National Hockey League Game Capsules

Buffalo, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Armed with a new contract extension, Henrik Lundqvist made 27 saves on Thursday night and the New York Rangers beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-1. Lundqvist, after agreeing to a seven-year contract extension on Wednesday, was working on his third shutout of the season when his failed clear led to a late Buffalo goal. Rick Nash, Brad Richards and Mats Zuccarello scored for the Rangers, who have won three straight and seven of their last nine games against the Sabres. Lundqvist was back on the ice after Cam Talbot made two straight starts in net. Tyler Ennis scored Buffalo’s only goal with 2:06 remaining on a close shot that beat Lundqvist up high. The Sabres fell to 1-6-1 in their last eight games and Ryan Miller suffered his NHL-worst 16th loss, giving up three goals on 31 shots.

Final Score: Toronto 3, Dallas 2 (OT)

Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) – Trevor Smith netted the game-winner with 42 seconds left in overtime to lift the Toronto Maple Leafs to a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Thursday. Jake Gardiner fired a shot from just inside the blue line and Smith was there to redirect the disc past Kari Lehtonen for the win. Nazem Kadri added a pair of goals and Phil Kessel notched two assists for the Maple Leafs, who had dropped five straight entering the contest. Jonathan Bernier turned aside 48 shots in the win. Shawn Horcoff had one goal and an assist and Erik Cole added a goal for the Stars, losers in three of their last four. Lehtonen allowed all three goals on 24 shots.

Final Score: Pittsburgh 5, San Jose 1

Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Chris Kunitz scored twice in a four-goal second-period burst, and Sidney Crosby hit a milestone in Pittsburgh’s 5-1 victory over San Jose at CONSOL Energy Center. Crosby’s 500th career game featured the club captain recording three assists, badly needed offense after Evgeni Malkin was a late scratch, listed as day-to- day with a lower-body injury. Pascal Dupuis, Jayson Megna and Kris Letang also tallied and James Neal picked up two helpers for the Penguins, who won a season-high fifth straight game. Marc-Andre Fleury aided the win thanks to a season-best 44 saves. Tomas Hertl provided the lone score for the Sharks, whose six-game win streak came to a halt despite a spirited effort. Antti Niemi lasted two periods, allowing four goals on 27 shots. Alex Stalock stopped two of the three shots he faced in the third.

Final Score: Montreal 2, Boston 1

Montreal, QC (SportsNetwork.com) – Carey Price made 32 saves to lead the Montreal Canadiens in a 2-1 victory over the Boston Bruins on Thursday. Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty scored the goals for the Canadiens, who won their fourth straight and moved a point ahead of Boston for first place in the Atlantic Division. Gregory Campbell scored the only goal while Tuukka Rask made 25 stops for the Bruins, who had won four of five coming in. Boston also lost defenseman Johnny Boychuk in the game, as he left the ice on a stretcher after getting hit early in the contest. On the play, Boychuk went into the left-corner boards to try and chase down a puck and was pushed from behind by Pacioretty. He hit the boards head first and collapsed to the ice. Boychuk laid on the ice for several minutes with trainers attending to him. He was conscious the whole time and his whole body was immobilized before he was carted off the ice on a stretcher. Boston general manager Peter Chiarelli released a statement during the game that said Boychuk had been taken to Montreal General Hospital for observation, and that he was able to demonstrate movement in all of his extremities. Pacioretty was issued a boarding minor on the play at 4:28.

Final Score: Tampa Bay 3, Ottawa 1

Tampa, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Martin St. Louis scored twice to lift the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday at Tampa Bay Times Forum. Ondrej Palat assisted on both of St. Louis’ goals and Valtteri Filppula also lit the lamp for the Lightning, who were coming off back-to-back shutout losses. Former Senator Ben Bishop backstopped the Tampa Bay triumph with 33 saves. Patrick Wiercioch potted Ottawa’s lone goal, while Robin Lehner allowed three goals on 22 shots for the Senators, who have lost seven of their last 10 games.

Final Score: Florida 5, Winnipeg 2

Sunrise, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Dylan Olsen, Erik Gudbranson and Tomas Fleischmann each had a goal and an assist in the Florida Panthers’ 5-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday. Nick Bjugstad and Jimmy Hayes also lit the lamp for the Panthers, who went 2-3-0 on a five-game homestand. Tim Thomas stopped 29-of-31 shots. One of his 11 saves in the first period was the 11,000th of his NHL career. Andrew Ladd and Olli Jokinen scored for the Jets, who fell to 3-2-0 on a six-game road trip. Ondrej Pavelec turned aside 21- of-26 shots.

Final Score: St. Louis 5, NY Islanders 1

St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) – Jay Bouwmeester had one goal and one assist to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 5-1 win over the New York Islanders on Thursday. Derek Roy, David Backes, Magnus Paajarvi and Brenden Morrow also scored while T.J. Oshie and Kevin Shattenkirk both added a pair of assists for the Blues, who had dropped two straight entering the contest. Jaroslav Halak made 22 saves for the Blues. Andrew MacDonald tallied the lone goal for the Islanders, losers in eight straight. Anders Nilsson allowed all five goals on 26 shots.

Final Score: Carolina 5, Nashville 2

Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) – Jeff Skinner scored his first career hat trick and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Nashville Predators 5-2 on Thursday night. Skinner scored his first two goals in the second period and got the third on an empty net, giving him nine goals for the season. The Hurricanes scored four unanswered goals to end the game, including three in under 13 minutes in the second period after the Predators had taken a 2-1 lead with two goals in the first 2:41 of the frame. Justin Faulk and Riley Nash also scored for the Hurricanes, who have won two straight, and Justin Peters made 20 saves. Mike Fisher and Viktor Stalberg scored for the Predators, who went 0-3-1 on a four-game homestand. Marek Mazanec allowed four goals on 13 shots in the first two periods and Carter Hutton made nine saves in the third. The Hurricanes have won two straight against the Predators after losing six in a row. They snapped a four-game losing streak in Nashville.

Final Score: Minnesota 4, Chicago 3

St. Paul, MN (SportsNetwork.com) – Jonas Brodin scored the tying goal and Marco Scandella won it late in regulation for Minnesota, which posted a 4-3 victory over Chicago at Xcel Energy Center. Matt Cooke and Zach Parise also lit the lamp and Jared Spurgeon added two assists for the Wild, who wasted a 2-0 lead but rebounded for their second straight win after losing four in a row. Josh Harding struggled at times, but stopped 16 shots for the win. Jeremy Morin, Brandon Saad and Marian Hossa tallied for the Blackhawks, losers of two in a row after winning six consecutive outings. Corey Crawford made 19 saves in defeat.

Final Score: Edmonton 8, Colorado 2

Edmonton, AB (SportsNetwork.com) – Taylor Hall had a hat trick and added an assist as the Edmonton Oilers dominated the Colorado Avalanche, 8-2, at Rexall Place. Jordan Eberle, Mark Arcobello, David Perron and Ales Hemsky each posted a goal and an assist for the Oilers, who have won six of their last nine games. Devan Dubnyk posted 33 saves in the win. Nick Holden and PA Parenteau scored for the Avalanche, who had won five of six coming into the contest. Semyon Varlamov allowed all eight goals on 28 shots in the loss.

Categorized in: NHL