Fantilli Lifts Blue Jackets Past Islanders in Shootout
Adam Fantilli scored in regulation and netted the lone goal of the shootout to propel the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 4-3 comeback win over the New York Islanders in Elmont. The victory snapped a six-game skid for the Blue Jackets, who rallied from a 3-1 deficit and now sit just two points behind Montreal for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
Boone Jenner and Kirill Marchenko also scored for Columbus, while goaltender Elvis Merzlikins made 30 saves and stopped all three Islanders attempts in the shootout. Kyle Palmieri, Pierre Engvall, and Anders Lee scored for New York, but Palmieri’s would-be game-winner was overturned in the final seconds due to goalie interference. Ilya Sorokin finished with 27 saves in the loss.
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Lekkerimaki Shines as Canucks Rally to Beat Devils
Jonathan Lekkerimaki scored his first NHL goal in regulation, then sealed the win in the shootout as the Vancouver Canucks edged the New Jersey Devils 4-3 in Newark. Vancouver forced overtime when Conor Garland scored with 36 seconds left in regulation to complete the comeback.
Pius Suter added a goal for Vancouver, and Thatcher Demko stopped 22 shots. Timo Meier scored twice for the Devils and Erik Haula added one more, but New Jersey dropped to 1-3-1 over its last five games. Jacob Markstrom turned aside 25 shots for the Devils.
Oettinger, Stars Blank Wild for Second Straight Win
Jake Oettinger posted a 32-save shutout to lead the Dallas Stars to a 3-0 home win over the Minnesota Wild. Wyatt Johnston, Matt Duchene, and Mason Marchment provided the scoring, while Roope Hintz notched two assists as Dallas earned points in its fifth consecutive game (3-0-2).
Filip Gustavsson made 26 saves for Minnesota, which saw its three-game win streak snapped.\
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Red Wings Cruise Past Utah Despite Early Goalie Injury
The Detroit Red Wings scored early and often in a 5-1 win over the Utah Hockey Club in Salt Lake City, overcoming the early loss of starting goalie Petr Mrazek, who exited just 1:42 into the game. Alex Lyon replaced him and made 16 saves in relief.
Alex DeBrincat tallied a goal and an assist, and Elmer Soderblom, Marco Kasper, Austin Watson, and Tyler Motte also scored for Detroit, which picked up just its third win in its last 12 games. Dylan Guenther scored the lone goal for Utah, while Karel Vejmelka stopped nine shots in net.
