Sunday’s NHL action gave us seven games, 37 goals, two overtimes and two shootouts.
The Calgary Flames, who weren’t in action, clinched a Stanley Cup Playoff berth thanks to the Minnesota Wild seeing a 3-2 overtime defeat at the hands of the New York Islanders.
New Jersey Devils v Colorado Avalanche
0-3
Phillip Grubauer made 22 saves for the Colorado Avalanche in a 3-0 victory over the New Jersey Devils.
The shutout was the third in his last five starts after having zero in his first 20 of the season.
Tyson Barrie scored twice and Nathan MacKinnon scored one and assisted another for Colorado, who moved within four points of the Arizona Coyotes for the second western wild card.
With 91 points, MacKinnon has joined Peter Forsberg (91pts in 1997/98 and 97pts in 1998/99) as the only players in Avs history with back-to-back 90pt seasons. MacKinnon, who had 97 points last season, has nine (4g, 5a) in his last six games.
Corey Schneider made 31 saves for the Devils, who have been eliminated from playoff contention, after going 2-4-0 on a six-game road trip.
Up Next:
Capitals v Devils – Tuesday, March 19th (7:30pm – NBCSN)
Avalanche v Wild – Tuesday, March 19th (8pm)
St Louis Blues v Buffalo Sabres
3-4 (SO)
Sam Reinhart scored the deciding goal in the shootout to give the Buffalo Sabres a much needed 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues.
Johan Larsson, Evan Rodrigues and Conor Sheary scored in regulation for the Sabres, who ended a seven-game losing streak. They’re 13 points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second wild card in the Eastern Conference. Carter Hutton made 30 saves.
Rasmus Dahlin‘s secondary assist on Sheary‘s goal gave him 38 points on the season, tying him with Bobby Orr for second-most points by an 18-year-old defenseman in NHL history, trailing only Phil Housley (57).
Pat Maroon, David Perron and Brayden Schenn scored for the Blues, who are 1-2-2 in their last five after winning 15 of their previous 19. Jake Allen made 31 saves.
Schenn‘s goal tied it 3-3 at 8:41 of the third period, sending the game to the eventual shootout.
SHOOTOUT
** Winning Shot
Up Next:
Oilers v Blues – Tuesday, March 19th (8pm)
Leafs v Sabres – Wednesday, March 20th (7pm)
New York Islanders v Minnesota Wild
3-2 (OT)
Brock Nelson scored after 1:04 of overtime, moving the New York Islanders into a tie for first place in the Metropolitan Division, with a 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild.
Anders Lee extended his goal streak to four games, Jordan Eberle scored, Mathew Barzal had two assists and Thomas Greiss made 32 saves for the Isles, who are tied with the Washington Capitals for the divisional lead and three points ahead of third-placed Pittsburgh Penguins.
Jared Spurgeon and Zach Parise scored and Alex Stalock made 17 saves for Minnesota, who moved within a point of the Arizona Coyotes for the second wild card in the West. Their loss clinched a playoff berth for the Calgary Flames.
Up Next:
Bruins v Islanders – Tuesday, March 19th (7pm)
Avalanche v Wild – Tuesday, March 19th (8pm)
Vancouver Canucks v Dallas Stars
3-2 (SO)
Josh Leivo won it for the Vancouver Canucks in the fourth round of the shootout with the only converted penalty shot, defeating the Dallas Stars 3-2. It was Dallas’ first shootout of the season.
Jacob Markstrom made 44 regulation saves, and four more in the shootout to deny the Stars a second point.
Tim Schaller scored his first two goals of the season for the Canucks, who trail Arizona by 10 points. They are 3-4-2 in their last nine games.
Elias Petterson got the primary assist on the second goal, giving him 60 points to tie with Ivan Hlinka and Pavel Bure for the most by a rookie in Canucks history.
Fellow forward Brock Boeser has seven points (2g, 5a) in a six-game point streak.
Jamie Benn and Taylor Fedun scored for Dallas, who moved two points ahead of the Arizona Coyotes for the first wild card in the Western Conference. Anton Khudobin made 25 saves.
Up Next:
Canucks v Blackhawks – Monday, March 18th (8:30pm)
Panthers v Stars – Tuesday, March 19th (8:30pm)
Philadelphia Flyers v Pittsburgh Penguins
2-1 (OT)
Sean Couturier scored with 3.4 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Philadelphia Flyers a dramatic 2-1 victory over state and divisional rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins.
After Teddy Blueger had given the Pittsburgh the lead, Travis Konecny set up James van Riemsdyk‘s 25th goal of the season to tie the game at 19:41 of the third, sending the game to overtime.
Carter Hart made 41 saves for Philly, who had lost their previous two after going 6-1-1. They are six points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second eastern wild card.
Matt Murray made 36 saves for the hosts, who sit third in the Metro Division, three points behind the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals, and three ahead of the Carolina Hurricanes, who hold the first wild card and whom they play on Tuesday at the PNC Arena.
Up Next:
Canadiens v Flyers – Tuesday, March 19th (7pm)
Penguins v Canes – Tuesday, March 19th (7pm)
Florida Panthers v Anaheim Ducks
2-3
Jakob Silfverberg scored with 4:43 remaining to lift the Anaheim Ducks to a 3-2 victory, ending the Florida Panthers’ four-game win streak.
Devin Shore and Adam Henrique scored, Ryan Getzlaf recorded two assists and John Gibson made 37 saves for the hosts, who have won six of their last nine games.
Evgenii Dadonov and Aaron Ekblad scored, and Sam Montembeault, who lost in regulation for the first time in six games, made 19 saves for the visitors, who remain eight points adrift of the Columbus Blue Jackets for the second eastern wild card.
Up Next:
Panthers v Stars – Tuesday, March 19th (8:30pm)
Jets v Ducks – Wednesday, March 20th (10pm – NBCSN)
Edmonton Oilers v Vegas Golden Knights
3-6
The Vegas Golden Knights were 6-3 victors against the Edmonton Oilers, extending their lead for third place in the Pacific Division.
Jonathan Marchessault scored twice, Mark Stone scored his first home goal for Vegas since being acquired from the Ottawa Senators, Cody Eakin, Brayden McNabb and Alex Tuch all scored, and Malcolm Subban made 16 saves for the Knights, who are seven points ahead of the Arizona Coyotes after winning eight of their last nine games. They trail the San Jose Sharks by nine points for second place.
Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock challenged for goaltender interference on McNabb‘s goal, but the score was upheld after a video review showed the contact between Vegas’ Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and goalie Mikko Koskinen (28 saves) had no bearing on the puck going in.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl and Kris Russell scored for Edmonton, who trail the Coyotes by seven points for that second wild card from the Western Conference.
Connor McDavid is three points away from tying his NHL career high (108), whilst teammate Draisaitl is two shy of 300 NHL points.
Up Next:
Oilers v Blues – Tuesday, March 19th (8pm)
Knights v Sharks – Monday, March 18th (10:30pm – ESPN+)
KEY
ALL TIMES U.S. EASTERN
Artistry of Sport 
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