Ovi injured as Capitals lose to Maple Leafs in shootout
Lightning end Panthers’ 13-game winning streak
WASHINGTON, April 25, (AP): Alex Ovechkin was injured, and the Washington Capitals missed a major opportunity to move up in the standings by blowing a lead and losing 4-3 in a shootout to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Ovechkin crashed hard into the boards early in the third period after tripping on the stick of Toronto’s goalie and was ruled out with what the team called an upper-body injury.
The Capitals coughed up a two-goal lead they build not long after Ovechkin left the game in obvious pain. They left with just a point after Toronto’s Alex Kerfoot scored to end the seven-round shootout.
Ovechkin’s uncertain status is the most alarming situation facing the Capitals with the playoffs beginning in just over a week.
Lightning 8, Panthers 4
In Sunrise, Fla., Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos each had two goals and two assists, Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 37 shots and Tampa Bay snapped Florida’s franchise-record 13-game winning streak.
Victor Hedman had four assists for Tampa Bay. Nicholas Paul scored twice and Brayden Point and Cal Foote also scored for the Lightning, who remained alive in the race with Toronto for the No. 2 spot behind Florida in the Atlantic Division.
And even though Tampa Bay’s next game is home on Tuesday, the Lightning weren’t heading home after the game. They’re off to Washington, invited by President Joe Biden to visit the White House on Monday in celebration of their 2020 and 2021 Stanley Cup victories.
Jets 4, Avalanche 1
In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Adam Lowry, Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor all scored in a span of 3:21 in the third period to help Winnipeg beat Colorado, handing the Avalanche their season-high fourth straight loss.
Nikolaj Ehlers also scored a late thirdperiod goal for the Jets, who halted a four-game losing skid.
J.T. Compher scored early in the third period for the Avalanche, who have lost all four of those games in regulation. Darcy Kuemper stopped 40 shots for the Central Division champions and top seed in the Western Conference.
Hurricanes 5, Islanders 2
In New York, Max Domi scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period and Carolina got help from a rookie goaltender, boosting their Metropolitan Division lead by beating New York.
The Hurricanes won their fourth in a row and extended their edge over the second-place New York Rangers by four points. Carolina has two games left, including a visit to Madison Square Garden to face the Rangers on Tuesday night. New York has three games remaining.
Carolina tied franchise records for victories (52) and points (112). Both marks were set in the 2005-06 season, which culminated in the team’s sole Stanley Cup championship. Seth Jarvis, Derek Stepan, Jesper Fast, and Brendan Smith also scored for the Hurricanes.
Blues 6, Ducks 3
In Anaheim, Calif., Ryan Getzlaf scored his final NHL point with a behind-the-back pass to Adam Henrique for a goal with 2:41 to play, and the longtime Anaheim captain wrapped up a 17-year career spent entirely with the Ducks in a loss St. Louis.
With one last bit of playmaking brilliance from one of the top centers of his era, Getzlaf finished his prolific career with 1,019 points, the 88th-most in league history. The sellout crowd at Honda Center
ICE HOCKEY
repeatedly roared for Getzlaf from his first step on the ice to his final, teary departure. After the final whistle, he stepped under a spotlight on the center circle in the darkened arena and gave his thanks to the crowd and his family. He will not play in Anaheim’s final two games.
Wild 5, Predators 4, OT
In Nashville, Tenn., Dmitry Kulikov scored with 1.3 seconds remaining in overtime to give Minnesota a win over Nashville
Joel Eriksson Ek had two power-play goals and an assist, Nick Bjugstad and Kevin Fiala also scored, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 21 saves for Minnesota.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) and Nashville Predators center Nick Cousins (21) battle for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game, on April 23, in Tampa, Fla. (AP)
The Wild have won five straight as they battle with the St. Louis Blues for second place in the Central Division and home ice for the teams’ first-round playoff series. Filip Forsberg had a goal and two assists, and Matt Duchene, Ryan Johansen and Dante Fabbro also scored for Nashville.
Bruins 5, Canadiens 3
In Montreal, Erik Haula scored twice and Boston beat Montreal on the night the Canadiens paid tribute to the late Guy Lafleur.
The Canadiens celebrated the Hall of Famer, who died Friday at age 70, with a ceremony before the game.
A video of Lafleur’s goals and of him lifting the Stanley Cup played at the Bell Centre before fans gave him a standing ovation that lasted more than 10 minutes. Canadiens players saluted Lafleur’s retired No. 10 following the final buzzer.
Blue Jackets 5, Oilers 2
In Columbus, Ohio, Rookie Nick Blankenburg scored his first NHL goal and added an assist to help Columbus beat Edmonton, breaking a five-game losing streak and keeping the Oilers from clinching second place in the Pacific Division.
Eric Robinson and Jack Roslovic also scored, Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and two assists, and Cole Sillinger added a goal and an assist for Columbus.
Jakub Voracek notched three assists and Gus Nyquist had two helpers for Columbus, while Elvis Merzlikins stopped 33 shots in his 26th win.
Flyers 4, Penguins 1
In Philadelphia, Noah Cates had two goals and an assist and Martin Jones made 37 saves in Philadelphia’s win over Pittsburgh.
Morgan Frost added a goal and an assist and Travis Konecny scored an empty-netter for the Flyers, who won their second straight after losing six in a row.
Red Wings 3, Devils 0
In Newark, N.J., Alex Nedeljkovic had 17 saves, Oskar Sundqvist and Tyler Bertuzzi each had a goal and assist and Detroit beat New Jersey.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak for the Red Wings and came a day after they were blown out by the Pittsburgh Penguins 7-2.
Sharks 5, Golden Knights 4, SO
In Las Vegas, Thomas Bordeleau scored the only goal in a shootout and San Jose snapped an 11-game losing streak against Vegas.
Vegas squandered a 4-2 lead with a little more than two minutes left in regulation, as Nick Bonino scored his second goal of the game at 17:54 of the third period and Timo Meier added the equalizer with 0.9 seconds remaining.