Flames keep running hot
CALGARY, Alberta Linemates Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan had a goal and two assists each to lead Calgary over Los Angeles by a 5-2 margin.
Michael Stone, Mark Giordano and Kris Versteeg also scored for the Flames, and Brian Elliott made 19 saves for his 11th straight win to tie a club record set by Mike Vernon in the 1988-89 season.
The Flames moved into third in the Pacific Division past the Edmonton Oilers, who will host Los Angeles on Monday. Calgary got its second straight win and 12th in its past 13 games.
Anze Kopitar and Nic Dowd scored for the Kings, who remain six points behind the Nashville Predators for the final Western Conference wild card.
BLACKHAWKS 6, AVALANCHE 3
CHICAGO — Jonathan Toews scored twice and Richard Panik and Artemi Panarin each had one in a span of 3:02 in the third period to erase Colorado’s two-goal lead and rally the Chicago Blackhawks past the Avalanche 63 on Sunday night for their fifth straight win.
Patrick Kane scored his teamleading 32nd goal and Marcus Kruger added an empty-netter for Chicago, which won for the 17th time in its last 20 games to pull seven points ahead of slumping second-place Minnesota in the Central Division. The Wild dropped their fifth straight, 5-4 to Winnipeg on Sunday.
PENGUINS 4, PANTHERS 0
PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby again picked up the slack with Evgeni Malkin out, getting his 10th career hat trick and leading the Pittsburgh Penguins past the Florida Panthers.
Crosby’s natural hat trick came in a span of 11 minutes between the second and the third period, pushing his goal total to an NHLhigh 40 and moving him into a tie with Edmonton’s Conner McDavid for the league scoring lead with 80 points. Linemates Conor Sheary and Jake Guentzel assisted on all three of Crosby’s goals.
BLUE JACKETS 4, DEVILS 1
NEWARK, N.J. — Lukas Sedlak and Brandon Dubinsky scored on penalty shots and the Columbus Blue Jackets clinched their third playoff berth in franchise history with a victory over the New Jersey Devils.
This was only the third time in NHL history that a team scored twice in a game on penalty shots. Thomas Gradin and Ivan Hlinka of Vancouver did it against Detroit in 1982, and Ryane Clowe and Joe Thornton of San Jose converted against Washington in 2009.
JETS 5, WILD 4
WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Josh Morrissey one-timed in a goal with 7:17 left to end Minnesota’s rally from four goals down and give the Winnipeg Jets a chaotic victory over the Wild.
It was Minnesota’s fifth straight loss. The last time the Wild lost five in a row was the final five regular season games last spring. They only have two wins in their last 10 games.
Winnipeg led 4-0 early in the second period after scoring on four of its first eight shots, but the Wild rallied with four straight goals in the second period.