Mitch Marner’s one-game point streak ended at 23 in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 3-1 loss to the New York Rangers on Thursday night.
Igor Shesterkin held the Leafs all-stars in check with 22 saves to hand Toronto their first regulation-time loss in their last 16 games.
Toronto (19-6-6) hadn’t lost in regulation since Nov. 11. The Leafs were one game away from tying the team record set in the 2003-04 season (14-0-2) for most consecutive games with a point.
The Rangers (16-10-5) thus won a fifth consecutive victory.
Marner had a team-high six turnovers in the loss and finished the night with a -1 differential and three shots on net.
Only 20 streaks of 23 or more games with at least one point have been achieved in NHL history.
In a game focused on defense, Michael Bunting was the lone scorer for the Maple Leafs to tie the game 1-1 in the first period.
Filip Chytil first opened the scoring on the power play with assists from Kaapo Kakko and Alexis Lafrenière. It was Chytil’s first power play goal since January 2, 2020.
Jimmy Vesey made the difference in the match by scoring twice with the winning goal in 2e period and the insurance goal in an empty net with just over a minute left in the game. Vincent Trocheck was complicit in Vesey’s two goals.
In the backhand, Matt Murray made 17 saves.
Ovechkin remains at 800 goals
The Dallas Stars scored twice in the third period to defeat the Washington Capitals 2-1, who were beaten for the first time in six games.
Jake Oettinger made 45 saves as the Texas squad picked up a fourth victory in its last five games.
They also delayed Alexander Ovechkin’s quest for second on the NHL’s all-time leading scorers list.
Ovi, who is trying to join Gordie Howe, was however credited with an assist on his team’s only goal, that of Conor Sheary who opened the scoring in the first period.
Two days after hitting 800 goals with a hat trick in Chicago, the 37-year-old winger was honored for his comeback accomplishment in front of his fans.
Unfortunately for them, Jamie Benn and Colin Miller ruined the evening by scoring one after the other in the space of just 1:19 to start the third period. Dylan Strome squandered a golden chance to tie when his shot hit the post as Washington pulled their keeper late in the game.
Charlie Lindgren stopped 24 of 26 pucks and saw his five-game winning streak come to an end.
Ovi became the third player in history to hit the 800 mark when he collected the 29th hat-trick of his career. He will now try to join at the top none other than Wayne Gretzky, who has 894 goals.
Gordie Howe played 26 seasons in the NHL, including 25 with the Detroit Red Wings and another with the Hartford Whalers. He scored his last goal in 1980 aged 52 and died in 2016 aged 88.
Already a 24th goal for Tage Thompson
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 40 saves, Tage Thompson had a goal and an assist, and the Buffalo Sabers beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-2.
Rasmus Dahlin also had a goal and an assist, while Alex Tuch also scored for the Sabers.
Tyson Jost picked up an assist in his first game in Denver against his former team. Jost, who was traded to the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline last season, received a standing ovation from fans after a video on the bulletin board highlighted his five years with the Avalanche.
Mikko Rantanen and Evan Rodrigues hit the mark for the Avalanche. Rodrigues was back in action after missing nine games with a lower body injury.
Alexandrar Georgiev allowed two goals on the first three shots he faced and finished with 17 saves. The Avalanche saw their two-game winning streak come to an end.
Draisaitl’s goal canceled in overtime; the Blues have the last word
Jordan Kyrou scored the game-winning goal in the shootout and the St. Louis Blues came from behind to win their second straight game, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 4-3.
Leon Draisaitl thought he would give the Oilers the win on a two-game with Connor McDavid in overtime, but the goal was ruled out due to offside.
Kyrou, Robert Thomas and Vladimir Tarasenko scored in regular time for the Blues (14-15-1), who had lost six of their previous eight meetings.
Jordan Binnington shut out the Oilers in the shootout and made 24 saves.
Zach Hyman, McDavid and Kailer Yamamoto replied for the Oilers (17-13-1), who have lost two of their last three games.
Defenseman Tyson Barrie was instrumental in all three Oilers goals. Stuart Skinner stopped 29 shots in the loss.
Moore highlights his new contract against the mighty Bruins
Trevor Moore celebrated his new contract by scoring the game-winning goal in the shootout and the Los Angeles Kings inflicted a rare home loss to the Boston Bruins by winning 3-2.
Hours after signing a five-year deal with the Kings, the Los Angeles-area native beat Linus Ullmark with an excellent shot in the seventh round of the shootout.
The Bruins are still undefeated in regulation in 17 home games this season. It’s only their second overtime or shootout loss to Boston this season.
Adrian Kempe helped the Kings recover from an 0-2 deficit by scoring twice in the third period. Kevin Fiala was an accomplice to his two goals, his 11th and 12th of the season.
Taylor Hall and Brad Marchand hit the target just over two minutes apart in the second.
The Kings wrap up a grueling six-game trip East with seven of a possible 12 points. They’ll be back home Saturday for a game against the San Jose Sharks.
Kochetkov surrenders after 151 minutes but Carolina triumphs again
Goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov’s streak without allowing a goal came to an end, but the Carolina Hurricanes still held on to defeat the Seattle Kraken 3-2.
Andrei Svechnikov and Derek Stepan scored in the first period, and Stefan Noesen added in the second on his first career penalty shot to make it 3-0.
Kochetkov had not yielded for 151 minutes before seeing Ryan Donato outsmart him. He was then beaten by Daniel Sprong and he eventually finished the game with 15 saves for the team’s sixth victory in its last seven outings. The Canes have amassed at least one point in their last nine meetings.
Philipp Grubauer meanwhile made 36 saves for the Kraken, who concluded their overseas trip with a 1-3-0 record.
Svechnikov scored unassisted after an ugly Seattle turnover followed by Stepan’s first goal of the season. The Hurricanes scored on a penalty shot for the first time since March 2017 thanks to Noesen.
Devils lose fourth straight
Carter Hart tied his career high with 48 saves, Travis Konecny scored the game-winning goal on a breakaway and the Philadelphia Flyers extended the New Jersey Devils’ losing streak to four with a 2-1 win.
Scott Laughton also hit the mark to allow the Flyers to end a four-game winless streak (0-2-2). They also defeated the Devils for the second time in three games.
The Flyers have granted defenseman Tony DeAngelo non-active status. He missed a fourth consecutive game for personal reasons.
Jack Hughes provided the fightback for the Devils and Vitek Vanecek made 22 saves as the New Jersey club fell to 0-3-1 in their last four games.
Stamkos shut out in Bolts win
Brayden Point extended their streak with one goal to five, Brian Elliott made 24 saves for their seventh straight win and the Tampa Bay Lightning edged the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1.
Brandon Hagel scored twice for the Lightning, and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare also scored. Nikita Kucherov had three assists for the second straight game.
The Lightning finished a six-game home streak with a 5-1 record.
Lightning captain Steve Stamkos saw his 14-game one-point streak come to an end. He holds the club record with an 18-game streak in 2009-10.
Daniil Tarasov stopped 25 shots in the loss. Kirill Marchenko flashed the red light for the Blue Jackets, who fell to 2-7-1 on the road.
Connor decides in overtime
Kyle Connor ended the debate at 3:31 of overtime and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Nashville Predators 2-1 on Thursday night.
Dylan DeMelo added a goal for the Jets, which cut their losing streak to two. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 25 shots.
Filip Forsberg scored the lone goal for the Predators. Juuse Saros was impressive during the game, blocking 39 shots.
The Predators suffered a fifth straight loss and haven’t won since Dec. 2.
Both teams scored a goal in the first half, but neither managed to score another in the next 40 minutes.
In overtime, Adam Lowry left the puck behind and Connor grabbed it. He cut to the slot before unleashing a shot that just escaped Saros.
Double for Smith and victory for the mighty Knights
Reilly Smith had a brace, rookie Logan Thompson made 23 saves and the Vegas Golden Knights prevailed 4-1 over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
Chandler Stephenson scored a power-play goal in the second period for the Golden Knights and Phil Kessel hit the target in the third period. William Karlsson had two assists as the Pacific Division leaders triumphed for the third time in four games.
Thompson, 25, saw his third shutout attempt of the season evaporate when Taylor Raddysh scored with 3:54 left in the duel.
The Blackhawks have scored a total of five goals in their last five games. The Blackhawks are 1-12-1 in their last 14 meetings.
Rookie goaltender Arvid Soderblom blocked 21 shots in the loss.
