Flames Win, Jets Tie in Bids for Playoff Berths

Jocelyn Lemieux, who hadn’t scored in more than a month, made up for it with two goals as the Calgary Flames defeated the Edmonton Oilers, 3-2, Monday night at Edmonton.

Flame defenseman Zarley Zalapski scored the winner at 2:27 of the third period on a shot from the point, but it was Lemieux’s outburst in the second that powered Calgary to the victory.

Calgary, in a fight with Vancouver, Winnipeg and the Mighty Ducks for the final playoff spots in the Western Conference, battled back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the score in the second period on Lemieux’s goals.

The victory moved the Flames a point ahead of the Jets in the scramble for a postseason berth and within a point of fifth-place Toronto. Edmonton was eliminated from the playoff hunt last weekend.

Lemieux, who entered the game with two goals in 63 previous games, scored twice on perfect passes from Michael Nylander.

Winnipeg 2, St. Louis 2--Dallas Drake scored with five seconds to go in regulation to salvage a tie for the Jets at St. Louis.

Drake’s dramatics extended the Jets’ unbeaten streak to four games. Winnipeg now has 76 points, strengthening the team’s chances to qualify for the playoffs in its last season in Canada. The Jets will move to Phoenix next season and be renamed the Coyotes.

Brett Hull celebrated his return to the lineup by scoring two goals for St. Louis, and Glenn Anderson picked up his 600th career assist for the Blues.

St. Louis appeared to have the game won, but with Jet goalie Nikolai Khabibulin off for a sixth attacker, Teppo Numminen found Drake wide open in the slot. Drake’s high shot eluded goalie Grant Fuhr.

“I was surprised how open I was,” Drake said. “I one-timed it and caught Fuhr off guard. I was in the right place at the right time.”

Florida 5, New York Rangers 3--The Panthers, led by Tom Fitzgerald’s two goals, defeated the injury-strapped Rangers at New York.

The Panthers pulled out of a 4-12-2 slump with their first victory over the Rangers this season after two losses and a tie. New York was playing without seven injured starters--including top scorers Mark Messier and Pat Verbeek.

Goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck helped the Panthers withstand a third-period charge by the Rangers, who outshot them, 16-3, in the final 20 minutes.

Tampa Bay 4, New York Islanders 3--Brian Bellows and Aaron Gavey scored in an 18-second span of the third period for the Lightning at St. Petersburg, Fla.

Bellows tied the score on a wraparound at 11:44 of the third period, and Gavey got the game-winner after a similar attempt by Paul Ysebaert at 12:02. Chris Gratton and Alexander Selivanov also scored for Tampa Bay, which needed the victory to keep pace with the New Jersey Devils in the fight for the final Eastern Conference playoff spot.

Hartford 5, Pittsburgh 4--Brad McCrimmon, Gerald Diduck and Scott Daniels, who have only seven goals among them this season, each scored at Hartford.

The Penguins dipped to 16-19-4 on the road.

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NHL Notes

King forward Patrice Tardif, acquired from St. Louis in the Wayne Gretzky deal, is out because of a strained left shoulder and might sit out the final three games of the season. Tardif has not been productive with one goal and two points in 15 games since joining the Kings. Additionally, the team has reassigned defenseman Ruslan Batyrshin to its minor-league affiliate in Phoenix.