NHL ROUNDUP : Edmonton Moves Up by Defeating Winnipeg

The NHL regular season is in the twilight but the eighth and final playoff berth in the Western Conference is hardly decided.

Shayne Corson’s goal 22 seconds into the second period began an Edmonton four-goal spurt and the Oilers went on to defeat the Winnipeg Jets, 5-3, Tuesday night to stay a point behind the Kings, who leapfrogged three contenders to move into eighth place with their victory.

Edmonton improved to 16-24-4 and is one point ahead of Winnipeg, which fell to 14-23-7, San Jose and the Mighty Ducks.

Said Edmonton General Manager Glen Sather: “We got the win, and with only four games to play, those two points are important.”

Calgary 3, San Jose 2--Joe Nieuwendyk scored twice as the Flames clinched their fifth Pacific Division title in eight years, hurting the Sharks’ playoff chances in the process.

Theoren Fleury added a goal for Calgary, which got 34 saves from Trevor Kidd. The victory, combined with Vancouver’s overtime loss in Chicago, put the Canucks nine points behind the Flames with only four games left.

Ray Whitney scored both San Jose goals. The loss dropped the Sharks from eighth to 10th place in the Western Conference. San Jose has five games left to move up two spots and claim the conference’s final playoff spot.

Calgary has won 11 of 16. The Sharks are winless in their last four games and have won only three of their last 11 home games.

Chicago 4, Vancouver 3 OT--Murray Craven’s goal two minutes into overtime snapped the Blackhawks’ 13-game winless streak at Chicago.

The Blackhawks were 0-10-3 in their freefall, their worst winless streak since 1959. During the streak, Chicago (20-19-5) was outscored, 36-18.

St. Louis 8, Dallas 4--Two goals by Brendan Shanahan triggered a five-goal third period for the Blues, who spoiled the Stars’ regular-season home finale.

The Blues rallied from a 3-1 first-period deficit when Dave Roberts snuck the puck by previously undefeated rookie goalie Mike Torchia 22 seconds into the third period for a 4-3 lead. Steve Duchesne added a fluke goal from 50 feet 4:21 later, his eighth of the season, before Trent Klatt pulled Dallas to 5-4 with his third goal in as many games.

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Too Close to Call

With one week left in the NHL regular season, the race for the final Western Conference playoff spot is a battle among five teams separated by two points. Here’s a look at the contending teams--points, remaining schedule and a key statistic.

* KINGS 37 Points (14 Victories)

Remaining games: at San Jose, Mighty Ducks, at Winnipeg, at Chicago. Kings are 1-6-2 in last nine.

* EDMONTON 36 Points (16 Victories)

Remaining games: St. Louis, Winnipeg, Toronto, at Calgary. Oilers play three teams over .500.

* SAN JOSE: 35 Points (16 Victories)

Remaining games: at Anaheim, Kings, St. Louis, Dallas, Vancouver. Sharks have the advantage of one more game remaining than other four teams.

* MIGHTY DUCKS 35 Points (15 Victories)

Remaining games: San Jose, at Kings, St. Louis, Toronto. Ducks are 6-0-2 vs. San Jose and Kings.

* WINNIPEG 35 Points (14 Victories)

Remaining games: Detroit, at Edmonton, at Chicago, Kings. Jets are 5-5-1 since coaching change.

Breaking the Tie

If there is a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot, here’s how the NHL will decide who advances.

1. Number of overall victories

2. Two teams: Head-to-head record*

More than two teams: Winning percentage against other tied teams

3. Goal differential: Margin of goals for versus goals against for full season

* If one of those teams had more home games against the other because of shortened season’s schedule, the first home game for that team is not considered