With the New York Islanders, a two-goal is rarely a comfortable edge. With 11 minutes to go it's even more precarious.
And time just didn't run out fast enough Saturday for New York goalie Tommy Salo as the San Jose Sharks rallied for a 2-2 tie."It's a good lesson for both teams," San Jose's Bernie Nicholls said. "When you get a 2-0 lead, you can't sit back. You've got to get a 3-0 or 4-0 lead."
San Jose's Owen Nolan scored the tying power-play goal with 5:35 left, completing a controversial play that began with the forward knocking down Islanders defenseman Darius Kasparaitis behind the net. New York coach Mike Milbury was upset that referee Dave Jackson allowed play to continue.
"I already heard from the league once this week, and I don't want to hear from them again," Milbury said of an outburst last week in Detroit. "I'm allowed to question calls, though, and I question that one. Actually, I question about 75 percent of the calls today."
With Kasparaitis down, the puck went to Darren Turcotte and on to Nicholls, who found Nolan in the left crease for a wide-open shot.
"He cut my legs out from under me," Kasparaitis said. "There was no reason to argue it, though. It wasn't going to change anything."
The Sharks had an opportunity to win with 11 seconds left in regulation, but Michal Sykora hit the right post on a wraparound, and Shean Donovan's shot was stopped at the goal line.
Salo made 39 saves, the best at 13:55 of the first period when he blocked Nicholls' tip-in try.
Brent Hughes, called up Friday from the Utah Grizzlies, opened the scoring at 9:39 of the second period. After serving a penalty, Hughes wound up to the left of Hrudey, and got the puck from Dan Plante. He faked Hrudey with a forehand move, and flipped a backhand into the net.
"I'm happy with the way I played," said Salo, last year's MVP of the Turner Cup playoffs. "We should have had two points. I thought the referee was a big part of the game."
Sabres 6, Whalers 3
At Buffalo, N.Y., defenseman Ricard Smehlik had two goals and one assist as the Buffalo Sabres extended their winning streak to four games with a victory over the Hartford Whalers.
Devils 4, Lightning 1
At Tampa, Fla., Martin Brodeur stopped 30 shots and Dave Andreychuk had a goal and an assist as the New Jersey Devils beat the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Red Wings 2, Bruins 1
At Boston, Brendan Shanahan scored the key goal in the first minute of the third period as the Detroit Red Wings beat the Boston Bruins for the seventh straight time.
Canadiens 6, Flyers 5
At Montreal, Saku Koivu and Stephane Richer had two goals apiece as the Montreal Canadiens ended a drought of nearly two years against Philadelphia by beating the Flyers.
Maple Leafs 5, Coyotes 2
At Toronto, Mats Sundin scored twice and Felix Potvin made 31 saves as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Phoenix Coyotes for their third consecutive victory.
Stars 5, Senators 1
At Dallas, Andy Moog stopped 21 shots and Mike Modano had two goals and an assist as the Dallas Stars beat the Ottawa Senators.
Avalanche 4, Oilers 2
At Edmonton, Alberta, Rene Corbet broke a 2-2 tie with just under seven minutes remaining, and the Colorado Avalanche held off the Edmonton Oilers.
Capitals 6, Blues 4
At St. Louis, Jason Allison scored twice as the Washington Capitals battled back from three goals down and beat the St. Louis Blues.