Ducks climb into 3rd in Pacific
Anaheim’s Ondrej Kase scored 1:34 into overtime and the host Ducks rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Avalanche 4-3 on Sunday night.
Andrew Cogliano had a goal and an assist, and Adam Henrique and Ryan Kesler also scored for the Ducks, who moved up to third in the Pacific Division. Anaheim, three points behind the second-place Sharks, is one point ahead of the Kings in the division.
The Ducks are also three points ahead of the Blues, who are ninth in the Western Conference. The top eight teams qualify for the playoffs.
“It’s been a grind in terms of injuries and how we’ve played,” Cogliano told NHL.com. “We want to make it count. You don’t want to not be in it. We’re pushing ourselves right to the bitter end to get in there.”
Colorado moved one point ahead of the Blues for the second wild-card spot in the West, though St. Louis has one game in hand.
Ryan Miller made 19 saves for the Ducks after replacing John Gibson at the start of the second period. Gibson, who made 10 saves, was shaken in the first when Gabriel Landeskog was cross-checked by Kesler into the goalie. Capitals 3, Penguins 1: Philipp Grubauer made 36 saves as Washington clinched its third straight Metropolitan Division title. A night after clinching a playoff berth for a 12th straight year, Pittsburgh lost at home in regulation for just the second time since Jan. 4. Predators 4, Lightning 1: Filip Forsbeg had two goals and an assist as visiting Nashville lowered its magic number to clinch the Central Division to two. Tampa Bay played the final two periods without captain Steven Stamkos, who left the game with a lower-body injury. The Lightning have lost four of five to fall two points behind the Bruins for the top spot in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference. Flyers 4, Bruins 3: Claude Giroux scored at 3:39 of overtime for host Philadelphia. Boston had forced overtime when Patrice Bergeron scored with 3.8 seconds left in regulation. The Flyers moved into a tie with the Blue Jackets for third in the Metropolitan Division and/or first wild-card spot in the East. Devils 2, Canadiens 1: Taylor Hall scored the tie-breaking goal on a shorthanded breakaway with 4:07 left for visiting New Jersey. The Devils, one point behind the Flyers and Blue Jackets in the East, increased their lead to seven points over the Panthers for the last playoff spot in the East. Briefly: Ryan Suter, part of the Wild’s top defensemen pairing, fractured his fibula when he was checked into the boards during a game against the Stars on Saturday and will be out indefinitely, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Suter ranks second in the NHL is average ice time per game . ... The Sabres say defenseman Victor Antipin suffered a concussion and a broken nose when he was boarded during Saturday’s game against the Predators . ... Columbus defenseman Ian Cole was fined $5,000 for what the league labeled a “dangerous trip” against Vancouver forward Brandon Sutter on Saturday.