NHL News

The ECHL postponed 13 games slated for Friday as a result of the work stoppage.

The Professional Hockey Players' Association (PHPA) represents minor league hockey players in the American Hockey League and the ECHL, formerly called the East Coast Hockey League. The ECHL is two tiers below the NHL and has 30 teams that all hold an affiliation with an NHL franchise.

In a vote last week, PHPA members voted to authorize its bargaining committee to call for a strike. Negotiations have been ongoing since January, and according to the union, the league presented a proposal Wednesday that it described as its final offer.

"This proposal failed to meaningfully address key health, safety and economic issues and misrepresented the impact of the proposed financial changes," the PHPA said in a lengthy statement. "The union also is also aware that the league is currently directing teams to engage in unlawful activities, including evictions and the removal of medical benefits, for participating in protected union activity."

The ECHL, in a response, accused union leaders of depriving players "the opportunity to vote on our last, best and final offer."

"We did everything possible to avoid this outcome and hope that the union leadership will drop its unworkable scheduling demands, let the players vote on our offer and make it possible for players to return to work," the league said in a statement."

The union identified six core issues that it feels the league's offers have failed to address.

The players are seeking a league-wide holiday break -- including no travel -- for Dec. 24-26, which would align with the NHL's current schedule. They are seeking "reasonable limitations on travel between games played on consecutive days," citing health and safety concerns.

The other big areas where the union and league are apart are guaranteed contracts, health benefits, group rights and player compensation. The players want a group licensing framework a la other North American sports leagues. As for compensation, they're asking for a $19,500 weekly salary cap with increases in future seasons.

The league claims it has promised a 19.8% increase in the salary cap in its latest proposal.

But captain Gabriel Landeskog says his team, which resumes play in Las Vegas against the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday, didn't pop any champagne corks over that stat.

"It means we've had a good just-about first half," Landeskog said. "We're not going to blow it out of proportion."

Still, it's hard not to be impressed with what Colorado has accomplished nearing the halfway point.

The Avalanche's 61 points (27-2-7) are one more than the Anaheim Ducks (27-5-6) had at the holiday break in 2006-07 en route to winning the first Stanley Cup in team history, and five more points than the runner-up Dallas Stars in this year's NHL standings.

Colorado has scored a league-high 142 goals while allowing just 80, fewest in the league, an eye-popping plus-62 in goal differential. Center Nathan MacKinnon leads the league with 30 goals and a plus-45 plus/minus while goaltender Scott Wedgewood is tied for first in wins (16-1-4) while compiling a 2.01 goals-against average and .924 save percentage.

"It's a testament to the guys and the hard work they've put in and the focus they've been able to maintain for the first half of the season or whatever," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. "Guys are playing with the right intentions, and they're getting rewarded for it."

Colorado brings a six-game winning streak with it to Sin City, including a 1-0 victory over the Utah Mammoth in its last game on Tuesday. Wedgewood made 32 saves for his second shutout and Samuel Girard scored the lone goal in the second period on a breakaway after intercepting Clayton Keller's pass in the neutral zone.

"I think some of the real big positives (to the start of the season) is that we're finding ways to win hockey games," Landeskog said. "Tonight was another example of that. It was not pretty, it was not perfect. ... But we find ways, obviously with fantastic goaltending, to keep them off the scoreboard. Overall, it's been a fun first few months of the season."

Vegas broke a three-game losing streak with a 7-2 home thrashing of the San Jose Sharks in its final game before the break on Tuesday.

The Golden Knights, plagued by slow starts and overtime losses during a roller-coaster start of the season, jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first period as 13 skaters recorded at least one point, a team record for a period. Mitch Marner scored two goals to lead the way and Carter Hart made 21 saves to pick up his 100th career victory.

"Honestly, to be up 5-0 after one period is rare," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "You need everything to go right on both sides of the puck."

The Golden Knights had been outscored by a combined 5-1 in the first period of back-to-back losses at Calgary and Edmonton, drawing Cassidy's ire for their sluggish starts.

This will be the second of three regular-season meetings. Colorado, behind a goal and two assists by Martin Necas and a goal and an assist from Cale Makar, jumped out to a 2-0 lead after two periods and held on to win the first one, 4-2, on Halloween in Las Vegas.

Both teams entered the three-day hiatus on losing streaks. Still, they remain in the thick of the divisional and Eastern Conference playoff chase.

This time last year, the Devils led the division with 49 points in 37 games. Coach Sheldon Keefe's team is eight points off that pace this season, and New Jersey is currently on the outside of a playoff spot. However, the Devils have also played roughly half their season without Jack Hughes, who is still tied for the team lead in goals with 11 and ranks fifth overall with 21 points despite only playing 19 games.

"If you look back at it, considering the way the season has gone, the number of injuries that we've had at different times, the quality of players that we've played without for long stretches of time, the fact that we're still very much in the fight through the first half is good," Keefe said after Tuesday's 2-1 loss to the New York Islanders.

Hughes returned last Sunday after missing 18 games because of a finger injury he suffered during a team dinner on Nov. 13. The Devils went 8-10-0 without the 24-year-old center, who finished second on the team in goals (27) and points (70) last season.

The Devils are on a two-game losing streak since Hughes' return, but he did score a goal in his first game back against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Capitals have lost three straight (0-2-1) and six of their last seven (1-4-2).

"The next portion of the season is going to determine a lot of what we're about and where this team goes," Washington coach Spencer Carbery said after the team's 7-3 home loss Tuesday to the New York Rangers. "That's just a fact, because if you look at our schedule and what we're about to embark on at the end of December and into January, it's go time."

Tom Wilson, who leads the Capitals with 17 goals and 34 points, missed Tuesday's game with an illness. He last scored a goal on Dec. 5 at Anaheim and has just three assists in his last seven games.

The 31-year-old winger has nine goals and 27 points in 47 regular-season games against the Devils. Wilson's 18 assists are the most he's had against any team in his 13-year career.

Carbery said he expects defenseman Rasmus Sandin to play Saturday after an upper-body injury forced him to sit out Tuesday.

Logan Thompson, the Capitals' top goalie, is 14-9-3 this season with a .917 save percentage and a 2.24 goals-against average, which rank fifth and sixth, respectively, in the league. However, the 28-year-old is just 1-3-1 in his last five games, having given up 17 goals and posted an .891 save percentage. In five career games against New Jersey, Thompson is 2-0-3 with a 3.24 GAA and an .892 save percentage.

Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen, both 35, have split time in the Devils' crease, both starting 18 games. Markstrom is 9-8-1 with a 3.33 GAA and an .883 save percentage, while Allen is 10-8-0 with a 2.47 GAA and a .912 save percentage. Against Washington, Markstrom is 2-8-3 in 13 games with a 3.28 GAA and an .892 save percentage, while Allen is 6-6-0 in 12 games with a 3.60 GAA and an .885 save percentage.

The Sharks will start the unofficial second half with a two-game road trip beginning Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks.

The Western Conference, as they say, is a wagon.

And if it were a real-life wagon, Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are the steeds driving it as the heart of a Colorado Avalanche club that has lost just twice in regulation in 36 matches and banked 61 points out of 72.

The Dallas Stars (56 points) and Minnesota Wild (50) hit the half-century mark, while the Vegas Golden Knights, Anaheim Ducks and Edmonton Oilers have 44, rounding out the West's top six clubs.

Currently outside of a wild-card spot, San Jose finds itself with 37 points in 37 matches -- an 82-point pace that will not be enough for a team to keep playing beyond April.

It is an improvement on last season, though, when through their 37th game -- a 4-3 loss at Vancouver on Dec. 23, 2024 -- the Sharks sat 11-20-6 (28 points) and were five setbacks into an eight-game losing streak.

"You really have to be focused and stay day to day," second-year Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said of making a postseason push. "Be where our feet are, and we'll let the outside and you guys get excited. ... But I think the second you get comfortable is where things can slip. We tell our players to be uncomfortable being comfortable.

"We've done some really good things this year and seen some guys blossom. We've come together as a group, but there's still a long way to go."

One of those guys skyrocketing is 19-year-old sensation Macklin Celebrini, who has 19 goals and 36 assists through 37 games, a 121-point pace.

Meanwhile, Vancouver traded away its top star two weeks ago, defenseman Quinn Hughes, and is having to regroup and learn to play without the former All-Star's offensive output and leadership.

Once play resumes Saturday at home, where the Canucks have struggled to the tune of a 4-10-1 mark, the status of center Elias Pettersson will be key going forward.

Getting back the 27-year-old Pettersson will be crucial. On Dec. 14, he was placed on injured reserve with an upper-body injury, retroactive to Dec. 5, when he last played in a 4-1 loss to the Utah Mammoth.

Through 499 career games, all with Vancouver, the Swedish pivot has generated 479 points on 193 goals and 286 assists.

This season, he has eight markers and 14 helpers in 28 outings, but his return, especially with the extra four days off, appears imminent.

"I think he's close. We'll see when, but he's getting closer," first-year coach Adam Foote said before Monday's 5-2 loss at the Philadelphia Flyers.

With Hughes shipped off to Minnesota and Pettersson absent, Foote's squad has somehow won four of five (4-1-0) matches since the captain's departure to the Wild.

After Vancouver general manager Patrik Allvin said all of the club's pending unrestricted free agents would be available, rumors began to swirl around winger Kiefer Sherwood, who likely would fetch a first-round pick in return.

The Columbus, Ohio, native leads the team with 16 goals, the only scorer in double figures. Forwards Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser have nine apiece.

In the lone meeting with their Pacific Division foe, the Canucks dropped a 3-2 decision in San Jose on Nov 28.

The Islanders are hoping to show their rivals how far they've come since then on Saturday night, when they host the Rangers as both teams resume play following the holiday break in Elmont, N.Y.

Both squads went into the break with comeback wins over Metropolitan Division rivals on Tuesday night, when the host Islanders edged the New Jersey Devils 2-1 and the visiting Rangers rode a five-goal third period to a 7-3 victory over the Washington Capitals.

Adam Pelech scored the game-winning goal with 1:15 left in the third to lift the Islanders to another resourceful win. They are 8-6-2 since Nov. 20, when defenseman Alexander Romanov suffered a season-ending right shoulder injury in a 5-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Another key player, right winger Kyle Palmieri, was lost for the season with a left knee injury eight days later.

The Islanders have scored three goals or fewer in 13 of their last 16 games -- including their last five without leading scorer Bo Horvat, who is sidelined with a left ankle injury. Horvat is expected to return Saturday along with goalie Ilya Sorokin, who sat out Tuesday with what the club described as "a small nagging issue."

Despite the spate of injuries, the Islanders are in third place in the Metropolitan Division and just three points behind the Carolina Hurricanes and Detroit Red Wings, who share the Eastern Conference lead with 47 points.

Such a position was hard to envision when the Islanders lost to the Rangers 9-2 on Apr. 10, seven days before the Islanders concluded a season in which they missed the playoffs by nine points.

But Mathieu Darche, who replaced Lou Lamoriello as president of hockey operations, has infused the veteran Islanders with young talent such as No. 1 overall draft pick Matthew Schaefer as well as left winger Emil Heineman, who has 12 goals and six assists.

"There's a lot to see, a lot of excitement from our team," Islanders center and captain Anders Lee said. "We've got a lot of young talent, some new blood and we're playing good hockey."

The Rangers have also been undermanned and searching for offense following a reset last spring, when they missed the playoffs by six points after winning the Presidents Trophy and advancing to the Eastern Conference finals in 2023-24. Peter Laviolette was fired after two seasons and replaced by Mike Sullivan, who directed the Pittsburgh Penguins to a pair of Stanley Cups during his decade in the Steel City.

The Rangers also dealt away former captain Chris Kreider as well as K'Andre Miller to complete an overhaul that began last season with the trades of Jacob Trouba and Reilly Smith.

Defenseman Adam Fox, who ranks third on the team with 26 points despite missing the last 12 games with an upper body injury, is expected to return Saturday for the Rangers, who are tied for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference despite scoring just 104 goals, the second-fewest in the East.

Captain J.T Miller (upper-body injury), whose 22 points are fifth-most on the club, went on injured reserve Monday.

Still, the Rangers hope the third-period outburst is a sign of things to come offensively. Prior to Tuesday, the Rangers had scored more than five goals in a game just four times in their first 41 contests.

"I was happy for the players," Sullivan said. "They've worked so hard to try to generate more offense. It's nice to see the puck go in the net for them."

Nashville, fifth in the rugged Central Division but just three points out of a Western Conference wild-card spot, won its last three games before the break, including a 3-2 overtime victory at the red-hot Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.

Steven Stamkos, playing in his 1,200th career game, scored 53 seconds into overtime for his league-leading sixth game-winning goal of the season for the Predators, who have bounced back from a dismal 6-12-4 start to win 10 of their last 14 games.

"We're starting to believe here," Stamkos said. "This group has obviously gone through a lot of adversity the past year and a bit. We didn't have the start we wanted to have this season, but the growth is there and guys are starting to believe."

Nashville finished a disappointing seventh in the Central Division with just 68 points last season, third fewest in the NHL. When the Predators stumbled out of the gate again this season, rumors began circulating that head coach Andrew Brunette could be on the hot seat and the team was fielding offers for key players like center Ryan O'Reilly, who leads the team with 32 points (11 goals), and Stamkos, who is three goals shy of 600 in his career.

General Manager Barry Trotz then came out publicly in support of Brunette, and the Predators rebounded to get back in the playoff race.

"We never quit," Stamkos, who helped lead Tampa Bay to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021, said. "Although it wasn't great at the beginning of the year, we've stuck with it. We've come to the rink every day, and we've worked."

Brunette is optimistic that the holiday break won't halt his team's momentum.

"Obviously, you'd like to keep going, but it's not like it's a week off," Brunette said. "So a few days off, go back to work, back on the road, and I think everything we've gone through this year as a group, we're pretty battle-tested, we're pretty resilient."

Next up is a trip to St. Louis for the third of four regular-season meetings with their Central Division rivals. Nashville won the first two, with Stamkos scoring four goals in a 7-2 home win on Dec. 11, and Filip Forsberg netting a hat trick in a 5-2 victory on Dec. 15 in St. Louis.

The Blues split two games on a Florida road trip just before the break, knocking off the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, 6-2, before dropping a 4-1 decision at Tampa Bay on Monday.

"Come away 1-1 against those two elite teams, you take it, but we're a results-oriented driven league," St. Louis head coach Jim Montgomery said.

"It was a good measuring stick for us," said defenseman Justin Faulk, who scored his 10th goal to tie for the team lead in the loss to the Lightning. "I think it showed us we've got more to go, and we think so, too."

The Blues, three points out of a Western Conference wild-card spot, went 3-2-1 in their final six games before the break.

"We've made strides here the last 10 days," Montgomery said. "We're playing more consistent, competitive hockey. I think right now, with our record (14-16-8, 36 points), we're not happy obviously, but we're fortunate to be within striking distance still of the playoffs."

Both Nashville and St. Louis have 36 points, but the Predators have a pair of games in-hand and have two more wins than the Blues.

Leon Draisaitl recorded a hat trick, and Connor McDavid added five assists as the Oilers cruised to a 5-1 victory over Calgary in Edmonton on Tuesday night.

The win improved the Oilers to 8-2-1 both overall and in their past 11 meetings with the Flames.

Draisaitl's three goals snapped an eight-game goal-scoring drought. He did have 15 assists in that span.

"Of course, I was never really in a panic mode," Draisaitl said. "I felt like the other parts of my games were there, and they were good, so I think it was just a matter of time for it to bounce in."

Zach Hyman added a goal and two helpers while Evan Bouchard added two assists and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins potted the other goal for Edmonton.

Goaltender Connor Ingram made 18 saves to improve to 2-0-0 since being recalled on Dec. 19.

Ingram has a 2.00 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage in the two starts.

McDavid, who enters Saturday's action atop the league with 44 assists and 67 points, is riding an 11-game point streak (12 goals, 19 assists).

Edmonton, winners of six of their last eight, enter the post-holiday stretch in a tie for first in the Pacific Division and will play 14 of their next 21 on home ice prior to the Olympic break.

"A great opportunity for our group here," said McDavid. "We're home for most of January, and we don't go east again. We've gotten a lot of tough trips out of the way.

"I like where our group can go. This is a big month for us coming up. We've got to take advantage of this schedule at home here and make a good push."

Calgary travels to Edmonton, sitting seventh in the Pacific Division, and is 6-13-2 on the road this season.

MacKenzie Weegar had the lone goal for the Flames in the loss Tuesday night.

Dustin Wolf made 34 saves for the Flames, who are 6-4-0 in their last 10. Wolf is 11-14-2 with an .895 save percentage and a 3.00 GAA.

"I think we let their top guys have too much room out there," said Flames forward Jonathan Huberdeau. "We know they're unbelievable players, but you can't let them have it that easy. They have a really good power play, and we took too many penalties as well."

Calgary edged Edmonton 4-3 in a shootout in the first meeting between the Pacific Division rivals on Oct. 8, the season opener for both clubs. The Flames rallied from a 3-0 deficit and took the extra point when Nazem Kadri scored in the shootout's eighth round.

The Pacific Division rivals wrap up the season series on Feb. 4 in Calgary.

"They came out with a lot more intensity than us," said Flames defenseman Kevin Bahl. "Our keeper was excellent, and we have lots to learn from there, and we have to be a lot better.

"If we could have shut down their power play, I think we could have given ourselves a good shot in that game."

The Kings are fourth in the Pacific Division, five points behind the Ducks, Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers.

Los Angeles won just one of its final seven games (1-4-2) before the break and didn't score more than two goals in any of those games.

"I'm sure we're going to get out of this, but it's not acceptable right now how we play and we have to get better," Fiala said. "I really believe in this group, I really believe this is a great team, great players, we just have to figure it out and find our game. Not just for some minutes or one game, we have to go for a stretch here, try and get some wins in a row, start feeling good, start playing good and eventually it's going to come."

Fiala scored his 13th goal of the season in the 3-2 loss to the visiting Seattle Kraken on Tuesday, moving into a tie for the team lead with Adrian Kempe.

Of course, righting the ship is what matters most to Fiala.

"Even if you win five in a row, or lose five in a row, it's in the past," he said. "For us, I think we need to take the good things with us and the bad things we, hopefully, analyze and get better."

Kings coach Jim Hiller is hoping the break will reinvigorate his team.

"I hope the players are able to relax and refresh themselves," Hiller said. "It's been from September until now, with the schedule and now busy it is and 85% of our games we've been playing within one goal, it's taxing physically and mentally, so I'm sure those guys need a break."

The Ducks were hoping to go into their break on a high note, but they fell to Kraken as well, losing 3-1 on Monday night for their fifth loss in the past seven (2-4-1).

After finishing last in the NHL in power play percentage last season, the Ducks got off to a good start this season but have faded recently, going 0-for-12 with the man-advantage in the past four games.

"Obviously, it's been a little frustrating," Ducks forward Mikael Granlund said of the power play. "At same time, let's take this break and come back freshened up. Obviously, we're going to need our power play to be able to win some of these tight games. It's going to be, obviously, an emphasis on moving forward."

Granlund, acquired from the Dallas Stars in the offseason, has been the brightest offensive player recently, scoring in four straight games before the break.

"I think he's got his pace to his game back," Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. "And now that he has that, his play recognition and ability to make those plays in tight areas has been very noticeable, and sustains a lot of pucks in the offensive zone, gets some exits out of our zone cleanly."

The Ducks won the first Battle of Southern California, 5-4, on Nov. 28. Visiting Los Angeles blew a 4-2 third period lead and Anaheim tied the game on a Leo Carlsson goal with 91 seconds remaining. Then Troy Terry and Mason McTavish tallied in the shootout to earn the Ducks the extra point.

Carlsson leads the Ducks with 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists).

Both teams are coming off losses on Tuesday night. The Stars fell 4-3 in overtime at Detroit but have points in five consecutive games (4-0-1), while the Blackhawks fell 3-1 at home to Philadelphia for their sixth straight regulation loss -- the last five without injured star Connor Bedard.

Dallas led the Red Wings 3-2 with less than five minutes remaining in regulation Tuesday night.

"We obviously don't like giving up a third-period lead," said captain Jamie Benn. "We got a point, so we'll take it and get some rest over these next couple of days and be ready to go."

It was the end of a brutal stretch of 16 games in 29 days in which the Stars traveled to both coasts and to western Canada but still went 12-2-2.

"I thought, all in all, it was a great hockey game," Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan said after the overtime loss. "It was fast, had a little bit of everything, great goaltending, specialty teams, power-play goals, it was physical. I actually liked the way we played, so I'm not going to judge our team on losing a point or winning a point."

The Stars have two players with at least 20 goals and five with more than 30 points.

Jason Robertson has 23 goals to go along with 22 assists and Wyatt Johnston has 20 goals and 42 points. Mikko Rantanen leads the team with 51 points (14 goals, 37 assists), defenseman Miro Heiskanen has 34 (seven goals, 27 assists) and Roope Hintz has accumulated 31 (12 goals, 19 assists).

The Blackhawks have managed only eight goals in five games since Bedard, who has 19 goals and 44 points in 31 games, suffered a shoulder injury at the end of a 3-2 road loss to the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 12.

Ryan Donato scored Chicago's only goal in Tuesday's loss to the Flyers.

"Every loss is frustrating," Donato said after the game. "It's a loss. There's going to be frustrating times. There are some things we did well, some things that didn't go our way. I think any loss is frustrating. There's things we're going to work on and get better, and get some wins here.

"We have enough veterans in here, a great coaching staff to right the ship. ... You think about it like that, I guess. The young guys are actually always positive and in great moods, happy go-lucky guys. It's just a matter of finding a way to win. I think there's no negative attitude, no feeling sorry for (ourselves). I think everybody's hungry to push in the right direction here."

The Blackhawks could be getting some help soon with the possible return of captain Nick Foligno. He has missed 18 games and has not played since Nov. 15 because of a hand injury. He participated in the morning skate on Tuesday after practicing on Monday.

Ottawa had a four-game win streak stopped Tuesday with a 3-2 overtime home loss to the Buffalo Sabres. The Senators, however, picked up their ninth point of a possible 10 over their past five games (4-0-1).

The Maple Leafs felt some relief when they snapped a three-game losing streak Tuesday afternoon with a 6-3 home victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The teams are returning from the three-day Christmas break Saturday and have reason for some optimism despite sitting outside of playoff spots.

"We've been winning games lately, and points," said Ottawa's Ridly Greig, who scored a goal on Tuesday. "Even in our losses, I think we've played well, so that's good for the confidence going into the break here and hopefully we can keep that going after."

Tim Stutzle also scored for Ottawa to extend his points streak to eight games (seven goals, eight assists).

"I've liked our game here for about, I don't know, 10 games," Senators coach Travis Green said. "Our 200-foot game is solid, we've out-chanced the other team, I think, almost every night for the past 10 games. We're doing a lot of good things, we've just got to stick with it. A lot of hockey left."

The teams will be meeting for the first time since the Maple Leafs took six games to defeat the Senators in a first-round playoff series last season.

One encouraging sign for the Maple Leafs on Tuesday was the play of William Nylander. He snapped an 11-game goalless drought when he scored twice and added two assists.

"He was taking pucks to the net more than anything," Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said. "Getting open, driving it. That line made a lot of plays, which is good to see."

Max Domi scored on an end-to-end rush to put Toronto ahead 4-3 in the third period, his first goal since Oct. 28. Toronto added two empty-net goals.

"I thought our game got better after the first period," Berube said. "Second period was really good. We scored tonight. That's the difference. We scored goals tonight. It was good to see Willy do what he did tonight and other guys, Max too."

Toronto has struggled to a 1-4-1 record over the past six games. Tuesday's game started to take on a familiar look when Pittsburgh rallied from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game in the third period.

Toronto reinstated defenseman Chris Tanev (upper-body injury) from injured reserve and he played Tuesday for the first time since Nov. 1.

He had a shot on goal and logged 17:23 on the ice.

"Missing nine weeks, you picture in your head how the game is going to go and what's going to happen and it comes a lot quicker than you think, missing so much time," Tanev said. "I got better as the game went on, but lots to improve on for sure."

The Maple Leafs promoted assistant coach Steve Sullivan from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League Friday to replace assistant coach Marc Savard, who was fired earlier this week.

Savard was in charge of the power play, which has struggled this season, despite standout forwards like Nylander, Auston Matthews and John Tavares.

Toronto's power play ranks 32nd, converting only 13% of chances for 12 goals.

As the teams meet Saturday at Buffalo, a seven-game win streak has propelled the Sabres to within one point of the Bruins in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference wild-card standings.

Boston is looking to reverse course on the road after losing the final four games of a five-game homestand before Christmas (0-3-1).

Buffalo remained undefeated since Dec. 8 with a 3-2 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday. The win streak is the Sabres' longest since a 10-game run in November of 2018.

"(The belief within the team) hasn't wavered at all," Sabres forward Alex Tuch said. "We have everyone contributing, we have everyone playing really good defense, we're not giving up too much. It's winning hockey. This is what we've been building towards."

Sabres defenseman Bowen Byram scored his team-leading third game-winning goal of the season 31 seconds into overtime against the Senators. It capped a two-goal, one-assist performance.

Not only has the Buffalo blue line contributed to the league's second-best penalty kill (84.5%), coach Lindy Ruff emphasized the importance of work on the offensive end as well. Rasmus Dahlin is tied for ninth among NHL defensemen in points (28), while Byram has points in back-to-back contests.

"It's been a big part of our offense with our (defense) getting involved," Ruff said. "From (Dahlin) to (Byram) to (Mattias Samuelsson), you name it, our D has been able to jump up. ... I really liked (Byram's game Sunday) in New Jersey and I thought his game (in Ottawa) was even better."

Boston has had an opposite story of late, allowing six goals in back-to-back games and at least five goals in four of the last six. The Montreal Canadiens scored four goals in the third and cruised past the Bruins 6-2 on Tuesday.

The Bruins entered their recent homestand on Dec. 16 just one point behind the division-leading Detroit Red Wings, while the Sabres were still two points deep in the conference's cellar. Since then, Boston and Buffalo have joined a group of eight teams separated by just three points.

"It's terrible, it stinks. Really, this whole homestand going into break, it's unfortunate," Boston forward Alex Steeves said. "But I think it's moments like these where you find out how tight the group is. I know we have a tight group and I know we'll bounce back from this and we'll be stronger because of it."

Steeves and Marat Khusnutdinov scored Boston's goals against Montreal. Khusnutdinov is riding a three-game point streak.

Staying out of the penalty box has been an issue all season for the Bruins. They have been whistled for 25 more penalties than any other team in the NHL (193), and Tuesday marked their second time this season going shorthanded seven times in a game.

"I think everyone has to ask himself, ‘Do I really have to take that penalty?'" Bruins coach Marco Sturm said. "Those are big deals because they could cost us games, points. Those kinds of points, we will need at the end of the year. So, it definitely has to get better."

Boston forward Viktor Arvidsson returned from a lower-body injury on Tuesday for his first game action since Dec. 11. He recorded an assist.

Minnesota intends to show it is positioned to win the franchise's first Stanley Cup. Winnipeg wants to be competitive and put together a consistent 60-minute effort to stabilize a season that has drifted toward the edge of last place in the NHL.

After a Presidents' Trophy-winning effort in 2024-25, the results for the Jets this season have been brutal.

"That's 35 games, for me, of inconsistency throughout the games themselves, or from individual players," Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said following Sunday's road loss to the Utah Mammoth that was the Jets' seventh defeat in their last eight outings. "In the remaining 47, that has to change."

Winnipeg is 2-13-2 when allowing the first goal of the game.

"We'll look for a solution over the break," Jets forward Kyle Connor said about the first-period struggles. "Obviously that's a focal point for us coming into the second half."

The Wild enter Saturday third overall in the NHL, trailing only their Central Division rivals, the Dallas Stars, and the first-place Colorado Avalanche.

While that positioning could set the stage for an eventful postseason, coach John Hynes said his focus remains on getting there first and ensuring his team is playing the right way when the playoffs begin.

One area Hynes wants to see improvement is shot volume, particularly after a 3-2 overtime home loss to Nashville on Tuesday that sent the club into the holiday pause.

"It seemed like we wanted to play a little bit of a prettier game from an offensive perspective," Hynes said after falling to the Predators. "It probably cost us some goals if you look at the opportunities we could have had in primetime areas when we (passed the puck)."

Another area of focus for Minnesota is the disparity between its home and road special teams performance.

At home, the Wild's power play is operating at 25.9%, compared to 17.8% on the road. On the penalty kill, those numbers are reversed, with Minnesota posting a 67.9% success rate at home and an 87.5% rate while away.

Those numbers stand out, particularly after Minnesota went 2-for-4 on the penalty kill at home against Nashville and 0-for-3 on the power play.

"There's no difference," Wild defenseman Brock Faber said when asked about the discrepancy in home versus away. "We definitely have to clean things up. ... When we come back from this short break, it's go time again. We've got to keep building."

Both teams enter the game relatively healthy. Minnesota defenseman Daemon Hunt (undisclosed) was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 18 but could be an option to return Saturday.

They'll try to get back on track when the Detroit Red Wings visit for Saturday night's game at Raleigh, N.C.

While the Hurricanes might have been feeling the holiday blahs, Detroit went into the break on a three-game winning streak and winner of five of its last six games.

It will be a matchup of divisional leaders, with each team racking up 47 points, though the Red Wings have played in two more games.

The Hurricanes have their first three-game losing streak of the season, going 0-2-1 during that pre-Christmas stretch. They squandered multi-goal leads in all three defeats.

"It's 82 games," Carolina captain Jordan Staal said, noting the length of the regular season. "We're going to have to learn from this."

The Hurricanes had three-goal advantages at Florida and at Tampa Bay prior to Tuesday night, when their 2-0 edge in the third period vanished in a 5-2 home loss to the Panthers.

"It's three in a row, basically, of that crap," Staal said. "We have to be better as a group playing with the lead and playing with some confidence in the third."

The Hurricanes have allowed 11 goals across the last two games, the most surrendered in a two-game stretch this season.

"Hopefully, the lesson sinks in," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "We've got to stick with it. We're not good enough to (have breakdowns)."

The Red Wings are coming off overtime home victories against the Washington Capitals and Dallas Stars. Detroit will be trying to post its first four-game winning streak since winning five straight in October.

Dylan Larkin scored the tying and winning goals Tuesday against Dallas.

"To hang in there and stay patient as a young team, I thought that was a big learning lesson," said Larkin, the team captain. "Something we can hang our hat on and remember for the final stretch after Christmas."

Larkin is tied for the team lead with 20 goals this season, but he's willing to deflect the attention.

"We've had different heroes every night," Larkin said. "We're doing it by committee."

Red Wings coach Todd McLellan's team is 9-2-2 across its last 13 games.

Detroit goalie John Gibson has gone 8-0-0 in December, though he has surrendered three or more goals in half of those games. Gibson has the Red Wings' first eight-game winning streak since Chris Osgood in the fall of 2007.

The Hurricanes are likely to go with either Brandon Bussi (11-1-1) or Pyotr Kochetkov (6-2-0) in the nets after another rough stretch for Frederik Andersen in the third period against Florida. He hasn't won in his last seven decisions.

The Red Wings have won five of their last six road games. They've scored at least four goals in all of those victories.

This is the first of three meetings this season between the teams. The Red Wings lost two of three clashes last season, including the lone matchup in Raleigh.

It's a rivalry matchup pitting two teams that have combined to win four of the past six Stanley Cups. In addition, either the Lightning or the Panthers have won the Eastern Conference title in each of the past six seasons.

The Panthers returned to Sunrise, Fla., after a 5-2 win at Carolina on Tuesday. In that contest, Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky earned career win No. 445 to tie Terry Sawchuk for eighth place in NHL history.

Bobrovsky, nine wins away from tying Curtis Joseph for seventh place, is 16-8-1 this season with a 2.78 goals-against average. He also entered the Christmas break in a five-way tie for the NHL lead with his 16 wins.

Offensively, the Panthers are powered by winger Brad Marchand, who tops the squad in goals (20) and assists (21). Marchand also has a six-game point streak (four goals, six assists in that span).

But perhaps the most underrated Panthers player so far this season is defenseman Seth Jones, 31. Jones ranks sixth on the Panthers with 21 points, and that total is tops among Florida's blueliners.

"I don't think people appreciate how well Seth is playing for us," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. "He's dominant right now."

Jones leads Panthers' skaters in average ice time per game (23:59), and it's possible he could get selected to play for Team USA in the Winter Olympics in February in Italy.

"I'm focusing on my game right here," Jones said of the Panthers. "But I want to play in the Olympics. It would be a dream come true."

The Panthers (42 points) trail the Lightning by just one point for third place in the Atlantic Division.

Tampa Bay is just 4-5-1 over its past 10 games, but the Lightning have won two straight games.

The Lightning have also been strong on the road this season (10-4-3). Tampa Bay and Florida have split two matchups this season with each team winning on the road.

Center Jake Guentzel has been Tampa Bay's hottest player of late, posting three goals and seven assists over his past seven games. For the season, Guentzel is second on the team in goals (17) and points (38).

Nikita Kucherov leads Tampa Bay with 45 points. Brandon Hagel tops the squad in goals (18), but he's on injured reserve due to an upper-body issue.

Defensively, the Lightning have three of their top-six defensemen injured: Victor Hedman, Erik Cernak and Emil Lilleberg. Darren Raddysh leads the team's defensemen in goals (eight) and points (27).

Raddysh, 29, was often a healthy scratch at the start of last season, but he has quickly emerged as a leader playing in front of five-time All-Star goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.

"Playing time helps out," Raddysh said, "but I think I'm maybe getting a bit lucky."

Fellow blueliner J.J. Moser disagrees with the "luck" angle, saying Raddysh is "dynamic."

Added Moser: "He's gifted. He sees the game well, and he has an unreal shot."

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman also scored for the Oilers, who improved to 8-2-1 both overall and in their past 11 meetings with the Flames. Edmonton goalie Connor Ingram made 18 saves.

McDavid, the NHL's first star of the week, registered his second career five-assist game, tying Draisaitl and Paul Coffey for the second most in franchise history. Wayne Gretzky logged 12 five-assist games for the Oilers.

MacKenzie Weegar tallied for the Flames and Dustin Wolf stopped 34 shots.

Sabres 3, Senators 2 (OT)

Bowen Byram scored his second goal of the game 31 seconds into overtime and Buffalo extended its winning streak to seven games with a victory against host Ottawa.

Byram one-timed a feed from Ryan McLeod from the right circle. Byram also had an assist, and Noah Ostlund added the other goal for the Sabres. Alex Lyon made 24 saves in the win.

Ridly Greig and Tim Stutzle scored and Linus Ullmark made 22 saves for the Senators, whose four-game winning streak ended.

Predators 3, Wild 2 (OT)

Steven Stamkos scored 53 seconds into overtime to lift Nashville to a victory in Saint Paul, Minn.

Stamkos finished with a goal and an assist for the Predators, who achieved their first three-game winning streak of the season. Ryan O'Reilly also notched a goal and an assist, and Roman Josi added a goal. Juuse Saros turned aside 30 of 32 shots.

Brock Faber and Joel Eriksson Ek scored one goal apiece in a losing effort for the Wild, who are 7-1-1 in their past nine games. Minnesota goaltender Filip Gustavsson allowed three goals on 29 shots.

Red Wings 4, Stars 3 (OT)

Dylan Larkin scored the tying goal late in the third period, then tallied again 34 seconds into overtime to give host Detroit a win over Dallas.

John Gibson made 19 saves as the Atlantic Division-leading Red Wings improved to 9-2-1 this month. James van Riemsdyk had a goal and an assist and Emmitt Finnie also scored.

The Stars had their four-game winning streak snapped, and they are 8-2-2 in December. Wyatt Johnston, Jamie Benn and Roope Hintz scored, Mikko Rantanen logged two assists, and Casey DeSmith stopped 21 shots.

Golden Knights 7, Sharks 2

Mitch Marner scored two goals and Reilly Smith and Mark Stone each had a goal and an assist for Vegas, which scored five times in a record-setting first period en route to a victory over San Jose in Las Vegas.

Brett Howden, Colton Sissons and Tomas Hertl also scored goals for the Golden Knights. Thirteen Vegas players recorded a point in the opening 20 minutes, the most in a single period in team history. Carter Hart made 21 saves to pick up his 100th career win as Vegas snapped a three-game losing streak (0-2-1).

Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf each scored a goal and Tyler Toffoli had two assists for the Sharks, who lost their third straight game.

Islanders 2, Devils 1

Adam Pelech scored the winning goal with 1:15 left as New York edged New Jersey in Elmont, N.Y.

After Pelech sent Simon Holmstrom's shot off the boards past Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom far side, New Jersey called timeout and pulled Markstrom almost immediately after ensuing faceoff. But Islanders goalie David Rittich turned back New Jersey's lone 6-on-5 shot, a backhander by Timo Meier with 19 seconds left.

Simon Holmstrom had a goal and an assist for the Islanders, who ended a three-game losing streak Rittich, playing in place of injured starter Ilya Sorokin, made 31 saves. Brett Pesce scored for the Devils, and Jacob Markstrom stopped 23 shots.

Panthers 5, Hurricanes 2

Sam Reinhart had three assists as Florida scored five unanswered goals for a win in Raleigh, N.C., the Panthers' second comeback victory against the Hurricanes in five days.

Niko Mikkola, Luke Kunin, Anton Lundell, Sam Bennett and Seth Jones scored for Florida, and Eetu Luostarinen and Aaron Ekblad each had two assists. Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 17 shots for his 445th career win, tying Terry Sawchuk for eighth place on the all-time NHL goaltender victory list.

Eric Robinson and Andrei Svechnikov scored the Hurricanes' goals. Frederik Andersen allowed five goals on 22 shots.

Rangers 7, Capitals 3

Vincent Trocheck scored twice during New York's five-goal third period as the visiting Rangers stormed back to end their four-game head-to-head losing streak against Washington.

Former Capital Taylor Raddysh joined Trocheck in amassing two goals and an assist and Alexis Lafreniere snapped a tie at 9:18 of the third period for his 100th career NHL goal. Igor Shesterkin made 29 saves as the Rangers handed the Capitals their sixth loss in the past seven games (1-4-2).

Aliaksei Protas had a goal and an assist for Washington, and John Carlson and Dylan Strome also tallied during the Capitals' three-goal second period.

Maple Leafs 6, Penguins 3

Max Domi scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and Toronto went on to defeat visiting Pittsburgh.

William Nylander recorded two goals -- one into an empty net -- and two assists for the Maple Leafs, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Matias Maccelli, Steven Lorentz and Bobby McMann (empty net) also scored. Domi also had an assist while Joseph Woll made 29 saves.

Bryan Rust, Rutger McGroarty and Anthony Mantha scored for the Penguins, who have lost nine of 10. Stuart Skinner stopped 25 shots.

Canadiens 6, Bruins 2

Montreal broke a tie with four unanswered goals in the third period on the way to its four-goal victory at Boston.

Zack Bolduc scored the winning goal at the 7:04 mark to spark Montreal's late run. All four goals came in a 5:18 span. Nick Suzuki, Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky had a goal and an assist apiece and Sammy Blais and Cole Caufield also scored. Noah Dobson and Lane Hutson both dished out three assists, while Jacob Fowler made 26 saves.

Marat Khusnutdinov and Alex Steeves scored goals and Jeremy Swayman stopped 23 shots for the Bruins, who are on a four-game winless streak (0-3-1), all at home.

Flyers 3, Blackhawks 1

Travis Konecny had a goal and the 300th assist of his career as visiting Philadelphia earned the win over skidding Chicago.

Noah Cates and Carl Grundstrom also scored and Sean Couturier had two assists as Philadelphia won for the second time in as many nights. Goaltender Samuel Ersson recorded 20 saves as the Flyers registered at least a point for the eighth time in the past nine games (4-1-4).

The Blackhawks were outshot 26-21 while losing a season-worst sixth straight game. Ryan Donato scored and Spencer Knight stopped 23 shots as Chicago fell to 2-8-1 in December.

Avalanche 1, Mammoth 0

Scott Wedgewood turned away 32 shots to earn his second shutout of the season as surging Colorado beat Utah in Denver.

Samuel Girard scored an unassisted goal for the Avalanche, who have won 13 straight at home and have earned at least one point in all 17 home games (15-0-2) this season. Colorado improved to 27-2-7, tied for the second-most wins before the holiday break since 1972-73.

Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka was a late scratch with an upper-body injury. Vitek Vanecek filled in and made 25 saves.

Kraken 3, Kings 2

Jordan Eberle and Frederick Gaudreau both scored for a second consecutive night as Seattle defeated host Los Angeles.

Ben Meyers also tallied and Eeli Tolvanen had two assists for the Kraken, who swept the three California teams after opening their four-game road trip with a loss at Calgary. Seattle went 1-9-1 over its previous 11 games before arriving in the Golden State.

Joey Daccord made 35 saves as the Kraken won the second half of a back-to-back for the first time since late in the 2023-24 season. Kevin Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko scored for the Kings, who lost for the sixth time in their past seven games (1-4-2). Pheonix Copley stopped 25 of 28 shots.

Ben Meyers also tallied and Eeli Tolvanen had two assists for the Kraken, who swept the three California teams after opening their four-game road trip with a loss at Calgary. Seattle went 1-9-1 over its previous 11 games before arriving in the Golden State.

Goaltender Joey Daccord made 35 saves as the Kraken won the second half of a back-to-back for the first time since late in the 2023-24 season.

Kevin Fiala and Andrei Kuzmenko scored for the Kings, who lost for the sixth time in their past seven games (1-4-2). Goalie Pheonix Copley stopped 25 of 28 shots.

The Kings outshot Seattle 13-9 in a scoreless first period.

Seattle opened the scoring on a power play 1:10 into the second. Matty Beniers sent a pass to a wide-open Eberle along the goal line on the left wing. Eberle had time to move back toward the front of the net and lifted a shot over Copley's shoulder and into the far upper corner of the net.

The Kraken added a pair of fluke goals in the middle period to extend their lead to 3-0.

At 7:26, Gaudreau skated over the blue line and took a shot that deflected off the leg of defenseman Brian Dumoulin and floated high into the air. Copley tried to catch the puck, but it went off the heel of his glove, dropped to the ice and squirted between his legs on the way into the net.

The Kraken made it 3-0 on a 2-on-1 rush at 16:02. Los Angeles defenseman Mikey Anderson dropped to the ice in an attempt to prevent Meyers from completing a cross-slot pass to Gaudreau, but the puck went off Anderson's stick and snuck between Copley's pads.

The Kings got on the board 11 seconds later. Daccord's clearance from behind his own net went off the skate of defenseman Josh Mahura and fell to Fiala, who put a backhander over the sprawling goalie.

Kuzmenko pulled the Kings within a goal at 8:45 of the third. He charged down the right wing, went behind the net and put a wraparound off Daccord's skate as the goalie tried to go from post to post.

The Kraken played without defenseman Vince Dunn, who sustained an upper-body injury in the third period of their 3-1 victory at Anaheim on Monday. Cale Fleury replaced Dunn, seeing his first action since Oct. 23.

Kraken rookie forward Berkly Catton returned after missing eight games with a right hand injury.

Brett Howden, Colton Sissons and Tomas Hertl also scored goals for Vegas, which defeated the Sharks for the 10th straight time while improving to 30-2-5 all-time in the regular season against San Jose.

Thirteen players recorded a point for the Golden Knights in the opening 20 minutes, the most in a single period in team history. Braeden Bowman, Pavel Dorofeyev, Kaedan Korczak and Ivan Barbashev each added two assists.

Carter Hart made 21 saves to pick up his 100th career win. Vegas snapped a three-game losing streak and moved into a three-way tie for first place in the Pacific Division with Anaheim and Edmonton.

Macklin Celebrini and Collin Graf scored goals and Tyler Toffoli had two assists for San Jose, which lost its third straight game. Yaroslav Askarov stopped 12 of 16 shots before being pulled at the 14:57 mark of the first period. Alex Nedeljkovic finished up and made seven saves.

Vegas, outscored a combined 5-1 in the first period in back-to-back losses at Calgary and Edmonton on Saturday and Sunday, stressed the importance of starting better Tuesday and did just that, outshooting the Sharks, 17-5, in the first period, including 10-1 in high danger chances.

Howden started the scoring at the 1:46 mark when he finished a 2-on-1 rush with Bowman with a wrist shot into an open net.

Marner made it 2-0 with a power-play goal when his crossing pass from the left circle for Dorofeyev caromed into the net off the skate of Alex Wennberg.

Sissons extended the lead to 3-0 at the 11:37 mark when he tapped in a Keegan Kolesar crossing pass. Hertl then moved into a tie for the team goal-scoring lead with Dorofeyev with his 15th when he snapped in a wrist shot from the slot, sending Askarov to the bench.

Stone made it 5-0 with 1:26 to go in the period when he split a pair of Shark defenders and put in a backhand shot.

Celebrini got San Jose on the scoreboard in the second period when he roofed a snap shot from the high slot to extend his point streak to six games.

Smith restored the Golden Knights' five-goal lead just before the end of the period with a one-timer from the top of the right circle past Nedeljkovic's blocker side.

Marner and Graf traded goals in the third period to finish the scoring.

Noah Cates and Carl Grundstrom also scored and Sean Couturier had two assists as Philadelphia won for the second time in as many nights. Goaltender Samuel Ersson recorded 20 saves as the Flyers registered at least a point for the eighth time in the past nine games (4-1-4).

The Blackhawks were outshot 26-21 while losing a season-worst sixth straight game. Ryan Donato scored and Spencer Knight stopped 23 shots as Chicago fell to 2-8-1 in December.

Konecny opened the scoring at 10:17 of the first period. He collected a backdoor feed from Trevor Zegras after getting behind the Chicago defense and beat with a wrist shot from in front of the net.

Zegras extended his career-best point streak to nine games.

The Flyers struck again from down low on a power play at 11:13 of the second period. Cates scored on a snap shot from just outside the crease after a backhand pass from Konecny.

With the clubs skating 4-on-4, Chicago's Ryan Donato drew the Blackhawks within 2-1 at 18:30 of the middle period. He stickhandled into the slot and sent a wrist shot through traffic and past Ersson.

It was Donato's first goal in 12 games.

Grundstrom sealed the result with an empty-net goal at 17:52 of the third period, capitalizing moments after the Blackhawks fell to 0-for-4 on the power play in the game.

Philadelphia was 1-for-4 with the man advantage.

Ersson made a glove save on a Louis Crevier shot from just outside the right circle with 7:04 left in the third period to preserve the lead.

A few moments later, Knight prevented Philadelphia from adding to its advantage when he worked through a scrum after losing his stick to collect the puck with his glove.

Konecny earned the 300th assist of his career. He has 16 points in his past 13 games.

Philadelphia's Travis Sanheim and Barkley left the game due to injuries.

Samuel Girard scored an unassisted goal for Colorado, which has won 13 straight at home and has earned at least one point in all 17 home games (15-0-2) this season.

Wedgewood's 16 wins this season are tied for the most in the NHL this season.

Utah goaltender Karel Vejmelka was a late scratch with an upper-body injury. Vitek Vanecek filled in and made 25 saves while playing in his 11th game of the season.

The Avalanche improved to 27-2-7 and are tied for the second-most wins before the holiday break since 1972-73. They trail only the Lightning, who had 28 wins in 2018-19.

Colorado had the best scoring chance of the first period when Martin Necas went in alone on Vanecek in the final minute. Necas' shot went over the goaltender's left shoulder but hit the crossbar to keep it at 0-0 heading into the second period.

Girard ended the scoreless game when he stole a puck near the Utah blueline, skated in and beat Vanecek with a backhand at 7:57.

The Mammoth went on the power play soon after and had several chances, the best coming when Daniil But was open in front of the crease but Wedgewood's pad save kept the Avalanche in the lead.

Utah winger Dylan Guenther was whistled for tripping later in the period and went on a breakaway as he came out of the box, but Wedgewood denied him.

The Mammoth had another chance at 15:15 of the second, but Wedgewood's glove save stood after a review.

Utah pressed for the equalizer throughout the third period, outshooting the Avalanche 12-4. Vanecek came off for an extra skater with 2:03 left and But had a good look, but Wedgewood got a pad on his shot, which deflected off the crossbar.

Wedgewood made one last save on Keller with seconds remaining to preserve his 10th career shutout.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman also scored for the Oilers, who improved to 8-2-1 both overall and in their past 11 meetings with the Flames. Edmonton goalie Connor Ingram made 19 saves.

McDavid, the NHL's first star of the week, registered his second career five-assist game, tying Draisaitl and Paul Coffey for the second most in franchise history. Wayne Gretzky logged 12 five-assist games for the Oilers.

MacKenzie Weegar tallied for the Flames, and Dustin Wolf stopped 34 shots.

Draisaitl completed the hat trick at 5:38 of the third period on a power play, batting home the loose puck off a McDavid rush. It was his ninth career regular-season hat trick.

The Oilers scored twice in the middle period to open a three-goal cushion heading to the third.

Edmonton pushed the lead to 3-1 on a power play at 1:59 of the second as Draisaitl redirected a McDavid feed past Wolf.

Hyman made it 4-1 at 11:55 of the middle frame, tapping in a cross-ice, 2-on-1 feed from McDavid for his 10th of the season.

Edmonton outshot Calgary 15-8 and led 2-1 after 20 minutes.

Nugent-Hopkins opened the scoring, putting home the rebound off Evan Bouchard's point shot for his 20th career goal against the Flames -- his most against any opponent -- at 6:48 of the first.

The Flames responded at 15:58 as Weegar's point shot deflected off Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse and past Ingram.

Draisaitl restored the Oilers' lead with 17 seconds remaining in the opening period on a power play, one-timing a Hyman feed into a wide-open net.

The Tuesday game was the opener of a home-and-home set wrapped around the NHL's holiday break. The teams will reconvene in Calgary on Saturday.

Calgary edged Edmonton 4-3 in a shootout in the first meeting between the Pacific Division rivals on Oct. 8, the season opener for both clubs.

Stamkos finished with a goal and an assist for Nashville, which achieved its first three-game winning streak of the season. Ryan O'Reilly also notched a goal and an assist, and Roman Josi added a goal.

Brock Faber and Joel Eriksson Ek scored one goal apiece in a losing effort for Minnesota. The Wild earned one point in the standings by taking the game to overtime.

Predators goaltender Juuse Saros turned aside 30 of 32 shots to earn the victory. He made 11 saves in the first period, 10 saves in the second period and nine saves in the third period.

Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson allowed three goals on 29 shots to take the overtime loss.

The Predators capitalized on a rush into the offensive zone for the winning goal. Erik Haula carried the puck down the left side of the ice and spotted Stamkos streaking toward the net.

Haula zipped a pass to Stamkos, who quickly tipped a shot past Gustavsson for the winner. The sequence gave Stamkos 15 goals on the season and 597 goals for his career, three shy of his next career milestone.

Minnesota opened the scoring at the seven-minute mark of the first period. Quinn Hughes slid a pass to Faber, who blasted a one-timer from the high slot into the net.

A power-play goal by the Predators evened the score at 1-all with 5:32 to go in the first period. O'Reilly spotted a loose puck in front of the crease and punched it in.

Nashville pulled ahead 2-1 on another power-play goal with 2:53 left in the first period. Josi skated between the circles and ripped a wrist shot through traffic for the go-ahead goal.

The WIld bounced back in the first minute of the second period to even the score at 2. Saros denied Marcus Johansson's initial shot, but Eriksson Ek tracked the rebound in front of the crease and swept it into the net.

The Islanders' Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal swapped the puck while skating through the neutral zone before Lee dished to Simon Holmstrom, whose shot from the right faceoff circle caromed off the back boards. Pelech collected the rebound and fired a shot far side past Devils goalie Jacob Markstrom.

The Devils called timeout and pulled Markstrom almost immediately after faceoff, but Islanders goalie David Rittich turned back New Jersey's lone 6-on-5 shot, a backhander by Timo Meier with 19 seconds left.

Holmstrom scored the tying goal in the second for the Islanders, who snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 7-3-1 this month despite scoring three goals or fewer eight times. Leading scorer Bo Horvat missed his fifth straight contest Tuesday due to a left ankle injury.

Rittich, playing in place of injured starter Ilya Sorokin, made 31 saves.

Brett Pesce scored in the first for the Devils, who have lost eight of 12 this month. Markstrom recorded 23 saves but committed the turnover leading to Holmstrom's goal.

The Devils went ahead following a chaotic sequence deep in the Islanders zone with 4:25 left in the first. A lengthy battle for the puck ended with New York center Marc Gatcomb losing it to Dawson Mercer, who sent a no-look pass to Nico Hischier, who was deep in the left faceoff circle. Hischier dished to Pesce, whose shot went beyond Rittich's glove and bounced off the top post.

The Islanders tied the score in unusual fashion with 7:50 remaining in the second. Devils defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler was skating down the ice to collect a loose puck, but Markstrom beat him to it and his pass glanced off Siegenthaler's skate and to Holmstrom, who scored into the empty net as Siegenthaler made a futile lunging attempt to get a stick on the shot.

Byram one-timed a feed from Ryan McLeod from the right circle.

Byram also had an assist, and Noah Ostlund added the other goal for the Sabres. Alex Lyon made 24 saves in the win.

Ridly Greig and Tim Stutzle scored, and Linus Ullmark made 22 saves for the Senators, whose four-game winning streak ended.

Byram gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead at 15:22 of the first period. Josh Dunne collected a loose puck in the right corner and pushed it back to Jordan Greenway, who was right behind him. Greenway took it to above the near circle and then dished a cross-ice feed to Byram, who had jumped up to the back door for the redirect short side.

Greig tied it 1-1 less than two minutes later. The Sabres couldn't connect on a pass in the offensive zone and Greig gathered the puck in the neutral zone to create a 2-on-1. With Buffalo center Tage Thompson on his trail, he skated with it to the front of the net and buried a backhand glove side on Lyon at 17:13.

Ostlund put the visitors back in front at 6:11 of the second period. Alex Tuch left a puck for Byram by the left wall, where the defenseman collected it and skated down the wall, behind the net and then came out to the top of the right circle. With Ostlund in front in a battle with Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot, Byram then fired a shot that Ostlund tipped past Ullmark glove side.

Stutzle capitalized 14 seconds into a power play to tie it 2-2 at 9:27 of the second. All four Sabres skaters went toward the right wall to battle for the puck, but it was Drake Batherson who came out with it and fed it to Stutzle all alone in the slot for a wrist shot that beat Lyon inside the left post.

The Panthers are 8-2-0 over their last 10 games, including two third-period comebacks against the Hurricanes in the last five days. Florida's 4-3 shootout win over Carolina on Friday saw the Panthers erase a 3-0 deficit by scoring three goals in the last 10 minutes of regulation.

On Tuesday, the Hurricanes' 2-0 lead held until 3:53 of the third period, when Florida defenseman Niko Mikkola scored his first goal of the season. This tally from an unlikely source opened the floodgates for the Panthers, who outshot Carolina 14-3 in the third period.

Mikkola, Luke Kunin, Anton Lundell, Sam Bennett, and Seth Jones scored the Panthers' goals. Eetu Luostarinen and Aaron Ekblad each had two assists.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 17 of 19 shots to earn his 16th win of the season, and the 445th of his career. The victory moved Bobrovsky into a tie with Terry Sawchuk for eighth place on the all-time NHL goaltender wins list.

The Hurricanes are winless (0-2-1) in their last three games, despite holding multi-goal leads in all three contests. When leading after two periods this season, Carolina is 0-1-1 against Florida and 14-0-0 against other opponents.

Carolina goalie Frederik Andersen allowed five goals on 22 shots.

Eric Robinson and Andrei Svechnikov tallied the Hurricanes' goals. Robinson opened the scoring at 4:11 of the first period, and Svechnikov emerged from the penalty box to score on a breakaway 1:58 into the second period.

After Mikkola put Florida on the board, Kunin buried a rebound for the equalizer at 6:17 of the third period. Just 53 seconds later, Reinhart's nice pass from behind the net found Lundell for the go-ahead conversion.

A fortunate bounce off the boards helped set up Bennett's goal at the 9:57 mark, and Bennett did well to keep control of the puck amidst multiple Hurricanes players. Jones' power-play goal was the final strike for the Panthers at 15:21 of the third frame.

In the extra session, Larkin brought the puck into the Stars' zone, skated between two defenders and wristed a shot from the slot past Casey DeSmith's glove. The Atlantic Division-leading Red Wings improved to 9-2-1 this month.

James van Riemsdyk had a goal and an assist and Emmitt Finnie also scored for Detroit. Lucas Raymond collected three assists, Moritz Seider added two assists, and John Gibson made 19 saves.

The Stars had their four-game winning streak snapped, and they are 8-2-2 in December. Wyatt Johnston, Jamie Benn and Roope Hintz scored, Mikko Rantanen logged two assists, and DeSmith stopped 21 shots.

Detroit's Michael Rasmussen set up the first goal, skating behind the Dallas goal line and backhanding a pass to van Riemsdyk, who lifted a shot over DeSmith's left shoulder at 9:23 of the opening period. Simon Edvinsson also picked up an assist.

The Stars cashed in on their second power play of the game to tie it near the midpoint of the second period. With Larkin in the penalty box for tripping, Hintz fired in a shot from the right circle off a slot feed from Rantanen.

Dallas scored on a 2-on-1 situation in the final minute of the middle period to take a 2-1 lead. Matt Duchene flipped a backhanded pass from the right circle to an open Benn, who ripped a one-timer past Gibson. Justin Hryckowian had the second assist.

The Red Wings tied it early in the third period on a power play after Hryckowian was penalized for roughing. Finnie scooped up a rebound and lifted the puck over DeSmith's pad. Raymond and Seider picked up the assists.

With van Riemsdyk in the penalty box, the Stars regained the lead with 8:32 remaining. Positioned in the slot, Johnston redirected a Miro Heiskanen shot past Gibson. Rantanen had the second assist.

Detroit tied it on another power play with 4:03 left. van Riemsdyk backhanded a pass through a defender's legs to Larkin, who scored in front. Raymond got the second assist.