NHL Roundup : Kurri Gets 60th Goal, Gretzky 50th in Oiler Win

Jari Kurri scored his 60th goal of the season and Wayne Gretzky his 50th Tuesday night at Edmonton to lead the Oilers to a 6-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. It was the Oilers 10th victory in the last 11 games.

But the Oilers failed in their bid to get Paul Coffey the goal he needs to break Bobby Orr’s record for most goals in a season by a defenseman. Coffey scored his 43rd Friday night to tie Orr. He had two assists in this one and has eight games left in which to break the record.

With a goal and two assists, Gretzky has a record 147 assists. He needs 16 points in the last eight games to break his own record of 212 points in a season.

Kurri, who leads the NHL in goals scored this season, had 71 last season.

New York Islanders 6, New York Rangers 2--Goaltender Billy Smith continued his mastery over the Rangers at Uniondale, N.Y., and the Islanders moved closer to a playoff berth.

Smith stopped 19 shots and beat the Rangers for the sixth time in a row. The third-place Islanders are 10 points ahead of fifth-place Pittsburgh with nine games left.

Hartford 6, Detroit 4--John Anderson had a hat trick and Stewart Gavin scored goals 76 seconds apart at Detroit to lift the Whalers to within two points of the fourth-place Buffalo Sabres in the Adams Division.

The Whalers are four points behind the third-place Boston Bruins in the tight battle for playoff spots.