NHL Roundup: Thursday’s other games

Bruins 4, Maple Leafs 2

BOSTON — Tim Thomas made 30 saves and Phil Kessel and Peter Schaefer each had a goal and an assist as Boston eliminated Toronto from playoff contention. Toronto missed the playoffs for the third straight year, the first time since the 1926-28 seasons they have gone three years without a playoff appearance. Marco Sturm and Glen Murray also scored for Boston. Pavel Kubina scored a power-play goal for the Maple Leafs, who have a goal with a man advantage in 10 straight games. Jiri Tlusty also scored for Toronto.

Rangers 3, Devils 2

NEW YORK — Nigel Dawes scored the tie-breaking goal while sliding on his back into Devils goalie Martin Brodeur late in the third period and New York beat New Jersey for the seventh straight time this season. The Devils lost their fifth straight (0-4-1). Christian Backman and Brendan Shanahan also had goals for the Rangers. Patrik Elias and Zach Parise scored in the second for the Devils.

Capitals 4, Lightning 3, OT

TAMPA, Fla. — Tomas Fleischmann scored with 2:33 left in overtime and Washington remained two points out of eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Brooks Laich, Matt Bradley and Alexander Semin also scored for the Capitals. Capitals center Alexander Ovechkin, who has a league-leading 61 goals and 107 points, didn’t get a point. Jeff Halpern, Alexandre Picard and Michel Ouellet had the Tampa Bay goals.

Sabres 4, Senators 3, SO

OTTAWA — Jason Pominville and Derek Roy scored in the shootout for Buffalo. Sabres goalie Ryan Miller stopped Antoine Vermette and Daniel Alfredsson before Jason Spezza scored on Ottawa’s third attempt. Paul Gaustad scored with 1:26 remaining in the third to send the game to overtime and assure the Sabres of a crucial standings point. Maxim Afinogenov and Jochen Hecht scored in the first period for Buffalo.

Thrashers 3, Panthers 2

SUNRISE, Fla. — Mark Recchi scored with 6:13left in the third period to help Atlanta snap a five-game losing streak. Nathan Horton and Radek Dvorak scored for Florida, which lost its second in a row. Bobby Holik scored twice for Atlanta, including an empty-netter in the final minute.

Associated Press