* Alfredsson, who announced his retirement Thursday morning, laced up the skates one last time, participating in warmups with the Senators before receiving a standing ovation and addressing the Canadian Tire Centre crowd. A sixth-round pick (133rd overall) by the Senators in the 1994 NHL Draft, Alfredsson spent 17 of his 18 seasons in Ottawa, capturing the Calder Memorial Trophy in 1995-96, King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2011-12 and Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award in 2012-13. He also led the club to the Presidents’ Trophy in 2002-03 and the Stanley Cup Final in 2007. Among his many accomplishments, Alfredsson ranks first in Senators history in goals (426), assists (682), points (1,108) and games played (1,178).

* Brodeur, who signed a one-year contract earlier in the week, made 20 saves in his first appearance with the Blues. The winningest goaltender in NHL history (688) and League’s all-time shutouts leader (124), Brodeur spent the first 21 seasons of his career with the Devils, the team that selected him 20th overall in the 1990 NHL Draft. Among his many achievements, Brodeur has won the Calder Trophy (1993-94), Vezina Trophy (2002-03, 2003-04, 2006-07 and 2007-08) and Jennings Trophy (1996-97, 1997-98, 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2009-10). He also backstopped the Devils to the Stanley Cup Final five times, hoisting the trophy on three occasions (1994-95, 1999-00 and 2002-03).

THURSDAY’S RESULTS
Home Team in Caps
Vancouver 3, PITTSBURGH 0
Washington 2, CAROLINA 1
New Jersey 5, TORONTO 3
NY Islanders 2, OTTAWA 1
DETROIT 5, Dallas 2
TAMPA BAY 5, Buffalo 0
Columbus 4, FLORIDA 3 (SO)
NASHVILLE 4, St. Louis 3
CALGARY 4, Colorado 3 (OT)
Los Angeles 4, ARIZONA 0
SAN JOSE 7, Boston 4

DID YOU KNOW?
Through Thursday’s games, the top 12 teams in the NHL standings are separated by just six points:

FILLING THE SCORESHEET
In the 11 games contested Thursday:

* 10 players registered multi-goal performances: Florida’s Nick Bjugstad (2-1—3), Los Angeles’ Dustin Brown (2-1—3), San Jose’s Joe Pavelski (2-1—3), Vancouver’s Brad Richardson (2-1—3), Detroit’s Darren Helm (2-0—2), San Jose’s Tyler Kennedy (2-0—2), St. Louis’ Vladimir Tarasenko (2-0—2), Boston’s Reilly Smith (2-0—2), Calgary’s Dennis Wideman (2-0—2) and San Jose’s Tommy Wingels (2-0—2).

* 8 players posted three-point games: Florida’s Nick Bjugstad (2-1—3), Los Angeles’ Dustin Brown (2-1—3), San Jose’s Joe Pavelski (2-1—3), Vancouver’s Brad Richardson (2-1—3), Nashville’s Mike Ribeiro (1-2—3), Tampa Bay’s Steven Stamkos (1-2—3), Detroit’s Stephen Weiss (1-2—3) and Calgary’s Kris Russell (0-3—3).

* 3 goaltenders recorded shutouts: Los Angeles’ Martin Jones (26 saves), Vancouver’s Eddie Lack (21 saves) and Tampa Bay’s Ben Bishop (13 saves).

LIGHTNING STAY HOT AT HOME, MAINTAIN TOP SEED IN NHL . . .
Ben Bishop stopped all 13 shots he faced and Steven Stamkos posted 1-2—3 to power the Lightning to their fifth consecutive victory at Amalie Arena.

* At 27-18-6 (39 points), the Lightning maintained the top spot in the NHL standings and earned a split of their home-and-home series with the Sabres. They also improved to 11-2-1 at Amalie Arena; their 11 home wins and 23 home points are tied for first in the League.

* Bishop earned his ninth career shutout and first of the season (22 GP). He set a career high with five blank sheets in 2013-14 (63 GP).

* Bishop also improved to 16-3-2 with a 2.20 goals-against average and .919 save percentage this season. His 16 wins are tied for second in the NHL, one behind League leader Pekka Rinne.

* Stamkos registered his sixth three-point performance of 2014-15. Per Elias, only one other player has as many three-point games this season: Sidney Crosby, also with six.

* Stamkos has found the scoresheet in 15 of his last 18 outings, totaling 10-14—24 in that span. He is tied for second in the NHL with 16 goals and third with 32 points in 27 overall appearances this season.

* Tyler Johnson collected one helper to stretch his assist/point streak to five games (2-5—7). He shares fifth in the League with 20 assists this season, while his 28 points are tied for sixth.

. . . HALAK SETS RECORD AS ISLANDERS TAKE DIVISION LEAD
Casey Cizikas scored the tiebreaking goal with 6:27 remaining in regulation and Jaroslav Halak made 20 saves to lift the Islanders to their third consecutive victory and 13th win in their last 15 outings.

* With the victory, the Islanders (19-7-0, 38 points) leapfrogged the Penguins (17-6-2, 36 points) for the top spot in the Metropolitan Division. They also moved within one point of the Lightning (18-6-3, 39 points) for first place in the Eastern Conference and NHL standings.

* The Islanders have won 19 of their first 26 games of the season for the first time in franchise history. They also have recorded 13 wins over a 15-game stretch for the first time since 1979-80, when they went 13-2-0 from Dec. 16 – Jan. 23.

* Halak picked up his career-best 11th consecutive victory, surpassing Billy Smith’s franchise record established in 1981-82. He improved to 14-4-0 in 18 overall appearances this season, with a 2.05 goals-against average, .926 save percentage and three shutouts.

* The Islanders swept their home-and-home series with the Senators and now have won four of their past five meetings dating to Nov. 1, 2013.

LACK, CANUCKS MOVE INTO FIRST IN WEST . . .
Making his first start since Nov. 20, Eddie Lack denied all 21 shots he faced to record his fifth career shutout (first this season) and lead the Canucks to their fifth win in their past six contests.

* At 18-7-1 (37 points), the Canucks leapfrogged the idle Ducks (16-6-5, 37 points) for the top spot in the Pacific Division and Western Conference. They recorded their third shutout in the past five games, outscoring opponents 17-8 in that span.

* Brad Richardson (2-1—3) matched a career high for points in one game, achieved on two other occasions: Dec. 19, 2006 at EDM (0-3—3) and Oct. 23, 2010 at COL (3-0—3).

* Richardson also registered his 11th career game-winning goal (first since April 5, 2014 vs. LAK) and ninth career shorthanded marker (first since Oct. 17, 2013 at BUF).

* The Canucks picked up their first victory over the Penguins since Jan. 16, 2010, breaking a four-game slide (0-1-3). They also recorded their second all-time shutout in the head-to-head series and first in Pittsburgh. The only other such performance: Feb. 17, 1988, when Kirk McLean made 27 saves in a 5-0 win.

. . . FLAMES RALLY (AGAIN) TO KEEP PACE
Trailing 3-2 late in the third period, Dennis Wideman (2-0—2) scored the tying goal with 1:17 remaining in regulation and Sean Monahan (1-1—2) potted the game-winner at 1:47 of overtime to power the Flames to their fourth consecutive victory.

* At 17-8-2 (36 points), the Flames trail the Canucks (18-7-1, 37 points) and Ducks (16-6-5, 37 points) by one point for the top spot in the Pacific Division and Western Conference.

* The Flames picked up their League-leading sixth victory of 2014-15 when trailing after two periods. No other team has more than four such wins.

* Wideman recorded his third career multi-goal game and second of the season (also Nov. 18 vs. ANA: 2-0—2). Prior to 2014-15, his lone multi-goal performance came on Dec. 9, 2011, when he posted a career-high four points (2-2—4) in a 4-2 Capitals win vs. TOR.

* Monahan scored his third career overtime goal (also March 1, 2014 at EDM and Nov. 4, 2014 at WSH). At 20 years, 53 days, Elias says he is the fourth-youngest player in NHL history to record three overtime goals, following Sidney Crosby (18 years, 229 days), Rick Nash (19 years, 214 days) and Ilya Kovalchuk (19 years, 269 days).

* Monahan’s three overtime goals share fourth in Flames history, behind only Jarome Iginla (6), Theo Fleury (5) and Valeri Bure (3). He has 2-4—6 during a five-game point streak.

* Playing in his 100th NHL contest, Karri Ramo made 26 saves to extend his career-long winning streak to six games.

* Kris Russell (0-3—3) set a career high for assists in one game. He also equaled his most points in one game, established March 21, 2014 vs. NSH (1-2—3).

* Bob Hartley earned his 400th head-coaching victory against the team he began his coaching career with; Hartley posted a 193-108-48 record with the Avalanche from 1998-02.

PREDATORS EDGE BLUES, MOVE AHEAD IN CENTRAL
The line of Mike Ribeiro (1-2—3), Filip Forsberg (1-1—2) and James Neal (0-1—1) combined for 2-4—6 to spoil Martin Brodeur’s Blues debut and power the Predators to their fifth win in their last six starts.

* At 17-6-2 (36 points), the Predators moved two points ahead of the Blues (16-8-2, 34 points) for the top spot in the Central Division.

* The Predators picked up their seventh consecutive victory at Bridgestone Arena; their 11 wins and 23 points on home ice are tied for the most in the NHL this season (11-1-1).

* Ribeiro registered his first three-point game since Dec. 12, 2013 vs. NYI (1-2—3 w/ PHX). He now has 3-2—5 over his last three outings, shares the team lead with 14 assists this season and ranks second on the club with 22 points in 25 games.

* Forsberg posted his eighth multi-point game of the season. He continues to pace all rookies in goals (11), points (25), shots on goal (77) and plus/minus (+22 – also leads the entire NHL in this category).

* Pekka Rinne made 29 saves to improve to 7-1-0 in his last eight outings. He leads all goaltenders with 17 wins this season while also ranking in the top five in goals-against average (1.88) and save percentage (.931).

WEISS LIFTS RED WINGS PAST STARS
Stephen Weiss collected 1-2—3 to propel the Red Wings to their fifth win in their last six overall games and eighth victory in their last 10 head-to-head meetings with the Stars dating to Nov. 12, 2011 (8-1-1).

* Weiss registered his first three-point game since Feb. 26, 2012 vs. MTL (2-1—3 w/ FLA). He has 4-5—9 in seven contests this season, surpassing his combined totals from the past two campaigns (3-5—8 in 43 GP).

* Pavel Datsyuk added 1-1—2 for his third consecutive multi-point game (4-2—6 in that span). He ranks second on the club with 11 goals and 19 points in 15 outings this season and now has 16-28—44 in 39 career games against the Stars.

* Jimmy Howard made 22 saves to record his 164th career victory, moving past Harry Lumley and into sole possession of third place on the Red Wings’ all-time wins list.

* Mike Babcock earned his 499th head-coaching victory, tying Terry Murray for 19th in NHL history.

SHARKS OUTLAST BRUINS IN SEESAW AFFAIR
Facing 2-0 and 4-3 deficits, the Sharks scored four unanswered goals to pick up their third consecutive victory and first win against the Bruins since March 22, 2012 (0-3-0).

* Three Sharks players recorded multi-goal games: Joe Pavelski (2-1—3), Tyler Kennedy (2-0—2) and Tommy Wingels (2-0—2).

* Pavelski posted his second three-point game of the season (also Oct. 18 at NJD: 1-2—3). He leads the club with 12 goals and 23 points (tied w/ Patrick Marleau) in 27 outings.

* Deadlocked at 4-4 entering the third period, Kennedy scored the tiebreaking marker for his second game-winning goal of the season (also Nov. 13 at TBL). He had not registered multiple game-winning goals in one campaign since 2010-11, when he posted two such markers for the Penguins.

* Five other Sharks players collected multiple points, including Tomas Hertl (1-1—2), Brent Burns (0-2—2), Matt Irwin (0-2—2), Marleau (0-2—2) and James Sheppard (0-2—2).

OTHER NOTABLES
Highlights from the rest of Thursday’s 11-game slate:

* Sergei Bobrovsky made a franchise-record and career-high 52 saves – and denied all four attempts he faced in the shootout – to backstop the Blue Jackets to their 10th consecutive victory over the Panthers dating to March 21, 2009. Bobrovsky also improved to 8-1-0 with a 2.29 goals-against average and .931 save percentage in nine career appearances against Florida (5-0-0, 1.97 GAA, .942 SV% in 5 GP w/ CBJ).

* Did You Know?: The Panthers matched a franchise record with 55 shots on goal (also Nov. 3, 2010 vs. ATL) while holding the Blue Jackets to 20. Per Elias, the 35-shot disparity was the largest in any NHL game since Oct. 11, 2010, when the Blues outshot the Ducks 53-14 in a 5-1 win at ANA. The last team before the Blue Jackets to win a game in which it was outshot by 35 or more was the Oilers, who posted a 4-3 shootout victory at LAK on April 10, 2010, despite being outshot 55-16.

* Martin Jones stopped all 26 shots he faced to post his second consecutive shutout (also Nov. 26 at MIN) and backstop the Kings to their third victory in their last four outings. Jones now has six shutouts in his first 26 career games; Elias says only two goaltenders in NHL history have recorded their sixth shutout faster: Steve Mason (in 24 GP) and Jacques Plante (in 25 GP). Tony Esposito also earned his sixth shutout in his 26th career appearance.

* Tied at 2-2 late in the second period, the Devils scored three consecutive goals to halt a five-game skid. Five New Jersey players recorded multi-point games, led by Eric Gelinas (1-1—2) and Steve Bernier (1-1—2), while Cory Schneider made 29 saves in his League-high 25th start of the season. The Devils also snapped a four-game losing streak at Air Canada Centre dating to March 4, 2013 (0-2-2).

* Knotted at 1-1, Eric Fehr potted the tiebreaking goal with 4:02 remaining in regulation to lift the Capitals to their fifth consecutive victory at PNC Arena and ninth win in their last 11 visits to Carolina dating to Oct. 27, 2010. Braden Holtby made 29 saves to improve to 6-3-1 with a 1.99 goals-against average and .933 save percentage in his last 10 starts dating to Nov. 7 at CHI.

LOOSE PUCKS
Blues forward Vladimir Tarasenko (2-0—2) recorded his third multi-goal game of the season and now is tied for second in the NHL with 16 markers in 26 GP . . . Maple Leafs teammates Tyler Bozak (5-4—9) and Mike Santorelli (1-8—9) extended their point streaks to six and five games, respectively . . . Playing against the Capitals – the team that selected him 13th overall in the 2002 NHL Draft – Hurricanes forward Alexander Semin found the back of the net to reach 500 career points (233-267—500 in 598 GP) . . . Devils defenseman Marek Zidlicky recorded his 300th NHL assist . . . Penguins forward Craig Adams played in his 313th consecutive game, tying Ron Schock for the longest ironman streak in franchise history.

SNEAK PEEK AT FRIDAY’S ACTION
All Times Eastern
Anaheim @ Minnesota, 8:00 p.m., PRIME, FS-N+
Colorado @ Winnipeg, 8:00 p.m., ALT, TSN3
Montreal @ Chicago, 8:30 p.m., RDS, SNE, CSN-CH

thanks to the NHL PR department for the above information