NHL News

"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.

Bedard's snap shot gave the Blackhawks a 2-0 advantage at 14:27 of the second period as Andre Burakovsky broke up the ice and set the center up with a cross-ice pass. It was the 20-year-old Bedard's 19th goal of the season, tying him for third in the NHL alongside Jason Robertson (Dallas Stars) and Bo Horvat (New York Islanders).

Louis Crevier and Tyler Bertuzzi also scored for the Blackhawks, who were outscored 13-1 across back-to-back losses over the weekend. Knight made 21 saves in the seventh shutout of his career.

Igor Shesterkin made 22 saves for the Rangers, who have lost three straight after back-to-back overtime losses over the weekend. New York registered just one shot on goal over three power-play attempts.

Crevier put Chicago on the board 1-0 with a short-handed goal at 7:08 of the second period. Matt Grzelcyk got the puck in the Blackhawks' zone and passed it off to his fellow defenseman Crevier, who broke up the ice to score on Shesterkin with a backhanded shot.

Bertuzzi made it 3-0 at 3:52 of the third period. Shesterkin stopped a shot by Ryan Greene, and Bertuzzi scored on the rebound with a wrist shot on Shesterkin's glove side.

Ryan Donato appeared to put Chicago up 2-0 at 10:40 of the second period. The Rangers successfully challenged the goal due to a hand pass, and video replay revealed Colton Dach knocked the puck with his glove from behind New York's net to help set up the goal.

Before their first goal, the Blackhawks registered just one shot on goal on a power play at 2:31 of the second period as Rangers forward Matthew Robertson was serving a holding penalty on Oliver Moore. Chicago outshot New York 10-6 in the scoreless first period.

Demko, the Canucks' No. 1 goalie, has missed 12 games with a lower-body injury sustained Nov. 11 against the Winnipeg Jets. He allowed three goals on eight shots in the first period of Vancouver's 5-3 loss before exiting the game.

He is 5-4-0 with a 2.80 goals-against average and .903 save percentage in 10 games this season.

"I feel ready to go," Demko said. "It was a minor tweak of something, and pretty much just had to give it time and get the reps back, so we've done that and excited to be hopefully back in the lineup."

His start against Winnipeg came after not dressing the previous two games because of another injury.

"There's a narrative around the whole situation, but any guy can go through and have a great summer and then get hurt," Demko said. "I have been sitting there pretty much just beating myself up for a week and you feel guilty and you feel bummed out and (ticked) off and all those things. But it's part of the game, and I can only control so much."

The Canucks enter the game in last place in the NHL. They're coming off a 4-0 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Monday and are 3-8-3 in their past 14 games.

Struggles at home have been an issue for the Canucks, who are 4-9-1 at Rogers Arena. The nine points accumulated at home are tied for fewest in the league with the New York Rangers (3-8-3), while their four home wins are second fewest, tied with the Los Angeles Kings.

And while they'll get Demko back for the matchup, they'll still be without Elias Pettersson. The Canucks' top center, whose 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) co-lead the team with Quinn Hughes, was expected to join the team for practice Wednesday but instead skated on his own. He'll miss a third straight game Thursday with an upper-body injury.

The Sabres arrive in Vancouver looking for a second straight win after skating away with a 4-3 victory in overtime against the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.

Buffalo held a 3-0 lead after two periods before Edmonton rallied to tie it, with Connor McDavid netting the equalizer with two seconds remaining in regulation. Alex Tuch responded with the winner 33 seconds into OT.

"It's a huge win for us," center Tage Thompson said. "We've had by no means an easy season altogether. (We've) faced a lot of adversity, but I think that builds character, makes you stronger as a team -- it just depends how you face it. I thought we handled tonight really well."

Already without winger Jason Zucker after he was injured in Monday's 7-4 loss to the Calgary Flames, the Sabres were dealt another blow right before Tuesday's tilt when center Josh Norris was a late scratch because of illness and soreness.

Coach Lindy Ruff said the soreness was unrelated to any previous injury. It's unknown if Norris will be available against Vancouver.

The Sabres' power play has been on a roll this month. They've scored in each of the five games they've played while going 7-for-23, a 30.4% success rate. They're now 13th in the league (20%) after sitting 21st on Nov. 30 (16.7%).

The 29-year-old Pastrnak showed no ill effects from a five-game injury absence in the Bruins' 5-2 win Tuesday over former coach Jim Montgomery's St. Louis Blues, recording three assists, three shots and a plus-2 rating while skating alongside 23-year-old Marat Khusnutdinov and 21-year-old Fraser Minten (two goals) on the third line.

"Just three young kids playing together," Pastrnak joked. "It was fun."

Pastrnak's return meant additional lineup shuffling for first-year coach Marco Sturm, including a fourth-line combination of Tanner Jeannot, Mark Kastelic (two goals) and Sean Kuraly (two assists).

Kastelic and Minten each posted their first multi-goal games of the season. Pavel Zacha scored into an empty net to cap Boston's three-goal third period.

Whether the lineup looks the same or different come Thursday, Sturm knows his team will take it the right way.

"For me, it's just all about character. That's what we have in this room," Sturm said. "Some guys had to go down a line, and they didn't complain at all. They just got the job done. That is what good teams do -- they don't complain, they just work."

Pastrnak still leads the Bruins in assists (21) and is tied for tops on the team in points (32) with Morgan Geekie, who had four goals and four assists with Pastrnak out.

Defenseman Charlie McAvoy is trending toward his first game action since taking a slapshot to the jaw on Nov. 15 against the Montreal Canadiens. He skated in multiple practices this week and gained back some of the 20 pounds he lost while on a liquid diet.

"I am going on the trip with the expectation, I am hoping, that I'll be able to get back in," McAvoy said Monday.

The Jets are coming off a 4-3 loss Tuesday to the Dallas Stars in the opener of a four-game homestand. It was their eighth setback in 10 games (2-7-1) and second straight.

Mark Scheifele scored back-to-back goals in the second period to trim a 3-0 deficit and retake the team lead with 16 this season. Logan Stanley also scored for Winnipeg and Kyle Connor dished out two assists.

The Jets lost despite outshooting Dallas 33-19, and they continue to search for their first victory against a playoff-contending team since Nov. 1 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The next step is turning positives into wins.

"We liked a lot of our game. We were the better team and maybe deserved a little better, but that's kind of the funk we're in right now," Stanley said. "We've got to keep battling through it."

Going just 2-for-4 on the penalty kill and allowing at least one power-play goal for the sixth straight game proved to be damaging.

"The hard part is we didn't get any clears when we needed to. And then when your penalty killers are that tired and they have a good power play, they're going to move the puck around," Jets coach Scott Arniel said. "As they did. As we did on ours. We caught their penalty killers tired at the end. It needs to be better. That was a heck of a game from us and to give up two PK goals, it's the difference."

Arniel has made line changes of late in hopes of generating more consistent offense, including Gabriel Vilardi moving down from the top line to join Adam Lowry and Nino Niederreiter.

On the injury front, Connor Hellebuyck returned for Wednesday's optional practice for the first time since undergoing a knee procedure on Nov. 21. Eric Comrie has started nine of the 10 games in Hellebuyck's absence.

On Thursday evening, Oettinger will try to post an on-ice highlight, as well. He and the Stars will square off against the Minnesota Wild in Saint Paul, Minn.

The Stars arrived early and practiced Wednesday in Minnesota, which allowed Oettinger a rare in-season experience. The Lakeville, Minn., native traveled to his hometown about 30 miles south of the Wild's arena to eat a home-cooked meal with his family.

"It's unreal, just to have all the family and stuff," Oettinger said. "I grew up here, I played the state tournament here. The first thing I look for when the schedule comes out is when I get to come home. ... It's special."

The Stars are playing special hockey as of late.

Dallas is riding a four-game winning streak and has outscored opponents 14-6 during that span. The Stars have earned at least one point in 11 consecutive games, and they are 9-0-2 since Nov. 20.

Meanwhile, Minnesota is returning home after an up-and-down four-game road trip that included two wins and two losses. The Wild are coming off a 4-1 win over the Seattle Kraken on Monday, which followed back-to-back losses against the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks.

Wild forward Marcus Johansson said momentum from the previous win could carry over into Thursday.

"A game like this can help a lot," Johansson said about the victory over Seattle. "It's a hard-fought, tight game, and we found a way to get the points. We turned this into an OK road trip instead of a not so very good one, and we're going to take that with us and build on it in the next game."

Minnesota will have to find a way to slow down the Stars' top scorer, Mikko Rantanen, who has 42 points (13 goals, 29 assists) in 30 games. Jason Robertson ranks second on the team with 39 points (19 G, 20 A), and Wyatt Johnston has 36 points (16 G, 20 A).

Oettinger is the likely starter in net for Dallas. He is 14-4-2 with a 2.49 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage this season, and he is 8-0-3 with a 2.19 GAA and a .926 save percentage in 13 career games against the Wild.

Minnesota's top scorer is Kirill Kaprizov, who has 33 points (18 G, 15 A) in 30 games. Matt Boldy is next with 32 points (16 G, 16 A), and Johansson has 21 points (9 G, 12 A).

The Wild could start either Filip Gustavsson or Jesper Wallstedt in net. Gustavsson is 8-8-3 with a 2.67 GAA and a .908 save percentage, and Wallstedt is 8-1-2 with a 1.95 GAA and a .936 save percentage.

Gustavsson is 5-4-0 with a 2.01 GAA and a .937 save percentage in nine career games against the Stars. Wallstedt is 0-1-0 and allowed seven goals in his only career game against Dallas.

Oettinger said he cannot wait for the game to start.

"Whenever we play them, it feels super intense," he said. "It feels like a playoff game."

"Hopefully we can develop a little bit of consistency," Predators coach Andrew Brunette said. "It feels like we're getting close."

The Predators continue that quest Thursday night when they host the St. Louis Blues in Nashville, Tenn., in a Central Division rivalry game.

Nashville is coming off a 4-3 shootout victory over the powerhouse Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday night.

"I think just our overall team game, we're playing fast," Nashville defenseman Brady Skjei said. "When we're connected and we're helping each other out, being available, passing the puck crisply, it's a recipe for success for us.

"I thought the forwards did a great job (Tuesday) of holding on to pucks down low behind their net. I think that's when we're really successful."

The explosive Avalanche earned points in 28 of their first 30 games this season, so Brunette was pleased to see his team stick to its preferred tempo.

"We kind of hung in there," Brunette said. "We didn't deviate from the game plan. We kind of executed what we talked about most of the game, especially in the third period. I thought we found our game a little bit."

The Predators and Blues will meet twice within five days, with Nashville facing a St. Louis team that is missing several injured forwards.

Nick Bjugstad suffered an upper-body injury Tuesday night and joined Jordan Kyrou, Jimmy Snuggerud, Alexey Toropchenko and Nathan Walker on the shelf.

Mounting casualties prompted the Blues to sign free agent forward Robby Fabbri to a one-year, two-way contract and give Dillon Dube a professional tryout with Springfield of the AHL.

While those players try to integrate into the team's lineup, the Blues will keep working to gain more stability with their incumbents. After beating Ottawa and Montreal over the weekend, the Blues lost to the Boston Bruins 5-2 at home on Tuesday night.

They have yet to string together three straight victories this season.

"You need streaks in a year," Blues center Robert Thomas said. "You need to continue to feel good. The last two games were tough road games, it's a tough back-to-back, and we were able to find a way. We had a lot of confidence coming in (Tuesday) and just weren't able to get it done."

The Blues had the NHL's worst goal differential through Tuesday's games at minus-30. The Predators were second-worst at minus-25.

Like the Predators, the Blues have shown recent signs of promise. But like the Predators, they have not been able to sustain it.

"Obviously, consistency has been a real big issue for us this year, and I think overall our game has been getting better," St. Louis defenseman Justin Faulk said. "We just got to keep pushing and running and hope for the next one."

The Hurricanes are 4-2-0 in their last six games and sit a point behind the Capitals in the standings. A victory Thursday would move Carolina ahead of Washington for first place in both the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference.

"It's a good test for us," Washington coach Spencer Carbery said of facing the Hurricanes. "We know how good they've been, all the things they do at a really high level, how they make it difficult on you, and it should be a good test for us at home."

Washington has risen to first place during its best stretch of hockey all season. The Capitals are on an eight-game (7-0-1) point streak and are 10-1-1 in their last 12 games. They could also have John Carlson return to the lineup against Carolina. The defenseman has missed the last three games with an upper-body injury, but Carbery said he was a possibility to play Thursday.

Poor special-teams play has been the weak link for the Capitals this season, but the penalty-kill unit is starting to round into form. Washington is 14-for-15 on kills over its last four games, including a critical four-minute kill during the third period of Sunday's 2-0 shutout of the Columbus Blue Jackets.

"Sometimes you go through ebbs and flows with your special teams ... and you kind of hit a bit of a reset button," Carbery said after Sunday's game. "You start to break down and make sure that the communication is clear, the reads are clear, everybody understands very concretely where they need to be and what they need to do."

The Hurricanes are also coming off a victory over Columbus, as Carolina scored four unanswered goals in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Jackets. Ten different Hurricanes contributed at least one point in the comeback effort.

"We got behind, but we just kept playing," Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour said. "Everyone contributed tonight. ... You can go down the list; everybody made some sort of play. That's how you draw it up."

Seth Jarvis scored his team-leading 17th goal Tuesday, while Shayne Gostisbehere tallied his team-leading 19th assist. Gostisbehere has four points (all assists) during a four-game points streak.

Sebastian Aho leads the Hurricanes with 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists). Tom Wilson leads the Capitals with 32 points (17 goals, 15 assists).

A lower-body injury has sidelined Jaccob Slavin since the Hurricanes' second game of the season, but the defenseman has been taking part in limited practice and may be nearing a return.

Hurricanes forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi (lower-body injury) is questionable for Thursday after missing Tuesday's game.

Pyotr Kochetkov is expected to start on Thursday as the Hurricanes will likely rely on their first-choice goalie for such an important division game. Kochetkov has performed well when healthy but has only appeared in six games due to two separate lower-body injuries.

If Carolina wants to ride the hot hand, rookie goaltender Brandon Bussi has been a standout amid Kochetkov's injuries and Frederik Andersen's struggles. Bussi stopped 23 of 24 Blue Jackets shots Tuesday, improving to 9-1-0 with a 2.09 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage in his first 10 NHL starts.

Coming off his 39-save shutout of the Blue Jackets, Logan Thompson will likely start again in Washington's net. Thompson has been brilliant this season, posting a 13-6-2 record with a 1.96 GAA and .925 save percentage.

In the two teams' first meeting this season, the Capitals earned a 4-1 win on Nov. 11 in Raleigh, N.C.

With Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll out injured, the starting role fell to Dennis Hildeby.

So far, Hildeby has been impressive. He stopped 29 shots Monday night in a 2-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning to earn his first career shutout in his 15th NHL game.

"I'm just trying to enjoy it," Hildeby said. "It's easier said than done. But at the end of the day, it's what I've been dreaming of since I started playing hockey. So, you just have to remind yourself of that and have a lot of fun in the meanwhile. And just compete."

Hildeby has a 2-2-2 record with a 2.15 goals-against average and .936 save percentage.

"He's trusting his ability and his size, and staying pretty calm and cool in net, that's what I see," Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube said. "His puck play has been good. But overall, his mindset is really good."

Woll (lower-body injury) skated apart from the team Wednesday, but there has been no timeline set for the return of Stolarz (upper-body injury).

The Maple Leafs have won five of their past seven games and are 1-0-1 to open their five-game homestand.

The Sharks lost 4-1 to the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday to go 1-2-0 to start their five-game road trip.

Collin Graf scored for the third straight game at 11:33 of the first period on the Sharks' first shot on net for a 1-0 lead, but the Flyers took over from there.

"They got on us early, and we just couldn't get out of it," Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. "We had good energy, I thought, a good game plan on how we wanted to approach this one, and we obviously didn't execute it."

Sharks forward Ryan Reaves said the game plan was "not hard."

"When they have a good neutral zone, and they're clogging it up, you've got to put the puck behind them and then go to work," Reaves said.

The Sharks could not build on a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday.

"We'll keep working at it, teaching, keep coaching, keep meeting with guys individually and as a group, to get an understanding of how we need to play each and every night," Warsofsky said.

Alex Nedeljkovic started in goal on Tuesday because Yaroslav Askarov was scratched due to illness.

The Sharks signed 39-year-old former NCAA goalie Justin Kowalkoski to an amateur tryout contract to back up Nedeljkovic on Tuesday. It was not certain if Askarov would be available to play at Toronto.

Nedeljkovic made 28 saves on Sunday and 26 on Tuesday in starting consecutive games for the Sharks for the first time this season.

Toronto forward Bobby McMann was suspended for one game by the league for high-sticking Tampa Bay Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand on Monday. McMann will miss the game against San Jose.

The incident took place at 3:00 of the third period and followed a game misconduct given to Tampa Bay's Gage Goncalves for his knee-on-knee hit on Toronto defenseman Dakota Mermis.

Mermis was put on injured reserve Wednesday with a lower-body injury and defenseman Henry Thrun, a former Shark, was promoted from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League. Berube said that Mermis will miss about a month.

Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly missed practice Wednesday because of illness.

Now the question is: Will Hart, a former second-round pick who won 96 games in six seasons with the Flyers, be in net for Vegas?

Hart signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Golden Knights in October after he and four other members of Canada's 2018 world championship junior hockey team were acquitted in July of sexual assaulting a woman in their hotel room.

Hart was 12-9-3 with a 2.80 goals-against average with the Flyers in January 2024 when he and the other four players were placed on indefinite leave by the NHL until what became known as the Hockey Canada trial took place. Hart became an unrestricted free agent that offseason when Philadelphia didn't extend him a qualifying offer amid his legal situation, paving the way for his signing with Vegas after 22 months away from the sport.

Hart and Akira Schmid had been expected to alternate starts for the Golden Knights, but Hart made a surprise second consecutive start on Tuesday in a 5-4 shootout loss to the New York Islanders in Elmont, N.Y.

Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said Hart and Schmid would split the final two games of the team's five-game road trip, which concludes on Saturday at Columbus, but wouldn't tip his hand on who will start Thursday.

"We talked to Carter about the week ahead and that's the plan we came up with," Cassidy told The Sporting Tribune. "We have two more this week and each will play one, so we'll go from there."

Vegas enters the game with a five-game point streak but saw a four-game winning streak ended when Emil Heineman scored past Hart's glove in the fourth round to win Tuesday's shootout. It was the ninth time this season the Golden Knights lost a game after regulation.

Vegas had rallied to force overtime with Hart on the bench for an extra attacker when Pavel Dorofeyev put in a rebound of a Mitch Marner shot with 12.1 seconds. The shootout loss put Vegas' record at 2-0-1 on the trip.

"Five out of six points so far on the road trip, that's a positive," said Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin, who scored a goal. "Battling back again in the third period and getting that late 6-on-5 goal, that was huge. Unfortunately, we didn't get it done in overtime, but definitely some positives to take away from the game."

Philadelphia, which has won five of its last seven games and went into Wednesday's play occupying the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, comes in off a 4-1 victory over visiting San Jose on Tuesday. Travis Konecny and Christian Dvorak each had a goal and an assist and ex-Shark Carl Grundstrom scored what proved to be the game-winner in the second period with a deflection of a Nick Seeler shot.

"You always want to beat your old team, that's for sure," Grundstrom said. "It feels really good."

Konecny, who sealed the win with an empty-netter, also assisted on Dvorak's tying first-period goal for his 500th career point.

"For me, where I'm at in my career, those are good, but I want to be in the playoffs," Konecny said. "It's more about winning the game and keep building as a team."

The win provided a nice bounce-back for the Flyers following a tough 3-2 home loss to league points leader Colorado on Sunday.

The Penguins held a one-goal lead when they went on a power play with 18 seconds left in the third period against the visiting Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. However, they surrendered a short-handed goal to Beckett Sennecke with one-tenth of a second remaining before losing 4-3 in a shootout.

"When are you going to see that happen again?" Pittsburgh center Sidney Crosby said. "We've just got to find a way to close it out. When you get in those situations late in games, it's not usually pretty."

The Penguins have seen themselves lose plenty of games that have gone beyond regulation this season. They're 1-7 in those situations after their latest loss to Anaheim, including 0-5 in shootouts.

"We're going to continue to evaluate from game to game," Pittsburgh coach Dan Muse said of the shootout. "There's a lot of things that get looked at. You look at our guys, the options we have (in the shootout). We'll look at the goalie in the other net and if there's anything where you think there could be an advantage."

Pittsburgh will need to get by without veteran forward Evgeni Malkin, who was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday with an upper-body injury and is considered week to week. He has already missed two games -- both shootout losses.

The Canadiens will be trying to shake off a 6-1 loss against the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday. Montreal gave up three goals in the first period.

"My biggest concern is these early goals in periods that we give up," Montreal Coach Martin St. Louis said. "It's concerning because it's deflating."

St. Louis did like the way his team picked things up after the first.

"You look at the second and, you know, I felt like we tried to do things right and didn't give up much, we got a lot of chances," he said. "I think being deflated is just a feeling that comes and you've got to brush it off pretty quick. You've got to go and work on your habits."

The Canadiens have been on the wrong side of a number of one-sided games lately. They are 5-8-1 in their past 14 games with five of those losses coming by four or more goals.

"I think we've got to be a lot more mature," Canadiens forward Cole Caufield said. "We can't let games get out of hand like that. We've got to find ways to stop it and get the momentum back. We've just got to be a lot better. It's pretty frustrating right now."

Caufield said the problems have been a mix of execution, details, coverage and help defense -- areas the Canadiens need to improve if they hope to be a legitimate playoff team.

"It hasn't been consistent the last couple of weeks and we've got to fix that," Caufield said.

Montreal could be ready to give some fresh faces a chance, as it recalled goaltender Jacob Fowler, defenseman Adam Engstrom and forward Owen Beck from Laval of the American Hockey League after the game on Tuesday.

"I think it starts with the individual, they've got to do the job no matter what," St. Louis said. "The habits to me are an all-the-time thing, you can't just do things right when you feel like it."

The Senators are coming off a 4-3 home loss to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night, but count Ottawa right winger Drake Batherson as one player who thinks the recent record is not as bad as it may look on paper.

"I think we've played pretty solid (the past six games)," said Batherson, who scored twice on Tuesday. "Obviously, ran into a couple of hot goalies the two games before this, and then tonight we had a lot of shots and a lot of chances. I think it'd be more frustrating if we weren't getting the looks, but we've just got to clean up a few areas, I think, and just keep playing the way we (are) and be confident."

Ottawa, which had 38 shots on goal, led the Devils 2-1 in the first period but needed Batherson's second goal to tie the game 3-3 midway through the second period.

"Frustrating that we didn't get a point out of that game, or win the game, quite honestly," Senators coach Travis Green said. "Every night's a little bit different, but we've said it three nights in a row that we played a pretty good game and didn't get anything out of it."

Tim Stutzle had a goal and an assist while captain Brady Tkachuk and Dylan Cozens each had two assists and Linus Ullmark made 28 saves.

Ottawa was three-for three on the power play, but the Senators have not scored a 5-on-5 goal since Tkachuk's tally in the third period in a 5-2 setback against the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 2.

"Tough loss, obviously. I thought we shot ourselves in the foot again," Stutzle said. "At least our power play was good enough tonight, but I don't think we're scoring enough 5-on-5 goals."

The Blue Jackets have lost three in a row (0-2-1) after a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes in Raleigh on Tuesday night.

The last two losses have come in regulation. Columbus had gone more than a month since it had not managed at least one point over two consecutive games.

"For two periods, we were pretty good. We were doing all the right things," Columbus coach Dean Evason said. "Then we make an error and it ends up in our net. It's frustrating, for sure."

The Blue Jackets led the Hurricanes 1-0 after the first period on Dmitri Voronkov's power-play goal, which came on Columbus' second shot of the game.

The Hurricanes tied it in the middle of the second period and went ahead for good almost eight minutes into the third period. The winning goal came from forward Eric Robinson, who played the first six-plus seasons of his career with the Blue Jackets.

Jet Greaves stopped 28 shots for Columbus.

"I thought we had some looks, but ultimately we fell short," said forward Sean Monahan, who set up Voronkov's goal. "This league is about production and winning, so we have to find ways to win here."

Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski was held off the scoresheet on Tuesday for the second straight contest, but he still has 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) in the team's last 10 games. He has compiled nine goals and 21 assists for 30 points in 30 games on the season.

On Thursday night, the two teams will try to cool each other off when the Islanders face the Ducks in their first matchup of the season in Elmont, N.Y.

Both teams earned shootout wins Tuesday night: New York edged the visiting Vegas Golden Knights 5-4, and Anaheim beat the host Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3.

The Islanders and Ducks have each won four of their last five games, continuing to establish themselves as playoff contenders. New York ranks third in the Metropolitan Division, two points ahead of the fourth-place Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, who hold the wild card spots. Pacific Division-leading Anaheim is two points ahead of the second-place Golden Knights.

The strong starts follow disappointing seasons in which both teams underwent at least partial regime changes.

The Islanders finished nine points out of the final Eastern Conference wild card spot before hiring Mathieu Darche to replace Lou Lamoriello as general manager. Darche retained Patrick Roy as head coach and retooled the club in late June and early July, selecting Matthew Schaefer with the No. 1 pick in the draft, acquiring Emil Heineman from the Montreal Canadiens and signing Jonathan Drouin as a free agent.

Schaefer ranks third on the Islanders in scoring, while Heineman is tied for fifth and collected the only goal in the shootout Tuesday. Drouin has 15 points, tied for seventh on the club, though he has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury.

Each of the Islanders' last four wins has come against perennial contenders. New York never trailed while recording three victories over the Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche in a five-day span that ended last Saturday before overcoming a 2-0 first-period deficit Tuesday.

"I feel like it doesn't matter who we're playing, we're confident," Islanders defenseman Ryan Pulock said. "Structurally we've been doing a real good job of not giving up a whole lot of good chances, which you've got to do against these high-skilled teams."

The Ducks, who missed the playoffs last year for the seventh straight season, have benefited from the additions of rookie right winger Beckett Sennecke and veteran left winger Chris Kreider, who rank fourth and fifth on the team in scoring, as well as new head coach Joel Quenneville.

Sennecke, who scored the game-tying goal with one-tenth of a second left in the third period, was Anaheim's first-round pick in the 2024 draft and is the first NHL rookie this season to record 25 points. Kreider was acquired from the New York Rangers on June 12.

Leo Carlsson collected the only goal in the shootout Tuesday as the Ducks continued a pair of encouraging trends. Anaheim has trailed in 10 of its 19 wins and is 8-1 in games decided in overtime or the shootout.

"I've seen some crazy endings," Quenneville said. "I've seen an overtime game in the playoffs comparable, but not as dramatic as in the dying second. You don't know if it was in or not before the bell rung. But hey, we're very fortunate to come out of there with two points."

The teams will look to build momentum at the other's expense on Thursday night when they meet in Newark, N.J.

Cody Glass scored the go-ahead goal with 7:36 remaining in the third period Tuesday, helping the Devils halt a five-game skid with a 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

"Obviously, we were going through a bit of a streak there," Glass said, "but we just came together, and now it's time to kind of put our game together, put it behind us and just have a clear mind."

The line of Glass (one goal, one assist), rookie Arseny Gritsyuk (one goal, two assists) and Connor Brown (three assists) combined for eight points on Tuesday.

"Our line was just forechecking hard, getting it to the point, just simple as can be and it worked," Glass said. "Sometimes that's just how the game has to go when you're going through a losing streak; simplifying it is the best case. For us, I thought we just stayed positive and just left everything in the past and had a new game (on Tuesday)."

Brown scored two goals and Gritsyuk added two assists in New Jersey's 5-3 win over Tampa Bay on Oct. 11.

The Lightning evened the season series with a 5-1 romp on Nov. 18, highlighted by Jake Guentzel's eighth career regular-season hat trick.

Defenseman Darren Raddysh scored a goal and set up two others in that game and recorded the second multi-goal performance of his NHL career on Tuesday. Raddysh's offensive outburst helped Tampa Bay snap a four-game losing streak with a 6-1 triumph over the Montreal Canadiens.

"It's a special night, but I'm just fortunate to play in the NHL," Raddysh said of playing in his 200th career NHL game.

Jonas Johansson made 26 saves Tuesday while starting his fourth straight game in relief of injured starter Andrei Vasilevskiy. Johansson has turned aside 66 of 69 shots he has faced in his last three contests.

All was not rosy for the Lightning, who saw captain Victor Hedman leave Tuesday's game after the first period because of an undisclosed injury.

"It's a little bit of a concern, so we'll get him re-evaluated here," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "We still have a couple of games on this road trip. But it's tough to lose the big guy, he's such an important part of our team. So, fingers crossed."

A former Norris Trophy winner, Hedman was playing in his third game since missing 12 in a row due to an undisclosed injury.

The Lightning bounced back with the win over Montreal following back-to-back 2-0 setbacks and improved to 1-1-0 so far on their four-game road trip. They are 9-4-2 on the road this season.

The Devils are playing three games in four days during their homestand. They are 9-4-1 at home this season.

The Blues announced the deal on Wednesday. Dube, 27, is the only one of the five players who remains unsigned.

The NHL announced on Sept. 11 that Dube, Carter Hart, Cal Foote and Michael McLeod are unrestricted free agents and may sign contracts with any team. The fifth player, Alex Formenton, was a restricted free agent who was still on the Ottawa Senators' reserve list. Formenton signed earlier that month with Swiss team Ambri-Piotta.

"The St. Louis Blues have signed Dillon Dube to a professional tryout with our AHL affiliate in following the process set forth by the National Hockey League and its Players' Association upon his reinstatement," the team said in a statement.

"This decision follows a comprehensive review of the details of his case and discussions at all levels of our organization," the team told ESPN. "We are confident in the decision to offer the tryout and will provide the necessary support to ensure Dillon contributes positively both on the ice and in the community. We will always hold our players to the highest of standards, consistent with the core values of our organization, and that will be emphasized as we move forward."

Dube will report to the Springfield Thunderbirds upon receiving his work visa.

The Vegas Golden Knights signed goaltender Hart in October, while defenseman Foote signed with the Carolina Hurricanes' AHL affiliate in Chicago, and forward McLeod is playing for with Avangard Omsk of the KHL.

All five players were members of Canada's 2018 World Junior hockey team. They were charged with sexual assault in connection with an incident in a London, Ontario, hotel in June 2018.

After an earlier mistrial and two dismissed juries, Superior Court Justice Maria Carroccia of the Ontario Court of Justice said she didn't find the complainant's evidence "credible or reliable" on July 24.

Dube had 127 points (57 goals, 70 assists) in 325 regular-season games for the Calgary Flames from 2018-24. He played 42 games last season with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL, tallying four goals and seven assists.

Calgary selected him in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft.

In other moves on Wednesday, the Blues placed forward Jordan Kyrou (lower body) on injured reserve and listed him as week-to-week, and signed forward Robby Fabbri to a one-year, two-way contract.

Fabbri, who will be paid at a rate of $775,000 in the NHL and $300,000 in the AHL, will join the team Thursday in Nashville for a game against the Predators.

Kyrou, 27, last played Saturday in a 2-1 win at Ottawa. He was playing the puck and was hit by Senators forward Stephen Halliday just 2:52 into the game.

"It's kind of what we thought it would be," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said on Tuesday of Kyrou's MRI results. "We're happy with the results of the MRI considering it could have been longer."

Kyrou has 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 28 games this season.

For his career, Kyrou has 158 goals and 190 assists in 444 regular-season games with the Blues starting with the 2018-19 season. He was an All-Star in 2022.

Fabbri, 29, played one season for the Anaheim Ducks in 2024-25, collecting 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 44 games.

For his career, Fabbri has 216 points (106 goals, 110 assists) in 442 regular-season games for the Blues (2015-19), Detroit Red Wings (2019-24) and Ducks.

Brady Skjei, Jonathan Marchessault and Reid Schaefer scored regulation goals for Nashville, which has won five of its last seven games.

Cale Makar, Brock Nelson and Artturi Lehkonen had goals, Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas had two assists each, and Scott Wedgewood turned away 25 shots for Colorado.

Wedgewood, who missed the last three games, was taken out of the shootout after Filip Forsberg crashed into him on the Predators second attempt.

The Avalanche, who finished their road trip 2-1-1, host Nashville on Saturday night.

The score was tied at 2-all when Skjei scored with eight minutes left in the third period on a wrister the blueline through a screen.

Wedgewood went off for an extra skater with 2:43 left, Colorado went on the power play with 1:38 remaining, and Makar tied at 19:52.

Nelson gave the Avalanche a 1-0 lead when he skated into the Predators zone, deked by Roman Josi and slid a backhander through Saros' pads 1:12 into the game.

It was Nelson's fifth goal in his last six games.

Nashville answered with a pair of goals 1:25 apart later in the first. Marchessault got a pass from O'Reilly and put a shot on Wedgewood from the right circle. The rebound bounced in front of the goaltender and Marchessault knocked it in at 4:05.

Schaefer gave Nashville a 2-1 lead when he grabbed the puck from the corner, skated to the front of the net and beat Wedgewood at 5:30.

Colorado got the equalizer midway through the first period. MacKinnon kept the puck in the Predators zone, passed it to Necas along the boards, and Necas put a shot on net. Lehkonen battled with Adam Wilsby for the rebound and was able to spin around and tap it in at 10:21.

Alex Tuch tallied the game-winning goal and Josh Doan scored twice for the Sabres, who squandered a 3-0 lead in the third period but still snapped a three-game skid.

Buffalo goaltender Colten Ellis stopped all six shots he faced before leaving the game late in the first period with an upper-body injury. Alex Lyon made 21 saves in relief.

Sabres center Josh Norris was a late scratch due to illness and soreness, the team announced.

Connor McDavid scored twice, Vasily Podkolzin added a goal and Stuart Skinner made 24 saves for the Oilers, who had won three of their previous four games.

Tuch received a centering pass from Ryan McLeod in the slot and beat Skinner with a quick wrist shot 33 seconds into overtime.

With Skinner pulled for the extra attacker, McDavid scored from the left circle to tie it 3-3 with two seconds remaining in the third period.

With Buffalo ahead 3-0, McDavid got the Oilers on the board 10 seconds into the third. He collected a loose puck along the right wall and brought it to the front of the net before putting a wrist shot over Lyon's right pad.

Podkolzin narrowed the gap to 3-2 at 1:56, pushing a loose puck from in front past Lyon's pad.

Doan gave Buffalo a 1-0 lead on the power play at 19:01 of the first period when he tipped a Rasmus Dahlin point shot under Skinner's arm.

The Sabres were on that man advantage after Oilers forward David Tomasek caught Ellis in the head as he drove through the crease. Ellis exited the game after Doan's goal.

Thompson made it 2-0 at 11:03 of the second period. He picked the puck off Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard at the goal line and took it in front for a snap shot that beat Skinner stick side.

Doan increased the margin to 3-0 with a highlight-reel tally from in front on a power play 56 seconds later. He took a pass from Thompson, pulled it back through his legs and put it past Skinner far side.

Anaheim was short-handed, and Husso had just reached the bench for an extra skater when Sennecke drove to the net. His shot deflected off Pittsburgh's Erik Karlsson and crossed the goal line.

Jackson LaCombe and Troy Terry scored in regulation before Leo Carlsson tallied in the shootout for the Ducks, who have won three in a row.

Anthony Mantha, Noel Acciari and Tommy Novak scored, Karlsson had two assists and Arturs Silovs made 25 saves for the Penguins in the opener of a five-game homestand.

Bruins 5, Blues 2

Mark Kastelic and Fraser Minten scored two goals each as Boston rolled host St. Louis for its second victory over the Blues in less than a week.

Pavel Zacha also tallied for the Bruins, who won their third straight game. David Pastrnak earned two assists for Boston after missing the previous five games with an undisclosed injury. Jeremy Swayman recorded 24 saves.

Robert Thomas scored twice for the Blues, each time on an assist from Pavel Buchnevich. Joel Hofer made 26 saves as St. Louis' two-game winning streak ended. St. Louis' Nick Bjugstad exited with an upper-body injury early in the second period.

Flyers 4, Sharks 1

Dan Vladar made 17 saves and Travis Konecny had a goal and an assist to guide Philadelphia to a home victory over San Jose. Christian Dvorak, Carl Grundstrom and Noah Cates also scored for the Flyers, who have won five of seven.

Collin Graf scored in a third straight game for the Sharks, who were not able to carry any momentum from a 4-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday. Alex Nedeljkovic made 26 saves.

Philadelphia scored the first of four unanswered goals when Konecny's high flip out of the defensive zone caromed off the shoulder of teammate Trevor Zegras and unleashed Dvorak on a first-period breakaway. Konecny's assist on the play was his 500th career NHL point in his 10th season.

Devils 4, Senators 3

Cody Glass scored the go-ahead goal with 7:36 remaining in the third period to lift New Jersey over host Ottawa as the Devils ended a season-high five-game losing streak.

New Jersey's Arseny Gritsyuk collected a goal and two assists, and Connor Brown notched three assists. Jacob Markstrom made 35 saves for the Devils, who overcame allowing three power-play goals.

Drake Batherson scored two power-play goals and Tim Stutzle also converted with the man advantage for the Senators. Linus Ullmark turned aside 28 shots.

Lightning 6, Canadiens 1

Darren Raddysh scored two goals and the Tampa Bay offense erupted in a win at Montreal, snapping the Lightning's four-game losing streak.

Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point each had a goal and an assist for the Lightning, who had been shut out in their previous two games.

Pontus Holmberg and Charle-Edouard D'Astous also scored, and Jonas Johansson made 26 saves. Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman left with an injury in the first period.

Oliver Kapanen scored for the Canadiens, who have lost two straight and four of six. Jakub Dobes was lifted after allowing three goals on 14 shots in the first period. Sam Montembeault yielded three goals on 13 shots in relief.

Hurricanes 4, Blue Jackets 1

Eric Robinson scored a tiebreaking goal in the third period and Carolina went on to defeat Columbus in Raleigh, N.C.

Seth Jarvis, Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook also scored for the Hurricanes, who went 4-3-0 on their seven-game homestand. Martinook's goal came with 1:15 remaining into an empty net while Carolina was short-handed. Andrei Svechnikov had two assists. Brandon Bussi made 23 saves, improving his record to 9-1-0.

Dmitri Voronkov scored the goal for Columbus, which has lost three straight -- the last two in regulation. The Blue Jackets had gone more than a month without consecutive games without a point. Jet Greaves, playing in back-to-back games, stopped 27 shots.

Islanders 5, Golden Knights 4 (SO)

Bo Horvat scored two goals and Emil Heineman tallied the game-winner with a glove-side wrist shot in the fourth round of a shootout to lead New York to a victory over Vegas in Elmont, N.Y.

Marc Gatcomb and Simon Holmstrom tallied a goal each as the Islanders recorded their fourth victory in the past five games. Ilya Sorokin won his fourth straight start with 32 saves.

Pavel Dorofeyev sent the game into overtime after chipping in a rebound of a Mitch Marner point shot with 14 seconds left in regulation. Marner, Noah Hanifin and Ivan Barbashev also scored for the Golden Knights. Marner added an assist, Jack Eichel and Mark Stone each had two assists, and Carter Hart logged 23 saves.

Stars 4, Jets 3

Mikko Rantanen picked up three assists as Dallas won its fourth consecutive game, defeating host Winnipeg.

Esa Lindell, Roope Hintz, Alexander Petrovic and Jason Robertson each scored for the Stars. Wyatt Johnston pitched in with two helpers, while Casey DeSmith held his own with 30 saves.

The Jets battled back from deficits of 3-0 and 4-2, pulling within one with 14:06 left in regulation, but they were unable to get any closer. Mark Scheifele scored twice for Winnipeg, while Logan Stanley provided the other tally. Kyle Connor had two assists, and Eric Comrie made 15 stops.

Pavel Zacha also tallied for the Bruins, who won their third straight game -- and their second game against St. Louis in six days.

David Pastrnak earned two assists for Boston after missing the previous five games with an undisclosed injury. Sean Kuraly also notched two assists, and Jeremy Swayman made 24 saves.

Robert Thomas scored twice for the Blues, each time on an assist from Pavel Buchnevich. Joel Hofer made 26 saves as St. Louis' two-game winning streak ended.

St. Louis sustained another casualty when a high hit knocked Nick Bjugstad out of the game with an upper-body injury early in the second period.

St. Louis tied the game 2-2 at 4:51 of the third period when Buchnevich's centering pass found Thomas alone in front of the net. However, Kastelic reached into the crease to poke in a loose puck to put Boston up 3-2 at 8:01.

Minten swatted a bouncing puck into the net from the slot to make it 4-2 at 11:33, and Zacha finished off the Blues by finding an empty net at 18:19.

The Blues took a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal 5:27 into the game when Buchnevich fed Thomas for a shot from the high slot.

The Bruins outshot the Blues 13-3 during the second period and kept the hosts under duress for 19 minutes, emerging with a 2-1 lead at the second intermission.

Minten tied the game 1-1 by tapping the puck into the open right side during a goalmouth scramble at 12:48 of the middle frame. Kastelic put Boston up 2-1 by deflecting Victor Soderstrom's shot from the left point less than two minutes later.

The Blues finally mustered an offensive push in the final minute of the second period, but Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm blocked Jake Neighbours' backhand shot toward the open side of the net.

Esa Lindell, Roope Hintz, Alexander Petrovic, and Jason Robertson got the goals for Dallas, and Wyatt Johnston had two helpers. Casey DeSmith made 30 saves.

Mark Scheifele scored twice for Winnipeg, while Logan Stanley provided the other tally. Kyle Connor had two assists. Eric Comrie made 15 stops.

Just 44 seconds into the first period with the Jets struggling to get the puck out of their zone, Lindell stepped into a loose puck and fired into the top corner on the Stars' first shot of the night.

Winnipeg pushed back late in the frame. Gabe Vilardi came closest to equalizing by ringing a wrist shot off the right post with 5:21 remaining.

Dallas doubled its lead 1:16 into the second period on the power play. After a flurry of pressure, Hintz chipped a loose puck past DeSmith to make it 2-0.

Just 1:15 later, Petrovic finished off a dump-and-chase cycle, stretching the Stars' lead to 3-0.

The Jets finally broke through at 11:04 when Connor intercepted a misplayed pass from behind the Dallas net by Nils Lundkvist. Connor fed Scheifele in the slot, and the Jets captain snapped a shot past DeSmith to cut the deficit to 3-1.

Winnipeg pulled within one with 1:08 left in the middle period, seconds after a power play expired, to close the deficit to 3-2. Josh Morrissey launched a stretch pass that forced the Stars out of position, springing Scheifele for his second of the game.

The Stars restored their two-goal lead with their second power-play marker of the night, this time off the stick of Robertson at 4:46 of the third period, pushing the score to 4-2.

The Jets struck back just 1:08 later. Stanley drove into the slot and fired a shot through traffic, then followed up to bury his own rebound and bring Winnipeg back within one at 4-3, but that's as close as the Jets would get.