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NHL Capsules: Lehtonen, Goligoski lead Stars past Ducks
DALLAS (AP) — Defenseman Alex Goligoski capitalized on a lucky bounce and Kari Lehtonen made it stand up for the Dallas Stars.
Lehtonen made 27 saves for his 18th career shutout, Goligoski scored in the first period, and the Stars ended Anaheim's five-game winning streak with a 1-0 victory over the Ducks on Tuesday night.
"Our best player was our goalie ... you saw a great performance by a great goaltender tonight," Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said.
The Stars had been 0-4-1 with six goals in their previous five games, damaging their playoff chances.
Dallas boosted its points total to 52 heading into the All-Star break, pulling the Stars closer to the Western Conference's top eight.
Goligoski wasn't worried about style points on his ugly goal, just results.
"It feels good to get that one there and get the lead," said Goligoski, who signed a four-year contract extension worth $18.4 million on Monday. "We haven't played with the lead much lately."
Anaheim got off to a fast start with a 9-2 edge in shots before Goligoski notched his sixth of the season.
Goligoski's shot glanced off the right hip of Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler, with the puck flipping into the air and over Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller's shoulder with 3:39 left in the first. Mike Ribeiro and Loui Eriksson were credited with assists.
Fowler was never able to locate the puck until it was in the net.
"It was kind of a broken play, three or four guys were in front of me," Fowler said. "I didn't even see the shot come. I don't know what I would have done differently to avoid it. It's kind of mind-blowing that it was the only goal in the game. But it's part of the game. We had our chances, too, and didn't bear down."
Hiller stopped 15 shots for the Ducks, who had been 8-0-1 in their previous nine games.
Once 20 points out of the eighth spot in the West, the Ducks have returned to the fringe of the playoff race. But they still have some catching up to do, starting the night 11 points out of the final postseason berth.
"We had our chances but we didn't capitalize," said Ducks All-Star right winger Corey Perry. "We've worked our way up and we're battling to achieve our goal. So it's a tough way to lose."
Dallas remains without All-Star center Jamie Benn (appendectomy) and captain Brenden Morrow (neck). Benn is expected to play in Sunday's NHL All-Star game then return to the Stars lineup.
Ribeiro was back after missing seven consecutive games because of a knee injury.
Anaheim held a 19-7 shots-on-goal advantage after two periods, but the Ducks couldn't get the puck past Lehtonen, who earned his first shutout of the season.
Lehtonen got plenty of help from his teammates, who blocked 27 shots — seven by defenseman Trevor Daley.
"They got a couple of good chances, but overall, especially in the third, we played pretty well," Lehtonen said. "They didn't get many shots and I think that was the big key. Usually, when you're up one goal, the other team comes real hard, but we were able to get the puck deep and play solid."
Lehtonen denied Perry from close range seconds before the final buzzer.
"Give (the Stars) credit, in the third period they were a pretty determined group checking-wise," Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau said. "When you haven't won in a couple weeks, you're gonna check your rear end off and they did. They frustrated us."
Dallas was able to control Anaheim's hottest scorer, right winger Bobby Ryan, who had four goals in his previous five games. Ryan was credited with one shot, and had three others blocked by the Stars.
NOTES: Dallas is 60-27-13 all-time against Anaheim. ... The Ducks are without G Dan Ellis (groin) and RW Devante Smith-Pelly (foot). ... Dallas LW Matt Fraser made his NHL debut, skating on the fourth line with C Jake Dowell and RW Tomas Vincour. ... Stars LW Vernon Fiddler played in his 500th NHL game. ... Hiller had been 6-1-1 in his previous eight starts. ... Anaheim was shut out for the fourth time this season. ... The Stars didn't have a power play chance, the first time the franchise has won a game without a man-advantage opportunity since the team moved to Dallas in 1993.
Other NHL Capsules
Lundqvist strong as Rangers top Jets
NEW YORK (AP) — Henrik Lundqvist stopped 22 shots in a bit of a surprise start, and Ryan Callahan, John Mitchell and Brad Richards provided the offense in the New York Rangers' 3-0 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night.
Lundqvist (22-10-4) made his fifth consecutive start for the Eastern Conference-leading Rangers because backup Martin Biron was out with the flu.
Biron allowed only one goal in beating the Jets in New York's two previous meetings this season, and Lundqvist picked up where he left off. The All-Star earned his fifth shutout and 40th in seven NHL seasons.
Winnipeg, which lost 2-1 at Carolina on Monday, was outshot 31-22 and fell to 0-8 in the second of back-to-back games. The Jets have been outscored 33-5 in those losses.
New York has won four of six.
PENGUINS 3, BLUES 2, SO
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Chris Kunitz scored the deciding goal on a backhander in the fourth round of a shootout and Pittsburgh beat St. Louis to run its winning streak to seven.
James Neal and Steve Sullivan scored in regulation for the Penguins, whose winning streak has followed a six-game skid — their longest since 2006.
Patrik Berglund ended a seven-game point drought with a pair of goals and tied it on a penalty shot early in the third period for the Blues, who erased a two-goal deficit.
NHL scoring leader Evgeni Malkin got the other shootout goal for the Penguins after being shut down in regulation. He had nine goals and 13 points during a six-game goal streak.
CANUCKS 3, OILERS 2, SO
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Cody Hodgson scored the shootout winner and Vancouver beat Edmonton to send the Oilers to their sixth straight road loss.
Hodgson beat Edmonton goalie Devan Dubnyk in the fifth round of the shootout with a shot that trickled between his pads. Alex Edler scored earlier in the shootout for the Canucks, but Ales Hemsky extended it by beating Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo with a backhand.
Daniel Sedin and David Booth gave the Canucks one-goal leads in regulation. Shawn Horcoff and Taylor Hall replied for Edmonton.
Vancouver moved within three points of idle Detroit, which leads the Western Conference.
CAPITALS 5, BRUINS 3
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mathieu Perreault got his first career hat trick, including the tie-breaking goal in the third period, to lead Washington over Boston.
Perreault's third goal of the game came 7:18 into the third period when he put in a rebound off Roman Hamrlik's shot to give Washington the lead.
Cody Eakin also scored for the Capitals, who won for the second time in five games. Dennis Wideman added an empty-netter with 27 seconds left.
Rich Peverley, Tyler Seguin and Brad Marchand scored for Boston in the final game for both teams before the All-Star break.
SABRES 2, DEVILS 1, SO
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Jason Pominvile and Nathan Gerbe scored in the shootout, and Ryan Miller made 27 saves as Buffalo beat New Jersey to snap a 12-game losing streak on the road.
Pominville ripped a shot over the glove of Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur on the Sabres' third and possibly final shootout attempt to tie things at 1-all.
Miller, who had given up a goal to Ilya Kovalchuk on the Devils' first shootout try, made a pad save on rookie Adam Henrique on New Jersey's fourth attempt and Gerbe gave Buffalo its first road win since Dec. 3 by beating Brodeur.
Buffalo's Jordan Leopold and the Devils' Patrik Elias scored in regulation.
FLYERS 3, PANTHERS 2, SO
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Claude Giroux scored the only goal in a shootout to lift Philadelphia over Florida.
Giroux beat Scott Clemmensen on the stick side to give the Flyers their first shootout victory in four tries this season.
Brayden Schenn and Jakub Voracek scored in regulation for the Flyers, while Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves. Bobrovsky also stopped three attempts in the shootout.
Mikael Samuelsson and Tomas Fleischmann had goals for Florida, and Clemmensen made 35 saves.
The injury-depleted Flyers started eight rookies.
COYOTES 3, SENATORS 2
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Radim Vrbata scored early in the third period and Phoenix withstood Ottawa's quick answer to beat the Senators.
Phoenix took a two-goal lead on Vrbata's team-leading 23rd goal 1:30 into the third, but Ottawa's Chris Neil responded with his ninth just 16 seconds later.
Mike Smith kept the Senators from scoring again, making 12 of his 32 saves in the final period to help Phoenix end a three-game skid.
Shane Doan and Gilbert Brule also scored for the Coyotes.
Daniel Alfredsson scored his 17th goal for Ottawa, which has dropped three straight.
PREDATORS 3, BLACKHAWKS 1
CHICAGO (AP) — Pekka Rinne made 24 saves for his ninth straight win and surging Nashville beat Chicago in the teams' final game before the All-Star break.
The Predators are now 12-2 in their last 14 games and have beaten the Blackhawks twice in the last four days. Rinne has played a major role in the run, going 12-1-0 since Dec. 28.
Craig Smith and Mike Fisher had first-period goals for the Predators and Colin Wilson added an empty-netter with 12.8 seconds left.
Dave Bolland scored on a power play in the final period for Chicago, which placed captain Jonathan Toews on injured reserve with a wrist injury before the game.
MAPLE LEAFS 4, ISLANDERS 3, OT
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — Clarke MacArthur's second goal of the game at 2:06 of overtime lifted Toronto to a sweep of a home-and-home series with the Islanders.
MacArthur took a feed from Mikhail Grabovski and slid the puck into goalie Al Montoya's glove, which was inside the net. Both teams waited on the ice for the official ruling deeming it a goal. It was MacArthur's 14th of the season.
P.A. Parenteau scored for New York with 12.2 seconds left in the third period to force overtime. Goals by John Tavares and Josh Bailey put New York ahead 2-0.
Jake Gardiner and Grabovski also scored in regulation for Toronto.
LIGHTNING 4, BLUE JACKETS 2
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis both had a goal and an assist to lead Tampa Bay over Columbus.
Mike Angelidis and Nate Thompson also scored for the Lightning, who have won four in a row after a seven-game skid.
Columbus got goals from Brett Lebda and Ryan Johansen. The Blue Jackets, coming off a 4-1 loss at Nashville Monday night, have lost four straight.
Tampa Bay outshot the Blue Jackets 24-11 through two periods and 31-24 overall. Columbus, with an NHL-low 32 points, is 1-18-1 when behind entering the third period.
WILD 3, AVALANCHE 2
DENVER (AP) — Carson McMillan broke a tie midway through the third period after stealing the puck at center ice and Niklas Backstrom stopped 24 shots as Minnesota beat Colorado.
Justin Falk scored his first NHL goal and Dany Heatley added another for the Wild, who halted an 11-game winless streak away from home. They also moved into the eighth and final playoff spot in their final game before the All-Star break, leaping over Colorado.
T.J. Galiardi and Chuck Kobasew scored for the Avalanche.
On the winning goal, McMillan stripped defenseman Shane O'Brien of the puck and skated in alone on Jean-Sebastien Giguere, faking left before sending the puck through Giguere's legs.
SHARKS 1, FLAMES 0
CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Benn Ferriero scored and Antti Niemi made 25 saves as San Jose beat Calgary to end its winless skid at three.
Ferriero's goal came with 8:25 to go in the third period on a scramble in front of Calgary's net. Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff made stops on Dan Boyle and Logan Couture before the puck bounced in the air, where Ferriero gloved it down and slapped it in.
Calgary generated only 11 shots during the first 40 minutes, but Niemi was much busier in the third in earning his third shutout of the season.
Calgary has lost two straight at home on the heels of an eight-game winning streak.
Other NHL News
Capitals LW Ovechkin skipping NHL All-Star game
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Alex Ovechkin is skipping the NHL All-Star game, a decision he announced a day after getting a three-game suspension from the league for a hit on an opponent.
"My heart is not there. I got suspended, so why (do) I have to go there?" the Washington Capitals' captain and a two-time league MVP said Tuesday. "I love the (All-Star) game. It's a great event. I love to be there."
But Ovechkin added: "I feel I'm not deserving to be there right now. If I'm suspended, I have to be suspended."
Capitals general manager George McPhee said he supported Ovechkin's decision to back out of the All-Star game.
"Because he's a suspended player, he doesn't feel like he deserves to be there, doesn't want to be a distraction," McPhee said.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement emailed by a league spokesman: "In light of yesterday's suspension, we informed the Capitals that, while Alex Ovechkin was still welcome to participate in this weekend's All Star festivities in Ottawa, we would not be insisting that he do so. We now understand that Alex has decided to withdraw from this weekend's events. Given the circumstances involved, we understand Mr. Ovechkin's decision in this regard and have no intention of pursuing this matter further."
The league said a replacement for Ovechkin would be announced soon.
Ovechkin was punished by the NHL on Monday for launching himself to hit Pittsburgh defenseman Zbynek Michalek during Washington's 4-3 overtime loss to the Penguins on Sunday. Ovechkin pointed out that no penalty was assessed on the play, and said: "I don't believe I deserve to get a three-game suspension for the hit that I did."
"I was disappointed, actually. ... All my career it's going to be like that. My game is (to) play physical. My game is (to) play hard. I don't think it was a bad hit, dirty hit."
Like his player, McPhee questioned whether the suspension was too severe.
"I thought when I saw the hit, there might be a fine or maybe one game," the general manager said. "When it went to three, I was pretty disappointed."
He had a goal and two assists in the game for Washington, which trails Florida by one point in the Southeast Division. He will eligible to return to the lineup on Feb. 4 against Montreal.
Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Ovechkin will forfeit more than $150,000.
Flyers' Hartnell replaces Toews on All-Star roster
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Hartnell has been added to the roster for Sunday's NHL All-Star game. Hartnell replaces injured Chicago Blackhawks forward Jonathan Toews.
Hartnell leads the Flyers with 25 goals and all of the NHL with 13 on the power play. He has scored five goals in his past two games: two in a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, and three consecutive in the second period of a 6-5 shootout loss to the Boston Bruins on Sunday. He is second on the Flyers with 44 points.
The All-Star fantasy draft will be held on Thursday in Ottawa. It will divide the All-Stars into two teams: Team Alfredsson, led by Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson and his assistant, goaltender Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers; and Team Chara, featuring Boston captain Zdeno Chara and his assistant, forward Joffrey Lupul of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Penguins to unveil Lemieux statue March 7
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins will unveil a statue honoring former star and current team co-owner Mario Lemieux on March 7. The noontime unveiling of the statue, called "Le Magnifique" outside the northwest gate at Consol Energy Center will be open to the public. The Penguins will host the Toronto Maple Leafs later that night.
Lemieux scored 690 goals and assisted on 1,033 others during his Hall of Fame career, all with Pittsburgh. He led the Penguins to consecutive Stanley Cups in 1992-93. He became part of the ownership group that saved the franchise from relocation.
The bronze statue is designed by sculptor Bruce Wolfe. The statue was funded privately by the Penguins' ownership group, local labor organizations and members of the Pittsburgh business community.
Lightning recall D Oberg and LW Angelidis
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled defenseman Evan Oberg and left winger Mike Angelidis from Norfolk of the AHL. The moves were announced before Tuesday night's game against Columbus.
Oberg, who has been called up from the minors seven times since Tampa Bay acquired him from Florida on Dec. 2, was in the Lightning's lineup for the first time this season Tuesday. It was his fifth career NHL game. Angelidis made his NHL debut in the game against the Blue Jackets.
The Lightning are playing without several key injured players, including defensemen Victor Hedman (concussion), Mattias Ohlund (left and right knees) and Marc-Andre Bergeron (back); and left winger Ryan Malone (upper-body injury).
Blue Jackets send Kubalik to AHL Springfield
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned left wing Tomas Kubalik to their American Hockey League affiliate in Springfield, Mass.
Kubalik has a goal and an assist with six penalty minutes in eight games this season. He scored his first career NHL goal against Phoenix on Jan. 13.
He was the Blue Jackets' sixth pick in the 2008 draft. Kubalik also has seven goals and four assists in 24 games with Springfield this season.
Blackhawks captain Toews placed on injured reserve
CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews has been placed on injured reserve because of a left wrist injury. The Blackhawks made the move Tuesday.
Toews did not play in the third period of last Saturday's game at Nashville and will miss Tuesday night's rematch with the Predators — the Blackhawks' final game before the All-Star Break. Toews, who has 27 goals and 23 assists in 49 games, will also miss the All-Star game in Ottawa. Chicago recalled forward Brandon Pirri from Rockford of the AHL to fill Toews' roster spot.
Boston G Thomas not in starting lineup
WASHINGTON (AP) — Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas is not in the starting lineup a day after skipping the White House ceremony honoring the team for its 2011 Stanley Cup Championship. Tuukka Rask started for the Bruins in the Tuesday night game against the Washington Capitals.
Thomas caused a controversy Monday when he didn't accompany the team to the White House. He said in a statement that he stayed away because he believes the federal government "has grown out of control."
