Daniel Briere scored 62 seconds into overtime, lifting the Buffalo Sabres to a 2-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday.
Maxim Afinogenov also scored for the Sabres, who rallied from a 1-0 deficit to win their fourth straight. Ryan Miller made 27 saves as Buffalo won its sixth straight home game, the team's longest streak since winning seven straight early into the 1999-2000 season.
Shawn Horcoff scored for Edmonton, which has lost two straight to start a critical seven-game road trip.
PHOTO: AP
The defending Western Conference champions entered the night seven points out of the eighth and final playoff spot.
Briere scored on a two-on-one break and at the end of a long shift. Getting a pass from Jochen Hecht inside the Oilers zone, Briere patiently waited for defender Toby Petersen to slide past him. Then, stepping into the middle, Briere lifted a shot beating Dwayne Roloson over the right shoulder.
Rangers 4, Hurricanes 1
At Raleigh, North Carolina, Karel Rachunek and Michael Nylander each had a goal and assist and the New York Rangers beat Carolina for their third straight win.
Rachunek scored one of three power-play goals for the Rangers.
Brendan Shanahan and Pascal Dupuis, in his Rangers debut, also scored for New York. Matt Cullen, who left Carolina to sign with the Rangers in the offseason, added an assist.
Andrew Ladd scored for the Hurricanes, who lost All-Star winger Justin Williams midway through the second period with what the team called an upper-body injury. Defenseman Bret Hedican also left the game with a concussion.
Maple Leafs 4, Flyers 2
At Philadelphia, Mats Sundin had a goal and an assist to help Toronto beat Philadelphia to snap a three-game losing streak.
The Flyers were without captain Peter Forsberg, who was traded to the Nashville Predators before the game for right wing Scottie Upshall, defenseman Ryan Parent, and two draft picks.
Jeff O'Neill, Niki Antropov, and Carlo Colaiacovo also scored for the Maple Leafs, who had won seven of eight before their losing streak.
Simon Gagne and Mike Knuble scored for the Flyers.
Islanders 4, Bruins 1
At Uniondale, New York, Mike Sillinger scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period to lift the New York Islanders to a key victory over Boston.
Sillinger, who got the only assist on Jeff Tambellini's first goal of the season in the opening period, shook off an injury and scored his 19th at 10:56.
New York, starting its second seven-game homestand of the season, moved into a three-way tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference -- one point behind Carolina.
Lightning 3, Capitals 2, SO
At Tampa, Florida, Vincent Lecavalier scored two goals and Martin St. Louis had the lone shootout goal for Tampa Bay.
Lecavalier has a career-high 39 goals, three shy of Brian Bradley's team record set during the 1992-'93 season. Lecavalier has scored a goal in 15 of 19 games. Washington's Dainius Zubrus forced overtime when he scored from the slot after a turnover by Tampa Bay with 14.9 seconds left in the third.
The Lightning have won 14 of 17 and are one point behind the Southeast Division-leading Atlanta Thrashers.
Alexander Semin scored his 30th goal for the Capitals, who have lost 11 of their last 12 road games. Washington played without injured goalie Olie Kolzig.
Ducks 5, Coyotes 4, OT
At Glendale, Arizona, Teemu Selanne scored his second goal on a power play with 3:07 left in overtime, and Anaheim rallied from a three-goal deficit to edge Phoenix.
Chris Pronger also scored twice and Dustin Penner added a goal for the Ducks, who beat Phoenix for the fifth time in six games this season and snapped a three-game skid overall.
Mathias Tjarnqvist, Keith Ballard, Owen Nolan and Oleg Saprykin scored for Phoenix, which has lost three straight.
Selanne beat Curtis Joseph with a shot from the left edge of the crease into the top right side of the net for his 526th career goal.
Avalanche 7, Flames 5
At Calgary, Alberta, Joe Sakic scored twice, including his 600th career goal, and added three assists to lead Colorado over Calgary.
Sakic reached the 600-goal mark by scoring into an empty net, becoming the 17th player in NHL history to get there. Brendan Shanahan and Jaromir Jagr also reached 600 with the Rangers earlier this season.
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