NEW YORK – Nik Antropov scored a career-high three goals, chasing Henrik Lundqvist and sending the Toronto Maple Leafs to a season-high fourth straight victory, 6-2 over the slumping New York Rangers on Thursday night.

Toronto, which hadn’t won more than two in a row before this spurt, beat the Rangers in both road meetings this season – outscoring them 9-3. The Maple Leafs scored six times on 16 shots.

Matt Stajan and Mats Sundin gave Toronto a 2-0 lead in the first period on only four shots, but that advantage was gone before the intermission. Alex Steen scored late in the third, and Vesa Toskala finished with 23 saves.

Lightning 2, Hurricanes 1

TAMPA, Fla. – Vincent Lecavalier scored his 19th goal of the season, Johan Holmqvist made 23 saves in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.

Lecavalier opened the scoring with a power-play goal 16 minutes into the second period. Holmqvist, who stopped in-close tries by Justin Williams and Cory Stillman during a Carolina power play late in the second, came within 14 seconds of his first shutout of the season and second in 77 career NHL games.

Canucks 5, Predators 2

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Daniel Sedin scored two third-period goals to lead the Vancouver Canucks to a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.

Alex Burrows, Taylor Pyatt and Trevor Linden also scored for the Canucks, and Curtis Sanford made 26 saves. Jed Ortmeyer and Martin Erat scored for Nashville.

Sedin gave the Canucks a 3-2 lead at 8:11 of the third period, skating low through the slot and shooting the puck between the left post and goalie Dan Ellis.

NBA

Hawks 90, Wolves 89

ATLANTA – Joe Johnson’s 18-footer at the buzzer lifted the Atlanta Hawks to a 90-89 victory over the league-worst Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night.

Minnesota, which lost its fifth straight to drop to 2-15, had a one-point lead after Marko Jaric’s laying with 2.2 seconds left.

Nuggets 122, Mavs 109

DALLAS – Allen Iverson scored 35 points a night after putting up 51, and this time it was enough to lead the Denver Nuggets to victory, sending them past the Dallas Mavericks 122-109 Thursday night.

Iverson’s big effort came against the Los Angeles Lakers, and it came in defeat.

This time, he mixed in 12 assists as the Nuggets won for the third time in seven games.