NHL: Wild surge past Canucks, secure playoff spot

Wild Clinch Playoff Spot with 5-2 Win Over Canucks

Matt Boldy and Ryan Hartman each scored twice as the Minnesota Wild closed strong for a 5-2 victory over the Vancouver Canucks Thursday night in Saint Paul, Minn. Kirill Kaprizov added a goal and an assist, while Mats Zuccarello contributed two assists. Goaltender Filip Gustavsson stopped 30 of 32 shots to earn the win. Minnesota (42-21-12, 96 points) secured a playoff berth for the second straight season and the sixth time in seven years. The Wild trailed 2-1 after one period but scored two goals in both the second and third periods to seal the win. Tom Willander and Jake DeBrusk scored for Vancouver, which got 34 saves from Nikita Tolopilo.

Hurricanes 5, Blue Jackets 1

Logan Stankoven scored twice as Carolina opened fast and cruised past Columbus, clinching a playoff spot for the eighth consecutive season. Sebastian Aho and Taylor Hall each recorded two assists, while Alexander Nikishin, Jordan Martinook, and Andrei Svechnikov added goals. Frederik Andersen stopped nine of 10 shots. Columbus, outscored 19-9 during a five-game winless streak (0-4-1), got a lone goal from Denton Mateychuk, with Elvis Merzlikins making 16 saves.

Golden Knights 6, Flames 3

Mitch Marner scored a hat trick and added two assists as Vegas rallied to defeat Calgary in Las Vegas. Ivan Barbashev tallied a goal and two assists, while Pavel Dorofeyev and Brett Howden also scored. Carter Hart made 19 saves in his first start since Jan. 8. Blake Coleman scored twice and Morgan Frost added a goal for Calgary, with Dustin Wolf stopping 28 shots. Shea Theodore recorded two assists to reach 400 career points. Vegas remains three points behind co-leaders Anaheim and Edmonton in the Pacific Division with six games remaining.

Canadiens 3, Rangers 2

Cole Caufield scored twice, including the tiebreaking goal with 5:05 remaining, lifting Montreal to a seventh consecutive win over New York. Caufield scored his 48th and 49th goals of the season and has nine goals during the streak. Alex Newhook also scored, and Jacob Fowler made 22 saves. Adam Fox and Will Cuylle had Rangers goals, with Igor Shesterkin stopping 22 shots.

Predators 5, Kings 4 (SO)

Jonathan Marchessault had a goal and an assist, and Luke Evangelista scored the shootout winner as Nashville edged Los Angeles. Filip Forsberg, Zachary L’Heureux, and Steven Stamkos also scored, while Juuse Saros made 29 saves. Adrian Kempe scored twice, Joel Armia had a goal and an assist, Scott Laughton scored, and Darcy Kuemper stopped 30 shots for the Kings, who have lost six of eight.

Panthers 2, Bruins 1

Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves as Florida defeated Boston. Mackie Samoskevich and Sam Bennett scored for the Panthers, while Fraser Minten scored for Boston. Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves, snapping the Bruins’ four-game winning streak.

Senators 4, Sabres 1

Lars Eller scored early in the third period to lead Ottawa past Buffalo. Dylan Cozens, Ridly Greig, and Shane Pinto also scored for the Senators, with Linus Ullmark stopping 21 shots. Mattias Samuelsson scored for the Sabres, with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen making 20 saves.

Lightning 6, Penguins 3

Anthony Cirelli recorded a hat trick, and Zemgus Girgensons reached 100 career goals as Tampa Bay beat Pittsburgh. Brayden Point also scored, with Stuart Skinner stopping 27 shots. Egor Chinakhov scored twice for the Penguins, and Rickard Rakell added a goal.

Devils 7, Capitals 3

Jack Hughes had two goals and three assists, while Jesper Bratt added a five-point performance as New Jersey defeated Washington. Dawson Mercer scored twice, Cody Glass and Dougie Hamilton also tallied, and Jake Allen stopped 29 shots. Tom Wilson and Pierre-Luc Dubois scored for Washington, with Logan Thompson allowing six goals on 29 shots.

Mammoth 6, Kraken 2

Logan Cooley scored twice and had an assist, and Dylan Guenther added a goal and two assists as Utah overcame a two-goal deficit to beat Seattle. Nick Schmaltz, JJ Peterka, Michael Carcone, and Kailer Yamamoto also scored. Karel Vejmelka made 25 saves. Jordan Eberle and Bobby McCann scored for the Kraken, who lost their third straight game.

Sharks 4, Maple Leafs 1

San Jose extended its winning streak to four games with a victory over Toronto. Zack Ostapchuk, Collin Graf, William Eklund, and Adam Gaudette scored, while Alex Nedeljkovic made 18 saves. John Tavares scored for Toronto, with Anthony Stolarz stopping 21 shots.

Red Wings 4, Flyers 2

Alex DeBrincat scored twice and Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists as Detroit defeated Philadelphia. Lucas Raymond also scored, while Tyson Foerster and Travis Konecny scored for the Flyers. Samuel Ersson made 15 saves.

Stars 3, Jets 0

Jake Oettinger made 22 saves for his 15th career shutout as Dallas blanked Winnipeg. Arttu Hyry and Adam Erne each had a goal and an assist, and Matt Duchene added a goal. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 18 shots for the Jets.

Oilers 3, Blackhawks 1

Edmonton pulled even in points atop the Pacific Division with a home win over Chicago. Adam Henrique, Matt Savoie, and Vasily Podkolzin scored, while Tristan Jarry made 17 saves. Nick Lardis scored for the Blackhawks, with Spencer Knight stopping 31 shots.

—Field Level Media/Reuters