Daniel Alfredsson scored three goals and added four assists in a record-breaking performance to propel the Ottawa Senators to an 8-4 rout over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.
Alfredsson scored twice in the first period before capping his hat-trick with a second-period score. He had assists in each period, two coming in the third, to record a team-best seven points. The second assist was his 500th.
"It was one of those nights when you shoot the puck and it goes where you want it to," Alfredsson, who took the NHL scoring lead with 67 points, told reporters.
PHOTO: AP
"We wanted to have a good effort, and it was a big win for us," he added. "We felt our play was not up to the level we wanted it to be, and it's important after the [All-Star] break that we elevate our level of play."
The Swede has 32 goals this season, topping the 30-goal mark for the fourth time in his 12-year career.
"People talk about [Vincent] Lecavalier and [Sidney] Crosby ... but [Alfredsson] has been as good as any player in the league, from the last half of last year through the playoffs and this year," Senators coach John Paddock said.
Ottawa's Martin Gerber gained the win, stopping 21 shots.
Wild 3, Avalanche 2
In Denver, Minnesota edged Colorado to extend its record to 20-0 this season when taking a lead into the final period.
Pavol Demitra had a goal and an assist and Niklas Backstrom stopped 28 shots for the Wild.
The Wild won in a venue that hasn't been friendly to them. Minnesota is 5-15-0 with two ties in 22 games at the Pepsi Center.
Kings 3, Ducks 1
In Los Angeles, the home team ended its four-game losing streak to city rival Anaheim.
Derek Armstong had a goal and an assist for the Kings, who have won five from seven but remain bottom of the Western Conference.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Ducks headed into the All-Star break with victories in six of their past nine games.
Sharks 4, Blues 1
In San Jose, California, San Jose beat St Louis to move into a tie atop the Pacific Division heading into the All-Star break.
Jonathan Cheechoo scored twice in the third period for the Sharks, who won for the fifth time in seven home games to move to .500 in their own building.
The Blues are 0-5-2 in their past seven games.
Coyotes 4, Predators 3
In Glendale, Arizona, Zbynek Michalek scored with 29 seconds left in overtime on a 12m slap shot to give Phoenix a win over Nashville.
The Coyotes improved to 18-0-0 when they score at least four goals.
Alexander Radulov scored seven seconds into the second period, tying a Nashville team record.
Capitals 2, Maple Leafs 1
In Washington, the home side downed Toronto to enter the All-Star break with five wins in six games to get within a point of first-placed Carolina in the Southeast Division.
Washington has not lost consecutive games in regulation since Nov. 22 when Bruce Boudreau took over as coach.
Alex Ovechkin had his six-game goal-scoring streak come to an end, but his two assists give him 13 points in his last seven games.
Rangers 2, Thrashers 1, SO
In New York, Henrik Lundqvist was perfect through three rounds of the shootout, and Brendan Shanahan scored the only goal in the tiebreaker as New York edged Atlanta.
Before the game, the Rangers retired Brian Leetch's No. 2 and raised a banner to the Madison Square Garden rafters in between those honoring former teammates Mark Messier and Mike Richter.
Shanahan scored with the first shot of the shootout, and three Thrashers failed to beat Lundqvist.
Sabres 2, Stars 1
In Dallas, Buffalo recorded just its second win in 14 games by downing Dallas. Derek Roy scored both Sabres' goals, including the game-winner with 14:48 left after a 2-on-1 break with some nifty passing.
Blue Jackets 1, Blackhawks 0
In Chicago, Pascal Leclaire made 30 saves for his league-leading eighth shutout as Columbus edged Chicago. Jared Boll scored the Blue Jackets' winner. It was fifth goal of the season, but his first score in 15 games.
Oilers 4, Panthers 3, SO
In Sunrise, Florida, Jarret Stoll scored twice in the final 1:23 of regulation to force overtime and help Edmonton beat Florida in a shootout.
Canadiens 4, Devils 3
In Newark, New Jersey, Montreal scored three goals in the final period to edge New Jersey.
Bruins 4, Islanders 1
In Boston, Marc Savard and Dennis Wideman each had a goal and an assist as Boston downed New York.
Flyers 4, Penguins 3
In Philadelphia, the home team posted its fourth win this season against Atalantic Division rival Pittsburgh.
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