NHL

Rangers trounce Flyers, close in on East playoff spot

NEW YORK -- The Rangers are chasing points in a desperate run for a spot in the playoffs every night.

On Friday, they had the Flyers chasing them all night.

Bobby Holik scored twice and Radek Dvorak assisted on three of New York's four first-period goals Friday in the Rangers' 5-1 win over Philadelphia.

"We were ready to play, they were not," Holik said.

Mike Dunham, who made 34 saves and was barely tested, was 1:41 away from a shutout when Marty Murray scored.

The rejuvenated Rangers are 3-0-2 on a season-best unbeaten streak. The Flyers entered tied for the league lead in allowing only 2.01 goals per game, but left with their four-game winning streak over.

New York closed within four points of Boston and the New York Islanders in the race for the seventh and eighth playoff spots in the East. The Rangers were off since Monday and have 12 games left. The teams they are pursuing have 15 each.

The Rangers will close out a homestand, in which they are 3-0-1, Monday against Florida. New York has not been in the playoffs since 1997.

"The next game is the biggest game of the year and that's the way it's going to be for the rest of the year," captain Mark Messier said.

Flyers left wing Simon Gagne's second return from a groin injury didn't last long. He played his first game in more than a month but left early because of injury, as he did in his last appearance on Feb.4.

Dvorak set up goals by Jamie Lundmark, Holik and Petr Nedved as the Rangers led 4-0 just 12:49 in. Lundmark, Holik and Dan LaCouture scored on Roman Cechmanek. Nedved's short-handed goal came against Robert Esche, who replaced an angry Cechmanek 9:06 in.

"They were ready," Flyers forward Mark Recchi said. "They were sharp right off the bat. They wanted it more than us. They deserved the win. We deserved what we got."

Since the Rangers acquired Alexei Kovalev on Feb. 10, they have scored at least four goals in six of 12 games and are 7-3-2.

HURRICANES 1, WILD 0: Rookie Ryan Bayda scored with 3:33 left and Kevin Weekes extended his shutout streak to a career-best 1311/2 minutes for host Carolina.

Bayda has three goals and six assists in 12 games since being called up from the minors to help fill an injury-riddled roster.

"I know they're definitely watching and things that happen this year could determine what goes on next year, but I can't think too much about that right now," Bayda said. "I'm just coming one day at a time. I don't want to start thinking too far ahead."

Weekes, who shut out Pittsburgh 4-0 on Thursday, stopped 22 shots for his 12th career shutout. His best scoreless streak was 128:44 for Tampa Bay in March 2001.

"It means we've played better team hockey," Weekes said of his shutout streak. "When everybody plays as well as we have and given the effort that we have collectively, it's a lot more enjoyable -- and it's led to good things."

It helps that Bayda has been put on the top line with likely Hall of Famer Ron Francis and top scorer Jeff O'Neill.

RED WINGS 7, BLUES 2: Sergei Fedorov scored three goals to lead host Detroit to its eighth consecutive win.

Fedorov, who missed the previous two games with a sore back, recorded his sixth career hat trick and second of the season. He also had an assist for Detroit, 11-0-0-1 in its past 12. St. Louis fell four points behind Detroit for first in the Central Division.

Fedorov, who has 27 goals, got his third goal on the power play when he stuffed in his own rebound 4:42 into the second period and just seven seconds after Keith Tkachuk went off for interference.

With Detoit up 7-0, Shjon Podein spoiled Curtis Joseph's bid for a shutout with seven minutes left.

PREDATORS 2, STARS 1: Scott Hartnell scored the go-ahead goal with 2:57 left fir visiting Nashville, which remained unbeaten in three games against Dallas.

Vladimir Orszagh also scored and Tomas Vokoun made 27 saves for the Predators, who have outscored the Stars 10-4 this season. Nashville, battling for the final West playoff spot, is 9-1-1-1 in its past 12.

Derian Hatcher's short-handed goal with 10:14 left lifted the Stars into a tie at 1.

FLAMES 2, BLACKHAWKS 0: Roman Turek made 30 saves for his third shutout of the season and 23rd of his career, and Chris Drury scored a fluke goal midway through the third to snap a scoreless tie for visiting Calgary.

Drury scored with 9:08 left when his floating 50-foot wrist shot from the right wing boards fooled goalie Jocelyn Thibault on the short side. The puck might have glanced off Chicago defenseman Burke Henry, who was covering Martin Gelinas in the slot.

PANTHERS 2, THRASHERS 1: Roberto Luongo saved 40 shots and came within 35 seconds of a shutout for host Florida.

"He dominated that game," Atlanta coach Bob Hartley said. "Luongo is by far the best young goalie in the league."

Kristian Huselius and Mathieu Biron scored for Florida, which got its goals in the second. Biron scored for the first time this season while Florida was short-handed, and Matt Cullen assisted on both.

With goalie Milan Hnilicka pulled, Atlanta beat Luongo on Ilya Kovalchuk's 32nd goal, a wrist shot off a faceoff with 35.3 seconds remaining.

OILERS 4, MIGHTY DUCKS 1: Rookie Fernando Pisani recorded his first two-goal game and Todd Marchant scored the go-ahead goal for visiting Edmonton.

Ethan Moreau added a short-handed empty-net goal and two assists for the Oilers, who have won three straight following a nine-game winless streak.

Edmonton has not scored more than three goals in any of its previous 12 games, but still has a five-point lead over Nashville for the final West playoff spot.

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