NEW YORK — The Ottawa Senators quickly bounced back from one of their most disappointing losses of the season by beating the New York Rangers 3-2 at Madison Square Garden. After blowing a three-goal lead on the way to a loss against Montreal on Friday, the Senators (33-31-4) never trailed against the Rangers and in doing so, ended a brief two-game losing streak. Backup goalie Robin Lehner stopped 41 shots as Ottawa also played the role of spoilers, preventing the Rangers (43-31-5) from clinching a spot in the playoffs. New York needed just one point to lock up its postseason spot. Wild 4, Penguins 0: Minnesota center Cody McCormick, best-known for his tough guy ways, had a goal and an assist as the Wild edged closer to a return trip to the playoffs with a rousing win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. McCormick scored his first points since coming over in a trade with Buffalo, while Wild goalie Illya Bryzgalov, another trade deadline pickup, had 20 saves, improving to 5-0-3. Avalanche 4, Blues 0: Center Paul Stastny scored one goal and assisted on another in a three-goal flurry in the second period which carried the Colorado Avalanche to a road win over the St. Louis Blues. Goalie Semyon Varlamov stopped 31 St. Louis shots for his second shutout of the season and his 40th victory, which tied the franchise record set by the current Colorado coach, Patrick Roy, in 2000-01. Bruins 5, Flyers 2: The Boston Bruins clinched the top spot in the Eastern Conference with a victory over Philadelphia that further damaged the Flyers' playoff hopes. Defenseman Johnny Boychuk and winger Milan Lucic scored third-period goals 31 seconds apart as the Bruins ended a two-game losing streak and extended the Flyers' losing streak to four games, two against Boston. Capitals 4, Islanders 3 (SO): Center Evgeny Kuznetsov scored the lone goal in the shootout and goaltender Braden Holtby stopped all three shots he faced as the Washington Capitals defeated the New York Islanders 4-3 in a shootout. Jets 4, Maple Leafs 2: After officially being eliminated from playoff contention on Thursday, the Winnipeg Jets began playing their role of spoiler with a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The loss was another severe blow to the Leafs' post-season hopes. Toronto (38-32-8) has now lost nine of its last 11 in regulation and five of seven on home ice. The Leafs sit just a point behind Columbus for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Canadiens 5, Red Wings 3: Right winger Brian Gionta scored twice to lead the Montreal Canadiens to victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Stars 5, Lightning 2: The Dallas Stars needed the win more and acted like it, getting two goals from left winger Jamie Benn in an early onslaught to upend the Tampa Bay Lightning and pierce the playoff boundary. Devils 3, Hurricanes 1: Center Dainius Zubrus scored two goals as the injury-riddled New Jersey Devils mustered a road win over the Carolina Hurricanes. — Reuters
