NHL ROUNDUP : Blackhawks Win Despite Hull’s 79th

Steve Larmer scored twice at St. Louis and the Chicago Blackhawks took a giant step toward winning the Norris Division.

The Blues’ Brett Hull scored his 79th goal, but the Blackhawks opened the two-game showdown with a 3-2 victory Saturday night.

The Blackhawks, who lead the Norris Division by three points, have 94 points, best in the NHL. A victory tonight against the Blues would give the Blackhawks a stranglehold on the title.

Ed Belfour, after giving up Hull’s goal and a short-handed goal in the first period, settled down to stop 34 shots and become the first goalie to win 40 games.

Larmer has 43 goals.

Pittsburgh 6, Quebec 3--Veteran center Bryan Trottier sparked the surging Penguins to another victory at Pittsburgh.

Trottier had two goals--one short-handed--and an assist as the Penguins moved to within a point of the first-place New York Rangers in the Patrick Division.

They meet at New York, the Penguins facing a Ranger team that has have lost five in a row.

Mark Recchi scored twice for the Penguins against Quebec and has 38 goals in his second NHL season.

“The way to play is to put pressure on them,� said Trottier, who starred on four Stanley Cup winners with the New York Islanders. “The Rangers have been in first place a long time.�

Vancouver 4, New York Islanders 4--The Canucks salvaged a point at Vancouver when Trevor Linden scored on a rebound with 68 seconds to play.

The point enabled the Canucks to move within two of Winnipeg in the battle for the last playoff spot in the Smythe Division.

Hartford 6, New Jersey 2--John Cullen scored power-play goals 39 seconds apart in the second period at Hartford, Conn., and Paul Cyr scored 37 seconds later to lead the Whalers.

The Devils are tied with Washington for the final playoff spot in the Patrick Division.

Washington 6, Philadelphia 0--Don Beaupre stopped 25 shots at Landover, Md., and Soviet rookie Mikhail Tatarinov had his first two-goal game.

The Capitals moved into a tie for fourth place with New Jersey in the Patrick Division.

Detroit 5, Boston 3--Jimmy Carson scored twice at Boston to lead the Red Wings. They have a 3-2 record on their trip.

Goaltender Tim Cheveidae stopped 29 shots and won his 29th game, the most by a Red Wing goalie in 25 years.

Gary Shucuk, in his first shift in his first NHL game, scored on his first shot at 7:26 of the first period to give the Red Wings the lead.

Montreal 6, Buffalo 4--The Canadiens rallied from a 4-1 deficit at Montreal and knocked the Sabres out of a tie for third place in the Adams Division.

Rookie John LeClair capped the rally with 74 seconds to play when he broke a 4-4 tie. An empty-net goal a minute later concluded the scoring.

The Canadiens moved within five points of Boston, leader of the Adams Division.

Toronto 4, Minnesota 3--Michel Petit scored at 2:44 of overtime at Toronto and the Maple Leafs kept their faint playoff hopes alive.

The Leafs would have to win their last seven games for a chance to catch Minnesota.