The Eastern Conference-leading Philadelphia Flyers lost three straight games for the first time since December when they fell to the Buffalo Sabres 5-3 in the NHL on Saturday.
Drew Stafford, Tyler Ennis and Andrej Sekera scored three straight goals in the second period to put the Buffalo Sabres ahead.
Jason Pominville hit the tie-breaking winner in the third, while Nathan Gerbe added a late empty-netter. Ryan Miller bounced back from a shaky first period to stop 33 shots.
James van Riemsdyk, Kris Versteeg and Kimmo Timonen scored for the Flyers, who have cruised atop the Eastern Conference for most of the season, but haven’t been able to match the desperation of teams fighting for a playoff berth.
ISLANDERS 5, BLUES 2
In Uniondale, New York, Islanders defenseman Andrew MacDonald scored two rare goals, while John Tavares and P.A. Parenteau both had a goal and an assist in the first period as New York sent sinking St Louis to a fourth straight loss.
MacDonald, who entered his 100th NHL game with only three career goals, scored his third in two games.
Each goal on Saturday gave the Islanders a three-goal lead and they held on to win their second in a row at home.
CANUCKS 3, KINGS 1
In Los Angeles, Daniel Sedin scored the tiebreaker with 8 minutes, 24 seconds to play and Roberto Luongo made 21 saves as Vancouver opened a five-game road trip with a gritty victory over Los Angeles.
Jannik Hansen scored in the first period and Alexandre Burrows added an empty-net goal for the Canucks, who have stayed on top of the NHL standings despite alternating wins and losses for a full month.
Jonathan Quick stopped 33 shots and Dustin Penner scored his first goal for the Kings, who lost in regulation for just the third time in 18 games.
Saturday’s other results:
‧ Coyotes 5, Red Wings 4, SO
‧ Penguins 3, Bruins 2, OT
‧ Canadiens 4, Lightning 2
‧ Blackhawks 5, Maple Leafs 3
‧ Thrashers 4, Panthers 3, OT
‧ Oilers 5, Avalanche 1
‧ Stars 3, Sharks 2
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