It’s a Long and Scoreless Night in Detroit

Curtis Joseph had to feel as if he were working overtime long before the game actually got there.

The Edmonton goaltender stopped all 52 shots he faced Tuesday night, but his teammates couldn’t get anything past Detroit’s Chris Osgood, either.

The result was the first 0-0 tie in Joe Louis Arena.

“It was a great game,” Joseph said after his fourth shutout of the season and ninth of his career. “Ozzie was great down at the other end, also. If you’re defense-minded, it was a great game.”

The scoreless tie was also the first in Edmonton’s NHL history and the first for the Red Wings since Nov. 7, 1976.

Osgood had much the easier game, facing 21 shots.

It was the third 0-0 tie in the NHL this year.

The shutout was the second in a row for the Red Wings, who have not allowed a goal in their last 154 minutes 43 seconds.

But they are only 1-0-2 in those games, despite outshooting the opposition, 123-54.

“In the last period we decided to just shoot, shoot, shoot, and eventually one would trickle in,” Detroit forward Tim Taylor said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t.”

The Red Wings outshot Edmonton, 21-8, in the final period.

N.Y. Islanders 8, Phoenix 2--Niklas Andersson had two goals and three assists for the Islanders, who scored eight goals for the first time in more than three years, beating Phoenix in Uniondale, N.Y.

New York scored on its first shot in all three periods and outscored the Coyotes, 6-1, in the second.

Philadelphia 5, Florida 4--Eric Lindros, Joel Otto and John LeClair each had a goal and an assist at Philadelphia for the Flyers, who won their third game in a row and extended their record to 4-0-1 over the past five games.

Philadelphia also had goals from Scott Daniels and Eric Desjardins, all the scoring done against the Panthers’ John Vanbiesbrouck, who entered the game with a league-best 1.67 goals-against average.

New Jersey 5, Toronto 2--The Devils, last in the NHL in scoring going into the game, got goals from Brian Rolston, Denis Pederson, Bill Guerin, Valeri Zelepukin and Dave Andreychuk in a victory at Toronto.

The loss, the Maple Leafs’ seventh in 10 games, provided more ammunition for critics who contend the team is too old to withstand the rigors of the NHL schedule. Toronto, which played its fourth game in five nights, is 0-6 in the second game of back-to-back games and has been outscored, 21-6.

Ottawa 5, Calgary 5--Jonas Hoglund’s goal with 49 seconds to play in regulation lifted the Flames, who had lost five in a row and nine of their last 10 games, into a tie in Calgary.

Hoglund one-timed a wrist shot past Damian Rhodes after taking a pass from Corey Millen in the left faceoff circle.