Osgood Shoots, He Scores All the Way From His Goal

Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood didn’t think twice when he spotted an empty net at the far end of the Hartford ice Wednesday night.

Osgood became the first goalie since April 11, 1989, to score a goal in the NHL and the first to score in the regular season since Dec. 8, 1987.

“It was great, I was really excited,” said Osgood, who leads the NHL with 32 victories. “In juniors, I used to take shots all the time, but here I usually pass it off to a defenseman. When we got the empty net this time, I said I was going to go for it.”

The goal capped Detroit’s 4-2 victory over the Hartford Whalers, which gave the Red Wings a franchise-record 48 victories.

Philadelphia’s Ron Hextall scored the last two goals by a goaltender--in 1989 against the Washington Capitals in a playoff game and in 1987 against the Boston Bruins.

Sergei Fedorov, the Red Wing leader with 77 points, scored the eventual game-winner 1:28 into the third period. He left the game midway through the third period after a collision with Scott Daniels and did not return.

Osgood’s goal came after Hartford pulled to within 3-2.

“I’ve never seen that play live in all my years,” Red Wing Coach Scotty Bowman said. “I have never had it happen to me in nearly 2,000 games, 1,900 games. It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

New Jersey 2, Toronto 2--Dave Andreychuk’s goal 6:37 into the third period pulled the Maple Leafs into a tie at home, ending an eight-game losing streak that had cost Pat Burns his coaching job.

Dallas 2, San Jose 1--Joe Nieuwendyk’s power-play goal with 3:29 to play lifted the Stars at San Jose.

Vancouver 5, Buffalo 2--Russ Courtnall scored three consecutive goals in a 9:35 span of the second period and Jyrki Lumme added a goal and an assist for the Canucks, who won at home.

NHL Notes

The Mighty Ducks assigned defenseman Don McSween to minor league affiliate Baltimore and called up defenseman Darren Van Impe. . . . The San Jose Sharks fired Chuck Grillo, their executive vice president.