Senators get back on track against Islanders
OTTAWA 6 NEW YORK 5
NEW YORK — The Ottawa Senators were having trouble scoring goals — and winning games — the past three weeks. Both issues were solved Friday night against the New York Islanders.
Ryan Dzingel’s second goal of the game snapped a tie early in third period and the Senators ended a seven-game losing streak with a wild 6-5 win over the New York Islanders.
“It’s good to get a win,” Dzingel said. “Right now it doesn’t matter how we do it, as long as we do it.”
Zack Smith, Bobby Ryan, Thomas Chabot and Mike Hoffman also scored for Ottawa, which was 0-6-1 since sweeping Colorado in two games in Sweden on Nov. 10-11. The Senators had totalled just nine goals during their skid in which they hadn’t scored more than twice in any game.
“We were on the verge of scoring the last three games,” Ottawa coach Guy Boucher said. “This was coming.”
Craig Anderson allowed five goals on 18 shots before he was pulled midway through the second period. Mike Condon came on for the Senators and stopped all 19 shots he faced, including Jordan Eberle’s point-blank attempt in the closing seconds.
“You get that one save and go to work,” said Condon, who was mobbed by teammates at the final buzzer. “From there you just stay in the moment. It was a crazy last minute. I’m glad we got away with that one.”
Anders Lee had two goals, and Anthony Beauvillier, Andrew Ladd and Jason Chimera also scored for New York, which snapped a four-game winning streak and lost at home in regulation for the first time this season (8-1-2). Thomas Greiss started and was also pulled after giving up five goals on 20 shots. Jaroslav Halak replaced him and finished with 14 saves.
Dzingel, who opened the scoring early in the first, got his eighth of the season 1:38 into the third to put Ottawa ahead 6-5.
The Senators led 3-2 heading into the second period when the game continued its high-scoring and wide-open pace as the teams combined for another five goals.
“Everything was going in. The pucks had eyes,” Islanders coach Doug Weight said. “We took the lead back twice but we tried to make it cute. Credit to them. We created a lot of room for them.”
Lee tied the score at 3 at 3:01 with his second of game and 15th of the season. Ladd put the Islanders ahead at 4:17 with his seventh.
Chabot scored his first career goal at 8:26 to tie it 4-4 before Chimera answered just 14 seconds later with his first of the season on a breakaway. It was career goal No. 184 for the 38-year-old forward.
At that time, Senators coach Guy Boucher replaced Anderson with Condon.
“It has been tough last seven games so we need to relish and bottle this and feel good,” Condon said. “Hopefully, we this can catalyze into more momentum.”
Hoffman tied it again when he put the puck past Greiss at 11:49, prompting Islanders coach Doug Weight to change goalies.
Dzingel opened the scoring for Ottawa at 8:32 of the first, beating Greiss with a high shot.
Smith made it 2-0 at 9:41 when he corralled a loose puck just inside the blue line and fired a shot past Greiss. The goal ended a 27-game scoreless streak for Smith dating back to last March.
Matt Duchene, who was acquired from Colorado in a three-team trade the last time he was in Brooklyn with the Avalanche on Nov. 5, registered his first assist with the Senators on Smith’s goal.
Jets 7, Golden Knights 4
WINNIPEG — Kyle Connor scored a pair of goals while Mark Scheifele and Patrik Laine each had a goal and two assists as the Winnipeg Jets scored five goals in the third period to propel them to a 7-4 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday.
The teams were tied 2-2 heading into the third when the Jets scored two early power-play play goals two minutes 15 seconds apart to start the offensive attack.
Tyler Myers, Matt Hendricks, Nikolaj Ehlers rounded out the attack for Winnipeg (16-6-4), which won its fifth straight at home. Blake Wheeler tacked on three helpers.
Winnipeg-born forward Cody Eakin, William Karlsson, Erik Haula and Colin Miller scored for the Golden Knights (15-9-1).
Connor Hellebuyck made 27 saves for the Jets, whose 36 points puts them in first place in NHL’s Western Conference. Winnipeg is now 8-0-1 in its last nine games at home.
Maxime Lagace stopped 31-of-37 shots for the Golden Knights, who lost a third straight game.
Kings 4, Blues 1
ST. LOUIS — Tyler Toffoli scored twice, backup goaltender Darcy Kuemper made 39 saves and the Los Angeles Kings beat the St. Louis Blues 4-1 on Friday night.
Los Angeles won its fourth straight, including three in a row on the road. The Kings tied the Blues and Jets for the best record in the Western Conference with 35 points.
The Blues have lost three of four, getting outscored 7-3.
Toffoli has three goals in the past two games and three twogoal games this year. He has 13 goals total this season.
Kuemper, who gets limited action behind star Jonathan Quick, is now 4-0-2.