Marchessault, Panthers defeat Predators 2-1
SUNRISE: Jonathan Marchessault scored in the third period, James Reimer made 28 saves and the Florida Panthers beat the Nashville Predators 2-1 on Friday night. Greg McKegg also scored for the Panthers, and Jaromir Jagr got his 1,137th career assist on Marchessault’s 12th goal of the season. The Panthers held a moment of silence before the game for the victims of the shooting earlier in the day at the Fort Lauderdale airport. The arena was darkened and the airport code FLL was illuminated on the scoreboard. Craig Smith scored for Nashville, and Juuse Saros stopped 32 shots. The Predators have lost five of their last seven games.
Reimer got the start in goal when Roberto Luongo experienced some upper-body discomfort during warmups. Luongo then left the bench during the first period and was ruled out for the game. Bobby Segin, a former UConn goalie and now an account executive for the Panthers, was the emergency goalie.
MAPLE LEAFS 4, DEVILS 2
Nazem Kadri sparked Toronto’s four-goal first period with a power-play score, leading the Maple Leafs to another victory. Kadri and Tyler Bozak each had a goal and an assist, Auston Matthews scored his 21st goal and fellow rookie Connor Brown embarrassed Devils goaltender Cory Schneider with a short-handed goal while helping the Maple Leafs to their sixth win in seven games (6-0-1). Toronto’s Frederik Andersen made 30 saves, giving up late goals to PA Parenteau and Jon Merrill in the final 3:24. Brown got his ninth of the season at 13:17 of the first. Devils defenseman Damon Severson played the puck from center ice back to Schneider, and the goaltender was about to play the puck behind the net when Brown stole it and slid it in as the crowd groaned.
AVALANCHE 2, ISLANDERS 1, OT
Nathan MacKinnon scored 4:43 into overtime, and the Avalanche got their first win at home in more than seven weeks. MacKinnon also assisted on Gabriel Landeskog’s first-period goal, and Calvin Pickard finished with 35 saves for Colorado. It was the Avalanche’s first home win since Nov. 14. They had lost 10 of 11 overall, with their only victory in the last four weeks coming in Chicago on Dec 23. The Avalanche held the Islanders in check after the last three visiting teams scored six times each at Pepsi Center. Johnny Boychuk had New York’s only goal, and Thomas Greiss made 37 stops.
DUCKS 3, COYOTES 2, OT
Ondrej Kase scored at 4:24 of overtime, sending Anaheim to the win. Kase was stopped by Mike Smith, but the goaltender bobbled the puck and Kase swiped it from him in the crease and swept it into the open net, handing the Coyotes their ninth straight loss. Joseph Cramarossa and Chris Wagner scored for Anaheim, and John Gibson stopped 21 shots. The Ducks have won three in a row and four of five. Martin Hanzal and Oliver EkmanLarsson scored for Arizona, and Smith finished with 32 stops.
BLACKHAWKS 2, HURRICANES 1
Scott Darling made a season-high 39 saves, Jonathan Toews and Artemi Panarin scored and Chicago held on for its second straight win. Darling, who backs up Corey Crawford, faced Carolina for the second time in a week in the Blackhawks’ second home game in two nights after beating Buffalo 4-3 in overtime on Thursday. The consecutive wins against the Sabres and Hurricanes come in the aftermath of a 1-4-1 slump. Cam Ward made 22 saves in his 15th straight start for Carolina, which won 4-2 at St. Louis on
Thursday. Victor Rask had Carolina’s goal,
connecting against Darling on the Hurricanes’ 31st shot with 4.2 seconds left in the second.
CANUCKS 4, FLAMES 2
Markus Granlund had two goals and an assist, Ryan Miller made 44 saves and the Canucks earned their sixth straight victory.
Michael Chaput and Loui Eriksson also scored for Vancouver in the opener of a home-andhome series that ends Saturday night in Calgary. The Canucks have their longest winning streak since December 2013. Michael Frolik scored twice for Calgary, Mikael Backlund had two assists and Brian Elliott stopped nine shots.—AP