Alexei Kovalev,
acquired from Pittsburgh in an eight-player deal last Monday, struck the only goal in the third period as the New York Rangers edged the Penguins 1-0 Friday.
Kovalev, who began his career in New York, tallied at 1:38 of the final frame on assists from defensemen Tom Poti and Brian Leetch. He also scored on his Rangers debut on Wednesday.
Mike Dunham turned aside all 26 Pittsburgh shots to earn his third shutout as Glen Sather won for only the second time in six games behind the Rangers bench.
As a result, New York took sole possession of 10th place in the Eastern Conference with the victory.
Hurricanes 3 Capitals 1
In Raleigh, North Carolina, the Hurricanes snapped a seven-game losing streak by edging the Washington Capitals 3-1.
It was only the third win in 23 games for Carolina, which reached the Stanley Cup final last year.
Craig Adams netted early for the Hurricanes, with Jan Hlavac and Jeff O'Neill adding third-period goals.
Thrashers 2 Lightning 2
In Atlanta, the Tampa Bay Lightning overcame an early 2-0 deficit to forge a 2-2 tie with the Thrashers.
All-Star Game MVP Dany Heatley and Slava Kozlov struck first-period goals for Atlanta, Marc
Savard assisting on both.
Vaclav Prospal pulled one back for Tampa late in the second frame. Nikita Alexeev made it 2-2 with a goal at 6:16 of the third period.
Tampa had the better of the play in overtime, with four shots against Atlanta's two.
Bruins 6 Panthers 5 (OT)
In Sunrise, Florida, Brian Rolston grabbed his 20th goal of the season 27 seconds into overtime as the Boston Bruins rallied to down the Panthers 6-5.
After Mike Knuble set an NHL record by tallying twice in the first 27 seconds, Florida came roaring back with four unanswered goals.
Joe Thornton brought Boston level with two goals in the second period. The teams traded third
period goals, Glen Murray scoring at 10:48 on assists from Knuble and Thornton to force overtime.
Coyotes 3 Wild 2
In St Paul, Minnesota, Phoenix's Daymond Langkow scored early in the second period to tie the game at 2-2 before counting again at 17:38 of the final frame to give the Coyotes a 3-2 triumph over the Wild.
Ladislav Nagy assisted on both Langkow's goals. Daniel Briere also tallied for Phoenix, with Richard Park and Cliff Ronning finding the mark for Minnesota.
The Coyotes seemed to benefit from their team meeting after the 3-0 loss to the New Jersey Devils Wednesday.
Sharks 4 Blackhawks 2
In Chicago, Vincent Damphousse and Scott Thornton netted powerplay goals less than a minute apart in the closing stages to give the San Jose Sharks a 4-2 victory over the Blackhawks.
It snapped a four-game losing streak for the Sharks. Adam Graves and Owen Nolan had given San Jose a 2-0 lead, Damphousse assisting on both goals.
Chris Simon and rookie Tyler Arnason replied for Chicago, a shaky 2-9-2 in its last 13 outings.
Mighty Ducks 4 Stars 2
In Dallas, the Stars lost for only the third time in 28 home games, falling 4-2 to the surging Anaheim Mighty Ducks.
Alexei Smirnov and Steve Rucchin both scored early in the third period to clinch victory.
Adam Oates and Petr Sykora had second-period goals for Anaheim, which had won its previous 10 games by one-goal margins, an NHL record. Mike Modano and Ulf Dahlen tallied for the Stars, who are now 20-3-4-1 at home.



