NHL News

The Flyers are 2-0-3 in their last five games, but they had dropped three consecutive games in overtime or a shootout before Tuesday's 4-1 road win over the Montreal Canadiens.

Alexandre Texier scored to give the Habs a 1-0 lead 19:00 into the first period, but Carl Grundstrom's equalizer just 39 seconds later triggered four unanswered Philadelphia goals. It was also the first of three late daggers for the Flyers, who scored in the final two minutes of each period.

Forward Trevor Zegras praised his teammates' "pretty timely goals," noting that Grundstrom's goal in particular was "massive, giving us a whole lot of confidence going into the room and then obviously into the second (period)."

Philadelphia has a league-best 12 victories this season when allowing the game's opening goal. The Flyers (12-6-4) and the league-leading Colorado Avalanche (7-1-3) are the only teams who have won more than they've lost when trailing first in a game.

The Sabres are returning home after a six-game road trip that began with a 5-2 loss on Dec. 3 in Philadelphia. Buffalo dropped the first three games of the trip before rebounding for three consecutive victories to earn the club's longest winning streak of the season.

Buffalo remains in last place in the Eastern Conference, however, which has led to an organizational shake-up. Thursday marks the Sabres' first game under Jarmo Kekalainen, who was named general manager on Monday after Kevyn Adams was fired.

Lindy Ruff remains behind the Sabres' bench, and the head coach said that the outlook has remained the same since the front office change.

"(Kekaleinen's) message is keep putting the work in," Ruff said. "Keep trying to coach these players up and win hockey games."

A victory on Thursday would be the 915th of Ruff's career, making him the fourth-winningest coach in NHL history. He currently shares fourth with Barry Trotz, who currently serves as the Nashville Predators' general manager.

Defenseman Michael Kesselring is expected to play Thursday after missing Buffalo's last 14 games with a lower-body injury. Forward Peyton Krebs is questionable after missing Wednesday's practice with an illness that Ruff said was hampering several Sabres players.

Buffalo has one of the NHL's top penalty kills, but the unit has hit a bit of a slump. The Sabres killed only 15 of 21 penalties during their six-game road trip. The Flyers might still be hard-pressed to take advantage, as Philadelphia's struggling power play is 0-for-13 over its last six games.

Zegras and Buffalo's Tage Thompson lead their respective teams in both goals and points, and both star forwards are on four-game goal streaks. Zegras' scoring run comes within a larger five-game points streak that has seen the Flyers center amass seven points (four goals, three assists). Thompson also has seven points (four goals, three assists) during his scoring streak.

Alex Lyon has gotten the win in each of Buffalo's last three games. He has not started more than three consecutive games since opening the season in net for Buffalo's first five, but he could start again Thursday if the Sabres want to ride the hot hand. For the season, Lyon is 6-6-3 with a 2.99 goals-against average and .905 save percentage.

The Flyers have gotten good goaltending from both Daniel Vladar and Samuel Ersson this season, though Vladar has had the majority of starts. Vladar has started four of the Flyers' last five games, posting a 1.70 GAA, .926 save percentage and 2-0-2 record in those four outings.

The Leafs came away with a 3-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in their fifth consecutive home game on Tuesday. Auston Matthews and Dakota Joshua scored eight seconds apart to complete the comeback from 2-0 down.

"I think we talked about it after the first (period) a little bit, to get pucks behind and go to work and be on them a little bit more," said defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who netted Toronto's first goal halfway through the third period. "I thought we did that a little bit more in the third and not passing up a lot of those chances we had."

Even so, pressure is mounting on the Maple Leafs, who find themselves on the wrong side of the playoff line with the halfway mark of the season fast approaching. Toronto finished the homestand with a 2-1-2 record. Reporters noted after Tuesday's game how frequently Toronto coaches and players appeared animated on the bench.

"Oh, it could have been a number of things," Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube responded when asked what had provoked a particularly irate reaction in the first period. "I'm not sure exactly which one."

Toronto can take solace in having won its last three games away from home by a combined score of 16-4. The last team to best the Leafs on the road were none other than the Capitals, who won 4-2 on Nov. 28.

Washington returns home after a tumultuous two-game road stretch in which it was outscored 10-1. The last outing was a 5-0 beating at the hands of the Minnesota Wild, also on Tuesday night. Filip Gustavsson turned away all 25 Capitals shots to hand them their second shutout loss of the season.

"There's no doubt, the majority of our group right now is struggling to execute and finish," Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said after the game. "You can see that for the last couple of games -- it's probably been three or four (games). Usually you go through this -- I've talked about this before -- but it just feels like our whole group is like that right now."

Washington, which has dropped three straight games, remains in a playoff spot. In the face of adversity, the team remains confident it has the same quality as last season, where the Capitals topped the Eastern Conference with 111 points.

"I think we are at that level," defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk said when asked if the team had learned anything from the humbling road trip. "Obviously, we didn't show it these last two games, but we're a team that when we play our best, we're right up there with the best in the league."

Toronto's battered back end hopes to be rejoined by veteran Chris Tanev, who has finally been cleared for regular practice after sustaining an upper-body injury on Nov. 1. The Leafs continue their makeshift goalie tandem of backups Joseph Woll and Dennis Hildeby with the ongoing absence of Anthony Stolarz (upper-body injury).

The Pittsburgh Penguins will look to snap a six-game winless skid (0-2-4) on Thursday when they visit the Ottawa Senators.

"The season's always going to be a bit of a roller coaster, and obviously right now we're in it in a downswing," Rust said after he extended his goal-scoring streak to four games in a 6-4 setback to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

"And I think we can't just go around here moping around and coming in every day with long faces. I think each day is a new day. Think about this one for the rest of the night, learn our lessons, move on. Obviously, we've had a few too many lessons to learn here recently, but we can't sit and sulk and dwell on it."

Penguins head coach Dan Muse is well aware of his team's recent fortunes.

"It obviously adds up," Muse said. "It wears on you. As I've said before, it's going to be different every night. No two games are the same. So, we have to just focus on the things that we do."

Defenseman Erik Karlsson and Tommy Novak each collected a goal and an assist and Danton Heinen also tallied on Tuesday for Pittsburgh.

Captain Sidney Crosby notched an assist for his 1,722nd career point to move within one point of tying Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux for the franchise record.

With a fruitless five-game homestand in the rearview mirror, the Penguins hope some time away from the Steel City will do them some good. They own a five-game road point streak (3-0-2) and are 8-3-4 away from home this season.

The Senators recorded a 3-2 overtime victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday to conclude a 2-1-0 road trip.

Tim Stutzle capped his ninth career three-assist performance by setting up captain Brady Tkachuk's goal at 2:11 of overtime.

Stutzle has totaled nine points (four goals, five assists) during his four-game multi-point streak, which is one shy of the franchise record. He is set to play in his 400th career NHL game on Thursday.

"I'm just really happy with the two points," Tkachuk said. "We lead the league in one-goal (regulation losses entering play on Wednesday), and we made an emphasis on that 6-on-5 that we weren't going to get denied. Maybe it took a little puck luck, but I think we were due for that."

The Senators are expected to turn to workhorse Linus Ullmark on Thursday. The goaltender is on pace to play in 60 games this season, well above the 44 last season and 49 during his Vezina Trophy-winning campaign with the Boston Bruins in 2022-23.

Signed to a four-year, $33 million extension, Ullmark has a 3.00 goals-against average and .879 save percentage this season. Those numbers are well behind his respective career averages (2.58, .915).

"There has been a lot of talk about his game this year," Ottawa head coach Travis Green said of Ullmark "You could really see that he was dialed in (on Monday). He came big for us in the third period and in overtime."

Looking to avoid a fourth straight defeat, the visiting Blackhawks also will be trying to reverse their recent fortunes against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.

Competitive out of the gate, the young Blackhawks were dealt a serious blow Friday when Bedard, among the NHL's best with 44 points, injured his shoulder late in a 3-2 loss Dec. 12 at St. Louis. Bedard will miss the rest of December, and Chicago totaled two goals in losing its first two games without its superstar in the lineup.

"You have to understand process," Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill said. "You're gonna have to go back at it. We're gonna have to do a good job of having a short-term memory.

"They are all learning lessons," the coach added. "We'll learn from it and move on."

The reality is that the Blackhawks are 3-9-2 since Nov. 20, but have even less margin for error without Bedard because he leads the club with 19 goals, 25 assists and a plus-8 rating. It hasn't helped that budding star Frank Nazar has not tallied any of his 20 points in the last six games -- and has not scored a goal since Oct. 28.

After blowing a 2-0 lead in Tuesday's 3-2 loss at Toronto, Chicago has managed just five goals during a four-game road losing streak that began Dec. 6.

The Blackhawks also are mired in a 2-4-1 rut against Montreal, which spoiled their 2025-26 home opener with a 3-2 victory on Oct. 11. Canadiens stars Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki combined for five points in that contest.

Caufield is second on the team with 33 points, but he was blanked in each of the team's last two games.

After totaling 12 goals during a 2-0-1 stretch, the Canadiens followed with a 4-1 home loss to Philadelphia on Tuesday. Alexandre Texier, who has recorded all three of his goals this season in the last four games, provided the only scoring for Montreal.

The Canadiens also have allowed 37 goals while amid a 4-5-1 stretch.

"Frustrating," Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson said. "We've got to try to stack a couple wins here."

Montreal rookie Jacob Fowler stopped 17 of 20 shots on Tuesday in his third career start. He'll continue to back up Jakub Dobes with the struggling Sam Montembeault on a conditioning assignment with AHL Laval.

Dobes has a 5-4-0 record and 3.27 goals-against average at home this season.

Spencer Knight made 24 saves on Tuesday for the Blackhawks and has yielded 12 goals while losing three consecutive road starts. Meanwhile, backup Arvid Soderblom sports a hefty 5.81 GAA during his four-start losing streak that began Nov. 21.

In addition to Nazar's struggles, Chicago veteran Tyler Bertuzzi has failed to record a point in three straight contests. He does have three goals with three assists in his last eight games versus Montreal.

Talented Blackhawks defenseman Artyom Levshunov, among the team's top performers with 14 points in 31 games, could be back in the lineup after he was a healthy scratch for, reportedly, arriving late to a recent practice.

Meanwhile, veteran Canadiens blueliner Mike Matheson could miss a second straight contest due to an upper-body injury.

Suzuki has seven points in 10 career games versus Chicago, but none have come in the five meetings he has played at home.

The Bruins earned a 4-1 victory Tuesday over the Utah Mammoth in their return from a three-game road trip.

After Morgan Geekie scored the tying and go-ahead goals to erase Utah's early 1-0 lead, a two-goal third period led Boston into sole possession of second place in the Atlantic Division standings with its fifth win in the last six games and fourth straight at home.

"It's not easy with all the travel, coming back," Bruins coach Marco Sturm said. "It felt different in the first period, even for me, being home again. The players, I think, felt the same way, but they know, ‘OK, we've got to get better.' That's exactly what they showed in the second and third."

With Jeremy Swayman (20 saves) in goal, Boston allowed Utah to take just eight shots after the first period and pitched a shutout in the third. Casey Mittelstadt and Mikey Eyssimont scored insurance goals in the third to put the game away.

"I think we've really found an identity," Mittelstadt said. "Marco's come in firm and strong on that. I think the way he wants to play fits the personnel we have as well."

Geekie is coming off another big night, registering his fifth two-goal game of the season. His 24 goals remain second in the NHL to the 28 from Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche.

"Fun to see him get better every day, and he's been proving it the whole year this year," Pastrnak said of Geekie.

The Bruins claimed defenseman Vladislav Kolyachonok off waivers from the Dallas Stars prior to Tuesday's game and he joined his new team for the first time for practice on Wednesday afternoon. Jonathan Aspirot (upper body) was placed on injured reserve.

Edmonton, which is 5-1-1 since Dec. 4, comes to Boston for the fourth game of a five-game trip following a 6-4 road win Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Connor McDavid (two goals, two assists) and Leon Draisaitl (four assists) each were productive against former teammate Stuart Skinner, who was traded to Pittsburgh last week in a deal that moved fellow goaltender Tristan Jarry to Edmonton.

Tuesday was a history-making night for Draisaitl, who joined McDavid in reaching the 1,000-point plateau for his career. He is the first German-born player and the fifth-fastest player born outside of North America to hit that milestone.

"Regular-season success, playoff success, he's such a big-time player scoring big-time goals," Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. "He gets a lot of attention for a lot of things -- goal scoring and play making, but I don't think he gets enough credit for his defensive play. A really remarkable player."

McDavid has delivered nine goals and 11 assists across a seven-game point streak and is the reigning NHL First Star of the Week.

"He's been dominant," Draisaitl said of McDavid. "He has stretches like that every season where he seems unstoppable. So hopefully, he can carry this on for a while."

The duo led the Oilers to a 3-of-4 showing on the power play against Pittsburgh, marking the team's second time scoring more than two man-advantage goals in seven games.

Zach Hyman (four-game goal streak) and Evan Bouchard each had a goal and an assist, while Vasily Podkolzin and Matt Savoie also scored.

Minnesota took down the Washington Capitals, 5-0, on Tuesday to cap a perfect four-game homestand. Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice and assisted on Danila Yurov's goal, while Yurov earned the primary assist on both of Tarasenko's scores.

However, defenseman Daemon Hunt played less than four minutes before leaving with a lower-body injury that occurred when his left leg collided with Capitals forward Ethen Frank's left leg. Minnesota already was playing without blueliners Jonas Brodin, Jake Middleton and Zach Bogosian. The club placed Brodin on injured reserve on Wednesday and promoted defenseman Carson Lambos from its AHL affiliate in Iowa.

After Tuesday's win, coach John Hynes said the team's perseverance through the injuries shows it is gaining confidence.

"We've had some guys out, but I think that we're playing a strong collective team game and everyone that's in the lineup's contributing and playing hard, playing together," Hynes said. "I think when you do that, you give yourself a good chance to win most nights."

Minnesota already bolstered its defensive corps during the winning streak by getting two-time All-Star Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks. Hughes has played only two games for the Wild, but he has points in both. He netted an assist in Tuesday's victory and scored a goal in the Wild's 6-2 win over Boston on Sunday.

In 28 games between the Canucks and Wild, Hughes has 22 assists and 25 points.

As the battered Wild play with confidence, the Blue Jackets hope their 4-3 overtime win Tuesday against the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks serves as a launching point for the team that sits in last place in the Metropolitan Division.

The Blue Jackets saw their 3-1 lead disappear and nearly lost the game in regulation. However, they ended their five-game losing streak (0-4-1) on Adam Fantilli's goal at 3:32 of the added session.

To Columbus coach Dean Evason, how Fantilli scored his 12th goal of the season was just as big as the victory itself. The third overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft took the puck in the Blue Jackets' end and skated across the rink with it. Rather than waiting for linemates to join him in the attack zone, the 21-year-old went in 1-on-3 and used Anaheim defenseman Olen Zellweger as a screen to prevent Ducks goaltender Ville Husso from getting a clean look at his shot.

"I honestly wish we did that more," Evason said. "We've been harping on our group to not see the whites of the goalie's eyes before we end up shooting pucks.

"That's just a tremendous shot. I mean, why not create a screen? ... We don't do it enough, and we've worked on it, we've talked about it. I'm glad that we can reinforce that one."

Thursday's contest, which ends a four-game homestand for Columbus, will feature a pair of candidates for the Norris Trophy that goes to the league's top defenseman. Besides the Wild's Hughes, who won the award in 2024, the Blue Jackets are led by Zach Werenski, who placed second in voting for the award last season. Werenski, who tops Columbus with 25 assists and 36 points, scored twice and assisted on Fantilli's game-winner Tuesday. He has six points (two goals, four assists) in his last three games.

Brodin, 32, last played on Dec. 11 in a 5-2 home win over the Dallas Stars and has missed three games due to a lower-body injury. He has nine points (three goals, six assists) and is a plus-11 with six penalty minutes, 66 blocks and seven hits while averaging 22:05 of ice time in 30 games.

For his career, Brodin has 269 points (61 goals, 208 assists), a plus-114 rating, 268 penalty minutes, 1,557 blocks and 453 hits while averaging 22:15 of ice time in 883 regular-season games over 14 seasons, all with the Wild.

The native of Sweden also has two goals and 15 assists with a minus-6 rating, 18 penalty minutes, 11 blocks and six hits in 73 playoff games.

Minnesota selected Brodin 10th overall in the 2011 NHL Draft.

Lambos, 22, was selected 26th overall by the Wild in the 2021 draft. He could make his NHL debut when the Wild visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday.

The price for the club is expected to be between $1.7 and $1.8 billion, per reports.

The final sale of the club requires approval by the NHL's Board of Governors.

Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool of the English Premier League and RFK Racing in NASCAR, purchased controlling interest of the Penguins from franchise icon Mario Lemieux, Ron Burkle and David Morehouse in 2021 for $900 million. Lemieux and Burkle initially bought the team out of bankruptcy in 1999.

The Hoffmann Family of Companies -- which is a multi-generational family-owned private equity firm -- has owned the Florida Everblades of the ECHL since 2019.

Per ESPN, the group has been in discussions with the Penguins since at least the summer.

David Hoffmann has previously expressed interest in purchasing an NHL or NBA team in an interview with the Naples Daily News.

The Penguins have won five Stanley Cups, including three in the Sidney Crosby era (2009, 2016, 2017), and are valued by Forbes at $1.75 billion.

Per Sportico in October, the average NHL franchise is worth an estimated $2.1 billion.

The timeline would keep Foerster out past the end of the regular season and into the playoffs, should the Flyers qualify.

Foerster was injured shortly after scoring his then-team-leading 10th goal of the season in the second period of the Flyers' 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 1. He sustained the injury while taking a shot on goal, as he clutched his right shoulder while coming off the ice.

Foerster was placed on injured reserve two days later and was expected to be out two-to-three months.

Further evaluation, however, led to the decision for Foerster to have surgery on Monday as opposed to just rehabilitation alone.

Foerster, 23, got off to a fast start while playing in the first season of a two-year, $7.5 million contract. He added three assists and a plus-7 rating in 21 games.

He set career highs across the board with 43 points (25 goals, 18 assists) in 81 games last season, his second full campaign with Philadelphia.

Foerster has totaled 96 points (58 goals, 38 assists) in 187 career games since being selected by the Flyers with the 23rd overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Meanwhile, the Utah Mammoth are still struggling to string together some victories.

The Red Wings eye a third consecutive win when they host the Mammoth on Wednesday night.

Amid a 6-1-1 stretch, Detroit followed its impressive 4-1-1 road trip with a 3-2 home victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday. The Red Wings trailed 1-0 after two periods before scoring three times in the third, highlighted by Alex DeBrincat's tiebreaking 20th goal of the season, a power-play tally with 2:17 left in regulation.

Detroit, which last made the playoffs in 2015-16, has dropped just three points in eight December games. The Red Wings hold a one-point lead over the Boston Bruins atop the Atlantic Division.

"Foot on the gas," Red Wings star Dylan Larkin said. "... You can play good and not win, but you have to win. You have to accumulate points in this league. ... It's about looking forward and continuing to try to win."

With a second-straight two-goal contest on Tuesday, DeBrincat has recorded at least 20 goals in eight of his nine NHL seasons. He has posted eight goals and five assists in eight games this month.

Detroit's John Gibson stopped 16 of the 18 shots he saw against the Islanders and improved to 6-0-0 with a 2.00 goals-against average and .935 save percentage in December. However, teammate Cam Talbot, amid an 0-3-2 rut with a 3.77 GAA, could get the start in the conclusion of a back-to-back set.

Utah is 8-14-3 since winning eight of its first 10 games of the season. The Mammoth haven't won more than two straight during the recent stretch, again failing to win three in a row when they fell 4-1 at Boston on Tuesday.

Barrett Hayton opened the scoring early in the first period, but that was all the offense Utah could muster against the Bruins after scoring five goals in each of its previous two games.

"It's something we've been struggling with all year. Just our consistency," Mammoth defenseman John Marino told KSL Sports. "From period to period. Being able to play full 60-minute games. ... We'll have some (games) where we dominate and some where we get outplayed. We have to work on it."

Perhaps even more concerning than the team's overall consistency is the fact that Utah star Clayton Keller has failed to register a point in four consecutive games, and he has recorded just two of his 28 points over the past six. However, Keller has eight goals and eight assists in 13 career games against Detroit.

The Mammoth's Dylan Guenther saw his four-game goal streak, which featured five tallies, end vs. Boston.

Utah's Vitek Vanecek stopped 19 of 23 shots on Tuesday, and he has a 3.43 goals-against average while going 0-5-1 in his last six appearances. Karel Vejmelka, who is likely to be back in the Mammoth net for this contest at Detroit, has allowed 14 goals in his past four starts, but he has won two in a row.

Detroit's Lucas Raymond recorded three assists on Tuesday, his 11th multipoint outing on the season.

Brock Nelson scored the tiebreaking goal and Artturi Lehkonen and Samuel Girard also tallied for the Avalanche, who improved to 5-0-1 in their past six games. Martin Necas, Cale Makar and Valeri Nichushkin each had two assists, and goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood made 34 saves.

Shane Wright, Jordan Eberle and Chandler Stephenson scored for Seattle, which lost its third straight and fell for the ninth time in 10 games (1-8-1). Goalie Philipp Grubauer stopped 33 of 37 shots against his former team.

Nelson got what proved to be the winner on the power play at 8:25 of the third period. MacKinnon's slap shot from the top of the left faceoff circle went wide of the near post, but the puck ricocheted off the end boards and came out the other side of the net, where Nelson knocked it in as Grubauer dove to get across the crease.

MacKinnon added an empty-netter at 19:36, his league-leading 28th goal of the season. He also leads the NHL in points with 58.

Trailing 3-2, the Avalanche tied the score on MacKinnon's blistering slap shot from the top of the left faceoff that deflected off the rear end of Kraken defenseman Adam Larsson and past Grubauer at 2:40 of the third.

Seattle was awarded a penalty shot at 7:49 of the third after Josh Manson was whistled for covering the puck with his hand in the crease. Eberle's attempt went off the post, leaving the score tied at 3-3.

The Avalanche opened the scoring at 12:19 of the first period as Lehkonen redirected Necas' shot from the blue line past Grubauer.

The Kraken tied it on an odd-man rush at 3:03 of the second, with Wright batting in a rebound after Jani Nyman's shot went off the post.

Seattle took a 2-1 lead at 5:48 of the second as Eberle backhanded a rebound into an open net after Blackwood made a sprawling save.

The Avalanche tied it at 13:29 of the middle frame on Girard's slap shot from just outside the top of the right faceoff circle.

The Kraken regained the lead on a man advantage with six seconds left until the second intermission. Stephenson's shot from the right faceoff circle deflected off the skate of defenseman Brent Burns and between Blackwood's pads.

A scuffle 54 seconds into the third period led to Colorado's Burns and Manson and Seattle's Mason Marchment and Brandon Montour all getting double minors for roughing. Montour went to the locker room and didn't return.

John Klingberg and Tyler Toffoli also scored for the Sharks, who won a third straight game.

Goaltender Yaroslav Askarov made 27 saves, including a handful early in the third period when the Flames had a chance to pull even.

Blake Coleman, Ryan Lomberg and Nazem Kadri scored for the Flames, who have lost two of three games.

Goalie Dustin Wolf stopped 20 shots.

Goodrow broke the 2-2 tie with 18.4 seconds remaining in a wild first period. Celebrini's shot was denied, but the loose puck ended up on the line for Goodrow to shove home for his second of the period.

Celebrini added an insurance marker at 2:46 of the third period. After a fantastic spin move, Celebrini shot as he drove to the net. Wolf stopped the attempt but the puck bounced off Celebrini's leg and into the cage for his 50th point of the season.

He is the third-fastest teenager in league history to reach 50 points in a season (34 games), trailing only Sidney Crosby (28 games) and Wayne Gretzky (32 games).

After Toffoli extended the San Jose lead to 5-2 with a sharp-angled shot with 7:07 remaining for his 300th career tally, Kadri responded 38 seconds later to give Calgary hope.

However, Celebrini's empty-netter rounded out the scoring and capped an impressive outing.

Klingberg opened the scoring 62 seconds into the clash with a one-timer set up by Celebrini's cross-ice pass. Klingberg has scored in three straight games and racked up five goals and three assists in a five-game point streak.

Goodrow doubled the lead at the six-minute mark when he pounced on a puck that bounded to the front of the Calgary net after Zack Ostapchuk fired it from his own blueline to the corner of the rink.

The Flames responded with a pair of goals of their own. Coleman put Calgary on the board at 11:01 with a rocket of a one-timer from the right faceoff dot, and Lomberg tied the clash three minutes later with his first goal of the season to snap a 32-game drought.

Edmonton captain Connor McDavid collected two goals and two assists and Zach Hyman and defenseman Evan Bouchard had one of each. Rookie Matt Savoie and Vasily Podkolzin also tallied as the Oilers improved to 5-1-1 in their past seven games.

Edmonton's Tristan Jarry got the better of Pittsburgh's Stuart Skinner in a battle of goaltenders that were traded for another on Friday. Jarry made 26 saves, while Skinner -- who still was sporting his Oilers mask -- yielded five goals on 22 shots.

Bryan Rust scored a goal in his fourth straight game and defenseman Erik Karlsson and Tommy Novak each had a goal and an assist for the reeling Penguins, who have lost six in a row (0-2-4). Sidney Crosby notched an assist for his 1,722nd point to move within one point of Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux for the franchise record.

Bruins 4, Mammoth 1

Morgan Geekie clinched his fifth multi-goal game of the season before Boston separated with a pair of third-period tallies on the way to a win over visiting Utah.

Geekie's eventual game-winner 23 seconds into the second period was his 24th goal of the season, keeping him in second in the NHL. Casey Mittelstadt and Michael Eyssimont also scored, while David Pastrnak registered two assists to help the Bruins win their fourth straight at home.

Barrett Hayton scored the only goal for the Mammoth, while Vitek Vanecek stopped 19 shots to fall to 0-6-1 in his last seven starts.

Blue Jackets 4, Ducks 3 (OT)

Adam Fantilli scored at 3:32 of overtime to give Columbus a win over visiting Anaheim, snapping a five-game losing streak.

Zach Werenski logged two goals and an assist, Boone Jenner had a goal and an assist and Kent Johnson recorded two assists for the Blue Jackets. Jet Greaves made 24 saves for the victory.

The Ducks' Mikael Granlund had a goal and an assist, Ryan Strome and Jackson LaCombe also scored, and Ryan Poehling had two assists. Ville Husso stopped 24 shots in the finale of the five-game road trip for Anaheim.

Red Wings 3, Islanders 2

Alex DeBrincat scored two power-play goals, including the game-winner with 2:17 left, to lead host Detroit to a come-from-behind win over New York.

Defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka was the only other Red Wing to reach the back of the net. Lucas Raymond assisted on all three goals, defenseman Moritz Seider had two assists and John Gibson stopped 16 shots to help Detroit improve to 6-1-1 over its past eight games.

Emil Heineman and Scott Mayfield scored for the Islanders, but that wasn't enough to prevent the end of the team's three-game winning streak. Ilya Sorokin made 18 saves.

Flyers 4, Canadiens 1

Travis Konecny had a goal and an assist as Philadelphia snapped a three-game skid (0-0-3) with a road victory against Montreal.

Carl Grundstrom, Trevor Zegras and Bobby Brink scored for the Flyers, and Dan Vladar made 21 saves. Zegras, playing in his 300th NHL game, scored his 33rd point of the season in his 32nd game, eclipsing his total from last season in 57 contests.

Alexandre Texier scored and Jacob Fowler made 17 saves for the Canadiens, who have lost four of six (2-3-1).

Canucks 3, Rangers 0

Evander Kane and newcomer Liam Ohgren scored early in the opening two periods and Thatcher Demko recorded a 23-save shutout as retooled Vancouver earned a victory over New York to continue the Rangers' home woes.

Conor Garland tallied the other Canucks goal with an empty-net short-handed marker. Vancouver has now won both of its games since sending Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild in a blockbuster trade, just the second time this season the team has won consecutive contests.

Jonathan Quick made 14 saves for New York. The Rangers are now 4-10-3 at home, and they've been shut out at Madison Square Garden six times this season.

Maple Leafs 3, Blackhawks 2

Host Toronto scored twice in eight seconds late in the third period and went on to edge Chicago.

Auston Matthews scored on a power play at 16:51 of the third period to tie the game at two. Dakota Joshua came right back to score the go-ahead goal at the 16:59 mark. Oliver Ekman-Larsson also scored in the third period for the Maple Leafs, Goaltender Joseph Woll returned from injured reserve and made 23 saves. He missed four games with a lower-body injury.

Wyatt Kaiser and Jason Dickinson scored for the Blackhawks, who have lost three straight. Spencer Knight stopped 24 shots.

Wild 5, Capitals 0

Vladimir Tarasenko scored two goals and dished one assist as host Minnesota pulled away for the win over Washington.

Danila Yurov finished with one goal and two assists, Matt Boldy scored a goal and goaltender Filip Gustavsson stopped all 25 shots he faced for his third shutout this season to help the Wild pull out the victory. Kirill Kaprizov also notched his 70th career power-play tally to move past Zach Parise and set a new team record.

Alex Ovechkin failed to muster a shot on goal and Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren allowed five tallies on 32 shots. Washington was shut out for the second time this season and first since Oct. 28.

Danila Yurov finished with one goal and two assists for Minnesota, which won its fifth consecutive game. Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy scored one goal apiece.

Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson stopped all 25 shots he faced for his third shutout this season. He made 11 saves in the first period, nine in the second and five in the third.

Alex Ovechkin was held without a shot on goal for Washington, which was shut out for the second time this season. The other occurrence was a 1-0 road loss to the Dallas Stars on Oct. 28.

Capitals goaltender Charlie Lindgren allowed five goals on 32 shots.

The Wild started the scoring 2:09 after the opening faceoff. Yurov slid a pass toward the high slot for Tarasenko, who ripped a rising wrist shot above Lindgren's glove and into the net.

Minnesota made it 2-0 on the power play midway through the second period. Quinn Hughes fired a long shot from the blue line that did not get through to the net, but Kaprizov spotted the loose puck and punched it in.

The play marked Kaprizov's 70th career power-play goal with the Wild, which set a team record. Kaprizov moved past Zach Parise.

Tarasenko struck again to increase Minnesota's lead to 3-0 at 4:23 of the third period. He scored off a faceoff for his second of the game and fifth of the season.

Less than five minutes later, Tarasenko played a key role in Yurov's goal to make it 4-0. As Washington's defensemen struggled to keep pace, Tarasenko skillfully handled the puck between his legs and shoved a backhand pass to Yurov, who buried a one-timer.

Boldy finished the scoring when he notched a short-handed goal with 5:48 remaining.

Edmonton captain Connor McDavid collected two goals and two assists and Zach Hyman and defenseman Evan Bouchard had one of each. Rookie Matt Savoie and Vasily Podkolzin also tallied as the Oilers improved to 5-1-1 in their last seven games.

Edmonton's Tristan Jarry got the better of Pittsburgh's Stuart Skinner in a battle of goaltenders that were traded for another on Friday. Jarry made 26 saves, while Skinner -- who still was sporting his Oilers mask -- yielded five goals on 22 shots.

Bryan Rust scored a goal in his fourth straight game and defenseman Erik Karlsson and Tommy Novak each had a goal and an assist for the reeling Penguins, who have lost six in a row (0-2-4).

Captain Sidney Crosby notched an assist for his 1,722nd point to move within one point of Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux for the franchise record.

Draisaitl sent a cross-slot feed to McDavid, who quickly feathered a pass in front that Hyman tapped home on a power play to open the scoring with 8:22 remaining in the first period. Hyman's goal was his eighth of the season and sixth in his last four games.

McDavid doubled the advantage 14 seconds later after skating around Pittsburgh defenseman Parker Wotherspoon before tucking the puck past Skinner. McDavid added his 20th goal of the season by scoring into an empty net to give Edmonton a 6-3 lead.

Novak trimmed the Oilers' advantage to 2-1 with 45 seconds left in the first period before Savoie regained the two-goal edge at 4:35 of the second with a sharp wrist shot from the left circle.

Karlsson trimmed the deficit to 3-2 under two minutes later before Bouchard's wrist shot from the high slot beat Skinner at 9:36 of the second period.

Draisaitl picked up his third assist of the contest on that goal and his fourth on Podkolzin's tally in the third period to increase his point total to 1,003 (416 goals, 587 assists) in 824 games since being selected by the Oilers with the third overall pick of the 2014 NHL Draft.

Defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka got the other goal for the Red Wings, who are 6-1-1 in their last eight games. Lucas Raymond assisted on all three goals, defenseman Moritz Seider had two assists and John Gibson stopped 16 shots.

Emil Heineman and Scott Mayfield scored for the Islanders, who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Ilya Sorokin made 18 saves.

With Mayfield off for tripping, DeBrincat picked up the rebound of his original shot that had been blocked and fired it in from the left circle to break a 2-2 tie. It was his 20th goal.

DeBrincat has four goals and an assist in his last two games and 13 points (eight goals, five assists) in eight games this month.

Mayfield had tied it 2-2 with 8:34 left as he skated into the slot from the left wing just inside the blue line and beat Gibson for his first goal of the season.

Detroit scored twice in less than two minutes early in the third period to take a 2-1 lead.

Sandin-Pellikka tied the game 2:03 into the third period. Off a faceoff, he carried the puck from the right point down the boards, cut to the net and beat Sorokin from the bottom of the right circle.

DeBrincat's first power-play goal at 3:55 gave the Red Wings a 2-1 lead.

Heineman made it 1-0 New York 4:27 into the game when he scored on a one-timer from the high slot area off the rush. It was Heineman's career-high 11th goal in his 100th game.

Though the shots were 8-7 in favor of the Red Wings in the first period, Detroit was held without one until the 8:27 mark when Sorokin denied DeBrincat from the right circle on the rush.

Detroit's Patrick Kane did not play because of an upper-body injury.

New York's Bo Horvat missed his second game with a lower-body injury.

Auston Matthews scored on a power play at 16:51 of the third period to tie the game at two. Dakota Joshua came right back to score the go-ahead goal at the 16:59 mark.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson also scored in the third period for the Maple Leafs, who snapped a two-game skid and completed a 2-1-2 homestand.

Matthews added an assist and William Nylander had two assists. Goaltender Joseph Woll returned from injured reserve and made 23 saves. He missed four games with a lower-body injury.

Wyatt Kaiser and Jason Dickinson scored for the Blackhawks, who have lost three straight. Spencer Knight stopped 24 shots.

Joshua pinged the right post from seven feet out at 9:07 of the first period.

Chicago took the lead at 10:21 of the first on Kaiser's 34-footer from the high slot with Dominic Tonanito perched at the edge of the crease.

Chicago put the puck in the net at 11:27 but it was erased for goaltender interference.

The Blackhawks took a 2-0 lead with a short-handed goal at 14:58 of the first period on Dickinson's wrist shot from the right circle on Ilya Mikheyev's pass at the end of an odd-man rush.

The Maple Leafs started the second period with more energy and came close to scoring a short-handed goal in the early going. Play evened out for the rest of the period with no goals.

Toronto opened the third period with a power play for 44 seconds on a carryover penalty from the second, but failed to capitalize.

The Maple Leafs scored at 9:59 of the third when Ekman-Larsson's shot from the point found its way through traffic and clipped off a Blackhawks' defender.

Matthews' tying goal came with Toninato off for holding the stick. Joshua won a race to the puck on Troy Stecher's dump-in off the faceoff to get the winner.

The Blackhawks were without their leading scorer, Connor Bedard, who is on IR with a shoulder injury.

Chicago's Artyom Levshunov was a healthy scratch for arriving late to practice on Monday.

Carl Grundstrom, Trevor Zegras and Bobby Brink scored for the Flyers, who snapped a three-game skid (0-0-3). Dan Vladar made 21 saves.

Alexandre Texier scored and Jacob Fowler made 17 saves for the Canadiens, who have lost four of six (2-3-1).

Zegras, playing in his 300th NHL game, finished off a give-and-go with Konecny on a two-on-one rush with a snap shot that beat Fowler under his right pad to make it 2-1 Philadelphia at 6:26 of the second period.

It was his 33rd point of the season in his 32nd game, eclipsing his total from last season in 57 contests.

Brink benefited from a misplay by Fowler to push it to 3-1 with 50 seconds left in the period. Fowler left the puck for a teammate behind his net, but Matvei Michkov was first to it and quickly fed it to Brink in the slot, who put it into the open net.

Konecny capped off the scoring with an empty-net goal at 18:25 of the third period.

The two sides combined for five shots on goal in the first two minutes of the first period, with Montreal holding a 3-2 edge. The Flyers then started to take control of the play, building up an 8-3 advantage with just over four minutes left in the frame.

The Canadiens didn't get their fourth shot of the period until just over three and a half minutes remained in the period.

They capitalized on their fifth, with Texier giving Montreal a 1-0 lead at 19:00. Jake Evans sent a centering pass to Texier, who beat Vladar inside the left post with a snap shot from the slot.

The Flyers tied it 39 seconds later. Sean Couturier pushed a short pass up for Owen Tippett along the right side, and Tippett took it down below the circle and sent a feed across the crease to Grundstrom on the back door.

Fantilli netted the unassisted goal from the slot 1-on-1 against Ducks defenseman Olen Zellweger after carrying the puck into the Anaheim zone with speed.

Zach Werenski logged two goals and an assist, Boone Jenner had a goal and an assist and Kent Johnson recorded two assists for Columbus, which had lost five in a row (0-4-1). Jet Greaves made 25 saves for the victory.

Anaheim's Mikael Granlund had a goal and an assist, Ryan Strome and Jackson LaCombe also scored, and Ryan Poehling had two assists. Ville Husso stopped 24 shots in the finale of the five-game road trip (2-2-1) for Anaheim, which was coming off a 4-1 win against the New York Rangers on Monday night.

LaCombe tied it 3-3 with 3:16 left in the third period when he carried the puck below the goal line and banked his shot off Greaves' helmet and into the net.

Werenski scored the only goal of the first period off a drop pass from Jenner at 8:21 before the teams combined for four goals in just under two minutes early in the second.

Strome worked a give-and-go with Poehling and scored from the slot to tie it 1-1 at 3:35.

Werenski tallied 24 seconds later when he elected not to pass to Isac Lundestrom at the end of a 2-on-1 rush and shot the puck under Husso's glove and into the net for a 2-1 lead.

Columbus made it 3-1 at 4:18 when Jenner, after his tip was saved by Husso, followed up and scored the rebound.

The fourth line for the Ducks cut it to 3-2 after Blue Jackets defenseman Denton Mateychuk fell while handling the puck in his zone, leading to a 3-on-2 Anaheim rush. Frank Vatrano dropped the puck for Granlund, who scored near side from the inside edge of the left circle at 5:29.

Geekie scored in each of the first two frames, including the eventual game-winner 23 seconds into the second. He remains second in the NHL with 24 goals on the season.

Casey Mittelstadt and Michael Eyssimont also scored while David Pastrnak registered two assists for the Bruins, who are 5-1-0 in their last six games and have won four straight at home.

Boston's Jeremy Swayman made 12 of his 20 saves in the first period while backstopping penalty kills in the latter two stanzas.

Barrett Hayton netted the lone goal and Vitek Vanecek stopped 19 shots for Utah, which has lost four of six. Vanecek is 0-6-1 in his last seven starts.

The Mammoth power play worked until the final seconds to score the opening goal at 8:34. Hayton cut from the wing toward the net front to deflect a Sean Durzi point shot through Swayman.

Swayman made several key saves thereafter to keep the score at 1-0, then Geekie equalized with the Bruins a man up with 3:59 left before intermission. A great puck-moving sequence saw Pastrnak feed a cross-ice pass to Geekie, who wired home a shot from the left circle.

Geekie wasted little time in the second to give Boston its first lead, setting a screen in front and turning around to bang in a Pastrnak rebound. Elias Lindholm's faceoff win set up the play.

The Bruins were unable to extend their 2-1 edge before the middle frame ended, despite putting a flurry of shots on Vanecek during a delayed penalty sequence and the ensuing power play in the final six minutes. Pavel Zacha was robbed on a point-blank chance from the right crease.

Swayman saved Clayton Keller's shot from the circle during an early Utah power play in the third, holding the one-goal margin until Boston grew its lead at 10:16. Mittelstadt dished to Zacha in transition, but after Zacha's shot sailed wide and bounced off the end wall, Mittelstadt gathered the puck and shot in the rebound from the bottom of the right dot.

Eyssimont gave the Bruins a 4-1 lead with 3:58 left in the third, making a steal at the defensive blue line to set up a surge past a defender for a breakaway and a backhand finish in the crease.

Playing their second game since sending Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild in a blockbuster trade, the Canucks won consecutive games for the second time this season thanks to the early goals and became the latest team to celebrate a win at Madison Square Garden.

Conor Garland scored an empty-net short-handed goal with 3:08 left for the Canucks, who finished with 17 shots on goal.

Demko made 23 saves and helped the Canucks survive four power plays. Demko notched his first shutout this season and 10th of his career.

New York goalie Jonathan Quick kept the Rangers in it by making 14 saves.

The Rangers dropped to 4-10-3 at home. New York was blanked on home ice for the sixth time this season and is 2-for-21 on the power play since losing top defenseman Adam Fox to a left shoulder injury on Nov. 29.

Mika Zibanejad returned to New York's lineup after sitting out Monday's 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks because of a missed team meeting.

Kane scored 1:46 into the contest following a New York offensive zone turnover and benefited from an official being unable to get out of the way.

Ohgren became the second player acquired in Friday's trade to score after Zeev Buium scored a power-play goal in the opening minutes of Sunday's 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Vancouver went ahead after Conor Sheary lost the puck deep in the offensive zone after getting pressured by Elias Petterson and Brock Boeser gained possession.

After getting the pass from Boeser, Kane raced down the left side and got a clean breakaway after New York defenseman Matthew Robertson collided with an official.

The collision allowed Kane to easily cut to the right side of the crease and put the puck into the slightly vacated net.

After Demko helped the Canucks survive three power plays in the first, the Canucks doubled the lead 3:24 into the second following another New York offensive zone turnover.

Defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov lost the puck along the boards in New York's offensive zone. A few seconds later, Ohgren released a shot from the right circle before Braden Schneider could cover and the puck trickled off Quick's pad for a 2-0 lead.

Draisaitl recorded a secondary assist on Zach Hyman's goal during a 5-on-3 power play at 11:38 of the first period in Edmonton's game against the host Pittsburgh Penguins. The Oilers' players on the bench jumped on the ice to celebrate with Draisaitl.

Draisaitl wasn't done, however. as he set up superstar captain Connor McDavid's power-play goal just 14 seconds later to give Edmonton a 2-0 lead.

Draisaitl, 30, has totaled 1,001 points (416 goals, 585 assists) in 824 games since being selected by the Oilers with the third overall pick of the 2014 NHL Draft. He has totaled 100 or more points in six of the past seven seasons.

The Golden Knights went 4-0-1 on the trip, with the lone loss coming in a 5-4 shootout defeat to the New York Islanders. Vegas opened the trip with a 3-0 victory in New Jersey with ex-Devil Akira Schmid making 24 saves for his third career shutout and defenseman Shea Theodore scoring a goal.

The Golden Knights, who hit the road again for a weekend trip to Calgary and Edmonton, have won six of their last seven games (6-0-1). They allowed two goals or less in all four road wins.

"Tells me that we can defend because we're obviously giving up less, right?" said Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy. "And that, for a coach, especially for our identity (and) what I'd like to see us (do), I think is awesome. If another team is checking well, we're not out of the game because we can do the same."

The Golden Knights come in off a 3-2 victory at Columbus on Saturday. Brayden McNabb scored the go-ahead goal with 6:47 remaining in the third period to back a 27-save performance by Carter Hart. Vegas moved into first place in the Pacific Division with Anaheim with the win.

"It's huge, just points-wise," McNabb said. "We're first in our division, so it goes a long way. To get nine out of 10 (points) is huge."

New Jersey, one point out of a wild-card spot in a bunched-up Eastern Conference playoff race, is making a quick two-game western road trip that also includes a stop in Salt Lake City for a game with the Utah Mammoth on Friday. The Devils will then return home for a Sunday contest against Buffalo.

New Jersey has won two of its last four games, including a 4-1 victory over Anaheim on Saturday. The team comes in off a 2-1 loss to Vancouver on Sunday in the second contest of a back-to-back.

There was some good news on the injury front for New Jersey. Veteran defenseman Brett Pesce, who has missed 24 games with a suspected broken hand after blocking a shot in an Oct. 26 game against Colorado, practiced with the team Tuesday morning before the flight west and is expected to make his return against the Golden Knights.

"I'm back," Pesce declared to reporters as he took the ice.

"His on-ice impacts obviously are an important part of our team," said Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe. "He's a big part of the personality of our team, too. Keeps everything light, loose and fun. Has got great experience and perspective. Certainly nice to have him back."

When asked if Pesce would play against the Golden Knights, Keefe replied: "He's going to be on the trip. There's nothing else to do in Vegas, so might as well try and get him into the game. That's our plan."

Pesce is expected to be paired with Luke Hughes.

After getting blanked by the Golden Knights in their first meeting Dec. 5 in Newark, Keefe expects another tight, defensive contest.

"(Vegas is) one of, if not the best, defensive teams in the league," Keefe said. "We've had some struggles offensively. We did on that day as well. That's going to be a challenge for us to break through. With that in mind, if that's going to be the case, then you've got to be a lockdown defensively, and your special teams are going to have to be great."

The Hurricanes head into the contest on a four-game winning streak. That includes three straight shootout victories, most recently dispatching the Philadelphia Flyers in a back-to-back set on Saturday and Sunday. It's part of a 7-2-0 stretch for the team, which has moved from one point out of top spot in the Eastern Conference on Nov. 27 to claiming that spot with a three-point lead on second place entering Tuesday's NHL schedule.

A key part of their success has been the play of goalie Brandon Bussi. The 27-year-old is 11-1-0 with a 2.05 goals-against average and .911 save percentage in 12 games with Carolina. Wanting insurance for Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov, the Hurricanes claimed the undrafted netminder off waivers from the Florida Panthers on Oct. 5.

He made his NHL debut Oct. 14 and won his first two games before taking his first and only loss Oct. 25 against the Dallas Stars. He hasn't tasted defeat since.

"I just try and bring my best every game," Bussi said. "I feel good right now. I feel confident. I feel like if I see the puck, I have a good chance to stop it."

In earning his 10th win of the season in his 11th game on Dec. 11 at the Washington Capitals, he became the fastest goalie in NHL history to reach the mark.

"Just feeling very confident with him," forward Andrei Svechnikov said. "The number one thing, once you feel confident in the goalie, the game comes easy, and I feel like that's what we feel as a group. Obviously, he's playing unbelievable hockey here, and he's just going to keep doing that."

Bussi was in goal for the last meeting against the Predators, making 19 saves in a 6-3 win for Carolina.

That was a rare loss for Nashville, which has started to get results after a rough start to the season. The Predators are 7-3-0 in their past 10 games after losing eight of their previous nine (1-7-2). They have more wins during their current run than they had through their first 22 games (6-12-4).

"Going through that rough stretch and not winning... it wasn't fun coming to the rink," center Ryan O'Reilly said. "Everyone's heavy, you're kind of exhausted, and when you win you can feel how much that changes. I know for myself, you feel a lot lighter out there. You seem like the bounces start to go your way.

"It's fun to come to the rink. Winning's fun. Winning cures everything, and (we're) doing a lot of good things. We have to follow that up."

O'Reilly has been a key contributor to the team's success of late. He has five points (one goal, four assists) in a four-game point streak entering Wednesday's game and has 13 points (four goals, nine assists) over their 10-game run.

Nashville will be looking for a second straight win and fourth in their past five games after skating away with a 5-2 victory against the St. Louis Blues on Monday.

Now the Jets must regain their defensive game to support him. They enter their road game against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night with just three victories in their last 13 games.

"We need two points," Jets coach Scott Arniel said. "We need them bad."

Breakdowns in the defensive zone led to Winnipeg's 3-2 overtime loss to the Ottawa Senators on Monday night.

"That is a game that should have been won by us," Arniel said. "At the end of the day, these are the games you've got to learn to win ... We've got to find a way, however that is. If that's making the next play so that it gets out of the zone, if that's blocking a shot, whatever it is, those are the things."

Jets defenseman Neal Pionk noted that this loss underscored his team's need to start faster in games.

"I didn't think our execution was great at the start of the first period, kind of a theme that continued throughout the game," Pionk said. "I thought we had good spurts, good spurts in the second. (We) played well enough to win, just didn't get it done."

This is the first meeting this season between these Central Division rivals, who are fighting to get back into the Western Conference playoff race. The Blues have lost three of their last four games while injuries continued to mount.

"As a group, we know where we can be and we've got to focus on what's ahead," Blues defenseman Colton Parayko said. "That's coming to the rink, getting better, continue to push each other, playing each other hard in practice and building our team game."

That task has become more difficult due to roster depletion. Dylan Holloway is the latest key forward to suffer a long-term injury, landing on injured reserve with a sprained ankle. He joins injured forwards Jordan Kyrou (lower body), Jimmy Snuggerud (wrist surgery) and Nathan Walker (upper body).

The Blues signed free agent Robby Fabbri and promoted AHL veterans Matt Luff and Hugh McGing to fill voids. Alexey Toropchenko returned to action Monday after recovering from leg burns in a domestic accident, but Nick Bjugstad has remained sidelined by an upper-body injury,

The injuries could also expedite the Blues' ongoing youth movement. Top forward prospect Dalibor Dvorsky has assumed a primary offensive role and forward prospect Otto Stenberg got his first call to the NHL.

Dvorsky's two goals were the sole highlight for the Blues in their 5-2 loss to the Nashville Predators on Monday night.

"You could see it last game that he was coming, that he found his legs again," Blues head coach Jim Montgomery said. "I talked to him (Monday) morning about it. The fact that he's recognizing how to handle his body through the grind of an NHL season. This isn't a normal NHL season, so you're going to have peaks and valleys. The peak he had (Monday) was all driven by the fact he was moving his feet, he was attacking the net, had a shot-first attitude.

"His shot's a weapon, and it's something we encourage him to keep using."

Since Joel Hofer started the previous two games, Montgomery is likely to go back to Jordan Binnington in goal for this game. In four games this month, Binnington has a 5.63 goals-against average and an .807 save percentage.