LAS VEGAS (AP) — Reilly Smith registered his first career hat trick, Marc-Andre Fleury made 20 saves, and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the St. Louis Blues 4-1. Chandler Stephenson also scored for Vegas. The Golden Knights moved into a tie with the Carolina Hurricanes for the most points in the NHL with 80. Vegas extended its home winning streak to a season-high seven games. The Golden Knights meet the Colorado Avalanche on Monday in a crucial battle between the West Division’s top two teams with the division title still up for grabs.
Also on NHL ice:
— The Rangers’ season and their five-game losing streak are over after Mika Zibanejad (MEE’-kah zih-BAN’-eh-jad) scored two of New York’s four third-period goals in a 5-4 comeback over the Bruins. Alexis Lafrenière (lah-frehn-YEHR’) and Vitali Kravtsov (vih-TA’-lee KRAVT’-sahv) also scored in a wild third when the Rangers turned a 2-1 deficit to a 4-2 edge. David Pastrnak (PAHS’-tur-nahk) scored his 200th career goal and Brad Marchand had his team-leading 28th for Boston.
— Brock Nelson scored twice in the second period of the Islanders’ 5-1 victory over the Devils, ending New York’s three-game losing streak. Mathew Barzal had a goal and an assist as the Isles won what is expected to be the final regular-season game at Nassau Coliseum. Ilya Sorokin (sah-ROH’-kihn) stopped 23 shots to help the Islanders win in regulation for just the sixth time in their last 23 games.
— The Avalanche kept past with a 3-2 win over the Kings as Devon Toews (deh-VAHN’ tayvz) scored twice for his first multigoal game. Cale Makar (mah-KAHR’) had a goal and an assist for the second straight game, and Jonas Johansson made 16 saves in Colorado’s fourth win in five games. The Avs remain one point ahead of Minnesota for third in the West.
— The Wild beat the Ducks, 4-3 on Victor Rask’s goal 2:46 into overtime. Jared Spurgeon, Ryan Hartman, and Nick Bonino also scored to help the Wild finish 4-1-2 on a season-high seven-game homestand. Kirill Kaprizov (kih-REEL’ kah-PREE’-zahf) added two assists and Cam Talbot stopped 19 shots.
— Alex Wennberg’s second career hat trick carried the Panthers to a 5-1 win over the Lightning, giving Florida the edge over Tampa Bay for home-ice advantage in their upcoming first-round series. Jonathan Huberdeau (HOO’-bur-doh) and Sam Bennett each had a goal and an assist for the Cats, who are two points ahead of the Bolts heading into the regular-season finale between the two teams. The Lightning have dropped two straight in regulation after a 6-0-1 hot streak.
— The Predators have secured the fourth and final Central Division playoff berth with a 3-1 win over the division-winning Hurricanes. Luke Kunin (KUH’-nihn) scored twice and Juuse Saros (YOO’-see SAH’-rohs) made 21 saves as Nashville handed Carolina its first regulation loss since April 12. Erik Haula (HAW’-lah) also scored and Mikael Granlund had two assists in the Predators’ third win in four games.
— The Maple Leafs wrapped up the North Division title with a 3-2 win against the Canadiens. Mitch Marner’s 20th goal of the season helped the Leafs finish 7-2-1 against their top rivals. William Nylander (NEE’-lan-dur) and Pierre Engvall also scored, and Jack Campbell made 21 saves.
— Connor McDavid had a goal and three assists to reach 100 points this season, sending the Oilers to a 4-3 decision over the Canucks. The 24-year-old became the ninth NHL player to get to 100 points in 53 games or fewer. Leon Draisaitl (DRY’-sy-tul) scored twice and Jesse Puljujarvi (pool-YAHR’-vee) also tallied for Edmonton.
— The Senators were 4-2 winners over the Jets behind rookie Tim Stutzle’s first NHL hat trick. Connor Brown scored and added two assists as Ottawa moved to 8-1-1 in its last 10 games.
— Max Domi (DOH’-mee) scored 4:39 into overtime to lift the Blue Jackets over the Red Wings, 5-4. Eric Robinson had a goal and an assist as Columbus won for just the third time in its last 15 games.
— Phil Kessel’s goal 2 1/2 minutes into overtime completed the Coyotes’ 5-4 win over the Sharks. It was Kessel’s 20th goal and 10th against San Jose this season.
