Read reports from Thursday’s NHL games.
Blues win 4-3 in Detroit
Samuel Blais scored his seventh goal this season as the St. Louis Blues defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 on Thursday.
Alexey Toropchenko, Brayden Schenn and Jake Neighbors scored the other visitors’ goals.
Joel Hofer made 27 saves, being beaten by Jake Walman, Simon Edvinsson and Alex Chiasson.
Drafted sixth overall in 2021, Edvinsson got his very first NHL goal, in his third game.
Blues general manager Doug Armstrong will take on the same duties for Hockey Canada ahead of the world championship in May.
St. Louis was beginning a three-game road trip that will end in California this weekend.
Dana Gauruder, Associated Press
Lightning 7-2 loss to Senators
PHOTO MARC DESROSIERS, USA TODAY SPORTS
The win marks the Senators’ first 35-game winning season since the 2015-16 campaign.
Alex DeBrincat scored two goals and added an assist in the Ottawa Senators’ 7-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday.
Brady Tkachuk (two goals), Derick Brassard, Erik Brannstrom and Austin Watson also scored for the Senators.
Mads Sogaard made 27 saves.
The win marks the Senators’ first 35-game winning season since the 2015-16 campaign.
Ottawa will play again Saturday night in New Jersey.
The club’s next three games will take place in the federal capital.
Brayden Point and Mikhail Sergachev fought back for the Lightning, which dropped for a third straight game.
Brian Elliott blocked 28 shots.
The Canadian Press
Convincing victory for the Maple Leafs against the Panthers
PHOTO SAM NAVARRO, USA TODAY SPORTS
John Tavares (91) and Alexander Kerfoot (15) of the Maple Leafs
Auston Matthews scored twice for the Toronto Maple Leafs in their 6-2 win over the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
Matt Murray made 33 saves. Mitchell Marner and William Nylander each had a goal and an assist, and John Tavares finished with three assists.
The Maple Leafs won for the third time in four games, rebounding well from a 7-2 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday night.
Matthew Tkachuk and Nick Cousins scored for the Panthers. Bobrovsky stopped 21 shots in the team’s second straight loss.
The Leafs moved past when Matthews scored his 33e goal at 5:05 of the start of the first period. Tkachuk tied at 1-1 at 14:25 of the first period.
Nylander made it 2-1 at 1:20 in the second half, and Matthews scored again at 2:57.
After Cousins cut the score for the Panthers at 11:43, Bunting scored with two Panthers in the box at 18:21 to give the Leafs a 4-2 lead.
The Maple Leafs took cover for good with 5:37 left in the final period when Kerfoot scored on an assist from Tavares. Marner scored in an empty net just over a minute later.
George Richards, Associated Press
Flyers win shootout against Wild
PHOTO MATT SLOCUM, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Carter Hart and Morgan Frost of the Flyers
James van Riemsdyk scored the only goal of the shootout and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Minnesota Wild 5-4 on Thursday.
Coach John Tortorella racked up a 700e career victory.
Tortorella has a record of 700-573-181, ranking 12e rank for earnings.
Scott Laughton, Joel Farabee, Rasmus Ristolainen and Tyson Foerster scored for the Flyers in regular time.
Matt Boldy scored two goals for the Wild. Oskar Sundqvist and Marcus Foligno scored the other goals in regular time.
Marc-André Fleury stopped 32 shots in a losing cause, while Carter Hart blocked 21 shots.
Dan Gelston, Associated Press
Washington Capitals beat Blackhawks
PHOTO AMBER SEARLS, USA TODAY SPORTS
Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 shots.
John Carlson had a goal and an assist in his return from a fractured skull Thursday as the Washington Capitals beat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-1.
Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom also had a goal and an assist, helping the Capitals move within four points of the Penguins for a playoff berth.
The Capitals got off to a strong start for a second straight game, scoring twice in the first period.
Anthony Mantha, Conor Sheary and Nic Dowd also scored for the Capitals, while Darcy Kuemper stopped 27 shots.
For the Hawks, Nikita Zaitsev scored and Anton Khudobin made 22 saves, in his first NHL game since Jan. 15, 2022.
Sammi Silber, Associated Press
Rangers edge Hurricanes 2-1
PHOTO KARL B DEBLAKER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Adam Fox scored one of two goals for Rangers.
Adam Fox ended a 24-game drought and the New York Rangers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1 on Thursday.
Artemi Panarin also scored for the winners.
Mika Zibanejad had two assists for Rangers, while Igor Shesterkin made 29 saves.
Rangers have scored in eight of their last nine games (7-1-1).
They prevailed even though they didn’t fire until the 11e minute of the meeting.
Sebastian Aho scored the goal for the Hurricanes-he also leads his team with 31 goals. Frederik Anderson stopped 14 shots.
The Hurricanes could have clinched a playoff berth with a win.
They were in the first of four straight games at Raleigh.