NHL

Maple Leafs keep Penguins cold

PITTSBURGH - Tomas Kaberle sent a wrist shot past Marc-Andre Fleury to give the Toronto Maple Leafs a 3-2 overtime victory Tuesday night and send the Penguins to their fifth straight loss.

The Maple Leafs have won three straight. Pittsburgh is 0-4 with two overtime losses since Michel Therrien replaced fired coach Eddie Olczyk on Dec. 15 and has lost 12 of 13.

Kaberle scored 2:26 into the extra session from the slot on a pass from Mats Sundin, who had a goal and two assists.

The Maple Leafs came dangerously close to spoiling their perfect record when leading after two periods.

After starting 11-0-1 with that advantage, Toronto allowed Pittsburgh to get even in the third period and have numerous opportunities to go ahead as the Penguins had five power plays in the final 20 minutes.

"You start thinking about all of the bad things that are not necessarily about your team," Toronto coach Pat Quinn said of penalties. "They're playing hard but you start to wonder why there aren't some breaks somehow."

Sundin gave the Maple Leafs a 2-1 lead with a power-play goal with 37.7 seconds left in the second. He netted his eighth on a slap shot from above the right circle that beat Fleury.

BRUINS 4, CAPITALS 3 (OT): Brad Stuart's goal 2:02 into overtime lifted visiting Boston to a victory. The Bruins scored twice within a minute late in regulation to tie it.

Stuart took a pass from Patrice Bergeron for a slap shot to Olie Kolzig's glove side to end a brief extra session in which the Bruins outshot the Capitals 3-0.

Rookie Alexander Ovechkin's 21st goal gave the Capitals a 3-1 lead with 8:13 left in regulation, but the Bruins rallied with two goals in the next 59 seconds. Marco Sturm scored first, then Sergei Samsonov tied it by deking Kolzig before going to his backhand for the point-blank shot.

RED WINGS 4, STARS 1: Chris Osgood stopped 27 shots and Henrik Zetterberg had a goal and two assists to send visiting Detroit to its fourth straight victory.

Mikael Samuelsson, Tomas Holmstrom and Kirk Maltby also had goals for the Central Division leading Red Wings in the first meeting this season between Western Conference rivals. Marty Turco, recovering from the flu, made 20 saves for the Stars, the Pacific leaders who had won 17 of 22.

PREDATORS 4, FLAMES 3: Visiting Nashville scored twice in the third, capped by Scottie Upshall's tiebreaking goal with 6:47, to extend its winning streak to six. Nashville trailed 2-0 in the first and 3-2 heading into the third. Jerred Smithson tied it at 8:46.

Calgary, which had won two straight, held a two-goal lead after the first period on goals by Dion Phaneuf and Marcus Nilson. Darcy Hordichuk set up two of Nashville's goals after setting the tone early in a spirited fight with Chris Simon.

ST. LOUIS - The owners of the Blues, who put the team up for sale this summer, entered into a letter of intent to negotiate exclusively with a group from Detroit.

General Sports and Entertainment was founded by Andrew Appleby, former senior marketing executive of the Detroit Pistons and Palace Sports & Entertainment. Before starting General in 1998, Appleby spent 12 years with the Pistons and Palace. In addition to the Pistons, Palace Sports & Entertainment also owns the Lightning.

Game Plan, an investment banking firm specializing in selling sports franchises, is handling the sale for Bill and Nancy Laurie of Columbia, Mo.

[Last modified December 28, 2005, 00:37:18]