BOSTON — Ron Francis scored a goal and added three assists and Carolina won for just the third time in the last 14 games, beating the Boston Bruins 6-2 Thursday night.

Boston Bruins' Sean O¹Donnell, front left, and Carolina Hurricanes' Bates Battaglia, right, collide along the boards during the third period. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        Francis has made the Bruins his most frequent victim with 28 goals and 99 assists in 118 career games against Boston.

        Carolina jumped to a 3-0 first-period lead courtesy of goals by Francis, Jeff O'Neill and Kevyn Adams. The Hurricanes, 5-1-1 in their last seven visits to Boston, also got two goals from Rod Brind'Amour and two assists from Bates Battaglia.

        Brian Rolston scored his league-leading seventh short-handed goal with the Bruins two men short early in the third.

        Senators 3, Rangers 0

NEW YORK — Patrick Lalime stopped 34 shots for his second shutout of the season and Radek Bonk scored twice.

        Todd White also scored for Ottawa and Marian Hossa added three assists.

        On a day where the Rangers announced they'd be without captain Mark Messier from anywhere from one to six months while he recovers from shoulder surgery, the team went out with a whimper.

        New York defenseman Brian Leetch played in his 1,000th game, but he and the rest of the Rangers' defense seemed out to lunch as the Senators scored their goals easily.

        Sharks 5, Capitals 2

WASHINGTON — Alex Korolyuk scored the tie-breaking goal to spark a three-goal second period as the Sharks won their seventh straight.

        Korolyuk, Adam Graves, Owen Nolan, Scott Thornton and Vincent Damphousse scored a goal apiece for the Sharks, who last lost on Jan. 29 at Toronto. Washington had chances, but San Jose's Evgeni Nabokov made several good saves and finished with 25 overall.

        The San Jose victory also ended Washington's season-best five-game unbeaten streak.

        Penguins 4, Blue Jackets 3, OT

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Michal Rozsival won it in overtime after Alexei Morozov jammed in a loose puck with 31.2 seconds left in regulation for Pittsburgh.

        The Penguins made a dramatic turnaround after spending most of the night as though they were looking for injured and absent stars Mario Lemieux and Martin Straka.

        Jan Hrdina had three assists, Alexei Kovalev had a goal and an assist and Randy Robitaille added two assists for the Penguins, who ended an eight-game winless streak (0-5-1-2).

        Mike Sillinger had a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, winless in their last seven games (0-4-1-2) at home.

        Earlier in the day, Lemieux announced he would not be returning for the Penguins this season due to chronic pain from a hip injury.

        Straka missed 47 games with a broken leg and was accidentally hit in the left eye by teammate Johan Hedberg during Wednesday night's 5-4 loss to Los Angeles. Straka broke a bone around the eye and is out indefinitely.

        Predators 3, Oilers 2

EDMONTON, Alberta — Martin Erat scored with less than two minutes remaining as the Predators rallied. Erat took a loose puck after a scramble in the Edmonton zone and sent a wrist shot over outstretched goalie Tommy Salo.

        Vitali Yachmenev's long slap shot tied the game for Nashville just 25 seconds into the third period. The shot was vaguely reminiscent of the long, high shot that beat Salo to give Belarus a 4-3 win over Sweden at the Winter Olympics, knocking the Swedes out of the medal round.

        Kimmo Timonen also scored for the Predators, who are 5-1-1-0 in their last seven.

        Mike Comrie and Todd Marchant scored for the Oilers.

        Flames 3, Blues 2

CALGARY, Alberta — Jeff Shantz and Petr Buzek each scored their first goal in more than a year. Shantz, Buzek and Derek Morris scored in the second period as the Flames built a 3-0 lead after 40 minutes, then held off a St. Louis rally in the final frame.

        Jarome Iginla added two assists for the Flames, who stopped a three-game winless skid.

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