NEW YORK (AP) — Jimmy Vesey scored the tiebreaking power-play goal with 5:12 remaining to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday night.
Rick Nash had a goal and an assist, Nick Holden also scored and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 19 shots to help the Rangers snap a four-game skid at home (0-3-1).
Hurricanes defenseman Ron Hainsey received a double-minor for hooking and an unsportsmanlike misconduct with 6:47 to go and Vesey took advantage 95 seconds later for his eight goal of the season and first since Nov. 12.
Viktor Stalberg scored twice in the first period in his return to New York for the first time since leaving the Rangers to sign with Carolina in the offseason. Cam Ward finished with 25 saves as the Hurricanes lost for the third time in four games.
SABRES 5, SENATORS 4
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Jack Eichel had a goal and an assist in his season debut as Buffalo beat Ottawa.
Ryan O'Reilly scored twice for the Sabres, while Kyle Okposo and Sam Reinhart also scored. Robin Lehner started and gave up one goal on six shots before leaving late in the first period. Anders Nilsson replaced him and stopped 26 shots.
Mike Hoffman had three goals and an assist for the Senators, and Mark Stone also scored in his 200th NHL game. Craig Anderson, making his sixth straight start, made 23 saves.
Eichel had missed the first 21 games after spraining his left ankle ahead of the Sabres' season opener
BLACKHAWKS 2, PANTHERS 1, SO
CHICAGO (AP) — Richard Panik and Artemi Panarin scored in a shootout, and Chicago beat Florida in the Panthers' first game since Tom Rowe took over as interim coach.
Panik also scored in regulation and Corey Crawford made 38 saves in Chicago's first home game in 16 days. The Blackhawks went 3-3-1 on their 12-day circus trip.
Panarin beat Roberto Luongo with a slick backhand in the second round of the shootout. After Aleksander Barkov was stopped by Crawford at the other end, Panik converted his chance with a well-placed wrist shot past Luongo on the glove side.
Florida returned to the ice for the first time since coach Gerard Gallant was fired after a 3-2 loss at Carolina on Sunday night. Jaromir Jagr scored in the third period and Luongo made 32 saves, but the Panthers lost for the third time in four games.
FLYERS 3, BRUINS 2, SO
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Shayne Gostisbehere scored in the ninth round of a shootout to lift Philadelphia past Boston.
Steve Mason made 45 saves through overtime, and defenseman Michael Del Zotto and center Claude Giroux scored in regulation for the Flyers, who won their second straight.
David Krejci and Brad Marchand had the goals for the Bruins, who lost for the fourth time in five games. Tuukka Rask turned aside 19 shots and seven of nine shooters in the tiebreaker.
Both goalies were outstanding in overtime. Mason snatched a shot by Krejci with about 30 seconds remaining, and Rask slid to his right to stop Giroux's one-timer.
JETS 3, DEVILS 2
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine each scored his 13th goal of the season to help Winnipeg beat New Jersey.
Blake Wheeler had the other goal for the Jets, and Scheifele added an assist. Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves in his fifth straight start for Winnipeg.
Devils rookie Miles Wood, with his first NHL goal, and Nick Lappin scored for New Jersey. Cory Schneider stopped 26 shots for the Devils, who had earned at least a point in their previous three games (1-0-2).
Winnipeg has won five straight at home.
CANUCKS 5, WILD 4
VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Sven Baertschi scored with 2:35 left in regulation to help Vancouver beat Minnesota.
Brandon Sutter and Ben Hutton each had a goal and an assist, and Loui Eriksson and Bo Horvat also scored for Vancouver. Henrik Sedin and Troy Stecher had two assists each and Ryan Miller stopped 38 shots.
Erik Haula scored the tying goal late in the third for Minnesota. Jason Pominville had two goals, Jason Zucker added a goal and an assist, and Nino Niederreiter had two assists. Darcy Kuemper got the start with Devan Dubnyk given the night off and finished with 30 saves.
Baertschi, who has struggled to rediscover his scoring touch that emerged toward the end of last season, tipped Stecher's point shot to cap a crazy third period that saw the teams combine for five goals.
DUCKS 2, CANADIENS 1
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — John Gibson made 39 saves and Anaheim got goals from Rickard Rakell and defenseman Cam Fowler to beat NHL-leading Montreal.
Andrew Shaw scored with 2 minutes left and Carey Price stopped 36 shots for the Canadiens.
Struggling just a few days ago, the Ducks suddenly look like a different team. They had lost three consecutive games before winning Friday at San Jose, the defending Western Conference champion.
Gibson was stellar in net, fending off his first 38 shots before Montreal, having pulled its goalie, got a late score from Shaw.
SHARKS 2, COYOTES 1, OT
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Brent Burns scored a power-play goal 19 seconds into overtime and San Jose wrapped up a successful homestand.
Chris Tierney also scored and Martin Jones made 18 saves. The Sharks won four of five games on the homestand and improved to 8-3 overall at the Shark Tank this season.
Max Domi scored the lone goal for the Coyotes, who lost their fifth straight in San Jose. Mike Smith made 40 saves but had no chance on Burns' one-timer in overtime.
Martin Hanzal was called for high-sticking Melker Karlsson with 0.3 seconds left in regulation and the Sharks did not take long to capitalize in the extra period.
RED WINGS 3, STARS 1
DETROIT (AP) — Anthony Mantha scored the go-ahead goal midway through the second period and Detroit beat Dallas.
Petr Mrazek stopped 34 shots for the Red Wings, who are 3-0-1 in their last four games for their best stretch in more than a month.
Kari Lehtonen made 17 saves for the Stars. He was pulled for an extra skater with more than 2 minutes left, and the Red Wings took advantage when Steve Ott scored an empty-net goal to make it 3-1 with 1:03 remaining.
Dallas, playing the second of back-to-back games on the road, has dropped two straight and won just three of its last nine overall.
MAPLE LEAFS 4, OILERS 2
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Auston Matthews scored his 10th goal of the season as Toronto got just its second road win of the season.
James van Riemsdyk, Nazem Kadri and Zach Hyman also scored for Toronto, which has won two straight. Frederik Andersen stopped 28 shots.
Connor McDavid and Andrej Sekera scored for the Oilers, who have lost three in a row. Cam Talbot gave up four goals on 14 shots over the first two periods, and Jonas Gustavsson stopped all nine shots he faced in the third.
Matthews got the Maple Leafs on the scoreboard at 5:45 of the first, and van Riemsdyk made it 2-0 less than 3 minutes into the second. After Sekera pulled Edmonton within one, Kadri restored the two-goal lead at 6:00. Hyman extended Toronto's lead to 4-1 with just over 3 minutes remaining in the middle period.
PREDATORS 5, AVALANCHE 3
DENVER (AP) — Ryan Johansen and Austin Watson each had a goal and an assist to lead Nashville past Colorado.
Viktor Arvidsson, Mike Fisher and Kevin Fiala also scored, and Roman Josi had two assists for the Predators.
Pekka Rinne stopped 37 shots, improving to 17-7-2 in his career against the Avalanche. He also finished the month 9-1-2.
Johansen and Watson scored in the first 2:42 of the third period to put Nashville up 5-2. The Predators have won eight of 11.
Mikko Rantanen and Rene Bourque each had a goal and an assist, and Mikhail Grigorenko also scored for Colorado, which has started a five-game homestand 0-2-1.
BLUE JACKETS 5, LIGHTNING 1
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Josh Anderson had a goal and two assists, Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 26 shots and Columbus cruised past Tampa Bay.
Scott Hartnell had a goal and an assist, and William Karlsson, Alexander Wennberg and Sam Gagner also scored as the Blue Jackets beat the Lightning for the second time in five days. Columbus is 8-1-1 in its last 10 home games.
Columbus played sharp defense, kept the puck in Tampa Bay's end and created plenty of good looks and quality shots.
Andrei Vasilevskiy made 33 saves, and Valtteri Filppula scored for the Lightning with less than 3 minutes left to spoil the shutout.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Hickey's OT goal helps Isles stay strong at home vs Flames
NEW YORK (AP) Thomas Hickey scored 1:53 into overtime, helping the New York Islandersagain find their footing at home with a 2-1 win over the Calgary Flames on Monday night.
With the Flames caught in an awkward change after Michael Frolik broke his stick, captain John Tavares wheeled around the zone and then backhanded one that Hickey tipped past Brian Elliott.
Tavares also scored in the first period.
Thomas Greiss stopped 25 shots for the Islanders, standing tall during a barrage late in the second period before allowing Sean Monahan's tying goal 5:51 into the third.
New York rebounded from a wild, frustrating three-game trip to the West Coast. They beat Anaheim in a 14-round shootout but then lost twice on goals in the final 3 minutes of regulation against Los Angeles and San Jose.
Last-place New York is just 1-6-1 on the road but remains respectable in Brooklyn, improving to 6-4-3 at Barclays Center.
Elliott made 25 saves and lost his seventh straight start. He was acquired from St. Louis over the summer to be Calgary's primary goalie but had sat three straight games in favor of journeyman Chad Johnson.
Calgary finished a six-game, nine-day trip 3-2-1. The Flames fought fatigue in a 5-2 loss to the Flyers on Sunday and didn't show much life early in this one.
Both teams flailed through a mostly dull first period, each getting one shot on goal in the first 5 minutes, and Calgary finished with just four in the first 20 minutes.
Josh Bailey and Tavares teamed up for a 1-0 lead 7:28 in. Bailey rushed into the middle of the zone, turned left in the high slot, and then delivered a no-look, backhand pass for Tavares, who shot over Elliott's shoulder from the right side for his sixth of the season.
The goal started a strong stretch by New York, and the Islanders had a few near misses later in the first, including a shot off the post from Cal Clutterbuck with about six minutes left.
Calgary made a push in the second period but got stalled by solid goaltending. Greiss gloved Michael Ferland's shot on a rush and got his pad on a chance by Sam Bennett around the midpoint of the period. Later, he stopped Matt Stajan on a breakaway and Alex Chiasson on a heavy one-timer about 15 seconds apart.
The Islanders have won five straight over the Flames and improved to 17-1-3 against Western Conference foes at Barclays Center.
NOTES: The Flames had scored two goals or fewer in 12 of their past 15 games. ... Flames F Johnny Gaudreau missed his eighth straight game with a broken finger. Calgary was also without Ladislav Smid (neck) and Lance Bouma (shoulder). ... The Islanders made Ryan Strome and Scott Mayfield healthy scratches and also sat Ryan Pulock (lower-body injury) and Dennis Seidenberg (upper-body injury).
UP NEXT
Flames: Host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night to begin a three-game homestand.
Islanders: Host the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday for the second time in two weeks. Pittsburgh won the first matchup 3-2 in overtime.
Tarasenko scores at 3:24 of OT to lift Blues past Stars
ST. LOUIS (AP) Vladimir Tarasenko scored at 3:24 of overtime to lift the St. Louis Bluesto a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night.
Tarasenko took a pass from Jori Lehtera and fired a wrist shot past Stars goalie Antti Niemi for 10th of the season and team-leading 23rd point.
Stars defenseman Jamie Oleksiak scored twice, including the tying goal with 50 seconds left in the third period. With Niemi pulled for an extra skater, Oleksiak sent the puck at the net from the left point and it got past Blues goalie Jake Allen.
Robby Fabbri, Alex Pietrangelo and David Perron also scored for St. Louis, and Allen finished with 18 saves.
Jamie Benn had the Stars' other goal and Niemi stopped 27 shots.
St. Louis improved to 3-3 in overtime and Dallas fell to 1-6.
Monday, November 28, 2016
Panthers fire coach Gerard Gallant
The Florida Panthers fired coach Gerard Gallant on Sunday.
"I've been let go," Gallant told NHL.com prior to leaving PNC Arena in a taxi following a 3-2 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes.
General manager Tom Rowe was named interim coach for the remainder of the 2016-17 season.
In addition to Gallant, assistant coach Mike Kelly also was fired.
"In seeking to earn a second consecutive playoff berth and bring a Stanley Cup to South Florida, we believe that new leadership is required immediately," Panthers owner Vincent Viola told the Panthers website.
The Panthers, who won the Atlantic Division with a franchise record 47 wins and 103 points last season, are 11-10-1 after 22 games.
"My focus is solely on turning our season around, fixing our special teams and securing a playoff berth," Rowe said.
Gallant was in his third season as Panthers coach. He finished second in the Jack Adams Trophy voting last season after he guided the Panthers to their most successful regular season with 47 wins and 103 points. Gallant received 20 first-place votes and 203 points in the voting, 141 behind winner Barry Trotz of the Washington Capitals and 128 ahead of third-place Lindy Ruff of the Dallas Stars.
Last season, Gallant became one of four coaches to guide the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, joining Kevin Dineen, Terry Murray and Doug MacLean. Florida lost to the New York Islanders in six games in the first round of 2016 playoffs.
"Today is a hard day," Panthers president Dale Tallon said. "Gerard and Mike are good men and talented hockey coaches. We thank them for their contributions in the community, for their work developing our young players and in helping to turn around the culture."
Gallant was 96-65-25 with the Panthers. He was hired on June 21, 2014 and signed a two-year contract through the 2018-19 season last January while in the midst of a franchise-record 12-game winning streak.
In his first season in 2014-15, Gallant guided the Panthers to a 38-29-15 record and 91 points, a 25-point improvement over the previous season.
Gallant's first head-coaching tenure also ended in the middle of a season; after taking over as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets midway through the 2003-04 season, Gallant was replaced after 15 games in 2006-07. The Blue Jackets were 56-76-10 with Gallant as coach.
This marks the sixth time in the Panthers' 23-year history they have made an in-season coaching change. It previously happened in 2013-14 when Peter Horachek replaced Dineen after 16 games.
- NHL.com
"I've been let go," Gallant told NHL.com prior to leaving PNC Arena in a taxi following a 3-2 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes.
General manager Tom Rowe was named interim coach for the remainder of the 2016-17 season.
In addition to Gallant, assistant coach Mike Kelly also was fired.
"In seeking to earn a second consecutive playoff berth and bring a Stanley Cup to South Florida, we believe that new leadership is required immediately," Panthers owner Vincent Viola told the Panthers website.
The Panthers, who won the Atlantic Division with a franchise record 47 wins and 103 points last season, are 11-10-1 after 22 games.
"My focus is solely on turning our season around, fixing our special teams and securing a playoff berth," Rowe said.
Gallant was in his third season as Panthers coach. He finished second in the Jack Adams Trophy voting last season after he guided the Panthers to their most successful regular season with 47 wins and 103 points. Gallant received 20 first-place votes and 203 points in the voting, 141 behind winner Barry Trotz of the Washington Capitals and 128 ahead of third-place Lindy Ruff of the Dallas Stars.
Last season, Gallant became one of four coaches to guide the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, joining Kevin Dineen, Terry Murray and Doug MacLean. Florida lost to the New York Islanders in six games in the first round of 2016 playoffs.
"Today is a hard day," Panthers president Dale Tallon said. "Gerard and Mike are good men and talented hockey coaches. We thank them for their contributions in the community, for their work developing our young players and in helping to turn around the culture."
Gallant was 96-65-25 with the Panthers. He was hired on June 21, 2014 and signed a two-year contract through the 2018-19 season last January while in the midst of a franchise-record 12-game winning streak.
In his first season in 2014-15, Gallant guided the Panthers to a 38-29-15 record and 91 points, a 25-point improvement over the previous season.
Gallant's first head-coaching tenure also ended in the middle of a season; after taking over as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets midway through the 2003-04 season, Gallant was replaced after 15 games in 2006-07. The Blue Jackets were 56-76-10 with Gallant as coach.
This marks the sixth time in the Panthers' 23-year history they have made an in-season coaching change. It previously happened in 2013-14 when Peter Horachek replaced Dineen after 16 games.
- NHL.com
NHL Capsules (November 28, 2016)
BOSTON (AP) — Jimmy Hayes capped Boston's three-goal second period with his first of the season, Tuukka Rask stopped 30 shots and the Bruins beat Tampa Bay 4-1 on Sunday to snap a three-game skid.
Rask allowed only Victor Hedman's goal with 2:39 to play.
David Pastrnak had his team-leading 13th goal, and David Backes and Dominic Moore also scored.
Claude Julien coached his 726th game with the Bruins, tying Milt Schmidt — the oldest living member of the Hall of Fame at 98 years old — for second in team history.
Ben Bishop made 26 saves for Tampa Bay.
COYOTES 2, OILERS 1
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Jamie McGinn broke a tie with 3:44 left and Mike Smith made 41 saves in Arizona's victory over Edmonton.
McGinn was left all alone in front and beat goalie Cam Talbot to the stick side.
Radim Vrbata also scored to help the Coyotes complete a home-and-home sweep. They edged the Oilers in a shootout Friday night in the desert.
The Coyotes have won three of their last four to improve to 8-10-2. Arizona is 21-0-4 against Edmonton in the last 25 meetings between the two teams.
Milan Lucic scored for the Oilers, and Talbot stopped 21 shots.
HURRICANES 3, PANTHERS 2
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jeff Skinner had a goal and an assist for Carolina, and Florida fired coach Grrard Gallant after the game.
Florida fired Gallant after the game, a person familiar with the decision told The Associated Press. Tom Rowe, who was promoted to general manager before the season, will assume the coaching duties, said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team hasn't announced the moves.
Carolina goalie Michael Leighton stopped 31 shots in his first NHL game this season. Cam Ward started the previous nine games for Carolina.
Viktor Stalberg and Derek Ryan also scored for Carolina, with Ryan getting his first of the season.
Jonathan Marchessault and Aaron Ekblad scored for Florida.
FLYERS 5, FLAMES 3
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Anthony Stolarz made 29 saves for his first NHL victory in Philadelphia's win over Calgary.
Stolarz also became the first New Jersey native to appear in goal in an NHL game. The 22-year-old was born in Edison, about 60 miles northeast of Philadelphia.
Michael Raffl, Jakub Voracek, Chris VandeVelde, Wayne Simmonds and Roman Lyubimov scored to help the Flyers snap a two-game losing streak and improve to 10-10-3.
T.J. Brodie, Matthew Tkachuk and Alex Chiasson scored for the Flames.
SENATORS 2, RANGERS 0
NEW YORK (AP) — Craig Anderson made 32 saves for his third shutout of the season and Ottawa beat New York for its fourth straight victory.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mark Stone scored in the second period.
Rangers goalie Antti Raanta made 18 saves in his first loss of the season.
JETS 3, PREDATORS 0
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck made 42 saves, Drew Stafford scored his first goal of the season and Winnipeg beat Nashville to end a five-game losing streak.
Hellebuyck had his second shutout of the season and fourth overall. Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry added empty-net goals for the Jets.
Rookie Juuse Saros made 21 saves for Nashville. The Predators beat Winnipeg 5-1 on Friday night in Nashville with Hellebuyck in net.
Sunday, November 27, 2016
NHL Capsules (November 27, 2016)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jeff Carter scored his 10th goal of the season 1:06 into overtime, and the Los Angeles Kings beat the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 on Saturday night for their season-best fifth consecutive victory.
Alec Martinez scored and Peter Budaj stopped 18 shots for the Kings, who persevered through a back-and-forth game between Western Conference contenders for their third straight win over Chicago at Staples Center.
After Los Angeles failed to score on a power play stretching into overtime, Carter fired a wrist shot past Scott Darling for his fifth goal in five games. Carter also had an early assist, giving him 19 points in 22 games.
Patrick Kane scored and Darling stopped 27 shots in his first loss for the Blackhawks, who finished their seven-game circus road trip at 3-3-1.
Captain Jonathan Toews missed his second straight game for the Western Conference leaders with an upper-body injury.
DUCKS 3, SHARKS 2
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and an assist, and the Ducks snapped a three-game skid.
Ryan Garbutt and Rickard Rakell also scored for Anaheim, and Jonathan Bernier had 21 saves.
Getlaf gave the Ducks the lead for good at 12:59 of the second. With Justin Braun in the box for elbowing Corey Perry, Getlaf beat Martin Jones for just his second goal of the season.
Logan Couture and Dylan DeMelo scored for San Jose, which had won three in a row. Jones had 23 saves.
CANADIENS 2, RED WINGS 1
DETROIT (AP) — Alex Galchenyuk scored at 3:37 of overtime, lifting the NHL-leading Canadiens to the road win.
Brendan Gallagher also scored to help Montreal improve to 16-4-2. Carey Price stopped 32 shots.
Justin Abdelkader scored for Detroit, and Petr Mrazek made 22 saves.
Galchenyuk finished off a 2-on-1 by one-timing a pass from Alexander Radulov past Mrazek from the bottom of the left circle. It was Galchenyuk's ninth goal.
PENGUINS 4, DEVILS 3, SO
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby tied it with 14 seconds left in regulation and Kris Letang scored the only goal in a shootout, lifting Pittsburgh past New Jersey.
Crosby pounced on a loose puck and fired it by Keith Kinkaid for his NHL-leading 15th goal.
Penguins rookie Jake Guentzel picked up his third goal in six days, and Tom Kuhnhackl also scored. Evgeni Malkin had three assists while extending his points streak to eight games.
Mike Cammalleri scored twice, and Vernon Fiddler added a goal for New Jersey.
BLUES 4, WILD 3, SO
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jaden Schwartz had two goals in the third period, David Perron scored the only goal in a shootout and St. Louis beat Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Saturday night.
Paul Stastny also scored to help St. Louis stretch its home points streak to nine and improve to 9-1-2 at Scottrade Center. Jake Allen stopped 28 shots and all four shootout attempts to improve to 10-3-3 overall and 7-0-2 at home.
Minnesota's Charlie Coyle tied it at 3 with 1:08 left in regulation after the Wild pulled goalie Devan Dubnyk for an extra attacker. Erik Haula and Mikko Koivu also scored for the Wild.
CANUCKS 3, AVALANCHE 2, SO
DENVER (AP) — Jacob Markstrom had 32 saves and made three consecutive stops in a shootout, helping Vancouver get the win.
Markstrom denied Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Matt Duchene in the tiebreaker, and Markus Granlund converted his shootout opportunity for the Canucks.
Loui Eriksson and Alexandre Burrows scored for Vancouver, which went 2-1-0 on a three-game trip. The Canucks also improved to 4-1-1 in their last six games against the Avalanche.
Calvin Pickard, starting in place of injured goalie Semyon Varlamov, stopped 29 shots for Colorado. He is 4-1-1 in six starts this season.
Mikhail Grigorenko and Jarome Iginla scored for the Avs, who have dropped the first two games of their five-game homestand.
MAPLE LEAFS 4, CAPITALS 2
TORONTO (AP) — Mitch Marner set up a pair of goals, Auston Matthews scored for the second straight game and Toronto beat Washington to end a three-game losing streak.
Marner set up goals from Matt Martin and James van Riemsdyk, and Matthews scored his first goal at home in more than a month. Nazem Kadri added his ninth goal of the season.
Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson scored, and Braden Holtby made 37 saves for Washington.
PANTHERS 2, BLUE JACKETS 1, SO
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Aleksander Barkov scored the shootout winner, lifting Florida past Columbus.
Barkov backhanded the puck high over Sergei Bobrovsky for the only goal in the tiebreaker. Florida's Roberto Luongo stopped all three shots he faced.
Jaromir Jagr scored his 752nd career goal for the Panthers, and Luongo made 36 saves.
Brandon Saad scored for the Blue Jackets, and Bobrovsky stopped 22 shots.
SENATORS 2, HURRICANES 1
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Kyle Turris scored his team-leading 10th goal to help Ottawa beat Carolina.
Turris broke a tie with 3:32 left, beating goalie Cam Ward high to the stick side. The Hurricanes challenged the goal, asserting that it was offside, but it stood after a review.
Dion Phaneuf also scored, and Craig Anderson made 32 saves. The Senators have won three straight.
Sebastian Aho scored for Carolina, and Ward stopped 22 shots.
Alec Martinez scored and Peter Budaj stopped 18 shots for the Kings, who persevered through a back-and-forth game between Western Conference contenders for their third straight win over Chicago at Staples Center.
After Los Angeles failed to score on a power play stretching into overtime, Carter fired a wrist shot past Scott Darling for his fifth goal in five games. Carter also had an early assist, giving him 19 points in 22 games.
Patrick Kane scored and Darling stopped 27 shots in his first loss for the Blackhawks, who finished their seven-game circus road trip at 3-3-1.
Captain Jonathan Toews missed his second straight game for the Western Conference leaders with an upper-body injury.
DUCKS 3, SHARKS 2
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and an assist, and the Ducks snapped a three-game skid.
Ryan Garbutt and Rickard Rakell also scored for Anaheim, and Jonathan Bernier had 21 saves.
Getlaf gave the Ducks the lead for good at 12:59 of the second. With Justin Braun in the box for elbowing Corey Perry, Getlaf beat Martin Jones for just his second goal of the season.
Logan Couture and Dylan DeMelo scored for San Jose, which had won three in a row. Jones had 23 saves.
CANADIENS 2, RED WINGS 1
DETROIT (AP) — Alex Galchenyuk scored at 3:37 of overtime, lifting the NHL-leading Canadiens to the road win.
Brendan Gallagher also scored to help Montreal improve to 16-4-2. Carey Price stopped 32 shots.
Justin Abdelkader scored for Detroit, and Petr Mrazek made 22 saves.
Galchenyuk finished off a 2-on-1 by one-timing a pass from Alexander Radulov past Mrazek from the bottom of the left circle. It was Galchenyuk's ninth goal.
PENGUINS 4, DEVILS 3, SO
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby tied it with 14 seconds left in regulation and Kris Letang scored the only goal in a shootout, lifting Pittsburgh past New Jersey.
Crosby pounced on a loose puck and fired it by Keith Kinkaid for his NHL-leading 15th goal.
Penguins rookie Jake Guentzel picked up his third goal in six days, and Tom Kuhnhackl also scored. Evgeni Malkin had three assists while extending his points streak to eight games.
Mike Cammalleri scored twice, and Vernon Fiddler added a goal for New Jersey.
BLUES 4, WILD 3, SO
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Jaden Schwartz had two goals in the third period, David Perron scored the only goal in a shootout and St. Louis beat Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Saturday night.
Paul Stastny also scored to help St. Louis stretch its home points streak to nine and improve to 9-1-2 at Scottrade Center. Jake Allen stopped 28 shots and all four shootout attempts to improve to 10-3-3 overall and 7-0-2 at home.
Minnesota's Charlie Coyle tied it at 3 with 1:08 left in regulation after the Wild pulled goalie Devan Dubnyk for an extra attacker. Erik Haula and Mikko Koivu also scored for the Wild.
CANUCKS 3, AVALANCHE 2, SO
DENVER (AP) — Jacob Markstrom had 32 saves and made three consecutive stops in a shootout, helping Vancouver get the win.
Markstrom denied Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen and Matt Duchene in the tiebreaker, and Markus Granlund converted his shootout opportunity for the Canucks.
Loui Eriksson and Alexandre Burrows scored for Vancouver, which went 2-1-0 on a three-game trip. The Canucks also improved to 4-1-1 in their last six games against the Avalanche.
Calvin Pickard, starting in place of injured goalie Semyon Varlamov, stopped 29 shots for Colorado. He is 4-1-1 in six starts this season.
Mikhail Grigorenko and Jarome Iginla scored for the Avs, who have dropped the first two games of their five-game homestand.
MAPLE LEAFS 4, CAPITALS 2
TORONTO (AP) — Mitch Marner set up a pair of goals, Auston Matthews scored for the second straight game and Toronto beat Washington to end a three-game losing streak.
Marner set up goals from Matt Martin and James van Riemsdyk, and Matthews scored his first goal at home in more than a month. Nazem Kadri added his ninth goal of the season.
Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson scored, and Braden Holtby made 37 saves for Washington.
PANTHERS 2, BLUE JACKETS 1, SO
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Aleksander Barkov scored the shootout winner, lifting Florida past Columbus.
Barkov backhanded the puck high over Sergei Bobrovsky for the only goal in the tiebreaker. Florida's Roberto Luongo stopped all three shots he faced.
Jaromir Jagr scored his 752nd career goal for the Panthers, and Luongo made 36 saves.
Brandon Saad scored for the Blue Jackets, and Bobrovsky stopped 22 shots.
SENATORS 2, HURRICANES 1
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Kyle Turris scored his team-leading 10th goal to help Ottawa beat Carolina.
Turris broke a tie with 3:32 left, beating goalie Cam Ward high to the stick side. The Hurricanes challenged the goal, asserting that it was offside, but it stood after a review.
Dion Phaneuf also scored, and Craig Anderson made 32 saves. The Senators have won three straight.
Sebastian Aho scored for Carolina, and Ward stopped 22 shots.
Saturday, November 26, 2016
NHL Capsules (November 26, 2016)
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist, and the Chicago Blackhawks hung on to beat the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 for their fifth consecutive win in the clubs' Black Friday rivalry game.
Artem Anisimov and Ryan Hartman also scored as the Blackhawks snapped their two-game skid even without captain Jonathan Toews. He missed his first game of the season due to an upper-body injury.
Corey Crawford made 34 saves for the Western Conference leaders. They have won five straight regular-season games in Anaheim since March 2013.
Nick Ritchie and Jakob Silfverberg scored and John Gibson stopped 22 shots for the Ducks. They wrapped up a five-game homestand on a three-game skid.
The Ducks fell to 4-4-2 against the Blackhawks on Black Friday. They haven't won this rivalry game since 2009.
SHARKS 3, ISLANDERS 2
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Patrick Marleau scored with 22.5 seconds left and San Jose rebounded after allowing the tying goal to New York in the closing minute.
Nick Leddy had tied it for New York with a one-timer off a feed from John Tavares with 57.1 seconds left but the Sharks bounced back quickly.
Brent Burns took a shot from the point that Marleau deflected in the slot past Thomas Greiss for the winner that helped San Jose improve to 7-2 at home this season.
Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns scored 34 seconds apart in the second period and backup Aaron Dell made 26 saves for the Sharks. Dell has earned both of his wins this season against the Islanders
Anders Lee also scored for New York, and Greiss made 25 saves.
RED WINGS, 5, DEVILS 4, OT
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Defenseman Mike Green scored from the right circle at 3:18 of overtime and Detroit handed New Jersey a rare home loss.
Frans Nielsen added two goals, and Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha scored one apiece as the Red Wings won their second straight despite losing goalie Jimmy Howard to a lower-body injury in the first period.
Petr Mrazek finished and allowed three goals in relief.
John Moore, Mike Cammalleri, Pavel Zacha and Adam Henrique scored for the Devils. They are 7-0-2 at home.
WILD 6, PENGUINS 2
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Charlie Coyle scored twice in the first period to set the tone as Minnesota matched its season high for goals, and Nino Niederreiter had two of the Wild's three goals on the power play on their way to the victory over Pittsburgh.
Zach Parise also scored with the man advantage and Mikael Granlund added a goal to build 5-1 lead by the second intermission. Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's career record against the Wild fell to 2-7, with 30 goals allowed in those nine all-time matchups.
Phil Kessel and Bryan Rust had goals for the Penguins.
STARS 2, CANUCKS 1
DALLAS (AP) — Esa Lindell scored his first NHL goal and had an assist to help Dallas beat Vancouver.
Playing in his 17th game for Dallas, Lindell at first was credited with the goal at 9:32 of the second period that tied it 1. A scoring change gave the goal to Radek Faksa, who deflected Lindell's drive from the left point past goalie Ryan Miller.
With 4:02 left in the second, Lindell scored from the inside edge of the left faceoff circle past a screen from Patrick Eaves. Antti Niemi made 30 saves for Dallas, allowing only Jayson Megna's early goal.
BLUE JACKETS 5, LIGHTNING 3
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Brandon Saad scored on a power play and Cam Atkinson had a short-handed goal in the third period in Columbus' victory over Tampa Bay.
Alexander Wenneberg, Nick Foligno and Josh Anderson also scored to help the Blue Jackets improve to 9-2-2 in their last 13 games and 11-5-3 overall.
Ondrej Palat, Jason Garrison and Nikita Kucherov scored for Tampa Bay. The loss was only the second for the Lightning in their last eight games against Columbus.
PREDATORS 5, JETS 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Colin Wilson and Ryan Johansen scored twice, Mike Fisher added three assists and Nashville beat Winnipeg.
James Neal also scored and Pekka Rinne made 22 saves for Nashville, winners of three straight. The Predators continued their home dominance, improving to 8-1-1.
Dustin Byfuglien scored for Winnipeg. The Jets concluded their five-game trip, losing all five games.
FLAMES 2, BRUINS 1
BOSTON (AP) — Chad Johnson made 35 saves and Alex Chiasson broke a tie at 7:05 of the third period in Calgary's victory over Boston.
Coming off a 2-0 victory Wednesday night at Columbus, Johnson allowed only David Pastrnak's goal off a rebound at 5:55 of the third period.
Sam Bennett had a goal and an assist to help Calgary win for the third time in four games. Bennett set up winner with a backhand pass from behind the net right to Chiasson, who easily beat goalie Anton Khudobin as he scrambled to get back across.
Boston has lost three straight and four of five.
CAPITALS 3, SABRES 1
WASHINGTON (AP) — Marcus Johansson scored, Philipp Grubauer made 29 saves and Washington beat Buffalo.
Daniel Winnik and Brett Connolly also scored to help Washington close its five-game homestand with its fourth victory. Sam Reinhart's third-period goal helped Buffalo's NHL-worst offense avoid being shut out for the third this time this season.
COYOTES 3, OILERS 2, SO
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Radim Vrbata and Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored in a shootout to give Arizona a 3-comeback victory over Edmonton.
Mike Smith made 32 saves to help the Coyotes improve to 20-0-4 in the last 24 meetings with Edmonton.
Connor McDavid's shot beat Coyotes goalie Mike Smith as time expired in the 3-on-3 overtime, but the goal was disallowed on review when officials deemed it did not cross the goal line before time ran out.
Max Domi and Shane Doan scored for Arizona. McDavid and Adam Larsson countered for Edmonton.
RANGERS 3, FLYERS 2
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Matt Puempel scored in his first game with New York, and Henrik Lundqvist made 40 saves to help the Rangers beat Philadelphia.
Derek Stepan and Kevin Hayes also scored for the the Rangers. Shayne Gostibehere and Chris VandeVelde scored in the third period for Philadelphia.
Friday, November 25, 2016
Lundqvist makes 40 saves as Rangers top Flyers 3-2
Derek Stepan opened the scoring for the Rangers, then goals by Matt Puempel and Kevin Hayes followed.
Hayes' goal was the 100th point of his NHL career, all as a Ranger.
But the Flyers scored twice in the third to put pressure on the Rangers, which led to a heart-stopping finish that led to several Flyer shots on goal and several fights for the puck by the Rangers net that would have sent any Ranger fan's heart-rate into overdrive.
Chris Vandevelde scored for the Flyers 1:34 into the third period, and Shayne Gostisbehre scored with 2:04 left in the same period.
Henrik Lundqvist made 40 saves for the Rangers in the win.
Spirit sign free agent forward D.J. Busdeker
“We are pleased to announce the signing of D.J. Busdeker and are excited that he has committed to the Saginaw Spirit.” Said Drinkill.
“D.J. is a player that we have followed very closely over the last year with Compuware U16 and continuing into this season with Topeka of the NAHL. He has done nothing but produce at every level that he has played and has earned this opportunity with us. Adding a player of his character, work ethic, and drive to be a pro is infectious and we are looking forward to getting him started in our organization. By moving a player off our roster recently this opened up the opportunity to bring D.J. in, and allow him the opportunity to grow with our group of young players.”
Busdeker led the entire HPHL Under-16’s in 2015-16 with 42 points in 22 games for Detroit Compuware.
The native of Dexter, Michigan, Busdeker comes by way of the Topeka Roadrunners in the North American Hockey League where the rookie scored 13 points in just 12 games, ranking fourth on the team in scoring. An impressive feat for a just turned 17-year old on a team with an average age of 18 ½ years old. Busdeker is a late 1999 birthday, qualifying him for the 2018 NHL Draft.
“I am very much looking forward to making the jump to the Ontario Hockey League,” said the newly signed Spirit forward. “My goal is to one day play in the National Hockey League and I feel like the professional environment the Saginaw Spirit provides gives me the best opportunity to do so. My goal for this year is to come in and help the team any way I can. There are some great players here and I look forward to playing with them and learning from them.”
Busdeker will join his Spirit teammates this weekend to take on the Kitchener Rangers Saturday and the Guelph Storm Sunday.
- Saginaw Spirit
Sharks Recall Forward Barclay Goodrow
SAN JOSE, Calif. - San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) General Manager Doug Wilson announced today that the club has recalled right wing Barclay Goodrow (@bgoodrow23) from the San Jose Barracuda (@sjbarracuda), the team's top development affiliate in the American Hockey League.
The 23-year-old Goodrow leads the Barracuda in goals (6), including a hat trick on November 11th at the Texas Stars. He has recorded 6 points (6 goals, 0 assists) in 12 AHL games played this season, and is T-1st on the team in shooting percentage (25%).
Goodrow has played 74 games in the NHL, and recorded 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists).
The six-foot-two, 210-pound forward from Toronto, Ontario was signed by San Jose on March 6, 2014.
- San Jose Sharks
The 23-year-old Goodrow leads the Barracuda in goals (6), including a hat trick on November 11th at the Texas Stars. He has recorded 6 points (6 goals, 0 assists) in 12 AHL games played this season, and is T-1st on the team in shooting percentage (25%).
Goodrow has played 74 games in the NHL, and recorded 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists).
The six-foot-two, 210-pound forward from Toronto, Ontario was signed by San Jose on March 6, 2014.
- San Jose Sharks
Predators waive Matt Carle
the Nashville Predators placed Matt Carle on unconditional waivers on Friday for the purpose of terminating his contract.
The 32-year-old defenseman was signed this summer after getting bought out by the Lightning. Inked to a low-risk deal (one year, $700,000), the hope was that Carle could replicate some of the form shown earlier in his career — a two-time 40-point scorer, Carle was a good offensive defenseman in his prime (which is how he landed a six-year, $33 million deal from the Bolts in the first place).
The Predators placed Carle on waivers earlier this week but he went unclaimed.
The 32-year-old defenseman was signed this summer after getting bought out by the Lightning. Inked to a low-risk deal (one year, $700,000), the hope was that Carle could replicate some of the form shown earlier in his career — a two-time 40-point scorer, Carle was a good offensive defenseman in his prime (which is how he landed a six-year, $33 million deal from the Bolts in the first place).
The Predators placed Carle on waivers earlier this week but he went unclaimed.
Grenier recalled by Canucks
Vancouver Canucks General Manager Jim Benning announced today that the club has recalled forward Alexandre Grenier from the AHL Utica Comets.Grenier, 25, has appeared in 16 games for Utica this season where he currently leads the team in points (14), ranks second in goals (6) and is tied for second in assists (8). In 2015.16, Grenier appeared in six games for Vancouver in his first NHL season. He also appeared in 69 games with the Comets, leading the team in both points (48) and assists (32) and finishing tied for the third in goals (16). The 6-5, 213-pound forward then added a team-high two goals and three points in four Calder Cup Playoff games.
A native of Laval, Quebec, Grenier was originally selected by Vancouver in the third round, 90th overall, at the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.
Canadiens end brief home slump
After dropping two of their past three games at Bell Centre, Max Pacioretty scored the game-winning goal 14 seconds into the third period to end the Carolina Hurricanes' five-game winning streak and help the Montreal Canadiens improve to 12-1-1 at home this season.
* Per the Elias Sports Bureau, the Canadiens have won at least 12 of their first 14 home games for the fifth time in franchise history, most recently in 1984-85 (12-1-1).
* Carey Price continued his hot start, making 31 saves to improve to 12-1-1 with a 1.71 goals against average, .945 save percentage and two shutouts. Price has allowed one goal or fewer in eight of his 14 starts this season.
THURSDAY'S RESULTS
Home Team in Caps
MONTREAL 2, Carolina 1
OTTAWA 3, Boston 1
NHL GREATS PARTICIPATE IN MACY'S THANKSGIVING PARADE
Recent Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Eric Lindros and former Rangers great Adam Graves were aboard the Discover NHL "Frozen Fall Fun" float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York on Thursday.
The 36-foot long by 20-foot wide float featured a synthetic ice rink with children skating, a 12-foot tall turkey that served as a goal and an assortment of colorful fall décor. Singer Daya also delighted the crowd and even signed some hockey sticks for a few lucky fans.
SENATORS RALLY, DEFEAT BRUINS
The Ottawa Senators scored three unanswered goals to defeat the Boston Bruins and snap a three-game home losing streak.
* Kyle Turris (9-3-12) and Mark Stone (5-7-12) each scored to maintain a share of the points lead among Senators forwards. Turris leads the team with nine goals, four shy of his total from last season (13 in 57 GP).
* Chris Wideman scored the game-winning goal at 6:28 of the third period. Of his seven NHL goals (79 GP), three have been game-winners.
LOOSE PUCKS
Bruins forward David Pastrnak scored his team-leading 11th goal; that's four shy of his NHL career high, set in 2015-16. … Hurricanes forward Elias Lindholm (1-0-1) earned a point for the fourth straight game after going 0-3-3 in his first 15. … Carolina, which leads the NHL in penalty killing (92.2%), stopped Montreal's two power plays and has not allowed a shorthanded goal in 11 consecutive games (0-24).
SNEAK PEEK AT FRIDAY'S ACTION
All Times Eastern
NY Rangers @ Philadelphia, 1 p.m., NBC
Chicago @ Anaheim, 4 p.m., NHLN, PRIME, CSN-CH
NY Islanders @ San Jose, 4 p.m., CSN-CA, MSG+
Pittsburgh @ Minnesota, 4 p.m., FS-N, FS-WI, ROOT
Buffalo @ Washington, 5 p.m., CSN-DC, MSG-B
Winnipeg @ Nashville, 6 p.m., TVA Sports, FS-TN, TSN3
Calgary @ Boston, 7:30 p.m., NESN, SNW
Columbus @ Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m., SUN, FS-O
Detroit @ New Jersey, 7:30 p.m., MSG+, FS-D+
Vancouver @ Dallas, 8:30 p.m., FS-SW+, SNP
Edmonton @ Arizona, 9 p.m., FS-A, SNOL
DISCOVER NHL THANKSGIVING SHOWDOWN TO FEATURE RANGERS, FLYERS
The New York Rangers visit the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2016 Discover NHL Thanksgiving Showdown, which be televised nationally on NBC. Each team will be aiming to bounce back from a loss on Wednesday. The Flyers are led by Wayne Simmonds (10-8-18), whose nine power-play points are one off the League lead. The Metropolitan Division-leading Rangers are paced by Kevin Hayes (9-9-18) and J.T. Miller (8-10-18).
- NHL Public Relations
Dallas Stars assign defeseman Stephen Johns to Texas
Johns, 24, has produced four points (2-2=4) in 16 games played for Dallas this season. He currently leads the team with 44 hits and is tied for third with 32 blocked shots.
The 6-foot-4, 230-pound native of Ellwood City, Pennsylvania was selected by Chicago in the second round (60th overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft. He was acquired by Dallas along with Patrick Sharp from Chicago in exchange for Trevor Daley and Ryan Garbutt on July 12, 2015.
- Dallas Stars
Flames recall Mark Jankowski from Stockton
The 22-year-old has played in 13 games for the Heat and leads the team in points (12) and assists (9).
The Flames drafted Jankowski in the 1st round (21st overall) in the 2012 NHL Draft.
Predators play key division game against Jets
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As the Nashville Predators work on turning around their slow start, they were presented with two breaks from the schedule-maker.
Not only are they finishing up a three-game homestand Friday when the Winnipeg Jets come to Nashville, they are also in the middle of a stretch of four straight games against their Central Division brethren, meaning wins can count for a little bit more.
"These games are huge," Nashville forward Filip Forsberg said. "These division games are probably going to decide who's going to make the playoffs. That's been the case for the last couple of years now."
Forsberg got the Predators' run of division games off to a good start, scoring a goal and picking up an assist Wednesday night in a 5-2 win over Dallas that upped their record in Bridgestone Arena to 7-1-1. What's more, it upped Nashville (9-7-3) from sixth in the division to fourth.
Nashville effectively swapped places with the Jets (9-11-2), a 3-1 loser Wednesday night in Minnesota. That dropped Winnipeg to 0-4-0 on its five-game road trip and 3-8-1 away from Manitoba this season.
"We were just about an inch shy on everything that happened for us tonight," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "Both teams were competing pretty hard on that puck and it was hard to get pucks to the net. The margin for error there was real small."
There has been no margin for error for Winnipeg since it blanked Chicago 4-0 on Nov. 15 to claim second place in the division. It has been outscored 15-5 during its road trip and has been stuck on one goal for three straight games.
Given the way Predators goalie Pekka Rinne played this month, the Jets' chances of registering a crooked number don't look good in this one, either. Rinne (8-5-3) stopped 33 shots Wednesday night, including all 22 Dallas threw at him in the second period.
In 10 November games, Rinne is 7-1-2 with a 1.39 goals-against average and a .952 save percentage. He is not the entire reason Nashville is 6-2-1 in its last nine games, but he is clearly the team's first star this month.
"He's a good goalie," Dallas left winger Jamie Benn said. "He's one of the best in the league and if he can see it, he's probably going to stop it."
Also boding well for the Predators was getting goals from Forsberg and Ryan Johansen in the same game for the first time this season. Both have just two markers in 19 games, although Forsberg leads the team in points with 15 and Johansen has played a solid two-way game, ranking among the team leaders in plus-minus.
Nashville coach Peter Laviolette was particularly pleased with Johansen, and linemates Viktor Arvidsson and James Neal, for their work against the Stars' top line of Benn, Tyler Seguin and Cody Eakin.
"He's working hard at both ends of the ice," Nashville Laviolette said of Johansen. "I think they're playing against big lines. Defensively, they're trying to be responsible and play a good game and still contribute offensively."
Friday's game starts a home-and-home series between the Predators and Jets. They meet again on Sunday in Winnipeg.
As the Nashville Predators work on turning around their slow start, they were presented with two breaks from the schedule-maker.Not only are they finishing up a three-game homestand Friday when the Winnipeg Jets come to Nashville, they are also in the middle of a stretch of four straight games against their Central Division brethren, meaning wins can count for a little bit more.
"These games are huge," Nashville forward Filip Forsberg said. "These division games are probably going to decide who's going to make the playoffs. That's been the case for the last couple of years now."
Forsberg got the Predators' run of division games off to a good start, scoring a goal and picking up an assist Wednesday night in a 5-2 win over Dallas that upped their record in Bridgestone Arena to 7-1-1. What's more, it upped Nashville (9-7-3) from sixth in the division to fourth.
Nashville effectively swapped places with the Jets (9-11-2), a 3-1 loser Wednesday night in Minnesota. That dropped Winnipeg to 0-4-0 on its five-game road trip and 3-8-1 away from Manitoba this season.
"We were just about an inch shy on everything that happened for us tonight," Jets coach Paul Maurice said. "Both teams were competing pretty hard on that puck and it was hard to get pucks to the net. The margin for error there was real small."
There has been no margin for error for Winnipeg since it blanked Chicago 4-0 on Nov. 15 to claim second place in the division. It has been outscored 15-5 during its road trip and has been stuck on one goal for three straight games.
Given the way Predators goalie Pekka Rinne played this month, the Jets' chances of registering a crooked number don't look good in this one, either. Rinne (8-5-3) stopped 33 shots Wednesday night, including all 22 Dallas threw at him in the second period.
In 10 November games, Rinne is 7-1-2 with a 1.39 goals-against average and a .952 save percentage. He is not the entire reason Nashville is 6-2-1 in its last nine games, but he is clearly the team's first star this month.
"He's a good goalie," Dallas left winger Jamie Benn said. "He's one of the best in the league and if he can see it, he's probably going to stop it."
Also boding well for the Predators was getting goals from Forsberg and Ryan Johansen in the same game for the first time this season. Both have just two markers in 19 games, although Forsberg leads the team in points with 15 and Johansen has played a solid two-way game, ranking among the team leaders in plus-minus.
Nashville coach Peter Laviolette was particularly pleased with Johansen, and linemates Viktor Arvidsson and James Neal, for their work against the Stars' top line of Benn, Tyler Seguin and Cody Eakin.
"He's working hard at both ends of the ice," Nashville Laviolette said of Johansen. "I think they're playing against big lines. Defensively, they're trying to be responsible and play a good game and still contribute offensively."
Friday's game starts a home-and-home series between the Predators and Jets. They meet again on Sunday in Winnipeg.
Kuznetsov leads Capitals into battle with Sabres
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WASHINGTON -- The Washington Capitals' explosive offense seems to be rounding into form, and on Friday they'll try to finish their longest homestand of the season on a positive note against a Buffalo Sabres squad inching toward the .500 mark.
Alexander Ovechkin had his 16th career hat trick in a 4-3 win over the St, Louis Blues on Wednesday, but all parties agreed that it was Evgeny Kuznetsov that helped make a big difference for the Capitals' offense.
"I hope he's back on his game and he has the confidence," Ovechkin said of his fellow countryman. "It helps us when he plays well."
Kuznetsov had gotten off to a slow start this season, but his goal and assist against the Blues gave him his second multi-point game of the year, and the 24-year-old's skill in the offensive zone will help boost Washington's offensive attack. Kuznetsov now has three goals this season after leading Washington with 20 tallies last year.
"I thought (Kuznetsov) was dynamic -- he was really skating," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said after Washington's win. "That was the (Kuznetsov) that we all see that he can be. He's been getting better and better. You can see he was going to have a breakout sooner or later as long as he stayed with the program, and he has."
The Sabres are coming off a hard-fought, 2-1 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday, but got some good news in the return of center Ryan O'Reilly, who rejoined the team's top line. He played 22:48 in his return, but may have also showed some rust after missing five games due to an oblique injury.
"I think at time he was a little extended in his energy level," Sabres coach Dan Bylsma told NHL.com after Wednesday's loss. "He's a great player, but he extended himself in a couple shifts and got stuck out there in the second, one of those long shifts and then the overtime he got stuck out again."
The Sabres (7-8-5) have stressed getting back to even on the season, and will have another crack at it against the Capitals, who have been one of the top home teams this season at 7-3-0.
"It is a big goal of ours to get back to that .500 mark, but you come out and have a good effort against Washington and you consider it a really good week," Sabres captain Brian Gionta told reporters after Wednesday's game.
Buffalo's goalies, Robin Lehner and Anders Nilsson, have combined for a .930 save percentage, good enough for second in the league. Washington netminder Braden Holtby has posted a 9-3-2 mark in his last 14 games dating back to last season, but said that it's important that the Capitals play the full 60 minutes after giving up a couple of late goals against the Blues.
"The frustrating thing is that we've done it a few times this year," he said. "Once it happens a few times, it becomes a habit. We have to address it and clamp down in third periods."
Alexander Ovechkin had his 16th career hat trick in a 4-3 win over the St, Louis Blues on Wednesday, but all parties agreed that it was Evgeny Kuznetsov that helped make a big difference for the Capitals' offense.
"I hope he's back on his game and he has the confidence," Ovechkin said of his fellow countryman. "It helps us when he plays well."
Kuznetsov had gotten off to a slow start this season, but his goal and assist against the Blues gave him his second multi-point game of the year, and the 24-year-old's skill in the offensive zone will help boost Washington's offensive attack. Kuznetsov now has three goals this season after leading Washington with 20 tallies last year.
"I thought (Kuznetsov) was dynamic -- he was really skating," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said after Washington's win. "That was the (Kuznetsov) that we all see that he can be. He's been getting better and better. You can see he was going to have a breakout sooner or later as long as he stayed with the program, and he has."
The Sabres are coming off a hard-fought, 2-1 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday, but got some good news in the return of center Ryan O'Reilly, who rejoined the team's top line. He played 22:48 in his return, but may have also showed some rust after missing five games due to an oblique injury.
"I think at time he was a little extended in his energy level," Sabres coach Dan Bylsma told NHL.com after Wednesday's loss. "He's a great player, but he extended himself in a couple shifts and got stuck out there in the second, one of those long shifts and then the overtime he got stuck out again."
The Sabres (7-8-5) have stressed getting back to even on the season, and will have another crack at it against the Capitals, who have been one of the top home teams this season at 7-3-0.
"It is a big goal of ours to get back to that .500 mark, but you come out and have a good effort against Washington and you consider it a really good week," Sabres captain Brian Gionta told reporters after Wednesday's game.
Buffalo's goalies, Robin Lehner and Anders Nilsson, have combined for a .930 save percentage, good enough for second in the league. Washington netminder Braden Holtby has posted a 9-3-2 mark in his last 14 games dating back to last season, but said that it's important that the Capitals play the full 60 minutes after giving up a couple of late goals against the Blues.
"The frustrating thing is that we've done it a few times this year," he said. "Once it happens a few times, it becomes a habit. We have to address it and clamp down in third periods."
Wild looking forward to challenge from Penguins
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ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Minnesota Wild got some fortunate bounces to win their past two games on home ice. The league's best defensive team will likely need more than those when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins in a post-Thanksgiving afternoon game on Friday.
Yet, some things finally went Minnesota's way against Pittsburgh when the Wild came away with a 4-2 road win two weeks ago against the Penguins. Minnesota's win on Nov. 10 was the team's first win against Pittsburgh since April 5, 2014.
While the Wild are mired in a tough stretch, particularly when it comes to scoring, they can show they've changed under new coach Bruce Boudreau with another win against the Penguins.
"This was a great challenge, going up against the Stanley Cup champions. ... Once we settled down, a lot of good things happened," Boudreau told NHL.com of Minnesota's 4-2 win on Nov. 10. "I thought we competed hard."
The Wild beat Central Division foe Winnipeg 3-1 on Wednesday, having a tying goal by the Jets negated by video review and then scoring themselves on the power play when a shot deflected off a Winnipeg player into the net. It's the second such sequence of video review and deflection that benefitted Minnesota in a week.
"We have been on the other side of that," said forward Zach Parise, who added an empty-net goal. "At the time of the game, it was huge for us. The fans loved it. And then not too long after we got the second goal. There is the big difference in the game right there."
Minnesota's defense continued to stifle the opposition. The Wild (10-7-2) have allowed just 17 goals in their past 13 games. Goaltender Devan Dubnyk will likely start in goal for Minnesota against Pittsburgh. In his past 11 games, Dubnyk has given up just 13 goals.
He ranks second in the NHL in goals-against average (2.55) and third in save percentage (.948).
"Huge; he's had too many of those big saves lately," said forward Jason Zucker. "That means we're having defensive breakdowns, but we know that he's back there and he's going to give us those saves when we need him."
Pittsburgh (12-5-3) is as dangerous as ever, especially with star Sidney Crosby healthy and scoring. Crosby leads the league with 14 goals. The Penguins are coming off a 6-1 road win against the New York Rangers on Wednesday.
With the day between, Pittsburgh held a practice on Thursday in Minnesota. The Penguins are in a stretch of seven games in 11 days.
"It's not just the physical recovery, it's about the mental recovery as well," coach Mike Sullivan told the team's website. "That was one of the reasons we didn't have a morning skate (Wednesday). Keep them away from the rink, out of the building, give them a chance to maybe go for a walk and get outside. Sometimes that can re-energize guys mentally as much as it does physically."
The timing proved beneficial for two Pittsburgh players. Minnesota natives Matt Cullen and Jake Guentzel were in their home state for the holiday. Cullen, the 19-year veteran and former Wild player, is from Virginia, Minn. He had one of the goals in the win against New York.
"We have a lot of family coming in and it's pretty special playing here," Cullen told the team's website. "Knowing that it's likely the last time that I play here adds a little bit to it."
Guentzel is a 22-year-old rookie who scored twice in his NHL debut this week. Guentzel was born in Omaha, Neb., but played high school hockey in the Twin Cities at Hill-Murray. His father is the associate head coach of the men's hockey team at the University of Minnesota.
"I'm really excited. It's going to be fun," Guentzel told the team's website. "Playing (at Xcel Energy Center) in high school, I can't imagine how different it's going to be. It will be one to remember."
The game has become somewhat of a tradition for the Wild. They have played the day after Thanksgiving every year of the franchise's 14 seasons of existence. Minnesota is 8-5-0-1 all-time on Black Friday, with all but one of those games at home. However, the Wild have lost three straight Black Friday games.
Thursday Highlights: Katchouk’s pair paces Hounds
SAULT STE. MARIE 6 NORTH BAY 1
Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Boris Katchouk (8, 9) scored twice and added an assist as the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds sprinted past the North Bay Battalion 6-1 on the road. Sault Ste. Marie’s fifth straight win also featured goals from Zach Senyshyn (8), Tim Gettinger (10), Bobby MacIntyre (12) and Jack Kopacka (3) while reigning CHL Goaltender of the Week Matthew Villalta made 19 saves. Steve Harland (13) scored the lone North Bay goal as the Troops were outshot 30-20. The Greyhounds went 2-for-3 on the power play.
WINDSOR 5 PETERBOROUGH 4 OT
Austin McEneny (1) scored his first OHL goal with 2:55 remaining in overtime as the Windsor Spitfires edged the Peterborough Petes 5-4 on the road. The Spits climbed ahead 4-2 with goals from Julius Nattinen (5) and Cole Purboo (6) in the latter half of the second period before Peterborough’s Adam Timleck (8) forced overtime with his goal at 18:23 of the third period. McEneny scored the winner on assists from Aaron Luchuk and Mikhail Sergachev. Cole Carter (8) and Graham Knott (5) also scored for Windsor while Winnipeg Jets prospect Logan Stanley had a pair of assists. Matt Spencer (2), Matyas Svoboda (5) and Zach Gallant (4) also had goals for the Petes while Dylan Wells made 38 saves. The Spitfires have earned a least a point in 10 straight games, improving to 15-4-3-0 on the season.
BARRIE 6 HAMILTON 5
The Barrie Colts climbed out to a 6-0 lead and barely held on for a 6-5 victory on home ice against the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Colts scored all six goals in the opening 13 minutes of the first period as Anthony Stefano (10) led the way with a goal and two assists while Jason Willms (6), Lucas Chiodo (9), Matt Brassard (5), Ben Hawerchuk (2) and Justin Murray (1) also found the back of the net. The Bulldogs chipped away at the lead though, with goals coming from Michael Cramarossa (8, 9), Trent Fox (4), Matthew Strome (15) and Adam Laishram (3). The Colts managed to calm things down, locking down the one-goal victory while outshooting Hamilton 38-28. Defenceman Kade Landry had three assists in the win as the Colts improve to 8-13-2-1.
ERIE 5 SUDBURY 2
2017 NHL Draft prospect Ivan Lodnia (10) had a goal and two assists as the Erie Otters defeated the visiting Sudbury Wolves 5-2. Dylan Strome (1) had a goal and an assist in his season debut while Kyle Maksimovich (5), TJ Fergus (1) and Alex DeBrincat (21) also found the back of the net. The Otters outshot Sudbury 39-16, improving to 17-5-2-0. Darian Pilon (6) and Macauley Carson (12) scored for Sudbury in the loss.
Sharks aim for season sweep of Isles
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A return to home ice appears to have done wonders for the San Jose Sharks while the New York Islanders are still trying experience sustained success on the road.
The Sharks will try to sweep the season series from the Islanders on Friday when the teams meet at SAP Center.
The Sharks (11-8-1) appear re-energized playing in front of the home fans after losing the final three games during to split their longest road trip this season. San Jose opened a five-game homestand Monday with a 4-0 win over the New Jersey Devils, and followed by getting a power-play goal from Logan Couture and a short-handed tally from Joel Ward in Wednesday's 2-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.
While they may be happy not to travel, scoring continues to be an issue for the Sharks, who are in the bottom third of the league with an average of 2.35 goals per game -- and just behind the Islanders at 2.42.
"Sometimes the goals are there, sometimes they're not right now. You know, you're always looking for that extra one to get a little breathing room and we haven't found it on a nightly basis," captain Joe Pavelski said after the win over Chicago.
San Jose is 8-1-0 when scoring at least three goals a game, but 3-7-1 when it fails to reach that mark. Defense is what's keeping the club near the top of the Pacific Division -- the Sharks' 2.15 goals per game allowed is second in the league behind the Minnesota Wild (1.89).
San Jose is 7-2-2 in its last 11 matchups with the Islanders, including a 3-2 win on Oct. 18 in New York behind Pavelski's game-winning goal with 2:11 to play and 21 saves from backup goaltender Aaron Dell -- his first NHL win and only one in three games this season despite a 1.90 goals-against average and .932 save percentage.
Pavelski has a goal and three assists in a four-game points streak, but has been held without a point in three of five games against the Islanders in San Jose.
Martin Jones has stopped 59 of 60 shots on the homestand and is 6-2-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .940 save percentage at SAP Center. He's surrendered just five goals in the six home wins, but tagged for six goals in the two losses.
"I'm not doing anything different. I don't feel any different," Jones said Wednesday night.
Jones last faced the Islanders on Nov. 10, 2015, and it didn't go well. He stopped just one of three shots and was pulled after 3:30 of the first period in the Sharks' 4-2 loss.
The Islanders (6-9-4) are wrapping up a three-game swing through California looking for their second win in seven games overall.
New York, currently last in the Metropolitan Division, dropped to 1-5-1 on the road this season after a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. With less than three minutes to play and the score tied 1-1, the Islanders surrendered three straight goals, including an empty-netter, in just 44 seconds.
New York has managed just 13 goals on the road with two each from Nick Leddy, Anders Lee and Brock Nelson. Both of Lee's goals came in the loss to the Kings.
"Whether you shake your head or say screw it, you have to keep going," Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic told Newsday. "You have to find a way to move forward. We've got no choice."
One player who's struggled away from Brooklyn is John Tavares. The Isles' captain has taken 20 shots over seven games, but has managed only two assists and is a minus-6.
Tavares has a team-leading 14 points, but has only five goals in 19 games, putting him on pace for only 22 this season. His career low is 24, set as a rookie in 2009-10 and matched in 2013-14 when a knee injury limited him to 59 games.
Backup goaltender Thomas Griess, a healthy scratch against Los Angeles, may get the chance to face his former team. A third-round pick by the Sharks in the 2004 NHL Draft, Greiss had 17 wins over four seasons with San Jose between 2007 and 2013.
Griess opened this road trip by making 39 saves and surviving a 14-round shootout in a 3-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. He is 3-3-0 with a 2.66 GAA and .919 save percentage in six starts this season.
If Jaroslav Halak gets the start between the pipes, he'll again seek his first win since Nov. 7. Halak has given up at least three goals in each of his last five starts, posting an 0-3-2 record.
Halak was in net for the Isles' 3-2 loss to the Sharks on Oct. 18 in New York. He's 1-2-0 with a 3.58 GAA and .876 save percentage in four career starts at the SAP Center.
The San Jose Mercury News reported that center Melker Karlsson could return to the Sharks for this game or Saturday against the Ducks. Karlsson, who injured his left foot in a 3-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 12, has two goals and two assists in 15 games this season.
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