Jarome Iginla scored two goals and Tuukka Rask stopped 33 shots as the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins extended their winning streak to nine games with a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Monday.
The Bruins increased their conference lead to five points over the idle second-placed Pittsburgh Penguins by posting their longest winning streak since a 10-game run in November 2011.
Loui Eriksson and Reilly Smith also scored for Boston, who beat the Wild at home for the first time after losing the first six meetings. The Bruins are 3-10 overall against the Wild, who began play in the 2000-2001 season.
Photo: AFP
Jason Pominville had the only goal for Minnesota, who lost for the fifth time in six games. Darcy Kuemper made 25 saves.
BLUES 3, JETS 1
In St Louis, Missouri, David Backes scored twice and Ryan Miller made 16 saves in another win as the St Louis Blues beat the Winnipeg Jets.
The Blues are 7-0-1 since Miller was acquired by trade from Buffalo. St Louis have won three straight and eight of nine.
Western Conference-leading St Louis have an NHL-best 101 points. It is the sixth time in franchise history that the Blues have reached 100 points.
Backes has 23 goals this season. Brendan Morrow added a goal and Jay Bouwmeester had two assists in the Blues’ win.
Eric O’Dell had the lone goal for Winnipeg, while Al Montoya made 23 saves.
LIGHTNING 4, CANUCKS 3
In Tampa, Florida, Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat both had a goal and an assist to lead the Tampa Bay Lightning past the Vancouver Canucks.
Valtteri Filppula and Tom Pyatt also scored for the Lightning, who moved into a second-place tie with the Montreal Canadiens — with one game at hand — in the Atlantic Division.
Ben Bishop extended his single-season team record with his 32nd win.
Alexandre Burrows scored two goals, while Jannik Hansen added a short-handed tally for the Vancouver Canucks.
After Pyatt scored midway through the third period, the Canucks got within one on goals by Burrows at 11 minutes, 44 seconds and Hansen at 15:16.
COYOTES 4, KINGS 3
In Los Angeles, Keith Yandle scored the tying goal midway through the third period and Jeff Halpern netted the winner with 3:05 left, leading the Phoenix Coyotes over the Los Angeles Kings.
Rob Klinkhammer and Mikkel Boedker scored 63 seconds apart in the first period for the Coyotes, who handed the Kings their third straight loss and took over sole possession of eighth place in the Western Conference. Mike Smith made 36 saves.
Marian Gaborik, defenseman Alec Martinez and rookie Tanner Pearson scored for the Kings, who were without captain Dustin Brown for a second straight game because of a lower-body injury.
Jonathan Quick stopped 23 shots for Los Angeles, who fell to a 21-1 record when leading after the first two periods.
The Kings outshot Phoenix 15-2 in the second period, turning a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead.
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