ondiaux cette année auront lieu en Suède et en Finlande.
CALGARY - T.J. Foster had two goals and an assist and Michael St. Croix scored once and set up three others to lead the Edmonton Oil Kings to a 7-3 win over the Calgary Hitmen on Wednesday to tie the WHL Eastern Conference final at 2-2.Martin Gernat, Ashton Sautner, Dylan Wruck and Travis Ewanyk also scored for the Oil Kings, who host Game 5 on Friday.Calder Brooks, Brooks Macek and Elliott Peterson scored for the Hitmen.Laurent Brossoit made 22 saves for Edmonton, for his 10th win of the post-season.Calgary's Chris Driedger stopped 12-of-17 shots, while Mack Shields allowed two goals while facing 22 shots.Foster opened the scoring for Edmonton at 1:15 of the first period and scored 55 seconds later with the Oil Kings enjoying a two man advantage.Gernat and Sautner put Edmonton up 4-0 before Brooks scored a power-play goal for the Hitmen.Ewanyk added a late goal in the opening period to make it 5-1 Edmonton.Macek scored on a penalty shot for Calgary at 7:56 of the second period.After Wruck scored to give the Oil Kings a 6-2 lead, Peterson responded for Calgary before the end of the second.St. Croix rounded out the scoring at 1:30 of the third period.The Oil Kings were 1 for 6 with the man advantage, while the Hitmen scored once on eight power-play chances.
WASHINGTON - Ottawa Senators defenceman Erik Karlsson has returned to the lineup after being sidelined 2 1/2 months with a torn left Achilles tendon.Karlsson, last season's Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's top defenceman, played against the Washington Capitals on Thursday night,Authentic Jonathan Quick Jersey, his first appearance since Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke stepped on the back of his leg on Feb. 13.Karlsson recorded a shot less than a minute into Thursday's game.He originally was expected to miss the rest of the season after surgery,Authentic Patrick Kane Jersey, but recently returned to practice.Karlsson sat out 31 games, returning in time to help Ottawa down the stretch in its push for the playoffs.He led NHL defencemen with 19 goals and 78 points last season. He had six goals and 10 points in 14 games this season entering Thursday.
With 11 games on the NHL schedule Thursday, it's a pivotal day for many of the teams either in Stanley Cup Playoff hunt or looking to keep their postseason hopes alive.All eight teams in the Eastern Conference could be decided by the end of games Thursday, as the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers both can clinch their playoff spots with victories Thursday -- the Senators at the Winnipeg Jets, the Rangers at the Carolina Hurricanes.If either of those teams fails to get two points, the Winnipeg Jets' flickering playoff hopes could remain alive. The Jets, who host the Montreal Canadiens Thursday, will be the first team to play all 48 games. For them to get into the playoffs, they need to gain more points against the Canadiens than the Rangers do in their final two games (Thursday at Carolina, Saturday at home against the New Jersey Devils) or the Senators do in their final three (Thursday at Washington, at home Saturday against th