BOSTON — The Boston Bruins kept pace in the wild Eastern Conference playoff picture with a 2-1 shootout victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday. Toronto goaltender James Reimer, who stopped 49 of 50 shots in 65 minutes, was beaten by Patrice Bergeron in the second round of the shootout, and Tuukka Rask stopped all three Toronto chances to give the Bruins their fifth straight victory. The Bruins (41-25-13) remain tied with the Detroit Red Wings, who also won Saturday, for third place in the Atlantic Division. Islanders 3, Sabres 0: Brock Nelson and Nikolay Kulemin scored less than five minutes apart in the third period and Jaroslav Halak stopped all 21 shots he faced as the New York Islanders moved closer to clinching a playoff berth by beating the Buffalo Sabres 3-0. The Islanders (46-27-6) will ensure at least two playoff games at the Coliseum, which they are leaving for Brooklyn's Barclays Center next season, with two more points or a loss by the Ottawa Senators. Senators 4, Capitals 3 (OT): Kyle Turris scored on a breakaway with 1:46 left in overtime to give the Ottawa Senators a 4-3 victory over the Washington Capitals. The win allowed the Senators (40-26-12) to keep pace with the Boston Bruins, who remain three points ahead of Ottawa in the race for the final wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Mark Stone, Clark MacArthur and Mika Zibanejad scored for the Senators.
Kings 3, Avalanche 1: Dwight King, Alec Martinez and and Marian Gaborik scored as the Los Angeles Kings defeated the Colorado Avalanche 3-1. The win moved the Kings (39-25-14) back into the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with four games left. The Avalanche (36-21-12) were eliminated from postseason contention before the game when the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Vancouver Canucks. Lightning 4, Panthers 0: The Tampa Bay Lightning clinched home-ice advantage for the first round of the NHL playoffs and eliminated state rivals Florida from postseason contention with a 4-0 win over the Panthers. Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos ended an eight-game scoring drought with two goals as the Lightning (48-24-8) snapped a two-game losing streak. The Lightning (104 points) tied the idle Montreal Canadiens atop the Atlantic Division. Rangers 6, Devils 1: The New York Rangers scored three first-period goals and cruised behind 34 saves from goaltender Henrik Lundqvist to a 6-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils. The Rangers (50-21-7) are three points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens for first place in the Eastern Conference and tied with the Anaheim Ducks for the league's best record, but the Rangers have played two fewer games than the Ducks. Stars 4, Predators 3 (OT): Cody Eakin scored on a penalty shot 4:04 into overtime to lift the Dallas Stars to a 4-3 victory over Nashville. Eakin was slashed by defenseman Mattias Ekholm as he split two Predators on a breakaway, then calmly converted his 18th goal of the year as Dallas (38-31-10) kept their slim Western Conference playoff hopes alive. Nashville (47-22-10) finished 0-1-2 on a three-game home stand but edged a point ahead of the St. Louis Blues in the Central Division. Jets 5, Canucks 4: Lee Stempniak scored two goals to pace the Winnipeg Jets to a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. The Sedin brothers both scored for the Canucks (45-29-5) — center Henrik notching his 18th and winger Daniel his 17th. Jim Slater scored his fifth for Winnipeg (40-26-12), while Mathieu Perreault supplied three assists. Other results: Red Wings 3, Wild 2 (SO); Blue Jackets 5, Penguins 3; Hurricanes 3, Flyers 2 (SO); Coyotes 5, Sharks 3; Flames 4, Oilers 0. — Reuters
