SCOREBOARD
Thursday, Dec. 6
Carolina at Tampa Bay (7:30 p.m. EST). The Southeast Division-leading Hurricanes, in the midst of a five-game road trip, lead the second-place Lightning by seven points.
STARS
Wednesday
-Patrik Elias, Devils, scored his second goal of the game with 1:44 left in overtime and New Jersey rallied for a 4-3 win over Boston.
-Sidney Crosby, Penguins, had assists on three of Pittsburgh’s four third-period goals in a 4-2 victory at Edmonton.
-Randy Robitaille and Ray Emery, Senators. Robitaille scored twice and Emery stopped a penalty shot in the third period to help Ottawa hold off Florida 5-4.
-Joe Thornton, Sharks, scored the go-ahead goal with 8:36 left and added two assists to lead San Jose past Dallas 3-2.
-Dan Fritsche, Blue Jackets, scored the tiebreaking goal with 4:05 left and Columbus edged Colorado 5-4.
-Brendan Morrison, Canucks, broke a tie early in the third period and had an assist in Vancouver’s 3-2 win at Chicago.
WELCOME BACK
NHL playoffs MVP Scott Niedermayer will rejoin Anaheim after sitting out the first 28 games of the season. The 34-year-old defenseman had taken time off to decide whether he wanted to retire. He wasn’t at the arena for the announcement. Niedermayer hoisted the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in June and won his first Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP. Without Niedermayer and free agent Teemu Selanne, the Ducks got off to a slow start and were third in the Pacific Division with a 12-12-4 record heading into that night’s game against Buffalo.
CRAZY EIGHT
New Jersey overcame a three-goal first-period deficit and extended its winning streak to eight games with a 4-3 overtime victory over Boston on Wednesday night. Zach Parise scored twice as did Patrik Elias, who got the game-winner with 1:44 left in the extra session.
SNAPPED
Ottawa ended a seven-game losing streak after defeating Florida 5-4 on Wednesday night. The Senators won for the first time since a 4-2 victory over Montreal on Nov. 19 and halted the club’s longest losing streak since an 11-game slide in the 1995-96 season. Ottawa is 6-0 against the Panthers in the past two seasons. … Anaheim snapped a 10-game winless drought against Buffalo with a 4-1 victory. The last time the Ducks beat the Sabres was Jan. 1, 1999, when Teemu Selanne scored three goals against Dominik Hasek in a 7-2 victory in Buffalo.
ONE MAN OFFENSE?
San Jose captain Joe Thornton has figured in 10 of the Sharks’ 11 goals in the past four games, including a goal and two assists in a 3-2 win at Dallas on Wednesday night. Thornton has a team-leading 34 points, 21 more than second-place Jeremy Roenick and Milan Michalek.
KING CANUCK
Markus Naslund became Vancouver’s career leading scorer Wednesday night with an assist in the 3-2 win at Chicago. Naslund has 332 goals and 393 assists for 725 points in 829 games with the Canucks. Teammate Trevor Linden, in his second tour with Vancouver, has 312 goals and 412 assists in 1,020 games with the team.
SINKING ISLAND
The New York Islanders dropped their four straight game and have been held to three goals or fewer in each of the past 16 games after Wednesday night’s 4-3 shootout loss at Atlanta. The Islanders killed off all nine Thrashers power plays, but yielded two short-handed goals.
ROAD WARRIORS
Philadelphia pushed its road winning streak to four games and ended Minnesota’s four-game run overall with Wednesday night’s 3-1 victory.
RALLY TIME
Columbus scored four times in the third period to shock Colorado 5-4 on Wednesday night. Dan Fritsche’s goal with 4:05 left capped a wild six-goal third period and helped the Blue Jackets defeat the Avalanche for just the third time in 25 meetings (3-20-2).
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Boston’s Marc Savard extended his points streak to 11 games after picking up an assist in a 4-3 overtime loss at New Jersey on Wednesday night. Savard has two goals and 18 points during the run.
SIDELINED
Dallas defenseman Philippe Boucher is expected to miss at least four weeks because of shoulder surgery on Wednesday.
SPEAKING
“We knew that the first period was gross. There was no panic. It was a matter of waking up. We weren’t out of the game. It shows the difference between the team now and when the streak started.” – New Jersey’s Zach Parise after the Devils overcame a three-goal first-period deficit to defeat Boston in overtime 4-3 on Wednesday night.
