Wendel Clark and Vincent Damphousse didn't take long to make an impact with their new teams.

Clark scored in his first game with Detroit as the Red Wings beat the Buffalo Sabres 2-1, and Damphousse scored twice for San Jose as the Sharks defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 8-5 Wednesday night."It's great to be back in hockey country," said Clark, obtained from Tampa Bay on Tuesday at the trading deadline. "It's like being in Toronto. It's a place where everyone cares and gets enthusiastic this time of year."

Damphousse, obtained from Montreal, was hoping to impress his new team and did a pretty good job.

"It was really important for me to get a fresh start with the Sharks," said Damphousse, who played on a line with Joe Murphy and Jeff Friesen. "There's only 12 games left in the season. I want to play well right away so I can play a lot."

RED WINGS 2, SABRES 1: The game marked the Detroit debuts for two of the four veterans, Clark and defenseman Chris Chelios, the Red Wings obtained in trading deadline deals to bolster the team's chances for a third straight Stanley Cup.

SHARKS 8, MAPLE LEAFS 5: Damphousse helped the Sharks extend their unbeaten streak to seven games.

HURRICANES 2, ISLANDERS 1: Andrei Kovalenko and Robert Kron each scored as the Hurricanes broke a four-game winless streak. The Hurricanes returned home after a four-game road trip during which they went 0-3-1 and lost their last three.

PREDATORS 3, LIGHTNING 0: Greg Johnson had a goal and two assists and Mike Dunham stopped 27 shots for the Predators.

RANGERS 2, PANTHERS 1: Mike Richter stopped 34 shots and Petr Nedved had a goal and an assist to lead the Rangers.

The Rangers moved a point ahead of Florida into ninth place in the Eastern Conference. They trail Boston by five points for the final playoff berth.

BRUINS 3, SENATORS 0: Dmitri Khristich, Landon Wilson and Jason Allison scored on consecutive shots for the Bruins. Allison scored on a penalty shot after he was hauled down by Jason York on a breakaway.

View Comments

AVALANCHE 5, CANUCKS 2: Peter Forsberg scored two goals and Joe Sakic added a goal and two assists for the Avalanche. Colorado won for only the third time in 11 home games.

Theo Fleury had a goal and two assists and Sandis Ozolinsh added two assists as the Avalanche went 3-for-6 on the power play.

CANADIENS 2, OILERS 0: Jeff Hackett made 32 saves for his fifth shutout of the season. Hackett has 21 wins since Dec. 26, tops in the NHL, and has compiled a 9-5-2 record while appearing in 16 consecutive games. He lowered his goals-against average to 2.21.

The loss was another blow to Edmonton's playoff hopes. The Oilers are ninth in the Western Conference, two points behind the eighth-place Calgary Flames. Montreal is 11th in the Eastern Conference, seven points behind Boston for the final playoff spot.

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.