Raleigh, N.C. — The Boston Bruins weren't slowed down by Ron Francis or any of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Bill Guerin scored two goals, and Glen Murray added one in the opening 12 minutes as the Bruins used a four-goal first period to beat the Hurricanes, 6-3, Wednesday night.
Carolina earned 20 standings points in December while Boston notched 18. But this night belonged to the Bruins.
"We fell behind, and in a lot of games it hasn't haunted us, but we played one of the best teams in the league and they burned us," Carolina goalie Arturs Irbe said. "That's the lesson."
The only bright spot for the Hurricanes in the first period was when Francis scored his 500th NHL goal.
"You hope it comes in a victory, but it didn't," Francis said. "It's still a very special milestone and a club I'm very proud to be a part of."
The Carolina captain became the fifth player in NHL history to reach 500 goals and 1,000 assists when he scored with 6:48 left in the first period against Byron Dafoe.
"I've said all along I don't really consider myself a goal scorer," Francis said. "But I've been fortunate through my longevity in the league to have an opportunity to reach that milestone and not many guys have accomplished that."
Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, Mark Messier and Marcel Dionne are the other players in the 500-1,000 club.
Oilers 4, Rangers 1
Edmonton, Alberta Sean Brown had the first two-goal game of his career as Edmonton, boosted by Ryan Smyth's surprise return from injury, beat New York. Brown, a stay-at-home defenseman, also had 11 penalty minutes in the game, including five for fighting Matthew Barnaby in the first period.
Red Wings 5, Mighty Ducks 3
Detroit Brendan Shanahan scored two power-play goals, and Luc Robitaille and Mathieu Dandenault each had one as Detroit hung on to beat Anaheim. Trailing 4-1, Anaheim rallied in the third period on goals by Oleg Tverdovsky and Marc Chouinard and had another nullified by a whistle.
Stars 2, Thrashers 1
Dallas Mike Modano scored on the power play to become the fourth United States-born player to reach 400 NHL goals as Dallas beat Atlanta. Modano, the Stars' career leading scorer, notched his 18th of the season at 12:12 of the second period.
Wild 2, Lightning 0
St. Paul, Minn. Dwayne Roloson, who struggled through a difficult month of December, turned away 36 shots to give Minnesota a victoryTampa Bay. Marian Gaborik scored his team-leading 16th goal as the Wild snapped a three-game losing streak and posted their first win in six games.
Sharks 5, Flyers 2
San Jose, Calif. Gary Suter's 200th career goal proved to be the game-winner as San Jose defeated Philadelphia and snapped its longest winless streak of the season. Owen Nolan added a goal and two assists as the Sharks beat Philadelphia at home for the first time in seven meetings. Adam Graves, Scott Thornton and Todd Harvey also scored for the Sharks.
Kings 3, Panthers 1
Los Angeles Jason Allison and Mikko Eloranta scored six minutes apart as Los Angeles got Ziggy Palffy and Mathieu Schneider back from the injured list and beat Florida.
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