Minnesota North Stars goalie Jon Casey got the big contract, then followed it up with the big saves.
A few hours after the team announced Casey had agreed to a new four-year contract worth $3.8 million, Casey made 23 saves Tuesday night, guiding the North Stars to a 7-0 rout of the Toronto Maple Leafs.Brian Propp had two goals and two assists, while Mike Craig scored twice. Dave Gagner assisted on Craig's second goal to record his 300th career point.
The shutout for Casey, who also recorded an assist, marked his second of the season and ninth of his career.
Minnesota outshot the Maple Leafs 40-23, including a 14-2 advantage in the third period.
The agreement gives Casey, who was in the option year of his present contract, a raise from $350,000 to $600,000 this year. Next season he will make $900,000, and the final two years of the pact will pay him $1.1 million per season.
Mike Modano scored just 35 seconds into the game, and the North Stars built a 3-0 lead through one period after goals by Stewart Gavin and Propp.
Propp scored the only goal of the second period, then assisted on a pair in the third. Both of Craig's tallies came in the final period, and Ulf Dahlen added his eighth of the season to cap the scoring.
With the loss, Toronto remained winless on the road this season in nine games and is 5-12-2 overall.
Red Wings 5, Flames 4
At Calgary, Alberta, Ray Sheppard scored his third goal of the game at 3:36 of overtime. Sheppard decked Flames goalie Mike Vernon on a two-on-one break with Jimmy Carson to complete the hat trick. The assist for Carson marked his third of the game. He also had a goal. Sheppard's other two tallies came on power plays, both in the third period and the last one with 36 seconds left to force overtime. The triumph for Detroit snapped a seven-game winless streak at the Saddledome, during which they had gone 0-6-1 since Oct. 18, 1986. Doug Gilmour scored two third-period goals for Calgary.
Canucks 8, Kings 2
At Vancouver, British Columbia, Cliff Ronning had a goal and three assists to lead the Canucks' onslaught. Vancouver ran off five straight goals in the second period, including four in a span of 1:38, to break the game open. Pavel Bure and Sergio Momesso each had a pair of goals for Vancouver. Los Angeles managed just 20 shots on goalie Kirk McLean.
Devils 5, Flyers 2
At East Rutherford, N.J., Claude Vilgrain scored twice and Claude Lemieux added a goal and two assists for New Jersey, which improved to 7-1 at home this season. With the score tied 2-2, Lemieux netted the game-winner at 4:45 of the second on a power play, beating Ron Hextall on a rebound. Mark Howe tallied twice for Philadelphia, his first goals since last January.
Whalers 5, Nordiques 4
At Hartford, Conn., Marc Bergevin scored his first goal of the season to snap a tie with 5:29 left. The Nordiques rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie the score in the final period on tallies by Craig Wolanin and Doug Smail. Quebec's Owen Nolan scored his 15th and 16th goals after sitting out two straight games because of a charley horse in his thigh. John Cullen and Brad Shaw each had a goal and two assists for Hartford. The crowd of 8,931 marked the eighth smallest in Whalers history.
Sabres 7, Sharks 1
At Daly City, Calif., Pat LaFontaine recorded his first hat trick of the season and Donald Audette scored twice, snapping San Jose's two-game winning streak. The win, however, was overshadowed by the loss of goaltender Daren Puppa, who suffered a broken forearm in practice earlier in the day and is expected to be out at least a month. Backup Ton Draper stopped 42 of 43 shots for the win.