NEW YORK — Four unanswered third-period goals lifted Ottawa to a 5-2 victory over San Jose, and also moved the Senators into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Ottawa (37-24-11) earned its seventh win in a row and increased its point total to 85, one more than the Boston Bruins. The Sharks (35-30-8) lost for the fourth time in their last five games, damaging their diminishing playoff hopes. Center Mika Zibanejad scored twice for the Senators, while wingers Alex Chiasson and Mike Hoffman and center Jean-Gabriel Pageau added a goal apiece. Winger Joe Pavelski and center Chris Tierney had the Sharks' goals. Blackhawks 3, Hurricanes 1: Center Andrew Shaw and left-winger Patrick Sharp scored first-period goals which held up for Chicago in a victory against Carolina at PNC Arena. Shaw added an empty-net goal with 40 seconds left, with center Jonathan Toews notching an assist on the play for his 500th career point. Chicago goalie Corey Crawford stopped 43 shots. Flames 3, Avalanche 2: Thanks to a 25-save performance from goaltender Karri Ramo, Calgary walked away with a close win over Colorado at the Scotiabank Saddledome, maintaining their hold on the final Pacific Division playoff spot. David Jones and Jiri Hudler scored early for the Flames, while Lance Bouma's marker midway through the third period stood up as the game winner. Jones and Bouma both finished with two points. Kings 3, Devils 1: Defenseman Andrej Sekera and right-wing Tyler Toffoli scored first-period goals to lead Los Angeles over New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center. Center Anze Kopitar added a third-period goal and had two assists. The three-point game was Kopitar's third of the season, and his first since March 3. Left wing Marian Gaborik had two assists for the Kings. Stars 4, Sabres 3: Dallas left-winger and captain Jamie Benn had two goals and an assist, right-winger Patrick Eaves a goal and an assist and center Cody Eakin had the game-winner with 3:14 remaining in regulation as Dallas edged Buffalo. Eakin's goal, his career-high 17th of the season, came as he sent a wrist shot from the edge of the left circle into the right side of the Buffalo net, as Sabres goaltender Anders Lindback was a touch late arriving to stop the shot. Wild 2, Maple Leafs 1: Wild right-winger Thomas Vanek had a goal and an assist as Minnesota defeated Toronto at Air Canada Centre. Minnesota forward Charlie Coyle had the other Wild goal while goaltender Devan Dubnyk made 34 saves to earn his first career win against the Leafs. Jets 4, Oilers 1: Winnipeg tightened their grip on a playoff spot with a victory over Edmonton at Rexall Place. The Jets rolled out to a 3-0 lead through 40 minutes and then held strong as the Oilers, who came into the game with points in four straight games, launched a desperate third-period comeback attempt. — Reuters
