NHL ROUNDUP : Panthers Use Their 11 Shots Wisely

The Florida Panthers scored three goals on five first-period shots against goalie Jim Carey, ending the Washington Capitals’ four-game winning streak, 3-2, at Washington.

Rob Niedermayer and Robert Svehla each had a goal and an assist for the Panthers, who took a franchise record-low 11 shots but won behind a defense that killed all six Washington power plays.

Florida, in only its third year of existence, leads the Eastern Conference with 18 points. The Panthers (9-4-0) gave up only three goals in defeating Philadelphia and Washington on the road on successive nights.

“We’ve been solid defensively the last two games,” said goalie Mark Fitzpatrick, who had 23 saves. “Tonight we really didn’t give them any good quality scoring opportunities until the third period. That certainly makes my job easier.”

Colorado 5, Winnipeg 2--Claude Lemieux scored twice to lead the Avalanche over the Jets in Winnipeg.

Martin Rucinsky, Valeri Kamensky and Peter Forsberg also scored for the Avalanche. Scoring for the Jets were Alexei Zhamnov and Kris King.

Colorado opened the scoring at 3:22 of the first when Lemieux and his teammates caught the Jets flat-footed in their own zone. Lemieux picked up a drop pass and snapped it past goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin.

Tampa Bay 5, N.Y. Islanders 3--Petr Klima scored two third-period goals as the Lightning won its fifth consecutive against the Islanders. The Lightning ended a five-game winless streak in which they were 0-2-3, including Wednesday night’s 10-0 loss at Pittsburgh, the worst in franchise history.

Pittsburgh 3, Buffalo 3--Dmitri Mironov’s goal with 1:37 remaining in the third period lifted the Penguins to a tie in Buffalo.

Tomas Sandstrom dug the puck from behind the Sabres’ net and hit Mironov with a pass in the slot. Mironov took a quick wrist shot and sent the puck past Buffalo goaltender Dominik Hasek for his first goal of the season. Neither team registered a shot in overtime.

Vancouver 4, Toronto 4--The Maple Leafs scored three goals in a 1:26 span of the second period to overcome a 3-0 first period by the Canucks at Vancouver.