UNDATED (AP) — The Florida Panthers are in a funk right now after tying the best 11-game start in NHL history.
The Panthers absorbed their third straight regulation loss as Jonathan Quick turned back 40 shots in the Kings’ 4-1 win at Florida. Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown scored second-period goals, and Olli Maata tallied for the first time in 75 games.
Florida was without seven players because of COVID-19 protocols. The Panthers had to recall four players from their AHL affiliate after Aaron Ekblad and Frank Vatrano were ruled out earlier in the day.
Elsewhere on NHL ice:
— Nino Niederreiter’s second goal of the night broke a third-period tie in the Hurricanes’ 5-3 victory over the Red Wings. Niederreiter snapped a 3-3 deadlock 18 seconds into the final period to lead the short-handed Hurricanes. Carolina was without team scoring leader Sebastian Aho, second-leading scorer Andrei Svechnikov, captain Jordan Staal, Ian Cole, Seth Jarvis and Steven Lorentz due to COVID-19 protocol.
— The Lightning knocked off the Senators, 2-1 as Andrei Vasilevskiy set an NHL record for wins in a calendar year. Vasilevskiy stopped 25 shots in his 62 win of 2021, breaking the mark set by Marc-Andre Fleury with the Penguins in 2009. Steven Stamkos picked up his 900th career point for Tampa Bay, which also got a goal and an assist out of Victor Hedman.
— The Predators were 5-2 winners over the Avalanche behind Filip Forsberg’s two goals and an assist. Tanner Jeannot scored and added an assist as Nashville extended its season-high winning streak to six games. Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist for Colorado, which had won five in a row.
— The Oilers’ six-game losing streak is over after Jesse Puljujarvi had two goals and an assist in their 5-2 verdict over the Blue Jackets. Derek Ryan, Brendan Perlini and Warren Foegelealso scored to help Edmonton win for the first time in six home games. Gustav Nyquist and Justin Danforth scored for Columbus, which has lost eight of its last 10.
— Tage Thompson scored the only goal in a shootout, sending the Sabres to a 3-2 decision over the Wild. Dylan Cozens and Mark Pysyk scored for the Sabres, who handed Minnesota its third straight loss since an eight-game winning streak. Cam Talbot made 38 saves for the Wild.
— Brock Boeser scored twice and the Canucks improved to 6-0 under head coach Bruce Boudreau with a 5-2 victory over the Sharks. Bo Horvat, J.T. Miller and Jason Dickinson also scored as the Canucks extended their resurgence since Boudreau replaced the fired Travis Green less than two weeks ago. Thatcher Demko made 34 saves for Vancouver.
— Cal Clutterbuck scored twice and the Islanders improved to 3-3-3 in their last nine by downing the depleted Bruins, 3-1. Semyon Varlamov stopped 40 shots for his first win of the season, helping New York claim its second straight home victory after opening UBS Arena with second consecutive losses. Anthony Beauvillier also scored against the Bruins, who were missing seven players due to COVID protocols.
— The Devils grabbed a quick 1-0 lead before the Golden Knights scored four straight to earn their third straight win, 5-3 at New Jersey. Dylan Coghlan, William Carrier, William Karlsson and Nicolas Roy tallied after Jack Hughes opened the scoring 1:41 after the opening faceoff. The Devils lost their fourth in a row and fell to 2-8-2 in their last 12 games.
— The Canadiens picked up a 3-2 win over the Flyers as Jonathan Drouin provided the only shootout goal. Artturi Lehkonen and Laurent Dauphin scored in regulation for Montreal. Cayden Primeau, son of former Philadephia player Keith Primeau, allowed two goals on 38 shots.
Bruins put 3 more players in COVID-19 protocol, no fans for Montreal tonight
UNDATED (AP) — The Boston Bruins have placed forwards Anton Blidh and Trent Frederic and goalie Jeremy Swayman in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol.
The Bruins now have six players in the protocol. Coach Bruce Cassidy tested positive Nov. 30, and just rejoined the team on Monday.
The Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers played in an empty Bell Centre at request of Quebec public health officials.
In other NHL news:
— Canucks president and interim general manager Jim Rutherford has named Stan Smyl vice president of hockey operations. The 62-year-old Smyl as a star player for the Canucks from 1978-91. He will work closely with Rutherford on all hockey operations matters, including player personnel decisions and internal operations.
