CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Matthew Tkachuk had a career-high five assists, Johnny Gaudreau had a goal and three assists, and the Calgary Flames routed the St. Louis Blues 7-1.
Tkachuk ended a four-game goal-scoring streak but was happy to spread the wealth. Four of his assists came in the second period, when Calgary outshot St. Louis 18-2. Tkachuk has 17 points (four goals, 13 assists) in 13 career games against his hometown team. Nikita Zadorov, Chris Tanev, Elias Lindholm, Sean Monahan, Blake Coleman and Adam Ruzicka also scored for Calgary, which won for just the second time in seven games.
In other action:
— Keith Yandle tied the NHL record for consecutive games played with 964 and the Philadelphia Flyers tied a franchise record with their 12th straight winless game. Jacob Peterson scored the go-ahead goal with 3:25 left to send the Stars to a 3-1 win. The Flyers have lost all 12 games over that span, matching a mark for futility set during the 1998-99 season when they lost eight games and tied four over a 12-game span.
— Nazem Kadri and Mikko Rantanen scored, Pavel Francouz made 23 saves for his third career shutout and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Chicago Blackhawks 2-0 to extend their franchise-record home winning streak to 16 games. It was the seventh straight victory overall for the Avalanche, who tied the 1976 Boston Bruins for the fifth-longest home winning streak in NHL history.
— Robin Lehner stopped all 34 shots he faced to help the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Washington Capitals, 1-0. It’s Lehner’s first shutout of the season and 17th of his NHL career. His biggest save came on Alex Ovechkin oh-VECH’-kin during a lengthy 5-on-3 power play in the second period. Michael Amadio scored the only goal for Vegas. Vitek Vanecek (VEE’-tehk VAN’-eh-chehk) made 28 saves in net for Washington.
— Troy Terry scored his team-leading 23rd goal, Ryan Getzlaf had a goal and set up another, and the Anaheim Ducks cooled off the Boston Bruins with a 5-3 victory. Isac Lundestrom, Derek Grant and Greg Pateryn also scored for the Ducks, who won for the fourth time in 11 games. John Gibson made 23 saves and Hampus Lindholm had three assists. David Pastrnak scored his 20th goal for Boston, with 12 coming in 13 games this month.
— The Minnesota Wild matched their franchise record for goals in an 8-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Connor Dewar got his first career goal and added an assist when Nico Sturm scored 22 seconds later to help the Wild break open the game in the second period. Jared Spurgeon, Marcus Foligno, Mats Zuccarello, Matt Boldy, Jordie Benn and Kevin Fiala also scored as the Wild improved to 10-0-1 in their last 11 games at Xcel Energy Center. They’ve outscored their opponents 56-25 in that stretch. Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlick scored for the Canadiens.
— Adam Fox scored the deciding goal in the sixth round of a shootout and the New York Rangers beat the Los Angeles Kings 3-2 for their ninth win in 12 games. Chris Kreider got his NHL-leading 30th goal, Barclay Goodrow also scored and Artemi Panarin had two assists as New York won its fifth straight at home. Igor Shesterkin stopped 28 shots to pick up his 20th win of the season.
Penguins’ Teddy Blueger out 6-to-8 weeks after jaw surgery
UNDATED (AP) — Pittsburgh Penguins forward Teddy Blueger will miss 6-to-8 weeks after having surgery to repair a fractured jaw. Blueger was injured when Winnipeg’s Brenden Dillon hit him into the glass on Sunday in the first period of Pittsburgh’s victory over the Jets.
The 27-year-old Blueger has eight goals and nine assists in 40 games this season. He has been an important part of Pittsburgh’s NHL-best penalty-killing unit and centers the Penguins’ fourth line.
Elsewhere around the NHL:
— The Kraken announced today that Brandon Tanev will be taking on an outreach role with the team while continuing his recovery from surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee. Tanev was injured on Dec. 18 against Edmonton and underwent surgery on Dec. 30. He is expected to be ready for the start of the 2022-23 season.
— The Vancouver Canucks have hired former player agent Emilie Castonguay to be assistant general manager, making her the first female assistant GM in franchise history. The team says that she will play a lead role in player contracts and negotiations and managing the collective bargaining agreement. She has represented a number of high-level players, including Alexis Lafreniere, the first overall pick in the 2020 NHL entry draft.
