SCOREBOARD
Friday, Feb. 29
San Jose at Detroit (7:30 p.m. EST). The Sharks have won three straight heading into their seventh of an eight-game road trip against the slumping Red Wings.
STARS
Thursday
-Brad Richards and Niklas Hagman, Stars. Richards had a career-high five points – all on assists – and set up Hagman’s first NHL hat trick in sending Dallas past Chicago 7-4.
-Ilya Bryzgalov, Coyotes, made 41 saves and Phoenix held off St. Louis 2-1.
-Ales Hemsky, Oilers, had two goals and an assist to lead Edmonton to a 5-4 win over Los Angeles.
-Mike Knuble, Flyers, scored twice in Philadelphia’s 3-1 victory over Ottawa.
-Marco Sturm, Bruins, scored two goals in the first period to ignite Boston’s 5-1 win over Pittsburgh.
-Trent Hunter, Islanders, scored off a faceoff in overtime and New York beat Atlanta 5-4.
HELLO, GOODBYE
Marian Hossa made his Pittsburgh debut Thursday night and took 13 shifts before banging knees with Glen Murray in the second period and leaving the 5-1 loss at Boston. He could miss a week. Hossa was acquired Tuesday along with forward Pascal Dupuis for forwards Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen, a top prospect and a first-round draft pick. Dupuis had the Penguins’ only goal.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Brad Richards had a career-high five points in his Dallas debut – all on assists – to help the Stars outlast Chicago 7-4 on Thursday night. His five assists tied a franchise record; it was a first in the club’s Dallas era. Richards, who’d never had more than three assists in a game, was a plus-2 in 19:16 on the ice. He arrived Tuesday as the centerpiece of a five-player deal with Tampa Bay. Two Minnesota North Stars had five assists: Murray Oliver and Larry Murphy.
NEW COACH, SAME RESULT
Ottawa lost in Bryan Murray’s return to the bench, 3-1 at Philadelphia on Thursday night. The Senators have lost three straight and 15 of 22. Murray, the general manager who fired John Paddock on Wednesday, coached the team for the first time since Anaheim eliminated Ottawa in last year’s Stanley Cup finals.
ON A ROLL
Dallas beat Chicago 7-4 on Thursday night and has won four straight and 13 of 15 to get within three points of Detroit for the top spot in the Western Conference. The Stars also improved to 8-1-1-2 in their past 12 home games against the Blackhawks. … Boston has won five straight and seven of eight after topping Pittsburgh 5-1. The Bruins are within six points of first place in the Eastern Conference. … The New York Rangers picked up their third straight victory and sixth in eight games after a 4-2 victory at Carolina on Thursday night. … The New York Islanders have won seven of their past nine games after beating Atlanta in overtime 5-4.
SCORING SPREES
Defenseman Zdeno Chara scored his eighth goal in 10 games and helped Boston extend its winning streak to five games in Thursday night’s 5-1 win over Pittsburgh. … Dallas’ Loui Eriksson stretched his goal streak to four games after scoring in a 7-4 win over Chicago. He has six goals in that span, after scoring only six in his previous 49 games.
SUCCESS IN ST. LOUIS
Phoenix won at St. Louis for the sixth straight time after edging the Blues 2-1 on Thursday night. The Coyotes beat St. Louis for the fourth time this season and second in less than a week. Ilya Bryzgalov made 41 saves after topping the Blues 2-0 last Sunday at Phoenix with a 35-save effort.
STRONG IN DEFEAT
Chicago’s Rene Bourque had two short-handed goals in a 7-4 loss at Dallas on Thursday night. … Erik Cole scored both Carolina goals in a 4-2 defeat to the New York Rangers.
MILESTONE
Boston’s Marco Sturm scored twice in a 5-1 win over Pittsburgh to reach 200 NHL goals.
ACTIVATED
Los Angeles activated defenseman Rob Blake from the injured reserve list Thursday after he missed 11 games because of an ankle injury.
SURGERY
Tampa Bay center Chris Gratton will have surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left hip next week and will be sidelined indefinitely.
SPEAKING
“I’m so happy to be a part of this. They’ve got a good thing going here. I went from looking like I’d be done the first of April to making a good run at (the Stanley Cup).” – Brad Richards after tying a team record with five assists in his Dallas debut and leading the Stars to a 7-4 win over Chicago on Thursday night. Richards was acquired Tuesday from Tampa Bay, which has the worst record in the East.