Artemi Panarin had two goals, Corey Crawford made 32 saves and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1 Friday to reach the cusp of clinching the Central Division. Panarin scored in the opening minute, then added an empty-netter with 44 seconds left for his 28th goal of the season. Marian Hossa also scored in the first period for Chicago, and Patrick Kane assisted on all three goals as Chicago extended its division lead to nine points over idle Minnesota. The Wild have five games remaining and the Blackhawks have four. Nick Foligno scored his 25th goal to end an eight-game drought and Sergei Bobrovksy made 21 saves, but the Blue Jackets lost for the second time in two nights. Flames 5, Sharks 2: Calgary Flames scored three goals in the second period en route to clinching their first playoff berth in three seasons with a win over Sharks. After Johnny Gaudreau opened the scoring in the first period, Sean Monahan, Matt Stajan and Alex Chiasson added goals in the second to send the Flames on their way. Sam Bennett added an empty-net goal, while goalie Brian Elliott made 36 saves for the Flames, who moved to within one point of the Sharks for third place in the Pacific Division. Bennett and Chiasson finished with a goal and an assist each, while Kris Versteeg and T.J. Brodie each had two assists. Avalanche 2, Blues 1 (SO): Calvin Pickard had 27 saves through overtime and two in the shootout as Colorado beat St. Louis. J.T. Compher scored in regulation and Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon had shootout goals to help the Avalanche end a seven-game losing streak. Jake Allen stopped 31 shots and Ryan Reaves had a goal the Blues, who clinched a playoff spot despite the loss. Islanders 2, Devils 1: New York kept its slim playoff hopes alive with a victory over New Jersey at Barclays Center, however captain John Tavares had to be helped off the ice with 3:14 remaining in regulation after getting tangled up with the back of the net and a Devils player. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Islanders, and moved them within four points of the idle Boston Bruins for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference with five games to play. Penguins 4, Rangers 3 (SO): Phil Kessel and Sidney Crosby scored in a shootout as Pittsburgh slipped past New York at Madison Square Garden to move within one point of the Columbus Blue Jackets for second place in the Metropolitan. When Bryan Rust scored to make it 3-1 with 11:10 left in the game, the Penguins looked well on their way to a convincing win. But Rick Nash cut the lead in half two minutes later and Chris Kreider tied the score at 3 with 11.6 seconds left and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist on the bench for an extra skater. The Rangers had a golden opportunity to win the game in overtime when Kevin Klein and Michael Grabner led a three-on-none charge, but Penguins goaltender Matt Murray, who stopped 32 shots, pushed across to rob Grabner after Klein made a late pass to the right side. Kings 2, Canucks 0: Jarome Iginla scored his 625th career goal and Jonathan Quick stopped 35 shots for the shutout as Los Angeles kept its slim playoff hopes alive. Coyotes 6, Capitals 3: Louis Domingue made a career-high 45 saves to win for the fourth time in five March starts to help Arizona end Washington's six-game winning streak. — Agencies
