NHL Roundup : Short-Handed Goal Costs Washington’s Malarchuk Another Shutout

Opponents are getting a message from the Washington Capitals and goalie Clint Malarchuk: You can’t win if you can’t score.

Only a short-handed goal with 4:15 to play cost Malarchuk his fourth shutout in six games as the red-hot Capitals beat the New Jersey Devils, 6-1, Wednesday night at East Rutherford, N.J. It was the Capitals’ third straight win and ninth in 10 games--their second in as many nights over the Devils.

The win moved the Capitals into second place in the Patrick Division with 72 points, one more than the New York Islanders. Malarchuk stopped 19 shots.

The loss was the fifth in six games for the Devils, whose playoff hopes in the Patrick Division are fading quickly.

Malarchuk, who shut out Winnipeg, Minnesota and the Islanders in the last 12 days, had the Devils stopped cold until Mark Johnson, while killing a penalty, stole the puck in the Capitals’ zone and scored on a 25-foot wrist shot. Malarchuk has allowed only eight goals in his last six games, including five victories.

New York Rangers 3, New York Islanders 1--All the Rangers needed was power-play goals by Tomas Sandstrom and Kelly Kisio 46 seconds apart early in the second period at Madison Square Garden, and John Vanbiesbrouck stopped 34 shots to lead the Rangers to their fourth straight victory.

The Islanders have scored only four goals in their last four games.

James Patrick also had a man-advantage goal for the Rangers in the second period, padding the team’s club record for power-play scores to 94.

Vanbiesbrouck lost his shutout bid when Bryan Trottier scored on a power play with four minutes remaining.

Islander defenseman Tomas Jonsson was checked into the boards by Chris Nilan 4:20 into the game. Jonsson was taken from the ice on a stretcher and did not return.

Quebec 4, Toronto 3--Gaetan Duchesne took advantage of two defensive mistakes to score a pair of goals in the Nordiques’ win at Toronto.

Duchesne picked the puck off Maple Leaf defenseman Rick Lanz’ stick and beat goaltender Ken Wregget on a power play at 16:23 of the first period, then made it 3-1 at 3:48 of the second period when defenseman Borje Salming lost the puck behind the net to Peter Stastny. He relayed it to Duchesne, who flipped it past Wregget for his 19th goal.

Hartford 2, Chicago 1--Randy Ladouceur, who had not scored a goal in more than a year, beat goaltender Darren Pang with a 65-foot slapshot for the decisive goal 34 seconds into the final period.

Hartford, which snapped a three-game losing streak, remained three points ahead of Quebec in the race for the last playoff berth in the Adams Division.