15.01.2025
Boston Bruins 6 - 2 Tampa Bay Lightning
The Boston Bruins secured a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden, thanks to a dominant early performance and strong contributions from key players. David Pastrnak led the Bruins with a goal and two assists, while Jeremy Swayman delivered an impressive 43 saves, praised by coach Joe Sacco for his timely interventions. Pavel Zacha and Andrew Peeke each recorded a goal and an assist, with Parker Wotherspoon scoring his first NHL goal, witnessed by his mother in attendance. An early 4-0 lead, highlighted by exceptional plays from Trent Frederic, Matthew Poitras, and Brad Marchand, set the tone for the Bruins. Tampa Bay's efforts to rally, with goals from Victor Hedman and Conor Geekie, were overshadowed by the absence of Brayden Point, benched for missing a team meeting, highlighting coach Jon Cooper's emphasis on team discipline. The game also saw notable NHL debuts, including Michael Callahan and Jack Finley.
Toronto Maple Leafs 1 - 4 Dallas Stars
In a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs, Logan Stankoven and Matt Duchene each recorded three points to lead the Dallas Stars at Scotiabank Arena. Stankoven, breaking a 25-game goal drought, scored twice and assisted Duchene, who also contributed a goal and two assists, showcasing the Stars' power play prowess by going 2-for-3. Stankoven's resurgence was key to Dallas snapping a seven-game losing streak to Toronto, with Jake Oettinger making 27 saves. The Maple Leafs saw Auston Matthews score the lone goal, marking Toronto's third consecutive loss for the first time since October. Mavrik Bourque also netted a power-play goal, while the Leafs struggled with special teams execution, going 0-for-2. Dallas capped off their longest road trip of the season with a strong 4-1-0 record, though forward Roope Hintz left the game early due to an injury.
Detroit Red Wings 3 - 6 San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks snapped the Detroit Red Wings' seven-game winning streak with a decisive 6-3 victory at Little Caesars Arena. William Eklund and Tyler Toffoli each contributed a goal and two assists for the Sharks, who ended their own three-game losing streak. San Jose was particularly dominant in the third period, scoring four times to seal the win. Alexandar Georgiev made 25 crucial saves, and Coach Ryan Warsofsky praised his performance as being instrumental in the win. Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice for the Red Wings, who had hoped to achieve their first eight-game winning streak since their 2008 Stanley Cup-winning season. Jan Rutta opened the scoring early, setting the tone for San Jose, while Nico Sturm added a short-handed goal to extend their lead. Eklund’s recent form continued with a goal just 26 seconds into the third period. Despite Tarasenko's efforts to narrow the gap, Granlund and Toffoli added to San Jose's lead, with Mario Ferraro scoring the final empty-net goal. Notably, Sharks' Marc-Edouard Vlasic is on the cusp of reaching 1,300 NHL games. Additionally, Red Wings' Tyler Motte left the game with an upper-body injury, with no immediate update provided on his condition.
New Jersey Devils 1 - 2 Florida Panthers
In a hard-fought match at the Prudential Center, the Florida Panthers edged the New Jersey Devils 2-1 in a shootout, with Spencer Knight making 26 saves. Anton Lundell scored the decisive shootout goal for the Panthers, maintaining their perfect record in shootouts for the season. Jesper Boqvist opened the scoring for Florida early in the third period, but Nico Hischier quickly equalized for the Devils with his 20th goal, marking his fourth consecutive 20-goal season—a franchise first since Kyle Palmieri's streak ended in 2020. Despite New Jersey's solid effort and ending their six-game home winning streak, they fell short, losing six of their last eight. Notably, the Panthers succeeded in killing both penalties after struggling with power-play goals in prior games. Florida's victory was their first against New Jersey this season, following two earlier defeats.
Pittsburgh Penguins 2 - 4 Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken staged a thrilling comeback with three consecutive third-period goals to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2 at PPG Paints Arena. Jamie Oleksiak and Eeli Tolvanen scored just 50 seconds apart, with Tolvanen tapping in the game-winning goal, assisted by Shane Wright. Kaapo Kakko sealed the win with an empty-net goal. Joey Daccord excelled with 31 saves for the Kraken, who snapped a rough patch of five losses in six games. Chandler Stephenson initially put Kraken ahead with a short-handed goal, while Bryan Rust and Philip Tomasino scored for the Penguins, who outshot their opponents 16-2 in the first period yet continued their struggling streak, losing seven of their last eight games. Pittsburgh coach Mike Sullivan and players, including Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, emphasized the need for full 60-minute efforts to secure victories, highlighting their difficulty in maintaining leads. Notably, former Penguins coach Dan Bylsma returned to Pittsburgh for the first time since 2017.
Washington Capitals 3 - 0 Anaheim Ducks
Thompson makes 19 saves, Capitals shut out Ducks to extend point streak to 8 games
WASHINGTON --
"I'm good at letting in one [goal], so I can never seem to get them,” Thompson said of the shutout. “It's always a treat when I do."
“We’re not shooting a ton of pucks,” Anaheim forward Alex Killorn said. “Our goalies keep us in every single game and we’ve got to find ways to score. We score two goals a game, so it’s got to come from within us winning battles, being better in the O zone, creating more chances.”
The Capitals took a 1-0 lead at 7:34 when Jakob Chychrun’s shot off his own rebound deflected in off Duhaime’s skate.
John Carlson made it 2-0 at 14:30, gathering in a loose puck and beating Gibson with a wrist shot from the right circle.
“I thought that was one of the best periods we’ve played in a long time,” Capitals coach Spencer Carbery said of the opening 20 minutes. “Second period we got away from it and [Thompson] had to bail us out.” Ethen Frank increased the lead to 3-0 at 19:01 of the second period, receiving a pass from Pierre-Luc Dubois on a 2-on-1 rush and scoring with a glove-side wrist shot from the right circle.
“Tonight, we gave up a couple 2-on-1s and partial breakaways,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said. “Their third goal, which was a backbreaker, we pinched down the wall and we didn’t have somebody to replace for the pincher and it ended up being a 2-on-1 goal.”
Frank, 26, has two goals and an assist in his first three NHL games.
"He's been great,” Carlson said. “More than just the tallies and stuff, I think he seems to be a positive impact every time he steps on the ice. Obviously, a guy with speed like that is a threat no matter where he is. It's great to see. It's a great story, and we're relying on him big right now.”
NOTES: Frank is the sixth player in Capitals franchise history to record a point in each of his first three NHL games, joining Alex Ovechkin (eight games in 2005-06), Andre Burakovsky (four games in 2014-15), Milan Novy (four games in 1982-83), Ryan Walter (four games in 1978-79) and Jan Bulis (three games in 1997-98). … Capitals center Nic Dowd won 8-of-10 faceoffs. … Dubois has recorded 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in his last 21 games. … Ducks forward Troy Terry played 18:49 and was minus-1 in his return after missing four games for personal reasons.
Columbus Blue Jackets 3 - 2 Philadelphia Flyers
The Columbus Blue Jackets secured their fifth consecutive victory with a 3-2 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers, highlighted by Zach Werenski's late-game heroics at Nationwide Arena. Werenski, who scored twice to tie the game in the third period, missed a potential hat trick with a saved shot in overtime. Daniil Tarasov contributed 23 saves in his first start since December, while Kent Johnson and Kirill Marchenko scored in the shootout. Marchenko also extended his point streak to five games. For Philadelphia, Bobby Brink ended his 21-game goal drought with an early lead, and Owen Tippett added another goal. Despite Ivan Fedotov’s 26 saves, the Flyers fell short, with coach John Tortorella acknowledging the fatigue from their previous night's game. Werenski's efforts also placed him among the elite, being only the seventh defenseman in NHL history with a home point streak of at least 17 games, a list that includes legends like Bobby Orr.
New York Islanders 0 - 2 Ottawa Senators
Merilainen makes 24 saves, Senators blank Islanders
ELMONT, N.Y. --
“He's doing an excellent job right now, and we're so happy for him,” Ottawa defenseman
“I think it was just about staying with it,” Ottawa coach Travis Green said. “We talked about how, in these types of games, details and puck battles are really going to matter. Every inch of the ice is important, and I know we had buy-in from everyone.”
New York was shut out for the sixth time this season.
“I’m going to give them some credit, they did a good job boxing us out,” Islanders coach Patrick Roy said. “But, I mean, we didn't go to the net enough. We didn't generate enough offense by throwing pucks at the net. Maybe we tried to be a little too perfect.”
Gaudette thought he scored the opening goal for Ottawa at 1:42 of the first period, but New York challenged the play for goaltender interference, and the call was reversed after a video review.
Gaudette did, however, make it 1-0 at 8:42 of the second period by redirecting Kleven's point shot over Hogberg’s blocker from the top of the crease.
“It felt good for sure,” said Gaudette, who ended a 15-game goal drought. “Everybody gets cold streaks. That's the way it is, in the game and in life. So, what you got to do is just keep your head down, keep working and eventually it'll go in.”
Merilainen kept Ottawa in front at 4:20 of the third period when he kicked out his left pad to stop
Zub scored into an empty net at 18:36 of the third for the 2-0 final.
“There wasn’t a ton in the game,” Islanders captain
Ottawa defenseman
“When Chabot went out, the guys really stepped up,” Green said. “Kleven played a lot more minutes than he’s really used to. Really, all five guys back there were impressive. Zub had seven blocked shots. His game is starting to round out into shape now that he’s playing a lot, and we can see how effective he can be.”
NOTES: The Islanders were 0-for-1 on the power play and are 0-for-25 with the man-advantage in their past 14 games. Their last power-play goal came in a 4-2 win against the Senators on Dec. 8. ... Islanders defenseman
St Louis Blues 2 - 1 Calgary Flames
In a tightly contested game, Radek Faksa secured a 2-1 victory for the St. Louis Blues over the Calgary Flames by redirecting a shot from Tyler Tucker at 11:11 of the third period. The win at the Enterprise Center marked the Blues' fifth consecutive triumph against the Flames. The game saw standout performances from Jordan Binnington, who made 26 saves, and Colton Parayko, who scored early in the first period. Despite Kevin Bahl equalizing early in the third for Calgary, the Flames' three-game winning streak ended. The Blues displayed resilience with crucial blocks and saves in the final moments after the Flames pulled goalie Dan Vladar. The teams are set to face each other again on Thursday in St. Louis, and the Blues boast an impressive 9-1-0 record in their past ten meetings with the Flames.
Nashville Predators 5 - 3 Vegas Golden Knights
The Nashville Predators secured a significant 5-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights, overcoming Pavel Dorofeyev’s impressive first NHL hat trick at Bridgestone Arena. Steven Stamkos spurred Nashville’s success with two goals and an assist, emphasizing the team's revitalized confidence following a past defeat. Filip Forsberg added a goal and an assist, breaking the Predators' losing streak. Notably, Jonathan Marchessault provided an assist against his former team, following a recent transfer from the Golden Knights. Although Dorofeyev scored a natural hat trick, the Predators maintained their lead, with Justin Barron and Ryan O'Reilly contributing decisive goals. The victory marked Nashville's 1,000th win, positioning them as the second-fastest franchise to achieve this milestone. Despite Dorofeyev's stellar performance, the Golden Knights struggled, with concerns about complacency after a full lineup was noted by coach Bruce Cassidy.
Winnipeg Jets 6 - 1 Vancouver Canucks
Kyle Connor's remarkable performance led the Winnipeg Jets to a 6-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, as he scored a natural hat trick within a span of 6:38 in the first period, contributing significantly to the Jets' win. This achievement marked Connor's first NHL natural hat trick in such rapid succession and added to his six career NHL hat tricks, placing him fourth in the Jets/Thrashers history. Additionally, Connor also recorded an assist, while Mark Scheifele, Nino Niederreiter, and Neal Pionk each chipped in with a goal and an assist. Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves, securing his 302nd career win, surpassing Mike Richter for the sixth-most by a U.S.-born goaltender in NHL history. On the Canucks' side, Nils Hoglander was the lone scorer as their struggles continued, with the team having lost five of their last six games.
Colorado Avalanche 3 - 2 New York Rangers
In an exciting finish at Ball Arena, Devon Toews scored in overtime to secure a 3-2 victory for the Colorado Avalanche over the New York Rangers. The game reached overtime after Artturi Lehkonen tied the score 2-2 with just 1:13 remaining in the third period, capitalizing on a rebound opportunity during a 6-on-5 scenario after Igor Shesterkin could not control a one-timer from Mikko Rantanen. Parker Kelly opened the scoring for Colorado, while Nathan MacKinnon provided two assists. Goalie Mackenzie Blackwood contributed with 27 saves. For the Rangers, Sam Carrick managed a goal and an assist, and Adam Edstrom put them temporarily ahead with his second-period goal. Despite this loss, the Rangers extended their points streak to five games.
Utah Hockey Club 3 - 5 Montreal Canadiens
In an exciting match at Delta Center, Kirby Dach powered the Montreal Canadiens to a 5-3 victory over the Utah Hockey Club by scoring twice. The Canadiens, sporting a strong 10-2-1 record in their last 13 games, benefited from contributions by Mike Matheson and Cole Caufield, who each tallied a goal and an assist. Lane Hutson impressed with three assists, while Sam Montembeault made 22 saves. The Utah team, struggling with a recent 2-7-2 record, saw Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller each assist twice, though Karel Vejmelka couldn’t match his counterpart and allowed five goals on 21 saves. Early in the game, Josh Doan's power-play goal and a late-period lead from Nick Bjugstad were countered by Matheson and later by Canadian goals from Dach, Caufield, and then Dach again, securing Montreal's win despite a strong push from Utah that had tied the game three times.