Washington, DC -- (Sports Network) - Alex Ovechkin notched a goal and two assists to help the Washington Capitals take a 5-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres at Verizon Center. Nicklas Backstrom had two goals while Mike Green added a goal and an assist for the Capitals, who have won three of four. Michal Neuvirth made 32 saves in the win. Tim Connolly and Paul Gaustad each had a goal for the Sabres, who had won six of eight coming into the game. Ryan Miller was touched for all five goals on 38 shots.

Final Score: Minnesota 3, Edmonton 1

St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - Owen Nolan scored the game-winner in the late stages of the second period, as the Minnesota Wild held on to edge the Edmonton Oilers, 3-1, in a Northwest Division matchup at Xcel Energy Center. Andrew Brunette and Guillaume Latendresse also tallied for Minnesota, which also got a 30-save performance from Niklas Backstrom. The Wild, who were coming off losses to Ottawa and Colorado, have split their last six games overall. Robert Nilsson scored for the Oilers, who have dropped five straight after winning their previous five. Jeff Deslauriers stopped 24- of-26 shots in defeat.

Final Score: Montreal 5, Carolina 1

Raleigh, NC (Sports Network) - Glen Metropolit had two of Montreal's three power-play scores, and Jaroslav Halak was strong in net again, as the Canadiens took a 5-1 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Canadiens were 3- for-5 with the man advantage in taking their third consecutive victory following a five-game slide. Tomas Plekanec and Scott Gomez each had three assists for Montreal. Halak had stopped 87-of-90 shots in his last two games, which includes a shutout of the Islanders on December 19. He faced a ton of shots again Wednesday, but turned aside 46-of-47 for the win. On the other hand, Carolina's goaltenders let in five goals on only 25 shots. Cam Ward got the start and let in three on just seven shots in the first 9 1/2 minutes of the game, while Manny Legace made 16 saves the rest of the way. Brandon Sutter had the lone goal for the Hurricanes, who have dropped their last two and six of eight, overall.

Final Score: NY Islanders 3, Toronto 1

Uniondale, NY (Sports Network) - Dwayne Roloson made 26 saves as the New York Islanders tripped up the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-1, at Nassau Coliseum. Blake Comeau had a goal and an assists while Trent Hunter and John Tavares each had a goal for the Islanders, who stopped a three-game slide. Niklas Hagman had the lone goal while Jonas Gustavsson stopped 20-of-22 shots in the loss for the Maple Leafs, who have dropped four of their last five.

Final Score: Pittsburgh 8, Ottawa 2

Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - Evgeni Malkin recorded a hat trick, while Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz each had four points, as the Pittsburgh Penguins bounced back from being on the wrong side of Martin Brodeur's latest record- breaking performance with a resounding 8-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators at Mellon Arena. Guerin scored two power-play goals and collected two assists and Kunitz registered a goal and three helpers for the Penguins, who were blanked by Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils on Monday, snapping a five-game winning streak. The shutout was No. 104 of Brodeur's career, surpassing Terry Sawchuk for the league record. Sergei Gonchar had a goal and two assists, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 45 saves for Pittsburgh, which goes into the Christmas break tied with New Jersey atop the Atlantic Division standings. Anton Volchenkov and Chris Kelly scored for the Senators, who have dropped three of four. Goaltender Pascal Leclaire returned to the crease for Ottawa, stopping 18-of-24 shots through 40 minutes. He had been sidelined since November 23 with a fractured cheekbone he sustained when struck by a stray puck while sitting on the bench. Backup Brian Elliott, who started 15 of the last 16 games in Leclaire's absence, made 10 saves in the third period.

Final Score: NY Rangers 4, Florida 1

New York, NY (Sports Network) - Vinny Prospal scored a pair of goals and Henrik Lundqvist made 33 saves, as the New York Rangers snapped a five-game skid on home ice with a 4-1 victory over the Florida Panthers at Madison Square Garden. Marian Gaborik and Chris Drury each had a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who won at home for the first time since a victory against Columbus on November 23. Victor Oreskovich scored the lone goal for the Panthers, who had won four of five coming in. Tomas Vokoun turned aside 28-of-32 shots in defeat.

Final Score: Boston 6, Atlanta 4

Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Marc Savard and Zdeno Chara each posted a goal and two assists, as Boston enjoyed a three-goal first period then held on late to trip Atlanta, 6-4, at TD Garden. Daniel Paille, Michael Ryder, Vladimir Sobotka and Patrice Bergeron also scored for the Bruins, who won their second straight after losing four in a row. Tim Thomas allowed four goals on 29 shots for the win. Maxim Afinogenov recorded a goal and two helpers for the Thrashers, who lost for the third straight game and fourth in five. Bryan Little, Ilya Kovalchuk and Evander Kane also lit the lamp. Starter Ondrej Pavelec was shelled in the loss for three goals on eight shots in just under 11 minutes. Johan Hedberg finished the game by stopping 20-of-22 shots.

Final Score: Chicago 3, Detroit 0

Detroit, MI (Sports Network) - Antti Niemi turned aside all 33 shots he faced, as the Chicago Blackhawks blanked the Detroit Red Wings, 3-0, at Joe Louis Arena. Patrick Kane registered a goal and an assist for the stingy Blackhawks, who have won five of their last six games -- four by the way of shutout, including a 3-0 victory at home against Detroit last Sunday. Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews also scored in the win for Chicago, which leads the Central Division with 51 points and has allowed the fewest goals in the NHL with 74 -- one fewer than New Jersey. Jimmy Howard stopped 28-of-31 shots for the Red Wings, who hadn't played since Sunday's loss and have dropped three in a row overall after a four-game winning streak.

Final Score: Philadelphia 5, Tampa Bay 2

Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - Mike Richards tallied twice as the Philadelphia Flyers halted a four-game losing streak by downing Tampa Bay, 5-2, at St. Pete Times Forum. Blair Betts recorded his first career two-goal game while Simon Gagne added a goal and one assist for the Flyers, who kicked off a six- game road trip by winning for just the third time in 14 contests. Michael Leighton, in his first start since November 30, picked up the win with a 31- save performance. Zenon Konopka and Victor Hedman scored for the Lightning, who had won two straight games. Mike Smith yielded four goals on 35 shots in the setback.

Final Score: Dallas 3, Columbus 1

Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - James Neal scored twice as the Dallas Stars downed the slumping Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-1, at American Airlines Center. Jamie Benn had the other goal while Alex Auld made 33 stops for the Stars, who had dropped four of five coming into the game. Brad Richards and Loui Eriksson each had two assists in the win. Rick Nash scored the lone goal while Steve Mason made 25 saves for the Blue Jackets, who have dropped eight straight games and 10 straight on the road.

Final Score: Phoenix 4, Anaheim 0

Glendale, AZ (Sports Network) - Ilya Bryzgalov stopped 21 shots to record his league-leading fifth shutout of the season, as the Phoenix Coyotes defeated the Anaheim Ducks, 4-0. Scottie Upshall, Martin Hanzal, Taylor Pyatt and Robert Lang each had a goal for the Coyotes, who have won eight straight at Jobing.com Arena and are 10-2-1 in their last 13 games overall. Anaheim goaltender Jonas Hiller allowed three goals on 28 shots before he was replaced by Jean-Sebastien Giguere with about eight minutes left in the third period. Giguere made three saves the rest of the way for the Ducks, who were vying for a third consecutive win.

Final Score: St. Louis 2, Calgary 1 (SO)

Calgary, AB (Sports Network) - Brad Boyes scored the decisive goal in the shootout, as the St. Louis Blues edged the Calgary Flames, 2-1, at Pengrowth Saddledome. After no resolution was reached in overtime, Boyes beat Calgary netminder Miikka Kiprusoff to open the second round of the shootout. Olli Jokinen's bid for the Flames caught iron, then T.J. Oshie, celebrating his 23rd birthday, found the back of the net to secure the extra point for the visitors. Patrik Berglund lit the lamp in regulation for the Blues, who have won the first three stops on a four-game road trip that concludes Saturday in Minnesota. Chris Mason stopped 23 shots in the win. Mark Giordano tied the game in the third period for Calgary, which has dropped five of six. Kiprusoff finished with 26 saves.