NHL Roundup : Lemieux Has Four Goals, but Penguins Lose Again

Mario Lemieux scored four goals Sunday night at Detroit, but the brilliant performance wasn’t enough to prevent the defenseless Pittsburgh Penguins from losing once again.

Lemieux now has 40 goals in 40 games and, with 86 points, he has moved into a tie with injured Wayne Gretzky for the National Hockey League scoring lead.

But Steve Yzerman had a goal and an assist in a four-goal burst in the second period that carried the Red Wings to a 7-5 victory and extended their unbeaten streak to six games.

The Penguins are winless in the last eight games.

While the Penguins are in danger of falling into the cellar in the tough Patrick Division, the Red Wings are threatening a runadway in the weaker Norris Division. With Yzerman and Bob Probert both scoring twice, the Wings extended their lead in the division to eight points.

Lemieux’s four goals not only give him a commanding lead in goal-scoring, they gave him a shot at the scoring title in his fourth NHL season.

The knee injury that has kept Gretzky out of five games already and may keep him out of as many as seven more had made for a scoring battle. For seven seasons in a row, Edmonton’s fabulous Gretzky had the scoring title all but clinched by the middle of the season.

“This may be a real battle for the scoring title,” Gretzky said while undergoing therapy the other day on his knee. “It could be that when I return, I’ll be 25 points behind.”

Yzerman, who wound up with five points, now has 34 goals and has scored at least one point in 22 consecutvie games.

New Jersey 7, Philadelphia 5--Pat Verbeek scored twice in the last four minutes at Philadelphia to complete a hat trick and keep the Devils unbeaten in five games (3-0-2) with the Flyers.

Tempers flared throughout and wound up in a near free-for-all. The trouble began halfway through the first period when fiery Flyer goalie Ron Hextall was ejected for arguing with referee Don Koharski, shortly after giving up two New Jersey goals.

Verbeek broke a 5-5 tie with 3:46 left, then scored into an empty net with 40 seconds left.

Calgary 8, Washington 2--Hakan Loob had two goals and two assists at Calgary to lead the powerful Flames to an easy victory, their fourth in a row.

In ending the Capitals’ five-game winning streak, the Flames moved three points ahead of Edmonton in the Smythe Division.

Talented Calgary rookie Joe Nieuwendyk scored his 32nd goal and extended his point streak to 13 games.

Buffalo 4, New York Rangers 3--The Sabres remain the hottest team. Christian Ruuttu fired a 35-foot shot past goalie Bob Froese with seven minutes left at Buffalo to give the Sabres their fifth victory in a row.

After going unbeaten for seven games in a row, the Rangers, who fought back from a 3-1 deficit, have lost two in a row. A victory would have enabled the Rangers to get out of the cellar in the Patrick Division.

Winnipeg 4, Toronto 3--Dale Hawerchuk scored with 22 seconds left in regulation at Winnipeg to end the Jets’ winless streak and extend the Maple Leafs’ winless streak to eight games (0-5-3). The Jets were winless in the last five.