Flyers try to halt skid against Ducks

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ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Philadelphia Flyers will try to end a seven-game losing streak against the Anaheim Ducks and halt another post-Christmas skid when the teams meet Sunday afternoon at Honda Center.

The Flyers haven’t defeated the Ducks since a 4-3 win on Dec. 2, 2011, which marked the debut of Bruce Boudreau as Anaheim’s coach after Randy Carlyle was fired two days earlier. Boudreau was let go at the end of last season and Carlyle was rehired by the Ducks.

In the last 10 games against Anaheim, the Flyers are 1-7-3, and they continue to struggle coming out of the Christmas break, losing the first five games two years ago, the first three last season and the first two this year.

Both teams enter this game with 44 points, but Philadelphia has dropped five of six following a 10-game winning streak, the team’s longest in 31 years. The Flyers have been shut out twice in the last three games, including Friday at San Jose against rookie goaltender Aaron Dell.

Flyers goalie Steve Mason, who has started 20 of the past 22 games, left the San Jose game at the first intermission after he was hit on an exposed part of his hand by the stick of Joe Thornton as the Sharks center was skating through the crease. Anthony Stolarz was solid in relief, stopping 21 of 22 shots on goal.

“I thought (Stolarz) was excellent,” Flyers coach Dave Hakstol told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “He was prepared coming in, and I thought he played very well for 40 minutes. He had some tough saves and he looked confident doing it.”

Mason took shots during practice in Anaheim on Saturday morning and told reporters he would wait until Sunday morning to see how he felt. But Stolarz is expected to get the start in the finale of a four-game road trip.

“I just want to go out and show I can play at this high level,” Stolarz said.

The Ducks lost another game in the five-minute overtime period Friday night, this time 3-2 at the Vancouver Canucks. Anaheim is 0-7 in the five-minute overtime and 1-1 in shootouts this season.

“You’re going to look back at some point and say the points are really going to cost you,” Carlyle told the Orange County Register following the latest overtime loss.

Anaheim winger Corey Perry continues to struggle through the worst start to his 12-year career, sitting on seven goals for the last eight games after finishing goal-less in November. He has been productive against the Flyers in recent games, scoring in Philadelphia on Oct. 20 in a 3-2 win by the Ducks, collecting two goals in a 4-2 win in Anaheim last December and getting two assists in a 4-1 road victory in February.

The Flyers have been vulnerable on the power play of late, surrendering five goals over the last three games, while the Ducks have 11 power-play goals in the last 10 games for a 32.3 percent success rate.

Brayden Schenn led the Flyers with seven goals in December, but the 2009 first-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings has not scored against the Ducks in eight career games.

Capitals look for momentum against Senators

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The Washington Capitals finally broke out of their offensive funk in time for the New Year, and will look to continue their winning ways on Sunday at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., against the Ottawa Senators, who are aiming to snap a two-game losing streak.

The Capitals had lost four out of five before crushing New Jersey 6-2 on Dec. 31, registering the most goals they’ve scored in a game since a 7-1 victory over Pittsburgh on Nov. 16.

Washington coach Barry Trotz hopes that his club’s offense can become more consistent in 2017 as it begins a stretch of nine games in 16 days.

“We have to make it harder on goaltenders night-in and night-out,” Trotz said.

Washington is playing solid defense, allowing only 77 goals on the season, and has excelled recently at snuffing out its opponents’ power play.

The Capitals held New Jersey scoreless in nine power-play tries Saturday and have killed 24 straight penalties.

“Success on the first couple of kills breeds some confidence,” defenseman Matt Niskanen said. “After each one we got a little momentum.

“You get in a rhythm of just when you want to pressure, and sharing clears and things like that, reading off each other, and you can have good stretches that can carry over for a period of time, for sure.”

Capitals star forward Alex Ovechkin was one of six scorers for Washington, tallying his 17th goal of the season and the 994th point of his storied career in the victory on Saturday.

Ottawa coach Guy Boucher, who saw plenty of Ovechkin while he worked in Tampa Bay, understands it will take more than one player to slow the dangerous goal scorer.

“He’s such a powerful guy,” Boucher said. “He’s got the speed and he can shoot from anywhere. We have to be aware when he’s on the ice.

“We have to be all defense no matter whose line is on. Whoever plays against him, we have to be smart and different guys have to change fast so that we have the right guys on.”

The Senators are coming off an emotional overtime loss to Detroit on Dec. 29, when the team retired longtime star Daniel Alfredsson’s No. 11 jersey.

Boucher felt his team came out flat in losing its second straight game, and with a mandated five-day break coming up after Sunday’s game, he wants his team to be ready.

“We want to make sure that we put everything out there,” he said.

Ottawa will have defenseman Dion Phaneuf in the lineup even though he didn’t participate in Saturday’s skate, with Boucher noting he gave the veteran a day off for a “little thing.”

Forward Zack Smith (abdominal strain) will not be in the lineup, however, as the Senators hope to have him return after its break.

“He’s a big part of our team,” Boucher said. “If you look at the previous games, he’s one of the big reasons we were having success. He gave us a lot.”

Mike Condon will make his 14th straight start in net for Ottawa. Braden Holtby likely will get the nod for Washington, which begins a stretch in which it will play six of eight at home.

“For the most part, we’ve played pretty well at home,” Niskanen said. “It will be good to try to get on a little bit of a roll. We have to start with trying to win two in a row, and hopefully, things will snowball from there.”

Maple Leafs-Red Wings take to outdoors

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TORONTO — The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings are facing different situations as they take their Original Six rivalry outdoors on Sunday at BMO Field for the Centennial Classic.

As a new year begins, the Maple Leafs, buoyed by a four-game winning streak, are being quietly and unexpectedly mentioned in playoff conversation.

“We’re right there,” Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly said after a 3-2 overtime victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday. “We believe in this group, we have a lot of confidence, so we want to keep this rolling. Each game we play now is a big one.”

The Red Wings, meanwhile, are facing the prospect of having their run of reaching the playoffs end at 25 seasons.

Despite a 3-2 overtime win over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday, the Red Wings have slipped to 24th overall and seventh in the Atlantic Division, three points behind the rebuilding Maple Leafs, who are fifth in the Atlantic and seventh overall.

“We’ve got to deal with it; just got to keep on playing,” Red Wings left winger and captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “Most teams when they rebuild, they tank for a few years. We try to do it a little differently, mix in younger players.

“It’s not going to be easy for us and we all know that. It’s not like we have the team we had in the mid-2000s. But you won’t have those teams forever, either.”

As the expectations begin to mount for the Maple Leafs, they enter a difficult part of their schedule. Over the last two seasons, they have a total of four wins in January.

Following Sunday’s game against the Red Wings, seven of the Maple Leafs’ next 12 games are away. After not traveling well earlier in the season, they have won their last five games on the road.

“There are nights when you might not play your best and you struggle at times, but you walk out of here with two points and we’ll take that,” Rielly said.

“The big picture is that we’re getting better and we’re moving forward. We’re getting some luck, we’re getting tougher around the net, both offensively and defensively, and that’s making a big difference.”

There are only five Maple Leafs left from the team that defeated the Red Wings, 3-2, in a shootout Jan. 1, 2014, in an outdoor game played before a crowd of 105,491 at Michigan Stadium.

Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock was behind the Red Wings’ bench then.

“They’ve definitely changed a lot,” Red Wings left winger Drew Miller said. “They’ve got some big talent there and obviously that’s bright for their future.

“When you have players like that that you can count on to put up points and be that young, it’s got to be exciting for them.”

Said Babcock: “This is a special one, our 100th-year anniversary in the NHL and our team getting better.”

After Antoine Bibeau got his first NHL the win Thursday in the second of back-to-back games in Florida, No 1 goaltender Frederik Andersen is expected to be in Toronto’s goal on Sunday.

“We had got one point out of a backup until (Thursday) so, you know, if you look at it there’s 20 games he’s got to play and you’ve got to get some points,” Babcock said.

“That being said, good job. He’s a kid, he was a bit deep at times and things like that, but he did a good job.”

With Jimmy Howard out because of a sprained knee, Jared Coreau probably will start for the Red Wings on Sunday. Detroit has won two of his three starts and he has been better than Petr Mrazek.

“I thought (Thursday in Ottawa) was his best game of the three,” Red Wings coach Jeff Blashill said. “Not to say the first two weren’t good. I see his confidence growing.

“Like any player, and it is just magnified at the goaltending position, the more comfortable you get, the greater chance to have confidence.”

Red Wings center Riley Sheahan, who missed the game Thursday because of an upper-body injury, skated Friday and is considered a game-time decision on Sunday.

Kreider gets hat trick to lift Rangers past Avs 6-2

DENVER (AP) Chris Kreider got his second career hat trick, J.T. Miller added two goals and the New York Rangers beat the Colorado Avalanche 6-2 on Saturday night.

Jimmy Vesey also scored, and Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello each had two assists for the Rangers, who have won three straight and nine of their last 12. Henrik Lundqvist returned after missing two games with the flu and stopped 25 shots.

The Rangers won their 12th road game in their last 16 tries, while the Avalanche dropped their 10th consecutive game at the Pepsi Center.

Cody McLeod and Blake Comeau scored for Colorado, which has lost eight of nine. Calvin Pickard, starting in a fourth consecutive game in place of injured Semyon Varlamov, stopped 31 shots.

Kreider scored twice in the first period and Miller put the Rangers ahead 3-2 9:30 into the second. Kreider deflected Stepan’s shot 14:20 into the second for his third of the night and 15th of the season.

It was the second consecutive hat trick for New York. Matt Puempel scored three power-play goals in a 6-3 win at Arizona on Thursday night.

The Avalanche got on the board early on with McLeod’s goal 1:59 into the first. Tyson Barrie gathered Mikhail Grigorenko’s faceoff win atop the circle and ripped a chance toward the net. McLeod tipped it through Lundqvist’s legs for his first goal of the season.

Kreider tied it 6:09 into the first after Stepan’s backhand chance from the goal line deflected off him and Colorado defenseman Francois Beauchemin before going in.

Kreider’s second goal of the period was initially waved off, and Ryan McDonagh was awarded a goal when he hit the back of the net moments later. Video review, however, showed that Kreider’s shot completely crossed the line.

Miller and Vesey scored in the third for New York.

NOTES: Kreider has scored seven goals in his past six games. … Lundqvist passed Dominik Hasek for most NHL wins by a European-born goalie, good for 12th on the overall career list. … Defenseman Nick Holden played against the Avs for the first time since they traded him to the Rangers on June 25 for a fourth-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. … Rick Nash (groin) participated in morning skate but missed his fifth consecutive game. … Varlamov (groin) missed a fourth straight game for the Avalanche.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host Buffalo on Tuesday night.

Avalanche: At Vancouver on Monday night.

Jagr scores 756th career goal as Panthers beat Stars 3-1

DALLAS (AP) Jaromir Jagr scored his 756th career goal and had an assist, helping the Florida Panthers end a four-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday night.

Jagr, who passed Mark Messier for second on the career scoring list last week, gave the Panthers a 3-0 lead less than 17 minutes in. His seventh goal of the season chased goalie Antti Niemi as the Stars’ season-best three-game winning streak ended.

Florida goalie James Reimer, Roberto Luongo’s backup, got his fifth win in his 15th appearance, stopping 35 of 36 shots, including all 19 in the third period. He beat Dallas twice with Toronto last season.

The 44-year-old Jagr, in his 24th NHL season, capped a quick two-goal spurt on a pair of power plays. The first came from former Dallas player Jussi Jokinen just six seconds after Jamie Benn was called for high-sticking.

Another 14 seconds after Jokinen’s goal, Lauri Korpikoski dumped a puck over the boards for a delay penalty, leading to Jagr’s shot through Niemi’s legs. Dallas matched a season high by allowing 22 shots in the first period while getting just six.

Jagr, who spent part of the 2012-13 season with Dallas, assisted on Florida’s first goal from Vincent Trocheck, who also had an assist. Jagr has 35 points in 34 career games against the Dallas franchise, including his first three seasons when it was still in Minnesota.

Kari Lehtonen replaced Niemi and stopped all 18 shots he faced. Two nights earlier, Lehtonen had to leave after a hit from Jarome Iginla in the Stars’ 4-2 win over Colorado. He was forced from the game by the NHL-mandated concussion protocol.

Jagr, who is third in career goals behind Wayne Gretzky and Gordie Howe, had two penalties in the second period, and the Stars converted the second into their first goal when Patrick Eaves pushed a rebound past Reimer.

Benn assisted along with Tyler Seguin as both high-scoring forwards extended their points streaks to four games.

NOTES: Dallas F Patrick Sharp returned after missing 12 games with a concussion. He had three shots in almost 16 minutes. … Jagr now has 1,891 points, four ahead of Messier (1,887) and 966 behind Gretzky (2,857). … The Stars had won four straight in their traditional New Year’s Eve home game. The team is now 12-5-2 on New Year’s Eve since moving to Dallas. … Reimer has a 1.3 goals-against average and .966 save percentage in his three straight wins over the Stars.

UP NEXT

Panthers: Continue a stretch of eight out of nine at home with the start of a three-game homestand Wednesday against Winnipeg.

Stars: Also in a stretch of eight out of nine at home, with the last game coming against Montreal on Wednesday. The Stars registered at least a point in six of the first seven.

Malkin’s OT winner propels Pens past Canadiens

PITTSBURGH (AP) Evgeni Malkin scored a power-play goal 1:54 into overtime and the Pittsburgh Penguins rallied to beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-3 on Saturday night for their fourth straight victory.

Montreal was whistled for too many men on the ice 1:10 into OT, and then Malkin scored his 16th of the season. Conor Sheary tied it with 55 seconds left in the third period by scoring his ninth goal of the season.

Patric Hornqvist and Phil Kessel also scored for the Penguins, who won for the fifth time in six games. Pittsburgh won 12 of 15 games in December, finishing with 12 wins in a calendar month for the fourth time in team history and the second under coach Mike Sullivan.

Defenseman Kris Letang returned for Pittsburgh after missing seven games with a lower-body injury. The Penguins won four of seven games without Letang, who assisted on the tying and winning goals.

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 37 shots for Pittsburgh. He is 6-0-1 in his last seven games.

Alexander Radulov, Paul Byron and Brian Flynn scored for the Canadiens, who have one win in their last five games. Montreal, on a season-high seven-game road trip, has seven wins in 17 road games this season.

Carey Price made 37 saves for Montreal.

Malkin finished with a goal and an assist to move ahead of Sidney Crosby for the NHL scoring lead with 43 points. Malkin scored seven goals and had 21 points in December.

Crosby, who entered tied with Edmonton’s Connor McDavid for the scoring lead, had his six-game point streak and season-high five-game point streak end. Crosby, with 26 goals in 32 games this season, led all players in the 2016 calendar year with 53 goals and 100 points in 76 games.

Flynn gave Montreal a 3-2 lead 2:04 into the third period. His initial shot hit the post and kicked back out, hitting Penguins’ D Chad Ruhwedel and Fleury before going into the net.

The lead stood until Sheary tied the game in the final minute for Pittsburgh. Fleury was pulled when Justin Schultz’s shot hit Sheary in front and deflected behind Price. Schultz has seven goals and 19 points in his last 16 games.

Radulov scored the only goal of the first period, but Pittsburgh jumped in front on goals from Hornqvist and Kessel in the first five minutes of the second period. Byron tied the game for the Canadiens on a deflection in the final minute of the second period.

NOTES: Defenseman Olli Maatta returned for Pittsburgh after missing two games with an illness. … Pittsburgh, with points in 11 straight home games, owns the league’s best home record at 17-2-2. … Canadiens D Shea Weber played in his 800th NHL game. Weber played 11 seasons in Nashville before he was traded to Montreal in the summer. … Goaltender Matt Murray, who led Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup in the spring, is week-to-week with a lower-body injury suffered Wednesday against Carolina.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Continue their trip Tuesday at Nashville

Penguins: Begin their bye week and will not play again until Sunday, Jan. 8 against Tampa Bay at home.

Oshie, Ovechkin power Capitals to 6-2 win over Devils

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) That T.J. Oshie and Alex Ovechkin powered the Washington Capitals to a victory came as no surprise.

If you look deeper, there were facets of the Capitals’ 6-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday that were even more important.

Starting with the penalty-killers, who fended off nine New Jersey power plays.

Add in backup goalie Philipp Grubauer who gave Braden Holtby a day off, and turned in another winning effort. Grubauer made 21 saves, improving his record to 6-1-1.

”Our penalty-kill was outstanding tonight,” Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. ”We got momentum off it. When the game was in doubt, the penalty-killers held strong, got it done. As soon as we killed off those back-to-back penalties, we scored a goal and then we scored another. I thought the penalty-kill was the big difference and Gruby made some key saves when the game was tight.”

Trotz was referring to the penalty-filled second period where the Devils’ Kyle Palmieri scored a 3-on-3 goal to cut Washington’s lead to 2-1.

When Washington finally got back to even strength, Oshie and Ovechkin connected 33 seconds apart and the Capitals were on their way to a split of the home-and-home series.

The Devils stunned the Capitals with a 2-1 shootout victory on Thursday in Washington.

This one was all Capitals, with six players scoring goals. Brett Connolly, Jay Beagle, Justin Williams and Marcus Johansson also scored as Washington snapped a two-game losing streak.

That’s the way Trotz envisions the team having success.

”We haven’t scored at the rate we think we should,” he said. ”Having a game like that can only help our confidence. We had good balance. We didn’t give up many chances 5-on-5. That’s where we want to be as a team, where your offense piggybacks on your defense. It did today.”

It helps to have a solid backup goalie step in and spell the starter.

”I’ve got to win games in order to play,” Grubauer said. ”We’ve got a busy, busy month coming up for us. I hope to get to play. Every time the coach calls me, I’ve got to be ready to go.”

Meanwhile, the Devils are going in the wrong direction.

Beau Bennett also scored for New Jersey, winners of only two of their last 12 games (2-9-1). Keith Kinkaid stopped 20 shots.

Connolly and Beagle scored on deflections early and late in the first period, putting Washington up 2-0. Connolly, wide open in the slot, took a backhand pass from Andre Burakovsky and tipped the puck past Kinkaid at 2:36. Beagle struck with 58.9 seconds remaining, directing home Brooks Orpik’s point shot.

Washington was efficient in the opening period, getting the goals on only seven shots. And they gave the Devils plenty of opportunities, getting whistled for four minor penalties.

Even with that advantage, New Jersey mustered only five shots. The Devils also went down a defenseman when John Moore was removed from the ice on a stretcher after being checked into the boards behind the New Jersey net by Washington forward Tom Wilson early in the period.

After Palmieri’s goal at 6:53, Washington scored the next three to close out the period, and put away the game.

Oshie netted a juicy rebound with Kinkaid sprawled on the ice at 11:05. Then a shot by Matt Niskanen bounced off the end boards and right to Ovechkin’s stick. The sniper banked the puck off Kinkaid’s leg for an easy goal. Williams upped the lead to 5-1 at 16:34.

In the third, Bennett scored at 14:52 to cut the Washington lead to 5-2 only to see Johansson answer for the Capitals 35 seconds later.

And so ended a frustrating afternoon for the Devils.

”It’s a combination of things right now,” Devils coach John Hynes said of the power-play failures. ”It’s a lack of execution. It’s not making the right puck decisions at certain times. Our battle level, when we get into battles, has to be stronger. So, we have a bit of a perfect storm right now with the power play and we have to work our way out of it.”

NOTES: Washington last played New Jersey on New Year’s Eve in 1983, winning 3-2 with Mike Gartner notching the game-winner with 46 seconds remaining. … LW Taylor Hall, the Devils second-leading scorer, missed a second straight game with a lower-body injury. The team says he is day to day. The other New Jersey scratches were D Yohann Auvitu and F Pavel Zacha. … The Washington scratches were D Taylor Chorney and LW Jakub Vrana.

UP NEXT

Capitals: Play Ottawa on Sunday night to start a three-game home stand.

Devils: Remain at home to host Boston on Monday night.

Jackets reach 15 in row with 4-2 win, stop Wild streak at 12

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) The Columbus Blue Jackets pushed their party into the new year, stretching their winning streak to 15 straight games.

This victory was one of the most impressive yet.

Cam Atkinson scored twice to help the Blue Jackets move their streak within two wins of the NHL record and stop Minnesota’s 12-game run with a 4-2 victory over the Wild on Saturday night.

”We’ve got the right group of guys to do it with,” right wing Josh Anderson said. ”Everybody’s positive in the room. We’re all having a bunch of fun.”

Never in league history had two teams taken winning streaks that long into a game.

”I’m happy for the guys,” Columbus coach John Tortorella said. ”I’m proud of our team and the way they’ve handled themselves through all this.”

Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves, yielding two or fewer goals for the 10th time during the run, and defensemen Jack Johnson and Seth Jones each had goals assisted by Brandon Saad in a frenetic second period sparked by consecutive fights. That cost Minnesota one of its top defensemen in Matt Dumba, and the Wild dropped into a rare three-goal hole. The Blue Jackets didn’t slow their pace, either.

”They were still coming, and that’s why their record is five losses in 35 games,” Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. ”John has got them playing real well.”

Jason Zucker reignited the arena with his breakaway flip past Bobrovsky just 24 seconds into the third period for the Wild, but that was as close as they came. Devan Dubnyk stopped 21 shots, surrendering four goals for the second straight game after allowing three or fewer in his first 27 turns.

Mikael Granlund had the first goal for the Wild, who also had a franchise record-tying eight-game home winning streak end. This was their first loss since Dec. 2 in overtime at Calgary and their first defeat in regulation since Nov. 29 at Vancouver.

”This one stings,” said Dubnyk, not fully ready to reflect on the run.

The Blue Jackets matched the second-longest winning streak in NHL history, trailing Pittsburgh’s 17-game run in 1993. Their last loss was in overtime at Florida on Nov. 26, and their last defeat in regulation was Nov. 23 against Calgary. Twelve of the 15 straight wins have been in regulation.

This was the first time not only in the NHL but in any of the major North American sports leagues – including the NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS and WNBA – that two teams played with winning streaks of 12 games or longer, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.

”Maybe we weren’t at our best tonight, but we can’t win them all,” Granlund said. ”Let’s just get ready for the next one.”

With balanced scoring, strong goaltending, tight defense, good speed and accomplished coaching, there’s plenty in common between these fellow expansion teams born in 2000. Each team was playing well long before December, and eight of the top nine players in plus-minus rating are scattered between the two sides.

The crowd was another overflow sellout at Xcel Energy Center, a season-high 19,307 tickets sold, and the energy and intensity on the ice matched the moment.

The Wild had the first prime scoring chance, when Zach Parise failed to cleanly connect with a one-time attempt from the right circle and Bobrovsky whirled around for a diving glove save on the doorstep of the goal line. Atkinson got loose on a breakaway after a bad bounce for the Wild in the neutral zone for a 1-0 edge.

Wild left wing Chris Stewart fought with Anderson in the second period, with Stewart flapping his arms to fire up the fans as he skated to the penalty box. Then Dumba and Blue Jackets left wing Matt Calvert dropped the gloves during the clock stoppage, each drawing a game misconduct ejection.

”I thought our bench was 10 feet tall after that,” Tortorella said.

The Blue Jackets needed only 76 seconds to push their lead to 3-0, with a wrist shot by Johnson and a tip-in by Atkinson.

”Right off the bat you could tell everyone’s ready to go,” Blue Jackets defenseman Ryan Murray said. ”The fans are going nuts. The players are loving it. You have those two fights back to back. That’s what hockey is. That’s exactly why you play the game.”

NOTES: Atkinson has nine goals and seven assists in the last 12 games. … Columbus has won seven of the last 10 games against Minnesota. … Until being outscored 3-1 by the Blue Jackets, the Wild owned a 44-22 advantage in the second period this season.

UP NEXT

Columbus returns home to face Edmonton on Tuesday. After that, the Blue Jackets play 11 straight games against Eastern Conference teams.

Minnesota starts a three-game road swing at San Jose on Thursday. The Wild don’t play at home again until Jan. 12 against Montreal.

Vasilevskiy, power play, lead Lightning past Hurricanes 3-1

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) Brian Boyle and Jonathan Drouin scored first-period power-play goals, Andrei Vasilevskiy made 26 saves and the Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 on Saturday night.

Alex Killorn also scored for the Lightning, and Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman had two assists each.

Carolina got a goal from Sebastian Aho, and Cam Ward stopped 22 shots. The Hurricanes beat Chicago 3-2 on Friday night to extend their home point streak to 11 games (10-0-1). Carolina is 3-7-2 on the road over the same stretch.

Tampa Bay’s third-ranked power play got the better of the Hurricanes’ top-ranked short-handed unit in the first, converting two of three chances.

After Boyle scored 7:35 into the first, Drouin made it 2-0 at 19:50, just 3 seconds after a 5-on-3 concluded.

Carolina had allowed just eight goals on 86 short-handed situations entering the game.

The Hurricanes went 0 for 4 on the power play. Tampa Bay didn’t get a power play after the first period.

Boyle left in the second with a lower-body injury.

Killorn and Aho traded goals in the second.

The Hurricanes made news before the game, signing equipment manager Jorge Alves to a professional tryout contract to be the backup goalie in place of Eddie Lack, who is ill. He played the final 7.6 seconds of the game.

Alves, 37, has been one of Carolina’s full-time equipment managers since the 2012-13 season and practices with the team on a regular basis. He had several short stints in the ECHL and Southern Professional Hockey League.

The Hurricanes had Alves lead the team onto the ice for warmups, letting him skate around the Carolina zone in his No. 40 jersey by himself before joining him.

Carolina, on its Twitter account, showed Alves sharpening skates and taping a stick while in uniform during the game.

NOTES: Alves’ mask features his fellow equipment managers. … Bill Peters coached his 200th game with the Hurricanes. … Tampa Bay RW Ryan Callahan (hip) had a limited on-ice workout. … Hurricanes C Elias Lindholm (upper-body injury) didn’t play.

UP NEXT

Hurricanes: Host New Jersey Tuesday night.

Lightning: Play Winnipeg Tuesday night in the fourth of a five-game homestand.

John Tavares, Ryan Strome lead Islanders past Jets, 6-2

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) John Tavares and Ryan Strome each had a goal and an assist to help the New York Islanders beat the Winnipeg Jets 6-2 on Saturday night.

Nikolay Kulemin, Shane Prince, Anders Lee and Andrew Ladd also scored, Josh Bailey and Brock Nelson each had two assists, and Thomas Greiss made 32 saves. The Islanders have won four of their last five to get to .500 at 15-15-6.

Shawn Matthias scored a short-handed goal and Nikolaj Ehlers had a power-play tally for Winnipeg.

Connor Hellebuyck allowed four goals on 15 shots and was replaced by Michael Hutchinson with 5:47 left in the second period. Hutchinson made seven stops in relief.

The Islanders had a 2-0 lead after the first period and were ahead 4-0 late in the second.

Kulemin scored unassisted after his shot’s rebound popped back to him at 6:54 of the first period.

Josh Bailey stripped the puck from a Jets defender and sent a short pass up to Tavares at the front of the net for the team captain’s high shot and 11th goal of the season at 12:25.

The Islanders went up 3-0 at 2:26 after Strome skated behind Winnipeg’s net with the puck and sent it out to Prince for his fifth of the season.

The Jets had the game’s first power play a few minutes later with Tavares in the penalty box for holding, but they couldn’t get a shot on goal.

Ten seconds after another Winnipeg power play expired – with one shot on goal – Strome fired the puck through Helleybuyck’s pads to make it 4-0 at 14:13. Helleybuyck was replaced by Hutchinson to cheers from the crowd.

With Dustin Byfuglien in the box for roughing, defenseman Jacob Trouba passed the puck from behind the net to Matthias, who beat Greiss over the glove with 30 seconds left in the second. Winnipeg has been outscored 52-25 in the second period this season.

Lee scored his 14th of the season with a redirection while he had only one hand on his stick at 8:38 of the third. Less than two minutes later, Ladd slapped in his eighth.

Ehlers’ 10th of the season came at 16:55 with Tavares off for hooking.

UP NEXT

Islanders: At Colorado on Friday night.

Jets: Open three-game trip Tuesday night against Tampa Bay.

Bruins beat Sabres 3-1 on Bergeron, Schaller goals

BOSTON (AP) A fast start and another solid outing by goaltender Tuukka Rask made for a fairly easy afternoon for the Boston Bruins.

Patrice Bergeron and Tim Schaller scored second-period goals Saturday to help the Bruins beat Buffalo 3-1 and complete a sweep of home-and-home games against the struggling Sabres.

”We played much better – better start,” Bruins coach Claude Julien said. ”We were playing with the lead, which makes a big difference. In the third period we played smart.”

The victory also gave Boston a sweep of its four-game season series against the Sabres. Buffalo was the only team the Bruins had never swept during a regular season. Buffalo lost 4-2 at home to Boston on Thursday.

Boston opened a 3-0 lead and Rask took care of the rest. He made 26 saves.

”It’s something we’ve talked about,” Rask said. ”We want to get that first goal more often. I thought we came out really strong today – like we wanted to. It paid off today. It’s something we have to do more often.”

On Thursday, the Bruins fell behind 2-0 in the opening period.

Frank Vatrano scored the other goal for Boston, which had lost five of its previous nine games but improved to 12-1-2 in the last 15 meetings against the Sabres.

Jack Eichel, a former Boston University star and Hobey Baker winner, scored for Buffalo. Robin Lehner made 25 saves. It was the ninth loss in 11 games for the Sabres (2-5-4).

After the game, Eichel was visibly upset, slamming his equipment as he packed his bag, knocking a clock above his locker to the floor during his tirade. He didn’t speak to the media.

”I think every one of us should be,” Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said of Eichel’s feelings. ”We should all find that desperation, that urgency, that anger.”

The Sabres are searching for anything to get them going.

”It’s frustrating now. Something has to change and it has to come from the inside,” Buffalo center Sam Reinhart said.

When asked how, he said: ”It’s tough to say. You can talk all you want. It’s got to come from us, got to come from the start of the game, but it’s unacceptable. We’ve shown it.”

Leading 1-0, Bergeron one-timed Ryan Spooner’s pass by Lehner from the right circle for a power-play goal 7:04 into the period. Schaller scored 2:25 later when he came charging down the right wing and fired a backhander that slipped into the net between Lehner’s body and the near post.

Eichel scored his seventh goal with 21.2 seconds left in the second when he one-timed a shot from the right circle. Vatrano slipped a wrister inside the left post 1:28 into the game.

Lehner kept it to one goal in the opening period with a couple of nice stops. His best was when he flashed his right pad to rob Schaller, who was alone at the edge of the crease.

NOTES: The Bruins honored Denna Laing, a former women’s professional hockey player who suffered a career-ending spinal injury when she crashed into boards at Gillette Stadium the day before the 2016 NHL Winter Classic. Laing, 25, came onto the ice in her wheelchair and dropped the ceremonial first puck. She was given a standing ovation and got a hug from Bruins captain Zdeno Chara. She also visited the dressing room after the game and a number of players stopped by. . Boston also hung the jerseys of James Lavin and Owen Higgins on the glass behind their bench during pregame warmups. The 17-year-olds – high school hockey teammates from Falmouth, Massachusetts – were killed in a car accident in December coming home from practice. . The Bruins announced during the game that F David Backes was out ”indefinitely” because of a concussion from a hit Thursday.

UP NEXT

Sabres: Face the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday is the second of a three-game trip.

Bruins: At New Jersey on Monday in the first of five of six on the road.

Swiss shoot down Danes

Switzerland rallied from deficits of 3-0 and 4-1 to beat Denmark 5-4 in a shootout. This means Finland must play relegation and will not repeat as champions.

Finland has achieved an unfortunate first. It is the first time in IIHF history that a nation has won World Junior gold one year and played in the relegation round the next year.

Swiss forward Marco Miranda scored the only goal in the shootout. Switzerland outshot Denmark 53-22 and showed a never-say-die attitude. Danish goalie Kasper Krog was heroic in defeat.

"It was a pretty wild one," said Krog, who got an ovation from the Montreal crowd at the end of overtime. "We didn’t really stick to the game plan and we allowed them to get some offense that they maybe shouldn’t have had, because they have a good team. They know how to score."

In regulation, Yannick Zehnder scored twice for Switzerland, and Nico Hischier and Nando Eggenberger added singles for Switzerland. Jonas Siegenthaler had two helpers.

"The first period was [garbage]," said Siegenthaler. "The second period, we started good and scored some goals and came back into the game. We just needed to shoot the puck and go for rebounds. At the end it was 4-4, and we had some good chances in the overtime. Their goalie was good and they played good defence and everything. At the end we won in the shootout."

Regardless, the Danes have made the final eight for the third straight year. They’ve proved that taking them lightly is a mistake. Just ask Finland and the Czech Republic: here in Montreal, Denmark has defeated both of them for the first time in World Junior history.

"We’ve played up against a lot of good teams in the round-robin," said Danish captain Alexander True. "I for sure think we can be proud of ourselves. Every night we came out and competed with the other team."

But there's still some maturing for Denmark to do. The ability to clamp down on a big lead is an important key to success, and they blew leads of 3-0 and 4-1 versus Switzerland.

True and Mathias From tallied a goal and an assist apiece. Joachim Blichfeld and Niklas Andersen added singles. Oliver Gatz had two assists.

Switzerland has one more round-robin game against Finland on New Year's Eve and will aim to edge out Denmark for second place in Group A.

"We don’t have to score beautiful goals or whatever," said Siegenthaler. "We want to win and be second in the group. We’ll see next game."

The Danes drew first blood just 20 seconds in. Gatz’s point shot hit a leg in front and the puck bounced to True, who beat Swiss starter Joren van Pottelberghe high to the glove side.

At 3:45, Denmark went up 2-0. Again, Gatz shot from the point and Blichfeld, standing in front, deflected in his third goal of the tournament.

Denmark’s Morten Jensen was assessed a two-minute minor and 10-minute misconduct for a hit to the head of Siegenthaler. However, the Swiss didn’t test Krog, apart from a stiff Damien Riat one-timer from the left faceoff circle.

On Denmark’s first power play, Andersen gave Denmark a 3-0 lead at 13:40 with his one-timer set up by Mathias From.

Hischier gave the Swiss life with 2:04 left in the first, getting loose in front to bang in the rebound from Riat’s point shot past Krog. It was his second goal of these World Juniors.

Denmark stalled Switzerland's momentum with yet another early-period goal. At 0:28 of the second, From made it 4-1, executing a fabulous curl-and-drag move and firing high on the rush. It was the second goal in as many games for the 19-year-old Chicago Blackhawks prospect. He got the 3-2 overtime winner versus the Czechs after missing the first two games due to injury.

The Swiss refused to cave. At 6:29, Zehnder cut the Danish lead to 4-2, scoring with a backhand deke on a breakaway. Defenceman Nico Gross, one of just two 2000-born players in this tournament along with Sweden's Rasmus Dahlin, earned his first World Junior point with an assist.

Less than six minutes later, Eggenberger cut the Danish lead to one, popping a rebound over Krog to cap off a rush.

"I think we get a little high sometimes, and then when they got a couple of goals on us, we got a little low," said True. "So we gotta keep our emotions in check."

In the third period, Switzerland made it 4-4, as an onrushing, unchecked Zehnder slammed home his own rebound from the slot at 3:35.

At 7:35, the Swiss thought Damien Riat might have given them their first lead of the game during a goalmouth scrum. However, the play was video-reviewed and it was inconclusive whether the puck had crossed the line. Swiss coach Christian Wohlwend gave his team an animated lecture during the lengthy review.

"He just said it doesn’t matter what’s going to happen – just play the same way," said Siegenthaler.

Overtime solved nothing, although the Swiss dominated the play and defenceman Serge Weber nearly won it in the final minute.

"I think it’s good that we won this game," said Hischier. "If we’d lost this game in the shootout, it would have been hard after such a loss to play against Finland."

Swiss captain Calvin Thurkauf did not play against Denmark. He was serving a one-game suspension for a slew-foot on Swedish defenceman Rasmus Dahlin. In Thurkauf’s absence, Riat wore the “C” for Switzerland. Thurkauf is eligible to return for the quarter-finals.

Slovakia avoids Finns

Slovakia played its best and most inspired game of the tournament, putting 36 pucks on net and skating to a crucial 4-2 win over Latvia.

The win gives the Slovaks three points in the Group B standings and means tomorrow's game against Russia (also with three points) doesn't have relegation-round implications.

The Latvians have finished the group stage with no wins and zero points and will now face Finland in a best-of-three relegation-round series.

"It was a tough start," captain Erik Cernak admitted, "but we played really well after that. We dominated, really. We were stronger on the puck and pressured them a lot. We knew we had to win. I'm very happy right now."

"They were the better team," affirmed Latvian captain Kristaps Zile. "We can do better, and we'll keep our heads high. Finland is a great team, but it's not impossible to beat them. We'll do our best."

It was a big game on the calendar all along, but soon after the opening faceoff it got even bigger. It was about that time that Switzerland defeated Denmark in a shootout in Group A in Montreal, sending Finland to the relegation round.

"We were watching the game before we went out and during the first period as well," said Milos Roman, who was dominant tonight with a goal and an assist. "We knew if we won tonight, we'd be in the quarter-finals, which was our ambition all along."

That, in turn, meant that the loser of today’s game at the ACC would face the daunting task of having to defeat last year’s gold medallists twice in three tries to avoid being relegated for 2018. Slovakia responded, peppering two Latvian goalies with 36 shots while surrendering only 24.

Latvia struck first, scoring just 3:40 into the game when a Karlis Cukste point shot drifted and dipped as it reached the net. The trajectory fooled Adam Huska and it slipped through his pads and in.

"That was their first shot on goal" Milos Roman said, "so we weren't nervous at all at that point. We knew we'd be the better team, and we scored soon after."

Indeed, four and a half minutes later the Slovaks got the equalizer thanks to some hustle by Milos Roman. Goalie Mareks Mitens had played the puck behind the net, leaving it for defenceman Tomass Zeile, but Roman pressured Zeile into making a bad pass.

The puck came right to Filip Lestan, and he found the net before Mitens had a chance to get square in the crease.

Most of the second was dominated by the Slovaks, who were the more determined side. They got to the loose pucks, moved up ice with confidence, and generated double the shots of the Latvians.

It wasn’t until 18:11 that they were rewarded, though. Milos Roman won a faceoff in the Latvian zone and went to the net. A point shot by Michal Roman was blocked in front, but Milos knocked in the rebound to give Slovakia a huge 2-1 lead heading to the dressing room.

"I won the faceoff and my brother took a quick shot from the point. Our wingers checked their men, leaving some space in front for me when the puck came free," Milos described.

Continuing where they left off, the Slovaks added a third goal just 41 seconds into the third off a point shot from Andrej Hatala that beat Mitens cleanly.

They got an insurance goal at 5:01 on another long shot, this from Milos Roman, that was redirected by a Latvian player in front of the goalie to make it 4-1.

Latvia had a two-man advantage later on, converting at 13:29 as Filips Buncis swatted home a loose puck from the crease, but it was too little too late.

via World Juniors.

USA ends NYE drought

The United States put on a shot- and pass-blocking clinic in defeating Canada, 3-1, this afternoon at the Air Canada Centre to claim first place in Group B.

The result marked the first New Year’s Eve victory for the U.S. over Canada in 18 years, a streak of seven games (six losses, one tie).

The U.S. was full measure for the win, playing with greater confidence and surety, capitalizing on early power plays, weathering the storm when Canada turned on the heat, and getting better goaltending at crucial moments from Joseph Woll than that provided Canada by Connor Ingram.

"The penalty killing was the story of the game for us," U.S. coach Bob Motzko said. "We weren't so good the last two games, and we made some changes, and tonight the killers were great."

In fact, Canada had nearly 12 minutes of power-play time in the game but managed only one goal and not many more scoring chances. The Americans scored on their first two man advantages.

"Obviously, it's great to win this game, but now we're focused on the quarter-finals," said Clayton Keller. "Our best hockey is yet to come. Beating Canada and Russia is huge, but the real hockey starts Monday."

"They're a great team," said Jordan Greenway, who had a goal and an assist in the first period, "but we kept our game simple and did what we had to do. "Our forwards, our defencemen, everyone was blocking shots when they had to. We have great chemistry playing defence as a team."

The Americans silenced the crowd early with two quick power-play goals. The first came at 4:31 on a play around the goal. Greenway feathered a nice pass from the corner to Colin White, and his quick shot beat Ingram to the far side.

Just a minute and a half later, after a lazy kneeing penalty by Philippe Myers, Greenway walked out form the corner and tucked the puck between Ingram’s pads, a soft goal, to be sure, but a great burst of speed from the American forward.

Later in the period Canada had a great chance to get on the board thanks to a two-man advantage for 47 seconds, but it got nary a decent shot off during the power play.

Canada had another opportunity early in the second when U.S. captain Luke Kunin took a five-minute major (and game misconduct) for interference. The Canadian on the other end of the hard hit, Myers, left the game and didn't return. Coach Dominique Ducharme confirmed after that Myers has a concussion and might miss the rest of the tournament.

This was followed by another minor soon after, giving the home side a two-man advantage for 1:48. This time they connected. Thomas Chabot got a rebound to the back side of the net and drilled it in before Woll could get over.

This started several minutes of intense pressure, but Canada couldn’t get the equalizer and the visitors silenced the crowd with a goal off a juicy rebound from Ingram. This time it was Jeremy Bracco who found the back of the net to make it a 3-1 game.

Canada tried valiantly in the third but was stymied at every moment. "We wanted to keep them to the perimeter," Greenway added. "Nothing complex; just get it out."

And now, both teams head to the quarter-finals against teams to be determined later tonight. For the U.S., today's win was another building block towards a medal, and for Canada it was a lesson learned.

via World Juniors.

Marko Dano of Jets expected to miss eight weeks

Winnipeg Jets forward Marko Dano will miss about eight weeks with a lower-body injury, coach Paul Maurice said Saturday.

The Jets placed the 22-year-old forward on injured reserve Friday, one day after he was injured when he crashed into the end boards during the second period of Winnipeg's 5-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Dano has three goals and 10 points in 28 games this season. 

The Jets have recalled forward Andrew Copp from Manitoba of the American Hockey League. Copp has four goals and seven points in 22 games.

- NHL

John Moore of Devils leaves game on stretcher

NEWARK, N.J. - New Jersey Devils defenseman John Moore was stretchered off the ice in the first period on Saturday.

Moore fell awkwardly into the boards after a hit by Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson 3:10 into the game and remained on the ice for several minutes until he was helped by trainers and teammates onto a stretcher.

Moore, 26, has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) in 37 games this season.

The Capitals were leading the game 1-0.

- NHL

NHL Capsules (December 31, 2016)

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Rookie Aaron Dell stopped 21 shots to get his first career shutout and the San Jose Sharks beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-0 on Friday night.

Patrick Marleau scored on a power play late in the first period, and the Sharks won their fourth straight and eighth of nine. Justin Braun added a late goal.

Marleau has now scored a game-winning goal against every NHL team. He has 95 career game-winners.

Flyers goalie Steve Mason left following the first period. He was hit by a puck on an exposed part of his hand, apparently a shot by Brent Burns, who has one of the hardest shots in the league. Mason saved 11 of 12 shots.

Anthony Stolarz was excellent in relief, keeping the Flyers in the game with 21 saves in 22 chances.

HURRICANES 3, BLACKHAWSK 2

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jay McClement scored the key goal 2:54 into the third period and Carolina beat Chicago.

Elias Lindholm and Lee Stempniak scored early goals 1:05 apart to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 lead, and they held on to earn a point in their 11th straight home game. They're 10-0-1 at PNC Arena since Nov. 12.

Michal Kempny had a goal and an assist, and Vinnie Hinostroza added a deflected goal 5:49 into the third for the Western Conference-leading Blackhawks, who had their four-game road winning streak snapped.

Cam Ward made 27 saves for Carolina while improving to 8-0-1 during the Hurricanes' home-ice roll.

Scott Darling stopped 25 shots for Chicago.

PREDATORS 4, BLUES 0

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Juuse Saros made 25 saves for his first career shutout, Filip Forsberg got a goal and an assist and Nashville beat St. Louis.

Yannick Weber, Viktor Arvidsson and Colin Wilson also scored, and Saros won his second career road game. The Predators have won three of their four meetings against the Blues this season and snapped a five-game losing streak on the road against St. Louis.

Mike Ribeiro had a pair of assists to run his points streak against the Blues to five games.

Jake Allen allowed three goals on 14 shots before giving way to Carter Hutton to start the third as the Blues fell to 14-3-4 at home. They entered the game with points in 16 of their last 17 at the Scottrade Center.

CANUCKS 3, DUCKS 2, OT

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) — Henrik Sedin scored 4:01 into overtime and Vancouver beat Anaheim.

The Canucks captain roofed his ninth of the season on a 2-on-1 rush after Ryan Getzlaf missed the net on a 2-on-1 at the other end.

Loui Eriksson and Jack Skille also scored in regulation for Vancouver, which got 24 saves from Ryan Miller.

Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell scored for Anaheim, and John Gibson stopped 23 shots.

Aleksander Barkov of Panthers placed on IR

Center Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers was placed on injured reserve Friday.

Panthers coach Tom Rowe had said Thursday that Barkov is expected to miss 2-3 weeks because of an undisclosed injury.

Barkov left in the second period of a 3-2 shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. He was hit in the side by a slap shot from teammate Keith Yandle, but Rowe said the injury was not to Barkov's ribs and wasn't caused by Yandle's shot.

"A couple of games before that," Rowe said. "He's been fighting through it."

Barkov leads the Panthers with 27 points in 36 games.

To fill Barkov's roster spot, the Panthers recalled forward Greg McKegg from Springfield of the American Hockey League. McKegg, 24, has two assists in 19 games with Florida this season.

The Panthers also loaned forward Kyle Rau to Springfield. Rau, 24, had two goals and one assist in 24 games.

- National Hockey League

Jaroslav Halak placed on waivers by Islanders

Goaltender Jaroslav Halak was placed on waivers by the New York Islanders on Friday.

Halak was pulled in the second period of the Islanders' 6-4 loss at the Minnesota Wild on Thursday after allowing four goals on 24 shots, including three goals in a span of 1:20 in the second. 

"Jaro wasn't sharp at all," coach Jack Capuano said Thursday. "He gave up some soft goals and we had to battle back. We did against a real good team. We needed a better effort from Jaro, quite honestly. … Four goals on 24 shots isn't going to get it done."

If Halak goes unclaimed the Islanders will have the option of sending him to Bridgeport of the American Hockey League after 12 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Islanders have goaltenders Thomas Greiss and Jean-Francois Berube on the roster. Berube relieved Halak against the Wild on Thursday.

Halak, 31, is 6-8-5 with a 3.23 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage in 21 games. He has a career record of 206-123-42 with a 2.42 GAA and a .916 save percentage in 388 games with the Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Washington Capitals and the Islanders.

New York acquired him from Washington in a trade May 1, 2014 and signed him to a four-year, $18 million contract May 22, 2014, that runs through the 2017-18 season.

- National Hockey League

Canucks look to get physical with Ducks

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia — It is often said that the real NHL season begins after Christmas.

That is when playoff (if not Stanley Cup) contenders separate themselves from the also-rans, and the going gets much tougher — and more physical.

On Friday, the Vancouver Canucks (15-18-3) will try to demonstrate their ability to handle the heavy hitting for postseason purposes as they host the Anaheim Ducks (18-12-7) at Rogers Arena.

“It’s the second-half push now,” Vancouver rookie defenseman Troy Stecher said. “We’re not in a playoff spot, and that’s where we want to be.”

The Canucks, five points below the playoff bar, are hoping that a win over one highly physical opponent will lead to another. They edged the Los Angeles Kings, who are often described as one of the league’s heaviest teams, by a 2-1 score Wednesday.

The performance was not spectacular — especially considering that the Kings outshot Vancouver 31-8 over the final two periods and 37-20 on the night. But the win was gritty and something that the Canucks hope to build on against Anaheim.

Despite the lopsided shot count, the Canucks kept the Kings mostly on the perimeter.

“We have to change up some things,” Stecher said. “Obviously, you never play a perfect game. There are some things we have to work on.”

Improved physical play ranks among the priorities. Coach Willie Desjardins indicated that the Canucks, whose toughness has often been questioned, do not really have a choice.

“We’re gonna get that (increased physicality) as we go forward here,” Desjardins said. “Guys just have to battle. We’ve just gotta keep battling.”

With defenseman Alex Edler now back from a broken finger that had kept him out since late November, Desjardins appeared less worried than he might have been a month ago, although rearguard Erik Gudbranson, one of Vancouver’s more physical players, is out for an extended period following wrist surgery.

“We’ve got some big boys (with) Edler back in, and (Luca) Sbisa is physical,” Desjardins said. “I think teams will come at us that way, but we’ve just gotta keep our feet moving and, if they take penalties, we’ve gotta score on the power play.”

A rare Vancouver power-play goal, by winger Loui Eriksson, kick-started the win over Los Angeles. Desjardins might have his wish for more power-play opportunities granted after the Ducks showed considerable animosity in a 3-1 win over the Flames in Calgary on Thursday night.

When it comes to killing penalties, the Ducks are well below the league’s best. However, the Canucks also will have to maintain discipline in order to neutralize one of the NHL’s best power-play units. The Ducks went 2-for-6 in man-advantage situations Thursday.

Even with the victory over the Flames, Anaheim owns just two wins in its past six games (2-2-2).

“I thought we got better as the game went along,” Ducks goalie John Gibson said after making 31 saves at Calgary. “They jumped on us a little bit in the first period, but once we weathered that storm, we got our power play going and settled down from there and locked it down.”

Although Jakob Silfverberg extended his scoring streak to three games, the Ducks have not been getting as many goals as they would like from captain Ryan Getzlaf and fellow top forward Corey Perry.

Getzlaf has just four goals while Perry has seven. Lately, the nominal No. 2 line of Silfverberg, Ryan Kesler and Andrew Cogliano, known more as a penalty-killing specialist, have generated most of Anaheim’s production.

“We’ve got to score goals,” Getzlaf, referring to his line, told The Orange County Register this week. “That’s our job. That’s what we’re here for. (Kesler’s line is) a line that’s playing complete hockey right now. We expect them to contribute offensively as well as defensively. Our line has to be better in the goal-scoring department.”

Getzlaf and Perry toiled on separate lines in Calgary. Anaheim’s blue line also has a new look with rookie defenseman Brandon Montour slated to play only his second NHL game in Vancouver after making his debut in Calgary. Montour, an offensive defenseman, was promoted from San Diego of the American Hockey League after Sami Vatanen was sidelined due to illness.

The Ducks are 2-0-0 against the Canucks this season with wins at home and away.

Sharks aim to continue dominance over Flyers

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Other than one time over nearly 13 years, the San Jose Sharks have skated away with wins in their matchups with the Philadelphia Flyers.

San Jose will try to continue its dominance over Philadelphia on Friday night at SAP Center.

The Sharks (22-12-1) may have the right opponent coming while looking for their eighth win in nine games. San Jose has taken five straight — and 14 of the last 15 — from Philadelphia (20-13-4) dating back to Feb. 16, 2004, outscoring Philadelphia by a 58-35 margin.

The teams have not met since the Sharks scored three power-play goals en route to a 4-2 win on Dec. 30, 2015, in San Jose. Currently, the Sharks are in the bottom half of the league with only 19 man-advantage goals.

The Sharks, winners in 12 of 16 games in northern California, return home after defeating the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 in overtime on Tuesday behind Brent Burns’ team-high 14th goal and his 100th with San Jose.

The Sharks are the only division leader yet to reach 100 goals, scoring 88 or an average of 2.51 per game. As has been the case in recent seasons, the Sharks are succeeding through a stingy defense. Heading into this contest, San Jose has surrendered just 77 goals, or an average of 2.20 per game. Only the Washington Capitals, Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild have lower per-game averages.

“We don’t need to score four to win,” Sharks coach Peter DeBoer told the San Jose Mercury News. “A lot of nights, two is enough with the way we defend and the pride we take in that, and the goaltending we get.”

That stellar defensive play begins with Martin Jones. If he starts, Jones will be trying to join the Blue Jackets’ Sergei Bobrovsky as the only goalies with 20 wins this season. At home, Jones is 10-4-0 with a 1.65 goals-against average, a .930 save percentage and a shutout.

“He’s good now. I can only imagine many years from now how good he will be,” Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic told the Mercury News.

Over the last 15 matchups with the Flyers, San Jose is 9-0-0 when limiting them to two goals or less.

Sharks captain Joe Pavelski will be looking to notch a point in his fifth straight game. Given his history against the Flyers, he should see his name on the scoresheet at least once.

Pavelski has nine goals and three assists in 12 career games versus Philadelphia. Pavelski scored twice, including the game-winner, in the most recent matchup a year ago, and recorded the second of his four career hat tricks in a 7-3 win over the Flyers on Feb. 27, 2014 in Philadelphia.

Pavelski needs four points to reach 600 for his NHL career.

Philadelphia will try to avoid its fifth loss in six games after giving up four third-period goals in Wednesday’s 6-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues.

“We just wanted too easy of a night. We wanted to play too easy of a game. We have to be better and we’ll address that and get forward,” Philadelphia coach Dave Hakstol said after the loss.

The Flyers are 8-8-1 on the road, and have been outscored 13-4 during a three-game skid away from home. They’ll close out this road trip on New Year’s Day against Anaheim.

“Overall, we have to do a better job of taking time and space away,” Flyers goalie Steve Mason told the Philadelphia Daily News. “We have to be a lot better. We have some tough games in the next couple of days and if we get the same type of play, we’re going to end up on the losing end again.”

Playing in an opposing rink, Mason is 4-7-1 with a 3.22 GAA and .887 save percentage, and he’s lost in each of his last three road starts, allowing nine goals on 59 shots. He’s 0-1-2 against the Sharks and was in net during the Flyers’ loss in San Jose last season.

The player to watch on Philadelphia is Claude Giroux. In 11 career matchups with San Jose, he’s scored six goals — no current Flyer has more than two. The center is tied with Wayne Simmonds for second on the club with 31 points; however, Giroux has recorded only two assists in his last six road games.

Simmonds, who scored his team-leading 17th goal in the loss to the Blues, has only two assists in six career games against the Sharks.

The Sharks and Flyers will conclude their season series on Feb. 11 in Philadelphia.

Predators limp into St. Louis to face Blues

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ST. LOUIS — The NHL schedule-maker did not do the Nashville Predators any favors coming out of the Christmas break.

Waiting for them as a belated present were three games in four nights, all against Central Division rivals. They opened with a 3-2 overtime loss to Minnesota on Tuesday night, followed by a 3-2 setback against Chicago on Thursday night, the third consecutive loss by the Predators.

The Predators got on a plane after that game to fly to St. Louis, where they meet the Blues on Friday night.

They could be without two key players for that game. Right winger James Neal had to come out of Thursday’s contest in the second period because of an upper-body injury. Defenseman P.K. Subban (upper-body) missed the last six games and the team said he is not expected to play against the Blues.

“In our division, it feels like everyone is winning, especially now when we lose division games,” Nashville left winger Filip Forsberg said. “Other teams are going to get ahead of us. We have to realize the moment; we still have half of the season left but at the same time, you can’t just push the reset button after the New Year … you have to get more urgent and string some wins together.”

St. Louis won its first game after the break behind the first career hat trick from Robby Fabbri, scoring four goals in the third period in a 6-3 victory Wednesday night at home over the Philadelphia Flyers.

The four goals were one more than the Blues scored in the third period of their last nine games combined.

“I know it’s an easy thing to say, but you want your game to be simple, and when you want to score so badly, you can make it very complicated, and we have done that,” St. Louis coach Ken Hitchcock said. “We have made it very complicated.”

Most of the Blues’ problems have come on the road, where they are 5-10-1. The win over the Flyers improved their home record to 14-2-4.

The game against Nashville is the second contest of a season-high six-game homestand for the Blues, including the outdoor Winter Classic matchup against the Blackhawks on Monday at Busch Stadium.

Defenseman Colton Parayko hopes the Blues learned something with their comeback from a 4-3 deficit against the Flyers which they can use in the future, beginning Friday night.

“If we have the lead, I think we’ve been holding back with the lead almost,” Parayko said. “We went in (to the third period) tied and went down and didn’t give up. We stuck together and that’s one of the things we wanted to change coming back from this break and it was noticeable for sure.”

After getting the night off against the Flyers, regular goalie Jake Allen gets the start in goal for the Blues against the Predators.

Hurricanes continue tough stretch versus Blackhawks

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RALEIGH, N.C. — With playing marque teams in consecutive games, the Carolina Hurricanes aren’t easing into the post-holiday schedule.

The Hurricanes tangle with the visiting Chicago Blackhawks on Friday night at PNC Arena, something that should heighten the team’s alert level.

For former Chicago player Teuvo Teravainen, that’s no problem.

“We look to the next game,” Teravainen said. “We need two points.”

While the Blackhawks have the best record in the Western Conference, they needed a comeback Thursday night in Nashville to snap a three-game losing streak. The 3-2 victory might be the type of outcome that can ignite a spark for the team.

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said it helps that the Blackhawks can be a four-line team. That might be extra vital in this game with Carolina because Chicago will be in its third game in four nights, while the Hurricanes will have played only once in the previous week.

There are matters of execution at both ends of the ice that could be more important for the Blackhawks.

“When we are successful (the defense) is part of our offense,” Quenneville said. “The offensive side of the D-side is sometimes overlooked.”

Carolina is coming off Wednesday night’s 3-2 loss in Pittsburgh, which holds the second-most points in the NHL behind Columbus.

There were numerous positive aspects for the Hurricanes, such as putting 46 shots on net. Yet they had only two goals to show for it.

“It’s a race to three (goals) in this league,” Carolina coach Bill Peters said. “We have to find a way to finish some of these chances. … Rusty in execution. Make sure if you’re not going to get on the scoresheet, you can’t give any up.”

The Hurricanes had a few inspiring third periods before the holiday break so it was a reversal of sorts in Pittsburgh when they relinquished a lead.

“We had lots of chances and probably should have won (that game),” forward Elias Lindholm said. “Just keep building. Stay around the net and be hungry.”

Carolina is trying to increase a 10-game point streak in home games. That’s the best stretch at home since a 12-game home winning streak almost eight years ago.

The Hurricanes are without defenseman Justin Faulk, who missed Wednesday’s game with a lower-body injury and his status is described as possibly in limbo for a couple of weeks. Ryan Murphy took his place on the blue line.

“He came in and moved the puck,” Peters said. “I thought he did some good things.”

Carolina, which swept the two-game series from the Blackhawks last season, relies in part on the best penalty killing in the NHL, operating at 90.6 percent.

Quenneville said the Blackhawks must return to the style that worked so well for them early in the season and part of that requires making it difficult for opposing teams to move with the puck.

“We’re better when we’re tough to play against,” Quenneville said.

This is the last game for Chicago before Monday’s outdoor contest at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

NHL Capsules (December 30, 2016)

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) Alexander Wennberg had two goals and Brandon Saad also scored, helping the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Winnipeg Jets 5-3 on Thursday night to extend their franchise-record winning streak to 14 games.

Columbus has tied for the fourth longest winning streak ever in the NHL and is closing in on the record 17 set by Pittsburgh in 1992-93. The Jackets next play at Minnesota on Saturday night, and the Wild have won 12 straight, setting up the first meeting between clubs with such long streaks.

Nick Foligno and Lukas Sedlak also scored for Columbus, and Foligno and Zach Werenski each had a pair of assists.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves for his 23rd win of the season.

Shawn Matthias, Bryan Little and Mathieu Perreault scored for Winnipeg, and Michael Hutchinson turned aside 30 shots.

WILD 6, ISLANDERS 4

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) – Erik Haula scored midway through the third period to help Minnesota hold off New York for its 12th victory in a row.

Marco Scandella, Chris Stewart, Jared Spurgeon, Jordan Schroeder and Mikael Granlund also scored for Minnesota, which had a franchise-record three goals in 80 seconds in the second period.

The Wild’s Devan Dubnyk allowed more than three goals for the first time this season but made 23 saves to win his 10th straight start.

Haula put Minnesota ahead 5-4 with his sixth goal after Nino Niederreiter’s shot deflected off Haula’s leg. New York’s Brock Nelson scored twice in 42 seconds early in the period to tie it.

RANGERS 6, COYOTES 3

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Matt Puempel got two of his three power-play goals late in the third period to help New York avert a collapse and beat Arizona.

Puempel scored 2:24 into the game for a 1-0 edge and New York built a 3-1 lead over the next 20 minutes. Arizona rallied to tie it on Tobias Rieder’s goal 7:32 into the third, but then Puempel made it 4-3 with a power-play score with 5:20 remaining.

After a goal by J.T. Miller with 26.7 seconds left made it 5-3, Puempel completed his hat trick with 16.7 seconds to go by redirecting a pass from Brandon Pirri.

Nick Holden also scored on a power play and Chris Kreider added an even-strength goal for the Rangers. Antti Raanta made 18 saves.

Christian Dvorak and Anthony Duclair helped rally the Coyotes with goals, but Mike Smith stopped just 26 of 31 shots.

DEVILS 2, CAPITALS 1, SO

WASHINGTON (AP) – Keith Kinkaid made 43 saves and stopped two attempts in the shootout, helping New Jersey beat Washington.

New Jersey’s backup goaltender was the best player on the ice for the entire game and cracked only on a short-handed goal by Daniel Winnik. Jacob Josefson returned from a five-game absence caused by a concussion to score the shootout winner.

PA Parenteau scored in the second period as the Devils snapped a seven-game skid against the Capitals. New Jersey beat Washington for the first time since Nov. 14, 2014.

Braden Holtby made 26 saves but couldn’t stop Michael Cammelleri and Josefson in the shootout.

OILERS 3, KINGS 1

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) – Eric Gryba broke a tie at 6:58 of the third period and Jordan Eberle had two assists in Edmonton’s victory over Los Angeles.

Patrick Maroon and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored for the Oilers. They are 4-0-1 in their last five and 19-12-6 overall.

Cam Talbot made 28 saves, allowing only Nick Shore’s goal. The Kings have dropped three straight to fall to 17-15-4.

It was the second of five meetings between the teams this season, with the Kings winning the first one 4-2 in Los Angeles. The Kings swept the five-game set last season and came into the game with a 17-1-2 record against Edmonton in their last 20 meetings.

BLACKHAWKS 3, PREDATORS 2

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Patrick Kane had a goal and an assist to lead Chicago over Nashville.

Artem Anisimov and Jonathan Toews also scored and Corey Crawford made 36 saves to help Chicago snap a three-game losing streak, the Blackhawks’ longest skid of the season.

Filip Forsberg and Mike Fisher scored for Nashville, and Ryan Johansen had two assists. The Predators have lost three straight.

With the score tied at 2 late in the third, Kane carried the puck into the Nashville zone on the right side and fired a wrist shot from the faceoff dot that beat Pekka Rinne on the short side. Rinne finished with 20 saves.

CANADIENS 3, PANTHERS 2, OT

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) – Phillip Danault scored 39 seconds into overtime after Brendan Gallagher tied it late in the third period, leading Montreal over Florida.

Gallagher ended a 13-game goal drought with 2:37 remaining when his shot from the right circle went over James Reimer’s glove, and then Danault came in on a breakaway and beat Reimer for his seventh goal of the season.

Max Pacioretty also scored for Montreal, and Al Montoya made 31 saves.

Vincent Trocheck and Jason Demers scored for the Panthers. Reimer stopped 38 shots.

Montreal snapped a three-game losing streak.

DUCKS 3, FLAMES 1

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) – Jakob Silfverberg scored the go-ahead goal 5:37 into the third period to lead Anaheim over Calgary.

On a 2-on-1 with Andrew Cogliano, Silfverberg hung onto the puck and whipped a 40-foot wrist shot over Chad Johnson’s shoulder. Silfverberg has scored in three straight games.

Antoine Vermette and Rickard Rakell also scored to help Anaheim snap a three-game skid. Ryan Kesler had assists.

John Gibson made 31 stops for Anaheim, allowing only Mikael Backlund’s goal.

BRUINS 4, SABRES 2

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) – Ryan Spooner scored twice in the final four minutes and Boston beat Buffalo.

Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci also scored in the opening game of a home-and-home series. Krejci also had an assist, and Tuukka Rask made 31 saves to help the Bruins snap a two-game losing streak.

Spooner broke a tie with 3:53 remaining. He took a cross-ice pass from Krejci and beat Robin Lehner with a straightaway slap shot. Spooner scored again into an empty net in the final minute.

Marcus Foligno and Kyle Okposo scored for the Sabres. Matt Moulson assisted on both goals, and Lehner made 34 saves. Buffalo has just one regulation win in its last six games.

STARS 4, AVALANCHE 2

DALLAS (AP) – Tyler Seguin had two goals and an assist and Dallas beat lowly Colorado for its first three-game winning streak of the season.

Seguin’s 12th goal of the season, a one-timer from the middle of the left circle on a pass from captain Jamie Benn, put the Stars up 2-0 in the first period. He added his 13th into an empty net in the closing seconds.

Seguin and Benn assisted on Jamie Oleksiak’s wrister from the right circle for a 3-1 lead early in the second period, right after Benn had a shot ricochet off the crossbar.

Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen stopped 13 of 14 shots before coming out of the game with 15 minutes left after being barreled over by Jarome Iginla.

RED WINGS 3, SENATORS 2, OT

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) – Anthony Mantha scored at 1:07 of overtime after Bobby Ryan’s turnover to give Detroit a victory over Ottawa.

The Senators retired Daniel Alfredsson’s No. 11 before the game. The 20,011 fans, making it the first sellout of the season, kept the celebration going as they cheered for their former captain – and also a former Red Wing – at the 11:11 mark of every period.

Thomas Vanek and Tomas Tatar scored for the Red Wings in regulation. Jared Coreau, who was born just outside Ottawa and grew up cheering for the Senators, made 26 saves.

Derrick Brassard and Mark Stone scored for the Senators, and Mike Condon made 26 saves.

MAPLE LEAFS 3, LIGHTNING 2, OT

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) – Nazem Kadri scored on a power play 3:37 into overtime to give Toronto a victory over Tampa Bay.

With Valtteri Filppula serving a penalty for goalie interference, Kadri beat Andrei Vasilevskiy from in-close.

Auston Matthews and Tyler Bozak also scored, and Antoine Bibeau stopped 25 shots in his second career NHL game and first victory.

Brian Boyle and Ondrej Palat scored, and Vasilevskiy made 32 saves for the Lightning. They rallied from a two-goal, third-period deficit to beat Montreal 4-3 in overtime Wednesday night.