Read the reports from Thursday’s games in the NHL.
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Penguins win 4-1 against Capitals
Ryan Shea scored his first NHL goal and the Pittsburgh Penguins scored their third straight victory on Thursday, winning 4-1 over the Washington Capitals.
Michael Bunting provided a fourth goal since arriving from Carolina.
Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Lars Eller also scored for the Penguins, now two points from the last place which gives access to the playoffs, in the East.
Alex Nedjelkovic made 30 saves, only beaten by Alexander Ovechkin on the power play.
Beaten four times in a row, the Capitals are one point behind the New York Islanders, holders of the last place in question. The Islanders won 4-2 in Columbus on Thursday.
Shea’s goal was also his first NHL point, at his 25e match.
Bunting was acquired in the trade sending Jake Guentzel to the Hurricanes.
The Penguins have lost only once in six games.
They will host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
The Capitals will play in Raleigh on Friday night.
Associated Press
Panthers blank Senators 6-0
PHOTO MARC DESROSIERS, USA TODAY SPORTS
Sergei Bobrovsky made 30 saves to secure his shutout.
Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 30 shots en route to his fifth shutout of the season, Matthew Tkachuk did his part offensively with a goal and two assists and the Florida Panthers defeated the Ottawa Senators 6-0 on Thursday night .
Nick Cousins, Dmitry Kulikov, Anton Lundell, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart also found the back of the net for the Panthers (48-24-5).
The evening was difficult for Joonas Korpisalo, the goalkeeper of the Senators (33-38-4), victim of four goals on 17 shots. Anton Forsberg conceded the other two goals, on 14 shots.
The Panthers led 5-0 after 40 minutes of play when Tkachuk deflected a shot from Aleksander Barkov during a power play, at 3:54 of the third period.
Paul Maurice’s men increased their 2-0 lead by scoring three goals during the second period.
Lundell, who was behind the goal line, took a shot that hit one of Korpisalo’s shoulders before ending up in the net at 2:35.
Less than two minutes later, Tkachuk passed back to Bennett, who ended Korpisalo’s night with a shot from the stick side.
Forsberg came on in relief, but with just over two minutes left in the period, he conceded the 53e Reinhart’s goal of the season.
The Panthers only needed 62 seconds to score the first goal of the game. Posted in the slot, Cousins received a pass and beat Korpisalo on the stick side.
Kulikov made it 2-0 35 seconds later with a shot from a few feet inside the Senators blue line.
With this victory, the 865e of his career, Paul Maurice rose to fourth place among all coaches in NHL history.
Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press
Bruins strike early and win 4-1 over Hurricanes
PHOTO KARL B DEBLAKER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
David Pastrnak
David Pastrnak and Danton Heinen each provided a goal and an assist in the first period on Thursday, guiding the Boston Bruins to a 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Brad Marchand also scored in the opening period, while Hampus Lindholm completed in an empty net.
Jeremy Swayman blocked 27 shots for the Bruins, who have won their last three games.
Boston finished a six-game road trip with a 4-2-0 record.
Author of 24 saves, Frederik Andersen lost for the first time in more than five months.
He was 7-0-0 since returning from an injury that had kept him sidelined since early November.
His record this season is 11-2-0.
Jake Guentzel scored for Carolina on a two-man power play in the second period.
The Bruins will host the Florida Panthers on Saturday, starting at 3:30 p.m.
Bob Sutton, Associated Press
Jets secure playoff spot
PHOTO JOHN WOODS, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Gabriel Vilardi
Gabriel Vilardi scored a hat trick and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Calgary Flames 5-2 on Thursday, securing a spot in the playoffs.
Vilardi completed his hat-trick into an empty net.
Nikolaj Ehlers and Tyler Toffoli scored the other goals for the Jets.
Martin Pospisil and MacKenzie Weegar responded for the Flames, who were officially excluded from spring ball.
Connor Hellebuyck made 31 saves in a winning cause.
Dustin Wolf stopped 41 shots for the Flames.
Nino Niederreiter of the Jets will miss about a week following a cut leg suffered Monday against the Los Angeles Kings.
The Manitoba team finished a five-game stay at home.
The Jets will face the Wild in Minnesota on Saturday, starting at 4 p.m.
Saturday night, the Flames will host the Edmonton Oilers.
Jim Bender, The Canadian Press
Avalanche win 5-2 in Minnesota
PHOTO STACY BENGS, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nathan MacKinnon (29) and Jonathan Drouin (27)
Jonathan Drouin scored two goals as the Colorado Avalanche prevailed 5-2 against the Minnesota Wild on Thursday.
Drouin first hit the target midway through the first period, eight seconds after the start of a power play.
He completed his double in the first minute of the middle period, getting his 17e goal of the season.
Nathan MacKinnon, second in league scoring, added a goal and two assists. Drouin was complicit in his net.
Artturi Lehkonen and Mikko Rantanen also scored for the winners.
Justus Annunen set a career high with 44 saves, being thwarted by Vinni Lettieri and Declan Chisholm.
Filip Gustavsson blocked 29 shots for the Wild.
Associated Press
Islanders beat Blue Jackets 4-2
PHOTO JOE MAIORANA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Noah Dobson (8) and Alexander Romanov (28)
Noah Dobson broke a 2-2 tie early in the third period, and the New York Islanders kept their NHL playoff hopes alive with a 4-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets, Thursday evening.
Pierre Engvall and Bo Horvat found the back of the net in the first period for the Islanders, and Ilya Sorokin stopped 25 pucks.
This victory, their third in a row, allowed the Islanders to maintain their hopes of participating in the playoffs in the Eastern Conference.
The Islanders moved past the Washington Capitals, who lost 4-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, and past the Detroit Red Wings with six games remaining.
The Islanders have the same points total as the Philadelphia Flyers, third in the Metropolitan Division.
Kirill Marchenko had a goal and an assist and Dmitri Voronkov also scored for the Blue Jackets, who had won their previous two games.
Dobson scored the winning goal at 3:21 of the last period and Kyle Palmieri sealed the outcome of the match by scoring into an empty net at 19:22.
Nicole Kraft, Associated Press
Forsberg shines in Predators victory
PHOTO MARK ZALESKI, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filip Forsberg (9) scored two goals during the match.
Filip Forsberg had two goals and an assist on Thursday, helping the Nashville Predators win 6-3 against the St. Louis Blues.
Anthony Beauvillier, Roman Josi, Michael McCarron and Mark Jankowski had Nashville’s other goals.
Gustav Nyquist had three assists for the Predators, who ended a three-game losing streak.
Beauvillier scored a goal on the power play, with 29.6 seconds on the clock in the second period. It was his first goal in a Predators uniform.
Juuse Saros made 44 saves for the Predators, who have the first of two additional playoff spots in the West.
Brandon Saad, Jake Neighbors and Jordan Kyrou scored for the Blues, while Jordan Binnington stopped 25 shots.
Jim Diamond, Associated Press