NEW YORK -- Derek Stepan scored with 28 seconds left in regulation to force overtime, then got the winner late in the extra period in the New York Rangers' 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Monday night.
With their fourth straight win, the Rangers improved to 51-21-7 for a league-best 109 points. With three games remaining, the Rangers are two points ahead of Anaheim for the Presidents' Trophy. New York has four more (46-42) regulation and overtime wins, a tiebreaker.
The Rangers have won the Presidents' Trophy once in their 88-year history, in the 1993-94 season -- the last time the franchise won the Stanley Cup.
Columbus, the NHL's hottest team, had won nine in a row, but won't make the playoffs.
Sabres 4, Hurricanes 3
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Tyler Ennis scored his 20th goal and the Sabres avoided clinching a last-place overall finish.
Mikhail Grigorenko, Brian Gionta and Johan Larsson also scored for Buffalo, which entered the game a regulation loss away from guaranteeing the best odds at the first pick in June's NHL draft.
Anders Lindback made 49 saves.
Alexander Semin, Eric Staal and Patrick Dwyer scored for Carolina, which nearly erased a four-goal deficit in the defeat. Carolina out shot Buffalo in every period en route to a 52-25 advantage for the game.
Jets 2, Wild 0
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Blake Wheeler and Drew Stafford scored, Ondrej Pavelec made 32 saves and the Jets gave their playoff push a big boost, preventing the Wild from clinching a wild-card spot.
The Wild stayed stuck on 96 points after their first loss by more than one goal in 34 games since Jan. 19. They must finish the regular season on the road, where they've won 10 straight games to set a franchise record, with visits to Central Division rivals Chicago, Nashville and St. Louis.
The Jets reached 94 points, keeping the pressure on not only the Wild but the Pacific Division teams that haven't secured one of the three playoff berths on the other side of the rugged Western Conference.