Spencer Knight, the Panthers’ goaltender, stopped all 20 shots he faced, leading the Panthers to a 6-0 victory over the Hurricanes in Sunrise, Fla., completing a home-and-home series sweep.
After winning 6-3 in Raleigh on Friday, the Panthers came home and kept their strong offense going.
Aaron Ekblad, Mackie Samoskevich, Sam Bennett, Aleksander Barkov, Adam Boqvist, and Evan Rodrigues all scored for the Panthers.
Hurricanes goaltender Spencer Martin allowed five goals on 28 shots before being replaced in the third period, taking his second loss to Florida in two days.
Hurricanes’ top scorer Martin Necas failed to score for the third straight game, even though he had two chances for a breakaway in the first period.
At 14:20 of the first period, Necas broke free, but Knight blocked his wrist shot with his blocker.
Necas had another chance at 7:34 of the first period, speeding down the wing, but Knight stopped his shot again.
Carolina Hurricanes (NHL)
The Panthers thought they had scored less than three minutes into the second period, but Anton Lundell’s goal was waved off after the Hurricanes challenged and the play was ruled offside.
At 13:18 of the second period, Ekblad scored the first goal of the game, his first of the season, after taking advantage of a mispositioned Martin.
With less than one second left in the second period, Samoskevich extended the lead, finishing off a great passing play.
Just over eight minutes into the third period, Bennett scored his third goal in as many games after Eetu Luostarinen stole the puck and passed it to him in front of the net.
The Panthers then scored two goals in 11 seconds: Barkov scored on the power play, followed by Boqvist’s goal with 8:12 left in the game, which sent Martin out of the net. Yaniv Perets replaced him.
Rodrigues tipped the third shot Perets faced into the net, giving the Panthers their third power-play goal in a row.
Auston Matthews and Nick Perbix duel for the puck in the 3rd period
Auston Matthews, the captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, made his return to the team on Saturday after missing nine games due to an upper-body injury. Matthews was activated from the injured reserve before the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning and recorded two assists. His last game was on November 3 against Minnesota.
“I felt fine, I think as the game went on I felt a little bit better,” Matthews said. “I still felt a little bit rusty, but I thought our line played pretty solid all around and simple for the most part.”
In his career, Matthews now has 13 goals and six assists in 15 games after missing time. Toronto holds a 9-3-3 record in those games.
“Obviously, it feels good to chip in on some goals there, especially early on,” he said. “I just want to continue to go forward and get better each game.”
Auston Matthews and Ryan McDonagh duel for the puck in the 3rd period
Besides his two assists, Matthews won 16 out of 24 faceoffs, had a plus-2 rating, two shots on goal, and two takeaways.
“I thought he was strong on pucks and moved well out there,” said Toronto coach Craig Berube. “He did a lot of good things.”
Before Matthews’ injury, the Maple Leafs had a record of 7-2 without him.
Prior to getting injured, Matthews had five goals and six assists in 13 games. Although he was listed as day-to-day throughout his recovery, it was later revealed that he had traveled to Germany to work with a specialist to help prevent the injury from happening again once he returned.
Matthews has already been selected for the Team USA roster for the Four Nations Faceoff, set for February.
The Minnesota Wild will try to win again on Saturday when they face the Nashville Predators in St. Paul, Minn. after their 3-2 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday. Captain Jared Spurgeon scored twice and Marco Rossi added a goal, helping Minnesota secure its second straight win. Now, they are aiming for a third win in a row.
“Straight lines and simple hockey, that works for us,” Spurgeon said.
The Predators will be looking to disrupt the Wild’s winning streak. Nashville also played on Friday, losing 3-2 in overtime to the Tampa Bay Lightning at home. Captain Roman Josi scored both goals for Nashville, which earned one point but has now lost two straight games in overtime.
Nashville coach Andrew Brunette said the team needs to improve offensively.
“Nobody’s really feeling it,” Brunette said. “If you look up and down our roster, we’re having a hard time scoring. So, nobody’s really feeling great about their game. And usually when you don’t feel good about your game, these kind of things happen. So, we have to try to find a way to feel a little better about our game.”
Minnesota Wild vs Seattle Kraken
Spurgeon has been important for the Wild this season after missing six games in October while recovering from hip and back surgeries. His leadership and contributions have helped Minnesota’s performance.
“Just having him around, having his leadership presence, it’s a night-and-day different feel as a group of guys,” Wild defenseman Brock Faber said. “Obviously, he’s the leader of that. His off-ice characteristics and on-ice (contributions) are just helping us a whole lot.”
The Predators may choose to play Scott Wedgewood in goal instead of Juuse Saros on back-to-back nights. Saros made 25 saves on 28 shots on Friday. Wedgewood has a 1-2-1 record with a 3.69 goals-against average and an .878 save percentage in five games (four starts) this season. He needs one more win to reach 50 career wins.
Wedgewood has faced Minnesota five times in his career, posting a 1-1-2 record with a 2.94 GAA and a .900 save percentage. The Wild are likely to start Filip Gustavsson in goal. Gustavsson has a 10-4-3 record this season with a 2.06 GAA and a .929 save percentage. In five career games against Nashville, Gustavsson is 2-2-1 with a 3.39 GAA and an .882 save percentage.
Josi said the Predators are focused on improving their offense. Nashville has been outscored 11-6 in its last three games.
“It’s hard to win in this league when you score two goals a game, and we’re working on it,” Josi said. “We’re trying to find it. I think we’ve got a ton of talent in here that can put the puck in the net. … The only thing we can do is press down and keep working on it and keep trying. Keep going to the net, keep shooting the puck.”
Due to the way the NHL schedule is set up, the Utah Hockey Club and the Vegas Golden Knights will face each other for the third time in November and for the final regular season meeting on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
The Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights have won the first two games against their new neighbors. Vegas won the first game 4-3 on November 2 on home ice, with Brett Howden scoring the overtime goal. Then, on November 15, they came back from a 2-0 deficit in the second period to win 4-2 in Salt Lake City.
Both teams will be playing the second game of a back-to-back on Saturday.
Vegas won 4-3 against Winnipeg on Friday night, thanks to two goals by Howden and Ivan Barbashev, while Utah lost 4-3 in overtime to the Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers but still earned a point.
Howden scored the game-winner with 4:05 left, tapping in a pass from William Karlsson by the left post. The Golden Knights improved to 9-2-0 at home this season.
This win came just one day after Vegas returned from a five-game road trip, which included stops in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Philadelphia, and Denver. Despite the long trip, the Golden Knights played one of their best home games of the season.
“We’ve been away from home for a long time,” said Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy. “I think our guys are excited to get back here playing. I liked our energy. I thought we played really well coming off the road.”
Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Hockey Club
Karlsson, who played in his 700th career NHL game, added, “We’ve been playing pretty well. Long road trip and coming home for a back-to-back. I think we looked pretty good (Friday) and hopefully can come out the same way (Saturday).”
Vegas will next host the Oilers on Tuesday, giving them a brief break.
Utah, despite blowing a 2-0 lead in the first period, managed to earn a point against the Oilers on Friday. Lawson Crouse tied the game 3-3 early in the third period. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins won the game for Edmonton at 1:18 of overtime with a breakaway goal, beating Karel Vejmelka.
Edmonton scored three goals in the second period, including power-play goals by Leon Draisaitl and captain Connor McDavid, to take a 3-2 lead before Crouse’s goal.
“Finally,” Crouse said when asked about scoring his fourth goal of the season. “I think it just speaks volumes to our character in our room, and there’s no quit in our team. We went right to the end.”
This was Utah’s fifth loss in their last seven games (2-4-1).
“Take the positives from this, move on and get ready for a big matchup tomorrow,” Crouse said. “We’ve got to move on quickly here. The goal is to come away with two points, not one.”
A team is usually at a disadvantage when playing the second game of a back-to-back, but the Edmonton Oilers and Colorado Avalanche will be on equal ground for their game in Denver on Saturday night.
Both teams played away games on Friday, but the Oilers had a positive trip to Colorado after their 4-3 overtime win against Utah. The Avalanche, on the other hand, came up short in a 5-3 loss to Dallas.
Colorado didn’t just lose the game in Dallas—they also lost defenseman Josh Manson. He left in the second period with an upper-body injury and didn’t return. Coach Jared Bednar didn’t provide an update on Manson but expressed his frustration with the constant injuries to his players.
“It’s definitely frustrating … it just seems like we’re having a tough time getting through a game right now healthy,” Bednar said.
If Manson is out for any time, he’ll join the list of injured Avalanche players. Some players have returned from injuries, such as Artturi Lehkonen, who missed the first 13 games after shoulder surgery, and Jonathan Drouin, who returned after missing 16 games but is hurt again. Ross Colton is also out with a fractured foot.
Even with these injuries, Colorado had won eight of their last 11 games before losing to Dallas. The team’s top players have been carrying the load. Mikko Rantanen has 11 goals and eight assists in November, star defenseman Cale Makar is on track to record 100 points this season, and Nathan MacKinnon leads the team with 36 points despite not scoring a goal in his last nine games.
Edmonton Oilers players in the 2nd period
Edmonton is also doing well. The Oilers are 6-2-1 in their last nine games after starting a three-game road trip in Utah. They have moved up the standings and managed to win a few games even without their star center, Connor McDavid, who is now back in the lineup.
“We’re in a fine position,” said Leon Draisaitl of Edmonton. “It’s not exactly where we want to be, but we’re certainly within striking distance of where we want to be. It’s just a matter of stringing them together a little bit, finding a couple of win streaks that last a little longer than two games. That’s our plan, that’s what we’re looking to do.”
Draisaitl leads the team in goals (17) and points (32), while McDavid, who missed three games earlier this season due to an ankle injury, leads the team with 18 assists.
Saturday night’s game will be the first of three meetings this season between the teams that faced off in the 2022 Western Conference finals. The Avalanche swept the Oilers in that series on their way to winning the Stanley Cup, and both teams are still aiming for a championship this season.
The Oilers almost won their sixth Stanley Cup last spring but lost in Game 7 to the Florida Panthers after making a comeback from a 3-0 series deficit.
Edmonton is hoping that winger Zach Hyman will return during the three-game road trip. Hyman, who has been out since November 19 with an undisclosed injury, practiced with the team on Thursday and is traveling with them on the trip.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored the game-winning goal in overtime, leading the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-3 victory over the Utah Hockey Club on Friday night.
Nugent-Hopkins took the puck from Matias Maccelli and fired it past Karel Vejmelka for his third goal of the season at 1:18 of overtime.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each had a goal and an assist, while Vasily Podkolzin also scored for Edmonton, who won their second straight game and improved to 6-2-1 in their last nine. Calvin Pickard made 28 saves for the Oilers in the win.
For Utah, Alexander Kerfoot, Logan Cooley, and Lawson Crouse scored, but they have now lost five of their last seven games (2-4-1). Vejmelka stopped 28 shots in the loss.
Crouse tied the game at 3:42 into the third period with his fourth goal of the season, snapping a 14-game goal drought. His shot beat Pickard, making it 3-3 and sending the game into overtime.
Edmonton Oilers players in the 2nd period
Utah had the advantage in shots, outshooting Edmonton 13-5 in the third and leading 2-0 after the first period. Kerfoot opened the scoring with a one-timer off a Kevin Stenlund pass at 6:17 for his fourth goal of the season. Cooley extended Utah’s lead to 2-0 at 17:15 with a rebound goal from Juuso Valimaki’s shot.
Edmonton responded in the second period with three goals to take the lead. Podkolzin got the Oilers on the board at 9:44, scoring his second goal of the season. Draisaitl tied it on a power play at 14:01 with a one-timer off a McDavid pass, marking his team-leading 17th goal. McDavid gave Edmonton its first lead at 18:22, also on the power play, scoring his 12th goal of the season.
McDavid has accumulated 20 points (9 goals, 11 assists) in his last nine games.
The Oilers recalled Drake Caggiula from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors on Thursday, and he played on the fourth line with Derek Ryan and Corey Perry.
This was the first of three games between the two teams. Utah will visit Edmonton on December 31, and the season series will conclude on March 18 in Edmonton.
Mason Marchment scored two goals and added an assist, while Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin each had a goal and an assist to help the Dallas Stars defeat the Colorado Avalanche 5-3 on Friday night.
Roope Hintz also scored, Jake Oettinger made 29 saves, and Miro Heiskanen recorded two assists for Dallas, who ended a two-game losing streak.
For Colorado, Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist, Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen scored, Cale Makar added two assists, and Alexandar Georgiev stopped 19 shots.
Seguin put Dallas up 1-0 on the power play, scoring with a sharp-angle shot over Georgiev’s shoulder at 5:36 of the first period for his ninth goal of the season.
The Avalanche quickly responded on their first power play. Rantanen’s shot hit the post, and Nichushkin tapped in the rebound past Oettinger at 13:56 to tie the game 1-1. It was Nichushkin’s third goal of the season and second in as many games.
The Stars regained the lead just 32 seconds later on an odd-man rush. Marchment passed to Heiskanen, whose shot went off Georgiev’s back before Marchment poked it in at 14:28.
Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights
Dallas scored two more in the second period to take control. Benn made it 3-1 at 7:07 after Georgiev stopped Heiskanen’s shot and Benn put in the rebound for his fifth goal of the season. Hintz added another at 18:42, scoring on a one-timer from Wyatt Johnston for a 4-1 Dallas lead.
Colorado came back in the third period. Lehkonen scored just 1:02 into the period, as his shot was deflected by Stars defenseman Ilya Lyubushkin and past Oettinger for his fourth goal of the season.
Rantanen then cut the lead to 4-3 with his team-leading 15th goal at 8:03. Georgiev was pulled for an extra skater late in the game, but Marchment sealed the win for Dallas by scoring into the empty net at 17:17 for his ninth goal of the season.
Jared Spurgeon celebrated his 35th birthday by scoring twice to help the Minnesota Wild come from behind and beat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2 on Friday in Saint Paul, Minn.
Spurgeon, who only played 16 games last season due to back and hip injuries, scored for the first time since April 2023 and recorded his eighth multi-goal game in his 15-year career. Marco Rossi also scored, and Joel Eriksson Ek had two assists for the Wild, who were down 2-0 midway through the game. Marc-Andre Fleury, who turned 40 on Thursday, made 20 saves to win his fifth game in six starts.
Former Wild player Ryan Donato scored both goals for the Blackhawks, his second multi-goal game of the season. Petr Mrazek made 26 saves.
Capitals 5, Islanders 4 (OT)
Jakob Chychrun scored in overtime to give Washington a comeback victory over visiting New York. Down 4-2 through two periods, the Capitals tied the game with third-period goals from Dylan Strome at 1:20 and Tom Wilson at 7:24.
Wilson scored twice, Connor McMichael had three assists, and Strome collected a goal and two assists for Washington. Nic Dowd added the Capitals’ other goal, and Logan Thompson made 20 saves for Washington, which has now won three straight games.
Anders Lee had a goal and two assists for the Islanders, Simon Holmstrom scored twice, and Bo Horvat had two assists. Kyle MacLean also scored, and Semyon Varlamov stopped 21 of 26 shots.
Golden Knights 4, Jets 3
Brett Howden and Ivan Barbashev each scored twice as Vegas defeated Winnipeg in Las Vegas.
Jack Eichel and Pavel Dorofeyev each had two assists, and Adin Hill made 22 saves for the Golden Knights, who have won four of their last five games (4-0-1).
Cole Perfetti scored twice for Winnipeg, both assisted by Josh Morrissey. Neal Pionk also scored in the loss. Eric Comrie made 26 saves for the Jets, who have lost three of their last four games.
Vegas Golden Knights and Winnipeg Jets
Canucks 4, Sabres 3 (OT)
Conor Garland scored 3:59 into overtime to help Vancouver defeat Buffalo. Garland, who extended his point streak to a career-high seven games, scored after cleaning up a loose puck in front of the net following a shot from defenseman Quinn Hughes. It was his eighth goal of the season and gave Vancouver three wins in its last four games.
Buffalo’s Dylan Cozens and Alex Tuch scored 99 seconds apart in the third period to tie the game at 3-3. Defenseman Bowen Byram also scored, Zach Benson had two assists, and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 18 saves for Buffalo, which has lost two straight.
Panthers 6, Hurricanes 3
A.J. Greer scored the go-ahead goal in the third period, and Florida held off a late Carolina comeback to win 6-3 in Raleigh, N.C.
Sam Reinhart scored his NHL-leading 18th goal, and Jesper Boqvist, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, and Sam Bennett also scored for the Panthers, who have won two of their last three games after a four-game losing streak. Aaron Ekblad and Eetu Luostarinen each had two assists, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves.
Seth Jarvis, Sean Walker, and Eric Robinson scored for Carolina, whose nine-game home win streak ended. Shayne Gostisbehere had two assists, and Spencer Martin made 24 saves.
Lightning 3, Predators 2 (OT)
Brayden Point scored his 16th goal 1:01 into overtime to give Tampa Bay a win over Nashville.
Point’s NHL-leading ninth power-play goal, assisted by Nikita Kucherov, gave the Lightning their fifth win in eight games (5-2-1).
Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel also scored for the Lightning. Victor Hedman assisted on Hagel’s goal, tying him with Martin St. Louis for the most career assists in Tampa Bay history. Roman Josi scored both of Nashville’s goals, and Juuse Saros made 25 saves as Nashville fell to 2-2-2 in its last six games.
Oilers 4, Utah 3 (OT)
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored at 1:18 of overtime to lift Edmonton past the Utah Hockey Club in Salt Lake City.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each had a goal and an assist, and Vasily Podkolzin also scored for Edmonton, which improved to 6-2-1 in its last nine games. Evan Bouchard had two assists, and Calvin Pickard made 28 saves.
Alexander Kerfoot, Logan Cooley, and Lawson Crouse scored for Utah, which has lost five of its last seven (2-4-1). Karel Vejmelka made 28 saves.
Edmonton Oilers and Utah Hockey Club
Flyers 3, Rangers 1
Travis Konecny scored twice to lead Philadelphia to a win over New York.
Bobby Brink also scored, and Ivan Fedotov made 22 saves for the Flyers, who are now 3-0-1 in their last four games. Flyers defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen recorded an assist in a fourth consecutive game.
The Rangers lost their fifth straight despite 32 saves from Igor Shesterkin. Vincent Trocheck scored the only goal for New York.
Devils 5, Red Wings 4
Stefan Noesen scored the go-ahead goal late in the second period, and New Jersey held on for a victory over Detroit.
Dougie Hamilton, Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Jack Hughes each scored a goal and added an assist for the Devils, who have won nine of their last 12 games. Jacob Markstrom made 24 saves.
Vladimir Tarasenko, Lucas Raymond, Tyler Motte, and Justin Holl scored for Detroit, which had won three of its last four games. Tarasenko and J.T. Compher (two assists) each had two-point performances. Cam Talbot, in his 500th career game, made 24 saves.
Sharks 8, Kraken 5
Jake Walman scored twice, and Macklin Celebrini had a goal and an assist as San Jose defeated Seattle.
Will Smith, Mikael Granlund, and Klim Kostin each had a goal and an assist for the Sharks, who will play Seattle again on Saturday. Timothy Liljegren and Ethan Cardwell also scored, William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund each added two assists, and Vitek Vanecek made 26 saves.
Shane Wright scored twice, and Chandler Stephenson had a goal and two assists for Seattle, which has lost six of its last seven road games. Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and an assist, Yanni Gourde also scored, and Ryker Evans had two assists. Philipp Grubauer made 19 saves and dropped to 1-7-0 this season.
Stars 5, Avalanche 3
Mason Marchment scored two goals and added an assist, while Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin each had a goal and an assist to lead Dallas past Colorado.
Roope Hintz also scored, Jake Oettinger made 29 saves, and Miro Heiskanen had two assists for the Stars, who ended a two-game losing streak.
Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist, and Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen also scored for Colorado. Cale Makar had two assists, and Alexandar Georgiev made 19 saves.
Dallas Stars and Colorado Avalanche
Penguins 2, Bruins 1
Philip Tomasino scored his first goal of the season in the third period to give Pittsburgh a comeback win over Boston.
Tomasino, a 23-year-old former first-round pick acquired from Nashville on Monday, scored the go-ahead goal with 12:34 remaining. Tristan Jarry stopped 31 of Boston’s 32 shots, and Rickard Rakell scored the Penguins’ first goal in their second straight win.
Charlie Coyle scored for Boston, and Jeremy Swayman made 34 saves. Boston is 3-2-0 under interim head coach Joe Sacco.
Kings 2, Ducks 1
Erik Portillo made 28 saves in his NHL debut to help Los Angeles defeat Anaheim.
Alex Laferriere had a goal and an assist, and Alex Turcotte also scored for the Kings, who won their second straight game and their 11th in the last 12 meetings with Anaheim in their Freeway Face-Off rivalry series.
Ryan Strome scored for Anaheim, and John Gibson made 16 saves. The Ducks had just their second regulation loss (4-2-1) in their last seven games.
Blue Jackets 5, Flames 2
Kirill Marchenko scored a goal and added two assists, while Adam Fantilli scored twice to lead Columbus past Calgary. This was the teams’ first meeting since the tragic deaths of former Blue Jackets and Flames star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew during the summer.
Zach Werenski (one goal, one assist) and Kent Johnson also scored, and Elvis Merzlikins made 27 saves for the Blue Jackets, who are on a five-game point streak (4-0-1), their longest since 2021. Dmitri Voronkov had two assists.
Blake Coleman and Nazem Kadri scored for the Flames, who are 0-2-1 in their last three games since a four-game win streak. Dustin Wolf stopped 29 shots.
Jordan Binnington made 31 saves and became the all-time wins leader for the St. Louis Blues with a 3-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night in Newark, N.J. Binnington earned his 152nd career win, surpassing Mike Liut for the franchise record. It was also his first shutout of the season and the 16th of his career.
Dylan Holloway scored twice in the first period for the Blues, who have won their first two games under new coach Jim Montgomery. Robert Thomas also scored, and Pavel Buchnevich provided an assist before leaving the game in the second period due to a lower-body injury. Jacob Markstrom made 17 saves for the Devils, whose three-game win streak was broken.
Red Wings 2, Flames 1 (OT)
Lucas Raymond scored on a power play with 1:25 left in overtime, giving Detroit a win over Calgary. Raymond’s goal came after the Flames were penalized for having too many players on the ice. Alex DeBrincat had a goal and an assist, and Cam Talbot stopped 24 shots. The Red Wings extended their winning streak against Calgary to five games. Connor Zary scored for the Flames, and Dan Vladar made 25 saves.
Avalanche 2, Golden Knights 1 (SO)
Valeri Nichushkin scored in regulation and also netted the only goal in the shootout as Colorado defeated Vegas. Alexandar Georgiev stopped 18 shots during regulation and overtime, then blocked all five shootout attempts, leading Colorado to a win. Pavel Dorofeyev scored for Vegas, and Adin Hill made 33 saves during regulation and overtime. Nichushkin’s shootout goal ended Vegas’ three-game winning streak.
Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights
Flyers 3, Predators 2 (OT)
After Morgan Frost tied the game with 11.4 seconds left in regulation, Sean Couturier scored in overtime, giving Philadelphia a stunning win over Nashville. Couturier tipped in a pass from Travis Konecny to win the game. Scott Laughton also scored for the Flyers. Aleksei Kolosov made 25 saves. Roman Josi and Ryan O’Reilly scored for the Predators, who have lost three of their last four games. Juuse Saros made 20 saves.
Canadiens 4, Blue Jackets 3 (OT)
Nick Suzuki scored 44 seconds into overtime to lift Montreal to a win over Columbus. Juraj Slafkovsky had a goal and an assist, while Cole Caufield and Emil Heineman also scored. Cayden Primeau made 21 saves for Montreal. Zach Werenski had a goal, an assist, and a fighting major for Columbus, earning his first Gordie Howe hat trick. Mathieu Olivier and Yegor Chinakhov also scored for the Blue Jackets, who had won three in a row. Elvis Merzlikins made 19 saves.
Kings 4, Jets 1
Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar each scored a goal and had an assist, leading Los Angeles to a win over Winnipeg. Phillip Danault and Kevin Fiala also scored, and Alex Laferriere had two assists for the Kings, who bounced back after a 7-2 loss to San Jose. David Rittich made 13 saves, including one on a penalty shot by Rasmus Kupari. Gabriel Vilardi scored for Winnipeg, and Connor Hellebuyck made 29 saves.
Senators 4, Sharks 3
Adam Gaudette scored twice, and Tim Stutzle added three assists, leading Ottawa to a 4-3 win over San Jose. Josh Norris and Tyler Kleven also scored. Linus Ullmark made 36 saves, improving to 6-0-0 against San Jose. Will Smith had a goal and an assist, and Mario Ferraro and Macklin Celebrini also scored for the Sharks. Mackenzie Blackwood made seven saves on 11 shots.
Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks
Hurricanes 4, Rangers 3
Jackson Blake, a rookie, scored the game-winning power-play goal with 7:59 remaining in the third period, and Carolina extended its home win streak to nine games by defeating New York. Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Blake scored 2:07 apart, with Kotkaniemi tying the game at 3-3. After a penalty on former Hurricane Vincent Trocheck, Blake scored the winner, assisted by Jack Drury.
Bruins 6, Islanders 3
Pavel Zacha scored the game-winning and insurance goals within three minutes in the third period, leading Boston to a win over the Islanders. Brad Marchand scored twice in the first period, and Elias Lindholm and David Pastrnak each had three assists. Joonas Korpisalo made 21 saves for Boston. Brock Nelson scored twice for the Islanders, who have lost five of their last six games. Sorokin had 15 saves.
Wild 1, Sabres 0
Filip Gustavsson made 39 saves, and Kirill Kaprizov scored the only goal as Minnesota won on the road against Buffalo. Gustavsson helped the Wild block 32 shots, becoming the first team to record their 10th road win of the season. The Wild ended Buffalo’s three-game win streak.
Capitals 5, Lightning 4
Tom Wilson scored the game-winning power-play goal with 3:26 left, and Washington won its sixth straight road game. Wilson, Aliaksei Protas, and Dylan Strome each had a goal and an assist. Andrew Mangiapane and John Carlson also scored. Charlie Lindgren made 24 saves. Brayden Point scored a hat trick for Tampa Bay, and Andrei Vasilevskiy made 27 saves.
Ducks 5, Kraken 2
Cutter Gauthier, Alex Killorn, and Trevor Zegras each had a goal and an assist, helping Anaheim win against Seattle. Frank Vatrano and Brett Leason also scored. John Gibson made 42 saves, improving to 4-0-1 after recovering from an appendectomy. Eeli Tolvanen and Oliver Bjorkstrand scored for Seattle, and Joey Daccord made 28 saves.
Anaheim Ducks and Seattle Kraken
Penguins 5, Canucks 4
Bryan Rust scored twice, and Pittsburgh won 5-4 against Vancouver. Rust finished with three points. Blake Lizotte, Rickard Rakell, and Kevin Hayes also scored. Erik Karlsson had three assists, and Sidney Crosby had two assists. Tristan Jarry made 25 saves. Quinn Hughes had a goal and two assists for the Canucks, and Elias Pettersson added a goal and an assist.
Blackhawks 6, Stars 2
Taylor Hall scored a hat trick, leading Chicago to a 6-2 win over Dallas. Louis Crevier scored his first NHL goal, and Connor Bedard ended a 12-game goalless streak. Petr Mrazek made 25 saves. Colin Blackwell and Matt Duchene scored for the Stars, who were outscored 12-6 in their last two games.
Panthers 5, Maple Leafs 1
Carter Verhaeghe had a goal and two assists, helping Florida break its four-game losing streak and cool down Toronto. Sam Reinhart also scored his 17th goal of the season. Sergei Bobrovsky made 23 saves. Toronto’s Mitch Marner scored, but the Leafs saw their four-game win streak come to an end. Anthony Stolarz, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Steven Lorentz received Stanley Cup rings from Florida before the game.
The Winnipeg Jets are in the middle of their longest road trip of the season and are happy with what they’ve achieved so far.
The Jets will look to keep their strong play going when they face the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.
Winnipeg has won two of the first three games on their six-game road trip, including a 4-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Monday.
The Jets started the season strong, winning 15 of their first 16 games. However, they had lost three of five games before their matchup with the Wild, who were just four points behind Winnipeg in the Central Division.
“Yeah, it’s a big, big step, but obviously we’ve got to work on some things,” said Winnipeg forward Alex Iafallo, who scored twice in Saint Paul, Minn. “But, going forward, I think it’s a big win for us, and especially on the road. Finishing off that third period is huge for us — and building that momentum of hard plays and doing it right to the end.”
Iafallo, who played his first six NHL seasons with the Kings, has found a spot on Winnipeg’s fourth line alongside Rasmus Kupari and Morgan Barron. Kupari, a former first-round pick by the Kings, spent his first three seasons in Los Angeles.
The Jets also welcomed back defenseman Ville Heinola on Monday after he missed 22 months recovering from two ankle surgeries. He recorded two shots on goal and had a hit in 12:14 of ice time against the Wild.
“There were a lot of things that I liked,” said Jets coach Scott Arniel about Heinola’s performance. “He has patience and poise. We know that. Especially on the breakouts and things like that.”
Los Angeles Kings celebrate after a goal
The Kings will be eager to get back on the ice after a tough 7-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks on Monday.
The game was tied 2-2 going into the third period, but the Kings gave up three goals in the first four minutes of the period.
“We completely fell apart in the third period,” said Kings coach Jim Hiller. “That’s just unacceptable, what happened in the third. So we can talk about the first 40 (minutes), but it’s washed away with that third period.”
Two of the Sharks’ five goals in the third period came on the power play. The Kings have allowed 16 goals on their penalty kill, which is tied for the fifth most in the NHL.
“We went through this at the beginning of the year,” said Hiller. “We took too many penalties. The coach doesn’t have too many options but to take ice time away, that’s basically it. We had got ahold of it pretty good; we’ve had a pretty good run of not giving up a lot of power plays. (On Monday), we were careless, but it just goes with our mindset, particularly in the third period.”
Los Angeles will turn to some of its most experienced players to help bounce back against Winnipeg.
Anze Kopitar has 10 points (one goal, nine assists) in his last seven games. He has reached 25 points in a season for the 19th time in his career, becoming the 32nd NHL player to do so.
Adrian Kempe had two assists against the Sharks, marking his 77th multipoint game, which ties Jari Kurri for the 19th-most multipoint games in team history.
Kevin Lankinen earned a shutout with 33 saves as the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Boston Bruins 2-0 on Tuesday. Lankinen made 13 saves in the second period and 11 more in the third to secure his second shutout of the season. The Canucks’ defense also helped by blocking 26 shots.
Jake DeBrusk, playing against his former team, scored the game-winning goal in the second period, marking his third goal in two games. This win gave Vancouver back-to-back victories and extended their road winning streak to eight games. Conor Garland added an empty-net goal with 12.5 seconds left, finishing with a goal and an assist.
For the Bruins, Jeremy Swayman made 13 saves on 14 shots, but the team couldn’t extend its win streak to three games. They also lost for the first time under interim coach Joe Sacco. Despite outshooting Vancouver 32-15, Boston went 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Canucks scored once on two power-play opportunities.
Boston Bruins players watching the game from the sidelines
DeBrusk’s power-play goal at 5:53 of the second period gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead. Quinn Hughes took a shot from the high slot that deflected off Conor Garland, landing right to DeBrusk in front of the net, where he scored on the rebound.
Lankinen made key saves in the third period, including a crucial stop on Trent Frederic, who was set up by Marc McLaughlin for a redirect. He also denied Pavel Zacha on a point-blank shot during Boston’s power play.
Boston had a 9-3 advantage in shots after the first period, with David Pastrnak getting the first shot of the game for either team. Lankinen was tested early in the second, including stopping a semi-breakaway from Pastrnak after a stretch pass from Zacha just 1:08 into the period.
Mikhail Sergachev scored with 27 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Utah Hockey Club a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night.
Sergachev’s goal came after a pass from Nick Schmaltz, who had two assists. Dylan Guenther scored a goal and added an assist, while Jack McBain also found the net. Karel Vejmelka made just 11 saves for Utah, which had lost four out of its last five games.
For the Canadiens, Jayden Struble and Alex Newhook scored, and Sam Montembeault made 26 saves in the final game of their four-game homestand (2-1-1).
Utah went on its fourth power play at 4:18 in the second period, but it was Canadiens forward Christian Dvorak who hit the crossbar during a short-handed breakaway.
Just five seconds after the power play ended, Schmaltz passed the puck from behind the Montreal net to Clayton Keller along the side wall. Keller found Guenther in the left circle, and Guenther scored with a one-timer for his 10th goal of the season, marking his 100th NHL game.
Montreal Canadiens players help Patrick Laine after an injury
However, Utah’s lead didn’t last long. The Canadiens quickly responded when defenseman David Savard stopped the puck at the blue line and passed it to Cole Caufield, who sent it to Struble. Struble skated into the high slot and beat Vejmelka with a wrist shot, tying the game 1-1 at 8:05 in the second period. It was Struble’s second goal in as many games, after going scoreless in the first 14 games of the season.
The Canadiens took the lead early in the third period. At 46 seconds, Dvorak chased down a dump-in and passed the puck from below the goal line. The puck hit Vejmelka’s skate and bounced into the crease, where Newhook scored to make it 2-1.
McBain tied the game 2-2 at 4:17 with a one-timer off a pass from Logan Cooley, scoring for the third consecutive game.
