Articles by Doug Stolhand

PHILADELPHIA – Adam Munro made 27 saves as the Toronto Marlies blanked the Philadelphia Phantoms 3-0 in American Hockey League action Friday

WASHINGTON – For more than two periods, the game was about possible retribution for a week-old goal celebration by Alex Ovechkin.Then, with the score tied in the third, the player whose career was nearly ended by a concussion scored his first goal in the more than a year, an emotional moment that brought the Verizon Centre to its feet

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Paul Gaustad scored midway through the third period to help the Buffalo Sabres avoid a second-half meltdown in a 5-3 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night

DETROIT – Joey MacDonald made 42 saves for his first NHL shutout, and Frans Nielsen and Josh Bailey scored goals in the lowly New York Islanders’ 2-0 victory over the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings on Friday night

DENVER – The Colorado Avalanche signed former University of Minnesota forward Ryan Stoa to an entry-level contract Friday.The 21-year-old Stoa, drafted in the second round in 2005, captained Minnesota this season and led the Gophers with 46 points (24 goals and 22 assists) in 36 games

When the St. Louis Blues hobbled into the all-star break sitting last in the Western Conference, they appeared to be a young team saddled with too many injuries to compete

TORONTO – Andrew Ference, Zdeno Chara and Mark Stuart make a habit of riding their bikes to practice, and sometimes they convince Boston Bruins teammate Chuck Kobasew to use pedal power, too

Scott Clemmensen might be gone from the NHL, but he’s certainly not forgotten.One of the highlights of his remarkable season came this week when his former teammates voted him unsung hero of the New Jersey Devils

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Police say a passionate hockey fan made physical threats against the Columbus Blue Jackets in a series of phone calls to the team’s arena during a game

Results Thursday:AHL San Antonio 5 Lake Erie 4 ECHL Charlotte 4 Gwinnett 2Trenton 5 Cincinnati 3IHL No Games Scheduled.Central PlayoffsFirst Round (Best-of-3)Northern Conference Bossier-Shreveport 5 Rocky Mountain 3(Bossier-Shreveport wins series 2-1)Southern Conference Rio Grande Valley 3 Corpus Christi 0(Rio Grande Valley wins series 2-1)QMJHL PlayoffsNo Games Scheduled

Scoring summaries from Thursday’s NHL games: Lightning 2 at Canadiens 3 (OT)First Period1. Montreal, Kovalev 20 (Tanguay, Schneider) 11:09 (pp)Penalties – Petiot TB (hooking) 7:36, Malone TB (holding) 10:25, Welch TB (high-sticking) 18:30

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Martin Hanzal scored the winning goal in the Phoenix Coyotes’ 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night.The Coyotes, seeking to play playoff spoiler, kept the Oilers from gaining critical points in their chase of a Western Conference playoff spot

Movements in the world of hockey Thursday:National Hockey LeagueCALGARY FLAMES-Assigned F David Van der Gulik to Quad City (AHL).PHILADELPHIA FLYERS-Agreed to terms with G Johan Backlund on a one-year contract

GLENDALE, Ariz. – NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says the financially struggling Phoenix Coyotes are actively seeking investors or possibly new ownership, but reiterated that the team won’t be relocated

DALLAS – Justin Williams kept the Los Angeles Kings’ faint playoff hopes alive.Meanwhile, the Dallas Stars wasted a chance to improve their long-shot playoff chances

ST. LOUIS – David Perron scored a power-play goal early in the third period to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday night

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Radek Bonk scored a power-play goal and added an assist as the Nashville Predators beat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 Thursday night

MONTREAL – Saku Koivu scored 1:45 into overtime as the Montreal Canadiens pulled out a win after blowing a two-goal lead in the third period of a 3-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night

ATLANTA – Todd White scored in the shootout after Ilya Kovalchuk rallied the Atlanta Thrashers from a three-goal deficit to a 5-4 victory over the New York Rangers on Thursday night

PHILADELPHIA – Brett McLean scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period, backup Craig Anderson made 40 saves, and the Florida Panthers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night