NEW YORK: The Chicago Blackhawks took control in the second period to grab a win over arch-rivals St Louis Blues.
Patrick Sharp scored his 33rd goal of the season to give Chicago a 2-1 lead in the second while Marcus Kruger scored just 56 seconds into the third period to put the game on ice for the Blackhawks.
Chicago has now won three straight, while St Louis has lost its last two.
It was the second straight win Chicago (45-19-15) has earned over St Louis (52-19-7) in the last three weeks and moved the Blackhawks to within one point of second-place Colorado in the Central Division.
The Edmonton Oilers scored three unanswered goals in the second period to stun the Anaheim Ducks for the second time in a week and a half.
The Western Conference cellar-dwellers, Edmonton (28-42-9), also posted an overtime win at home on March 29.
Viktor Fasth made 34 saves to hold off Anaheim, who saw Corey Perry notch his 42nd goal of the season.
Anaheim (50-20-8) holds a one-point lead on the San Jose Sharks for the top spot in the Pacific Division.
Goaltender Marc Andre Fleury stopped 39 shots and was perfect in the shoot-out as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Colorado Avalanche.
Brandon Sutter scored two goals for the Penguins, who won despite missing captain Sidney Crosby.
Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov stopped 30 shots, and centre Ryan O’Reilly and left wing Patrick Bordeleau scored for the Avalanche (50-21-7).
The Penguins (50-24-5), locked into the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, had several players sit out for unspecified injuries. Most notable was Crosby, the NHL points leader with 102, who had played in every game before Sunday.
Brayden Schenn scored twice, and goaltender Steve Mason made 17 saves to help the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Buffalo Sabres.
The Flyers snapped a four-game losing streak. Philadelphia (40-29-9) closed within two points of the New York Rangers for second place in the Metropolitan Division.
The Sabres (21-48-9) are 1-6-1 in their past eight games.
The Florida Panthers ended a season-high five-game losing streak with a win over the Dallas Stars.
Panthers left wing Sean Bergenheim scored his 16th goal of the season with a tip-in at 15:29 in the third period to break a 2-2 tie.
The Stars (38-29-11) were coming off a 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
REUTERS
