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UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Just like that, the Montreal Canadiens can feel good about their place in the standings instead of worrying about who is closing in behind them

BOSTON – Tim Thomas stopped 31 shots and the Boston Bruins moved within one victory of clinching the best record in the Eastern Conference, beating the Ottawa Senators 2-1 on Thursday night for their fifth straight victory

RALEIGH, N.C. – Chad LaRose and Rod Brind’Amour scored 28 seconds apart late in the third period, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the New York Rangers 4-2 on Thursday night for their club-record 10th straight home victory

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Montreal goalie Carey Price sat out the Canadiens’ game against the New York Islanders on Thursday night because of the flu

UNIONDALE, N.Y. – Injuries are still plaguing the New York Islanders, right down to the final six games of a lost season.All-star defenseman Mark Streit and top rookie Kyle Okposo, the team’s two leading scorers, both sat out against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night because of groin injuries

DENVER – Forward Ryan Smyth, the Colorado Avalanche’s leading scorer, will miss the rest of the season with a fractured right hand.Smyth suffered the injury in the second period of Colorado’s 3-0 loss to Phoenix on Wednesday night at the Pepsi Center

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl defeated Ak Bars Kazan 3-0 Thursday in the Tartarstan capital city to capture Game 1 of the best-of-seven KHL Gagarin Cup final

TAMPA BAY – Captain Vincent Lecavalier of the Tampa Bay Lightning will undergo season-ending wrist surgery Friday.Lecavalier will have the operation performed by Dr

The United States finds itself in the quite unusual position as the defending champion when the 2009 IIHF world women’s championship opens April 4 in Hämeenlinna, a city of about 66,000 inhabitants in the south of Finland

Results Wednesday:AHL Hartford 5 Portland 3Manchester 3 Lowell 2 (SO)Norfolk 3 Hershey 2Peoria 3 Chicago 0Philadelphia 6 Albany 3Quad City 3 Milwaukee 1Rockford 5 Lake Erie 2Worcester 3 Springfield 2 (OT)Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 3 Binghamton 2 (OT)ECHL Cincinnati 4 Johnstown 3Elmira 4 Reading 2Florida 6 Gwinnett 3Idaho 6 Phoenix 3South Carolina 3 Charlotte 2Wheeling 4 Trenton 3 (SO)IHL Hartford 5 Portland 3Manchester 3 Lowell 2 (SO)Norfolk 3 Hershey 2Peoria 3 Chicago 0Philadelphia 6 Albany 3Quad City 3 Milwaukee 1Rockford 5 Lake Erie 2Worcester 3 Springfield 2 (OT)Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 3 Binghamton 2 (OT)Central PlayoffsConference Semifinals(Best-of-7)Mississippi 4 Oklahoma City 3 (Mississippi leads series 2-1)Odessa 4 Laredo 3 (OT) (Laredo leads series 2-1)Texas 6 Rio Grande Valley 2(Texas leads series 3-0)QMJHL PlayoffsNo Games Scheduled

Scoring summaries from Wednesday’s NHL games:Flyers 2 at Maple Leafs 3First Period1. Toronto, Mayers 6 (Schenn) 1:592. Philadelphia, Asham 8 (Giroux, Carcillo) 9:48Penalties – Alberts Pha (hooking) 5:13, Harrison Tor (interference) 7:18, Hamilton Tor (delay of game) 17:52, Briere Pha (interference) 18:44

DENVER – Al Montoya sure didn’t look like a guy making his NHL debut.Montoya made 23 saves to earn a shutout, Mikkel Boedker and Shane Doan scored a goal each, and the Phoenix Coyotes beat the reeling Colorado Avalanche 3-0 on Wednesday night

If Curtis Joseph has indeed played his last game as a Toronto Maple Leaf – or as an NHLer for that matter – he certainly went out in style Wednesday night

CHICAGO – After being badly outplayed and shut down in back-to-back losses, the Chicago Blackhawks turned the tables.Nikolai Khabibulin made 16 saves, and Jonathan Toews, Samuel Pahlsson and Colin Fraser scored for the Blackhawks, who beat St

Movements in the world of hockey Wednesday:National Hockey LeagueBUFFALO SABRES-Signed D Matt Generous to a one-year contract.CALGARY FLAMES-Assigned D John Negrin to Quad City (AHL)

PITTSBURGH – Unlike the home-ice ceremony that will honour him on Friday, this wasn’t Martin Brodeur’s night as he lost 6-1 Wednesday night to Pittsburgh

TORONTO – Curtis Joseph crouched in anticipation of the shot, made the save with 16 seconds remaining, and Jeff Carter threw his head back in disbelief as he sat on the ice in frustration

ATLANTA – With time running out on Buffalo’s playoff hopes, Thomas Vanek couldn’t believe he gave the puck away to Ilya Kovalchuk.”I gave their best player a breakaway to lose the game for us,” Vanek said after the Sabres were beaten by the Atlanta Thrashers 3-2 in overtime Wednesday night

WASHINGTON – Mike Green’s buddy back home in Calgary needed a little boost for his fantasy hockey team – a roster that just happens to feature a certain high-scoring Washington Capitals defenceman

PHILADELPHIA – James van Riemsdyk is giving up his final two years of college hockey to join the Philadelphia Flyers.Van Riemsdyk, the second overall pick in the 2007 NHL draft, signed an entry-level deal on Wednesday that takes effect next season