NHL Roundup : Canadiens Share First Place After Beating Nordiques

Cris Nilan scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner, and the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Quebec Nordiques, 5-4, Thursday night at Quebec to pull even with Buffalo for the Adams Division lead.

Nilan scored his second goal of the game at 12:37 of the final period, beating Mario Gosselin on a breakaway, to give Montreal a 5-3 lead. Quebec’s Micheal Goulet scored at 15:30 to make it close.

The victory gave Montreal a 5-1-1 record against the Nordiques this season.

N.Y. Islanders 7, N.Y. Rangers 5--Mike Bossy scored three goals, tying him with Wayne Gretzky for the all-time lead in NHL hat tricks, to lead the Islanders past the Rangers at Uniondale, N.Y.

Bossy scored in each period, including an empty-net goal with one minute left, for his fourth hat trick of the season and 33rd of his career as the Islanders won their third straight game.

Anders Kallur’s second goal of the game gave the Islanders the go-ahead goal as they rallied from a 5-3 deficit to hand the Rangers their fifth straight loss.

St. Louis 5, Detroit 5--Doug Wickenheiser scored a shorthanded goal with 5:38 remaining in regulation to pull the Blues even with the Red Wings at Detroit.

Detroit took a 5-3 lead late in the second period when Dwight Foster scored on a penalty shot at 14:10 and Kelly Kisio connected on a power-play 2:42 later, but Blues’ defenseman Craig Levie trimmed the margin to 5-4 midway through the third period.

Boston 7, Hartford 5--Rick Middleton and Dave Reid scored in a 20-second span midway through the third period and lead the Bruins past the Whalers at Boston.

Middleton got his 17th goal of the season two seconds before a Bruins’ power play was to end, breaking a 4-4 tie. Reid, who assisted on Middleton’s goal, scored his seventh goal of the season and sixth on his last seven shots.

New Jersey 6, Pittsburgh 3--Mel Bridgman had a goal and an assist, and Uli Hiemer contributed three assists at East Rutherford, N.J., as the Devils extended the Penguins’ winless streak to 0-6-1.