NHL Morning Skate – Dec. 31, 2017

SABRES, RANGERS SET TO PRACTICE AHEAD OF WINTER CLASSIC

The Sabres (10 a.m. ET) and Rangers (1:30 p.m. ET) will take to the ice outdoors at Citi Field in Queens today to practice ahead of Monday’s 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic (1 p.m. ET on NBC, SN, TVAS & NHL.TV).

* NHL Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice President Steve Mayer provided a private tour of Citi Field and tickets to the Winter Classic to a group of Rangers fans who missed the team’s last home game after the ferry they were travelling on got stuck on a sandbar.

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

Home Team in Caps

Boston 5, OTTAWA 0
FLORIDA 2, Montreal 0
WASHINGTON 5, New Jersey 2
ST. LOUIS 3, Carolina 2
NASHVILLE 3 Minnesota 0
Los Angeles 4, VANCOUVER 3

TRIO OF SHUTOUTS HIGHLIGHT SATURDAY SCHEDULE

Tuukka Rask (BOS), James Reimer (FLA) and Juuse Saros (NSH) all recorded their second shutout of the season:

* Rask made 25 saves to register his 40th career shutout and help the Bruins (21-10-6, 48 points) improve to 15-3-2 in their past 20 GP and extend their point streak to eight contests (6-0-2). Rask, who became the second goaltender to record 40 shutouts with the Bruins, improved to 10-0-1 in his last 12 appearances, posting a 1.29 GAA, .952 SV% and two shutouts over that span.

* Reimer recorded 38 saves to post his second shutout in three games and guide the Panthers (17-16-5, 39 points) to their fifth consecutive victory, a run that includes four straight home wins. Reimer has posted at least 35 saves eight times this season, including three instances during Florida’s current win streak.

* Saros turned aside all 29 shots he faced to help the Predators (23-10-5, 51 points) improve to 12-4-2 at Bridgestone Arena this season and move into first place in the Central Division standings. Nashville has posted a shutout in three of its past four victories dating to Dec. 14.

TROTZ CLIMBS ALL-TIME LIST IN ANOTHER CAPITALS HOME WIN

Nicklas Backstrom (1-2—3), John Carlson (1-2—3) and Alex Ovechkin (0-3—3) each collected three points to lead the Capitals (24-13-3, 51 points) to their eighth straight win at Capital One Arena, moving the club into first place in the Metropolitan Division.

* Washington, who are tied for first in the NHL with 16 home wins this season (w/ TBL), posted 15 consecutive home wins in 2016-17 en route to leading the League in home wins (32) and home points (66; tied).

* Head coach Barry Trotz was behind the bench for the 737th win of his NHL career, surpassing Lindy Ruff (736) for sole possession of fifth on the NHL’s all-time list.

SNEAK PEEK AT SUNDAY’S ACTION

NHL CLOSES 2017 WITH EIGHT-GAME SLATE

The final day of 2017 features eight NHL games, including a doubleheader on Sportsnet in Canada that begins at 3:30 p.m. ET when the Maple Leafs (23-13-2, 48 points) visit Vegas for the first time to face the Western Conference-leading Golden Knights (25-9-2, 52 points). Vegas has earned at least one point in 11 consecutive games, including an active six-game win streak – both runs are the longest by an NHL team in its inaugural season.

* At 7 p.m. ET, the Jets (22-11-6, 50 points) aim to reclaim first place in the Central Division standings when they face the Oilers (17-18-3, 37 points) for the second time in five days.

Doughty scores in 3rd to lift Kings over Canucks 4-3

Associated Press

VANCOUVER, British Columbia (AP) – Left red-faced on a highlight-reel sequence he says has only happened one other time in his career, Drew Doughty didn't need long to make amends.

Doughty scored early in the third period to lift the Los Angeles Kings over the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on Saturday night.

Doughty was beaten badly by Nikolay Goldobin late in the second period on a slick toe drag that tied the game at 2. Doughty made up for it in the third, finding the puck after his initial shot was blocked by defenseman Alexander Edler, then ripping his seventh of the season at 6:49.

"I don't get dangled very often ... only the second time I can remember in my NHL career where I got dangled for a goal," Doughty said. "I was pretty embarrassed and pretty pissed off at myself.

"I was going to do everything in my power to try to help us win that game."

Doughty swung his arm in celebration along the boards with teammates as the Canucks fumed at the officials, apparently angry that the Kings had too many men on the ice - a grievance that appeared to be backed by replays.

"Definitely didn't get any satisfaction out of it," Vancouver coach Travis Green said. "I didn't ask (the referees), I wasn't going to bother."

Kyle Clifford scored the tying goal 2:22 into the third to set up Doughty's winner, and Tyler Toffoli and Marian Gaborik also scored for Los Angeles. Jonathan Quick made 22 saves.

Troy Stecher, Goldobin and Nic Dowd scored for Vancouver, which got 32 saves from Jacob Markstrom. Ben Hutton had two assists.

The Kings improved to 3-3-2 since an eight-game winning streak, while the Canucks dropped to 2-8-1 over their past 11.

Sam Gagner, who had two goals and an assist in Vancouver's 5-2 victory over Chicago on Thursday, rang a shot off the crossbar midway through the period that bounced down in the crease and stayed out.

Markstrom kept the Canucks alive with a big stop on Toffoli, but Vancouver couldn't find a way past Quick.

The home side grabbed a 3-2 lead 41 seconds into the third when Dowd, who was acquired from Los Angeles on Dec. 7, finished on a 2-on-1 rush by beating Quick with his first.

The Kings replied just 1:41 later when Trevor Lewis circled back off the rush before laying the puck in front to Clifford, who eventually banged home his first.

Stecher put Vancouver ahead 4:31 into the first, but Toffoli and Gaborik scored a minute apart later in the period to make it 2-1 Kings. Gaborik's goal came on the power play.

Goldobin made his move around Doughty to tie it late in the second.

"Great players have a short memory," Kings coach John Stevens said of Doughty. "Not very often that happens. I wouldn't expect to see it again for a while."

NOTES: Canucks rookie Brock Boeser, who leads all NHL rookies as well as his team in goals (21) and points (38), entered having scored in four straight games. He failed to get on the scoresheet against Los Angeles.

UP NEXT

Kings: Visit Edmonton on Tuesday night.

Canucks: Host Anaheim on Tuesday night before starting a seven-game road trip.

Saros' 29 saves lead Predators over Wild 3-0

By JIM DIAMOND
Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Juuse Saros stepped in for Pekka Rinne and delivered a gem for Nashville.

Saros made 29 saves for his second shutout this season, P.K. Subban scored his ninth goal and the Predators beat the Minnesota Wild 3-0 on Saturday night.

Saros was quick to credit the players in front of him following the game.

"They were better in front of our net," the Finn said. "We didn't give them as much chances as yesterday. I think we were more active today."

Subban also had an assist, and Scott Hartnell and Viktor Arvidsson also scored. Calle Jarnkrok had two assists for the Predators, who have won two of three.

Alex Stalock made 26 saves, and the Wild lost a night after beating Nashville in Minnesota.

"We had opportunities in the second period," Wild coach Bruce Boudreau said. "If you don't take advantage of your chances, something is going to come up to bite you."

Hartnell scored the game's first goal at 2:23 of the third period. Nick Bonino's shot from the right boards hit the side of the net, and Hartnell took possession of the puck and skated around the cage. From the left doorstep, Hartnell's wraparound backhand tipped off Stalock's blocker and in.

"That's his bread and butter," Nashville coach Peter Laviolette said. "If you can put it within 10 feet of the net, just draw a loop 10 feet around the net, that's where he needs to be. That's where he's at his best. That's where he scored his goal tonight."

Hartnell was a healthy scratch Friday. This was his first goal since Nov. 3.

"That first goal was going to be a big one when it's a game that tight," said Wild forward Matt Cullen, a former Predator. "We weren't able to generate much on that last part there."

Subban made it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 7:50 of the third. With Matt Dumba in the box for tripping, Subban's slap shot from the center of the blue line deflected off the stick of Wild forward Zack Mitchell.

"I'm just trying to do my job and I have great teammates, they are great players that make great plays," Subban said. "I have just been able to put the puck on net and good things have happened. I try to keep my game simple, but what can I say? That is just the (benefit) of playing on a good team. Any player in this league that has individual success will tell you that without a good team around you, you are not going to have much success."

Arvidsson added an empty-net goal with 2:20 to go.

Saros was sharp all evening, with his best save coming with 8:59 remaining in the second when Gustav Olofsson came down the left side unchecked and fired a wrist shot that Saros turned aside.

Following his hat trick Friday, Mikael Granlund paced all Minnesota players with seven shots on goal Saturday.

Stalock stopped eight shots in the first and 11 in the second. He is 0-3-0 in his career against the Predators.

NOTES: Nashville LW Filip Forsberg missed the game with an upper-body injury. The Predators placed their leading goal scorer on injured reserve earlier Saturday. ... The Predators are 5-0-1 this season when the game is tied going into the third. ... Olofsson was scratched in Minnesota's last eight contests. ... The Wild have allowed one power-play goal against in their last three games.

UP NEXT

Wild: Host Florida on Tuesday night.

Predators: At Vegas on Tuesday night.

Scottie Upshall breaks tie, Blues beat Hurricanes 3-2

By JEFF MELNICK
Associated Press

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Scottie Upshall fit in quite nicely when he was moved to the top line with Vladimir Tarasenko and Brayden Schenn at the start of the third period.

Upshall broke a tie midway through the third and the St. Louis Blues held off the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 on Saturday night. Upshall took a pass from Brayden Schenn and beat goalie Scott Darling between the legs for his sixth goal of the season and first in 11 games.

"I yelled to (Schenn) and he made an incredible no-look pass that put me in a great shooting spot," Upshall said. "And I was able to put one in."

Kyle Brodziak and Partrik Berglund also scored for St. Louis, and Carter Hutton made 23 saves. The Blues won for the third time in 10 games and snapped Carolina's four-game winning streak.

Derek Ryan and Lucas Wallmark scored for Carolina. Darling stopped 26 shots in his first start since allowing eight goals in an 8-1 loss to Toronto on Dec. 19.

"He definitely stepped up and made some big saves for us throughout the game," Ryan said. It's good to see him play well. He made some big saves for us and hopefully some confidence for him."

St. Louis opened the scoring at 43 seconds of the first. From behind the net, Alexander Steen found a wide-open Brodziak for a one-timer past Darling. Brodziak has seven goals this season.

"Anytime those guys get rewarded, they've been playing real well," Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester said about Upshall and Brodziak. "Both those guys do things that are kind of underappreciated."

The Blues made it 2-0 42 seconds into the second period. Alex Pietrangelo and Berglund executed a 2-on-1 to perfection, with Berglund burying Pietrangelo's pass past Darling for his sixth of the season.

Carolina cut it to 2-1 midway through the second on Ryan's ninth goal of the season. Ryan came out of the penalty box after a slashing penalty, catching the Blues off-guard.

"I'm always thinking that when I come out of the box," Ryan said. "So if we get possession, and you don't see it very often but if that guys gets a break I'm definitely looking for that."

Wallmark scored his first NHL goal with 6:02 left in the period. Recalled from Charlotte of the American Hockey League, Wallmark was playing his first NHL game of the season and ninth overall.

"It's a big goal for me, and for the team there," Wallmark said. "So it's fun to see the puck get into the net."

NOTES: Bouwmeester returned to the Blues' lineup after missing nine games with a lower-body injury. The Blues made a corresponding move sending D Jordan Schmaltz to San Antonio of the AHL. ... The Hurricanes, who committed two penalties, came into the game as the least penalized team in the NHL with 104 penalties.

UP NEXT

Hurricanes: Host Washington on Tuesday night.

Blues: Host New Jersey on Tuesday night.

Capitals beat Devils to take lead in Metropolitan Division

By RICH DUBROFF
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) – Washington Capitals coach Barry Trotz didn't know that his team had just overtaken the New Jersey Devils to move atop the Metropolitan Division.

Sure, the season isn't quite halfway over, but the Capitals' 5-2 win over the Devils on Saturday night ensured that they'd end 2017 in first place.

Nicklas Backstrom and John Carlson had a goal and two assists each, Alex Ovechkin had three assists.

"To me, it's about playing well," Trotz said. "I just want to want to get into the dance playing well. There's so much parity in this league."

Braden Holtby stopped 25 shots as Washington won its eighth straight home game. Christian Djoos had a goal and an assist, and Tom Wilson and Matt Niskanen also scored for the Capitals.

New Jersey had gone eight games without a regulation loss. John Moore scored late in the first period and Travis Zajac midway through the third. Cory Schneider stopped 30 shots.

"They came out the first 10 minutes of the game, playing to win, and we didn't," Devils coach John Hynes said. "This was a big game. You can see Washington came to play. It was important to them, and it was important to us. They were the better team tonight."

While Trotz professed not to study the standings, his players knew the significance of the game.

"I think any game is big right now the way the division is shaking out," Carlson said. "You've got to collect them while you can, certainly against teams like this when we're home and rested and they're playing on a back-to-back and on the road."

On Friday night, New Jersey lost in overtime at home after five straight wins. The game against the Capitals was the Devils' first of four consecutive road games.

Marcus Johansson played in his first game as a visitor in Washington after seven seasons with the Capitals and assisted on both goals.

Wilson got the game's first goal, his sixth of the season, beating Schneider at 2:26 in the first period. Djoos gave the Capitals a 2-0 lead at 11:09. It was Djoos' third goal this season and his first since Oct. 21.

"That's where we want to be," Djoos said of his team taking the division lead. "It shows that we can play against them and win."

After Moore's goal, Carlson's fourth at 7:01 of the second made it 3-1. Niskanen added his third goal of the season at 4:25 of the third. Backstrom added his eighth goal, an empty-netter, in the game's final minute.

The win was Washington coach Barry Trotz's 737th. He's now in fifth place on the career list, passing Lindy Ruff.

"I've lost my hair. I've turned gray. I've gotten old," Trotz said.

Trotz, who is in his fourth season coaching Washington after spending 15 seasons with Nashville, feels fortunate to have lasted so long.

"My first year, I just wanted to get through the whole season and not get let go," Trotz said. "I'm blessed to be standing here, a lot older."

NOTES: Johansson was applauded by the crowd after a video tribute in the first period. "It feels a little weird," he said before the game. "It's going to be a fun one and a special one for me, and I think something I'm going to remember for a while afterwards." ... Washington F Andre Burakovsky was a healthy scratch for the first time this season. ... The Devils acquired G Eddie Lack from Calgary for D Dalton Prout. Lack will report to Binghamton of the AHL.

UP NEXT

Devils: Visit St. Louis on Tuesday night.

Capitals: Visit Carolina on Tuesday night.

Reimer stops 37 for another shutout, Panthers beat Habs 2-0

By PAUL GEREFFI
Associated Press

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) – James Reimer is earning his teammates' confidence with starter Roberto Luongo on the shelf.

Reimer stopped 37 shots for his second shutout in three games and the Florida Panthers beat the Montreal Canadiens 2-0 on Saturday night.

It's been a busy month for Reimer since Luongo was injured Dec. 4, and he capped December with another stellar show. He also beat Ottawa 1-0 a week ago with a 38-save effort. The Panthers won their fifth straight game with Reimer in goal.

"Now that it's going good for us, it's fun," Reimer said. "A year can be a roller coaster, sometimes things go your way sometimes they don't. You just have to take it in stride and enjoy it when it's going well."

Reimer allowed 12 goals in his first three appearances after he took over for Luongo but has allowed six goals in his past five games.

"When you're feeling (confident), the puck's big and you're reading plays," Reimer said. "It's just doing the little things that can attribute to (success)."

Vincent Trocheck and Connor Brickley scored for the Panthers. Brickley also had an assist.

The Panthers' winning streak is their longest since they won five straight from Feb. 11-20.

"It's great. You always have a smile on your face," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "You come to the rink and you feel energized, just like a player, coaches are the same. It's nice to see the room is in a good place."

Carey Price made 32 saves for Montreal, which has lost four straight. The Canadiens have been held to one goal or fewer in four straight games.

"I would say we looked like a team that played three (games) in four (nights)," Canadiens coach Claude Julien said. "Having said that, again, you don't score goals, you don't win hockey games."

Trocheck put the Panthers ahead 2-0 with 8:11 left in the third period. MacKenzie Weegar passed across the slot to Trocheck, who fired the puck past Price.

"Obviously, we've won five in a row and we're doing some good things," Trocheck said. "At the same time, we haven't played a full 60 minutes like we want. It's just a matter of putting it all together and playing a full three periods."

Montreal captain Max Pacioretty has gone 12 games without a goal and he has only one in the last 21.

"We're all just trying to support each other and work hard every day to get out of it," Pacioretty said. "I'm sure no one in this room has really had to deal with this adversity. I sure haven't in my career."

Brickley gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead 4:02 into the second. Mark Pysyk took a shot that bounced off Brickley in the left circle. Brickley grabbed the loose puck, spun around and shot the puck past Price.

NOTES: Canadiens D David Schlemko returned to the lineup after missing the previous two games. ... Trocheck leads the Panthers with 13 points in 14 December games. ... Panthers forward Radim Vrbata missed his second straight game with an illness. ... Josiane Huberdeau, sister of Panthers C Jonathan Huberdeau, sang the Canadian national anthem before the game.

UP NEXT

Canadiens: Host San Jose on Tuesday night.

Panthers: Visit Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Ryan Spooner, Tuukka Rask help Bruins beat Senators 5-0

Associated Press

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) – The Boston Bruins pushed aside the reeling Ottawa Senators - again.

Ryan Spooner scored twice and Tuukka Rask made 25 saves in the Bruins' 5-0 victory over the Senators on Saturday night.

Noel Acciari, David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron also scored for the Bruins, 5-1 winners over the Senators on Wednesday night in Boston. Rask had his second shutout of the season and 40th overall.

"We took over the game," Rask said. "Their chances came early and that's it. We scored more and we always played the same way and that's great to see. Going ahead that has to continue because that's going to reward us in the future."

Mike Condon stopped 29 shots for the Senators. Ottawa was shut out five times in December, going 4-8-2 in the month. The Senators have been outscored 14-6 in their past three games.

"It's stupidity and frustration," Senators forward Mark Stone said. "We put ourselves in terrible spots when you look at the goals that they're scoring. We're putting ourselves in terrible situations."

Boston took a 4-0 lead in the second, scoring three goals on 13 shots.

Sean Kuraly provided a screen for Acciari, who beat Condon off his backhand for a 2-0 advantage. Just over two minutes later, Ben Harpur, looking to shoot the puck in at the blue line, had his shot picked off by Spooner, who broke in alone and beat Condon through the legs.

Krejci, returning to the lineup after missing six games with an upper-body injury, then picked up Charlie McAvoy's rebound and tucked it in at the side of the net on the power play. The Bruins took a 5-0 lead in the opening minutes of the third when Bergeron tipped Torey Krug' shot for their third power-play goal of the game.

The Bruins opened the scoring at 8:13 of the first on the man advantage. After a couple of solid saves by Condon, a rebound popped right out to Spooner.

NOTES: Ottawa D Fredrik Claesson served the second game of his two-game suspension. ... Boston LW Anders Bjork, C Frank Vatrano and D Paul Postma were healthy scratches.

UP NEXT

Bruins: At New York Islanders on Tuesday night.

Senators: At Detroit on Wednesday night.

US rallies to 4-3 shootout win over Canada in outdoor game

By JOHN WAWROW
Associated Press

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Out of the way, Canada. Brady Tkachuk and the Americans are just fine when it comes to handling snow and ice.

Tkachuk and Kieffer Bellows found plenty enough traction on a snow-covered rink to score shootout goals and cap the United States’ 4-3 victory over Canada on Friday in international hockey’s first outdoor game.

Much like they did the similar two times against Canada at the world junior hockey championship, the defending gold-medal-winning Americans overcame a two-goal deficit by scoring twice in a span of 34 seconds in the third period.

“It just made it better with the snow coming down and the fans’ excitement. You could definitely feel it,” Tkachuk said of a game played with snow persistently falling from the opening faceoff. “We knew we were taking it to them in the second and third period and Coach was saying, if one goes in, two go in.”

A snowball effect, perhaps. And it happened in front of a world junior tournament record crowd of 44,592 — some going shirtless in celebrating the bitter elements — at the NFL Buffalo Bills’ home, New Era Field.

The Americans (1-1-1) showed resolve in not only beating their cross-border rivals, but overcoming the disappointment of a 3-2 loss to Slovakia on Thursday.

“That talks a lot about our group and the locker room and how close we are as a family,” Bellows said. “There was never a doubt in the whole entire locker room or on the bench at any point.”

Tkachuk and Ron Perunovich scored in the third period, while Casey Mittlestadt had three assists to take over the tournament lead with six points (two goals, four assists). Bellows scored his tournament leading fourth goal, and goalie Jake Oettinger stopped 19 shots through overtime and all four he faced in the shootout.

Boris Katchouk, Cale Makar and Dillon Dube scored for Canada (2-0-1), which has lost four straight meeting to the Americans. It was a familiar and disappointing result for goalie Carter Hart, who was also lost the championship game to the U.S. in January.

“Last year doesn’t matter at all,” said Hart, who stopped 32 shots through overtime Friday. “Tomorrow, we get the chance to finish in first place, so that’s what on our mind’s now.”

By earning a point for the shootout loss, Canada still has the edge in the Group A standings in being two points ahead of the Americans. The Canadians can clinch top spot with a win in their preliminary round finale against Denmark (0-3) on Saturday.

In the only other tournament game, St. Louis Blues draft pick Klim Kostin scored twice in leading Russia (2-1) to a 5-2 win over Belarus (0-3). Russia clinched a Group B berth in the quarterfinal round Tuesday. Belarus closes the preliminary round against the Czech Republic on Saturday and is in jeopardy of finishing last in five-team Group B standings.

Bellows scored on the Americans’ first shootout chance by snapping a shot through Hart’s legs. Then Tkachuk scored by firing a shot in the top right corner.

Down 3-1, Perunovich cut the lead to 3-2 from the slot by capping a give-and-go passing play with Mittelstadt with 13:51 left. Mittlestadt, the Buffalo Sabres’ first-round pick, then set up Tkachuk in front for the tying goal by gathering a loose puck behind the net after Canadian defenseman Kale Clague lost his stick.

The Americans drew upon last year’s win over Canada, in which they trailed 4-2.

“Just believing you’re never out of the game. We had a lot of hockey left to be played,” U.S. defenseman Adam Fox said. “Last year, it was a very similar thing. Some guys who are returning had that experience to tell guys this year that, ‘You know, we’re not down and out.’”

It was a familiar feeling of disappointment for Canada.

“Yeah, it’s a tough pill to swallow once again losing to the Americans in the shootout,” forward Michael McLeod said. “The only good thing is that this is round robin.”

The crowd on Friday appeared evenly split with American and Canadian fans, many of whom spent much of the game standing. As night fell, a red glow emanated from the middle section of the stadium, where rows of heaters hang above the seats.

Flurries began falling during the pre-game national anthems, and the snow fell harder as the game progressed. It began falling so heavily that the surface had to be shoveled at each commercial break starting late in the second period. Work crews filled several wheelbarrows full of snow, which were dumped onto a pile that grew to about seven feet behind the east end of the rink.

Oettinger had an opportunity to take time to enjoy the atmosphere.

“Yeah, I did see the shirtless guy on the Jumbotron. Yeah, I took a look a couple of times,” Oettinger said with a smile. “A really fun win, but now we’ve got to put it behind us.”

Kreider out indefinitely for Rangers

Forward Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers is out indefinitely because of a blood clot in his right arm.

Kreider left the Rangers' 1-0 shootout victory against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday with 22 seconds remaining in the first period because of what coach Alain Vigneault said was an upper-body injury. He played seven shifts totaling 5:04 of ice time and had two shots on goal.

Vigneault said Thursday that Kreider felt swelling in his arm before the game but was cleared to play after being examined by doctors. After the first period the swelling had increased and Kreider was sent to the hospital, where testing discovered the blood clot.

Kreider is tied for fourth on the Rangers in scoring with 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 37 games.

The Rangers recalled forward Vinni Lettieri from Hartford of the American Hockey League. Lettieri, 22, has 21 points (12 goals, nine assists) in 31 games.

The Rangers play at the Detroit Red Wings on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET; FS-D, MSG, NHL.TV) and then play the Buffalo Sabres in the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Citi Field in New York on Monday (1 p.m. ET; NBC, SN, TVA Sports, NHL.TV).

Final 2018 U.S. National Junior Team Roster Announced

BUFFALO, N.Y. — USA Hockey today announced the final 23-player roster for the 2018 U.S. National Junior Team that will compete in the 2018 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Buffalo, New York, from Dec. 26, 2017 - Jan. 5, 2018.

The final player roster is below:

FORWARDS

Joey Anderson
Kieffer Bellowa
Logan Brown
Trenr Frederic
Patrick Harper
Max Jones
Will Lockwood
Casey Mittelstadt
Josh Norris
Ryab Poehling
Brady Tkachuk
Riley Tufte
Kailer Yamamoto

DEFENSEMEN

Mikey Anderson
Adam Fox
Quinn Hughes
Ryab Lindgren
Andrew Peeke
Scott Perunovich
Dylan Samberg

GOALTENDERS

Jame Oettinger
Jeremy Swayman
Joseph Woll

"We're excited about these 23 players that will represent the United States on home ice in Buffalo," said Jim Johannson, general manager of the 2018 U.S. National Junior Team and also the assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey. "With depth at every position, the decisions we made today were very difficult and that is a credit to development of talent throughout the country. Our players and staff are excited to be in Buffalo and for the tournament to get underway."

The final roster features three goaltenders, seven defensemen and 13 forwards. Of the 23 players named to the roster, 16 have previously represented the United States in IIHF tournament play, including seven who skated for the gold medal-winning 2017 U.S. National Junior Team last year. Additionally, five players helped the U.S. earn a gold medal as a member of the 2017 U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team while 11 players skated for the 2016 U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team that earned a bronze medal last year.

In addition, forward Kieffer Bellows (Edina, Minn./Portland Winterhawks) and defensemen Adam Fox (Jericho, N.Y./Harvard University) and Ryan Lindgren (Minneapolis, Minn./University of Minnesota) have been tabbed alternate captains of the squad. Forward Joey Anderson (Roseville, Minn./University of Minnesota Duluth) was named captain of the 2018 U.S. National Junior Team on Dec. 18.

"We're excited about our veteran leadership group here in Buffalo," said Bob Motzko, head coach of the 2018 U.S. National Junior Team. "Joey, Kieffer, Ryan and Adam have the respect of everybody in the room and we have complete confidence that they can lead this group of players to a gold medal here on home ice."

Bellows, Fox and Lindgren were all members of last year's U.S. National Junior Team that captured the gold medal at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship in Montreal and Toronto, Canada. Additionally, Lindgren was captain for the bronze medal-winning 2016 U.S. Under-18 Men's National Team that competed in the IIHF Under-18 Men's World Championship in Grand Forks, North Dakota while Bellows and Fox will be serving as alternate captains on a U.S. team for the first time.

Team USA will begin play in the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship next Tuesday, Dec. 26, against Denmark. Puck drop is set for 8:00 p.m. ET and can be seen live on NHL Network.

NOTES: The U.S. National Junior Team released defenseman Phil Kemp (Greenwich, Conn./Yale University) and forwards Jack Badini (Old Greenwich, Conn./Harvard University) and Hugh McGing (Chicago, Ill./Western Michigan University) ... The final 23-player roster consists of eight states, including Minnesota (10), Missouri (4), Michigan (3), Florida (2), Alaska (1), Connecticut (1), New York (1) and Washington (1) ... The U.S. will play in the first ever outdoor game in tournament history when it takes on Canada at New Era Field on Dec. 29, 2017. Tickets for that game, as well as all other tournament games, are available here ... Jim Johannson (Colorado Springs, Colo.) is serving as the general manager of Team USA for the ninth consecutive year ... Bob Motzko (St. Cloud, Minn.) is serving as head coach for the 2018 U.S. National Junior Team and joined behind the bench by assistant coaches Greg Brown (Scituate, Mass.), Grant Potulny (Grand Forks, N.D.), Kris Mayotte (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Steve Miller (Littleton, Colo.) ... USA Hockey’s international council, chaired by Gavin Regan (Potsdam, N.Y.), vice president of USA Hockey, has oversight responsibilities for all U.S. national teams ... All U.S. games will be broadcast live on NHL Network.

NHL Morning Skate – Dec. 22, 2017

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

Home Team in Caps

BOSTON 2, Winnipeg 1 (SO)
NEW JERSEY 4, NY Rangers 3 (SO)
Anaheim 5, NY ISLANDERS 4 (OT)
PITTSBURGH 3, Columbus 2 (SO)
TAMPA BAY 4, Ottawa 3 (SO)
Carolina 4, NASHVILLE 1
DALLAS 4, Chicago 0
EDMONTON 3, St. Louis 2
LOS ANGELES 2, Colorado 1 (OT)
SAN JOSE 5, Vancouver 4 (OT)

THORNTON NOTCHES THREE POINTS TO CLIMB ALL-TIME POINTS LIST

Sharks forward Joe Thornton collected 2-1—3 to help San Jose extend its home point streak to six games (4-0-2). In doing so, Thornton (391-1,025—1,416) leapfrogged Doug Gilmour (450-964—1,414) for sole possession of 18th place on the NHL’s all-time points list.

HITCHCOCK REACHES 800-WIN MILESTONE

Tyler Seguin scored twice and Ben Bishop turned aside all 24 shots he faced to help Stars head coach Ken Hitchcock earn his 800th career win behind an NHL bench. Hitchcock became the third head coach in NHL history to earn 800 career regularseason wins.

BROWN REACHES 1,000-GAME MILESTONE

After the Kings honored forward Marian Gaborik for recently reaching the 1,000-game milestone, teammate Dustin Brown scored the overtime goal while skating in the 1,000th game of his NHL career.

* Brown became the 317th player in NHL history to play in 1,000 career regular-season games. Only two other players have skated in at least 1,000 career games with the Kings – Dave Taylor (1,111 GP) and Luc Robitaille (1,077 GP).

LINDHOLM COMPLETES HAT TRICK WITH OVERTIME GOAL

Rickard Rackell tied the game with 1:15 remaining in regulation and Hampus Lindholm (3-0—3) completed his first career hat trick with 57 seconds left in overtime – with an assist from Ryan Getzlaf (0-4—4) – to help the Ducks snap a three-game slide (0-2-1).

* Lindholm became the second defenseman in franchise history to score a hat trick, joining Lubomir Visnovsky who did so on March 4, 2011 vs. DAL. Like Lindholm, Visnovsky also scored his third goal of that contest in overtime. Since the five-minute overtime period was introduced in 1983-84, only three other NHL defensemen have achieved the feat.

* Elias notes that Getzlaf recorded his ninth career game with at least four assists, the second-most in the NHL since making his League debut in 2005-06 (Nicklas Backstrom: 10).

KUCHEROV REACHES 50-POINT MARK IN COMEBACK WIN

Nikita Kucherov collected two assists to help the League-leading Lightning (25-7-2, 52 points) overcome three separate one-goal deficits and improve to 8-1-0 in their last nine games.

* Kucherov, who leads the League in goals (23; tied) and points (50), became the first player to reach the 50-point mark this season (34 GP). Only one player in franchise reached the benchmark in fewer games – Vincent Lecavalier required only 33 contests in 2007-08, finishing the campaign with 40-52—92 in 81 GP.

TAVARES, BAILEY RECORD MULTIPLE POINTS (AGAIN)

John Tavares (2-1—3) and Josh Bailey (0-3—3) each recorded multiple points for a fifth consecutive game to boost their season totals to 21-24—45 and 10-35—45, respectively, and move into a tie for the second-most points in the NHL (w/ Steven Stamkos: 13-32—45)

* Tavares and Bailey became the first Islanders players to record multiple points in at least five consecutive games since Pierre Turgeon from March 7-17, 1994 (6 GP).

* Elias adds that Tavares and Bailey became the first set of teammates to simultaneously record multiple points in five consecutive team games since Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau did so with the Sharks from Jan. 20-27, 2013 (5 GP).

60 IS NOT ENOUGH

Seven of 10 games contested on Thursday required extra time. Elias notes that only one other day this season has featured at least seven games that extended past regulation – Nov. 4, when seven of 13 games required overtime.

SNEAK PEEK AT FRIDAY’S ACTION

AP NHL Roundup: Lightning top Senators on shootout goals from Point, Stamkos

Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos scored in the shootout, lifting the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 4-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.

The Lightning threatened to win on a power play at the end of overtime, but Nikita Kucherov’s shot past Craig Anderson was launched a split-second after the buzzer.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped shots by Ottawa’s Tom Pyatt and Matt Duchene in the shootout.

Ottawa broke out on top in unusual fashion. Bobby Ryan was credited with an unassisted goal 6:31 into the game after Dan Girardi’s attempt to clear a rebound glanced off the shin of fellow Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn and past Vasilevskiy.

Twelve minutes into the second period, Tampa Bay pulled even on a delayed penalty with a deflected goal of its own. Kucherov blasted a shot from the top of the right circle that glanced off teammates Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn in the slot and through the legs of Anderson.

STARS 4, BLACKHAWKS 0

DALLAS (AP) — Tyler Seguin scored two goals in the second period, Ben Bishop earned his 22nd career shutout and Dallas beat Chicago.

Bishop made 24 saves for his third shutout of the season.

Dallas had lost its previous three games and Chicago arrived with a five-game winning streak, but the Stars improved to 3-0 against the Blackhawks this season.

The win was the 800th of coach Ken Hitchcock’s career.

Jamie Benn scored the only goal of the first period. Antoine Roussel scored barely a minute into the second before Seguin’s two goals made it 4-0.

OILERS 3, BLUES 2

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Drake Caggiula scored with less than a minute remaining, and Edmonton won its third straight game for the first time this season, beating St. Louis.

Caggiula took a pass in front from behind the net by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and beat Jake Allen with 49.8 seconds left.

Michael Cammalleri and Connor McDavid also scored for the Oilers (16-17-2), who have won four of their last five.

Tage Thompson and Patrik Berglund responded for the Blues (22-13-2), who have lost three in a row and five of their last six.

DEVILS 4, RANGERS 3, SO

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Brian Boyle scored the tying goal in the third period and the game-winner in a shootout against his former team, and New Jersey overcame a season-high 45 saves by Henrik Lundqvist to beat New York.

John Moore and Blake Coleman also scored in regulation, and Kyle Palmieri converted in a four-round shootout for the Devils on the way to their third straight victory.

Cory Schneider made 25 saves and stopped three of four attempts in the tiebreaker, denying Jimmy Vesey when the Rangers had a chance to win. Schneider also turned aside defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk to end it after Boyle put New Jersey ahead.

Vesey, Nick Holden and Kevin Hayes scored for the Rangers, who had won three in a row. Mika Zibanejad had a goal in the shootout.

PENGUINS 3, BLUE JACKETS 2, SO

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kris Letang scored the deciding goal in the shootout, and Pittsburgh beat Columbus.

Letang scored in the fourth round of the shootout, beating Sergei Bobrovsky to the glove side after a series of dekes. Evgeni Malkin also scored for Pittsburgh in the shootout.

Cam Atkinson scored in the shootout for Columbus, but Matt Murray stopped Artemi Panarin, Jack Johnson and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Murray made 29 saves, while Bobrovsky stopped 39 shots.

Patric Hornqvist and Malkin both scored their 12th goals of the season on the power play for the Penguins, who have two wins in their last three games following a three-game losing streak. Pittsburgh scored twice on the power play after a 0-for-15 slump.

Panarin and Pierre-Luc Dubois had a goal and an assist apiece for Columbus.

BRUINS 2, JETS 1, SO

BOSTON (AP) — Charlie McAvoy celebrated his 20th birthday by scoring the decisive goal in the shootout, Tuukka Rask made 37 saves and Boston beat Winnipeg.

After Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers’ first attempt of the sudden-death portion of the shootout clanged off the post, McAvoy took the puck and meandered up the ice before firing his shot past Connor Hellebuyck.

Torey Krug scored his sixth goal of the season for Boston (18-10-5), which won its third straight game and sixth of its last seven.

Rask recorded a point for his eighth straight game (7-0-1) as the Bruins beat the Jets for the fourth straight meeting.

Patrik Laine scored his team-leading 18th goal for the Jets. Hellebuyck had 32 saves.

HURRICANES 4, PREDATORS 1

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Noah Hanifin had a goal and two assists to lead an early outburst that carried Carolina past Nashville.

Derek Ryan, Elias Lindholm and Victor Rask also scored for the Hurricanes, who have won four of five. Cam Ward made 28 saves.

Kevin Fiala had the goal for Nashville, which has lost two straight.

Carolina scored four times in the first 6½ minutes to chase Predators goalie Pekka Rinne.

DUCKS 5, ISLANDERS 4, OT

NEW YORK (AP) — Hampus Lindholm scored his third goal of the game in overtime to give Anaheim the victory over New York.

Lindholm’s sixth of the season came at 4:03 of the extra period, snapping a three-game losing streak for Anaheim.

The Ducks tied the game with goalie Ryan Miller pulled for an extra skater when Rickard Rakell scored at 18:45 of the third period. Brandon Montour and Ryan Getzlaf assisted. Getzlaf had four assists overall and has points in five games since returning from a facial fracture.

Andrew Ladd put the Islanders ahead 4-3 at 7:52 of the third as New York rallied from a 3-1 deficit.

New York lost for the fourth time in five games.

KINGS 2, AVALANCHE 1, OT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Playing in his 1,000th career game, Dustin Brown scored in overtime to lift Los Angeles over Colorado.

Brown came streaking down the left side and fired a shot past goalie Semyon Varlamov 44 seconds into the extra period. It was Brown’s 13th goal of the season.

Alec Martinez also scored for the Kings, tying it 1-all in the third period. Jonathan Quick stopped 31 shots.

Gabriel Landeskog scored for the Avalanche, and Varlamov made 25 saves.

SHARKS 5, CANUCKS 4, OT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Kevin Labanc scored 1:53 into overtime and San Jose beat Vancouver.

Labanc also had three assists as the Sharks improved to 4-1-2 over their last seven games. Joe Thornton scored twice for San Jose and added an assist as he moved past Doug Gilmour for 18th place on the NHL list with 1,416 career points.

Labanc’s fourth goal of the season came off an assist from Tomas Hertl, who scored on a 5-on-3 power play with 1:04 left in the second period to give the Sharks a 4-3 lead..

The Canucks lost for the sixth time in seven games, with their lone win during that span coming against San Jose on Dec. 15.

Vancouver trailed 4-3 before Daniel Sedin scored at 2:09 of the third period to tie it. The Canucks rallied from a 3-1 deficit.

Jake Virtanen scored to bring Vancouver within a goal at 8:49 of the second, and Brock Boeser tied the game at 16:02.

Birthday boy McAvoy sends Bruins past Jets in shootout

By GETHIN COOLBAUGH
Associated Press

BOSTON (AP) -- Tuukka Rask's wire-to-wire dominance helped to ensure that Charlie McAvoy's 20th birthday had a happy ending.

Rask was nearly impenetrable for over 65 minutes before McAvoy scored the decisive goal in the shootout for Boston as the Bruins beat the Jets 2-1 on Thursday night.

"A cherry on top of a great effort by our team," McAvoy said after he improved to 2-for-2 lifetime in shootouts.

After Winnipeg's Nikolaj Ehlers' first attempt of the sudden-death portion of the shootout clanged off the post, McAvoy took the puck and meandered up the ice before tucking his shot past Connor Hellebuyck.

"I saw some room on the blocker side and I just wanted to shoot it there before he was able to recover," McAvoy said of his winning goal.

Rask made 37 saves and recorded a point for his eighth straight game (7-0-1) as the Bruins beat the Jets for the fourth straight meeting.

It was the first shootout victory for Rask in four tries since Nov. 3, 2016 against Tampa Bay.

"Whenever the (Winnipeg) breakouts happen, then the quality chances I guess happen too and become dangerous, so it happened a few times today, but we battled through and survived," Rask said.

Torey Krug scored his sixth goal of the season for Boston (18-10-5), which won its third straight game and sixth of its last eight.

Patrik Laine scored his team-leading 18th goal for the Jets. Hellebuyck had 32 saves.

"We had some good chances to score before my goal but (Hellebuyck) was good tonight and it was hard to get the puck past him," Laine said.

Winnipeg (20-10-6) had its two-game winning streak snapped. The Jets have only won once in Boston since the franchise relocated to Winnipeg in 2011.

Two goals less than a minute apart midway in the third period accounted for the only action through 65 minutes.

Rask and Hellebuyck matched each other before Krug's wrister from the point beat Hellebuyck glove-side with 11:44 remaining.

Laine answered just 57 seconds later, rifling a wrist shot past an out-of-position Rask off a feed from Ehlers.

"It's a grinder and no fun to play (in) and we did a good job of staying in that (game)," Jets coach Paul Maurice said.

NOTES: Boston C David Krejci (upper body) was placed on injured reserve Thursday before missing his third straight game. ... Bruins LW Brad Marchand, C Riley Nash and C Ryan Spooner didn't participate in the morning skate because of illness and were game-time decisions. Marchand played while Nash and Spooner sat. Rask revealed after the game that he was also sick, but did not consider sitting out. ... Mariner coached his 1,401st NHL game, tying him with Ron Wilson for eighth-most in league history. ... Boston recalled 22-year-old C Colby Cave on an emergency basis before the game. Cave received an interference penalty 1:11 into his NHL debut. ... Bruins D Adam McQuaid (broken right fibula) could return Saturday after missing 27 games. ... Jets captain and RW Blake Wheeler spent his first two-plus NHL seasons with Boston. ... Hellebuyck played in college at nearby UMass-Lowell.

UP NEXT

Jets: At the New York Islanders on Saturday.

Bruins: Host Detroit on Saturday.

Boyle leads Devils to 4-3 win over rival Rangers in shootout

By TOM CANAVAN
Associated Press

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) -- Brian Boyle didn't take any extra satisfaction in playing a big role against the New York Rangers, his former team.

The satisfaction came from giving the New Jersey Devils a big win in a rivalry game that had a playoff atmosphere.

Boyle continued his remarkable comeback from cancer by scoring the tying goal in the third period and the game-winner in a shootout as the Devils overcame a season-high 45 saves by Henrik Lundqvist in a 4-3 victory Thursday night.

Boyle has been on a tear. He has nine goals and six assists this season, including three goals and four assists in the last three games, all Devils wins.

"I'd like to have them every night," Boyle said when asked about his emotions. "I play a little bit better and tonight was against a rivalry team and a team that has played some great hockey the last two months. We're out to prove we're legit and we have to earn that every single night."

The Devils are doing that. They had the worst record in the Eastern Conference last season, but are currently 20-9-5 and tied for the second-most points in the conference.

After a slow start, the Rangers are three points behind the Devils, who have played one fewer game.

"It's critical, try to push them down, even by a point," said New Jersey goalie Cory Schneider, who made 25 saves plus pivotal shootout stops on Jimmy Vesey and Kevin Shattenkirk. "We still have a lot of hockey left, but this one feels good."

John Moore and Blake Coleman also scored in regulation, and Kyle Palmieri converted in a four-round shootout for the Devils.

Vesey, Nick Holden and Kevin Hayes scored for the Rangers, who had won three in a row. Mika Zibanejad had a goal in the shootout.

Boyle tied the game at 3 with 8:06 left in regulation on a power-play goal on a whirling backhander in close.

Hayes had given the Rangers the lead earlier in the period, banking a pass from behind the net off the skate of New Jersey defenseman Damon Severson past Schneider.

Lundqvist was the only reason the game was tied 2-all after two periods. He stopped 36 of 38 shots in the first 40 minutes, including 22 of 23 in the second period. The only one that got past him was a short-handed wrist shot by Coleman on a 2-on-1 break with 3:33 left in the period.

The goal came a little more than a minute after an apparent tying goal by Nico Hischier was waved off because of a cross-checking penalty on Palmieri in front of the Rangers net.

"Thinking back on the first two periods, we did everything we could to lose that game," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "There was one player who wouldn't let us lose it and that was Hank. He played unreal."

New York built a 2-1 lead in the first period despite being outshot 15-10. Vesey tied it 1-all at 9:55, scoring off a scramble in front of Schneider. Holden put the Rangers ahead a little more than two minutes later, lifting the rebound of Chris Kreider's shot over Schneider.

Moore opened the scoring at 7:22, beating Lundqvist with a shot over his shoulder after being set up by Hischier.

Lundqvist was concerned about the Rangers' effort in what he called a big game.

"We still found a way to get a point in a game where we didn't do that many good things," Lundqvist said. "You have to give Jersey credit. They played really well. They had good speed. The biggest thing is I felt like they wanted it more."

NOTES: Holden's goal was his first in 20 games. ... Moore played in his 400th NHL game. Devils teammate Brian Gibbons played in his 100th game. ... Devils rookie Jesper Bratt was scratched with a foot injury. ... New Jersey LW Marcus Johansson returned to the lineup after missing four games with an ankle injury. ... The Rangers have earned at least one point in six of their last seven games (4-1-2) and in 22 of their last 29 games (18-7-4).

UP NEXT

Rangers: Host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night.

Devils: Host the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night.

Lindholm completes hat trick in OT as Ducks beat Isles 5-4

By ALLAN KREDA
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) -- On most nights, Hampus Lindholm is not a huge threat to score. But the Anaheim Ducks defenseman was in the right place three times Thursday.

Lindholm completed his first career hat trick with a goal 4:03 into overtime, and Anaheim snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-4 comeback victory over the New York Islanders.

"I had some room and a good shooting angle and it went in," the 23-year-old Lindholm said. "We really dug deep. It was good to get a win."

Ryan Miller made 22 saves for the Ducks, sending New York to its fourth loss in five games. It was the fourth win this season for the 37-year-old backup.

Anaheim tied the game with Miller pulled for an extra skater when Rickard Rakell scored at 18:45 of the third period. Brandon Montour and captain Ryan Getzlaf assisted. Getzlaf had four assists overall and has points in five games since returning from a facial fracture.

"It's always nice to have your big guys step up," Ducks coach Randy Carlyle said.

Andrew Ladd put the Islanders ahead 4-3 at 7:52 of the third as they rallied from a 3-1 deficit. New York goalie Jaroslav Halak was shaky early but rebounded to finish with 35 saves.

"We had a lead with two minutes left," Islanders coach Doug Weight said. "We played a little timid early, trying not to make mistakes."

Ladd's rebound shot for his ninth goal beat Miller after Islanders captain John Tavares tied the game with his second goal of the night at 5:44 of the third. The goal was the 21st of the season for Tavares.

The Islanders trailed 3-1 late in the second when Tavares scored at 16:59.

Tavares wasn't happy with his team's defensive performance, including his own. He was on ice for three of Anaheim's goals.

"Giving up five goals is too many," he said. "We have to find a way to be better defensively, starting with myself. We're scoring enough goals. It's frustrating. We should have better results."

The Ducks led 2-0 after the first period on goals by Lindholm and Ondrey Kase.

After Islanders rookie sensation Mathew Barzal narrowed the deficit on the power play at 5:39 of the second, Lindholm scored again at 12:36.

A day after announcing future arena plans at Belmont Park, the Islanders lost their second straight at home. They are 10-3-3 at Barclays Center this season.

The game drew a crowd of 10,092. The Islanders are last in the NHL in attendance, averaging 11,475 through 16 home games.

Lindholm opened the scoring at 8:09 with assists by Andrew Cogliano and Getzlaf. The 30-year-old Cogliano has never missed a game in his NHL career, playing in 822 straight.

Kase made it 2-0 at 9:54 when his slot eluded Halak.

The Islanders came out with more jump in the middle period. Barzal narrowed the deficit to 2-1 on the power play, his ninth goal of the season. Josh Bailey and Tavares had assists.

Bailey has points in seven straight games, and Tavares has a six-game point streak. Both had three points in the game and share the team lead with 45.

Lindholm scored his second of the game at 12:36 of the second to make it 3-1 in favor of the Ducks.

The Islanders entered having allowed a league-high 3.5 goals per game. They have given up three or more in 10 of 12 games this month.

"We're not satisfied," Weight said. "We have to keep the confidence up."

Anaheim won the previous meeting 3-2 at home on Oct. 11.

Islanders forward Shane Prince made his season debut. Prince had ankle surgery in August and recently played four games with Bridgeport of the AHL.

The Ducks were coming off a 4-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Tuesday at Madison Square Garden after losing 5-3 at New Jersey.

NOTES: Anaheim's leading scorer, Corey Perry, remained sidelined with a knee injury he sustained Dec. 11 at home against Carolina. ... The Islanders scratched forwards Alan Quine and Anthony Beauvillier, and defenseman Dennis Seidenberg. They were missing injured defenseman Calvin de Haan.

UP NEXT

Ducks: Finish their road trip Saturday afternoon at Pittsburgh before the Christmas break.

Islanders: Host the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday afternoon.

Letang gets winning goal in shootout, Pens top Blue Jackets

By DAN SCIFO
Associated Press

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan doesn't want to see Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang drop the gloves every game.

But a frustrating first two periods led to a breakout third and a shootout victory.

Letang scored the deciding goal in the shootout, and the Penguins beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-2 on Thursday night.

"When the game got a little nasty at the end of the second period, I thought it brought a lot of juice to our bench, especially our top guys in particular," Sullivan said.

Frustration boiled over for the Penguins' stars in the final minute of the second period.

Pittsburgh trailed 1-0 when Malkin was given five minutes for fighting Nick Foligno and Crosby got a roughing double minor against Seth Jones. Letang was also given a roughing minor and Columbus' Boone Jenner received a game misconduct for cross-checking.

Pittsburgh scored twice in the third period and Letang ended it in the fourth round of the shootout, beating Sergei Bobrovsky to the glove side after a series of dekes.

"(Crosby) told me that (Bobrovsky) was really patient, so I threw a couple moves at him, and he didn't move," Letang said. "I knew if I kept dragging the puck further, he would be deeper, so I would have the shot."

Cam Atkinson scored in the shootout for Columbus, but Matt Murray stopped Artemi Panarin, Jack Johnson and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Murray made 29 saves, while Bobrovsky stopped 39 shots. Malkin also scored for Pittsburgh in the shootout.

Patric Hornqvist and Malkin both scored their 12th goals of the season on the power play for the Penguins, who have two wins in their last three games following a three-game losing streak. Pittsburgh scored twice on the power play after a 0-for-15 slump.

Panarin and Pierre-Luc Dubois had a goal and an assist apiece for Columbus. Panarin has 14 points in his last 11 games and Dubois has 12 points in his last 13 games for the Blue Jackets, who have lost four of their last six. Columbus defeated Toronto a night earlier, but lost three of their previous four and allowed 20 goals during that span.

"I think it's just two teams with a lot of history," Foligno said of the Penguins and Blue Jackets. "Emotions are going to run wild. It's a game we both really wanted, and that's what happens."

Hornqvist tied it at 1-1 for Pittsburgh at 2:25 of the third period when he tipped a shot by Phil Kessel underneath Bobrovsky. Hornqvist played after missing Monday's game against Colorado with an upper-body injury. Kessel has points in nine straight home games and 27 of 36 games played this season for Pittsburgh.

Malkin briefly put Pittsburgh in front with a power-play goal. Bobrovsky made a blocker save on Crosby, but Malkin backhanded the rebound out of the air and into the net.

Columbus evened the score with a power-play goal just over a minute later, as Panarin scored with a wrist shot from the point.

"Whether it was 2-1 or 3-1, it doesn't matter, we were going to push until we tied the game," Blue Jackets defenseman Jack Johnson said.

It was the first time the teams had played since Pittsburgh won a first-round playoff series in the spring. The teams have met in the first round of the playoffs two of the last four years, with Pittsburgh winning both times.

The emotion carried over and worked in Pittsburgh's favor on this night.

"They're competitive guys and it was a competitive game," Sullivan said. "It was a hard-fought game and sometimes emotions run high. The energy and emotion of the game ... that's as good as it's been this year for us, and I think that's when we play our best."

NOTES: Columbus is entering a stretch where it will play five of its next seven against Metropolitan Division opponents. Pittsburgh will play six of their next eight within the division. Entering Thursday night, just 10 points separated first and eighth place in the Metropolitan. ... Newly-acquired Jamie Oleksiak made his Penguins debut on his 25th birthday. The 6-foot-7, 255-pound defenseman, selected No. 14 overall in the 2011 draft, was acquired from the Dallas Stars in a trade on Tuesday. ... Penguins D Matt Hunwick played in his 500th NHL game. ... Blue Jackets D Zach Werenski missed his second straight game with an upper-body injury. ... Pittsburgh scratched D Ian Cole and F Tom Kuhnhackl.

UP NEXT

Blue Jackets: Host Philadelphia on Saturday.

Penguins: Continue a three-game homestand Saturday against Anaheim.

Point, Stamkos score in shootout as Lightning beat Senators

Associated Press

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- It took longer than the Lightning wanted, but the NHL's top team finally prevailed against a struggling Atlantic Division foe.

Tampa Bay never led against the Ottawa Senators until Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos scored the only shootout goals, lifting the Lightning to a 4-3 victory on Thursday night, their eighth win in nine games.

"We're a veteran team," Stamkos said. "We're seasoned, and we understand that the game is 60 minutes. It may take 65 and a couple of shootouts to win the game. There's just no panic in this group."

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped shots by Ottawa's Tom Pyatt and Matt Duchene in the shootout.

Tampa Bay threatened to win on a power play at the end of overtime, but Nikita Kucherov's shot past Craig Anderson was launched a split-second after the buzzer.

Ottawa broke out on top in unusual fashion. Bobby Ryan was credited with an unassisted goal 6:31 into the game after Dan Girardi's attempt to clear a rebound glanced off the shin of fellow Lightning defenseman Braydon Coburn and past Vasilevskiy.

Twelve minutes into the second period, Tampa Bay pulled even on a delayed penalty with a deflected goal of its own. Kucherov blasted a shot from the top of the right circle that glanced off teammates Tyler Johnson and Alex Killorn and through the legs of Anderson.

The Senators regained the lead on a backhander by Cody Ceci with 5:26 remaining in the second. Yanni Gourde tied it again just over a minute later.

Ottawa took its third lead six minutes into the third period on a power-play goal by Derick Brassard. Vladislav Namestnikov answered for Tampa Bay about five minutes later.

"Once we get the lead, we get a little passive, and that's something that we're going to have to work on," Senators captain Erik Karlsson said. "We gave them a little too much room. We were up by a goal and we let them come back a little too easy. That's going to happen, unfortunately, against good teams like this."

Vasilevskiy needed to make only 18 saves in his league-leading 22nd victory. Anderson made 35 stops for Ottawa, which has lost all but three of its last 17 games.

"The second period we really tilted the ice," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "Give Anderson credit. He was kicking everything out."

NOTES: Kucherov has scored multiple points in four consecutive games and a league-best 18 overall. ... D Victor Hedman has produced points in five consecutive games for Tampa Bay. ... Senators D Dion Phaneuf missed his first game this season for personal reasons. Other Ottawa scratches were D Andreas Englund, recalled earlier in the day from the AHL, and C Filip Chlapik. ... D Slater Koekkoek and Andrej Sustr were healthy scratches for the Lightning.

UP NEXT

Senators: Visit the Florida Panthers on Saturday.

Lightning: Host the Minnesota Wild on Saturday.