Associated Press
The NHL roundup …
BUFFALO, N.Y. ó Tim Connolly received a text message from his father telling him that his grandparents wanted him to score Saturday night. The grandson happily obliged.
Connolly scored twice, and Ryan Miller made 36 saves in the Buffalo Sabres’ 3-1 win over Carolina that sent the reeling Hurricanes to their fifth straight loss.
Playing in only his 11th game of the season because of injuries, Connolly made his grandparents happy by posting his third NHL multigoal game and first since April 2006.
“I got one for both of them,” he said.
When Connolly wasn’t scoring, Miller was stopping shots. He thwarted the Hurricanes at every turn in the third period when Carolina outshot the Sabres 19-5. The Hurricanes played the final 2:48 with goalie Cam Ward pulled ó including a 35-second span in which they enjoyed a 6-on-4 skating advantage ó but came up empty.
“Miller played great for us,” Connolly said. “Whenever he plays like that we’re probably going to win the hockey game.”
Stars 3, Kings 2
DALLAS ó Mike Ribeiro scored the lone goal in the shootout, Marty Turco stopped all three shots he faced in the tiebreaker, and the Dallas Stars beat Los Angeles 3-2 to extend the Kings’ skid to four.
Capitals 2, Bruins 1
WASHINGTON ó Alexander Semin’s third-period goal gave Washington a win over Boston, snapping the Bruins’ four game winning streak. They had also won seven straight on the road.
Devils 3, Islanders 1
UNIONDALE, N.Y.ó Zach Parise had a goal and an assist for New Jersey, which stretched its winning streak to three and handed the New York Islanders their seventh straight loss.
Canadiens 5, Senators 4, SO
OTTAWA ó Alex Kovalev and Maxim Lapierre scored in the shootout and Jaroslav Halak stopped both Ottawa shooters for Montreal.
Panthers 4, Lightning 3
TAMPA, Fla. ó Jay Bouwmeester scored for a fourth straight game and completed Florida’s three-goal second period. Gregory Campbell, Cory Stillman and Richard Zednik also scored for the Panthers, who have won five of seven.
Thrashers 7, Predators 2
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ó Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and an assist, and Atlanta routed Nashville for its second win in two nights.