Artem Anisimov and Mark Letestu added goals to the one Columbus already had when the makeup game started as the Blue Jackets clinched their second playoff berth in franchise history with a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night.
The Blue Jackets had a 1-0 lead when the puck dropped because that was the score on March 10, the night the original game was postponed after Dallas forward Rich Peverley collapsed on the bench because of an irregular heartbeat.
The Blue Jackets set a franchise record with 42 wins, beating the previous mark from their only other playoff season in 2008-2009.
Anisimov doubled the margin on an unassisted goal just 1 minute, 33 seconds into the game. That was 71 seconds faster than the goal last month by Nathan Horton, who got credit for it even though he did not officially play because he missed the makeup game with a lower-body injury.
The Stars scored when they pulled goalie Tim Thomas for a 6-on-4 power play with 13 minutes left in the game. Columbus goalie Sergei Bobrovsky made a sprawling save before Trevor Daley punched in a rebound.
PENGUINS 4, RED WINGS 3, SO
In Pittsburgh, Jussi Jokinen scored in regulation and then got the game-winner in the shootout, lifting Pittsburgh past playoff-bound Detroit.
James Neal scored two power-play goals in regulation — his 25th and 26th of the season — for Pittsburgh, which got defenseman Kris Letang back for the first time since he suffered a stroke 10 weeks ago.
Tomas Jurco, Jakub Kindl and Riley Sheahan scored for the Red Wings, who are headed to the post-season for the 23rd straight time.
Penguins’ goalie Marc-Andre Fleury had 34 saves through overtime.
BLACKHAWKS 3, CANADIENS 2, OT
In Chicago, Patrick Sharp set up Marian Hossa’s tying goal in the final minute of regulation and then scored the game-winner 43 seconds into overtime to lift Chicago.
Jeremy Morin also scored in the Blackhawks’ fourth straight win overall, and their first in overtime this season after seven losses.
Sharp scored the winner on a shot from the slot that struck Montreal goalie Peter Budaj, rolled high off his equipment, ticked off the left post and landed in the net.
Hossa had tipped in Sharp’s feed from the right corner left to tie the game at 2-2 with 47.7 seconds left in the third period.
Dale Weise and Francis Bouillon scored for Montreal.
In other NHL action, it was:
‧ Ducks 5, Sharks 2
‧ Flames 4, Kings 3, SO
The next generation of running talent takes center stage at today’s Berlin Marathon, in the absence of stars including Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopian world record holder Tigist Assefa. With most of the major marathon stars skipping the event in the wake of the Paris Olympics just more than a month ago, the field is wide open in the men’s and women’s races. Since 2015, Kipchoge has won five times in Berlin, Kenenisa Bekele has won twice and Guye Adola once — with all three missing today. Kenyan Kibiwott Kandie and Ethiopian Tadese Takele are among the favourites for the men, while
Zhang Shuai yesterday said that she nearly quit after losing 24 matches in a row — now the world No. 595 is into the quarter-finals of her home China Open. The 35-year-old is to face Spain’s Paula Badosa as the lowest-ranked player to reach this stage in the history of the tournament after Badosa reeled off 11 of the last 12 games in a 6-4, 6-0 victory over US Open finalist Jessica Pegula. Zhang went into Beijing on a barren run lasting more than 600 days and her string of singles defeats was the second-longest on the WTA Tour Open era, which
Taiwan’s Tony Wu yesterday beat Mackenzie McDonald of the US to win the Nonthaburi Challenger IV in Thailand, his first challenger victory since 2022. The 26-year-old world No. 315, who won both his qualifiers to advance to the main draw, has been on a hot streak this month, winning his past nine matches, including two that ensured Taiwan’s victory in their Davis Cup World Group I tie. Wu took just more than two hours to top world No. 172 McDonald 6-3, 7-6 (7/4) to win his second challenger tournament since the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger in 2022. Wu’s Tallahassee win followed two years of
UP IN SMOKE: More than half a dozen riders crashed out of the race, with Marquez’s title chances in doubt after driving off the track with flames flickering from his bike Jorge Martin yesterday won a crash-filled Indonesia MotoGP to extend his championship lead, while closest rival Francesco Bagnaia limited the damage by claiming the final podium place. The win leaves the Pramac Racing rider 21 points ahead of his Italian Ducati rival, who finished third behind Spaniard Pedro Acosta in sweltering conditions at the Mandalika International Street Circuit on Lombok island. In front of a crowd of 60,000 in motorbike-mad Indonesia, the 26-year-old put his tumble in Saturday’s sprint behind him, canceling out the gains his title rival Bagnaia made after securing victory in that race. “Thank you Indonesia. I am very happy.