Read the game reports from Thursday, December 7 in the NHL.
JJ Peterka, Tage Thompson and Victor Olofsson scored and the Buffalo Sabers defeated the Boston Bruins 3-1 on Thursday night.
Devon Levi stopped 30 pucks for the Sabres, who ended a four-game losing streak.
The Sabers got the better of the Bruins, the leaders of the Atlantic section, for the first time in almost a year, since December 31, 2022.
Brad Marchand scored for the Bruins, who saw their four-game winning streak end. Marchand took the opportunity to reach the milestone of 1,000 career penalty minutes.
Linus Ullmark finished the game with 33 saves in a losing cause.
After Dylan Cozens won a faceoff in Bruins territory early in the second period, Peterka moved the strings for an 11e times this season.
The Sabers made it 2-0 before the end of the period when Connor Clifton, a former Bruin, set the table for Thompson’s seventh goal of the campaign.
Marchand closed the gap just 28 seconds later, but Olofsson gave the Sabers a two-goal lead again midway through the final period.
Brendan McGair, Associated Press
Maple Leafs lose Joseph Woll, but defeat Senators 4-3
PHOTO MARC DESROSIERS, USA TODAY SPORTS
Joseph Woll made 29 saves before leaving the game midway through the third period and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-3 on Thursday.
Woll was solid, but was injured after making a save on Drake Batherson.
The Maple Leafs led 3-2 at that point, but a William Nylander goal with 6:57 left gave the visitors the breathing room they needed to win.
Mitch Marner, David Kampf and Calle Jarnkrok also scored for the Maple Leafs. Martin Jones blocked nine of the 10 shots he faced in relief at Woll.
Josh Norris, Jacob Bernard-Docker and Claude Giroux scored for the Senators. Anton Forsberg stopped 18 pucks.
The Senators won the last duel between the two clubs 6-3 on November 8. Since then, the Maple Leafs have had at least one point in all but one of their games.
Quebec defenseman Thomas Chabot missed a second game in a row due to an injury, the nature of which was not revealed by the Senators.
Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press
Mikael Granlund gives Sharks 6-5 overtime victory
PHOTO BRIAN BRADSHAW SEVALD, USA TODAY SPORTS
Mikael Granlund scored in the 37the second of overtime and the San Jose Sharks triumphed 6-5 against the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night.
The Sharks erased a four-goal deficit to possibly spoil Patrick Kane’s debut with the Red Wings.
Nico Sturm and Tomas Hertl both scored twice for the Sharks. Fabian Zetterlund also made the red light sparkle.
Hertl forced overtime with 1:29 remaining in the game after the Sharks pulled their goaltender. He jumped on a throw return to collect his ninth goal of the season.
Kane, 35, signed a one-year deal with the Red Wings on November 28. He didn’t get any points, but he hit the post in the second period.
Michael Rasmussen threaded the needle twice in the space of 13 seconds. Klim Kostin, Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin also scored for the Red Wings.
Dana Gauruder, Associated Press
Barzal, Horvat have fun in Islanders win over Blue Jackets
PHOTO JOHN JONES, USA TODAY SPORTS
Mathew Barzal had four points, Bo Horvat added three and the New York Islanders dominated the Columbus Blue Jackets 7-3 on Thursday night.
Barzal finished the game with two goals and two assists while Horvat had two goals and an assist.
Pierre Engvall, Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle Palmieri also found the back of the net for the Islanders, who remained undefeated in regulation time in their last four outings (3-0-1).
Semyon Varlamov blocked 32 shots to record his first home victory this season.
Adam Fantilli scored two goals and set up Emil Bemstrom’s. Spencer Martin made 28 saves for the Blue Jackets, who suffered a third straight loss.
The Blue Jackets cut the lead to 4-3 early in the third period, when Fantilli scored his second goal of the evening, but the Islanders pulled away with three unanswered goals.
Scott Charles, Associated Press
McDonagh and Josi help Predators to 5-1 win over Lightning
PHOTO GEORGE WALKER IV, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ryan McDonagh and Roman Josi both had a goal and an assist, leading the Nashville Predators to a 5-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night.
Juuso Parssinen, Filip Forsberg and Yakov Trenin also scored for the Predators, who earned their third straight victory and ninth in their last 11 games.
Juuse Saros stood out with a victorious evening of 32 saves.
Alex Barré-Boulet responded for the Lightning, who saw their two-game winning streak cut to two. Jonas Johansson made 25 saves in the loss.
The Predators scored two power play goals while shutting out the Lightning in four attempts with an extra man. The Tampa Bay squad started the game with the second best power play unit in the NHL (31.9%).
Barré-Boulet got the ball rolling by giving his team a 1-0 lead with 6:28 remaining in the first period.
Parssinen tied the game before the end of the period. Forsberg and McDonagh allowed the Predators to distance themselves from the first minutes of the second period.
Jim Diamond, Associated Press
Alex Ovechkin reaches 1,500 points in Capitals’ 5-4 loss
PHOTO STEPHANIE SCARBROUGH, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Roope Hintz scored twice in the third period and the Dallas Stars came from behind to defeat the Washington Capitals 5-4 in a shootout on Thursday.
Jason Robertson scored the only goal of the shootout, handing the Capitals their third straight loss despite Alex Ovechkin getting his 1,500e career point.
The Capitals captain became the 16e player in circuit history to reach this plateau by obtaining an assist on Dylan Strome’s second goal of the evening.
Scott Wedgewood made 23 saves to end the Stars’ road trip on a good note with their first win in three games.
The Stars also celebrated the 1000e career match in the NHL of Matt Duchene, who could count on the support of his family in the stands. He had an assist on a Mason Marchment goal in the second period.
Tyler Seguin was the other scorer for the Stars.
After being left out due to poor performances, Evgeny Kuznetsov found the back of the net upon his return to the lineup.
Aliaksei Protas also made the red light shine for the Capitals. Former Montreal Canadiens goalie Charlie Lindgren blocked 34 pucks.
Stephen Whyno, Associated Press
Petr Mrazek makes 37 saves as Blackhawks shut out Ducks 1-0
PHOTO JAMIE SABAU, USA TODAY SPORTS
Petr Mrazek was perfect in front of 37 shots and the Chicago Blackhawks blanked the Anaheim Ducks 1-0 on Thursday night.
The 25the Mrazek’s career shutout helped the Blackhawks end a four-game losing streak.
Philipp Kurashev scored the only goal of the match. The Chicago team had lost 10 of its last 12 outings.
Connor Bedard collected an assist while Leo Carlsson was rather quiet during this duel featuring the first two picks in the last NHL draft. Bedard was the first called up by the Blackhawks, followed by Carlsson with the Ducks.
It was Mrazek’s first shutout since April 4, 2021, when he played for the Carolina Hurricanes.
Lukas Dostal stopped 24 pucks for the Ducks, who conceded 10e losses in their last 11 games.
Jay Cohen, Associated Press