NHL ROUNDUP : Empty-Net Goal Burns Canadiens

Mike Ridley scored into an empty net at 4:12 of overtime Monday night to give the Washington Capitals a 3-2 victory at Montreal and all but end the Canadiens’ hopes for home-ice advantage in the playoffs.

Canadien Coach Jacques Demers pulled goaltender Patrick Roy in the final minute of overtime in a bid to move into a tie for second place in the Adams Division with Quebec. The ploy backfired as Ridley, who had missed the open net seconds earlier, tapped in a pass from Kevin Hatcher.

The Canadiens must win their final regular-season game tonight in Buffalo and hope Quebec loses at home to Ottawa if they are to start the playoffs at home against Quebec on Sunday. Washington’s Bob Carpenter scored at 16:52 of the third period to force the overtime.

Philadelphia 1, New York Rangers 0--Mark Recchi scored his team-record 120th point by setting up Greg Hawgood’s goal, as the Flyers dashed New York’s playoff hopes.

Goalie Dominic Roussel stopped 24 shots to send Philadelphia to its sixth consecutive victory. The Rangers dropped their fifth game in a row and ninth in their last 11. The slide knocked them out of postseason play for the first time in five years, completing a nose-dive from last season when they finished with the most points.