NHL

ST. LOUIS (AP) St. Louis' David Backes scored in the ninth round of a long shootout to give the Blues a 3-2 win against Dallas on Saturday, trimming the gap between the top teams in the NHL Central Division.The Blues moved within seven points of the Stars in...

AP Hockey WriterNHL All-Star Game rules force tough omissions on rostersBy GREG BEACHAMLOS ANGELES (AP) The NHL All-Star Game's 3-on-3, four-team tournament format put an intriguing spin on a staid exercise when it was introduced last season.The format also essentially guaranteed a few glaring snubs when the All-Star...

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) - Ottawa Senators team owner Eugene Melnyk has been discharged from a Toronto hospital after undergoing a liver transplant last month.The team says in a statement Wednesday that the anonymous donor also been discharged.Melnyk's post-transplant recovery will require weekly follow-up with his transplant team. He's been...

AP Sports WriterNHL reviewing whether to penalize Canucks for tamperingBy JOHN WAWROWBUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) The NHL is reviewing whether to penalize the Vancouver Canucks for tampering after general manager Jim Benning expressed interest in acquiring players under contract, including Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos.''I have received a number...

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) Brent Burns started a four-goal, second-period outburst with a highlight-reel move and Matt Nieto scored a short-handed goal following a botched Toronto line change in the Sharks' 7-0 victory over the Maple Leafs on Saturday for San Jose's most lopsided shutout since 2001.Tomas Hertl...

PITTSBURGH (AP) - Sidney Crosby is shooting the puck. Even more importantly for the Pittsburgh Penguins, it's going in. Funny how success seems to follow when that happens.The Penguins evened their series against the New York Rangers with a momentum-shifting 4-3 victory Saturday night. Crosby scored twice, including a...

ST. LOUIS (AP) Ottawa's Bobby Ryan scored twice, including the overtime winner, to lift the Senators to a 3-2 win at St. Louis, dropping the Blues further off the pace in the NHL Central Division.The Blues have lost three straight and are nine points behind Central leader Dallas,...

New York Rangers sign forward Marek HrivikNEW YORK (AP) The New York Rangers have signed restricted free agent forward Marek Hrivik.General manager Jeff Gorton announced the signing Thursday without releasing contract details.Hrivik skated in 68 games with Hartford (AHL) this past season, getting 12 goals and 29 assists....

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - After surviving 21 tumultuous playoff games over the past seven weeks, the Tampa Bay Lightning weren't about to get discouraged after losing Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.That doesn't mean the Lightning haven't spent the past two days stewing about how to improve when...

Bruins honor Super Bowl champion Patriots before gameBOSTON (AP) The Bruins have honored the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots before Boston's game Saturday against the Vancouver Canucks.Fourteen members of the NFL championship team walked onto center ice wearing Bruins jerseys with their names and numbers on the...

AP Hockey Writer'Enough's enough:' Capitals aim to fix early power-play woesBy STEPHEN WHYNOARLINGTON, Va. (AP) Any time an opponent sizes up the Washington Capitals and looks for a way to stop them, the power play is on the agenda.It's easy to see why: the Capitals have had a...

DALLAS (AP) - Antoine Roussel scored the go-ahead goal 54 seconds into the second period, and the Dallas Stars broke the New York Rangers' eight-game winning streak with a 3-2 victory on Monday night.John Klingberg and Ales Hemsky also scored for the Stars, who have won six of seven.The...