NHL ROUNDUP : Oilers Beat Flames, Increase Division Lead

The Edmonton Oilers were the hottest team in the NHL until goaltender Grant Fuhr was sidelined because of a chronic shoulder problem.

Fuhr will be sidelined for 10 to 12 weeks. It left the Oilers with Bill Ranford and Pokey Reddick, neither of whom are accustomed to being No. 1 goalies.

The prediction was that the Oilers would fade out of the title picture.

But that hasn’t been the case. With Ranford playing brilliantly, the Oilers are streaking again.

In their toughest test since Fuhr’s injury, the Oilers outlasted the Stanley Cup champion Calgary Flames, 2-1, Saturday night at Edmonton.

Kelly Buchberger, a hard-hitting defensive player, scored his second goal of the season early in the third period to give the Oilers their third consecutive victory.

Ranford, who had a shutout Tuesday against the Minnesota North Stars and gave up two goals to Winnipeg Thursday, stopped 22 of 23 shots to get another victory.

The Oilers lead the Flames and the Kings by four points in the Smythe Division.

Buffalo 6, Quebec 5--Phil Housley sparked the Sabres as they extended the Nordiques’ winless streak to 13 games.

The All-Star defenseman had a goal and four assists in a game in which the Sabres, 3-0-2 in their last five games, were outshot, 42-22.

Buffalo is the first team to earn 50 points this season.

Philadelphia 5, Montreal 3--The Flyers emerged from a slump with this victory at Montreal.

Ron Sutter scored twice as the Flyers opened a seven-game trip with a victory that ended a three-game losing streak.

The loss at home dropped the Canadiens six points behind Buffalo in the Adams Division.

New York Islanders 8, Pittsburgh 6--For the first quarter of the season, the Islanders were pitiful. They won four of 20 games.

As the NHL season nears its midpoint, the rejuvenated Islanders have made the Patrick Division a tight race.

On Nov. 15, the Islanders were 4-13-3 and trailed the division-leading Rangers by 14 points.

The improvement has been mostly on defense. But in this game at Uniondale, N.Y., Brent Sutter scored twice, including the go-ahead goal midway through the final period. The surprising offensive display moved the Islanders, still last in the division, within eight points of first place.

The Penguins’ Mario Lemieux had two assists to extend his point-scoring streak to 24 games.

Boston 6, Detroit 5--Most of the time, the Bruins’ Don Sweeney is a defenseman’s defenseman. He seldom shoots and when he does, it’s usually in hope a forward will tip it in.

Sweeney turned into a scorer at Boston and led the Bruins to their second consecutive victory. He scored his first two goals of the season, the second giving the Bruins a 5-3 lead.

New Jersey 3, St. Louis 2--John MacLean’s second goal before the middle of the final period at East Rutherford, N.J., gave the Devils their sixth victory in the last seven games.

MacLean broke a 2-2 tie with a 35-footer that gave him 21 goals and gave the Blues a 2-6-2 record in their last 10 games.

Washington 3, New York Rangers 2--The Capitals went more than a month without winning on home ice. But Dale Hunter ended the slump when he banged a rebound through a mass of players to break a 2-2 tie with 5:15 left in regulation.

The Capitals had lost three in a row at home. They were fortunate to be playing the slumping Rangers, who are winless in their last seven games.

Hartford 4, Minnesota 3--Dave Tippett scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period at Hartford, Conn., and Ron Francis had three assists for the Whalers.

It was the third consecutive victory for the Whalers. The North Stars are 1-10-1 in their last 12 games.

Chicago 7, Toronto 5--Jeremy Roenick had a hat trick at Toronto in a brawl-filled game that enabled the Blackhawks to increase their lead in the Norris Division to eight points.

There were 17 fighting majors assessed. A six-man brawl took place at the end of the first period.