Hull's 709th goal helps Wings halt Avalanche

Reuters, Detroit, Michigan

Brett Hull scored the 709th goal of his NHL career to move into fifth place on the all-time list and steer the Detroit Red Wings to their 14th victory in 16 games, a 5-3 triumph over the Colorado Avalanche Saturday.

The 38-year-old took a pass from Pavel Datsyuk and beat Patrick Roy 5:56 into the third period for his 30th goal of the season. Datsyuk also assisted on Hull's 700th career goal on Feb. 10.

Only Phil Esposito (717), Marcel Dionne (731), Gordie Howe (801) and Wayne Gretzky (894) are ahead on the career list.

Brendan Shanahan, Datsyuk, Igor Larionov and Sergei Fedorov scored the other goals as Detroit won its third game in a row.

Colorado forward Peter Forsberg left the game with a bruised leg in the second period and his status for Sunday's encounter with Washington is questionable.

Curtis Joseph made 21 saves in goal for the Wings while Roy had 33. Roy has 544 career victories and Joseph 375, representing the most combined wins (919) by two goalies in the same game in NHL history.

Steven Reinprecht, Rob Blake and Derek Morris scored for the Avalanche, who lost for only the second time in eight games.

In East Rutherford, Patrik Elias had a goal and an assist to help New Jersey edge the New York Rangers 3-1, clinching a playoff spot for the Devils.

Scott Stevens and Pascal Rheaume scored the other New Jersey goals while Martin Brodeur made 16 saves. Matthew Barnaby tallied for the Rangers.

New York has just nine games left and is falling out of contention in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

In Pittsburgh, Jeremy Roenick scored twice as the Philadelphia Flyers beat the slumping Penguins 4-1.

John LeClair grabbed his second goal in as many outings since returning after missing 47 games with a shoulder injury and Tony Amonte added three assists. Marty Murray recorded the other Flyers goal while Guillaume Lefebvre replied for Pittsburgh.

In Boston, Jonathan Girard's powerplay goal early in the third period was the winner as the Bruins coasted past the Florida Panthers 4-1.

In Montreal, Nikolai Khabibulin made 23 saves as the Tampa Bay Lightning dealt a blow to the playoff hopes of the Canadiens with a 2-1 win.

In Vancouver, Ed Belfour made 23 saves as the short-handed Toronto Maple Leafs edged the Canucks 1-0.

In Atlanta, Dany Heatley had a goal and an assist to lead the Thrashers past the Buffalo Sabres 5-3.

In Columbus, Marc Denis made 24 saves as the Blue Jackets bagged five first-period goals to hammer the Minnesota Wild 5-0.

In Ottawa, Mattias Weinhandl picked up two goals to give the New York Islanders a 5-2 victory over the Senators.

In Raleigh, Cristobal Huet made 30 saves for his first career shutout as the Los Angeles Kings and the Carolina Hurricanes battled to a 0-0 tie.

In Nashville, Chris Osgood made 35 saves in his debut with the Blues as St Louis edged the Predators 1-0.

In Phoenix, Ladislav Nagy grabbed two goals to guide the Coyotes past the Anaheim Mighty Ducks 4-2.

In Edmonton, Ethan Moreau bagged the game-winning goal in the third period to lead the Oilers past the Dallas Stars 4-3.

In San Jose, Alyn McCauley and Vincent Damphousse both had a goal and an assist as the Sharks squeezed past the Calgary Flames 3-2.