Michael Ryder scored twice as the Boston Bruins crushed the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 at the Banknorth Garden on Saturday to maintain their lead at the top of the NHL's Eastern Conference. The Bruins have a nine-point lead over the Washington Capitals, who lost 5-4 loss to the Montreal Canadiens. The New York Rangers had a 2-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators, while Jeff Carter scored his 29th goal for the Philadelphia Flyers in a 4-1 triumph over the Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ville Peltonen scored twice as the Florida Panthers had a 8-4 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers.
Mikael Samuelsson was on target for the Detroit Red Wings as they beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-1, while two goals from the San Jose Sharks' captain Patrick Marleau gave them a 4-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. David Jones hit two as the Colorado Avalanche had a 5-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. * With Agencies
