Tyler Johnson scored twice in Tampa Bay’s four-goal second period, while the Lightning won the matchup for top spot in the Eastern Conference by beating Montreal 4-2 on Tuesday in the NHL.
Brett Connolly and J.T. Brown also scored for Tampa Bay (26-12-4), who moved two points ahead of Montreal atop both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference.
Dale Weise and Max Pacioretty had goals for Montreal (26-12-2), who have two games in hand on the Lightning.
The Canadiens played their first home game since Dec. 20 after winning five straight on the road. They had won six in a row overall.
AVALANCHE 2, BLACKHAWKS 0
Goalie Semyon Varlamov stopped a career-high 54 shots as the Colorado Avalanche blanked the Chicago Blackhawks.
Nathan MacKinnon recorded a goal and an assist for Colorado, who netted two goals in the game’s first 77 seconds. Left winger Maxime Talbot also scored for the Avalanche (16-16-8).
The Blackhawks (26-12-2) lost for the second time in three games. They were shut out for the third time this season and for the first time since Nov. 2 against the Winnipeg Jets.
SHARKS 4, WILD 3 OT
Defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored in overtime as the San Jose Sharks rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Minnesota Wild.
For the second night in a row, Vlasic netted the game-winner for the Sharks (22-14-5), who had lost their previous seven consecutive games in Minnesota. Centers Melker Karlsson, Joe Pavelski and Tommy Wingels also scored for San Jose.
Zach Parise, tied for the Wild (18-15-5) lead in goals with 14, was scratched before the game and left the team temporarily to be with his ailing father, who is battling cancer.
PREDATORS 3, HURRICANES 2
Roman Josi’s one-timer from the left faceoff circle at 15 minutes, 17 seconds of the third period snapped a 2-2 tie as Nashville rallied past the Carolina Hurricanes.
It was the Predators’ 38th goal in their past nine games.
Nashville (26-9-4) goaltender Pekka Rinne (26-6-2) stopped 23 shots, adding to his NHL-high win total.
Carolina fell to 12-24-4.
BLUE JACKETS 4, STARS 2
Nick Foligno had three assists, center Ryan Johansen a goal and an assist, while left winger Scott Hartnell two assists for the Columbus Blue Jackets in a win against the Dallas Stars.
James Wisniewski and Kevin Connauton and center Mark Letestu also scored for Columbus (18-17-3), while goalie Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 24 of 26 shots.
Dallas (18-15-6) got goals from left wingers Ales Hemsky and Antoine Roussel.
FLYERS 2, SENATORS 1 SO
Wayne Simmonds scored the tying goal in regulation and the winning goal in a shootout to lift the Philadelphia Flyers to a victory over the Ottawa Senators.
Goaltender Steve Mason made 41 saves as the Flyers (15-18-7) snapped a 10-game losing streak in shootouts.
Mike Hoffman had the lone goal for Ottawa (16-15-8).
DEVILS 4, SABRES 1
Patrik Elias scored a goal, the 399th of his career, and added two assists, giving him 1,000 career points, leading the only team he ever played for, the New Jersey Devils, to victory over the struggling Buffalo Sabres.
The win was the second in a row for New Jersey (15-20-7) after they dropped five of six. The Sabres (14-24-3) lost their fifth straight game and suffered a ninth setback in their past 10 games.
BLUES 6, COYOTES 0
St Louis center David Backes had the first four-goal game of the NHL season, while goaltender Brian Elliott stopped 23 shots for his second shutout as the Blues blanked Arizona 6-0.
Backes, who has 13 goals for the Blues (24-13-3), scored three times in the second period and added his fourth three minutes into the third for the second four-goal game of his career.
RED WINGS 4, OILERS 2
The Detroit Red Wings, who have not lost back-to-back games in regulation all season, kept their record intact by beating the Edmonton Oilers 4-2.
The Wings were coming off a 4-1 loss in Vancouver on Saturday and responded by scoring twice in the second period and twice in the third to break a 2-2 tie, improving their record to 20-10-9.
CANUCKS 3, ISLANDERS 2
Nick Bonino and Linden Vey snapped scoring droughts as the Vancouver Canucks scored a 3-2 win over the New York Islanders.
Defenseman Ryan Stanton also scored for Vancouver (23-12-3).
Bonino’s goal was his first in eight games and just his second in the past 24, while Vey scored for the first time in 13 games.
The Islanders (26-13-1) dropped their second game in a row.
Additional reporting by AP
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