NHL: Crosby, slew of Sabres off to All-Star game

It’ll be Sid the Kid and the Sabres in the NHL All-Star game.

Pittsburgh Penguins phenom Sidney Crosby topped all vote-getters and will join three Buffalo Sabres in the starting lineup for the Eastern Conference in hockey’s midseason classic later this month in Dallas.

Crosby, at 19 years, 5 months, is the youngest player elected by fans. He headlines a team that includes Sabres center Daniel Briere, defenseman Brian Campbell and goalie Ryan Miller, the NHL announced Tuesday.

Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, last season’s rookie of the year, and Montreal defenseman Sheldon Souray round out the East lineup that features five first-time All-Stars. Only Souray was elected before, but he didn’t start in 2004, the last time the NHL staged the game.

Out West, reigning NHL MVP Joe Thornton of the San Jose Sharks was elected to his second straight All-Star start, but back in 2004 he captained the Boston Bruins.

Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo will make his first start in his first season with the Canucks.

Complete rosters for the game and the young stars contest, to be played the night before, will be announced Saturday.

On the ice

Capitals 6, Flyers 2: At Washington, Alex Ovechkin scored his 27th and 28th goals, and the Capitals celebrated the franchise’s first season sweep of slumping Philadelphia.

Blues 4, Blue Jackets 3 (SO): At Columbus, Ohio, Lee Stempniak scored the winning shootout goal and added two assists as St. Louis rallied to beat the Blue Jackets.

Lightning 3, Penguins 2: At Tampa, Fla., Martin St. Louis had a goal and two assists, helping Tampa Bay beat Pittsburgh. The Lightning have an 11-game winning streak against the Penguins.

Hurricanes 4, Maple Leafs 1: At Toronto, Eric Staal, Scott Walker, Eric Belanger and Justin Williams scored to lead Carolina past the Maple Leafs.

Senators 5, Bruins 2: At Ottawa, Daniel Alfredsson scored 12:25 into the third and the Senators scored five goals in the final period for a comeback victory over Boston.

Canadiens 4, Thrashers 2: At Montreal, Michael Ryder had two goals and an assist as the Canadiens ended a three-game losing streak with a victory over Atlanta.

Predators 5, Ducks 4 (OT): At Nashville, Tenn., Steve Sullivan scored with 1:48 left in overtime, and the Predators beat Anaheim for their third straight victory and 11th in 14 games.

Islanders 5, Rangers 3: At New York, Mike Sillinger scored his second goal of the game 27 seconds after Viktor Kozlov snapped a third-period tie, and the Islanders broke a six-game losing streak with a victory over the Rangers.

Coyotes 5, Stars 2: At Dallas, Ed Jovanovski and Shane Doan scored power-play goals during a span of 2:21 in the second period and Phoenix extended its season-best winning streak to seven games with a victory over the Stars.

Red Wings 4, Avalanche 3 (SO): At Denver, Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk scored in the shootout and had a goal each in regulation as Detroit ended a three-game losing streak with a win over Colorado.

Flames 3, Wild 0: At Calgary, Alberta, Miikka Kiprusoff made 26 saves for his 100th career win and the Flames beat Minnesota.