Recaps: Devils Win, Pens Lose – Bruins Win and Montreal Loses in OT
Lots of crucial games in the East and the Atlantic Division last night. Here are the quick recaps:
Battle for first in the Atlantic:
The New Jersey Devils absolutely erupted for a 7-1 shellacking against the New York Islanders. Patrik Elias (19) had two goals; Dainius Zubrus (10), Zach Parise (38), Dean McAmmond (8), Brian Rolston (20), Ilya Kovalchuk (41) all had one each. Travis Zajac (43) had four assists.
Although the Atlanta Thrashers can’t sneak into the playoffs anymore, they can still play spoiler, which they did against the Pittsburgh Penguins, winning 1-0 on a goal from Bryan Little (13).
Even with a Pittsburgh win and a New Jersey loss, the Devils hold the wins tiebreaker and have cemented first place in the Atlantic and either second or third in the East (depending on the outcome of their Sabres game today).
Battle for the last few playoff spots:
On the strength of three shorthanded goals (Daniel Paille (10), Blake Wheeler (18), Steve Begin (5) in 64 seconds, the Boston Bruins were able to defeat the Carolina Hurricanes, 4-2. Milan Lucic recorded the empty net goal.
Boston has officially clinched a playoff spot.
Dion Phaneuf’s (12) goal in overtime capped off a comeback effort for the Toronto Maple Leafs, as they beat the Montreal Canadiens, 4-3. Christian Hanson (2) scored twice and Viktor Stalberg (9) tied the game up in the third period with a short-handed goal.
Despite earning just one point, the Canadiens have officially earned a playoff spot.
