Malkin’s OT goal lifts Penguins past Bruins
Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin scored his second goal of the game 2:51 into overtime as the host Penguins beat the Boston Bruins 6-5 on Sunday night. Phil Kessel set up Malkin, who one-timed a shot over Tuukka Rask’s pad during a 2-on-1.
Malkin and Kessel scored power-play goals in regulation for Pittsburgh, which overcame a 5-3 deficit. Kris Letang, Jamie Oleksiak and Riley Sheahan also connected, and Sidney Crosby had three assists.
Matt Murray stopped all six shots he faced in relief of Tristan Jarry, who made 14 saves on 19 shots before he was pulled after the Bruins’ fifth goal.
Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, David Backes, Noel Acciari and Ryan Spooner scored for Boston. The Bruins earned a point for the 11th straight game (8-0-3).
Golden Knights 2, Rangers 1: William Karlsson scored the tie-breaking goal midway through the third period to lift Vegas past visiting New York. James Neal also scored and MarcAndre improve Fleury to 9-2-1 stopped in front 28 of shots a seasonhigh to 18,234 in attendance. The Western Conference-leading Golden Knights have the top home record in the NHL at 18-2-1. The expansion team is 9-0-1 in its past 10 at home.
Capitals 4, Blues 3: Nicklas Backstrom scored at 4:17 of overtime and Alex Ovechkin had a power-play goal and an assist to help Washington win at home. Recognizing a change of possession in the Capitals’ end late in overtime, Backstrom headed down ice, received a long pass from T.J. Oshie and beat goalie Carter Hutton for his ninth goal of the season. Washington has won four in a row overall and nine consecutive home games.
Blackhawks 4, Oilers 1: Anton Forsberg made 32 saves, and Nick Schmaltz and Alex DeBrincat scored in the first period in host Chicago’s victory over Edmonton. Brandon Saad and Jordan Oesterle also scored to help the Blackhawks win at home for the first time since Dec. 17. Jonathan Toews extended his point streak to four games.
Islanders 5, Devils 4: Jaroslav Halak made 42 saves and Brock Nelson scored the only goal in the shootout as host New York beat New Jersey to snap a five-game losing streak. Nelson beat Cory Schneider in the fifth round of the shootout after the Islanders overcame a 4-2 to force overtime. Cal Clutterbuck and rookie Sebastian Aho had third-period goals after Miles Wood and Taylor Hall gave the Devils a 4-2 lead early in the period.
Flyers scored 4, the Sabres go-ahead 1: Sean goal Couturier in the second period and added an emptynetter to help host Philadelphia beat Buffalo for its third straight victory. Couturier has four goals in two games and 42 points, three more than his previous career best. Michal Neuvirth stopped 30 shots, Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov also scored, and Jakub Voracek had two assists to give him an NHL-high 43.
Lightning 5, Red Wings 2: Dan Girardi had a goal and an assist in the first period before leaving after he was hit in the beck by a shot in Tampa Bay’s win in Detroit. Girardi turned his head to the left when Detroit’s Martin Frk took a shot on a power play and the puck hit him. He lay face down on the ice while a doctor evaluated him and was eventually able to sit up and skate off. The team said he was “OK” and greeted teammates between periods.
Blue Jackets 3, Panthers 2: Josh Anderson scored the deciding goal in the eighth round of the shootout, lifting Columbus past visiting Florida. Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky stopped Jared McCann’s attempt to secure the victory. Nick Foligno and rookie Pierre-Luc Dubois scored power-play goals for Columbus.
Canadiens 5, Canucks 2: Brendan Gallagher broke a tie midway through the third period, and Carey Price made 34 saves in Montreal’s home victory. Karl Alzner, Alex Galchenyuk, Paul Byron and Max Pacioretty also scored for the Canadiens.