SCOREBOARD
Thursday, March 20
Colorado at Calgary (9 p.m. EDT). The Avalanche and Flames are tied with 84 points, but Calgary has a game in hand.
STARS
Wednesday
-Thomas Vanek and Jochen Hecht, Sabres. Vanek scored three consecutive goals and Hecht scored twice during Buffalo’s six-goal third period, capping the 7-4 comeback victory over Tampa Bay.
-Henrik Zetterberg, Red Wings, scored three goals in the third period to lift Detroit to a 3-1 win over Columbus.
-Chris Drury and Nigel Dawes, Rangers. Drury tied the game with 4:46 left in regulation, and Dawes had the only goal in the shootout to give New York a 2-1 victory at New Jersey.
-Jeremy Roenick, Sharks, scored his 507th career goal and added the decisive shootout score as San Jose topped Anaheim 4-3.
-Todd Bertuzzi, Ducks, scored the tiebreaking goal on the power play with 27.2 seconds and Anaheim outlasted Dallas 2-1.
SHARK BITES
San Jose became the second team to clinch a playoff spot by virtue of its 4-3 shootout win over Minnesota on Wednesday night. The Sharks have beaten the Wild seven straight times and have 27 points in 14 games overall since Feb. 21.
COMEBACK KIDS
Buffalo overcame a 4-1 deficit against Tampa Bay by scoring six unanswered goals in the third period for a 7-4 victory on Wednesday night. It was their third come-from-behind win over the Lightning this season. Buffalo rallied from a pair of two-goal deficits, including a 4-3 overtime win on Feb. 20.
BROKEN
Minnesota Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster left the Shark Tank ice on a stretcher Wednesday night with a broken left leg after running into the boards in a collision with San Jose rookie Torrey Mitchell.
ONE-SIDED
The New York Rangers improved to 6-0 against New Jersey this season by rallying for a 2-1 shootout win on Wednesday night. The Rangers have held the Devils to five goals in the process and winning three times after regulation.
ZETTER ALL BETTER
Henrik Zetterberg scored all of Detroit’s goals during the third period of Wednesday night’s 3-1 win over Columbus. He had gone seven games without a goal and only had one in his past 11.
THANKS, TONY!
season, was joined by his older brother and Hall of Fame forward, Phil, during the ceremony.
SURGERY
Goaltender Rick DiPietro will miss the rest of the New York Islanders season because of hip surgery. The operation was scheduled for Wednesday in Vail, Colo. DiPietro is finishing the second season of a landmark 15-year contract. This marks the second straight year that the team’s 26-year-old goalie needs hip surgery. The left one was operated on after last season’s playoffs; now the right one needs repair.
ONE STEP CLOSER
The new owners of the Nashville Predators are close to final approval on a revised lease agreement for their arena that has Nashville taxpayers helping subsidize the team. The Metro Sports Authority approved the new lease by a vote of 7-1 Tuesday, and the Metro Council is expected to vote on the lease April 1 with only a simple majority needed for approval.
SPEAKING
“You can write the same story as the last time we were here: Third-period collapse. It’s a bad feeling.” – Tampa Bay’s Martin St. Louis after the Lightning blew a 4-1 lead by allowing six third-period goals in a 7-4 loss at Buffalo on Wednesday night.