Snubbed Messier Responds

Mark Messier turned disappointment into inspiration, rallying the Vancouver Canucks to a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs Saturday night at Toronto.

Messier was told earlier in the day that he was not among 23 Canadian NHL players selected to play for the national team at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. But he didn’t sulk.

Instead, he responded by breaking a 2-2 tie at 3:07 of the third period on a power play and was selected as the game’s first star.

“You have to accept the news and move on,” Messier said. “This is no time to feel sorry for myself.

“It would have been incredible to represent my country [in the Olympics], but you still have to concentrate on the game. This was a huge win for us. It might put us in a playoff position.”

Colorado 3, Carolina 2--Adam Deadmarsh scored on a power play with 6:35 left to cap a three-goal third-period rally at Greensboro, N.C.

One of the best third-period teams in hockey lived up to its billing again. Deadmarsh, Sandis Ozolinsh and Uwe Krupp scored goals during the final 11 1/2 minutes to erase a 2-0 Hurricane lead.

Pittsburgh 6, Montreal 3--The Penguins extended their unbeaten streak to seven games and in so doing beat the Canadiens on their home ice for the first time in nearly two years.

Dallas 5, Phoenix 2--Mike Modano had two of the Stars’ three power-play goals at Dallas as they beat the Coyotes for the second time in three nights.

Boston 1, Washington 1--Tim Taylor scored at 9:19 of the third period at Boston as the Bruins rallied to tie a game for the fifth time this season.

The last four game-tying goals have been scored in the third period after Boston entered the period trailing.

Chicago 3, Ottawa 2--Greg Johnson scored two goals to help the Blackhawks complete a six-game, 13-day road trip with a 3-1-2 record.

Philadelphia 3, Tampa Bay 3--Rob Zamuner, selected earlier in the day to the Canadian Olympic team, continued his strong play with a third-period goal that gave the Lightning the tie at Tampa.

New York Islanders 4, St. Louis 2--Eric Fichaud stopped 34 shots and Sergei Nemchinov had two goals to lead the Islanders at Uniondale, N.Y.

NHL Notes

Mike Gartner, the second-leading active goal scorer in the NHL behind Wayne Gretzky, has cleared waivers and will remain with the Phoenix Coyotes. In an unannounced move, the Coyotes on Wednesday put the 38-year-old forward on waivers to add free-agent defenseman Michel Petit. . . . Philadelphia goaltender Ron Hextall could be sidelined for a week because of a strained left thigh muscle. He was injured Friday night against the New York Islanders.