NHL: Blackhawks defensemen stepping up on offense

Raleigh, N.C. • Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma says top-line forward Pascal Dupuis could miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Bylsma said Friday after the team's game-day skate that Dupuis will have surgery "in a couple of weeks" to repair his anterior cruciate ligament.

Bylsma says he has no timetable for Dupuis' return and it's "likely that it might" end his season.

Dupuis hurt his right knee in a loss at Ottawa on Monday when Senators defenseman Marc Methot hit Sidney Crosby, sending him into Dupuis.

He has seven goals and 13 assists in 39 games. Joe Vitalie will replace him on the top line.

Bylsma also says defenseman Brooks Orpik and forward Tanner Glass are scheduled to be activated from injured reserve before Friday night's game at Carolina.

Bruins 5, Senators 0 • In Boston, Reilly Smith scored two goals, and Tuukka Rask made 33 saves for his fourth shutout of the season to lift Boston over Ottawa.

When the Bruins traded Tyler Seguin in the offseason, they received Loui Eriksson, Smith and two other prospects. Eriksson was the marquee player in the deal, but Smith has yielded the real return thus far. Eriksson has missed time because of two concussions.

"I don't think he was looked upon as a throw-in," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "It is the first time he has been given the opportunity to play on a regular basis, and he is finally showcasing his skills. It's no fluke."

Smith scored twice in the third period, giving him a team-leading 14 goals. He has five goals and two assists in the last three games.

Blackhawks 7, Avalanche 2 • In Chicago, Patrick Sharp scored three goals for his third career hat trick and set up one of Jonathan Toews' two scores for Chicago.

Toews added two assists as both he and Sharp finished with four points. Michal Handzus and Kris Versteeg also scored for the Blackhawks, whose league-leading offense powered them to a second straight win and improved them to 7-1-1 in their past nine.

Colorado's Paul Stastny and Gabriel Landeskog beat Chicago rookie Antti Raanta, who finished with 16 saves in his eighth straight start since Corey Crawford suffered a lower-body injury on Dec. 8. EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Boston 38 26 10 2 54 111 77

Tampa Bay 37 23 11 3 49 106 87

Montreal 38 22 13 3 47 96 84

Detroit 39 17 13 9 43 99 108

Toronto 40 19 16 5 43 110 116

Ottawa 40 15 18 7 37 111 131

Florida 38 14 19 5 33 88 123

Buffalo 38 10 24 4 24 69 109

Metropolitan Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Pittsburgh 40 28 11 1 57 125 91

Washington 38 20 14 4 44 120 114

Philadelphia 37 17 16 4 38 93 104

Columbus 38 17 17 4 38 103 107

N.Y. Rangers 39 18 19 2 38 90 105

New Jersey 39 15 16 8 38 93 101

Carolina 38 14 15 9 37 89 109

N.Y. Islanders 38 11 20 7 29 96 129

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Chicago 40 27 7 6 60 152 109

St. Louis 36 24 7 5 53 128 85

Colorado 37 23 11 3 49 108 95

Minnesota 40 20 15 5 45 92 102

Dallas 37 19 12 6 44 110 108

Winnipeg 40 17 18 5 39 109 120

Nashville 38 16 18 4 36 86 113

Pacific Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

Anaheim 39 27 7 5 59 127 98

Los Angeles 38 25 9 4 54 106 76

San Jose 38 24 8 6 54 125 97

Vancouver 39 22 11 6 50 106 93

Phoenix 37 19 10 8 46 114 114

Calgary 38 14 18 6 34 95 120

Edmonton 40 13 24 3 29 103 135

NOTE: Two points for a win, one point for overtime loss.