Toronto @ Washington 2-3 - Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom and Joel Ward scored for the Capitals, while Neuvirth's impressive effort after an extended absence stymied a hard-charging and desperate Maple Leafs team without a win since defeating the Detroit Red Wings in the Bridgestone 2014 NHL Winter Classic on New Year's Day. Ward scored the game-winning goal with 8:09 remaining in regulation when he got just enough on a shot from the slot. Tempers flared early in the second period when Capitals defenseman John Erskine and Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf exchanged gloved punches as officials attempted to restrain them. Both received roughing minors with Erskine earning an extra two minutes to put Toronto on the power play. Washington killed off the penalty and scored shortly after returning to full strength. Mike Green fished the puck out of a scrum along the right-wing boards and slipped it to Mikhail Grabovski, who then moved into the slot. Ovechkin, cutting through the left circle, received Grabovski's pass and wristed it past Bernier for his NHL-leading 32nd goal of the season at 6:39. The Capitals' lead, however, was short-lived. With Grabovski in the penalty box for tripping Jake Gardiner, van Riemsdyk tied the game for the Maple Leafs at 9:08, tipping in Kessel's shot from the right half-wall past Neuvirth for his 16th of the season. Toronto's goal came 2:29 after Ovechkin's, making it the 23rd goal this season that the Capitals have allowed within 2:30 of scoring themselves. Kessel gave the Maple Leafs their first lead of the game in the opening minute of the third period, barreling down the right side and snapping a shot that clipped Capitals defenseman Karl Alzner's stick blade and past Neuvirth at 54 seconds. Less than four minutes later, Backstrom tied the game 2-2 when he stripped Cody Franson behind Toronto's net and carried the puck to the left circle. The Washington center then curled to his right and fired the puck towards the net, where it ricocheted off Jay McClement's skate for the unassisted goal. With both teams playing the second of back-to-back sets, the first period got off to a sleepy and sloppy start. The Capitals and Maple Leafs each received power plays during the second half of the period, and while both man advantages were disjointed, the pace picked up considerably as a result with both teams trading chances. By period's end, Washington and Toronto, which entered the game Friday ranked 29th and 30th in shots allowed per game, respectively, had combined for 25 shots on goal. By winning their second straight after snapping a four-game losing streak on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lighting, the Capitals maintained their hold on third place in the Metropolitan Division, which has grown tighter by the day; only six points separate second place and seventh place. Later on Erskine had a heavy-weight fight with Colton Orr.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7BWWQvUxfI
Carolina @ Columbus 0-3 - To stop a hot opponent, the Columbus Blue Jackets needed an even hotter goaltender. They had one: Sergei Bobrovsky. He showed his 2013 Vezina Trophy-winning form Friday with 36 saves, several of them sensational, for his second shutout of the season, a 3-0 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes. Carolina had a five-game winning streak snapped. Bobrovsky started his second game after missing 14 because of a groin strain sustained Dec. 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He stopped 40 of 43 shots Monday in a 4-3 shootout win at the New York Rangers. Bobrovsky preserved the shutout during consecutive power plays by Carolina, including 63 seconds of a two-man advantage beginning midway through the third period. He stopped three straight whacks by Elias Lindholm at the goal line and snapped a drive by Zach Boychuk out of the air with his glove. Bobrovsky completed the blanking by denying an unmarked Patrick Dwyer with 26 seconds left. Atkinson made it 3-0 at 5:54 of the third period at the end of a double minor for high sticking (the first penalties of the game) to Tuomo Ruutu, although it appeared Brett Bellemore clipped Columbus' RJ Umberger across the bridge of his nose. Atkinson scored his 12th of the season with 24 seconds left in the elongated man advantage when he wristed a shot from the left wing after taking a Mark Letestu pass. The Hurricanes were shut out for the third time this season, Carolina forward Jeff Skinner, who entered with 17 goals in 17 games and 11 points in his previous five games, could not score despite seven shots. But it wasn't just Bobrovsky who stopped him cold. Atkinson had the defensive play of the first period to keep Skinner from his 22nd goal. Skinner had Bobrovsky out of position on a wraparound, but Atkinson reached with his stick to push the puck away from Skinner when he tried to stuff it inside the left post. Goals 70 seconds apart by Jenner and Dubinsky gave the Blue Jackets a first-period lead. The opening score was enabled by Nathan Horton in his long-awaited home debut, although he was not credited with an assist on Jenner's sixth goal with five minutes left. Horton missed the first 40 games after undergoing a planned surgery on his left shoulder shortly after the former Boston Bruins forward signed a free-agent contract with the Blue Jackets on July 5. He scored in his first game at the Phoenix Coyotes on Jan. 2 and followed with road games against the St. Louis Blues and Rangers. His forecheck forced Carolina center Brett Sutter to cough up the puck deep in the zone. Jenner pounced on the loose puck and fired a wrist shot past Anton Khudobin. Dubinsky scored his ninth after he took a pass on the rush from Atkinson. Dubinsky was in the left circle when he snapped a shot over the glove of Khudobin with 3:50 to go. Khudobin, who stopped 21 of 24 shots losing for the first time in seven decisions this season, didn't play poorly in his second game in as many nights, but Bobrovsky was better.
NY Islanders @ Colorado 2-1 OT - The road has turned into a comfortable place for the New York Islanders, who defeated the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in overtime Friday at Pepsi Center for their sixth straight win away from home. Kevin Poulin stopped 30 shots and Michael Grabner scored at 1:46 of overtime to give the Islanders their third win in a row and sixth in seven games. Grabner skated through a crowded goalmouth into the corner, where he almost lost the puck before reversing direction. He moved into the slot and fired a shot past Semyon Varlamov for his second goal in two games. The Islanders are 8-0-2-1 in their past 11 games against Colorado. The Avalanche's last regulation win against the Islanders was 1-0 on Nov. 16, 2001. The Avalanche kept high-scoring forwards John Tavares and Thomas Vanek off the scoresheet, but they couldn't solve Poulin after rookie Nathan MacKinnon broke a scoreless tie at 18:15 of the second period. The Islanders tied the game 1-1 at 4:28 of the third period on a goal by Brock Nelson, who scored from the slot after a pass from Calvin de Haan deflected off Avalanche defenseman Andre Benoit's stick. Poulin made a number of tough saves, including one against Cody McLeod at 8:20 of the third period after McLeod stole the puck from Ryan Strome in the New York end and drove to the net. MacKinnon used his speed to open the scoring. After taking a pass from Benoit at his blue line, MacKinnon blew past defenseman Matt Donovan, cut to the net, went to his forehand and beat Poulin low to the glove side. The goal was MacKinnon's fifth in the past four games, ninth in 13 games, and 15th for the season, tying injured San Jose Sharks forward Tomas Hertl for the goal-scoring lead among NHL rookies. MacKinnon leads all rookies in scoring with 29 points. Varlamov made a stop against de Haan one minute before MacKinnon scored. De Haan took a shot from the right point with Tavares in front looking for a tip or deflection. Varlamov fell on his back to keep the puck from crossing the goal line. Both teams went 0-for-2 on power plays. Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie was shaken up in the third period with an undisclosed injury and finished the game, but Roy isn't sure if he'll be able to play Saturday against the Wild. The Avalanche recalled defenseman Karl Stollery from the Lake Erie Monsters in the American Hockey League in case Barrie can't play. Stollery has five goals and six assists in 28 games with Lake Erie.
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