TEXAS 5, CHICAGO 0
Brent Krahn posted a 36-save shutout, and Texas secured its spot in the 2010 Calder Cup Playoffs with a convincing 5-0 road win over first-place Chicago at Allstate Arena on Sunday.
The Stars, who have won three straight and 10 of their last 12 games (10-2-0-0), now sit six points back of the Wolves in the race for the West Division’s top seed.
Krahn (16-3-0) made 13 saves in the first and third periods and 10 stops in the second frame en route to his fifth shutout of the season and second in his last four appearances.
Rookie Colton Sceviour led the way offensively with a goal and an assist for Texas. Travis Morin picked up his 20th goal of the season, and the Stars also got tallies from Mathieu Tousignant, Luke Gazdic, and Francis Wathier.
The Wolves have now dropped three of their last four contests (1-2-0-1).
Both teams finished scoreless on three power play opportunities. Attendance at Allstate Arena was 9,816.
TORONTO 4, ROCHESTER 3 (SO)
Toronto battled back from deficits of 2-0 and 3-1 in regulation and eventually took a 4-3 shootout win over Rochester at Blue Cross Arena.
Marlies forward Greg Scott scored the lone shootout goal for either side in the third round, and goaltender James Reimer stopped all five of Rochester’s attempts after making 24 saves through the first 65 minutes.
Jeff Hamilton, Kyle Calder, and Andre Deveaux netted regulation markers for the Marlies, who finally tied the game at 3-3 courtesy of Deveaux’s power play marker with 8:57 left in the third period.
The Amerks, who missed a chance to clinch their first playoff spot since 2007, received regulation goals from Chris Taylor, Andrew Sweetland, and Jeff Taffe.
Michal Repik chipped in two assists for Rochester, and goaltender Tyler Plante made 40 saves between the pipes.
ALBANY 5, SPRINGFIELD 1
Five different Albany skaters notched goals as the River Rats ran away with a 5-1 road win over Springfield at the MassMutual Center on Sunday.
Jacob Micflikier and Zac Dalpe registered a goal and an assist for Albany, which scored four unanswered goals to secure its third straight victory.
The River Rats, who improved to 7-3-0-0 in their last 10 outings, also got tallies from Jiri Tlusty, Chris Terry, and Mike Angelidis.
Jerome Samson posted three assists for the River Rats, and goaltender Justin Peters earned his fourth straight AHL victory with 28 saves in net.
Chris Minard notched his 17th goal of the season for the Falcons, who are winless in four straight games (0-2-1-1).
WORCESTER 2, WILKES-BARRE/SCRANTON 1
Worcester captain Ryan Vesce broke a 1-1 tie with 8.1 seconds left in regulation, sending the Sharks to a dramatic 2-1 win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
The Sharks finished 2-1-0-0 on their three-game weekend road swing and maintained a three-point edge on Portland atop the Atlantic Division standings.
Dan DaSilva also scored in the third period for Worcester, which trailed 1-0 heading into the final 20 minutes. It marked the Sharks’ sixth victory when behind after two periods (6-18-1-3).
Danny Groulx assisted on both Worcester goals and now shows 59 points (11-48-59) in 73 games for the season. Sharks goaltender Frank Doyle earned the victory with 27 saves on 28 shots.
The game was scoreless until the 16:01 mark of the second period, when Joey Haddad gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead with his first career AHL goal.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton remains three points up on Norfolk for the East Division’s third and final guaranteed playoff berth.
BRIDGEPORT 4, LOWELL 2
Greg Mauldin and Sean Bentivoglio netted third-period goals to help Bridgeport double up host Lowell by a 4-2 count at Tsongas Arena on Sunday.
With the victory, the Sound Tigers pulled into a tie with Lowell for fourth place in the Atlantic Division race. Both clubs have 82 points and 36 wins, but the Devils have played one fewer game.
Sunday’s contest was deadlocked at 2-2 in the third frame before Mauldin scored at 8:50, and Bentivoglio provided insurance with 1:17 to play.
Mike Radja and Robin Figren also potted goals for the Sound Tigers, and while defenseman Mark Wotton (0-3-3) and forward Matt Martin (0-2-2) each contributed multiple assists.
Bridgeport goaltender Nathan Lawson (15-14-3) secured the win with 33 saves on 35 shots.
Brad Mills and Michael Swift scored for the Devils, who fell to 2-4-0-2 in their last eight games.
PEORIA 5, HOUSTON 4 (SO)
Peoria continued its late-season playoff push with a 5-4 shootout win over visiting Houston on Sunday before 6,025 fans at Carver Arena.
The Rivermen, who swept their two-game set with the Aeros and improved to 11-5-1-1 in their last 18 contests overall, moved within three points of idle Milwaukee for the fourth and final playoff spot in the West Division.
Julian Talbot’s second-round shootout goal proved to be the winner for Peoria, while goaltender Ben Bishop denied all five of Houston’s tries. Bishop made 28 saves through the first 65 minutes.
Rivermen standout rookie Lars Eller posted a goal and an assist in regulation, and Cam Paddock, Adam Cracknell, and defenseman Daryl Boyle also scored. Derek Armstrong and defenseman Ian Cole each helped out with two assists.
Rookie Chad Rau had two goals for the Aeros, and Duncan Milroy and rearguard Maxim Noreau scored once apiece. Petr Kalus, Jean-Michel Daoust, Andy Hilbert, and Peter Zingoni also posted two helpers for Houston, which suffered 12th loss beyond regulation time this season.
PORTLAND 3, HARTFORD 2
Portland dealt Hartford’s playoff hopes a hit by collecting a 3-2 win over the visiting Wolf Pack on Sunday at the Cumberland County Civic Center.
Pirates forward Kyle Wanvig scored unassisted at 19:35 of the second period to break a 2-2 tie, and neither side registered a goal in the third frame.
The Pirates grabbed a 2-0 first period lead on goals from Derek Whitmore and defenseman Mike Weber, but Hartford’s Ryan Garlock and Dale Weise scored just 38 seconds apart early in the second to make it a 2-2 contest.
Goaltender Todd Ford made 28 saves for the Pirates, who extended their points streak to eight games (6-0-1-1) and remained three points back of Worcester for first place in the Atlantic Division.
The Wolf Pack, who have seven games left to play, dropped nine points back of Bridgeport and Lowell for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff entry.
SAN ANTONIO 4, LAKE ERIE 3
San Antonio tallied a pair of power play goals to turn a 3-2 second-intermission deficit into a 4-3 win over visiting Lake Erie at the AT&T Center.
Rampage forward Alexandre Picard tied the contest 6:59 into the third period, and David Spina notched the game-winner with only 1:30 left to play in regulation.
San Antonio collected just its second victory of the season when trailing after two periods (2-20-3-1).
Gavin Morgan and Brett MacLean also scored for the Rampage, with MacLean registering his 30th goal of the season. Goaltender Josh Tordjman earned the win with 23 saves in net.
The Rampage moved within six points of Milwaukee for the West Division’s final playoff spot.
Rookie Ryan Stoa tallied two goals and an assist for the Monsters, and captain Brian Willsie also scored. Lake Erie is still four points back of Manitoba for fourth place in the North Division.
MANCHESTER 4, PROVIDENCE 3 (OT)
Manchester battled back from a 3-1 third-period deficit, and defenseman Alec Martinez scored with 1:16 remaining in overtime to give the Monarchs a 4-3 road win over Providence on Sunday.
Attendance at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center was 10,005.
Defenseman Andy Wozniewski put the Bruins on top 3-1 early in the third frame, but the Monarchs then received goals from Trevor Lewis (14:07) and rookie Andrei Loktionov (14:07) to tie it up.
Loktionov finished with two goals and an assist in three games this weekend, his first action since late November due to injury.
Dwight King also netted a goal for the Monarchs, and Oscar Moller chipped in two assists. Goaltender Jonathan Bernier stopped 37 of 40 shots between the pipes.
Devin Timberlake recorded his first professional goal for the Bruins, and Levi Nelson rounded out Providence’s offense.
HERSHEY 3, BINGHAMTON 2
Hershey completed a perfect weekend at home on Sunday by securing a 3-2 win over Binghamton before 10,777 fans at the Giant Center.
The Bears, who topped Worcester on Friday and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Saturday in Chocolatetown, are now a remarkable 32-4-0-2 on home ice this season.
Alexandre Giroux scored his 42nd goal of the season and 300th of his AHL career for Hershey, which also received markers from Francois Bouchard and Jay Beagle. Giroux becomes just the 18th player in the AHL’s 74-year history to reach the 300-goal plateau.
Bears rookie goaltender Braden Holtby (23-6-2) made 22 saves between the pipes, as Hershey finished 7-1-0-0 in their season series with Binghamton.
Paul Baier and Jim O’Brien scored for the Senators, who are now nine points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
