The Ottawa Senators stretched their winning streak to 11 games with a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, defeating their Canadian rivals for the first time since 2004.
The Senators built an early 2-0 lead on first period goals from Milan Michalek and Jason Spezza before Chris Kelly sealed the contest with 41 seconds remaining after Vancouver had threatened a late comeback.
Goaltender Brian Elliott made 29 saves as red-hot Ottawa (33-21-4) extended their franchise-record streak and moved within one point of Northeast Division leaders, the Buffalo Sabres.
“[Elliot] has been phenomenal,” Spezza told reporters. “There’s not enough we can say about how well he’s played. He just keeps it going and it seems like every night he seems better and better, so it’s going well for us.”
Northwest-leading Vancouver (34-20-2) was held scoreless until Kyle Wellwood found the net with a wrist shot 58 seconds before Kelly struck the final goal.
The visitors peppered Elliot with 16 shots in the third but the Senators held firm, limiting their 11th straight opponent to just two goals or fewer.
The loss was the second in a row for the Canucks, after they notched a seven-game winning streak. They are now 1-2 on their record 14-game road trip, scheduled to allow for this month’s Winter Olympics.
“We had been good on the road prior to these last two games and our game in Montreal,” Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said. “But that being said, we’ve got a lot of guys whose personal stats on the road are definitely as good as they are at home.”
Spezza maintained his outstanding form since returning from a knee injury last month and has nine goals from his last eight games.
Daniel Alfredsson added three assists to complement his last-gasp heroics on Wednesday, when he scored twice in the final minute to seal a win over the Buffalo Sabres.
Sharks 4, Blues 2
Patrick Marleau scored his 38th goal of the season, remaining tied for the NHL lead, as the Western Conference-leading San Jose Sharks beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2 on Thursday.
Ryane Clowe, Devin Setoguchi and Scott Nichol also scored for the Sharks, who bounced back from their lone regulation loss in the last 11 games.
San Jose has 83 points, one behind Washington for first overall in the NHL.
Patrik Berglund had a goal and an assist, and Alex Steen also scored for the Blues, who have an NHL-worst nine home wins from 29 games.
Capitals 6, Rangers 5
In New York, Washington was pushed all the way by the New York Rangers in a high-scoring thriller before extending its team-record winning streak to 12.
Niclas Backstrom already had four assists when he got to a loose puck near the left circle and snapped in his 24th goal of the season to complete the scoring in the third period.
Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin had two goals and an assist to reach 500 career NHL points. He is the fifth player to reach the milestone in five seasons, doing it in only 373 games. Boyd Gordon, Mike Knuble, and defenseman Tom Poti added goals for the Capitals, who haven’t lost in three weeks.
Vinny Prospal had two goals for New York, and newly acquired forward Olli Jokinen, Brandon Dubinsky, and Ryan Callahan also found the net for the Rangers, but they lost in regulation for the seventh time in eight games.
Blue Jackets 2, Stars 1
In Columbus, Ohio, Columbus marked the coaching debut of Claude Noel by edging the Dallas Stars.
Noel was in charge for his first NHL game after taking over for Ken Hitchcock, who was fired on Wednesday after the Blue Jackets sagged this season following their first trip to the playoffs in the 2008 to 2009 season.
Steve Mason had 22 saves, Anton Stralman scored and R.J. Umberger added an empty-netter while sliding on his front.
Brad Richards scored in the final minute for Dallas.
Kings 6, Ducks 4
In Los Angeles, the hosts blew a three-goal lead in the third period before steadying to beat the Anaheim Ducks, tying a franchise record with their eighth straight win.
In other NHL action, it was:
• Predators 5, Avalanche 3
• Canadiens 3, Bruins 2, SO
• Lightning 5, Islanders 2
• Wild 4, Oilers 2
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