The Colorado Avalanche moved top of the NHL's Northwest Division with a 2-1 win over the Phoenix Coyotes Friday. Rookie Matt Duchene scored his second goal of the game with 4:16 left and Craig Anderson made 31 saves as Colorado notched its fourth consecutive victory. Duchene, the NHL rookie goals leader, boosted his total to 20 with his fourth multigoal game of the season. Martin Hanzal scored for the Coyotes, who retain outright third in the Western Conference. Devils 5, Predators 2: In Newark, New Jersey, Ilya Kovalchuk made his first New Jersey goal a big one, putting the Devils ahead in the third period and on course for a win over Nashville. Acquired in a trade with Atlanta last week, Kovalchuk took a pass from Patrik Elias and beat Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne with a snap shot from between the circles at 8:24 of the final period. Elias, Travis Zajac, Zach Parise and Jamie Langenbrunner also scored for New Jersey, which snapped a three-game losing skid. Nashville's goals came via Cal O'Reilly and Jordin Tootoo. Rangers 3, Penguins 2, OT: In Pittsburgh, Olli Jokinen scored early in overtime to give New York victory in its final regular-season game at Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena. Brandon Dubinsky and Vinny Prospal also scored for New York. Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby scored twice to establish a career high with 41 goals. He trails Washington's Alex Ovechkin by a goal for the NHL lead. Canucks 4, Blue Jackets 3: In Columbus, Ohio, Mikael Samuelsson scored on a lazy, deflected popup that wafted over goalie Steve Mason's head, capping Vancouver's comeback win over Columbus. Sami Salo, Nolan Baumgartner and Kyle Wellwood also scored for the Canucks. Elsewhere it was: Flyers 3, Canadiens 2; Thrashers 3, Wild 2; Blues 4, Maple Leafs 0.
