DEBRINCAT’S HAT TRICK LIFTS CHICAGO OVER DETROIT
DETROIT» Alex DeBrincat had his second hat trick of an impressive rookie season, and the Blackhawks chased Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard in the first period on their way to a 5-1 victory over the Red Wings on Thursday night.
DeBrincat, Anthony Duclair and Vinnie Hinostroza scored in the first 8:47 before Howard was pulled, and the Red Wings never got back in the game. DeBrincat added another goal in the second period and scored an empty-netter in the third, bringing his season total to 17 goals.
Anton Forsberg came within 3:51 of his first career shutout before Anthony Mantha scored for Detroit.
THURDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
Evgeni Malkin scored two power-play goals and Sidney Crosby had three assists to reach another career milestone as the Penguins topped the Wild 6-3. Malkin, who has 23 goals, added an assist to give him 16 goals and 31 points in his last 24 games. Crosby passed Jaromir Jagr for second on the team’s all-time scoring list with 1,082 points and is now behind only current Penguins owner Mario Lemieux, who finished his career with 1,723 points. … Brayden Point, Yanni Gourde and Ryan Callahan each scored in the second period to lead Tampa Bay over the Flyers 5-1, helping the Lightning head into the all-star break with the best record in the NHL. Vladislav Namestnikov scored twice late in the third to turn this one into a rout. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 36 shots. … Allstar defenseman P.K. Subban scored in his third straight game and Pekka Rinne made 23 saves for his fourth shutout, leading the streaking Predators to a 3-0 victory over the slumping Devils. … Alex Ovechkin scored his 30th goal of the season and got his 500th career assist to help the Capitals snap a three-game skid with a 4-2 win over the Panthers. … Jake DeBrusk scored with 8:41 left to lift the Bruins over the Senators 3-2 for their fifth straight win. Danton Heinen and Tim Schaller also scored to help the Bruins get a point in their 18th straight game (14-0-4), their second-longest point streak ever. Tuukka Rask stopped 21 shots. … Teuvo Teravainen scored twice and added an assist as the Hurricanes defeated the Canadiens 6-5. Jordan Staal, Jeff Skinner, Derek Ryan and Justin Williams also scored for the Hurricanes, who had lost their last two. Cam Ward made 26 saves and defenseman Noah Hanifin had three assists. … Curtis McElhinney made 39 saves while playing for the first time in more than a month, helping the Maple Leafs beat the Stars 4-1. … Cam Atkinson scored with 3:03 left to give the Blue Jackets a 2-1 victory over the Coyotes.