Victory puts St. Louis atop league standings

Toronto • David Backes completed a hat trick with an empty-net goal to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 5-3 victory Tuesday night that sent the Toronto Maple Leafs to their sixth straight loss.

T.J. Oshie and former Leafs forward Alex Steen also scored for St. Louis, which passed Boston for the most points in the NHL with 105.

Ryan Miller made 21 saves to improve to 32-15-3 in his career against Toronto. The Blues have won 10 of 13 games since acquiring Miller and forward Steve Ott from Buffalo before the trade deadline.

Joffrey Lupul, Carl Gunnarsson and James van Riemsdyk scored for Toronto, which dropped out of a playoff spot for the first time since Jan. 14, coupled with Washington's shootout loss to Los Angeles.

The loss ruined the return of Toronto goalie Jonathan Bernier, who made 44 saves in his first game since re-injuring his groin on March 13

Avalanche 5, Predators 4 • In Nashville, Tenn., Gabriel Landeskog scored two goals in regulation and then netted the winner in the shootout to lead Colorado over host Nashville.

Cody McLeod and Nick Holden also for Colorado, which ended a three-game losing streak. Bernier helped withstand an early barrage before the Maple Leafs scored first in a game for the first time since March 10 at Anaheim — seven games and six losses ago. EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

GP W L OT Pts GF GA

x-Boston 72 49 17 6 104 230 153

Montreal 74 41 26 7 89 190 184

Tampa Bay 72 39 24 9 87 214 193

Detroit 72 33 25 14 80 191 204

Toronto 74 36 30 8 80 216 231

Ottawa 72 29 29 14 72 205 243

Florida 73 27 38 8 62 178 237

Buffalo 72 20 44 8 48 138 212

Metropolitan Division

Pittsburgh 72 46 21 5 97 224 180

N.Y. Rangers 73 40 29 4 84 194 178

Philadelphia 71 38 26 7 83 205 201

Columbus 72 37 29 6 80 204 196

Washington 73 34 27 12 80 212 218

New Jersey 72 31 28 13 75 175 187

Carolina 72 31 32 9 71 181 205

N.Y. Islanders 72 28 35 9 65 202 243

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Central Division

x-St. Louis 72 49 16 7 105 233 163

Chicago 73 42 16 15 99 244 188

Colorado 72 45 21 6 96 221 198

Minnesota 72 37 24 11 85 180 178

Dallas 72 34 27 11 79 203 207

Nashville 73 31 31 11 73 177 218

Winnipeg 73 32 32 9 73 202 213

Pacific Division

x-San Jose 73 46 18 9 101 222 175

x-Anaheim 71 46 18 7 99 228 180

Los Angeles 73 42 25 6 90 182 155

Phoenix 73 35 26 12 82 202 207

Vancouver 73 33 30 10 76 176 196

Calgary 72 30 35 7 67 183 211

Edmonton 72 25 38 9 59 178 236

x-clinched playoff spot

Tuesday's Games

Los Angeles 5, Washington 4, SO

Florida 3, Ottawa 2, SO

Colorado 5, Nashville 4, SO

St. Louis 5, Toronto 3

Phoenix 3, Pittsburgh 2

N.Y. Islanders 5, Carolina 4

Montreal 2, Buffalo 0

Columbus 4, Detroit 2

Chicago 4, Dallas 2

San Jose at Edmonton, late