The Colorado Avalanche delivered a stunning blow to the Dallas Stars’ remarkable winning streak Friday night, claiming a thrilling 5-4 shootout victory that ended Dallas’ 10-game run at the top of the NHL standings.
Valeri Nichushkin provided the heroics for the visiting Avalanche, equalizing the contest in regulation’s dying moments before finding the net again during the shootout. Martin Necas sealed Colorado’s triumph with the decisive shootout goal against Jake Oettinger, capping off an outstanding performance that included one goal and three assists during regular play.
Nathan MacKinnon continued his dominant season, netting his NHL-best 42nd goal while contributing two assists. Cale Makar also recorded a goal and assist for Colorado. Relief goaltender Scott Wedgewood was outstanding after entering the game, turning aside 10 shots plus two more in the shootout to secure the Avalanche’s fourth consecutive victory. He replaced Mackenzie Blackwood, who struggled early with just seven saves on 11 attempts before exiting less than two minutes into the middle frame.
For Dallas, Miro Heiskanen, Wyatt Johnston, and Justin Hryckowian each contributed a goal and assist. Jamie Benn also found the scoresheet, while Jason Robertson and Mavrik Bourque each recorded two helpers. Oettinger made 25 stops but saw his personal eight-game winning streak come to an end.
Panthers 3, Red Wings 1
Matthew Tkachuk’s sixth career hat trick powered Florida past Detroit, snapping the Panthers’ four-game skid. The three-goal performance marked Tkachuk’s first hat trick since January 9, 2024, against St. Louis. Sergei Bobrovsky, who stayed put despite trade deadline speculation, made 28 saves for the victory.
Alex DeBrincat scored his team-high 33rd goal for Detroit, while John Gibson recorded 20 saves. Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin suffered an apparent leg injury during the third period after losing his balance while entering the Florida zone and did not return.
Canucks 6, Blackhawks 3
Brock Boeser broke a tie with one of his two third-period tallies, helping Vancouver end a seven-game losing skid with a victory in Chicago. Jake DeBrusk contributed a goal and assist, while Drew O’Connor and Teddy Blueger also scored. Max Sasson added an empty-net goal for the Canucks, who rallied after surrendering a 3-1 first-period advantage to win just their third game in 24 outings (3-17-4).
Ilya Mikheyev and Frank Nazar each recorded a goal and assist for Chicago, which remains stuck in a 2-7-3 slump. Vancouver broke the 3-3 deadlock on a power play 2:40 into the final period when Boeser knocked home an awkward rebound off Arvid Soderblom’s save.
Ducks 6, Canadiens 5 (SO)
Chris Kreider’s late regulation equalizer and three assists helped host Anaheim recover from blowing a 4-2 lead with under 12 minutes remaining for a shootout win over Montreal. Cutter Gauthier, Leo Carlsson and Jackson LaCombe each posted a goal and assist, while Alex Killorn scored the deciding goal in the sixth shootout round for the Ducks, who are 7-1-0 in their last eight contests.
Cole Caufield tallied twice with an assist and Lane Hutson had a goal and two helpers for Montreal, which has dropped three of four (1-1-2). Samuel Montembeault stopped 28 shots.
Hurricanes 6, Oilers 3
Jackson Blake’s two third-period goals lifted Carolina to victory in Edmonton. Nikolaj Ehlers scored his fifth goal in three games while adding an assist for the Hurricanes, who have won seven of eight. Jordan Martinook, Jordan Staal and Shayne Gostisbehere also scored, K’Andre Miller recorded three assists, and Frederik Andersen made 13 saves.
Zach Hyman scored twice and Vasily Podkolzin once for Edmonton, which has lost six of eight games. Tristan Jarry made 26 saves.
Blues 3, Sharks 2 (OT)
Robert Thomas netted his second goal of the night in overtime, lifting St. Louis past host San Jose for a third straight win. Jimmy Snuggerud had a goal and assist while Dylan Holloway recorded three helpers for the Blues, who responded after seeing captain Brayden Schenn and defenseman Justin Faulk traded earlier in the day. Jordan Binnington made 23 saves.
Macklin Celebrini and Kiefer Sherwood scored for San Jose, which saw its three-game winning streak end but moved within two points of Seattle for the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot with a game in hand.
Wild 4, Golden Knights 2
Filip Gustavsson stopped 29 shots and Michael McCarron scored a goal with an assist in his Minnesota debut as the Wild won in Las Vegas. Mats Zuccarello, Zach Bogosian and Vladimir Tarasenko also scored for Minnesota, which completed a season series sweep of Vegas. The victory was Minnesota’s second straight and eighth in 10 games.
Pavel Dorofeyev reached 30 goals, becoming the first Vegas player with consecutive 30-goal seasons, and added an assist. Mitch Marner also scored for the Golden Knights, while Akira Schmid finished with 20 saves.
