NHL News

Some subtle line shuffling helped the Blackhawks during Saturday's 4-3 shootout victory in Dallas, and the club hopes the consistency creates more comfort as the slumping Pittsburgh Penguins visit Sunday night.

Tyler Bertuzzi snapped a seven-game pointless streak with a pair of goals for Chicago. He skated on the top line with Jason Dickinson, who also scored, and Landon Slaggert. There were other adjustments to be had with Ilya Mikheyev missing the game for the birth of his child, but the Blackhawks jelled.

"I was trying to keep some continuity from the last game," Chicago coach Jeff Blashill said. "I don't like moving lines around every game. We tried to keep the (Ryan) Donato line the same, and we just took Mikheyev out and put another guy that skates pretty well in (Slaggert)."

Chicago recalled Slaggert from the team's American Hockey League affiliate earlier Saturday.

"Him and Micky aren't exactly the same player, but he does bring energy, he does skate," Blashill said. "He brings that line some speed, which I thought was important."

Rookie Nick Lardis sealed the victory for the Blackhawks with a goal in the fourth round of the shootout. The forward is seeking his first career point at United Center -- he scored during a Dec. 20 loss at Ottawa -- but has registered a shot on goal in four of his six career games.

Pittsburgh has been idle since Tuesday's 6-3 loss in Toronto, which dropped the club to 1-5-4 in its past 10 games.

The Penguins bemoaned a bevy of bad bounces, including two Maple Leafs goals on breakaways and another that ricocheted off a Pittsburgh stick.

"We try to do the right things," defenseman Erik Karlsson said. "They caught all the breaks and capitalized on them. That's the way it's gonna go sometimes. ... But we've been giving up too many (odd-man rushes) the last little bit."

Goaltender Stuart Skinner, a recent acquisition from the Edmonton Oilers, made 25 saves on 29 shots while appearing in his 200th career game.

"He was there when we needed him," Penguins forward Rutger McGroarty said. "We just can't give up that many good looks."

Skinner fell to 0-3-0 with a 4.18 goals-against average with Pittsburgh.

Bryan Rust, Anthony Mantha and McGroarty scored for the Penguins. Sidney Crosby earned career assist No. 1,080 to surpass Adam Oates for eighth on the NHL's all-time list.

Crosby has provided a steady hand during the Penguins' December slide, contributing 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 12 games this month.

In 21 career games against the Blackhawks, he has eight goals and seven assists. That includes a game-winning power-play goal that paced the Penguins to a 5-0 rout of visiting Chicago on April 8.

The clubs split a pair of games last season, meeting over a span of three days.

The Habs entered the break solely in second place in the Eastern Conference's Atlantic Division, but they are now tied for second with the Lightning with 45 points in 37 matches after Tampa Bay's 4-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday night in Sunrise, Fla.

The super-snug Atlantic is a curious division to be competing in this season, as eight points separate the first-place Detroit Red Wings and last-place Toronto Maple Leafs.

Even the Buffalo Sabres, an annual cellar-dwelling bunch, have now reeled off eight straight victories to climb over the Leafs.

Montreal has addressed its situation and not stood pat.

Earning points in seven of the past eight matches (5-1-2), the surging Canadiens reunited with an old friend when they traded for defensive-minded center Phillip Danault recently by sending a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Kings, giving the Western Conference club cap relief and a trade asset.

Danault, 32, has played 742 NHL games and was with Montreal for six seasons his first time around.

His arrival should help a porous penalty-kill unit (77.7%, 23rd in the league) and place an emphasis on the defensive side of the puck, likely centering the third line as the club will attempt to fix its second-line pivot spot.

"We had a lot of success together in the past," said right winger Brendan Gallagher. "I know his playing style. He's a guy who does a lot to help his linemates. ... We just added a very good player who will help us in several facets of the game."

Cole Caufield leads with 18 goals, while Oliver Kapanen, Juraj Slafkovsky and Nick Suzuki (team-high 31 assists) have 11 apiece as the Habs will be skating in the third match of a season-long seven-game road trip.

The Lightning will be playing on the second half of a back-to-back set, and it was a doozy Saturday against their down-state foe in a typically fist-filled match: 136 combined penalty minutes, with 87 meted out to the visitors.

Tampa Bay killed eight of nine Florida power plays but went 0-for-6 on the man advantage. However, Jake Guentzel scored short-handed for the team's first tally.

Nikita Kucherov ran his season total to 15 goals with a pair, including an empty-netter as the Lightning won their third straight and are 5-2-1 in the past eight matches.

"I mean, yeah, we know the rivalry here," said forward Yanni Gourde, who had an assist and six penalty minutes. "We know what to expect. We were ready to meet those challenges."

Injured winger Brandon Hagel participated in morning skate but missed his fourth consecutive match after a high hit from Florida defenseman Seth Jones and leaving the champs' 5-2 triumph in Tampa.

"He's getting close," coach Jon Cooper said of Hagel, who has 18 goals and 13 assists in 32 games. "He's probably in that day-to-day range."

Before the game, the organization announced it had signed defenseman J.J. Moser to an eight-year deal worth an annual average value (AAV) of $6.75 million.

The 25-year-old product from Biel, Switzerland, has three goals and nine assists with a plus-25 rating over 35 games.

Host Detroit holds a tenuous lead in the division, while Toronto resides in the cellar. Both teams will come into the contest on short rest.

The Red Wings lost 5-2 on the road to Carolina on Saturday night. Detroit held a 1-0 lead after the first period, but the Hurricanes scored three unanswered goals in the second. The Red Wings. who had won eight of their last 10 games, pulled within one on Andrew Copp's power-play goal early in the third but couldn't finish the comeback.

"One team had legs, (the Hurricanes) had plenty of jump. They won races to pucks. They really overwhelmed us for two periods," Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. "We found our legs a little bit in the third, but they're a tough team to come back against. Didn't do much in the first 40 and not enough at the end."

Cam Talbot (10-6-2, 3.00 goals-against average, .886 save percentage) is likely to start in goal on Sunday after John Gibson made 33 saves against Carolina. Talbot ended a personal six-game losing streak when he made 31 saves in a 3-2 overtime victory against Washington last Sunday.

"We were coming off three days of rest. We didn't skate real well tonight," McLellan said. "Toronto played, they're just finishing up, too. We're both traveling to Detroit. We have zero excuses that we can lean on. Based on the way our guys skated in the third, I hope we can carry that over to our game against Toronto tomorrow."

The Maple Leafs won a 7-5 thriller at home over Ottawa on Saturday. Toronto entered the third period with a 5-2 advantage, but the Senators scored twice in the first 5:07 of the third. Matthew Knies soon scored his second goal of the game to give the Maple Leafs some breathing room.

Ottawa once again pulled within a goal before John Tavares' empty-netter clinched Toronto's victory.

Auston Matthews had a goal and two assists and Max Domi contributed three assists, but it wasn't all roses for the Maple Leafs.

"You knew coming in, it's a divisional opponent, two teams that don't really like each other much," Matthews said. "Obviously the history, especially with the playoffs from last year. So it was an emotional game, passionate game, and it was going to take until the last second, the last buzzer to get the job done."

Forward William Nylander departed during the second period due to a lower-body injury. Nylander scored his 14th goal on a power play during the first period.

Joseph Woll made 26 saves. Dennis Hildeby (2-5-3, 2.96 GAA, .911 save percentage) could get the nod Sunday in the second game of a back-to-back.

Detroit collected back-to-back victories over Toronto in mid-October. Lucas Raymond led the Red Wings to a 6-3 win with two goals, and Mason Appleton's tiebreaking goal in the final minute gave Detroit a 3-2 victory in the rematch.

They'll finish off the season series in Toronto on Jan. 21.

The New York Islanders are learning the same is not true when it comes to a hockey team and goaltenders.

The Islanders will look to continue their strong play without injured No. 1 netminder Ilya Sorokin on Sunday night, when New York visits the Columbus Blue Jackets in a battle of Metropolitan Division rivals.

The Islanders will be completing a back-to-back set after David Rittich stopped all 27 shots he faced in Saturday's 2-0 win over the visiting New York Rangers in Elmont, N.Y.

The Blue Jackets last played Monday, when they beat the host Los Angeles Kings 3-1.

Rittich is in line for his fourth straight start Sunday in place of Sorokin, who was placed on injured reserve Saturday with a lower-body injury. New York initially hoped Sorokin, who has been dealing with what the club described as "a small nagging issue," could return following the holiday break.

But Rittich, a 33-year-old playing for his sixth NHL team, continued to play well in Sorokin's absence Saturday, posting his second shutout of the season while improving to 9-3-2 and raising his save percentage to .919. Sorokin is 12-10-2 this season with three shutouts and a .910 save percentage.

"I think he has a happy-go-lucky mindset," Islanders center Bo Horvat said of Rittich, whose mask includes a drawing of Homer Simpson in a fisherman's outfit. "He takes the game really seriously, but he likes to have fun out there, too. He enjoys playing, he enjoys playing the game. He's been phenomenal for us all year."

The Islanders improved to 8-3-1 this month despite playing all or much of the schedule without Kyle Palmieri and Alexander Romanov -- each of whom are out for the season with injuries suffered last month -- and Horvat, who returned Saturday from a five-game absence due to a left ankle injury.

"I do believe that we are playing with more confidence, maybe, than we had when the season started," Islanders head coach Patrick Roy said. "We have some clarity in what we're doing."

The task ahead is clear for the Blue Jackets, who will be the last NHL team to return from the holiday break. The win Monday was just the sixth in the last 19 games (6-8-5) for Columbus.

The skid has dropped the Blue Jackets into last place in the Eastern Conference despite a .500 record. Columbus (36 points) is six points out of the second wild-card spot.

"To go through the break and feel good about how we played and to get rewarded with two points, hopefully we'll carry (that) through here," Blue Jackets head coach Dean Evason said following practice Saturday.

The Blue Jackets will also hope Mason Marchment can build on his hot start with the club -- especially with star defenseman Zach Werenski unlikely to play Sunday. Werenski missed Monday's game with a lower-body injury and didn't practice Saturday.

Marchment, acquired from the Seattle Kraken in exchange for a pair of draft picks on Dec. 19, scored two goals Monday after collecting a goal in his Columbus debut on Dec. 20, when the Blue Jackets fell to the Anaheim Ducks 4-3.

"There's going to be different systems, but for the most part, you've just got to play the game," Marchment said. "There's going to be space where there's going to be space and you've got to find it and try to take advantage of it."

MacKinnon skated down the slot and ripped a wrist shot past the glove side of Carter Hart for the winner as the Avalanche extended their winning streak to seven games and their point streak to 10 games (9-0-1). It was Colorado's first win in five shootouts this season, and it had to twice rally from two-goal deficits in regulation to get there.

Martin Necas scored two goals, Samuel Girard had a goal and an assist, Sam Malinski had three assists and Artturi Lehkonen scored a 6-on-5 goal with 1:57 to go to force overtime for the Avalanche. Scott Wedgewood finished with 20 saves.

Alexander Holtz had a goal and an assist, Noah Hanifin had two assists and Ivan Barbashev, Ben Hutton, Brett Howden and Colton Sissons also scored for Vegas, which fell to 4-11 in games beyond regulation and 1-5 in shootouts. Hart made 33 saves.

Capitals 4, Devils 3 (OT)

Jakob Chychrun scored the game-winner with 54 seconds left in overtime to lift Washington past New Jersey in Newark, N.J., and end a three-game skid (0-2-1).

Chychrun, who entered the day tied with Columbus' Zach Werenski for the league lead in goals by defensemen, notched his 15th. Aliaksei Protas scored a goal and assisted on two for Washington. Alex Ovechkin ended a nine-game goalless drought with his game-tying, third-period score that forced overtime and assisted on Protas' first-period goal. Anthony Beauvillier found the net for the first time since Dec. 2 and Logan Thompson stopped 35 shots.

Jesper Bratt scored twice for the Devils, with Cody Glass getting his seventh of the season. Jake Allen made 29 saves, but New Jersey recorded its third straight defeat.

Sabres 4, Bruins 1

Peyton Krebs scored the eventual game-winner and Mattias Samuelsson factored into all three of Buffalo's unanswered goals in the second period, leading the host team to a win over visiting Boston.

Ryan McLeod and Krebs scored within a span of 1:33 to turn Buffalo's 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead and never looked back on the way to the Sabres' eighth consecutive victory. Samuelsson finished with a goal and two assists, notching the defenseman's first career three-point game.

Krebs had a goal and an assist, Josh Norris also scored, Jack Quinn and Tage Thompson each had two helpers, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 21 shots for Buffalo. David Pastrnak scored the lone goal and Joonas Korpisalo made 30 stops for the Bruins, who are now winless in five straight (0-4-1).

Islanders 2, Rangers 0

Backup goalie David Rittich stopped all 27 shots he faced for the host New York Islanders, who outlasted the New York Rangers in Elmont.

Rittich has allowed just three goals over three straight starts in place of Ilya Sorokin, who is sidelined with an unspecified injury. The shutout was the second of the season for the 33-year-old, who turned back a penalty shot by Carson Soucy the third period.

Anders Lee scored in the opening minute of the game and Simon Holmstrom added an empty-netter with 16.1 seconds left for the Islanders, who have outscored the Rangers 7-0 in two games this season. The Islanders went 0-4 last season against the Rangers, who outscored them 23-5.

Wild 4, Jets 3 (OT)

Matt Boldy scored his second goal of the night in overtime as Minnesota outlasted host Winnipeg.

Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists while Mats Zuccarello scored and picked up an assist. Quinn Hughes had three helpers in the win in support of Wild netminder Jesper Wallstedt, who saved 23 pucks. Zuccarello converted on a 6-on-4 opportunity to tie the game up at 3-3 with 22 seconds remaining and Boldy finished off the game with a snapshot on a feed from Hughes 39 seconds into overtime.

Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele each had a goal and an assist in the loss. Josh Morrissey was the other goal scorer for the Jets while Gabriel Vilardi chipped in two assists. Connor Hellebuyck made 15 stops for Winnipeg.

Maple Leafs 7, Senators 5

Matthew Knies had two goals and an assist and Toronto held on to defeat visiting Ottawa.

Auston Matthews added a goal and two assists for the Maple Leafs, who have won two in a row. Nicholas Robertson contributed a goal and an assist while William Nylander, Bobby McMann and John Tavares (empty net) also scored. Max Domi had three assists, Matias Maccelli had two assists and Joseph Woll made 26 saves.

Jordan Spence had a goal and an assist for the Senators, who have lost two straight. Nick Cousins, Ridly Greig, Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle also scored. Claude Giroux and Stephen Halliday each had two assists. Linus Ullmark allowed four goals on 14 shots for Ottawa before Leevi Merilaine replaced him in the second period and yielded two goals on 18 shots.

Sharks 6, Canucks 3

Igor Chernyshov scored his first NHL goal, Macklin Celebrini had a goal and an assist and visiting San Jose finally beat Vancouver goaltender Thatcher Demko.

Chernyshov and William Eklund recorded a goal and an assist. Ryan Reaves, John Klingberg and Collin Graf had markers for San Jose, which snapped a three-game skid. Celebrini's outing stretched the 19-year-old North Vancouver native's point streak to seven games (five goals, nine assists). Goaltender Yaroslav Askarov stopped 24 shots.

Linus Karlsson, Marco Rossi and Drew O'Connor scored for the Canucks, who lost at home to the Sharks for the first time since 2019. Conor Garland and Filip Hronek had two assists apiece. Forward Elias Pettersson returned to the lineup and skated in his 500th career game. Demko made 32 saves but lost for the first time to San Jose in 14 career decisions.

Kings 6, Ducks 1

Alex Laferriere notched his first career hat trick for Los Angeles in a win against visiting Anaheim.

Quinton Byfield had a goal and an assist, Anze Kopitar had the secondary assist on each of Laferriere's goals and Anton Forsberg made 24 saves for the Kings, who were 1-4-2 in the seven games before the Christmas break.

Mason McTavish scored and Lukas Dostal made 24 saves for the Ducks, who have dropped four of five (1-3-1).

Hurricanes 5, Red Wings 2

Shayne Gostisbehere's goal and first of two assists came in a three-goal second period for Carolina in its victory against Detroit at Raleigh, N.C.

Andrei Svechnikov also had a goal and two assists, while Jackson Blake, Eric Robinson and Jordan Martinook had goals for the Hurricanes, who dominated segments of the game without much to show for until the middle period. Brandon Bussi stopped 18 shots to improve to 12-1-1 in his rookie season. The outcome snapped Carolina's season-long three-game losing streak and came in a clash between divisional leaders.

Michael Rasmussen and Andrew Copp scored for Detroit. Goalie John Gibson made 33 saves but lost for the first time in nine December outings.

Blackhawks 4, Stars 3 (SO)

Nick Lardis and Ryan Donato scored in the shootout to give Chicago a win over host Dallas. Matt Duchene scored in the shootout for the Stars to knot the score at 1-1, before Lardis won it in the bottom of the fourth.

Tyler Bertuzzi had two goals and Jason Dickinson scored for the Blackhawks, who snapped their six-game losing streak. Defenseman Alex Vlasic had two assists and Arvid Soderblom made 28 saves.

Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists while defenseman Nils Lundkvist and Justin Hryckowian had goals for the Stars, who lost in overtime for the second straight game. Wyatt Johnston contributed three assists and Jake Oettinger stopped 30 shots.

Blues 3, Predators 2

Pavel Buchnevich scored two goals and Joel Hofer made 30 saves to lead host St. Louis to a victory over Nashville.

It was the 22nd multi-goal game of Buchnevich's career and the first since Oct. 11, 2024. Robert Thomas had two assists and Brayden Schenn also scored for St. Louis, which moved into fifth place in the Central Division with the win.

Tyson Jost and Fedor Svechkov scored goals and Nicolas Hague had two assists for Nashville, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Juuse Saros finished with 17 saves for the Predators.

Lightning 4, Panthers 2

Nikita Kucherov scored twice, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 24 saves as Tampa Bay defeated host Florida in a fight-filled game. The Lightning also got goals from Jake Guentzel and Pontus Holmberg and have won three straight games overall.

There were 45 penalties called, including nine in a massive brawl toward the end of the second period. The Lightning totaled a season-high 87 minutes, the Panthers a season-high 49. Florida went 1 for 9 on its power play while also allowing a short-handed goal. Tampa Bay went 0-for-6 on its power play.

Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand scored for the Panthers. Marchand has a team-high 21 goals, and he also has a seven-game point streak. Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves.

Flames 3, Oilers 2

Blake Coleman scored the eventual game-winner as host Calgary edged Edmonton to improve to 8-1-1 in its last 10 on home ice.

Yegor Sharangovich and Ryan Lomberg also scored for the Flames, who split the home-and-home with the Oilers. Edmonton thumped Calgary 5-1 on Tuesday. Dustin Wolf made 29 saves to improve to 8-4-2 at home this season.

Evan Bouchard scored and added an assist and Connor McDavid also tallied for the Oilers, who lost for just the third time in regulation in their last 12 (8-3-1). Connor Ingram stopped 29 shots.

MacKinnon skated down the slot and ripped a wrist shot past the glove side of Carter Hart for the winner as the Avalanche extended their winning streak to seven games and their point streak to 10 games (9-0-1). It was Colorado's first win in five shootouts this season, and it had to twice rally from two-goal deficits in regulation to get there.

Martin Necas scored two goals, Samuel Girard had a goal and an assist, Sam Malinski had three assists and Artturi Lehkonen scored a 6-on-5 goal with 1:57 to go to force overtime for the Avalanche. Scott Wedgewood finished with 20 saves.

Alexander Holtz had a goal and an assist, Noah Hanifin had two assists and Ivan Barbashev, Ben Hutton, Brett Howden and Colton Sissons also scored for Vegas, which fell to 4-11 in game beyond regulation and 1-5 in shootouts. Hart made 33 saves.

Vegas took a 1-0 lead at the 2:43 mark of the first period when Holtz, skating down the slot, redirected Hanifin's pass inside the right post for his first goal since April 12, 2025.

Barbashev extended the lead to 2-0 at the 34-second mark of the second period when he finished an odd-man rush with Mitch Marner with a wrist shot through Wedgewood's pads.

Colorado rebounded to tie it, 2-2, later in the period with the help of a couple of friendly bounces off Vegas defensemen. Girard cut it to 2-1 when his shot into the low slot redirected off the stick of defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and over Hart's left shoulder. Necas followed with a wrist shot that caromed off the hip of defenseman Kaedan Korczak and bounced past the right skate of Hart.

But Vegas answered with two goals in a 29-second span later in the period to take a 4-2 lead. Hutton got the first with a one-timer from above the right circle over Wedgewood's glove. Howden, rushing down the slot, followed with a redirect of a Reilly Smith saucer pass past Wedgewood's blocker side.

The Avalanche rallied to tie it again, 4-4, early in the third period on goals by Necas, who whipped a wrist shot from the left circle over Hart's left shoulder, and MacKinnon, who tapped in a rebound of Malinski point shot that leaked under Hart's right arm and trickled by the goal line.

Sissons made it 5-4 for Vegas with four minutes to go when he rushed down the right wing and put in a backhand shot around Wedgewood, who was pulled for an extra attacker with 2:47 remaining. Lehkonen then tied it with 1:57 left when he one-timed a MacKinnon pass into the slot past Hart's glove side.

Necas and MacKinnon found the net in the shootout, while only Marner beat Wedgewood for Vegas.

Chernyshov and William Eklund recorded a goal and an assist. Ryan Reaves, John Klingberg and Collin Graf had markers for San Jose, which snapped a three-game skid.

Celebrini's outing stretched the 19-year-old North Vancouver native's point streak to seven games (five goals, nine assists). Goaltender Yaroslav Askarov stopped 24 shots.

Linus Karlsson, Marco Rossi and Drew O'Connor scored for the Canucks, who lost at home to the Sharks for the first time since 2019. Conor Garland and Filip Hronek had two assists apiece.

Forward Elias Pettersson returned to the lineup and skated in his 500th career game. Demko made 31 saves but lost for the first time to San Jose in 14 career decisions.

In the first period, Demko made a sprawling save while on his back. The puck came to rest a few inches from the goal line, and Reaves burst in head-first and poked it in at 6:11.

The visitors' great start continued when Celebrini won a faceoff that went back to Klingberg. The defenseman then hammered home a goal low on Demko's glove side to double the advantage just 1:44 after Reaves' tally.

Vancouver used its special teams to get back in it after the Sharks' Vincent Iorio went off for crosschecking at 8:31. Karlsson chipped in a sharp pass from Conor Garland at 10:04.

In the second, Eklund got a piece of a puck and sent it slightly up in the air in the low slot. Facing Demko, Rossi inadvertently clipped the puck and sent it over his netminder. The own-goal was credited to Eklund, his ninth.

Rossi trimmed it to 3-2 just 36 seconds into the third with a shot that Askarov batted with his blocker, yet the puck bounced in to tighten the match.

During a power play, Chernyshov restored the two-goal cushion by hitting the net for the first time at 4:47, but O'Connor ripped a short-handed goal at 10:43 to make it 4-3.

Celebrini put the victory to bed by rocketing his 20th goal on a one-timer with 3:40 left. Graff then tallied into the empty net at 3:05.

The tentative deal, which requires ratification from the league's board of governors and full player membership, was announced by the players' union and league on Saturday night. The strike, which began with Friday's games, led to the postponement of 28 games through Saturday's schedule.

No details about the CBA have emerged as of Saturday night, and it remains unknown when the league will resume play. The sides had been negotiating since January.

The 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.

It was revealed when the strike was initiated that the players were seeking a league-wide holiday break -- including no travel -- for Dec. 24-26, which would align with the NHL's current schedule. They were 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 were apart were guaranteed contracts, health benefits, group rights and player compensation. The players wanted a group licensing framework a la other North American sports leagues. As for compensation, they asked for a $19,500 weekly salary cap with increases in future seasons.

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

Yegor Sharangovich and Ryan Lomberg also scored for the Flames, who split the home-and-home with the Oilers. Edmonton thumped Calgary 5-1 on Tuesday.

With the victory, Calgary is 8-1-1 in its last 10 on home ice.

Dustin Wolf made 29 saves to improve to 8-4-2 at home this season.

Evan Bouchard scored and added an assist and Connor McDavid also tallied for the Oilers, who lost for just the third time in regulation in their last 12 (8-3-1).

Connor Ingram stopped 29 shots.

Bouchard nearly tied it in the final minute, beating Wolf blocker side, but putting his shot off the post.

The Oilers pulled to 3-2 at 15:23 of the third as McDavid poked home a loose puck for his 24th of the season. The goal extends McDavid's point streak to 12 games (13 goals, 19 assists).

Calgary took a 3-1 lead at 12:31 of the third as Coleman finished off a give-and-go with Mikael Backlund for his 11th of the season.

Lomberg gave Calgary a 2-1 lead at 3:28 of the middle frame, intercepting an Alec Regula pass and beating Ingram for his third of the season.

Calgary outshot Edmonton 14-9 in the first period, but the two teams were tied at 1 after 20 minutes.

Sharangovich opened the scoring, snapping a shot from the slot blocker-side past Ingram for his seventh of the season at 7:00 of the first period.

Bouchard tied it 1-1 at 8:36 on a power play, one-timing a Leon Draisaitl feed past Wolf on a power play.

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

Quinton Byfield had a goal and an assist, Anze Kopitar had the secondary assist on each of Laferriere goals and Anton Forsberg made 24 saves for the Kings, who were 1-4-2 in the seven games before the Christmas break.

Mason McTavish scored and Lukas Dostal made 24 saves for the Ducks, who have dropped four of five (1-3-1).

The Kings had not scored more than two goals in each of the previous seven games, but they scored four in the first period while outshooting Anaheim 17-7.

The first scoring play began after Ducks forward Troy Terry tried to pass back to Olen Zellweger at the point, but the puck was intercepted by Corey Perry, leading to an odd-man rush.

Perry passed the puck to Byfield, who then fed Drew Doughty with a backhand and he scored from in close for a 1-0 lead at 3:03.

Los Angeles added to its lead 53 seconds later when Brian Dumoulin passed the puck to Trevor Moore in front of the crease. The puck banked off Moore's skate and into the net to make it 2-0 at 3:56.

After Forsberg stopped Cutter Gauthier on a breakaway at 8:35, the Kings made it 3-0 at 10:31 when Adrian Kempe made a feed from behind the Anaheim net to Laferriere in the slot and he scored with a one-timer.

The Kings went on their second power play of the opening period and capitalized when Byfield scored with a tip to extend the lead to 4-0 with 58 seconds left.

The Ducks were on a power play when they scored the only goal of the second period. A loose puck went to the side of the crease and McTavish was there to lift it into the top of the net from in close to cut it to 4-1 at 10:02.

Laferriere scored on a breakaway to make it 5-1 at 4:24 of the third and completed the hat trick with a one-timer from the high slot at 13:15, his 10th goal of the season.

Tyler Bertuzzi had two goals and Jason Dickinson scored for the Blackhawks, who snapped their six-game losing streak. Defenseman Alex Vlasic had two assists and Arvid Soderblom made 28 saves.

Mikko Rantanen had a goal and two assists while defenseman Nils Lundkvist and Justin Hryckowian had goals for the Stars, who lost in overtime for the second straight game. Wyatt Johnston contributed three assists and Jake Oettinger stopped 30 shots.

Matt Duchene scored in the shootout. Jason Robertson and Johnston each hit two goal posts.

Rantanen has a six-game point streak (two goals, 10 assists for 12 points).

He and Bertuzzi traded goals 53 seconds apart with less than 10 minutes left in regulation.

Rantanen poked the puck in after a shot attempt hit him at the side of the net with 8:42 left in the third period to make it 3-2.

But Bertuzzi fired in a loose puck from in front with 7:35 remaining in the third for his second of the game to tie the game at 3.

Dickinson gave the Blackhawks a 2-1 lead in the middle of the second period but that advantage lasted only 55 seconds.

He scored on a wrist shot from the high slot off the rush with 9:23 left in the middle period. Dickinson played with Dallas from 2015-16 to 2020-21.

Hryckowian re-tied it with 8:28 remaining in the second when he put in the rebound of Johnston's shot off the goal post.

Hryckowian has a five-game point streak (three goals, two assists).

Bertuzzi gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead 3:20 into the game when he put Vlasic's cross-crease pass into the empty side of the net from the bottom of the right circle.

Bertuzzi had gone six games without a point. Fourteen of his 18 goals have come on the road.

Lundkvist tied the game with 8:29 left in the first period on a one-time slap shot from the right point.

It was the 22nd multi-goal game of Buchnevich's career and the first since Oct. 11, 2024. Robert Thomas had two assists and Brayden Schenn also scored for St. Louis, which moved into fifth place in the Central Division with the win.

Tyson Jost and Fedor Svechkov scored goals and Nicolas Hague had two assists for Nashville, which had a three-game winning streak snapped. Juuse Saros finished with 17 saves for the Predators.

St. Louis took a 1-0 lead at the 8:45 mark when Schenn, stationed by the right post, deflected Cam Fowler's point shot past the glove of Saros for his 700th career point.

Nashville, which won the first two meetings between the two teams by a combined score of 12-4, tied it midway through the period when Hague's point shot was redirected by Jost in the slot over Hofer's left shoulder.

The Blues regained the lead with 1:46 left in the period on Buchnevich's goal at the end of an odd-man rush. Buchnevich, skating down the right wing, attempted to make a crossing pass to Jake Neighbours but Predator defenseman Roman Josi blocked it with his glove and the puck bounced straight back to Buchnevich, who backhanded it inside the right post.

Nashville appeared to tie it, 2-2, late in the second period on a goal by Filip Forsberg, but St. Louis successfully challenged that Steven Stamkos was offside entering the zone before the score.

The Blues extended the lead to 3-1 early in the third period when Buchnevich roofed a rebound of his own shot over a sprawling Saros.

The Predators cut the lead to 3-2 at the 12:03 mark of the period on a short-handed goal by Svechkov, who fired a wrist shot from the left circle past Hofer's glove side.

Nashville pulled Saros for an extra attacker with 2:05 remaining but Hofer turned aside five shots, including a deflection in the low slot by Luke Evangelista and another close-in wrist shot by Evangelista just before time expired.

There were 45 penalties called, including nine in a massive brawl toward the end of the second period. The Lightning totaled a season-high 87 minutes, the Panthers a season-high 49.

Florida went 1-for-11 on its power play while also allowing a short-handed goal. Tampa Bay went 0-for-6 on its power play.

The teams have combined to win six straight Eastern Conference titles and four of the past six Stanley Cup championships.

This season, the Lightning lead the series 2-1 with the road team winning all three times.

Tampa Bay, which is 11-4-3 on the road this season, also got goals from Jake Guentzel and Pontus Holmberg. The Lightning have won three straight games overall.

Eetu Luostarinen and Brad Marchand scored for the Panthers. Marchand has a team-high 21 goals, and he also has a seven-game point streak.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 21 saves for the Panthers. Bobrovsky, at least for the moment, is stuck at 445 career wins. That ties him with Terry Sawchuk for the eighth-most wins in NHL history.

Despite the loss, the Panthers are 8-3-0 over their past 11 games.

Florida opened the scoring with 14:23 left in the first. After a scramble in front of Vasilevskiy, Guentzel tried to clear, but Luostarinen batted the puck in off the shaft of his stick.

Guentzel got even on his short-handed, breakaway goal with 6:55 left in the first. Anthony Cirelli started the play by digging the puck out of the corner in his own end and flipping a lead pass to Guentzel, who fired over Bobrovsky's left shoulder.

Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead with 8 seconds remaining in the opening period as Yanni Gourde's lateral pass found Holmberg alone on the right side. Holmberg beat Bobrovsky's glove.

The Lightning made it 3-1 with 17:29 left in the second as Brayden Point -- on a two-on-one rush -- fed Kucherov, who slid the puck between Bobrovsky's pads.

With 12:55 left in the second, Florida cut its deficit to 3-2 on Marchand's power-play goal. Sam Bennett earned the primary assist as his pass set Marchand up with an open right side of the net.

In the first half of the third period, Tampa Bay essentially killed off six consecutive penalty minutes.

Kucherov, who leads Tampa Bay with 47 points, finally iced the game on an empty-net goal with 56 seconds left.

Auston Matthews added a goal and two assists for the Maple Leafs, who have won two in a row.

Nicholas Robertson contributed a goal and an assist while William Nylander, Bobby McMann and John Tavares (empty net) also scored. Max Domi had three assists, Matias Maccelli had two assists and Joseph Woll made 26 saves.

Jordan Spence had a goal and an assist for the Senators, who have lost two straight.

Nick Cousins, Ridly Greig and Drake Batherson and Tim Stutzle also scored. Claude Giroux and Stephen Halliday each had two assists. Linus Ullmark allowed four goals on 14 shots for Ottawa before Leevi Merilaine replaced him in the second period and yielded two goals on 18 shots.

Toronto's struggling power play snapped a 0-for-12 drought 40 seconds into the first period. Matthews sent a backhand saucer pass that connected with Nylander, who was driving to the net. Fabian Zetterlund was off for interference.

Toronto scored another goal with the man advantage at 14:42 of the first. Domi made a short pass from the left circle to the high slot and Knies wired a one-timer. Brady Tkachuk was off for tripping.

Cousins jammed in a rebound at 17:50 of the first.

Ottawa tied the game 18 seconds into the second period. Greig was brought down by Philippe Myers and the two crashed into Woll as the puck crossed the line. It was determined as a goal after a video review.

Toronto regained the lead at 3:28 of the second when McMann knocked in a loose puck that sat in the crease during a scramble.

Matthews scored on a rebound at 7:28 of the second. Merilaine replaced Ullmark. Robertson scored at 8:32.

Nylander left during the second period with a lower-body injury and did not return.

Batherson scored 14 seconds into the third period and Stutzle fired a laser from the high slot at 5:07.

Knies restored the two-goal margin 46 seconds later, sweeping in a backhand.

Ottawa responded with Spence's goal on a rebound at 9:18.

Tavares scored into an empty net at 18:44.

Chychrun, who entered Saturday tied with Columbus' Zach Werenski for the league lead in goals by defensemen, notched his 15th of the season after he entered the offensive zone with the puck. Jake Allen stopped his initial shot, but a crashing Chychrun swatted the airborne puck past the Devils goalie to end the Capitals' three-game skid (0-2-1).

Aliaksei Protas scored a goal and assisted on two for the Capitals. Alex Ovechkin ended a nine-game goalless drought and assisted on Protas' score. Anthony Beauvillier found the net for the first time since Dec. 2.

Logan Thompson stopped 35 shots.

Jesper Bratt scored twice for the Devils, with Cody Glass getting his seventh of the season. Allen made 29 saves, but New Jersey recorded its third straight defeat.

The Capitals took the lead in the last second of the first period when Protas swatted the puck past Allen in the crease. Ovechkin set up the goal by flinging a crossing pass to his wide-open teammate.

Bratt tied the contest at 15:04 left in the second on a power play. Stefan Noesen and Nico Hischier both had the puck in the low slot, with Hischier's attempt trickling to Bratt, who found enough daylight between Thompson and the right post.

Washington reclaimed the lead with 2:27 left in the period, thanks to Protas. He intercepted a Jack Hughes pass in the Devils' zone, and Beauvillier snapped the go-ahead goal, his seventh of the season, past Allen from the slot.

New Jersey thought its fortunes had changed in the span of 32 seconds in the third. Bratt's second of the night and eighth of the season tied the game with 13 minutes left in regulation. The Devils then claimed their first lead when Brenden Dillon sprung Connor Brown for a breakaway. Brown found an open Glass, who scored from the low slot.

Ovechkin, though, forced overtime when he beat Allen off a feed from Rasmus Sandin with 10:43 remaining in regulation.

Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists while Mats Zuccarello scored and picked up an assist. Quinn Hughes had three helpers in the win in support of Wild netminder Jesper Wallstedt, who saved 23 pucks.

Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele each had a goal and an assist in the loss. Josh Morrissey was the other goal scorer for the Jets while Gabriel Vilardi chipped in two assists. Connor Hellebuyck made 15 stops for Winnipeg.

The Jets got on the board first at the 11:36 mark of the first period. Connor carried the puck into the zone and found Morrissey open in the slot from the corner boards, allowing Morrissey to step in and beat Wallstedt with a slap shot to give Winnipeg a 1-0 lead.

Minnesota tied the game 1-1 with 1:31 remaining in the opening frame. Boldy won a battle in front of the net to deflect a point shot from Jared Spurgeon into Winnipeg's net to send both teams into the first intermission knotted up.

The Wild took the lead at 7:33 of the second period. Following a chance by the Jets in the Minnesota zone, Zuccarello sprung Kaprizov on a breakout. Kaprizov got past defenseman Dylan DeMelo and beat Hellebuyck with a backhand to give Minnesota a 2-1 lead.

Winnipeg responded before the end of the period, generating sustained pressure that led to Connor scoring on a shot with 2:04 remaining in the second to tie the game 2-2. Scheifele followed that with a wrist shot directly off a faceoff win by Jonathan Toews with three seconds left to give the Jets a 3-2 lead.

A late cross-checking penalty to DeMelo with 30 seconds left in regulation gave the Wild life and Zuccarello took advantage, converting on a 6-on-4 opportunity to tie the game up at 3-3 with 22 seconds remaining.

Boldy finished off the game with a snapshot from Hughes 39 seconds into overtime to give Minnesota its first win following back-to-back losses and the Wild's eighth win in 10 games.

Andrei Svechnikov also had a goal and two assists, while Jackson Blake, Eric Robinson and Jordan Martinook had goals for the Hurricanes, who dominated segments of the game without much to show for until the middle period. Brandon Bussi stopped 18 shots to improve to 12-1-1 in his rookie season.

The outcome snapped Carolina's season-long three-game losing streak and came in a clash between divisional leaders. Martinook's empty-net goal marked his 100th career goal.

Michael Rasmussen and Andrew Copp scored for Detroit. Goalie John Gibson made 33 saves but lost for the first time in nine December outings.

The Hurricanes held a 12-3 edge in shots before Rasmussen opened the scoring on Detroit's fourth shot to snap his 12-game goalless stretch. It came after Carolina misplayed the puck close to the net, with the puck lost off the stick of defenseman Alexander Nikishin.

Carolina posted a 15-5 advantage in first-period shots, but the Red Wings had only their 22nd first-period goal of the season.

The Hurricanes scored twice in a 75-second span early in the second period to take a 2-1 lead.

A Gostisbehere blast deflected by Blake resulted in Carolina's first goal. Robinson converted on a rebound near the crease to give the Hurricanes their first lead.

There wasn't a power play until Detroit went on a man advantage early in the third, with Copp converting. Svechnikov restored the two-goal margin with 6:51 remaining on an unassisted tally.

Carolina won for the eighth time in 17 games when its opponent scored first.

The Hurricanes were without defenseman K'Andre Miller because of a lower-body injury.

Ryan McLeod and Krebs scored within a span of 1:33 to turn Buffalo's 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead and never looked back on the way to its eighth consecutive victory.

Samuelsson finished with a goal and two assists, notching the defenseman's first career three-point game.

Krebs had a goal and an assist, Josh Norris also scored, Jack Quinn and Tage Thompson each had two helpers, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 21 shots for Buffalo.

David Pastrnak scored the lone goal and Joonas Korpisalo made 30 stops for the Bruins, who are now winless in five straight (0-4-1).

Buffalo had a 34-22 advantage in shots on goal, including 13-2 during a dominant second period.

Pastrnak got the Bruins out to a 1-0 lead at 11:56 of the opening period, corralling a Morgan Geekie feed and picking his spot in the top corner of Luukkonen's net with a wrist shot from atop the left circle.

Just 1:39 into the middle frame, McLeod netted the game-tying goal to begin the Sabres' three-goal surge. Quinn dropped a feed to McLeod as he skated into the offensive zone as the trailer, and he let a wrister go from the right dot that sailed past Korpisalo's far post.

Krebs gave the home team its first lead at 3:12, deflecting Thompson's long shot while setting a screen at the net front.

At 7:54, Samuelsson extended Buffalo's advantage to 3-1. After Bowen Byram's shot on a net drive popped back into the slot, Quinn picked up a loose puck and sent it back to the defenseman, who snapped a goal from the top of the left circle.

The Bruins killed off the first two penalties of the game for either team -- including Viktor Arvidsson's double-minor for high-sticking with 1:33 left in the second -- and did not earn a power play until a holding call on Buffalo defenseman Michael Kesselring inside the final seven minutes of regulation.

Luukkonen and the Buffalo defense staved off the penalty and a late Boston push with Korpisalo pulled before the 3:00 mark. Norris' empty-net goal with 13.8 seconds left sealed the result.

Rittich has allowed just three goals over three straight starts in place of Ilya Sorokin, who is sidelined with an unspecified injury. The shutout was the second of the season for the 33-year-old, who turned back a penalty shot by Carson Soucy the third period.

Anders Lee scored in the opening minute of the game and Simon Holmstrom added an empty-netter with 16.1 seconds left for the Islanders, who have outscored the Rangers 7-0 in two games this season.

The Islanders went 0-4 last season against the Rangers, who outscored them 23-5.

The Islanders are 8-3-1 this month despite scoring three or fewer goals nine times, including in each of their last six games.

Igor Shesterkin recorded 24 saves for the Rangers, who were blanked for the eighth time this season.

Lee scored an unassisted goal to cap a lengthy battle for the puck in the Rangers' zone just 58 seconds after the opening faceoff.

Islanders right winger Holmstrom poked the puck free from Soucy behind the Rangers' net and to Mathew Barzal, whose point-blank shot in the crease was turned back by Shesterkin. The puck bounced between Soucy and Will Borgen and the to Lee, who flicked a shot over Shesterkin's stick.

The Rangers almost tied the score twice during a scoreless second period. Rittich turned back a breakaway opportunity by Artemi Panarin with just under 12 minutes left. Will Cuylle appeared to knot the game during a power play with 5:23 remaining, but replay showed his shot bounced off the crossbar and the right post without ever crossing the goal line.

Soucy received his penalty shot 9:18 into the third after he was slashed by Calum Ritchie as he bore in on Rittich, but the attempt glanced off Rittich's stick.

Rittich gloved a shot from the slot by Vincent Trocheck with 2:25 left. Shesterkin was pulled during a power play seconds later, but the Rangers recorded just one shot before Holmstrom's goal.

Moser, 25, is in the second year of a two-year deal he signed with the Lightning ahead of the 2024-25 season. His new deal runs from the 2026-27 season through 2033-34.

Moser has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 34 games this season, approaching the 14 points he had in his debut season in Tampa. His plus-44 rating over the last two seasons with the Lightning is tied for the fourth-highest by all NHL defensemen over that span and his 60 hits since the start of the 2024-25 season lead Tampa Bay.

A native of Switzerland, Moser was the 60th overall pick in the second round of the 2021 NHL Draft by Arizona before he was traded to the Lightning in June of 2024.

Moser has 98 career points (21 goals, 77 assists) and a plus-17 rating over 293 career games across five seasons.

The Flyers have won two games in a row, and the Kraken swept their three-game California trip leading into the break.

The teams will return to the ice Sunday in Seattle after four days off.

"Three big wins to go into the break. ... We're feeling pretty good right now," Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord said. "It's gonna be a great holiday."

Before wins in San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles, the Kraken were in a 1-9-1 slump.

Daccord made 35 saves in Tuesday's 3-2 victory against the Kings, and captain Jordan Eberle scored his team-leading 13th goal of the season.

"We're building," said Kraken forward Matty Beniers, who centers the No. 2 line between Eberle and Kaapo Kakko. "I liked our game (Tuesday). Through the lineup, every guy, every line, every (defensive) pairing. Joey played awesome."

The Kraken also snapped a streak of 17 straight losses (0-16-1) when playing the second game of a back-to-back, a run that dated to March 5, 2024, when Dave Hakstol was still the coach.

Daccord praised the team's "collective effort" in recent games.

"That's how we win," Daccord said. "We're a team that needs everyone going every night, from the net out. And I think these last three games, you saw that, and we executed. And it's fun to see the guys get rewarded."

The three-game streak has taken the Kraken from the cellar to within three points of a wild-card playoff spot in the tightly packed Western Conference.

Seattle won in L.A. without its top two offensive defensemen in Brandon Montour and Vince Dunn.

Montour is out for a month after having surgery on a broken hand suffered in a Dec. 16 fight against Colorado's Brent Burns.

Dunn sustained an upper-body injury in the third period of a 3-1 victory Monday at Anaheim after taking a blind-side hit from the Ducks' Ross Johnston. The Kraken haven't provided an update on Dunn's availability for Sunday's game.

The Flyers also posted back-to-back victories Monday and Tuesday, defeating visiting Vancouver 5-2 before a 3-1 win at Chicago.

Travis Konecny had a goal and an assist against the Blackhawks, and leading scorer Trevor Zegras added an assist to extend his point streak to nine games (five goals, six assists).

Still, it wasn't over until Carl Grundstrom's empty-net goal with 2:08 left.

"It's 82 games - you're not going to feel great some nights," Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said. "It's the schedule. Everybody goes through it. That's when you've got to really play smart hockey. I talked to the guys before the game. I call this a ‘maturity game.' It was good. You could tell guys were tired. But I thought it was a mature effort."

Noah Cates added a power-play goal for the Flyers.

"It's getting pucks and bodies to the net on the power play," Cates said. "We've kind of been struggling lately, but at the end of the day, we just get it down there and good things happen. Whoever gets the goal gets rewarded, but it's kind of the group effort with the power play and kind of sticking with it and getting things to the net."

This will be the second and final meeting between the Flyers and Kraken this season. Philadelphia posted a 5-2 victory Oct. 20 behind a pair of Owen Tippett goals.

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.