Lightning/NHL

Habs' Huet has Bruins' number: 0

By wire services
Published April 2, 2006

MONTREAL - Cristobal Huet shut out Boston for the third time in a row and Garth Murray had his first career two-goal game to lead the Canadiens to a 2-0 win over the Bruins on Saturday.

Montreal, which went 10-5-1 in March for its best month in 13 years, has a season-high six-game winning streak. The Canadiens, who host the Bruins again on Tuesday night, began the day in a three-way tie with New Jersey and Tampa Bay for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

Huet made 32 saves for his seventh shutout of the season in 32 games. He trails only league leader Miikka Kiprusoff of Calgary, who had eight shutouts in 66 games through Friday.

Each of Huet's shutouts has come since Feb. 4, when he made 35 saves in a 2-0 win over the Bruins. He stopped 28 shots in a 3-0 win in Boston on March 9.

THRASHERS 5, HURRICANES 2: Ilya Kovalchuk had two goals as host Atlanta kept its playoff hopes alive. Marc Savard also scored on a first-period penalty shot for Atlanta, which snapped a two-game losing streak. The Thrashers are ninth in the East with 78 points, five behind Tampa Bay for the eighth and final playoff spot. Carolina, the Southeast Division champion, has lost five of nine. Kovalchuk has 47 goals.

CAPITALS 1, SENATORS 0: Brent Johnson made 46 saves, including 16 in the third period, and Dainius Zubrus scored the only goal for visiting Washington. Johnson recorded his first shutout of the season and the 13th of his career as he frustrated Ottawa shooters, especially in the third period. Senators goalie Ray Emery made 31 saves.

DEVILS 4, FLYERS 1: Scott Gomez, John Madden, Jason Wiemer and Sergei Brylin scored goals for visiting New Jersey and Martin Brodeur moved into fourth place on the NHL's career victories list. Brodeur, who made 33 saves, won his 438th career game, moving him past Hall of Famer Jacques Plante. The Devils got goals only 1:10 apart in the second period to propel them to their first three-game winning streak since winning nine straight in late January.

MAPLE LEAFS 7, SABRES 0: Nik Antropov scored twice in a five-goal first period for host Toronto. Toronto took a 4-0 lead in the first 6:24 as Jeff O'Neill, Ian White, Tie Domi and Antropov scored. The Sabres needed a point or an Atlanta loss to clinch a playoff berth. Neither happened. Jean-Sebastien Aubin made 24 saves for his first shutout of the season and the seventh of his career.

BLUE JACKETS 5, BLACKHAWKS 2: Mark Hartigan scored twice and added an assist in the third period for his first career multipoint game to lead the host Columbus , tying the franchise mark with its fifth win in a row. Hartigan tied the score at 2-2 just 4:49 into the third period. Nikolai Zherdev, Jaroslav Balastik and David Vyborny scored for Columbus.

PREDATORS 2, BLUES 1: Tomas Vokoun made 35 saves as host Nashville handed St. Louis its 10th straight loss. The Predators, who snapped a four-game losing streak, improved to 6-0-0 against St. Louis this season. Nashville also moved six points ahead of Colorado and Anaheim for fourth in the Western Conference. Martin Erat scored the game-winner early in the third, about 21/2 minutes after Mike Sillinger, playing in his 900th NHL game, tied the contest on a power-play goal. Mike Glumac gave the Blues a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal at 11:43 in the first period.

[Last modified April 3, 2006, 00:43:06]