COLUMBUS, Ohio - R.J. Umberger scored twice to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets to their franchise-record seventh straight win, a 5-3 victory Tuesday night over the Los Angeles Kings.
Nathan Horton scored in his 600th NHL game, Artem Anisimov had a goal and an assist and Ryan Johansen also scored for Columbus, with James Wisniewski picking up two assists. Sergei Bobrovsky moved to 8-0 in his past eight starts with 26 saves.
Jeff Carter, Dwight King and Robyn Regehr had goals for the Kings, who have lost three in a row. Mike Richards had two assists.
The Blue Jackets have been surging since getting Horton, who missed the first 40 games after shoulder surgery, and Bobrovsky, who sat out most of December with a strained groin, back on the ice.
They're 8-1-0 with Horton, a big free-agent signing last summer from Boston, in the lineup.
MAPLE LEAFS 5, AVALANCHE 2
DENVER (AP) — Phil Kessel scored twice, James van Riemsdyk had a goal and an assist and Toronto beat Colorado for its sixth straight win.
Nazem Kadri also scored and James Reimer stopped 35 shots for Toronto.
The Maple Leafs are on their longest winning streak in eight years after losing four in a row. Toronto has climbed to fourth in the Eastern Conference standings during its win streak.
Rookie Nathan MacKinnon scored two goals for the Avalanche, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere had 19 saves in relief of Semyon Varlamov.
Colorado generated more early chances but Toronto scored first. Dion Phaneuf sent a puck from his own end off the backboards and Kessel, who got behind the Avalanche defence, put a soft shot past Varlamov 3:56 into the game.
ISLANDERS 5, RANGERS 3
NEW YORK (AP) — Thomas Vanek scored a power-play goal with 4:38 left, and the Islanders rallied from two goals down for a second straight day and beat the Rangers.
Vanek capped the comeback as the Rangers were trying to kill a penalty for too many men on the ice. Colin McDonald and defenceman Thomas Hickey scored in the second period to get the Islanders even.
Matt Martin scored a rare goal in the first, and Frans Nielsen added an empty-netter. Kevin Poulin made 30 saves in the Islanders' ninth win in their past 11 road games.
John Tavares had three assists and Kyle Okposo added two in front of a nearly full crowd on a snowy night in New York.
Rick Nash scored twice in the first period for his second straight multigoal game, and Chris Kreider added a goal for the Rangers, who had won three in a row.
Cam Talbot made 32 saves while subbing for Henrik Lundqvist, who missed the game due to illness.
JETS 3, DUCKS 2
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Ondrej Pavelec made 40 saves, Evander Kane had a short-handed goal and an assist in his return from a four-game injury absence, and Winnipeg ended Anaheim's 10-game home winning streak.
Blake Wheeler and Andrew Ladd also scored for the last-place Jets, who also handed Anaheim its first regulation loss at home this season after a 20-0-2 start at Honda Center.
Bryan Little had two assists as Winnipeg hung on for its fourth consecutive win since coach Paul Maurice replaced Claude Noel.
Cam Fowler and Nick Bonino scored for the NHL-leading Ducks, who hadn't lost at home since Dec. 3. Anaheim has won 19 of 22 overall, but has lost two of its last three games.
Anaheim was just the fourth NHL team in 40 years to earn a point in its first 22 home games to start a season. The Ducks were the only NHL team that hadn't lost in regulation at home this season.
CANUCKS 2, OILERS 1
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Rookie Kellan Lain and Zack Kassian scored and Vancouver won its first game without suspended head coach John Tortorella in a victory over Edmonton.
The Canucks have won just three of their past 11 games. Roberto Luongo made 28 saves for the win.
The Canucks were also without leading scoring Henrik Sedin, who missed his first game in close to a decade with an injury.
The Canucks were also without Tortorella, who was suspended for 15 days by the NHL on Monday for an altercation during a game against the Calgary Flames on Saturday.
Jordan Eberle scored for the Oilers, who have lost five in a row and 10 of their past 12.
DEVILS 7, BLUES 1
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Mark Fayne and Ryan Carter scored 24 seconds apart early in the first period to spark New Jersey Devils over St. Louis.
Jaromir Jagr, Ryane Clowe, Adam Henrique, Damien Brunner and Eric Gelinas added goals and the Devils celebrated a return to the snow-bound Prudential Center after losing three of four on the road. The seven goals were a season high. It was the biggest outburst by the Devils, and the most surrendered by the Blues.
Cory Schneider, 3-0-2 in his past five appearances, made 26 saves.
The game went on as scheduled despite a heavy snowstorm that held the crowd to an announced turnout of 2,000.
Alex Steen scored for the Blues who sported two impressive marks coming in: they were 14-2-1 against Eastern Conference foes and 15-5-3 on the road.
PANTHERS 4, SABRES 3
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Ed Jovanovski scored the go-ahead goal and added an assist in his 1,100th career game, sparking Florida over Buffalo.
Sean Bergenheim, Jesse Winchester and Nick Bjugstad also scored for Florida, which improved to 4-0-1 in its past five trips to Buffalo. Tom Gilbert set up two goals in helping the Panthers overcome a pair of one-goal first-period deficits and then hang on for the win.
Tim Thomas stopped 32 shots, including 15 shots in the final period to improve to 7-3-2 in his past 12 games.
Drew Stafford scored twice and Steve Ott also scored for the Sabres (13-28-7), who dropped to 0-2-2 in their past four.
SENATORS 2, CAPITALS 0
WASHINGTON (AP) — Kyle Turris and Jason Spezza scored, Craig Anderson made 34 saves and Ottawa beat Washington to hand the Alex Ovechkin-less Capitals their sixth straight loss.
With NHL scoring leader Ovechkin sidelined with an unspecified lower-body injury, Washington generated few quality scoring chances, failing to convert on five power plays.
During their six-game skid, the Capitals have scored just seven goals. It was the third time Washington has been shut out this season, with all the games at home.
Ottawa improved to 7-1-2 in its past 10 games.
STARS 4, WILD 0
DALLAS (AP) — Erik Cole and Ray Whitney scored power-play goals, and Dallas stopped a three-game losing streak with a victory over Minnesota.
Kari Lehtonen made 18 saves as Dallas won for the second time in its past 11 games. It was his second shutout of the season and No. 24 for his career.
Jordie Benn scored on a penalty shot, beating Darcy Kuemper at 11:22 of the third period.
By The Associated Press
