NEW YORK — David Backes scored in the third period and backup goaltender Brian Elliott stopped 33 shots for the shutout as the St. Louis Blues recorded a 1-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins Sunday. Backes' goal, his 24th of the season, came with 8:40 remaining when he tipped in a shot by left-winger Alexander Steen. Elliott, who was relegated to a backup role after the acquisition of goaltender Ryan Miller from the Buffalo Sabres in a trade last month, was outstanding in posting his third shutout of the season. The Blues increased their point total to a Western Conference-leading 103. Wild 4, Red Wings 3 (OT): Matt Moulson's goal 2:15 into overtime gave Minnesota a come-from-behind win over the Detroit Red Wings. Minnesota lost to the Red Wings 3-2 Saturday and they trailed 2-0 after the first period but fought back to get the win. Charlie Coyle had a goal and an assist, and right winger Jason Pominville and left-winger Zach Parise also scored for Minnesota. Both teams are in the seventh playoff spot in tight races in their respective conferences — Minnesota in the West, and Detroit in the East. Ducks 6, Panthers 2: Anaheim right-wingers Kyle Palmieri and Corey Perry scored goals 61 seconds apart in the second period as the Ducks beat the Panthers. The surge came after Ducks coach Bruce Boudreau used his only timeout when the Panthers scored two quick goals to cut a three-goal deficit to one. Goaltender Jonas Hiller made 28 saves for Anaheim. Florida goalie Dan Ellis stopped 34 shots. Predators 2, Blackhawks 0: Mike Fisher and left-winger Gabriel Borque scored goals as the Predators beat the Blackhawks for the second time in nine days having recorded a 3-2 victory on March 14. The Predators got 29 saves from Pekka Rinne, though they lost defenseman Seth Jones to an upper-body injury in the first period. Devils 3, Maple Leafs 2: The New Jersey Devils blitzed the Toronto Maple Leafs for three goals in the first 22 minutes to set up their victory. Damien Brunner put the Devils ahead early in the first period, then Patrik Elias and defenseman Jon Merrill scored 32 seconds apart early in the second period to break the game open. The Maple Leafs (36-29-8) dropped their fifth successive game and have fallen to eighth place in the Eastern conference. The Devils (31-28-13) are five points behind the Maple Leafs, keeping their slim playoff hopes alive. Islanders 2, Blue Jackets 0: Cal Clutterbuck and defenseman Travis Hamonic scored for the New York Islanders and goaltender Evgeni Nabokov made 41 saves in a shutout as the Islanders embraced the role of spoiler with a win over the Columbus Blue Jackets. Nabokov recorded his third shutout of the season for the Islanders, who are all but assured of missing the playoffs for the sixth time in the last seven years. The Blue Jackets, looking to snap a five-season playoff drought, are two points behind the eighth position in the Western Conference. Canucks 4, Sabres 2: Zack Kassian racked up four consecutive assists as Vancouver rebounded from an early 2-0 deficit to beat the Buffalo Sabres. David Booth, Shawn Matthias, Brad Richardson and Yannick Weber all scored goals for the Canucks courtesy of assists from Kassian. The Canucks also commemorated Henrik Sedin's 1,000th NHL game, all with Vancouver, which was achieved earlier this month. — Reuters
