 4 minutes left in the period.

Semin would get his 2nd of the night to start the comeback 12:04 into the 2nd period. Mike Green on a one-time slapshot tied it at 3 only 54 seconds later.

Only 24 seconds into the 3rd period, Mathieu Perreault showed again why he provides so much energy for the Capitals. He made a great move on Brian Elliott to give Washington a 4-3 lead. But about 5 minutes later, Jason Spezza tied it on the power-play for the Senators.

In overtime, Nicklas Backstrom would be called for a tripping penalty with 32 seconds left. While the place was getting to their feet to cheer on the penalty-kill, Alex Kovalev deflected a shot past Jose Theodore and ended the game with 19 seconds left before the shootout.

Ottawa finished 3-for-4 on the power-play.

Theodore made 26 saves for the Capitals, once again looking a bit shaky, especially in the 1st period. Brian Elliott made 17 saves for Ottawa, only facing 21 shots.

The Senators are up to 89 points in the East and they sit in 5th-place. The Capitals remain tops in the league with 110 points, a 15-point lead in the East, and a 6-point lead over the Sharks for the best record in the league.

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Thrashers 3 Maple Leafs 2

Atlanta needs every win they can get in their final 6 games of the year, and this was a good start as they hang on against Toronto. The win gives them 80 points, but they remain 2 back of 8th-place Boston because of the Bruins' win over New Jersey. Boston has a game-in-hand on Atlanta. The Thrashers last 5 games of the season include 2 against Washington, 2 against Pittsburgh, and 1 against New Jersey--not exactly a walk in the park. Boston will play Washington twice, Florida, Toronto, Buffalo, and Carolina. Toronto has 69 points, last in the East, and are now officially eliminated.

Bruins 1 Devils 0 (OT)

Big win for Boston in New Jersey, staying 2 points up on Atlanta for the 8th and final playoff spot. Patrice Bergeron put in the only goal of the game in overtime. Boston now has 82 points, and are tied with Philadelphia and Montreal for 6th, but sit in 8th because of fewer wins. The Flyers in 6th and the Rangers in 10th are all separated by only 4 points.

Rangers 4 Islanders 3

The Rangers hang on to beat their New York rivals on Long Island. They have 78 points and remain 10th in the East and 4 back of Boston for 8th, 2 back of Atlanta for 9th. They have 6 games remaining. The Islanders are 13th in the East with 72 points.

Lightning 2 Blue Jackets 3

Columbus' win gives the 77 points and they are 14th in the West, while the falling Lightning are down to 14th in the East with only 72 points.

Oilers 4 Red Wings 5

Detroit had a 4-0 lead over Edmonton with less than 3 minutes left in the 2nd period. By the time the halfway mark rolled around in the 3rd, it was 4-4. The Red Wings wouldn't panic though, and Brad Stuart would tip one in past Jeff Deslauriers with only 1:07 left in regulation. The win gives Detroit their 6th-straight, and they are 9-0-1 in their last 10. They move up to 93 points and sit 6th in the West, 1 point behind Nashville for 5th and 1 point up on L.A. in 7th. After thinking they might struggle to make the playoffs, the Red Wings are now 8 points into a spot with only 6 games left. Edmonton has 55 points, worst in the league.

Blackhawks 2 Blues 4

Chicago loses their 3rd-straight, falling to a Blues team who moves to within 6 points of Colorado for the 8th-spot in the West. St Louis has 83 points, 10th in the West, and even a run of the table in their last 6 games might not be enough to snag the 8th-spot, but you never know. The Blackhawks remain at 99 points, 2nd-place in the West.

Coyotes 1 Canucks 4

Phoenix fails to move closer to the top-spot in the West, as they remain at 100 points, the 3rd-best record in the NHL. But they sit 4th in the West, 4 points behind San Jose for 1st-place in the Pacific Division. Vancouver is 3rd-place in the West with 96 points, trying to move in on Chicago for 2nd.

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Wednesday's Schedule:

Panthers @ Sabres, 7:00

Hurricanes @ Canadiens, 7:00

Lightning @ Penguins, 7:30, Versus

Blackhawks @ Wild, 8:00, Versus

Sharks @ Stars, 8:30

Ducks @ Avalanche, 9:00, FS West

Coyotes @ Flames, 9:30