Tomas Vokoun stopped 36 shots in his third shutout of the season as the Florida Panthers ended a six-game losing streak against the Washington Capitals with a 3-0 victory on Thursday.
Michael Frolik, Steve Bernier and Mike Santorelli scored for the Panthers, who have won a season-high three straight. Florida went 0-6 against Washington last season.
Vokoun has 19 shutouts with the Panthers and 41 overall in 13 NHL seasons.
PHOTO: REUTERS
BRUINS 5, ISLANDERS 2
In Boston, Milan Lucic scored two goals and Tuukka Rask made 33 saves to lift the Boston Bruins over the New York Islanders.
Boston extended the Islanders’ futility to 1-15-3 in their past 19 games. New York, which has lost 11 straight road games, hasn’t won since beating New Jersey at home on Nov. 26.
FLYERS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 1
In Toronto, Danny Briere scored twice as the Philadelphia Flyers cruised over Toronto after building a three-goal lead.
Briere scored Philadelphia’s final two goals to give him a team-leading 16 this season. Ville Leino and Chris Pronger put the Flyers ahead 2-0 in the first period. Brian Boucher made 31 saves.
Mikhail Grabovski scored his third goal in three games.
RANGERS 5, SENATORS 3
In Ottawa, Michael Sauer scored his first NHL goal on a power play with 5:19 left to break a tie as the New York Rangers beat Ottawa.
The defenseman took a cross-ice pass from Brandon Prust and drove a slap shot past goalie Brian Elliott to give New York its first lead. Erik Christensen drew the Rangers even for the third time earlier in the period. Brandon Dubinsky scored into an empty net with 51.9 seconds remaining.
Derek Stepan and Ruslan Fedotenko also scored for New York, which replied quickly after each of Ottawa’s first two goals.
Mike Fisher scored twice, Jason Spezza added a goal for the Senators, who have lost 10 of 13.
SABRES 6, SHARKS 3
In Buffalo, New York, Paul Gaustad had two goals and an assist, Thomas Vanek scored twice, and Ryan Miller made 26 saves to help lead Buffalo over San Jose.
Cody McCormick had a goal and two assists, and Jason Pominville also scored for Buffalo, which has won four of six.
The Sabres are 14-1 at home against the Sharks.
Rookie center Logan Couture had a goal and assist, and Marc--Edouard Vlasic and Douglas -Murray also scored for San Jose.
BLUES 4, BLUE JACKETS 1
In St Louis, Missouri, Jaroslav Halak made 27 saves as St Louis broke out of a deep power-play slump with a season-high three man-advantage goals against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The Blues, who entered the game in an 0-for-22 drought, dating to Nov. 20, got advantage goals from Alex Steen, Jay McClement and Vladimir Sobotka.
David Backes had a goal and two assists, and Erik Johnson had two assists as the Blues won their second straight after a five-game skid.
WILD 3, COYOTES 2
In Glendale, Arizona, Andrew Brunette scored his second goal on a rare power-play conversion as Minnesota ended a five-game losing streak with a victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.
Brunette scored on a one-timer in the first period and added a redirect midway through the third period for Minnesota’s second power-play goal in 32 chances. Niklas Backstrom stopped 33 shots to end a four-start losing streak, and Brent Burns added a goal to help the Wild to their first win at Phoenix since 2008.
Phoenix got a goal from Taylor Pyatt with a two-man advantage with just under a minute left, but couldn’t generate any more good chances. Pyatt also scored in the first period for the Coyotes, who have lost four of six.
KINGS 2, FLAMES 1
In Los Angeles, Kyle Clifford scored his first NHL goal and Jonathan Quick made 26 saves as the Los Angeles Kings hung on late for a victory over Calgary.
Anze Kopitar scored a power-play goal for the Kings, who have won three straight after losing seven of eight in a skid that sent them cascading down from the top of the Western Conference standings.
Olli Jokinen broke up Quick’s shutout bid on a power-play goal with 3:21 to play, also ending Los Angeles’ streak of 45 straight penalty-kills at home from the start of the season.
Miikka Kiprusoff stopped 30 shots for the struggling Flames, who have alternated wins and losses in the past nine games.
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Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
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