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 Center Michael Latta and left winger Jason Chimera scored for the
Capitals (25-6-2), who won their sixth straight game as part of the
best start in franchise history.
Right winger Kris Versteeg scored 2:18 into the third period for the
Hurricanes.
Grubauer, playing for only the third game in a month's time,
improved to 4-2-1 this season. He stopped 12 shots in each the first
and third periods.
Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward stopped 19 shots.
Islanders 5, Ducks 2
NEW YORK -- Snapping out of an offensive slump, the New York
Islanders scored three first-period goals and went on to end a
three-game losing streak by beating Anaheim at Barclays Center.
Cal Clutterbuck, Travis Hamonic and Brock Nelson scored in the first
for the Islanders, who produced a total of three goals in their
previous three games.
Hamonic and Nelson scored 43 seconds apart in the final minute of
the period, which was New York's first three-goal period since Nov.
30.
Flyers 4, Blues 3
PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia will enjoy its holiday break after
completing a furious rally to beat St. Louis at Wells Fargo Center.
The Flyers trailed 3-0 midway through the second period before
ripping off four unanswered goals to improve to 8-2-2 in their past
12 games.
Evgeny Medvedev punctuated the comeback with the winning goal at
16:47 of the third period when he scored on a slap shot off a nice
pass from center Ryan White.
Penguins 5, Blue Jackets 2
PITTSBURGH -- Phil Kessel ended a scoring slump with two goals,
Evgeni Malkin had two more and the Sidney Crosby-less Pittsburgh
Penguins halted a five-game losing streak, beating Columbus for new
coach Mike Sullivan's first win.
Evgeni Malkin started a four-goal second period with a goal, then
added his fifth goal in six games by scoring in the final two
minutes. Rookie goaltender Matt Martin stopped 22 shots for his
first NHL win as the Penguins won for only the second time in nine
games.
Crosby, the Penguins' captain, missed his first game of the season
with a lower body injury, yet Pittsburgh still scored one more goal
than it did in Sullivan's four games combined. The Penguins' only
other five-goal game was Dec. 1 against San Jose.
Predators 5, Canadiens 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Outshot and outchanced by Montreal for most of
the game, Nashville made the best of the opportunities they created.
The top defense pairing of Shea Weber and Roman Josi scored the
game's first two goals and goalie Pekka Rinne made the lead stick
with one of his better performances of the season in Nashville's win
at sold-out Bridgestone Arena.
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It was the second straight victory for the Predators, which got back
to .500 as Rinne stopped 35 shots, 14 in a first period where
Montreal controlled play.
Stars 6, Wild 3
SAINT PAUL, Minn. -- Dallas has found an unconventional formula for
success on the road in Minnesota this season: Dig an early hole and
forcefully climb out of it.
Trailing by a pair of goals early, the Stars stormed back for a
victory over the Wild. It was the second time this season they've
won in Minnesota after falling behind by two or more goals in the
game.
Jordie Benn, Vernon Fiddler and Tyler Seguin all scored in a 4:30
span late in the second period, erasing Minnesota's 2-0 lead, and
giving the Stars their third win over the Wild this season.
Maple Leafs 7, Avalanche 4
DENVER -- Tyler Bozak had a hat trick in the third period, and
Toronto broke open a tie game with four goals in the last 20 minutes
to beat Colorado.
Leo Komarov had two goals and an assist, and James van Riemsdyk
added a goal and two assists for Toronto. Jake Gardiner had four
assists.
Maple Leafs left winger Joffrey Lupul also scored, and Jonathan
Bernier stopped 24 shots for Toronto, which scored three times on
the power play.
Oilers 3, Jets 1
EDMONTON, Alberta -- Teddy Purcell had two goals and added an assist
to lead Edmonton to a victory over Winnipeg.
Justin Schultz also recorded a goal and Cam Talbot made 44 saves for
the Oilers, who snapped a three-game losing skid and won their
seventh game in a row at home.
Bryan Little scored in response for the Jets, who have lost three of
their last four outings.
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