National Hockey League Game Capsules

New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) – Matt Calvert, Artem Anisimov and David Savard each had goals during a dominant first period that carried the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4-2 victory over the sputtering New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Ryan Johansen added a late insurance marker and Mike McKenna stopped 17-of-18 in a strong relief effort of Curtis McElhinney to help the Blue Jackets post their fourth win in five outings and send the Rangers to a fourth straight loss, all have which come at the head of a franchise- record nine-game residency. McElhinney turned aside 15-of-16 chances before departing after the first period due to a lower-body injury. Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist had an early exit as well, pulled by head coach Alain Vigneault after 11:10 of action when letting up three goals on 13 shots. Dominic Moore and Dan Girardi each scored for New York, with Cam Talbot saving 13-of-14 shots upon taking over for Lundqvist.

Final Score: Philadelphia 2, Montreal 1

Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Steve Mason stopped 20 shots, while Michael Raffl and Claude Giroux supplied the offense as Philadelphia edged Montreal, 2-1, on Thursday. Jakub Voracek posted a pair of assists for the Flyers, who put together a solid defensive effort in stark contrast to a 7-2 loss in Chicago on Wednesday which capped a six-game road swing. Philadelphia has won six in a row on home ice this season and six straight against the Habs here since November of 2010. Alex Galchenyuk picked up a late tally and Carey Price made 25 saves for the Canadiens, who have lost two in a row after winning four straight.

Final Score: Ottawa 2, Buffalo 1

Ottawa, ON (SportsNetwork.com) – Craig Anderson stopped 40 shots to lead the Ottawa Senators in a 2-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday. Bobby Ryan posted a goal and an assist, while Zack Smith had a goal and Kyle Turris added two assists for the Senators, who came into the game having lost three of four. Tyler Ennis scored the only goal of the game for the Sabres, who have dropped four of their last five. Ryan Miller made 30 saves in the loss.

Final Score: Tampa Bay 2, Detroit 1 (SO)

Tampa, FL (SportsNetwork.com) – Martin St. Louis tallied the shootout winner in the sixth round and Ben Bishop stopped all six shots he faced to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. After the first five shooters for both sides missed their attempts, St. Louis skated down the right side before cutting back to the middle and sneaking a wrister past Jonas Gustavsson. Johan Franzen was the last hope for Detroit, but Bishop easily turned away his final wrist shot. Nikita Kucherov scored in regulation for Tampa Bay, which snapped a brief two-game losing streak. Bishop made 28 saves to earn the win. Kyle Quincey netted the lone goal for the Red Wings. Gustavsson stopped 26-of-27 shots in the setback.

Final Score: St. Louis 6, Toronto 3

St. Louis, MO (SportsNetwork.com) – David Backers scored twice and St. Louis used an early three-goal barrage to take down Toronto, 6-3, at Scottrade Center. Jaden Schwartz matched a career high with three points on a goal and two assists for the Blues, who have won three of four. Derek Roy, Alex Steen and Chris Stewart also lit the lamp to back a 19-save effort from Brian Elliott. Nazem Kadri, Nikolai Kulemin and James van Riemsdyk tallied for the Leafs, who suffered their third straight defeat. James Reimer started, but was chased after giving up three goals on 15 shots in less than one period. Jonathan Bernier finished the contest with 18 stops.

Final Score: Nashville 3, Dallas 1

Nashville, TN (SportsNetwork.com) – Carter Hutton once again got the start in net and led the Nashville Predators to another victory, this time behind a 33- save performance to get by the Dallas Stars, 3-1, at Bridgestone Arena. Hutton was between the pipes in Tuesday’s 4-1 win over the Rangers, which snapped the Predators’ five-game slide — the first four coming on home ice. Patric Hornqvist, David Legwand and Paul Gaustad all posted goals against Kari Lehtonen, who made 27 saves in Dallas’ third loss in its past four games.

Final Score: Colorado 4, Winnipeg 3 (SO)

Winnipeg, MB (SportsNetwork.com) – Matt Duchene had two goals and an assist to spark a Colorado rally, then tallied again in the shootout to help give the Avalanche a 4-3 decision over the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. Ryan O’Reilly notched a goal and an assist and P.A. Parenteau delivered the clincher in the deciding phase for Colorado, which bounced back from an early 2-0 deficit to halt a two-game skid. The Avalanche also received an outstanding effort from Semyon Varlamov in the win, with the goaltender coming up with 34 saves prior to stoning both Jets skaters he faced in the shootout. Winnipeg was dealt a fifth straight home loss despite two goals from Blake Wheeler. Michael Frolik also scored in the setback, while Ondrej Pavelec finished with 23 saves.

Final Score: Calgary 2, Carolina 1 (OT)

Calgary, AB (SportsNetwork.com) – Chris Butler netted the winning goal inside of four seconds remaining in overtime to lift Calgary past Carolina, 2-1, from the Saddledome. Brian McGrattan also lit the lamp for the Flames, who put together a satisfying end to a trying day which began with a front- office shake-up as general manager Jay Feaster and his assistant John Weisbrod fired. Team president of hockey operations Brian Burke will assume the duties of general manager until a suitable replacement can be found. Karri Ramo stopped 29 shots, including a Jeff Skinner penalty shot in the third period. Skinner provided the lone tally for the Hurricanes, while Justin Peters made 28 saves to ensure one point for the visitors as they continued a four-game road trip.

Final Score: Phoenix 6, NY Islanders 3

Glendale, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) – Rob Klinkhammer posted two goals and an assist as the Phoenix Coyotes thumped the New York Islanders, 6-3. Mike Ribeiro had a goal and two assists while Mikkel Boedker scored twice for the Coyotes, who have won two straight. Mike Smith gave up three goals on 24 shots in the victory. Kyle Okposo, Eric Boulton and John Tavares all scored for the Islanders, who had snapped a 10-game losing streak on Tuesday with a win over San Jose. Kevin Poulin gave up all six goals on 36 shots in the loss.

Final Score: Boston 4, Edmonton 2

Edmonton, AB (SportsNetwork.com) – Jarome Iginla scored twice as the Boston Bruins took a 4-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. Dennis Seidenberg posted a goal and an assist while Brad Marchand also scored for the Bruins, who have taken four straight and six of seven. Chad Johnson made 39 saves in the win. Boston has won 11 straight games against Edmonton as the last time the team dropped a game was a 6-1 loss in Edmonton on Oct. 17, 2000. David Perron scored both goals for the Oilers, who have alternated losses and wins over the past nine games. Devan Dubnyk gave up three goals on 18 shots in one period of play. Jason LaBarbera stopped all 12 shots he faced in relief.

Final Score: San Jose 3, Minnesota 1

San Jose, CA (SportsNetwork.com) – Joe Pavelski scored two of San Jose’s three power-play goals as the Sharks got the better of the Minnesota Wild, 3-1, at SAP Center. Tomas Hertl provided the eventual game-winner in the second period and Antti Niemi did the rest in helping the Sharks snap a four-game slide. Niemi made 29 saves, the only blemish coming off the chest of Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart with 7:24 remaining in regulation. Jonas Brodin was credited with the goal for the Wild, who have dropped five straight on the road. Niklas Backstrom yielded three goals on 39 shots.

Categorized in: NHL