Articles by Doug Stolhand

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Without looking at a calendar, it’s easy to tell it’s playoff time at Ken Hitchcock’s house.The bills are piling up and so are the dishes

NEW YORK – Chris Mason is the NHL’s first star of the week after posting a 4-0-0 record to help the St. Louis Blues climb up to eighth in the Western Conference

Scoring summaries from Sunday’s NHL games: Senators 3 at Lightning 0First Period1. Ottawa, Heatley 35 (Fisher) 9:45 (pp)2. Ottawa, Shannon 8, 13:44Penalties – Lashoff TB (cross-checking) 8:56, Campoli Ott (hooking) 17:03

Results Sunday:AHL Manitoba 3 Hamilton 2Syracuse 4 Toronto 3 (SO)Lowell 5 Bridgeport 3Milwaukee 5 Chicago 2Philadelphia 4 Grand Rapids 1Portland 4 Springfield 3Quad City 3 Iowa 2 (SO)Rockford 2 Houston 1Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 1 Hershey 0Worcester 4 Providence 2ECHL Elmira 4 Wheeling 1Reading 2 Johnstown 1South Carolina 3 Mississippi 1Stockton 3 Las Vegas 1IHL Fort Wayne 6 Flint 5 (SO)Muskegon 7 Bloomington 6 (SO)Central PlayoffsConference Semifinals(Best-of-7)Colorado 4 Bossier-Shreveport 3(Colorado leads series 1-0)Texas 5 Rio Grande Valley 4 (Texas leads series 2-0)QMJHL PlayoffsQuarter-finals(Best-of-7)Montreal 4 Rouyn-Noranda 3(Montreal wins series 4-2)OHL PlayoffsNo Games Scheduled

EDMONTON – Marian Gaborik had a goal and an assist as the Minnesota Wild put themselves back into the playoff picture in the Western Conference, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 3-2 on Sunday night

Movements in the world of hockey Sunday:National Hockey LeagueATLANTA THRASHERS-Assigned G Dan Turple to Gwinnett (ECHL).DALLAS STARS-Recalled D Dan Jancevski from Hamilton (AHL) and D Garrett Stafford from Grand Rapids (AHL)

ANAHEIM, Calif. – After getting off 54 shots only to lose their previous game, the Anaheim Ducks figured they needed to try something different

PHILADELPHIA – Tim Thomas made 45 saves for his career-high 32nd win, Milan Lucic scored two goals and the Boston Bruins held off the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 on Sunday night for their third straight victory

CHICAGO – Roberto Luongo made 26 saves to match his career high with seven shutouts, and Daniel Sedin had two goals and an assist in the Vancouver Canucks’ 4-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night

FRISCO, Texas – The Dallas Stars recalled defencemen Dan Jancevski from Hamilton and Garrett Stafford from Grand Rapids on Sunday.The players, recalled under emergency conditions, will be with the team for the Stars’ two-game road trip to Phoenix and Los Angeles

TAMPA, Fla. – Brian Elliott made 20 saves for his first NHL shutout, and Dany Heatley, Ryan Shannon and Jason Spezza scored in the Ottawa Senators’ 3-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday night

DETROIT – Ryan Suter broke a tie on a power play with 4:36 left, and Pekka Rinne made 33 saves to help the Nashville Predators win their third straight game, 4-3 over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The prize is just around the corner, yet the St. Louis Blues won’t permit themselves to take a peek.Patrik Berglund had a goal and two assists and the Blues moved a step closer to a playoff spot with a 5-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday

TORONTO – In a game rife with post-season implications, the Syracuse Crunch and Toronto Marlies needed a shootout to decide their fates in a 4-3 Crunch victory Sunday

WINNIPEG – Cory Schneider stopped 44 shots as the league-leading Manitoba Moose defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs 3-2 in AHL action Sunday.Scheider was again the difference two days after making 35 saves in the Moose’s 2-1 overtime win against Hamilton

THUNDER BAY, Ont. – Lachlan MacIntosh scored three goals, including the winner midway through the third period, to lead the New Brunswick Varsity Reds past the Western Ontario Mustangs 4-2 in the Canadian university men’s hockey final

MONTREAL – Don’t count the Buffalo Sabres out of the Eastern Conference playoff race just yet.With goaltender Ryan Miller back from injury and a new sense of desperation in their play, the Sabres are looking to hunt down the Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens over their last seven games of the regular season and grab the eighth and final playoff spot

MONTREAL – The Parti Quebecois is suggesting the province’s beleaguered pension-fund manager consider buying the Montreal Canadiens.George Gillett, the team’s majority shareholder, is having financial firms in Canada and elsewhere look at how to maximize his holdings

Sabres 4 at Canadiens 3 (SO)First Period1. Buffalo, Mair 8 (Hecht, Lydman) 17:35Penalties – Lapierre Mtl (boarding) 2:52, Rivet Buf, Kostopoulos Mtl (fighting), Kaleta Buf, Lapierre Mtl (unsportsmanlike) 10:16, Moore Buf, Plekanec Mtl (roughing) 10:56, Kovalev Mtl (delay of game) 15:30, Lydman Buf (slashing) 18:36

Movements in the world of hockey Saturday:National Hockey LeagueWASHINGTON CAPITALS-Assigned F Keith Aucoin, F Oskar Osala and G Simeon Varlamov to Hershey (AHL)