Associated Press
The NHL roundup …
UNIONDALE, N.Y. ó Erik Cole snapped a tie 6:04 into the third period for the Carolina Hurricanes, who beat the New York Islanders 4-2 on Saturday night and moved within one point of eighth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Joe Corvo, Jussi Jokinen and Eric Staal also scored, and Cam Ward made 30 saves for the surging Hurricanes, who scored three goals in the third period. They have won seven of 10 to move one point behind the New York Rangers. Both teams have four games remaining.
Jesse Joensuu and John Tavares had Islanders goals. Al Montoya stopped 22 shots, but couldn’t protect New York’s 2-1 lead in the third period.
Corvo tied the game again at 3:02 of the third with a tip of Tim Gleason’s point shot, and set the stage for Cole’s game-winner.
Cole stood in front of Montoya and shoved in a rebound of Staal’s shot to put Carolina ahead for good.
Staal added an empty-net goal with 47.6 seconds left.
Red Wings 4, Predators 3
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ó Danny Cleary tipped in Brian Rafalski’s shot 2:58 into overtime for Detroit’s fourth unanswered goal, leading the Red Wings to a 4-3 victory that clinched their 20th straight playoff berth.
Capitals 5, Sabres 4, OT
WASHINGTON ó Alex Ovechkin scored 3:19 into overtime, and Washington beat Buffalo to take over the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Ovechkin took a shot from the left circle that glanced off the skate of Buffalo defenseman Andrej Sekera.
Bruins 3, Thrashers 2
BOSTON ó Michael Ryder scored on a penalty shot with 7:29 left to break a third-period tie and help the Bruins clinch the Northeast Division title.
Kings 3, Stars 1
LOS ANGELES ó Matt Greene scored the go-ahead goal in the third period to help Los Angeles move one step closer to a playoff berth.
Lightning 3, Wild 1
ST. PAUL, Minn. ó Dwayne Roloson stopped 29 shots against his old team and the Lightning earned their fourth consecutive win.
Canadiens 3, Devils 1
NEWARK, N.J. ó The New Jersey Devils will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1996. Mathieu Darche scored twice, Carey Price made 20 saves and Montreal Canadiens ended the Devils’ run of making the last 13 postseason.
Penguins 4, Panthers 2
SUNRISE, Fla. ó Pittsburgh defenseman Zbynek Michalek scored with 7:49 left and the Penguins handed Florida its eighth consecutive loss.
Maple Leafs 4, Senators 2
OTTAWA ó Tyler Bozak had a power-play goal 5:42 into the third period and Nikolai Kulemin added a goal as Toronto stayed alive in the playoff race with a win over Ottawa.