Blue Jackets' Marc Denis (30) and Mattias Timander (37) try to move Rangers' Steve McKenna (21) from in front of the net. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tyler Wright and Grant Marshall scored goals and Marc Denis stopped 31 shots for his first shutout in a Columbus uniform as the Blue Jackets beat the New York Rangers 2-0 Wednesday night.

        The shutout was the fourth of Denis' career.

        The first three came while he was Patrick Roy's backup with the Colorado Avalanche. Denis was one of the first players acquired by the Blue Jackets before the expansion team's first season a year ago.

        The Blue Jackets won their fourth in a row at home and remained unbeaten in their last five (4-0-1-0) at Nationwide Arena where they have played before sellout crowds in their last 38 games. Over the last 15 home games, Columbus is 9-3-2-1.

        The loss was the Rangers' sixth in a row on the road. New York is winless in eight (0-6-1-1).

        Canadiens 2, Capitals 0

        MONTREAL — Jose Theodore stopped 28 shots and Jan Bulis and Patrice Brisebois scored second-period goals to lead Montreal past Washington.

        Theodore, who was added to the North American team's roster for the All-Star game in Los Angeles on Feb. 2, recorded his 12th career shutout, and fourth of the season.

        Bulis scored 4:50 into the second to end Capitals goalie Olaf Kolzig's shutout streak at 164 minutes and 24 seconds.

        Brisebois scored his second goal of the season on a power play with 3:00 left in the period.

        Washington's Jaromir Jagr sat out his fourth straight game with a strained groin.

        Blackhawks 3, Panthers 0

        SUNRISE, Fla. — Alex Zhamnov and Michael Nylander scored 4:36 apart in the third period to seal Chicago's victory over Florida.

        Jocelyn Thibault stopped 16 shots for his fifth shutout of the season and 26th of his career.

        Florida was held without a goal for the second straight game and eighth time this season. The Panthers lost all four games on their homestand, the last three with leading-scorer Pavel Bure sitting out with a broken left hand.

        The Blackhawks have won nine of their last 11, and 12 of 15.

        Phil Housley also scored.

        Stars 3, Red Wings 2

        DALLAS — Joe Nieuwendyk scored two goals, the second while falling to the ice, as Dallas beat Western Conference-leading Detroit.

        Nieuwendyk made a backhanded shot while falling down, and the puck slid through the legs of Dominik Hasek 5:35 into the third period for a 3-1 Stars lead.

        Dallas snapped the Red Wings' six-game unbeaten streak just four days after losing 5-2 in Detroit. The Red Wings' only loss the previous 12 games was 3-2 in overtime at Nashville on Dec. 29.

        Nieuwendyk's first goal tied the game at 1 when he stuffed the puck just inside the post at the 7:31 mark of the second period. Nieuwendyk moved behind the net, then stopped and came back to find the small opening on Hasek's glove side.

        Rob DiMaio also scored for Dallas.

        Boyd Devereaux and Pavel Datsyuk scored for Detroit.

        Sabres 3, Mighty Ducks 1

        ANAHEIM, Calif. — Vaclav Varada and Tim Connolly scored less than four minutes apart in the second period as Buffalo beat Anaheim.

        It was the only meeting of the season between the last-place teams in the Pacific and Northeast divisions.

        Mike Leclerc scored for the Ducks, who had just 17 shots on net — one fewer than the Sabres — and failed to score more than two goals for the 30th time this season.

        Buffalo's J.P. Dumont scored into an empty net with 20 seconds remaining.

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