Dallas Rights Playoff Ship

The Dallas Stars might be back on track for the playoffs, but the Toronto Maple Leafs perhaps should start planning their off-season golf outings.

Joe Nieuwendyk scored twice and recently acquired Mike Keane added a key third-period goal at Dallas, where the Stars dealt another blow to the Maple Leafs’ slim playoff hopes with a 4-2 victory Monday night.

Dallas blew a 3-1 third-period lead and lost to the Vancouver Canucks’ on Saturday night, perhaps the low point in what has been for the most part a highly successful season for the Stars.

The Stars had lost a season-high three in a row and were 1-5-1 in their last seven games, having scored only nine goals during that span.

“It’s been a rough stretch,” said Star Coach Ken Hitchcock. “It was eating away at us and we were pressing. We’re not out of it yet, but this helps.”

The Maple Leafs started the night nine points behind in the race for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Toronto has six games left, four on the road.

Edmonton 3, Vancouver 2--Scott Fraser broke a tie in the second period and the Oilers won at home to move into a tie for sixth place in the tight Western Conference playoff race.

Edmonton, Phoenix and Chicago all have 72 points, two more than San Jose. Phoenix has seven games left, Edmonton and Chicago five, and San Jose six.

Carolina 3, Boston 0--Trevor Kidd turned in his third consecutive shutout for the Hurricanes, who bolstered their late-season surge for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spot by winning at Boston.

Kidd, who has recorded all three of his shutouts on the road, stopped 27 shots.

Montreal 2, Washington 2--The Canadiens, who dominated the game but trailed for most of it, salvaged a tie at Washington when Sebastien Bordeleau scored his second goal with 9:01 to play.

N.Y. Islanders 3, Tampa Bay 0--Wade Flaherty stopped 26 shots and Zigmund Palffy extended his point streak to six games for the Islanders, who won at Tampa.

It was New York’s team-record third consecutive shutout and the third shutout of Flaherty’s career.