Devils’ Losing Streak Extended by Sharks

The San Jose Sharks are brimming with confidence. The Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils wonder where theirs went.

Mike Ricci scored the winning goal nine minutes into the third period Tuesday night to lead the Sharks to a 3-2 victory over the sinking Devils at East Rutherford, N.J.

The Devils lost their sixth in a row and extended their winless streak to seven. New Jersey, with 15 points at 6-8-3, is tied with the New York Islanders at the bottom of the Atlantic Division.

San Jose won its seventh road game. The Sharks have only one loss in 11 games.

New Jersey started like this game would be different. The Devils built a 2-0 first-period lead on goals by Patrik Elias and Alexander Mogilny.

It didn’t last long as the Sharks scored three unanswered goals.

“We’re just shooting ourselves in the foot by making stupid mistakes,” Devil Coach Larry Robinson said. “Then we lose our composure when we get a goal scored against us.”

Columbus 3, Dallas 2--Steve Heinze had two power-play goals and Ron Tugnutt stopped 26 shots at Columbus, Ohio, as the Blue Jackets extended their winning streak to three games.

Enjoying the first winning streak in the expansion team’s brief history, Columbus has won five of its last six at Nationwide Arena.

After a 1-7-0-1 start, the Blue Jackets have gone 5-3-1-0.

Edmonton 3, St. Louis 0--Ryan Smyth scored three goals at Edmonton, Canada, and Tommy Salo had 29 saves for his 18th shutout as the Oilers ended St. Louis’ 10-game unbeaten streak.

It was the 11th time in NHL history that one player had all of the goals in a 3-0 game. Smyth is the only player to have done it twice.

Tampa Bay 1, Montreal 0--Vincent Lecavalier scored and Kevin Weekes made 34 saves at Montreal for the Canadiens’ second consecutive shutout loss.

Vancouver 4, Chicago 2--Markus Naslund scored the go-ahead goal and added an assist for the Canucks at Vancouver, Canada.

Washington 2, Phoenix 2--Ulf Dahlen scored his second goal of the game with 21.4 seconds left in regulation to lift the Capitals to a tie at Washington.

Around the League

Eric Lindros, speaking to reporters for the first time since rejecting a qualifying offer from the Philadelphia Flyers, said he won’t consider returning to the team. “I think we’ve made our side pretty clear with what we’ve done in the summer and what’s gone on in the past,” he said. . . . The Florida Panthers recalled right wings David Emma and Denis Shvidki and defenseman Lance Ward from Louisville of the American Hockey League. . . . The New York Islanders traded defenseman Dan Trebil to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a ninth-round pick in the 2001 draft.