National Hockey League Game Capsules

Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) – Scott Hartnell continued his hot play in the month of March with a hat trick as he powered the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 5-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday. Hartnell notched his third multi- goal effort of the month and has potted 11 of his 25 goals during that span. Ryan Johansen tallied a goal and an assist, Nick Foligno also scored and Sergei Bobrovsky made 37 saves for the Blue Jackets, who have won four straight games and seven of their last eight. Ryan Kesler, Andrew Cogliano and Matt Beleskey each lit the lamp and John Gibson allowed four goals on 26 shots as the Ducks dropped their second in a row on the heels of a six-game winning streak.

Final Score: St. Louis 3, Pittsburgh 2 (OT)

Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Alex Steen recorded the game-winner just 35 seconds into overtime and St. Louis ended a road trip with a 3-2 decision over Pittsburgh at CONSOL Energy Center. Zbynek Michalek held the puck at the right point, raised his stick and faked a shot before slapping a cross-ice pass to Steen for a successful deflection. Robert Bortuzzo and Marcel Goc scored in the second period for the Blues, who head home after going 3-1-2 on their six-game sojourn. Jake Allen emerged victorious with a 24-save effort. Blake Comeau and Steve Downie lit the lamp for the Penguins, who lost for the fifth time in their last six. Marc-Andre Fleury suffered the setback despite stopping 32 shots.

Final Score: Los Angeles 4, NY Rangers 2

New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Facing the team they defeated for the Stanley Cup last spring, the Los Angeles Kings rediscovered their championship form to shut down the NHL’s hottest club. Jonathan Quick led a strong all- around effort with 34 saves and the Kings got another needed boost to their playoff chances by putting together an impressive 4-2 decision over the New York Rangers. Los Angeles entered this season-high five-game road trip on the outside of the Western Conference playoff standings, but has since drawn even with Calgary for third place in the Pacific Division following Tuesday’s result and Monday’s 3-1 verdict over New Jersey. The Kings were able to gain ground by outplaying the Rangers on both ends on the ice to deal New York just its second loss in nine games. The Blueshirts had allowed two goals or fewer in their last 10 outings, a streak that was put to an end on scores by Marian Gaborik, Jeff Carter, Robyn Regehr and Jake Muzzin. Quick shook off a goal by Mats Zuccarello in the opening minute and Anze Kopitar added a pair of assists to help the Kings down a Rangers squad coming off a season-high scoring output in Sunday’s 7-2 rout of Pacific-leading Anaheim. Kevin Hayes accounted for New York’s other goal and Cam Talbot finished with 31 saves.

Final Score: Minnesota 2, NY Islanders 1 (SO)

Uniondale, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Zach Parise scored the only goal of the shootout as the Minnesota Wild continued their stellar road streak with a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders on Tuesday. Parise was the first shooter for Minnesota and his shot rang off the left post, hit off the back of Jaroslav Halak and slipped in. Devan Dubnyk then stopped Kyle Okposo and John Tavares as the Wild ran their road-winning streak to 10 straight games. Parise had Minnesota’s only goal of regulation and Dubnyk finished with 37 stops for the Wild, who sit in the top wild card spot in the Western Conference with 91 points and trail Chicago by three points for third place in the Central Division. Chicago, though, has two games in hand. Tavares lit the lamp and Halak made 31 stops for the Islanders, who have lost five of their last six. The Islanders stayed two points ahead of the Penguins for second place in the Metropolitan Division, and trail the Rangers by six points for first place.

Final Score: Tampa Bay 4, Florida 3

Tampa, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Ryan Callahan notched the deciding marker with 2:28 left in regulation as Tampa Bay tied a franchise record with its 46th win of the season, thanks to a 4-3 triumph over Florida on Tuesday. Brenden Morrow, Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov scored for the Lightning, winners of four straight and eight of 11 in March. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 33-of-36 shots for the victory. Jussi Jokinen, Brandon Pirri and Jonathan Huberdeau tallied for the Panthers, who were coming off key home victories against Detroit and Boston to stay alive in the race for the final playoff berth in the East. Roberto Luongo took the loss after making 21 saves.

Final Score: Arizona 5, Detroit 4 (OT)

Detroit, MI (SportsNetwork.com) – Mark Arcobello’s second goal of the night with 1:52 to play in overtime lifted the Arizona Coyotes to a 5-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday. Arcobello took a stretch pass from Oliver Ekman-Larsson, raced into the Detroit zone and slipped a low shot past Jimmy Howard for the deciding marker. David Moss also scored twice, John Moore lit the lamp and Mike Smith made 33 saves for the Coyotes, who ended an eight-game losing streak. Jakub Kindl and Justin Abdelkader each tallied a goal and an assist, while Luke Glendening and Gustav Nyquist also scored in Detroit’s third loss in the past four games. Howard gave up all five goals on 22 shots in defeat.

Final Score: Nashville 3, Montreal 2 (OT)

Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) – Filip Forsberg scored the winning goal 1:54 into overtime to give the Nashville Predators a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. Skating on the power play after P.K. Subban was called for tripping, Nashville worked the puck around the horn with Mike Ribeiro firing it from the right side to the left where Forsberg had a clear shot for the winner. Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm also scored for the Predators, who have won their past two games. Pekka Rinne stopped 27 shots in the win. Nashville has 98 points and sits one back of St. Louis for first in the Central Division. Brendan Gallagher and David Desharnais both lit the lamp for the Canadiens, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Carey Price made 28 saves in the loss. Montreal now has 100 points and eclipsed the century mark for a second straight season. The team is currently a point ahead of Tampa Bay in the Atlantic Division, and the Rangers, Blues and Ducks for first overall in the NHL.

Final Score: Vancouver 5, Winnipeg 2

Vancouver, BC (SportsNetwork.com) – Radim Vrbata posted two goals and an assist to lead the Vancouver Canucks to a 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. Henrik Sedin had a goal and two assists, Chris Higgins scored once and assisted on another and Yannick Weber also scored for the Canucks, who have won their past three games. Eddie Lack stopped 26 shots. With 90 points, Vancouver holds a four-point lead over Calgary for second place in the Pacific Division. Blake Wheeler and Jiri Tlusty lit the lamp for the Jets, who had a five-game winning streak broken. Michael Hutchinson allowed three goals on 28 shots in the loss. Winnipeg sits in the second wild card spot in the Western Conference with 88 points, three back of Minnesota for the top wild card position.

Categorized in: NHL