NHL roundup: Lightning, Panthers clinch playoff bids

[April 28, 2021]  Brayden Point tallied a goal and two assists, Alex Barre-Boulet scored and Ondrej Palat added two assists as the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning rode strong production from their top line to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 7-4 on Tuesday night and clinch a playoff berth.

Alex Killorn added two goals and Blake Coleman had a goal and an assist as Tampa Bay improved to 7-3-0 in its past 10 games by winning for the third straight time.

Mikhail Sergachev also had two assists for the Lightning.

The Blackhawks saw their flickering playoff hopes take a hit as they lost for the third time in four games. Chicago got goals from Brandon Hagel, Wyatt Kalynuk, Duncan Keith and Dominik Kubalik. Patrick Kane notched two assists.

Panthers 7, Predators 4

Florida rallied from a third-period deficit to beat host Nashville and clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Panthers came into the third period trailing Nashville by a goal but scored four goals in the final period, with Jonathan Huberdeau getting two of them.

Florida outshot Nashville 55-30 to get a measure of revenge against the Predators, who prevented the Panthers from clinching their playoff appearance with a 4-1 win on Monday.

Capitals 1, Islanders 0

Daniel Sprong scored on the game's first shot at 1:29 of the first period, and that stood up as the Washington defeated visiting New York to complete a three-game series sweep.

The Capitals welcomed fans to Capital One Arena for the first time this season. There were approximately 2,100 in attendance, and they saw goalie Vitek Vanecek blank the Islanders with 18 saves.

New York goalie Ilya Sorokin made 32 saves after giving up six goals Saturday in a 6-3 loss to Washington.

Bruins 3, Penguins 1

David Krejci had a goal and an assist as Boston earned a split of its two-game set at Pittsburgh. Brad Marchand and Taylor Hall also scored for the Bruins, who snapped a two-game losing streak.

Boston's No. 1 goaltender, Tuukka Rask, making just his sixth start since March 8 because of injuries, recorded 25 saves.

Jeff Carter scored for Pittsburgh, which had its four-game winning streak halted. Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry, coming off a 30-save shutout Sunday in a 1-0 win against the Bruins, made 28 saves.

Rangers 3, Sabres 1

Alexis Lafreniere scored the tiebreaking goal with 10:11 left in regulation, and New York beat visiting Buffalo for its third straight win.

Defenseman Brendan Smith also scored and Mika Zibanejad added a late insurance goal for the Rangers, who got 36 saves from Igor Shesterkin. New York beat Buffalo for the second time in three nights, is 11-3-2 since late March and has won nine of its past 11 at home.

Washington Capitals right wing Daniel Sprong (10) passes the puck as New York Islanders right wing Kyle Palmieri (21) and Islanders center Travis Zajac (14) defend in the second period at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Sam Reinhart increased his team-leading goal total to 22 with his 14th on the road this season for the Sabres, who have dropped five of their past seven. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 38 shots.

Hurricanes 5, Stars 1

Jordan Staal had two goals and an assist and Sebastian Aho added a goal and two assists as Carolina snapped a two-game losing streak with a victory at Dallas.

Max McCormick and Nino Niederreiter also scored goals and Andrei Svechnikov added three assists for the Hurricanes. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 27 of 28 shots.

Jason Robertson extended his point streak to nine games, the longest for any rookie in the NHL this season, with a goal for Dallas. Anton Khudobin finished with 25 saves in the loss.

Blue Jackets 1, Red Wings 0 (SO)

Oliver Bjorkstrand scored the deciding shootout goal and Elvis Merzlikins made 41 saves as Columbus topped visiting Detroit to end a nine-game winless drought (0-7-2).

It was a classic goaltender's duel between Merzlikins and Detroit's Thomas Greiss, who made 33 saves. Both goalies were awarded shutouts for not allowing any scores in 65 minutes of regulation and overtime hockey.

Merzlikins recorded his second shutout of the season, and the 41 saves matches a career best for the Blue Jackets netminder. Greiss recorded his first regular-season shutout since March 11, 2019.

Devils 6, Flyers 4

Pavel Zacha and Connor Carrick each had a goal and an assist as New Jersey snapped a 10-game losing streak with a victory over Philadelphia in Newark, N.J.

Nico Hischier, Miles Wood, Yegor Sharangovich and Mikhail Maltsev each scored a goal for the Devils. Jack Hughes, Ty Smith and Mike McLeod contributed two assists apiece as the Devils won at home for just the fifth time in 25 tries this season.

Oskar Lindblom, Philippe Myers, Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier were the goal-scorers for the Flyers, who lost for the fourth time in six games.

--Field Level Media