NHL: Stars earn shootout win in showdown with Avs

Wyatt Johnston scored the lone goal in the shootout, and Jake Oettinger made 33 saves through overtime as the Dallas Stars defeated the Colorado Avalanche 2-1 in Denver on Wednesday in a matchup of the NHL's top two teams.

Jason Robertson scored in regulation for Dallas, which moved within two points of Colorado in the Central Division. Oettinger stopped Valeri Nichushkin in the shootout, and Martin Necas missed his chance before Johnston beat Scott Wedgewood on the Stars’ third attempt. Nathan MacKinnon also failed to score, keeping Colorado’s three-game winning streak on pause.

Cale Makar scored for the Avalanche in regulation, and Wedgewood had 17 saves through overtime before stopping two shootout attempts. Colorado has now lost three straight (0-2-1), tightening the race with Dallas for the top seed in the Western Conference.

Hurricanes 6, Penguins 5 (OT)

Sean Walker scored with 28.3 seconds left in overtime to give the Carolina Hurricanes a thrilling 6-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Raleigh, North Carolina. Jackson Blake had a goal and two assists, while Walker, Logan Stankoven, and Taylor Hall each recorded a goal and an assist. Frederik Andersen stopped 30 shots, and Nikolaj Ehlers contributed three assists.

For Pittsburgh, Erik Karlsson finished with two goals and an assist, and Sidney Crosby marked his return after an 11-game absence with a goal and an assist. Goalie Stuart Skinner made 38 saves.

Flyers 3, Ducks 2 (OT)

Noah Cates scored 2:17 into overtime to lift the Philadelphia Flyers past the Anaheim Ducks, extending Philadelphia’s road winning streak to five games. Luke Glendening and Owen Tippett also scored, while Dan Vladar made 34 saves.

Cutter Gauthier scored a power-play goal and added an assist, and Leo Carlsson also scored for Anaheim. Lukas Dostal stopped 24 shots as the Ducks claimed an overtime point, moving into sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division.

Devils 6, Rangers 3

Jack Hughes and Connor Brown each had a goal and two assists, leading the New Jersey Devils to a 6-3 victory over the New York Rangers. Captain Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt each scored and set up another goal. Jacob Markstrom stopped 15 shots for the win, helping New Jersey secure seven wins in their last nine games.

For the Rangers, Mika Zibanejad scored his team-leading 28th goal of the season, while Conor Sheary and Vladislav Gavrikov also scored. Jonathan Quick made 33 saves in the loss, marking the team’s second straight defeat after a four-game winning streak.

Capitals 4, Senators 1

Cole Hutson scored his first NHL goal on an empty-net finish, helping the Washington Capitals defeat the Ottawa Senators 4-1 at home. Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, and Aliaksei Protas also scored, while goalie Logan Thompson stopped 34 shots and remained perfect for more than 57 minutes.

Tim Stutzle scored for Ottawa, whose five-game winning run came to an end. Linus Ullmark made 21 saves.

Flames 2, Blues 1 (SO)

Joel Farabee and Matvei Gridin scored in the shootout as the Calgary Flames edged the St. Louis Blues. Calgary converted two of three shootout attempts, while goalie Devin Cooley stopped both of St. Louis’ tries. Connor Zary scored in regulation for the Flames.

Dylan Holloway scored for the Blues, who have gone 7-2-2 since the Olympic break to stay in playoff contention. Joel Hofer stopped 30 of 31 shots before the shootout.

—Field Level Media/Reuters