Columbus @ Calgary 3-2 OT - Rene Bourque helped his new team to a franchise first and hindered, at least slightly, the Stanley Cup Playoff chances of one of his former teams. Bourque scored twice, including the overtime winner, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 38 saves to lead the Blue Jackets to a 3-2 win. After Kevin Connauton threw the puck on net, Bourque, who played 249 games with the Flames over parts of four seasons, scooped up the rebound and slid his second of the game by Calgary goalie Karri Ramo's pad with 58.5 seconds remaining in overtime. Columbus acquired Bourque, forward prospect William Karlsson and a second-round pick in the 2015 NHL Draft from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for defenseman James Wisniewski at the NHL Trade Deadline. Bourque has four goals in eight games since joining the Blue Jackets.
The game went to overtime thanks in part to Artem Anisimov and 14 third-period saves from Bobrovsky. Columbus erased Calgary's 2-1 lead courtesy of a miscue by Russell early in the third. Russell tried to bank a pass off the boards below the goal line, but the puck instead hit the side of the net and came out to Anisimov, who spun and backhanded a shot that nicked Ramo's glove before crossing the goal line at 4:21. From that point, the Blue Jackets killed four minor penalties in regulation to push the game to overtime. Working on the power play after Columbus forward Jared Boll's high-sticking minor, Johnny Gaudreau threw the puck down to Hudler, who made a quick pass through the crease for Monahan to tap behind Bobrovsky for a 1-0 Calgary lead at 4:18 of the first. It was Monahan's 29th goal. Columbus tied it less than seven minutes later. Ryan Johansen picked off a pass through the neutral zone by Flames defenseman Deryk Engelland and sailed a pass that Bourque redirected by Ramo at 11:13. Bourque has scored in back-to-back games. After Monahan and Hudler struck early in the first period, they connected again in the second to give the Flames a 2-1 lead. Bobrovsky's botched exchange behind the net put the puck on Monahan's stick, and he quickly dished to Hudler for a tap-in into the vacated net at 2:44.
Vancouver @ Los Angeles 4-1 - The Canucks were tired of getting pushed around by the Kings and needed to send a message before the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Radim Vrbata scored at 4:31 of the third period, and goalie Eddie Lack made 25 saves to give Vancouver a 4-1. Vancouver took advantage of two penalties by the Kings in the third period to take a 2-1 lead on Vrbata’s 5-on-3 goal. Vrbata scored on a snap shot from along the goal line for his 27th goal. Drew Doughty took an offensive-zone slashing penalty, and Tyler Toffoli received a five-minute boarding major and game misconduct for his hit on Alexandre Burrows to give Vancouver the two-man advantage. Burrows was on the ice before he was helped to the dressing room; he later returned to the bench. The play epitomized the bad blood that had been brewing all game with several post-whistle scrums, notably when Canucks forward Henrik Sedin ran into Kings goalie Jonathan Quick and Lack nearly joined the fray. Daniel Sedin and Bo Horvat scored empty-net goals in the final minute. Bonino tied it 1-1 with a one-bounce tap-in of Vrbata’s lob pass from the half wall at 14:54 of the second period. Bonino beat Doughty to the net and chipped the puck high past Quick. Gaborik scored his 22nd goal on the power play 24 seconds into the second. His wrist shot from the top of the left circle beat Lack, who might have been screened by Canucks defenseman Alexander Edler. Anze Kopitar got his 600th NHL point on Gabrorik’s goal; he is tied with Butch Goring for sixth on the Kings assist list (384). Alec Martinez did not play. He was activated from injured reserve and has missed 19 games because of concussion symptoms.
San Jose @ Montreal 0-2 - Canadiens goalie Carey Price has the likenesses of Jacques Plante, Ken Dryden and Bill Durnan looking down at him from the dressing-room walls at Bell Centre. He matched accomplishments achieved by each of the three Hall of Fame goalies, making Montreal's first goal against the San Jose Sharks in more than three years stand up for a milestone win and shutout. Price made 29 saves for his second straight shutout, Tomas Plekanec scored the Canadiens' first goal against San Jose since 2011, and Brendan Gallagher scored into an empty net in a 2-0 victory. Price became the third Montreal goalie to reach 40 wins in a season, joining Plante, who accomplished the feat three times, and Dryden, who achieved it twice. The Canadiens single-season record is 42, shared by Plante (twice) and Dryden. It was Price's 34th career shutout, tying him with Durnan for fourth place in Canadiens history.
Price said as a kid he never could have imagined his name alongside those of the three Montreal greats. Price has a career-high nine shutouts this season. He is tied with Marc-Andre Fleury of the Pittsburgh Penguins for the NHL lead. Montreal (46-20-7), which has won three in a row, has 99 points to lead the Eastern Conference. Price leads the League in wins, goals-against-average (1.86) and save percentage (.938). Price sprawled to make a save on Logan Couture with San Jose goalie Antti Niemi pulled for an extra attacker. Sharks defenseman Brent Burns hit the crossbar with 1:50 remaining. Canadiens left wing Alex Galchenyuk got his 100th career point with an assist on Plekanec's goal at 18:46 of the first period. It was Plekanec's 22nd of the season.
Gallagher scored his 21st goal with 13.1 seconds remaining. Niemi made 27 saves in his eighth straight start for San Jose (35-29-8), which has lost three of four. San Jose is six points behind the Calgary Flames for third place in the Pacific Division and trails the Winnipeg Jets by eight for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. Montreal has been outshot 48-13 in the third period in its past three games, including 11-4 on Saturday. Montreal's 4-0 loss at San Jose on March 2 was the third time in a row the Canadiens were shut out by the Sharks, including two shutouts by Niemi in 2013-14. Plekanec's goal ended the Sharks' shutout streak against the Canadiens at 215 minutes. The Montreal center scored into a wide-open net on Galchenyuk's backhand pass from the right side that deflected off Vlasic's skate and San Jose defenseman Justin Braun's stick. Montreal had not scored against the Sharks since Dec. 1, 2011, when Erik Cole scored at 8:46 of the third period in a 4-3 shootout loss in San Jose. The Canadiens had lost four in a row to the Sharks since a 3-1 win at Bell Centre on Dec. 4, 2010. The Canadiens played the third period with five defensemen. Tom Gilbert did not return after he was struck in the face by the puck on a shot by Vlasic with six seconds left in the second. Therrien had no update on Gilbert.
Toronto @ Ottawa 3-5 - Senators forwards Milan Michalek and Matt Puempel left the game. Michalek took a hit from Toronto defenseman Eric Brewer, who was playing his 1,000th game in the NHL. Puempel left after blocking a shot. Turris' 20th goal at 19:08 of the second period on a power play gave the Senators a 4-3 lead. With Erixon off for high sticking, Turris took a pass inside the top of the right-wing circle from Karlsson and scored through a crowd in front of the net. The Maple Leafs fought back to tie the game 3-3 on goals by Komarov at 4:30 of the second period and Erixon at 15:32. Lindstrom tipped a shot by Toronto defenseman Dion Phaneuf past Hammond at 2:42 of the second period to cut Ottawa’s lead to 2-1. Lazar gave the Senators’ a 3-1 lead 27 seconds later with his fourth goal on a shot to the top corner off the rush. Komarov scored to make it 3-2; the teams combined for three goals in 2:48.
The Senators led 2-0 in the first period on Hoffman's 25th goal and Karlsson's 19th. Horachek said one of the bright spots for the Maple Leafs was the play of forward Zach Sill. The 26-year-old, acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Feb. 25, fought with Senators Eric Gryba and Mark Borowiecki.
He fought Borowiecki in the third period after he hit Toronto forward Richard Panik with a hard, open-ice check.
Boston @ Florida 1-2 SO - Brandon Pirri scored the only goal in the shootout and the Panthers won 2-1. Pirri scored in the shootout when he slowed almost to a halt and started stick-handling back and forth before slipping the puck between goalie Tuukka Rask's legs. Dave Bolland missed a great chance to give Florida the lead with seven minutes remaining in regulation when he had an open net standing at the side of the goal. Bolland misfired on his shot, allowing Rask to make a sprawling stick save. The Bruins had a great opportunity with about three minutes left when they caught the Panthers on a line change and David Pastrnak came in alone on Luongo. Pastrnak went past the goal line after a deke but couldn’t score. Hayes gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead 14:41 into the game. He was in front of the net when he scored after Bolland’s backhand pass from behind the net. Bergeron tied the game at 2:52 of the second period with a quick shot from the slot when he caught Luongo out of position. It was Bergeron's 20th goal, the sixth time he has scored at least 20 in an NHL season.
Dirty Dog Shawn Thornton, who joined Florida this season after spending seven years in Boston, appeared in his 600th NHL game. He became the third player to reach that number in the NHL and in the AHL, joining Jim Creighton and Dave Morrison. Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr played his 1,540th game, tying longtime Bruins forward John Bucyk for the 12th place on the NHL list.
Although Boston center David Krejci took part in the morning skate, he missed his 14th consecutive game because of a knee injury. Boston played the third period without defenseman Dougie Hamilton, who left the game with an undisclosed injury. Coach Claude Julien had no update after the game.
NY Islanders @ New Jersey 3-0 - Ryan Strome's goal 7:37 into the first period was his second game-winner of the season. Halak's best sequence of saves came midway through the third period when he denied Steve Bernier and Scott Gomez off a rebound at 7:46. Devils co-coach Lou Lamoriello pulled Schneider for an extra attacker with 2:39 remaining, but the Devils could not get one past Halak. Okposo scored an empty-net goal with 37.4 seconds left. Hamonic connected on a one-timer from the left circle off a pass from Strome in the third period that beat Schneider high to give the Islanders a 2-0 lead at 12:19. Hamonic's fifth goal of the season came after Stephen Gionta's penalty expired. Halak made 11 saves in the second period, including a pad save against Adam Henrique off a slap shot from the right circle at 9:22. He gloved a point-blank slap shot from the right circle by defenseman Eric Gelinas at 11:11 and later got his right toe on a backhand attempt from the slot by Henrique at 12:49 before capping a busy second with a pad save off a redirect from the slot by Gomez at 16:22. Tavares earned in his first point in five games when he assisted on Okposo's empty-net goal. Strome gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead 7:37 into the game when he took a pass from Nikolay Kulemin in the left circle and took a wrist shot that beat Schneider. The Devils goalie played the puck into the left-wing corner but Gelinas was rubbed out of the play by Kulemin and fed Strome entering the circle. The goal was the first for Strome in nine games and his 15th of the season. Schneider kept the Devils within a goal with a blocker save from the slot off a rebound by Kulemin 5:56 into the second. The save came three minutes after Devils center Travis Zajac rang the long-side post from the left circle.
NY Rangers @ Carolina 3-2 SO - Mats Zuccarello scored the only goal of the shootout to lift the Rangers to a 3-2 win. Carolina scored the first goal on the second shot of the game, one that Talbot misplayed. Elias Lindholm took a slap shot from the right circle that went between the goaltender's pads at 2:01. Danny Biega, playing in his second NHL game, earned an assist for his first career point. Hurricanes goalie Anton Khudobin kept the Rangers scoreless on a strong sequence in the middle of the first period. He stopped Kevin Hayes from the slot before turning away Fast's rebound bid at the right post. The Rangers dominated the offensive chances in the second period. New York tied it early on a set play off a faceoff when Miller scored his eighth on the backhand at 3:39. Derick Brassard won the draw to Zuccarello, who curled toward the boards and fed Miller. Fast converted a highlight-reel goal to put the Rangers up 2-1 at 12:59. From the left-wing boards, Hayes slipped a pass to Fast in the slot, and he gathered the puck on the backhand, spun to his forehand and put it over Khudobin's glove. Carolina pushed hard in the third period, tying the game 2-2 on the power play on a long shot from Ryan Murphy at 14:27. Jordan Staal and Riley Nash provided a screen in front of Talbot. In the shootout, Talbot forced Lindholm high, and then stopped Nash with his left pad. Zuccarello then waited out Khudobin, using his reach to tuck a forehand around the Carolina goaltender. That left Talbot to redeem himself against Jeff Skinner.
Washington @ Winnipeg 0-3 - The Winnipeg Jets' push to the Stanley Cup Playoffs has not slowed down without injured defenseman Dustin Byfuglien and center Bryan Little. The Jets' recently assembled line of left wing Drew Stafford, center Mark Scheifele and right wing Blake Wheeler continued its offensive production in a 3-0 win against the Capitals. Scheifele scored and had an assist, Stafford had two assists, and Wheeler assisted on Scheifele's goal. The line has seven goals and nine assists in the past four games, easing the loss of Little, their top-line center who has an upper-body injury. The line also shut down Washington's attack led by forwards Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.
The Capitals' top line of Ovechkin, Backstrom and Marcus Johansson combined for four shots. Defenseman Mark Stuart's second goal of the season, first in 59 games, provided a 1-0 lead 11:46 into the first period. Scheifele's second-period goal put the Jets up 2-0 at 10:48. Adam Lowry's empty-net goal with 1:22 left finished the scoring. Stafford and Scheifele worked the puck into the low slot, where Stuart slipped a shot under Holtby at 11:46. Scheifele's 13th goal tied his NHL high, set last season. Wheeler grabbed Washington defenseman John Carlson's turnover deep in the offensive zone and passed to Scheifele in the slot. His snap shot hit the post, but he slid the rebound past Holtby at 10:48. The Jets have not reached the playoffs since 2007, when the franchise was the Atlanta Thrashers.
Buffalo @ Nashville 0-3 - Taylor Beck gave the Predators a 1-0 lead at 14:52 of the second period on a power-play goal. Shea Weber took the original shot from the point and Beck redirected it past Hackett for his seventh goal of the season. The Predators' power play was 4-for-46 in the past 15 games before Beck's goal. Craig Smith made it 2-0 at 5:49 of the third period on a rebound. Hackett made a pad save on the shot by Ryan Ellis and Smith shot the rebound into an open net for his 23rd goal of the season. Mike Fisher gave the Predators a 3-0 lead at 15:01 of the third period on a wrist shot from the slot. Forward Viktor Stalberg made the pass from behind the net and Fisher took a shot that beat Hackett on the stick side for his 17th goal of the season. Nashville forward Viktor Arvidsson made his debut and played on the top line with Mike Ribeiro and Gabriel Bourque.
Chicago @ Dallas 0-4 - Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff has said during the season that he needs No. 1 goaltender Kari Lehtonen to be a difference-maker. Lehtonen rose to the occasion against the Chicago Blackhawks, making 33 saves for his fifth shutout of the season and leading Dallas to a 4-0 victory. Patrick Eaves and Jason Spezza each had a goal and an assist, Tyler Seguin and Shawn Horcoff scored goals and Alex Goligoski had two assists for the Stars (34-28-10), who've won back-to-back games. Lehtonen's biggest save in his 32nd career shutout came when he stopped Brandon Saad on a penalty shot 7:23 into the third period. Saad was awarded the penalty shot when Jordie Benn tripped him on a breakaway. Saad tried to slip a backhand past Lehtonen at the near post, but Lehtonen made a pad save. Lehtonen also stopped a second-period breakaway by Chicago's Marian Hossa. The loss ended a four-game winning streak for the Blackhawks (43-22-6), who are in third place in the Central Division. The Stars, who finished 2-for-3 on the power play against the NHL's second-ranked penalty-killing unit, led 2-0 after 20 minutes on goals by Eaves and Seguin. Dallas put Chicago on the power play twice early in the game, but the Stars' penalty kill snuffed out both opportunities to provide some momentum. Because the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Washington Capitals 3-0 earlier Saturday, Dallas remains eight points behind Winnipeg for the final wild card spot into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. The Stars and Jets each have 10 games remaining. Eaves opened the scoring with his ninth of the season 9:36 into the first period, beating Crawford top shelf on his blocker side. Goligoski earned the primary assist by making a perfect pass from the right point, and Eaves quickly snapped the puck into the upper left corner.
Dallas doubled its lead at 16:02 when Seguin scored his 33rd goal of the season, knocking in a power-play rebound. With Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson in the penalty box for hooking, Crawford made a pad save on Jamie Benn's wrist shot from the slot, but the rebound fell to Seguin at the far post and he beat Crawford with a slap shot. Horcoff scored his 11th of the season 6:02 into the third period when he redirected Goligoski's wrist shot from the right point over Crawford's right pad for a power-play goal, again with Hjalmarsson in the penalty box. Spezza completed the scoring at 9:32 when he scored his first career goal against Chicago, a wrist shot from the slot that went under the glove of Crawford, who made 25 saves.
Philadelphia @ Edmonton 4-5 OT - Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins extended his scoring streak to five games with a three-point night against the Flyers. His second goal of the game, 2:46 into overtime, gave the Oilers a 5-4 victory. Nugent-Hopkins picked up a rebound in front of the net and beat Flyers goaltender Ray Emery for his 22nd goal of the season. Nugent-Hopkins opened the scoring 51 seconds into the game, getting to a loose puck in front of Emery and scoring on the Oilers' first shot of the night. Eberle stripped the puck from Flyers defenseman Nicklas Grossmann behind the net and sent a pass out in front; the puck bounced off Flyers center Sean Couturier and towards the net, where Nugent-Hopkins was able to reach it. Giroux tied the game at 4:25, taking a pass in the slot and snapping a shot through Scrivens. He scored again on the power play at 12:00, taking a cross ice-feed from Voracek and picking the corner on Scrivens. White increased Philadelphia's lead to 3-1 at 14:17, capitalizing on an Edmonton turnover at the Flyers' blue line and breaking out on a 2-on-1 rush with Zac Rinaldo. White gave the puck up to Rinaldo, then got it back and beat Scrivens. Purcell cut the lead to 3-2 at 16:15 with his 10th goal of the season. He took a pass from Derek Roy in the slot and snapped a shot over Emery's shoulder. Hendricks tied the game with 31 seconds left in the period, knocking in a rebound of a Boyd Gordon shot that hit Emery in the chest then bounced up and landed in front of Hendricks. Eberle put Edmonton up 4-3 at 1:11 of the second period, taking a pass from Benoit Pouliot while streaking to the net and lifting a backhand over Emery. Raffl tied the game 46 seconds into the third period when he took a pass from Voracek in the slot and beat Scrivens to the blocker side. Each team had good opportunities to take the lead in the third period. Philadelphia rookie Nick Cousins had a breakaway with six minutes left in the period, but was unable to slide the puck between Scrivens' pads. A minute later, Taylor Hall had an opportunity on a wraparound but was stopped by Flyers forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, who was able to get a stick on the puck and keep it out of the net. Hall was playing his first game since sustaining a leg injury on Jan. 26 and missing 20 games. He earned an assist on Nugent-Hopkins' OT winner.
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