Marian Gaborik broke a second-period deadlock, while Jonathan Quick shook off an opening-minute goal to help the Los Angeles Kings to a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Tuesday in a rematch of last year’s Stanley Cup Final.
The Kings, fighting for a chance to defend their title, have won the first two games of a five-game trip on successive nights. Robyn Regehr scored a rare goal in the first period, while Jeff Carter and Jake Muzzin extended the lead in the third. Anze Kopitar had two assists. Quick made 34 saves.
Los Angeles, who beat the Rangers in five games for the title last year, are level on points with third-placed Calgary in the Pacific Division, but the Flames hold the tiebreaker.
Photo: AFP
Meanwhile, Nashville’s Filip Forsberg scored a power-play goal 1 minute, 54 seconds into overtime as the Predators rallied to beat the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 in a game between two of the NHL’s top teams.
Pekka Rinne made 27 saves in his 39th win. He pulled within a victory of the Canadiens’ Carey Price in the showdown between the league’s top goaltenders of this season.
Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis scored for the Predators, who stayed a point behind Central Division leaders St Louis.
The Vancouver Canucks earned their third straight win as Radim Vrbata had two goals and an assist in a 5-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets.
Henrik Sedin had an empty-net goal and two assists for the Canucks. Chris Higgins and Yannick Weber also scored, while Eddie Lack had 26 saves.
Vancouver, who also got two assists from Daniel Sedin, are second in the Pacific Division, four points ahead of Calgary.
In Uniondale, New York, Zach Parise scored the equalizing goal midway through the third period, then added another in a shootout to help the Minnesota Wild beat the Islanders 2-1 for their 10th straight road win.
Parise’s shootout attempt hit the post to the right of Jaroslav Halak and trickled in after it bounced off the goaltender’s leg.
Devan Dubnyk made 37 saves for the Wild.
The St Louis Blues beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 after Alexander Steen redirected Zbynek Michalek’s shot from the point into the net 35 seconds into overtime.
The Blues ended a three-game losing streak. They rallied from a two-goal deficit on scores from former Penguins Robert Bortuzzo and Marcel Goc.
The Blues remained atop the Central Division at the end of a six-game road trip, their longest of the season.
In Florida, Ryan Callahan and Nikita Kucherov scored in the third period as the Tampa Bay Lightning edged the Florida Panthers 4-3.
Kucherov tied it at 3-3 with a wraparound for his 27th goal before Callahan skated from behind the net and snapped a shot past Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo from the left circle with 2 minutes, 28 seconds left.
In Detroit, Mark Arcobello scored his second goal of the game in overtime, while Mike Smith made 33 saves to lead the Arizona Coyotes over the Red Wings 5-4.
Detroit have lost seven of 10 and are clinging to third place in the Atlantic Division.
In Pittsburgh, Scott Hartnell had his eighth career three-goal game as the Columbus Blue Jackets downed the Anaheim Ducks 5-3.
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