Read reports from Tuesday’s NHL games.
Penguins end Rangers winning streak
PHOTO GENE J. PUSKAR, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Evgeni Malkin (71) celebrates his second-half goal.
Sidney Crosby tallied an 18e goal on Tuesday, helping the Pittsburgh Penguins win 3-2 at the expense of the New York Rangers
He scored at 8:40 in the third period, making it 3-1.
Crosby completed a two-on-one with Jake Guentzel.
The Penguins captain was also involved in Evgeni Malkin’s power play goal in the second period.
Malkin has amassed in points in his last nine meetings.
With 1,179 points, he joined Sergei Fedorov for second most in NHL history for Russian players.
Bryan Rust also hit the mark for Pittsburgh, which lost just once in nine games in December.
Chris Kreider had both goals for Rangers, who had won their last seven games.
Tristan Jarry made 26 saves, five more than Igor Shesterkin.
Jarry is undefeated in his last seven starts.
The Canadian Press
Maple Leafs 4-1 win over Lightning
Auston Matthews hit the target in the second period and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-1 on Tuesday night.
Michael Bunting, Pierre Engvall and William Nylander also scored for the Maple Leafs, while Matt Murray made 18 saves. Engvall and Nylander, who also picked up an assist, scored in an empty net late in the game.
Vladislav Namestnikov replied for the Lightning, who saw their winning streak cut to five. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 36 shots.
The Lightning have suffered just their fourth loss in their last 17 games (13-4-0).
For their part, the Maple Leafs had just lost in regulation on the road to the New York Rangers and Washington Capitals after collecting at least one point in their previous 15 outings (12-0-3) — one of less than the team record.
Bunting opened the scoring 16:45 into the first period, taking advantage of a Nylander pass to beat Vasilevskiy on the shield side for his eighth goal of the campaign.
Matthews was frustrated on the breakaway by Vasilevskiy in the first period, but redeemed himself 61 seconds into the second period. Matthews beat the Lightning goaltender with a high shot on the power play.
Murray was almost unoccupied in the first two periods, which were outshot by the Leafs 29-8. Meanwhile, Vasilevskiy kept the Lightning in the game by multiplying spectacular saves.
Namestnikov revived the Lightning by taking advantage of his own comeback to beat Murray after 4:09 of play in the third period.
Murray held off a Lightning push before Engvall and Nylander broke their rivals’ backs.
Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press
Hurricanes beat Devils 4-1
PHOTO JAMES GUILLORY, USA TODAY SPORTS
Stefan Noesen
Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored 20 seconds into the game, rookie goaltender Pyotr Kochetkov stopped the first 35 shots he faced and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New Jersey Devils 4-1 on Tuesday in a game between the two best formations of the Metropolitan section.
Jordan Staal, Teuvo Teravainen and Stefan Noesen also hit the mark for the Hurricanes, who had at least one point in a 12e game in a row and who have climbed to the top of their section. Jaccob Slavin had two assists.
Kochetkov finished the game with 37 saves, including one against Jesper Bratt on a breakaway late in the second period.
The Devils suffered a sixth straight loss and slipped two points behind the Hurricanes. They had lost just four games before the start of December — a streak of 23 games.
Jack Hughes moved the ropes with 4:36 to go as the Hurricanes led 3-0. The Devils thus avoided being whitewashed for the first time this season.
Hughes leads the Devils with 17 goals.
Goaltender Vitek Vanecek stopped 10 of 13 shots aimed at him in the first two periods. Mackenzie Blackwood took over in the third period and made six saves.
Bob Sutton, Associated Press
Flyers win 5-3 over Blue Jackets
PHOTO MATT SLOCUM, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Travis Konecny scored two goals in the game.
Travis Konecny and Owen Tippett each scored two goals on Tuesday to help the Philadelphia Flyers win 5-3 over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Konecny scored his first career shorthanded goal.
Tippett put the finishing touches in an empty net.
Morgan Frost had the other goal for the Flyers, victorious in two of their last three games.
The Flyers will play their next game Thursday afternoon in Toronto.
Carter Hart made 30 saves. He was beaten by Kirill Marchenko, Kent Johnson and Andrew Peeke.
Daniil Tarasov stopped 34 shots for Columbus, which was losing a fifth straight game.
The Blue Jackets have won just two of their last 10 games.
The club have a weak record of 2-9-1 away from home.
Kevin Cooney, Associated Press