Bourque’s Boston Return Is a Success

Ray Bourque had two assists in his first game in Boston since the Bruins traded him March 6, 2000, helping the Colorado Avalanche win its fifth consecutive Saturday, by defeating the Bruins, 4-2.

The Avalanche, with the league’s best record, charged into a 3-0 lead only 4:01 into the game then held off the aggressive Bruins.

“They kept storming back,” said Bourque, who asked to be dealt to a title contender during his 21st season with the Bruins. “We got off to a good start and then we kind of sat on [the lead] and we relied on our goalie to play a super game.”

Bourque won the Norris Trophy as the league’s best defenseman five times in Boston, but the Bruins lost in his only two trips to the Stanley Cup finals.

Patrick Roy returned after being sidelined because of tendinitis in his knees and stopped 36 shots, giving up two goals that cut the lead to 3-2 midway through the second period.

“It was special for us,” Roy said. “I had goosebumps at the beginning and at the end of the game.”

Phoenix 7, Edmonton 4--Shane Doan had a power-play goal and four assists, and Jeremy Roenick scored twice at Phoenix, lifting the Coyotes a point ahead of the Kings for eighth place in the Western Conference. Claude Lemieux, who was thought to be sidelined for the season after spraining his right ankle March 4, returned and played.

Toronto 5, Philadelphia 3--Yanic Perreault had a goal and an assist for the Maple Leafs and Mark Recchi scored two third-period goals for the Flyers, who almost overcame a 4-1 deficit at Toronto.

Toronto’s Danny Markov had two assists after being sidelined the previous 22 games because of back problems. John LeClair and Simon Gagne each had an assist in their returns to the Flyer lineup. Gagne sat out 12 games because of a dislocated left shoulder, and LeClair was sidelined for 46 because of back problems.

Washington 3, Tampa Bay 2--Steve Konowalchuk scored the go-ahead goal on a power play with 4:19 left in the third period at Tampa, Fla., as the Southwest Division-leading Capitals ended a five-game losing streak by overcoming an early two-goal deficit.

Atlanta 3, Montreal 2--Steve Guolla scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and added two assists helping the Thrashers rally from a two-goal deficit at Montreal.

Martin Rucinsky, who returned to the lineup after being sidelined for four games because of a thigh injury, scored 51 seconds into the game.

Ottawa 4, Nashville 0--Patrick Lalime stopped 20 shots for his seventh shutout of the season to lift the Senators at Nashville, Tenn.

St. Louis 5, Chicago 1--Al MacInnis and Pierre Turgeon each had a goal and two assists, and Roman Turek made 22 saves for his first victory in nearly a month at St. Louis in helping the Blues clinch a playoff berth.

Detroit 6, New York Rangers 0--Chris Osgood made 24 saves for his 30th career shutout and six Red Wings scored at New York, eliminating the Rangers from the playoff race for the fourth consecutive season.

Columbus 6, Calgary 4--Espen Knutsen set a team record with five points--all assists--for the Blue Jackets at Columbus, Ohio. Columbus center Robert Kron left the ice on a stretcher and was taken to a hospital after being hit in the face with a puck early in the second period. His injury was not considered serious.

Buffalo 3, Carolina 1--Stu Barnes and Erik Rasmussen scored on consecutive third-period shots to lead the Sabres at Buffalo, N.Y.

Around the League

Pittsburgh’s Alexei Kovalev was suspended for three games without pay by the league for hitting a referee in the back with a puck during a stoppage in play in a game against Carolina on Friday night. The Penguin forward will be eligible to return Saturday against St. Louis. . . . Colorado defenseman Rob Blake sat out his second game because of a sprained right knee. . . . Atlanta’s Damian Rhodes (groin), Frantisek Kaberle (foot), Yannick Tremblay (shoulder), Adam Burt (back) and Petr Buzek (neck) did not play against Montreal, which played without Craig Rivet (shoulder), Jason Ward (knee), Patrick Poulin (ankle), Gino Odjick (wrist) and Jeff Hackett (hand). . . . Washington recalled Glen Metropolit from Portland of the American Hockey League. . . . Tampa Bay’s Brian Holzinger did not play against Washington because of a bruised right foot. . . . Jay McKee returned to the Buffalo lineup after sitting out three games because of a sore left wrist. . . . Rob DiMaio returned to the Carolina lineup after sitting out two games because of a strained shoulder.