NHLINBRIEF
Panthers will not go with Tom Rowe as coach
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Another coaching change awaits the Florida Panthers.
The Panthers have decided interim coach Tom Rowe’s stint will end when their season does, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. Rowe, however, might stay with the organization.
Florida’s last game of the season is Sunday at Washington. The Panthers started Tuesday with the 22nd-best record in the 30-team NHL after winning the Atlantic Division last season.
Rowe essentially gave up his duties as GM to take over as interim coach when the Panthers fired Gerard Gallant in November. It’s unclear if he would reclaim the GM role going forward. The coach on opening night in October will be Florida’s fifth in a span of less than four years, following Kevin Dineen, Peter Horachek, Gallant and Rowe.
SENATORS 2, RED WINGS 0
OTTAWA — Erik Karlsson and Tom Pyatt scored and Craig Anderson made 24 saves for his fifth shutout of the season as Ottawa defeated Detroit to stop a five-game losing streak.
The Senators need one point in their final three games to clinch a playoff spot.
Jimmy Howard made 22 saves for the Red Wings.
Clarke MacArthur made his season debut for the Senators and played his first game since Oct. 14, 2015, because of concussion issues.
CAPITALS 4, MAPLE LEAFS 1
TORONTO — Lars Eller and Kevin Shattenkirk gave Washington a two-goal lead halfway through the game, and the Capitals ended Toronto’s fourgame winning streak.
Nate Schmidt and Tom Wilson also scored for Washington, and Philipp Grubauer stopped 27 shots. The Capitals, who have won eight of nine, moved closer to clinching the top spot in the Eastern Conference and the Presidents’ Trophy awarded to the team with the NHL’s best record.
Mitch Marner scored his 19th of the season on a power play with 1:08 to go.
BRUINS 4, LIGHTNING 0
BOSTON — David Pastrnak scored twice, Tuukka Rask stopped 28 shots and the Boston Bruins clinched their first playoff berth since 2014 with a 4-0 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday night.
Drew Stafford and Zdeno Chara also scored for the Bruins, who extended their season-high winning streak to six games.
It was Rask’s career-best eighth shutout of the season. Andrei Vasilevskiy kept Tampa Bay close with 34 saves.
The loss didn’t knock the Lightning out of playoff contention, but Tampa Bay fell dangerously close with just three games remaining.
The Bruins played the last two periods without leading scorer Brad Marchand after he speared Tampa Bay’s Jake Dotchin. Marchand received a five-minute major and game misconduct on his bobblehead night.