NHL ROUNDUP : Blackhawks Finally Beat Canadiens

Steve Thomas scored twice Thursday night at Chicago as the Blackhawks ended a 12-game winless streak against Montreal, beating the Canadiens, 5-3.

By winning their fourth consecutive game, the Blackhawks moved into first place in the Norris Division. Chicago has not been in first place alone since Oct. 30, 1987.

The Blackhawks, 7-4-1, were 2-9-1 a year ago. They last beat Montreal on Jan. 2, 1985, and were 0-7-5 since.

Jacques Cloutier stopped 14 shots before Guy Carbonneau scored on a 10-footer with 3:13 remaining in the second period. By then, Chicago had four goals.

Pittsburgh 3, Detroit 3--Phil Bourque’s controversial power-play goal with one second left in regulation lifted the Penguins to a tie at Detroit.

With time expiring, Mario Lemieux backhanded a pass in front of the Detroit net and Bourque jabbed a shot past goaltender Tim Cheveldae from close range.

The green light signifying the end of the period came on before the red goal light, but after a five-minute delay referee Dave Newell ruled the goal counted.

“(Newell) was in the same position I was,” Bourque said. “As soon as the puck went in the net, he heard the buzzer. He pointed right to it, meaning it was a goal.

“I thought it was fairly obvious.”

Steve Yzerman, who received a major penalty late in the third period and left Detroit short-handed, snapped a 2-2 tie early in the third with Detroit’s second short-handed goal of the game.

Boston 4, Quebec 2--Bob Sweeney and Andy Brickley scored power-play goals and the Bruins spoiled the NHL debut of Soviet goalie Sergei Mylnikov at Boston.

Mylnikov, 31, who signed with Quebec after leading the Soviet Union to the 1988 Olympic gold medal and the world championship this year, had 31 saves in getting a chance to play in the Nordiques’ 10th game of the season.

Hartford 7, New Jersey 3--Jody Hull scored twice and Brad Shaw had four assists for the Whalers at East Rutherford, N.J.

The Devils, unbeaten on the road, fell to 1-3-1 at home. They gave up five consecutive goals after taking a 3-2 lead.

Hull’s second goal, at 5:54 of the third period, clinched the game. Shaw’s shot hit a Devil in front of the net and went directly to Hull, who scored.

St. Louis 4, Minnesota 1--Paul MacLean had two goals and the Blues avoided a fourth consecutive third-period collapse at St. Louis.

MacLean’s goal with six seconds left in the first period snapped a 1-1 tie. He added another goal at 7:51 of the third period as the Blues snapped a three-game losing streak and knocked Minnesota out of a first-place tie with Chicago.