League’s Best, Stars, Red Wings, Battle To A Draw
The Detroit Red Wings and visiting Dallas Stars did nothing to settle who is No. 1 in the NHL nearing the mid-season mark as they played to a 2-2 tie Monday night.
The Stars and Red Wings remained tied atop the Central Division, each with an NHL-best 56 points. It also extended season-best unbeaten streaks for both clubs, as Detroit hasn’t lost in its last seven and Dallas in its last six.
On the other hand, Detroit had a five-game winning streak snapped. The Red Wings are 2-0-1 against Dallas this season.
Vyacheslav Kozlov and Tomas Holmstrom scored for Detroit. Former Red Wings forward Bob Errey and Sergei Zubov scored for Dallas.
Holmstrom broke a 1-1 tie with 6:28 remaining in the third period when he jammed home the rebound of a shot by Martin Dandenault. But Zubov tied it again just 1:06 later when he slipped a shot from a very tough angle between goaltender Chris Osgood’s glove and the right goal post.
Osgood made 29 saves despite leaving the game momentarily after he was cut on the face by a teammate’s stick late in the third period.
Other games
In Denver, Patrick Roy stopped 31 shots as the Colorado Avalanche tied the Montreal Canadiens 1-1 for their 12th stalemate of the season.
Jocelyn Thibault stopped 25 shots for the Avalanche. Mark Recchi, who played in his league-leading 502nd consecutive game, scored his 18th goal of the season for Montreal. Sandis Ozolinsh scored for the Avalanche, his 14th point in his last 15 games.
In Pittsburgh, Ron Francis scored three times for his first multiple-goal game of the season and the Penguins beat the New York Islanders 5-1. It was his 11th career hat trick and first in more than two years.
Penguins goaltender Tom Barrasso left the game after one period with a pulled thigh muscle. Barrasso, who has started 20 of the last 22 games, was replaced by rookie Peter Skudra.
In Buffalo, N.Y., the New Jersey Devils scored twice on their first three shots en route to a 3-1 victory over the Sabres for their eighth win in 11 games, foiling Dominik Hasek’s bid to break the NHL record of five shutouts in a month.
Fetisov on top of the World
Detroit Red Wings defenseman Slava Fetisov was one of six players voted onto the starting lineup for the World All-Stars.
Fetisov will be joined by two Colorado Avalanche stars, center Peter Forsberg and defenseman Sandis Ozolinsh, wings Jaromir Jagr of Pittsburgh and Teemu Selanne of Anaheim and goaltender Dominik Hasek of Buffalo in the All-Star Game Jan. 18 at Vancouver, British Columbia.