National Hockey League Game Capsules

Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) – Jason Spezza scored the game-winner with just under five minutes to play, propelling the Ottawa Senators to a 3-2 triumph over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday at Nationwide Arena. James Wisniewski’s power-play goal 7:16 into the third period tied the game at 2-2, but Columbus forward Nathan Horton went off for tripping at 13:08 and Spezza pounded a loose puck into the back of the net amid a scrum in front for the deciding goal with just six seconds left on the Horton minor. Stephane Da Costa scored his first two goals of the season to account for Ottawa’s other offense, while Craig Anderson stopped 34 shots to help the Sens wrap up a four-game road trip at 2-1-1. Wisniewski and Cam Atkinson each notched a goal and an assist for the Blue Jackets, who have lost three straight on the heels of a club-record eight-game win streak. Curtis McElhinney made 25 saves in defeat.

Final Score: Boston 6, Florida 2

Boston, MA (SportsNetwork.com) – Panthers goaltender Tim Thomas’ return to Boston did not go according to plan. Thomas gave up six goals on 41 shots in Florida’s 6-2 loss to the Bruins. The 39-year-old Thomas played for Boston for eight seasons (2002-03 & 2005-12), leading the Bruins to the 2011 Stanley Cup while earning the Conn Smythe Trophy. Tuesday marked Thomas’ first game in Boston since his messy departure from the Bruins after the 2011-12 season. He played against Boston on Oct. 17, 2013, at BB&T Center, but was injured when the Panthers visited the Bruins a few weeks later. Milan Lucic had two goals for the Bruins, who have won four in a row. David Krejci, Zdeno Chara, Reilly Smith and Shawn Thornton also lit the lamp. Tuukka Rask stopped 28-of-30 shots for the victors. Brad Boyes and Dmitry Kulikov scored for the Panthers, who have dropped six straight against Boston.

Final Score: Toronto 3, Tampa Bay 2

Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) – James van Riemsdyk recorded the tie-breaking goal with 4:03 remaining as the Toronto Maple Leafs posted a 3-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Air Canada Centre. Van Riemsdyk’s tally halted Toronto’s two-game skid and came after the Lightning scored twice late in the second period to rally from a 2-0 deficit created by a pair of Nazem Kadri markers. Jonathan Bernier did his part as well between the pipes, turning back 40 shots that included all 13 he faced during the final period. Matt Carle and Mark Barberio had the goals for Tampa Bay, with Ondrej Palat assisting on both scores. Ben Bishop finished with 23 saves.

Final Score: Philadelphia 5, Detroit 0

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Steve Mason posted 33 stops for his second shutout of the season as the Philadelphia Flyers took a 5-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Scott Hartnell had two goals and an assist, Claude Giroux gave a goal and two assists while Sean Couturier and Adam Hall also scored for the Flyers, who came into the game having dropped four straight and seven of nine. Philadelphia continued its home mastery of Detroit, winning its eighth straight against the Red Wings in front of the home crowd, having last lost on Jan. 25, 1997. Jonas Gustavsson stopped 23 shots for the Red Wings, who have dropped their past two games.

Final Score: Washington 5, Buffalo 4 (OT)

Buffalo, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Mike Green scored the winner one minute into overtime as the Washington Capitals took a 5-4 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. Martin Erat skated down the left wing and left a drop pass for Alex Ovechkin, who faked a shot before firing a perfect pass to the right side where Green had an easy slam for the win. Ovechkin finished the game with two goals and two assists, Green had two goals and an assist, while Troy Brouwer added a goal and an assist for the Capitals, who have won two straight after dropping seven in a row. Braden Holtby stopped 23 shots. Cody Hodgson scored twice, with Christian Ehrhoff and Philip Varone each scoring for the Sabres, who have lost seven of eight. Jhonas Enroth made 30 saves in the loss.

Final Score: Montreal 3, Carolina 0

Montreal, QC (SportsNetwork.com) – Carey Price made 36 saves for his third shutout of the season in the Montreal Canadiens’ 3-0 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher each had a goal and an assist for the Canadiens, who snapped a four-game skid. Brandon Prust also lit the lamp. Anton Khudobin stopped 27-of-30 shots for the Hurricanes, who had a four-game winning streak stopped.

Final Score: St. Louis 3, New Jersey 0

St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) – Alexander Steen scored his 27th goal of the season and Jaroslav Halak stopped 23 shots for his fourth shutout of the campaign, as the St. Louis Blues blanked the New Jersey Devils, 3-0, on Tuesday at Scottrade Center. Brenden Morrow and Maxim Lapierre registered a goal apiece for St. Louis, which has won three straight since an embarrassing 7-1 setback in New Jersey on Jan. 21. Cory Schneider recorded 22 saves for the Devils, who were coming off a 7-3 loss to the rival New York Rangers at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.

Final Score: Nashville 4, Winnipeg 3

Winnipeg, MB (SportsNetwork.com) – Mike Fisher’s tie-breaking goal 42 seconds into the third period wound up as the difference as the Nashville Predators came through with a 4-3 decision over the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. Seth Jones, Nick Spaling and Roman Josi also tallied for the Predators, who squandered a 3-1 lead late in the second period before bouncing back to hand the resurgent Jets only their second loss in eight games since Paul Maurice took over as head coach on Jan. 12. Carter Hutton made Fisher’s score hold up by recording 11 of his 24 saves in the final period. Mark Scheifele had a goal and an assist to pace the Jets, with Chris Thorburn and Blake Wheeler also lighting the lamp in defeat. Ondrej Pavelec finished with 21 saves in the loss.

Final Score: Phoenix 3, Los Angeles 0

Glendale, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) – Thomas Greiss made 30 saves for his second shutout of the season in the Phoenix Coyotes’ 3-0 victory over the Los Angeles Kings. Oliver Ekman-Larsson had two goals for the Coyotes, who started a five-game homestand on Tuesday. Jonathan Quick stopped 26-of-29 shots for the Kings, who have lost six of their last seven.

Final Score: Calgary 5, Chicago 4 (OT)

Calgary, AB (SportsNetwork.com) – T.J. Brodie buried the game-winner with 2:34 left in overtime, as the Calgary Flames outlasted the Chicago Blackhawks, 5-4, on Tuesday at Scotiabank Saddledome. Just prior to the midpoint of the extra session, Brodie picked up a rebound on the low left side and raced behind the net before stuffing in a wraparound to send the Flames to their season-high third straight win. Mikael Backlund lit the lamp twice, Matt Stajan notched a goal and an assist, and Lance Bouma added a marker for the Flames, who took two of three from Chicago to claim the season series for the first time since 2002-03. Karri Ramo recorded the victory, stopping all nine shots he faced after opening the third period between the pipes in place of starter Reto Berra, who allowed four goals on 24 shots over 40 minutes. Marian Hossa scored twice, while Ben Smith and Patrick Kane potted a goal apiece for the Blackhawks, who dropped to 0-2-2 over their last four games. Corey Crawford was tagged with the loss, despite stopping 13-of-14 shots in relief of Antti Raanta, who allowed four goals on 15 shots before being removed near the midpoint of the second period.

Final Score: Minnesota 4, Anaheim 2

Anaheim, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Zach Parise had a goal and two assists to help the Minnesota Wild take a 4-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. Jason Pominville and Mikael Granlund each posted a goal and an assist while Erik Haula also scored for the Wild, who have won four of their last six games. Darcy Kuemper made 31 saves in the win. Dustin Penner and Mathieu Perreault both scored for the Ducks, who lost just their second game in regulation on home ice this season. Jonas Hiller gave up all four goals on 33 shots in the loss.

Categorized in: NHL