NHL ROUNDUP : Hull Gets Three Goals, Leads Blues Past Stars

Brett Hull has so much firepower that sometimes he simply turns it off.

Hull, however, didn’t do it Saturday night until he had scored three goals, giving him a league-leading nine in eight games, as the St. Louis Blues beat the Dallas Stars, 7-4, at St. Louis.

Hull has 22 hat tricks, tied for third-highest among active players with Jari Kurri. Wayne Gretzky holds the NHL record with 49.

“I guess I didn’t really do a lot in the third,” said Hull, who took only one shot in the period. “I kind of sat back.”

Denis Chasse scored twice and Esa Tikkanen also had a shorthanded goal for the Blues, who trailed three times and had a goalie switch before pulling away from Dallas in a three-goal second period that put them ahead, 5-3.

Pittsburgh 6, Tampa Bay 3--Tomas Sandstrom had two goals and two assists to help the Penguins remain the league’s only unbeaten team, at Pittsburgh.

The Penguins’ 7-0 record matches their 1986-87 team for the best start in the franchise’s 28-year history. The Toronto Maple Leafs set the NHL record with a 10-0 start last season.

Calgary 4, Toronto 1--German Titov scored three goals for his first hat trick in leading the Flames past the Maple Leafs.

Trevor Kidd contributed 37 saves for Calgary.

Boston 5, Hartford 4--Jozef Stumpel finished a three-on-one breakaway with his first goal of the season, giving the Bruins the victory at Hartford, Conn.

Adam Oates had two goals and an assist for the Bruins, who peppered Sean Burke with 53 shots.

Philadelphia 4, Buffalo 2--Eric Lindros scored his fourth goal of the season and assisted on the Flyers’ three other goals while stopping the Sabres at Philadelphia.

Quebec 2, New Jersey 0--Jocelyn Thibault, in his first start this season, earned his first shutout with a 25-save effort as the Nordiques beat the Devils at Quebec.

Montreal 4, N.Y. Islanders 2--Mike Keane scored two goals and set up another to help the Canadiens end a scoring drought in stopping the Islanders at Montreal.

N.Y. Rangers 2, Ottawa 1--Nick Kypreos and Sergei Nemchinov scored as the struggling Rangers beat the Senators at Ottawa.

Washington 3, Florida 2--Calle Johansson scored a rare Washington power-play goal with 6:29 left, lifting the Capitals past the Panthers at Landover, Md.

San Jose 3, Winnipeg 3--Todd Elik scored two goals, including the tying one in the third period, at Winnipeg.