CHICAGO – Tyler Arnason scored 2:10 into overtime, lifting the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-3 victory against Detroit and denying the Red Wings first place in the Western Conference.
Arnason picked up a drop pass from Kyle Calder at the blue line and fired a shot from the far circle that beat goalie Curtis Joseph.
Detroit finished with 110 points, one fewer than Pacific Division-champion Dallas. The Stars beat Nashville on Sunday. The Red Wings closed the regular season 21-4-1-1 in its last 27 games. They lost once in their final six games (5-1-2).
Stars 2, Predators 0
DALLAS – Marty Turco got the record. The Dallas Stars got the top seed.
Turco’s seventh shutout of the season dropped his goals-against average to 1.72, lowest in the NHL’s modern era, and Stu Barnes and Ulf Dahlen scored power-play goals as the Stars beat the Nashville Predators 2-0 Sunday to wrap up the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
Just when fans began cheering “Mar-ty” in the closing minutes, Detroit lost in overtime to Chicago, meaning if Dallas held on it would have 111 points – one more than the Red Wings.
Wild 4, Blue Jackets 3
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Filip Kuba, Andrew Brunette and Marian Gaborik each had a goal and an assist Sunday, leading the playoff-bound Minnesota Wild to a 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Cliff Ronning also scored for the Wild, who finished with 95 points in third place in the Northwest Division. They had 68 in their first year and 73 last season.
Avalanche 5, Blues 2
DENVER – Milan Hejduk scored his 50th goal, and Peter Forsberg had a goal and two assists as the Colorado Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 5-2 Sunday.
The Avalanche earned a point for the 17th straight home game (14-0-2-1), extending a team record, and moved a point ahead of Vancouver in the Northwest Division. The Canucks played Los Angeles later Sunday.
Sharks 3, Coyotes 3
SAN JOSE, Calif. – Rookie Niko Dimitrakos scored his second goal with 7:40 left as the San Jose Sharks rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period for a 3-3 tie with the Phoenix Coyotes on Sunday.
The Sharks and the Coyotes faced each other in the first round of last year’s playoffs, but both are headed home early this spring after disappointing seasons.
The Sharks dominated play in the final two periods and overtime of their season finale, but Sean Burke made 41 saves as the Coyotes finished their season with a three-game unbeaten streak.
New Jersey 2, Buffalo 2
BUFFALO, N.Y. – Patrik Elias scored a second-period goal to help give New Jersey a 2-2 tie against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.
Grant Marshall also scored for the Devils, who improved to 6-0-4-1 in their last 11 games – the only team that has not lost over that stretch. New Jersey, which last week clinched first-place in the Atlantic Division, will open the postseason against the seventh-place Boston Bruins.
Flyers 6, Panthers 2
SUNRISE, Fla. – Radovan Somik had two goals and an assist to lead the streaking Philadelphia Flyers to a 6-2 victory over the Florida Panthers on Sunday.
The Flyers ended the regular season on an eight-game unbeaten streak (6-0-2). Philadelphia won a franchise-best 24 road games.
Islanders 2, Hurricanes 1
RALEIGH, N.C. – Arron Asham and Radek Martinek scored, and Garth Snow stopped 44 shots as the New York Islanders beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 in the regular-season finale for both teams Sunday.
The Islanders went without five regulars – including Michael Peca, Alexei Yashin and Roman Hamrlik – in order to gear up for their upcoming playoff series with Ottawa. New York snapped a five-game winless streak (0-4-1).
Kings 2, Canucks 0
VANCOUVER, British Columbia – Mikko Eloranta snapped a scoreless tie with 5:55 left as the Los Angeles Kings beat Vancouver 2-0 and cost the Canucks the Northwest Division title.
Vancouver almost tied it on a wild power-play scramble with four minutes left. The puck somehow stayed out of the net, and Brendan Morrison was whistled for a penalty on a short-handed rush at the other end.
Thrashers 6, Lightning 2
ATLANTA – Kamil Piros scored a hat trick for his first NHL goals, and the Atlanta Thrashers closed the season on a high note by beating the playoff-bound Tampa Bay Lightning 6-2 Sunday.
Dany Heatley also reached a milestone for the Thrashers, scoring his 40th and 41st goals in the final 3:10.
Piros, who spent most of the season in the minors, scored his first career goal.
4:32 into the game. He added two more in the second, including a remarkable effort just seven seconds after the puck dropped.
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