Around the League notebook for Sunday, Feb. 8

SUNDAY’S RESULTS

Home Team in CAPS

Chicago 4, ST. LOUIS 2

Nashville 3, Florida 2 (SO)

Philadelphia 3, WASHINGTON 1

TAMPA BAY 5, Anaheim 3

Dallas 3, NY RANGERS 2 (OT)

NY Islanders 3, BUFFALO 2

WINNIPEG 5, Colorado 3

Montreal 3, BOSTON 1

PREDATORS REACH TOP OF WESTERN CONFERENCE WITH WIN AGAINST PANTHERS …

Filip Forsberg (1-0-1) scored a goal in regulation and added the shootout-winner to propel the Nashville Predators to a 3-2 victory against the Florida Panthers. The Predators, who have won four of their past five games, improved to a League-best 35-12-6 (76 points) this season and leapfrogged the Anaheim Ducks to take sole possession of first place in the Western Conference standings. Nashville has also earned points in nine of their past 11 games against Florida dating to the start of the 2007-08 season (8-2-1).

* Forsberg scored his 18th goal of the season while on a power-play and extended his point streak to five games (1-5-6). The marker was also the fourth power-play goal of the season for Forsberg, who leads the Predators in goals and points (18-30-48). Forsberg has also converted on two of his six career shootout attempts, with each of his markers standing as game-deciding goals. The rookie Forsberg also leads all rookies in goals and points this season and tied Alexander Radulov for the Predators' record of goals in a season by a rookie. Radulov scored 18 goals as a Nashville rookie during the 2006-07 season.

* Carter Hutton made 34 saves through 65 minutes and additionally stopped two of four shooters in the shootout to improve to 5-4-4 this season with a 2.65 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. With his first shootout win of the season, Hutton is 4-0-1 in his past five decisions, which includes wins in three consecutive games.

* Seth Jones (1-0-1) netted his fifth goal of the season while on a power-play and extended his career-high point streak to four games (2-2-4). The tally was also the second power-play goal of the season for Jones, which tied his career-high.

... WHILE LIGHTNING REACH TOP OF EASTERN CONFERENCE WITH WIN OVER DUCKS

Five different Tampa Bay Lightning skaters posted multi-point games in their 5-3 win against the Anaheim Ducks and the club improved to 34-16-5 (73 points) this season. With the win, the Lightning leapfrogged the idle Detroit Red Wings to take sole possession of first in the Eastern Conference standings. Tampa Bay has also won 11 of its past 12 games on home ice.

* Tampa Bay has earned points in four consecutive home games versus Anaheim (3-0-1), which includes three consecutive wins at home.

* Valtteri Filppula (1-2-3) scored his 11th goal and added two assists to record his second three-point game of the season. Filppula ranks fourth on the Lightning in assists (26) and sixth in points (11-26-37) this season.

* Brian Boyle (2-0-2) opened the scoring early in the first period and added a second tally to post his second multi-goal performance of the season. The latter marker also stood as the career-high third game-winning goal of the season for Boyle.

* Ryan Callahan (1-1-2) scored his 16th goal and added his 23rd assist to record his 12th multi-point game of the season, while Steven Stamkos (0-2-2) and Brett Connolly (0-2-2) posted their fourth and first multi-assist performances of the season, respectively.

* Ben Bishop made 25 saves and is 27-9-3 this season with a 2.38 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage. Bishop ranks fifth among League goaltenders with 27 wins this season.

ISLANDERS TAKE FIRST IN METROPOLITAN DIVISION WITH WIN AGAINST SABRES

Travis Hamonic (0-2-2) posted his first multi-assist performance of the season to lead the New York Islanders to a 3-2 victory against the Buffalo Sabres. The Islanders improved to 34-18-1 (69 points) this season and leapfrogged the idle Pittsburgh Penguins to take sole possession of first in the Metropolitan Division standings.

* According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Islanders have recorded 34 wins through the first 53 games of a season for the third time in their history; they posted a record of 34-9-10 through 53 games during the 1978-79 season and a record of 34-13-6 through 53 games during the 1981-82 season.

* Anders Lee (1-0-1) scored his 16th goal of the season while on a power-play. The marker was also the third power-play goal of the season for Lee, who ranks third among League rookies in goals this season. Mikhail Grabovski (1-0-1) netted his ninth goal of the season which also stood as his second game-winning goal of the season.

* Jaroslav Halak made eight saves and is 28-11-0 this season with a 2.41 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage. Halak ranks fourth among League goaltenders with 28 wins this season.

EARLY GOALS LIFT MONTREAL TO VICTORY AGAINST BOSTON

Dale Weise (1-1-2) opened the scoring 38 seconds into the second period and Max Pacioretty (1-1-2) tallied 56 seconds into the third period to power the Montreal Canadiens to a 3-1 win against the Boston Bruins. The Canadiens, who have won six consecutive games in Boston, are 34-15-3 (71 points) this season and tied the idle Detroit Red Wings for second in Atlantic Division standings points. Montreal also swept the season series versus Boston for the first time since the 2007-08 season.

* Weise netted his ninth goal and added his 13th assist to record his fifth multi-point game of the season. Weise also extended his point streak to three games (3-2-5), which ties a season-high. Pacioretty scored his 24th goal and added his 21st assist to post his 13th multi-point performance of the season. The performance, which included Pacioretty's team-leading sixth game-winning goal of the season, also extended his point streak to three games (1-4-5). Pacioretty leads the Canadiens in goals and points (24-21-45) this season.

* Carey Price stopped all but one of 35 shots he faced and is 29-11-2 this season with a 2.03 goals-against average and a League-leading a .932 save percentage. Price also ranks second in goals-against average and tied for second in wins among League goaltenders this season. The victory was also the 208th win of Price's career and allowed him to tie Bill Durnan for fourth on the Canadiens' all-time wins list among goaltenders.

PHILADELPHIA DEFEATS WASHINGTON IN METROPOLITAN DIVISION MATCHUP

Claude Giroux (0-2-2) recorded two assists to propel the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-1 win against the Washington Capitals. The Flyers, who have earned points in six consecutive games (5-0-1) and in seven of their past eight (6-1-1), improved to 23-22-8 (54 points) overall this season.

* Giroux registered his ninth multi-assist performance of the season. Giroux ranks second on the Flyers in assists (38) and points (16-38-54) this season.

* Wayne Simmonds (1-0-1) netted his team-leading 19th goal of the season. The marker also stood as the team-leading fifth game-winning goal of the season for Simmonds.

* Jakub Voracek (1-0-1) scored his 18th goal of the season into an empty net while on a power-play and tied Patrick Kane of the Chicago Blackhawks and Tyler Seguin of the Dallas Starts for the League-lead in points (18-41-59). The marker was also the eighth power-play goal of the season for Voracek, which matches his career-high.

* Ray Emery earned the win in relief of Steve Mason and improved to 9-9-1 this season with a 3.34 goals-against average and a .886 save percentage. Emery stopped five of six shots he faced.

HEMSKY POTS OVERTIME-WINNER IN STARS' WIN AGAINST RANGERS

Ales Hemsky (1-1-2) netted the overtime-winner to lift the Dallas Stars to a 3-2 victory against the New York Rangers. The Stars improved to 24-21-8 (56 points) this season and tied the idle Minnesota Wild and Los Angeles Kings in Western Conference standings points. All three clubs sit five points behind the Calgary Flames, who occupy the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.

* Hemsky's tally was his ninth goal of the season and his first game-winning goal of the season. He also registered his 14th assist to post his fourth multi-point performance of the season.

* Jason Spezza (1-2-3) opened the scoring early in the second period on a power-play with his 10th goal and added two assists to record his second three-point game of the season. The tally was also the third power-play goal of the season for Spezza, who ranks tied for first on the Stars in assists (31).

* Kari Lehtonen made 34 saves through regulation and overtime and is 22-12-8 this season with a 2.94 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. The victory was also his 142nd career win as a member of the Stars, allowing him to pass Gilles Meloche for sole possession of fourth on their all-time wins list among goaltenders.

CHICAGO, WINNIPEG EARN WINS VERSUS CENTRAL DIVISION OPPONENTS

The Chicago Blackhawks and the Winnipeg Jets of the Central Division each earned victories against divisional opponents.

* Marian Hossa (2-0-2), Bryan Bickell (1-1-2) and Brandon Saad (0-2-2) each posted two points to lead the Blackhawks to a 4-2 win against the St. Louis Blues. The Blackhawks improved to 33-18-2 (68 points) this season and moved within four points of the Blues, who rank second in the Central Division standings with a record of 34-15-4 (72 points).

* Hossa scored on a power-play and added an empty-netter to post his second multi-goal performance of the season. The first marker was also the fourth power-play goal and second game-winning goal of the season for Hossa, who ranks third on the Blackhawks in points (12-24-36).

* Bickell netted his 10th goal and added his 13th assist to post his sixth multi-point performance of the season, while Saad registered his third multi-assist game of the season.

* Corey Crawford made 25 saves and is 21-12-2 this season with a 2.25 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. Crawford also improved to 12-2-3 in 17 career decisions versus St. Louis.

* Dustin Byfuglien (1-2-3) and Mathieu Perreault (1-2-3) each posted three points to lead the Jets to a 5-3 victory against the Colorado Avalanche. The Jets, who have earned a point in all four games versus the Avalanche this season (3-0-1), snapped a six-game losing streak and are 27-18-10 (64 points).

* Byfuglien scored his 13th goal of the season on a power-play and added two assists to post his second three-point performance of the season. The marker was also the third power-play goal of the season for Byfuglien. Perreault scored his 18th goal of the season and added two assists to also record his second three-point game of the season.

* Bryan Little (1-1-2) scored his team-leading 21st goal of the season on a power-play and added his 23rd assist to record his 10th multi-point game of the season. Little's team-leading seventh power-play goal of the season also stood as his third game-winning goal of the season.

* Mark Scheifele (0-2-2) posted his fourth multi-assist performance of the season.

* Ondrej Pavelec made 25 saves and is 13-11-7 this season with a 2.54 goals-against average and a .911 save percentage.

LOOSE PUCKS

Chicago forward Daniel Carcillo (0-1-1) registered the 100th point of his NHL career. ... St. Louis forward Vladimir Tarasenko (1-0-1) scored his team-leading 28th goal of the season with a highlight reel breakaway tally. ... St. Louis forward Paul Stastny (0-1-1) extended his point streak to five games (1-4-5), which matches a season-high. ... Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad (1-0-1) netted his eighth goal of the season and moved within two goals of tying Ed Jovanovski for the Panthers' record of goals in a season by a rookie defenseman. ... Washington forward Alex Ovechkin (1-0-1) scored his 33rd goal of the season on a power-play, which tied him with Rick Nash of the New York Rangers for the League-lead in goals. The tally was also Ovechkin's 15th power-play goal of the season, which tied him with Joe Pavelski of the San Jose Sharks for the League-lead in power-play goals. ... Washington forward Evgeny Kuznetsov (0-1-1) extended his point streak to a career-high four games (1-4-5). ... Washington forward Brooks Laich skated in his 655th game with the Capitals and passed Sergei Gonchar for sole possession of 11th on the their all-time games played list. ... Tampa Bay forward Nikita Kucherov (1-0-1) has scored in three consecutive games for the first time this season (3-1-4). ... Dallas defenseman John Klingberg (0-1-1) extended his point streak to a career-high three games (1-3-4). Klingberg has recorded 10 points (4-6-10) in his past six games and ranks second in points (10-18-28) this season among all rookie defensemen. ... Anaheim forward Ryan Getzlaf (1-1-2) record his 18th multi-point game of the season. The marker was also the 200th goal of his NHL career. ... Anaheim forward Corey Perry (0-1-1) extended his point streak to five games (4-3-7), which matches a season-high. ... Anaheim goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov (0-1-1) recorded his second assist of the season. ... Rangers forward Mats Zuccarello (0-1-1) extended his season-high point streak to five games (1-5-6). ... Islanders forward Frans Nielsen (0-1-1) registered an assist while skating in the 500th game of his NHL career. ... Buffalo forward Marcus Foligno (1-1-2) posted his third multi-point performance of the season. ... Buffalo defenseman Nikita Zadorov (0-1-1) extended his career-high point streak to five games (0-6-6). ... Colorado forwards Alex Tanguay (1-1-2) and Matt Duchene (1-1-2) each recorded their seventh multi-point games of the season. ... Colorado forward Jarome Iginla (0-2-2) posted his fourth multi-assist performance of the season and passed Dino Ciccarelli for sole possession of 46th on the NHL's all-time points list. Iginla also skated in his 1,364th career game and passed Jeremy Roenick for sole possession of 44th on the NHL's all-time games played list. ... Colorado defenseman Jan Hejda skated in the 600th game of his NHL career. ... The start time for the Washington Capitals' game at Wells Fargo Center on Feb. 22 versus the Philadelphia Flyers has been changed from 3 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.