Buffalo Sabres' left-wing Marcus Foligno (Front) is knocked off his skates while driving for a shot by Colorado Avalanche's left-wing Gabriel Landeskog in the third period of their NHL game in Denver Saturday. — AP NEW YORK — Nashville clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time since 2012 and a couple of former Washington players helped them do it in a 4-3 win Saturday. Rookie center Filip Forsberg, taken by the Capitals with the 11th pick of the 2012 NHL draft, scored one goal and assisted on two others, and center Mike Ribeiro, who played for the Capitals two seasons ago, recorded a goal and an assist. Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne turned aside 25 shots to improve his record to 41-15-4, while Washington goalie Braden Holtby was pulled after allowing three goals on 13 shots. The Predators also received goals from defenseman Mattias Ekholm and center Mike Fisher in winning their fourth straight game. The Capitals collected two goals from right-winger Troy Brouwer and one from defenseman Mike Green. Ducks 3, Islanders 2: Centers Kyle Palmieri and Andrew Cogliano scored in the second period and Anaheim clinched a playoff berth. The Ducks (48-22-7) have won two straight and six of eight to move into first place overall in the NHL with 103 points. Right-winger Richard Rakell was credited with a goal in the first period for the Ducks while goalie Frederik Andersen made 29 saves. The Islanders (44-27-5) continued their freefall by losing for the ninth time in 12 games this month (3-6-3). Penguins 3, Coyotes 2: Center Sidney Crosby had a goal and two assists, all in the third period, to boost his league-leading points total to 78 as Pittsburgh beat Arizona. Right-wingers Daniel Winnik and Steve Downie also scored for Pittsburgh. Left-winger Tye McGinn and center Tobias Rieder scored for Arizona. Pittsburgh defenseman Kris Letang, widely considered a candidate for the Norris Trophy, left the game in the second period. After Letang released a long outlet pass, Arizona right-winger Shane Doan hit him. Letang fell backward into the end boards and needed assistance as he left the ice. Bruins 4, Rangers 2: Boston took advantage of a rusty Henrik Lundqvist in his return, scoring three times in the first period on the New York Rangers' veteran goaltender. Sharks 3, Flyers 2 (SO): San Jose center Melker Karlsson and defenseman Brent Burns each scored shootout goals, and goaltender Alex Stalock stopped 16 of 18 shots to beat Philadelphia. Red Wings 4, Lightning 0: Goaltender Petr Mrazek made 23 saves for his second shutout of the season and fourth of his career to lead Detroit over Tampa Bay. Blue Jackets 4, Blues 2: The Columbus Blue Jackets posted a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues, who are vying for the Presidents Trophy as the NHL's top team. Canadiens 3, Panthers 2 (OT): Max Pacioretty scored the winning goal in overtime to lift the Montreal Canadiens to a 3-2 victory over Florida. Wild 4, Kings 1: The Minnesota Wild got two goals each from Nino Niederreiter and Mikko Koivu to defeat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1. Stars 4, Canucks 3 (OT): John Klingberg scored with 47 seconds left in overtime as the Dallas Stars defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-3. Hurricanes 3, Devils 1: Eric Staal and Justin Faulk scored in the opening 4:58 of the third period, and goaltender Cam Ward had to stop just 21 shots, as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-1. — Reuters
