Results - Mon, Mar 24, 2014

Los Angeles @ Philadelphia 3-2 - Kings forward Jeff Carter isn't the kind of person prone to showing his emotions publicly. But in his first game back in the building where he started his NHL career, it was obvious to his teammates that Monday against the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center was more than just an ordinary road game. Carter played like someone with something to prove, scoring the game's first goal and firing a game-high seven shots on goal in the Kings' 3-2 win. Dwight King scored the game-winning goal in the third period, and Williams also had a goal for Los Angeles. Jonathan Quick made 30 saves to lead the Kings to their third straight win. Matt Read and Jakub Voracek scored for the Flyers, and Ray Emery stopped 38 of 41 shots for Philadelphia, which saw its five-game win streak snapped. The loss, combined with the New York Rangers' 4-3 overtime defeat of the Phoenix Coyotes, dropped the Flyers to third in the Metropolitan Division, one point behind the Rangers. The Kings led 2-0 after two periods, but the Flyers were able to tie the game at 8:18 of the third on Voracek's goal. However, the Kings took the momentum back 2:18 later on King's goal. Miscommunication between Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen at the Los Angeles blue line led to a Philadelphia turnover. Slava Voynov started a 2-on-1 breakout the other way and he centered a pass to King, who beat Emery from the bottom of the left circle at 10:36 for his 13th goal. Carter brought his own level of aggression to the game. After a scoreless first period, he got the Kings on the board 1:49 into the second. The play began with the Flyers unable to clear the puck out of their zone. It ended up in the right corner with Tyler Toffoli sending it back to Alec Martinez at the point. Martinez's shot was blocked in front by Flyers defenseman Mark Streit, but the puck bounced to Carter in the left circle, and he snapped a quick wrist shot past Emery before he could get into position. It was the kind of snap shot Flyers fans saw lots of during Carter's six seasons in Philadelphia, during which he scored 181 goals in 461 games. However, that run came to an end June 23, 2011, when the Flyers traded him to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Voracek and the picks that became center Sean Couturier and forward prospect Nick Cousins. At the 2012 NHL Trade Deadline, the Blue Jackets shipped Carter to the Kings, where he joined former Philadelphia teammate Mike Richards, who had been traded to the Kings in exchange for Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn the same day in 2011. Richards and Carter had been the cornerstones of a Flyers team that reached the 2008 Eastern Conference Final and 2010 Stanley Cup Final. But while Richards already had played one game as a visitor in Philadelphia, Monday marked Carter's first time as a visiting player here. With nearly three years having passed, however, Carter said before the game that he was doing his best to treat it like just another road game. After Carter's goal broke the ice, the Flyers had chances to tie the game. Vincent Lecavalier had a prime opportunity in front on an open net from point-blank range 2:45 into the second, but his shot hit the right goal post, the crossbar and the left goal post. The horn sounded but play continued for several minutes. A replay review upheld the call on the ice of no goal. Philadelphia also had back-to-back power plays midway through the period when Carter and Williams were whistled for infractions, including 30 seconds of 5-on-3 time, but they were unable to get a shot off with the two-man advantage. For the game the Flyers went 0-for-4 on the power play. Moments after killing off the penalties Williams scored his 18th goal to give the Kings a 2-0 lead. Robyn Regehr fired a shot from the left point that Emery stopped, but the goalie left a big rebound in front. Williams got position inside Coburn in front of the Philadelphia net and poked it past Emery at 17:29.
Montreal @ Boston 2-1 SO - The Bruins granted the Canadiens' wish Saturday night, and the Canadiens got what they wanted again Monday night. After Montreal's morning skate Monday, forward Dale Weise said he and his teammates were rooting for archrival Boston to come from behind and beat the Phoenix Coyotes on Saturday so that the Bruins' winning streak would still be alive when the teams met Monday night at TD Garden. Alex Galchenyuk scored in the fourth round of the shootout and surprise starting goalie Peter Budaj followed up his 28-save performance with four stops in the tiebreaker to help the Canadiens end the Bruins' win streak at 12 games with a 2-1 victory. Patrice Bergeron tied the game with a third-period power-play goal to get the game to extra time and earn the Bruins a point in the standings. Boston was seeking its first 13-game winning streak since Feb. 23-March 20, 1971. The Canadiens (40-26-7) beat the Bruins (49-17-6) for the third time this season and fifth in the past six games dating to last season. Budaj snapped a personal four-game losing streak, during which he had allowed 13 goals. Down 1-0 to start the third period, the Bruins drew four power plays in the first 12:36 and cashed in on the fourth opportunity to even the score. Dougie Hamilton's wrist shot from the blue line tipped off Bergeron's stick between the hash marks and eluded Budaj at 14:34. The Bruins, however, weren't disheartened that they couldn't get a second goal to keep their winning streak going. Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask finished with 21 saves on 22 shots. Galchenyuk beat him to the stick side to improve to 1-for-6 in the shootout this season. The Bruins outshot the Canadiens 10-5 in the first period, but the Canadiens scored the only goal. During Montreal's second power play of the period, Alexei Emelin took a wrist shot from the blue line between the circles. The puck deflected off Bruins center Chris Kelly's stick out high and beat Rask to the glove side for a 1-0 lead at 6:39. The Canadiens lost Weise to an injury after he was pushed into boards by Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller at 4:50 of the first period. Montreal forward Travis Moen was injured in a subsequent fight with Miller. The Canadiens made due with 10 forwards the rest of the game. The second period was more about physicality than offense. The Canadiens preserved their 1-0 lead, but they failed to capitalize on several opportunities to extend their advantage, including 44 seconds of 5-on-3 time late in the period. Montreal was 0-for-4 on the power play in the period.
Ottawa @ Tampa Bay 4-3 SO - When the Senators headed out of town Monday night, they left behind one big monkey that had been clinging to their back – a six-game skid. And there was nothing easy about how they put it to an end; it finally took a shootout goal from Jason Spezza to secure the 4-3 win against the Lightning at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Spezza scored the only goal in the shootout and Erik Karlsson had three points for Ottawa, which built a two-goal lead and lost it before finally prevailing. Senators goalie Robin Lehner finished with 35 saves and stopped all three in the shootout for the win. It was Lehner's first victory since Feb. 4, a span of nine games. The Lightning tied the game 3-3 at 5:44 of the third period via the power play. Steven Stamkos, standing along the goal line, knocked the rebound of a shot by Ondrej Palat out of the air and past Lehner for his 21st goal of the season. Ottawa broke a 1-1 tie and opened up a two-goal advantage in the second period, scoring twice in 44 seconds. Spezza gave the Senators the lead at 8:12. Karlsson's shot from the blue line was stopped, but Bishop was still down on the ice when the rebound bounced to Spezza, who fired it home. Karlsson assisted on the next goal as well; he beat Alex Killorn to a loose puck behind the Lightning net and centered a pass to Kyle Turris, who was waiting in front to score his 22nd goal of the season. Tampa Bay began to climb back into the game with a power-play goal by Victor Hedman at 13:26. With an assist, Valtteri Filppula's scoring streak was extended to nine games (four goals, nine assists.) Ottawa opened the scoring at 3:57 into the game when Karlsson joined the rush and snapped a Colin Greening feed past Bishop. It was Karlsson's 20th goal of the season. Tampa Bay answered 70 seconds later when Nikita Kucherov, a healthy scratch in the previous five games, fired a cross-ice pass from Tyler Johnson behind Lehner for his ninth goal of the season. Kucherov had not scored since Jan. 19. The Lightning extended their consecutive point streak to nine games (5-0-4), a season-high. The point earned Monday allowed Tampa Bay to keep pace with the Montreal Canadiens, tied for second in the Atlantic Division with 87 points each. The Lightning have a game in hand on the Canadiens. Tampa Bay, which at one point early in the season had prevailed in five of six shootouts, has now failed to produce a shootout goal in its past 15 attempts. Spezza has connected on three of 10 shootout chances this season, and said he just wanted to keep his attempt basic.