For Yzerman, These Assists Are Especially Rewarding

It wasn’t just another career milestone for Steve Yzerman.

Yzerman had two assists to move into second place on Detroit’s career list as the Red Wings extended their season-high unbeaten streak to eight with a 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues Wednesday night at Detroit.

Yzerman’s 826 assists trail only Gordie Howe’s 1,049 on Detroit’s career list. He passed Alex Delvecchio for second place and now ranks 15th on the NHL list.

“Delvecchio was one of the first players I met when I came here,” Yzerman said. “I have an awful lot of respect for him. I remember my dad speaking fondly of him when I was growing up.”

Doug Brown had two goals and an assist and Joe Kocur, Kirk Maltby and Brendan Shanahan also scored as the Red Wings were 8-3-4 in December.

Buffalo 3, Ottawa 0--Dominik Hasek became the first NHL goaltender since the 1928-29 season to record six shutouts in one month, stopping 36 shots at Buffalo.

The last goalie to have six shutouts in a month was George Hainsworth in 1928-29, when forward passing wasn’t allowed in the offensive zone.

Philadelphia 8, Vancouver 0--Ron Hextall stopped 27 shots and the Flyers scored four first-period goals at Vancouver to move into first place in the Eastern Conference.

Eric Lindros led the way with four assists, while John LeClair scored twice, including his 30th goal the season, marking the third straight year he has reached that plateau.

Colorado 3, N.Y. Islanders 1--Uwe Krupp and Adam Deadmarsh scored power-play goals at Denver as the Avalanche handed the Islanders their fifth straight loss.

Toronto 2, Boston 2--Rookie right wing Mike Johnson scored both goals as the Maple Leafs rallied from a two-goal deficit at Toronto.

Tampa Bay 2, N.Y. Rangers 0--The Rangers continued to struggle at Tampa. They are 0-5-1 in their last six visits and are only 1-9-1 in their previous 11 games there.

Pittsburgh 3, Carolina 2--Robert Lang scored a shorthanded goal early in the third period at Pittsburgh to break a tie as the Penguins beat the Hurricanes for the fourth time this season.

Montreal 3, Calgary 2--Brian Savage scored with 6:26 left in the third period to lift the Canadiens past the Flames at Calgary.