Articles by Doug Stolhand

MONTREAL – Losing to runaway NHL Eastern Conference leader Boston was not what bothered Montreal Canadiens coach Guy Carbonneau. It was the way his team lost.

EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers may be in sixth place but they have little margin for error in the bunched up Western Conference standings.Martin Erat’s third-period goal gave the Nashville Predators a 2-1 victory over Edmonton on Sunday afternoon and two valuable points the Oilers simply can’t afford to give up.

WASHINGTON – Alex Ovechkin scored three goals for his seventh career hat trick and second of the season to lead the Washington Capitals to a 7-4 win over the Ottawa Senators on Sunday.

FRISCO, Texas – Fabian Brunnstrom is on his way back to the Dallas Stars after a brief stay in the minors.The 23-year-old rookie was recalled Sunday after appearing in one game for the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose.

Scoring summaries from Saturday’s NHL games:Kings 3 at Canadiens 4First Period1. Los Angeles, Handzus 8 (Brown, Frolov) 4:57 (pp) 2. Montreal, Plekanec 10 (Hamrlik, D’Agostini) 11:41Penalties – Lang Mtl (slashing) 3:45, Simmonds LA, Pacioretty Mtl (fighting) 10:55, Kovalev Mtl (high-sticking) 17:38.

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Marc-Andre Bergeron’s second goal of the game gave the Minnesota Wild a 4-3 overtime victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.

SAN JOSE, Calif. – A big win in San Jose means a pleasant day off in Las Vegas.The Chicago Blackhawks might feel as if they hit the jackpot after beating the Sharks 4-2 on Saturday night, their first win in San Jose in nearly six years.

ST. LOUIS – Chris Mason was quick to credit his St. Louis teammates for his second shutout in three games.”I’m feeling pretty good and the guys are doing a great job in front of me,” Mason said after making 35 saves for his 15th career shutout in the Blues’ 4-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Ryan Miller helped the Buffalo Sabres finish a gruelling month on a high note.Miller made 28 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and the Sabres beat the Phoenix Coyotes 2-0 on Saturday night.

CLEVELAND – Philippe Dupuis scored twice and added an assist as the Lake Erie Monsters beat the Hamilton Bulldogs 3-1 in AHL action Friday.Matt Hendricks also scored as the Monsters improved to 19-22-1-5.

RALEIGH, N.C. – Cam Ward made 19 saves for his second shutout in two weeks, and Matt Cullen had a goal and an assist for the second straight game in the Carolina Hurricanes’ 2-0 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday night.

TORONTO – Jason Blake saved the Toronto Maple Leafs from a third-period collapse.The streaky winger scored for the fourth straight game as the Maple Leafs pulled out a tight 5-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – James Neal scored two goals and Dallas rolled to an early 3-0 lead and never let up Saturday night in beating the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-3, the Stars’ fourth victory in a row.

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Yann Danis made 37 saves to lead the New York Islanders to their third straight victory, 3-1 over the Florida Panthers on Saturday night.

TORONTO – Doug Gilmour finally got another chance to soak in the love from fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs.The former Leafs captain appeared to be choked up even before addressing the crowd or seeing his No.

TORONTO – Mathieu Garon found himself back on “Hockey Night in Canada” on Saturday.The veteran goaltender was given his first start with the Pittsburgh Penguins as they visited the Toronto Maple Leafs at Air Canada Centre.

DALLAS – The Stars recalled left wing Fabian Brunnstrom on Saturday after a brief rehabilitation stint in the minor leagues.Brunnstrom, who leads NHL rookies with four game-winning goals, played one game for Manitoba in the American Hockey League.

TORONTO – Judd Blackwater scored twice and Adam Pineault had three assists as the Rockford IceHogs ended the Toronto Marlies’ seven-game home winning streak with a 6-3 victory Saturday.

DENVER – Teemu Selanne scored the tiebreaking goal in the third period, sending the Anaheim Ducks past the struggling Colorado Avalanche 4-3 on Saturday.