NHL

Wild is third to make playoffs in third year

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Wild accomplished two significant things Sunday night. One took 21 seconds, and the other was three years in the making.

Matt Johnson scored 21 seconds into the game to spark a 4-0 victory over the Red Wings, and Minnesota clinched the first playoff appearance in its three-year history.

The Wild becomes the third expansion team in the past 30 years to advance to the playoffs in its third season. The Sharks lost in the conference semifinals in 1994, and the 1996 Panthers advanced to the Stanley Cup final.

"It feels pretty good," said Minnesota coach Jacques Lemaire. "I give a lot of credit to the guys for what they've accomplished this year. It's unbelievable."

Dwayne Roloson had 33 saves for his fourth shutout of the season as the Wild extended its winning streak to three. Detroit had a six-game winning streak snapped.

On the opening shift of the game, Johnson, Minnesota's penalty-minutes leader, was alone in front of the Detroit net when a puck hit the skate of the Red Wings' Darren McCarty and bounced to Johnson's stick. He fired a rising shot that eluded goalie Manny Legace for the fastest goal at the start of a game in team history.

The Red Wings outshot the Wild by a wide margin in all three periods but were shut out for the fifth time this season.

Capitals fall hard to Canucks

VANCOUVER -- Todd Bertuzzi scored his league-high 44th and 45th goals on the power play and rookie Alex Auld stopped 14 shots for his first shutout as the Canucks beat Washington 6-0.

Bertuzzi also assisted on Markus Naslund's 44th goal as Vancouver converted five of 10 power plays.

Brent Sopel and Matt Cooke also scored on the power play for the Canucks, who won consecutive games for the first time in almost a month.

Auld, 22, was a surprise starter after being recalled from AHL Manitoba earlier in the day. He played ahead of regular backup Peter Skudra after top goalie Dan Cloutier experienced soreness in the right knee that recently forced him to miss 10 games.

Auld wasn't tested often by a Washington team playing for the second time in as many nights. The Capitals, who lost 5-3 in Edmonton on Saturday, rarely applied any pressure. Dainius Zubrus shot the best chance over a open net late in the second.

STARS 3, BLUES 1: Brenden Morrow scored a pair of first-period goals and Marty Turco had to make only 12 saves in his return from an 18-game absence as host Dallas wrapped up the Pacific Division title.

The Stars have 100 points, eliminating the second-place Mighty Ducks from the division race and clinching Dallas' fourth Pacific crown in the past five seasons.

Sergei Zubov added a power-play goal for the Stars, who had been in a 1-3-0-1 slump and were 7-6-3-2 behind reserve goaltenders Ron Tugnutt and Corey Hirsch during Turco's absence because of a right ankle sprain.

Turco stretched his unbeaten streak to 15 games (11-0-4) to set a club record. He made his biggest stop 20 seconds into the second when he denied Steve Martins on a breakaway.

The Stars dominated play, holding a 34-13 shots edge.

PENGUINS 1, BLACKHAWKS 1: Eric Meloche scored in the first but visiting Pittsburgh's winless streak reached 16 games.

The Penguins are 0-14-2 during their streak, two shy of the team record.

Eric Daze scored a first-period goal for Chicago, which is winless in its past three games (0-2-1). The Blackhawks have won just six of their past 29 (6-19-2-2).

Daze had a chance to give the Blackhawks the lead after a turnover with 7:44 left in the third, but his point-blank shot was high. Kyle Calder had another chance with 2:15 left in regulation, but Penguins goaltender Sebastien Caron made a pad save on Calder's backhander from in close.

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