NHL Roundup : Boston Finishes Fast, Trips Up Edmonton, 4-2

After a horrible beginning, the Boston Bruins closed out their successful trip West with a 4-2 victory Sunday night at Edmonton.

The Bruins were extremely concerned after losing Tuesday night at Vancouver, 5-2, probably the worst team they played on the trip.

They bounced back the next night to rout the Kings at the Forum, 7-3, and Saturday night they stopped Calgary’s winning streak, 4-3. The win over the Flames was a bitter, tiring battle.

Although the Oilers had lost two in a row, they were well-rested.

The Bruins, though, exploded from the opening faceoff. Halfway through the opening period, goals by Bob Sweeney and Ken Linseman, the latter on a power play, gave them a 2-0 lead.

Only splendid goaltending by Grant Fuhr, who stopped 32 shots in the first 38 minutes kept the Bruins from turning it into a rout.

But in the last period the Bruins had only four shots on goal and barely lasted.

The Bruins, swept in four games by Wayne Gretzky and the Oilers in the final round of the Stanley Cup last spring, swept the season’s series, 3-0, but the Oilers, without Gretzky, just aren’t the same.

With the loss, the Oilers remained three points behind the Gretzky-led Kings in third place in the Smythe Division.

Winnipeg 7, Hartford 6--Brent Ashton scored his 21st goal at 3:23 of overtime at Winnipeg to complete a hat trick and complete an amazing comeback by the Jets.

Ashton sent the game into overtime when he scored with 2:29 remaining in the last period.

The Jets scored in the first minute of the game, but by the middle of the second period the Whalers were wining it, 5-2.

Buffalo 8, Detroit 4--Rick Vaive scored twice and also had an assist to lead the Sabres to their sixth victory in their last seven home games, but he wasn’t smiling when it was over.

Vaive, who has been the leader of the rejuvenated offense, aggravated a neck injury in a third-period collision.

The extent of the injury was not immediately known. Since coming to the Sabres in a trade with Chicago the day after Christmas, Vaive has 19 goals and 13 assists in 25 games. If he is out for any length of time, it will seriously hurt the Sabres’ chances of finishing second in the Adams Division.

Chicago 4, Montreal 4--The Blackhawks, who haven’t beaten the Canadiens at Chicago in more than four years, settled for a tie.

Adam Creighton had a hat trick for the Blackhawks, but it was Brian Noonan’s first goal since last Nov. 18 that gave Chicago the tie.

Noonan’s goal came with 8:45 left in regulation. The Canadiens are 8-3-1 in their last 12 games.

Philadelphia 5, New York Islanders 4--Although it was a win against one of the league’s weak teams, there is a feeling that the slump is over for the Flyers.

The Flyers, who lost four of their previous five games to drop below .500, scored four times in the first period at Philadelphia, then held off a desperate New York rally.

After a pep talk from Coach Paul Holmgren, Tim Kerr scored, then set up Pelle Ecklund and the Flyers had a 2-0 lead in under 8 minutes.

Vancouver 3, Washington 2--Power-play goals by Jim Sandlak and Tony Tanti and a shorthanded goal by Steve Bozek carried the Canucks past the Capitals at Vancouver.

The victory also snapped Vancouver’s seven-game losing streak against Washington and ended the Capitals’ 12-0-1 domination of the Canucks, who had not beaten Washington at the Pacific Coliseum since November, 1982.

The loss kept the Capitals tied for second in the Patrick Division with the New York Rangers, one point behind first place Pittsburgh.