NHL News

The Blues endured a 7-2 beating from the host Nashville Predators on Thursday night, and then they faced a quick turnaround to travel and face the Blackhawks.

St. Louis has lost four of its past six games. After winning 2-1 at Ottawa and 4-3 at Montreal last weekend, the Blues dropped their past two contests by the combined score of 12-4.

"The last two games we've been not hard enough at either net front," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said. "We don't get there on the inside. That's where good teams in the NHL score goals, screening the goalie and having two guys whacking away at rebounds."

Both St. Louis goaltenders, Jordan Binnington and Joel Hofer, took a loss this week. Hofer was in net for a 5-2 loss to the Boston Bruins on Tuesday, and then the Blues started Binnington in Nashville.

Binnington allowed six goals on 25 shots in two periods Thursday. Hofer relieved him for the third period and turned aside six of the seven shots he faced.

"Last couple of games our goalies have had no chance, with the way we're playing in front of them," Montgomery said. "We're not boxing out at our net front. The physicality in our D-zone coverage in our last two games has really dissipated."

On positive for the Blues on Thursday was Robby Fabbri's season debut. With St. Louis missing five forwards due to injury, Fabbri signed as a free agent and earned an assist in his first game back in the NHL.

"I thought Robby Fabbri was our best forward," Montgomery said. "I loved his habits and details."

Fabbri, 29, began his career with the Blues, playing for them in four seasons from 2015-16 to 2019-20.

Hofer allowed seven goals on 22 shots in an 8-3 home loss to the Blackhawks on Oct. 15. Chicago center Connor Bedard earned three assists in that game, and Lukas Reichel had two goals and an assist, and Frank Nazar also was among the goal-scorers.

Nazar hasn't scored since Oct. 28, but he has earned nine assists since then and has stepped up his overall play.

"Honestly, I thought Frank Nazar was as good as he's played probably all season," Chicago coach Jeff Blashill said after the Blackhawks blanked the visiting New York Rangers 3-0 on Wednesday. "I look at process, I look at things like being over the puck and being strong on the puck and having those opportunities to make plays and using his speed. Yes, there have been nights where maybe ... St. Louis, in St. Louis he was flashier.

"But I thought for the things it's going to take for Frank to be a really, really big-time difference-maker, he was excellent tonight. Is it frustrating when you're not scoring? Yes. Our job as a coaching staff is to keep him focused on the process, because points come and go. I've seen it all the time. He'll get his points if he plays like that on a consistent basis."

The Blackhawks lost back-to-back West Coast games to the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks by the combined score of 13-1 last weekend. Then they returned home, regrouped and shut out the Rangers to steady themselves.

"I thought we did a really good job through the 60 minutes," Blashill said. "It was the type of hockey that leads to success, so we'll just keep building off it."

Mattias Ekholm also scored for the Oilers, who are on a 5-2-2 run. Stuart Skinner made 27 saves, and Leon Draisaitl collected two assists.

It is the 43rd time McDavid has recorded a four-point game. The Oilers captain has netted five goals and seven assists in a four-game point spree. Hyman recorded his sixth career hat trick.

Simon Edvinsson scored for the Red Wings, who saw their three-game winning streak snapped and lost in regulation for the first time in seven games. Cam Talbot stopped 25 shots.

Sharks 3, Maple Leafs 2 (OT)

Alexander Wennberg scored at 2:49 of overtime as visiting San Jose came back from a two-goal deficit to defeat Toronto. Wennberg knocked in the rebound after a 2-on-1 with William Eklund.

San Jose's John Klingberg tied the game late in the third period to force overtime. Wennberg added two assists and Klingberg also had an assist. Dmitry Orlov scored the other goal for the Sharks, and Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 28 shots.

Dakota Joshua and Auston Matthews scored for the Maple Leafs, who fell to 4-0-2 in the past six games. William Nylander added two assists and Dennis Hildeby made 29 saves.

Hurricanes 3, Capitals 2 (SO)

Seth Jarvis scored the only tally in the shootout to give Carolina a road win over Washington.

Logan Stankoven and Nikolaj Ehlers each had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes, who are on a 5-2-0 run. Brandon Bussi stopped 23 of 25 shots, improving to 10-1-0 record in his first 11 NHL starts.

Connor McMichael had a goal and an assist for the Capitals, who are on a 7-0-2 surge. Rasmus Sandin had two assists, Nic Dowd scored and Logan Thompson stopped 37 of 39 shots.

Wild 5, Stars 2

Marcus Johansson netted a pair of goals and Matt Boldy scored once in a three-point outing as Minnesota erased a pair of deficits to beat Dallas in Saint Paul, Minn.

Joel Eriksson Ek collected one goal and one assist while Zach Bogosian added a goal for the Wild, who have won two consecutive games. Minnesota's Vladimir Tarasenko netted two assists and goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 16 saves.

Miro Heiskanen produced a goal and an assist for the Stars, who saw their four-game winning streak end. Jason Robertson also tallied, and Jake Oettinger stopped 27 shots.

Bruins 6, Jets 3

David Pastrnak recorded two goals and two assists in his second game back from injury, leading Boston past host Winnipeg for its fourth consecutive win.

Following a three-goal first period for the Bruins, Hampus Lindholm (one goal, one assist) netted the eventual game-winner in the second. Casey Mittelstadt, Sean Kuraly and Elias Lindholm each scored a goal, Morgan Geekie had three assists and Joonas Korpisalo made 26 saves en route to the victory.

Morgan Barron, Alex Iafallo and Gabriel Vilardi were the goal scorers for Winnipeg, which has lost three straight and ninth of the past 11 games (2-8-1). Eric Comrie stopped 18 shots.

Avalanche 6, Panthers 2

Gavin Brindley had a goal and an assist in his return to the lineup, Nathan MacKinnon and Sam Malinski also had a goal and an assist apiece, and Colorado beat Florida in Denver.

Brock Nelson, Gabriel Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen scored goals, Josh Manson and Martin Necas added two assists apiece and Mackenzie Blackwood turned away 23 shots for the Avalanche, who improved to 3-0-1 in their past four games.

Mackie Samoskevich and Noah Gregor scored goals and Daniil Tarasov made 36 saves for the Panthers, whose three-game winning streak ended.

Senators 6, Blue Jackets 3

Tim Stutzle scored twice to lead the Ottawa Senators to a win over host Columbus.

Drake Batherson and Michael Amadio each had a goal and two assists while David Perron and Claude Giroux added a goal and an assist apiece for the Senators, who had lost five of their previous six games. Dylan Cozens logged three assists, and Linus Ullmark made 23 saves.

Boone Jenner posted a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who lost their fourth consecutive contest (0-3-1). Dmitri Voronkov and defenseman Dante Fabbro also scored, and defenseman Zach Werenski had two assists.

Islanders 5, Ducks 2

Despite losing Bo Horvat to a lower-body injury in the second period, New York secured a win over Anaheim in Elmont, N.Y., led by Anders Lee's two goals and two assists.

Horvat, the Islanders' leader in points, became tangled up with Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson before limping off the ice. Travis Mitchell, Simon Holmstrom and Ryan Pulock added goals and David Rittich made 31 saves in the win.

Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry responded with goals and Ville Husso recorded 32 saves in the Ducks' first loss in four games.

Predators 7, Blues 2

Steven Stamkos scored four goals to lead Nashville past visiting St. Louis.

Ryan O'Reilly, Filip Forsberg and Michael Bunting also scored for the Predators, who won for the sixth time in eight games. Luke Evangelista earned three assists for Nashville, while Fedor Svechkov, Matthew Wood, Nick Blankenberg and Roman Josi had two assists each and Juuse Saros made 24 saves.

Hugh McGing and Robert Thomas scored for the Blues, who lost for the fourth time in six games. Jordan Binnington allowed six goals on 25 shots in two periods before Joel Hofer relieved him.

Sabres 3, Canucks 2

Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson each had a goal and an assist for Buffalo in a win at Vancouver.

Zach Benson scored and Alex Lyon made 30 saves for the Sabres, who have won two straight and picked up their first regulation road win. Buffalo played without winger Alex Tuch, who was scratched because of illness.

Kiefer Sherwood and Max Sasson scored for the Canucks, who have lost nine of their past 11 games (2-8-1). Thatcher Demko made 12 saves in his return after missing 12 games with an injury.

Canadiens 4, Penguins 2

Jacob Fowler made 35 saves in his NHL debut, leading Montreal over host Pittsburgh.

Alexandre Texier, Brendan Gallagher, Cole Caufield and Oliver Kapanen scored, while Lane Hutson and Juraj Slafkovsky each had two assists for the Canadiens, who ended a two-game skid. Fowler became the first goalie born in Florida to start an NHL game.

Bryan Rust had a goal and an assist, Erik Karlsson also scored and Tristan Jarry made 25 saves for the Penguins, who have lost three in a row (0-1-2).

Lightning 8, Devils 4

Oliver Bjorkstrand scored two goals and set up another and Nikita Kucherov notched four assists, fueling Tampa Bay to a victory at Newark, N.J.

Jake Guentzel collected one goal and two assists and Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point and Darren Raddysh had one of each. Nick Paul and Pontus Holmberg also tallied to propel the Lightning to their second straight win. Jonas Johansson made 33 saves.

Paul Cotter and Luke Hughes each had a goal and an assist while Jesper Bratt and Angus Crookshank also scored for the Devils. Simon Nemec registered two assists. Jake Allen turned aside 23 shots in relief of Jacob Markstrom, who yielded three goals on seven shots before exiting.

Zach Benson scored, and Alex Lyon made 30 saves for the Sabres, who have won two straight and picked up their first regulation road win. Buffalo played without winger Alex Tuch, who was scratched because of illness.

Kiefer Sherwood and Max Sasson scored for the Canucks, who have lost nine of their past 11 games (2-8-1). Thatcher Demko made 12 saves in his return after missing 12 games with an injury.

Dahlin gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead at 7:36 of the first period. Ryan McLeod backhanded the puck behind himself off the end boards, retrieved it near the left corner, and sent a pass to a wide-open Dahlin in the high slot for a one-timer that beat Demko glove side.

Sherwood tied it 1-1 on the power play with 11 seconds left in the frame. Conor Garland collected a rebound in front for an attempt that was blocked, and Sherwood then backhanded the loose puck off the skate of Buffalo defenseman Conor Timmins and under Lyon's pads to tie it 1-1.

Sasson put the Canucks ahead 2-1 at 6:15 of the second period on their first shot of the middle frame. With open space between the Sabres' two defensemen, Sasson carried the puck up the middle into the zone with speed and fired a snap shot under Lyon's right pad.

Thompson scored for a third straight game to tie it 2-2. Dahlin intercepted a Canucks clearing attempt along the right wall and sent a centering feed to Thompson above the slot, where we waited for a brief second before putting a wrist shot inside the left post at 9:12.

Benson's first goal of the season put Buffalo ahead 3-2 on the power play at 14:46. Josh Doan received a pass from Thompson at the goal line and quickly dished it to Benson, who one-timed it from the inner side of the left circle.

Gabriel Landeskog and Artturi Lehkonen scored goals, Josh Manson added two assists and MacKenzie Blackwood turned away 23 shots for Colorado, which played the last two periods without Joel Kiviranta.

Mackie Samoskevich and Noah Gregor scored goals and Daniil Tarasov had 36 saves for Florida. The Panthers had their three-game winning streak snapped.

One of Tarasov's saves came on a penalty shot by MacKinnon at 14:58 of the third period.

Malinski gave the Avalanche the early lead when he took a pass from Martin Necas as he skated into the zone and beat Tarasov just 1:14 into the game.

Gregor tied it later in the first on a backhander over Blackwood's shoulder at 7:21, but Nelson's fourth goal in the last six games at 18:30 of the first period gave Colorado a 2-1 lead heading into the intermission.

Brindley, who missed the previous 10 games with a lower-body injury, made it 3-1 at 5:05 of the second when he knocked in a Brent Burns rebound. MacKinnon's wrister from the point 2:13 later gave the Avalanche a three-goal advantage.

It was MacKinnon's NHL-leading 25th goal this season and pushed his league-best point total to 53. Lehkonen continued the second-period onslaught when Brindley found the winger skating up the middle of the ice, Lehkonen skated in alone on Tarasov and beat him with a low shot inside the left post.

Both teams had goals taken away after a review. Necas had a power-play goal erased when Florida successfully challenged for offsides late in the second period, and early in the third Eetu Luostarinen had a goal overturned when a league-initiated review determined he used a distinct kicking motion.

Soon after the Panthers' goal was disallowed, Landeskog scored on a rebound at 6:18. Samoskevich answered with a goal at 13:08.

Mattias Ekholm also scored for the Oilers, who are on a 5-2-2 run after struggling to find momentum through the first two months of the season.

Goaltender Stuart Skinner made 27 saves. Edmonton jumped into the Western Conference's first wild-card spot and now heads out on a five-game road trip.

Leon Draisaitl collected two assists.

It is the 43rd time McDavid has recorded a four-point game. The Oilers captain has netted five goals and seven assists in a four-game point spree.

Simon Edvinsson scored for the Red Wings, who saw their three-game winning streak snapped and lost in regulation for the first time in seven games.

Goalie Cam Talbot stopped 25 shots.

Hyman's power-play goal opened the scoring at 14:25 of the clash. McDavid was in a position to shoot, but waited for an opening to slip a short pass to Hyman at the edge of the crease for the easy re-direct.

Ekholm doubled the lead by unloading a rocket of a point shot set up by a drop pass at 2:46 of the second period.

Edvinsson provided a much-needed jolt for the Red Wings three minutes later by finishing an odd-man rush with a tally that put them on the board.

However, Hyman restored Edmonton's two-goal edge before the second intermission. He was parked in the low slot when McDavid from deep in the zone back-handed a pass between his own legs to Hyman, who quickly battled a one-timer at 17:48 of the middle frame.

Hyman recorded his sixth career hat trick by hitting the empty net with 77 seconds remaining on the clock.

Detroit has one more game remaining on its six-game road swing, Saturday in Chicago.

Joel Eriksson Ek collected one goal and one assist, while Zach Bogosian added a goal for the Wild, who have won two consecutive games.

Vladimir Tarasenko netted two assists and goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 16 saves.

Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen replied for the Stars, who saw their four-game winning streak snapped and lost in regulation for the first time in 12 games.

Goalie Jake Oettinger stopped 27 shots.

With the score knotted at 2-2, Johansson gave the Wild their first lead of the game at 8:40 of the final frame. Boldy fired a pass across the slot and Johansson buried a one-timer for his second game-winning goal in as many games.

Boldy and Johansson added empty-net goals in the final minutes.

Despite Minnesota holding the early edge and holding a 9-0 edge in shots, Robertson opened the scoring on the power play with his team's first shot at 9:32 of the game. Upon being fed the puck at the point, Robertson fired a shot at the top of the left circle that ricocheted off a defender and into the net for his 20th goal of the campaign.

Eriksson Ek responded at 16:10 when he pounced on a loose puck in the crease after Boldy's sharp-angled offering was denied.

Heiskanen put Dallas ahead a second time with a blast from the point off a won faceoff for a short-handed tally at 10:19 of the second period.

However, Bogosian pulled Minnesota even again at 17:30 of the middle frame with a point-shot rocket of his own.

Dallas forward Roope Hintz needed help off the ice late in the game after he was hit in the foot by a teammate's shot during his team's push for the equalizer.

Ryan O'Reilly, Filip Forsberg and Michael Bunting also scored for the Predators, who won for the sixth time in eight games.

Luke Evangelista earned three assists for Nashville, while Fedor Svechkov, Matthew Wood, Nick Blankenberg and Roman Josi had two assists each and Juuse Saros made 24 saves.

Hugh McGing and Robert Thomas scored for the Blues, who lost for the fourth time in six games.

Jordan Binnington allowed six goals on 25 shots in two periods before Joel Hofer relieved him.

Stamkos converted a 2-on-1 rush at 8:22 of the first period to put the Predators up 1-0. He shot from the left wing, then batted in the rebound.

Nashville increased its lead to 2-0 with another rebound conversion by Stamkos at 11:19, this time from the slot off Josi's shot.

McGing, called up from the AHL as an injury replacement, cut the Nashville lead to 2-1 at the 4:17 mark of the second frame with his first NHL goal. Robby Fabbri set him up with a one-touch pass.

Nashville pushed its margin to 3-1 with some tic-tac-toe passing that led to Evangelista setting up O'Reilly's shot from the left circle.

Forsberg made it 4-1 on a clean break in set up by Evangelista at 11:43. Thirteen seconds later, Stamkos' passing attempt caromed off Blues defenseman Justin Faulk into the net to put Nashville up 5-1.

Thomas got one goal back for the Blues less than two minutes later, scoring with a turnaround shot from the right faceoff circle.

But the Predators pinned the Blues in their own zone, making it 6-2 with Stamkos punching in a loose puck with 4:27 remaining in the period.

Bunting's power-play goal off another excellent Evangelista pass extended the lead to 7-2 in the final frame.

Following a three-goal first period for the Bruins, Hampus Lindholm (one goal, one assist) netted the eventual game-winner in the second.

Casey Mittelstadt, Sean Kuraly and Elias Lindholm each scored a goal, Morgan Geekie had two assists and Joonas Korpisalo made 26 saves en route to the victory.

Morgan Barron, Alex Iafallo and Gabriel Vilardi were the goal-scorers for Winnipeg, which has lost three straight and ninth of the past 11 games (2-8-1). Eric Comrie stopped 18 shots.

Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy saw his first action since requiring surgery to repair a facial fracture from being hit in the jaw by a slap shot on Nov. 15. He had an assist in 24:16 of ice time. However, fellow blueliner Jonathan Aspirot (upper-body injury) and forward Viktor Arvidsson (lower-body injury) were both lost during the game.

Winnipeg took a 1-0 lead 5:59 into the first period. Korpisalo made a pair of initial saves, including one on Josh Morrissey's drive from the point to start the play, but Barron tucked the rebound through traffic from the right crease.

Boston needed a little time to take control, opening a three-goal spurt with two man-up tallies in a 2:04 span. At 8:24, Pastrnak wired home a game-tying wrister from the top of the right circle.

Mittelstadt gave the Bruins their first lead at 10:28, ripping Mason Lohrei's cross-ice pass into the top of the net while stationed low in the right dot.

Just 40 seconds later, Kuraly extended the Boston lead to 3-1. Tanner Jeannot chopped down a puck at the offensive blue line, which led Kuraly down the slot to bury a backhand shot past an outstretched Comrie.

Iafallo brought the Jets back within 3-2 at 13:37 of the first. He drove along the wall and down toward the right post, where he lifted a close-range wrister over Korpisalo.

Hampus Lindholm gave Boston a 4-2 cushion when he teed up a slapper off a Pastrnak feed at 14:36 of the second period.

Winnipeg needed just 10 seconds of a power play late in the second period to make it a 4-3 game. With 2:14 left in the frame, Vilardi banged in a goal from atop the crease following Korpisalo's initial save on Cole Perfetti.

Elias Lindholm upped Boston's lead to 5-3 with 5:17 left in a low-event third period to that point. He slotted home Pastrnak's one-time pass after Geekie beat out an icing call to start the sequence.

Pastrnak added an empty-net goal with 1:56 to go, giving him seven points across the past two games.

Alexandre Texier, Brendan Gallagher, Cole Caufield and Oliver Kapanen scored, while Lane Hutson and Juraj Slafkovsky each had two assists for the Canadiens, who ended a two-game skid.

Bryan Rust had a goal and an assist, Erik Karlsson also scored and Tristan Jarry made 25 saves for the Penguins, who have lost three in a row (0-1-2).

Penguins defenseman Kris Letang partially whiffed on a clearing attempt and Texier took possession, skating to the top of the right circle before scoring with a wrist shot over Jarry's glove for a 1-0 lead at 2:54 of the first period.

Fowler, the NHL's first-ever Florida-born goalie, didn't make his first save until 9:48 of the first period, when the Penguins were on a power play.

Gallagher made it 2-0 at 4:37 of the second with a snap shot from the left circle off the rush.

The Canadiens were on their second power play when Caufield banked the puck off Jarry's skates from below the goal line to extend the lead to 3-0 at 10:18.

Owen Beck appeared to score his first NHL goal for the Canadiens with 3:39 left in the second period, but Pittsburgh challenged for offside and the goal was waived off following a video review.

The Penguins prevented Fowler from becoming the first NHL goalie since Montreal's current starter, Jakub Dobes, to notch a shutout in his NHL debut when Rust scored 44 seconds into the third off a short feed from Sidney Crosby to cut it to 3-1.

Montreal answered 15 seconds later when Kapanen finished a centering pass from Slafkovsky to push the lead to 4-1.

Entering with the league's top power play (32.4 percent), Pittsburgh could not take advantage of a 5-on-3 that lasted 25 seconds, but Karlsson cut it to 4-2 at 15:07 when the Penguins went on their sixth power play and pulled Jarry for a 6-on-4 advantage.

Wennberg knocked in the rebound after a 2-on-1 with William Eklund.

John Klingberg's goal tied the game for San Jose late in the third period to force overtime.

Wennberg added two assists and Klingberg also had an assist. Dmitry Orlov scored the other goal for the Sharks.

Alex Nedeljkovic, making his third straight start, stopped 28 shots.

Dakota Joshua and Auston Matthews scored for the Maple Leafs, William Nylander added two assists and Dennis Hildeby made 29 saves.

Toronto's Morgan Rielly hit the goal post with a shot at 11:17 of the first period. Rielly then hooked Ty Dellandrea, who had a breakaway 36 seconds later and a penalty shot was called. Hildeby made the save on Dellandrea's penalty shot.

Toronto took the lead at 14:33 of the first when Joshua tipped Jake McCabe's shot from the left circle after Nylander passed from behind the goal. The puck deflected off Sharks defenseman Timothy Liljegren's knee before entering the net.

Toronto pressed through the first 10 minutes of the second period with Nedeljkovic rising to the occasion.

Matthews scored on a one-timer after a diagonal pass from Nylander at 14:32 of the second. Macklin Celebrini was serving a hooking penalty.

San Jose answered 59 seconds later when Orlov scored on a quick-release, short-side shot from the left circle.

Hildeby preserved the lead with a lunging save on Philipp Kurashev at the end of the period.

San Jose put the puck in the net at 8:54 of the third period but it was disallowed after a review that determined the play was offside.

Hildeby reached behind him to make a spectacular save at 16:37 of the third.

Klingberg tied the game on a shot from the point at 18:35 of the third.

Toronto defenseman Oliver Eckman-Larsson left the game at 3:22 of the third period with an apparent left ankle injury. He became tangled with San Jose's Adam Gaudette along the end boards in the Toronto zone.

Drake Batherson and Michael Amadio each had a goal and two assists while David Perron and Claude Giroux added a goal and an assist apiece for the Senators, who had lost five of their previous six games. Dylan Cozens logged three assists, and Linus Ullmark made 23 saves.

Giroux, who now has 1,135 career points, passed Marian Hossa to move into 62nd place in NHL history.

Boone Jenner posted a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who lost their fourth consecutive contest (0-3-1). Dmitri Voronkov and defenseman Dante Fabbro also scored, and defenseman Zach Werenski had two assists.

Columbus' Elvis Merzlikins allowed three goals on five shots before being pulled in favor of Jet Greaves, who stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced.

Ottawa led 4-1 after the first period.

The Senators scored on two of their first three shots as Perron and Batherson lit the lamp 1:13 apart. Perron one-handed in a loose puck from Merzlikins' left at 6:58, and Batherson soon connected from the high slot off a rush.

Batherson has three goals in his past two games and five in his past five.

Ottawa ended a three-game run in which its only goals came on the power play.

The Senators then did tally on a man advantage when Stutzle scored at 14:55 of the first. Ottawa's fifth power-play goal in the team's past five chances and sent Merzlikins to the showers.

Jenner, back after sitting out 14 games due to an upper-body injury, put Columbus on the board with 1:56 remaining in the opening period.

However, Amadio quickly solved Greaves, restoring the three-goal lead with 34 seconds left in the frame.

Second-period goals by Fabbro at 3:02 and Voronkov on a power play at 8:10 pulled the Blue Jackets within 4-3. However, Stutzle's second goal of the night, off a goalmouth scramble with 2:01 left in the second, made it 5-3.

Giroux added an empty-net goal with 1:23 left in the third period.

Ottawa's Lars Eller left during the second period because of a lower-body injury.

The victory moved the Canes into first place in the Eastern Conference. Carolina and Washington each have 40 points, but the Hurricanes hold the tiebreaker advantage with fewer games played.

Carolina is 5-2-0 in its last seven games, and 6-2 in games decided beyond regulation time.

Logan Stankoven and Nikolaj Ehlers each had a goal and an assist for the Hurricanes.

Rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi stopped 23 of 25 shots, including two huge saves in overtime on Alex Ovechkin and Dylan Strome. Bussi has been a sensation for Carolina, posting a 10-1 record in his first 11 NHL starts.

Despite the overtime loss, Washington is still on a nine-game (7-0-2) point streak. The Capitals haven't trailed at any time during regulation over the last six games.

Connor McMichael had a goal and an assist, while Rasmus Sandin had two assists. Nic Dowd scored Washington's other goal.

Logan Thompson had another stellar game in the Capitals' net, stopping 37 of 39 shots.

An aggressive forecheck and two power-play chances led the Hurricanes to a 29-9 shots advantage over the first two periods. Despite this pressure, Carolina was largely neutralized by Thompson's strong play and some bad luck, as both Stankoven and Jackson Blake rang shots off the post.

McMichael put Washington ahead five minutes into the second period. Ovechkin collected the puck off the boards and passed to a streaking McMichael, who flew into Carolina's zone and made a nice backhand finish to beat Bussi.

Carolina's relentless attack finally paid off with Ehlers' equalizer at 13:43 of the second period. Alexander Nikishin's initial shot hit traffic in front of the net, but Ehlers was in position to deposit the rebound.

Dowd restored Washington's lead 11:32 into the third frame. Sandin sent a beautiful pass to the side of Carolina's net that Dowd tapped in for the go-ahead goal.

Stankoven drew the Hurricanes level again by converting a deflected puck 17:45 into the third period.

Horvat, who leads the Islanders with 31 points (19 goals and 12 assists), twisted his ankle after getting tied up with Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson and the Islanders ahead 3-1. The 30-year-old immediately exited the ice. The Islanders announced he was done for the night just before the third period.

The Islanders, who won five of their last six and entered Thursday in third place in the Metropolitan Division, lost defenseman Alexander Romanov (right shoulder) and right winger Kyle Palmieri (torn left ACL) to season-ending injuries last month.

Travis Mitchell opened the scoring for the Islanders while Simon Holmstrom and Ryan Pulock added goals in the third period. Goalie David Rittich made 31 saves.

Leo Carlsson and Troy Terry scored for the Ducks, who had their three-game winning streak snapped. Goalie Ville Husso recorded 31 saves.

The Islanders scored three times on just nine shots during an 11-minute span in the first.

Mitchell collected his first career goal at the 8:18 mark. Scott Mayfield's shot glanced off the boards to the right of Husso but caromed around the Ducks' net and to Mitchell, who buried the rebound past a sprawling Husso.

Lee scored on the power play just 1:58 later, when he redirected Tony DeAngelo's shot from the high slot.

Lee and DeAngelo hooked up again on the power play with 54 seconds left in the period. Another shot from the slot by DeAngelo glanced off Husso before Lee tucked home the rebound past Husso's glove.

The Ducks answered with a power play goal 5:34 into the second. Terry fed a drop pass to Carlsson, who moved into the left faceoff circle before firing a shot that sailed past Rittich into the far corner of the net.

Terry pulled the Ducks within a goal by scoring a short-handed goal 2:37 into the third. Holmstrom extended the lead to two goals again fewer than four minutes later before Pulock scored his first goal of the season with 5:14 left.

Jack Eichel had two assists, setting up the winner with a bullet pass from the left corner to Stone by the right side of the crease, where he chipped a shot over the left pad of Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar.

Zach Whitecloud also scored and Akira Schmid finished with 17 saves for Vegas, which extended its point streak to six games (5-0-1) and moved into a tie for first place in the Pacific Division with the Anaheim Ducks.

Trevor Zegras and Noah Juulsen each scored for Philadelphia, while Christian Dvorak had two assists and Vladar made 18 saves.

Vegas took a 1-0 lead at the 6:07 mark of the first period when Whitecloud, breaking down the slot, took a pass from Ivan Barbashev and put a backhand shot past Vladar for his first goal since Feb. 8 at Boston.

Philadelphia tied it near the end of the period when Travis Sanheim fired a crossing pass from above the left circle to Zegras by the right post. Zegras then tapped in a shot for his team-high 11th goal.

The Golden Knights regained the lead, 2-1, midway through the second period with a power-play goal by Stone, who jammed in his own rebound through Vladar's pads to extend his point streak to 14 games.

The Flyers tied it again at the 16:08 mark when Juulsen one-timed a Dvorak pass from the middle of the left circle for his first goal since Feb. 17, 2024, when he was a member of the Vancouver Canucks.

Philadelphia had a chance to take the lead midway through the third period when Sean Couturier went in on a clean breakaway, but his wrist shot caromed off the left post.

Jake Guentzel collected one goal and two assists and Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point and defenseman Darren Raddysh had one of each. Nick Paul scored his 100th career goal and Pontus Holmberg also tallied to propel the Lightning to their second straight win.

Jonas Johansson made 33 saves for Tampa Bay, which handed New Jersey its sixth loss in its last seven games overall and fifth in a row at home.

Paul Cotter scored a goal in his second straight game and added an assist for the Devils, while defenseman Luke Hughes, Jesper Bratt and Angus Crookshank each scored a goal.

Jake Allen turned aside 23 shots in relief of Jacob Markstrom, who yielded three goals on seven shots before exiting the contest.

Prior to the game, both clubs announced that they'd be without the services of a star player. Tampa Bay captain Victor Hedman was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury, while New Jersey forward Timo Meier had taken a leave of absence.

Paul's wrist shot from the left hash mark opened the scoring 2:57 into the first period before Raddysh doubled the advantage 51 seconds later after unleashing a blast from the point.

Hughes halved his team's deficit exactly seven minutes into the first period. He accepted a feed from fellow defenseman Brenden Dillon and quickly spun away from Lightning forward Scott Sabourin before wiring a shot from the right circle that sailed inside the far post.

The momentum was short-lived as Holmberg's backhand shot slid between the pads of Markstrom at 7:56 of the first period, prompting the goaltender's exit.

Guentzel cleaned up a loose puck on the doorstep with five minutes remaining in the first period before an unmarked Bjorkstrand tallied at 6:19 of the second to give the Lightning a 5-1 lead.

Bratt, Crookshank and Cotter each scored to cut New Jersey's deficit to three goals, but Bjorkstrand converted on the power play to cap the scoring with 4:03 to play in the third period.

Horvat, who leads the team with 19 goals and 31 points, twisted his ankle after getting tangled up with Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson and the Islanders near the midpoint of the second period, with the Islanders ahead 3-1. He immediately exited the ice.

The Islanders announced that Horvat was done for the night just before the third period.

The Islanders, who had won four of their previous five games and entered play Thursday in third place in the Metropolitan Division, lost defenseman Alexander Romanov (right shoulder surgery) and right winger Kyle Palmieri (torn left ACL) to season-ending injuries late last month.

The veteran defenseman, who turns 35 next week, recently rejoined the lineup after missing four weeks and 12 games with an undisclosed injury.

Hedman exited during the first period of Tuesday's 6-1 victory at Montreal and did not return.

"It's tough to lose the big guy," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said after the win against the Canadiens. "He is such an important part of our team, so fingers crossed here."

Hedman has no goals and 12 assists in 18 games this season, the three-time All-Star Game participant is in his 17th campaign with Tampa Bay.

He has tallied 806 career points (171 goals, 635 assists), a plus-193 rating and 778 penalty minutes in 1,149 games with the Lightning, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021.

Hedman joins teammates Andrei Vasilevskiy, Ryan McDonagh and Erik Cernak on IR. Out for at least seven days, he will miss the road games against the New Jersey Devils (Thursday) and New York Islanders (Saturday) and Monday's home date with the Florida Panthers.

Leonard was injured by a hit from Anaheim defenseman Jacob Trouba during the Capitals' 4-3 shootout loss to the Ducks last Friday. He was placed on injured reserve two days later.

Coach Spencer Carbery elaborated on Leonard's injuries on Thursday, telling reporters that while the forward sustained "some facial injuries," it was not a head injury or concussion.

Leonard, 20, has 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) in 29 games this season. He was selected by the Capitals with the eighth overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft.

"The entire organization supports Timo and his family and appreciates everyone respecting their privacy at this time," the Devils said in a statement Thursday.

The team was unclear how long Meier, 29, would be away from the Devils.

Meier leads New Jersey with 11 goals and also has 12 assists in 30 games. In 80 games last season, Meier accumulated 53 points (26 goals, 27 assists).

Also Thursday, the Devils announced they placed forward Evgenii Dadonov on injured reserve because of a wrist injury.

Dadonov, 36, has had an injury-plagued season, his first in New Jersey since signing a one-year, $1 million incentive-laden contract in July.

He missed 17 games after suffering a hand injury in the season-opening win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Oct. 9. Upon his return, he appeared in just four games before injuring his wrist. He has no points on the season.

Last season with the Dallas Stars, he registered 40 points (20 goals, 20 assists) in 80 games.

To fill out the roster, the club recalled forward Xavier Parent from the Utica Comets.

Parent, 24, has played 20 games with the Comets this season and has six goals and six assists.

Parent's first appearance with the Devils will mark his NHL debut.

As hot as Colorado has been -- a 16-1-3 record in its last 20 games -- it has just a two-point lead over the Dallas Stars in the division heading into Thursday night's matchup against the Florida Panthers in Denver.

The Avalanche lead the NHL in average goals per game (3.93) and goals allowed (2.20), but one area in which they're struggling is the power play. Colorado is 24th in power-play percentage (16.3) despite having the leading scorer in the league in Nathan MacKinnon (51 points on 24 goals and 27 assists).

Cale Makar, with 36 points (10 goals, 26 assists), is the leading scorer among NHL defensemen, and Martin Necas (41 points on 14 goals and 27 assists) is sixth in the NHL in scoring.

But all of those stats have not translated into consistent success with the man advantage.

"I can't pinpoint it," Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said of the team's troubles on the power play. "If I could, we'd have changed it already. We're on our third different set of personnel, and I think it's a matter of time before it clicks."

Colorado was 1-for-4 on the power play at Nashville on Tuesday night, but that goal -- scored by Makar -- came with eight seconds left in regulation. The Predators won 4-3 in a shootout.

The Avs' Scott Wedgewood returned to the net after missing a week with back tightness but was pulled in the shootout after Filip Forsberg crashed into him on Nashville's second attempt. Wedgewood stayed in for the third round before the concussion spotter notified the on-ice officials that Wedgewood be removed from the game.

He is considered day-to-day.

Florida, meanwhile, will play the second game of a back-to-back set to begin a four-game road trip.

The Panthers recorded their third straight win with a 4-3 victory against the Utah Mammoth on Wednesday night. Carter Verhaeghe collected a goal and an assist to continue his strong play over the last week.

Verhaeghe missed Florida's loss to Toronto on Dec. 2 to be with his wife for the birth of the couple's first child but has gotten hot since returning for what turned out to be a 2-1 overtime loss to Nashville two nights later. He had his team's lone goal in that game, followed that with a three-point performance in a win over Columbus (two goals, one assist), and scored another goal in Sunday's victory over the New York Islanders.

"When he is getting his chances, he is putting it in the net, which is great," teammate Seth Jones said. "But it all starts with his speed, his forecheck, his hitting ability, and his playmaking. He is a catalyst for our team; when he is playing well, we are playing well.''

Verhaeghe has 23 points (nine goals, 14 assists), tied for third on the Panthers in scoring with Anton Lundell (eight goals, 15 assists). Brad Marchand, who has 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists), leads Florida, while Sam Reinhart is second with 28 points (15 goals, 13 assists) and Sam Bennett is fifth with 20 points (nine goals, 11 assists).

The Red Wings, who are riding a three-game winning streak, arrive in Edmonton after clinging to a 4-3 victory over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday. Detroit had a four-goal lead but held on in the final 10-plus minutes as the Flames fell just shy of completing a comeback.

"We're not in the business of being mad about wins, but we have a higher standard than that, and we're gonna need to show it (in Edmonton)," said Detroit forward Andrew Copp, who collected a pair of assists in Calgary.

"At this point of the year, you'll never turn down two points. But after the first 10 minutes, we stopped skating."

Detroit is seeking to snap a run of nine consecutive seasons without reaching the playoffs, and it is in a strong position after 31 games. Thanks to a 4-0-2 stretch, the Red Wings are atop the tight Atlantic Division. The division's eight teams are separated by only nine points.

Knowing the margin of error is thin, the Red Wings are aware of the importance of playing a more complete game in Edmonton. They also are not dwelling too much on their third-period struggles against Calgary.

"Definitely some stuff to clean up, but overall we put ourselves in a good position to win that game," said forward Alex DeBrincat, who scored twice and added an assist. "It's not ideal to give up three in the third, but that's the way it goes."

The Oilers, meanwhile, will look to rebound from a 4-3 overtime loss on Tuesday to the Buffalo Sabres when they finish a five-game homestand. Edmonton erased a three-goal deficit in the third period against Buffalo but saw its two-game winning streak end.

A clash with the Red Wings is a chance to build momentum before embarking on a five-game road trip.

"We've played well for the most part this homestand, so it would be nice to finish it off with a win and then get on the road," Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl said.

The Oilers sit in a playoff position but could use a big push in what has been a middling first third of the campaign.

Heading into the Detroit clash, the Oilers are on a 4-2-2 run, so they want to keep only positive thoughts. Even through they trailed by three goals to Buffalo, the Oilers are doing what they can to focus on what allowed them to earn a point.

"I really liked the group's push-back," Edmonton forward Zach Hyman said. "It's easy to get down 3-0 and just go away and write the game off. But we didn't do that. You're able to claw yourself a point out of game where you put yourself in a hole. So I think that's a positive."

A huge difference in that game, according to Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch, was making a point to drive to the net with pucks instead of over-passing.

"We just have to make it a little more ugly," Knoblauch said. "And not make it poetic or trying to draw this picture."

Jared McCann and Matty Beniers also tallied for Seattle and goaltender Joey Daccord made 24 saves.

Alex Laferriere and Kevin Fiala scored for the Kings, who had a two-game winning streak snapped, and goalie Anton Forsberg stopped 30 of 33 shots.

The Kraken forced overtime on Beniers' goal with a man advantage with 24.8 seconds left in regulation. Beniers redirected a pass from Eeli Tolvanen over Forsberg's shoulder after the goalie was assessed a penalty for tripping McCann, who was injured on the play, at 19:21.

Seattle got another power play in overtime as Adrian Kempe was called for tripping at 1:05 and Dunn converted a slap shot from the top of the right faceoff circle off a Tolvanen pass.

The Kings broke a 1-all tie on Fiala's power-play goal at 14:40 of the third. Kempe sent a stretch pass to Anze Kopitar at the offensive blue line and he fed Fiala behind the defense for a mini-breakaway. It was Fiala's team-leading 11th goal of the season.

The Kraken opened the scoring with the man advantage at 3:21 of the second. Los Angeles' Quinton Byfield broke his stick while killing the penalty and headed to the bench for a change, in effect giving Seattle a two-man edge. Dunn fed McCann for a blistering one-timer from the high slot that beat Forsberg high to the blocker side.

The Kraken had hopes of extending the lead when Los Angeles' Warren Foegele was called for tripping a little more than three minutes later, but they turned over the puck just inside the offensive blue line. The Kings' Joel Armia chipped it ahead to send Laferriere in on a short-handed breakaway from center ice. Laferriere lifted a backhander over Daccord's blocker and into the upper left corner of the net at 8:16 to even the score at 1-1.

The Kraken placed rookie forward Berkly Catton, their first-round pick in the 2024 draft, on injured reserve earlier in the day. Catton blocked a shot with his right hand late in Saturday's 4-3 loss to Detroit.

Louis Crevier and Tyler Bertuzzi joined Bedard with a tally each as the Blackhawks rebounded from being outscored 13-1 in back-to-back defeats over the weekend.

Knight made 21 saves while logging the seventh shutout of his career. Bedard moved into a tied for third on the NHL leaderboard with 19 goals.

The Rangers could only muster one shot on goal across three power-play attempts as they failed to support Igor Shesterkin, who recorded 22 saves. New York has now lost three straight games (0-1-2).

Panthers 4, Mammoth 3

Anton Lundell's goal with 52 seconds left in the third period lifted Florida to a win over Utah in Salt Lake City, giving the Panthers their first three-game win streak since they began the season 3-0-0.

Sam Bennett scored twice for his first multigoal game of the season and added an assist for the Panthers. Carter Verhaeghe finished with two points, including his fifth goal in four games. Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves.

Dylan Guenther had his first two-goal game of the season and Jack McBain also scored for the Mammoth, who lost their third straight game. John Marino assisted on a pair, and Karel Vejmelka stopped 32 shots.

Red Wings 4, Flames 3

Alex DeBrincat scored twice in a three-point game as the Detroit staked a four-goal lead and held on for a victory at Calgary.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Dylan Larkin also scored for the Red Wings, who have won three consecutive games. Patrick Kane and Andrew Copp both posted a pair of assists and John Gibson made 34 saves for Detroit, which has won its past seven meetings with Calgary.

Joel Farabee, Matt Coronato and MacKenzie Weegar scored for the Flames, whose three-game winning streak ended in the finale of a four-game homestand. Nazem Kadri netted two assists, and Devin Cooley stopped 23 shots.

Lundell's eighth goal of the season capped a back-and-forth contest between teams trying to get into playoff position. After winning the faceoff, Sam Reinhart skated toward the goal. He shot the puck toward the net, and Eetu Luostarinen deflected it toward Lundell, who batted the puck into the net.

Sam Bennett scored twice for his first multi-goal game of the season and added an assist for the Panthers. Carter Verhaeghe finished with two points, including his fifth goal in four games.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 27 saves for Florida, which has won three in a row for the first time since the start of the season.

Dylan Guenther had his first two-goal game of the season and Jack McBain also scored for the Mammoth. John Marino assisted on a pair.

Karel Vejmelka stopped 32 shots, including 18 in the third period. However, it was not enough as Utah lost its third straight and seventh in nine games.

Guenther started the scoring on a counterattack breakaway with 8:37 left in the opening period. It started when Florida's A.J. Greer rang a shot off the post past Vejmelka. Marino scrambled to the puck and spotted the forward, who had just come on the ice.

Utah's lead stood for nearly eight minutes before Verhaeghe added to his hot streak. The forward's ninth of the season came with 43 seconds left in the period when Aaron Ekblad found Verhaeghe, who was open by the side of the net and scored his ninth of the season on a point-blank redirection.

Bennett gave Florida the lead early in the second, scoring twice in less than two minutes. The second goal, with 16:36 remaining, was assisted by Verhaeghe, who pounced on a giveaway in the Mammoth defensive zone.

Just 13 seconds later, though, Guenther got one back on another breakaway. Utah tied it exactly 11 minutes after Guenther's second goal when McBain gathered the rebound of Sean Durzi's shot and slid it around Bobrovsky.

Florida outshot Utah 19-4 in the third period.

Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Dylan Larkin also scored for the Red Wings, who have won three consecutive games.

Patrick Kane and Andrew Copp both posted a pair of assists for Detroit, which jumped back to first place in the Atlantic Division.

Goaltender John Gibson made 34 saves for the Red Wings, who are on a 4-0-2 run.

Joel Farabee, Matt Coronato and MacKenzie Weegar scored for the Flames, who saw their three-game winning streak end in the finale of a four-game homestand.

Nazem Kadri netted two assists and goalie Devin Cooley stopped 22 shots.

The Red Wings claimed a 2-0 lead before the hosts even fired a shot on goal, starting with DeBrincat's tally 62 seconds into the affair. During what appeared to be a harmless rush into the Calgary zone, Kane slipped a cross-ice pass to DeBrincat in the left circle and he converted a one-timer.

DeBrincat is on a five-game point streak in which he has collected four goals and four assists.

Sandin-Pellikka doubled the lead with a similar goal. This time DeBrincat sent a cross-ice pass for his teammate to bury with a quick release. Sandin-Pellikka improved his career-best point streak to four games (one goal, four assists).

DeBrincat extended the lead at 7:41 of the second period thanks to a Calgary turnover. Copp took advantage of the giveaway and fed a pass to the slot, where DeBrincat sent a wrist shot off the post and in.

Then Larkin made it a four-goal game when he elected to shoot from the slot while on a 2-on-1 rush 88 seconds later.

The Flames finally found the momentum in the final frame with a comeback attempt that fell just short.

Farabee put the hosts on the board at 8:02 of the third period by converting on a penalty shot awarded when he was slashed while on a short-handed breakaway.

Coronato made it a 4-2 game 65 seconds later when he finished an odd-man rush with a shot set up by Kadri.

Weegar pulled Calgary within one at 14:40 of the frame by unloading a one-timer from the point that rang off the iron and into the net, but despite a frantic push, the Flames could not find the equalizer.