Defenseman Dougie Hamilton scored twice, extending his points streak to six games, as the New Jersey Devils defeated the visiting Seattle Kraken 3-1 Thursday night in Newark, N.J.

John Marino added an empty-netter with 1:11 remaining and Ondrej Palat had two assists for the Devils, who won their third consecutive game and improved to 10-1-1 in their past 12. Goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood made 33 saves.

Adam Larsson scored as the Kraken suffered their second straight loss on their five-game trip following the All-Star break. Philipp Grubauer stopped 24 of 26 shots.

Hamilton scored the go-ahead goal at 10:00 of the third period on the power play. Jesper Bratt’s shot rang off the crossbar before Palat got the puck in the right-wing corner. He fed the puck back to Hamilton, whose blast from just outside the top of the faceoff circles deflected off the right hip of Seattle’s Brandon Tanev and hit the crossbar just inside the left post before settling in the back of the net.

Hamilton has 13 points (five goals, eight assists) during his scoring streak.

The Kraken opened the scoring at 14:05 of the second period. Alex Wennberg won a faceoff in the offensive zone back to Vince Dunn at the left point. Dunn quickly sent a cross-ice pass to fellow defenseman Larsson, whose wrist shot made it through a screen set by Wennberg and just over Blackwood’s mitt and inside the right post.

The Devils tied the score just 24 seconds later with Seattle’s Will Borgen in the penalty box for cross-checking. The puck went behind the net following a faceoff in the Kraken’s end and Palat outmuscled defenseman Jamie Oleksiak for possession. Palat fed Tomas Tatar on the right wing and he sent a pass to Hamilton in the high slot. His one-timer beat a screened Grubauer and found its way into the top right corner of the net.

Both teams played without their leading scorers. All-Star Jack Hughes missed his first game for the Devils this season with an upper-body injury. The Kraken’s Andre Burakovsky, who lasted just one shift in Tuesday’s 4-0 loss against the host New York Islanders, has a lower-body injury. Both players are considered week-to-week.

–Field Level Media

Sam Reinhart scored twice, Eric Staal added two empty-net goals and the Florida Panthers beat the visiting San Jose Sharks 4-1 on Thursday night in Sunrise.

Reinhart has 19 goals this season and six in his past eight games. Eetu Luostarinen led the Panthers in assists with two, and Florida killed off a late double-minor penalty.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 33 saves as Florida won its third straight game — its longest winning streak this season. Bobrovsky has a team-high 14 victories.

Despite the win, two Panthers had points streaks snapped – Brandon Montour at 10 games and Matthew Tkachuk at seven. Montour’s streak is the longest ever by a Panthers defenseman.

Alexander Barabanov scored for the Sharks, and goalie Kaapo Kahkonen made 38 saves.

San Jose’s Erik Karlsson, who leads all NHL defensemen in points, picked up one assist. He has seven points in his past four games and 70 for the season.

The Sharks, though, had their modest two-game win streak snapped.

Florida was without center and team captain Aleksander Barkov, who left Monday’s game against Tampa Bay due to a right-hand injury. Barkov is one of the top defensive forwards in the league, and he entered the game tied for second on the Panthers in points (47).

San Jose opened the scoring with 5:49 gone in the first period on a play that started with Karlsson’s shot from the point. Barabanov then gathered a long rebound and flipped in the puck off his backhand.

Florida tied the score with 4:30 expired in the second. After a long pass from Eric Staal, Reinhart – who was given time and space – fired a shot from the right circle that went under Kahkonen’s glove.

The Panthers took their first lead at 2-1 with just 41 seconds left in the second. Luostarinen keyed the play from the right circle, centering the puck while falling backward. Reinhart did the rest, redirecting the puck between his legs and past Kahkonen.

With 4:52 left in the third, Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad was hit with a four-minute penalty for high-sticking Timo Meier.

The Sharks then pulled their goalie with 2:14 left to give them a 6-on-4 advantage. But Luostarinen stole the puck and fed Staal for the empty-net goal with 1:39 left to give Florida a 3-1 lead. Staal’s second empty-netter came 34 seconds later.

–Field Level Media

Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy crafted his first shutout of the season, Brandon Hagel produced three points and the Lightning blanked the visiting Colorado Avalanche 5-0 on Thursday night.

In the first meeting between the clubs since last June’s Stanley Cup Final, Vasilevskiy stopped 30 shots to extend his franchise-record shutout total to 29. Hagel had two goals and an assist to lead the Lightning offensive output as they broke a two-game skid (0-1-1).

Brayden Point had a goal and an assist, Corey Perry and Mikhail Sergachev each netted a goal, Alex Killorn handed out three assists and Anthony Cirelli added two as the Lightning moved to 21-4-2 at home and 9-2-0 against the Western Conference’s Central Division. Pat Maroon skated in his 700th game.

The Avalanche, who won their third Stanley Cup by beating the Lightning in six games, have dropped two straight overall (0-1-1) to start their three-game road trip and were shut out for the fourth time. Netminder Alexandar Georgiev made 27 saves.

Colorado’s Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Cale Makar was scratched (concussion protocol) after being hit in the head by Pittsburgh’s Jeff Carter in Tuesday night’s 2-1 overtime loss to the Penguins.

In the first of two matchups over a six-day span, Tampa Bay’s third-ranked power play, which went 2-for-3, made the visitors pay when Perry grabbed a pass in front of Georgiev and deked him for his 10th goal at 15:15.

At 2:21 of the second period, Vasilevskiy stood solid and made his biggest save with a great glove grab, keeping the Avalanche off the board by denying Matt Nieto’s clean breakaway attempt.

After a big pad save by Vasilevskiy sparked a two-on-two rush, Cirelli worked his way around Colorado defensemen Samuel Girard and Devon Toews. He then fed Hagel across the slot for his 20th into a wide-open net at 8:32.

In a busy play around Georgiev with the Lightning on the man advantage, Point managed to get his stick on the puck and get it in for his 32nd goal less than two minutes later for a 3-0 lead.

Hagel’s check of Mikko Rantanen led to a break with Killorn, who dropped a pass back for Hagel’s second marker at 18:07 and a commanding 4-0 lead.
At 5:44 of the third, Sergachev whistled home his seventh goal for the five-goal advantage.

–Field Level Media

Two teams battling to stay out of the Central Division cellar will square off on Friday when the Arizona Coyotes visit the Chicago Blackhawks.

Arizona holds a five-point lead over Chicago for seventh place heading into the contest but the Blackhawks, who have dropped four of their last five games, still have two games in hand.

Both teams are also among the top four in the Connor Bedard draft sweepstakes. Columbus (34) currently has the fewest points in the NHL, one point ahead of Chicago (35) with Arizona and Anaheim tied for third-fewest (40).

The team with the worst record has an 18.5 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick, expected to be Bedard, who is regarded as a generational talent in the Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid mold. Second place has a 13.5 percent shot in the lottery while third comes in at 11.5 percent.

The contest also could be one of the final home games for Patrick Kane in a Blackhawks uniform.

Kane has been the topic of a number of trade rumors approaching the March 3 trade deadline. The 2016 Hart Trophy (MVP) and Art Ross (scoring) winner is in the final year of an eight-year contract that has a $10.5 million salary cap hit and a full no-movement clause that he would have to waive.

Prior to Chicago’s 3-2 overtime loss to visiting Anaheim on Tuesday, Kane used the word “cherish” when it came to playing home games before the trade deadline.

“I think you’ll probably cherish these games a little more before the deadline not knowing what’s going to happen,” Kane said. “It’s always exciting playing at home. I’ve always loved playing at the United Center in front of the crowd here. Kind of wish we had a little more time here this month but it is what it is. Cherish these games.”

Arizona is a Western Conference-worst 6-20-4 on the road this season but is 4-5-1 over its last 10 games overall, including a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Monday in Tempe, Ariz.

Jack McBain scored the game-winner for the Coyotes on a breakaway at the 13:13 mark of the third period while Jakob Chychrun, also a hot topic when it comes to trade discussions, scored two goals. Karel Vejmelka finished with 33 saves to win his third consecutive start.

McBain sliced in from the left wing and beat Marc-Andre Fleury with a backhand shot into the upper right corner of the net for his seventh goal of the season.

“It wasn’t too pretty, the puck was rolling and I was trying to get it up and going and it worked out,” McBain said.

“We played well (and) we were confident in the way we played,” Arizona coach Andre Tourigny said. “We knew, even trailing 1-0, that it was not the end of it. We stayed with it and found a way.”

Chicago center Jonathan Toews, who missed Tuesday’s loss with a non-COVID illness, will sit out both Friday’s game and Saturday’s contest at Winnipeg but returned to the Blackhawks’ practice facility and worked out on Thursday.

“Tomorrow, he’ll skate on his own, or just have one more gym day,” Chicago coach Luke Richardson said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “He crushed my hand in a handshake, so that’s a good sign.”

–Field Level Media

The Toronto Maple Leafs will aim to snap a three-game road losing skid on Friday when they visit the Columbus Blue Jackets in the opener of a home-and-home series.

Toronto fell to 0-2-1 over its last three road games following a 3-2 overtime loss in Montreal on Jan. 21. The Maple Leafs responded by winning three of their next four contests before concluding a five-game homestand with a 5-2 setback versus Boston on Feb. 1.

Mitchell Marner scored a goal versus the Bruins to boost his season total to a team-leading 60 points (19 goals, 41 assists). The NHL’s Third Star of the Week then set a single-tournament record at the All-Star Game by notching six assists — three apiece in the Atlantic Division’s two wins.

“Yeah, it was fun, a lot of fun. We’ve got a lot of gators in this locker room, so it was great to be a part of it,” Marner said of the tournament held in Sunrise, Fla.

Marner also has a few tough customers in his own locker room, namely William Nylander and reigning Hart Trophy recipient Auston Matthews. Nylander has scored six of his team-leading 28 goals over the last eight games, while Matthews remains idle while dealing with a sprained knee.

Ilya Samsonov has started the last eight games for the Maple Leafs, but he’ll split time with American Hockey League All-Star Joseph Woll during the home-and-home set as Matt Murray was placed on injured reserve as he continues to recover from an ankle injury.

Samsonov has turned aside 76 of 82 shots to post a 3-1-0 record with a .927 save percentage and 1.80 goals-against average in four career appearances (three starts) versus Columbus.

The Blue Jackets return to action looking to snap a three-game losing skid (0-2-1).

Offseason acquisition Johnny Gaudreau scored his team high-tying 14th goal in Columbus’ 4-3 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals on Jan. 31. Gaudreau, who pulled even with Patrik Laine and captain Boone Jenner in goals scored, also leads the team in assists (35) and assists (49).

Gaudreau recorded a hat trick in the Metropolitan Division’s 10-6 setback to the Atlantic Division in the All-Star Game tournament.

Columbus’ Andrew Peeke has contributed five goals this season, including one against Washington, to lead the team’s defensemen. He has elevated his play since being a healthy scratch on New Year’s Eve and, as a result, risen in the ranks to play on the top pair with Vladislav Gavrikov.

“Sometimes it’s just a couple bounces, which (the goal against the Capitals) was,” Peeke said, per the Columbus Dispatch. “It hit off a stick and hit off the pants. No one’s going to complain about that. I think my two previous goals were pretty good shots. It’s just building confidence and trusting that you have that skillset in you.”

Keeping the puck out of the net has been a persistent problem for the Blue Jackets, who have yielded an NHL third-worst 3.86 goals per game. They have allowed 60 goals in their last 16 games (4-10-2).

Elvis Merzlikins sports a rather generous 4.42 goals-against average, while Joonas Korpisalo’s 3.35 GAA represents significant improvement after finishing 2021-22 with a 4.15 mark.

–Field Level Media

The New York Rangers acquired forward Vladimir Tarasenko and defenseman Niko Mikkola from the St. Louis Blues on Thursday.

The Blues will receive forward Sammy Blais, prospect Hunter Skinner and two draft picks in exchange for Mikkola and Tarasenko, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Blues get a conditional first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and a conditional fourth-round pick in 2024.

Tarasenko is playing in the final season of an 8-year, $60 million contract and the Blues will reportedly retain part of that salary as part of the deal.

Tarasenko, 31, has 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 38 games this season. He collected one goal and three assists in the Central Division’s 6-4 victory over the Pacific Division on Saturday during the All-Star Game tournament.

Tarasenko is one season removed from recording career-best totals in assists (48) and points (82).

He has 553 points (262 goals, 291 assists) in 644 career games since being selected by the Blues with the 16th overall pick of the 2010 NHL Draft. He helped St. Louis win the Stanley Cup in 2019.

Blais, 26, played his first four seasons with the Blues and was also a member of the Stanley Cup team. He has five assists in 40 games this season and 44 points (17 goals, 27 assists) in 173 career games with St. Louis and New York.

Mikkola, 26, has three assists in 50 games with St. Louis this season. He ranks third on the team in hits with 96 and third in blocked shots with 68. He has 20 career points (four goals, 16 assists) in parts of four seasons with the Blues.

Skinner, 21, was a fourth-round pick by the Rangers in 2019. The defenseman has two assists in eight games this season with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.

–Field Level Media