Metropolitan champion Hurricanes beat Mammoth 4-1 for 6th win in 7 games

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Jordan Staal scored and reached 20 goals in a season for the first time in a decade, and the Carolina Hurricanes killed four of five penalties in a 4-1 win over the Utah Mammoth on Saturday for their sixth win in seven games.

Andrei Svechnikov, Sean Walker and Sebastian Aho also scored for Metropolitan Division champion Carolina. Frederik Andersen made 26 saves. Shayne Gostisbehere and Nikolaj Ehlers had two assists apiece.

Aho returned to the lineup after sitting against Chicago on Thursday.

The Hurricanes are within one point of securing the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Any loss by Buffalo or any point earned by Carolina will clinch it.

Utah's Dylan Guenther scored his 40th goal of the season and Karel Vejmelka stopped 26 shots for Utah, which had won five straight and scored at least four goals in six consecutive games.

After the Hurricanes killed the first three penalties, Guenther scored from a tough angle at 2:42 in the third period.

The Hurricanes scored first, 4:25 into the game, when Svechnikov scored on a power play. It was Svechnikov's 31st of the season, a career high, and also gives him a new high in points with 70.

Staal, Carolina's captain, scored his 20th goal on a wrist shot from the slot with 6:37 left in the first period. Now, seven Hurricanes have 20 goals this season. Staal hasn't found the net this often since the 2015-16 season. Staal also tallied 23 faceoff wins — the most for a player in the NHL this season.

The Mammoth clinched their first ‘official’ playoff berth with a 4-1 win over Nashville on Thursday night. In their second season in Utah, they did it with a foundation of players who moved with the team from Arizona.

Carolina is 37-2-2 when it has the lead after two periods.

Hurricanes: Visit Philadelphia on Sunday for the third of a four-game trip to end the season.

Mammoth: Visit Calgary on Sunday for their final road game.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Carolina Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi (82) skates with the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Utah Mammoth, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

Utah Mammoth right wing Clayton Keller (9) skates with the puck during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

Carolina Hurricanes left wing Jordan Martinook, left, slides to block the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Utah Mammoth, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

Carolina Hurricanes left wing Nikolaj Ehlers (27) looks to tip in the puck past Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka, left, during the first period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

CHICAGO (AP) — Jordan Kyrou, Cam Fowler and Alexey Toropchenko scored in the second period, helping the St. Louis Blues beat the Chicago Blackhawks 5-3 on Saturday.

Jimmy Snuggerud and Dalibor Dvorsky also scored for St. Louis, which had dropped four of six. Jonatan Berggren and Tyler Tucker had two assists and Joel Hofer made 31 saves.

St. Louis (34-33-12) evened its season series with Chicago at two wins apiece. But the Blues were eliminated from playoff contention with the Los Angeles Kings' 1-0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.

Ilya Mikheyev had two goals for last-place Chicago, which dropped to 3-9-3 in its past 15 games. Ryan Greene also scored, and Arvid Soderblom stopped 23 shots.

The Blackhawks (28-38-14) played without Ethan Del Mastro, who was scratched because of an unspecified injury. With Del Mastro sidelined, veteran forward Sam Lafferty was inserted into the lineup as a defenseman.

Blackhawks forward Frank Nazar left in the second period after he was hit in the face by a puck.

Chicago had a 2-1 lead before Toropchenko beat Soderblom on a breakaway 4:10 into the second. It was Toropchenko's fourth goal of the season.

Kyrou made it 3-2 with a power-play goal at 12:06, and a streaking Fowler scored on a drive to the net with 2:40 left in the period.

Dvorsky added his 12th goal 7:04 into the third, giving St. Louis a 5-2 lead.

Chicago paid tribute to the inaugural class for the franchise's Hall of Fame throughout the game. The family of Troy Murray, a former forward and team broadcaster who died last month, got one of the day's loudest ovations when they were shown on the videoboard.

Both teams are at home on Monday night. The Blues face the Minnesota Wild, and the Blackhawks play the Buffalo Sabres.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

St. Louis Blues left wing Dylan Holloway (81) congratulates goaltender Joel Hofer (30) after defeating the Colorado Avalanche in an NHL hockey game Sunday, April 5, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)