Thomas shines for Bruins

Tim Thomas made 25 saves to record his third shut out of the season and help the Boston Bruins to a 2-0 win over the New Jersey Devils and their sixth successive victory. Milan Lucic snapped a scoreless tie 49 seconds into the third period and David Krejci added an empty net goal with 48 seconds remaining to help Boston (25-5-4) move seven points ahead of the New York Rangers on top of the Eastern Conference standings.

"It was a nice win," the Boston coach Claude Julien said. "We were patient against a very good team." Shaone Morrisonn scored his first goal of the season just 59 seconds into overtime as the Washington Capitals overcame a four-goal deficit to defeat the New York Rangers 5-4. Pavel Datsyuk scored twice and set up another as the Detroit Red Wings cruised to their third straight win, a 4-1 victory over the St Louis Blues.

James Neal hit a hat-trick as the Dallas Stars rolled past the Toronto Maple Leafs 8-2. The Calgary Flames beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-3. Brett Clark scored the winner - on his 32nd birthday - to lift the Colorado Avalanche to a 5-4 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes. The Philadelphia Flyers posted a 6-4 triumph over the Ottawa Senators. Stephane Veilleux's short-handed goal proved to be the winner as the Minnesota Wild overcame the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2.

Bryan Little scored twice as the Atlanta Thrashers beat the New York Islanders 4-2. Los Angeles Kings shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second time this season in a 3-0 win. Florida Panthers also beat the Nashville Predators 3-0. Tampa Bay Lightning ended a three-game losing streak with a 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. San Jose Sharks hammered the Vancouver Canucks 5-0.

* Agencies