NHL: Briere boosts Buffalo
Daniel Briere took care of the scoring. Ryan Miller thwarted two of the league’s most dangerous players in the shootout.
Briere had two goals in regulation and another in the shootout, leading the Buffalo Sabres to a 4-3 win over the host Atlanta Thrashers on Tuesday.
The Eastern Conference-leading Sabres, winning for just the fifth time in their last 12 games, scored all three of their regulation goals on the power play.
They took the shootout 2-0, with Ales Kotalik scoring the deciding goal.
Miller stopped Slava Kozlov and Marian Hossa in the shootout. Before Tuesday, Kozlov was 7 of 8 going 1-on-1 against the goalie, while Hossa had an impressive 5-of-7 mark.
Scott Mellanby scored the tying goal for Atlanta with 8:09 left in regulation, but the Sabres knocked off one of their top challengers in the East.
The Thrashers, first in the Southeast Division, dropped 10 points behind Buffalo in the conference standings with their third straight loss. Atlanta went 2-3-1 during a homestand and is off on a six-game road trip.
Miller made 27 saves, including a brilliant stop in the final seconds of overtime. Kozlov swept in on a breakaway and picked out the top right corner, but Miller got enough of his glove on the shot to send it over the crossbar.
Penguins 4, Predators 1: At Pittsburgh, Mark Recchi scored and set up rookie Evgeni Malkin for the go-ahead goal, and the Penguins beat Nashville behind another strong game by goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury, who hasn’t lost in regulation in 10 games since Jan. 9, turned aside 25 shots as the Penguins won their ninth in 11 games, with two overtime losses.
Devils 3, Rangers 2 (SO): At East Rutherford, N.J., Brian Gionta scored the lone shootout goal and Martin Brodeur stopped all three New York attempts to lead New Jersey to a win over the Rangers. Jaromir Jagr and Karel Rachunek scored for New York, which has lost four straight.
Lightning 3, Kings 2 (SO): At Tampa, Fla., Vincent Lecavalier scored his 34th goal and connected in the shootout, leading Tampa Bay past Los Angeles. Lecavalier and Blair Jones scored first-period goals for the Lightning, who have won 11 of 13.
Bruins 3, Capitals 2 (SO): At Washington, Phil Kessel scored the winning shootout goal to give Boston a victory over the Capitals and Alex Ovechkin, who was held scoreless for a career-worst third consecutive game.
Coyotes 3, Blue Jackets 0: At Columbus, Ohio, Curtis Joseph made 28 saves for his 50th career shutout as Phoenix beat Columbus on a snowy night that delayed the start of the game by 35 minutes.
Hurricanes 2, Canadiens 1: At Montreal, Frantisek Kaberle scored midway through the third period in his first game of the season, helping Carolina end a four-game losing streak with a win over the Canadiens.
Maple Leafs 2, Blues 1: At St. Louis, Alex Steen snapped a tie late in the second period and Andrew Raycroft made it stand up with strong third-period play in goal, helping Toronto beat the Blues.
Avalanche 5, Panthers 4 (OT): At Denver, Joe Sakic scored a power-play goal 25 seconds into overtime and Colorado rallied past Florida. Brett Clark, Tyler Arnason and Wojtek Wolski also scored for Colorado. Sakic, who also had two assists, needs three goals to become the 17th player in NHL history to reach 600.
Canucks 5, Oilers 2: At Edmonton, Alberta, Daniel Sedin scored a career-high three goals and had two assists, while twin Henrik Sedin added four assists as Vancouver defeated Edmonton.
Stars 4, Wild 2: At Dallas, Sergei Zubov scored a tiebreaking goal on the power play with 4:41 left and the Stars overcame a two-goal deficit to beat Minnesota, snapping the Wild’s three-game winning streak.
Mighty Ducks 7, Sharks 4: At San Jose, Calif., Travis Moen’s second goal capped Anaheim’s four-goal second period, and the Mighty Ducks won the front half of a key home-and-home series with the Sharks. The Sharks need a win tonight in Anaheim to remain within three points of the Ducks for first place in the Pacific Division.
Blackhawks 3, Flames 2 (SO): At Calgary, Alberta, Martin Havlat scored twice in the final 3 minutes of regulation and added a shootout goal to give Chicago the victory over Calgary.
Around the league
Glen Murray, Boston’s leading goal scorer, sat out the Bruins’ game against Washington with a groin injury. … Los Angeles center Michael Cammalleri sat out in the game against Tampa Bay with a muscle strain. … Colorado defenseman Karlis Skrastins played in his 486th straight game, tying him with Tim Horton for the longest consecutive games streak by a defenseman in NHL history. Skrastins can break Horton’s mark Thursday night at home against Atlanta.