NHL Roundup: Canucks to miss playoffs

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Rookie Matt Carle scored the go-ahead goal as the San Jose Sharks won 5-3 and eliminated the Vancouver Canucks from playoff contention Thursday night.

The Sharks earned their franchise-record seventh straight victory.

Joe Thornton tied Jaromir Jagr for the NHL scoring lead with three assists, giving him 122 points in his spectacular season since joining the Sharks in a trade with Boston. Thornton had seven assists in San Jose's back-to-back wins over the Canucks, pushing the Sharks into fifth place in the Western Conference standings with 97 points, one ahead of Anaheim.

Todd Bertuzzi had a goal and two assists for the Canucks, who will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2000.

Ed Jovanovski and Brendan Morrison also scored for the Canucks, who went into the third period with a 3-2 lead — but their consecutive losses to San Jose allowed seventh-place Colorado and eighth-place Edmonton to clinch playoff berths.

Other games

At Flames 2, Avalanche 0

Miikka Kiprusoff made 23 saves for his second straight shutout to help Calgary clinch the Northwest Division. The Flames last won a division title in 1994-95 when they finished atop the Pacific Division.

Colorado clinched a playoff spot an hour after the game when Vancouver lost to San Jose.

At Oilers 2, Mighty Ducks 1

Ales Hemsky scored with 33.3 seconds left in the third period to lift Edmonton. The Oilers clinched a playoff spot with the Canucks' loss and moved within a point of seventh-place Colorado.

Red Wings 7, at Blackhawks 3

Brendan Shanahan scored three goals and added an assist to help Detroit set an NHL record with its 11th straight road win.

Henrik Zetterberg scored twice and Niklas Lidstrom had a goal and three assists for Detroit, which won its sixth straight overall. The Red Wings have played 18 games without a regulation loss (15-0-3) en route to clinching the President's Trophy for the best regular-season record (56-15-8).

At Penguins 5, Rangers 3

Sidney Crosby had a goal and three assists to close within three points of becoming the youngest player to have a 100-point season in the NHL.

Pittsburgh further stalled New York's bid to win its first division title since 1994. The Rangers stayed three points ahead of the Flyers in an Atlantic Division race that could be decided when the teams play Saturday in Philadelphia.

Crosby had two or more points for the eighth time in 10 games. With three games remaining, he must average slightly more than one point per game to join Hall of Fame forward Dale Hawerchuk as the only 18-year-olds to score 100 points.

At Predators 4, Wild 2

Mike Sillinger scored two goals as Nashville clinched home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Predators won their fourth straight game, earning the fourth seed in the Western Conference.

Panthers 5, at Senators 4 (OT)

Ottawa clinched the Northeast Division title despite losing to Florida. Daniel Alfredsson scored with two seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 4 and send it into overtime, earning the Senators the point that clinched the title.

Joe Nieuwendyk won the game for Florida, scoring 3:30 into the extra period.

At Coyotes 3, Kings 0

Phoenix goaltender Curtis Joseph made 32 saves for his 46th career shutout. Los Angeles was eliminated from the playoff race in the second period when Edmonton won.

At Thrashers 5, Capitals 3

Marian Hossa scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period and added an empty netter with 25 seconds to go as Atlanta pulled within two points of Tampa Bay for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Alexander Ovechkin scored his 50th goal for Washington, becoming the second rookie in NHL history to reach 50 goals and 100 points.

Canadiens 4, at Bruins 3

Alex Kovalev recorded two goals and an assist to help Montreal move a step closer to making the playoffs.

Currently in seventh place in the East, Montreal leads ninth-place Atlanta by six points with two games remaining. The Canadiens need just one point or an Atlanta loss or tie to clinch a playoff spot.

Maple Leafs 4,

at Islanders 3 (OT)

Matt Stajan scored his second goal with 1:08 left in overtime to give Toronto an important victory. The Leafs are three points behind No. 8 Tampa Bay in the Eastern playoff race.

At Devils 4, Flyers 1

Zach Parise scored two goals and Brian Gionta had three assists to give New Jersey its ninth straight win and pull even with the Flyers in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. The teams are tied for fifth place.

At Blue Jackets 4, Blues 1

Pascal Leclaire stopped 26 shots to lead Columbus over St. Louis.

Note

• Phoenix Coyotes coach Wayne Gretzky remained noncommittal about returning for a second season behind the bench. Gretzky said he would make a decision within a month or so.