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Pastrnak Stays Hot, Bruins Win

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s David Pastrnak registered his first hat trick of the season and an assist to lead the Bruins to a 6-3 win over the visiting New York Rangers on Saturday afternoon.

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The Bruins never looked back after Pastrnak scored a go-ahead goal in the first period before increasing the Bruins’ lead to three on two occasions during the final frame.

The star winger is riding a 10-game point streak. He was named thr NHL’s “First Star” of the month of January.

Pavel Zacha had a goal and an assist, Charlie McAvoy and Charlie Coyle each scored, and Brad Marchand and Matt Poitras each dished out two assists for the Bruins, who snapped a two-game skid.

Boston’s Jeremy Swayman made 22 saves in the win.

J.T. Miller scored two goals for New York less than 24 hours after being re-acquired in Friday’s blockbuster trade with the Vancouver Canucks. Jonny Brodzinski netted the other.

The 31-year-old Miller was playing his 342nd regular-season game as a Ranger and his first in 2,533 days (Feb. 25, 2018).

New York’s goalkeeper, Igor Shesterkin, stopped 19 shots.

After losing a 1-0 lead, Pastrnak flipped the score back in Boston’s favor with 2:51 left in the first, taking a Brandon Carlo feed from behind the goal line and quickly snapping it glove-side.

The game’s first two-goal lead was established 3:39 into the second when Coyle was stationed outside Shesterkin’s crease to deflect an Andrew Peeke point shot.

Jets Beat Bruins, 6-2

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BOSTON – Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele capped a two-goal effort with the eventual game-winner and Wakefield, R.I., native Parker Ford scored in his NHL debut as the visiting Jets beat the Boston Bruins 6-2 Thursday night.

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Scheifele’s second goal 35 seconds into the third period marked the 328th of his Winnipeg career, tying him with Ilya Kovalchuk for the most in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise history.

Nikolaj Ehlers and Vladislav Namestnikov added a goal and an assist, Kyle Connor scored, and Connor Hellebuyck made 26 saves for Winnipeg, which is on a five-game win streak.

The Jets scored four third-period goals and found the back of the net on two of four power plays in the game (50 percent).

Elias Lindholm led the Bruins with a goal and an assist, while Brad Marchand also scored and added 14 penalty minutes.

Joonas Korpisalo stopped 21 shots in Boston’s second consecutive loss and third in a five-game span (2-3-0).

The Bruins climbed out of a 2-0 hole to tie the game when Lindholm buried a shorthanded goal off Pavel Zacha’s faceoff win 11 seconds into the third. Winnipeg never trailed after Scheifele took an Ehlers feed down the middle to provide an answer just 24 ticks later.

Ehlers was credited with the Jets’ insurance goal less than a minute later, poking the puck off Boston defenseman Mason Lohrei’s stick and into an open left side of Korpisalo’s net at 1:17.

Ford extended Winnipeg’s lead to 5-2 at 5:57. After Alex Iafallo settled down a Logan Stanley centering feed in the slot, the former Providence College captain cashed in with a wrister.

Connor scored an empty-net goal with 36.6 seconds remaining.

Namestnikov lifted the visitors to a 1-0 lead just 2:55 into the first, putting home a power-play goal from low on the left side. Cole Perfetti’s shot from the wing created a rebound that Nino Niederreiter sent to Namestnikov across the crease to bang into an open side of the net.

Minutes after a Josh Morrissey snipe past Korpisalo was called back due to offside, Scheifele doubled Winnipeg’s lead with a goal that counted, tipping in Neal Pionk’s point shot at the 11:31 mark.

Marchand scored his second goal on the man advantage in as many games to bring Boston within one at 15:34. The Bruins captain slid down from the top of the left circle and snapped a shot past Hellebuyck.

–Field Level Media

Bruins Win in Matinee at Garden

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Charlie Coyle scored the tying and winning goals in the third period as part of a three-point effort, helping the Bruins surge past the visiting San Jose Sharks 6-3 on Monday afternoon.

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Coyle was the beneficiary of Matthew Poitras’ primary assists on both late-game goals, including the deciding tally at 14:11

David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and Elias Lindholm each registered a goal and an assist, while Vinni Lettieri also scored for Boston, which is 3-0-1 in its last four games.

Bruins goaltender Joonas Korpisalo made 25 saves.

Rookie Will Smith, a native of nearby Lexington, Mass., led the Sharks with a goal and an assist in his first NHL game in Boston.

Barclay Goodrow and Fabian Zetterlund also scored and Yaroslav Askarov stopped 27 shots for San Jose, which has lost three in a row and six of seven.

Performing well with new linemate Marchand, Coyle took a Poitras feed off the rush and banked the go-ahead goal off Askarov’s pads. The game-tying goal came several minutes earlier at 8:22 when Poitras fed Coyle a backhand pass, who sniped a shot past Askarov from the slot.

Marchand and Lindholm iced the game with empty-netters in the final 1:15.

The Sharks had scored twice in the second period to turn around a 2-1 deficit, with Smith bringing them back even at 8:52. The local native capitalized on a neutral-zone turnover by placing a perfect glove-side wrist shot off a give-and-go with Mikael Granlund.

Smith’s goal was his seventh and the 25th goal by Sharks rookies this season, the most in the NHL.

A successful penalty kill helped vault San Jose to its first lead when Zetterlund scored with 4:42 left before the second intermission. After Smith’s shot was blocked, Zetterlund picked up the puck, skated down the wing and buried his own rebound after a net drive.

Boston’s opening goal came as Vinni Lettieri tipped Jordan Oesterle’s shot from the right point five-hole on Askarov at 9:21 of the first. It was his second tally in as many games.

Goodrow evened the score for San Jose at 13:16, charging down the middle of the ice to snap home Nico Sturm’s centering pass from behind the end line.

The Bruins’ power play converted for the fourth time in as many games at 7:02 of the second. Pavel Zacha circled the cage and fed Pastrnak for a one-time goal from close range just below the right circle for a 2-1 Boston lead.

–Field Level Media

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 12

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By TERRY LYONS, Editor of Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – When the Boston Celtics raised Banner 18 to the rafters of the TD Garden this past Fall, it marked the 12th title for New England area pro teams in 24 years, or since the year 2000. Since the New England Patriots drafted Tom Brady with the 199th overall selection in the 2000 NFL Draft, the Patriots led the way for titles with six since 2001. Banner 18 was the second NBA title for the Celtics in that span and MLB’s Boston Red Sox managed four championships after breaking the “Curse of the Bambino” way back in 2004.

The question at the dawn of 2025?

What happened?

First, let’s look at the Patriots:

Tom Brady, a legit VVIP in the Greatest of All-Time discussion amongst NFL quarterbacks, departed from Foxborough on St. Patrick’s Day of 2020 with six championship rings in his bag of tricks. Three days later, the fate of the Patriots was sealed when Brady (and eventually TE Rob Gronkowski) signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The two year deal lined Brady’s pockets with an additional $50m (and he added incentives, too) and put a seventh NFL championship ring on his finger in 2021.

Just preceding the development of Brady as the Patriots’ starting QB, head coach (and defacto GM) Bill Belichick took the reigns of New England and created an NFL dynasty like none other. From 2000 to his departure on January 11, 2024, the Patriots compiled a regular-season record of 266–121–0 over 24 seasons. Belichick is the most successful coach in Patriots history, by far, as his 266 wins with the franchise are more than quadruple those of runner-up Mike Holovak. Belichick compiled a 30–12 record in the playoffs with the Pats, including a 6–3 record in Super Bowls. He led the Patriots to 17 divisional titles, including five consecutive titles from 2003 to 2007 and eleven consecutive titles from 2009 to 2019. This streak of 11 consecutive playoff appearances is the most in NFL history for any team.

As most NFL fans know, when Belichick’s exit was combined with Brady’s departure, it sealed the Patriots’ fate.

Fast forward to the regular season just completed and an autopsy on the 2024 New England Patriots results in a (4-13) record with the only quality win coming in the final weekend of the season with a 23-16 win over Buffalo coming a week after the Bills had locked-in as the AFC’s No. 2 seed.

The season was a complete disaster, resulting in the one-and-done firing of coach Jerod Mayo, one of the most popular former players in New England history.

Aside from the drafting of QB prospect Drake Maye, the Patriots are depleted in talent department at nearly every position, aside from cornerback Christian Gonzalez and special teams ace Brenden Schooler. There’s no quick solution, although the Pats have more cap room than any other NFL team.

Of course, the Patriots didn’t help themselves when they won their final game of the season and went from NFL Draft first round pick No. 1 to pick No. 4. The only saving grace? The New England Patriots’ schedule for 2025 will include (Dates TBA):

Home @ Foxborough

*Buffalo Bills

*Miami Dolphins

*New York Jets

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Pittsburgh Steelers

New York Giants

Las Vegas Raiders

Road Games

*Buffalo Bills

*Miami Dolphins

*New York Jets

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

*AFC East divisional opponents

Maybe the expected signing of former Patriots outside (and eventually inside) linebacker Mike Vrabel, will provide an added edge in training and execution next season. Vrabel, an accomplished NFL head coach and most recently a consultant with the Cleveland Browns, has been interviewing for head coaching jobs throughout the NFL. In addition to a key hire for head coach, the Patriots’ front office must draft very well over the next two seasons while improving via trades and free agency.

Now? A look at the Boston Red Sox:

Offseason moves include: The Sox’ moved for an ace in starting LH pitcher Garrett Crochet, acquired in a trade with the Chicago White Sox while shoring up the (possible six man) rotation and bullpen with free agent signing of reliever/closer Aroldis Chapman (age 36, 335 saves); signing of former LA Angels pitcher Patrick Sandoval and a stab at another ace in acquiring former Dodgers ace Walker Buehler could call for the 6th Man award!

Buehler, 30, went 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA during the 2024 regular season after missing the previous year recovering from Tommy John surgery. But in the 2024 postseason, he went 1-1 with a 3.60 ERA and added a save. Not bad.

The Red Sox lost free agent OF Tyler O’Neill who came out smoking in the spring of 2024 only to falter and fall to injury later in the summer. But, prospect Kristian Campbell will join OF Jarren Duran, INF Triston Casas and the Sox lone superstar in 3B Rafael Devers in a make-it-or-break-it offensive line-up.

Stiff competition in the AL East places the Red Sox solidly behind the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles, so a postseason berth is not likely in 2025.

Next up? The NHL Boston Bruins snapped a six-game losing streak with a big win at Florida on Saturday afternoon. The Bs (21-19-5) – went (8-9-3) early on to cause the dismissal of coach Jim Montgomery on November 19th after the club lost four of five.

Looking back, in his first season as Boston’s head coach (2022-23), Montgomery led the team to a historic season with the best single-season record in league history (65-12-5). The Bruins logged 135 regular season points and an .823 points percentage, also NHL bests. Montgomery won the Jack Adams Award that season as the League’s top coach. But, the Bruins lost to the Florida Panthers in seven games in the 2023 Eastern Conference First Round, and it was the Panthers – not the favored Bruins – who went on to the Stanley Cup Final.

It’s been downhill ever since with the retirement of Patrice Bergeron, the Bs highly respected captain and soul, leaving the club with quite a void. Can interim head coach Joe Sacco shed that preliminary title with a second half seson run to the Cup Playoffs?

And that brings us to the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics.

Without a doubt, the Celtics remain a solid contender for the 2025 NBA title, but they find themselves a distant third – behind the East’s Cleveland Cavaliers and the West’s Oklahoma City Thunder – when a look at the standings bring a realistic look of the ‘25 Finals.

The Celtics are a mediocre (8-7) over their last 15 games going into Sunday’s game against a struggling New Orleans Pelicans (8-31) team. Truth be told, the Cs have been battling a variety of injuries all season long. Bigman Kristaps Porzingis return brought hope, but he’s been slow in acclimating back into the regular rotation. Others – from PG Jrue Holiday to all-star swingman and Finals MVP Jaylen Brown to All-NBA forward Jayson Tatum to sharpshooter Sam Hauser to bigman Al Horford to reserve Luke Kornet to starting off guard Derrick White, have been in and out more often than teens at a Souther California burger joint. Boston coach Joe Mazzula has juggled 17 starting lineups during a first half-season timespan.

This week, a Friday/Saturday back-to-back against Orlando and Atlanta will provide another test. Will the Celtics regain that laser focus or will the likes of Tatum turn the ball over eight times, like he did this past Friday night in a 114-97 loss to the visiting Sacramento Kings?

In each round-up, there are far too many questions and not nearly enough definitive answers to the woes facing the New England clubs, the Celtics included.

It might be time for some major shake-ups at each and every club. The NBA Trade Deadline is February 6 (3:00pm ET).

And, how ‘bout dem Revs?

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: The NBA is investing in a biomechanics program, according to reports from Sports Business Journal, the sports business trade magazine that reported on of a league-wide memo to all 30 NBA teams. According to SBJ, the league established two biomechanics committees, studying “a number of factors — the size of players, the nature of the game, the number of games in the season, the hardcourt surface — (all indications) that there’s reason to think about biomechanics that could be as helpful in basketball as almost any sport,”

BANNED FROM BASEBALL: You think Pete Rose had issues? The two fans who interfered with the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Mookie Betts during Game 4 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium have been indefinitely banned from all MLB stadiums and facilities. … The letter read: “On October 29, 2024, during Game 4 of the World Series at Yankee Stadium, you interfered with play by intentionally and forcefully grabbing a player. Your conduct posed a serious risk to the health and safety of the player and went far over the line of acceptable fan behavior.

“Based on your conduct, Major League Baseball is banning you indefinitely from all MLB stadiums, offices, and other facilities. You are also hereby banned indefinitely from attending any events sponsored by or associated with MLB. Please be advised that if you are discovered at any MLB property or event, you will be removed from the premises and subject to arrest for trespass.”

TIDBITS: The need to cancel a few games in Los Angeles doesn’t come close when comparing the toil of the all-out devastation on-going in the LA area as wild fires burn as much land, homes, businesses in spaces equal to the size of the City of Minneapolis or the island of Manhattan. The League and teams also had concerns as the support to the games and arenas would take away first responder personnel fighting the wild fires. … Said the league in a statement cancelling two additional games, “The NBA and the Clippers and Lakers organizations have been in communication with local officials in Los Angeles and Inglewood about the ongoing situation in the Los Angeles area and the game postponements ensure no resources will be diverted from the wildfire response efforts. … The league and its players put their money where their mouth is with a cool $1m donation. … “The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are donating one million dollars for immediate relief to the American Red Cross, World Central Kitchen and other organizations to support those affected by this disaster and are working with the Lakers and Clippers on ways to support longer term assistance and rebuilding efforts.” … The NFL was forced to move its Monday Night Playoff games between the Minnesota Vikings and the LA Rams to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. … The LA Chargers changed their practice schedules to minimize their players’ outdoor time in coastal El Segundo. The Chargers are on the road Saturday against the Houston Texans in the wild-card round. … The LA Kings of the NHL were the first to postpone a regular season game, cancelling their Wednesday home game against Calgary at Crypto.com Arena. The Kings are now in the midst of a five-game road trip and play their next game January 20th against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. … The PGA Tour has not yet decided whether to play the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club in LA, scheduled for Feb. 13-16. … There are several wild fires spread out across the neighboring towns of Los Angeles, including Pacific Palisades. At Santa Anita, the horse racing track is being used to stage fire fighting and relief equipment. The track, located in Arcadia, is near the smoldering Eaton fire that decimated Altadena. … The Palisades Fire is already the most destructive in Los Angeles history.

The Philadelphia 76ers are (4-17) against NBA clubs playing .500 or better basketball and that fact contributes to the Sixers’ (15-21) record overall. … If the NBA Playoffs began today, the once mighty 76ers would not qualify to play, nor attempt to play in.

selective focus photo of DJ mixer
Photo by Alexey Ruban on Unsplash

ADIEU VENU: That was quick. What was proclaimed to be the greatest viewing destination in the history of sports broadcasting has been scrapped. Gone. Left of the editing room floor. Kaput. Said Disney in a statement on the venture which would’ve been the mother of all ESPN, “After careful consideration, we have collectively agreed to discontinue the Venu Sports joint venture and not launch the streaming service. In an ever-changing marketplace, we determined that it was best to meet the evolving demands of sports fans by focusing on existing products and distribution channels. We are proud of the work that has been done on Venu to date and grateful to the Venu staff, whom we will support through this transition period,” the statement read.

Disney was supposed to join forces with FOX and Warner Bros. Discovery and package ESPN, ESPN2, ABC (Sports), Fox, Fox Sports 1, TNT, TBS and others for a whopping $42.99 per month.

Fubo-TV jumped into the fray and filed an anti-trust lawsuit to stop the venture. As of this week, Fubo has settled its lawsuit and will merge efforts with the Walt Disney Co. and its Hulu + Live TV streaming service and join together to create the second-biggest digital pay-TV provider.

IN OTHER SPORTS BUSINESS NEWS: Former NBA China CEO Derek Chang was named President and CEO of Liberty Media. In a January 8th announcement by Liberty Chairman John Malone, Chang’s work with leading the NBA China efforts from 2018 to 2020 when the league expanded its efforts and created a stand-alone entity with offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei. Greg Maffei stepped down from his CEO rile in November (2024). Maffei was a driving force behind Liberty’s acquisition of Formula 1 in 2017. After his stint with the NBA, Chang worked in executive roles with EverPass Media, DIRECTV, Scripps, Charter and TCI. EverPass Media was a 2023 effort between the NFL and RedBird Capital Partners to market the NFL League Pass and other sports offerings (Peacock, Thursday Night Football) to commercial customers.

XFINITY AND BEYOND: Here in Boston, Comcast’s Xfinity service has made a move that might take the NBA’s Celtics and NHL’s Bruins right off your remote come this Tuesday, unless customers are ready to anti-up and extra $20 a month for a premium sports package. Come springtime, the same goes for fans looking to watch the Red Sox on NESN. Comcast – Xfinity’s parent company – reached agreements with NESN and NBC Sports Boston to move the channels from its Popular TV (or basic cable package) to its Ultimate TV (premium) level of service. The midseason timing is a killer for Cs and Bs fans who are looking to save some money on their monthly bills.

PARTING WORDS AND MUSIC (from the The Appalachian lap dulcimer): Here’s a treat and something completely different from the usual weekly music clip. This week, a loyal reader sent along a very short clip – highlighting the great movie line, “It ain’t a fit night out for man or beast.” … The famous line comes from the 1933 W.C. Fields motion picture, “The Fatal Glass of Beer,” set in the Yukon. (By the way, a common mistake when quoting the epic is to use the word (nor) instead of the proper (or) when delivering the goods – which comes at the 4:55 mark or so. Enjoy.

While We’re Young (Ideas) is a weekly (every weekend) collection of Sports Notes and News written by Terry Lyons. The posting of each notebook harkens back to the days when you’d walk over to the city newsstand on Saturday night around 10pm to pick-up a copy of the Sunday papers. Inside, just waiting, was a sports-filled compilation of interesting notes, quotes and quips in a column that always sold a few newspapers.

TL’s Sunday Sports Notes is brought to you by Digital Sports Desk.

-TL-

Bruins Win with 1.2 Seconds Left

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SUNRISE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s David Pastrnak scored with 1.2 seconds left in overtime for theBruins, who snapped a six-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon in Florida.

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Pastrnak, who finished with two goals and one assist, got the game winner on an attempted pass that deflected in off the stick of Florida’s Sam Reinhart. The puck carried over the head of goalie Sergei Bobrovsky for Pastrnak’s sixth goal in his past five games.

The Bruins, who earned their first win of the calendar year after an 0-5-1 stretch since 2025 began, got one goal each from Morgan Geekie and Oliver Wahlstrom.

The Panthers got two goals from Reinhart and one from Evan Rodrigues.

Maple Leafs Trick Bruins

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TORONTO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Toronto’s Matthew Knies recorded his first career hat trick and added two assists as the Maple Leafs defeated the visiting Boston Bruins 6-4 on Saturday night.

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Mitch Marner added an empty-net goal and four assists for the Maple Leafs, who have won three games in a row.

Auston Matthews (upper-body injury) returned after missing six games and had an empty-net goal and two assists. Jake McCabe contributed a goal and an assist, and Joseph Woll made 26 saves.

David Pastrnak scored twice for the Bruins, who have lost three straight. Morgan Geekie and Trent Frederic also scored, and Pavel Zacha had two assists. Jeremy Swayman stopped 23 shots.

Pastrnak hit the goal post with a shot 32 seconds into a fast-paced first period.

McCabe opened the scoring at 3:29 of the first with a wrist shot from the left circle on a nifty pass from Marner.

The teams traded goals 12 seconds apart early in the second period.

Knies redirected a shot by Matthews at 3:37 after Boston failed to clear the puck, and Toronto led 2-0.

Geekie answered immediately with an eight-foot wrist shot. He pounced on a loose puck after Zacha jabbed at it following Charlie Coyle’s shot.

Boston tied the game at 18:44 of the second. After an icing call against Toronto, Frederic won the faceoff and scored with a 21-foot wrist shot from the slot after the return pass from Charlie McAvoy.

Knies scored on an eight-foot backhand at the end of a two-on-one with John Tavares at 3:43 of the third period.

Pastrnak tied the game 34 seconds later on a 34-foot snap shot after stealing the puck from a Maple Leafs player.

Toronto regained the lead when Knies scored at 5:28 on a high shot that hit the post and went in. Matthews won the puck at the end boards and made the pass into the slot.

Marner scored into an empty net at 17:55 of the third.

Pastrnak responded with a goal on a 14-foot wrist shot at 18:10, and Matthews sealed the result with an empty-net goal at 19:29.

–Field Level Media

Bruins Win; NHL Round-Up

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Bruins 4, Blue Jackets 0

Justin Brazeau scored 2:29 into the first period, and Boston never looked back in blanking visiting Columbus Blue Jackets in the latter game of the teams’ home-and-home series.

Morgan Geekie had one goal and one assist, while David Pastrnak and Cole Koepke also lit the lamp for Boston, which bounced back from a 6-2 loss in Columbus on Friday and improved to 5-1-1 in its last seven games. Jeremy Swayman stopped all 18 shots he faced en route to his second shutout this season.

Bruins forward Fabian Lysell made his NHL debut. The 21-year-old former first-round draft pick had a plus-1 rating in 11:32 of ice time. Daniil Tarasov (24 saves) took the loss in his first start since Dec. 5 for the Blue Jackets, who were shut out for only the second time this season and had a four-game point streak (3-0-1) snapped.

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Canadiens 4, Panthers 0

Jakub Dobes made 34 saves in his NHL debut, leading the visiting Montreal Canadiens to a 4-0 win against the Florida Panthers on Saturday afternoon in Sunrise, Fla.

The 23-year-old Czech, who was selected by the Canadiens in the fifth round of 2020 NHL Draft, is the first Montreal goalie with a shutout in his first NHL game since Yann Danis in a 2-0 victory against Atlanta Thrashers in October 2005.

Kirby Dach scored two goals, Jake Evans and Cole Caufield also scored and Alex Newhook had two assists for the Canadiens, who have won four of five.

Spencer Knight made 20 saves for Florida. The Panthers were shut out in back-to-back games for the second time this month.

Kraken 5, Canucks 4 (OT)

Vince Dunn scored twice, including the winner on a breakaway at 2:15 of overtime, as Seattle rallied from three goals down to beat host Vancouver.

Jaden Schwartz also tallied twice for the Kraken, who trailed 4-1 with five minutes remaining in regulation. Matty Beniers also scored, and goaltender Philipp Grubauer made 18 saves as Seattle snapped a five-game losing streak.

Brock Boeser scored twice, Jake DeBrusk had a goal and assist, Conor Garland also tallied, and J.T. Miller and Carson Soucy had two assists apiece for the Canucks. Thatcher Demko made 24 saves.

Capitals 5, Maple Leafs 2

Alex Ovechkin scored into an empty net in his return from a broken fibula and visiting Washington defeated Toronto.

It was Ovechkin’s 869th goal, leaving him just 26 shy of surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 894. The Russian superstar missed 16 games with the injury. Andrew Mangiapane and Jakob Chychrun each added a goal and an assist for the Capitals, who have won three of four. Nic Dowd and Tom Wilson also scored and Logan Thompson made 35 saves.

John Tavares and Bobby McMann scored for the Maple Leafs, who have lost three of four. Matt Murray stopped 27 shots.

Kings 4, Oilers 3 (OT)

Quinton Byfield scored twice, including the overtime winner, and had an assist in a win for Los Angeles against visiting Edmonton.

Warren Foegele had a goal and two assists, Jordan Spence had two assists, and Darcy Kuemper made 24 saves for the Kings, who improved to 11-2-1 at home.

Kasperi Kapanen, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Viktor Arvidsson scored for the Oilers, who lost for just the fourth time in their past 16 games (12-3-1). Stuart Skinner made 25 saves.

Lightning 6, Rangers 2

Brayden Point scored one goal in a three-point night and host Tampa Bay scored four times on special teams en route to pounding reeling New York.

Nikita Kucherov had a power-play goal and two assists, and Anthony Cirelli and Ryan McDonagh recorded short-handed tallies. Nick Paul notched the final tally, and Cirelli added an assist.

Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy made a season-high 42 saves as the Lightning improved to 8-2-0 in December. New York’s Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck hit the net, but the Rangers lost for the 14th time in their past 18 matches (4-14-0).

Flyers 3, Ducks 1

Samuel Ersson put his recent struggles aside and made 32 saves to propel Philadelphia past host Anaheim.

Noah Cates, Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee scored for Philadelphia, which improved to 1-1-0 to start its six-game road trip. Ersson had allowed at least three goals in each of his previous eight appearances.

Troy Terry scored the lone goal for Anaheim, which has lost eight of its last 11 games. Lukas Dostal made 22 saves.

Jets 4, Senators 2

Gabriel Vilardi and Nikolaj Ehlers scored third-period goals in rapid succession after Winnipeg erased a two-goal deficit and went on to a home victory over Ottawa.

Ehlers finished with a goal and two assists, while teammates Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor each had a goal and an assist. Connor Hellebuyck made 33 saves for the Jets, who have won three in a row.

Mads Sogaard turned back 19 shots and Tim Stutzle and Ridly Greig found the back of the net, with the latter’s goal a short-handed tally for a 2-0 Ottawa lead.

Islanders 6, Penguins 3

Casey Cizikas posted his first two-goal game in more than three years, leading New York to a win over Pittsburgh in the opener of a back-to-back, home-and-home which started in Elmont, Long Island.

Anders Lee also scored twice for the Islanders, who won for the fifth time in 11 games this month (5-5-1). Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anthony Duclair also scored, and goalie Ilya Sorokin made 22 saves.

Michael Bunting, Noel Acciari and Richard Rakell scored for the Penguins, who fell to 9-4-1 since late November. Goalie Tristan Jarry recorded 28 saves.

Hurricanes 5, Devils 2

Carolina scored twice in less than 90 seconds in the third period to break a tie and defeated New Jersey in Raleigh, N.C.

Jack Roslovic had two goals and an assist, Sebastian Aho a goal and an assist and Dmitri Orlov and Jackson Blake also scored for Carolina. Seth Jarvis had three assists, Sean Walker added two and Dustin Tokarski stopped 21 shots as the Hurricanes avenged a 4-2 loss to the Devils on Friday night in Newark, N.J.

Paul Cotter and Ondrej Palat scored for New Jersey, which had its three-game winning streak halted. Jake Allen made 36 saves.

Flames 3, Sharks 1

Jonathan Huberdau scored twice to lead visiting Calgary to a victory over struggling San Jose.

Goaltender Dustin Wolf made 21 saves in the win, including a handful late in regulation when the hosts made a frantic push for the equalizer. Mikael Backlund also scored and Nazem Kadri collected three assists for Calgary.

Macklin Celebrini replied for the Sharks, who are winless in seven games (0-6-1). Goalie Yaroslav Askarov stopped 30 shots in an outstanding performance.

–Field Level Media

Bruins Bow to Blue Jackets

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COLUMBUS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The Columbus Blue Jackets will look to stay hot and complete a three-game season-series sweep when they visit Boston to contest the second half of a home-and-home pair against the Bruins on Saturday.

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The Blue Jackets earned a 6-2 home-ice victory over the Bruins on Friday, giving them back-to-back wins and a four-game point streak (3-0-1). They have dominated the Bruins by an 11-3 combined score over the first two meetings.

“I think we were excited to get back to play after the break,” Columbus forward Sean Monahan said, referring to the team’s three-day Christmas hiatus. “Guys were moving the puck well, and we were finding the back of the net. We’ve got to keep that up and be consistent with that.”

That consistency starts with putting together another strong effort in the rematch after four Blue Jackets had multiple points and a four-goal second period marked the difference on Friday.

With a one-goal, two-assist performance, Kirill Marchenko upped his point streak to seven games (four goals, nine assists). The 24-year-old has been strong on a line with Dmitri Voronkov and Monahan, who both scored twice.

“They’re the line that drives our team,” defenseman Zach Werenski said after dishing out four assists.

The Blue Jackets already have tasted success in Boston with a 5-1 win back on Nov. 18. The next morning, Bruins coach Jim Montgomery was fired and replaced with interim coach Joe Sacco, who has gone 11-5-1 behind the bench.

Columbus is just 4-11-3 on the road as compared to 11-4-3 at home.

“We have to be better on the road if we’re going to get to where we want to go,” Blue Jackets coach Dean Evason said. “(Friday’s) game has to roll into (Saturday).”

Boston is on a five-game home winning streak.

The Bruins’ best run of play this season — a five-game point streak (4-0-1) following blowout losses in Winnipeg and Seattle earlier this month — was snapped with the Friday loss.

On the plus side for Boston, Charlie Coyle scored for the third straight game and captain Brad Marchand recorded an assist to move his point streak to 11 games (seven goals, seven assists).

Despite success on the whole under Sacco, the Bruins are again showing their up-and-down tendencies.

The loss immediately followed a complete effort in 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Monday, when Boston allowed only 11 shots on goal.

“I thought Columbus … deserved what they got (on Friday). They were the better team,” Sacco said. “So, the three-day break didn’t have as much toll on them as it did on us. We just have to be better, all of us.”

The Bruins have struggled mightily on the penalty kill of late, going just 14-for-24 (58.3 percent) across the past nine games. Boston killed off 71.4 percent of opponents’ power plays this season before the current slump.

Prior to a 3-for-3 night on Friday, the Blue Jackets’ power play had not scored more than once in a game all season.

Boston’s second-period downfall was also the result of losing battles.

“You can’t win many games when you’re being outworked like that,” Coyle said. “That’s embarrassing.”

Finding a quick response back on home ice will be key for the Bruins.

“We didn’t play up to our standards (on Friday). I certainly didn’t play up to mine,” Boston defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. “The best part of this league is you get to turn a new leaf every single day. So, we’re going to leave this one here and we get a chance to get it right (Saturday).”

Prior to this season, the Bruins had lost just once in their previous nine head-to-head meetings with the Blue Jackets.

–Field Level Media

Bruins Top Flyers in 2OT

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Pavel Zacha scored his second overtime game-winning goal in three games to propel the Boston Bruins past the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 on Saturday afternoon. The game was the first of a day-night, hockey-basketball doubleheader at TD Garden.

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After Boston goaltender Jeremy Swayman (23 saves) stopped a Joel Farabee breakaway to extend the extra session, David Pastrnak curled around the net and fed Zacha for the back-door finish to decide the game at the 2:49 mark.

Trent Frederic posted his second multi-goal effort of the season before Brad Marchand’s tying goal for Boston, which has won four straight.

Matvei Michkov gave Philadelphia a 2-0 lead in the first period, becoming the first NHL rookie to reach the double-digit goal plateau this season.

Cam York also scored, Travis Sanheim had two assists and Aleksei Kolosov made 27 stops for Philadelphia, which has lost back-to-back games (0-1-1) following a 4-0-1 run.

Marchand found the tying goal with 5:22 left in regulation, going five-hole on Kolosov after corralling a Justin Brazeau pass down the wall to even the score at 3-3.

The game reached overtime despite Boston earning three power plays in the third period — all after Frederic scored for a second time at the 5:18 mark, netting the deflection of a Charlie Coyle shot in the slot.

The Bruins had a 31-26 advantage in shots.

Michkov buried two of Philadelphia’s first six shots, opening the scoring with a power-play goal at 7:24 of the first. After Emil Andrae had his straight-on try blocked, Sean Couturier directed a loose puck to Michkov for a drive from the right circle.

The Flyers took a 2-0 lead when Sanheim fired a perfect cross-ice pass off the wall and right to Michkov, who charged down the wing and right to the top of the crease to bury the puck into an open side of Swayman’s net.

After Kolosov made a sliding pad save on Morgan Geekie, Boston continued to put pressure on during the power play and got within 2-1 on Frederic’s rebound tally at 5:26 of the middle frame. Mason Lohrei triggered the point shot that led to the goal.

York reestablished Philadelphia’s two-goal lead with 4:31 left in the second, taking Sanheim’s low-to-high feed and beating Swayman with a wrist shot from the top of the right dot.

–Field Level Media

Bruins, Marchand Defeat Blackhawks

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CHICAGO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Boston’s Brad Marchand scored two second-period goals 2:05 apart, Morgan Geekie also scored twice and Jeremy Swayman made 20 saves to lift the visiting Bruins to a 4-2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday.

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Boston won for the sixth time in eight games until interim coach Joe Sacco, recovering from an early deficit to stretch its season-best winning streak to three.

Marchand sparked the Bruins with his second multi-goal effort of the season (Nov. 27), while Geekie had his first multi-goal game of the campaign.

Justin Brazeau, Mason Lohrei, Jordan Oesterle and David Pastrnak contributed two assists each.

Marchand’s first goal of the night came at 2:58 of the second period. Left unmarked as he darted from the slot to the right circle, he converted a backdoor feed from Pastrnak.

Marchand struck again soon after for what stood up as the game-winner, picking up a rebound of a Pastrnak shot and backhanding a second-chance opportunity past Blackhawks goaltender Petr Mrazek.

Chicago took a 1-0 lead just 1:23 into the game, as Alex Vlasic tallied his first goal of the season on a wrist shot from the right circle off a pass from Nick Foligno.

Sustaining momentum wasn’t to be, however, a familiar refrain as the Blackhawks lost their fourth straight to match a season-worst skid.

Boston got the equalizer at 12:17 of the first period. Geekie followed his own shot from the slot and stuffed it home when Mrazek was unable to control the rebound.

The Blackhawks drew to within 3-2 late in the second period as Jason Dickinson wristed a shot from the left circle past Swayman. Connor Murphy notched his second assist of the night on the play.

A Chicago flurry that produced two shots on goal, a blocked shot and a missed shot over a 19-second span early in the third period nearly tied the game. Boston restored the two-goal advantage at 5:02 of the third on a Geekie breakaway off a long pass from Brazeau.

Chicago was whistled for too many men with 1:55 to play after putting an extra attacker on the ice too quickly.

Mrazek stopped 23 shots for Chicago.

–Field Level Media