UNDATED (AP) — The Carolina Hurricanes hosted the non-contending Detroit Red Wings on Thursday with a chance to pad their two-point lead over the New York Rangers in the Metropolitan Division. The Canes couldn’t do it.
Alex Nedeljkovic turned back 46 shots against his former team as the Red Wings blanked the Hurricanes, 3-0. Carolina finished with a 46-22 edge in shots, but Nedeljkovic managed to post his third shutout of the season. He helped Detroit keep the game scoreless until Moritz Seider scored with 13 seconds left in the second period.
Adam Erne and Filip Zadina also scored for the Wings.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— Second-period goals by Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris and Tim Stutzle allowed the Senators to rally for a 3-2 win over the Bruins, sending Boston to its first three-game losing streak this season. The rally occurred after Linus Ullmark was lifted after one period because of an injury. The B’s led, 2-0 until Tkachuk beat Jeremy Swayman 47 seconds into the middle period.
— William Nylander, Ilya Mikheyev and Michael Bunting each scored twice for the Maple Leafs in a 7-3 thumping of the Capitals. Eight Leafs had at least two points, led by John Tavares with three assists. Matthews became the third player in Maple Leafs’ history to score 100 or more points in a season.
— The Penguins have wrapped up their 16th consecutive playoff berth with a 6-3 win over the Islanders. Jake Guentzel had two goals and two assists for Pittsburgh, while Sidney Crosby chipped in added a goal and two helpers. Tristan Jarry made 36 saves for the Penguins, who have won two of three overall.
— Anthony Cirelli scored 1:58 into overtime to give the Lightning a 4-3 win over the Ducks and another berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Ross Colton, Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov also scored for the Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy made 10 saves before being replaced by Brian Elliott, who stopped all 13 shots he faced.
— The Avalanche claimed their eighth straight win as Artturi Lehkonen had a goal and an assist in a 3-1 verdict over the Devils. Logan O’Connor and Andre Burakovsky also scored and Pavel Francouz had 26 saves for Colorado, which has a league-best 114 points with eight games remaining. Colorado seized control with a dominant second period, when it outshot New Jersey 14-4 and scored three times.
— Vladimir Tarasenko scored three times as part of a career-best five-point outing in the Blues’ seventh consecutive win, 6-2 at Buffalo. Robert Thomas had five assists, giving him 23 points during an 11-game point streak. Pavel Buchnevich, Brandon Saad and David Perron also scored for the Blues, whose surge has them battling the Wild for second place in the Central Division standings.
— Frederick Gaudreu capped his three-point night by scoring 1:40 into overtime to give the Wild a 3-2 win over the Stars. Gaudreau ended the game after setting up Kevin Fiala’s two goals, helping Minnesota stay within two points of St. Louis for second place in the Central Division. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 34 shots for Minnesota, allowing a pair of goals by Jason Robertson.
— The Golden Knights earned a 5-1 win over the Flames as Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson each had a goal and two assists. Calgary native Logan Thompson made 35 saves for Vegas, which is two points behind Dallas and Nashville for the two Western Conference wild-card berths. The loss prevented the Flames from clinching a playoff berth.
— Leon Draisaitl had a hat trick and Mike Smith made 30 saves in the Oilers’ first win in three games, 4-0 against the Predators. Draisaitl’s hat trick gave him 54 goals this season, four behind NHL-leading Auston Matthews of Toronto. Darnell Nurse also scored and Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had two assists for Edmonton.
— The Blackhawks earned a 5-4 win over the Sharks in a shootout to end an eight-game losing streak. Alex DeBrincat scored the lone shootout goal after having three assists in regulation. Patrick Kane scored his 24th goal and added two assists for Chicago.
— Vasily Podkolzin and Alex Chiasson each scored twice in the Canucks’ 7-1 thumping of the Coyotes. J.T. Miller set up five Vancouver goals.
