Read reports from Thursday’s NHL games.
Posted at 10:10 p.m.
Updated at 10:47 p.m.
The Ottawa Senators’ final home game of the season ended with a 4-0 win over the Florida Panthers
The Senators had won four straight.
Carter Verhaeghe scored twice, while Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett also scored.
Spencer Knight had his second career shutout, making 27 saves.
Filip Gustavsson blocked 26 shots.
Assured of the best record in the East, the Panthers gave a break to Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov, Claude Giroux, MacKenzie Weegar and Gustav Forsling, in particular.
Ottawa will conclude the season Friday in Philadelphia, while the Panthers will play in Montreal.
The Canadian Press
Islanders edge Capitals 5-1
Photo Frank Franklin II, Associated Press
Mathew Barzal had three assists and Semyon Varlamov stopped 26 shots.
Brock Nelson and Anders Lee scored in the first period Thursday to guide the New York Islanders to a 5-1 win over the Washington Capitals.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Kyle Palmieri and Josh Bailey also scored for the Islanders, who improved their home record to 20-15-5.
Mathew Barzal had three assists and Semyon Varlamov stopped 26 shots. Axel Jonsson-Fjallby denied him a shutout with 41 seconds left in the third period.
At the conclusion of their season, the Islanders will host Tampa Bay on Friday. The Lightning knocked out the Islanders in the third round last year en route to a Stanley Cup title.
Washington remains one point behind Pittsburgh in the race for third in the Metropolitan Division.
Each club has one game left on the schedule on Friday.
Associated Press
Carolina win over New Jersey
Photo Karl B DeBlaker, Associated Press
Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) and Jordan Martinook (48)
Returning from a five-game absence, Jesperi Kotkaniemi provided a goal and three points Thursday to help the Carolina Hurricanes win 6-3 over the New Jersey Devils.
The former CH was injured in the lower body.
Division champions, the Hurricanes improved club records by reaching 54 wins and 116 points.
Ethan Bear, Martin Necas, Teuvo Teravainen, Steven Lorentz and Jordan Martinook also scored for the Hurricanes.
Antti Raanta made 27 saves as his team finished the regular season with a sixth straight win.
Carolina had given leave to Jordan Staal, Andrei Svechnikov and Jaccob Slavin.
Fabian Zetterlund, Jesper Bratt and Jimmy Vesey had the Devils’ goals.
Andrew Hammond stopped 30 shots for New Jersey, which suffered a fifth straight loss.
Bob Sutton, Associated Press