Capitals clinch Southeast Division title

WASHINGTON: Mathieu Perreault, Jason Chimera, Nicklas Backstrom and captain Alex Ovechkin each had a goal and an assist as hosts Washington hung on to score a 5-3 victory over Winnipeg Tuesday and clinch the Southeast Division for the fifth time in six seasons.
Matt Hendricks also scored for the Capitals, who moved three points ahead of Winnipeg and improved to 10-1-0 in April.
Nik Antropov scored and added an assist, while Blake Wheeler and Evander Kane recorded goals for the Jets, who saw their seven-game point streak come to an end.
The Jets stay one point out of the Eastern Conference playoff race with just one contest remaining.
Blues 3 Avalanche 1: Chris Stewart and Andy McDonald each had a goal and an assist as hosts St. Louis clinched their second consecutive playoff berth while avoiding a season series sweep by lowly Colorado.
Brian Elliott stopped 17 shots and Patrik Berglund added a power-play goal early in the second period for the Blues, who moved a point ahead of San Jose into fifth place in the Western Conference.
Hurricanes 4 Islanders 3 (shootout): Riley Nash and Jeff Skinner scored in the shootout to give hosts Carolina the victory, but New York secured a point to clinch their first playoff spot since 2007.
Jordan Staal recorded a goal an assist and Dan Ellis made 36 saves before stopping Frans Nielsen and Brad Boyes in the shootout. Alexander Semin and Patrick Dwyer also tallied for Carolina, who won all three games in the season series.
The Islanders qualified for the playoffs after Washington posted a 5-3 win over ninth-place Winnipeg.
Panthers 3 Rangers 2: Marcel Goc scored a tiebreaking power-play goal 7:37 into the third period and Jacob Markstrom turned aside 36 shots as NHL-worst Florida prevented visiting New York from securing a postseason berth.
Tomas Fleischmann had a goal and an assist and Drew Shore added an empty-net tally for the Panthers, who snapped both their six-game losing skid and the Rangers’ three-game winning streak.
Wild 2 Kings 1: Charlie Coyle and Cal Clutterbuck scored 16 seconds apart in the first period and Niklas Backstrom made it stand up with 22 saves as hosts Minnesota edged Los Angeles.
Zach Parise and Devin Setoguchi each recorded an assist for the Wild, who snapped a two-game slide and maintained their spot in seventh place in the Western Conference. Minnesota leads eighth-place Columbus by two points and Detroit by three.
Los Angeles remain in fourth place in the West — a point clear of St. Louis and two in front of San Jose.
Flyers 5 Bruins 2: Matt Read and defenseman Oliver Lauridsen scored seven seconds apart in the second period and hosts Philadelphia rolled to their fourth win in five games.
Scott Hartnell, Jakub Voracek and Simon Gagne also scored and Steve Mason turned aside 39 shots for his third straight win as the Flyers stalled Boston’s attempt for a division title.
Defenseman Wade Redden and David Krejci scored in a sloppy performance by Boston, who remain tied atop the Northeast Division with Montreal after the Canadiens dropped a 3-2 decision to New Jersey.
The Bruins, who have a game in hand, lost for the fifth time in six games (1-4-1).
Sabres 4 Penguins 2: Steve Ott scored a disputed game-winner with 2:34 remaining as visiting Buffalo prevailed in a game rescheduled from Saturday due to the manhunt associated with the Boston Marathon bombings.
Ott redirected a fluttering rebound past the left shoulder of Penguins netminder Marc-Andre Fleury from point-blank range. A lengthy video review determined that Ott’s stick was below the crossbar, allowing Buffalo to halt Pittsburgh’s seven-game winning streak.
Thomas Vanek led the way with a pair of goals — including an empty-netter — and Ryan Miller made 40 saves. Chris Kunitz and Jarome Iginla tallied for the Penguins, who have already secured top spot in the Eastern Conference.