Ed Belfour posted his eighth shutout of the season, and the Toronto Maple Leafs cut host Boston's lead in the Northeast Division to one point with a 3-0 victory against the Bruins last night.

Toronto got goals from Joe Nieuwendyk and Ron Francis in the first nine minutes of the second period and an empty-net goal from Nik Antropov with 1:43 left in the game.

Belfour made 33 saves, the same amount he had in his last game, a 7-2 loss Tuesday night to Tampa Bay. The Bruins suffered their 10th shutout this season. Eight have come at home, breaking the team record of six set in 1951-52.

Toronto has 96 points with four-regular season games left in the tight Eastern Conference race. Boston, with 97, has five games remaining.

Nieuwendyk scored his fifth goal in his past nine games and 19th of the season from just outside the crease on a rebound after goalie Andrew Raycroft stopped a shot by Antropov.

Francis scored his first goal since being acquired March 9 by Toronto from Carolina. It was Francis' 11th goal of the season and his 137th point in 130 games against the Bruins.

The Bruins lost for just the second time in their past 10 games (7-2-1) and had beaten Tampa Bay and Ottawa, two other strong Eastern Conference teams.

Other games

Senators 4, Canadiens 0: Daniel Alfredsson scored twice and added an assist, and Patrick Lalime made 29 saves as visiting Ottawa grabbed a victory against Montreal. For the second night in a row, the Canadiens failed to gain the point it needs to clinch and Eastern Conference playoff spot. Alfredsson had 13 points in six games against Montreal this season to help Ottawa take the season series, 4-2.

Islanders 4, Flyers 2: Wade Dubielewicz came off the bench to stop all 14 shots in his NHL debut to lead visiting New York to a victory against Philadelphia. Adrian Aucoin scored two goals in the first period, and Mark Parrish netted the winner on a breakaway in the second to give the Islanders their fourth consecutive victory. Dubielewicz, who replaced Garth Snow after the first period, made three sprawling saves in the second and reached back with his stick to stop two of the shots from crossing the goal line. Flyers center Jeremy Roenick returned to the lineup after missing 19 games because of a broken jaw and a concussion.

Predators 4, Rangers 2: Andreas Johansson snapped a third-period tie, and Nashville moved into seventh in the Western Conference with a win against host New York. It was the Predators' team-record 35th victory.

Red Wings 3, Avalanche 1: Manny Legace stopped 34 shots, and Detroit scored twice in the final 2? minutes in a win over Colorado at Denver.

Blues 3, Mighty Ducks 2: Jamal Mayers scored the winner with his first goal in the past 18 games, and Chris Pronger had three assists as St. Louis beat visiting Anaheim and tied Edmonton for the eight spot in the Western Conference playoff race (83 points).

Wild 8, Blackhawks 2: Alexandre Daigle scored twice and Minnesota set a franchise record for goals, beating host Chicago. The Wild broke the team record of seven goals set in a 7-4 home victory Jan. 7 against Chicago.

Hurricanes 3, Panthers 2: Josef Vasicek scored the go-ahead goal with 11:51 left as host Carolina beat Florida.

Sharks 3, Flames 2: Vincent Damphousse banked in a shot off Miikka Kiprusoff?s leg with 23.2 seconds to play, giving host San Jose a victory against Calgary.

Wednesday's late games

Jarome Iginla scored his 39th goal, Roman Turek earned his second shutout in a row and the Calgary Flames snapped a two-game skid by beating the host Phoenix Coyotes, 4-0. ... Matt Cooke scored midway through the first period and Dan Cloutier stopped 15 shots as the Vancouver Canucks beat the visiting Los Angeles Kings, 1-0. ... Bill Guerin scored 3:11 into overtime to lift the Dallas Stars to a come-from-behind, 4-3 victory over the host Edmonton Oilers that clinched a playoff spot for the Stars.

Other news

Dallas Stars goalie Marty Turco was suspended for four games without pay by the NHL for hitting Edmonton's Ryan Smyth in the mouth with his stick Wednesday night. The league also suspended Columbus Blue Jackets forward Jody Shelley for three games for his role in a fight Wednesday against Minnesota. With Turco out, Dallas turns to former Penguin Ron Tugnutt, 3-3-0 in seven appearances in an injury-plagued season.

The Stars recalled goalie Jason Bacashihua, 21, from Utah (AHL) to back up Tugnutt.

Eric Lindros had surgery Thursday to repair a tear in his right shoulder. The New York Rangers' center, already out after the eighth concussion of his career, hasn't played since Jan. 28.