NHL News

But that's currently the situation for the Florida Panthers, who have lost four consecutive games and their last five at home.

The Panthers, who fell 2-1 in overtime to visiting Nashville on Thursday night, will try to get back on the winning track Saturday when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets in Sunrise, Fla.

"Our group maybe is lacking a bit of confidence," Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola said. "The puck is not going in right now. I don't know if that's puck luck or lack of confidence."

It doesn't help that the Panthers have seven players out due to injuries, most notably two of their biggest stars, Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Barkov is perhaps the best two-way center in the NHL, and Tkachuk does it all, from scoring goals to dishing passes and irritating opponents with his edgy style of play.

Without those guys, the Panthers are relying on Brad Marchand, who leads the team in goals (15) and points (27); Sam Reinhart, who has 14 goals and 24 points; and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who is 10-8-1 with an .886 save percentage.

Panthers coach Paul Maurice, who made all the right moves the past two years, is now trying to find the key to unlock his injury-diminished squad.

Confidence, Maurice said, will only come with wins.

"You are not going to be confident," Maurice said of his team's current predicament. "It is an impossible thing to be given. It has to be earned."

Meanwhile, Columbus, which is 5-0-3 in its past eight home games, is just 7-6-2 on the road this season.

The Blue Jackets are coming off a wild 6-5 shootout win over visiting Detroit on Thursday.

"That was a lot of fun," said Columbus center Adam Fantilli, who sent the game to overtime with his goal that made it 5-5 with 1:31 left in regulation. "Playing from behind is not what you want, but it makes for fun hockey when you come back."

The Blue Jackets are led by Zach Werenski, who tops the team in assists (20) and points (29).

Werenski, 28, produced career highs in goals (23) and points (82) last season and finished in second place in the voting for the Norris Trophy, given to the league's top defenseman.

The Blue Jackets have won two straight games, and both came with Elvis Merzlikins in net, even though he allowed a total of eight goals. For the season, Merzlikins is 6-5-0 with an .891 save percentage.

Goaltending partner Jet Greaves is 7-4-5 with a .901 save percentage. A roster spot opened for Greaves when Columbus dealt backup goalie Daniil Tarasov to Florida in the summer.

Among Columbus' forwards, the players to watch include Fantilli, who leads the team with 11 goals, and Kirill Marchenko, who has nine goals and 14 assists. Fantilli and Marchenko each had 31 goals last season to tie for the team high.

After taking their first regulation loss since Oct. 25, the Avalanche continue a four-game road trip Saturday afternoon when they visit the New York Rangers, who are seeking consecutive home wins for the first time this season.

The Avalanche were 14-0-3 in their previous 17 games before Thursday when they allowed the first four goals in a 6-3 loss to the New York Islanders. Colorado faced its largest deficit of the season en route to its second regulation loss and first since a 3-2 road setback to the Boston Bruins on Oct. 25.

Colorado trailed by four goals after allowing two tallies in a span of 61 seconds in the second period. Valeri Nichushkin and Martin Necas scored in the second period while Artturi Lehkonen scored early in the third but the Avalanche could not overcome various miscues.

Colorado allowed the first goal on a fluky bounce that went off defenseman Devon Toews' stick. The Avalanche gave up the third goal on a rebound and the fourth glanced off goalie Mackenzie Blackwood.

"I think, at times, we did some great things. It was just few and far between," Colorado defenseman Cale Makar said. "Everything they had was going on net tonight and lucky bounces, unfortunately. That's the way some games are going to go. We got to find ways to mitigate that and win the netfront area. Just at times tonight we really didn't do that."

The Avalanche conceded a season-high 42 shots on goal after allowing more than 30 shots four times during their streak. Colorado allowed its most goals since it gave up eight at Tampa Bay on Nov. 25, 2024.

"We got outbattled in our netfront, too many rebounds, but they scored two goals and rebounds, some of them multiple rebounds, before it went in," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "And that can't happen. We got to be harder at the netfront, and we weren't tonight."

New York is 5-1-0 over its past six games and attempting to win three straight for the fourth time this season.

The Rangers followed up their 3-2 comeback overtime victory over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday by never trailing in their 4-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday. The Rangers are 12-4-1 on the road but 3-8-1 at home where they have been outscored 36-20.

On Thursday, Will Borgen and Vladislav Gavrikov scored, giving the Rangers four goals from defensemen since Adam Fox was put on long-term injured reserve due to a shoulder injury following a hard hit by Tampa Bay's Brandon Hagel in last Saturday's 4-1 loss.

Artemi Panarin added an empty-net goal after setting up Mika Zibanejad's tally 3:19 into the contest. Panarin also collected assists on Will Cuylle's tying goal and Gavrikov's game-winner in overtime Tuesday and has 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) over his past 14 contests.

"In terms of the Dallas game, I thought that was maybe our best game at home," Zibanejad said. "But I think in general, I think we know the level we're capable of. They're not going to be like the Dallas game every night, but I think the foundation of our intentions were there, and they were there today as well."

Zibanejad also has six points (three goals, three assists) in a modest five-game points streak and has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) over his past 12 games.

The regulation loss was just the second of the season for the Avalanche, who went 14-0-3 following a 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Oct. 25.

New York's Anders Lee and Bo Horvat each had a goal and an assist. Kyle MacLean, Adam Pelech and Casey Cizikas also scored while Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves for the Islanders, who finished 3-3-1 on a seven-game homestand.

Colorado's Valeri Nichushkin, Martin Necas and Artturi Lehkonen tallied. Avalanche goalie Mackenzie Blackwood, starting in place of Scott Wedgewood (upper body), recorded 36 saves.

Flames 4, Wild 1

Matt Coronato scored to break a third-period tie and added an assist, pacing host Calgary to a victory over Minnesota.

Rasmus Andersson also collected one goal and one assist while Jonathan Huberdeau and Connor Zary each had a goal for the Flames, who snapped a two-game skid (0-1-1). Dustin Wolf made 26 saves.

Yakov Trenin scored for the Wild, who lost in regulation time for the first time after a 12-game point streak (10-0-2). Minnesota goalie Filip Gustavsson stopped 27 shots.

Penguins 4, Lightning 3

Evgeni Malkin scored the game-winner late in regulation, and Pittsburgh won in a controversial finish at Tampa Bay.

After the Penguins blew a 3-0 lead, Malkin, who had two goals and an assist, broke the tie by sweeping in a pass from Tommy Novak, who had two assists, at 17:17 of the third period. Ville Koivunen and Ben Kindel also scored for Pittsburgh, and Tristan Jarry made 37 saves.

Brandon Hagel scored twice, Nikita Kucherov had a goal and an assist and Darren Raddysh posted two helpers for Tampa Bay, which got 27 saves from Jonas Johansson. An apparent late goal by Kucherov was overturned when it was ruled that Hagel performed a hand pass in the buildup.

Blue Jackets 6, Red Wings 5 (SO)

Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko scored during a shootout and also had regulation goals as Columbus beat visiting Detroit.

Adam Fantilli scored twice, including the tying goal with 1:31 left to send the game into overtime for the Blue Jackets. Ivan Provorov had Columbus' other goal, Zach Werenski and Sean Monahan each recorded three assists, and Elvis Merzlikins made 28 saves.

Lucas Raymond and Patrick Kane each had a goal and an assist for the Red Wings. Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat and James van Riemsdyk also scored while Moritz Seider and Andrew Copp registered two assists apiece. Cam Talbot stopped 26 shots.

Bruins 5, Blues 2

Pavel Zacha's back-to-back tallies capped a three-goal flurry in the second period of Boston's win over visiting St. Louis.

Six Bruins registered multiple points as Morgan Geekie had a goal and two assists, Viktor Arvidsson and Alex Steeves each notched a goal and an assist, Elias Lindholm dished three assists and Mason Lohrei added two helpers. Joonas Korpisalo made 37 saves to earn his first win since Nov. 6.

Pavel Buchnevich and Pius Suter each scored and Jordan Binnington stopped 22 shots for St. Louis, which has dropped two straight and gone 3-4-3 in its last 10.

Predators 2, Panthers 1 (OT)

Steven Stamkos scored with 57 seconds left in overtime as Nashville defeated reeling Florida in Sunrise, Fla.

Ryan O'Reilly had a goal and an assist for Nashville. Juuse Saros made 30 saves in a brilliant performance during which the Predators never led until the game's final shot.

The Panthers -- the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions -- have lost five straight home games (0-4-1). They have also lost four consecutive games overall (0-3-1) to begin a six-game homestand. Carter Verhaeghe scored for the Panthers, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves.

Maple Leafs 5, Hurricanes 1

Bobby McMann scored two goals and Matthew Knies had a goal and an assist as Toronto won its third game in a row, beating Carolina in Raleigh, N.C.

Scott Laughton and Auston Matthews also scored for the Maple Leafs, who won for the fourth time in the past five games. Ex-Carolina forward Max Domi and Nicolas Roy each had two assists. McMann scored in the game's opening minute and again with less than two minutes to play into an empty net, producing his first multi-goal game of the season. The Maple Leafs needed to use multiple goalies as Joseph Woll departed with a lower-body injury stopping 22 of 23 shots through two periods. Dennis Hildeby turned aside all nine shots he faced in relief.

Seth Jarvis scored his team-leading 16th goal for the Hurricanes. Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen continued to struggle, yielding four goals on 22 shots in his first action in three games.

Rangers 4, Senators 2

Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist and J.T. Miller recorded three assists in New York's win at Ottawa.

Mika Zibanejad, Vladislav Gavrikov and Will Borgen scored for the Rangers, who are 5-1-0 over their past six games and are an NHL-best 12-4-1 in away games this season. Igor Shesterkin stopped 25 of 27 shots.

Ottawa's Drake Batherson had a goal and an assist, Dylan Cozens also tallied and Jake Sanderson notched two assists. Leevi Merilainen stopped 23 of 26 shots for the Senators, who are 1-3-0 in their past four games.

Oilers 9, Kraken 4

Connor McDavid scored three goals and added an assist as Edmonton routed visiting Seattle.

Leon Draisaitl had a goal and three assists and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evan Bouchard each had three helpers for the Oilers, who went 4-for-5 on the power play. Matt Savoie scored twice and Vasily Podkolzin, Zach Hyman and Mattias Janmark also tallied.

Eeli Tolvanen, Freddy Gaudreau, Jared McCann and Jani Nyman scored for Seattle, which lost its fourth game in a row (0-3-1). Kaapo Kakko registered two assists. Kraken goalie Joey Daccord was pulled in the second period after allowing five goals on 14 shots. Philipp Grubauer didn't fare much better in relief, giving up four goals on 18 attempts.

Blackhawks 2, Kings 1

Spencer Knight made 26 saves for visiting Chicago in a win against Los Angeles.

Connor Bedard and Wyatt Kaiser scored for the Blackhawks, who had lost six of the previous seven games (1-4-2). Frank Nazar assisted on both tallies.

Trevor Moore scored and Darcy Kuemper made 34 saves for the Kings, who have lost two in a row.

Connor Bedard and Wyatt Kaiser scored for the Blackhawks, who had lost six of the previous seven games (1-4-2). Frank Nazar assisted on both tallies.

Trevor Moore scored and Darcy Kuemper made 34 saves for the Kings, who have lost two in a row.

Early in the second period, the Blackhawks went on their second power play when Joel Edmundson was called for tripping Andre Burakovsky. Chicago scored nine seconds into the man advantage when Tyler Bertuzzi fed Bedard from below the goal line, and Bedard redirected the puck into the net for a 1-0 lead at 6:17.

It was the 18th goal of the season for Bedard and his fifth on the power play.

Kaiser scored his first goal of the season with a wrist shot from the left hashmarks after receiving a short pass from Nazar, extending the lead to 2-0 with six seconds left in the second period.

Moore scored on a one-timer from the inside edge of the left circle off a feed from Warren Foegele to cut the margin to 2-1 at 10:38 of the third.

Los Angeles was held to two goals or fewer for the fifth time in the past six games.

Kuemper slid post to post to turn away a good chance by Burakovsky at 14:36 of the first period following a turnover by Kevin Fiala.

Bedard went to the penalty box for tripping Mikey Anderson at 15:53 of the first, giving the Kings their second power play, but Los Angeles forward Adrian Kempe was called for high-sticking Kaiser 30 seconds later.

The Blackhawks outshot the Kings 13-12 in the scoreless first period.

Chicago's Jason Dickinson hit the post at 4:57 of the second.

Kings defenseman Drew Doughty returned after missing seven games with a lower-body injury, and Foegele was back after sitting out the past three with an upper-body injury.

The Kings will host the Blackhawks again on Saturday night.

Los Angeles ended a five-game point streak (4-0-1) by the Blackhawks with a 3-1 victory in Chicago on Oct. 26.

Leon Draisaitl had a goal and three assists and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evan Bouchard each had three helpers for the Oilers, who went 4-for-5 on the power play.

Edmonton's Matt Savoie scored twice and Vasily Podkolzin, Zach Hyman and Mattias Janmark also tallied. Calvin Pickard made 28 saves as the Oilers improved to 3-2-1 in their past six games.

Eeli Tolvanen, Freddy Gaudreau, Jared McCann and Jani Nyman scored for Seattle, which lost its fourth game in a row (0-3-1). Kaapo Kakko registered two assists.

Kraken goalie Joey Daccord was pulled in the second period after allowing five goals on 14 shots. Philipp Grubauer didn't fare much better in relief, giving up four goals on 18 attempts.

McDavid opened the scoring at 7:17 of the first period on a wrist shot from just outside the left faceoff dot.

Podkolzin made it 2-0 just 17 seconds later on a one-timer from low on the right wing that snuck between Daccord's pads.

The Oilers struck on the power play at 11:27 of the first. McDavid made a pass through the top of the crease to Draisaitl on the right wing for a one-timer that gave Daccord no chance.

The Kraken got on the board at 16:07 of the opening period, less than a second after an Edmonton penalty expired. Brandon Montour's broken-stick slap shot from the blue line went off Podkolzin's skate, and Tolvanen blasted the rebound into the net from the right faceoff dot.

Seattle pulled within 3-2 at 19:33 of the first when Gaudreau stole the puck from Draisaitl in the Oilers' end, skated in alone and beat Pickard with a backhander.

Savoie scored on a short-handed breakaway at 2:28 of the second to make it 4-2.

McDavid restored the three-goal lead with the man advantage at 6:14 of the second, catching Daccord flat-footed on a wrist shot from low on the left wing.

Hyman greeted Grubauer by scoring on a breakaway at 8:53 of the middle period.

McCann scored on a rebound of a Jordan Eberle shot at 9:30 of the second to make it 6-3.

Janmark converted his own rebound at 2:03 of the third. McDavid and Savoie scored on the power play, at 6:59 and 8:58, respectively, with Montour serving a double-minor for high-sticking.

Nyman capped the scoring with 4.5 seconds remaining.

Rasmus Andersson also collected one goal and one assist, while Jonathan Huberdeau and Connor Zary added singles for the Flames, who snapped a two-game skid.

Goaltender Dustin Wolf made 26 saves, 11 of them in the first period, during an excellent netminding battle.

Yakov Trenin replied for the Wild, who lost in regulation time for the first time in 13 games, stretching back to a Nov. 6 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.

Goalie Filip Gustavsson stopped 27 shots.

With the score tied 1-1, Coronato gave Calgary its second lead of the game when he was sprung for a partial breakaway by Morgan Frost's pass and whipped a blocker-side shot from the slot at 3:33 of the third period.

Zary provided a much-needed insurance marker less than three minutes later, finishing a 2-on-1 rush with Blake Coleman with a shot through the five-hole.

Minnesota frantically pushed to close the gap and possibly tie the affair, but could not even solve Wolf a second time before Andersson's empty-net goal with one minute remaining sealed his team's victory.

The clubs traded second-period goals in the close-checking affair. Following a blanked first period in which the Wild failed to convert on four power plays, Huberdeau opened the scoring at 4:21 of the middle frame. Andersson's wraparound attempt was denied, but Huberdeau was on the spot for the loose puck and netted his first goal in 15 games.

After needing nearly 14 minutes to register a shot in the second period, the Wild regained some momentum and were rewarded when Trenin tied the clash by deflecting Zach Bogosian's point shot.

Adam Fantilli scored twice, including the tying goal with 1:31 left to send the game into overtime. Ivan Provorov had the other goal for Columbus, while Elvis Merzlikins made 28 saves.

Lucas Raymond and Patrick Kane each had a goal and an assist for Detroit. Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat and James van Riemsdyk had the other goals for the Red Wings, while Cam Talbot stopped 25 shots.

Columbus led 1-0 after the first period.

Provorov scored with a wrister from the point past a screened Talbot with 2:05 left in the period.

Provorov was whistled for a delay of game penalty in the opening minute of the second period and Detroit cashed in on the power play. Moritz Seider flipped the puck toward the net and Larkin redirected it past Merzlikins' glove.

Columbus answered with two goals in quick succession. The Blue Jackets converted on their first power play opportunity. With Axel Sandin-Pellikka in the penalty box, Marchenko scored from the left circle, flicking the puck between Talbot's pads.

Less than two minutes later, Johnson scored in front, shoveling in a rebound of a Cole Sillinger shot.

A double minor against Columbus' Dmitri Voronkov for high sticking allowed Detroit to score twice on the power play and tie it at 3. Raymond scored from the high slot and van Riemsdyk then tipped the puck over Merzlikins' pads.

The Blue Jackets made it 4-3 before the period ended on Fantilli's power-play marker. He ripped a slapshot from the right circle past Talbot.

Kane knotted the score at 4 midway through the third period. He skated toward the middle and beat Merzlikins glove side.

DeBrincat put Detroit on top with 8:22 remaining when he skated into the slot and fired a shot past Merzlikins' glove.

With an extra skater on the ice, Fantilli tied it with 1:31 remaining. His shot from near the blue line caromed off a defender and past Talbot.

Ryan O'Reilly had a goal and an assist for Nashville. Juuse Saros made 30 saves in a brilliant performance during which the Predators never led until the game's final shot.

The Panthers -- the two-time reigning Stanley Cup champions -- have lost five straight home games (0-4-1). They have also lost four consecutive games overall (0-3-1) to begin a six-game homestand.

Carter Verhaeghe scored for the Panthers, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves.

Verhaeghe's goal was his first as a father. He and his wife, Casey, welcomed their son, Rory, into the world on Tuesday. Verhaeghe missed that night's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he was all over the ice on Thursday as he logged a game-high five shots on goal.

The Predators tied the score with 6:19 left in the third period. Bunting's bad-angle shot was saved, but O'Reilly was there to stuff in the rebound.

Early in the first period, Nashville nearly opened the scoring while on a 4-on-3 power play, but Filip Forsberg's shot hit the right post.

Fourth-line Florida forward Jack Studnicka -- playing just his second game of the season -- nearly scored a few minutes later. Nashville forward Michael Bunting hustled back and batted the puck out of the air after it got past Saros.

Florida got on the board with 3:34 left in the first. The sequence started when Bobrovsky stoned Matthew Wood, who was in alone on the goalie. That stop led to a 2-on-l Panthers rush. Sam Bennett slipped a pass between the legs of Nashville defenseman Nicolas Hague and onto the stick of Verhaeghe, who scored on a backhander from point-blank range.

A highlight of a scoreless second period was a Nashville power play during which Stamkos beat Bobrovsky with a shot. However, as per the theme of the night, Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola swept the puck away just before it crossed the line.

Nashville appeared to get on the board with 18:11 left in the third on a wild scramble in front of Bobrovsky. The Panthers appealed, and it was then ruled that the puck never crossed the line.

Leonard, a 20-year-old rookie, had two goals and two assists in the surging Capitals' 7-1 win against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. Washington, which is 3-0 on a four-game road trip, has won six straight and nine of 10.

Anaheim is coming off a 7-0 home loss to the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday and alternated losses and wins over its past eight games while averaging 3.25 goals.

Alex Ovechkin scored his 910th and 911th career goals against San Jose. Matt Roy had three assists, and Brandon Duhaime had a goal and an assist. Charlie Lindgren made 23 saves and took a shutout into the third period on a night the Capitals were playing the second of back-to-back games.

"We get in three in the morning, and some different things are going on with our lineup and playing back-to-back," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said. "It didn't affect our group and the commitment level to how we play, and our identity was as good as it could possibly be."

Carbery was referring to injuries to defenseman John Carlson (upper body) and forward Justin Sourdif (lower body), who missed the game.

Washington's offense did not suffer from their absences and is averaging 4.5 goals per game during the winning streak. Ovechkin extended his points streak to six games (four goals, five assists).

Leonard has a four-game point streak (two goals, five assists). His four-point game was the first by a Capitals rookie since Nicklas Backstrom in 2008.

"That guy just has it," Lindgren said of Leonard. "He's just such a phenomenal offensive threat."

Forward Nic Dowd returned to the lineup after missing eight games with an upper-body injury.

The Ducks allowed multiple goals in each period against the Mammoth and were shut out for the second time this season.

"They played like they were a desperate team and we looked like we were a step slow," Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. "It's one of those games you look back on at the end of the year ... that you can say you throw in the garbage can. That's our first one that we're gonna throw in the garbage can."

Ville Husso gave up four goals over two periods. Vyacheslav Buteyets made his NHL debut in relief and had 10 saves on 13 shots.

"We want to hold ourselves to the highest possible standard," Anaheim captain Radko Gudas said. "We think highly of ourselves. We want to be better every day and this wasn't the case (Wednesday). Big learning process for us. We never want to have games like that, especially in our own barn."

Ducks rookie forward Beckett Sennecke saw his point streak end at eight games (one goal, seven assists).

Anaheim is without goalies Lukas Dostal (upper-body injury) and Petr Mrazek (lower body).

Washington has scored first in 20 of its 28 games this season. Anaheim has allowed the opening goal in 17 of 27 games.

After his club blew a 3-0 lead, Malkin, who had two goals and an assist, broke the tie by sweeping in a pass from Tommy Novak, who had two assists, at 17:17 of the third period.

With Tampa Bay goaltender Jonas Johansson (27 saves) pulled, Nikita Kucherov appeared to tie the score, but the situation room in Toronto initiated a review and determined Brandon Hagel had touched the puck earlier with his glove and created a hand pass, negating the goal.

Pittsburgh's Ville Koivunen registered his first NHL goal, hitting the net on the power play in his 24th game, and Ben Kindel scored. Tristan Jarry made 37 saves.

Captain Sidney Crosby played in his 1,378th regular-season game, all for Pittsburgh, to tie him with Joe Sakic (Colorado) for the 13th-most games played with only one organization.

Hagel scored twice, Kucherov had a goal and an assist and Darren Raddysh posted two helpers.

Running the Penguins' second power-play unit, point man Kris Letang drew the defense to the right side and dished a pass to the 22-year-old Koivunen, who lifted a shot from the left circle over Johansson 6:12 into the game.

Malkin doubled the lead in the second period when he found a loose puck, took off on a breakaway, opened up Johansson and slid one through the pads at 7:53.

From the slot, Kindel tipped in Erik Karlsson's shot-pass nearly two minutes later for a 3-0 edge and a second man-advantage marker.

However, Kucherov gave his club life when he went to the back door and tapped in a goal at 18:46. Jake Guentzel collected an assist for career point No. 599.

Hagel scored his team-leading 16th and 17th goals in the third period. He struck on the power play at 1:17 and tied the game at 11:44.

The regulation loss was just the second of the season for the Avalanche, who went 14-0-3 following a 3-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Oct. 25.

Kyle MacLean, Anders Lee, Bo Horvat and Adam Pelech helped the Islanders build a 4-0 lead before the midpoint of the game. The 4-0 deficit was the biggest of the season for Colorado.

Valeri Nichushkin and Martin Necas scored in the second for the Avalanche before Barzal collected his goal late in the period. Artturi Lehkonen brought Colorado within 5-3 early in the third but Casey Cizikas added an empty-netter with 1:15 left.

Ilya Sorokin made 35 saves for the Islanders, who finished 3-3-1 on a seven-game homestand by winning the final two contests.

Mackenzie Blackwood, starting in place of the injured Scott Wedgewood, recorded 36 saves for the Avalanche.

MacLean opened the scoring 5:56 into the first following a flurry in the Avalanche crease. The Islanders had several chances against Blackwood before the puck glanced off Devon Toews' stick and to MacLean, who scored from the goal line.

Barzal set up the second goal with 1:40 left when he dished across the ice to Lee, who fired a shot from the right faceoff circle over Blackwood's glove shoulder.

The Islanders scored twice in 61 seconds early in the middle period. Horvat put back the rebound of a shot by Matthew Schaefer at the 6:58 mark before Pelech collected his first goal of the season when his shot from the left faceoff circle glanced off Blackwood and trickled behind him.

The Avalanche began their comeback bid by scoring twice in the next 2:05. Nichushkin, who was screening Sorokin, redirected Sam Malinski's shot at the 8:39 mark. Necas was credited with a goal 1:25 later when his pass across the crease intended for Nathan MacKinnon glanced off Islanders defenseman Travis Mitchell and into the net.

Barzal gave the Islanders a three-goal lead again by scoring on the power play with 1:14 remaining. Lehkonen scored on an angled shot from the goal line 1:27 into the third.

Scott Laughton and Auston Matthews also scored for the Maple Leafs, who won for the fourth time in the past five games. Ex-Carolina forward Max Domi and Nicolas Roy each had two assists.

McMann scored in the game's opening minute and again with less than two minutes to play into an empty net, producing his first multi-goal game of the season.

The Maple Leafs needed to use multiple goalies as Joseph Woll departed with a lower-body injury stopping 22 of 23 shots through two periods. Dennis Hildeby turned aside all nine shots he faced in relief.

Seth Jarvis scored his team-leading 16th goal for the Hurricanes. Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen continued to struggle, yielding four goals on 22 shots in his first action in three games.

The Hurricanes went 0-for-3 on the power play. Carolina used an extra skater late in the game and failed to generate a goal.

It has been tough going for the Hurricanes in terms of converting on offense. They didn't score in regulation in a 1-0 overtime triumph against the Calgary Flames on Sunday.

McMann scored 53 seconds into the game on the game's first shot. Laughton made it 2-0 with 9:15 to play in the first period.

Jarvis got the Hurricanes on the board with 4:15 left in the opening period.

Knies and Matthews boosted the margin with second-period goals for the Maple Leafs, both off assists from Domi. Matthews scored for the second time in three games and has a four-game points streak (two goals, three assists).

Defenseman K'Andre Miller was out of the Carolina lineup because of an illness.

Six Bruins registered multiple points as Morgan Geekie had a goal and two assists, Viktor Arvidsson and Alex Steeves each notched a goal and an assist, Elias Lindholm dished three assists and Mason Lohrei added two helpers.

Joonas Korpisalo made 37 saves to earn his first win since Nov. 6.

Pavel Buchnevich and Pius Suter each scored and Jordan Binnington stopped 22 shots for St. Louis, which has dropped two straight and gone 3-4-3 in its last 10.

Steeves opened the scoring 6:30 into the game. Lindholm's backhand pass found Geekie gliding down the left wing, where he made a cross-ice dish to Steeves to bury from the bottom of the opposite circle for his fifth goal in five games.

Lindholm helped set the table for Boston's second goal at 11:25, dishing a puck out of the corner to Geekie for a top-shelf finish over Binnington.

Buchnevich brought St. Louis within 2-1 just 1:59 into the middle frame. He rocketed home a feed from Colton Parayko, who made a steal along the wall and fed a pass from below the goal line to the left circle.

The Bruins provided an emphatic answer, finishing the period on a three-goal run.

At 6:04, Lohrei's shot in transition created a long bounding rebound that Arvidsson slapped past Binnington from a challenging angle.

Zacha's back-to-back goals before the end of the second increased the Boston lead to 5-1. At 12:26, he took an Arvidsson feed through the neutral zone and cut into the high slot to score a wrist shot.

With just two-tenths of a second left in the period, Zacha was stationed on the right side of the goalmouth to slide home Lindholm's cross-crease pass on the power play.

St. Louis got a goal closer with 10:53 left. After Korpisalo made an impressive kick save on Dylan Holloway coming down the left side, the winger stayed with the play behind the net and threaded a pass through a defender to Suter, who finished out front.

Blues forward Aleksanteri Kaskimaki played 15:17 in his NHL debut.

Mika Zibanejad, Vladislav Gavrikov and Will Borgen scored for the Rangers, who are 5-1-0 over their last six games.

Three of those victories were on the road, as the Rangers continued their dominance outside of New York. The Rangers are 12-4-1 in away games this season, leading the NHL in road wins and road points (25).

Igor Shesterkin stopped 25 of 27 shots to earn his 12th win of the season. Shesterkin's strong game was highlighted by a fantastic glove save on Tim Stutzle during a breakaway chance early in the third period.

Drake Batherson had a power-play goal and an assist for Ottawa, and Jake Sanderson had two assists. Dylan Cozens scored the Senators' other goal, also on the power play.

Leevi Merilainen stopped 24 of 27 shots for the Senators, who are 1-3-0 in their last four games.

Shane Pinto didn't return after sustaining a lower-body injury during the first period, leaving the Senators without one of their top playmakers for most of the game.

Zibanejad gave New York the early lead 3:19 into the first period, as the forward converted Miller's pass on a 2-on-1 rush for his 10th goal of the year. At the 9:45 mark, Gavrikov extended the Rangers' lead with a brilliant snipe from the left circle.

Ninety seconds before the first intermission, Cozens converted his own nicely-placed wrist shot from the circle during an Ottawa power play. It was Cozens' ninth goal of the season, and fifth power-play marker.

The Rangers outshot the Senators by a 12-7 margin in the second period, and Borgen's tally at the 7:24 mark ended up being the game's deciding goal.

Ottawa made it a 2-for-3 night on the power play on Batherson's re-directed goal 13:08 into the third period. This was as close as the Senators would get, as Panarin's empty-net goal with 44 seconds remaining sealed New York's victory.

Utah snapped its own four-game skid with an overpowering 7-0 win over the Ducks in Anaheim on Wednesday. The Canucks have lost three straight and are 2-6-2 in their last 10 games after dropping a 3-1 decision to the first-place Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday.

"I think the message was clear and well-received," Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny said after the blowout of the Ducks. "It doesn't mean anything anymore after midnight, so we'll need to focus on Vancouver."

Until Wednesday, there hadn't been much for the Mammoth to cheer about during their six-game road trip, which ends Saturday in Calgary.

The Mammoth are a young group, so Tourigny knew there would be growing pains this season. They have benefited from some key offseason additions and another year of NHL experience for players like 21-year-old Logan Cooley and 22-year-old Dylan Guenther.

"Everyone has got to take ownership for their individual games, but if we can raise our individual games, we can raise our team game inside of that. (On Wednesday) I think we did a great job of that," Utah defenseman Ian Cole said.

Goaltender Karel Vejmelka was given the hook in the opening period of a loss to San Jose on Monday after allowing three goals in just 13 minutes. His shutout against the Ducks was the seventh of his career and first of the season as he blanked one of the NHL's highest-scoring teams.

"We cannot get carried away, it's one game," Tourigny said. "We needed it, all of it, but at the same time, it doesn't mean anything if we're not showing up in the next game."

Captain Clayton Keller is playing with a heavy heart after the death of his father one week ago. But you couldn't tell from his one-goal, two-assist performance against the Ducks. Bryan Keller died unexpectedly in his sleep on Thanksgiving Day.

The struggling Canucks will try to avoid suffering their longest losing streak of the season when they open a four-game homestand against Utah. Vancouver has lost six of its last seven and nine of its last 11.

"Wins are the most important thing," Canucks captain Quinn Hughes said. "If you lose but you lose 3-1 and not 5-1, you're still losing. "

Vancouver's goaltending has been a revolving door over the last week. Kevin Lankinen was away from the team for personal reasons before returning to the net in Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss at Los Angeles, then getting the nod again for Tuesday's loss at Colorado. Thatcher Demko has been out for three weeks with a lower-body injury and didn't travel on the most recent road trip. Nikita Tolopilo's wife gave birth to the couple's first child, so he has been away from the team.

"It's tough right now. We need some wins," Linus Karlsson said. "Even if I score, I'd rather take a win."

The Canucks are so hungry for a win that they pulled Lankinen with nearly four minutes left in Tuesday's game.

"We played good. I hate that we lost 3-1 against a great hockey team," Vancouver coach Adam Foote said.

Dallas is 6-0-2 in its last eight games, with six of those contests coming on the road. The Stars return home after a two-game trip that consisted of a 3-2 overtime loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday and a 3-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday.

Delivering a shutout in the second half of a back-to-back is always impressive, but the Stars' win over the Devils came a day after another prominent regular was lost to injury. Tyler Seguin's season likely ended after the forward sustained an ACL injury against New York.

The Stars already were missing three defenseman (Thomas Harley, Nils Lundkvist, Lian Bichsel) to long-term injuries, and forward Matt Duchene missed the last 23 games with an upper-body injury. Duchene's status has been upgraded to day-to-day, so the Stars should soon regain the services of their points leader from the 2024-25 season.

Even with the undermanned lineup, Dallas is second in the NHL with 41 points, behind only the Colorado Avalanche (44) through Wednesday.

"It's crazy how many injuries we've had this year and a lot of guys stepping up, especially the (defensive) corps. ... Lots of mixing and matching," Stars captain Jamie Benn said. "Different lines, different positions, and it's just about going out there and getting the job done."

The Stars' steady play can be a model for the inconsistent Sharks. San Jose is 3-4-0 over its last seven games, alternating between stirring victories and tough setbacks.

Wednesday's 7-1 loss to the Washington Capitals was perhaps San Jose's ugliest result yet. It matched the Sharks' season high for goals allowed, and it was San Jose's second six-goal loss in its last five games.

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky described the loss as "a reality check" and a warning against complacency.

"I think we get comfortable having a little bit of success and we think sometimes it's going to be a little bit easy for us," Warsofsky said. "Human nature is to kind of come off it a little bit and feel comfortable, and so we've got to feel uncomfortable."

In the wake of that lopsided defeat, the Sharks now begin a five-game road trip with a visit to one of the NHL's top clubs. The Stars were a perfect 6-0-0 against the Sharks over the previous two seasons.

Yaroslav Askarov got the early hook in Wednesday's game after allowing four goals on 12 shots. Askarov had moved into a regular starting role for San Jose, but the goalie has now been pulled in two of his last four starts.

Backup Alex Nedeljkovic would get the nod if the Sharks want to give Askarov a breather against the dangerous Stars offense.

Macklin Celebrini leads the Sharks in goals (14) and assists (26). In his second NHL season, the 19-year-old phenom is already sitting among the league leaders with 40 points.

Dallas forwards Jason Robertson (17 goals, 36 points) and Mikko Rantanen (12 goals, 35 points) aren't far behind Celebrini on the scoring leaderboard.

After a 30-save shutout at New Jersey, Jake Oettinger likely will start again against San Jose. Oettinger is enjoying another standout season, as the goalie is 12-4-2 with a 2.60 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage over 18 starts.

The Sabres arrive in Winnipeg after a 5-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Wednesday in the opener of their season-long six-game road trip that stretches over 12 days. After facing the Jets, the Sabres will continue through Western Canada before wrapping it up in Seattle on Dec. 14.

"It's a big road trip with a lot of points up for grabs that we need," forward Tage Thompson said. "This is one we've just got to shake off and get ready for the rest of the trip."

Buffalo dropped to 2-7-2 on the road with the setback to the Flyers. The team appeared to be getting back on track away from home in winning two of its previous three road games (5-4 in overtime at Detroit on Nov. 15; 3-2 in the shootout at Minnesota on Nov. 29) but faltered against Philadelphia.

The Sabres' typically strong penalty kill gave up two power-play goals in 38 seconds amidst a stretch of four straight goals by the Flyers after the Sabres had taken the lead on a power-play tally of their own.

The loss denied Buffalo of its first three-game winning streak of the season.

"You're never happy with a loss, obviously, but we've got to just keep chugging here," defenseman Bowen Byram said. "Eventually, we've got to find a way to string some wins together. We win two, lose two, win two, lose two. ... If we want to stay in the race, we're going to have to try to string something together."

The Sabres will be looking to recreate the effort that spurred them to a 5-1 win against the Jets on Monday in Buffalo. They played with pace and looked connected everywhere on the ice, chasing Jets goalie Eric Comrie after the first period and limiting the Jets' dangerous top line of Kyle Connor, Mark Scheifele and Gabriel Vilardi to four shots on goal. That included Connor scoring the lone tally for Winnipeg, which held a players-only, closed-door meeting immediately after the game.

The Jets followed that with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, dropping them to 1-5-1 in their past seven games. Though they didn't get the result they wanted against Montreal, they liked the effort they delivered after the loss to Buffalo.

"The compete was there. Obviously it sucks we got beat and didn't get the win, but that was a better blueprint for how our team has got to play," Scheifele said. "If we play like that, we'll get some wins."

Secondary scoring has been an issue for Winnipeg. The club entered Thursday with 78 goals through 26 games, tied for 20th in the NHL. Scheifele (14), Connor (14) and Vilardi (11) have accounted for exactly half of those. After Vilardi, no other Jets player has more than six.

"It isn't always necessarily the goals or getting shots. Sometimes it's just wearing the opposition down and it's building it up for the next line," Jets coach Scott Arniel said.

The power play has also been an issue of late, stuck in a 2-for-18 rut, including going 1-for-11 on their just-concluded five-game road trip.

The Golden Knights, who play seven of their next eight games away from home, have traditionally played well in the month of December, going 65-24-8 all-time, including 10-2-0 last season.

Vegas, which has won two in a row, started the month off well with a 4-3 shootout victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday. Carter Hart made 27 saves and yielded just one goal on four shootout attempts in his first NHL start since Jan. 20, 2024. Shea Theodore had two assists and scored the game-winner in the fourth round of the shootout.

After Theodore netted a backhand shot past Chicago goalie Spencer Knight to win it, the Golden Knights mobbed Hart at center ice. The 27-year-old Hart had been sidelined with four other members of Canada's 2018 World Junior gold medal-winning squad who were all acquitted in a sexual assault case in late July.

"It's been a real difficult journey to get back," Hart, fighting back tears, told reporters afterward. "Wouldn't have been able to do it without my family and friends."

"He was excellent," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "As the game went on, I thought he got cleaner. In terms of athletic saves, there were a number of them, especially when it was 3-2. ... I think the guys were happy for him for obvious reasons."

Hart is expected to alternate with Akira Schmid while starter Adin Hill (groin) remains sidelined.

"I thought he was outstanding," Theodore said. "He made a lot of huge saves, especially in the shootout. We're all happy for him."

New Jersey has dropped the first three games of a four-game homestand and comes in off a 3-0 loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. Jacob Markstrom made 25 saves in a losing effort for New Jersey.

The Devils, who went 8-1-0 to begin the season, are 3-6-0 in their last nine games and have slipped into fourth place in the Metropolitan Division.

Injuries, especially to star center Jack Hughes, have played a key factor in the slump. Hughes had 10 goals and 10 assists in just 17 games before suffering a non-hockey finger injury that required surgery on Nov. 15. Hughes is expected to miss another month.

"You're not going to replace a Jack Hughes," defenseman Brenden Dillon said. "You're not going to replace these guys that are injured. By committee, instead of those highlight-reel goals, (need to get) some greasy rebounds, throwing stuff to the net, crashing the net, (and) we're just seeming to do that now. We're going to have to change gears on that quick."

The loss to the Stars was the fourth game in six days for the Devils, who appeared to be fatigued over the final two periods.

"You need something to spark the group," New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe said. "A coach can only bark so much. (Dallas) didn't make it easy on us once they got the lead, and we didn't seem to have the juice to go and earn it. We just didn't have a lot of juice (Wednesday). It's tough."

Doughty, who confirmed to NHL.com of his availability to play, has been sidelined since blocking a shot with his left foot in a game against the Ottawa Senators on Oct. 15.

He has eight points (two goals, six assists) and a plus-7 rating in 19 games this season.

Doughty, who turns 36 on Monday, won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman in 2015-16 and helped the Kings capture the Stanley Cup in 2012 and 2014.

He has collected 694 points (162 goals, 532 assists) in 1,226 career games since being selected by the Kings with the second overall pick of the 2008 NHL Draft.

McDonagh, 36, has six points (three goals, three assists) in 15 games this season while playing in the final campaign of a seven-year, $47.25 million contract. He currently is on injured reserve.

McDonagh is one season removed from leading the NHL with a plus-43 rating.

"Mac is one of a kind," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said Thursday. "If guys like Ryan McDonagh can't get in the Hall of Fame, I'm not sure why we would have a Hall of Fame. That's basically what I think."

A two-time Stanley Cup champion with Tampa Bay in 2020 and 2021, McDonagh has totaled 426 points (83 goals, 343 assists) while averaging 22:32 of ice time in 1,025 career games with the New York Rangers, Lightning and Nashville Predators.

McDonagh was selected by the Canadiens with the 12th overall pick of the 2007 NHL Draft before being traded to the Rangers on June 30, 2009, as part of a six-player deal that sent Scott Gomez to Montreal.

With the Blues' current form (9-11-7) looking similar to the up-and-down start (8-9-3) that ended his time with the Bruins last November, Montgomery's current and former clubs will meet for the first time since he changed benches on Thursday night when he returns to his former stomping grounds.

"Professionally, it's a bag of mixed emotions. Some great times and some very, very disappointing times," Montgomery said of his tenure in Boston, highlighted by a record-setting 2022-23 regular season.

St. Louis is 3-3-4 in its past 10 games, but a 4-1 home loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Monday was its first regulation setback in a four-game span (2-1-1). Montgomery was in the headlines for a verbal exchange with Jordan Binnington after pulling the goaltender in the first period, but cooler heads prevailed quickly in the aftermath.

"He's a competitor, he raises his games in big moments all the time. I love him," Montgomery said. "He walked off the ice, he said, 'I love you.' I said, 'I love you, too.' We're both competitors by nature, and at the end of the period, he waited for me, we apologized, we moved on."

Beyond Binnington's start (two goals allowed on five shots), the Blues saw their offensive struggles continued. They were 0-for-6 on the power play and failed to score more than two goals for the eighth time in nine games. Jordan Kyrou netted the lone goal.

"It was just one of those games where we couldn't get a lot of momentum going," Blues defenseman Cam Fowler said.

The Blues also have had a tough week on the health front. Montgomery has to figure things out regarding a slew of regulars as the team begins a three-game road trip.

Forwards Jimmy Snuggerud (wrist surgery) and Nathan Walker (upper-body injury) were placed on injured reserve and are expected to miss around six and eight weeks, respectively. Alexey Toropchenko remains week-to-week after burning his legs in an accident at home.

Health has also been a factor in the Bruins' recent run of play. A 5-4 road loss against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday was Boston's fifth defeat in an eight-game span (3-5-0), with only one win coming in regulation.

With top scorer David Pastrnak on the shelf with an undisclosed injury that has kept him out the past three games, the Bruins lost another defenseman Michael Callahan (lower-body injury) just as forward Viktor Arvidsson returned from a seven-game absence on Tuesday.

Boston chased the game at Detroit, climbing back from 3-0 and 5-2 deficits to get within one goal.

"For some reason, we can't stay healthy. We had five D all night, four D for (part of the third period)," Bruins coach Marco Sturm said. "Guys battled hard, but we just have to play smarter 5-on-5 to get some points out of here."

With Callahan likely unavailable on Wednesday, Sturm expects Frederic Brunet or Victor Soderstrom to be the extra defenseman called up from AHL Providence.

In the Tuesday game, Boston got two goals from Alex Steeves. Jonathan Aspirot netted his first career NHL goal, and Hampus Lindholm (three) and Morgan Geekie (two) dished out multiple assists.

Lindholm echoed Sturm about the team's effort.

"We've shown moments where we can be a really hard team to play against, but we can't turn that on every now and then," he said. "We have to do that for 60 minutes."

Cole Caufield had the most important contribution of the night, netting the only goal in the shootout. Dobes stonewalled Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele before getting a little help from the post as Gabriel Vilardi couldn't keep the game going.

Caufield also registered an assist, while Juraj Slafkovsky and Oliver Kapanen buried markers for Montreal. Dobes stopped 29 of 31 shots, and Ivan Demidov, Nick Suzuki and Alexandre Texier tallied helpers as well.

Comrie matched Dobes with 29 saves on 31 shots before blinking first in the shootout. Scheifele and Connor each potted their team-best 14th goals of the season while assisting on each other's markers, and Vilardi and Dylan DeMelo had a helper apiece. Winnipeg has now dropped six decisions in seven games (1-5-1).

Stars 3, Devils 0

Jake Oettinger made 30 saves for his 14th career shutout and second of the season as Dallas defeated New Jersey in Newark.

Defenseman Miro Heiskanen had a goal and an assist and Jason Robertson and Mikko Rantanen also scored for the Stars, who extended their point streak to eight games (6-0-2). Jamie Benn and defenseman Esa Lindell each had two assists.

Jacob Markstrom stopped 25 of 28 shots as the Devils lost their third straight game. Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon was honored before the opening faceoff for playing in his 1,000th career game Monday.

Mammoth 7, Ducks 0

Lawson Crouse and Dylan Guenther scored goals in the opening 11 minutes and Utah ended a four-game losing streak with a dominant road victory over Anaheim.

JJ Peterka tallied two goals and two assists, Clayton Keller notched a goal and two helpers and Guenther and Ian Cole each had a goal and an assist. Karel Vejmelka made 27 saves for his first shutout of the season and seventh of his career as the Mammoth earned their first win in the fourth contest of a six-game road trip.

Ducks goaltender Ville Husso got the start with Lukas Dostal and Petr Mrazek out due to injuries, making 17 saves on 21 shots in two periods. Vyacheslav Buteyets turned aside 10 of 13 shots in the third period in his NHL debut.

Flyers 5, Sabres 2

Travis Konecny, Noah Cates and Bobby Brink each had a goal and an assist to guide Philadelphia past visiting Buffalo.

Trevor Zegras and Owen Tippett also scored for the Flyers, who won for the sixth time in eight games. Samuel Ersson made 27 saves.

Jason Zucker and Bowen Byram scored for the Sabres, who failed in a bid for their first three-game winning streak of the season. Colten Ellis turned aside 30 shots.

Capitals 7, Sharks 1

Rookie Ryan Leonard scored two goals and had two assists and Alex Ovechkin added two goals as visiting Washington earned its sixth straight victory.

It was the 181st multi-goal game of Ovechkin's career, second only to Wayne Gretzky's 189 in the NHL history. The two goals were No. 910 and No. 911 of his career, extending his league career record. Brandon Duhaime had a short-handed goal and an assist, Matt Roy logged three assists and Sonny Milano and Dylan Strome scored a goal apiece for Washington.

Pavol Regenda scored a power-play goal for San Jose, which has alternated wins and losses for eight games. Alex Nedeljkovic, who took over for starter Yaroslav Askarov at the 17:07 mark of the first period, finished with 15 saves. Askarov stopped eight of 12 shots before being pulled.

JJ Peterka had two goals with two assists for the Mammoth. Clayton Keller contributed a goal and two assists, while Guenther and Ian Cole each had a goal and an assist. Liam O'Brien also scored, and Jack McBain and Nick Schmaltz had two assists apiece.

Karel Vejmelka made 27 saves for Utah, which is 1-3-0 on a six-game road trip. Vejmelka earned his first shutout of the season and the seventh of his career.

Ducks goaltender Ville Husso allowed four goals on 21 shots in two periods. Vyacheslav Buteyets turned aside 10 of 13 shots in the third period while making his NHL debut. Anaheim goalies Lukas Dostal and Petr Mrazek are out due to injuries.

The Ducks have alternated wins and losses for the past eight games.

Crouse scored 5:59 into the game on a backhand from his knees off a pass by Michael Carcone from behind the goal. Guenther made it 2-0 at 10:30 of the opening period when he moved in from center ice and scored between Husso's legs.

Cole tallied at 5:43 of the second period for a 3-0 lead on a blast from the left circle.

An apparent goal from Anaheim's Mason McTavish in the second period was taken away on replay when the Ducks were ruled to be offside.

The Mammoth opened the advantage to 4-0 at 14:34 of the middle period when Peterka scored from a sharp angle off a cross-ice pass from Nick Schmaltz.

O'Brien made it 5-0 in the third period on a deflection off the skate of Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson. Peterka scored again, on a power play, and Keller added a goal in the final 10 minutes.

Vejmelka, who was removed in the first period of a loss to the San Jose Sharks on Monday after allowing three goals in 13 minutes, kept one of the NHL's highest-scoring teams in check. The Ducks entered the day second in the league with an average of 3.62 goals per game.

It was the 181st multi-goal game of Ovechkin's career, second only to Wayne Gretzky's 189 in the NHL history. The two goals were No. 910 and No. 911 of his career, extending his league career record.

Brandon Duhaime had a short-handed goal and an assist, Matt Roy logged three assists and Sonny Milano and Dylan Strome scored a goal apiece for Washington, which moved two points ahead of the idle Carolina Hurricanes into sole possession of first place in the Metropolitan Division. Trevor van Riemsdyk added two assists.

Charlie Lindgren made 22 saves and also had an assist while winning his fourth straight start for the Capitals, who prevailed for the ninth time in 10 games.

Pavol Regenda scored a power-play goal for San Jose, which has alternated wins and losses for eight games. Alex Nedeljkovic, who took over for starter Yaroslav Askarov at the 17:07 mark of the first period, finished with 15 saves. Askarov stopped eight of 12 shots before being pulled.

Washington led 4-0 after the first period and 6-0 after the second.

The Capitals jumped out to a 1-0 lead at the 8:25 mark when Ovechkin chipped in a rebound of a Roy shot.

Milano then put in a wrist shot from the left circle to make it 2-0 at 10:05, and Leonard roofed a rebound of a van Riemsdyk shot from the bottom of the left circle for the Capitals' third goal in the span of 5:10.

Duhaime, off a highlight-reel drop pass from Aliaksei Protas, extended the lead to 4-0 with a short-handed goal at 17:07.

Ovechkin got his second goal of the night on a power play at the 2:41 mark of the second period with a one-timer from the left circle.

Strome deflected a Roy shot to make it 6-0 just before the end of the middle period.

Leonard scored his second goal to make it 7-0 at 1:03 of the third period when he drove the net and put in a backhand shot. He became the first rookie to record a four-point game in the NHL this season.

Regenda ruined Lindgren's shutout bid with 7:02 remaining when Dmitry Orlov's point shot deflected into the net off his skate.

Whether that proves true should be evident Thursday night, when the Kraken return to the ice in Edmonton for a rematch with the Oilers.

The Kraken went 0-for-6 with the man advantage on Saturday, including a 5-on-3 edge for 1:45 in the first period. It was Seattle's third straight defeat (0-2-1).

"A lot of times when you don't capitalize on a 5-on-3, it sort of reaches up to bite you in a game," Kraken coach Lane Lambert said. "We had a good look at that. We had a long time to have that 5-on-3, and the fact we didn't capitalize on it was disappointing. ...

"We can move pucks quicker (on the power play). When we get teams on the ropes, when there's a shot and there's a rebound, we're too slow to move the puck, and therefore, (the opposing penalty-killers) are able to reset."

In contrast, the Oilers converted on both of their man advantages.

Jaden Schwartz, the Kraken's scoring leader with a meager 15 points (eight goals, seven assists), sat out on Saturday and is expected to miss the next six weeks with a lower-body injury.

The Kraken just got forwards Jared McCann and Kaapo Kakko back last week. McCann, the franchise's all-time leading goal- and point-scorer, missed 17 games. Kakko has been sidelined twice already this season with injuries, his latest absence costing him six games.

The injuries and offensive struggles might prevent Kraken rookie Berkly Catton from being loaned to Team Canada for the World Junior Championships that begin Dec. 26.

Catton has yet to get his first NHL goal -- though he came close Saturday against the Oilers. He has five assists through his first 19 games and hasn't looked out of place.

"At least getting good looks," said Catton, who had 54 and 38 goals the previous two seasons with the WHL's Spokane Chiefs. "It'll be a sense of relief (to score), for sure.

"Just trying to not just focus on that, and think there's lots of other components of the game that I can contribute with."

Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner bounced back after getting pulled from his previous start to make 26 in the shutout at Seattle.

"I was able to play a solid game," Skinner said. "I thought you saw that from everybody, and I think this is one of the games where we were able to play a really solid 60-minute game."

Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman each had a goal and an assist for the Oilers on Saturday.

"(We were) just steady right from the get-go," said Nugent-Hopkins, who returned after missing nine games due to an undisclosed injury. "I thought we controlled the pace early, but we took some penalties that, obviously, you need your goalie to be kicking on the PK, so he did a great job of that."

While the Kraken have been idle since Saturday, the Oilers opened a five-game homestand with a 1-0 home loss to the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

"Obviously, you're disappointed any time you lose," said Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch, whose team has dropped five of its past seven games (2-4-1). "You're looking for the negatives, you look to critique the things we didn't do ... but overall, I thought we played a game that more often than not would result in us coming out victorious and feeling good about ourselves.

"I'm disappointed that we lost, but it was more of what we need."