NHL Scores And More: Late Heroics Lift Flyers Over Blackhawks; Boston Crushes Calgary

Struggling for a good portion of the season, van Riemsdyk had managed just one point (goal) in his previous eight games.

“Some bounces haven’t necessarily gone my way most of the year, but it feels good to contribute and help the team win,” he said.

Weber was pointless in 25:45 with a team-high 27 shifts, four shots and five hits, but finished with a minus-2 rating. He was on the ice for Dallas’ final two goals.

The win puts New York one point ahead of both Boston and Vancover for the overall NHL points lead, and four points ahead of Philadelphia for the lead in the Atlantic Division, while the Panthers will take their consolation point to give themselves a four point cushion over Washington in the Southeast.

After their 10-3-1 run in December, Winnipeg’s first two loses of 2012 have already started concerns for their season now that they won’t have the cushion of home-ice advantage for 13 of 15 games for the rest of the year. Gustavsson for the Leafs, however, has continued to help his team win and earned the 4-0 shutout Thursday night.

Gustavsson sure would have earned another start, not only because of the shutout, but being able to make a save without his glove or stick in the third period:

Tuukka Rask stopped all 25 shots he faced and although the netminding was once again excellent -- it was Rask’s fourth shutout in his past five games -- the real key for the Bruins was their consistency, writes Biz Jacobs at SB Nation Boston: