COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Adam Fantilli scored twice and Jet Greaves stopped 22 shots for his first career shutout, leading the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 7-0 win over the Alex Ovechkin-less Washington Capitals on Saturday.
Ovechkin, who broke Wayne Gretzky’s NHL career goal-scoring mark on Sunday, was a healthy scratch to rest up for the playoffs. Washington has already clinched the Metropolitan Division and the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
The victory kept Columbus in the hunt for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Montreal, which leads the race for the last postseason position, faces Toronto later on Saturday night.
James van Riemsdyk had a goal and two assists, while Kent Johnson and Sean Monahan each had a goal and an assist. Zach Werenski and Cole Sillinger also scored for Columbus, which extended its win streak to three games.
In his first NHL start since being recalled from AHL Hershey, Hunter Shepard made 19 saves for Washington.
FLYERS 4, ISLANDERS 3, SO
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bobby Brink scored the only goal of the shootout, beating Marcus Hogberg to the glove side on the fifth try to lead Philadelphia to a victory over New York.
The loss eliminated New York from the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Tyson Foerster scored two goals in the victory — including a go-ahead goal at the 10:39 mark of the third that gave Philadelphia a 3-2 lead. Foerster now has 24 goals on the season, including five in his last two games. Jakob Pelletier added the Flyers other goal while Samuel Ersson recorded 37 saves in picking up his 22nd win of the year.
The Islanders would tie the game with just 1:01 left to play when Bo Horvat’s wrist shot snuck through a maze of bodies and beat Ersson between the pads.
Anders Lee had New York’s goal. Hogberg recorded 19 saves in the loss.
HURRICANES 7, RANGERS 3
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Seth Jarvis had a goal and two assists and Carolina eliminated New York from playoff contention with a win.
Jalen Chatfield, Jackson Blake, Mark Jankowski, Jordan Staal, Jordan Martinook and Logan Stankoven also scored for the Hurricanes. Pytor Kochetkov made 28 saves.
Adam Fox, K’Andre Miller and Will Cuylle scored for New York, and Igor Shesterkin stopped 21 shots. The Rangers have lost four of their last five.
Chatfield and Jarvis gave Carolina 2-0 lead in the first period. Jarvis scored his 25th goal at home this season to match the most since the franchise moved to North Carolina in 1997.
KINGS 5, AVALANCHE 4
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kevin Fiala scored two goals for the second straight game, and Quinton Byfield and Alex Laferriere had a goal and two assists apiece in Los Angeles’ victory over Colorado.
Captain Anze Kopitar also scored for the Kings, who have won 10 of 13. Los Angeles is four points behind Pacific Division-leading Vegas and four points ahead of third-place Edmonton with three games to go, likely sending the Kings into a fourth consecutive first-round meeting with the Oilers.
Los Angeles’ Darcy Kuemper made 22 saves against the team with which he won the Stanley Cup in 2022, but his streak of allowing two goals or fewer ended at 15 consecutive starts — one short of matching Miikka Kiprusoff’s 2003-04 expansion-era record.
Brock Nelson scored two goals for the Avalanche to secure his fourth straight 25-goal season, and second-place Colorado nearly won despite resting NHL scoring co-leader Nathan MacKinnon and several other regulars with its playoff seeding already decided.
Valeri Nichushkin and Sam Malinski also scored, and Mackenzie Blackwood ...
