The Flames (35-26-12, 82 points) arrive in Utah after erasing a two-goal deficit in the third period en route to a 3-2 shootout win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday.

"There's no quit in this locker room. We've been doing it all year," said forward Ryan Lomberg, whose tally at 10:57 of the period began the comeback. "We know what we're capable of. We know if we play the right way, we can beat anybody any night. It's about having that internal confidence."

Calgary is five points behind the St. Louis Blues for the Western Conference's second wild-card spot, with two games in hand, and with nine games remaining in the regular season.

The Flames are a long shot to catch the red-hot Blues or the Minnesota Wild -- who sit in the first wild-card spot with 88 points -- but refuse to go away without a fight.

"Belief, belief, belief that's all we've got," goaltender Dan Vladar said. "We might not have the strongest team on paper, but I think we have the strongest team deep inside our hearts."

Although the Flames know they need help on the out-of-town scoreboard to reel in a playoff position, they have confidence they can build on the 5-1-1 mark they have put together in this run.

"As I've said so many times this year, I'm proud of this group. We know what we want to accomplish and we are still hunting" Vladar said.

Utah is kicking off a five-game homestand needing a miracle run and plenty of help to make the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The club (33-29-12, 78 points) is nine points back of the playoff pace, but kept those slim hopes alive with a crucial 5-2 road win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday that snapped a three-game winless skid.

In those three losses, Utah scored only two goals and surrendered 15, including the eight allowed in a shutout loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning last Thursday.

A 2-1 overtime loss the Florida Panthers the next night was a turning point.

"We had a pretty embarrassing effort in Tampa, to say the least," forward Alexander Kerfoot said. "Given where we're at in the season and looking at what we're trying to accomplish, it was unacceptable. I thought that flying to Florida against a team like that at home, competing the way we did, was a step in the right direction. You're not going to win every game. And just because you go out there and compete doesn't mean results are going to follow you, but that was a great response."

The offensive outburst came due to a simplified game, which was a focal point.

"We created good traffic in front of their net and got some dirty goals, some deflections," coach Andre Tourigny said. "We made it tough for their goalie. ... I'm happy about that part."

A playoff berth is unlikely, but as long as they have a chance, Utah's players insist they will keep fighting for wins and see the end result.

"All we can do is control what we can control," Kerfoot said.

The Blue Jackets (33-30-9, 75 points) sit two points behind the Montreal Canadiens for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. Columbus has one more game to play than Montreal. The New York Rangers also are two points in front of Columbus, but they have two fewer games to play than the Blue Jackets.

Columbus remains on the cusp of a playoff berth despite a largely forgettable March in which the team went 4-8-1. The month included six consecutive losses (0-5-1) and a stretch in which the Blue Jackets scored just one goal total across four games.

Coach Dean Evason's team is coming off a loss 3-2 loss on Sunday in Ottawa, a result that ended Columbus' two-game winning streak. Captain Boone Jenner and Kirill Marchenko scored for the Blue Jackets, who fell to a Senators team that holds the conference's top wild-card spot.

"I would like to have back some minutes in the second (period) there," said defenseman Zach Werenski, who assisted on both of Columbus' goals. "I feel like we didn't get to our game, but yeah, (Ottawa's) a good team. They're fighting for the playoffs as well, and they didn't give us much tonight."

Werenski leads the team with 52 assists and 72 points. He has three assists in his past two games after being held without a point in six straight contests. Marchenko has scored a goal in each of his past three games after netting just one in his previous 10 contests.

The Predators (27-39-8, 62 points) also have struggled of late, losing three straight and eight of the past 10 (2-7-1).

Nashville lost in Philadelphia 2-1 on Monday night. Rookie Zachary L'Heureux scored, but a potential game-tying Steven Stamkos goal in the third period was waved off because of interference, a call the Predators disputed.

The Predators have just four goals in their past three games, but it has not been due to a lack of effort. On Monday, they put 29 shots on net.

"That's been the story of the year, is not being able to capitalize (on) the chances, and that's when it gets frustrating," Stamkos said after the loss to the Flyers.

Stamkos is second on the team with 23 goals, but he has just one in his past 10 games after scoring five in a four-game span.

Injuries are also an issue for the Predators. The team lost center Colton Sissons to a left leg ailment during a Saturday loss to the Vegas Golden Knights and announced he would be out for weeks. In the same statement, Nashville noted center Jonathan Marchessault, who is second on the team with 30 assists and 49 points, was day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

With Marchessault unavailable on Monday, coach Andrew Brunette used a lineup with 11 forwards and seven defensemen on Monday, and he may employ that tactic again in Columbus.

One bright spot for the Predators, though, has been their power-play unit. Nashville had scored with the man advantage in six straight games before going 0-for-1 at Philadelphia.

Unlike the Predators, Columbus' power play endured a woeful March, converting just two of its 28 opportunities (7.1 percent).

DeSmith, the No. 2 goalie for Dallas behind Jake Oettinger, stretched his point streak to nine games (8-0-1).

Matt Duchene, Wyatt Johnston and Mikael Granlund scored for the Stars (49-21-4, 102 points), who moved within four points of the first-place Jets in the Central Division with eight games remaining for both. The Stars' Esa Lindell and Mason Marchment recorded two assists apiece.

Kaapo Kakko scored and Philipp Grubauer made 28 saves for the Kraken (31-38-6, 68 points), who have lost five of six (1-4-1).

Flyers 2, Predators 1

Matvei Michkov and Travis Konecny had two assists each, Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals, and Philadelphia defeated Nashville for its third straight win.

Ivan Fedotov made 28 saves in the victory to snap a six-game personal losing streak.

The Predators' Zachary L'Heureux scored his side's lone goal, with assists coming from Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei. Justus Annunen stopped 16 shots but dropped his fifth straight start.

Devils 3, Wild 2 (SO)

Nico Hischier scored his fourth goal in two games and New Jersey defeated Minnesota in a shootout at Newark, N.J., to sweep a home-and-home set.

Luke Hughes had a goal and an assist for the Devils, and Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves. Paul Cotter and Jesper Bratt scored for New Jersey in the shootout.

Vinnie Hinostroza and Matt Boldy scored for the Wild, and Filip Gustavsson stopped 26 shots. Mats Zuccarello and Boldy were unsuccessful on shootout attempts for Minnesota.

Flames 3, Avalanche 2 (SO)

Ryan Lomberg and Adam Klapka scored 32 seconds apart in the third period, Yegor Sharangovich had the only goal in the shootout and Calgary rallied to beat Colorado in Denver.

Lomberg and Klapka added an assist each and Dan Vladar made 28 saves through overtime and another in the shootout for Calgary, which is five points back of the Western Conference's second wild-card spot.

Cale Makar and Logan O'Connor each netted a goal, Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to stretch his home point streak to 25 games and Scott Wedgewood turned away 25 shots for Colorado. The Avalanche have dropped two straight.

DeSmith, the No. 2 goalie for Dallas behind Jake Oettinger, stretched his point streak to nine games (8-0-1).

Matt Duchene, Wyatt Johnston and Mikael Granlund scored for the Stars (49-21-4, 102 points), who moved within four points of the first-place Jets in the Central Division with eight games remaining for both. Winnipeg will play at Dallas on April 10.

The Stars' Esa Lindell and Mason Marchment recorded two assists apiece.

Kaapo Kakko scored and Philipp Grubauer made 28 saves for the Kraken (31-38-6, 68 points), who have lost five of six (1-4-1).

The teams combined for three goals in the first 3:19 and didn't score again until Granlund's empty-netter with 1:07 remaining.

Kakko gave the Kraken a 1-0 lead at 1:02.

Adam Larsson brought the puck behind the net and out the other side before dropping a pass for Jaden Schwartz. After taking the puck back behind the net and coming out the opposite side, Schwartz centered a pass to Kakko for a one-timer from the slot.

The Stars tied it 1-1 at 2:34.

Seattle forward Jared McCann briefly went down after blocking a shot by Mathew Dumba, who quickly retrieved the puck and fed Marchment at the top of the right circle. Marchment's one-timer was deflected into the net by Duchene for his 29th goal of the season.

Duchene, 34, has 75 points in 74 games this season.

Johnston scored his 30th goal of the season 45 seconds later to give Dallas a 2-1 lead.

Dallas' Esa Lindell sent a stretch pass from his own zone and into the neutral zone, where it bounced past Seattle defenseman Vince Dunn at his own blue line, allowing Johnston to rush past him and score from the right circle.

The Kraken went 0-for-3 on the power play, including a five-on-three for nine seconds that they couldn't capitalize on late in the second period. The Stars also were unsuccessful on three attempts with the man advantage.

Dallas also won at Seattle on Saturday, 5-1.

Lomberg and Klapka added an assist each and Dan Vladar made 28 saves through overtime and another in the shootout for Calgary (35-26-12, 82 points), which is five points back of the Western Conference's second wild-card spot.

Cale Makar and Logan O'Connor each netted a goal, Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to stretch his home point streak to 25 games and Scott Wedgewood turned away 25 shots for Colorado.

The Avalanche (45-26-4, 94 points) have dropped two straight.

After a fast-paced overtime, Sharangovich scored on the second chance of the shootout. Vladar made a save on Charlie Coyle before Valeri Nichushkin hit the right post to end it.

The game was scoreless until late in the first period when Colorado broke through. MacKinnon had the puck near the sideboards and sent a pass to Makar as he skated above the circles. Makar deked MacKenzie Weegar as he stickhandled into the slot and wristed a shot by a screened Vladar at 16:31.

It was Makar's 28th of the season, tying his career high set in 2021-22. He is two goals away from becoming the first defenseman to have 30 goals in a season since Mike Green had 31 for Washington in 2008-09.

The Avalanche added to their lead in the second period. Calgary turned the puck over in its own end, and Parker Kelly sent it to O'Connor in the left circle. O'Connor carried the puck through the slot and slid it just under Vladar's left skate and inside the post at 7:59.

The Flames got even with two quick ones midway through the third.

Weeger took a shot that trickled through Wedgewood and to the side of the crease. Klapka tipped it to the goal line and Lomberg knocked it in at 10:57 to make it 2-1. Klapka tied it at 11:29 when he skated into the left circle, got a pass from Lomberg and beat Wedgewood with a snap shot.

Winnipeg (51-19-4, 106 points) hasn't hit many obstacles in its rise to the top, but Los Angeles (41-23-9, 91 points) is one of just three opponents the Jets have yet to defeat this season. The Kings recorded a 4-1 win in Los Angeles on Nov. 27 and a 2-1 overtime win in Winnipeg on Jan. 10.

While the Jets have a strong 23-13-0 road record, the Kings -- 27-4-4 at home -- hold the league's best home points percentage (.829). The 27 home wins are a new single-season franchise record, and the Kings achieved the milestone in style with Sunday's 8-1 rout of the San Jose Sharks.

The win moved Los Angeles into second place in the Pacific Division, two points ahead of the third-place Edmonton Oilers. The Kings and Oilers seem set to meet in the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, and Los Angeles never held the home-ice advantage in any of the three previous series losses.

Los Angeles is 10-3-0 in its last 13 games, and three of the Kings' five highest-scoring performances this season have come within the previous six games.

An improved power play has been a big part of this success. The Kings are 8-for-32 on the man advantage over their last 12 games, and the club's season-long struggles with the extra attacker might finally be solved.

"It's really important going into the playoffs, having a good power play," forward Adrian Kempe said. "I think we're getting a lot more looks now than we did previously in the season. ... Maybe you're not going to score on all of them, but you create momentum for the team, for the next time you go out there as a power-play unit."

In a role reversal, the Kings' power play has sprung to life just as the Jets' elite power play efficiency has hit a slump. Winnipeg is only 2-for-19 over its last eight games, though the team is still 6-2-0 in those contests.

The Jets have won their last three games, including Sunday's 3-1 home win over the Vancouver Canucks. The road-weary Canucks were playing their sixth away game in an 11-day span, and a tied game heading into the third period was broken open by third-period goals from Mason Appleton and Cole Perfetti.

"We knew that if we played a good hard 20 minutes, they were a little tired at the end of a road trip [and] hopefully we'd be able to capitalize and get the win," Appleton said.

Nikolaj Ehlers has six points (three goals, three assists) over a six-game points streak. Mark Scheifele also has six points (one goal, five assists) during his five-game streak.

Connor Hellebuyck is expected to start Tuesday and can match a career-best 44 wins on the season. Hellebuyck leads the NHL in both goals against average (2.01) and save percentage (.925).

Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper isn't far behind in either category, with a 2.10 GAA and .918 save percentage to go with a 25-10-7 record. Kuemper is expected to return to action Tuesday since backup David Rittich started against the Sharks.

Ryan Poehling and Jamie Drysdale got the goals for the Flyers (31-36-9, 71 points), who won their third straight. Michkov and Travis Konecny assisted on both. Ivan Fedotov stopped 28 shots to earn his first win since March 1, ending a personal six-game losing streak.

Zachary L'Heureux got the lone goal for Nashville. Michael McCarron and Brady Skjei got the assists for the Predators (27-39-8, 62 points), who have just four goals in their last three games -- all losses. Justus Annunen made 16 saves but lost his fifth straight decision (0-4-1).

Michkov entered Monday having scored twice in both of the Flyers' last two games. He didn't score, but he settled for his third straight multi-point game and 18th of the season.

The Calder Trophy candidate, though, had his chances.

Filip Forsberg robbed Michkov of a likely goal midway through the first period when he flipped a rolling puck off the goal line after a breakaway chance.

Michkov also had a shot ricochet off the crossbar in the second period. Still, he helped the Flyers take the first lead less than a minute later on Poehling's goal with 11:10 left in the second period.

L'Heureux tied the game by putting in a rebound from the slot, but that lasted just 34 seconds. Drysdale got the game-winner after Michkov couldn't control a loose puck, which went to the crashing defenseman with 6:14 left in the second.

The Predators thought they would get a power play to start the third period as Drysdale was assessed a high-sticking penalty at the end of the second. However, it was overturned after officials determined the puck and not the blueliner's stick hit Nashville's Steven Stamkos in the head.

With 8:25 left, Nashville thought Stamkos tied the game, but officials said he interfered with Fedotov. The Predators also had chances after pulling Annunen in the last two minutes, but the Flyers prevented them from getting to Fedotov.

Luke Hughes had a goal and an assist for the Devils (40-29-7, 87 points), who trail the Carolina Hurricanes by seven points for second place in the Metropolitan Division. Jacob Markstrom made 27 saves.

Hischier netted a hat trick in New Jersey's 5-2 win at Minnesota on Friday.

Paul Cotter and Jesper Bratt scored for New Jersey in the shootout.

Cotter appeared to earn the Devils a win with a goal at 2:57 of overtime, but the play was automatically reviewed and ruled offside.

Vinnie Hinostroza and Matt Boldy scored for the Wild, (41-28-6, 88 points), who have lost four of five (1-3-1) but lead the Western Conference wild-card race. Filip Gustavsson made 26 saves.

Boldy tied it with 2:08 remaining in the third period. Brendon Dillon's pass from behind his own net deflected off Marcus Foligno's skate and in front to Boldy, who took his time and put a backhand shot past Markstrom.

Hughes gave the Devils a 1-0 lead at 12:30 of the first period after Justin Dowling poked a loose puck back to Brett Pesce at the point. He passed across to a wide-open Hughes, who skated down into the left circle and fired a wrist shot far side under Gustavsson's glove.

Hinostroza tied the score 1-1 at 2:57 of the third period when he redirected Jake Middleton's point shot past Markstrom from in front.

Pesce thought he gave the Devils a 2-1 lead moments later when his shot bounced over Gustavsson on the goal line but landed on his back. The call on the ice was no goal and it was confirmed after a video review.

Hischier did give the Devils a 2-1 lead at 9:12 of the third. Hughes poked the puck away from Minnesota's Justin Brazeau in the Wild zone. Stefan Noesen sent a shot-pass toward the net and Hischier deflected the puck past Gustavsson.

This is the third meeting between the Ducks and Sharks, but the first in more than five months. The Pacific Division rivals met twice in the first two weeks of 2024-25 with the Ducks winning 2-0 on Oct. 12 in San Jose and then again 3-1 at home 10 days later.

Several of the league's young guns will be in the spotlight as the Sharks (20-44-9, 49 points) are the second-youngest team in the league, and the Ducks (32-33-8, 72 points) are the sixth-youngest.

Both teams are coming off losses on Sunday, with the Toronto Maple Leafs edging the Ducks 3-2 and the Los Angeles Kings crushing the Sharks 8-1.

The Ducks lost a franchise-record 50 games last season and missed the playoffs for the sixth straight season but are on pace for a 20-point improvement this season. Anaheim sits sixth in the Western Conference wild-card race with nine games remaining.

Anaheim battled back from a two-goal deficit in the final period against Toronto, but the Leafs held on.

Leo Carlsson and Sam Colangelo scored for the Ducks, with Colangelo getting the equalizer 2:16 into the third.

Cutter Gauthier, Trevor Zegras and defensemen Olen Zellweger and Jackson LaCombe earned assists, as all six Ducks to get on the scoresheet were age 24 or younger. Lukas Dostal made 20 stops for the Ducks, who have won two of their last three as they wrap up a five-game homestand.

"We battled hard the whole game," LaCombe said. "They're a really good team and we stuck with it the whole time. They got a good bounce with the tip at the end and we just couldn't get one back."

Head coach Greg Cronin said they need to pay closer attention to the small things.

"It's really good for our players to go through this, but the little details like faceoffs end up being a big part of games like this," Cronin said. "We're going to have to learn from this."

The Sharks head into Tuesday's game having already been eliminated from the playoff picture.

Once again, they are last in the league, but optimism is returning to the franchise thanks to a blue-chip corps of talent led by the 2024 first overall draft pick Macklin Celebrini.

Along with fellow former first-round picks Will Smith and William Eklund, Celebrini has the Sharks moving in the right direction. But there is still a lot of work to do judging by their dismal performance against the Kings.

"With this young group we are going to go through learning stretches," coach Ryan Warsofsky said before the Kings game. "Setting the foundation of how to win hockey games in the future has been the pressing need."

Warsofsky thinks Celebrini is deserving of winning the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. Heading into Tuesday's game, the Vancouver native has 21 goals and 53 points in 61 contests.

"He is a very self-driven kid. He drags guys into the fight with how competitive he is," Warsofsky said.

"He is very reliable defensively and extremely coachable. He learns from his mistakes and picks up things really quickly. He wants to be the solution to getting this team back to winning."

Anaheim is hoping they will have their leading scorer Troy Terry in the lineup against the Sharks. He left Sunday's game late in the third period after colliding with teammate Frank Vatrano. The Ducks did not release details about the injury.

This is the third meeting between the Ducks and Sharks, but the first in more than five months. The Pacific Division rivals met twice in the first two weeks of 2024-25 with the Ducks winning 2-0 on Oct. 12 in San Jose and then again 3-1 at home 10 days later.

Several of the league's young guns will be in the spotlight as the Sharks (20-44-9, 49 points) are the second-youngest team in the league, and the Ducks (32-33-8, 72 points) are the sixth-youngest.

Both teams are coming off losses on Sunday, with the Toronto Maple Leafs edging the Ducks 3-2 and the Los Angeles Kings crushing the Sharks 8-1.

The Ducks lost a franchise-record 50 games last season and missed the playoffs for the sixth straight season but are on pace for a 20-point improvement this season. Anaheim sits sixth in the Western Conference wild-card race with nine games remaining.

Anaheim battled back from a two-goal deficit in the final period against Toronto, but the Leafs held on.

Leo Carlsson and Sam Colangelo scored for the Ducks, with Colangelo getting the equalizer 2:16 into the third.

Cutter Gauthier, Trevor Zegras and defensemen Olen Zellweger and Jackson LaCombe earned assists, as all six Ducks to get on the scoresheet were age 24 or younger. Lukas Dostal made 20 stops for the Ducks, who have won two of their last three as they wrap up a five-game homestand.

"We battled hard the whole game," LaCombe said. "They're a really good team and we stuck with it the whole time. They got a good bounce with the tip at the end and we just couldn't get one back."

Head coach Greg Cronin said they need to pay closer attention to the small things.

"It's really good for our players to go through this, but the little details like faceoffs end up being a big part of games like this," Cronin said. "We're going to have to learn from this."

The Sharks head into Tuesday's game having already been eliminated from the playoff picture.

Once again, they are last in the league, but optimism is returning to the franchise thanks to a blue-chip corps of talent led by the 2024 first overall draft pick Macklin Celebrini.

Along with fellow former first-round picks Will Smith and William Eklund, Celebrini has the Sharks moving in the right direction. But there is still a lot of work to do judging by their dismal performance against the Kings.

"With this young group we are going to go through learning stretches," coach Ryan Warsofsky said before the Kings game. "Setting the foundation of how to win hockey games in the future has been the pressing need."

Warsofsky thinks Celebrini is deserving of winning the Calder Trophy as Rookie of the Year. Heading into Tuesday's game, the Vancouver native has 21 goals and 53 points in 61 contests.

"He is a very self-driven kid. He drags guys into the fight with how competitive he is," Warsofsky said.

"He is very reliable defensively and extremely coachable. He learns from his mistakes and picks up things really quickly. He wants to be the solution to getting this team back to winning."

Anaheim is hoping they will have their leading scorer Troy Terry in the lineup against the Sharks. He left Sunday's game late in the third period after colliding with teammate Frank Vatrano. The Ducks did not release details about the injury.

Vegas (45-20-8, 98 points) enters the contest on a six-game winning streak, which is tied for its longest win streak of the season. The Golden Knights also eclipsed the 100-point mark in their inaugural season, 2017-18 (109), and 2022-23 (111).

Vegas has a seven-point lead in the Pacific over the second-place Los Angeles Kings (41-23-9, 91 points) and is nine points in front of the third-place Oilers (42-26-5, 89 points) with nine games remaining for each team.

With a dazzling 27-7-3 record at T-Mobile Arena this season, the Golden Knights return home after sweeping a three-game road trip to Minnesota, Chicago and Nashville, where they outscored their opponents 13-5 in the process.

"Give up five goals in three games, that's always going to help you win," Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said.

With a 7-1-2 mark over its last 10 games, Vegas appears to be peaking at the right time with the Stanley Cup playoffs just a few weeks away.

"You never want to get ahead of yourself, but I said last week I thought that we were trending really well," Cassidy said following a 3-1 victory at Nashville on Saturday. "So we're certainly closer to the top of the scale than the bottom, especially our overall game.

"We're not only winning because we're scoring. It's not one thing. It's not one line. It's not one special team. It's a little bit of everything."

The Golden Knights' next two home games against Edmonton and the NHL-leading Winnipeg Jets on Thursday may provide an even better indication of their ranking among the league's elite.

Edmonton is beginning a key four-game road swing that includes a stop at Los Angeles on Saturday in the battle for home ice in the first round of the playoffs. The Oilers come in off a dramatic 3-2 overtime victory over Calgary in the Battle of Alberta as Leon Draisaitl returned from an undisclosed injury to score his league-leading 50th goal to tie the game at 2-2 with 3:12 remaining. Draisaitl then won the game with a nasty wrist shot from the high slot 2:25 into overtime.

It was Draisaitl's sixth overtime goal, an NHL single-season record.

"They're all special in their own way but, obviously, in that moment to find one, especially the way the game has gone, is nice," Draisaitl said.

"He was amazing tonight, coming back off an injury, scoring two crucial goals for us," defenseman Darnell Nurse said. "In my opinion, he's the MVP, seeing what he's done this year. If you don't have a lot of the effort and performances that he's had, we're probably not sitting in the position that we are."

The Oilers will still be without five-time Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid (lower-body injury) for Tuesday's contest, but Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said the superstar is nearing a return to the lineup.

"Might join us later in the trip but not now," Knoblauch said. "We know a ballpark (timeline) of when it's going to be, and it's not going to be the next game or two. We feel it should be before the regular season ends."

The deal is pending owner approval.

Should the owners vote to approve the new deal for Rogers' broadcast rights at the recommendation of NHL executives, an official announcement could land this week.

The agreement would be a contract extension for the Canadian telecom company, which is approaching the end of its 12-year deal originally inked in 2013. The new deal would begin for the 2026-27 season and its per-year totals are worth more than double those of the previous contract.

American television rights are split between ESPN and TNT. That $600 million annual deal lasts through the conclusion of the 2027-28 season.

The Capitals (47-17-9, 103 points) have lost three straight (0-2-1) after an 8-5 Sunday defeat to the Buffalo Sabres, which marked the first game all season in which they allowed more than five goals. Despite the losses, they have held the advantage in shots in all three games.

"I think we'll put that one behind us," Washington coach Spencer Carbery said. "There were some circumstances within the game that I think the guys were mindful of and understood that are not the way that we wanted to look.

"We've got to get this thing going ... but we're finding ways right now to come out on the other end."

Still, Ovechkin had a three-point game which included scoring his 890th career goal, moving within five of breaking Wayne Gretzky's all-time record.

Jakob Chychrun also scored twice to become Washington's first 20-goal defenseman since 2008-09, but it was not enough as the team's skid reached three for only the second time this season.

"It's easy this time of year, when you're not playing your best, to get down on yourself. I don't sense that we're going to do that at all in this room," Chychrun said.

The Capitals signed top prospect Ryan Leonard to a three-year, entry-level contract on Monday, less than 24 hours after his Boston College team was eliminated before the NCAA Frozen Four. The 20-year-old Amherst, Mass., native was the first college player to produce consecutive 30-goal seasons since 2011.

He will reportedly make his NHL debut on Tuesday.

"Proud of him and the season he's had, but also how he's conducted himself," Carbery said. "The year that he's had with World Juniors and another really strong season at BC. Anytime you don't win the last game, it's a tough feeling, especially having played college hockey -- you put a lot into that, and those one-and-done scenarios are tough."

The Bruins (30-35-9, 69 points) have continued falling behind in the playoff race during a 0-7-1 skid. Their fifth straight regulation loss in that span was a narrow 2-1 Saturday defeat at the Detroit Red Wings.

The team's game did take a step in the right direction in the eyes of Morgan Geekie, who added to his career-best season with his 27th goal. The Bruins had allowed five or more goals in three of the previous four games heading into Detroit.

"I thought we played hard for 60 minutes -- that's the most complete game we've had for a while," Geekie said. "It's tough to not see any results from that, but we can take some positives from it."

Moving forward, the challenge of defending Ovechkin is immense, especially for the likes of Bruins interim coach Joe Sacco who specialized in the penalty kill during his time as an assistant.

A goal on Tuesday would mark the 30th of Ovechkin's career against the Bruins. They hope to put a halt to his run of three goals in five games and six since the start of March.

He has caused "some nightmares, for sure," Sacco joked. "I think with him on the power play, a guy that you have to pay close attention to over the years, especially in his spot over there in the elbow."

Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy continued his rehab from a shoulder injury and infection that he suffered at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. On Monday, he rejoined practice without a non-contact jersey, but there is still no timetable for his return.

"What I'm trying to do right now is just rehab the best I can try and work every single day to put myself in a position to potentially play this year, and what will happen will happen," McAvoy said.

The Blues are 11-1-1 in their last 13 games after a 2-1 win over the host Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. St. Louis (40-28-7, 87 points) is comfortably in a Western Conference wild-card playoff spot.

"It's the end of 10 (games) in 17 (days)," Blues coach Jim Montgomery said after Saturday's win. "We went 9-1; we lost the first one. It's very impressive what we're doing right now. I thought the first period was a great period. I thought we had a lot of opportunities. Thought they did. It was offensive. Both teams tightened up in the second, and then in the third, I thought we executed really well."

"There's something going on special right now and it's great to be a part of it."

Pavel Buchnevich got the game-winner, breaking a 1-1 tie 8:54 into the third period. Zack Bolduc also scored, and Jordan Binnington made 28 saves.

Top prospect Jimmy Snuggerud will make his NHL debut on Tuesday for the Blues, who signed him to a three-year contract after the University of Minnesota's NCAA season ended. Snuggerud, selected with the 23rd pick of the 2022 NHL Draft, led the Gophers with 24 goals and 27 assists in 40 games and stands as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award that goes to college hockey's top player. His father, Dave Snuggerud, played six seasons in the NHL.

The Red Wings (34-33-6, 74 points) have lost four of their last six, but beat the visiting Boston Bruin 2-1 on Saturday. Detroit's plans to stay in contention for the last Eastern Conference wild-card berth took a big hit in March, winning just four of 14 games.

"We have to stay on an even keel," said goaltender Cam Talbot, who made 20 saves including a spectacular glove save on Casey Mittelstadt with 9.8 seconds left against the Bruins. "This is a big, emotional win, but we have to go on the road now and we can't get too low or too high.

"If we keep playing our game, I like our chances."

Talbot is one of the few Red Wings with a lot of playoff experience.

Marco Kasper and Lucas Raymond scored for Detroit. Raymond's goal was his 26th and gave him a career-high 73 points.

"The games are just getting tighter and tighter towards the end of the year," Raymond said after the Boston win. "You got to be able to lock games down and not just rely on offense. I think today was a good example of that. It's a big win in a lot of different areas and something to build off coming into the next game."

The Red Wings know they'll face a big challenge on Tuesday night.

"We have to go on the road now to play a team that's playing extremely well," Talbot said. "Just staying on an even keel and playing within ourselves and our game. When we play our game, that's when we're successful. When we get away from it, that's when we're not. If we continue to play our game and play like that, I like our chances down the stretch."

But the Islanders finally might have dug themselves a hole too deep.

The Islanders attempt to halt an untimely losing streak and begin a last-ditch push for the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot Tuesday night when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning in Elmont, N.Y.

The Islanders were off Monday after they completed a back-to-back road set Sunday with a 6-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Lightning are playing New York for the second straight time after holding off a furious third-period comeback in a 5-3 victory on Saturday afternoon.

The consecutive weekend losses may have provided an unfortunate summation of the season for the Islanders (32-31-10, 74 points), who nearly overcame a four-goal deficit Saturday before they came back from a 2-0 hole Sunday to take a short-lived lead in the second period.

Anders Lee scored at 4:05 of the third to tie Sunday's game again before Carolina's Dmitry Orlov collected the game-winner with 10:41 left.

"It shows a lot of that group -- it's not easy to come back," said Islanders coach Patrick Roy. "I think the guys are giving me everything they have and I love (them) for that."

But a five-game losing streak (0-3-2) and a challenging homestand this week means New York is running out of time to make another late-season charge.

The Islanders, who host the playoff-bound Minnesota Wild and Washington Capitals on Thursday and Sunday, take the ice Tuesday three points behind the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers in the race for the second wild card.

The Islanders earned an Eastern Conference wild card in 2023 by going 11-6-1 after March 1. They clinched third place in the Metropolitan Division last season by going 8-0-1 after April 1.

"We need points and it's going to come down to the last game so we can't give up," said Islanders left winger Pierre Engvall, who posted his first career two-goal game Sunday.

The only suspense for the surging Lightning (43-25-5, 91 points) involves where they'll finish in the Atlantic Division. Tampa Bay, which will make the playoffs for the eighth straight season, is tied for second with the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. They're three points behind the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Brayden Point scored twice Saturday for the Lightning, which went 3-0 while outscoring the opposition 19-4 during a homestand that ended Saturday. The 19 goals are the most Tampa Bay has scored in a three-game span this season.

"We've had a lot of things go our way on this homestand, but we earned them," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said.

But Cooper still saw plenty of room for improvement after the Lightning were outshot 38-24 and allowed the Islanders to score three goals in less than three minutes prior to the midway point of the third period. Tampa Bay didn't ice the win until Jake Guentzel scored an empty-netter with 14 seconds remaining.

"Learning experiences come in so many different ways, shapes, forms," Cooper said. "Maybe the best ones come when you can sneak away with a win and you get to learn from that as well."

Captain Nick Suzuki scored and added two assists as Montreal (34-30-9, 77 points) doubled up Florida 4-2 on Sunday night in Sunrise, Fla.

The Canadiens, who had lost five straight entering Sunday's contest, have won all three meetings with the Panthers this season while outscoring Florida 11-3.

Patrik Laine opened the scoring, Juraj Slafkovsky added a goal and an assist, and Brendan Gallagher scored an empty-netter for the Canadiens, who are 4-3-3 over their last 10.

"We had a good day off (on Saturday), everyone rested, and we were ready to get the two points (in Florida)," Slafkovsky said. "It was a bounce forward from last week, and everyone fought out there. We have to keep going. It's not about one win. We have nine left, and we have to keep grabbing points."

Lane Hutson added three assists and Sam Montembeault made 24 saves in the victory.

Suzuki leads the Canadiens with 77 points in 73 contests while Cole Caufield paces Montreal with 34 goals in 73 games.

"It was definitely important to get the win (Sunday)," Suzuki said. "The road trip, obviously, wasn't that great for us. But I felt like, if we got the win (on Sunday), it would put us in good position going home. It was much-needed."

The Canadiens, 18-12-5 at home this season, currently own the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference because they have a game in hand over the New York Rangers (also 77 points).

Gallagher has points in three straight games (one goal, two assists).

Montembeault is 26-23-6 with an .899 save percentage and a 2.91 goals-against average in 55 games this season. Backup Jakub Dobes is 6-4-2 with an .897 save percentage and a 3.02 GAA in 14 appearances.

The Panthers (44-26-3, 91 points) travel to Montreal looking to make up ground on the Toronto Maple Leafs in the race for the Atlantic Division's top spot. Florida, 5-5-0 over its last 10, sits third in the division and three points behind the Leafs with a game in hand.

Seth Jones and Sam Reinhart scored in Sunday's loss to the Canadiens while Aleksander Barkov assisted on both goals for the Panthers, who had won seven straight home games.

Reinhart paces the Panthers with 36 goals and 76 points in 73 games.

Barkov has four assists over his last three games and a team-leading 48 helpers this season.

"No excuses. They played better than us in all three games," said Barkov of the season series against the Canadiens. "We obviously had some good moments in (Sunday's) game, but we couldn't score more than them. They hung in, got the goals they needed. They play really hard, their (playoff) lives are on the line. We have to be better, that's all."

Sergei Bobrovsky, who's 31-16-2 with a .907 save percentage and a 2.44 GAA in 49 starts this season, made 18 saves in the loss.

Vitek Vanecek is 1-2-0 with an .897 save percentage and a 3.04 GAA in three starts since coming over from the San Jose Sharks.

But the Sabres aren't letting that affect their play down the stretch. They look to sweep their season series with the Ottawa Senators when they visit their division rival on Tuesday.

Buffalo (31-36-6, 68 points) is coming off an 8-5 win against the East-leading Washington Capitals on Sunday -- one week after dispatching the Western Conference-leading Winnipeg Jets. They also beat the Edmonton Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights in March.

"It'd be easy to just throw in the towel and check out and do your own thing out there," said forward Tage Thompson. "We made it a point, these last 20 games when we were 20 games out, that we were gonna make something out of it, try to build some momentum going into next year and try to hammer home an identity that we want to play by. In order to do that, you've got to look in the mirror and hold yourself accountable, hold others around you accountable."

The Sabres are 4-1-0 in their past five games and 7-3-0 over their past 10. That includes a 3-2 victory against the Senators last Tuesday in Buffalo, improving to 3-0 against them this season.

JJ Peterka has been on a roll over the past two months with 27 points (13 goals, 14 assists) in his past 24 games. After setting career highs across the board offensively last season, the 23-year-old has reached new marks in assists (36) and points (59) this season and, with 23 tallies, is five goals shy of matching last year's total.

"I think confidence is a big thing," Thompson said of Peterka. "He's getting a big opportunity to play in all situations and he's been playing great. ... He's been great and energizes our group offensively. And it's not just the offensive side; I've seen a pretty big growth in his game just in puck battles and 50/50s and playing hard in the D-zone, too."

The Senators, meanwhile, are looking to inch closer to clinching a playoff spot and end their seven-year postseason drought.

Ottawa (39-28-6, 84 points) is coming off a 1-0 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. The Senators own the Eastern Conference's first wild-card spot with a seven-point cushion over the Montreal Canadiens and New York Rangers.

"It's going to be like that the rest of the way," said Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot. "It's all about winning games and getting points. It's all about getting points. All we want is to get into the playoffs. We are 1,000 percent frustrated we lost this game tonight, but we got a point, and we got a point on the road."

The Senators enjoyed a stellar month of March, going 10-3-2. Part of that has been fueled by the play of their second line that features former Sabres center Dylan Cozens between Drake Batherson and David Perron. Cozens has nine points (three goals, six assists) in 12 games since Ottawa acquired him on March 7.

"That whole line has played well. They're really playing connected," said Ottawa coach Travis Green. "It looks like they're jelling together, they know where each other is, they also know where their bread is buttered."

The fine is in response to a slapshot Mikkola sent down the ice with two seconds remaining on the game clock with the Panthers down 4-2 to the Canadiens on Sunday. The puck almost hit Montreal's players, with some Canadiens expressing their displeasure.

Mikkola was assessed a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct as well as a 10-minute game misconduct, despite there being no time left on the clock.

The fine, announced by the NHL Department of Player Safety, is the maximum allowed by the collective bargaining agreement.

Mikkola, a 28-year-old from Finland, is in his second season with the Panthers after four with the St. Louis Blues and one with the New York Rangers.

On the season, he has set career season highs for goals (five), assists (16) and points (21) to go along with his 62 penalty minutes in 68 games.

Taylor Makar, a seventh-round pick by Colorado in 2021, inked an entry-level contract for the 2025-26 season.

The 24-year-old forward will report to the AHL's Colorado Eagles on an amateur tryout for the rest of this season.

Taylor Makar scored 30 points (18 goals, 12 assists) in 38 games for the University of Maine in 2024-25.

Cale Makar, 26, ranks second on the Avalanche with 84 points (27 goals, 57 assists) in 74 games this season.

The three-time All-Star and 2022 Stanley Cup winner has 420 points (113 goals, 307 assists) in 389 career games.

Cale Makar won the Calder Trophy in 2019-20 and the Norris Trophy and Conn Smythe Trophy in 2021-22.

Ovechkin, who also collected a pair of assists, will resume his pursuit of the record on Tuesday in Boston against the Bruins. Washington has nine games left in the regular season.

Buffalo's Alex Tuch had two goals and an assist, Tage Thompson scored twice and Jack Quinn added a goal and two assists. Connor Clifton, JJ Peterka and Jason Zucker had two assists each, and James Reimer made 24 saves for the Sabres, who picked up their sixth win in the last nine games.

For Washington, Jakob Chychrun scored twice to hit the 20-goal mark for the first time, Dylan Strome notched two helpers and Logan Thompson made 15 saves in the loss.

Penguins 1, Senators 0 (OT)

Sidney Crosby scored a power-play goal at 1:16 of overtime and Tristan Jarry made 31 saves for his first shutout of the season to lead Pittsburgh past visiting Ottawa.

Crosby, who drew a hooking penalty on Ridly Greig with three seconds left in regulation, roofed a one-timer off an Erik Karlsson pass from the center of the right circle past the glove side of Anton Forsberg for the game-winner. The Penguins snapped a three-game winless streak (0-2-1).

It was the 97th career game-winning goal for Crosby, passing Mats Sundin for 12th in NHL history. It was Jarry's 20th career shutout. Forsberg stopped 34 of 35 shots for Ottawa.

Jets 3, Canucks 1

Kyle Connor had a goal and an assist, Mason Appleton and Cole Perfetti each tallied, and Winnipeg pulled away with a home win over Vancouver.

Connor Hellebuyck made 23 saves for the Jets, who picked up their third straight win. Nikolaj Ehlers, Adam Lowry and Vladislav Namestnikov each had an assist.

Pius Suter netted the lone Cancucks goal that put Vancouver on top 1-0 with just over a minute left in the opening period. Thatcher Demko recorded 24 saves.

Maple Leafs 3, Ducks 2

Steven Lorentz scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period and Toronto extended its lead in the Atlantic Division to three points with a win over host Anaheim.

Max Domi and Mitch Marner added goals for the Maple Leafs, who have points in four straight games (3-0-1). Joseph Woll made 29 saves in the win.

After Toronto built a 2-0 lead, Leo Carlsson and Sam Colangelo responded with the Ducks' goals. Lukas Dostal made 20 saves in the defeat.

Utah Hockey Club 5, Blackhawks 2

Defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and Alexander Kerfoot scored 31 seconds apart late in the second period, fueling Utah's victory over host Chicago.

Kerfoot had two assists, Sergachev added one and Kailer Yamamoto, Logan Cooley and defenseman Nick DeSimone also scored a goal to help Utah snap its three-game skid (0-2-1). Defenseman John Marino notched two assists and Karel Vejmelka made 27 saves while appearing in his 17th consecutive game.

Joe Veleno and Ryan Donato each scored a goal and Arvid Soderblom turned aside 26 shots for the skidding Blackhawks, who have lost 10 of their last 11 games (1-9-1). Chicago defenseman Sam Rinzel and forward Oliver Moore made their respective NHL debuts after signing their entry-level contracts on Saturday.

Hurricanes 6, Islanders 4

Dmitry Orlov netted the go-ahead goal midway through the third period, Seth Jarvis added the second of his two scores, and Carolina held off New York for its 11th win in 13 games in Raleigh, N.C.

Mark Jankowski, Logan Stankoven and Sebastian Aho all scored for the Hurricanes, while Pyotr Kochetkov was credited with 27 saves -- including 12 in the third period.

Pierre Engvall had two goals to lead the Islanders, who have lost five straight. Kyle Palmieri and Anders Lee each tallied, while Bo Horvat dished out two assists. Marcus Hogberg recorded 24 saves for New York.

Canadiens 4, Panthers 2

Nick Suzuki had a goal and two assists for Montreal in a win against Florida in Sunrise, Fla.

Juraj Slafkovsky had a goal and an assist, Patrik Laine and Brendan Gallagher also scored, Lane Hutson totaled three assists and Sam Montembeault made 24 saves for the Canadiens, who moved into the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. In the finale of a four-game trip, Montreal snapped a five-game skid (0-3-2).

Sam Reinhart and Seth Jones scored, Aleksander Barkov had two assists and Sergei Bobrovsky made 18 saves for the Panthers (44-26-3, 91 points), who missed a chance to retake first place in the Atlantic Division.