Canucks Defeat Flames

Markus Naslund scored his 40th goal of the season and added an assist as the Vancouver Canucks beat the Calgary Flames, 4-1, on Saturday night at Calgary, Alberta, to finish the regular season with a nine-game unbeaten streak.

Although the Canucks have no idea who they’ll be playing when the playoffs begin, they enter the postseason on one of the best runs in the NHL this season: an 8-0-1 streak.

Naslund has been an important factor in that streak, tallying nine goals and eight assists.

Vancouver is tied for fifth in the Western Conference with Chicago, but ranks ahead of the Blackhawks because of more victories.

However, with the three teams behind them playing today, the Canucks could drop back into the eighth spot depending on the outcomes.

With a win today, Phoenix (hosting Nashville) would move back past the Canucks in the standings. Chicago needs only one point in its home game against Columbus to finish ahead of the Canucks.

All of Naslund’s damage came in the third period as Vancouver took advantage of a string of Calgary penalties to score goals 68 seconds apart midway through the period, both coming with a two-man advantage.

Brendan Morrison’s goal at 8:46 of the third made it 3-1 and Naslund beat goaltender Mike Vernon from the top of the faceoff circle at 9:54.

NHL leading scorer Jarome Iginla was held scoreless and finished the season with 52 goals and 96 points.

St. Louis 3, Detroit 2--Chris Pronger scored unassisted, from the top of the slot, with 1:09 left in overtime for the Blues at St. Louis. The Blues had not defeated Detroit since scoring a 4-1 victory on Feb. 8, 2000.

The Red Wings took a 1-0 lead on their first shot of the game. Brett Hull scored his 30th goal 2:39 into the first period on a deflection of a shot by Chris Chelios. It was the 700th career assist for Chelios, who is the 37th player in NHL history to reach that mark.

Philadelphia 2, New York Rangers 1--Adam Oates and Mark Recchi scored to help the Flyers win at Philadelphia and clinch the Atlantic Division title. Eric Lindros, playing his second game at the First Union Center since his bitter departure from the Flyers last summer, was booed often.

Boston 7, Pittsburgh 1--Glen Murray scored three goals, giving him 41 this season, to help the host Bruins end a five-game winless streak and clinch the top spot in the Eastern Conference. Bill Guerin also scored his 41st goal for Boston, giving the Bruins two 40-goal scorers for the first time since Rick Middleton and Barry Pederson did it in 1982-83.

New Jersey 4, Washington 3--Scott Niedermayer scored 1:53 into overtime for the Devils at Washington. In the regular-season finale for both teams, the Devils moved one point ahead of the New York Islanders.

Buffalo 3, Montreal 0--Martin Biron made 22 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and Miroslav Satan scored his team-leading 37th goal for the Sabres at Montreal. Buffalo will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1996.

Toronto 5, Ottawa 2--Mats Sundin had a goal and three assists as the Maple Leafs won at Ottawa, spoiling Roger Neilson’s 1,000th regular-season game as an NHL coach.