NHL roundup: Islanders rally past Blackhawks

 

[April 03, 2024]  Bo Horvat and Simon Holmstrom scored in the third period as the New York Islanders rallied to earn a critical 2-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Tuesday night in Elmont, N.Y.

The Islanders moved within one point of the Washington Capitals for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Horvat scored a power-play goal 93 seconds into the third to tie the game. The Islanders had failed to convert their previous 15 power plays. Holmstrom snapped the tie with 11:35 remaining in the game after a miscue by Chicago goalie Petr Mrazek. Mrazek made 27 saves, including 24 in the opening two periods.

Jason Dickinson scored in the first for the Blackhawks, whose 4-3 overtime win over the Islanders on Jan. 19 in Chicago led to New York firing coach Lane Lambert and replacing him with Patrick Roy. New York goalie Ilya Sorokin made 18 saves Tuesday to stop a six-game losing streak.

Golden Knights 6, Canucks 3

Jonathan Marchessault had a goal and two assists and Jack Eichel and Anthony Mantha each added a goal and an assist as host Vegas beat Vancouver for a third straight win.

William Karlsson, Noah Hanifin and Brett Howden also scored goals and Ivan Barbashev added two assists for the Golden Knights, who improved their third-place lead in the Pacific Division to five points over Los Angeles. Logan Thompson finished with 27 saves to win his sixth consecutive start.

Quinn Hughes scored two goals and Nils Hoglander also scored for Pacific Division leader Vancouver, which lost for the third time in its last four games. Casey DeSmith made 24 saves for the Canucks, who were playing their first road game since March 7.

Bruins 3, Predators 0

Linus Ullmark made 31 saves for his second shutout of the season, and Boston scored three goals in the final seven minutes of the third period en route to a shutout win over host Nashville.

The game was scoreless until Charlie Coyle scored a short-handed goal with 6:42 left, lifting Boston to its second consecutive win. David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha rounded out Boston's scoring with a goal and an assist each. Danton Heinen also dished out two assists and Ullmark picked up one assist on Coyle's goal.

Nashville has now lost three straight since an 18-game points streak that is the longest in the NHL this season. Juuse Saros stopped 29 shots in the Predators' net.

Penguins 6, Devils 3

Pittsburgh scored five unanswered goals to erase a third-period deficit and beat host New Jersey in Newark and add space between the teams in the playoff race.

Evgeni Malkin scored twice and added an assist and Sidney Crosby added a pair of goals for the Penguins, who avoided being swept in the three-game season series with New Jersey.

With the win, Pittsburgh created a three-point cushion over the Devils in the Eastern Conference wild-card race. The Penguins still sit three points behind Washington for that second wild-card spot.

Wild 3, Senators 2

Vinni Lettieri scored the go-ahead goal with 6:56 remaining in the third period, lifting Minnesota past Ottawa in Saint Paul, Minn.

Apr 2, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Vancouver Canucks center Elias Pettersson (40) is checked by Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nicolas Hague (14) as Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Logan Thompson (36) makes a save during the second period at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Fellow fourth-liner Mason Shaw scored his first goal since sustaining his fourth career ACL injury last season, and Matt Boldy also tallied. Marc-Andre Fleury made 30 saves for the Wild, who improved to 8-1-4 in their last 13 games.

Ottawa's Drake Batherson and defenseman Jakob Chychrun each scored and set up the other's power-play goal for the Senators, who saw their five-game winning streak come to a halt.

Sabers 6, Capitals 2

JJ Peterka had two goals and an assist, and Buffalo beat visiting Washington.

Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch and Rasmus Dahlin each had a goal and two assists for the Sabres, who are five points behind the Capitals and Detroit Red Wings for the second Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 23 saves in the win.

Martin Fehervary and Dylan Strome scored for the Capitals, who have lost three straight (0-2-1). Charlie Lindgren stopped 25 of 31 shots before being lifted in the third period.

Canadiens 5, Panthers 3

Nick Suzuki scored two goals and host Montreal ended a seven-game losing streak against Florida.

Joel Armia, Cole Caufield and Jake Evans also scored and Sam Montembeault made 37 saves for the Canadiens, who have won four of five. Anton Lundell had a goal and an assist and Anthony Stolarz made 34 saves for Florida, which has lost four of five and eight of 10 (2-7-1).

The Panthers played without two of their top forwards, Carter Verhaeghe (upper-body injury) and Matthew Tkachuk (illness), and defenseman Aaron Ekblad sustained an undisclosed injury late in the first period and did not return.

Ducks 5, Flames 3

Alex Killorn scored twice and Troy Terry scored once in a three-point performance to lead visiting Anaheim past Calgary to end a five-game losing streak.

Mason McTavish and Cam Fowler also scored, while Olen Zellweger collected a career-best three assists as the Ducks won for only the second time in 14 outings. Goaltender Lukas Dostal made 21 saves in the finale of a five-game road trip.

Andrei Kuzmenko scored twice and Yegor Sharangovich added a single goal for the Flames. Goalie Jacob Markstrom stopped 24 shots, while Mackenzie Weegar, Martin Pospisil and Nazem Kadri each collected two assists.

--Field Level Media

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