National Hockey

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Nick Ritchie isn't one of the first players called upon for the Anaheim Ducks in a shootout. He wasn't among the first 10 shooters Saturday.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Anze Kopitar and the Los Angeles Kings took advantage of the Buffalo Sabres' second-period meltdown to snap a three-game skid and keep pace in the tightly contested Western Conference playoff race.

OTTAWA — A quick start by the Ottawa Senators eventually led to an early exit for Henrik Lundqvist. Derick Brassard had a goal and two assists as Ottawa defeated the New York Rangers 6-3 on Saturday afternoon.

DALLAS — With his team getting nearly doubled up on shots, Ben Bishop stopped nearly every one that came his way. Bishop stopped 27 shots and the Dallas Stars held on to beat St.

WINNIPEG — Scoring twice and adding an assist to end a 15-game goal drought was no big deal for Blake Wheeler. The Winnipeg Jets captain basically shrugged off the notable numbers he delivered as the Jets downed the Colorado Avalanche 6-1 on Friday.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Thomas Greiss stopped 45 shots for his first shutout of the season, and the New York Islanders beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 on Friday night.

RALEIGH, N.C. — After allowing 19 goals in his previous four games, Thomas Greiss finally had the breakthrough night he and the New York Islanders were looking for.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Philadelphia Flyers were glad to finally end their long losing streak in Columbus.

CALGARY — Forward Mikael Backlund decided not to test free agency this summer and re-signed a multi-year contract extension with the Calgary Flames. The Flames announced on Friday that the two sides agreed to a six-year deal worth US$32.

LAS VEGAS — For the Western Conference-leading Vegas Golden Knights, the third time was indeed a charm against the Edmonton Oilers.