Blackhawks Clawing Their Way Back

Time may be running out on the season, but the Chicago Blackhawks still consider themselves playoff contenders.

Jocelyn Thibault stopped 18 shots, and Bob Probert had a goal and an assist as the Blackhawks knocked off the Dallas Stars, 4-1, Wednesday night at Dallas.

Chicago moved into 10th place in the Western Conference, 10 points behind Edmonton for the eighth and final playoff spot. The Blackhawks have recovered from a poor start and are 4-1-1 in their last six games.

“All you can do is look ahead at what’s left, not look back at what we’ve done,” said Chicago defenseman Steve Poapst, who had his first two goals in almost five years. “We can’t tell ourselves we’re out of it yet.”

Thibault was within 3:24 of his seventh shutout of the season, and 22nd career, when Sami Helenius scored his first goal of the season for Dallas. Thibault was screened on the play.

Thibault credited his team’s overall defensive play for the victory over the Stars, who were 10-3-3 in their previous 16 games against the Blackhawks.

“That was by far our best defensive game of the season,” Thibault said. “We beat them at their bread and butter, which is keeping the scoring chances down.”

Edmonton 4, Toronto 0--Tommy Salo made 25 saves at Edmonton, Canada, for his sixth shutout of the season as the Oilers beat Curtis Joseph and the Maple Leafs for the first time in nearly three years.

The Oilers had lost eight in a row to Toronto, with Joseph, a former Oiler, in goal each time. Edmonton’s last win against Toronto was a 4-3 victory at Maple Leaf Gardens on April 18, 1998.

Washington 4, Pittsburgh 3--Jeff Halpern scored the game-winning goal with 3:20 remaining after Mario Lemieux-led the Penguins from two goals down in the third period at Pittsburgh.

Lemieux, angry after drawing a goal-producing penalty in the third period that gave Washington a 3-1 lead, scored his 25th goal and set up Alexei Kovalev’s 40th to quickly make the score 3-3.

The Capitals are 13-1-2-1 in their last 17 games.

Carolina 2, Columbus 1--Rod Brind’Amour scored two goals, his second coming 4:52 into the third period, as the Hurricanes edged the Blue Jackets at Raleigh, N.C.

The win also pushed Carolina two points ahead of Boston for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

San Jose 3, Florida 3--San Jose’s Scott Thornton scored a career-high three goals, including the tying score with 1:36 left at Sunrise, Fla.

Around the League

The NHL and its players’ association insisted on a uniform drug-testing policy for professional hockey players from all nations who play on Olympic teams. NHL officials want the U.S. Olympic Committee to let the World Anti-Doping Agency enforce a consistent program. “It’s very important to the league that the same set of procedures and protocols apply to all NHL players regardless of what country they’re from,” said Bill Daly, executive vice president and general counsel for the National Hockey League. . . . New information given by Patrick Roy’s wife convinced prosecutors at Denver not to pursue a domestic violence case against the Colorado Avalanche goalie. Michele Roy initially refused to cooperate with authorities after her husband tore down two doors at their home during an argument last October, but she later told investigators she was in a different room when it happened, said Mike Knight, a spokesman for the Arapahoe County district attorney’s office. . . . Philadelphia left wing John LeClair has been given clearance to skate after recovering from back surgery and may return for the team’s home game against the New York Rangers on March 17, Flyer General Manger Bob Clarke said. . . . The Tampa Bay Lightning sent defenseman Sergey Gusev to the Detroit Vipers of the IHL. . . . Derek Plante, a center who played for Dallas during its 1999 championship season, was called up from the minors by the Philadelphia Flyers.