NHL ROUNDUP : Sharks Beat Canucks, Near Playoffs

The San Jose Sharks have a point to make.

After their 7-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night in San Jose, the Sharks held a 10-point lead over the Mighty Ducks with five games to play.

All that remains for the Sharks is to get a single point among the 10 available to assure themselves their first playoff spot.

That done, hockey season would end in Southern California on April 14.

San Jose made sure of that Saturday night when Sandis Ozolinsh and Ulf Dahlen scored power-play goals in the first period to send the Sharks winging toward their franchise-record sixth consecutive victory.

It was the first of three goals for Dahlen.

The Canucks closed to within 4-3 in the third period, but San Jose finished them off with three goals in only six shots during the last 20 minutes.

“It’s fun to be a part of this team,” Dahlen said. “It was a lot more like playoff hockey tonight.”

New York Rangers 4, New Jersey 2--The Rangers took a major step toward clinching the NHL’s best record in the regular season by scoring four goals in the second period at East Rutherford, N.J.

Mike Richter stopped 24 shots as the Rangers won for the sixth time over New Jersey in as many games and took a four-point lead over the Devils with five games to play.

Buffalo 6, Quebec 2--Yuri Khmylev and Randy Wood scored twice as the Sabres, helped by four power-play goals and two short-handed scores, beat the Nordiques at Quebec.

Buffalo sent Quebec to its fourth loss in the last five games.

Both of Khmylev’s goals came on power plays, and Wood had a power-play and short-handed goal.

Ottawa 2, Florida 2--Senator goaltender Craig Billington stopped 32 shots at Miami, where Ottawa, playing loose with the league’s worst record and no playoff future, hampered the Panthers’ playoff hopes with a tie.

Florida, in its inaugural season, holds a three-point lead for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Philadelphia 6, Hartford 5--Rob DiMaio scored with 1:13 to play to lift the Flyers to a victory at Hartford and spoil a four-goal comeback by the Whalers.

After Pat Verbeek scored the last of four consecutive Hartford goals to tie the game, 5-5, DiMaio, standing alone in the crease, stuffed home a rebound of Kevin Dineen’s shot from the left circle.

Philadelphia snapped a four-game losing streak. Eric Lindros scored his 43rd and 44th goals of the season.

New York Islanders 3, Montreal 3--Ray Ferraro scored 11:51 into the final period as the Islanders tied the Canadiens at Montreal and stayed three points behind Florida for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Benoit Hogue and Steve Thomas also scored for the Islanders, who have one victory in their last five games, but who have not lost to Montreal all season.

Detroit 3, Calgary 3--Dino Ciccarelli and Gary Roberts each scored twice as the Red Wings and Flames skated to a tie in Detroit.