FTS -- 3/8/09

(photo credit: AP Photo / Manuel Balce Ceneta)

SID GETS THE BEST OF ALEX...THIS TIME
#87 SCORES IN THE SHOOTOUT TO GET THE PENS PAST THE CAPS

The League's last two MVPs took center ice Sunday afternoon in DC and Sidney Crosby and the Penguins (35-26-6) survived Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals, 4-3, in a shootout. It was Pittsburgh's first win this season against Washington, 6th in a row overall, and made interim head coach Dan Bylsma 8-1-1. There were no physical confrontations between Crosby and Ovechkin as in their last meeting -- just the Pens' pivot making more plays than the Caps' winger. Crosby had a goal and an assist in regulation, then the only tally in the skills competition. Ovechkin did get one through Marc-Andre Fleury, but it wasn't enough to keep the Capitals (40-21-6) from their 4th straight loss.

SUNDAY'S OTHER ACTION

New York Rangers 4 -- Boston Bruins 3
The Rangers (34-24-8) are now on a 3-game winning streak for the first time since mid-January after this Sunday afternoon victory at MSG. Nikolai Zherdev scored the game-winner at 13:38 of the third period, Nik Antropov scored in his Broadway debut, and Sean Avery added an assist in his return to The Garden. Boston overcame a 3-1 deficit after two periods, but could not pull off the come-from-behind win. The Bruins (43-15-9) are just 1-3-1 in their last 5, but still lead the Devils by 8 points in the Eastern Conference.

Colorado Avalanche 5 -- Chicago Blackhawks 1
Thanks to a goal and assist apiece from Ryan Smith and Marek Svatos, the Avalance (29-36-1) snapped their longest losing streak since moving to Colorado (6 games) Sunday afternoon in Chicago. Peter Budaj made 24 saves and Tyler Arnason chipped in with 3 assists as the Avalanche picked up just their 4th win in 14 games and 7th in 24. Jonathan Toews notched his 11th goal in 11 games for the Blackhawks (36-19-9), who have dropped their last two outings.

Atlanta Thrashers 5 -- Calgary Flames 2
Miikka Kiprusoff's 7-game road winning streak came to a halt Sunday in Atlanta as the Calgary netminder stopped just 15 of the 20 shots he faced. Bryan Little scored twice and Ilya Kovalchuk scored one goal and set up another for the Thrashers (25-35-6), who earned their first back-to-back wins in regulation since late January. Kovalchuk now has 25 goals and 14 helpers in his last 29 contests. The Flames are now 1-2 since trading for Oli Jokinen and 39-21-6 overall.

Montreal Canadiens 3 -- Dallas Stars 1
Coming up empty on 9 of 10 power-plays got the Stars (31-27-8) their franchise-record-tying 6th consecutive home loss Sunday. Dallas was back in the Lone Star State after a 2-0-1 trip through San Jose, Los Angeles, and Anaheim, but their anemic play with the man-advantage was too much to overcome. The Stars now in a 3-way tie for 8th in the Western Conference, while Montreal (35-24-7) jumps to 5th in the East with just its 4th win in 17 road contests. Carey Price turned away 31 shots. Andrei Kostitsyn, Alex Kovalev, and Christopher Higgins scored for the Habs.

Minnesota Wild 3 -- Anaheim Ducks 2
Stephane Veilleux scored twice Sunday night as the Wild (32-28-5) skated past the Ducks in Anaheim. Minnesota is now 10th in the Western Conference, one point ahead of the Ducks (31-30-6) and 1 point behind Nashville/Edmonton/Dallas for the final playoff spot. This was just the second win on a 6-game roadie for the Wild -- they'll host the Sharks Tuesday and then head back out on the road for 4 straight. Scott Niedermayer and Todd Marchant scored for Anaheim.

New York Islanders 3 -- Phoenix Coyotes 2
The Islanders continue to fight their way out of the NHL basement, even though that may cost them the right to pick John Tavares this summer, beating the equally young Coyotes (28-33-5) Sunday afternoon on Long Island. Yann Danis made 40 saves, while Jeff Tambellini, Josh Bailey, and Kyle Okposo lit the lamp for New York (22-37-7). The Isles are 9-2-2 in their last 13 inside the Colisseum -- they are just 4 points worse than Tampa Bay right now. Phoenix loses for the 5th time in 6 games.

In Other News...

The aforementioned John Tavares scored three times Sunday to set the career goal-scoring mark in the Ontario Hockey League. Tavares now has 215 goals, 2 more than Peter Lee, who set the record back in 1976.

Multiple outlets reported this weekend that Rick Tocchet will remain behind the Lightning bench going forward. He's expected to sign a 3-year contract in the coming days. Tampa Bay is 21-31-13 since Tocchet replaced Barry Melrose.

The Islanders lost winger Trent Hunter for the remainder of the season Saturday to a broken ankle.

And our condolescenes to the Howe family after the passing of Colleen, Gordie's wife.

MONDAY'S SCHEDULE

Rangers @ Hurricanes 7:00pm ET (Our Game of the Night)
Maple Leafs @ Senators 7:30pm ET
Canucks @ Kings 10:30pm ET