Nelson’s late heroics lift Islanders to win
N.Y. center scores twice vs. Panthers, including the winner in shootout
Brock Nelson scored in the second period and then got the winner in the fourth round of the shootout to give the New York Islanders a 2-1 victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday night.
Thomas Greiss finished with 28 saves through overtime and thwarted all four Florida attempts in the tiebreaker as the Islanders won for the third time in four games.
New York also remained two points ahead of Pittsburgh for second place in the Metropolitan Division and home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The Islanders need to earn just one point in the season finale at Washington on Saturday to clinch second.
Bruins 3, Wild 0: Jaroslav Halak made 26 saves for his fifth shutout of the season and 47th of his career, and short-handed Boston beat Minnesota. Joakim Nordstrom, David Pastrnak and Zach Senyshyn scored for Boston. sabres 5, senators 2: Jack Eichel scored a goal and added two assists, and Buffalo closed its home schedule by snapping an eight-game skid. Sam Reinhart and Kyle Okposo scored 2:14 apart in the second period to erase a 2-1 deficit in a game between two nonplayoff contenders.
Hurricanes 3, devils 1: Justin Faulk scored the go-ahead goal in the second period, and Carolina clinched its first playoff berth in a decade. Warren Foegele scored and Nino Neiderreiter added an insurance goal with 3:25 left to help the Hurricanes snap the NHL’S longest active playoff drought. capitals 2, canadiens 1: Nic Dowd put Washington ahead for good early in the second period, Braden Holtby made 33 stops and the Capitals clinched the Metropolitan Division title. Lars Eller also scored as Washington wrapped up a fourth consecutive division crown with one game remaining. Penguins 4, red Wings 1: The NHL’S longest active playoff streak is still alive. Phil Kessell scored twice, Sidney Crosby added a goal and two assists and Matt Murray stopped 33 shots as Pittsburgh clinched a postseason berth for the 13th straight year. Lightning 3, Maple Leafs 1: Steven Stamkos had a goal and an assist, Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 29 shots, and Tampa Bay beat Toronto. Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn also scored to help Tampa Bay become the second team in NHL history to win more than 60 games in a season.
Ryan Johansen scored with 19.5 seconds remaining, and Nashville rallied to beat Vancouver and preserve its hopes for a second straight Central Division title. Blues 7, Flyers 3: Alex Pietrangelo had three assists during the Blues’ five-goal first-period outburst, Alexander Steen finished with two goals and St. Louis kept its Central Division title hopes alive. sharks 3, Oilers 2: Brent Burns had a goal and an assist as San Jose got a bit of relief from a late season funk with a victory over Edmonton. avalanche 3, Jets 2 (Ot): Erik Johnson scored 1:49 into overtime, Philipp Grubauer made 34 saves and Colorado clinched a playoff berth. note: Hall of Fame executive Glen Sather is stepping down as Rangers president and transitioning to a new role as senior adviser to owner James Dolan. Sather’s move comes after 19 years with the Rangers in which he served the first 15 as New York’s president and general manager. He ceded general manager duties to longtime assistant Jeff Gorton before the 2015-16 season. The team will immediately begin a search for a new president, Dolan said Thursday. Gorton will remain general manager.