ICE HOCKEY | Friday's games

Maple Leafs 4, Thrashers 1
ATLANTA -- Trevor Kidd made 25 saves in a rare start and the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the struggling Atlanta Thrashers. Alexei Ponikarovsky and Gary Roberts scored less than three minutes apart late in the second period to put the Maple Leafs ahead 3-1. Matt Stajan finished off the Thrashers with a goal about 7 1/2 minutes into the third. Injury-plagued Atlanta was bolstered by the return of Marc Savard, who scored his team's lone goal after missing seven games with a sprained knee. Also, Dany Heatley played his second game for the Thrashers since recovering from a car wreck that killed teammate Dan Snyder. Heatley didn't make much of an impact. The Thrashers have only two wins in 16 games, severely damaging their playoff hopes.
Sabres 3, Rangers 1
NEW YORK -- Daniel Briere and Chris Drury each scored a power-play goal, and Martin Biron made 33 saves to lift Buffalo over the New York Rangers. Ales Kotalik added an empty-net goal with 36.6 seconds remaining to help the Sabres win for the fourth time in five games and pull within five points of the New York Islanders for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. Dale Purinton scored for the fading Rangers, who have lost six of seven. They also learned Friday that star center Eric Lindros will be sidelined indefinitely after sustaining the eighth concussion of his career Wednesday against Washington.
Stars 3, Sharks 1
DALLAS -- Jere Lehtinen scored the tiebreaking goal with 2:49 remaining to send Dallas past San Jose. Dallas moved within four points of first-place San Jose in the Pacific Division. The Stars have won the Pacific title in four of the past five seasons. Lehtinen got his eighth goal when he beat goaltender Vesa Toskala from the right circle, converting Mike Modano's pass from behind the goal line to snap a 1-1 tie.
-- Associated Press