Avalanche Clip Blackhawks in Shootout Comeback
Colorado Avalanche 3, Chicago Blackhawks 2 (SO)
Artturi Lehkonen sealed the deal in the shootout and Cale Makar played hero in regulation with a goal and assist as the Colorado Avalanche escaped Chicago with a 3-2 win Wednesday night.
The game reached overtime after Martin Necas deflected a shot from Makar with just 10.8 seconds left in regulation. Scott Wedgewood made 22 saves for Colorado, which remains third in the Central Division.
Nathan MacKinnon scored in the second shootout round, while Teuvo Teravainen answered for Chicago. Lehkonen finished it off in round three. Connor Murphy and Ilya Mikheyev scored for the Blackhawks, and Spencer Knight made 29 saves.
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Rangers Edge Wild in Wild OT Thriller
New York Rangers 5, Minnesota Wild 4 (OT)
Vincent Trocheck ended a high-octane clash 24 seconds into overtime, tipping Artemi Panarin’s shot just past Filip Gustavsson as the Rangers tied Montreal for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
JT Miller won the OT faceoff and subbed out immediately for Trocheck, who cashed in the game-winner. New York also got goals from Braden Schneider, K’Andre Miller, and Chris Kreider.
Minnesota, despite the loss, earned a point and tied the St. Louis Blues for the top wild card in the West. Marco Rossi, Gustav Nyquist, Brock Faber, and Marcus Johansson all scored for the Wild.
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Hurricanes Cruise as Ovechkin Moves Closer to Gretzky
Carolina Hurricanes 5, Washington Capitals 1
Jackson Blake scored twice, and Seth Jarvis added a goal and assist as the Hurricanes cruised past Washington to clinch their seventh straight playoff berth.
The highlight for the Capitals was Alex Ovechkin’s power-play goal, his 892nd career tally, moving him three shy of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time record.
Washington has now dropped four of five. Carolina has won 12 of its last 14 and is peaking at the perfect time.
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Maple Leafs Clinch With Tight Win Over Panthers
Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Florida Panthers 2
Mitch Marner and Matthew Knies had a goal and an assist each as the Maple Leafs clinched a playoff spot and held onto first in the Atlantic Division.
John Tavares scored as well, and Anthony Stolarz stopped 29 shots. Toronto has now won 7 of its last 9.
For the Panthers, Sam Reinhart and Gustav Forsling provided offense, but Sergei Bobrovsky’s 23 saves weren’t enough. Florida remains one point back of Tampa Bay for second.
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Kraken Blank Canucks, Put Vancouver on the Brink
Seattle Kraken 5, Vancouver Canucks 0
Joey Daccord stopped all 25 shots he faced for his second shutout of the year, while Andre Burakovsky chipped in a goal and assist to pace the Seattle Kraken.
Seattle’s offensive outburst also featured goals from Michael Eyssimont, Chandler Stephenson, Shane Wright, and Adam Larsson. Jared McCann had three assists and Vince Dunn added two more.
The Canucks, now winless in their last three, are eight points out of the wild card with just seven games left. Their playoff hopes are fading quickly.
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