National Hockey League Game Capsules

Uniondale, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Nick Leddy had a goal and two assists as the New York Islanders beat NHL-leading Nashville 5-2 on Thursday night, snapping the Predators’ six-game winning streak. John Tavares and Johnny Boychuk each had a goal and one assist for the Islanders, who have won six of their last seven games. Jaroslav Halak made 30 saves and tied the Islanders’ franchise record for wins in a season with his 32nd. Nashville’s Pekka Rinne gave up five goals on 40 shots.

Final Score: Vancouver 5, NY Rangers 4 (SO)

New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Henrik Sedin tied the score with two minutes left in regulation and the Vancouver Canucks topped the New York Rangers 5-4 in a shootout Thursday night to beat former coach Alain Vigneault for the first time. Alexandre Burrows and Radim Vrbata both scored on Cam Talbot in the shootout while Ryan Miller made stops on Mats Zuccarello and Derek Stepan to give the Canucks a win on the first night of their five-game, eight-day East Coast road trip. Sedin scored twice in regulation and Shawn Matthias and Bo Horvat each added a goal for Vancouver. Miller had 30 saves. Rick Nash scored for the eighth time in 10 games, but the Rangers failed to build on a 4-0 road trip that concluded with a 6-5 win over the Islanders on Monday. Derek Stepan, Martin St. Louis and Carl Hagelin also scored and Talbot had 24 saves.

Final Score: Columbus 2, Pittsburgh 1

Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Brandon Dubinsky’s short-handed goal with 2:17 left in regulation was the deciding marker as the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1 on Thursday. Scott Hartnell extended his point streak to eight games with a goal and Curtis McElhinney made 29 saves for the Blue Jackets, who were coming off a 5-2 win over the Flyers on Tuesday. Evgeni Malkin scored and Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 28-of-30 shots in Pittsburgh’s third straight loss.

Final Score: Washington 5, Winnipeg 1

Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) – Nicklas Backstrom had two goals and one assist in the Washington Capitals’ 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. Alex Ovechkin and Troy Brouwer added one goal and one assist apiece for the Capitals, who have won three in a row. John Carlson also lit the lamp. Braden Holtby made 19 saves for Washington, which has won seven straight against Winnipeg. Toby Enstrom scored the lone goal for the Jets, who had their two-game winning streak snapped. Ondrej Pavelec stopped 28-of-32 shots.

Final Score: Florida 3, Montreal 2 (SO)

Montreal, QC (SportsNetwork.com) – Dave Bolland scored the deciding goal in the sixth round of the shootout to lift the Florida Panthers to a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday. Max Pacioretty scored for the Canadiens on a quick shot to start the second round, but Nick Bjugstad kept Florida alive as he cut across the slot and wristed a shot over Carey Price’s glove. After Roberto Luongo absorbed Andrei Markov’s shot to open the sixth round, Bolland put an end to the game with a low shot through the pads of Price. Tomas Fleischmann tallied a goal and an assist, Steven Kampfer also scored and Luongo made 37 saves for the Panthers, who were coming off a 3-2 win over Toronto on Tuesday. Brendan Gallagher provided both goals for Montreal, which lost its second straight game. Price stopped 19 shots.

Final Score: Buffalo 3, Philadelphia 2 (SO)

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Brian Flynn scored the winner on the eighth shot of the shootout, and Buffalo escaped with a 3-2 victory over Philadelphia on Thursday. Each side scored once through the first three rounds, then after Sean Couturier failed on his wrister, Flynn used two quick dekes to pull Ray Emery out of position and slide the deciding goal inside the right post. Nicolas Deslauriers and Brian Gionta scored in regulation for the Sabres, who picked up their second road win in February. Michal Neuvirth came up with a 36-save effort. Ryan White and Jakub Voracek tallied for the Flyers, who have lost four of their last five with three of those coming beyond regulation. Emery ended up with 30 stops.

Final Score: San Jose 5, Dallas 2

Dallas, TX (SportsNetwork.com) – Andrew Desjardins scored a pair of second- period goals while Patrick Marleau and Tommy Wingels tallied late in regulation as San Jose claimed a 5-2 decision over Dallas at American Airlines Center. Marc-Edouard Vlasic also hit the net, with Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl contributing a pair of assists for the Sharks, who won for just the third time in their last 10 games. Antti Niemi backed that effort with a 37- save performance. Trevor Daley and Erik Cole provided offense for the Stars, who lost for just the second time in their last six outings. Kari Lehtonen lasted less than 27 minutes, allowing three goals on 17 shots. Jhonas Enroth stopped all nine shots faced for the remainder.

Categorized in: NHL