PHILADELPHIA: The Pittsburgh Penguins closed in on the NHL Eastern Conference lead with a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers after a shootout Thursday. Pittsburgh's Alex Kovalev scored the first shootout goal. He was matched by Philadelphia's Danny Briere. Chris Kunitz got the final shootout attempt through the legs of Sergei Bobrovsky for the winner. Philadelphia's Mike Richards and Pittsburgh's Tyler Kennedy scored goals in regulation. The Flyers played in their fourth straight shootout and reached overtime for the fifth time in six games. The Penguins are five points out of the lead in the East and the Flyers hold a two-point lead over idle Washington. Kings 4, Sharks 3, SO: In Los Angeles, Dustin Brown scored two power-play goals and connected again in the fifth round of the shootout, giving Los Angeles a victory over San Jose. The Sharks' four-game winning streak was ended but the point was enough to move them level with Detroit for second place in the Western Conference. Patrick Marleau scored the tying goal for the Sharks twice in the final 3:32 of the third period, getting his second with just 4.1 seconds left after Brown's 25th goal had put the Kings back in front with 1:42 remaining. Joe Pavelski also scored for San Jose. Bruins 7, Canadiens 0: In Boston, the hosts turned a grudge match into a blowout, crushing Montreal. Boston's Zdeno Chara, a bete noire in Montreal since the hit that sent Max Pacioretty to the hospital, had three assists for the Bruins, who moved five points clear of the Canadiens in the fight for top spot in the Northeast Division. Nathan Horton and Gregory Campbell scored twice, while Johnny Boychuk, Adam McQuaid and Tomas Kaberle also netted for Boston. Predators 5, Ducks 4: In Nashville, Sergei Kostitsyn scored twice in the first period as Nashville edged Anaheim. Coyotes 3, Blue Jackets 0: In Glendale, Arizona, Ilya Bryzgalov made 27 saves to record his seventh shutout of the season as Phoenix topped Columbus. Senators 2, Rangers 1, SO: In New York, Ottawa snapped New York's season-best five-game winning streak with a shootout victory. Thrashers 2, Islanders 1: In Uniondale, New York, Rob Schremp scored the winning goal against his former team as Atlanta beat New York. Maple Leafs 4, Avalanche 3: In Denver, Toronto boosted its playoff hopes by notching a third straight win, edging Colorado. Blues 4, Oilers 0: In St. Louis, Jaroslav Halak needed to make only 12 saves to earn his sixth shutout of the season as St. Louis dominated Edmonton.
