Thrashers win, still in hunt for playoff spot

Atlanta is alive and well in the NHL playoff chase.

Andy Sutton and Bobby Holik each scored twice and Mike Dunham stopped 32 shots Tuesday night to help the Thrashers tighten the race for the last two positions in the Eastern Conference with a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Tampa, Fla.

Ninth-place Atlanta moved within four points of the eighth-place Lightning and can pull even closer to the defending Stanley Cup champions by beating Washington at home on Thursday night.

The Thrashers have 85 points with four games remaining, while Tampa Bay has 89 – two less than seventh-place Montreal – with three games to go.

Red Wings 2, Oilers 0: At Detroit, Manny Legace made 29 saves and Kris Draper and Donald MacLean scored goals to help the Red Wings clinch the best record in the NHL with a victory over Edmonton.

Devils 4, Hurricanes 3 (OT): At Raleigh, N.C., Brian Gionta scored a power-play goal 28 seconds into overtime and New Jersey wrapped up a playoff spot with a win over Carolina.

Senators 4, Bruins 3 (OT): At Ottawa, Zedeno Chara scored twice in his return to Ottawa’s lineup, including the winner 40 seconds into overtime, and the Senators regained the Eastern Conference lead with a win over Boston.

Flyers 4, Penguins 3: At Philadelphia, Jeff Carter’s power-play goal with 6:32 left in the third period lifted Philadelphia over Pittsburgh.

Islanders 3, Rangers 2: At New York, Miroslav Satan scored two goals and the visiting Islanders slowed rival New York’s drive to the Atlantic Division title with a victory.

Predators 2, Blues 0: At St. Louis, Chris Mason made 27 saves for his third career shutout and Nashville beat the Blues to reach 100 points for the first time in franchise history.

Wild 2, Blackhawks 0: At St. Paul, Minn., Josh Harding made 27 saves in his second NHL start and Stephane Veilleux scored the deciding goal on a third-period breakaway as Minnesota blanked Chicago.

Maple Leafs 6, Panthers 5 (OT): At Toronto, Mats Sundin had four goals and two assists and Tomas Kaberle scored with 11 seconds left in overtime to lift the Maple Leafs over Florida.

Flames 3, Mighty Ducks 0: At Calgary, Alberta, Miikka Kiprusoff made 32 saves for his NHL-leading ninth shutout of the season and the Flames beat Anaheim to move a step closer to their first division title since 1994-95.

Avalanche 6, Coyotes 4: At Denver, Jose Theodore won in his first start for Colorado, Alex Tanguay scored on his first shift after coming off the injured list and the Avalanche solidified their playoff chances with a victory over Phoenix.

Stars 3, Blue Jackets 2: At Dallas, Jason Arnott had an early power-play goal and Janne Niinimaa and Jaroslav Svoboda added rare goals, as the Stars held off Columbus.

Around the league

Alexander Semin, who was sued by Washington for breach of contract when he decided to remain in Russia following the NHL lockout, has agreed to return to the Capitals next season. … Marek Malik joined the growing list of injured New York Rangers defensemen, aggravating a shoulder injury that sidelined him five games last month.