UNDATED (AP) — Auston Matthews became the first player to score 40 goals this season, Peter Mrazek made 31 saves and the Toronto Maple Leafs held off the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-4. Matthews and linemates Mitch Marner and Michael Bunting each had a goal and an assist, and llya Mikheyev and Alexander Kerfoot also scored as Toronto snapped a two-game skid. T.J. Brodie had two assists.
Elvis Merzlikins, starting his third game in four days for Columbus, made 28 saves but it wasn’t enough to prevent a third straight loss for the Blue Jackets, who dropped a back-to-back over the weekend.
In other ice action:
— Tyler Toffoli had two goals to lead the Calgary Flames to a 3-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers Monday night. Johnny Gaudreau added a goal and an assist for the Flames (34-14-7), who remained atop the Pacific Division with their 14th win in 16 games. Jacob Markstrom stopped 27 of 28 shots. Devin Shore scored for Edmonton, and Mikko Koskinen had 26 saves.
— Trevor Moore tied the game with 26 seconds left in regulation and Andreas Athanasiou scored on a breakaway in overtime to lead the Los Angeles Kings to a 3-2 victory over the Boston Bruins. Boston never trailed in regulation and took a 2-1 lead into the third period thanks to a goal and an assist from Craig Smith. But with the goalie pulled in the final minute, the Kings won a faceoff in the offensive zone and Moore slid home a rebound to tie it. Cal Petersen stopped 30 shots for the Kings. Blake Lizotte also scored for the Kings. They have won eight of their last 10 games.
— Aleksander Barkov had a goal and two assists, and the Florida Panthers won their third straight game, beating the Buffalo Sabres 6-1. Anthony Duclair added a goal and an assist. Noel Acciari, Carter Verhaeghe, and Patric Hornqvist also scored during a four-goal second period. Brandon Montour also scored, and Spencer Knight made 28 saves. John Hayden tipped in Rasmus Asplund’s shot for Buffalo’s lone goal. Craig Anderson stopped 25 shots for the Sabres.
— Cale Makar had two goals and an assist, Nathan MacKinnon had a goal and two assists, and the Colorado Avalanche held off the New York Islanders 5-4 to snap a two-game skid. J.T. Compher and Devon Toews also scored for the Avalanche, who led 5-1 midway through the third and ran out the clock on New York’s rally. Colorado ended its longest losing streak since also dropping consecutive games Nov. 3 and 6.
NHL suspends agreement with Russia-based KHL
UNDATED (AP) — The NHL has suspended its dealings with the Russia-based KHL. The NHL told its teams to cease contact with KHL counterparts and Russia-based agents as part of the suspension of the memorandum of understanding between the leagues. The move could make it more difficult for NHL teams to sign players from the KHL. They can continue to communicate with North American agents certified by the NHL Players’ Association.
It’s the league’s latest move to sever ties with Russia after its invasion of Ukraine.
In other NHL news:
— The NHL has unveiled a new logo for the Stanley Cup playoffs and Final that replaces the one used for the last 13 years. League officials say the process of designing the new logo and word mark began more than two years ago, before the start of the pandemic. The design features a realistic rendering of the Stanley Cup set against a championship banner. The fonts used were derived from a nearly 100-year-old etching on the trophy and the sign outside the Windsor Hotel in Montreal, where the NHL was formed in 1917.
