Capitals enter All-Star break on a high note
Kuznetsov, Ovechkin lead 5-2 win over Devils
>> NEWARK: Evgeny Kuznetsov scored twice, Alex Ovechkin had a goal and an assist and the Washington Capitals beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Thursday night to head into the All-Star break with the most points in the NHL.
Andre Burakovsky and Lars Eller also scored for the Capitals, who have 72 points in 49 games as they seek their second straight President’s Trophy. Defenceman Dmitry Orlov added two assists and Braden Holtby made 27 saves for Washington, who are 13-1-2 in their last 16 games.
Stefan Noesen and Adam Henrique scored for New Jersey, who have lost six straight at home. The Devils are tied with Detroit for the fewest points in the Eastern Conference.
PREDATORS 4, BLUE JACKETS 3
In Nashville, Craig Smith scored two goals in the third period and Nashville held off Columbus in the final game for both teams before the AllStar break.
Columbus coach John Tortorella left the team before the game, returning home for a personal matter that will cause him to miss All-Star weekend. His assistants filled in for him, but the Blue Jackets dropped to 5-7-0 since their 16-game winning streak.
Brandon Saad gave Columbus a 1-0 lead in the first period. Zach Werenski and Ryan Murray scored in the third as the Blue Jackets tried to rally.
Calle Jarnkrok and Harry Zolnierczyk also scored for Nashville, and Mike Fisher had two assists.
Columbus pulled goalie Sergei Bobrovsky late, but Pekka Rinne made save after save for the Predators. Nashville go into the break 7-1-1 over their last nine games.
OILERS 4, SHARKS 1
In San Jose, Andrej Sekera scored two goals and the surging Edmonton Oilers extended their point streak to eight games by beating San Jose.
Edmonton ended San Jose’s sixgame winning streak and tied the Sharks for the Pacific Division lead heading into the All-Star break. Both teams have 64 points, one more than Anaheim.
Oilers goalie Cam Talbot played brilliantly for his 26th win of the season. He made several point-blank saves and stopped 32 of 33 shots.
Drake Caggiula and Connor McDavid also scored for the Oilers, who improved to 7-0-1 over their last eight games. The only loss during that span came to Nashville in a shoot-out.
Logan Couture scored for the Sharks, and Martin Jones made 18 saves.
KINGS 3, HURRICANES 0
In Raleigh, Marian Gaborik and Trevor Lewis scored 38 seconds apart late in the third period, leading Los Angeles past skidding Carolina.
Peter Budaj stopped 22 shots for the shut-out, and Kyle Clifford scored into an empty net.
Carolina lost their fifth consecutive game, all in regulation, and were shut out for the first time this season. The Kings won their second straight following a four-game slide that ended on Tuesday with a 3-1 victory at New Jersey.
Cam Ward made 26 saves for the Hurricanes, who are 14-3-1 in their last 18 home games.
PANTHERS 2, LIGHTNING 1
In Sunrise, Jonathan Marchessault scored a powerplay goal in overtime and Florida beat Tampa Bay to snap a four-game losing streak.
Marchessault took a pass from Keith Yandle along the goal line to the left of the net and fired the puck past Andrei Vasilevskiy at 1:49 of the extra period.
Jussi Jokinen scored short-handed and James Reimer stopped 31 shots as the Panthers won for the first time in six games that went past regulation.
Nikita Kucherov scored for Tampa Bay, and Vasilevskiy made 35 saves. The Lightning have lost four of five.
FLAMES 3, SENATORS 2
In Ottawa, Johnny Gaudreau scored with 31 seconds on the clock in overtime and Calgary edged Ottawa two days after Flames coach Glen Gulutzan called his struggling team “pathetic.’’
Micheal Ferland and Sean Monahan also scored for t he Flames, who snapped a four-game losing streak. Brian Elliott, a former goalie for the Senators, made 25 saves in the win.
Chris Wideman and Tommy Wingels scored for the Senators, and Mike Condon stopped 23 shots.
The game marked the return of former Ottawa coach Dave Cameron, who was fired after last season. He is now an assistant with Calgary.
STARS 4, SABRES 3
In Dallas, Patrick Sharp scored twice for the second time in five games and Dallas rallied from an early two-goal deficit to beat Buffalo.
Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin also scored for the Stars, who stopped a three-game skid.
The game ended only after a review following the final horn of a near Buffalo goal with 11 seconds left.
Evander Kane scored twice for the Sabres, who were looking to win four straight games for the first time since December 2014. Matt Moulson had Buffalo’s other goal.
Kari Lehtonen improved to 10-136, allowing one goal after replacing Antti Niemi to start the second period. Niemi was lifted for the third consecutive start.
Anders Nilsson (8-7-4) absorbed his f ourth l oss i n the past five decisions.