* Justin Williams scored the lone goal 2:24 after the opening face-off. It stood as his 28th career game-winning goal and second of the season (also Oct. 14 vs. EDM).

* This Kings improved to 20-6-6 this season at STAPLES Center. Their 46 home points through 32 home games are a franchise record, besting the previous total of 44 achieved in 1974-75 and 1990-91.

. . . LACK, CANUCKS STYMIE BRUINS TO STAY AHEAD IN PACIFIC
Eddie Lack made 40 saves, including 33 over the final two periods, to backstop the Canucks to their fourth victory in their past five contests overall and fourth win in five meetings with the Bruins since the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.

* At 35-22-3 (73 points), the Canucks remained three points ahead of the Kings (29-18-12, 70 points) for second place in the Pacific Division, where teams Nos. 2-5 are separated by five points:

* Lack recorded at least 40 saves for the third time this season (also Oct. 24 at COL: 41 saves and Dec. 7 at OTT: 41 saves), but won for the first time when doing so. He improved to 7-7-2 overall (2.40 GAA, .921 SV%, 1 SO).

* Zack Kassian scored the tiebreaking goal with 13:13 remaining in regulation. He has found the back of the net in each of the past three games (4-0—4), including the winning marker in consecutive contests (also Sunday at NYI).

* Kassian had five goals in 32 appearances this season prior to this stretch. He also scored in three straight games Feb. 7-11 (3-0—3), matching a career high established Jan. 20-25, 2013 (3-0—3).

* Brothers Henrik (3-6—9) and Daniel Sedin (0-7—7) both posted one assist to extend their point streaks to five games. Henrik leads the team with 12-43—55 overall, while Daniel ranks second with 13-40—53.

* Ryan Stanton added his third goal of the season (46 GP). He had one goal in 65 career outings prior to 2014-15.

GALCHENYUK, GALLAGHER HELP CANADIENS REMAIN ATOP EAST . . .
Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher both scored twice to lead the Canadiens to second straight win and a 7-1-2 mark in their past 10 contests.

* At 39-16-5 (83 points), the Canadiens leapfrogged the idle Ducks (38-16-7, 83 points) for second place in the NHL standings and also maintained first place in the Eastern Conference, one point ahead of the Islanders (40-20-2, 82 points) – who also won on Tuesday.

* Making his return to the lineup following a two-game absence, Galchenyuk added one assist for his third three-point performance of the season (also Nov. 15 vs. PHI: 0-3—3 and Dec. 16 vs. CAR: 3-0—3). He ranks fourth on the team with 18-21—39 overall.

* Gallagher notched his third multi-goal game of the season and second in his past three outings (also Thursday vs. FLA: 2-0—2).

* Elias says the Canadiens last had two players register multiple goals in the same road game on Nov. 1, 2008, when both Alex Kovalev and Tomas Plekanec scored twice in a 5-4 victory at NYI.

* Carey Price made 27 saves to pick up his ninth consecutive road victory (1.11 GAA, .960 SV%, 2 SO). Per Elias, he is the first goaltender in Canadiens history to post nine straight personal road wins, besting the previous record of eight set by Rogie Vachon in 1968-69.

* Price improved to 34-11-3 overall. His 34 wins rank second in the NHL, while he paces the League with a 1.91 goals-against average and .935 save percentage.

* The Canadiens improved to 18-9-1 this season as visitors, including a 10-2-0 mark since Dec. 23. Their 18 road wins share second in the NHL, one off the League lead held by the Canucks (19-11-2).

. . . ISLANDERS, RANGERS KEEP PACE IN METROPOLITAN
Both the Islanders and Rangers won on Tuesday to keep pace for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division, where teams Nos. 1-4 are separated by six points:

* Even at 1-1 after 40 minutes, the Islanders scored four unanswered goals in the third period to become the second team to reach the 40-win mark. Only the 1981-82 squad had more wins through the club’s opening 62 games of one season (42-14-6).

* Matt Martin broke the deadlock with his eighth goal of the season and first since Jan. 27 vs. NYR (also GWG). Playing in his third NHL game, Kael Mouillierat posted 1-1—2 for his first career points. Anders Lee potted the opening goal to become the third rookie this season to reach the 20-goal mark.

* Brock Nelson (1-1—2), Nikolay Kulemin (0-2—2) and Colin McDonald (0-2—2) also registered multiple points. Johnny Boychuk notched the other goal for the Islanders, who have earned points in five straight home meetings with the Coyotes dating to Dec. 13, 2007 (4-0-1).

* Cam Talbot stopped all 21 shots he faced to record his seventh career shutout (fourth this season) and help the Rangers extend their point streak to nine games (7-0-2), their longest such run since Feb. 9 – March 10, 2008 (10-0-3).

* The Rangers posted their League-leading ninth shutout of the season (Henrik Lundqvist: 5, Talbot: 4). The last time two Rangers goaltenders earned at least four shutouts in the same season was in 1970-71, when Ed Giacomin had eight and Gilles Villemure had four.

* Kevin Hayes scored the lone goal at 3:00 of the third period, his 12th of the season and first career game-winner. The Rangers improved to 5-1-0 in their last six meetings with the Flames dating to Nov. 22, 2010.

TOEWS CONTINUES SHOOTOUT MAGIC IN BLACKHAWKS’ VICTORY . . .
The Panthers erased a two-goal deficit in the third period, but Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp both found the back of the net in the shootout to help the Blackhawks snap a three-game skid (0-2-1).

* At 36-20-5 (77 points), the Blackhawks moved within three points of the Blues (38-18-4, 80 points) – who lost in regulation – for second place in the Central Division. St. Louis, however, holds one game in hand and owns the ROW tiebreaker (STL: 31, CHI: 28).

* Toews moved into sole possession of first place among active skaters with his 40th career shootout goal (40-for-79). His 50.6% career efficiency also ranks third among active skaters with a minimum of 25 attempts.

* Toews added a power-play goal in regulation. He has 5-5—10 in 11 career games vs. FLA, including 4-3—7 in his past five contests.

* Kris Versteeg scored late in the second period to give the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes. They remain the only team in the NHL without a loss of any kind when leading after two periods this season (19-0-0).

* Making his first appearance since Dec. 13, Scott Darling recorded 34 saves and denied both shootout attempts he faced to improve to 6-2-0 (1.96 GAA, .938 SV%). That includes a 3-0 mark in shootouts.

* Darling also faced his first career penalty shot, stopping Derek MacKenzie in the second period. Goaltenders have denied 21-of-29 penalty shots this season (72.4%).

. . . JETS STRENGTHEN GRIP ON WILD CARD, LURK IN CENTRAL
Even at 1-1 midway through the second period, the Jets scored three consecutive goals to snap a two-game skid (0-1-1) and close their season series against the Stars with a 3-1-0 record.

* At 31-20-11 (73 points), the Jets moved four points ahead of the Wild (31-22-7, 69 points) – who lost in regulation – for the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, where four clubs are separated by five points:

* Michael Hutchinson made 26 saves to extend his personal point streak to six contests (4-0-2). He leads all rookies with 18 wins this season, two shy of the franchise record for a rookie goaltender established by Kari Lehtonen in 2005-06 (20).

* Adam Lowry snapped the tie with his first goal since Jan. 27 at PIT. Dustin Byfuglien scored what proved to be the game-winning goal – the 27th of his career and third of the season (also Jan. 13 vs. FLA and Feb. 10 vs. MIN).

* Bryan Little added his 146th career goal, all with the Jets/Thrashers, to surpass Vyacheslav Kozlov (145) and move into sole possession of second place in franchise history. Ilya Kovalchuk holds the club record with 328.

* Little paces the team with 24 goals and 50 points this season. He reached the 50-point milestone for the second consecutive season and third time in his career (also 2008-09).

PREDATORS DEFEAT AVALANCHE, CONTINUE HOME DOMINATION
Down 1-0 less than four minutes after the opening face-off, the Predators scored five consecutive goals to improve to 8-1-1 in their past 10 contests.

* At 41-13-7 (89 points), the Predators maintained a six-point lead for first place in the NHL standings, where the top seven teams are separated by nine points:

* The Predators improve to 26-3-1, including six consecutive wins, this season at Bridgestone Arena. Their 26 home wins and 53 home points pace the NHL.

* Pekka Rinne made 18 saves to snap a two-game personal skid and pick up his League-leading 35th victory. He owns a 23-3-1 record at Bridgestone Arena, where he has a 1.84 goals-against average, .932 save percentage and one shutout.

* Roman Josi posted 1-1—2 for his 12th multi-point performance of the season. He is tied for fifth among defensemen with 11-33—44, three points behind League leaders Mark Giordano and Kris Letang.

* Filip Forsberg, Calle Jarnkrok, Eric Nystrom and Craig Smith also scored for the Predators. Nashville is 7-0-0 this season when Nystrom finds the back of the net.

DID YOU KNOW?
Via Elias, the Predators tied an NHL record for the most wins by a team through its first 30 home games of one season (26-3-1). Six other clubs have achieved that feat, but only two in the past 37 years: the 1995-96 Red Wings and 2011-12 Red Wings.

AROUND THE RINKS
Highlights from the rest of Tuesday’s 11 games:

* Playing in his 500th NHL game, Cam Ward made 23 saves to lead the Hurricanes to their sixth win in their past seven meetings with the Flyers dating to Oct. 6, 2013. Carolina’s first-round pick (25th overall) in the 2002 NHL Draft, Ward became the 64th goaltender in NHL history to appear in at least 500 games and the 22nd to do so with one team (fourth active, also Henrik Lundqvist, NYR; Marc-Andre Fleury, PIT; and Ryan Miller, BUF). Justin Faulk (1-1—2) and Alexander Semin (0-2—2) both registered multi-point games, while Jay McClement, Jeff Skinner and Jordan Staal supplied the other goals.

* Benoit Pouliot, the fourth overall pick by the Wild in the 2005 NHL Draft, scored twice to power the Oilers past his former team. Pouliot notched his ninth career multi-goal game and third of the season (also Jan. 13 at STL: 2-0—2 and Jan. 15 at TBL: 2-0—2). He also recorded his 21st career game-winning goal and third of the season (also Oct. 27 vs. MTL and Nov. 9 at NYR). Ben Scrivens made 33 saves, including 28 over the final two periods, to backstop the Oilers to their fourth victory in their past seven trips to Xcel Energy Center following a 0-14-3 stretch in Minnesota dating to Feb. 25, 2007.

* Michal Neuvirth stopped 45 shots, including all 18 he faced in the third period, to lift the Sabres to their third victory in their past four road games (3-0-1). Neuvirth recorded at least 45 saves for the third time this season (also Nov. 7 vs. EDM: 49 saves and Jan. 9 at TBL: 45 saves), but earned a win for the first time when doing so. Zemgus Girgensons posted 1-1—2, including his third shorthanded goal of the season – one off the League lead shared by Rick Nash and Tyler Toffoli. Cody Hodgson, Mark Pysyk and Chris Stewart also found the back of the net for the Sabres.

LOOSE PUCKS
Despite suffering the shootout loss, the Panthers (26-21-13, 65 points) pulled within two points of the Bruins (29-22-9, 67 points) – who lost in regulation – for the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference . . . Flames goaltender Karri Ramo made 28 saves, including a diving glove stop on Rangers forward J.T. Miller . . . Stars captain Jamie Benn collected one assist to extend his point streak to eight games (7-6—13), two shy of his career high set March 1-19, 2011 (8-6—14 in 10 GP) . . . Blues captain David Backes reached the 20-goal milestone for the fifth time in his career and fourth time in the past five seasons . . . Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon scored on his first shot of the game. It was MacKinnon’s fourth consecutive shot that resulted in a goal, following his first career hat trick on Sunday vs. TBL . . . MacKinnon also registered his 100th NHL point on the play (37-63—100 in 143 GP) . . . Forward Mark Arcobello notched his fourth goal in six games since joining the Coyotes . . . Bruins forward Daniel Paille snapped a 36-game goal drought dating to Nov. 21 at CBJ . . . Flyers defenseman Nicklas Grossmann scored his fourth goal of the season (51 GP). He had five goals in 463 career outings prior to 2014-15 . . . Forward Thomas Vanek recorded the lone goal for the Wild, giving him 3-4—7 in his past seven contests . . . Blue Jackets forward Matt Calvert reached the 10-goal mark for the first time since his rookie season in 2010-11 (11-9—20) . . . Kings defenseman Jamie McBain (300), Hurricanes forward Brad Malone (100) and Jets forward Anthony Peluso (100) all played in milestone games . . . Claude Julien served his 600th game as head coach of the Bruins (339-187-74) . . . Blues bench boss Ken Hitchcock coached his 1,300th NHL game, becoming the ninth head coach in League history (and third active) to reach the milestone (695-445-160) . . . The Islanders signed defenseman Nick Leddy to a seven-year contract extension . . . The Kings signed forward Jordan Nolan to a three-year contract extension . . . The Wild acquired forward Sean Bergenheim and a seventh-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft from the Panthers in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2016 NHL Draft . . . ICYMI: Click here for a recap of the finale of Road to the NHL Stadium Series, which premiered on Tuesday . . . Relive the 2015 Coors Light NHL Stadium Seriesthrough the eyes of GoPro.

SNEAK PEEK AT WEDNESDAY’S ACTION
All Times Eastern
Calgary @ New Jersey, 7:30 p.m., SN, MSG+
Pittsburgh @ Washington, 8:00 p.m., NBCSN, SN1, TVA
Ottawa @ Anaheim, 10:00 p.m., TSN5, RDS, FS-W
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METROPOLITAN RIVALS CLASH IN WASHINGTON
Critical points in the Metropolitan Division are on the line when the No. 3 Penguins (34-17-9, 77 points) and No. 4 Capitals (33-18-10, 76 points) face off at Verizon Center in their fourth and final meeting of the season. Washington has won each of their first three matchups, outscoring Pittsburgh 10-1. Braden Holtby has started all three contests for the Capitals, posting a 0.33 goals-against average, .989 save percentage and two shutouts. Alex Ovechkin leads all players with 3-1—4 in the season series. The Penguins have never gone a full season without earning at least one standings point against the Capitals. Overall, Washington is coming off a 3-2 loss Sunday at PHI on the heels of a season-high, four-game winning streak. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, is riding a two-game winning streak following weekend victories at STL and vs. FLA.

the above information was provided by the NHL PR department