03/12/2016 at 10:20am EST
STARS, BLUES PULL AHEAD IN DIVISION, CONFERENCE RACES
The Stars and Blues defeated the Blackhawks and Ducks, respectively, to move ahead in the Central Division and Western Conference races:
* Four players – Jamie Benn, Ales Hemsky, Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza – registered 1-1—2 to help the Stars extend their point streak to four contests (3-0-1). Spezza scored for the fifth consecutive game (5-1—6), one shy of his career high set Jan. 23 – Feb. 4, 2010 (7-1—8 in 6 GP w/ OTT). He also became the 17th active player to record 800 NHL points (294-506—800 in 831 GP).
* Vladimir Tarasenko posted 2-1—3 to power the Blues to their fifth consecutive victory, matching a season high established Feb. 12-20. Tarasenko, who notched his third multi-goal and fourth three-point performances of 2015-16, ranks sixth in the NHL with 32 goals (67 GP). He also moved within two of 100 for his NHL career (98-96—194 in 246 GP).
* REMINDER: The Stars and Blues battle for first place in the division and conference on Saturday at American Airlines Center (9:00 p.m. ET, NHLN-US, FS-MW, FS-SW). This marks the fifth and final meeting of the season between these clubs; St. Louis is 3-1-0, Dallas is 1-1-2 thus far in the head-to-head series.
PENNSYLVANIA RIVALS KEEP PACE IN PLAYOFF CHASE
The Penguins and Flyers also picked up wins to keep pace in the Wild Card race in the Eastern Conference:
* Marc-Andre Fleury made 25 saves to backstop the Penguins to their fifth win in their last eight outings. Fleury collected his 350th NHL win (350-205-61 in 645 GP), a milestone reached by only 19 other goaltenders in League history.
* Three players scored to propel the Flyers to their sixth victory in their past seven contests, including three straight wins. Philadelphia also snapped an eight-game skid at Tampa Bay dating to Nov. 9, 2011 (0-6-2).
MILESTONES & BENCHMARKS
* Blues forward Troy Brouwer played in his 600th NHL game.
* Stars defenseman Stephen Johns, a second-round selection (60th overall) by the Blackhawks in the 2010 NHL Draft, made his League debut against his original team.
* Stars head coach Lindy Ruff earned his 693rd career win to move past Dick Irvin (692) and into sole possession of fifth place in NHL history.
LOOSE PUCKS
Brad Richardson (2-0—2) recorded his sixth career multi-goal performance – and first since Dec. 4, 2014 at PIT (2-1—3 w/ VAN) – to help the Coyotes snap a 10-game road skid (0-9-1) . . . Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen (18 SV) suffered his first regulation loss since Dec. 21 at NYI, ending a 15-game point streak (13-0-2) . . . Penguins captainSidney Crosby (0-1—1) extended his point streak to seven games (3-8—11). He ranks sixth in the NHL with 28-39—67 overall this season (66 GP), including a League-high 22-26—48 dating to Dec. 18 (36 GP) . . . ICYMI: The Blues signed defenseman Carl Gunnarsson to a three-year contract extension . . . The NHL announced the start of the first-ever NHL Green Week, celebrating the League’s commitment to environmental sustainability.
TODAY’S CLINCHING SCENARIOS
The Capitals will clinch a playoff berth:
* If they defeat the Sharks in any fashion; OR
* If they get one point against the Sharks AND both the Flyers and Red Wings lose in any fashion; OR
* If they get one point against the Sharks AND either the Flyers or Red Wings lose in regulation.
The Capitals cannot clinch a playoff berth if they lose to the Sharks in regulation.
SNEAK PEEK AT SATURDAY’S ACTION
All Times Eastern
NY Islanders @ Boston, 1:00 p.m., SN1, MSG+, NESN
Carolina @ Buffalo, 1:00 p.m., FS-CR, MSG-B, BELL TV
NY Rangers @ Detroit, 2:00 p.m., NHLN-US, SN, MSG, FS-D
Minnesota @ Montreal, 7:00 p.m., SN, TVAS, FS-N
Toronto @ Ottawa, 7:00 p.m., CBC, TVAS2
Philadelphia @ Florida, 7:00 p.m., CSN-PH, FS-F
Colorado @ Winnipeg, 7:00 p.m., CITY, ALT2
St. Louis @ Dallas, 9:00 p.m., NHLN-US, FS-MW, FS-SW
Arizona @ Edmonton, 10:00 p.m., SN, FS-A+
Nashville @ Vancouver, 10:00 p.m., CBC, FS-TN
New Jersey @ Los Angeles, 10:30 p.m., MSG+, FS-W
Washington @ San Jose, 10:30 p.m., CSN-DC+, CSN-CA
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SEVEN NATIONAL BROADCASTS DOT CANADIAN SCHEDULE
Seven games dot Canada’s national broadcast schedule, including five as part of Hockey Night in Canada: the Canadiens (32-30-6, 70 points), who have collected at least one point in eight straight home games (7-0-1), continue their playoff push when they face the Wild (31-27-10, 72 points) at Bell Centre; the Senators (31-30-8, 70 points) and Maple Leafs (22-33-11, 55 points) stage this season’s fourth and final edition of the Battle of Ontario when they meet at Canadian Tire Centre; the Avalanche (35-30-4, 74 points), who are clinging to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, visit the Jets (27-35-5, 59 points) at MTS Centre; star rookies take the spotlight when Connor McDavid and the Oilers (27-36-7, 61 points) play host to Max Domi, Anthony Duclair and the Coyotes (29-32-7, 65 points) at Rexall Place; and the Predators (34-21-13, 81 points), who have earned at least one point in a franchise-record 14 consecutive games overall (9-0-5) and 13 straight on the road (10-0-3), look to extend those streaks against the Canucks (26-28-12, 64 points) at Rogers Arena.
the information above was supplied by the NHL PR department
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