By The Associated Press

NEW YORK – Marek Malik scored his first goal in regulation and fellow defenseman Maxim Kondratiev netted his first in the NHL to lead the New York Rangers to their sixth straight victory, 2-1 over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday night.

It is New York’s longest winning streak since a six-game run from Nov. 3-14, 2001. The Rangers are 11-3 in their last 14 games while the slumping Penguins (7-13-6) dropped their fourth straight, including three road contests.

Malik has quickly become a fan favorite at Madison Square Garden after ending the longest shootout in NHL history last Saturday night in the 15th round against Washington with a sparkling between the legs move.

That winning shot was replayed on the center ice screen early in the game Thursday, one night after it was shown during the New York Knicks’ NBA game while Malik sat courtside.

His latest goal, which gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead at 6:31 of the second period, was much more conventional.

After a faceoff win by Michael Nylander, defenseman Michal Rozsival slid the puck from right to left inside the blue line. Malik wound up for a shot from above the left circle and beat Marc-Andre Fleury high with his first regulation goal in 40 games, dating to March 3, 2004.

Kondratiev made it 1-0 at 7:52 of the first period with New York’s first power-play goal in four games – their longest drought of this surprisingly good season that has the Rangers atop the Atlantic Division (17-7-3). They had failed on 18 straight man advantages before Kondratiev got a shot through traffic from the left point with one second remaining on Dick Tarnstrom’s 4-minute penalty for high-sticking.

Flames 3, Red Wings 2

DETROIT – Tony Amonte scored a tiebreaking goal 19 seconds into the third period to lead the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.

Daymond Langkow and Chuck Kobasew finished with a goal and an assist for Calgary, which outshot Detroit 36-20.

Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstron scored for Detroit, and Jason Williams added two assists.

Red Wings defenseman Mathieu Schneider gave the puck away at the Calgary blue line, giving Amonte a breakaway. He beat Detroit goaltender Jim Howard with a forehand shot.

Calgary tied the score with two second-period goals.

Langkow scored for the Flames 9:36 into the second period, when his deflection from the side of the net went in off Howard’s pads.

Kobasew tied the game with a power-play goal with 5:38 left in the period, off another giveaway by Schneider. He scored on a backhander from the bottom of the right circle for his 10th goal of the season.

Calgary outshot Detroit 18-5 in the period.

Panthers 3, Capitals 2

SUNRISE, Fla. – Nathan Horton scored in his first game back after missing 10 games due to injury, and Roberto Luongo stopped 36 shots to lead the Florida Panthers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night.

Stephen Weiss and Olli Jokinen also scored for Florida, which won for the second time in four games after losing 12 straight.

Bryan Muir and Andrew Cassels scored for Washington, which lost its fifth straight.

Washington’s Brent Johnson, making his sixth start of the season in place of Olie Kolzig, stopped 33 of 36 shots.

The Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin, who leads the league’s rookies in goals, failed to score for a season-high sixth straight game. Luongo made a sensational glove save of a wrist shot by Ovechkin with 23 seconds left.

The teams entered the game tied with the fewest points in the Eastern Conference at 18.

The Panthers took a 3-1 lead on Jokinen’s power-play goal 4:19 into the third period. Johnson, screened by several players, failed to stop Jokinen’s wrist shot from just inside the blue line. It was Jokinen’s 11th goal. Washington got within 3-2 at 7:24 when Cassels put the puck past Luongo while standing among seven players in front of the net. It was Cassels’ fourth goal.

Leafs 4, Thrashers 0

ATLANTA – Mikael Tellqvist stopped 28 shots for his first career shutout, Darcy Tucker scored twice and Toronto stretched its winning streak over Atlanta to six games by beating the Thrashers 4-0 Thursday night.

Tellqvist, giving regular starter Ed Belfour a night off as the Maple Leafs were playing back-to-back games, earned Toronto’s first shutout of the season.

Alexei Ponikarovsky had a short-handed goal and Alex Steen also scored for the Maple Leafs.

Toronto took a 2-0 lead in the opening period and added two goals in the final five minutes. The Thrashers were shut out for the fourth time this season.

Toronto has outscored Atlanta 18-2 in three wins this season.

Tucker, who needed 20 stitches on his forehead after the Maple Leafs’ last visit to Atlanta, gave Toronto the lead less than 5 minutes into the game and added his second goal in the third period.

When the Maple Leafs played in Atlanta on Oct. 14, two third-period brawls helped lead to a total of 109 penalty minutes in Toronto’s 9-1 win. After the game, Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn accused the Thrashers of “cowardice” and said Atlanta coach Bob Hartley “has a reputation of sending his guys out head hunting.”

Sabres 3, Canadiens 2

MONTREAL – Brian Campbell scored 2:15 into overtime and Tim Connolly had a goal and two assists as the Buffalo Sabres extended their season-high winning streak to five with a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.

Campbell, who scored the winning goal in Friday’s 3-1 victory over Montreal, took a pass from Connolly and beat Jose Theodore with a shot into the top of the net. Campbell also assisted on Connolly’s power-play goal in the second as Buffalo improved to 8-0-1 since a 6-1 loss in Ottawa on Nov. 12.

Chris Drury scored the Sabres’ second power-play goal 15:45 into the third to tie it at 2.

Michael Ryder scored his team-high 11th goal and assisted on linemate Pierre Dagenais’ second of the season for Montreal.

The Canadiens lost their fourth in a row, extending their longest losing streak of the year. Montreal has dropped six of seven, including a 4-0 loss in Ottawa on Tuesday.

Both teams have dealt with injury problems recently, and while Montreal has struggled since losing Alex Kovalev to knee surgery, Buffalo has excelled despite injuries to team scoring leader Daniel Briere and left wing J.P. Dumont.

Canadiens captain Saku Koivu missed his first game of the season because of a groin injury.

Andrei Kostitsyn, Montreal’s first-round choice and 10th overall in the 2003 draft, made his NHL debut after being called up from Hamilton of the AHL.

After facing the Eastern Conference-leading Senators one player short overall and with only five defensemen, the Canadiens’ defense got a boost against Buffalo with Sheldon Souray returning to the lineup after missing four games with a groin injury.

Montreal opened the scoring 8:06 in as Mike Ribeiro fought off Buffalo forward Mike Grier for the puck in the Sabres’ zone and passed to Ryder, who fired a quick shot in front of the crease past Biron and into the top right corner.

Predators 2, Wild 1

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Adam Hall and Jerred Smithson scored a goal apiece and Tomas Vokoun made 19 saves as the Nashville Predators beat the Minnesota Wild 2-1 Thursday night.

Recently criticized by coach Barry Trotz for not shooting enough, the Predators took 46 shots against the Wild. Minnesota goaltender Dwayne Roloson finished with 44 saves.

The Predators took a 1-0 lead about 71/2 minutes into the game when Hall put the puck under the outstretched leg pads of Roloson for a power-play goal.

The Predators have scored at least one power-play goal in each of their last nine games.

Minnesota tied the game with 3:10 left in the period with another power-play goal. Kurtis Foster took a slap shot from the left point that went by Vokoun’s glove.

Smithson scored the deciding goal with about 13 minutes left in the second, his first of the season. He put a wrist shot between Roloson’s leg pads to make it 2-1.

NBA

Spurs 92, Mavericks 90

DALLAS – Tony Parker’s season-high 30 points included a go-ahead layup with 35 seconds left, Michael Finley made three key free throws, and the San Antonio Spurs held on to beat the Dallas Mavericks 92-90 Thursday night and remain alone atop the Western Conference.

Parker added two free throws with 12 seconds left to make it 92-88, but that almost wasn’t enough for the Spurs (12-3), who gave Dallas two more chances after that.

Marquis Daniels missed a shot for Dallas, but got the long rebound and threw a wild shot toward the basket, drawing a foul from Brent Barry to get three free throws with 6.1 seconds left. After Daniels made the first two shots, he missed the third.

Tim Duncan got the rebound in a crowd, but was called for traveling while trying to secure the ball with 3.5 seconds remaining. Dirk Nowitzki’s potential game-tying shot off the inbound pass was partially blocked by Bruce Bowen and time ran out.

Finley, the former Mavericks player making his first start in San Antonio with Manu Ginobili out because of a jammed right foot, scored 15 points.

Duncan was held to just 13 points, but had 14 rebounds.

Daniels finished with a season-high 24 points, and Jason Terry had 18 for the Mavericks, who lost consecutive games for the first time under coach Avery Johnson. The Mavericks missed a chance to match San Antonio’s record by losing for the third time in four games.

There were 26 lead changes, seven in the final 2:48. The last came on Parker’s go-ahead drive that was redemption for his mistake just seconds earlier.

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