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NHL

Minnesota stays hot by keeping Montreal cold

MONTREAL -- Cliff Ronning scored twice and Wes Walz had a goal and an assist to lead the Wild to a 6-3 victory against the Canadiens on Thursday.

Minnesota won its third in a row, after a three-game losing streak, and has won seven of 11 (7-4-0) to move one point ahead of Anaheim into sixth in the West.

Montreal's Craig Rivet had his first two-goal game for the Canadiens, who lost their fifth in a row (0-4-0-1) and have one win in their past seven (1-4-0-2). They are ninth in the East, four points behind Boston and seven behind the Lightning.

Rivet scored his second 11:29 into the third, getting Montreal to within one for the second time, 2:05 after Marian Gaborik scored.

Ronning scored his 12th of the season with 3:59 left and added an empty-net goal with 55 seconds left. Minnesota is 15-0-1 when leading after one and 23-0-1 with a lead after two.

RED WINGS 7, MAPLE LEAFS 2: Brett Hull had two goals and an assist and surpassed 1,300 points, and Curtis Joseph made 27 saves to beat his former team. Detroit has won seven of eight, and Toronto lost for the third time in 14 games (11-3-0-0) and had its seven-game road win streak snapped.

The Red Wings scored twice within eight seconds to take a 2-0 lead in the first. Henrik Zetterberg made it 1-0 after taking a pass from Hull and putting a forehand shot over Ed Belfour with 4:43 left. After the ensuing faceoff, Darren McCarty put a wrist shot over Belfour's stick side.

SHARKS 3, CANUCKS 2: Owen Nolan and Vincent Damphousse had a goal and an assist as visiting San Jose ended Vancouver's 14-game unbeaten streak. The Sharks have won three in a row for just the second time all season.

The Canucks started without No. 1 goalie Dan Cloutier (sprained knee) and finished without Todd Bertuzzi (hit in the eye by a stick) and Mattias Ohlund (knee injury after a collision along the boards).

RANGERS 4, BRUINS 1: Ronald Petrovicky and Mark Messier scored short-handed goals to help host New York get within four points of Boston, which is 0-4-3 in its past seven but holds the final playoff spot in the East.

Petrovicky deflected a centering pass from Petr Nedved for a 1-0 lead with 1:01 left in the first. Messier deked Bryan Berard and shot past Jeff Hackett to make it 2-0 in the second.

DEVILS 3, ISLANDERS 3: Visiting New Jersey's Jamie Langenbrunner was stopped by Rick DiPietro on a breakaway with 10 seconds left in overtime then put a shot into the net just after time ran out.

DiPietro, the top overall pick in 2000 who was recalled from the minors Thursday, made 30 saves and was stellar in stopping four shots in overtime. Shawn Bates tied it for New York with 8:46 left in regulation.

FLYERS 5, BLACKHAWKS 2: Todd Warriner had two goals and an assist and Michal Handzus a goal and three assists for host Philadelphia. With eight seconds left on a power play, Jocelyn Thibault stopped a point-blank shot by Keith Primeau, but Primeau poked the puck out to Mark Recchi, who wristed it in for a 2-1 lead.

SENATORS 3, STARS 2 (OT): Magnus Arvedson's goal 2:24 into overtime lifted host Ottawa in a matchup of the league's top teams. Arvedson scored off a rebound from Mike Fisher, who picked up the puck after defenseman Philippe Boucher tripped at his blue line. Radek Bonk scored twice for Ottawa, tying it with 7:00 left in the second.

BLUES 4, OILERS 1: Dallas Drake broke a tie and Pavol Demitra had three assists for host St. Louis. Drake scored on a rush midway through the third, beating Jussi Markkanen with a high shot from above the left circle. Edmonton, clinging to eighth in the West, is 0-6-1-1 in its past eight.

THRASHERS 4, AVALANCHE 3 (OT): Marc Savard scored 1:12 into overtime as Atlanta coach Bob Hartley won in his first trip to Denver since being fired by the Avalanche on Dec. 18. Colorado's Joe Sakic, playing his second game after missing 15 with a broken foot, sent it to overtime with a shot from the high slot with 2:03 left.

BLUE JACKETS 3, KINGS 1: Ray Whitney recorded his first hat trick of his 11-year career for host Columbus, which ended a six-game losing streak. Whitney's goal 41 seconds into the second was its first even-strength goal in more than two weeks.

PREDATORS 6, PENGUINS 0: Tomas Vokoun recorded his second straight shutout and third this season for Nashville, which is 7-1-0 in its past eight and tied the franchise record with its sixth consecutive home victory.

DIVING: The league promised to crack down on players who try to draw penalties by deliberately falling. Colin Campbell, the director of hockey operations, sent memos and video tapes to general managers, coaches and players warning that diving would be monitored. Players who embellish falls could be fined and their names would be circulated to all clubs.

SABRES: B. Thomas Golisano reached what was termed a "conceptual agreement" to buy the bankrupt team. Former team president Larry Quinn declined to predict when a purchase could be completed. Among details to be determined is the reconfiguration a $22.4-million loan taken out to help build the Sabres' arena.

SENATORS: Rod Bryden's attempt to repurchase the team failed when his main investor pulled out. PricewaterhouseCooper, the monitor of the sale, said it will solicit other offers.

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