Tuesday in the NHL | Maple Leafs beat Penguins 5-2

John Tavares collects his 400^e aim

John Tavares collected his 400^e goal on Tuesday, helping the Toronto Maple Leafs win 5-2 over the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Tavares scored midway through the first period, beating Casey DeSmith from the slot.

Michael Bunting has scored twice for the Maple Leafs, who have won five of their last seven games.

Mitchell Marner and William Nylander were the other scorers for the visitors.

Marner got a point in a 10^e consecutive game; he is at three goals and 14 points during the sequence.

Matt Murray made 34 saves in his return to Pittsburgh. He helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017.

He was beaten by Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell.

DeSmith blocked 28 shots for the Penguins, who were coming off a three-game trip where they racked up five of six runs.

The Maple Leafs will host the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

Will Graves, Associated Press

Carter Verhaeghe scores twice as Panthers beat Capitals

Carter Verhaeghe scored two goals late in the third period and the Florida Panthers beat the Washington Capitals 5-2 on Tuesday night.

Verhaeghe, who had six goals and 12 points in the Panthers’ six-game win over the Capitals in the spring playoffs, took advantage of a loose puck to give the team a 4-2 lead with three minutes remaining.

He added an empty-net goal with 1:24 left in the game.

The Panthers also got goals from Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart and Nick Cousins. Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky saved 41 pucks for his first win since Nov. 3.

The Capitals’ response came from Dylan Strome and John Carlson.

The Panthers improved to 5-1-1 at home.

In his first start since Nov. 5 in Los Angeles, Bobrovsky faced just nine shots in the first period before the Capitals began to pick up the pace.

Barkov opened the scoring in the first half with a powerful shot from the slot. It was his fourth of the season and his first at even strength.

Reinhart doubled the Panthers’ lead on a second-period power play, a goal on which Matthew Tkachuk collected his 400^e career point.

After a Strome goal, Cousins ​​restored the Panthers to a two-goal lead.

In the loss, goaltender Darcy Kuemper stopped 38 shots.

Associated Press

Horvat earns three points in Canucks win over Sabers

Bo Horvat had a goal and two assists on Tuesday as the Vancouver Canucks prevailed 5-4 at the expense of the Buffalo Sabers.

Dakota Joshua, Ethan Bear, Elias Pettersson and JT Miller also scored for the Canucks, who snapped a three-game losing streak.

Spencer Martin made 28 saves, capping a five-game road trip for Bruce Boudreau’s squad.

Jeff Skinner (twice), Alex Tuch and Casey Mittelstadt fought back for the Sabers, beaten in their last six meetings.

Tuch added two assists, as did Tage Thompson.

Craig Anderson blocked 27 shots.

Miller and Horvat scored 1:12 apart in the second period on the power play.

The Canucks took a 5-2 lead.

Vancouver will play again Friday night at home against the Los Angeles Kings.

The Sabers begin a three-game road trip Wednesday night in Ottawa.

Associated Press

Alex Killorn scores in overtime and the Lightning defeat the Stars

Alex Killorn found the back of the net with a shot from the left face-off circle on a 2-on-1 drive 3:43 into overtime and the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Dallas Stars 5 -4 Tuesday night.

Steven Stamkos had one of two assists on that game-winning goal, and the Lightning captain became the second player in team history to reach 500 career assists. The team record belongs to Martin St-Louis, with 588.

Radek Faksa tied the game at 4-4 when the Stars scored shorthanded with 4:42 remaining after stealing the puck from defenseman Mikhail Sergachev deep in Lightning territory.

Sergachev pulled himself together getting the other assist on Killorn’s goal.

Ian Cole, Ross Colton, Nick Paul and Stamkos had the other Lightning goals. Brian Elliott made 28 saves.

Joe Pavelski and Jason Robertson led the Stars offense with one goal and one assist each. Mason Marchment also hit the target. Goaltender Jake Oettinger blocked 33 pucks.

Mark Diddler, Associated Press

Gavrikov gives Blue Jackets victory in overtime

Vladislav Gavrikov scored at 3:14 in overtime on Tuesday to give the Columbus Blue Jackets a 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.

Gavrikov completed a three-on-one with Cole Sillinger and Yegor Chinakhov. The latter provided the assist and Gavrikov got his second goal of the season.

Boone Jenner (twice), Eric Robinson and Sean Kuraly had the other goals for the Blue Jackets, who were starting a six-game stay at home.

Elvis Merzlikins stopped 15 shots before injuring his leg in the second period. Joonas Korpisalo then made 18 saves.

The Blue Jackets will host the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.

Kevin Hayes, Noah Cates, Nick Seeler and Travis Konecny ​​offered the reply of the Flyers, who lost a fourth game in a row.

Carter Hart stopped 28 pucks.

Nicole Kraft, Associated Press

Matt Duchene scores two points to help Predators beat Wild 2-1

Matt Duchene scored a goal and added an assist as he guided the Nashville Predators to a 2-1 win over the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night.

Nino Niederreiter scored the other goal for the Predators as goaltender Juuse Saros blocked 32 shots. Ryan Johansen was also involved in both Predators goals.

Frédérick Gaudreau had the Wild’s only goal. Goalkeeper Marc-André Fleury made 23 saves.

Niederreiter broke the 0-0 tie at 11:20 of the first period, following assists from Johansen and Duchene, his two linemates.

For Duchene, it was a 700^e career point, and a plateau on which he did not stay long.

Just 44 seconds later, Duchene took advantage of a power play to double the Predators’ lead, thanks to a one-timer.

At the other end of the rink, Saros blocked all 27 shots he faced in the first two-minute periods. He flinched on the first shot aimed at him in the third period, that of Gaudreau after 32 seconds of play.

Jim Diamond, Associated Press