In brief: Canucks snap skid, sneak past St. Louis

NHL: Mike Santorelli scored the tiebreaking goal in the third and Eddie Lack made 29 saves Friday night as the Vancouver Canucks snapped a five-game losing streak with a 2-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues.

Zac Dalpe also scored for Vancouver, which won for the first time in the new year.

Alex Pietrangelo scored for St. Louis, which snapped a seven-game winning streak. Brian Elliott made 20 saves as the Blues failed to pick up at least a point on the road for the first time in nine games.

Santorelli got the tiebreaker at 5:56 of the third. After Vancouver forward Dale Weise drove hard to the net, the puck popped out to Jason Garrison in the high slot and his shot through traffic was deflected in by Santorelli for his 10th goal of the season.

The Canucks currently hold down the first wildcard spot in the Western Conference, while the Blues still sit second in the conference and first in the Central Division.

• Jackets blank ‘Canes: Sergei Bobrovsky made 36 saves and Cam Atkinson had a goal and an assist to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets past visiting Carolina 3-0, ending the Hurricanes’ season-best five-game winning streak.

• Caps edge Leafs: Joel Ward scored the go-ahead goal with just over 8 minutes left in the third period, and Alex Ovechkin added a goal and an assist as the Washington Capitals edged the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 in Washington.

• Rangers dump Stars: Rick Nash snapped a tie with 1:58 left, and the New York Rangers sent the Dallas Stars to their fifth straight loss, 3-2 in New York.

• Islanders grab win: Michael Grabner knocked in a shot from the slot at 1:46 of overtime, giving the New York Islanders a 2-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche in Denver.

• Oilers knock off Pens: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored two goals, including the winner in overtime, and added an assist as the Oilers came from behind to stun the Eastern Conference-leading Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 in Edmonton, Alberta.

Nets stop Heat in 2OT for 5th straight win

NBA: Joe Johnson scored 32 points, Shaun Livingston helped Brooklyn dominate the second overtime after LeBron James fouled out, and the Nets beat the Miami Heat 104-95 for their fifth straight victory.

Livingston had two baskets and two blocked shots in the second overtime period, finishing with 19 points, 11 rebounds and five assists over 51 minutes in a sensational effort while starting for injured Deron Williams.

James had 36 points, seven rebounds and five assists for the Heat, but fouled out on an offensive foul with 36 seconds left in the first overtime and the Heat trailing by two.

• Warriors nip Celtics: Stephen Curry hit a go-ahead jumper with 2.1 seconds left, lifting the Golden State Warriors over the skidding Boston Celtics 99-97 in their first game back home after a long road trip.

• Bulls bully Bucks: Carlos Boozer had 19 points and 13 rebounds in his first game back from a right knee injury, Mike Dunleavy Jr. added 18 points and the Chicago Bulls beat the Milwaukee Bucks 81-72.

• Clippers pummel Lakers: Blake Griffin had 33 points and 12 rebounds, and the Clippers shot 71 percent in the first quarter on the way to their largest-ever victory over the downtrodden Los Angeles Lakers, 123-87.

• Grizzlies block Suns: Mike Conley matched his career high with 31 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies used a fourth-quarter burst to overtake the visiting Phoenix Suns for a 104-99 victory.

• Hawks bottle up Rockets: Kyle Korver scored 20 points, including four free throws in the final 16 seconds, and the Atlanta Hawks fought off Houston’s late comeback to beat the visiting Rockets 83-30.

• Pistons drop Sixers: Josh Smith had 22 points in an outstanding all-around game, Brandon Jennings made four 3-pointers in the second half and Detroit snapped a six-game losing streak with a 114-104 comeback victory in Philadelphia.

• T-wolves smash Bobcats: Nikola Pekovic scored 26 points in 27 minutes and Minnesota blew off some steam by beating visiting Charlotte 119-92.

• Mavs rout Pelicans: Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points, Monta Ellis added 23 and Dallas sent short-handed New Orleans to its fourth straight loss, 107-90 in New Orleans.

• Pacers thrash Wizards: David West scored 20 points and C.J. Watson had 16, leading the Pacers to a 93-66 win over the visiting Wizards.

• Kings trump Magic: DeMarcus Cousins had 24 points and 14 rebounds, Rudy Gay added 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the Sacramento Kings beat the visiting Orlando Magic 103-83.

• Cavs silence Jazz: Kyrie Irving had 25 points and eight assists to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers over the Utah Jazz 113-102 in Salt Lake City.

Stuard leads after 36 holes at Sony Open

Miscellany: Brian Stuard shot a fourth straight round of 65 at the Sony Open in Honolulu to take a one-shot lead over Marc Leishman of Australia.

Stuard, who was at 10-under 130, had a 65-65 weekend at Waialae last year when he tied for fifth.

Leishman had a 64, while Jason Kokrak (67) was another shot behind.

Hudson Swafford had a 64 and was in the group at 6-under 134.

• Abbott breaks record: Three-time winner Jeremy Abbott set a national record for the short program, putting his second Olympic berth within reach. Abbott won the event with 99.86 points at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, shattering his own mark of 90.23.

He has a 7.82-point margin over Richard Dornbush heading into Sunday’s free skate. The top two men will go to Sochi next month.

Earlier, world champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White danced within range of their sixth straight U.S. title by romping in the short dance

• Three dead at Dakar: Three deaths overshadowed the sixth leg of the Dakar Rally in Salta, Argentina, as the race claimed the life of Belgian motorcyclist Eric Palante and two spectators who were following the event. Palante’s body was found after he failed to finish Thursday’s fifth stage.

Nani Roma of Spain kept the overall lead in cars despite finishing sixth in the stage, and fellow Spaniard Marc Coma stayed on top in bikes after taking second on the stage from Tucuman to Salta in northern Argentina.

• Miller cleared for Sochi: Bode Miller has been cleared to race in all five Alpine events at the Sochi Olympics, including defending his super-combined title. The International Ski Federation clarified its qualification rules after confusion this week about whether some top racers had achieved enough results.