Knicks Defeat Pacers in Back-to-Back Contests

After two straight victories against the Indiana Pacers, the New York Knicks are 3-0 under the leadership of interim head coach Mike Woodson.

Friday night's game at Madison Square Garden was a strong all-around team effort in which five different Knicks reached double digits in scoring. Sparked by Tyson Chandler and Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks took a 40-31 advantage by the end of the first half and put the game away with a 38-27 third quarter.

Steve Novak proved to be dangerous from three-point range, going 4-for-8 to rack up 12 points. Jeremy Lin had a solid showing with 13 points and five assists.

Lin broke out in a big way the next night in Indiana, leading the Knicks with 19 points. Eight of those scores came in New York's 17-4 run that put the game away after three back-and-forth quarters.

Anthony and Stoudemire contributed 16 points apiece. Roy Hibbert contributed a game-high 24 points and 12 rebounds for the Pacers, but that strong showing wasn't enough to beat the Knicks' balanced offense.

The Knicks will host the Toronto Raptors Tuesday night before heading back on the road to Philadelphia.

Islanders Defeat Canadiens in Thrilling Shootout Victory

The New York Islanders ended their six-game losing streak the hard way with a shootout win on the road in Montreal.

Finding themselves in a 1-0 deficit after the first period, the Islanders went on the attack in the second period, outshooting the Canadiens 18-9. Mark Streit and Frans Nielsen scored to give the Isles a 2-1 advantage, but a Louis Leblanc backhand early in the third tied the game at 2.

The Islanders held their own through the rest of the third and overtime, forcing a lengthy shootout. In the sixth round, Josh Bailey snapped a rolling puck just out of the reach of goaltender Peter Budaj.

The Isles will face their second opponent of the five-game road trip Tuesday night in Toronto.

Rangers Defeat Devils, Secure Playoff Spot

After Saturday's loss to the Colorado Avalanche, the New York Rangers defeated the New Jersey Devils Monday to secure a berth in the NHL postseason.

Saturday's game saw the Rangers strike first, as Mats Zuccarello tipped one past Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov to take a 1-0 lead.

That, however, was all the Rangers would get past Varlamov, who made a whopping 41 saves on the night. Meanwhile, the Avalanche came through with a goal in each period to win the game 3-1.

With something to prove Monday night, the Rangers came through and defeated the Devils 4-2. Once again, they struck first, as Brandon Dubinsky's snap shot gave New York a 1-0 lead just 71 seconds into the game.

Despite the Devils' best efforts to the contrary, the Rangers remained in the lead for the rest of the game. Zuccarello and Dan Girardi scored in the second period, and Derek Stepan tipped one in in the final period to put the game away.

The Rangers became the first Eastern Conference team to clinch a postseason berth. Their home stand continues Wednesday night against the Detroit Red Wings.

Pettitte Rejoins Yankees

On Friday, the New York Yankees came to terms with left-handed pitcher Andy Pettitte on a minor-league contract. He will join the team for Spring Training Tuesday night.

Pettitte, who will turn 40 in June, last pitched for the Yankees in 2010. When healthy, he was effective, going 11-3 with a 3.28 ERA.

Pettitte is best known for his time with the Yankees in the late '90s, when he was a key piece on four World Series-winning teams. After three years in Houston, he rejoined the Yankees in 2007 and won another ring in 2009.

He is baseball's all-time leader in postseason wins, starts and innings pitched, and is third on the Yankees' all-time leaderboard with 203 victories.

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