Lee’s tiebreaking goal lifts Islanders past Penguins 5-3
Johnson stops 39 as Flames blank Maple Leafs
NEW YORK, Dec 1, (Agencies): Anders Lee scored the tiebreaking goal with 27 seconds remaining to lift the New York Islanders to a 5-3 victory over the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night.
Thomas Hickey fired a slap shot from the point that deflected off Lee’s stick and past goalie Matt Murray to help the Islanders recover after giving up a three-goal lead in the third period.
With Murray pulled on the ensuing faceoff, Nikolay Kulemin scored into the empty net 3 seconds later to give the Islanders consecutive victories for the second time this season.
Johnny Boychuk, Jason Chimera and Casey Cizikas also scored for the Islanders, and Thomas Greiss made 31 saves. They led 3-0 after two periods.
Sharks 4, Kings 1
In Los Angeles, Logan Couture had two goals and an assist, Ryan Carpenter scored his first NHL goal and San Jose extended its recent mastery over Los Angeles.
Kevin Labanc also scored and Martin Jones made 26 saves against his former team as the Pacific Division leaders won for the fifth time in six games. Couture and Carpenter scored 30 seconds apart in the final minute of the first period, and Los Angeles couldn’t recover.
Dustin Brown scored for the Kings, whose five-game winning streak ended with another frustrating night against their upstate rivals.
The Sharks won at Staples Center for the sixth consecutive time, including three playoff victories last spring. San Jose ousted the Kings in the first round on the way to the Stanley Cup Final, and the Sharks’ success against their oldest rival has continued this fall with two regular-season victories.
Flames 3, Maple Leafs 0
In Calgary, Alberta, Freddie Hamilton and Kris Versteeg scored in the first minute and Chad Johnson made 39 saves in Calgary’s victory over Toronto.
Hamilton one-timed a centering pass from Micheal Ferland past Jhonas Enroth high on the glove side for his first of the season 19 seconds in. Thirty seconds later, Versteeg buried his third of the season. Sean Monahan was initially stopped from the slot, but Enroth kicked the rebound to Versteeg.
Matt Stajan also scored.
The Nashville Predators signed veteran defenseman Adam Pardy to a one-year, two-way contract Wednesday.
The deal is worth $575,000 at the NHL level and $175,000 at the American Hockey League level.
Pardy, 32, appeared in 338 NHL games and recorded 52 points (four goals, 48 assists) and 263 penalty minutes in parts of eight seasons with Calgary, Dallas, Buffalo, Winnipeg and Edmonton.
He totaled four assists in 23 games with the Jets and Oilers in 2015-16.
The Predators also placed defenseman Anthony Bitetto on injured reserve for the second time this season. He sustained an upper-body injury during Tuesday’s 5-3 win against the
Colorado Avalanche.
The Tampa Bay Lightning recalled
forwards Joel Vermin and Michael
Bournival from the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League.
Vermin, 24, played in 17 games with the Crunch this season, recording six goals and five assists. Bournival, 24, skated in 17 games with Syracuse, registering five goals and six assists. He played in 89 career NHL games, all with the
Montreal Canadiens during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons, totaling 10 goals and nine assists.
The Winnipeg Jets reassigned
defenseman Julian Melchiori to the Manitoba Moose of the American
Hockey League.
Melchiori, 24, was recalled Saturday for the second time this season but did not play in either of the Jets’ two games.