NHL game roundup: Blackhawks overtake Predators
By THE SPORTS XCHANGE
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- For the first time since Oct. 25, the Nashville Predators took a regulation loss at home.
Left winger Brandon Saad scored the first goal and assisted on the game-winner Saturday night as the Chicago Blackhawks took first place in the Central Division from Nashville with a 3-1 win at sold-out Bridgestone Arena.
Rookie goalkeeper Scott Darling (3-1-0), a former Predator farmhand, stopped 32 shots as Chicago (18-8-1) started a four-game road trip with its sixth consecutive win and its ninth win in 10 games.
The Predators (17-7-2) fell to 11-2-1 at home despite another solid game from goalie Pekka Rinne (17-5-1), who made 28 saves.
The Blackhawks made it 2-0 at 2:48 of the second when Saad drove the net and fed right winger Marian Hossa for his fourth goal, his first since Nov. 22. Hossa added an empty-net goal with 1:11 remaining.
Penguins 3, Senators 2
PITTSBURGH -- Defenseman Christian Ehrhoff scored in the final two minutes, leading short-handed Pittsburgh past Ottawa.
Ehrhoff scored his second goal of the season for the Penguins, who rebounded from a shutout loss on Thursday, defeating the Senators for the fifth time in seven games.
Center Evgeni Malkin scored his 13th and 14th goals of the season, the second his 96th career power-play goal, surpassing Rick Kehoe for fourth place on the team's all-time list. Captain Sidney Crosby snapped a three-game point drought with an assist on the game-winner as Pittsburgh defeated Ottawa for the fifth time in seven games.
Blues 6, Islanders 4
UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- Center Paul Stastny started and completed a comeback from a three-goal deficit as St. Louis beat the New York Islanders.
Stastny scored the game winner with 6:34 left in third period. The Blues trailed 3-0 after one period before storming back with three unanswered goals in the second, including Stastny's score 2:36 into the period.
Stastny's second goal, off a nifty pass across the goalmouth by center Joakim Lindstrom, gave St. Louis its first lead of the day. Right winger Vladimir Tarasenko added an insurance goal with 2:28 left.
NHL all-time wins leader Martin Brodeur earned his first win with the Blues after making 15 saves in relief of starting goaltender Jake Allen, who allowed three goals on 12 shots in the first period.
Flyers 2, Kings 1
LOS ANGELES -- Right winger Wayne Simmonds and center Claude Giroux each scored, guiding Philadelphia over Los Angeles.
Flyers netminder Steve Mason stopped 37 of 38 shots as the Flyers captured their fourth win in a row at Staples and beat the Kings for the eighth time in their last 11 meetings.
Kings goalie Jonathan Quick stopped 14 of 16 shots.
Giroux's goal gave Philadelphia a 1-0 lead at 4:35 of the opening period. It was his eighth goal of the season and the 19th game in 25 outings he has produced a point.
Maple Leafs 5, Canucks 2
TORONTO -- Center Peter Holland scored one goal and assisted on another and Jonathan Bernier stopped 44 shots as Toronto defeated Vancouver.
Defenseman Jake Gardiner, right winger Richard Panik, left winger Joffrey Lupul and right winger David Clarkson also scored for the Maple Leafs, who have won three of the first four games of a four-game homestand.
Left winger Daniel Sedin and defenseman Christopher Tanev scored for the Canucks, who had won their two previous games.
Capitals 4, Devils 1
NEWARK, N.J. -- Alex Ovechkin registered just one shot on goal for only the third time this season and Washington overcame the lack of production from their star left winger to knock off New Jersey.
Ovechkin leads the league with 112 shots. His only shot for the Capitals occurred with less than eight minutes to play.
Washington received goals from center Brooks Laich (an empty-netter late in the game), center Evgeny Kuznetsov, right winger Jay Beagle and defenseman Karl Anzer. Braden Holtby made 33 saves.
Stars 4, Canadiens 1
DALLAS -- Tyler Seguin scored twice and Jamie Benn assisted on both Seguin goals as Dallas defeated Montreal.
Dallas, which received a 16-save performance from goaltender Kari Lehtonen, snapped a four-game winless streak.
Both of Seguin's goals came in the second period. The first was 3:09 into the period when he beat Montreal goaltender Carey Price to his short side from the left circle with Dallas on a 5-on-3.
Blue Jackets 3, Lightning 1
TAMPA, Fla. -- Sergei Bobrovsky made 33 saves to lead Columbus over Tampa Bay for its third straight win.
The Eastern Conference-leading Lightning had their five-game home winning streak end.
The Blue Jackets jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period behind goals from center Boone Jenner and defenseman David Savard. They did it despite being outshot 14-9.
It was a much different result than the previous meeting between the teams on Nov. 8 when Tampa Bay rolled to a 7-4 win in Columbus.
Red Wings 3, Rangers 2
DETROIT -- Center Darren Helm's goal in the third period broke a tie and gave Detroit a come-from-behind win over the New York Rangers.
The Red Wings, who snapped a five-game losing streak against the Rangers, trailed 2-0 in the second period.
Centers Riley Sheahan and Luke Glendening also scored for Detroit. Goalie Jimmy Howard stopped 27 shots.
It was Red Wings coach Mike Babcock's 500th career win.
Panthers 3, Sabres 2
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Roberto Luongo lost his long streak of shutting out Buffalo, but he and his Florida teammates still earned a victory.
Center Nick Bjugstad's rebound goal with 16.2 seconds left in the second period was the game-winner, snapping a 2-2 tie.
Florida's Aaron Ekblad, who is No. 1 in the NHL in scoring among rookie defensemen, had three assists.
Luongo had posted three straight shutouts against the Sabres -- one while he was with the Vancouver Canucks and two with the Panthers.
Bruins 5, Coyotes 2
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Left winger Brad Marchand scored two goals and Boston avoided a winless road trip with a victory over Arizona.
The loss was the seventh straight for Arizona on home ice (0-5-2). That is the longest home losing streak in Jets/Coyotes history, eclipsing six-game skids in 2007 and 2009.
The Bruins opened the scoring off a turnover. Arizona defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson tried to send a breakout pass up the left side, but Boston defenseman Dougie Hamilton intercepted it in the neutral zone, fed right winger Reilly Smith streaking toward the net and Smith found left winger Brad Marchand.
Sharks 3, Flames 2
CALGARY, Alberta -- Patrick Marleau's goal midway through the third period lifted San Jose over Calgary.
Marleau showed his hand-eye coordination to send the Sharks to their fourth straight win, making a great play to use his body to control an airborne puck and bat it past Flames goaltender Karri Ramo at 9:18 for his seventh goal of the season.
Ramo made 27 stops and Sharks goalie Antti Niemi had 33 saves.
Justin Braun, Logan Couture and Marleau scored for San Jose. Mark Giordano and Johnny Gaudreau had goals for Calgary.
