Sharks extend win streak to 8

Kevin Labanc scored the deciding goal in the fourth round of a shootout and the visiting Sharks beat the Blackhawks 4-3 on Monday night for their eighth straight victory.

Labanc almost pulled to a stop in front of Chicago goalie Anton Forsberg, faked and then lifted in a nifty backhand. Logan Couture also connected in the tiebreaker for the surging Sharks, whose winning streak is their longest in seven years.

San Jose’s Evander Kane scored his 28th goal, his third in two games and eighth in 13 since being acquired from Buffalo at the trade deadline. Marcus Sorensen also had a goal for the Sharks.

Golden Knights 4, Avalanche 1: William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault scored to help Vegas clinch a playoff spot at home. The Golden Knights became the first team to reach the playoffs in its inaugural season since the league expanded for the 1967-68 season.

Kings 3, Flames 0: Anze Kopitar tied a career high with his 34th goal, Jonathan Quick made 23 saves and host Los Angeles moved back into playoff position with a win.

Capitals 4, Rangers 2: Alex Ovechkin scored his NHLleading 45th goal and visiting Washington extended its winning streak to four games. T.J. Oshie, Matt Niskanen and Evgeny Kuznetsov also scored for Washington.

Panthers 3, Islanders 0: Evgenii Dadonov had a goal and an assist, and James Reimer stopped 32 shots for his fourth shutout of the season as visiting Florida moved closer to a playoff spot by blanking reeling New York.

Coyotes 4, Lightning 1: Clayton Keller had a goal and an assist to lead visiting Arizona over Tampa Bay. The Coyotes got two goals from defensemen as Trevor Murphy and Jacob Chychrun each scored to help Arizona improve to 17-12-6 since January.

Canadiens 4, Red Wings 2: Brendan Gallagher scored twice, including his 30th goal of the season, and Carey Price snapped a seven-game losing streak as host Montreal defeated skidding Detroit.

Hurricanes 4, Senators 1: Warren Foegele had a goal and an assist in his NHL debut for Carolina. Brock McGinn and Valentin Zykov scored 98 seconds apart in the second period and Sebastian Aho had an empty-netter with 1:59 remaining to help the host Hurricanes win their third straight.

Sabres 3, Maple Leafs 2: Jack Eichel scored his second goal of the game midway through the third period to help last-place Buffalo end Toronto’s club-record home winning streak at 13 games.