Matt Niskanen scored in the 11th round of the shootout to give the Dallas Stars a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on Friday, handing the high-flying hosts their fourth straight NHL loss. Dallas, which got goals from Mike Ribeiro and Brad Richards in regulation time, overcame a stellar performance by San Jose goalie Evgeni Naboko. Nabokov made 42 saves prior to the shootout and then blocked the previous eight chances in the shootout before Niskanen's winner. Dany Heatley and Rob Blake scored for San Jose, which retained the Western Conference lead but ceded the overall NHL lead to Washington. Sabres 2, Blackhawks 1 In Buffalo, New York, second-string goaltender Patrick Lalime starred with 39 saves, helping Buffalo defeat Chicago. Thomas Vanek and Clarke MacArthur scored for Buffalo, which moved back to the top of the Northeast Division, leapfrogging Boston. Lalime, making just his third start of the season in favor of Ryan Miller, stopped 17 shots in the first period, and extended the Sabres' shutout sequence to 140 minutes before Chicago's Patrick Sharp scored 30 seconds into the third period to make it 2-1. Lalime also stood strong in the third period when the Blackhawks fired nine straight shots at him to start the frame, and 16 overall. Wild 2, Flames 1, OT In Calgary, Alberta, Martin Havlat scored at 3:15 of overtime to give Minnesota victory over Calgary. Havlate took a cross-ice pass from Marek Zidlicky and beat Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff. James Sheppard also scored for the Wild, who have won seven of their past eight games. Aaron Johnson scored for Calgary, while Kiprusoff stopped 44 of 46 shots he faced. Panthers 4, Devils 2 In Newark, New Jersey, Florida ended a four-game losing skid by downing New Jersey. Scott Clemmensen made 26 saves to beat his former teammates while Michael Frolik scored twice for the Panthers. Jordan Leopold and Shawn Matthias also scored as Florida notched just a second regulation win in 11 games. Brian Rolston and Dean McAmmond scored for the Devils, who lost their first game in five. Clemmensen, who shone when he stood in for New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur last season, was playing against his old team for the first time. Avalanche 2, Lightning 1, SO In Denver, Wojtek Wolski scored the only goal in a shootout as Colorado overcame Tampa Bay. Colorado goalie Craig Anderson stopped all three Tampa Bay shots. Wolski had the Avalanche's only regulation goal, and Anderson made 21 saves to help Colorado snap a three-game home losing streak. Steve Downie scored for Tampa Bay. Oilers 5, Blues 3 In St. Louis, Edmonton completed a perfect five-game road trip by defeating St. Louis. Gilbert Brule scored twice and Dustin Penner had a goal and three assists to help the Oilers win five straight road games for the first time in franchise history. Sam Gagner and Shawn Horcoff also scored in the Oilers' four-goal third period. The Blues got two goals from David Backes and one from T.J. Oshie. Capitals 4, Hurricanes 3, OT In Washington, Alexander Semin scored two goals to help NHL-leading Washington edge Carolina. Mike Green connected with 3:44 left in overtime for the winner. Tomas Fleischmann also scored for the Capitals. The Hurricanes' goals came from Tim Gleason, Jiri Tlusty and Eric Staal. Carolina has one regulation win from 16 road games. Red Wings 3, Ducks 2, OT In Detroit, Todd Bertuzzi equalized midway through the third period and scored a minute into overtime to give Detroit a comeback victory over Anaheim. Tomas Holmstrom also scored for the Red Wings. Saku Koivu and Dan Sexton each had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who have lost nine straight on the road.
