Richards sparks Lightning past Leafs

Vincent Lecavalier and Brad Richards scored in a shootout, leading the Tampa Bay Lightning past the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Tuesday night in Tampa, Fla.

Richards and Ryan Craig scored for the Lightning in regulation and Sean Burke had 25 saves. The Lightning have won six of eight.

Chad Kilger and Darcy Tucker had goals for Toronto, which has lost nine of 10. Ed Belfour made 35 saves, including a sprawling stop on Lecavalier’s point-blank shot late in the second period.

Avalanche 3, Wild 2: At Denver, Milan Hejduk broke out of a slump with a goal and an assist, and David Aebischer set the Colorado record for wins in January (nine) by defeating Minnesota.

Canucks 7, Coyotes 4: At Glendale, Ariz., Henrik Sedin had a goal and three assists, and Alex Auld made 42 saves as Vancouver topped Phoenix.

Hurricanes 8, Canadiens 2: At Montreal, Erik Cole scored three goals and tied a career high with four points as Carolina beat Montreal.

Islanders 5, Capitals 3: At Uniondale, N.Y., Jason Blake scored a power-play goal with 4:43 left and added an empty-netter as New York defeated Washington to stretch its winning streak to three.

Sabres 5, Thrashers 2: At Atlanta, Jason Pominville scored a short-handed goal for the lead, Ryan Miller turned away 35 shots, and Buffalo extended Atlanta’s losing streak to a season-high six.

Around the league

New York Islanders forward Kevin Colley was taken to a hospital with a neck injury after he crashed headfirst into the boards while tangled up with Washington defenseman Jamie Heward. … Alex Ovechkin, the NHL rookie scoring leader, sat out Washington’s game against the Islanders because of an apparent groin injury. … St. Louis forward Jamal Mayers was placed on injured reserve and will be sidelined six to eight weeks after breaking his foot in a victory over Calgary on Monday. In 49 games, Mayers has 10 goals and 11 assists.