The Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday used stifling defense and relentless forechecking to defeat Philadelphia 4-1 in a matchup between two teams chasing one of the final Eastern Conference playoff spots in the NHL.
Trevor Daley, Carl Hagelin and Chris Kunitz all scored for the Penguins, who have won five straight and six of seven — all against Metropolitan Division opponents.
The teams are to meet twice more in the final week of the season, but the Penguins gave themselves some breathing room, moving six points ahead of the Flyers.
Photo: John Hefti-USA TODAY
Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 16 saves in his 31st victory of the season, but was hardly challenged by the Flyers.
After falling behind on a goal by Radko Gudas early in the second period, the Penguins answered quickly. Nick Bonino won a board battle with Flyers rookie defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere and fed Daley in left circle for the tying goal.
Elsewhere, Joel Ward scored twice and Joe Thornton broke a tie early in the third period as San Jose overwhelmed Henrik Lundqvist and the New York Rangers 4-1.
Lundqvist stopped 42 of the first 43 shots he faced before allowing three to Thornton, Ward and Joe Pavelski on four shots in a span of 3 minutes, 20 seconds that sent the Sharks to their third straight home win.
Tomas Hertl had three assists and Martin Jones made 25 saves to help San Jose move within a point of second-place Anaheim in the Pacific Division.
In Dallas, Kari Lehtonen made 27 saves as the Stars earned their first shutout since December last year, beating the New York Islanders 3-0 to maintain their hold on sole possession of first place in the Western Conference.
Lehtonen earned his second shutout of the season and the 34th of his career. Cody Eakin, Patrick Eaves and Ales Hemsky scored for a depleted Dallas offense.
Tyler Seguin, the Stars’ 33-goal scorer, is expected to miss the rest of the regular season after having surgery on Friday to repair a partially torn right Achilles tendon.
Tanner Pearson and Alec Martinez scored and Jonathan Quick made 27 saves, helping Los Angeles clinch a playoff spot with a 2-1 win over Boston.
Los Angeles’ 11th victory in 14 games, coupled with the Arizona Coyotes’ 2-0 loss to Tampa Bay, clinched a berth for the Kings — who last season became the eighth team in NHL history to miss the post-season a year after winning the Stanley Cup.
Charlie Coyle and Zach Parise scored in the shootout as Minnesota got a big win in the race for the final playoff spot in the West, beating Carolina 3-2.
David Jones and Jason Zucker scored in regulation, and Devan Dubnyk made 31 saves for the Wild, who are one point behind idle Colorado for eighth place.
In Ottawa, Andrew Hammond stopped all 30 shots for his first shutout of the season as the Senators scored three short-handed goals in a 5-0 victory over Montreal.
In other results, it was:
‧ Blue Jackets 6, Devils 3
‧ Maple Leafs 4, Sabres 1
‧ Red Wings 5, Panthers 3
‧ Blues 3, Canucks 0
‧ Lightning 2, Coyotes 0
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely