Maxim Afinogenov pumped in a goal and assist, Ryan Miller stopped 29 shots, and the Buffalo Sabres beat the New York Islanders 3-0 on Thursday to win their 10th straight game and match the best start ever in the NHL.
Afinogenov set up Ales Kotalik's first-period goal and scored one in the second. Miller did the rest for the Sabres, who tied the 1993-1994 Toronto Maple Leafs, the only other NHL team to jump out 10-0.
The Sabres can break the record at home against Atlanta today. Buffalo, which fell one win shy of the Stanley Cup finals last season, has a team-record 15 consecutive regular-season victories.
PHOTO: AFP
By the time Jason Pominville stretched the lead to 3-0 early in the third period, the sparse crowd of 8,861 at Nassau Coliseum had already grown frustrated with the home team. Boos and groans were easily heard, as were the many saves that thumped off Miller's pads and blocker.
Flyers 3, Thrashers 2, SO
At Philadelphia, Peter Forsberg and Simon Gagne each scored in a shootout, lifting Philadelphia over Atlanta, making Flyers coach John Stevens a winner in his NHL coaching debut.
After Johan Hedberg had 29 saves in regulation and overtime for the Thrashers, he was pulled for Kari Lehtonen. The Flyers jumped all over the goalie change, with Gagne and Forsberg scoring on the Flyers' first two shots.
Vyacheslav Kozlov had the only shootout goal for Atlanta on its first shot. No one else could slip one past steady Antero Niittymaki, who had 27 saves.
Devils 2, Panthers 0
At East Rutherford, New Jersey, Martin Brodeur tied Hall of Famer Jacques Plante for fourth place on the NHL shutout list with 82 and New Jersey snapped a three-game losing streak with a win over Florida.
Zach Parise and Patrik Elias scored power-play goals to support Brodeur's 29-save effort. The win came a day after the Devils held a team meeting after the defensive-minded club give up 15 goals in the three games.
Brodeur probably had to make about six good saves in posting his second shutout of the season. His best was a sprawling stop midway through the first period on a rebound attempt along the ice by Ville Peltonen. Brodeur also stopped Gary Roberts in close on two stuff attempts during the first of the Panthers' two power plays.
Canadiens 3, Bruins 2
At Boston, Andrei Markov scored the tiebreaking goal with 1.2 seconds left, giving Montreal a victory over Boston and prompting a shower of garbage from Bruins fans that convinced officials to wave off the final two ticks of the clock.
Cristobal Huet stopped 34 shots for Montreal, which has won eight of nine against its longtime rival, including the last six in a row. Michael Ryder and Chris Higgins also scored for the Canadiens.
Senators 7, Maple Leafs 2
At Ottawa, Dany Heatley extended his goals streak to four games with his fourth career hat trick and Jason Spezza and Joe Corvo each had five points, leading Ottawa over Toronto.
Heatley, who became Ottawa's first 50-goal scorer last season, got his first goal of the game early in the second as the Senators scored twice within 17 seconds to take a 3-0 lead. He scored two goals 1:17 apart late in the second, both set up by Spezza and Corvo, to help Ottawa extend its lead to 6-2.
Corvo, Spezza, Mike Fisher and Antoine Vermette all scored for Ottawa. Bates Battaglia and Jeff O'Neill netted goals for Toronto.
In other games it was:
* Lightning 5, Hurricanes 1
* Predators 4, Sharks 3
* Coyotes 6, Oilers 2
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