NHL SCOREBOARD…
WASHINGTON 4 – Boston 2… Lars Eller netted a go-ahead goal and added an assist to push the Capitals past the Bruins for their third straight victory. Alex Ovechkin sealed the win with his 45th goal of the season and 775th of his NHL career into an empty net with 1.7 seconds left. Goalie Vitek Vanecek made 30 saves.
PITTSBURGH 3 – Nashville 2 (OT)… Sidney Crosby scored his second goal of the game at 2:21 of overtime to lift the Penguins over the Predators. Crosby became the seventh-fastest player in NHL history to reach 1,400 points. Rikard Rakell assisted on all three goals for Pittsburgh. Casey DeSmith stopped 33 shots at goal.
TAMPA BAY 5 – Buffalo 0… Goalie Brian Elliott stopped all 28 shots as the Lightning blanked the Sabres. Corey Perry and Ondrej Palat scored 17 seconds apart in the first period to provide all the offense Tampa Bay needed.
MINNESOTA 6 – Los Angeles 3… The Wild doubled up on the Kings after spotting them a three-goal lead. Matt Boldy and Jared Spurgeon each had a goal and an assist. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury made 31 saves.
CAROLINA 5 – Anaheim 2… Jordan Staal recorded his fourth career hat trick with an empty-netter goal in capping the Hurricanes’ win over the Ducks. Andrei Svechnikov had a goal and an assist. Nino Neiderreiter set up two goals.
Dallas 6 – CHICAGO 4… The Stars outshot the Blackhawks to maintain their hold on a wild-card spot. Jason Robertson scored his team-leading 33rd and 34th goals about three minutes apart in the second period. Roope Hintz had a goal and two assists. Joe Pavelski, Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn each added a goal and an assist. Ryan Suter and Miro Heiskanen had two assists each. Goalie Jake Oettinger made 36 saves.
Winnipeg 4 – OTTAWA 3… Nikolaj Ehlers scored a goal and assisted on two others as the Jets held off the Senators. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 31 shots at goal.