Panthers edge Canucks in Vancouver
FLORIDA 4 VANCOUVER 3
VANCOUVER — Nick Bjugstad scored a goal and added an assist as the Florida Panthers overcame a shaky start to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on Wednesday night.
The Panthers trailed 2-1 midway through the first period but battled back with three straight goals, the last two just 1:11 apart.
Evgenii Dadonov, Jamie McGinn, on a power play, and Alexander Petrovic also scored for Florida (25-23-6). The Panthers are 6-1-0 in their last seven games and are seven points behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.
Bo Horvat had a goal and two assists for Vancouver (22-29-6). Brock Boeser, on a power play, and Michael Del Zotto also scored for the Canucks, who are 1-6-0 in their last seven games.
Florida goalie James Reimer, making his second consecutive start after missing six games with a groin injury, stopped 34 shots. Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom was replaced after allowing four goals on 14 shots in the first period. Anders Nilsson stopped all 20 shots he faced in relief.
The Canucks outshot Florida 13-6 in the second period and cut the score to 4-3 on Boeser’s goal on a 5-on-3 power play.
The Panthers led 4-2 after a first period that saw goals scored on some strange bounces.
The Canucks opened the scoring just 37 seconds into the game. Del Zotto took a shot that Reimer stopped. The rebound floated high in the air and appeared to deflect off Panther defenceman Aaron Ekblad’s stick into the net.
Dadonov tied the game on a breakaway at 7:36. He took a long pass from Bjugstad and fought off a check from Alex Edler.
There was a moment of silence prior to the game for Wednesday’s shooting victims at a high school in Parkland, Florida.
Leafs 6 Blue Jackets 3
TORONTO — All it took was a subtle change of the forward lines to unlock some new-found offence.
Nazem Kadri picked up his fourth-career hat trick and recorded a career-high five points as the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3 on Wednesday.
Kadri’s line, consisting of Patrick Marleau and Mitch Marner, combined for five goals and five assists in the win. Since the trio was formed on Jan. 24 in a game against Chicago, Kadri has seven goals and eight assists, Marner has seven goals and five assists, while Marleau has three goals and four assists.
“My linemates contributed just as much as I did,” Kadri said. “They found me, I just tried to get open, and the puck seemed to find me tonight.”
The production far exceeds what Kadri and Marleau managed with Leo Komarov, their regular linemate for a large chunk of the season.
“I’m not sure,” Leafs coach Mike Babcock said when asked about the change in the lineup. “I used them together, Kadri and Marner, last year and they were no good together.
“That’s the beauty of having more players. You move them around and once in a while you get lucky.”
Frederik Andersen made a career-high 54 saves for the Maple Leafs (35-19-5), who went 5-0-0 on their homestand. It was the first time they have swept a homestand of five games or more in franchise history.
Avalanche 2 Canadiens 0
DENVER — Semyon Varlamov made 43 saves for his first victory in more than a month and the Colorado Avalanche matched the franchise record of 10 straight home wins, beating the Montreal Canadiens 2-0.
Carl Soderberg and Alexander Kerfoot scored to help Colorado match the longest home winning streak in franchise history, set in 1994-95 when the team was the Quebec Nordiques.
Antti Niemi stopped 23 shots for Montreal. The Canadiens are a woeful 8-17-1 on the road.
Varlamov’s last win came against Toronto on Dec. 29, and he left his next start against Winnipeg with a groin injury. He missed 10 games before returning against the Jets on Feb. 3.