Wings win, close in on play-off berth
Buffalo, New York: Darren Helm pushed Detroit closer to their 23rd consecutive play-off berth and coach Mike Babcock became the franchise leader in victories as the Red Wings beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 in the National Hockey League yesterday.
Helm scored 3:33 into the third period for a 2-1 lead and team mate David Legwand made it a two-goal edge later in the period as Detroit (38-27-14) came within a point of clinching a play-off spot in the Eastern Conference.
Babcock passed legendary coach Jack Adams with his 414th win. The Avalanche posted a victory over the 28th-place Oilers to secure two very crucial points in their quest for home ice advantage in the opening round of the play-offs. Tyson Barrie and Jamie McGinn scored third-period goals and Colorado (51-21-7) moved within two points of the Western Conference-leading St Louis Blues.
Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading 50th goal of the season and assisted on two goals by center Nicklas Backstrom to help the Washington Capitals keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
The Capitals have 85 points and trail the Columbus Blue Jackets by four points in the race for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with three games to play.
The Blues (52-20-7), who lost their season-high third straight game, remain on top of the Western Conference by just one point over Anaheim.
Mikko Koivu scored the only goal in a shootout as the Minnesota Wild rallied for a win over the Boston Bruins, clinching a return trip to the NHL playoffs.
The Wild (42-26-12) got two goals from right winger Jason Pominville and tied the score at 3-3 with 1:05 left in regulation when defenseman Ryan Suter scored with an extra attacker on the ice.Reuters
