NHL: Stars continue play-off charge, while Toronto Maple Leafs buck losing streak

Dallas Stars kept up their pursuit of a first Stanley Cup play-off appearance since 2008 with a dominant display, as they raced to a 5-0 victory over the Washington Capitals.

Rookie Tyler Johnson scored a tie-breaking shorthanded goal in third as Tampa Bay Lightning secured their first play-off berth since 2011, with a 3-1 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
Ville Leino netted for the first time this season in a ninth round tiebreaker to lift the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils at the First Niagara Center.
Gabriel Landeskog scored his second goal the game in overtime as the Colorado Avalanche came from behind to beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 at the Nationwide Arena.
Toronto forward David Clarkson broke his goal-scoring drought to seal victory for the Maple Leafs, who snapped an eight-match losing streak against the Calgary Flames.

Cruised

St Louis goalie Ryan Miller blocked 31 shots and denied shoot-out efforts from Vincent Lecavalier and Claude Giroux as the Blues claimed a 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
After going 14 games without scoring, Martin St. Louis broke his New York Rangers duck in their 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks.
Despite being forced to name 10 rookies among their 20-man squad, the New York Islanders cruised to a 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers.
Pittsburgh Penguins squandered their opportunity to seal the Metropolitan Division on Tuesday as they lost 4-1 to seventh-placed Carolina Hurricanes after successive wins.
There were also victories for the San Jose Sharks who dismissed the Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets who claimed a shoot-out victory over the Phoenix Coyotes.