NHL ROUNDUP : Panthers Get Consolation Prize

It’s a case of too little, too late, and maybe that’s why the Florida Panthers spent much of Thursday night at Miami in fights in a game that was virtually meaningless.

Jody Hull scored two goals and John Vanbiesbrouck broke out of a slump with 33 saves in the Panthers’ 4-1 victory over the New York Islanders, the team that edged Florida out of the NHL playoffs.

Tying the Mighty Ducks for the most victories, 33, and setting a record for most points, 83, by an expansion team was little recompense. The Panthers had hoped the final game of the regular season would be a showdown for the eighth and final playoff position in the Eastern Conference, but the Islanders foiled that plan Wednesday night by beating Tampa Bay.

“We’ve been in a small period of mourning,” said Scott Mellanby, who scored the Panthers’ first goal.

Three weeks ago, the Panthers seemed almost assured of a playoff spot but won only one of their last nine games (1-4-4) and squandered a six-point advantage. The Islanders got into the playoffs by closing with five victories and three ties in the last nine games and will face the New York Rangers in the first round of the playoffs beginning Sunday.

Florida swept the five-game series with the Islanders but finished a point behind New York.

Tampa Bay 5, Quebec 2--Petr Klima and John Tucker each scored twice and Daren Puppa made 31 saves as the Lightning won at home.

Hartford 3, Boston 2--Jocelyn Lemieux scored twice for the Whalers and the Bruins lost at Boston but still got what they wanted: home ice in their first-round playoff series against the Montreal Canadiens.

Boston clinched fourth place in the Eastern Conference when Buffalo lost.

Washington 3, Buffalo 2--Steve Konowalchuk, Kevin Hatcher and Dimitri Kristich scored first-period goals for the Capitals in their victory at Buffalo.

New Jersey 4, Ottawa 1--Tom Chorske scored twice in a 33-second span in the second period as the playoff-bound Devils capped their best regular season at East Rutherford, N.J.

Philadelpia 2, New York Rangers 2--Dominic Roussel made 51 saves for the Flyers at New York.

The Rangers, tuning up for their first-round game Sunday with the Islanders, went with their regulars and outshot the Flyers, 53-29. But they didn’t have much luck against Roussel, who stopped breakaways by Mark Messier and Glenn Anderson and turned in a spectacular goaltending performance.

St. Louis 3, Winnipeg 1--Brendan Shanahan finished the regular season with two more goals as the Blues beat the Jets at St. Louis.

The Blues were 1-2-1 in their last four games. Shanahan, who had three goals in a loss at Dallas on Tuesday, scored 12 goals in the last 10 games to finish with a career-high 52, one more than last season, and 102 points.

Toronto 6, Chicago 4--John Cullen and Wendel Clark scored two goals each as the Maple Leafs spoiled the Blackhawks’ celebration of the last regular-season game at 65-year-old Chicago Stadium.

The two teams play each other in the first round of the playoffs.

Dallas 4, Detroit 3--Alan May scored the decisive goal in the third period at Dallas as the Stars finished the regular season with a franchise record 97 points in their first season since moving from Minnesota.

First Impressions

The Florida Panthers tied the record for victories and set the record for points by an expansion team in its first season. A look at the all-time leaders:

VICTORIES

Team Year No. Mighty Ducks 1993-94 33 Florida 1993-94 33 Kings 1967-68 31 Philadelphia 1967-68 31 Edmonton 1979-80 28 St. Louis 1967-68 27 Minnesota 1967-68 27 Hartford 1979-80 27 Pittsburgh 1967-68 27

POINTS

Team Year Pts Florida 1993-94 83 Philadelphia 1867-68 73 Hartford 1979-80 73 Kings 1967-68 72 Mighty Ducks 1993-94 71 St. Louis 1967-68 70 Edmonton 1979-80 69 Minnesota 1967-68 69 Pittsburgh 1967-68 67