NHL Roundup : Yzerman Gets 40th; Wings Win

Wherever hockey fans gather, there is not much question as to who is the best player--Wayne Gretzky.

After the Great One, however, is where the argument heats up. Is it Mario Lemieux or Denis Savard?

How about Steve Yzerman of the Detroit Red Wings?

“He has to be considered for MVP,” his coach, Jacques Demers, said after the 22-year-old center and captain led the Red Wings to a 5-1 win over the Calgary Flames in a match of National Hockey League division leaders at Joe Louis Arena Friday night. “Nobody’s done more for a franchise last year and this year than Stevie Yzerman.”

In fact, after Yzerman scored a pair of goals to increase his season total to a career-high 40, praise came from behind both benches.

“He is a whale of a hockey player,” Flame Coach Terry Crisp said. “What club wouldn’t want to have Steve Yzerman?”

Teammate Dave Barr added a pair of goals as the Red Wings skated to their second straight victory since snapping a five-game winless streak.

Yzerman’s 40 goals rank him second in the NHL behind the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Lemieux, who has 50. Lemieux will oppose Yzerman in St. Louis on Tuesday in the NHL All-Star game. But don’t look for a grudge match on Yzerman’s part.

“I’m just going to go out there and have fun,” Yzerman said. “I’m not going to do anything fancy.”

The victory increased the Red Wings’ Norris Division lead to five points over idle St. Louis. The Flames, two games into an 11-game road trip while the Winter Olympics occupy their Saddledome home, still lead the Smythe Division by three points over Edmonton.

New York Islanders 4, Washington 2--The Islanders may be starting their move in the Patrick Division, using the Capitals as a springboard.

Brad Lauer scored two goals, and Billy Smith stopped 32 shots, including all 17 he faced in the final period, to pace the victory at Landover, Md. The win lifted the Islanders past the Penguins into second place behind the Philadelphia Flyers, both idle.

It was the Islanders’ sixth straight win over the Capitals, dating back to the fifth game of last season’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Islanders also have won their last two road games after going 0-10-1 away from the Nassau Coliseum.

Chicago 1, Winnipeg 1--The Jets’ Andrew McBain and the Blackhawks’ Steve Thomas scored 13 seconds apart late in the third period at Winnipeg.

Winnipeg, which outshot Chicago, 39-21, remained undefeated (6-8-0) in 14 overtime games this season.

The Blackhawks broke a four-game losing streak but are winless in their last five games.

Buffalo 5, Toronto 2--The Sabres’ Mike Foligno and Ray Sheppard scored 1:45 apart in the third period, and Christian Ruuttu added a goal and three assists.

The loss dropped the Maple Leafs to 1-14-6 in their last 21 games, but they are still only one point away from the Minnesota North Stars and the final playoff spot in the Norris Division.

Vancouver 5, New Jersey 1--Tony Tanti scored his 33rd goal of the season at 13:24 of the second period to snap a tie, and Rich Sutter scored twice as the Canucks beat the Devils at Vancouver.

The victory, only the second in nine games for the Canucks, pulled them back into a fourth-place tie with the Kings.