Antti Niemi made 28 saves for his sixth shutout as the Chicago Blackhawks took over the points lead in the Western Conference by ending the Phoenix Coyotes' nine-game winning streak with a 2-0 victory Tuesday night. Chicago moved closer to clinching its second straight playoff berth and now has 99 points, two more than the Coyotes and one more than San Jose, which regained the Pacific Division lead over Phoenix. Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa scored second-period goals for Chicago, which beat the Coyotes for the first time in four meetings this season. Phoenix' nine-game winning streak had equaled a club record. Bruins 4, Thrashers 0: David Krejci scored a goal and assisted on another, Tuukka Rask blanked Atlanta for the second time this season, and the Bruins kept up their dominance over the Thrashers to extend their lead for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The Bruins moved three points ahead of the Thrashers in the playoff race, snapping Atlanta's four-game winning streak. Rask stopped a penalty shot and made 28 saves in all to beat Atlanta for the third time this season, including a pair of 4-0 victories. Devils 6, Blue Jackets 3: At Newark, Travis Zajac and Zach Parise each scored twice and Ilya Kovalchuk had a goal and three assists to lead New Jersey over Columbus. Panthers 4, Maple Leafs 1: At Toronto, David Booth had the first two-goal game of an injury-marred season. Scott Clemmensen came within three minutes of registering his first shutout of the season. He settled for a 42-save effort in a victory. Senators 2, Flyers 0: At Ottawa, Brian Elliott earned his second shutout in two days and Chris Kelly and Daniel Alfredsson scored to lead Ottawa over Philadelphia. Elliott stopped 26 shots – including a spectacular glove save on James van Riemsdyk with 3:55 remaining – for his fifth shutout of the season. The Senators strengthened their hold on fifth place overall in the Eastern Conference with 83 points, four ahead of Philadelphia and Montreal. Other results: Lightning 3, Hurricanes 2, OT; Sharks 4, Wild 1; Stars 3, Predators 1; Flames 3, Ducks 1; Oilers 3, Canucks 2.
