Carlson, Capitals hand Stars tough defeat

WASHINGTON — John Carlson scored the go-ahead goal with five minutes remaining to help the Washington Capitals beat the Dallas Stars 4-3 on Tuesday night and extend their lead atop the Metropolitan Division.

T.J. Oshie, Matt Niskanen and Alex Ovechkin also scored for Washington, which leads the tight Metropolitan by four points over Pittsburgh and Columbus. The Capitals are on pace for their third consecutive division title and playoff appearance with nine games remaining.

Carlson’s goal tied him with the Stars’ John Klingberg for the NHL lead among defensemen with 61 points. It was also a dagger to Dallas’ fading playoff hopes.

ISLANDERS 4, PENGUINS 1: Mathew Barzal and Adam Pelech scored in the first period and the New York Islanders went on to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins. Anders Lee had a goal in the third period and Jordan Eberle added an emptynetter to help the Islanders snap a three-game skid with just their second win in 13 games (2-7-4). Christopher Gibson, pulled in his last start after giving up five goals on 12 shots against Washington last Thursday, stopped 36 shots and has both wins for New York in its recent stretch. OILERS 7, HURRICANES 3: Leon Draisaitl had a goal and three assists and the Edmonton Oilers rode three-goal first period to a victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. Drake Caggiula, Matt Benning and Ryan Strome scored in a span of 4:24 in the opening period after Carolina jumped to a 1-0 lead, and Edmonton led the rest of the way. Pontus Aberg, Dallas Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen stops a shot by Washington Capitals right wing Tom Wilson during Tuesday’s game in Washington. Yohann Auvitu and Jesse Puljujarvi also scored as the Oilers got six goals on their first 22 shots. Cam Talbot made 28 saves for Edmonton. LIGHTNING 4, MAPLE LEAFS 3: Alex Killorn broke a tie midway through the third period and the Tampa Bay Lightning scored the final four goals to rally past the Toronto Maple Leafs. Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh and Nikita Kucherov also scored as Tampa Bay reached 50 wins for the second time in franchise history. Yanni Gourde had two assists for the Atlantic Division leaders, who moved five points ahead of second-place Boston for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. PANTHERS 7, SENATORS 2: Jared McCann had a goal and two assists to lead the Florida Panthers over the Senators as Ottawa captain Erik Karlsson sat out following the death of his son. The team announced the death of Karlsson’s son before the game. Erik and Melinda Karlsson were married last year and announced in November they were expecting their first child in the spring. The team released a statement offering its “collective thoughts and prayers” and requested privacy for the family. RED WINGS 5, FLYERS 4, SO: Frans Nielsen scored his NHL-record 22nd shootout winner and the Detroit Red Wings edged the Philadelphia Flyers to end their 10-game losing streak. Dylan Larkin scored twice, Luke Glendending had a goal and Evgeny Svechnikov got his first in the NHL for the Red Wings. Jimmy Howard made 27 saves through overtime and stopped all three attempts he faced in the shootout. JETS 2, KINGS 1, OT: Kyle Connor scored his second goal of the game 1:37 into overtime to lift the Winnipeg Jets over the Los Angeles Kings despite losing Patrik Laine to a lower-body injury. Connor fired the winner past goalie Jack Campbell to help the Jets set a franchise record for wins at 44 (44-19-10). Winnipeg had 43 wins in 2014-15, and the Atlanta Thrashers hit the same mark in 2006-07 before the franchise relocated in 2011. AVALANCHE 5, BLACKHAWKS 1: Nathan MacKinnon had two assists, extending his point streak to a career high-tying 13 games, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Chicago Blackhawks. Alexander Kerfoot scored twice and Semyon Varlamov made 44 saves as Colorado won for the fifth time in six games and improved to 8-1-3 in their last 12.