NHL Roundup : Canadiens Prevent Whalers From Clinching, Stay Alive

Bob Gainey converted a rebound shot with 1:51 left in the game Wednesday night to give the Montreal Canadiens a 3-2 victory over the Hartford Whalers at Montreal and extend the Canadiens’ unbeaten streak to eight games.

Gainey grabbed a loose puck and shot it past goalie Mike Liut, who had just made a stop against Guy Carbonneau.

The loss prevented the Whalers from winning their first division title since joining the NHL in 1979. They have a three-point lead over the second-place Canadiens in the Adams Division, and each team has two games remaining.

Chicago 4, Minnesota 4--Ron Wilson’s goal with six seconds left in regulation play capped a four-goal third period as the North Stars came back to tie the Blackhawks at Chicago.

The outcome left the Blackhawks still needing one victory to clinch a playoff berth. Chicago and Minnesota each have 70 points. Chicago has two games remaining, Minnesota one. Toronto has 68 points with two games remaining, both against Chicago this weekend.

The game featured the return of Glen Sonmor as coach of the North Stars, replacing Lorne Henning, who was fired Tuesday. It’s Sonmor’s third term as coach of the North Stars. In the third period, Sonmor had to be restrained from going after a heckling fan behind the Minnesota bench.

Minnesota star Dino Ciccarelli became the team’s all-time leading scorer with 506 points when he assisted on a goal by Brian MacLellan.

Philadelphia 2, Detroit 1--Tim Kerr scored two power-play goals and rookie goalie Ron Hextall stopped 28 shots as the Flyers beat the Red Wings at Detroit.

The defeat kept the Red Wings from clinching first place in the Norris Division. Detroit remained five points ahead of second-place St. Louis. The Red Wings have two games left and the Blues have three.

Detroit defenseman Dave Lewis played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the 58th NHL player to reach that milestone.

Washington 5, N.Y. Rangers 1--Kelly Miller and Mike Gartner scored 64 seconds apart late in the first period as the Capitals beat the Rangers at New York.

The Capitals moved three points ahead of the third-place New York Islanders in the Patrick Division. The Capitals, 6-0-1 in their last seven games, have two games left and the Islanders have three.

The loss erased the Rangers’ chances for a home-ice advantage in the playoffs. The Rangers are three points behind the Islanders with two games left.