NHL ROUNDUP : Once-Hot Penguins Are Cooling Off

No one on the Pittsburgh Penguins is pushing the panic button.

Yet.

The Penguins still have a 35-25 lead over the second-place New York Islanders in the Patrick Division.

They still have one of the best NHL records at 16-6-3.

But after Friday’s 6-4 loss to the Washington Capitals at Landover, Md., they no longer seem invincible.

Al Iafrate had two goals and an assist, giving him seven points in his last two games, as the Capitals extended their unbeaten string to four games.

The defeat came on the heels of the Penguins’ 11-3 home loss to the New York Rangers on Wednesday. Before this week’s slump, the Penguins seemed unstoppable.

The Capitals, 3-0-1 since losing four in a row, moved into a third-place tie in the Patrick Division, the highest they have been in the standings since Oct. 17.

Washington trailed, 3-1, in the second period when Iafrate scored at 5:49 on a slap shot from the top of the right circle with the Capitals on the power play. A goal by Bobby Carpenter three minutes later tied the score, and Todd Krygier gave Washington its first lead at 11:40 with a goal off a pass from Dimitri Khristich.

Iafrate capped a three-on-one break with a goal at 9:39 of the third period. Pittsburgh’s Kevin Stevens answered with his second goal of the game with 5:42 left.

Iafrate did not get his first goal this season until Nov. 18. Now he has four.

“He’s got one of the best shots in the NHL, and when he uses it, there’s not many people who can stop him,” Washington Coach Terry Murray said of Iafrate.

Mario Lemieux got his NHL-best 27th goal for Pittsburgh, which was went one for nine on the power play and is three for 37 with the extra man over the last seven games.

“Our power play is what wins us hockey games,” Stevens said. “It’s struggling--it’s at the point where we are looking for answers. We’ve just got to get that turned around.”

Calgary 3, Tampa Bay 2--The Flames moved ahead of the Vancouver Canucks into sole possession of second in the Smythe Division as Joel Otto scored on the first shot in overtime to give the Calgary the victory at home.

Otto took a pass from Theoren Fleury deep in the Tampa Bay zone and beat goaltender Pat Jablonski with a fast-rising shot over his glove one minute into the extra period.

Calgary’s Robert Reichel had tied the score with only 70 seconds left in the third period, slapping in the rebound of a shot by Sergei Makarov.

Chicago 8, Edmonton 1--Steve Larmer ended a season-long scoring slump with two goals and four assists to lead the Blackhawks a Edmonton. Larmer, playing in his 824th consecutive game, scored his seventh and eighth goals of the season 42 seconds apart in a first period the Blackhawks dominated.

Winnipeg 3, San Jose 2--Thomas Steen tapped in a shot during a scramble 1:29 into overtime to give the Jets the victory. Steen knocked the puck backward behind San Jose goaltender Brian Hayward after it ended up near his skates.

“I was lucky on that one,” Steen said of his game-winner. “I tried to deflect a shot and I saw a rebound come out. I turned around so I never saw the puck but I figured it was there somewhere.”

Philadelphia 6, New York Islanders 3--Rod Brind’Amour marked his return from an elbow injury with two goals and an assist, leading the Flyers at Philadelphia. Garry Galley added two goals for the Flyers.

The appearance was Brind’Amour’s first since Nov. 19 when he hurt his left elbow.

Boston 5, Hartford 4--Ted Donato scored on a rising slapshot from just inside the blue line with 24 seconds remaining in overtime, giving the Bruins the victory in a fight-filled game at Boston.

Donato scored the winning shot over the right shoulder of goalie Frank Pietrangelo as the Bruins skated with a four to three advantage.

Hartford’s Allen Pedersen had been penalized for hooking eight seconds earlier, and each team already had a player in the penalty box before that.

Minnesota 4, New York Rangers 4--Tony Amonte capped a third-period rally with his second goal as the Rangers earned a tie at Bloomington, Minn. Sergei Nemchinov also scored twice for the Rangers, who came alive after Mike Modano gave the North Stars a 4-2 lead at 11:21 of the third period.

Buffalo 4, Ottawa 1--Randy Wood had a goal and an assist to highlight a three-goal second period at Buffalo as the Sabres ended a six-game winless streak.

The loss by the Senators (2-21-1) came two nights after they broke a 21-game winless streak with a 3-1 triumph over the New York Islanders.