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NHL

Caps' lead reaches seven

ATLANTA -- Just four minutes into the game, the Thrashers already had given up a three-on-one and two-on-one, both times with Jaromir Jagr carrying the puck for Washington.

And Jagr took advantage, sparking a five-goal first that led the Capitals to a 5-1 victory Wednesday and expanded their Southeast lead over the Lightning to seven points.

"We played right into Jagr's hands," Thrashers coach Bob Hartley said. "You give up a three-on-one and a two-on-one -- especially with this guy -- and you're looking for trouble."

Jagr got the puck both times after Capitals goalie Olie Kolzig kicked out long rebounds.

"We got some lucky breaks," Jagr said. "You have to be lucky. We got a good jump."

The Capitals had five goals on their first eight shots against Byron Dafoe, who was booed by fans and replaced by Pasi Nurminen at the start of the second.

Jagr set the tone, scoring his 31st 1:58 into the period. He broke down the right wing with two teammates, played give-and-go with Kip Miller and shot the puck past Dafoe. Just 2:02 later, Jagr passed to Robert Lang, who put a shot through the legs of Frantisek Kaberle, the only defender back, and past Dafoe.

At 8:09, a shot slid between Dafoe's legs, and Mike Grier banged home his 14th goal. Next, Dainius Zubrus stepped out of the penalty box and scored on a breakaway. Michael Nylander completed the onslaught, scoring his 14th off a deflection with 4:19 left.

WILD 2, FLYERS 0: Dwayne Roloson made 31 saves as host Minnesota shut out Philadelphia for the second time in three days. After Manny Fernandez made 30 saves Monday, Roloson's second shutout of the season gave the Wild consecutive shutouts for the first time.

Already on a power play, Minnesota took advantage of a five-on-three with the Flyers' Keith Primeau on the ice after taking a stick to the left ear. Cliff Ronning grabbed a rebound and beat Robert Esche into the upper-right corner with 5:22 left in the second.

SENATORS 3, PENGUINS 0: Toni Dahlman got his first career goal and Patrick Lalime stopped 20 shots for his sixth shutout of the season for visiting Ottawa. Lalime was rarely tested while playing for the first time since missing two games with the flu. Only Toronto's Ed Belfour and New Jersey's Martin Brodeur (seven) have more shutouts this season.

DEVILS 3, COYOTES 0: Brodeur made 18 saves for his 62nd shutout for visiting New Jersey. Brodeur (31-16-3) edged closer to his seventh consecutive 35-win season. No other goalie has had more than three in a row. Mike Rupp, in his 12th game, gave the Devils a 1-0 lead by lifting a backhander over Brian Boucher's left shoulder with 4:15 left in the second.

MAPLE LEAFS 3, BLACKHAWKS 1: Alyn McCauley, Jyrki Lumme and Tie Domi scored in 4:55 early for visiting Toronto. Mark Bell gave Chicago a 1-0 lead after 64 seconds. After McCauley tied it at 2:51, Lumme picked up a loose puck, circled into the high slot and beat Jocelyn Thibault with a high shot from 40 feet. Domi made it 3-1, shooting a rebound over Thibault's shoulder from a sharp angle.

RANGERS 3, PANTHERS 1: Sandy McCarthy's second of the season won it as visiting New York broke a seven-game winless streak. His first goal since Nov. 29 came with 1:16 left in the second. He stole the puck from Pavel Trnka and sent a wrister past Roberto Luongo. Alexei Kovalev, acquired from Pittsburgh on Monday, scored an empty-netter with 10.8 seconds left.

BLUE JACKETS 1, SHARKS 0: Marc Denis stopped 38 shots for host Columbus. Denis entered 0-4-0 with a 5.11 goals-against average against San Jose but stopped 19 shots in the third. Rick Nash scored his 12th 7:13 into the game. His shot from the right circle skipped off goalie Mikka Kiprusoff and into the net.

Streaker sentenced

CALGARY -- A man wearing only socks who climbed over the glass during a Flames game then tumbled onto the ice and knocked himself out pleaded guilty to public drunkenness. Judge Cheryl Daniel ordered Tim Hurlbut to donate $1,650 to charity, perform 35 hours of community service and have alcohol counseling.

SABRES: Defenseman Rhett Warrener is out at least a week with post-concussion symptoms. He was injured Friday but played two more games.

STARS: Goaltender Marty Turco, who leads the league in goals-against average and save percentage, will miss 2-4 weeks after he injured his ankle Tuesday. The team did not reveal his specific injury. THRASHERS: Defenseman Uwe Krupp was activated after missing 53 games with an injured back. Krupp, who has missed most of the past four seasons because of injuries, has played only one game since signing with the Thrashers, the season opener.

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