Niklas Hagman put the puck past Miikka Kiprusoff in the eighth round of a shootout and the Anaheim Ducks beat Calgary 3-2 on Monday night for their 14th straight home victory over the Flames.

“Hes a goalie I have practiced a lot against,” said Hagman, who has six goals and seven assists in 34 games with Anaheim since he was claimed off waivers from Calgary on Jan. 14. “I dont have that many moves, and he knows my go-to moves. I tried to switch a little bit. I wanted to come with good speed and shoot it. Luckily for me, he probably thought I was going to go with my backhand.”

Bobby Ryan and Matt Beleskey scored less than 2 minutes apart in the first period for the Ducks, who won the tiebreaker by a 3-2 margin. Jonas Hiller made 24 saves, then thwarted Michael Cammalleri, Jarome Iginla, Krys Kolanos and T.J. Brodie in the tiebreaker to keep it going.

“We really needed those two points,” said Hiller, whose team is 10 points out of a playoff spot with 30 games left and has to jump over five teams to get in. “It wasnt an easy game. Both teams played really hard. It was about time we won a shootout.”

The Flames havent wo their only regulation win in their last 24 visits to Honda Center (1-13-10). Their last seven games here have resulted in one-goal defeats, five of them either in overtime or a shootout.

“We had a couple of chances to win, but its not easy with their goalie,” Kiprusoff said.

Alex Tanguay and Iginla scored in regulation for Calgary. Kiprusoff made 31 saves in the opener of a three-game road trip.

The Flames, three points out of a playoff spot with 29 games left, are trying to avoid missing the postseason for a third straight year under coach Brent Sutter. The only time theyve missed the postseason three years in a row was 1998-00 when Sutters brother, Brian, was the coach.

The Flames were trailing 2-1 in the third period when Anaheim defenseman Luca Sbisa received a 5-minute major for head-butting Tim Jackman as he crossed the Anaheim blue line with the puck and leaving him dazed for a few moments. Calgarys Tom Kostopoulos took exception and got a roughing penalty during the ensuing skirmish, leaving Calgary with a 3-minute power play.

Iginla capitalized with the man advantage, beating Hiller on a breakaway to the stick side with 13:45 left in regulation off a feed from Olli Jokinen. It was the second breakaway goal in two games for Iginla, who extended his st the longest among active players.

The Flames got a break when a goal by Ryan Getzlaf was waved off due to a goaltender interference penalty against Corey Perry at 8:23 of the first. But the Ducks opened the scoring at the 15:52 mark when Ryan got the puck in the slot from Lubomir Visnovsky and got his 20th goal on a 30-foot wrist shot while Perry was screening Kiprusoff.

Beleskey added his fourth of the season at 17:51, redirecting Sheldon Brookbanks one-timer from the right point past Kiprusoffs stick. The 2006 Vezina Trophy winner remained one victory shy of becoming the 27th goalie in NHL history with at least 300 regular-season wins.

“If we would have been sharp in the first period, we probably would have come out with a win,” center Mikael Backlund said.

Tanguay got the Flames on the board at 4:41 of the second with his sixth goal and first in four games since returning from a neck injury that sidelined him for 15 games. He converted a pass from behind the net by Blair Jones and scored from the edge of the crease just 2 seconds after Calgary killed off an elbowing penalty against Kostopoulos.

Jones received a double-minor for cutting Teemu Selanne with a high stick after Scott Hannan was sent off for interference, giving Anaheim a two-man advantage for 1:36 later in the period. Kiprusoff made three saves during the 5-on-3 power play, and Saku Koivu fired two pucks off the post.

“The game was a little bit of a rollercoaster,” said associate coach Craig Hartsburg, the Ducks head coach for two-plus seasons. “I thought we had a good first 10 minutes, but the last 10 minutes of the first werent very good at all. We had to kill some key penalties in the second and battle back.”

Notes

Koivu has gone 11 games without a goal since his hat trick Jan. 10 against Dallas. Eleven of the last 14 meetings between the teams have been decided by one goal. The season-low turnout of 12,096 represented the Ducks fifth crowd this season under 13,000. Hiller stopped Jokinen on a breakaway about 11 minutes into the first period, but Jokinen got the puck past him in the first round of the shootout.

Artem Anisimov broke a 17-game pointless streak and Henrik Lundqvist made 21 saves to stymie the Flyers as the Rangers beat Philadelphia 5-2 in a fight-filled contest which concluded three hours before the Super Bowl kickoff between the Giants and New England Patriots.

The Rangers beat the Flyers for the fourth consecutive time this season and sixth straight overall. Marian Gaborik, Michael Del Zotto, Brandon Dubinsky and Ruslan Fedotenko also scored for Eastern Conference-leading New York.

“I think we know how important these games are,” said Gaborik, who scored his team-leading 26th goal of the season with five seconds left in the second period. “We have played very well against them this year and this game was one of them.”

Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds scored for the Flyers, who lost for the third time in four games. It was their first game against the Rangers since the Winter Classic in Philadelphia on Jan. 2.

“Our team could play better than we did,” Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. “Its just frustrating. We had an opportunity to win a game and we didnt.”

Lundqvists career-best shutout streak ended at 182 minutes, 37 seconds when Schenn scored in the second period, but the All-Star goaltender still improved to 24-14-4 on the season as fans at the Garden serenaded the Flyers with chants of “You cant beat us” as time elapsed.

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“Any time you can beat such a skilled team, its a great feeling,” Lundqvist said. “The fans were ready to go and everybody was excited to play Philly.”

Philadelphia was playing its fourth game in six days and the final of a weekend back-to-back. The Flyers lost 6-4 at home against New Jersey on Saturday.

“We just have to keep working, be more lucky and win the next game,” Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov said. “We didnt deliver today.”

Anisimov opened the scoring at 1:04 of the first period. He also assisted on Gaboriks second-period goal and Del Zottos go-ahead score at 1:33 of the third, which came 36 seconds after Simmonds tied it at 2. Dubinsky added an insurance goal at 12:15 and Fedotenko had an empty-netter at 18:44.

The Rangers are 16-4-1 in their past 21 games. Physical play, dynamic penalty killing and strong goaltending have led their surge. Theyve allowed a league-best 102 goals through 50 games.

“We are a sum of parts, thats how we play and thats the only way we can win,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said. “Thats the way we have to play and when another t moments after he lay stunned on the put the Rangers ahead 2-1. Gaborik got up and slipped a backhand past Bryzgalov after defenseman Andrej Meszaros had leveled him with the hit.

Anisimovs goal was his eighth of the season and came on a tip in of Dan Girardis slap shot. Anisimovs previous point had been an assist Dec. 22 against the New York Islanders.

“I enjoy every shift on the ice,” the soft-spoken Anisimov said. “It was a huge game for us. Every game is important.”

Schenn tied it on a picture-perfect breakaway goal at 12:02 of the second. Just out of the penalty box, the 20-year-old center took a pass from Jakub Voracek and beat Lundqvist by lifting a backhand over his glove hand.

The game was feisty as usual between the two rivals, who had the weeks leading up the Winter Classic chronicled by the cable network HBO.

Rangers defenseman Stu Bickel fought Simmonds in the first period and Tim Sestito in the second. Sestito also fought Dubinsky in the first and Brandon Prust in the third. Sestito was given an automatic game misconduct after his third fight.

“We were ready to play right from the start,” Bickel said.

The teams meet in Philadelphia on Feb. 11 and April 3.

Lundqvists shutout streak went back to the 19:11 mark of the second period Jan. 21 at Boston. The Swedish goaltender recorded consecutive shutouts for first time in his career with victories against Winnipeg on Jan. 24 and Buffalo last Wednesday.

As far as Super Bowl plans, Lundqvists were aligned with most of the football-frenzied New York population.

“Ill be watching with a buddy who is a huge Giants fan and Ill be eating a lot of food,” the winning goaltender said.

Notes Philadelphia Fs Danny Briere and James van Riemsdyk remained sidelined because of to concussions. The Rangers wore their Winter Classic white sweaters for the first time at home. The Rangers are a league-best 24-1-2 when scoring first. The Rangers have outscored the Flyers 24-8 in winning their past six matchups. Lundqvist has held opponents to two or few goals in 26 games this season.

Gagner had two goals and an assist, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the shootout winner as the Edmonton Oilers beat the league-leading Detroit Red Wings 5-4 on Saturday night.

Gagner followed up on his eight-point game in Edmontons 8-4 win over Chicago. He also scored in the shootout.

“Its a big win for us,” Gagner said. “Especially the way we did it, coming back at the end. I knew I wasnt going to get another eight-point night. But even after the points kept coming our line was still creating.

“Im just feeling way better about how I am playing. I want the puck. I want to be the guy.”

The Oilers blew a 3-1 lead in the third period but sent it to overtime when Jordan Eberle scored with 39 seconds left.

Eberle ended up with a pair of goals for the Oilers, who have won three in a row and are 4-0-1 in their last five games.

“We were good for two periods and then sat around and watched them play in the third,” Oilers coach Tom Renney said. “Thats very dangerous against one of the best teams in the league. But we collected ourselves and played more intelligent and showed some character.”

Todd Bertuzzi had a pair of goals, and Valtteri Filppula and Drew Miller also scored for the Red Wings, who snapped a two-game winning streak and lost for only the second time in 11 games.

Detroit almost got on the board first before the game was two minutes old. Darren Helm had a short-handed breakaway, but Oilers starter Devan Dubnyk was able to come up with a clutch save.

The Oilers made good on the power play a minute later as Gagner knocked the rebound of Ryan Whitneys shot past Red Wings goalie Ty Conklin.

“Sam has been a lot of fun to watch,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “Im really happy for him. It was a big character win for us.”

Gagner got his second point of the night just before the 6-minute mark of the first. He put the puck on net, and it slipped beneath Conklin and went to Eberle, who scored his 21st of the seasons.

Edmonton retained the lead after killing off a two-man disadvantage. Corey Potter was given a double-minor for coming to the aid of teammate Ales Hemsky after he was crushed along the boards by Niklas Kronwall. An addition penalty to Edmontons Ladislav Smid left the team down two players for a full two minutes.

Gagner had a direct result on two more goals to close out the first period, one by each team.

With 37 seconds to play, Gagner coughed up the puck to Filppula in his own zone on the power play. Filppula fanned on his shot but it hit Whitneys and trickled into the Oiler net, just out of the reach of a diving Dubnyk, for the short-handed goal.

Gagner redeemed himself with less than a second left in the period on the same power play as he tipped in a Ryan Smyth shot for his second of the game. It was the 11th consecutive Edmonton goal that Gagner got a point on, all within a three-period span going back to the second period of the win over Chicago.

Recent call-up Joey MacDonald started the second period in the Detroit net.

Detroit made it a one-goal game two minutes into the third as Henrik Zetterberg fed it to Bertuzzi from behind the net and he whacked at the puck under Dubnyk.

The Red Wings tied the game 3-all only three minutes later as Helm got the puck through to Miller in front of the net and had an easy redirect for his 10th of the year.

Detroit took a 4-3 lead with just under four minutes to go as Bertuzzi showed some skill, passing it to himself through defenseman Andy Suttons legs before beating Dubnyk up high.

With Dubnyk on the bench, the Oilers sent it to extra time as Eberle found the puck in a scramble in front and put it past MacDonald.

“Its disappointing to lose the extra point when we had the lead with under a minute to play,” Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. “We came back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game up and then took the lead. So its tough to take when you lose after battling back like that.”

Notes

It was the third of four meetings between the two teams this season. Detroit won the first two games by 3-0 and 3-2 scores. The Oilers came into the game with seven straight losses to the Red Wings. Detroit G Jimmy Howard was out with a broken finger. Dubnyk made his career-high fifth consecutive start in goal for Edmonton. After an injury-filled season, the Oilers are almost back to full strength as the leagues rookie points leader, Nugent-Hopkins, returned to the lineup after missing the last 13 games with a shoulder injury. D Tom Gilbert, the only Oiler still on the IR, is expected to play early next week. Bertuzzi was able to play after being listed as questionable going in with a charley horse.

Halak stopped 22 shots and Jamie Langenbrunner scored in the second period to lead the Blues to a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night.

Fresh off a four-day vacation in Jamaica with his girlfriend, Halak stopped Justin Williams from point-blank range with just over five minutes left in the third period to preserve the shutout. He also made big pad saves on Dustin Brown and Colin Fraser in the second period.

Halak was concerned that he might come out rusty after the Blues nine-day layoff.

“To be honest, I was a little worried at the start of the game,” Halak said. “I didnt know if I was going to come out strong. The first five minutes, we came out a little rusty. But after that we settled down and started playing our game.”

Halak said the mini-vacation helped him clear his mind and get set for the second half of the season.

“It was fun and relaxing, a little sun is always good,” Halak said. “I just wish I could have stayed longer.”

Halak recorded his fifth shutout of the season and 21st of his career. He improved to 15-8-5 and has four shutouts in his last seven starts. The Blues have a league-best 10 shutouts.

St. Louis improved to an NHL-best 22-3-4 at home and has not lost a regulation game at home since dropping a 5-2 decision to Chicago on Dec. 3.

The Blues moved into a tie with Vancouver for second in the Western Conference with 67 points.

Halak is 12-1-3 in his last 16 starts, one of the hottest streaks of his five-year career. He has a 1.53 goals-against average and a .939 save percentage over that 16-game stretch.

“Our guy was really great late, three great saves in the third period,” St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. “Im really happy with the way we competed. I thought the first period was as good as weve played in a month.”

St. Louis held the Kings without a shot over the final 11:13 of the opening period and recorded the last nine shots on goal.

“The defense was great, it always is,” Halak said. “Some nights I need our guys to step up and score some goals but that wasnt the case. The defense came up strong.”

Langenbrunner provide the offensive support with his fourth goal of the season at 8:38 of the second period. He scored on a 2-on-1 off a cross-ice pass from Matt DAgostini. It was the 57th game-winning goal of his career.

“I was just able to get open,” Langenbrunner said. “[DAgostini] laid it on my stick. It was a pretty easy one. He did a great job skating and getting by the defense. I didnt have much to do but put it in.”

Halak did the rest stopping eight shots in each of the last two periods.

“We had some good chances there but he made some good saves,” Los Angeles center Jarret Stoll said. “He just played better.”

Jonathan Quick made 32 saves for the Kings. He has allowed two goals or less in 12 of his last 14 starts.

The Kings, who fell to 10-6-6 on the road, had a two-game winning streak snapped.

St. Louis was the last team to play following the All-Star break. The nine-day layoff is their longest of the season.

“I thought we got into it pretty good right away,” Langenbrunner said. “It was a battle all night. I think considering that we hadnt played in nine days, we didnt waste a lot of time getting back to the way we needed to play.”

The Kings won the first two meetings between the teams this season including a 3-2 win Oct. 22 in St. Louis.

“St. Louis has the best home record in the league for a good reason,” Los Angeles coach Darryl Sutter said. “They came out and physically established themselves.”

Notes

The Kings have a scored a league-low 22 goals in the first period. Los Angeles began a six-game 11-day road trip on Friday. The Kings home, Staples Center, is preparing to host the Grammy Awards. St. Louis wingers Alex Steen and Andy McDonald remain out with concussions. Steen has missed the last 14 games. McDonald has not played since Oct. 13. Both will remain home when the team begins a three-game road trip Saturday in Nashville. “Its really in the players hands,” Hitchcock said. “Theyll let us know when they are ready.” The Blues have given up a Western Conference-low 102 goals this season. Williams led the Kings with four shots on goal.

It was a spectacular evening for Sam Gagner who scored four goals and four assists to tie a club record and lead the Edmonton Oilers past the Chicago Blackhawks 8-4 on Thursday.

Gagners eight-point game tied the club record held by Gretzky and Coffey and fell two points shy of matching the league mark of 10, set by Torontos Darryl Sittler on Feb. 7, 1976.

It was also the first eight-point game in the NHL since Pittsburghs Mario Lemieux did it on Dec. 31, 1988, against New Jersey.

The 22-year-old Gagner came into the game with five goals on the season.

“I didnt think I would ever be mentioned in the same breath as Gretzky or Coffey,” said Gagner, who was named all three stars of the contest. “You never expect to do something like this.

“Its a great lesson to never set limits. The great players who played here never did that. It was just one of those games where everything went in and just a great feeling.”

Taylor Hall, Ryan Whitney, Jordan Eberle and Cam Barker had the other goals for the Oilers (20-26-5), who have gone 3-0-1 in their past four games to move into a tie for 28th in the NHL with Anaheim.

Hall, who set a career high of his own with four points in the game, only wanted to talk about Gagners night.

“I feel like a bit of a pigeon with four points tonight,” he said. “It was just a crazy night. Every time we got the puck in the offensive zone, especially in the third period, it ended up on Sams stick and he made a great play with it. Im really happy I was able to be on the ice with him. Its a really cool moment.”

It was the second time this season that the Blackhawks have given Edmonton fans plenty to cheer about. Chicago lost 9-2 to the Oilers at Rexall Place in November.

“It was really fun for our fans to see something like that tonight, ” Oilers head coach Tom Renney said. “Sam was having the time of his life and so were his line-mates and the entire team.

“Its been one of those years where you are looking for things to hang your hats on and feel good about and it doesnt get much better than this. It puts a smile on your face in a tough year.

“People will remember this game for a while.”

Patrick Sharp had a pair of goals while Jamal Mayers and Dave Bolland also scored for the Blackhawks (29-16-7), who have now lost four straight.

“We really got away from our game plan and opened it up a little and they really made us pay,” Sharp said. “We need to be better in a lot of areas and were obviously not happy at all. Weve gotten away from what makes us a good team.

“We got caught up in scoring goals and playing on the wrong side of the puck. It wasnt good enough as a team. We need to play defensece first and well get out chances from there.”

The Blackhawks started the scoring six minutes into the game as Mayers fluttered a long shot from above the circle that fooled Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk.

C a long blast from the point by Brent Seabrook and another from in close by Andrew Shaw.

Only 40 seconds into the second period, Chicago made it 2-0 when Patrick Kane fed it to Sharp who found a clear lane to beat Dubnyk.

The Oilers responded less than two minutes later as Gagner earned his first point of the night. With a long pass Gagner sprung Hall who chipped in his 18th of the year past Chicago goalie Corey Crawford. Hall has scored in three straight games.

Gagner then tied it just over seven minutes later when he picked up his own rebound, circled behind the net, and scored on the wraparound.

The Oilers took a 3-2 lead with seven minutes remaining in the second as Whitney ripped a shot from the point while on the power play for just his first of the season. Gagner earned the assist.

Chicago tied it two minutes later on a short-handed 2-on-1 as Dubnyk gave up a rebound to Sharp who buried his second of the night.

Gagner made it 4-3 two minutes into the third with his second goal of the night. Whitneys shot sailed over the net but bounced in front for Gagner to put past Crawford.

The Oilers chased the Chicago goalie two minutes later when Barker fluttered a shot from the point that Crawford waved at as it went into the top corner. Gagner earned his third assist and Ray Emery replaced Crawford.

The Blackhawks got a goal back six minutes into the third as Bolland made a no-look backhand swat at a puck that squirted past Dubnyk.

Gagner completed the hat trick 30 seconds later to make it 6-4, as Hall spun around and found Gagner streaking for his sixth point of the game.

But he wasnt done yet.

Eberle and Hall did terrific tic-tac-toe passing to get Gagner the puck, and he slapped his fourth of the game into a wide-open net as Emery slid to keep up with the play.

With their hats already thrown on to the ice earlier in the period, one fan resorted to throwing a shoe after the goal.

“I was hoping that would be the end of it because if he scored another one we might have seen other paraphernalia that we didnt want to see,” Renney said with a laugh.

Gagner then added his eighth point of the game by making a prefect feed to Eberle, who scored his 20th of the season with four minutes left.

Dubnyk finished the game with 43 saves on 47 shots.

Crawford let in five goals on 28 shots while Emery allowed three goals on 13 shots.

The Blackhawks will be in Calgary on Friday while the Oilers next return to action on Saturday when they play host to Detroit.

Notes

It was the fourth and final meeting between the teams. Edmonton won two of the first three, including a 9-2 home win over Chicago in November. Edmontons once lengthy list of injured players is dwindling. D Cam Barker returned from an ankle injury sustained in November, and rookie scoring leader Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is skating with the team. He is expected to rejoin the lineup on Saturday, and D Tom Gilbert should be back next week. Chicago LW Andrew Brunette left with an upper body injury and didnt return. Chicago C Brendan Morrison played in his second game with the Blackhawks since being traded by Calgary during the NHL All-Star break.

Lundqvist stopped all 34 shots he faced through overtime, and four of five in the shootout to secure a dramatic, edge-of-your-seat 1-0 win over the Sabres on Wednesday.

Miller nearly matched him, stopping all 29 shots he faced through overtime before allowing two shootout goals in a game in which both goalies earned shutouts.

The save-after-save fest was finally decided in the fifth round of the shootout, when New York captain Ryan Callahan drove in on Miller, faked right and then snapped a shot into the open left side.

Lundqvist was elated.

“To win in a shootout and not give up any goals, obviously its a good goalie game,” Lundqvist said. “Ill take that any day.”

Or nearly every day, given how well Lundqvist has been playing.

It was Lundqvists first start since allowing three goals on 12 shots for Team Alfredsson in the first period of the NHL All-Star Game at Ottawa on Sunday. And he picked up right from where he left off after entering the break with a 22-save 3-0 shutout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Jan. 24.

Lundqvist now has three shutouts in his last five starts, and allowed five goals on 152 shots hes faced over that stretch. The shutout was the 41st of Lundqvists career, which one ahead of Dave Kerr and eight behind Ed Giacomin.

“I dont think hes been at this level. Hes improved this year,” Rangers coach John Tortorella said, after exchanging a fist pump with Lundqvist in the locker room. “If you want to get to where you want to be, you need goaltending like that. Hes certainly provided that.”

Miller couldnt complain.

“It was fun to be a part of. I havent had too many good outings in the last few months,” Miller said. “To go up against Lundqvist, whos having a great season, and have a night like this, where it kind of puts us in the spotlight at each end, its nice to be a part of.

Despite the loss, Miller is showing signs of regaining his groove. After struggling for much of the season, the 2010 Vezina Trophy winner is 2-0-1 over his past three starts, a stretch in which hes allowed just two goals.

The only disappointment for Miller, who earned his 24th career shutout, was being denied an opportunity to set the Sabres franchise record for victories. Miller is stuck on 234 wins, tied with Dominik Hasek.

Marian Gaborik beat Miller in the first round of the shootout, while Sabres captain Jason Pominville tied it by beating Lundqvist on the stick side in the third round.

Otherwise, both goalies were unbeatable.

Lundqvists best saves in regulation came with 1:09 left in the third period, when he kicked aside two shots from Brad Boyes, who had found himself alone atop the crease during a power play.

He then robbed Boyes again in the second shootout round. Driving to the net, Boyes faked left and caught Lundqvist leaning, before shifting to his right in an attempt to stuff the puck into the open side. Lundqvist, however, recovered in time by reaching back with his glove to block the shot.

Coming off a 4-3 shootout loss at New Jersey, the Eastern Conference-leading Rangers (32-12-5& something theyve not done since a two-game skid in the middle of December.

Millers best save came less than two minutes into the second period when he got his right pad out to stop Callahan, who was set up by Brad Richards blind backhand pass through the middle for a one-timer in the left circle. A few minutes later, Carl Hagelin was set up on the fly in front only to have Miller get enough of the puck to deflect it over the net.

The Sabres were playing their first game at home following seven straight on the road. Buffalo, which lost the first five of those road games before beating New Jersey and Montreal, squandered a chance to win three straight for the first time since a four-game win streak in early November.

“I dont think we need to get the microscope out and start being too negative,” Miller said. “There were a lot of good things tonight.”

Notes

The Sabres power play when 0 for 5, including just one shot during a two-man advantage spanning 42 seconds in the first period. Buffalo has now scored three times on 32 power-play chances over its past 13 games. The Rangers have now allowed just two goals on their opponents past 40 power-play chances over a 16-game stretch. Much of the game was officiated with one referee and two linesman after referee Kelly Sutherland was struck in the face by a deflected shot 5:37 in and did not return. Sutherland kept his feet and didnt appear to be cut, but was woozy as he was escorted off the ice. The Sabres play nine of their next 13 games at home.

Schneider made 37 saves against the playoff rival Chicago Blackhawks in Vancouvers 3-2 overtime victory on Tuesday night.

It was Schneiders third start of the month in place of starter Roberto Luongo, all victories. He stopped 39 shots in a 4-3 victory against Boston on Jan. 7.

“Quality over quantity, right?” Schneider said after posting his 11th victory of the season and fourth in a row. “Its exciting to get these opportunities. I dont get them a whole lot because of the way Roberto plays, and hes big in big games.”

Schneider, who will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season, is constantly mentioned when fans talk about potential trades.

“For me, its an opportunity, and I cant let them slip by,” Schneider said of getting starts in big games. “I cant afford to have a bad game. In the first period it was a little … getting my timing back [after the All-Star break].”

Daniel Sedins 22nd goal of the season at 3:37 of overtime won it for the Canucks, who also got goals from Ryan Kesler and rookie Cody Hodgson.

Jamal Mayers and Viktor Stalberg had the goals for Chicago, and Corey Crawford had 30 saves. The Blackhawks have lost three straight.

Schneider made many key saves to preserve a 1-1 tie when Vancouver was outshot 18-6 in the middle period.

“He made some unbelievable stops,” Vancouver defenseman Kevin Bieksa said. “They had a lot of odd-man rushes and he made a lot of side-to-side stops [which] are not easy to do. Hes in position all the time.”

Schneider denied Stalberg again when the Chicago forward broke in alone on a pass from Patrick Kane then robbed Andrew Shaw on the rebound.

Schneider brought the crowd to its feet with 4:23 remaining in the second period when he foiled Brendan Morrison after misplaying the puck behind his own net. The Canucks goalie was prone on the ice but somehow got an arm on Morrisons shot when the Blackhawks newcomer fired at a nearly wide-open net.

“I botched it behind the net,” said Schneider, who had help from defenseman Alex Edler as he scrambled back to his crease where he flopped as Morrison shot. “I just remember reaching as far as I could and the puck hit me. I was more upset with myself than happy about the save.”

On the winning play, Daniel Sedin was right in front of Crawford to snap home brother Henrik Sedins centering pass from behind the net and give the Canucks their third consecutive victory.

“We were able to hold on to the puck for a while and Danny gave it to me behind the net,” said Henrik Sedin, who won the offensive zone faceoff. “He knows where to go so it wasnt a tough pass to make.”

Stalberg, who had chances earlier in the game, gave Chicago a 2-1 lead 1:17 into the third period when he banked a shot in off Canucks defender Alex Edler and behind Schneider.

Hodgson took advantage of a turnover by Stalberg less than three minutes later, and fourth in five games. Jannik Hansen found Hodgson alone at the Chicago blue line and the Canucks forward deked Crawford twice before shooting past his glove.

Chicago almost won it in regulation when Kanes shot hit defender Sami Salo and bounced off the post at the end of a Blackhawks power play.

The Blackhawks got a boost at the start of the game when captain Jonathan Towes (arm) and winger Patrick Sharp (hand) returned from injuries. However, Kesler opened the scoring by sending a shot off the shaft of defender Duncan Keiths stick for his 14th goal.

The score followed several Canucks chances when Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson struggled to get off the ice after blocking a shot. Hjalmarsson later returned.

Mayers, a fourth-line winger, tied it 11:11 into the first period for Chicago as the Canucks were scrambling to clear the puck out of their zone. It was his fourth goal of the season and first in 19 games.

Schneider had to be sharp late in the period when he came across his crease to stop Towes deflection and Stalbergs attempt to bury the rebound.

Notes

Sharp was out eight games while Toews returned after missing one start. Morrison made his Chicago debut after being dealt Friday by the Calgary Flames. He was with the Canucks from 2000-08. The Blackhawks are his seventh NHL team. The Blackhawks have eight games remaining on their season-high road trip, which will end Feb. 16 against the Rangers.

David Desharnais had two goals and an assist, and Montreal ended Detroits seven-game winning streak with a 7-2 victory over the Red Wings on Wednesday night in the NHLs final game before the break.

Alexei Emelin scored his first NHL goal, and the Canadiens scored four times in the opening period against Jimmy Howard, who will make his first All-Star appearance on Sunday in Ottawa.

The Canadiens put their first two shots of the second period past backup goalie Ty Conklin, who took over for Howard after the opening 20 minutes.

“Im not going to watch any video of this, at all,” Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. “Im going to have a drink. Actually, it is what Im going to do.”

Rene Bourque, Max Pacioretty and Erik Cole each had a goal and an assist, and Tomas Plekanec also scored. Tomas Kaberle had two assists. Carey Price stopped 25 shots for Montreal, which moved into 11th place in the Eastern Conference with 47 points, one ahead of Tampa Bay.

“Its definitely nice to go into the break on a high note and maybe dwell on it for a couple of days because we havent a whole lot of good to dwell on this year,” said Price, who will make his third All-Star appearance. “I think we can sit on that for a little while, but when we come back, we know that weve got to get back to work.”

Jiri Hudler scored a pair of third-period goals for Detroit, which leads the NHL with 67 points despite falling to 13-14 on the road. The Red Wings, who have won 17 straight home games, hadnt lost anywhere since a 5-1 defeat at the New York Islanders on Jan. 10.

“I think everyone in here was embarrassed with the performance tonight,” said defenseman Niklas Kronwall, who assisted on Hudlers second goal.

The Red Wings extended their team-record, home-winning streak, with a 3-1 victory over St. Louis on Monday. They are 20-2-1 at the Joe Louis Arena this season.

Howard, pulled for just the second time in 42 starts, made eight saves in his shortest outing of the season. Conklin stopped 10 shots in the second relief appearance by a Detroit goalie this season, and his first since taking over for Howard for the third period of a 5-2 loss at San Jose on Nov. 17.

“I think youre a little surprised,” Bourque said. “Detroit doesnt get behind by that many goals very often, so we put them back on their heels, got a lot of pucks at the net early, and got a lot of results.”

Red Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom sat out because of the flu, ending the defensemans consecutive-games played streak at 213.

“Nicks a great player, but I dont think this had anything to do with Nick,” Babcock said.

Bourque opened the scoring with his 15th goal 5:08 in. Scott Gomezs centering pass went in off Bourques leg as he drove the crease.

Emelin made it 2-0 with a drive past Howard at 10:56. Desharnais scored his first of the game at 17:58, and Plekanec netted his 10th goal at 19:33 to make it 4-0. Andreas Enqvist just missed adding a fifth Montreal goal moments later.

Conklin took over to start the second, and Pacioretty beat him on the first shot he faced 1:52 in for his 17th goal. Desharnais got his second goal of the game – his ninth overall – on the Canadiens next shot during a power play at 4:18.

“The guys kept pushing, and I think thats very important against a team like Detroit because they can pump four in on you in a hurry,” said Price, who made a nice pad save late in a Red Wings power play before the midway point of the second.

Hudler spoiled Prices shutout bid 21 seconds into the third, and added his 14th of the season at 6:07. Cole scored his team-leading 19th goal with 1:23 remaining.

Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban was benched in the second period after taking an elbowing penalty late in the first.

Notes

LW Justin Abdelkader has the Red Wings longest current consecutive games streak at 124, one more than D Jonathan Ericsson. Hall of Famer Alex Delvecchio holds the team record of 548. Canadiens LW Travis Moen and C Petteri Nokelainen didnt play because of undisclosed upper body injuries.

A bout with the flu for backup Martin Biron changed all that for New Yorks All-Star goalie. Instead of resting during the last game before the break, Lundqvist went out and put up the 40th shutout of his stellar NHL career.

Lundqvist made 22 saves in his surprise start, and Ryan Callahan, John Mitchell and Brad Richards provided the offense in the Rangers 3-0 victory over the Jets on Tuesday night. Lundqvist (22-10-4) made his fifth consecutive start for the Eastern Conference-leading Rangers, his busiest stretch since he played in New Yorks first six games.

“Four games in a row,” said Lundqvist, who was surprised when told it was actually five.

He sarcastically added that he is “pretty banged up” before giving a true assessment.

“I feel great,” Lundqvist said. “When youre winning, youre more relaxed and you dont use as much energy between games.

“I had to change a little bit. In my head I was kind of relaxed. I was thinking a little bit about All-Star, Im not going to lie. Thats what you do when you dont play. You try to get away from the game.”

The Rangers won their second straight, following up on an overtime victory Saturday at Boston – the team that trails them by two points in the East. New York had alternated wins and losses the previous six games.

Facing Winnipeg, a team the Rangers had already beaten twice this season, they wanted to make sure there was no letdown before the upcoming six-day rest period.

“It just shows the maturity of the team,” captain Callahan said. “We concentrated on this game. These two points are just as important as they were against Boston. We came out, played the game we wanted to.”

Biron allowed only one goal in beating the Jets in New Yorks two previous me earning his fifth shutout of the season.

Winnipeg, which lost 2-1 at Carolina on Monday, was outshot 31-22 and fell to 0-8 in the second of back-to-back games. The Jets have been outscored 33-5 in those losses.

“I cant put my finger on it,” Jets captain Andrew Ladd said. “We came out with a pretty spirited effort. We were battling, did a lot of good things. Its not the easiest thing. One of the top teams in the league was sitting there waiting for us.”

Callahan gave the Rangers a 1-0 just 4:05 in when he got to a rebound of defenseman Anton Stralmans shot and slammed it into the wide-open left side of the net for his 17th. He has three goals and two assists in his last four games.

Winnipeg didnt have much jump in the first period, when it was outshot 11-6, and rarely had control of the puck. The Jets picked up the pace in the second, landing several he none of which seriously threatened Lundqvist.

The Jets best scoring chance came with 4:36 left when Blake Wheeler tried to jam a shot in, but was stuffed by the post as Lundqvist spread out his pads. The puck skimmed through the crease, and was nearly deflected in by Lu allowing the puck to slide by and out of danger.

“I almost thought that he scored,” Lundqvist said. “I was lucky. I felt like I had a little extra luck. Some nights you just have the bounces on your side, I guess.”

Just two minutes earlier, Mitchell stretched the Rangers lead to 2-0 with his fifth of the season and third in five games. Michael Del Zotto sent a pass across the Winnipeg zone and hit Mitchell in stride in the middle of the left circle for a hard snap shot that appeared to tick goalie Ondrej Pavelecs glove on its way to the top right corner at 13:22.

Richards pushed the lead to 3-0 with 3:38 left in the game, scoring his 16th this season and first in eight games.

The low shot total was out of character for the Jets, who had out averaging 32.5 per contest.

When Winnipeg put pressure on Lundqvist, he was up to the task. Less than three minutes into the third period, Tanner Glass had a chance from point-blank range near the right post, but Lundqvist got over and stopped the drive with his pad and covered the puck.

“They are a top team,” said Winnipegs Chris Thorburn, who fought Mike Rupp twice. “They play well defensively and they block a lot of shots. Its almost like youve got to do double the work to get the same amount of shots.

“Lundqvist made a couple of good saves, and so did Pav. Our goalie kept us in it and their goalie kept us out of it.”

Notes

The Rangers recalled G Chad Johnson from Connecticut of the AHL to back up Lundqvist. Jets C Evander Kane, who missed his third game because of a concussion, was placed on the injured list. Winnipeg recalled F Aaron Gagnon from St. Johns of the AHL. The Rangers went 0 for 4 on the power play and are 3 for 42 on the advantage the past 17 games. Winnipeg has killed 20 of 21 power plays the past eight games.

St. Louis took two costly penalties, retaliating for hard hits, and the Red Wings took advantage.

Pavel Datsyuk tied the game early in the second period on the power play, and Niklas Kronwall sealed the victory late in the third as Detroit beat the Blues 3 the NHLs longest single-season streak in 36 years.

“We have such a calm team,” said Jimmy Howard, who made 21 saves for his league-leading 30th win. “Nothing seems to rattle us.”

The Red Wings spurt is the leagues fourth longest. Detroit (33-15-1) has won seven in a row overall and leads the NHL with 67 points.

“Winning never gets old,” Howard said.

Detroit is three home wins away from matching the league record of 20 straight, set by the Boston Bruins during the 1929-30 season, and matched by Philadelphia in 1976. The Bruins also won 19 consecutive in Boston during the 1970-71 season.

Detroit is 20-2-1 in Joe Louis Arena this season and hasnt lost there since Nov. 3. The Red Wings were 21-14-6 at home last season.

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St. Louis had won four straight, and lost in regulation for the first time since a Dec. 31 defeat at Detroit.

“We played good in stretches, but we crumbled when things got tight,” Blues forward Jamie Langenbrunner said. “We got those retaliatory penalties. That takes away our momentum and gets us out of our comfort zone.”

Jaroslav Halak, who had won a career-high seven in a row, made 25 saves.

Scott Nichol put the Blues ahead midway through the first period, but they couldnt get the puck past Howard again.

The Blues are 23-6-6 since coach Ken Hitchcock replaced the fired Davis Payne, when the team was 6-7, and have become a contender in the tightly contested Western Conference and Central Division.

The Blues didnt back down from the Red Wings in the intense game, which was very chippy throughout.

“It appeared to me that they thought they could be physical with us,” Detroit coach Mike Babcock said.

St. Louis controlled play early and took advantage of Red Wings defensemen, who went to the bench, thinking the puck had been cleared from their end of the rink. A pair of forwards also ran into each other near center ice. Nichol netted his second goal of the season at the end of a 3-on-1 rush.

Blues forward Chris Stewart picked a fight with Detroits Brad Stuart late in the first period after the defenseman landed a check that put Alex Pietrangelo on his back.

Stewart was given a penalty for instigating and a 10-minute misconduct, but didnt regret it because he said Pietrangelo has to be protected.

“I have no problem doing that,” Stewart said. “That was definitely more playoff hockey. Physical from the start. Trying to set the tone against a rival and somebody who youll probably face in the playoffs.”

Detroits power play carried into the second period, and the Red Wings tied the game. Datsyuk deked Pietrangelo to set up a backhanded shot that Halak didnt see until the puck was in the net, in part because forward Tomas Holmstrom screened the goalie from in front of the crease.

Franzen scored off a rebound midway through the second period to put the Red Wings ahead 2-1.

“It was a playoff game,” Hitchcock said. “Their best players were their best players and scored when they needed to.”

Halak gave St. Louis a shot to stay in the game, denying Detroit on a 3-on-1 rush early in the third period, but Kronwall effectively ended the game with 3:03 left soon after Carlo Colaiacovo was called for roughing.

“I think they picked it up in the second period and we got discouraged when they took the lead,” St. Louis forward Patrik Berglund said.

Notes

Halak, who was 11-0-3 in his previous 14 starts, didnt play in any of the earlier matchups between the teams this season. Detroit and St. Louis split their four games, winning two each at home. The Red Wings seven-game winning streak matches their longest of the season. They had won the previous three in shootouts. Nichol played in his 600th NHL game. Kronwall matched his career high with 11 goals.