NEW YORK, 31 January 2004 — Steve Yzerman moved past Mario Lemieux into sixth place on the all-time NHL points list to help the host Detroit Red Wings down the New Jersey Devils 5-2 Thursday.
Yzerman assisted on Tomas Holmstrom’s goal midway through the third period, giving him 1,702 career points. Pittsburgh’s Lemieux is out for the rest of the season after undergoing hip surgery.
The Wings center now trails only Wayne Gretzky (2,857 points), Mark Messier (1,869), Gordie Howe (1,850), Ron Francis (1,778) and Marcel Dionne (1,771) on the all-time list.
Brett Hull, Jamie Rivers, Mathieu Dandenault and Kris Draper scored the other goals for the Wings, who are 2-2-2 in their last six games. Curtis Joseph made 31 saves for Detroit.
Yzerman, Detroit’s long-serving captain, stood and raised his hand in the air at the bench to salute the crowd and acknowledge the milestone point when it was announced.
Erik Rasmussen and Turner Stevenson netted for the Devils, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.
In Boston, Glen Murray bagged his second goal of the game 2:25 into overtime to give the Bruins a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders. Andrew Raycroft made 23 saves for the Bruins, who snapped a two-game home losing streak.
Murray stole the puck from New York’s Jason Blake at center and went in alone on Rick DiPietro, beating him on a backhand for the game-winner and his 17th goal of the season. Oleg Kvasha replied for the Islanders.
In Raleigh, Peter Bondra scored twice to lead the Washington Capitals to a 5-3 triumph over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Bates Battaglia’s third-period goal broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Capitals their second straight win. Anson Carter, who was traded for former NHL scoring champion Jaromir Jagr Monday, picked up an assist for the Capitals, his first point since the deal.
In Columbus, Scott Walker notched his 81st career goal, equaling Cliff Ronning’s club record, to help the Nashville Predators overcome the Blue Jackets 6-4. The goal tally was the best by Nashville this season. Trevor Letowski had two goals and one assist for Columbus.
In Tampa Bay, Martin St. Louis claimed a goal and an assist to lead the Lightning to a 5-1 victory over the slumping Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins, who earlier in the day shipped rookie goalie Marc-Andre Fleury back to junior hockey, have lost eight straight games and 14 of their last 16.
In St. Louis, Magnus Arvedson netted twice for the second straight game as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Blues 4-2.
Daniel Sedin added a goal and two assists for the Canucks, who have won four in a row.
In St. Paul, Richard Zednik tallied with 27.9 seconds left in overtime to lift the Montreal Canadiens past the Minnesota Wild 3-2. Mike Ribeiro grabbed a goal and an assist for the Canadiens, who snapped a three-game losing streak.
In Edmonton, Ethan Moreau scored two goals to earn the Oilers a 5-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. Ryan Smyth added a goal and an assist for the Oilers.
In Phoenix, Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza both recorded a goal and an assist as the Ottawa Senators cruised past the Coyotes 4-1.
In Los Angeles, Derek Armstrong’s third-period goal gave the Kings a 3-3 tie with the Colorado Avalanche.
