Miami Herald (Sunday)

Elliott’s 23 saves help Flyers hand Sabres a shutout

- From Miami Herald Wire Services

Brian Elliott stopped 23 shots to shut out the Buffalo Sabres for a second time this season, leading the visiting Philadelph­ia Flyers to a 3-0 win on Saturday.

The Flyers were spurred by a replenishe­d lineup in which four players returned after spending two weeks in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. They included Scott Laughton, who scored a breakaway goal to make it 3-0 late in the second period.

Sean Couturier had a goal and assist to extend his points streak to five games, in which he has four goals and five assists, and Shayne Gostisbehe­re also scored. Philadelph­ia improved to 3-2-2 in its past seven, and won consecutiv­e games for the first time since a five-game winning streak to close January.

Elliott improved to 5-1 this season and upped his career record to 15-2-2 with four shutouts against the Sabres, including a 40-save outing in a 3-0 win on Jan. 19.

The Sabres dropped to 2-6-1 in their past nine and played their second game without captain Jack Eichel, listed as day to day with a lower body injury.

Carter Hutton stopped 36 shots starting in place of Linus Ullmark, who will miss at least a month with a lower-body injury sustained in the first period of a 4-3 overtime loss to New Jersey on Thursday.

Jeff Skinner’s return to the lineup following a three-game benching didn’t make a difference. The 11th-year forward in the second season of an eight-year, $72 million contract has just one assist in 15 games this season, and now hasn’t scored in 19 games dating to last year.

Flames 6, Senators 3: Calgary got goals from six players to top host Ottawa.

AJuuso Valimaki, Mikael Backlund, Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan, Andrew Mangiapane (shorthande­d) and Matthew Tkachuk scored for the Flames, who ended Ottawa’s threegame win streak.

Drake Batherson, Colin White and Brady Tkachuk replied for the last-place Senators.

Batherson extended his goal-scoring streak to five games with a power-play effort at when he beat Calgary goalie David Rittich with a wrist shot from the faceoff circle. Rittich stopped 31 shots.

Capitals 5, Devils 2: Garnet Hathaway and Daniel Sprong scored in the opening 5:06 as visiting Washington built a big lead and held off slumping New Jersey.

Lars Eller added the third goal in the first period and Jabub Vrana gave the Capitals breathing room with a third-period breakaway tally. Rookie Vitek Vanecek had 22 saves in his ninth win.

Nic Dowd added an empty-net goal with less than a minute to play for Washington, 5-1-1 in its last seven after losing four straight.

Nico Hischier and Pavel Zacha each scored for the second consecutiv­e game for New Jersey, which has lost four of five. Mackenzie Blackwood had 19 saves.

Predators 2, Blue Jackets 1: Mattias Ekholm scored a pair of secondperi­od goals — his first multi-goal game in his 551-game NHL career — to give host Nashville the win.

Ekholm returned to the lineup after missing the last six games with a lower-body injury. Ekholm was injured in the Feb. 9 game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, seeing just 11:29 of ice time and not playing in that match’s third period. Saturday was just the fifth game Ekholm played in February. He missed the game the day

AAbefore he was injured against the Lightning to be present for the birth of his second child.

Juuse Saros made 29 saves for the Predators, winners of three of the last four games. Saros earned his first victory since Jan. 27. Saros’ fellow Finn Pekka Rinne has taken a larger share of the goaltendin­g duties for Nashville in the month of February.

Cam Atkinson scored the lone goal and Joonas Korpisalo made 31 saves for the Blue Jackets, losers of four straight.

 ?? MATIAS J. OCNER mocner@miamiheral­d.com ?? Chris Henderson, who was instrument­al in Seattle’s success, specialize­s in scouting and player developmen­t.
MATIAS J. OCNER mocner@miamiheral­d.com Chris Henderson, who was instrument­al in Seattle’s success, specialize­s in scouting and player developmen­t.

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