The Edmonton Oilers broke out with four unanswered goals in the third period to sting Winnipeg in a 5-3 victory on Monday that prevented the Jets from moving to the top of the Southeast Division.
Visiting Winnipeg for the first time in 17 years, the Oilers fell 2-1 behind after two periods, but exploded into life with a quartet of goals from Ryan Jones, Lennart Petrell, Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle.
Edmonton goalie Devan Dubnyk made 29 saves in a solid display as the Oilers (25-31-6) won for the third time in four games.
Photo: Reuters
“That was a strong [third] period by us,” Hall told reporters. “We took over and that’s what we have to do when we’re down. You can tell that this was an important two points [to Winnipeg]. The atmosphere in this building was playoff-like.”
The Oilers’ triumph cost the Jets a chance to catch the idle first-placed Florida Panthers, who are two points clear in the Southeast. Despite the defeat, Winnipeg (30-27-8) remain in eighth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
After a scoreless first period, Kyle Wellwood and Alexander Burmistrov netted for the Jets in the second, with Edmonton’s Ryan Whitney responding for the visitors between the tallies.
Nik Antropov added a consolation goal for Winnipeg with 70 seconds remaining as the home team failed to record a point for the first time in seven games.
“Tonight was the worst loss of the year,” Wellwood said. “Guys are pretty devastated.”
Winnipeg’s Ondrej Pavelec could only manage 20 stops in a sub-par outing.
PREDATORS 2, KINGS 1
In Nashville, Tennessee, Pekka Rinne made 30 saves to lead the Nashville Predators to victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
Roman Josi and Patric Hornqvist scored for Nashville, who have won four of their last five.
Dustin Brown had the lone goal for Los Angeles. The sliding Kings have lost five of six. They had defeated Nashville in their last three trips to Music City.
Rinne’s 35 wins this season are a career high and lead the NHL.
The Predators have won 17 of their last 21 home games and are 10-0-2 in their last 12.
RANGERS 2, DEVILS 0
In New York, Carl Hagelin scored late in the first period and Henrik Lundqvist made the goal stand up as New York snapped New Jersey’s seven-game winning streak on the road.
The Eastern Conference-leading Rangers stretched their advantage to nine points over Boston and Pittsburgh.
Hagelin gave the Rangers a 1-0 edge with 3 minutes, 1 second left in the first period. Ryan Callahan added an empty-netter with 1:06 left, his career-best 25th goal — with an assist from Hagelin — to make it 2-0.
Lundqvist, who entered with the league’s lowest goals-against average this month, dropped it even further by making 13 saves for his NHL-best eighth shutout of the season and the 43rd of his career.
Lundqvist made a lunging glove snare with 2:26 left to rob Ilya Kovalchuk and secure his 30th win of the season.
BLUES 3, FLAMES 1
In Calgary, Alberta, Jason Arnott scored a pair of power-play goals, helping St Louis into a tie with Detroit atop the Central Division.
David Backes also scored for St Louis, who are 9-3 in their last 12 games, as they moved within two points of Vancouver for first place overall.
Curtis Glencross scored the lone goal for Calgary, who remained in 11th place in the Western Conference, three points back of eighth-placed Dallas.
AVALANCHE 4, DUCKS 1
In Denver, Colorado, Ryan O’Reilly broke a tie 37 seconds into the third period and Semyon Varlamov stopped 27 shots.
Cody McLeod, Matt Duchene and Jay McClement also scored for the Avalanche, who won their fourth straight to move into a tie with Dallas for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Bobby Ryan had a goal for a weary Ducks squad that was playing for a third time in five nights. The fatigue showed in the third period when Anaheim surrendered three goals, including two within a span of 2:18 to help Colorado end a six-game skid to the Ducks on home ice.
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