NHL News

Justus Annunen only needed to stop 16 shots and was less than a minute from his first shutout since March 4, 2024, and the Predators first shutout of the season. Instead, Nashville settled for its fifth win in its last seven games.

Forsberg got his team-leading 16th goal of the season midway through the second period, and Stamkos added career goal 596 in the final minute.

Jonny Brodzinski scored his third of the season for the Rangers, who fell for the third time in four games.

Rangers goalie Jonathan Quick kept his team in the game by stopping 30 shots, but the 39-year-old fell to 0-4-1 in his last five decisions. New York has scored just two goals in Quick's last two starts.

Forsberg put the Predators up midway through the second period. He was set up by a highlight-reel assist by Ryan O'Reilly, who delivered a behind-the-back pass from the high slot to Forsberg, whose one-timer from the right circle blew past Quick over his left shoulder.

Adam Wilsby got his fifth assist of the season on his pass along the boards that hit Forsberg in the neutral zone, and Forsberg fed his linemate for a rush opportunity.

New York was already hobbled with defenseman Adam Fox on long-term injured reserve and captain J.T. Miller not making the trip to Nashville after suffering an upper-body injury in Saturday's home win over Philadelphia. However, the Rangers got a double dose of bad news just prior to the start of Sunday's game when the team announced forwards Gabe Perreault and Matt Rempe would be late scratches due to illness.

That forced the Rangers to play 11 forwards and seven defensemen.

With Quick pulled for an extra attacker, Brodzinski scored with 35.9 seconds left to give the Rangers a chance for overtime. However, the Rangers never made a serious threat afterward.

Rakell beat Jakub Dobes with a backhand deke in the third round for the win as the Penguins won for the first time in a shootout this season (1-5).

Rakell and Sidney Crosby each had a goal and an assist in regulation, and Noel Acciari also tallied for Pittsburgh, which won for the first time in nine outings (1-4-4).

With his two-point performance, Crosby (1,724) passed Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux for the Penguins' all-time scoring record and eighth in league history.

Arturs Silovs made 23 saves in the win.

Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov each had a goal and an assist, and Noah Dobson also found the back of the net for the Canadiens, who dropped to 4-1-2 in their last seven.

Juraj Slafkovsky had a pair of helpers, and Dobes stopped 28 shots.

Dobson tied it 3-3 by backhanding a loose puck past Silvos at 4:04 of the third period.

Montreal had tied it 2-2 at 3:54 of the middle frame as Demidov one-timed a cross-ice feed from Slafkovsky.

Acciari snapped a shot glove-side past Dobes at 11:51, giving Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead.

Kapanen opened the scoring, one-timing a Slafkovsky pass past Silvos at 7:31 of the first period.

Pittsburgh responded 27 seconds later as Crosby redirected an Erik Karlsson shot past Dobes for his 20th goal of the season.

Rakell gave the Penguins their first lead of the night, putting home the rebound off Bryan Rust's shot on a power play at 12:40 of the first. Crosby picked up the secondary assist on Rakell's fourth of the season.

On Sunday, the Canadiens recalled Sammy Blais from Laval of the American Hockey League. Blais drew into the lineup on the fourth line for Jake Evans. Evans, who collided knee-on-knee with Justin Brazeau during the first period of Montreal's 4-0 home win over Pittsburgh on Saturday night, was placed on injured reserve. Blais had an assist in 8:32 of ice time.

Lawson Crouse, JJ Peterka, and Alexander Kerfoot also tallied for Utah. Dylan Guenther and Mikhael Sergachev had two assists each. The Mammoth's Karel Vejmelka made 23 stops.

Kyle Connor scored twice for Winnipeg, while Morgan Barron also found the back of the net. Mark Scheifele had a pair of assists.

Connor Hellebuyck made 18 saves for Winnipeg.

Guenther fired a shot from high in Utah's offensive zone that missed the net and caromed off the end boards to Crouse, who beat Connor Hellebuyck at 5:20 of the first period to open the scoring.

Utah extended the lead later in the period, as a series of failed clearing attempts by Winnipeg led to a centering pass from Clayton Keller that was chipped in by Peterka at 9:31 of the first.

Utah padded its advantage at 3:01 of the second period, as crisp puck movement through the Jets' zone ended with Kerfoot finishing the play to make it 3-0.

Winnipeg got on the board with 8:42 remaining in the second period, as Connor snapped a power-play shot through traffic to cut the deficit to 3-1. The goal marked Connor's 300th career tally, making him the second-fastest player in franchise history to reach the milestone, behind Atlanta Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk.

Connor scored his second of the game with only 4:37 left on the clock, converting from a sharp angle near the goal line to pull the Jets within one. The deficit did not last, as just 25 seconds later Tanner Pearson sprung Barron on a breakaway, and Barron buried the chance to tie the game 3-3.

Utah quashed the comeback 17 seconds into overtime, as Keller provided the dagger by cleaning up a 2-on-1 attempt to hand the Mammoth the 4-3 victory.

Esa Lindell picked up two helpers for the home team while Scott Laughton netted Toronto's only goal of the night. Jake Oettinger made a number of key saves to keep his team in the lead in the first two periods, turning away 27 of 28 shots. Toronto's Dennis Hildeby stopped 16 of 20 for the visitors.

Dallas scored four third-period goals to break open a close game.

The Stars opened the scoring just before the first period could come to a close. Fresh off a three-point night on Friday, Jason Robertson beat defenseman Jake McCabe to Oskar Back's long backhanded flip from the other end of the rink, flipping the puck past Hildeby to give his team the lead.

Sam Steel extended Dallas' lead in the third period, deflecting Ilya Lyubushkin's wrist shot from the point past Hildeby and just inside the post. It was Laughton who solved Oettinger short-handed three minutes later, taking the puck out of the zone himself to beat the towering goaltender over the shoulder to cut the Toronto deficit to 2-1.

Jamie Benn quickly quashed any hope of a comeback, tipping Miro Heiskanen's one-timed slap shot to provide some cushion with less than eight minutes remaining. Mavrik Bourque beat Oliver Ekman-Larsson to the puck to tuck home an empty-netter. Justin Hryckowian added a fifth soon after with Hildeby back in net.

Both teams exchanged fantastic opportunities early in the opening frame. Hryckowian sprung Benn to split the Leafs' defense three minutes in, thwarted by the quick pads of Hildeby. Auston Matthews proceeded to pick the puck off Thomas Harley's stick, forcing a fast flash of leather from Oettinger. The game marked the first time Toronto outshot their opponent in the first period since Nov. 22.

The Stars had a goal disallowed halfway into the second period after Roope Hintz was judged to be narrowly offside. Oettinger received a standing ovation from the crowd at the end of the period after robbing Troy Stecher and Laughton seconds before the horn sounded.

Toronto's league-worst power play continued to struggle as new players shuffled on and off the top unit. The Leafs went 0-for-4 on the night with a man-advantage.

The result snapped Toronto's seven-game win streak when playing in Dallas. The Leafs have now dropped three straight and five of their last six.

Fabian Zetterlund scored two power-play goals and added an assist to lead Ottawa to its season-high fourth consecutive win and third in completing the four-game season series with Boston.

Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens also had three-point nights for the Senators, posting a goal and two helpers each. Claude Giroux netted a goal and an assist, Tim Stutzle also scored, David Perron had two assists and Linus Ullmark made 17 saves to beat his former team.

Boston's Charlie McAvoy scored his first goal of the season and added an assist, while David Pastrnak also scored. Joonas Korpisalo allowed five goals on 17 shots before Jeremy Swayman entered for relief in the second period.

The Bruins have lost three straight (0-2-1) on their five-game homestand.

Ottawa had a 28-19 advantage in shots on goal.

Batherson needed just 90 seconds to give Ottawa a 1-0 lead, snapping off the opening goal high to Korpisalo's glove side after Nick Jensen settled down a puck for him in the slot.

Minutes after Korpisalo saved Stutzle's first of two short-handed breakaways in the first period, Giroux buried a close-range wrist shot to double the visitors' edge to two at 13:44. Cozens had an initial shot saved before Batherson kicked the puck across to Giroux to set up the play.

At 16:47, Zetterlund made it a 3-0 game when snuck a puck short-side on Korpisalo in the waning seconds of an Ottawa power play.

A late 5-on-3 helped the Bruins temporarily cut their deficit, as Pastrnak let a slapper go from the right dot off a Pavel Zacha feed with 53 seconds left in the frame.

The Senators continued to surge in the middle frame, scoring two goals in a 19-second span to chase Korpisalo from the Boston net. Stutzle scored the first quick-fire marker on a loose puck outside the crease at 6:44, then Cozens wired a one-time shot upstairs at 7:03.

Boston got a goal back at 14:36 as McAvoy walked into a shot at the top of the circle that sailed through traffic, but Zetterlund reestablished Ottawa's four-goal buffer as he scored a bump pass from Stephen Halliday on the man advantage 2:50 later.

Josh Norris and Peyton Krebs also scored for the Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 26 saves in his first start since Dec. 8.

Jack Hughes scored in his return from injury, and Jake Allen made 23 saves for the Devils, who had won three of their past four games.

After a couple of early chances for Buffalo that led to the first two shots on goal of the game for either side, New Jersey started to take control of the play and turned it into a 5-2 advantage in shots by the eight-minute mark of the first period.

Hughes, who missed 18 games with a finger injury, gave the Devils a 1-0 lead at 8:51. He carried the puck to the top of the left circle, circled back toward the blue line to evade Sabres defenseman Michael Kesselring, and then went back to the circle before snapping it far side on Luukkonen.

The Sabres then took control in the second period to take the lead.

Norris tied it 1-1 at 2:26 of the second period. Rasmus Dahlin received a pass from Owen Power high along the left wall and took it to the near circle for a shot that Allen stopped. But Norris, in front in a battle with New Jersey defenseman Luke Hughes, swept the rebound past Allen's left pad.

Benson put Buffalo ahead 2-1 at 16:05. Ryan McLeod pushed a short pass up for Benson, who collected it inside the blue line, carried to the right faceoff dot and, with his eyes on Jack Quinn on the other side, fooled Allen and snapped a shot through the goalie's pads.

New Jersey pushed for the equalizer with Allen pulled for the extra attacker late in the third period. But Krebs hustled to beat Luke Hughes to a loose puck up the ice and put it into the empty net to make it 3-1 at 17:59.

Mackenzie Blackwood turned away 28 shots, Martin Necas also scored and Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin had two assists each for Colorado, which has won five in a row and ended Minnesota's seven-game winning streak.

Ryan Hartman had a goal and Jesper Wallstedt made 37 saves for the Wild. Minnesota lost for the first time in five games since acquiring Quinn Hughes from Vancouver.

It was scoreless until Necas got a pass from Makar in the right circle and lifted a shot over Wallstedt's left shoulder at 18:28 of the first period.

The Avalanche appeared to take a 2-0 lead early in the second period when Sam Malinski knocked in a rebound, but the Wild successfully challenged for offsides.

Colorado did get the second goal later in the period on a power play. The Avalanche worked the puck around the offensive zone, Nelson fluttered a pass to MacKinnon near the slot and his slap shot beat Wallstedt at 13:37.

The Avalanche struck again on the power play late in the second. Landeskog won the offensive zone faceoff back to Nelson. He slid the puck to Makar, who glided to the middle of the blueline and wristed a shot by Wallstedt at 18:33 to make it 3-0.

Minnesota finally broke through against Blackwood early in the third period. The Wild swarmed around the Colorado zone before the puck went to Jonas Brodin at the top. Brodin's shot went off the left post and Hartman was there to clean up the rebound at 5:15.

The Avalanche sealed it when Samuel Girard sent a diagonal pass to Nelson in the right circle, and he beat Wallstedt with a one-timer at 15:52.

Wallstedt came off for an extra skater and MacKinnon scored into the empty net at 17:35 for his NHL-leading 30th goal.

The Canucks are aiming to complete a perfect 5-0-0 road trip, while the Flyers are seeking to avoid a sixth loss in seven games.

Two days after trading star defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild, Vancouver embarked on an East Coast road trip.

The Canucks allowed a total of two goals in winning the first three games against the New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders and New York Rangers. Saturday's game in Boston had a different flavor, however, although Vancouver prevailed over the Bruins 5-4 in a shootout.

Liam Ohgren scored in regulation for the Canucks and was the only player to score during a seven-round shootout. Linus Karlsson added two goals for Vancouver, while Kevin Lankinen made 38 saves in addition to seven stops in the shootout.

Lankinen has allowed a total of six shootout goals on 51 attempts in his career.

"That's a crazy number," Canucks coach Adam Foote said. "He's disciplined. He's in control on each shot. It's the same every time. He knows what's going on and he's a true pro and it's nice to see him have success."

Meanwhile, Ohgren -- one of three players who came to Vancouver in the Hughes trade -- has scored twice in four games with the Canucks.

"He's calm for his age," Foote said of the 21-year-old Ohgren. "He's going to learn the game. We've given him information as far as how to defend, how to come into our end, and there's stuff you see on the offense and most of these young guys have that, but it's how you play without the puck and he's done a good job with that."

The Flyers have earned a point in six of their last seven games, although they are just 2-1-4 in that stretch. They squandered a two-goal lead in New York on Saturday, falling 5-4 to the Rangers in a shootout.

Philadelphia scored twice on the power play after going 0-for-16 in its previous seven games. However, the team had two man advantages in overtime and failed on both, leading to the shootout defeat.

"Too slow with the 4-on-3 (in overtime)," Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet said. "I thought we were moving the puck; we just have got to learn how to handle pressure. It's something we knew at the beginning of the year we'd have to learn how to do. Take the point when we thought we should have had two."

One bright spot for the Flyers was the play of Denver Barkey, who registered two assists in his NHL debut.

"The way he played, the way he competes, yeah, I'm going to fight for him," Tocchet said of the 20-year-old.

Travis Sanheim added a goal and an assist for Philadelphia, which is in the midst of a 10-game stretch where it'll play nine games on the road. This, of course, is the lone home game during that span, while the Flyers will visit Vancouver on Dec. 30 on its upcoming road trip.

The Canucks won last year's trip to Philadelphia, 3-0, as Lankinen made 26 saves for his fourth career shutout.

After that three-goal comeback and subsequent 6-4 win, the Lightning will wrap up their four-game homestand Monday night when they face the St. Louis Blues in the teams' final game before the holiday break.

The Lightning looked dead in the water after allowing three Carolina goals and nearly a fourth late in the first 20 minutes, but coach Jon Cooper's team rallied to tie it 3-3 and then 4-4 before scoring the final two goals, both by Jake Guentzel, to secure the win.

"You basically saw a formula of how to lose a game and a formula of how to win a game -- all in a span of about two hours and 15 minutes," said Cooper after his team ended a four-game home losing streak to get back to .500 at home (9-9-0).

The fourth line of Gage Goncalves, Jack Finley and Dominic James started the second, and Goncalves hit the back of the net in the opening 30 seconds.

"I actually thought they played pretty well," Cooper said of the bottom trio of forwards. "I liked the energy they were giving us, and they had looks. I didn't anticipate they would score -- you hope that would happen -- but I liked the matchup."

Top points producer Nikita Kucherov (13 goals, 30 assists in 31 games) was back in the lineup after an illness and had an assist, but the club put Brandon Hagel (upper body) on injured reserve.

Over 32 games played, Hagel has produced 18 goals and 13 assists, providing an energetic boost to the Lightning's attack.

In Sunrise on Saturday night, the Blues took advantage of the Florida Panthers playing on a home back-to-back, breaking out with a 2-0 lead and watching the two-time Stanley Cup champions rally before tallying four unanswered in a 6-2 win.

St. Louis, which will close out a two-game road trip in Tampa, is 5-3-1 in its past nine games as it tries to climb the standings in a Central Division that the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild are running away with.

After leading the Blues with two goals and an assist in south Florida, Robert Thomas said the champs were compromised but that he and his teammates were relentless.

"They had a tough back-to-back, playing at seven last night and then six, so the odds are kind of stacked against them," said Thomas, who has nine goals and 18 assists in 33 outings. "That's a great team, obviously, the best team in the league the last couple of years, so we knew what we had to do even when they came back and tied it. We just kept our foot down."

The center has been impressed by new linemate Jonatan Berggren, who has played in three games and scored in two of them after being acquired from Detroit, which placed him on waivers.

Berggren, 25, has slotted into left wing on a line with Pavel Buchnevich at right wing and fit right in.

"He can make a lot of plays, has his head up a lot and wins battles," Thomas said. "It's been really impressive watching him, just his confidence level right when he got here."

Lucas Raymond and John Leonard each added a goal for the Red Wings. Andrew Copp and Emmitt Finnie recorded two assists, including on Seider's overtime winner. Cam Talbot recorded 31 saves, including 13 in the first period.

Ethen Frank scored both goals for the Capitals, his second career multi-goal game, while Dylan Strome finished with two assists.

The Red Wings swept the back-to-back home-and-home against the Capitals after a 5-2 win Saturday in Detroit.

Detroit had earlier opportunities during overtime after Strome's two-minute penalty for hooking 35 seconds in. The Red Wings produced four shots on goal against Charlie Lindgren but were unable to score.

It wasn't until Seider's slap shot with 23.3 seconds remaining in overtime that the Red Wings earned the two points.

With the Red Wings leading 2-1, it was Frank who sent the teams into overtime with his second goal of the game midway through the third period. Frank also opened the scoring for the Capitals in the first.

Trailing 1-0 in the second, Raymond got the Red Wings on the scoreboard with his 11th goal of the season and fourth on the power play. Just over five minutes later, Alex DeBrincat shot towards the net, but it was deflected in by Leonard's knee to give Detroit a 2-1 lead.

The Red Wings sit atop the Atlantic Division with 45 points. Despite the loss, the Capitals picked up a point and now have 43 this season.

Miller, 32, is listed as week-to-week after taking a hit to the right shoulder from the Flyers' Nick Seeler in the third period. The good news for the 14-year veteran is that he should recover in time to be considered for Team USA's roster for the Olympic Winter Games in Italy in February.

In the second season of his second stint with the Rangers, Miller is fourth in the team in scoring with 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 35 games.

A first-round pick (No. 15 overall) of the Rangers in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, Miller has compiled 731 points (270 goals, 461 assists) over 906 games with the Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning and Vancouver Canucks.

"He just means so much to this team," New York coach Mike Sullivan told reporters on Sunday. "I think he's the leader of this group in so many ways, emotionally with how he plays the game. I think his game was really building, too; I think his game was really starting to come, especially on the offensive side. ...

"J.T. is not an easy guy to replace. He's a terrific player first and foremost, but he impacts this team in so many different ways."

It's a bounce-back game for both teams, who come in off losses in the first game of back-to-backs on Saturday. Vegas had an eight-game point streak snapped at Calgary, 6-3, while Edmonto, lost to the red-hot Minnesota Wild, 5-2, in Saint Paul, Minn.

The Oilers, who have won the past two Western Conference titles only to lose to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final, eliminated Vegas in five games in the second round of the playoffs last May while the Golden Knights knocked off Edmonton in six games in the second round in 2023 en route to winning the Stanley Cup.

So it's fair to say both teams have had Sunday's game circled on their calendars.

"It's war out there," Golden Knights defenseman Keegan Kolesar replied when asked to describe what games against the Oilers is like. "There's not much room given, there's no sitting back and relaxing. ... They beat us last year (in the playoffs) and we've beaten them in the past. Right from game one I expect there is going to be some bad blood between us."

"They've been to the (Stanley Cup) Final two years in a row, so they have the Western Conference and it's a measuring stick game," added defenseman Brayden McNabb.

It will be the sixth game in nine days for Edmonton, which won three of five games on its road trip.

"Looking forward to it," Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse said. "I think obviously it's a big divisional game against a team that we played a lot these last couple years, and I think everyone will be up for that one."

Edmonton fell behind 2-0 against the Wild but rallied to tie it on goals by Andrew Mangiapane, his first in 22 games, and a power-play score by Connor McDavid. But Ryan Hartman put Minnesota back in front, 3-2, with just eight seconds left in the first period, and Vladimir Tarasenko and Nico Sturm added third-period goals to help Minnesota win its seventh straight game.

"It was nice to score, but it would have been better with two points," Mangiapane said of his first goal since Nov. 3. "It was a close battle. We did a good job fighting, being down 2-0 and coming back, but it's tough one to let up there (to Hartman). It's a good thing we play tomorrow to get right back at it."

Vegas fell behind 3-1 in the first period and trailed 5-1 midway through the second period before getting goals from Kaedan Korczak and Mark Stone to close to within two with 3:57 remaining. But Jonathan Huberdeau then sealed the win for the Flames with an empty-netter.

"Just move on, jump on a plane," Golden Knights forward Reilly Smith said when asked how his team can regroup. "There's two points we can get tomorrow, and we just have to be focused on that. It's as simple as just turning the page."

Josh Anderson scored two goals and Jacob Fowler made 31 saves for his first career shutout as the Canadiens blanked the Penguins 4-0 on Saturday night in Montreal.

Owen Beck added his first career goal and Juraj Slafkovsky also scored for the Canadiens, who are 4-1-1 in their past six games.

Fowler, Montreal's third-round selection at the 2023 NHL Draft, is 2-1-1 in four starts this season.

"It's cool, it's another puck to give to my dad and let him put in the trophy case," Fowler said of the shutout. "I was just grateful for the effort in front of me. They made my job pretty easy tonight to see pucks and be under control, and I think we've been good the last few games, and I just need to make a couple more saves like tonight."

Saturday was the Florida native's second win of the season against the Penguins. He made 36 saves in his NHL debut, a 4-2 victory over Pittsburgh on Dec. 11.

At 21 years and 26 days, Fowler is the youngest Canadiens goaltender to record a shutout since Carey Price (20 years, 229 days).

"The way he carries himself, it seems like he's been ready for it for a long time," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said.

Jakub Dobes, Sunday's likely starter, is 12-5-2 with a 2.91 goals-against average and an .893 save percentage in 19 games this season.

Stuart Skinner made 17 saves in his second start for Pittsburgh since being acquired from Edmonton on Dec. 12. The Penguins have dropped three straight in regulation and are winless in eight overall (0-4-4).

"The guys played really hard in front of me, a lot of big blocked shots tonight," Skinner said. "And you saw as the second period and third period went on, we were taking over the game. I really like how we responded, especially being down going into the third. How the guys came out was impressive."

Superstar captain Sidney Crosby enters Sunday's game one point shy of tying Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux (1,723) for the Penguins' all-time scoring record.

Crosby briefly left Saturday's game for repairs after being struck with a high stick from teammate Brett Kulak in the second period.

Saturday marked the second straight 4-0 loss for the Penguins. Pittsburgh was blanked by the Ottawa Senators on Thursday.

"It's not easy on anybody," Penguins coach Dan Muse said. "But we got to turn the page. I know I always say the same thing, but that's the reality of it. If we start feeling bad for ourselves, we put our heads down, like, we got another hockey game here (Sunday) night."

Goaltender Arturs Silovs, who is expected to start Sunday, is 4-5-6 in 15 starts with a 3.26 GAA and an .890 save percentage this season.

After being shut out at home by the Florida Panthers on Dec. 13, Dallas has scored 17 goals in its past three games. Nearly half of those came on Friday night on the second half of a back-to-back, when they routed the Anaheim Ducks 8-3.

The Stars have a 5-0 record in the second games of back-to-backs this seasons.

"We executed at a high level early," said head coach Glen Gulutzan, who had been critical of his team's performance the night before even as the Stars ultimately prevailed 5-3 over the San Jose Sharks. "I thought there was a good commitment to play more structured than we did last night."

Jason Robertson will hope to keep his scoring spark lit. After three games off the scoresheet, he led the way on the offensive front with two goals and an assist in a game where all but four Dallas skaters tallied at least a point. Robertson, the Stars' leading goal scorer (22 goals), also quadrupled his penalty minutes on the season with three minor infractions.

"Yeah, I was pretty reckless. I was trying to play hard," Robertson said. "All lines contributed, played relatively structured, kind of limited the chances. ... We're a good team, lot of skill, so we can score goals."

The result left Dallas second in the league in points (53), trailing only the Colorado Avalanche in the standings. The Stars have won three straight since their loss to Florida.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are coming off a much less inspiring first half of a back-to-back, surrendering multiple leads and ultimately falling 5-3 to the lowly Nashville Predators on Saturday night. Toronto's struggle to get pucks on net continued on, managing just 22 shots on goal for the second consecutive game.

"There's definitely a shift we got to do mentally where you never want to play not to lose," said Nicolas Roy, who scored Toronto's first goal 92 seconds into the game. "You want to play to win, so not sit back. I think play our game, impose our game. I think we're playing a little too much 'we don't want to lose.'"

An inert power play has been at the core of Toronto's troubles as of late, their 14.1% power-play percentage being near the bottom of the league. The Leafs retooled their top unit against Nashville, bringing youngsters Easton Cowan and Nick Robertson to play alongside Auston Matthews, Matthew Knies and Morgan Rielly. The new-look grouping failed to capitalize on its only man advantage of the night.

"Yeah, it is. It's mental, for sure," head coach Craig Berube responded when asked if his team's uneven play was a product of their struggles mentally. "We've got to get through it. We've got to get over that. We've got to make better decisions throughout the game."

The Leafs have dropped four of their past five games. Toronto has won eight of its past 10 encounters against Dallas.

Both teams are coming off wins Saturday. New York needed a shootout to beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 for its second straight victory, and the Predators defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-3 for their fourth win in their last six games.

The Rangers trailed 3-1 midway through the game and 4-2 halfway through the third period before rallying to victory. Head coach Mike Sullivan praised his team's resiliency.

"I think that's such a huge part of a team's ability to have success, and it starts with a belief," he said. "We got to believe we can do it."

With the win, the Rangers have registered at least a point in 10 of their last 14 games (8-4-2).

New York's 13 road wins are tied with the Dallas Stars for the most in the league.

Even with the ugly start at home this season, New York remains just a point out of a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, although other teams vying for the playoffs have at least a game in-hand on the Rangers.

Saturday's win came despite team captain J.T. Miller departing midway through the third period after being hit by Philadelphia's Nick Seeler and Owen Trippett in the neutral zone. Sullivan said Miller was being evaluated for an upper-body injury, and he did not have the results immediately after the game.

Losing Miller, whose 10 goals rank third on the team and whose 22 points are fourth, for any amount of time would be a blow for a team that has struggled to score this season. The Rangers are averaging just 2.54 goals per game, and defenseman Adam Fox, whose 23 assists are tied with Artemi Panarin for the team lead, has been on long-term injured reserve for almost a month.

Panarin leads the team with 13 goals. He scored twice Saturday, giving him points in seven of the nine games he has played in December.

Scoring also has been a challenge for the Predators, who scored five or more goals prior to a shootout for just the fifth time this season on Saturday and needed a pair of late empty-net goals to get there. Through 34 games, Nashville averages 2.82 goals per game.

Luke Evangelista's fifth goal of the season served as the game-winner midway through the third period on Saturday. The winger, who leads Nashville with 19 assists, took matters into his own hands by going through four Toronto players before deking Morgan Rielly and beating goalie Joseph Woll on a backhander for his first goal since Nov. 29.

With the victory, Nashville moved out of the Central Division cellar, and the Predators lurk just five points back for the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

"That was a big game for us... We're desperate," the 23-year-old said. "We're trying to climb, and just to get one late, that's a big goal."

Both teams will have one game remaining before the league takes a three-day break starting on Christmas Eve.

The Senators aim for their fourth straight win after taking a 6-4 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday afternoon.

The Bruins, in turn, sustained their third loss in four games (1-2-1) with a 5-4 shootout defeat against the Vancouver Canucks.

In Ottawa's win, captain Brady Tkachuk scored two goals to boost his total to five in his past three games.

David Perron netted two of the team's three third-period goals on Saturday.

Tim Stutzle had a goal and two assists, giving him 13 points (five goals, eight assists) across a six-game point streak. Fabian Zetterlund notched a goal and an assist on Saturday.

"They held onto pucks, they played below the top of the circles, they won puck battles," Ottawa coach Travis Green said of the top-line trio of Tkachuk, Stutzle and Zetterlund in Saturday's game. "You don't have a night like that if you're not really strong on the puck."

There was even more significance to the game than just another win for Ottawa, as veteran defenseman Thomas Chabot returned from an upper-body injury that sidelined him for 15 of the past 16 games.

Chabot logged 26 minutes, 37 seconds of ice time -- nearly five minutes more than his season average entering the game -- while playing in his first action since Nov. 22. He assisted on Tkachuk's go-ahead tally in the second period.

"It's my first game in a month, and you kind of want to just ease into it. It's good. It got me right back into it," Chabot said. "It was a great game by the whole team."

However, defenseman Tyler Kleven was lost to a lower-body injury in Saturday's first period and did not return. Green had no update following the game.

Leevi Merilainen made 20 saves, earning his first win since Nov. 13 against Boston. Former Bruin Linus Ullmark is scheduled to start on Sunday.

The Bruins will have little time to dwell on their first overtime or shootout loss this season. They allowed two third-period goals to Vancouver before going scoreless in seven shootout attempts against Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen.

"Played a little bit too loose, and they made us pay for it," Boston forward Tanner Jeannot said of the third period.

Morgan Geekie scored his 25th goal of the season and 50th of the 2025 calendar year while adding an assist, but his effort was not enough to help the Bruins in a game in which they piled up 42 shots on goal and led 1-0 and 3-2. Boston had previously allowed the first goal in six consecutive games.

After being very pleased with his team's 5-on-5 play in a 3-1 Thursday loss to the Edmonton Oilers, Boston coach Marco Sturm said mistakes were costly in the latest contest.

"We found ourselves getting tight right at the end because of a mistake," Sturm said. "It's unfortunate because I thought we were ready to go today ... but we couldn't find a way to put them away."

The Bruins had Jeremy Swayman in goal for the back-and-forth contest versus Vancouver, marking the first time all season in which he made four consecutive starts.

"It was a big game for us, and we thought (Swayman) would give us the best chance," Sturm said of his goaltending decision on Saturday.

As a result, Joonas Korpisalo has not played since a Dec. 11 win at the Winnipeg Jets. He allowed the Senators to score four goals on 21 shots in the Nov. 13 loss for Boston.

Stutzle collected two goals and an assist in that game, a 5-3 Ottawa win.

With another win, the Senators would take three of four in the head-to-head series against Boston for the second straight season.

Colorado, with 57 points, is atop the league standings and is riding a four-game winning streak. The only team hotter than the Avalanche is Minnesota, which has won seven in a row after beating Edmonton 5-2 on Saturday.

The Wild's winning streak started before the blockbuster trade that landed Quinn Hughes from Vancouver. Since acquiring the former Norris Trophy recipient, Minnesota has outscored opponents 21-6 and has at least five goals in all four games and 33-11 overall during the seven-game winning streak.

Hughes has a goal and two assists in his four games and has bolstered an already talented group. The Wild are 19-3-2 in their last 24 games and have 49 points, trailing only division rivals Colorado and Dallas (53 points).

Minnesota's offensive surge has been sparked by Matt Boldy, the team's leading scorer with 43 points (22 goals, 21 assists). Boldy had two goals in Saturday's win and has scored at least one in the last four games.

Kirill Kaprizov is second on the Wild in scoring with 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) and Marcus Johansson is third with 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists).

The Wild have rolled despite having key players sidelined -- seven were out Thursday at Columbus, but the team got a few back for Saturday.

"I think good teams learn how to overcome the obstacles, and one of the things is injuries," center Vladimir Tarasenko said.

Sunday is the second of four games between the teams this season and the last one in Minnesota. The Wild won the first meeting, 3-2 in a shootout on Nov. 28. That snapped the Avalanche's nine-game winning streak at the time, but they earned a point, which they've accomplished in all but two of 33 games this season.

Colorado has one regulation loss since Oct. 25 and has earned a point in 24 of its last 25 games.

The Avalanche are led by Nathan MacKinnon, who is tied with the Edmonton Oilers superstar captain Connor McDavid in scoring with 59 points. MacKinnon's 28 goals lead the NHL and he has added 31 assists, tied with teammate Martin Necas for the most on the team.

Necas, who had a goal in Friday night's 3-2 home win over Winnipeg, has 15 on the season and is second in scoring for Colorado. Cale Makar (10 goals, 30 assists) it tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets' Zach Werenski in leading all NHL defensemen with 40 points.

The Avalanche have nine players with 18 or more points and five who have hit double digits in goals.

"We have a deep team and everyone knows that," Necas said. "Everyone can step in a role, and it's huge."

The contributions are coming from all four lines. Parker Kelly, who has thrived as a bottom-six forward, has seven goals in 34 games, one short of his career best accomplished in 80 games in each of the past two seasons.

"I just feel a bit more patient, more poise with the puck, and a little more confident overall," said Kelly, in his sixth NHL season and second with Colorado.

The Red Wings jumped out to a 4-0 second-period lead before holding on for a 5-2 win, their third in their past four games.

"Get home, get some rest and then right back at it," Detroit coach Todd McLellan said. "Quick two-game series. We know they're gonna be better and we have to take it up a notch as well, but right now we'll worry about tomorrow when it arrives."

It will be hard for Detroit to improve on their start. They outshot Washington 17-6 and led 1-0 after one period before adding three more goals in the second.

Moritz Seider had a goal and an assist and Andrew Copp and Simon Edvinsson each had two assists for the Red Wings. John Leonard, James van Riemsdyk and Elmer Soderblom also scored before Dylan Larkin added an empty-netter. John Gibson made 24 saves.

Leonard, who was recalled from Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League on Dec. 15, scored his first goal of the season. His younger brother, 20-year-old Ryan, plays forward for Washington but is day-to-day with facial and shoulder injuries.

The elder Leonard has played 73 NHL games over parts of five seasons. The forward was signed by the Red Wings last summer after a stellar season for Charlotte in the East Coast Hockey League.

He gave Detroit a quick 1-0 lead Saturday when he knocked in a rebound at 1:05 of the first period.

"I'm just grateful for the opportunity to be here, whether it's one more game or whatever the case may be, obviously I don't know," said Leonard, 27. "But like I said, day by day and try to make the most of it and work as hard as I can."

The Capitals were coming off a 4-0 shutout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday, but that did not carry over.

"I think simply put, just our start," Washington coach Spencer Carbery said of the difference from Thursday. "Just weren't able to get through the neutral zone, weren't able to do enough things forecheck-wise, lost momentum early in the hockey game."

Aliaksei Protas and Martin Fehervary scored for the Capitals, who have lost four of five (1-3-1). Logan Thompson made 36 saves. Protas scored in his second straight game and has 12 goals on the season.

The Capitals rallied to within 4-2 and had a third goal disallowed by goaltender interference. That short-circuited their momentum.

Sunday provides an opportunity for a quick bounce-back.

"When you play the same team the next day, you're kind of aware what you're up against and right back to work tomorrow in their building," Protas said. "Got to give (it) back to them, for sure."

Washington goalie Charlie Lindgren will oppose Cam Talbot in the rematch. Lindgren is 5-3-0 with a 3.35 goals-against average and .888 save percentage in his career versus Detroit. Talbot is 5-10-1 with a 2.85 GAA and .902 save percentage against Washington.

The 21-year-old Fowler, playing his fourth game since being recalled from the AHL's Laval Rocket, denied Kevin Hayes on a breakaway 5:16 into the game and thwarted Connor Dewar's point-blank tip attempt with a right-pad save 54 seconds into the middle period. His first career win came against the Penguins on Dec. 11.

In the first of a back-to-back, home-and-home series between the teams, Josh Anderson scored twice and Juraj Slafkovsky and Owen Beck added goals for the Canadiens, who are 4-1-1 in their last six.

Stuart Skinner stopped 17 of 20 shots for Pittsburgh, which lost its eighth in a row (0-4-4) and were shut out 4-0 for the second consecutive game. Anthony Mantha hit two goal posts for the Penguins.

Rangers 5, Flyers 4 (SO)

Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck scored in the opening two rounds of the shootout as host New York rallied to beat Philadelphia.

Panarin slipped a backhander by goalie Samuel Ersson and Trocheck scored on a wrist shot from close range that went over Ersson's stick. Rangers goalie Igor Shesterkin stopped Trevor Zegras and Travis Konecy in the shootout after helping New York kill two power plays in overtime. Panarin scored both of New York's first two goals after sitting out Thursday's game with an illness.

The Flyers fell to 10-0-1 when carrying a lead into the third period after scoring four times in the second. Travis Sanheim and Owen Tippett scored 23 seconds apart to put the Flyers ahead. Zegras scored Philadelphia's second power-play goal and Rodrigo Abols added a short-handed goal.

Red Wings 5, Capitals 2

Detroit drew first blood in a home-and-home situation with a road victory over Washington.

John Leonard, James van Riemsdyk, Elmer Soderblom, Moritz Seider and Dylan Larkin all scored for the victorious side, while John Gibson stopped 24 of the 26 shots he faced en route to his seventh consecutive winning start. For Leonard, it was his first goal with the Red Wings after he was called up from the AHL to replace Patrick Kane.

Aliaksei Protas and Martin Fehervary both tallied and Logan Thompson made 37 saves for the Capitals. These two teams will return for the second half of the home-and-home set on Sunday.

Wild 5, Oilers 2

Matt Boldy scored a pair of goals and Minnesota pulled away to earn the win over visiting Edmonton.

Vladimir Tarasenko added a goal and an assist for the Wild, who won their seventh game in a row. Ryan Hartman and Nico Storm scored one goal apiece. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson turned aside 28 of 30 shots to pick up the victory. Hartman and Kirill Kaprizov both finished with six shots on goal to lead the Wild.

Andrew Mangiapane and Connor McDavid scored one goal each for the Oilers, who lost for the first time in the past three games. Calvin Pickard allowed four goals on 36 shots. Pickard made the start one day after Edmonton placed newly acquired goaltender Tristan Jarry (lower body) on injured reserve. McDavid led the Oilers with six shots on goal.

Senators 6, Blackhawks 4

David Perron scored two goals early in the third period to lift host Ottawa to a win over Chicago.

Senators captain Brady Tkachuk scored his fourth goal in three games, and Tim Stutzle collected a goal and two assists to record his fifth multi-point performance during his six-game point streak. Fabian Zetterlund scored and set up a goal and Tyler Kleven added his first goal of the season. Leevi Merilainen made 20 saves for Ottawa, which has won three in a row.

Ilya Mikheyev halted a 20-game goal-less drought by scoring twice for the Blackhawks, Andre Burakovsky tallied on the power play and Nick Lardis added his first career NHL goal. Arvid Soderblom turned aside 34 shots for Chicago, which has lost five in a row.

Sabres 3, Islanders 2 (SO)

Josh Norris scored the decisive goal in the shootout for host Buffalo, which squandered a two-goal lead before continuing its resurgence with a win over struggling New York.

Rasmus Dahlin scored in the first period and Tage Thompson scored in the second for the Sabres, who have won five straight. Alex Lyon, who has been in net for all five wins, made 32 saves in regulation and overtime.

Barzal scored in the final minute of the second and Emil Heineman forced overtime by scoring on the power play in the last minute of regulation for the Islanders, who have lost three straight. New York is without Bo Horvat (left ankle), Kyle Palmieri (knee) and Alexander Romanov (shoulder). David Rittich recorded 30 saves.

Blues 6, Panthers 2

Justin Faulk scored the go-ahead goal with 0.7 seconds left in the second period and St. Louis coasted past Florida in Sunrise, Fla.

Jake Neighbours and Robert Thomas scored twice each for the Blues, and Jonatan Berggren added one goal and two assists. Neighbours leads the Blues with 10 goals this season. Also for the Blues, Cam Fowler posted his 400th career assist on the first goal. Joel Hofer made 27 saves to earn the win.

Florida's Daniil Tarasov posted 25 saves, and the Panthers got one goal each from A.J. Greer and Sam Reinhart. Despite the loss -- which broke Florida's four-game win streak -- the Panthers are 7-2-0 in their past nine games.

Canucks 5, Bruins 4 (SO)

Liam Ohgren scored the only shootout goal in the seventh round after tallying a goal and an assist in regulation, lifting visiting Vancouver to a come-from-behind win over Boston.

Kevin Lankinen broke an 0-5-1 drought with a 38-save performance, making six stops in overtime before pitching a shutout in the shootout. The win is Vancouver's fourth straight on a five-game trip. Also for the Canucks, Linus Karlsson registered his first career two-goal game and added an assist, while Max Sasson also scored.

Morgan Geekie had a goal and an assist, while Pavel Zacha, Tanner Jeannot and Andrew Peeke also lit the lamp for Boston, which is 1-2-1 in its last four games and lost its first game in extra time this season. Jeremy Swayman made 18 stops in his fourth straight start for Boston.

Predators 5, Maple Leafs 3

Nashville nabbed a vital two points with a win over visiting Toronto.

Luke Evangelista scored on a highlight-reel play in the third period to give the Predators a 3-2 lead, twisting past an overcommitted Morgan Rielly and shoveling the puck over the shoulder of goaltender Joseph Woll before his own momentum brought him down to the ice.

Steven Stamkos bagged a goal and assist for the home team, while Brady Skjei chipped in with two helpers. Nashville's Juuse Saros stopped 19 of 22 shots. Bobby McMann tallied two points for Toronto with a goal and an assist and Woll turned away 29 of 32 shots.

Lightning 6, Hurricanes 4

Jake Guentzel scored the go-ahead goal in the third period as Tampa Bay snapped a four-game home losing streak by rallying for a victory over Carolina.

After answering Carolina's three-goal first period with three goals in the second, the Lightning traded goals in the third until Guentzel jammed home a marker for a 5-4 edge at 6:38. Guentzel then added his 17th goal, an empty-netter. Ryan McDonagh tallied a goal and an assist, and Gage Goncalves, Brayden Point and Jack Finley also found the twine. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 18 saves.

Eric Robinson, Jackson Blake, Bradly Nadeau and Andrei Svechnikov scored goals for Carolina, but the Metropolitan club lost both games (0-1-1) of its back-to-back set. Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 23 shots and Jesperi Kotkaniemi posted his 200th NHL point with an assist.

Ducks 4, Blue Jackets 3

Pavel Mintyukov scored the eventual game-winner as Anaheim topped visiting Columbus.

Mikael Granlund scored and added an assist, and Jacob Trouba and Mason McTavish also found the back of the net for the Ducks, who won for just the second time in six outings (2-3-1). Lukas Dostal made 23 saves to improve to 3-0-0 in three career games against the Blue Jackets.

Zach Werenski scored and added an assist, and Dmitri Voronkov and Mason Marchment also tallied for the Blue Jackets, who dropped to 1-6-1 in their last eight outings. Elvis Merzlikins stopped 24 shots.

Flames 6, Golden Knights 3

Mikael Backlund scored two goals for the second straight game and Connor Zary and MacKenzie Weegar each had three assists to lead host Calgary to a victory over Vegas.

Joel Farabee scored a short-handed goal, and Adam Klapka, Ryan Lomberg and Jonathan Huberdeau also scored goals. Devin Cooley made 34 saves for Calgary, which improved to 7-1-1 in its last nine home games.

Mark Stone had a goal and an assist, Mitch Marner had two assists and Reilly Smith and Kaedan Korczak also scored goals for Vegas, which had an eight-game point streak snapped. Akira Schmid stopped 20 of 25 shots.

Kraken 4, Sharks 2

Eeli Tolvanen and Chandler Stephenson each had a goal and an assist as Seattle rallied to defeat host San Jose Sharks to snap a four-game losing streak.

Defensemen Ryker Evans and Ryan Lindgren scored 2:32 apart early in the third period for Seattle, which won for just the second time in its past 12 games (2-9-1). Goaltender Joey Daccord made 34 saves.

Adam Gaudette and Collin Graf scored for San Jose, which lost its second straight following a three-game winning streak. Yaroslav Askarov stopped 28 of 31 shots.

Mikael Granlund scored and added an assist, and Jacob Trouba and Mason McTavish also found the back of the net for the Ducks, who won for just the second time in six outings (2-3-1).

Lukas Dostal made 23 saves to improve to 3-0-0 in three career games against the Blue Jackets.

Zach Werenski scored and added an assist, and Dmitri Voronkov and Mason Marchment also tallied for the Blue Jackets, who dropped to 1-6-1 in their last eight outings.

Elvis Merzlikins stopped 24 shots.

Mintyukov snapped a Granlund feed between the legs of Merzlikins for the go-ahead goal at 16:31 of the third.

Werenski tied it 3-3, beating a screened Dostal blocker side for his team-leading 14th goal at 12:44 of the third. The defenseman has five goals in his last three games and has points in five straight (five goals, five assists).

Werenski left the game with 2:11 remaining in the third after blocking a Troy Terry shot off his right foot.

Marchment tied it 2-2 at 3:39 of the second period, deflecting a Damon Severson point shot past Dostal.

The 30-year-old forward was acquired by the Blue Jackets from the Seattle Kraken on Friday night and made his Columbus debut Saturday on a line with Adam Fantilli and Kent Johnson.

Anaheim took a 3-2 lead at 13:36 of the middle frame as McTavish got a Ross Johnston pass and snapped a shot under the arm of Merzlikins.

Anaheim scored twice in a 46-second span to open an early 2-0 lead.

Granlund got the Ducks on the board at 2:14, snapping an Olen Zellweger feed five-hole past Merzlikins.

Anaheim struck again at 3:00 of the opening frame as Trouba one-timed a Ryan Poehling pass past Merzlikins.

Columbus got on the board at 5:54 on a power play as Voronkov tapped in a cross-ice feed from Charlie Coyle.

Saturday was the second meeting between the two teams in five days. Columbus edged Anaheim 4-3 on Tuesday.

It was the 23rd multi-goal game of Backlund's career. Joel Farabee scored a short-handed goal, and Adam Klapka, Ryan Lomberg and Jonathan Huberdeau also scored goals. Devin Cooley made 34 saves for Calgary, which improved to 7-1-1 in its last nine home games.

Weegar notched his first three-point game of the season and Zary had the first three-point game of his career.

Mark Stone had a goal and an assist, Mitch Marner had two assists and Reilly Smith and Kaedan Korczak also scored goals for Vegas, which had an eight-game point streak snapped. Akira Schmid stopped 20 of 25 shots.

Backlund gave Calgary a 1-0 lead at the 3:54 mark of the first period when he chipped in a rebound of a Blake Coleman shot at the end of an odd-man rush. Klapka made it 2-0 midway through the period with a deflection of Yan Kuznetsov's point shot.

Vegas cut the lead to 2-1 on a breakaway goal by Smith, who took a stretch pass from Stone and put in a backhand shot on Cooley's glove side. Lomberg put Calgary back up by two goals near the end of the period when he finished a 2-on-0 break with a wrist shot past Schmid's blocker side.

The Flames extended the lead to 5-1 in the second period on goals by Backlund, who drove in a rebound of his own five-hole shot, and Farabee's short-handed goal, a wrist shot from the slot past Schmid's glove side.

Vegas, which won the first two meetings between the two teams early October by a combined score of 10-3, cut the lead to 5-2 near the end of the second period on Korczak's snap shot from the right circle into the far left corner.

Stone made it 5-3 with 3:57 remaining with a power-play goal, batting in a rebound of a Noah Hanifin shot.

Vegas pulled Schmid for an extra attacker with two minutes to go, and Huberdeau sealed the win with an empty-netter with 45 seconds remaining.

Defensemen Ryker Evans and Ryan Lindgren scored 2:32 apart early in the third period for Seattle, which won for just the second time in its past 12 games (2-9-1). Goaltender Joey Daccord made 34 saves.

Adam Gaudette and Collin Graf scored for San Jose, which lost its second straight following a three-game winning streak. Yaroslav Askarov stopped 28 of 31 shots.

With the score tied 1-1 after two periods, the Sharks took the lead on Graf's unassisted goal 36 seconds into the third. Seattle defenseman Vince Dunn's pass from behind the net hit the side of the cage and the puck fell to Graf in the low slot.

His shot hit the right post and the puck dropped into the crease. Daccord tried to collect the puck with his stick to freeze it under his prone body, but it deflected off his left leg pad and trickled over the goal line.

Evans tied it at 1:55 on a shot from the left point that sailed over Askarov's shoulder and into the far upper corner of the net as the goalie was screened by his teammate Shakir Mukhamadullin.

Lindgren scored what proved to be the winner at 4:27 on a wrist shot from the top of the left faceoff circle that also found the far upper corner of the net as Askarov was again screened by Mukhamadullin.

Stephenson scored into an empty net at 18:36 to help clinch the victory.

The Kraken outshot San Jose 17-12 in a scoreless first period. It was the seventh straight game Seattle failed to score in the opening 20 minutes.

Tolvanen opened the scoring at 6:52 of the second period after collecting a loose puck just outside the blue line. Tolvanen's wrist shot from the top of the right faceoff circle deflected off the tip of defenseman Vincent Iorio's stick and slipped through Askarov's pads.

The Sharks tied it with a man advantage at 11:22 of the period. Macklin Celebrini's shot from the top of the left faceoff circle went off the skate of teammate Igor Chernyshov at the top of the crease. Gaudette outmuscled Seattle defenseman Jamie Oleksiak near the right post and backhanded the puck into the open side of the net.

Celebrini, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NHL draft, with an assist extended his point streak to five games (three goals, eight assists) despite playing without injured linemates Will Smith and Philipp Kurashev. Celebrini ranks third in the league with 54 points.

Kevin Lankinen broke an 0-5-1 drought with a 38-save performance, making six stops in overtime before pitching a shutout in the shootout. The win is Vancouver's fourth straight on a five-game trip.

Also for the Canucks, Linus Karlsson registered his first career two-goal game and added an assist, and Max Sasson also scored.

Morgan Geekie had a goal and an assist, while Pavel Zacha, Tanner Jeannot and Andrew Peeke also lit the lamp for Boston, which is 1-2-1 in its last four games and lost its first game in extra time this season.

Peeke's point shot in off the post with 3:44 left forced overtime.

Jeremy Swayman made 18 stops in his fourth straight start for Boston, which had a 42-22 advantage in shots including 13-4 in the first period and 6-2 in overtime.

Boston turned a dominant start into a 1-0 lead, as Geekie buried a one-timer from the left circle for a power-play goal at 11:37. Geekie became the third Bruin to reach the 25-goal milestone before the holiday break, joining Hockey Hall of Fame member Phil Esposito and Geekie's current teammate David Pastrnak.

Sasson brought the visitors even with 15 seconds left in the first, scoring a wrist shot from the slot off Ohgren's centering feed.

Vancouver's power play flipped the score 4:22 into the second period. Swayman was caught out of position as Evander Kane slipped a pass from the corner that Karlsson tapped into an open net.

Lankinen made key saves after the Canucks took a 2-1 lead, including a point-blank shot from Mason Lohrei less than 30 seconds after the go-ahead goal.

In the same minute as Swayman stopped former Bruin Jake DeBrusk's breakaway at 4-on-4, Casey Mittelstadt and Nikita Zadorov connected on passes that led to a Zacha back-door finish to tie the game again at 9:41.

Boston regained the lead at 12:05. Mark Kastelic made a great spinning pass through the crease to Jeannot to finish as he drove to the bottom of the right circle.

Vancouver appeared to make it 3-3 with 2:44 left in the second, but Marcus Pettersson was deemed to have used his glove to deflect the puck over Swayman.

In the third, the Canucks followed up a successful penalty kill with a tying goal that counted. Karlsson snapped off a shot from high on the left circle at 3:53.

Ohgren redirected Pettersson's drive from the center point to lift Vancouver at the 7:34 mark. But Vancouver being unable to convert on overlapping power plays, including a short 5-on-3 halfway through the third, helped set up Peeke's goal.

After answering Carolina's three-goal first period with three goals of their own in the second, the Lightning traded goals in the third until Guentzel jammed home a marker for a 5-4 edge at 6:38.

Guentzel then added his 17th goal, an empty-netter, for the club's third win in 10 games (3-6-1).

Ryan McDonagh tallied a goal and an assist, and Gage Goncalves, Brayden Point and Jack Finley also found the twine. Dominic James and Charle-Edouard D'Astous had two assists apiece. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made 18 saves.

Nikita Kucherov (illness) returned to the lineup after a one-game absence.

Eric Robinson, Jackson Blake, Bradly Nadeau and Andrei Svechnikov scored goals for Carolina, but the Metropolitan club lost both games (0-1-1) of its back-to-back set.

Goalie Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 23 shots and Jesperi Kotkaniemi posted his 200th NHL point with an assist.

Kochetkov starred right away by stopping a pair of early breakaways, including one by Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh.

Raddysh still factored in the game's first goal, committing a turnover on an outlet pass that Jordan Staal picked off. Staal whipped a pass to Robinson, who rattled home the team's first goal at 2:42.

On the game's first power play, Blake scored at the four-minute mark when he deflected Nikolaj Ehlers' intentionally wide shot-pass in for a 2-0 advantage.

During a four-minute power play, Nadeau banged home his second goal at 12:27 when he found a loose puck out front.

The team called up the 20-year-old right winger after top goal scorer Seth Jarvis was injured in the 4-3 shootout loss Saturday night at the Panthers.

The home side awakened and were buzzing in the second, as Goncalves and Point hit the net in the first 80 seconds to trail by one. Finley notched his second career goal at 16:36 as the match was squared at three-all after 40 minutes.

In the third, Svechnikov and McDonagh exchanged tallies 26 seconds apart for a 4-all tie before Guentzel shoved in the game-winning goal and later added the empty-netter.

The 21-year-old Fowler, playing his fourth game since being recalled from the AHL's Laval Rocket, denied Kevin Hayes on a breakaway 5:16 into the game and thwarted Connor Dewar's point-blank tip attempt with a right-pad save 54 seconds into the middle period.

His first career win came against the Penguins on Dec. 11.

Josh Anderson scored twice and Juraj Slafkovsky and Owen Beck added goals for the Canadiens, who are 4-1-1 in their last six.

Stuart Skinner stopped 17 of 20 shots for Pittsburgh, which lost its eighth in a row (0-4-4) and were shut out 4-0 for the second consecutive game.

Anthony Mantha hit two goal posts for the Penguins.

It was the first of a back-to-back, home-and-home series between the teams.

Montreal took a 2-0 lead in the last three-and-a-half minutes of the first period.

Slafkovsky's power-play goal opened the scoring with 3:19 left in the opening stanza. He whipped a wrist shot from the slot past Skinner.

Beck's first career goal made it 2-0 with 1:11 left in the first. He picked up the puck at the Canadiens' blue line after a giveaway by Pittsburgh's Rickard Rakell, broke in off left wing and scored from the left circle.

Anderson's short-handed goal made it 3-0 with 7:46 remaining in the second period. He converted a breakaway 56 seconds after Nick Suzuki went off for delay of game because he cleared the puck over the glass in his own zone.

Anderson added an empty-net goal with 2:58 left.

Montreal's Jake Evans left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury.

Phillip Danault was not in the lineup for the Canadiens after being acquired from the Los Angeles Kings on Friday night in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2026 draft. Danault, 32, played for Montreal from 2015-21 and racked up 54 goals and 140 assists in 360 regular-season games.