Los Angeles Kings @ Phoenix Coyotes 0-3 - 01/28

The Phoenix Coyotes have put themselves in catch-up mode in the Western Conference playoff race. But with five of six games at home before the break for the 2014 Sochi Olympics, they see this stretch as a chance to make up ground. Tuesday was a good start. Defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored two goals, captain Shane Doan earned his 500th career assist and the Coyotes opened a five-game homestand by beating the Los Angeles Kings 3-0. The ninth-place Coyotes crept within three points of Vancouver for eighth place in the West and stayed four points behind the seventh-place Minnesota Wild, who beat the Anaheim Ducks 4-2 on Tuesday.

"We've put ourselves into an average spot in the league. We have to be better than that if we want to make the playoffs," Doan said. "We have to find a way to climb and keep climbing and hopefully this is a step in the right direction. We have to get even better."

Playing for the first time in more than two weeks, Thomas Greiss made 30 saves to earn his third career shutout and second this month. Ekman-Larsson gave Greiss all the offense he would need with his third career two-goal game, matching his goal total in the previous 31 games. Greiss made all the big saves, including two stops on Jeff Carter and another on Trevor Lewis. His teammates did the rest, keeping the Kings on the perimeter for much of the night.

"We played a simple game," said Greiss, who shut out the Calgary Flames on Jan. 7, hadn't played since being pulled 30 minutes into a 5-3 loss against the Anaheim Ducks on Jan. 11. "We stuck to our strengths, got the puck out and we forechecked well. We got the goals we needed and had a good penalty kill too."

Antoine Vermette scored his team-leading 19th goal in the third period to seal the victory against the struggling Kings, who have scored two goals in their past four games (1-3-0). After going 11 games without a goal, Vermette has seven in his past seven games and four in the past two.

"It's one of those stretches and you'll take it sometimes it goes the other way," said Vermette, whose hot streak includes three shorthanded goals. "We're an effective line right now. We play fast and we have the confidence to use our speed, on offense and defense. We are finding ways to turn pucks over and get chances out of it."

Lauri Korpikoski extended his point streak to a career-high five games with an assist. The Kings came into the game averaging 1.77 goals in January and were shut out for the third time this month. They squeezed out a 1-0 road win against the San Jose Sharks on Monday.

"There are team-wide frustrations and a personal frustration for some guys in here," captain Dustin Brown said. "I mean, I'm frustrated with the way I'm playing; it doesn't lend itself to getting goals and getting points. Phoenix did a really good job. I don't know how many shots we had or how many really good chances we had. That's probably a bit of them playing well and us not being hungry enough to get in the dirty areas"

Jonathan Quick made 26 saves but allowed three goals for the second time in his past eight starts. Doan set up Ekman-Larsson's second-period power-play goal to join Thomas Steen (553) and Dale Hawerchuk (550) as the only players in Winnipeg/Phoenix franchise history with 500 or more assists.

"It means you've played for a long time," Doan said with a smile. "Especially in my case, when you're not that good but you've been around for a while. Those other guys didn't play here as long, and they are still way ahead of me."

The Kings had a 13-11 lead in shots after the first period, but the Coyotes had the better scoring chances and got a lot of traffic in front of the Los Angeles net. Quick made a great save on Jeff Halpern and got a hand from defenseman Drew Doughty, who swatted an airborne puck away from the crease with his goalie down and out. Vermette helped to open the scoring when he picked off a pass from defenseman Slava Voynov and sent it back to the point. Ekman-Larsson walked the line to find room before firing a wrist shot that beat Quick high to his stick side at 15:57. Phoenix doubled its lead early in the second after Los Angeles center Jordan Nolan was called for interference for a high hit on Kyle Chipchura in the neutral zone. Chipchura went to the dressing room, but was able to return. Nolan was in the box for 12 seconds before Doan found Ekman-Larsson with a diagonal pass at the point. The defenseman's shot deflected off a stick and past Quick at 3:16. The Coyotes have a power-play goal in 11 of their past 12 games.

"They play a physical, heavy style, and I think we have a group of guys who seem to relish that and play better in that," said Doan, who notched his 75th career point against the Kings, the most he has against any team. "Our fourth line was great, it shows the kind of character they have. In the first period they were our best line and they set the tone."

Chicago Blackhawks @ Calgary Flames 4-5 OT - 01/28

The Calgary Flames have found that winning feeling at home. After setting an unwanted franchise record with seven consecutive losses on home ice, the Flames won their third in a row at Scotiabank Saddledome when TJ Brodie scored on a wraparound with 2:34 remaining in overtime for a 5-4 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday.

"We went through a tough stretch there and since then, we've been trying to turn it around and create more chances, score more goals," Brodie said. "So far, we've been doing that. The past couple games we've really played well. To get some wins, we've just been building some momentum."

On a night that saw all four goaltenders who dressed make an appearance, the Flames extended their winning streak in their own building while leaving the Blackhawks winless in four straight, their longest drought of the season. The loss in the opener of a seven-game road trip that spans the Olympic break dropped the Blackhawks (32-10-13) into second place in the Central Division. Chicago and the St. Louis Blues each have 77 points, but the Blues have three games in hand.

"I don't know if it's good to go through this now so we can learn from it and maybe have something to look back on later in the season, but we know we have to play better," forward Patrick Kane said. "I think sometimes a good effort isn't good enough because it's tough to win in this League when you're going through stretches like this. Sometimes the best thing is just not to really think about it and just go out and play."

Corey Crawford, who took over for starter Antti Raanta in the second period, made the initial save on Sean Monahan, but Brodie scooped up the rebound, skated around the net and scored the game-winner.

"[Monahan] made a good play cutting to the middle and got a shot off," Brodie said. "Crawford sort of slid out of the net from the shot. I just tried to wrap it around back out from and it ended up going in.

The goal handed Chicago its League-high 13th post-regulation defeat, seven in shootouts and six in OT.

"In overtime, we weren't very good," coach Joel Quenneville said. "It's kind of been our M.O. this year. Overtime has been a sore spot. It's tough to say if it's mental, but it's not happening. We won a shootout against Boston [on Jan. 19] and felt pretty good and got nothing [since]. I think we've got enough assets. We've got to find a way to make it happen."

Karri Ramo, who came in at the start of the third period in place of Reto Berra, earned the victory by stopping nine shots in the third period. The Flames set off an eventful first period just 1:33 after the opening faceoff. Mark Giordano rang the post in the game's first minute and Mikael Backlund scored on Calgary's first official shot, capitalizing on a neutral-zone turnover by Niklas Hjalmarsson and shoveling a backhand between the legs of Raanta to put the Flames up 1-0. It took all of 4:30 for the Blackhawks to answer. Kane converted Kris Versteeg's pass from behind the net for his second goal in 14 games. Lance Bouma restored Calgary's lead at 11:34 with his third in six games. From a sharp angle, the 23-year-old fired a high shot that handcuffed Raanta before popping up and over the Blackhawks goaltender and across the goal line. Again, Chicago answered. The outstretched pad of Berra denied Jonathan Toews' burst to the net, but Patrick Sharp propelled Marian Hossa's stick into the rebound to tie the game 2-2 at 16:35. It didn't take long for the two teams to pick up where they left off from in the second. Matt Stajan finished a nifty feed from David Jones on a 2-on-1 at 3:21 and Backlund added his second of the game after converting on a shorthanded 3-on-1 chance at 10:25 to chase Raanta and push Calgary's lead to 4-2.

"I don't know, I have no idea what happened," Raanta said. "I can make lots of excuses but it was four goals in 30 minutes, so I don't know."

The Blackhawks made a push of their own with Crawford between the pipes. Ben Smith scored his seventh of the season at 13:12, and Hossa tied the game at 17:33 with a shorthanded goal. Ramo replaced Berra to start the third period, and he and Crawford calmed things down in the final 20 minutes of regulation.

Results - Tue, Jan 28, 2014

Florida @ Boston 2-6 - The line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Reilly Smith combined for nine points in the Boston Bruins' road win against the New York Islanders on Monday night. At home against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, it was the line of Milan Lucic, David Krejci and Jarome Iginla that dominated. Lucic scored two goals, Krejci had a three-point night, and the line combined for seven points. The Bruins reached six goals for the third straight game and won for the fourth time in a row, defeating the Panthers 6-2. Krejci had one goal and two assists, and Iginla had two assists. Tuukka Rask made 28 saves for the Bruins, who are 5-0-1 in their past six home games and in their past six games overall dating to a road win against the Dallas Stars on Jan. 16. Despite being under contract, Thomas took last season off, and the Bruins traded his rights to the New York Islanders. The 2011 Conn Smythe Trophy winner from Boston's Stanley Cup championship signed with Florida as a free agent this offseason. The Bruins scored first when Lucic snapped a four-game goal drought at 7:41 of the first period. Iginla nearly turned over the puck at the blue line, but Florida's Jonathan Huberdeau passed it back to Iginla for a shot Thomas stopped. Lucic cleaned up the rebound for a 1-0 lead. The Bruins took a 2-0 lead at 15:26, when Chara's one-timer from the right point deflected in front then went into the net off Thomas' head. Thomas had moved a few inches out of the crease to try to challenge Lucic. Chara ran his goal streak to three games (four goals). Lucic scored his second goal on a rebound of a Matt Bartkowski shot from the point. Lucic hacked at the rebound and it eluded Thomas at 1:46 for a 3-0 lead. Reilly Smith's power-play goal at 14:54 gave the Bruins a 4-0 cushion. Florida scored with 32.9 seconds remaining in the second period. Brad Boyes cashed in on the back end of a 3-on-3 with a one-timer from the bottom of the left circle to cut Boston's lead to 4-1. Dmitry Kulikov's power-play goal at 4:00 of the third period trimmed the margin to 4-2. It also helped the Panthers' avoid a near-record power-play drought. Florida hadn't scored a power-play goal in its prior 13 games, and without Kulikov's score would've tied the 1997-98 Toronto Maple Leafs, who went 14 games without a man-advantage goal, for the longest such slump since expansion (1967-68), according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The Panthers had been 0-for-41 prior to the goal. Shawn Thornton stalled the Panthers' comeback hopes with a goal at 8:14 of the third. He dangled out of the corner and roofed a backhand shot from the slot for a 5-2 Boston edge.
Tampa Bay @ Toronto 2-3 - James van Riemsdyk goal with 4:03 remaining in the third period put the Maple Leafs ahead. The best of Jonathan Bernier's 40 saves kept them there. Van Riemsdyk broke a tie on a goal that needed an on-ice decision overturned by video review and Bernier robbed Martin St. Louis less than a minute later to give the Maple Leafs a 3-2 victory against the Lightning on Tuesday night. Toronto went ahead when Tyler Bozak forced a turnover in the Lightning zone and fed Phil Kessel, who found van Riemsdyk alone in the slot for a wide-open snap shot that beat Ben Bishop. The play was originally ruled no goal on the ice, but a video review showed that the shot had hit the back bar at the top of the net, rather than the post, giving van Riemsdyk his 21st goal of the season. Bernier then made a game-saver on a wide-open one-timer by St. Louis from the lower right circle with 3:17 remaining. Nazem Kadri scored twice in the first half of the second period for Toronto, but goals by Matt Carle and Matt Barberio in a 3:59 span late in the period got the Lightning even. The Lightning outshot Toronto 11-8 in a scoreless first period during which neither team generated many high-quality chances, even though the Maple Leafs had three power plays. That changed quickly in the second period. Kadri opened the scoring at 1:49 on a fine individual effort. He picked off a pass just outside his own blue line, raced down the left side and used Tampa Bay defenseman Victor Hedman as a screen as he fired a shot that beat Bishop for an unassisted goal. Kadri made it 2-0 a little less than eight minutes later with another fine effort. Joffrey Lupul batted a pass to Kadri in the left circle; he toe-dragged past Hedman, cut to the front of the net and deked Bishop before tucking home a backhander at 9:47 for his 14th goal and ninth point in seven games. A holding penalty on Toronto's Peter Holland 60 seconds after Kadri's second goal appeared to spark the Lightning, who hit two posts during the power play and scored less than 30 seconds after it ended. Carle took a pass from Ondrej Palat in the slot, stepped to his left and whipped a shot past Bernier at 13:13 for his second of the season. The Lightning couldn't capitalize on a second power play, but they kept controlling the play and tied the game at 17:12 when Barberio slammed home a rebound after Bernier stopped shots by Nate Thompson and B.J. Crombeen but got no help in clearing the rebound. It was the fourth goal for the rookie defenseman, all of which have come in the past four games. Kessel missed a chance to put Toronto back in front 3:25 into the third period when he raced in alone on Bishop but fired wide.
Detroit @ Philadelphia 0-5 - Playing without Pavel Datsyuk, Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg, Detroit could not muster much offense against Philadelphia, which got two goals from Scott Hartnell and a three-point night from Claude Giroux in a 5-0 victory. Detroit has been shut out in three straight road games for the first time since 1928 and the second time in franchise history. Hartnell opened the scoring at 13:42 of the first period with Detroit defenseman Danny DeKeyser off for cross-checking. Hartnell deflected a point shot by defenseman Kimmo Timonen past Red Wings goalie Jonas Gustavsson. Hartnell scored at even strength to put the Flyers up 2-0 at 8:08 of the second period when he fired a wrist shot past Gustavsson for his 14th goal of the season, third in four games. Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall got caught pinching in the Philadelphia end, allowing Hartnell to get free with Giroux and Jakub Voracek on a 3-on-2. Giroux slid a cross-ice pass to Hartnell, who took a quick shot to beat Gustavsson to his glove side. Hall extended the Flyers' lead to 3-0 a little less than three minutes later. The fourth-line right wing backhanded a rebound past Gustavsson for his third goal of the season after the Detroit goalie made the initial stop on defenseman Erik Gustafsson's shot from the left point. Mason robbed Red Wings rookie Luke Glendening with a left-pad save on a 2-on-1 at 12:31 of the second period to preserve the 3-0 lead, and Kyle Quincey fired the rebound off the crossbar, one of three Red Wings' attempts to hit the post. Philadelphia shut down two Detroit power plays in the first half of the third period. The Red Wings were 0-for-4 with the man-advantage. Shortly after the Flyers killed off a minor penalty against Brayden Schenn without allowing a shot on goal, Giroux scored his 16th to give the Flyers a 4-0 lead at 11:22 of the third. Gustavsson, who stopped 23 of 28 shots, got his glove on Giroux's wrist shot from the left circle, but the puck rolled into the net. Giroux, who assisted on each of Hartnell's goals, has 44 points in the past 41 games. Hartnell and Voracek were credited with assists on Giroux's goal. Hartnell's first goal marked the first time in seven games that the Flyers opened the scoring in the first period; they scored first in a 4-3 shootout loss to the New York Islanders last Monday, but not until the second period. Couturier completed the scoring with a wraparound goal, his ninth, with 3:51 remaining. Franzen, who returned to play Sunday against the Florida Panthers after a concussion forced him to miss 16 games, was placed on injured reserve Tuesday due to a recurrence of symptoms. Datsyuk has played in 35 of 58 games, none since Jan. 1, because of a groin injury. Zetterberg has missed two straight games with a sore back. Mark Streit had two assists for Philadelphia. Acquired in an offseason trade from the Islanders, he is fourth on the team and first among defensemen with 20 assists. Timonen left the game with a lower-body injury with 8:46 remaining in the second period and did not return. He was wearing a walking boot on his left foot after the game, but Berube said the injury is not believed to be serious.
Ottawa @ Columbus 3-2 - On a night when each team scored two power-play goals, it was a critical penalty kill by the Senators that led to the game-winner. The Blue Jackets had overcome a two-goal deficit and tied the game 7:16 into the third period on James Wisniewski's power-play goal. They got a chance to go ahead when Zack Smith went off for high-sticking Ryan Johansen with 9:13 remaining. But Ottawa's penalty-killers held the Lightning without a shot, and Nathan Horton was called for tripping 21 seconds after the power play ended. Jason Spezza capitalized by scoring with 4:58 left in regulation, giving the Senators a 3-2 victory Tuesday night. Spezza, who assisted on the second of two goals by Stephane Da Costa, took a centering pass from Colin Greening but his shot hit the stick of Columbus defenseman Fedor Tyutin. His second try hit Tyutin's skate, but the puck came back to Spezza again and he scored his 14th goal with six seconds left on the power play. The Blue Jackets got off to a slow start. Da Costa, recalled from the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League on Jan. 20, scored his first two goals in eight games with the Senators this season. He opened the scoring at 8:06 of the first period with a power-play goal. Da Costa was the beneficiary of a rush by Milan Michalek while Matt Calvert was off for holding former Blue Jackets defenseman Marc Methot. Michalek was checked off the puck in the front of the net, but Da Costa was trailing and swept a backhander past Columbus goalie Curtis McElhinney, who had 25 saves on a night when starter Sergei Bobrovsky was rested. Da Cost put the Senators ahead 2-0 at 6:24 of the second period after strong forechecking forced a turnover deep in the Columbus zone. Spezza collected the puck below the goal line and fed him for a bang-bang goal when Da Costa shirked the check of Columbus defenseman Jack Johnson. The Blue Jackets got back in the game when Cam Atkinson scored a power-play goal 12:00 into the second period with Spezza off for holding. Atkinson drew the hooking call on Smith that led to Wisniewski's tying goal.
Washington @ Buffalo 5-4 OT - Alex Ovechkin had a pair of goals, increasing his League-leading total to 38, but it was his perfect pass that set up Mike Green's goal 1:00 into overtime to give the Capitals a 5-4 victory against the Sabres on Tuesday night. Martin Erat forced a turnover at the Washington blue line and fed Ovechkin, who raced down the left side, apparently looking for a hat trick. Instead, as the defense came to him, he found Green cruising down the slot and hit him with a perfect feed that Green rifled past Jhonas Enroth for his second goal of the night and seventh of the season. Ovechkin got the Capitals off to a fast start by scoring a power-play goal 3:49 into the game. Nicklas Backstrom won a faceoff to the left of Enroth to Ovechkin, whose slap shot hit the back of the net to make it 1-0. The Capitals' power play entered the night with one goal in its past 31 opportunities. Ovechkin scored again 53 seconds later, tipping Green's wrist shot from the point past Enroth. Marcus Johansson was parked in front of the net and passed out to Green for the shot. The Sabres cut the deficit to 2-1 at 13:45 when defenseman Christian Ehrhoff scored his fourth goal of the season. Ehrhoff crashed the net following chances by Tyler Ennis and Matt Moulson and beat Braden Holtby for his eighth point in the past nine games. The teams traded goals in the second period. Hodgson scored on the power play and Phil Varone scored his first NHL goal for the Sabres. The Capitals got goals from Green and Troy Brouwer to take a 4-3 lead into the third period. Hodgson forced overtime when he beat Holtby with a backhander at 6:48 of the third period for his 14th goal of the season.
Carolina @ Montreal 0-3 - The Canadiens scored their three goals on 12 shots in 21:41, better than their total of two goals on 76 shots in the previous three games combined. Price's shutout snapped a streak of six straight games when the Canadiens allowed at least four goals, and it was the fourth time in their past 14 games they allowed fewer than that. That being said, Price still needed to be sharp with the Hurricanes earning a number of high-quality scoring chances, and he got some help, the Canadiens blocked 27 shots and the Hurricanes hit two posts. Carolina won 3-2 at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets before arriving here late Monday night. The game Tuesday was Carolina's fifth in a span of seven nights, a situation created when a Jan. 21 game at the Philadelphia Flyers had to be postponed a day because of a snowstorm. The Hurricanes came in as one of the hottest teams in the NHL offensively, scoring at least three goals in six straight games. Brandon Prust opened the scoring at 6:11 of the first period when he completed a nice passing play from Rene Bourque and Josh Gorges for his fifth of the season. Gallagher made it 2-0 at 18:44 of the first when he came out from behind the net on a wraparound attempt, then jammed it in off the scrum for his 14th of the season and third in five games. Pacioretty completed the scoring at 1:41 of the second when Andrei Markov picked up a Gallagher rebound and found Pacioretty alone in front for a tap in, his team-leading 22nd goal of the season. After being booed off the ice and having their shots on goal sarcastically cheered in their previous home game Saturday, a 5-0 loss to the Washington Capitals, the Canadiens gathered at center ice following the victory to receive a loud ovation from the Bell Centre fans.
New Jersey @ St Louis 0-3 - The Blues have seen each of their goalies take turns going on a hot streak. Jaroslav Halak has taken the reins and is playing like someone who doesn't want to go back to the bench. Halak stopped 23 shots for his fourth shutout of the season, a 3-0 victory against New Jersey on Tuesday at Scottrade Center. The victory, combined with the Chicago Blackhawks' 5-4 overtime road loss to the Calgary Flames, moved the Blues into first place in the Central Division. The Blues and Blackhawks each have 77 points, but St. Louis has three games in hand. Steen's 27th goal of the season put the Blues up 1-0 on their first shot of the game, a 3-on-2 rush that was set up by David Backes and Jaden Schwartz, who passed to Steen, who beat Schneider with a wrist shot from the slot on the short side 3:25 into the game. The Blues outshot the Devils 9-8 in the first period, and Halak had to make one key save on Steve Bernier after he skated in alone with 5:48 remaining after a bouncing puck got past defenseman Ian Cole. Neither team scored in the second period; the Blues had the best chance when Vladimir Sobotka wired a shot off the left post on another odd-man rush. This time, he moved in from the right on a 3-on-1 with 4:48 remaining in the period. Halak, who has played 36 games with backup Brian Elliott playing 22, was tested a couple times. The Devils outshot the Blues 10-5 in the period; Halak's best save came off a backhand rebound off the stick of Jaromir Jagr. Halak's right-pad stop on Damien Brunner 2:25 into the third period preserved the Blues' lead. Schneider then came up big on a Vladimir Tarasenko one-timer with 7:36 left in the game to keep the Devils within one goal. Each team had three power plays, and the Blues scored on their third when Morrow's 560th career point gave St. Louis a 2-0 lead. Jay Bouwmeester stepped into a slap shot from the right point, and Morrow deflected it past Schneider from the low slot 9:22 into the third period. The Devils pulled Schneider, and Lapierre scored an empty-net goal with 2:08 remaining. The timeliness of Morrow's goal was crucial for the Blues, who would have had a tough time fending off the Devils with a one-goal lead. Halak took care of the rest with his 29th career shutout. He holds the Blues franchise record with 20.
Nashville @ Winnipeg 4-3 - Mike Fisher's power-play goal 42 seconds into the third period enabled the Predators to overcome a blown two-goal lead and the loss of captain Shea Weber to beat the Jets 4-3 on Tuesday night. Fisher's 14th of the season snapped a 3-3 tie after Winnipeg had wiped out a 3-1 Predators advantage with two goals in 27 seconds late in the second period. Twenty-two seconds after the officials waved off a Predators goal when center David Legwand bumped into Winnipeg goalie Ondrej Pavelec, the Predators went ahead to stay when Fisher jabbed a rebound off a scramble over the goal line with Winnipeg's Devin Setoguchi off for slashing. The Predators wrapped up a four-game trip through Western Canada with a 2-1-1 record and slipped one point past the Jets out of last place in the Central Division. At 56 points, the Predators are trying to fight off the Dallas Stars and Phoenix Coyotes to climb above the Stanley Cup Playoffs line in the Western Conference. Predators defenseman Seth Jones opened the scoring with his fifth goal. Roman Josi scored his seventh of the season to put the Predators up 2-1 early in the second period, and Nick Spaling's 10th goal made it 3-1 with 2:42 left before intermission. But the Jets' second line got them back into the game. Rookie Mark Scheifele's 11th goal and Blake Wheeler's team-leading 22nd goal pulled the Jets even after 40 minutes. Wheeler's goal set a new career high. Chris Thorburn, who replaced injured left wing Evander Kane on the Jets' second line, had a first-period goal for Winnipeg, his first of the season. Weber exited the game 3:28 into the third period with an upper-body injury and did not return. The Predators departed Winnipeg immediately after the game, but team doctors will re-evaluate Weber's condition Wednesday. Weber had played 16:47 through the first two periods, and his departure forced the Predators to skate five defensemen for most of the third period. Jones opened the scoring when he danced past Winnipeg defenseman Tobias Enstrom coming down the left boards and swung around the net before scoring on a wraparound at 3:48. The Jets tied the game 22 seconds later when Thorburn tipped Jets defenseman Mark Stuart's point shot past Hutton, ending a personal 50-game goalless streak that dated to April 11, 2013. Josi finished off a passing play with Craig Smith and Legwand after a push into the Winnipeg zone for a 2-1 lead 42 seconds into the second period. His seven goals are a career high. Spaling put the Predators up 3-1 at 17:18 when he swatted Paul Gaustad's centering pass behind Pavelec. Rookie Colton Sissons, recalled Monday from the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League, assisted on the goal in his NHL debut. The Jets went to work erasing Nashville's 3-1 lead 55 seconds after Spaling's goal. After luring Hutton out of position, Scheifele banked the puck from the goal line off Josi and into the net at 18:13. Wheeler followed with a rising shot that Hutton failed to glove at 18:40. But Fisher's go-ahead goal put the Jets in a position of having to play catch-up hockey against an opponent that locked down defensively in the third period, even without Weber. Weber's absence forced a young Predators defense to pull together. Josi, new acquisition Michael Del Zotto, Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis are all 23 years old, and Jones is a 19-year-old rookie. Josi finished with a team-leading 27:01, and Jones logged 24:13.
Minnesota @ Anaheim 4-2 - Zach Parise failed to produce a point in his first two games back from a broken foot, but he made a grand return to the scoresheet Tuesday night with a goal and two assists to lead the Wild to a 4-2 win against the Ducks at Honda Center. Parise made a deft tip of Marco Scandella's shot for the game-winning goal at 6:35 of the third period, and linemates Mikael Granlund and Jason Pominville combined for two goals and two assists to help the Minnesota improve to 9-3-1 in its past 13 games. Parise's tip came in traffic and the blade of his stick appeared to be parallel to the ice. He said he was "just kind of waving at the puck" but it was his first goal since Dec. 17. Parise missed 14 games with the foot injury. The Ducks played one of their more forgettable periods this season in the second. They managed four shots on goal, and sloppy play in their end led to two shorthanded 2-on-1 chances for Minnesota. The Wild snapped an 0-for-23 power-play slump, stretched over eight games, when Granlund got a backhand redirect of Parise's saucer pass 13 seconds into the second for a 2-1 lead. Minnesota could have put Anaheim in a bigger hole, but Matt Cooke and Ryan Suter each hit the post. Anaheim's Cam Fowler also missed a great opportunity in the slot when he had the puck bounce off his stick. Anaheim got out of the first period tied 1-1 despite giving Minnesota three power plays. The Wild dominated a stretch before the Ducks' top line worked the puck down low and Penner hammered Ryan Getzlaf's pass from the left side into the net for his 13th goal at 18:13. A heads-up play by Pominville gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead. Pominville banked a shot off Hiller from behind the goal line at 7:57 after Granlund's slap shot deflected off Jakob Silfverberg. It was Pominville's team-leading 21st goal. Ducks defenseman Luca Sbisa returned from a hand injury that forced him to miss 26 games. He took back-to-back hooking penalties in the first period, but he did have a jarring hit on Pominville in the second. Getzlaf passed Paul Kariya for sole possession of fourth place on Anaheim's list of games played (607).

Los Angeles Kings @ San Jose Sharks 1-0 - 02/27

It was late in the second period Monday at SAP Center, and the Los Angeles Kings' scoring drought hit the 154-minute mark and counting in a scoreless game against the San Jose Sharks. The Kings had been blanked 3-0 by the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday at Dodger Stadium. There was certainly no guarantee they'd break through against Sharks backup goaltender Alex Stalock, who had consecutive shutouts entering the game. But Anze Kopitar scored at 17:56 of the period, and that one goal was enough for Jonathan Quick and the Kings. Quick made 23 saves to lead the Kings to a 1-0 victory, recording his third shutout of the season and third against San Jose in his career.

"I mean, I guess we needed a win like this to break out of the slump," Kopitar said. "[Quick] was obviously solid back there and gave us a chance to win. I guess one was enough. We hit a couple posts, had a couple good chances. Could have been two or three, but it doesn't really matter. It was enough for two points."

Stalock made 20 saves and extended his shutout streak to a franchise record 178:55 before Kopitar scored. Stalock broke Evgeni Nabokov's mark of 170:58 set in January 2009. The Kings ended their five-game winless skid and snapped San Jose's six-game winning streak. Los Angeles also ended San Jose's streak of seven straight regular-season wins at SAP Center in the series. Counting the postseason, Los Angeles had a 10-game winless skid at San Jose. The Kings won a regular-season game at San Jose for the first time since Dec. 27, 2010. They had their first win at San Jose since Game 4 of a Western Conference Quarterfinal series on April 23, 2011. Quick made a huge glove save less than two minutes into the game when Sharks forward Bracken Kearns fired from just right of the crease.

"We don't score many goals," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "So you got to make big saves and you got to limit the other team, and you got to bear down on opportunities. We had plenty of opportunities. ... This is a tough building to come into and get one point, let alone two. You can say you worked hard and not get nothing."

After a scoreless first period, Kopitar gave the Kings a 1-0 lead with his 15th goal of the season. Jeff Carter sent a pass from the right wing toward Kopitar in the low slot. A diving Brent Burns got his stick on the puck, but it deflected ahead to Kopitar, and he beat Stalock from close range to his stick side, ending the Kings' scoring drought at 154:43.

"I was cutting it close to going offside too," Kopitar said. "I tried to drag my toe as much as I could to not obviously go offside. One of their guys tipped it and was actually helping me out because it stopped it for me a little bit. And after that I was just trying to do something and it worked out for me."

Stalock said he "had the poke check out" before Burns made contact with the puck and wanted to "cut (Kopitar) off and not let him come back the other way. But with the puck getting knocked down, he was kind of able to stop and slow everything down so I was caught with it out there."

The Sharks had only nine shots through two periods to 13 for Los Angeles, but finished with a 23-21 edge in a typical defensive battle between these Pacific Division rivals.

"Every game we seem to play against them, it’s a one-goal game and offense is at a premium and so are shots," Sharks captain Joe Thornton said. "I think both teams played real well defensively and they got the break with one goal."

Los Angeles went on a four-minute power play at 11:08 of the third after San Jose's Joe Pavelski went to the box for high-sticking Kopitar and drawing blood. The shorthanded Sharks nearly pulled even, but Quick stopped Tommy Wingels' backhand from just left of the crease with under seven minutes left. After San Jose pulled its goaltender, Quick stopped Dan Boyle's shot from the low slot just before the horn, securing the victory.

"You prepare to stop everything every game," Quick said. "If you don't think you're going to stop everything every game, you probably won't last in this League very long. It was a good win. We had a couple of PKs where we had to dig in there. [Kopitar] scores a beautiful goal there. That's a huge win for us. They're a great team in their own building."

The Kings went 0-for-5 on the power play, extending their drought to 0-for-16. San Jose went 0-for-3 with the man advantage. Stalock had shutouts in his previous two starts against the Florida Panthers and Winnipeg Jets and a shutout streak of 140:59. Before his first two career shutouts, he made 35 saves in a 3-2 shootout victory against the Chicago Blackhawks on Jan. 5. His streak began after Chicago's Michal Rozsival scored at 4:01 of the third period.

"Alex was real good," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "Excellent experience for him tonight playing against that team, to fight through their size and their strength around the net, their deflections. It was very solid and we're very happy with him."

San Jose and Los Angeles met for the first time since Dec. 19 at Staples Center when Sharks rookie Tomas Hertl suffered a potential season-ending knee injury in a collision with Kings captain Dustin Brown. Brown received a major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct, but no supplemental discipline from the NHL. Hertl, who has 15 goals and 25 points in 35 games, underwent surgery. Sharks fans booed Brown whenever he touched the puck, but San Jose seemed more intent on trying to get a win than payback. The Kings outshot San Jose 8-4 in a scoreless first period and Stalock made a handful of tough saves. He snared a shot by Kopitar from the left circle with 4:52 left in the period and another Kopitar blast from the slot later in the period. One period later, Kopitar broke through for the game-winner that ended the Kings' skid.

"Sometimes you need a game or an opponent like San Jose or like St. Louis where there's a heavy game, a playoff-like atmosphere," Kopitar said. "I thought there was certainly that out there tonight, and we were able to get the two points. That's the most important thing."

Colorado Avalanche @ Dallas Stars 4-3 - 01/27

When Semyon Varlamov allowed a goal to Tyler Seguin late in the second period to tie the game at 3-3, the Colorado Avalanche goaltender didn't dwell on it. Instead, he regrouped. Varlamov made 13 of his 41 saves in the third period, including several more against Seguin and one at close range from Erik Cole to lead the Colorado Avalanche to a 4-3 win against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Monday.

"I was not happy about the third goal. That was my goal," Varlamov said. "I tried to regroup for myself and get ready for the third period."

Colorado (33-14-5) received the game-winner 4:13 into the final period when Alex Tanguay scored his fourth of the season on a wrist shot that deflected off the skate of Stars defenseman Sergei Gonchar. Dallas (24-21-8) had its three-game winning streak snapped.

"The puck goes off our skate into the net for the game-winning goal. That's tough," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said.

Tanguay's goal, which came after his shot from the left circle deflected in off Gonchar's skate, came 19 seconds after Dallas failed to convert on a power play following a holding call on Nate Guenin 1:54 into the final period.

"It wasn't pretty, but those things happen," Tanguay said. "I had [Paul Stastny] at the corner of the net. If it doesn't hit something else, it probably goes in with him. I'll take those bounces."

Seguin led Dallas with three points (two goals, one assist). Captain Jamie Benn (one goal, one assist) and defenseman Alex Goligoski (two assists) also chipped in two points each for the Stars.

"I thought Jamie (Benn) had a great game. Tyler (Seguin) really skated well and had a great game," Ruff said.

The Avalanche struck early when Nathan MacKinnon beat Dallas goaltender Kari Lehtonen with a backhand 1:40 into the game. After a poor attempted clearance by Alex Goligoski, the puck fell to MacKinnon, who finished from the left side of the net for his 18th of the season. Colorado then doubled its lead at 15:57 of the first when Jamie McGinn scored his 12th of the season after collecting his own rebound. Lehtonen denied McGinn's initial shot, but McGinn skated in uncontested and beat Lehtonen with a backhand off the rebound.

"The difference in the game without a doubt was the start of the game and the performance of our goalie," Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said. "Having such a good start, they had to play catch-up hockey. In this League, it's very difficult."

Dallas cut it to 2-1 at 17:27 of the first when Benn roofed a shot over Varlamov. Benn's wrister from the left circle beat Varlamov glove side after a pass from Seguin.

"We had a bit of a tough start there, but we did a lot of good things in the game," Benn said. "I think we outworked them. They capitalized on a couple lucky goals there, and that's the game."

After trailing 2-1 at the first intermission, Dallas quickly tied it in the second period when Seguin scored a power-play goal at 1:02. Seguin finished with a low shot inside the left post after a cross-ice pass from Benn. It was Seguin's 22nd of the season, but first in 12 games.

"It felt good," Seguin said of ending his scoring drought. "[It] felt like I lost the monkey off my back for sure, getting that goal. I've been thinking about it, but not as much as of late because of winning games."

The Stars were on a 4-on-3 power play after Colorado defenseman Nick Holden was called for a trip on Seguin 36 seconds into the second. Avalanche center John Mitchell was called for holding at 19:34 of the first period and Cole was whistled for interference three seconds later. Colorado regained the lead at 17:57 of the second when Stastny scored a power-play goal with a backhand. Dallas defenseman Jordie Benn attempted to clear the puck from behind his goal, but his clearance struck the right post, falling to the skates of Stastny, who finished over Lehtonen's blocker for his 15th of the season. The Avalanche was on the power play after the Stars were called for having too many men on the ice at 16:22. Seguin's second of the evening pulled the game level again 16 seconds later. Following a pass by Goligoski from the Dallas zone to Seguin in neutral ice, the speedy forward dashed up the right side of the ice and beat Varlamov with a wrister from the right circle that struck his right shoulder before crossing the line. Dallas outshot Colorado 19-8 in the second period, giving the Stars a 31-18 edge in shots through 40 minutes. For the game, the Stars outshot the Avalanche 44-21. Lehtonen, who stopped 17 shots for Dallas, left the ice for an extra attacker with 1:01 remaining, but the Stars were unable to find the equalizer and force overtime.

"We emptied the tank to get [the last goal] back. We just couldn't get one to go," Ruff said.

Colorado ended its three-game road trip and stretch of three games in four days at 2-1-0. The Avalanche host the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.

"It's a three-game road trip, so we wanted to come out 2-1," Stastny said. "That was important for us. So now we have two days to rest up here and get back at it. So for us, I think it was good to end the road trip this way."

Buffalo Sabres @ Pittsburgh Penguins 0-3 - 01/27

Ryan Miller had one of his better games against the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he still couldn't outperform Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury made 24 saves to earn his fourth shutout of the season and lead Pittsburgh to a 3-0 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday at Consol Energy Center. With Pittsburgh leading 2-0 early in the third period, Fleury made two key saves to keep Buffalo off the board. Brian Flynn found himself alone in front of the Pittsburgh net 2:33 into the period and forced Fleury to sprawl out of position on a wrist shot. Flynn collected his rebound and sent it through the crease, where it slid under Fleury's pad and clear of the net. Matt Moulson had a similar opportunity 1:41 later after Tyler Ennis delivered a pass from the right boards to send Moulson in alone against Fleury. Moulson deked to his right and came back to his left before attempting a wrist shot, but Fleury flashed his right pad to keep the puck out of the net.

"We haven't played them in a while, especially with the new coach," Fleury said. "It wasn't maybe the most entertaining game to watch, but they came out hard. It was good. Nobody panicked. Everybody played their game. It was a good win."

Tanner Glass scored an empty-net goal with 27.4 seconds left to seal the win for the Penguins. The Penguins dominated play through the first two periods, but it didn't show on the scoreboard until Chris Kunitz scored the game's first goal 5:44 into the second. After Sidney Crosby backhanded a shot that caused Miller to fall forward, Brian Gibbons' shot at an open net hit the left post. The puck ricocheted to Kunitz to the right of the net, and he backhanded a shot over Miller, who was still down on the ice, for his 26th goal.

"We should want to go out and have our best shift every single time we step on the ice," Kunitz said. "It shouldn't matter who the opponent is; it shouldn't matter what the score is. We should go and try and get better every single night. We have to grow as a team and get better in those areas."

Kunitz, who trails Crosby by one goal for the team lead, tied his career high for goals in a season, matching his output from the 2011-12 season. With an assist, Crosby extended his scoring streak against the Sabres to 16 games (25 points). Deryk Engelland stretched Pittsburgh's lead to 2-0 with 7:55 remaining in the second. He forced a turnover in the Sabres zone and dropped the puck off to Glass, who sent a pass through to forward Craig Adams. Adams moved the puck to Engelland, who was skating on the fourth line Monday, up from his usual spot on the blue line, and Engelland finished the play with a wrist shot for his fourth goal of the season.

Sabres coach Ted Nolan wasn't pleased with Buffalo's effort in the second period. "We're a team that we can't have glaring mistakes. It's very demoralizing. I think it demoralized us for a little bit. We woke up in the third period, we made a push, but not good enough."

Miller, who entered Monday with a 3.26 goals-against average and .888 save percentage in 23 career starts against the Penguins, allowed two goals on 10 second-period shots after denying Pittsburgh of a goal on 15 shots in the first.

"Every game is independent; every game is new," Miller said. "They've had a good team here for a while, and I suppose that's kind of how it's gone."

Pittsburgh controlled the first period, but Miller ensured the game remained scoreless entering the first intermission. Buffalo faced the NHL's top-ranked power-play unit (24.3 percent) after defenseman Henrik Tallinder was called for delay of game midway through the first, but Miller made stops on clear opportunities from Crosby, James Neal and Evgeni Malkin, who played in his 500th NHL game Monday. The Sabres held a 4-3 shot advantage 7:24 into the period, but allowed 10 unanswered shots during an 8:45 stretch, which included a power play, that allowed Pittsburgh to control the pace. The Penguins finished the period with a 15-5 lead in shots. Pittsburgh lost games to the Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars over the past week, and Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said he thought the team did a better job of not looking past its opponent Monday night.

"I'm never going to look at a game, Florida and/or Dallas and say, 'Chalk it up,'" Bylsma said. "You can look at a lot of different things … the standings, the points and the gap and traveling from Long Island to Dallas. Sometimes that happens in the course of a season where you look at that and we didn't play well; we didn't play well in Dallas. We got back home here and came out on the better side of the game and played the right way."

Results - Mon, Jan 27, 2014

Boston @ NY Islanders 6-3 - This was not what the Islanders had in mind for their final indoor game before playing at Yankee Stadium two nights from now in the third game of the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series. Carl Soderberg's goal with 32.7 seconds remaining in the second period broke a tie and the Boston Bruins beat the Islanders 6-3 on Monday night at Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders will play their next game outdoors at baseball's most famous stadium when they face off against their archrivals, the New York Rangers, on Wednesday night. The Islanders had no answer for the line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and Reilly Smith. All three scored goals, Bergeron and Smith each had an assist, and Marchand assisted on each of his linemates' goals, as well as one by Zdeno Chara in the third period, Loui Eriksson also scored for the Bruins (33-15-3), who won their third in a row and avoided a season-series sweep by the Islanders. Kyle Okposo set up goals by Frans Nielsen and Michael Grabner before scoring one for the Islanders (21-26-8), who enter their outdoor game against the Rangers on a three-game losing streak (0-2-1). Chad Johnson made 34 saves and survived a barrage that saw the Islanders take 26 of their 37 shots in a 28:30 span of the first and second periods. Kevin Poulin stopped 17 of 18 Boston shots in the first period but struggled after that, finishing with 30 saves on 36 shots before being relieved by Evgeni Nabokov, who was activated off the injured list earlier in the day and stopped the only shot he faced. The victory moved the Bruins two points ahead of the Tampa Bay Lightning in the race for first place in the Atlantic Division. The game featured huge swings in play, with the Bruins finally taking control in the third period after the Islanders generated plenty of offense for nearly a period and a half. The Bruins came out firing, with Bergeron testing Poulin before the game was 10 seconds old. Boston took the game's first six shots and was outshooting the Islanders 11-1 before Eriksson opened the scoring at 7:47. Eriksson, a left-handed shooter, was standing on the goal line about 15 feet to the left of Poulin and despite apparently having no angle, picked the top corner on the far side for his sixth goal of the season. The shot differential climbed to 18-3 before an interference penalty to Boston defenseman Johnny Boychuk at 12:10 gave the Islanders the game's first power play, and a wakeup call. New York had four shots during the power play without scoring, but the Islanders began to control the play and tied it at 15:29. Okposo took a pass from Nielsen at the top of the right circle, saw Nielsen cutting from the left to the top of the crease and put the puck on his stick. Johnson stopped Nielsen's deflection, but Nielsen picked up the rebound and roofed it for his career-best 18th of the season and a 1-1 tie. The rest of the period belonged to New York, which outshot the Bruins 2-0 during a Boston power play and cut the shots margin to 18-12. The Islanders had five of the first six shots in the second period, but it was the Bruins who scored to grab a 2-1 lead after a slick three-way passing play. Marchand was alone just off the left post to finish off a feed from Bergeron at 4:50 on a play that was started by Smith. New York tied the game for the second time at 8:20. Thomas Hickey drew a delayed penalty, but before the Bruins could touch the puck, he relayed it to Okposo, who found Grabner for a one-timer between the hash marks that beat Johnson cleanly for his ninth of the season. The Bruins went back in front at 12:31 during a delayed penalty. Smith showed terrific hand-eye coordination when he got his stick on the deflection of Shawn Thornton's pass and knocked it past Poulin for his 17th of the season, tying Marchand for the team lead. Boston had a chance to increase its lead when Okposo went off for cross-checking at 13:00. Instead, Okposo wound up scoring the tying goal when he stepped out of the penalty box just as Grabner blocked a shot and took off on a breakaway. They played catch until Okposo slid Grabner's feed into the net at 15:08 for his 23rd of the season. The Islanders pushed the tempo and failed to convert on a power play, then paid for it when Soderberg took a breakout pass from Milan Lucic and raced down right wing, cut past Hickey to the net, and flicked a shot past Poulin. Soderberg's seventh of the season gave the Bruins a 4-3 lead after 40 frantic minutes that saw seven goals and 56 shots. The Bruins killed off a penalty early in the third period before getting some breathing room at 2:17 thanks to a spectacular effort by Bergeron. He got to the slot, took a pass from Marchand and whipped a one-timer past Poulin an instant before he was flattened by defenseman Andrew MacDonald for his 14th of the season. Poulin's night ended a little less than six minutes later when he allowed an easy point shot by Chara to deflect into the net off his stick. The goal was Chara's 500th career point.
Columbus @ Carolina 2-3 - For most of Monday evening, the Blue Jackets were in control against the Hurricanes, riding a couple early goals and a strong defensive effort. Then came a stretch in the third period when the Hurricanes willed themselves to a win. Eric Staal scored twice 1:01 apart in the third period before Jordan Staal added the go-ahead score, to help the Hurricanes erase a 2-0 deficit en route to a 3-2 victory at PNC Arena. Columbus seized the lead early in the first period. Corey Tropp left a drop pass for Fedor Tyutin, whose shot rang of the post, leaving Derek MacKenzie to clean up the rebound at 2:25. For MacKenzie, it was his third straight game with a goal. Seventeen seconds later, RJ Umberger started and finished a play to push the lead to 2-0. After forcing Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk into a turnover, Umberger went to the net and followed Ryan Johansen's centering pass for his 14th of the season. Nick Foligno also earned an assist. The teams were held scoreless in the second period, with the Blue Jackets content to limit the quality of Carolina's shots. The Hurricanes held a decisive 17-8 advantage, but Columbus kept most of them near the perimeter. Then in the third, Carolina rode a wave of momentum. Eric Staal narrowed the gap to 2-1 at 11:18, taking a pass from Alexander Semin for his 13th goal. Moments later, Jiri Tlusty shoveled a pass from behind the net to Staal, who banged it home in front of Blue Jackets goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Jordan Staal then went to work. After Jeff Skinner and Elias Lindholm moved the puck along the boards through the neutral zone, Staal made a nifty drag move in the slot and slipped a backhand shot inside the far post. Staal isn't exactly known for his crafty stick handling. The Blue Jackets recovered to get some quality chances on Anton Khudobin in the final minutes, but the Hurricanes goaltender calmly fended off the late shots. And what the Blue Jackets had done until then was significant. Although their offense waned as the game progressed, they put in a good night's work defensively; Brandon Dubinsky slid in front of Ruutu to snuff out a scoring chance from the slot. Matt Calvert went to his knees to block a close-in shot in the third period. The penalty killing unit fended off two Carolina power plays.
Edmonton @ Vancouver 4-2 - There haven't been many bright spots for the Oilers during another lost season. Jesse Joensuu provided one by snapping a personal slump and, in doing so, a team one against the Canucks at Rogers Arena on Monday. Joensuu ended a 14-game goal-scoring drought to put the Oilers ahead 2:20 into the third period, and David Perron completed his second career hat trick when he scored into an empty net with 1:09 left to lift the Oilers to a 4-2 win against the Canucks. Ryan Smyth won a battle in the left corner and fed a perfect pass to Joensuu, who was waiting atop the crease on the far side and slid the puck back between Roberto Luongo's legs as the Vancouver goalie slid toward him. It was Joensuu's third goal, his first since Dec. 10, and it sparked the Oilers to consecutive wins for the fourth time all season. The Oilers, who are last in the Western Conference, have three five-game losing streaks and two six-game losing skids, the most recent of which they ended with a 5-1 win against the Nashville Predators on Sunday night. Perron played 16 minutes in that lopsided win, and it left him feeling energized against the Canucks less than 24 hours later. Perron scored twice in the first period, then set a new single-season career high with his 22nd goal when he completed the hat trick with the empty-netter. Both of Perron's hat tricks have come against the Canucks, who almost picked him at the 2007 NHL Draft. The Canucks would have liked to send more pucks Bryzgalov's way, especially after the Oilers grabbed the lead early in the third period on Joensuu's goal. Luongo, who finished with 16 saves, made an incredible save six minutes into the third period to keep it close. He spun around and reached back over his head to swat a high, arcing deflection out of the air with his stick. But the Canucks couldn't take advantage, generating two shots through the first half of the third period before a surge in the final minutes. Schroeder got lucky bounces on both his goals. After offseason shoulder surgery was followed by a fractured foot his first preseason game and a broken ankle three games into his regular season, the skilled but undersized center was probably owed a couple of breaks. Alexandre Burrows, who hasn't scored in 22 games this season, hit the post with five minutes left. Bryzgalov robbed Schroeder from the slot a minute later, then got some help as Ryan Jones swept the loose puck into him as it trickled towards the goal line. Bryzgalov also robbed Dan Hamhuis on another great chance with 2:43 left and made two great saves on a Chris Higgins breakaway late in the second period, getting a glove on the initial shot and kicking out the left pad to deny the rebound attempt. Coming off a wild 5-4 overtime win against the Phoenix Coyotes the night before, the Canucks seemed content to play a wide-open game early, handing the Oilers a handful off odd-man rushes. Perron had a 2-on-1 feed hop over his stick in the opening minute, and Luongo stopped Taylor Hall on a 2-on-0 eight minutes in. Perron finally converted a little more than a minute later on a 2-on-1 with Sam Gagner after a neutral zone turnover, one-timing a cross-ice pass by Luongo's outstretched glove. Hall had a good chance from the slot blocked on another 3-on-2 about a minute later, and Schroeder tied it at 1-1 at 12:33 after a big hit by David Booth forced a turnover behind the Edmonton net. Schroeder's wraparound attempt went into the slot and the puck bounced off Oilers defenseman Corey Potter's skate before hitting the heel of Bryzgalov's stick, deflecting between the goalie's legs, and going into the net. Perron restored the Oilers' lead after Zach Kassian coughed up the puck just inside the blue line. Yakupov got around the defense and cut hard to the net, but lost the puck right into the slot for Perron, who fought off a Kevin Bieksa stick check and fired a quick shot that caught Luongo stranded on his goal line. Schroeder tied it 2:39 into the second period when he threw the puck at the net. It hit Potter's toe as he tried to fend off a charging Bieksa and went past Bryzgalov, who never dropped into the butterfly and looked as stunned as Schroeder that the puck went in. Joensuu put Edmonton ahead for good early in the third after Smyth won the puck battle.

NY Rangers @ New Jersey Devils 7-3 - 01/26 Stadium Series NY

The City That Never Sleeps and the NHL unveiled yet another masterful sporting event Sunday when the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers battled the elements and each other in front of 50,105 fans in the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series at iconic Yankee Stadium. With the center field scoreboard, classic white façade and No. 4 train serving as the backdrop, the Cathedral of Baseball proved the perfect setting for the on-ice showdown between the Metropolitan Division rivals in the South Bronx.

In the end, the Rangers would rally from a two-goal deficit with six unanswered en route to a 7-3 victory in their first of two games at the Stadium this week. The Rangers will play the New York Islanders on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, NBCSN, TSN, RDS2).

"We simplified our game and ended up coming back," Rangers right wing Rick Nash said. "We kept it simple and kept it safe. It was exciting to get two points."

The seven goals scored by the Rangers were the most in an outdoor game. The Detroit Red Wings set the previous mark in a 6-4 victory against the Chicago Blackhawks at the 2009 NHL Winter Classic at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello scored twice, Dominic Moore, Derek Stepan and Marc Staal each had a goal and an assist, and Derick Brassard and Anton Stralman had two assists apiece. Stepan's goal was scored off a penalty shot midway through the third period; it was the first successful penalty shot in an NHL outdoor game.

"It was cold, but [it] wasn't a cold that could affect you," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said. "Walking onto the ice surface and hearing the applause from fans, as much from the Devils as the Rangers, it was a really neat experience."

Prior to warm-ups, fans watched and listened as the cast of Jersey Boys performed their classic hits made popular by Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Further enhancing a New York state of mind were the FDNY Emerald Society Pipes and Drums and the NYPD Pipes and Drums; they lined the paths used by the players as they walked to the ice to a loud ovation and fireworks display. Three-time Tony Award-nominee Marin Mazzie sung the U.S. National Anthem while members of the NYPD/FDNY Color Guard presented the game's colors.

Following an action-packed first period that had the Devils jumping to a 3-2 lead, New Jersey shore band Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes rocked the house during the first intermission. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is extremely pleased with the two outdoor games this weekend. The Anaheim Ducks beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-0 on Saturday at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles that was witnessed by more than 54,000 fans.

"The first two games of the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series, played on two coasts, under two wild extremes of climate, provided all the best elements our sport can offer our fans," Bettman said "Within 16 hours two of the most revered venues in sports welcomed more than 100,000 fans to sit under the sky and enjoy two of the fiercest rivalries in the NHL. The games were spectacular, the images were unforgettable and the sheer energy our sport creates was unmistakable. This truly was a remarkable weekend for our fans and our League."

Devils coach Peter DeBoer was forced to pull starter Martin Brodeur in favor of Cory Schneider to open the third period after Brodeur allowed six goals on 21 shots in the first 40 minutes of the game. It marked the first time New Jersey made an in-game goalie switch this season. Brodeur was playing in his 100th regular-season game against the Rangers.

"I'm sure Marty wanted to play well and this loss is not on him," Devils forward Patrik Elias said. "We gave up way too many chances and they got the bounces. Still, it shouldn't have happened because we gave up too many chances."

Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who improved to 29-14-6 in 49 career regular-season games against the Devils, made 19 saves to earn his 18th win of the season. Lundqvist now is 24-11-3 with a 2.08 goals-against average and .921 save percentage in 38 games against the Devils since 2007-08. He is 25-9-6 with a 1.78 GAA and .928 save percentage in 40 career regular-season games against Brodeur.

"It was a tough start to the game," Lundqvist said. "My preparation was not perfect. The start of the game was changed so I was asleep when they told me it was a warm-up in 30 minutes. I felt like I was not really in the right place mentally in the first period [allowing three goals on 10 shots]; I was fighting it a little bit. I felt like I calmed down in the second [and] third period and played my game."

The Devils still lead the all-time series against the Rangers 85-78-27, including a 54-34-7 record in their previous 95 home games [the Devils were considered the home team Sunday]. The Rangers pulled into a 3-3 tie early in the second when defenseman John Moore broke in 2-on-1 with Zuccarello, who skated into the pass and had the puck deflect off his left skate past Brodeur. A replay review upheld the call on the ice. Not soon after it began to flurry to the delight of those in attendance. The game was tied, the temperature (24.9 degrees at the opening faceoff) was dropping and snow was floating to the ice. High drama, for sure. That's when the Rangers gained their first lead, on Zuccarello's second goal of the game at 12:44 of the second for a 4-3 edge. He broke in 2-on-1 with Brassard against Anton Volchenkov. Brassard sent a saucer pass to Zuccarello while Volchenkov was sliding to the ice to take away the pass, but Zuccarello collected the puck and swept it home.

"I've never been here [Yankee Stadium] and baseball is not that big in Norway," Zuccarello said. "But I've lived in the U.S. for quite a while now so I know it's pretty special. It's special for me too coming from Norway, and to be able to play at this rink and get the win too is pretty amazing. So we were happy about it."

The Rangers extended their lead to 5-3 when Hagelin scored his 12th of the season off a shot from the right circle at 13:53. Nash made it 6-3 with 28.5 seconds remaining in the second when he finished a 3-on-1 rush with Stepan and Chris Kreider after Anton Stralman stood up Andy Greene at the Rangers' blue line. Nash took a cross-ice feed from Stepan in the right circle and ripped a shot that deflected off Devils defenseman Mark Fayne and beat Brodeur to the long side.

"I don't think it came too easy [in the first period]," Patrik Elias said. "We played well in the first and then felt like every line gave up odd-man rushes. We starting pushing and they did a good job not giving us time in their zone. We got caught a lot. It felt like every 10 minutes, we were giving up seven to nine odd-man rushes."

Nash, who scored his 11th goal in 11 games, is riding a five-game goal streak (seven goals) and leads the Rangers with 18 goals. Stepan added the game's final goal on a penalty shot, at 10:06 of the third. Stepan received his opportunity on Schneider after he was held by Travis Zajac while breaking toward the New Jersey net. Stepan's goal, his 10th of the season, came off a rocket into the top left corner. It was the first successful penalty shot in an outdoor NHL game. The Devils received two goals from Elias and two assists from Jaromir Jagr in the first period to open a 3-2 lead. The two assists moved Jagr past former teammate Mario Lemieux and into sole possession of 10th place on the NHL's all-time list. In addition to the offensive flurry, the opening 20 minutes was highlighted by plenty of good opportunities and big hits. Hagelin delivered a crunching hit on Devils captain Bryce Salvador at 1:05 and Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh was thrown into New Jersey bench when he attempted to put Zajac through the boards not long after. Zajac's eighth goal of the season, off a backhand in the slot, gave the Devils a 3-1 lead at 16:07. Jagr made the play possible when he fed Mark Fayne at the point left point and outmuscled Rangers defenseman Kevin Klein to deflect Fayne's shot off Lundqvist's pads. The rebound went to Zajac, who scored from in close. The Rangers pared the deficit to 3-2 when Marc Staal's innocent-looking shot from the left-wing corner deflected in front and past Brodeur at 16:59.

"I think it was a big goal," Staal said. "In that first we were scrambling and it was good for us to grab a hold of it when we did. It was good that we responded the way we did."

DeBoer was asked if he felt his team took its foot off the gas pedal after opening a 3-1 lead. "They got a little bit of a fluky goal [by Staal]. I think what happened was we fell into the trap that this was going to be a 7-6 game and we were going to have to get seven goals to win. We're not that type of team. We start opening it up and trading chances like that and not a lot of good happens."

Elias opened the game at 5:36 when he collected a feed from Ryane Clowe at the Rangers' blue line, skated to the left hash and fired a shot that beat Lundqvist high on the short side. The Rangers evened the game when Dominic Moore scored on a rebound at the right post. Elias made it 2-1 at the 11-minute mark when he took a great pass from Jagr, who spun as he carried the puck below the goal line in the New York end and found a trailing Elias in the slot. Jagr now has 1,035 assists, five shy of ninth-place Marcel Dionne. He has career totals of 697 goals and 1,732 points in 20 seasons. Twenty days away from his 42 birthday, he leads the Devils with 16 goals, 28 assists and 44 points in 53 games this season.

Phoenix Coyotes @ Vancouver Canucks 4-5 OT - 01/26

Vancouver Canucks coach Mike Sullivan couldn't think of any other way to sum up a wild win against the Phoenix Coyotes on Sunday night. Defenseman Kevin Bieksa scored his second of the game by banging in his own rebound while sprawling through the air 2:15 into overtime, and the Canucks recovered from blowing a pair of two-goal leads to beat the Coyotes 5-4 at Rogers Arena. After the Canucks failed to take advantage of an overtime power play, Bieksa was stopped by Mike Smith when Brad Richardson sent him in alone from the slot, but somehow managed to chip the rebound up and in as he was went flying over Smith's outstretched pad.

"We've been struggling to score lately, so let's take some positive out of it," Bieksa said. "We put five in, some guys got on the score sheet and we found a way to win. It wasn't your typical game,”

It wasn't your typical ending either. Vancouver had scored eight goals in its past seven games, and failed to score more than two in a game during that stretch. But they came in bunches Sunday, with Bieksa and Jannik Hansen scoring 44 seconds apart midway through the first period, and Chris Higgins and Zac Dalpe scoring 42 seconds apart late in the second.

"It was kind of a sloppy game and with the weird goals it was kind of a strange game," said Higgins, who also had two assists, including Bieksa's winner. "It's nice to be on the winning side of those games and nice to score a bunch of goals; it's been tough to come by recently."

Vancouver's rare offensive outburst almost wasn't enough. Coyotes captain Shane Doan tied the game on a breakaway 5:24 into the third period, and Antoine Vermette only needed one shot to score the other three goals, one at even strength, one shorthanded and one on the power play, to help Phoenix earn a valuable point. The Coyotes pulled within three points of the Minnesota Wild for the final wild card berth in the Western Conference, and trails Vancouver by five points. Phoenix has played one fewer game than the Canucks, and two less than the Wild. But coach Dave Tippett thought his team should have had two on Sunday, and Doan agreed.

"There's no moral victories in professional sports," said Doan, who set up Vermette's power-play goal.

That was the only one Vermette shot into the Vancouver net; Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo put the first one in with his stick, and Ryan Kesler knocked the shorthanded goal in past Luongo.

"I thought it was a good sign," Vermette said of the lucky breaks. "Usually you are talking about bounces, you get good chances and the puck doesn't go in for you. It's a sign that things are going to turn around."

Canada’s Olympic team hopes it turns around for both goalies.

"You score four goals, you should win," said Smith, who made 20 saves. "That's up to me to make more saves but it was kind of a weird game, not a lot of shots on net and the puck was doing some funky things. It wasn't a fun one to play in as a goalie."

Luongo, who stopped 29 shots, agreed.

"Definitely a weird one," Luongo said. "It was one of those games where it felt like the puck was bouncing in from everywhere. The good thing is we got the win."

Despite the Canucks' scoring woes, the teams combined for three goals 62 seconds midway through the first period, and another three 2:06 apart late in the second. Bieksa started the first binge by beating a screened Smith with a fluttering half-slap shot from the point 10:31 into the game. Hansen doubled the lead by one-timing a 3-on-2 pass through Smith's legs, but the Coyotes got it back with a strange goal on the next shift. David Moss sent Vermette alone in tight with a beautiful saucer pass from the blue line, but Vermette lost control of the puck as he tried to cut back and it was heading wide of the net before Luongo reached back and knocked it in off the heel of his goal stick. Phoenix had a goal called back 1:32 into the second period when a review ruled Kyle Chipchura used a distinct kicking motion to knock a rebound past Luongo in a scramble. But Vermette got even lucky again to tie it 2-2 midway through the period. Stopped on a 2-on-2 shorthanded rush, Vermette was trying to coral the rebound in the slot when a backchecking Kesler knocked it off his stick and into the net. Vancouver regained the lead on Higgins deflection between the legs of Smith with 3:01 left in the second period, and Dalpe doubled it by banging in his own rebound on a 2-on-1 with defenseman Jason Garrison. But Vermette pulled the Coyotes within one by lifting a power play rebound over Luongo with 55 seconds left in the period for his third career hat trick.

"Free hat trick," Luongo said. "At least he buried the last one to make it at least somewhat justifiable. It was just one of those nights where it felt like the puck was finding ways in, but that's going to happen from time to time."

It continued when Doan was sent in alone early in the third period and appeared to lose the puck as he tried to deke, only to see it roll through Luongo's legs anyway.

"I think there might have been one goal that was actually shot in the net," said Sullivan, who was coaching his third game while Canucks coach John Tortorella serves a six-game, 15-day suspension. "It seemed like everything was a deflection off a skate, off a stick, off something, so it was just one of those games for both sides."