Victory Puts Blues on Top

So far, the Stephane Richer trade is looking like a beauty for the St. Louis Blues.

Richer scored three goals Friday night as the Blues regained first place overall in the NHL with a 4-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche at St. Louis.

“I’m really lucky,” Richer said. “I’m playing with great players and a great team. I’m trying to get my confidence and my shape back, because it’s been a long year for me.”

Richer has six goals in 17 games with the Blues since being acquired last month from the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenseman Chris McAlpine and goalie Rich Parent.

His first goal with the Blues was No. 400 of his career, after the end of his 1 1/2 seasons with the Lightning included a demotion to the minors.

Richer scored the game’s first goal on a rebound in the first period and added a power-play goal at 47 seconds of the third. He added an empty-net goal with 20.8 seconds to play for his 10th hat trick and first since 1996.

Toronto 3, New Jersey 1--Igor Korolev and Garry Valk scored third-period goals 17 seconds apart at East Rutherford, N.J., as the Maple Leafs extended the Devils’ winless streak to five games.

Curtis Joseph had 30 saves as the Maple Leafs won for only the second time in eight games. They’re 2-0-1 this season against the Devils, whose winless streak is their longest since 1995.

The loss was the Devils’ fourth in a row for the Devils, whose frustration showed at the final buzzer as the teams got into a shoving match.

N.Y. Rangers 6, Buffalo 3--Petr Nedved scored three goals at Buffalo, N.Y., for the fifth hat trick of his career, leading the Rangers to a rare victory over the Sabres.

The Rangers were 0-8-4 against the Sabres since their last victory Dec. 13, 1996.

Detroit 5, N.Y. Islanders 2--Darren McCarty scored two goals at Detroit and Larry Murphy moved into a third-place tie on the all-time games-played list.

Murphy, who had two assists, played his 1,540th game to tie Johnny Bucyk for third on the NHL list. Red Wing Hall of Famers Gordie Howe and Alex Delvecchio rank first and second with 1,767 and 1,549, respectively.

Boston 3, Washington 0--Sergei Samsonov, P.J. Axelsson and Ray Bourque each scored at Washington as the Bruins handed the Capitals their first home loss in more than two months.

The Capitals had won 10 in a row at home and were unbeaten in their last 13 home games, matching a franchise record. They hadn’t lost at Washington since Dec. 13, when they were defeated by the Montreal Canadiens.

Chicago 4, Dallas 3--Doug Gilmour’s power-play deflection with 3:49 to play in overtime scored the winning goal at Dallas.

Edmonton 5, Atlanta 4--The Oilers spoiled the Edmonton homecoming of former Oiler captain Kelly Buchberger, who was drafted by the Oilers in 1985 and played for Edmonton until taken by the Thrashers in the 1999 expansion draft.

Calgary 3, Phoenix 3--Valeri Bure scored his second goal of the game with 35 seconds to play in the third period at Calgary.

Around the League

Jaromir Jagr of the Pittsburgh Penguins had fluid drained from his thigh because of excessive swelling from a bruise, team officials said. The Penguins said Jagr’s bruised left thigh had improved but he was still being treated in an undisclosed Pittsburgh hospital. The NHL’s leading scorer is sidelined indefinitely. . . . Blake Sloan of the Dallas Stars went on injured reserve because of a broken left leg and sprained ankle that probably will sideline him three to four weeks.