NHL roundup: Blackhawks blank Wings

DETROIT — Antti Niemi made 33 saves for his fourth shutout of the season and his career, and Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to a 3-0 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night.

Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews also scored for Chicago, which also shut out Detroit 3-0 on Sunday night in Chicago with Cristobal Huet in goal.

Detroit has gone 2 hours, 21 minutes without a goal.

It was also Marian Hossa's first game in Detroit after leaving the Red Wings last summer to sign a 12-year, $62 million free agent contract with the Blackhawks. He received a loud chorus of boos when he was announced, and also was booed each time he touched the puck. Hossa hit the crossbar on a breakaway with a little more than 3 1/2 minutes left in the first period and assisted on Sharp's goal.

PENGUINS 8, SENATORS 2: At Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin had his fourth career hat trick, Bill Guerin added two goals and two assists for the Penguins. and Pittsburgh headed into the holiday break tied with New Jersey atop the NHL standings with 53 points.Guerin and Chris Kunitz tied a club record with four points apiece during Pittsburgh's five-goal second period, when Ruslan Fedotenko also scored.

Sergei Gonchar added a goal and two assists, and Sidney Crosby had three assists for the Penguins (26-11-1), who tied a season high for goals.

Anton Volchenkov and Chris Kelly scored for Ottawa.

CAPITALS 5, SABRES 2: At Washington, Nicklas Backstrom had two goals, and Alex Ovechkin added a goal and two assists in Washington's ninth victory in 12 games. Mike Green had a goal and an assist, and Brendan Morrison also scored for the Southeast-leading Capitals, 11-2-3 at Verizon Center. Paul Gaustad and Tim Connolly scored for Northeast-leading Buffalo.

BRUINS 6, THRASHERS 4: At Boston, Marc Savard, Daniel Paille and Vladimir Sobotka scored during a 1:08 span of the first period for the Bruins. and Savard added two assists for Boston. The Bruins, on an 0-for-13 power-play drought coming in, scored three power-play goals, two of them in 5-on-3 situations.

Zdeno Chara, Michael Ryder and Patrice Bergeron also scored for Boston. Ilya Kovalchuk, Evander Kane, Bryan Little and Maxin Afinogenov scored for Atlanta.