Canadiens and Oilers Brave the Cold Outdoors

Sporting a ski cap over his goalie mask, Jose Theodore could see his breath and recall his mother’s advice.

“When I was 11 or 12 years old, I remember my mom always said, ‘Put a tuque on, you’ll catch a cold,’ � Theodore said. “I just wanted to make sure she’s not going to say anything when I go back home, so I put a tuque on.�

Braving temperatures that hovered around zero, and a wind chill that reached 15 below Saturday, the Montreal Canadiens beat the Edmonton Oilers, 4-3, in the NHL’s first outdoor game at Edmonton, Canada.

Theodore made 34 saves in the night game, and Yanic Perreault and Richard Zednik each scored two goals to lead the Canadiens to victory in front of a record crowd of 57,167 at Commonwealth Stadium -- a football arena. That was only the tip of the iceberg; the Oilers said they received requests for more than 700,000 tickets.

The all-day Heritage Classic followed an old-timers game that featuring former superstars such as Wayne Gretzky and Guy Lafleur and celebrated the role of outdoor hockey in Canadian culture.

Florida 3, Washington 2 -- Stephen Weiss scored 1:43 into overtime and the Panthers ended a three-game losing streak. Robert Lang scored on a goal-mouth scramble with 59.6 seconds left in regulation at Washington, extending his point scoring streak to a career-high 11 games. It is the longest streak in the NHL this season.

Calgary 2, Chicago 1 -- Dean McAmmond scored with 49 seconds left to give the Flames a victory over the Blackhawks at Calgary. The victory extended the Flames’ winning streak to a season-high three games.

Detroit 5, Minnesota 2 -- Curtis Joseph made 27 saves in just his fourth start this season, Brett Hull had a goal and two assists and the Red Wings beat the Wild at St. Paul, Minn. Boyd Devereaux, Nicklas Lidstrom, Kris Draper and Pavel Datsyuk also scored for the Red Wings, who trailed, 2-1, early in the second before finishing the period with a three-goal flurry.

Tampa Bay 2, Buffalo 1 -- Pavel Kubina scored twice and backup goaltender John Grahame made 25 saves to lead the Lightning to a home victory. Kubina has six goals this season, doubling his total from last season.

Columbus 2, New York Islanders 1 -- Rick Nash scored his 12th goal midway through the second period and won a key faceoff before the other Blue Jackets’ score in a home victory. With the New York goalie pulled, Oleg Kvasha spoiled Fred Brathwaite’s shutout bid by jamming in the puck with just 41 seconds remaining in the game.

Philadelphia 3, Boston 2 -- Mark Recchi’s power-play goal broke a tie, helping the Flyers extend their unbeaten streak to nine games. Justin Williams and Simon Gagne also scored for the Flyers, 8-0-1 in their last nine games and 9-0-2 at home this season.

Pittsburgh 2, Ottawa 1 -- Rookie Ryan Malone scored off a rebound at 2:40 of overtime to lift the Penguins over the Senators at Pittsburgh. A backhander by Mike Eastwood was stopped by Ottawa goaltender Patrick Lalime, but Malone scooped up the rebound and scored his fifth goal of the season and second in overtime. He beat the Boston Bruins with an overtime goal on Nov. 1.

St. Louis 2, Dallas 1 -- At St. Louis, Pavol Demitra of the Blues snapped a third-period tie with his 200th career goal and line mate Keith Tkachuk scored in his first game back from a three-game suspension. Tkachuk, who missed on a penalty shot in the second period, had been suspended for a cross-check to the neck of Shark defenseman Rob Davison.

Toronto 5, Vancouver 3 -- Owen Nolan snapped a tie 4:18 into the third period and Gary Roberts scored five minutes later to help the Maple Leafs end their five-game winless slide. It was the Canucks’ first loss at home (9-1-1). Philadelphia is the only NHL team without a home loss this season.

San Jose 3, Nashville 1 -- Alyn McCauley scored the first goal, Patrick Marleau extended his point streak to eight games and the Sharks won at home. Marco Sturm scored his sixth goal in six games and Vesa Toskala saved 32 shots. Scott Hartnell scored midway through the third period for the Predators, who lost for only the second time in six games.