Oliver Bjorkstrand scored twice, Elvis Merzlikins stopped 27 shots, and the Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-3 on Wednesday night for their sixth straight win.
Bjorkstand broke the tie with a top-shelf shot over the shoulder of Winnipeg goalie Laurent Brossoit with 5:38 left in the game. Bjorkstrand had his second two-goal game in a row since missing 13 games with a rib/oblique injury.
Seth Jones and Gustav Nyquist also scored for the Blue Jackets, who go into the All-Star break and their NHL-required winter break 16-2-4 since Dec. 9. Merzlikins won his fifth straight start, and Pierre-Luc Dubois tied a career-high with three assists.
Columbus Blue Jackets' Oliver Bjorkstrand, center, of Denmark, celebrates his goal against the Winnipeg Jets with teammates Zach Werenski, left, and Pierre-Luc Dubois during the third period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio. The Blue Jackets defeated the Jets 4-3. (AP PhotoJay LaPrete)
Kyle Connor had a goal and an assist, and Mason Appleton and Neal Pionk also scored for Winnipeg, Brossoit finished with 25 saves.
WILD 4, RED WINGS 2
Eric Staal and Mats Zuccarello each had a goal and assist, and Devan Dubnyk stopped 25 shots to help Minnesota get its third win in four games.
Jordan Greenway and Jason Zucker also scored for Minnesota, which is in the midst of a season-high seven-game homestand that continues after this weekend’s All-Star break.
Detroit’s Filip Zadina was credited with two goals, his first NHL multi-goal game, but both came on deflections off a Wild player. Jimmy Howard had 29 saves for the Red Wings, who will head into their break having lost six in a row overall and eight straight on the road.
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Shea Theodore scored 2:09 into overtime to lift the Vegas Golden Knights to a 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night.
Alec Martinez, Evgenii Dadonov and Chandler Stephenson scored for the Golden Knights in regulation. Robin Lehner made 12 stops in the first period and didn’t return. Logan Thompson stopped 13 shots in the final two periods and didn’t face any in overtime.
Vegas has 89 points and is two back of Dallas for the second wild card in the Western Conference, and trails Los Angeles by three in the Pacific Division.
Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore (27) scores against Washington Capitals goaltender Ilya Samsonov (30) during overtime in an NHL hockey game Wednesday, April 20, 2022, in Las Vegas. The Golden Knights won 4-3. (AP PhotoSam Morris)
Alex Ovechkin had two goals and Evgeny Kuznetsov also scored for the Capitals, while Samsonov made 26 saves.
KRAKEN 3, AVALANCHE 2
Kole Lind, Jordan Eberle and Yanni Gourde all scored in the first period and the Seattle held on to beat Colorado.
Philipp Grubauer had 25 saves as Seattle won its third straight. Matty Beniers had an assist to become the first rookie this season to begin his NHL career with a point in each of his first four games.
Cale Makar and Artturi Lehkonen scored for the Avalanche, and Pavel Francouz finished with 26 saves. Colorado, assured of having the top seed in the Western Conference, has lost two straight after winning nine in a row. The Avalanche remained tied with Florida with 116 points for the Presidents’ Trophy for the league’s best record.
BLACKHAWKS 4, COYOTES 3, OT
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- Alex DeBrincat scored his 40th goal of the season with 37 seconds left in overtime, giving Chicago a win over Arizona.
Jake McCabe, Dominik Kubalik and Alex Vlasic also scored for Blackhawks, who won for the second time in 12 games after squandering a 3-1 lead in the final 10:18 of regulation.
Barrett Hayton, Nate Smith and Anton Stralman scored for the Coyotes, who have lost eight in a row and 15 of 17.
Kevin Lankinen had 32 saves for the Blackhawks, who have not won in regulation since March 23.
Coyotes goaltender Karel Vejmelka made 34 saves in his 49th game, a franchise record for rookie goaltenders. He is the first rookie in NHL history with four games of at least 46 saves.
OILERS 5, STARS 2
Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists, and Edmonton won its third straight.
Evander Kane, Derek Ryan, Zach Hyman and Jesse Puljujarvi also scored for the Oilers, who are 11-0-1 in their last 12 home games. Evan Bouchard had two assists and Mike Smith stopped 34 shots.
Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz each had a goal and an assist for the Stars, who have lost three of their last four. Scott Wedgewood finished with 45 saves.
