NHL Roundup : Calgary’s 6-5 Victory Helps Kings

The Kings’ slender playoff hopes are still alive--but just barely.

The Calgary Flames held off a rally by the Vancouver Canucks to score a 6-5 victory Tuesday night and thwart the Canucks hopes of clinching the fourth and final playoff spot in the Smythe Division.

The Canucks, who have two games remaining with the defending champion Edmonton Oilers and a game at Los Angeles Saturday night, need only one point from those three games to clinch.

Hakan Loob scored twice for the Flames, but the decisive goal was scored by the newest Flame, John Tonelli. Tonelli, obtained just before the trading deadline from the New York Islanders, scored at 15:12 of the final period to give Calgary a 6-4 lead.

When Patrik Sundstrom scored with 70 seconds remaining, it left the Canucks, who are winless in their last 19 games on the road, still a goal short.

The Canucks have not won on the road since Dec. 21 when they beat the Kings.

Not only did the Canucks lose the game, they lost their top goaltender, Richard Brodeur. He was carried off the ice on a stretcher when he was injured in a pileup in front of the net halfway through the final period.

Brodeur went down when Tonelli and Lanny McDonald of the Flames piled into him. The extent of his injuries was not known.

The Flames, who long ago clinched second place in the Smythe Division, never trailed in the game, although it was tied, 2-2, after one period.

Hartford 5, Buffalo 3--Hardly ever have the Sabres had so many teams rooting for them to win. When Kevin Dineen scored twice and assisted on another goal at Hartford, the Whalers, unbeaten in their last eight games, not only took charge of their own playoff hopes, they made sure that Montreal and Boston clinched positions in postseason play.

If the Whalers win one of their last three games, they will be in the playoffs for the first time since 1980, their first season in the NHL. In their remaining games, the Whalers play at Washington and Boston and have a home game with Toronto.

Mike Liut, playing his 14th consecutive game in goal for the Whalers, stopped 25 shots, many of them difficult ones.

The Sabres, who trail the Whalers by two points, have only two games with Montreal remaining.

Washington 5, Pittsburgh 3--Former Kings’ defenseman Larry Murphy scored a goal and assisted on two others at Landover, Md., as the Capitals remained tied with Philadelphia for first place in the Patrick Division.

The loss left the Penguins three points behind the New York Rangers in the battle for the final playoff berth in the division with just three games remaining.

Philadelphia 4, New York Islanders 2--Ilkka Sinisalo scored his career-high 37th goal in the third period at Philadelphia to assure the Flyers of the win that kept them tied with the Capitals.

Quebec 4, Detroit 0--Brent Ashton and Anton Stastny each scored twice at Quebec as the Nordiques breezed to another victory. Goaltender Clint Malarchuk stopped 27 shots to earn his fourth shutout.

Chicago 2, Minnesota 1--Ken Yaremchuk scored the tie-breaking goal late in the second period at Bloomington, Minn., and goalie Murray Bannerman made it stand up.

The victory stretched the Blackhawks’ lead in the Norris Division to three points with three games left.

The Blues and North Stars, who are tied for second place, each have only two games to play.