Friday's NHL Capsules

Games played Dec. 27, 2013

CHICAGO (AP) - Patrick Sharp scored three goals for his third career hat trick and set up one of Jonathan Toews' two scores to lead the Chicago Blackhawks past the Colorado Avalanche 7-2 on Friday night.

Toews added two assists, and he and Sharp both finished with four points. Michal Handzus and Kris Versteeg also scored for the Blackhawks, whose NHL-leading offense powered them to a second straight win. They are 7-1-1 in their past nine.

Colorado's Paul Stastny and Gabriel Landeskog beat rookie Antti Raanta, who finished with 16 saves in his eighth straight start - all since Blackhawks top goalie Corey Crawford sustained a lower-body injury on Dec. 8

Sharp, who celebrated his 32nd birthday on Friday, has 21 goals this season and 10 in nine games. He scored twice in Chicago's previous game against New Jersey on Monday.

BRUINS 5, SENATORS 0

BOSTON (AP) - Tuukka Rask made 33 saves for his fourth shutout of the season, and Reilly Smith scored two goals to pace Boston's rout of Ottawa.

The Bruins are 13-0-2 in their last 15 home games and have won eight straight in Boston. They haven't lost there in regulation since Oct. 26.

Rask (20-8-2) has allowed one goal or fewer in 15 of his 30 starts this season. After earning only 19 wins last season, he is the third goalie with 20 NHL wins this season.

Boston tied a club record, set in 1929, by having a player score two goals for the seventh straight game. Smith has done it three times. Jarome Iginla, David Krejci, and Brad Marchand also scored.

Robin Lehner made 36 saves for Ottawa, which has dropped four of five.

CAPITALS 3, RANGERS 2

WASHINGTON (AP) - Nicklas Backstrom had a goal and an assist, and Eric Fehr scored the tiebreaking goal with 5:09 left to carry Washington over the New York Rangers.

Moments after New York defenseman Dan Girardi's drive hit the post, Fehr took a pass from Backstrom during 4-on-4 play, skated in, and beat goalie Cam Talbot from the right circle for his sixth goal.

Mike Green added a goal, and Philipp Grubauer had 37 saves for Washington, which had dropped two straight before taking the finale of a three-game homestand.

Benoit Pouliot and Carl Hagelin scored for New York, which had won two straight.

Talbot, making his third straight start in place of No. 1 goalie Henrik Lundqvist, stopped 31 shots in the opener of a five-game road trip.

PENGUINS 4, HURRICANES 3, OT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - James Neal scored at 1:03 of overtime, and Pittsburgh beat Carolina.

NHL scoring leader Sidney Crosby had a goal, and Chris Conner and Deryk Engelland each scored in the third period to help the Eastern Conference leaders win their 13th in 15 games.

Neal, who also had two assists, ended it by beating Justin Peters with a wrist shot off a pretty give-and-go from Jussi Jokinen - the former Carolina forward's third assist.

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 31 shots in his 500th game for the Penguins.

Drayson Bowman scored with 2:29 left in regulation. Nathan Gerbe had a goal and an assist, and Andrej Sekera scored for the Hurricanes. Carolina lost its seventh in eight games, with four coming in overtime.

Peters, Carolina's backup, made 22 saves.

BLUE JACKETS 2, DEVILS 1, SO

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Cam Atkinson scored the lone goal in the shootout to lead Columbus past New Jersey.

Curtis McElhinney made 16 saves for Columbus, which has won three in a row. Artem Anisimov scored the Blue Jackets' goal in regulation.

New Jersey has lost two in a row. Martin Brodeur stopped 29 shots, and Adam Henrique scored for the Devils in the third period.

Anisimov gave Columbus a 1-0 lead 7:34 into the game.

JETS 6, WILD 4

WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) - Blake Wheeler scored two goals in Winnipeg's victory against Minnesota.

Wheeler ended a scramble in front when he poked the puck under goalie Niklas Backstrom with 9:20 remaining for his 14th goal of the season, giving the Jets a 5-4 lead.

Evander Kane, Olli Jokinen, Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom added goals for Winnipeg. Dany Heatley, Justin Fontaine, Stephane Veilleux and Mikko Koivu scored for Minnesota.

The Jets, who were coming off a loss in Edmonton on Monday, beat the Wild after losing the first three meetings between the teams.

It was a fourth straight loss for the Wild, who have dropped six of eight games.

The Jets led 4-3 after a first period in which five goals were scored in the first 7:04.

MAPLE LEAFS 4, SABRES 3, SO

TORONTO (AP) - Jonathan Bernier stopped all three Buffalo shooters in the shootout to give Toronto the win.

Matt Moulson, Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons all failed to beat Bernier.

Ryan Miller stopped Phil Kessel and James van Riemsdyk in the tiebreaker, but Joffrey Lupul beat him on a nifty backhand.

Steve Ott had scored with 25 seconds left in regulation with the Leafs trying to kill off a 6-on-4 skating disadvantage. Ott pounced on a rebound during a scramble and fired the puck in for his fifth goal.

Jake Gardiner, Peter Holland and Kessel scored second-period goals to put Toronto ahead 3-2.

Moulson and John Scott also scored for Buffalo. Scott, a 6-foot-8, 259-pound tough guy, snapped a 164-game goal drought with his second NHL goal.

SHARKS 4, COYOTES 3, SO

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) - Patrick Marleau scored in regulation and in the shootout, Joe Pavelski had a goal and an assist, and San Jose beat Phoenix.

Brent Burns had a goal and an assist, and Joe Thornton had two assists in regulation for the Sharks.

Logan Couture and Marleau scored in the shootout and Antti Niemi sealed the two points by stopping Radim Vrbata and Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

David Moss had two goals, and Vrbata scored late in the third period to help send Phoenix to overtime for the fourth straight game.

STARS 4, PREDATORS 1

DALLAS (AP) - Erik Cole scored two goals in the second period when Dallas snapped a tie, and the Stars went on to beat Nashville. Cole has scored in his last three games against Nashville, including three in two games this season.

Dallas (19-12-6) is 4-0-1 in its last five games and 5-1-1 since a 3-1 loss at Nashville on Dec. 12.

The Predators (16-18-4) are 1-4-1 since then and are winless in their last five games. They have allowed 21 goals in those five games.

Jamie Benn scored on Dallas' first shot, a wraparound just 42 seconds into the game. Antoine Roussel missed a penalty shot at 16:35 of the first period.

OILERS 2, FLAMES 0

CALGARY, Alberta (AP) - Ryan Smyth scored both goals and Devan Dubnyk made 27 saves to lead Edmonton over Calgary.

Smyth's fifth goal of the season, and first in 14 games, came at 17:22 of the first.

That was all the offense Dubnyk needed in recording his second shutout of the season and eighth of his career.

Smyth's second goal was into an empty net with six seconds left.

Edmonton has won consecutive games for the first time in more than a month. Calgary has split the first two games of its five-game homestand.

Calgary's Reto Berra made 26 saves and fell to 5-9-2. All five of his wins have come after regulation.