Jagr gives Rangers victory over Capitals
Jaromir Jagr snapped a third-period tie with his NHL-leading 45th goal and the New York Rangers ended a six-game losing streak by outlasting the lowly Washington Capitals, 5-4 Thursday night at New York.
Jagr, who also assisted on Petr Sykora’s second-period goal, used his backhand to steer around defenseman Shaone Morrisonn, switched the puck to his forehand and slid a shot around Olie Kolzig’s pad to make it 5-4 at 7:08 while the teams were skating 4-on-4.
That was enough to end the Rangers’ longest losing streak of the season and put New York back on top of the Atlantic Division – two points ahead of Philadelphia.
But it didn’t come easy. The Rangers blew a two-goal lead at home for the second straight game, this time against the team with the second-fewest points in the NHL.
New York busted out of its scoring slump with three power-play goals – taking advantage of the league’s worst penalty killers after scoring only nine times overall in the losing skid that included two overtime defeats.
Thrashers 4, Islanders 2: At Atlanta, Kari Lehtonen continued his strong goaltending with 28 saves, and Atlanta improved its playoff chances with a win over New York.
Devils 2, Penguins 1: At East Rutherford, N.J., Brian Gionta and John Madden scored and Martin Brodeur rediscovered his touch in the net after two disastrous starts to lead New Jersey to a win over Pittsburgh.
Sabres 3, Maple Leafs 1: At Buffalo, N.Y., Chris Drury had two goals and an assist, and Mike Grier scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period to lead Buffalo to its eighth consecutive win.
Bruins 3, Senators 2 (SO): At Boston, Patrice Bergeron scored the winning goal in the shootout and Tim Thomas stopped three shots to help Boston end a six-game losing streak
Hurricanes 5, Canadiens 1: At Montreal, Justin Williams and former Spokane Chiefs standout Ray Whitney each scored twice and Eric Staal got his 40th goal as Carolina moved atop the NHL’s overall standings.
Predators 2, Coyotes 0: At Nashville, Tenn. Tomas Vokoun stopped 24 shots for his second straight shutout, leading Nashville over Phoenix.
Oilers 3, Flames 2 (OT): At Edmonton, Alberta, Shawn Horcoff scored 3:04 into overtime, lifting the Oilers.
Stars 4, Kings 1: At Los Angeles, Jason Arnott scored twice in the first period and assisted on Stu Barnes’ goal, leading Dallas over Los Angeles.
Sharks 5, Blues 2: At San Jose, Calif., Tom Preissing and Steve Bernier each scored twice and San Jose won its fourth straight.
Off the ice
Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Sean Burke will sit out this weekend after fracturing his right index finger during practice Thursday.