N H L - National Hockey League

[Guns of the Patriots]

Credits to Yahoo Sports.com

 

Senators edge Sabres in 2-1 shootout win

41 minutes ago AP - Sports

 

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) -- Bobby Ryan and Kyle Turris scored in the shootout and the Senators topped the Buffalo Sabres 2-1 Tuesday night, snapping Ottawa's three-game losing streak.

 

Ryan Dzingel scored in the first period for the Senators, and Craig Anderson made 38 saves.

Matt Moulson scored for the Sabres as Robin Lehner stopped 25 shots.

 

Anderson made a huge save on Sabres rookie Jack Eichel with 15 seconds remaining in overtime to force the shootout.

 

The Sabres were without Evander Kane as he was suspended for the game after missing practice Monday.

 

The Senators rewarded fans who braved poor road conditions to make it to the game by offering 50 percent off an upcoming game and a free ticket to those who were unable to attend due to the weather. Nearly 20 inches of snow fell in Ottawa on Tuesday.

Tied 1-1 after two periods, Ottawa had a strong third period, but the Senators were unable to beat Lehner and were forced to overtime.

 

Anderson was a key reason the game remained tied after 40 minutes as Buffalo outshot Ottawa 18-9 in the second. He made a number of big saves to keep the Senators in the game.

 

Ottawa gave up the first goal as Eichel made a brilliant behind the back pass to Moulson, who beat Anderson short side at 6:01 of the first.

 

The Senators tied the game just over a minute later as Dzingel whacked away at a rebound and got it past Lehner for his first NHL goal.

Nick Paul made his NHL debut, he was the sixth player to do so this season for Ottawa.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

[Guns of the Patriots]

Credits to Yahoo Sports

 

Shattenkirk's OT goal puts Blues past Stars 2-1

By R.B. FALLSTROM (AP Sports Writer) 43 minutes ago

AP - Sports

 

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Kevin Shattenkirk scored a power-play goal at 1:11 of overtime and Brian Elliott had another strong game in net for the St. Louis Blues, who ended the Dallas Stars' four-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory Tuesday night.

 

Jaden Schwartz got the other goal for the Blues on a fluke when a dump-in bounced off referee Kelly Sutherland's ankle at 12 seconds of the second period. The Blues have won five of six against the Central Division-leading Stars, who won in overtime at Nashville on Monday.

 

Elliott made his 15th consecutive start, a career high, and had 17 saves. The Stars were held to a season-low for shots.

 

Mattias Janmark tied it late in regulation for Dallas. Janmark has scored in three straight games including the game-winner in overtime Monday.

 

Shattenkirk ripped a one-timer past Kari Lehtonen for the winner, his 10th of the season. Dallas was a man short after Jason Demers was whistled for interference with 14.1 seconds left in regulation.

 

Lehtonen scrambled back to the goal late after venturing out to field the puck behind the net on the goal by Schwartz.

 

Janmark tied it with 6:34 remaining on a shot from the side of the net after Valeri Nichushkin flubbed a shot that trickled between the legs of a defender and wide.

 

The Blues killed off four power plays in the scoreless first period, allowing just three shots. The Stars had no shots at even strength.

 

Dallas was strong on the penalty k*ll in the second period, thwarting 1:09 of St. Louis' two-man advantage to keep it a one-goal game.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

[Guns of the Patriots]

Credits to www.broadstreethockey.com - SB Nation

 

Flyers vs. Devils recap: Third period outburst keeps Philadelphia in the playoff picture

By Travis Hughes  @TravisSBN on Feb 16, 2016, 10:15p

Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

It was a big game in the playoff race led by a big third period.

here's something extremely fun about the Flyers playing in New Jersey, even when they lose. I think it might be that there are always something like five different raucous "Let's Go Flyers!" chants every time there's a game at Prudential Center. And it's even more fun when that's the refrain that drowns out the organ player at the end of a solid Flyers win and a dominant Flyers third period in Newark.

Look, the Flyers didn't play a perfect game tonight by any means. Often when you play against a stingy defensive team like the Devils, it's far from perfect. And when you're a team that's as offensively flawed as the Flyers, that can be an overall ugly combination. Tonight though, the Flyers hung with it ... particularly early when they needed to weather a game that was up and down and back and around, in large part thanks to some questionable officiating.

It started off though, frankly, with a lot of bullshit from Radko Gudas. I argued last week that even if the letter of the law indicated that he was innocent of a dirty hit in the Buffalo game, he still deserved a suspension because of just how reckless he was on that play. He lived up to it again tonight, taking a match penalty for an ugly elbow to the head on Bobby Farnham. That subsequent power play led to a New Jersey goal, and it sure felt like we might get another game like we had the other day in Philadelphia: a Devils-controlled, low-scoring contest.

Ahh, but then, Shayne Gostisbehere. He not only extended his point streak to thirteen games, but he scored a beautiful game-tying goal over the shoulder of Cory Schneider that made me want to go do dirty things to my sheets. (That's a ghost joke.)

Brayden Schenn gave the Flyers the lead with a power play goal midway through the second -- one that Ghost probably deserved another assist on thanks to a beautiful keep at the blue line on the play. But he didn't get one because tertiary assists are not a thing. Ah well. In any event, the Flyers entered the third period up 2-1, and the floodgates open up from there.

Jordin Tootoo opened up the scoring midway through, tying it at 2-2 (lol). And then Wayne Simmonds, and then 50 seconds later Nick Cousins. And then a deep breath. And then Kyle Palmieri kept it weird with a Devils goal, and then Ryan White kept it 100 with a Flyers goal.

All told, this turned out to be the ugliest defensive effort for the Devils all year, and the second time in four games in which the Flyers scored more than five goals. The third period explosion gave them hope that this season is still alive -- and yeah, despite a Carolina win tonight, the Flyers are only four points out of the final playoff spot in the East as of this writing.

This was a very important win in the playoff picture, and it was fun to celebrate it in our little home away from home up there Newark.

[Guns of the Patriots]

Credits to NHL.com

 

Grubauer guides Capitals past Kings Washington goalie makes 39 saves; Kuznetsov scores

by Katie Brown / NHL.com Correspondent

12:36 PM

Kuznetsov's go-ahead goal LAK@WSH: Kuznetsov buries go-ahead goal in 3rd

2/16/16: Evgeny Kuznetsov stuffs home the feed at the side of the net to give the Capitals a 2-1 lead late in the 3rd period

 

WASHINGTON -- Philipp Grubauer rebounded from a poor start last week by making 39 saves for the Washington Capitals in a 3-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Verizon Center on Tuesday.

 

"It was a transition for me this year, getting back-to-back games and maybe not seeing as many pucks," Grubauer said. "I need to develop some consistency in my game and that was a good start."

 

The 24-year-old hadn't started since a 5-2 loss to the Florida Panthers on Feb. 2. He last played Saturday after Braden Holtby was pulled after two periods in a 4-3 loss at the Dallas Stars.

 

"[Grubauer] has been good all year," Capitals coach Barry Trotz said. "I don't have any doubts with what he could do and that's why he got this game."

 

Grubauer keeps the game tied late LAK@WSH: Grubauer robs Nolan's chance in the 3rd

Forwards Andre Burakovsky, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Jason Chimera scored for the Capitals (41-10-4), who have not lost consecutive games in regulation this season.

 

"I thought gradually, throughout the game, we got better, because we had to," Capitals forward Justin Williams said. "They got the better of the play. They were outshooting us, outplaying us, outbattling us. Slowly, in the third period, we started to take things over, and things started to move a bit in our direction. You know, we said it on the bench: We were getting stronger and they were fading a bit."

 

Forward Anze Kopitar scored a shorthanded goal, and Jonathan Quick made 29 saves for the Kings in his return from a lower-body injury that caused him to miss three games. Los Angeles (33-20-3) is 2-3-0 on its seven-game road trip.

 

"The goalies made some big saves," Kings coach Darryl Sutter said. "We couldn't get that second one. But we had lots of good opportunities. The last five minutes you were just trusting the guys that you have on the ice, and we probably got caught with some inexperience on the back end on that last goal."

 

Chimera's empty-netter seals win LAK@WSH: Chimera secures the win with empty-net goal

Kopitar scored at 16:43 of the first period to give the Kings a 1-0 lead. He skated from the blue line and scored a sharp-angle goal on Grubauer's stick side.

 

"This is a group that's been together for a long time and knows how to win," Kings captain Dustin Brown said. "We've got to bear down on our chances. That's the difference tonight. We had some really good looks, and they've got to go in the back of the net for us, especially when we have a 1-0 goal. If we can find a way to get that next goal, that game is probably a lot different. They kind of poured it on in the third and as a result they got the goals they needed."

 

Burakovsky tied it 1-1 with 49 seconds remaining in the second period when he deflected defenseman Dmitry Orlov's pass for his 12th of the season. Burakovsky has 16 points in his past 14 games and a point in 12 of his past 14.

 

"I was just trying to crash the net and obviously it was a sick pass from Orlov and he just hit my stick," Burakovsky said. "The only thing I had to do was hold my stick on the ice."

 

Quick denies Ovechkin's one-timer LAK@WSH: Quick gets across to stone Ovechkin

Kuznetsov scored with 2:02 remaining in the third period to make it 2-1. Williams sent a behind-the-net pass to him at the goal mouth for his 16th goal of the season and first since Jan. 14.

 

"If you listen to Justin on the bench, what he says to his linemates and the guys on the bench, he finds a way to pull people into the fight and he does it by example," Trotz said. "He finds a way to get things done and that's his talent."

 

Chimera made it 3-1 with an empty-net goal with 8.6 seconds remaining.

 

Kopitar's shorthanded goal LAK@WSH: Doughty's defense leads to shorthanded goal

"We're in the situation where we need to find points," Brown said. "There's definitely areas we can improve on, so that's something we need to focus on in practice tomorrow is those things. They're not huge adjustments we need to make, but it's the little things this time of year that are hugely important."

 

Capitals defenseman Brooks Orpik played his first game since Nov. 10. He missed 40 games with a lower-body injury. Orpik had a secondary assist on Burakovsky's second-period goal; he has four points this season.

 

"Past the first couple of shifts, it was just getting used to the speed again," Oprik said. "It was pretty good. Obviously, a really good opponent to come back against, so that wasn't easy, but it's good."

Edited February 17, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

[Guns of the Patriots]

Credits to mercurynews.com

 

Sharks beat Lightning

By Curtis Pashelka

cpashelka@bayareanewsgroup.com

 

Posted: 02/16/2016 07:07:20 PM PST

Updated: 02/16/2016 08:35:22 PM PST

 

TAMPA, Fla. -- Matt Nieto scored the game-winner 1:17 into the third period as the Sharks started their five-game trip Tuesday with a 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Amalie Arena.

 

Nieto's eighth goal of the season came in transition as Joel Ward fed Patrick Marleau, who took the puck into the Lightning zone on a 2 on 1. He fed a cross-ice pass to Nieto, who deked goalie Ben Bishop to give the Sharks the one-goal lead.

 

Melker Karlsson scored with 1:43 left in the third period to ice the game, as the Sharks momentarily moved back into second place in the Pacific Division, one point ahead of Anaheim. The Ducks were playing Edmonton on Tuesday night.

 

http://extras.mnginteractive.com/live/media/site568/2016/0216/20160216__sharks~2_300.JPG

 

Joe Thornton had two assists to continue his torrid scoring pace, as he assisted on Karlsson's goal and one by Joe Pavelski in the second period. Thornton now has 50 points and at least one point in 24 of his past 26 games.

 

Goalie Martin Jones took care of the rest, finishing with 27 saves — including eight in the third period.

 

The Sharks got even strength goals from Ward and Pavelski within a span of 4:51 in the second period to take a 2-1 lead.

 

Ward took a pass from Marc-Edouard Vlasic and his shot from above the circles got through a partial screen from Marleau and past Bishop to tie the game 1-1 just 1:43 into the second. It was Vlasic's eighth straight game with an assist, tying a franchise record held by Brent Burns.

Edited February 17, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

[Guns of the Patriots]

Credits to NHL.com

 

Ducks victorious again on road

Five different players score in win at Edmonton

by Derek Van Diest / NHL.com Correspondent

17 minutes ago

Lindholm's goal breaks tie

ANA@EDM: Rakell sets up Lindholm to provide the lead

2/16/16: On the rush, Rickard Rakell finds Hampus Lindholm who tips it past Cam Talbot, giving the Ducks a 3-2 lead in the 3rd period

EDMONTON -- Hampus Lindholm scored the first of three goals in the third period to help the Anaheim Ducks to a 5-3 win against the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place on Tuesday.

 

David Perron, Jakob Silfverberg, Andrew Cogliano and Corey Perry had goals for Anaheim (29-19-8), which moved within three points of the Los Angeles Kings in the Pacific Division. Frederik Andersen made 24 saves for the Ducks, who are 17-4-2 in their past 23 games.

 

Anaheim is 4-1-1 on its seven-game road trip, which concludes Thursday at the Vancouver Canucks.

Leon Draisaitl, Taylor Hall and Benoit Pouliot scored for Edmonton (22-30-6), which has lost five of its past six games. Cam Talbot made 25 saves.

 

Silfverberg's goal breaks tie

ANA@EDM: Silfverberg rifles it home to provide lead

Cogliano scored an empty-net goal with 1:31 left to put Anaheim up 4-2. He intercepted a pass at the Ducks blue line and sent a shot down the ice into an empty net.

 

But Pouliot scored with 24 seconds later, getting credit for a goal that bounced in off the head of Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler and past Andersen.

 

Perry scored an empty-net goal with 13 seconds left.

 

Perron's power-play goal gave the Ducks a 1-0 lead with 51.7 seconds remaining in the first period. The former Oilers forward was stopped by Talbot in front, but dove at the rebound and was able to force the puck into the net.

 

Perron's PPG opens the scoring

ANA@EDM: Puck trickles in for Perron to provide lead

The goal was reviewed twice, once to determine whether Perron kicked the puck in, and the other on a coach's challenge for goaltender interference. But the goal stood.

 

Edmonton tied the game 1-1 on the power play at 2:16 of the second period. Draisaitl took a pass from Lauri Korpikoski, got a step on Ducks defenseman Kevin Bieksa on a rush down the wing and sent a low shot past Andersen.

 

Silfverberg put Anaheim up 2-1 at 14:54 of the second when he took a pass from Ryan Kesler and beat Talbot with a shot over the shoulder.

 

Hall's goal ties it up

ANA@EDM: Hall puts home rebound chance to tie game

Hall tied the game at 16:29 with his first goal in 11 games. He was first to a rebound on a shot from Jordan Eberle and poked the puck past Andersen.

The Oilers were forced to play the final two periods with five defenseman; Eric Gryba left the game because of a lower-body injury.

 

Lindholm gave the Ducks at 3-2 lead at 5:35 of the third period, converting an excellent passing play with Rickard Rakell. Lindholm gained the zone with Rakell, sent a pass to the latter, then tipped the return feed past Talbot.

 

[Juan Bird]

Thanks Guns for starting this thread! It gives Manila Tonight users who are hockey fans a place to talk/rant about the game! To be honest, I think hockey could easily be a top 5 sport in the Philippines in terms of popularity if we weren't located in the tropics but at the latitude of Korea/Japan/northern China. It's got a lot of things Filipinos want in a sport - physicality, skill, drama, more scoring than most football/soccer games, and there's the fact you don't have to be freakishly tall to do well in it (a lot of our basketball players are of NHL height).

 

I can't wait to see how the race to the NHL playoffs is gonna pan out! Go Wild Go! And hopefully the northern teams make a strong push to a playoff spot!

Edited February 17, 2016 by mrconfusion87

[nolz]

...boring game...

[kaiserjoey]

used to follow NHL nung may pinapalabas pa sa ESPN... Used to like the Detroit Red Wings especially Steve Yzerman... Tsaka si The Dominator Dominick Hasek lupit magbantay ng goal!!

[Guns of the Patriots]

Credits NHL.com

 

New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, recap Rookie scores game-winner with 3:00 left in third period

by Brian Compton @BComptonNHL / NHL.com Deputy Managing Editor

 

Panarin completes hat trick

CHI@NYR: Panarin scores empty-netter for 3rd goal

2/17/16: Artemi Panarin speeds down the ice and smacks in the puck on an empty net to collect his third goal and complete a hat trick

NEW YORK -- Artemi Panarin had his first NHL hat trick, including the game-winning goal with 3:00 remaining in the third period, to help the Chicago Blackhawks to a 5-3 win against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday.

Andrew Shaw erased a one-goal deficit earlier in the third period and Andrew Desjardins had a first-period goal for Chicago (38-18-5), which faces the Minnesota Wild at TCF Bank Stadium on Sunday as part of the 2016 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series. Corey Crawford made 31 saves.

Kevin Hayes, Derick Brassard and Dan Boyle scored for New York (32-19-6), which lost in regulation at home for the first time since Dec. 20. Henrik Lundqvist made 15 saves.

Chicago opened the scoring 3:30 into the game. Desjardins outmuscled Boyle in front of the net and redirected Teuvo Teravainen's feed from the right corner past Lundqvist to give the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead.

 

Panarin's go-ahead goal

CHI@NYR: Panarin gives Blackhawks the lead in the 3rd

The Rangers thought they tied the game at 1:52 of the second period when defenseman Dan Girardi beat Crawford with a slap shot from the right point. But Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville challenged that Crawford was interfered with, and replays concluded forward Chris Kreider made contact with the Blackhawks goaltender.

Panarin extended Chicago's lead with a power-play goal at 10:05 of the second. After Kreider took an offensive-zone holding penalty, Panarin took a pass from Erik Gustafsson and beat a screened Lundqvist with a wrist shot from the left circle to make it 2-0. It was Panarin's 20th goal of the season.

Hayes got the Rangers on the board with his 10th goal of the season at 13:45 of the second period. New York capitalized after Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival failed to clear the puck out of the zone, and Oscar Lindberg sent a pass in front to Hayes, who one-timed it past Crawford to make it 2-1. Hayes has three goals in his past four games.

Lundqvist kept it a one-goal game with under five minutes left in the second period, denying Teravainen's wrist shot from the left circle and Brandon Mashinter's rebound chance on the doorstep during a 2-on-0.

New York received a four-minute power play when Blackhawks forward Vincent Hinostroza got his stick up in the face of Rangers center Dominic Moore at 19:34 of the second period.

 

Shaw knots things up in the 3rd

CHI@NYR: Shaw scores on power play to tie the game
The Rangers converted on the power play when Brassard scored his 20th goal of the season 24 seconds into the third period. Brassard took a pass from Keith Yandle and let go a wrist shot from the right circle that beat Crawford under the crossbar to make it 2-2.

Boyle then gave New York its first lead of the game at 2:17. Hayes sent a pass from behind the net in front to Boyle, who failed to stuff it past Crawford on his first attempt but jammed the rebound over the goal line. It was Boyle's first goal since Dec. 30, a span of 18 games.

Shaw tied it with a power-play goal at 9:53 of the third. After Rangers forward Viktor Stalberg was whistled for holding, Shaw put Teravainen's cross-ice feed past Lundqvist to make it 3-3.

Panarin put the Blackhawks back in front at 17:00 with a power-play goal. With Yandle in the box for holding, Panarin one-timed Patrick Kane's feed from behind the net past Lundqvist to give Chicago a 4-3 lead. He completed the hat trick with 1:11 left with an empty-net goal.

Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh returned to the lineup after missing the previous four games because of a concussion. Defenseman Marc Staal did not play; the Rangers announced during the game that his wife delivered their second child, a daughter.

New York visits the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

[Guns of the Patriots]

Credits NHL.com

 

Two goals by Iginla give Avalanche win Forward breaks third-period tie against Canadiens

by Rick Sadowski / NHL.com Correspondent

Iginla's late goal gives Avs lead MON@COL: Iginla taps in late go-ahead goal

2/17/16: Matt Duchene heads a rush that leads to the go-ahead goal, thanks to a tap in from Jarome Iginla late in the 3rd period

 

DENVER -- Jarome Iginla scored his second goal with 2:03 remaining in the third period to give the Colorado Avalanche a 3-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens at Pepsi Center on Wednesday.

 

Iginla was in front of the net when he put Mikhail Grigorenko's pass behind goalie Ben Scrivens for his 17th goal of the season and 606th of his NHL career.

 

Grigorenko started the play when he knocked the puck away from Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban, who fell in the Montreal end. Grigorenko passed to Matt Duchene and accepted a return pass before setting up Iginla.

 

The Avalanche (30-26-4) were 0-3-1 in their four previous home games and 2-4-1 since the NHL All-Star break.

 

The Canadiens (27-27-4) lost all three games of their road trip and are 3-7-0 in their past 10 games.

 

Iginla's PPG ties it up

MTL@COL: Iginla ties the game on power play

 

Iginla tied the game 2-2 with a power-play goal at 16:46 of the second period. Duchene won a faceoff in the right circle and slid the puck back to Tyson Barrie, who fed Iginla at the left point for a one-timer past Scrivens.

Iginla's goal came nine seconds after Montreal's Lars Eller was penalized for holding Barrie's stick. Iginla has three goals and five assists in the past seven games.

 

It also came a little less than three minutes after Iginla converted the rebound of Erik Johnson's point shot, only to be penalized for knocking down Scrivens. The Avalanche argued that Canadiens defenseman Greg Pateryn bumped Iginla into Scrivens, but coach Patrick Roy didn't use his challenge.

 

Johnson scored a shorthanded goal at 3:31 of the second period to tie the game 1-1 with Avalanche defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk in the box for cross-checking Torrey Mitchell. Gabriel Landeskog led a rush into the Canadiens zone and passed back to Johnson, who shot the puck by Scrivens' right arm for his ninth goal.

 

Varlamov shuts the door

MTL@COL: Varlamov stuffs Canadiens on power play

 

Eller scored at 6:38. Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov went behind the net to retrieve the puck and attempted to clear it into the corner. Montreal's Max Pacioretty beat Barrie to the puck and passed to Eller in front for a point-blank shot and his 10th goal.

 

Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov made it 1-0 at 7:40 of the first period. Tomas Plekanec led a 3-on-2 rush into the Avalanche end and passed back to Markov for his fourth goal.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

[Guns of the Patriots]

Credits www.cbc.ca

 

Wild hand Flames 3rd straight defeat on strength of special teams

Disappointing start follows tough news on Wideman, Ramo

 

By Darren Haynes, The Canadian Press Posted: Feb 18, 2016 1:01 AM ET Last Updated: Feb 18, 2016 2:00 AM ET

http://thumbnails.cbc.ca/maven_legacy/thumbnails/226/435/wildwinfeb17_2500kbps_620x350_2683926353.jpg

Wild defeat Flames in Calgary Jason Pominville snapped out of a slump with a goal and an assist Wednesday night to lead the Minnesota Wild to a 5-3 win over the Calgary Flames.

 

In year two of a five-year, $26.5 million US deal, Pominville entered the game with just one goal and one helper in his last 23 outings.

 

He matched that output by setting up Erik Haula for the game's first goal 10:22 into the contest, then was set-up by Haula for a one-timer at 18:16 of the second that made it 4-2. It was just the seventh goal and 23rd point this season for Pominville.

 

Jason Zucker, Mikko Koivu and Charlie Coyle, into an empty net, also scored for Minnesota (25-22-10) and Nino Neiderreiter had two assists.

After a 1-11-2 record culminated in the firing of coach Mike Yeo, the Wild have won their first two games under interim coach John Torchetti and are within two points of Nashville and the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

 

Deryk Engelland, with his first of the season, David Jones and Mikeal Backlund scored for Calgary (25-28-3), which has lost three straight.

The loss capped off a bad day for the organization. First it was learned that starting goaltender Karri Ramo was lost for the season with a torn ACL. Then, the NHL announced it was upholding the 20-game suspension for defenceman Dennis Wideman.

 

The Wild surged in front 2-0 with a short-handed goal with 26 seconds left in the first when Zucker ripped a shot over the shoulder of Jonas Hiller.

Minnesota went up by three at 3:09 of the second on Koivu's 12th goal. It was the 10th power-play goal allowed in the last four games for the Flames, who are the NHL's 30th ranked penalty k*ll.

 

Calgary got on the scoreboard at 11:28 of the second on Engelland's first goal in 56 games.

 

Jones made it 3-2 at 16:38 on a weird one, his shot deflecting into the air off the stick of Wild defenceman Mike Reilly, hitting his defence partner Matt Dumba in the face, and fluttering over goalie Devan Dubnyk.

 

Backlund scored on the power play with 4:11 left but Calgary's couldn't get it back to even.

 

Dubnyk had 25 stops for Minnesota. Hiller had 19 saves for Calgary. The veteran has lost all three starts since Ramo's injury, giving up 12 goals.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots

[Guns of the Patriots]

Credits to NHL.com (Game results, Feb. 18) Around the League notebook: Thursday, Feb. 18 Williams' overtime goal leads NHL-best Capitals past Islanders

by NHL Public Relations @NHL / NHL.com

February 19th, 2016

 

 

THURSDAY'S RESULTS
Home Team in Caps
Washington 3, NY ISLANDERS 2 (OT)
PITTSBURGH 6, Detroit 3
NY Rangers 4, TORONTO 2
OTTAWA 4, Carolina 2
TAMPA BAY 6, Winnipeg 5 (SO)
San Jose 2, FLORIDA 1 (SO)
ST. LOUIS 2, Los Angeles 1 (OT)
NASHVILLE 2, Boston 0
Minnesota 5, EDMONTON 2
ARIZONA 6, Dallas 3
Anaheim 5, VANCOUVER 2

WILLIAMS LIFTS NHL-LEADING CAPITALS OVER ISLANDERS

The New York Islanders tied the game late in the third period, but Justin Williams (1-1-2) scored with 43.2 seconds left in overtime to power the Washington Capitals to their seventh win in their last eight games (7-1-0).

 

* At 42-10-4 for 88 points, the NHL-leading Capitals continued their best start to a season in terms of wins and points. Their 42 victories through 56 games are three shy of equaling their total from 2014-15 (45-26-11).

 

Williams wins game for Capitals WSH@NYI: Williams scores game-winner in overtime

 

• 28 • February 19th, 2016

* The Capitals improved to 21-6-2 on the road this season. They're first in the NHL in road wins (21) and road points (44).

* Williams scored his first overtime goal of the season and his third NHL regular-season goal (also Jan. 16, 2007 at FLA w/ CAR and Nov. 30, 2002 at MTL w/ PHI). He added an assist for his 10th multipoint game in 56 games this season.

* Braden Holtby (20 saves) improved to 8-1-1 in his past 10 games and 36-6-3 with a 2.15 goals-against average, .925 save percentage and two shutouts this season. Holtby leads the NHL with 36 victories this season, four more than the next-closest goalie (Corey Crawford : 32).

* Alex Ovechkin scored two goals in a span of 1:27 for his sixth multigoal game of the season. He has scored eight times in his last six games (8-0-8) and leads the NHL with 37 goals in 54 games this season.

RAANTA, STEPAN LIFT RANGERS OVER MAPLE LEAFS

Antti Raanta made 35 saves and Derek Stepan (1-1-2) scored the go-ahead goal with 1:31 left in the third period as the New York Rangers improved to 6-1-1 in their past eight games.

* At 33-19-6 for 72 points, the Rangers increased their lead to five points on the Islanders (30-19-7, 67 points) for second place in the Metropolitan Division.

* Raanta halted a personal six-game losing streak (0-4-2) following a 4-0-0 start to the season. For the season he's 5-4-2 with a 2.52 GAA, .907 save percentage and one shutout.

* Stepan scored his third game-winning goal of the season (also Feb. 14 vs. PHI and Oct. 7 at CHI) and added an assist for his third multipoint game in his past four (4-2-6).

* Mats Zuccarello (1-2-3) scored his 20th goal of the season in 58 games and eclipsed his career high of 19 in 77 games in 2013-14. He added two assists for his fifth three-point game of the season and third against the Maple Leafs (also Nov. 15 vs. TOR: 1-2-3 and Oct. 30 vs. TOR: 3-0-3). Zuccarello leads the Rangers with 46 points.

* Zuccarello has nine goals and 14 points in 10 career games against the Toronto Maple Leafs, including five goals and nine points in three games this season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Zuccarello became the first member of the Rangers with three games with three or more points against a single opponent in a season since 2005-06 (Jaromir Jagr vs. NYI and PHI, Martin Straka vs. NYI).

* Derick Brassard (2-0-2) had his fifth multigoal game of the season and has scored in three straight games (4-1-5). He leads the Rangers with 22 goals in 57 games.

COYOTES INCH CLOSER TO WILD CARD POSITION ...

Max Domi (2-1-3), Martin Hanzal (1-2-3) and Anthony Duclair (0-3-3) each had three-point games to lead the Arizona Coyotes to a 4-2-1 record in their past seven home games, including three straight wins.

* At 27-24-6 for 60 points, the Coyotes moved within four points of the idle Colorado Avalanche (30-26-4, 64 points) for the final wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the Western Conference.

* Domi had his fourth multigoal and second three-point game of the season. He is tied for second among all rookies with 39 points in 57 games.

* Hanzal has back-to-back three-point games (also Feb. 15 vs. MTL: 1-2-3). Duclair had his third three-point game of the season (also Dec. 12 vs. CAR: 2-1-3 and Oct. 14 at ANA: 3-0-3).

* Louis Domingue (36 saves) has wins in three of his past four games (3-1-0) and improved to 12-8-4 with a 2.55 GAA, .916 save percentage and two shutouts this season.

... WILD, SENATORS KEEP PACE

The Minnesota Wild and Ottawa Senators won Thursday to move closer to the final wild cards in the Western and Eastern Conference, respectively:

* Darcy Kuemper made 31 saves to backstop the Wild to their third straight win under interim coach John Torchetti on the heels of an eight-game losing streak (0-6-2). Kuemper halted a personal three-game losing streak (0-2-1) and improved to 6-3-5 with a 2.26 GAA, .920 save percentage and two shutouts this season. Thomas Vanek (1-1-2) scored the game-winning goal and had an assist for his seventh multipoint game in 57 games this season. Mike Reilly had two assists for his first NHL multi-point game, while Mikael Granlund (1-1-2), Matt Dumba (1-1-2) and Mikko Koivu (0-2-2) also had multipoint games. At 26-22-10 for 62 points, the Wild moved within two points of the idle Avalanche (30-26-4, 64 points) for the final wild card in the Western Conference.

* Tied 2-2 through 40 minutes, the Senators scored two goals in the third period, including the game-winning goal by Cody Ceci , to earn their fourth victory in their past five games at Canadian Tire Centre (4-1-0). Craig Anderson made 30 saves and had his second assist of the season to improve to 4-0-0 in his past four home games and 24-19-4 with a 2.78 GAA, .917 save percentage and three shutouts on the season. Erik Karlsson had two assists. He leads all players with 54 assists and all defensemen with 65 points in 59 games. At 27-26-6 for 60 points, the Senators moved within six points of the Tampa Bay Lightning (31-22-4, 66 points) for the final wild card in the Eastern Conference.

CLUBS CLAIM WILD CARDS
The Pittsburgh Penguins, Lightning and Nashville Predators won Thursday and claimed possession of wild cards in their respective conferences:

* Phil Kessel scored two goals and Marc-Andre Fleury made 35 saves as the Penguins improved to 9-1-2 in their past 12 home games dating to Dec. 21. Kessel had his fourth multigoal game of the season. Fleury improved to 8-2-1 in his past 11 games; for the season he's 23-13-6 with a 2.35 GAA, .922 save percentage and four shutout. Sidney Crosby (1-1-2) had his 17th multi-point game of the season; he's tied for seventh in the NHL with 55 points in 55 games. Matt Cullen (1-1-2), Chris Kunitz (0-2-2) and Patric Hornqvist (0-2-2) each had two points. At 29-19-8 for 66 points, the Penguins leapfrogged the idle New Jersey Devils (29-22-7, 65 points) for the first wild card in the Eastern Conference. They also moved within one point of the Islanders (30-19-7, 67 points) for third place in the Metropolitan Division.

* The Lightning allowed four consecutive goals in the third period, but Nikita Kucherov scored the game-tying goal with 4:56 left in regulation and Steven Stamkos (1-0-1) scored the game-deciding shootout goal as the Lightning improved to 10-2-0 in their past 12 home games. Kucherov continues to lead the Lightning in goals (24) and points (49) in 57 games this season. Andrei Vasilevskiy (36 saves) improved to 7-1-0 in his past eight decisions; for the season he's 9-5-0 with a 2.88 GAA, .907 save percentage and one shutout. At 31-22-4 for 66 points, the Lightning leapfrogged the idle Devils (29-22-7, 65 points) for the final wild card in the Eastern Conference.

* Pekka Rinne turned aside all 29 shots he faced to backstop the Predators to a 5-1-0 record in their past six home games against the Boston Bruins dating to Dec. 30, 2006 (BOS: 1-2-3). Rinne, who had his third shutout of the season and 39th in the NHL, improved to 21-18-8 with a 2.51 GAA, .904 save percentage and three shutouts on the season. And in five career games against the Bruins he's 4-0-1 with a 1.89 GAA, .940 save percentage and one shutout. Filip Forsberg (1-1-2) had his 10th multipoint game in 58 games this season and has scored six times in his past six games (6-2-8). He also reached the 20-goal mark for the second straight season. At 27-21-10 for 64 points, the Predators tied the idle Avalanche (30-26-4, 64 points) in terms of points for the first wild card in the Western Conference. Nashville, however, holds two games in hand.

AROUND THE RINKS

* Martin Jones made 19 saves through 65 minutes and denied two of three shooters in the shootout to backstop the San Jose Sharks to a 4-0-1 record in their past five games, including three straight wins. Jones had his fourth consecutive victory and improved to 28-15-3 with a 2.30 GAA, .917 save percentage and five shutouts this season. The Sharks improved to 20-8-2 in 30 road games this season and lead the Western Conference in road wins (20) and road points (42). At 31-20-5 for 67 points, the Sharks maintained a seven-point lead on the Coyotes (27-24-6, 60 points) for third place in the Pacific Division. They also remained one point behind the Anaheim Ducks (30-19-8, 68 points) for second.

* Brian Elliott made 34 saves and Jaden Schwartz scored at 1:40 of overtime as the St. Louis Blues pushed their point streak to six games (5-0-1), including four consecutive wins. Elliot stretched his personal point streak to six games (5-0-1), which includes four straight victories. Overall, Elliot improved to 16-7-6 with a 1.99 GAA, .934 save percentage and one shutout this season. Schwartz scored his second NHL overtime goal (also Feb. 3, 2015 vs. TBL) and has scored three times in four games (3-1-4) since his return from a 49-game absence because of a broken ankle. At 34-17-9 for 77 points, the Blues maintained a 13-point lead on the Predators (27-21-10, 64 points) for third place in the Central Division. They also climbed within three points of the Dallas Stars (37-16-6, 80 points) for second.

 

 

Schwartz wins it in overtime

LAK@STL: Schwartz's overtime winner

• 1:10 • February 19th, 2016

* Five Ducks scored to defeat the Vancouver Canucks and conclude their seven-game road trip with a 5-1-1 record, including wins in their past four games. Ryan Getzlaf (1-1-2) scored the game-winning goal and added an assist to stretch his point streak to seven games (3-9-12) and his road point streak to 10 (4-13-17). Getzlaf had his 12th multipoint game in 53 games this season and leads the Ducks in assists (39) and points (46). Rickard Rakell (1-1-2) and Sami Vatanen (1-1-2) each had a goal and an assist. John Gibson (19 saves) improved to 4-1-0 in his past five decisions; for the season he's 13-8-2 with a 2.10 GAA, .917 save percentage and four shutouts. At 30-19-8 for 68 points, the Ducks maintained a one-point lead on the Sharks (31-20-5, 67 points) for second place in the Pacific Division. They also climbed within three points of the Los Angeles Kings (33-20-4, 70 points) for first.

MILESTONES & BENCHMARKS

* Florida Panthers forward Jaromir Jagr scored his 740th career goal and moved within one of tying Brett Hull (741) for third on the NHL all-time list. Jagr (740-1,103-1,843) also moved within seven points of tying Gordie Howe (801-1,049-1,850) for third place in NHL history.

 

 

Jagr's 740th goal SJS@FLA: Jagr breaks the deadlock with his 740th goal

 

• 56 • February 19th, 2016

 

• * Ducks forward Andrew Cogliano skated in his 679th consecutive game since making his NHL debut Oct. 4, 2007 (w/ EDM), tying Henrik Sedin (679 games from March 21, 2004 - Jan. 18, 2014) for the sixth-longest consecutive games played streak in NHL history.
  
  * Jets captain Andrew Ladd (2-0-2) had his first multigoal game of the season to reach the 200-goal milestone.
  
  * Forward Colin Greening scored his first goal in a Maple Leafs uniform (4 GP).
  
  * Maple Leafs defenseman Viktor Loov had an assist and 8:41 of ice time in his NHL debut.
  
  * Wild forward Thomas Vanek (800), Stars forward Ales Hemsky (800), Ducks forward Nate Thompson (500) and Maple Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier (200) each played in milestone games.
  
  * Penguins forward Scott Wilson scored his first NHL goal in his 14th game, and it stood as the game-winner. Coyotes forward Tyler Gaudet scored his first NHL goal in his 12th game.

 

 

 

LOOSE PUCKS

The Capitals improved to 6-0-2 in their past eight regular-season games against the New York Islanders dating to April 5, 2014 (NYI: 2-3-3), including four straight wins. ... Islanders captain John Tavares (5-6-11), Red Wings forward Pavel Datsyuk (6-5-11) and Sharks forward Joe Thornton (3-7-10) stretched their point streaks to seven games. ... Rangers forward J.T. Miller (0-3-3) had single-game NHL career highs with three assists/points. ... Rangers defenseman Keith Yandle (0-1-1) stretched his assist/point streak to five games (0-5-5). ... The Rangers improved to 7-2-1 in their past 10 games against the Maple Leafs dating to April 10, 2013 (TOR: 3-5-2), including four straight wins. ... Carolina Hurricanes forward Riley Nash (3-1-4) and Wild forward Charlie Coyle (3-0-3) extended their goal-scoring streaks to three games. ... Kings forward Tyler Toffoli scored his 24th goal of the season in 57 games, eclipsing his NHL career high of 23 in 76 games in 2014-15. ... The Wild improved to 11-1-0 in their past 12 road games against the Edmonton Oilers dating to Oct. 21, 2010 (EDM: 1-9-2), including six straight wins. ... Oilers forward Connor McDavid (1-0-1), the No. 1 pick of the 2015 NHL Draft, has 5-10-15 in nine games since making his return to the lineup Feb. 2 and is 10-16-26 in 22 games this season. ... Stars captain Jamie Benn (1-1-2) had his 18th multipoint game in 59 games this season and is second with 66 points. Benn reached the 30-goal mark for the third straight season. ... Stars forward Tyler Seguin (1-1-2) had his 21st multipoint game in 59 games this season and is tied for third in the NHL with 65 points. ... Coyotes defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson (0-1-1) is fourth among defensemen with 45 points in 57 games and eclipsed his NHL career high of 44 points in 80 games in 2013-14. ... The Coyotes improved to 7-2-1 in their past 10 home games against the Stars dating to March 29, 2011 (DAL: 3-5-2). ... The Ducks improved to 11-1-3 in their past 15 games against the Canucks dating to April 25, 2013 (VAN: 4-8-3). ... Canucks forward Jannik Hansen scored his 17th goal in 53 games this season, eclipsing his career high of 16 in 81 games in 2014-15 and in 82 games in 2011-12. ... The 2016 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series outdoor game between the Wild and Blackhawks on Feb. 21 at TCF Bank Stadium in Minnesota will feature performances by recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Cheap Trick, alternative rock band Soul Asylum, singer/songwriter Jazmine Sullivan and the University of Minnesota marching band. ... The Blackhawks were honored for winning the 2015 Stanley Cup with a ceremony at the White House hosted by President Barack Obama. It's the third time during Obama's two-term presidency that the Blackhawks have taken the Cup to the White House.

 

[Guns of the Patriots]

Credits to NHL.com

 

Around the League notebook: Friday, Feb. 19

 

by NHL Public Relations

 

February 20th, 2016

FRIDAY'S RESULTS
Home Team in Caps

NY Islanders 1, NEW JERSEY 0
CAROLINA 5, San Jose 2
Buffalo 4, COLUMBUS 0
MONTREAL 3, Philadelphia 2 (SO)
CALGARY 5, Vancouver 2

 

SKINNER'S TWO GOALS LEAD HURRICANES CLOSER TO WILD-CARD SPOT

Jeff Skinner (2-0-2) scored twice in the third period, including the game-winner at the 39-second mark, to help the Carolina Hurricanes defeat the San Jose Sharks. The Hurricanes are 11-4-3 in their past 18 games and 4-1-2 in their past seven.

 

* At 27-22-10 (64 points), the Hurricanes moved within two points of the idle Pittsburgh Penguins (29-19-8, 66 points) and Tampa Bay Lightning (31-22-4, 66 points), who hold the two wild cards into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.

 

* The Hurricanes improved to 13-4-3 in their past 20 games at PNC Arena, dating to Nov. 22, after going 2-5-3 in their first 10 home games. Their 13 home wins in that span are one off the League lead, behind the Washington Capitals, Lightning and Chicago Blackhawks, each of whom has 14.

 

* Skinner registered his fourth multigoal game of the season; it was his first since doing it feat three times during a 10-day span in December (Dec. 5 vs. the Montreal Canadiens: 2-0-2, Dec. 11 at the Anaheim Ducks: 3-0-3 and Dec. 15 at the Philadelphia Flyers: 3-0-3).

 

* Skinner leads the Hurricanes with 21 goals (59 GP) and has reached the 20-goal mark for the fourth time in six seasons. That includes a career-high seven game-winning goals, one more than he had in 2013-14 (71 GP) and one behind League leaders Joe Pavelski and Jonathan Toews .

 

CANADIENS, FLAMES GAIN GROUND IN WILD CARD CHASES

The Montreal Canadiens and Calgary Flames both earned wins to improve their positions in their respective playoff races:

 

* Max Pacioretty tied the game at 8:35 of the third period and scored in the shootout to help the Canadiens end a three-game losing streak (0-3-0) and earn their fourth consecutive victory at Bell Centre. Mike Condon made 35 saves through overtime and stopped four of five shots in the tiebreaker to halt a personal five-game losing streak. At 28-27-4 (60 points), the Canadiens are one of seven clubs separated by six points in the chase for a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

 

* Trailing 2-1 after 20 minutes, the Flames scored four unanswered goals to snap a three-game losing streak (0-3-0) and improve to 3-1-0 against the Vancouver Canucks this season (Vancouver is 1-2-1). Prior to 2015-16, the Flames had three victories in their previous 14 regular-season meetings in this head-to-head series dating to Jan. 23, 2013 (CGY: 3-7-4, VAN: 11-3-0). Linemates Michael Frolik , Mikael Backlund and Joe Colborne each had 1-1-2 for the Flames (26-28-3, 55 points), who moved within nine points of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.

 

STRONG BETWEEN THE PIPES

The New York Islanders and Buffalo Sabres each had a shutout victory on the road:

 

* Jaroslav Halak made 27 saves and Casey Cizikas scored 1:59 into the game against the New Jersey Devils. The islanders are 5-1-1 in their past seven games overall and 13-3-1 in their past 17 games against the Devils dating to Jan. 31, 2013 (NJD: 4-7-6). Halak had his 39th career shutout and ninth since joining the Islanders (90 GP), including three this season (also Oct. 20 at the Columbus Blue Jackets and Oct. 26 vs. the Calgary Flames). At 31-19-7 (69 points), the Islanders moved within three points of the idle New York Rangers (33-19-6, 72 points) for second place in the Metropolitan Division.

 

* Robin Lehner made 38 saves, 15 in the third period, to help the Sabres beat the Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. The Sabres are 5-2-3 in their past 10 games, including 3-0-1 in their past four. Lehner earned his third career shutout and first since Jan. 14, 2014, when he played for the Ottawa Senators. He improved to 4-4-2 in 12 appearances this season (2.30 GAA, .932 SV%, 1 SO), his first with the Sabres. David Legwand flipped a shot from the defensive zone that skipped into the Blue Jackets' goal to put the Sabres ahead 2-0 late in the first period.

 

GOSTISBEHERE PUSHES POINT STREAK TO 14 GAMES

Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere had an assist to extend his point streak to 14 games (4-13-17), adding to his NHL record for a rookie defenseman as well as his franchise record for any rookie.

 

* The Elias Sports Bureau says Gostisbehere became the first defenseman to have a 14-game point streak for any team since Brian Leetch had a 14-game streak with the Rangers from Oct. 30 - Dec. 1, 1996 (6-14-20).

 

* Gostisbehere also became the first Flyers player (forward or defenseman) to have points in at least 14 consecutive games since Eric Lindros had an 18-game streak from Jan. 7 - Feb. 18, 1999 (14-21-35).

 

* Gostisbehere leads first-year defensemen and is tied for fifth among all rookies with 11-22-33 this season (39 GP). Via Elias, his 14-game point streak is tied for the third-longest by any rookie since the start of the 1987-88 season:

 

Longest Rookie Point Streaks, Since 1987-88
20 - Paul Stastny (COL) from Feb. 3 - March 17, 2007 (11-18-29)
17 - Teemu Selanne (WPG) from March 9 - April 15, 1993 (20-14-34)
14 - Joe Nieuwendyk (CGY) from Dec. 20, 1987 - Jan. 21, 1988 (15-14-29)
14 - Joe Juneau (BOS) from Oct. 8 - Nov. 12, 1992 (7-15-22)
14 - Shayne Gostisbehere (PHI) from Jan. 19 - Feb. 16, 2016 (4-13-17)

 

LOOSE PUCKS

Hurricanes goaltender Cam Ward made 22 saves and is 6-0-4 in his last 10 games (1.90 GAA, .930 SV%), tying his career-high point streak established from March 14-April 7, 2009 (9-0-1). … Flames captain Mark Giordano scored his 14th goal of the season (57 GP) to equal the career high he set in 2013-14 (64 GP). … Sabres forward Sam Reinhart scored his 18th goal of the season to take sole possession of the team lead and move into third place among all rookies, behind Blackhawks forward Artemi Panarin (22) and Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin (19) . … Sharks defenseman Brent Burns scored his 19th goal of the season, tops among defensemen. He is three goals shy of his career-high, established in 2013-14 (22 goals in 69 GP). … Flames defenseman TJ Brodie had three assists to match a career-high established at Montreal on Nov. 2, 2014 (also 0-3-3). … Islanders defenseman Nick Leddy had an assist to extend his point streak to five games (1-4-5). … The Department of Player Safety suspended Maple Leafs forward Leo Komarov for three games for elbowing Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh on Thursday.

[Guns of the Patriots]

Credits NHL.com

 

Stamkos' 300th goal leads Lightning past Penguins

 

Tampa Bay captain second-fastest active player to reach milestone

 

by Wes Crosby / NHL.com Correspondent

4:36 AM

Stamkos' 300th goal TBL@PIT: Stamkos nets rebound for 300th goal

2/20/16: Steven Stamkos comes up with a rebound in front of the net and buries the puck for his 300th NHL goal

 

PITTSBURGH - Tampa Bay Lightning forward Steven Stamkos wanted to get his 300th goal out of the way quickly, and did against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday.

Stamkos scored for the second straight game to reach the milestone and help the Lightning defeat the Penguins 4-2 at Consol Energy Center.

After Anton Stralman opened the scoring for Tampa Bay, Stamkos extended the lead to 2-0 at 11:20 of the first period. Alex Killorn began the play by fluttering a shot through goalie Jeff Zatkoff and off the left post, where it bounced through the crease. Stamkos beat defenseman Kris Letang to the puck and flicked it over the goal line before Zatkoff could recover.

"It's pretty special," Stamkos said. "First of all, it means you've been around for a while, and secondly, I've been fortunate to play with a lot of good players. I've been able to be put in positions to score goals, and obviously it was special coming in a big win for our team."

 

Stralman snipes goal in TBL@PIT: Stralman snipes goal from point

Stamkos, who scored his 299th goal in a 6-5 shootout win against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday, became the third Tampa Bay player to score 300, joining Vincent Lecavalier (383) and Martin St. Louis (365). Washington Capitals forward Alex Ovechkin (349) is the only player who has scored more goals than Stamkos since he entered the NHL in 2008-09.

At 26 years, 13 days old, Stamkos is the ninth-youngest player to score 300 goals, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He's the second-youngest active player to get there after Ovechkin, who was 25 years, 200 days old when he scored No. 300 on April 5, 2011. Stamkos also is the first player from the 2008 NHL Draft to reach the mark; he has 162 more goals than Edmonton Oilers forward Jordan Eberle, the next-closest player from his draft class.

"I'm usually pretty aware [when a milestone is approaching]," Stamkos said. "I knew coming in I had 299, so it's not a crazy number where you're losing sleep over it, but when you're close to something like that it's nice to get it and get it out of the way and just focus on what you have to do to win."

Tampa Bay (32-22-4) won a regular-season game at Consol Energy Center for the first time since it opened in October 2010.

"I didn't think we gave them a whole lot," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. "When we did give them something, it was either we were on a power play or it was 4-on-4. But other than that, I thought 5-on-5 we played pretty steady. We got the lead. We played D. That was pretty much it."

 

Lightning tally on tic-tac-toe TBL@PIT: Lightning score on slick tic-tac-toe passing

 

Tom Kuhnhackl and Scott Wilson scored for the Penguins. Zatkoff, who started in place of Marc-Andre Fleury, made 16 saves. The Penguins announced during pre-game warmup that Fleury was ill.

"I thought we played hard," Zatkoff said. "I thought we were resilient. I thought we were in the game. … We kept battling back. The guys played really hard."

After Stamkos' goal, the Lightning maintained a multi-goal lead for the remainder of the game.

Earlier in the first period, after Penguins forward Kevin Porter sent a shot off the crossbar, Stralman scored at the other end to give the Lightning a 1-0 lead. Vladislav Namestnikov fed Stralman from below the goal line. Stralman faked a slap shot to freeze Wilson before sending a wrist shot through traffic and Zatkoff at 9:08 of the first period. The goal was Stralman's ninth of the season and fourth in three games against the Penguins.

Following Stamkos' goal, Lightning defenseman Matthew Carle pushed the lead to 3-0 with a knuckling shot between Zatkoff's pads for his first goal of the season 3:14 into the second period.

 

Zatkoff turns away wrister TBL@PIT: Zatkoff turns away quick wrister

Kuhnhackl scored his first NHL goal on a shorthanded 2-on-1 to cut the deficit to 3-1 at 5:35 of the second, but Tyler Johnson put the Lightning ahead 4-1 on his ninth goal of the season at 11:53 of the second.

Wilson scored his second NHL goal with 3:59 left in the second to close the scoring.

The Penguins had an opportunity to pull within one goal when they had a 5-on-3 power play for the final 1:08 of the second period but they attempted one shot, which Letang sent wide of the net. The power play expired 17 seconds into the third period without goalie Ben Bishop making a save.

"I think that was a big moment for us," Sullivan said. "I told our guys that after the game. I think if we score in that circumstance, we're going into the third period down one. It's a real game. It's close. We're one shot away."

 

Carle sneaks one in from point TBL@PIT: Carle sneaks one in from point on deflection

"I thought we did a good job of responding after they got that shorthanded goal. We got another one shortly after," Bishop said. "That stuff's going to happen. Obviously, we want to clean that up a little bit. On the power play, we can't be giving up shorthanded goals like that. Other than that, the guys responded pretty well. A little bit of bend there, but definitely no break."

Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said defenseman Ben Lovejoy sustained an upper-body injury during the game and will not play Sunday against the Buffalo Sabres.

Lightning forward Cedric Paquette was injured late in the third period after blocking a shot and was helped off the ice and did not return. Cooper did not have an update.

Edited February 21, 2016 by Guns of the Patriots