Consult the reports of the games played Thursday in the NHL.
The Blue Jackets get the better of the Predators
Gustav Nyquist hit the target in the fifth round of the shootout and the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Nashville Predators 4-3 on Thursday night.
Back in the lineup after missing 19 games, Patrik Laine found the back of the net in regulation for the Ohio Troop, which ended a two-game losing streak.
Boone Jenner had one goal and one assist as Alexandre Texier added a goal for the Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins turned off 31 pucks.
Michael McCarron, Nick Cousins and Ryan Johansen hit home in regulation for the Predators. Matt Duchene was the accomplice of two successes while David Rittich made 26 saves.
Laine gave the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead after just 24 seconds of play in the second period. Cousins replied and Johansen built a 3-2 lead after threading the needle on the power play.
Texier forced an extra time at 13:33 of the last twenty. His shot hit the left post before outwitting Rittich.
The Canadian Press
Panthers beat Lightning 9-3
PHOTO SAM NAVARRO, USA TODAY SPORTS
Anthony Duclair
Anthony Duclair scored twice, Jonathan Huberdeau had one goal and four assists and the Florida Panthers knocked down the Tampa Bay Lightning 9-3 Thursday night.
The Panthers scored three goals per period against the defending Stlanley Cup champions, who saw their four-game winning streak come to an end.
Frank Vatrano, Eetu Luostarinen, Maxim Mamin, Anton Lundell, Aaron Ekblad and Aleksander Barkov were the other scorers for the Panthers. Spencer Knight made 39 saves.
The Panthers hadn’t scored as many goals in one game this season. The team record of 10 goals was set on November 26, 1997 against the Boston Bruins.
Steven Stamkos, Zach Bogosian and Brayden Point provided the answer for the Lightning, who lost just a second match in 11 games this month. Quebec goalie Maxime Lagacé blocked 27 shots before being replaced by Hugo Alnefelt for the third period.
Lagacé had played his first game this season Tuesday night in a victory for the Lightning against the Montreal Canadiens. As for Alnefelt, a 20-year-old Swede, it was his first appearance in the NHL.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper and center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare were both back after being sidelined due to COVID-19.
Charlie Mccarthy, Associated Press
Islanders beat Sabers 4-1
PHOTO DENNIS SCHNEIDLER, USA TODAY SPORTS
Kieffer Bellows and Anders Lee scored in the second period and the New York Islanders beat the Buffalo Sabers 4-1 on Thursday night.
Mathew Barzal had one goal and two assists for the Islanders, who earned a third victory in their last four home games. They are 3-5-3 at UBS Arena, having started with a 0-5-2 record in their new arena.
Noah Dobson had a goal and an assist as Semyon Varlamov gave up once in 37 shots in front of the Islanders’ cage.
Bellows made a good maneuver to outsmart a Sabers defenseman before outwitting Malcolm Subban’s vigilance to break a 1-1 tie in the second period.
Lee took advantage of a power play to score his ninth goal of the campaign and Dobson completed the scoring for the Islanders.
Kyle Okposo is the only Sabers player to move the ropes. Subban repelled 28 of 32 shots directed at him in a losing cause.
Allan Kreda, The Canadian Press