NHL ROUNDUP : On Richter’s Scale, This One’s a 10

Goaltender Mike Richter hasn’t been at his best in Madison Square Garden this season.

So Sunday night’s 3-2 victory for the New York Rangers over the Toronto Maple Leafs felt somewhat like a comeback at home.

“I was pleased with the way it went,” Richter said after making 34 saves, including a game-saver on a breakaway by Doug Gilmour in the second period.

“I knew I had to be more stable, not overplay the puck and be more patient. That was really important tonight.”

In his last home game, Richter had been booed by the fans.

“I’ve gotten a lot of suggestions from the fans, some of which I can’t repeat. They’ve got a right to boo. They just want us to win.”

Luc Robitaille, Adam Graves and Ray Ferraro scored for the Rangers.

Washington 3, St. Louis 1--Olaf Kolzig stopped 31 shots at St. Louis as the Capitals defeated the Blues for the seventh consecutive time.

Joe Reekie and Sergei Gonchar scored goals in a second-period span of 1:33 to break a scoreless tie and Steve Konowalchuk added his third goal in as many games in the third period as the Capitals won their third in a row despite getting outshot 32-23.

Philadelphia 5, Ottawa 2--John LeClair had a goal and two assists for the Flyers at Philadelphia.

Goaltender Garth Snow, who was acquired from Colorado in the off-season for two 1996 draft picks, recorded the victory in his first Philadelphia start and only his eighth in the NHL. Snow, 26, recorded his last victory April 2, also against Ottawa.

The Senators failed in their bid for their fourth road victory of the season, which would equal their total from all last season.

Chicago 6, Buffalo 3--Jeremy Roenick scored a short-handed goal with less than a second left in the second period at Chicago, igniting the Blackhawks.

It was 1-1 and Brent Grieve was in the penalty box when the Blackhawks gained control in Buffalo ice. Chris Chelios took a shot from the point and Roenick, jostling with Doug Bodger for position in front of the net, deflected the puck past Andrei Trefilov with 0.8 on the clock.