Isles Score Three Shorthanders in Win, AP Game Recap

By JOEDY McCREARY, AP Sports Writer
January 22, 2008

AP - Jan 22, 10:26 pm EST More Photos

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- The New York Islanders kept drawing penalties and scoring goals. When they were in the penalty box, it was tough to tell which team actually had the advantage.

The Islanders tied a team record with three short-handed goals, two by Mike Sillinger, in a 6-3 rout of the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.

"We're not out to score any goals" while killing penalties, Sillinger said. "We knew that they have forwards that play the point, and if we could get a chance to take advantage of it, we would. But we weren't out there to score goals. We just got some good bounces, some breakaways."

Richard Park also scored down a man, Sean Bergenheim scored on a breakaway while being dragged down and Brendan Witt and Blake Comeau added late goals for the Islanders, who scored three short-handed goals for the third time in franchise history and first since 2000.

"The odd one once in a while is going to happen, but three in a game is unacceptable," Carolina defenseman Mike Commodore said. "Those are supposed to be opportunities for us to score, and we didn't do that."

Radek Martinek and Trent Hunter both had two assists and Comeau assisted on a goal for New York, which broke a 1-all tie with three goals in the second period and won its fourth straight road game.

Eric Staal, Matt Cullen and Commodore scored for Carolina, which had its two-game winning streak snapped and probably wished it could have declined New York's penalties. The Southeast Division leaders have allowed an NHL-worst 10 short-handed goals and failed to generate a second straight rally from a two-goal deficit against the Islanders.

"The players that are up on the power play have to take the responsibility to do the right things at the right time with the pucks, and we didn't," coach Peter Laviolette said.

Cullen scored with 13 1/2 minutes remaining to pull Carolina within 4-3, but the Hurricanes -- who had scored eight goals in the third period or later of their previous two games, both wins -- couldn't get anything else past Wade Dubielewicz. Rick DiPietro's backup made 44 saves in his second victory in Raleigh in just over three weeks; he also beat the Hurricanes 4-1 on Dec. 31.

Cam Ward stopped 25 shots for the Hurricanes before he was pulled with about two minutes left.

Sillinger's first goal came after three Hurricanes collapsed on Hunter behind the net, and he found Sillinger in the slot for an easy goal.

"Right from then, they just seemed to break down," Sillinger said.

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He scored again early in the second, racing down the right side, swooping in front of the net and stuffing the rebound of his shot past Ward. That came 45 seconds after Park gave New York the lead for good. He capped a sequence that started when Martinek broke up a pass from Erik Cole and passed off the boards to Park, who wristed the puck past Ward.

"I got in a foot race, and I was fortunate enough to get a jump," Park said.

Bergenheim pushed the lead to 4-1 when he got behind the Carolina defense, took a long pass from Miroslav Satan and, as he fell on his back, flipped the puck past Ward. Had Bergenheim not scored, he likely would have been awarded a penalty shot -- a referee raised his arm as Frantisek Kaberle dragged him down during the shot.

"We lull for a few minutes or a period or whatever it is, and it seems like that's all it takes and we're down by three goals," Commodore said.

Both teams scored during Islanders defenseman Andy Sutton's time in the penalty box for high-sticking midway through the first. Less than 90 seconds after Sillinger's first goal, Carolina tied it at 1-all on Staal's redirection.

Commodore's goal was fluky -- his slap shot ricocheted off Witt's skate and the knob of Dubielewicz's stick before sailing into the net.

"I just said, 'They didn't earn that,"' Dubielewicz said. "They get another one, they're going to have to earn it."

Notes

LW Cory Stillman's assist on Carolina's first goal was his 100th with the Hurricanes. ... The teams split the season series 2-2, with the visiting team winning all four meetings. Last season, the home team was 4-0 in the series.

Rangers Blank Thrashers, AP Game Recap

By IRA PODELL, AP Hockey Writer
January 22, 2008

AP - Jan 22, 10:06 pm EST More Photos

NEW YORK (AP) -- Just as they did last spring, the Atlanta Thrashers proved to be the perfect foil for the New York Rangers.

A year ago, the Rangers were searching for their first playoff series victory since 1997 and they got it in a big way with a sweep of the Thrashers.

Now trying to snap out a slump that is threatening New York's return to the postseason, the Rangers responded to their angry coach's message and took their frustration out on Atlanta.

Jaromir Jagr scored and had two assists on a newly created line, and defenseman Fedor Tyutin had a career-high three assists in a 4-0 win Tuesday night.

Clicking as they did in wrecking the Thrashers' first trip to the playoffs, the Rangers put together the complete game coach Tom Renney had grown weary waiting to see.

Sean Avery and Brandon Dubinsky scored first-period goals, Martin Straka added one in the second, and Jagr finished the surge in the third to provide plenty of offense for Henrik Lundqvist.

"We had the lead. I think that was the key and we jumped on them right away," Jagr said. "We scored a quick two goals and that was the difference."

Lundqvist stopped 14 shots in earning his seventh shutout and 14th in three NHL seasons.

Kari Lehtonen made 35 saves, but failed to win for the fourth straight outing -- all losses for the Thrashers, who are three points behind Southeast Division-leading Carolina.

"Everybody seemed sleepy or tired," Thrashers coach Don Waddell said. "We've had slow starts a couple of games in a row and it's killing us."

The Rangers came out with changes to their top three lines, and the moves paid off.

Avery, playing with Jagr and Scott Gomez, got New York on the board 12:12 in. He found a loose puck in the slot and shoved it past Lehtonen for his fourth of the season and second in four games since returning from his latest wrist injury.

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Jagr earned his second assist 3:20 later, sending Dubinsky into the zone with a pass from inside the blue line. Dubinsky carried on the right side and eluded falling defenseman Alexei Zhitnik before scoring his seventh.

New York showed jump and life, elements that were sorely lacking in a home-and-home sweep by Boston last weekend and during a 2-6-2 slide. The Rangers are in ninth place in the Eastern Conference, one point behind Boston and the postseason cutoff and three points ahead of Atlanta.

"I am glad we won, but we have a long way to go," Jagr said. "We have to win a lot more games to get in the playoffs."

The shot total was 14-0 when Dubinsky scored, and Atlanta didn't get its first puck on net until Bobby Holik's shot with 3:14 left in the period.

"We looked like a junior team. It's not the way it's supposed to be," Lehtonen said.

New York had a decided edge in shots early in Sunday's 3-1 loss at home to the Bruins, but that hardly impressed Renney because the Rangers had very few scoring chances. That changed against the Thrashers.

"You're not going to score unless you shoot the puck," Renney said. "We didn't give them a whole lot to work with. We are still trying to get ourselves corrected here.

"We understand that they are an explosive team, so we thought that we would have our hands full. We got a good start, a good jump on them. We were a pretty relentless team."

Renney ripped into the Rangers following Sunday's loss and threatened changes. The only difference in the active roster was defenseman Marek Malik came back in for Paul Mara, who was benched.

Forward Marcel Hossa was scratched for the fourth straight game, missing an opportunity to play against brother Marian of the Thrashers.

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Marian Hossa became Atlanta's biggest offensive threat during the final 40 minutes after leading scorer Ilya Kovalchuk was ejected with 35.7 seconds left in the first period when he drove Rangers defenseman Michal Rozsival into the boards from behind after elbowing him earlier.

Rozsival was cut and stayed down for a few minutes as Colton Orr came to his defense. The Rangers got a 3-minute power play, but couldn't take advantage. Rozsival wasn't seriously hurt and returned.

"It's a contact sport," Kovalchuk said. "I wasn't trying to kill anybody."

Straka scored a short-handed breakaway goal 8:36 into the second after Atlanta's Slava Kozlov went off for a line change, allowing Straka to chase down a loose puck and skate in alone on Lehtonen.

Jagr completed the scoring with his 15th goal at 4:03 of the third. On Thursday, New York will try to finish off the rare back-to-back homestand against the same opponent.

"They were missing Kovalchuk, and he is a big part," Jagr said. "Next game they are going to be better."

Notes

The Rangers will retire the No. 2 in honor of former defenseman Brian Leetch before playing the Thrashers on Thursday . ... Kovalchuk, who leads Atlanta with 37 goals and 63 points, hasn't scored in five games.

Islanders Blow Two Goal Lead, Lose in OT, AP Game Recap

By IRA PODELL, AP Hockey Writer
January 21, 2008

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UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- The way things have gone lately for the slumping Carolina Hurricanes, every win is a masterpiece.

Rallying on the road in the third period against a club that hadn't lost when leading after 40 minutes all season made this victory that much sweeter.

Carolina defensemen Mike Commodore and Niclas Wallin scored in the third period, and Cory Stillman netted the power-play winner in overtime for the Hurricanes, who earned a 3-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Monday.

"It was a gross game," Commodore said. "The ice was terrible. Pucks were bouncing all over the place. Each team got a couple of lucky goals. We were all just trying to get pucks to the net. That's how we got the first two."

New York seemed well in control after carrying a 2-0 lead into the third period, but Commodore and Wallin each broke 11-game goal droughts to get the Hurricanes even.

Stillman took a pass in front from Eric Staal, during Andy Sutton's cross-checking penalty, and scored past Rick DiPietro with a second whack 52 seconds into overtime.

"It was a broken play. It's scary how it works out sometimes," Stillman said.

The Hurricanes didn't have any power-play chances until Staal was crunched into the end boards by Radek Martinek with 1:23 left in the third period. Their second advantage was enough to give them a second consecutive win following a four-game skid.

Carolina hadn't won two in a row since Dec. 15 and 18, both after regulation.

"There's a saying that the worst lead in hockey is a two-goal lead, and it proved to be right," Stillman said.

New York, which squandered a two-goal edge for the second straight game, is 3-3-4 in its last 10. Not even the return from injury of Martinek and fellow defenseman Brendan Witt was enough to help. The Islanders had been 15-0 when leading after two periods.

"It was bound to happen eventually," captain Bill Guerin said. "It's a sour taste in our mouths right now."

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The Islanders are 0-2-2 in their past four at home, sandwiched around a successful 2-1-2 road trip. New York led 3-1 over Philadelphia on Saturday before falling 5-3.

"We should be flying a bit higher after the road trip we had," Guerin said. "I think sometimes you get a lead at home and you take it for granted."

Commodore started the rally 3:39 into the third, and Wallin tied it about 12 minutes later.

Wallin let the puck go from the right point, sending a drive between the legs of Islanders forward Trent Hunter and past DiPietro, who was screened in front by Carolina captain Rod Brind'Amour with 4:40 left in regulation.

Commodore had cut the deficit to 2-1 with a shot that caromed in off an Islanders skate in front.

Andy Hilbert and Miroslav Satan scored second-period goals for New York.

Hilbert took advantage of a fortunate bounce off the glass 3:17 into the period, and Satan doubled the Islanders' lead near the end of the second. DiPietro shook off an injury to his right leg and was in line for his 20th win.

DiPietro stretched for a shot that sailed wide of the net late in the second period and got up slowly, flexing his right leg. He made a flurry of saves soon after and appeared to be OK. DiPietro missed three games last month due to a left knee injury and said this was unrelated.

"It was a little tweak. Nothing major," said DiPietro, who finished with 26 saves.

Cam Ward stopped 23 shots and helped the Hurricanes build off a 7-2 home win on Friday that ended their skid. Carolina has allowed only four goals in two games after giving up 19 in the four-game slide.

The teams will conclude their four-game season series at Carolina on Tuesday night.

"These points are huge," Witt said. "We have to become road warriors."

Hilbert was positioned perfectly to score his fifth of the season and first in 13 games. A dump-in off the glass to Ward's left bounced past surprised defenseman Frantisek Kaberle and right to Hilbert in the slot.

Satan made it 2-0 with 7:03 left in the second, taking a pass in the right circle from Blake Comeau and snapping a shot past Ward for his 11th.

Notes

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell dropped the ceremonial first puck. ... The Islanders are 16-2-4 when scoring first. Carolina is 10-20-2 in games it trailed 1-0. ... The first penalties came with 6:05 left in the second when Tim Jackman fought Carolina D Tim Gleason. Commodore went off for hooking with 16.4 seconds remaining in the period for the Islanders' only power play.

Giants Going to Superbowl, AP Game Recap

By BARRY WILNER, AP Football Writer
January 21, 2008

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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Oh, brother!

Eli, the baby of the Manning quarterback clan, finally has arrived.

And he's taking the New York Giants on yet another road trip -- to Glendale, Ariz., site of the Super Bowl.

Manning repeatedly put the Giants in position to win the NFC championship Sunday, and when Lawrence Tynes came through at last with a 47-yard field goal in overtime, New York had itself an improbable 23-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers at frostbitten Lambeau Field.

Now comes Mission Impossible: beating the undefeated New England Patriots in two weeks in a Super Bowl matchup hardly anyone saw coming.

"We haven't been given a shot, but we're here and I think we're deserving of it," Manning said. "Right now I'm excited as I can be."

Manning wasn't the only Giant who came through. Tynes had two earlier misses -- a 36-yarder at the end of regulation following a bad snap, and a 43-yarder with 6:49 to go -- before nailing his long winner 2:35 into OT.

He got a reprieve in overtime after Corey Webster intercepted a struggling Brett Favre -- the kind of mistake Manning often has made before his recent turnaround.

"I screwed it up twice," said Tynes, who sprinted straight to the locker room after his decisive kick, leaving his frozen teammates to celebrate outside. "Thank God we got another opportunity."

Eli's arrival comes one year after older brother Peyton won a Super Bowl for the Indianapolis Colts, earning MVP honors to boot. Peyton stayed away Sunday, but father Archie was on hand for the biggest moment of his youngest son's career.

"We knew we could compete with anybody," Manning said. "It's just a matter of getting hot at the right time."

Nobody, not even league MVP Tom Brady, is hotter than Eli.

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Just a month ago, Eli's moxie was being questioned as the Giants struggled to clinch a wild-card berth. He responded with the best work of his four-year career, including four touchdown passes in the season finale against the Patriots.

He and the Giants are getting another shot at New England, the first team to go 18-0. The Patriots will be after their fourth Super Bowl title in seven years on Feb. 3, as well as the league's first perfect season since Miami went 17-0 in 1972.

But don't discount New York, which led the Patriots by 12 points in the third quarter before falling 38-35 on Dec. 29.

"Heck, they could win two weeks from now," Favre said. "I wouldn't put it past them."

The Giants (13-6) had a handful of opportunities to put away the Packers (14-4) as Favre struggled with the minus-3 degrees temperatures and wind-chill of minus-24.

Along with Tynes' misses after making two first-half kicks, the Giants fumbled their first interception, allowed a long kickoff return after taking a lead, and had some critical penalties that kept Green Bay closer than it probably deserved to be.

Still, the Giants grabbed their first NFC championship in seven years, capping a monthlong surge that reversed a trend of mediocrity built around Manning's inconsistency. He has been a revelation in the playoffs, however, and his calm leadership keyed New York's turnaround.

"It's just a matter of getting hot at the right time," Manning said. "It feels good because this is what you work for. We stuck with it, we believed in ourselves and we got to the Super Bowl."

Manning shook off conditions that would make a Siberian husky shiver. He repeatedly put the Giants in position to win in the third-coldest championship game ever -- and certainly the most frigid of his young career.

And then he saw Tynes make his first game-winning field goal of the season in the first OT title game in nine years.

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"We just came out here and played our hearts out," said Plaxico Burress, who had a career-high 11 catches for 154 yards.

As for Favre, his emotions were clear: "I was disappointed that the last pass I threw was intercepted."

He wound up 19-for-35 for 236 yards and two interceptions. It's now a decade since the career leader in most NFL passing categories has been to the big game.

"For me, I kept thinking how many opportunities are we going to let slip away," he said.

New York, which also won at Tampa and Dallas in the playoffs, was aided greatly by four penalties against the Packers during the Giants' seven-minute, 69-yard march to begin the second half. Brandon Jacobs bolted in from about an inch out after successive offside calls just moments after his third-down fumble was recovered by tight end Kevin Boss. But the biggest miscue was Nick Collins' 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty on Manning, whose throw was blocked on a third-down play.

Jacobs faked a Lambeau Leap after his score, incensing the hardy souls in the full house of 72,470.

They were stamping their frozen feet in delight seconds later when Tramon Williams, seemingly trapped along the left sideline, cut right and returned the kickoff 49 yards to the New York 39. Then it was the Giants' turn to commit a costly, senseless penalty when Sam Madison negated a third-down stop with a personal foul against Vernand Morency.

Favre immediately pounced with a brilliant play-fake that sprung tight end Donald Lee free in the back of the end zone for a 12-yard TD reception and a 17-13 lead.

With the footing holding on a field heated by pipes underneath, Domenik Hixon got the Giants' next scoring drive started with a 33-yard kickoff runback. Then, Manning kept picking apart the Packers' staple man coverage, a 23-yard diving catch by Amani Toomer setting up rookie Ahmad Bradshaw's 4-yard TD run.

Rookie Mason Crosby's 37-yard field goal tied it 20-20 after a huge break for the Packers. Favre's desperation heave was intercepted by R.W. McQuarters deep in New York territory, but he fumbled when he was hit by Ryan Grant on his return. Tackle Mark Tauscher recovered, giving the Packers another life.

Manning was, well, cool on New York's first series, driving the Giants 71 yards on 14 plays, going 5-for-8 for 55 yards before Tynes kicked a 29-yarder.

Green Bay went backward on its next series, an ugly three-and-out on which Favre passed three times, all behind the line of scrimmage. Total yardage: minus-3 yards.

Just as unseemly was 20-year veteran punter Jeff Feagles' first kick in a championship game on New York's next possession, a 21-yard shank.

After Tynes nailed a 37-yarder for a 6-0 lead, Koren Robinson had Packers fans holding their breath as he overran the kickoff, then bobbled it before recovering at the Green Bay 10. Then Favre and Donald Driver took their breath away with the longest pass in team playoff history, a 90-yard TD.

The cagey veteran receiver shook off a bump by Webster to break free as Favre double-pumped. Driver caught the ball at the 29 and raced the final 71 yards being chased by three Giants. None came close to preventing Driver's first touchdown in four months.

Favre extended his NFL record with his 18th straight postseason game with a TD pass. Few have been so spectacular.

Aside from the 90-yarder to Driver, the Packers were held to 146 yards passing by a secondary criticized for being leaky, and to 28 yards rushing. They were 1-for-10 on third downs a week after blitzing Seattle in the snow.

Madden Returns to Lead Devils Past Maple Leafs, AP Game Recap

AP - Jan 20, 8:36 pm EST More Photos

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- John Madden showed the New Jersey Devils exactly what they were missing during his absence.

Madden returned to the lineup after sitting out two games, a pair of losses in which the Devils had just one goal in each, and scored twice to lead New Jersey past the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 on Sunday.

"My thoughts were that we would see how things were going," said Madden, who was sidelined with a right ankle laceration. "I was a little winded, since I hadn't skated until Saturday. I felt a little something here and there, but nothing big. I got better as the game went on."

Madden, widely recognized as one of the NHL's premiere defensive players, has emerged as an important part of the Devils offense this season.

"He's great on faceoffs and in so many parts of the game," said Martin Brodeur, who made 34 saves. "We're happy to have him back."

Travis Zajac also scored for the Devils, who ended the two-game home-ice losing streak.

Darcy Tucker and Pavel Kubina scored for Toronto, which had won three straight amid a swirl of rumors that general manager John Ferguson is about to be fired.

"We played good hockey these last four games," said Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin. "We played against one of the best teams in the conference. We had a lot of chances and, in the third period, we totally dominated them."

As to possible front-office upheaval, Sundin said that "if we sit and wait and follow what's happening off the ice, we're in big trouble.

"I know it's a cliche, but as players, we can't really worry about that stuff. We have to worry about what we have to do on the ice."

The teams were locked in a scoreless tie with 2:32 remaining in the second period when Zajac slammed home the rebound of Karel Rachunek's point shot. The tally extended Zajac's goal-scoring streak to three games.

Madden and Gionta attacked the Toronto zone on a 2-on-1 break a couple minutes later, with Madden carrying the puck down the left wing. He tried to feed it to Gionta, but it deflected off the skate of Toronto defenseman Ian White and into the net with 13 seconds left in the period.

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Madden extended the Devils' lead to 3-0 at 3:54 of the third when Paul Martin's shot deflected off his skate while tied up in front of the net by Nik Antropov.

Toronto countered with goals from Tucker and Kubina to trim the New Jersey lead to 3-2.

Tucker broke up Brodeur's shutout bid at 4:54 on a goal very similar to Madden's second tally. Tucker was tied up by a Devils defender when the puck glanced off his skate.

Kubina cut the Toronto deficit to one at 8:29 with a strong individual effort. The defenseman wheeled around the Devils net for a wraparound attempt that Brodeur blocked, but Kubina put in his rebound for an unassisted goal.

Brodeur preserved the win by stopping a pair of close-in chances from Alex Steen in the closing seconds, including a one-timer that appeared ticketed for the net.

"It hit the post and my pad at the same time," Brodeur said.

Steen knew he was facing one of the game's clutch performers.

"It's just small margins," Steen said. "He reads the play very well. The puck came to me and Marty got over just as quick."

The Maple Leafs started Andrew Raycroft and the Devils wasted little time peppering the backup goalie with shots.

New Jersey took 14 of the first 17 attempts, but Raycroft stood his ground in the scoreless first period. Toronto also had some good chances, the best coming when a shot by Alexei Ponikarovsky hit the post in the opening minute.

NOTES

Martin skipped Saturday's practice with a sore ankle and knee but was in the lineup. ... The Prudential Center showed the competing NFC championship game between the Giants and Packers on televisions throughout the arena. Fans were invited to remain after the hockey game to watch the remainder of the football game on the center-ice scoreboard screens. ... Madden and Zack Parise led the Devils with 5 shots each. A trio of Maple Leafs also had 5 shots: Steen, Sundin and Jason Blake. ... The Devils were 0-for-3 on the power play, extending their man-advantage futility to 0-for-15 over the last four games.

Kobasew, Thomas Lead Bruins Past Rangers, AP Game Recap

By IRA PODELL, AP Hockey Writer
January 20, 2008

AP - Jan 20, 3:57 pm EST More Photos

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Boston Bruins have not been to the NHL playoffs since 2004, so forgive them if they are already getting into postseason mode a week before the All-Star game.

Chuck Kobasew capped off a big weekend with a short-handed goal and assist, Tim Thomas made 30 saves Sunday and the Bruins completed a home-and-home sweep of the New York Rangers with a 3-1 victory.

Kobasew scored in the first period, after netting two power-play goals in a 4-3 shootout victory Saturday in Boston, and set up Glen Metropolit in the third for the Bruins, who moved three points ahead of the Rangers in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

"That was our whole focus going into this. We've got to start separating from the pack," said Marc Savard, who had two assists. "We've got to beat the guys we're chasing a playoff spot with.

"That's what we talked about, the playoffs. It's the closest thing we're going to see until the end of the year."

The Bruins managed only 20 shots on Henrik Lundqvist, concentrating on a simple, defensive-minded approach after grabbing the early lead.

Phil Kessel made it 3-0 with his 12th goal with 2:59 remaining, and Brandon Dubinsky spoiled Thomas' shutout bid with 43.6 seconds left.

"Maybe it wasn't pretty, but we did a good job keeping it tight defensively, and Timmy was unbelievable again," Savard said.

Boston is 3-0-1 in its last four, avoiding overtime Sunday for the first time in that stretch. New York is in a 2-6-2 rut and is one point below the playoff cutoff with 33 games left. A third straight trip to the postseason is becoming a daunting task.

"It's starting to seem like it's going to be a tough challenge," Lundqvist said. "We played pretty good. There are small things we can do a little bit better because obviously it's not enough. We're not winning. We can't be satisfied."

The Rangers recorded several big hits on the opening shift, perhaps motivated by teammate Sean Avery's assessment after Saturday's loss that they lacked urgency and intensity.

It didn't translate into success.

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"They played smarter than we did," Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr said. "We had some scoring chances, but we should have got more. They didn't make any mistakes."

Rangers defenseman Fedor Tyutin failed to keep the puck in the Boston zone, and Kobasew raced the other way. He let fly a shot from above the left circle that beat Lundqvist with 2:07 left in the first.

It was the fifth short-handed goal scored by the Bruins this season, three by Kobasew. New York has allowed five.

Despite a 12-4 shots advantage and a pair of power plays, the Rangers sulked to the dressing room down by a goal after 20 minutes.

"We beat ourselves so we have to fix it ourselves, and we can," forward Brendan Shanahan said. "It's tough to be positive after a game like this. It's not like we're playing our best hockey and just can't win. We're playing as bad hockey as we've played since I've been here."

Whether it was the early afternoon start Sunday or fans of both teams focused more on the New York Giants' and New England Patriots' NFL conference championship games later in the day, the crowd was quite subdued considering this was a matchup of Original Six teams fighting for important points.

The Bruins seemed content to try to win 1-0. They had only six shots overall with less than six minutes left in the second, and were down 23-11 heading into the third.

"If you're not getting your nose dirty and get chances from a second or third effort, the shot total might look sexy but it doesn't mean a thing," Rangers coach Tom Renney said. "Go to the net. Check out every night when the games are concluded and watch the goals scored and how they are scored. First of all, there are not many of us.

"We don't have enough grease in our game. If we have to rearrange lines or put people in the lineup and take people out of the lineup to ensure that we get at least what we're looking for in the attempt to do things right, then that's where we are. So step up or step back."

Even when the Rangers (22-21-6) spent time in the Boston zone, the only sounds that filled Madison Square Garden were groans and boos over the lack of shots and scoring chances.

"We've lost 21 games," Renney said. "That's brutal."

Kobasew struck again in the third, setting up Metropolit, who found a loose puck and tucked it past Lundqvist to make it 2-0 at 2:04 with his eighth goal and first in 18 games.

"We made this into our own little personal playoff series," Thomas said. "Coming off a win like (Saturday), oftentimes a team will let up. We showed a lot of character to battle through it."

Notes

Kobasew has 17 goals, three shy of tying the career high he established during the 2005-06 season with Calgary. ... D Marek Malik was scratched after taking two of New York's eight penalties Saturday. ... Boston LW Shawn Thornton sat out for the second time in 13 games.

Nets Lose in OT, AP Game Recap

AP - Jan 20, 2:06 am EST More Photos

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- In a span of just five nights, the Los Angeles Clippers got the better of Steve Nash and Jason Kidd -- the top two point guards in the NBA -- and sent them out of Staples Center on the losing end.

Corey Maggette scored 31 points and rookie Al Thornton added 15 of his 22 in the fourth quarter and overtime, leading the Los Angeles Clippers to a 120-107 victory over the New Jersey Nets on Saturday night. Chris Kaman had 12 rebounds and a career-high nine blocked shots.

"We had some really nice performances tonight," coach Mike Dunleavy said. "Obviously, Al Thornton gave us a huge lift off the bench when Tim Thomas got into foul trouble. Al is a player with a lot of offensive talent. What it comes down to for him is that he needs to find that comfort zone and confidence."

Sam Cassell scored 22 points and reserve Cuttino Mobley had 19, leading Los Angeles to only its third victory in 14 games. The Clippers beat New Jersey at home for the fourth straight time, including a 102-101 squeaker last season that was decided by Mobley's 3-pointer with 0.6 seconds on the clock.

Richard Jefferson scored 21 points, Vince Carter had 20 and Marcus Williams added 17 off the bench for the Nets, who have lost four straight and five of six following a season-best five-game winning streak.

Josh Boone had 17 points and 16 rebounds, while Kidd finished with 11 assists, 10 points and seven boards in the opener of New Jersey's six-game road trip.

The Clippers, who came in averaging a league-worst 92.6 points, outscored New Jersey 19-6 in overtime and sewed it up by going 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the final 1:08. The Nets were 1-for-8 from the field in the extra 5-minute session and shot 41 percent overall.

"They executed very well and played really well on defense," Boone said. "That's what it came down to once we got to overtime. They were able to play defense and get the win."

Thornton, the Clippers' first-round draft pick, made a running bank shot from 30 feet at the right sideline to beat the third-quarter buzzer and slice New Jersey's lead to 72-71. The lead changed hands seven times in the fourth before Carter drove the left baseline for a reverse layup with extra hang time. It put the Nets ahead 86-85 with 5:48 left in the fourth quarter.

Williams buried a 3-pointer 41 seconds later and Jefferson added a pair of three throws for a 91-85 margin with 4:44 remaining -- the first time either team led by more than five points in the second half. Mobley's 3-pointer cut New Jersey's lead to 96-94 with 2:30 to go in regulation, and the Clippers pulled ahead 98-96 on Maggette's layup and Thornton's two free throws with 1:25 left.

"Thornton changed the game for them with his post-ups and his ability to score and get fouled," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. "Maggette was huge with his 31 points. When you look at it, that is a team that averages 92 points. But our inability to get stops when we needed to prevented us from getting the win."

Maggette added a 3-pointer after Boone missed a reverse layup at the other end, giving Los Angeles a five-point cushion with 45 seconds left in the fourth. Jefferson kept the Nets close with a dunk, then Cassell missed a 20-footer at the other end with 14 seconds on the clock, and Kidd tied it 101-all on a 3-pointer from in front of the New Jersey bench to force OT.

"They hit those three shots at the end of regulation, but we put it to them in overtime," Kaman said.

Notes

Williams, the fourth player off the New Jersey bench, had a team-high nine points in the first half. ... About 2 minutes into the game, Kaman blocked a dunk attempt by Sean Williams -- who returned the favor less than 2 1/2 minutes later by rejecting Kaman's short baseline hook shot. ... The Clippers had just seven turnovers. They didn't commit their first one until Maggette threw an attempted crosscourt pass right into Jefferson's hands with 5:09 left in the first half. ... The Nets play at Phoenix on Sunday in the only game on the NBA slate. These are New Jersey's first road games on back-to-back nights this season. They'll do it again Thursday and Friday nights at Golden State and Denver. ... This is the first time the Clippers have won both meetings against New Jersey since 1997-98. They beat the Nets 91-82 on Dec. 11 at the Meadowlands despite Kidd's triple-double. ... Kidd is averaging 11.4 points, 10.7 assists and 8.6 rebounds. The only players who have averaged at least 11 points, 10 boards and eight rebounds for an entire season were Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson.

Knicks Beat Lowly Heat, AP Game Recap

By TIM REYNOLDS, AP Sports Writer
January 19, 2008

AP - Jan 19, 10:40 pm EST More Photos

MIAMI (AP) -- None of the New York Knicks were expected on South Beach for Dwyane Wade's 26th birthday party Saturday night.

They pretty much ruined the mood beforehand, adding to a season of Heat misery.

Jamal Crawford scored 22 points and Nate Robinson added 19, including a banked jumper with 2:20 left that put New York ahead to stay, and the Knicks beat Miami 88-84 -- sending the Heat to their 13th straight loss, the longest in the league and the worst skein of coach Pat Riley's career.

"It wasn't pretty," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "But we were able to grind, able to hang."

Able to win, too, for the fourth time in five games -- while Miami continued to plunge.

Only the expansion Heat -- who lost their first 17 games of the 1988-89 season -- have dropped more in a row than this team, which has simply free-fallen since winning an NBA championship a mere 19 months ago.

"Maybe we should hang some more pictures of that trophy somewhere, so we can remember what it felt like to be in that moment," Riley said. "We have to change the energy, somehow."

For the second straight night, a fourth-quarter collapse doomed Miami at home.

Miami led by 10 late in the third quarter and took a four-point lead into the fourth, but lost yet again to match the second-longest skid in team history.

The Heat were outscored 16-8 over the final 6:44, missing nine of their final 12 shots.

Wade led Miami with 22 points, on 7-for-23 shooting, and nine assists. Udonis Haslem scored 11 points and Mark Blount and Shaquille O'Neal each scored 10 for the Heat, who failed to get a key defensive rebound on a miss by Crawford with 24 seconds left -- and paid the price.

David Lee grabbed that rebound, even though Wade and Haslem both were in good position, and Crawford made a couple free throws later in the possession to help seal the win.

AP - Jan 19, 10:27 pm EST More Photos

"Just our luck, man," Wade said. "The ball bounced. That's been our season, been our luck."

Miami had a chance to force overtime, but Wade missed a 3-pointer with 7 seconds left. The rebound bounced off Lee and went out of bounds, giving the Heat one more chance that resulted in Daequan Cook's missed 3 from the right wing.

Zach Randolph had 16 points and 14 rebounds and Lee finished with 15 points and eight rebounds for New York, which rebounded from a 111-98 loss in Washington on Friday.

"That just goes to show the resiliency of our team," Lee said. "We've been able to battle back."

Miami used a 10-0 run to take an early eight-point lead, as the Knicks opened 1-for-8 from the floor.

It was Miami's best opening quarter in weeks. Cook's 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left gave the Heat a 30-21 lead -- Miami's biggest after one period since a 40-29 edge in Phoenix on Dec. 10.

But nothing comes easily for the Heat these days.

The Knicks got within 35-33 on a short hook by Eddy Curry midway through the second. Miami eventually rebuilt the lead to 10 later in the period, but Crawford scored New York's final five points, closing the gap to 48-43 at halftime.

Miami went up by 10 again in the third, and again didn't find prosperity to its liking.

An 8-0 run got the Knicks within 67-65 after back-to-back baskets by Robinson, and early in the fourth, consecutive baskets by Lee put the visitors ahead 72-71 with 9:48 to play -- their first lead since 2-0.

And in the end, New York had enough.

"To play four in five nights is tough for any team," Crawford said. "The good teams take that step of winning four in five nights. We're not necessarily there yet, but we're building to get there."

Notes

Highlight of the night: The allegedly 5-foot-9 Robinson, a former slam dunk champion, corralling a miss by Crawford with his right hand and stuffing it for a second-quarter score, all in one motion. ... Lightly used Alexander Johnson, who entered averaging 2.4 points, was the first sub off Miami's bench. ... The Knicks' next game is Monday afternoon at home against Boston, which eked out a 104-59 win in the teams' first meeting this season. ... O'Neal -- the NBA's leader in fouls per game -- was slowed by foul trouble yet again. He sat out the final 9:40 of the half after getting two fouls in the first 2:20 of the second quarter.

Hartnell Hat Trick Sinks Islanders, AP Game Recap

AP - Jan 19, 9:43 pm EST More Photos

UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) -- Scott Hartnell came to Philadelphia with a ton of expectations. After going without a goal in his first 15 games, Hartnell has made up for lost time.

Hartnell's third power-play goal snapped a tie, completed his second New York hat trick of the month, and carried the Flyers to a 5-3 comeback win over the Islanders on Saturday night.

"There were some lucky breaks for me," Hartnell said. "The second one hits something while the goalie is behind the net, and the third one hits a stanchion, again with the goalie behind the net. They weren't the prettiest of goals, but I'll take them. It seems like right now, it's my time."

Hartnell, who also scored three goals on Jan. 10 in a win at the New York Rangers, got the Flyers even 3-3 just 54 seconds into the final period. Braydon Coburn's dump-in kicked off the back boards straight out in front.

Islanders goalie Rick DiPietro, who went back to play the puck, was caught out of the net as Hartnell sent a shot into the vacated goal.

"Ninety-nine times out of 100, I go behind the net like that, and the puck keeps going around the net or I stop it," DiPietro said. "It hit a stanchion, hit off my pad, and went right in front of the net."

Mike Richards added an insurance goal at 12:11, and Steve Downie also scored for the Flyers, 9-1-2 in their last 12 games.

Martin Biron earned his 17th win with 28 saves, bolstered by Hartnell's third NHL hat trick.

"It's funny," Flyers coach John Stevens said. "When you look back at the start of the year for Scotty, he had some unbelievable chances, and they didn't go in. Now, the puck seems to find him wherever he goes. I think we weren't very good in the first period, but he was the one guy I thought was terrific.

"He single-handedly tried to turn the game around for us. It's only fitting that he ended up getting the hat trick."

The Islanders, who had a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes, got goals from Richard Park, Josef Vasicek and Bill Guerin. New York has lost three straight home games for the first time this season, and dropped their third consecutive to the Flyers.

"It was a total team fall-apart," Islanders coach Ted Nolan said. "The score dictated the way we thought we were playing. Instead of protecting a 3-1 lead, we were trying to make it 5-1. We didn't pay attention to detail."

AP - Jan 19, 9:39 pm EST More Photos

DiPietro stopped 27 shots.

New York was without half its regular defensive lineup. Radek Martinek sat out his 13th game with a bruised ankle. Brendan Witt missed his fourth due to a sprained ankle, and Chris Campoli was sidelined for the first time after injuring his shoulder in the Islanders' 3-1 win at New Jersey on Wednesday.

The Flyers brought in the NHL's best power-play unit and took advantage of the Islanders, the league's third-best penalty killers.

Hartnell gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead at 5:21 of the first period. He missed on his first rebound try of Jeff Carter's shot, but found the puck and scored on his second attempt.

Park tied it 26 seconds later when he was sprung on a breakaway off a feed from defenseman Bryan Berard.

Vasicek beat Biron at 10:35 to give the Islanders a 2-1 lead. Stevens was so irate, he called his only timeout then and ripped into his team.

"We turned over way too many pucks to them at our blue line, and that's what they feed off of," Hartnell said. "They kept coming at us, and when Johnny called that time out, he brought it to our attention."

The Islanders stretched their lead to 3-1 when Guerin scored his team-leading 18th goal at 17:21 during a power play.

One of the turning points for the Flyers was killing a four-minute penalty that spanned the first and second periods.

"They didn't score on that penalty in the second, and we knew we had a chance," Flyers defenseman Derian Hatcher said. "We weren't happy with the first period, and I think it showed the character of the team to bounce back like that."

Downie closed Philadelphia's gap to 3-2 when he poked home a loose puck during a scramble at 5:04 of the second period.

Philadelphia's power play struck again to tie it. Hartnell got a fortuitous kick pass from Scottie Upshall as DiPietro came out to play the puck, and sent a shot into the open net at 13:00.

"I'd love it if I had Scottie's luck tonight," Guerin said. "It's just great timing. But you should be playing well enough that you should recover from that."

Notes

Flyers forward Simon Gagne extended his point streak to five games (2 goals, 3 assists). DiPietro earned his fourth assist of the season on Park's goal, tying him with Chris Osgood (2001-02) for the team record. ... The Islanders are scheduled to play three more Saturday home games this season, two against the Flyers.

Bruins Down Rangers in Shootout, AP Game Recap

AP - Jan 19, 3:18 pm EST More Photos

BOSTON (AP) -- Zdeno Chara and Phil Kessel scored shootout goals for the Boston Bruins, who rallied for a 4-3 victory over the New York Rangers on Saturday.

Chuck Kobasew had two goals in regulation for Boston, which led 2-1 through 40 minutes before the Rangers took a one-goal advantage in the third period.

Rangers captain Jaromir Jagr scored a goal and helped set up two others, but it wasn't enough to keep New York from its fifth straight road loss (0-3-2).

Tim Thomas stopped both Rangers shots in the shootout and 36 through overtime for Boston.

Scott Gomez had a goal and an assist, and Henrik Lundqvist made 25 saves for the Rangers, who lost both matchups with the Bruins in Boston during shootouts.

The Original Six rivals will meet again Sunday afternoon in New York.

Kobasew shook off Michal Rozsival's hook during a power play and snapped in a shot from his knees to give the Bruins a 2-1 lead in the second period.

With Brandon Dubinsky off for slashing, Chara hit Kobasew in stride at the blue line and watched as Rozsival tried to keep the Boston forward from getting off a shot.

But as Kobasew fell to one knee, he got off a wrist shot that beat Lundqvist to the stick side for his 15th goal at 15:52.

A gaffe by Chara early in the third period wrecked the Bruins' momentum. Jagr stole the puck from the All-Star defenseman along the left corner boards and skated in on Thomas. Jagr gave two fakes before stuffing the puck in for his 14th goal that gave lifted the Rangers into a 2-2 tie at 3:27.

Jagr also played a key role in giving New York the lead back on a two-man advantage almost five minutes later. He assisted on Sean Avery's goal at 8:08 to put New York up 3-2.

Kobasew got to a rebound of Sturm's shot on an ensuing Boston power play for his second of the game, tying it 3-3 at 9:30.

The Bruins nearly won it in overtime, during their eighth power play, after Jagr was whistled for a questionable goalie interference call when he was pushed into Thomas.

In the closing 20 seconds of the extra session, Sturm hit the right post and Marc Savard missed an open net.

Notes

New York hasn't won on the road since winning 6-1 at Toronto on Dec. 29. ... Rangers C Marcel Hossa, who hasn't scored in 10 games, was a healthy scratch Saturday for the second straight game. ... Bruins LW P.J. Axelsson sat out his third straight game after bruising his right foot Jan. 10 against Montreal. ... Kobasew leads the Bruins with 16 goals, one more than Sturm. ... Boston played its third straight overtime game.