SEATTLE — Just 20 goals to go for Alex Ovechkin.

Seattle Kraken goaltender Joey Daccord can still say he hasn’t allowed a goal to the 39-year-old Washington Capitals legend, who made headway in his chase for the all-time NHL record of 894, set by Wayne Gretzky in 1999. Ovechkin scored the empty-netter in a 3-0 Capitals victory on Thursday ...Read more

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Wild had their best player back for the first time in a month, but they didn’t play like it.

Kirill Kaprizov’s return was spoiled by a 4-0 shellacking from Utah Hockey Club Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center that continued the Wild’s woes at home.

This was the third consecutive game they’ve dropped in St. Paul...Read more

ST. LOUIS — At some point the Blues must establish some home-ice advantage to stay in the Western Conference playoff race.

They posted a disappointing 11-10-1 mark in their first 22 games at Enterprise Center. In Game 23 at home, the Blues fell 4-2 to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday night.

The Blues gained a bit of traction by winning ...Read more

BOSTON — The Bruins may not be the most talented bunch and the direction of the organization is still very much up in the air.

But whether the “blow-it-up” portion of the fan base likes it or not, the players are not abut to lay own on the season.

Former Senator Joonas Korpisalo (30 saves) pitched a timely shutout, Morgan Geekie scored ...Read more

DETROIT — Returning home for a game on Thursday proved to be the tonic the Red Wings needed.

After a disappointing road trip, the Wings returned to Little Caesars Arena and earned a needed 4-2 victory over Montreal.

Playing in his 700th NHL game, captain Dylan Larkin had a goal and assist, Moritz Seider had two assists, and goaltender Cam ...Read more

RALEIGH, N.C. — Some hockey games can be hard to explain.

Take the Carolina Hurricanes’ 7-4 win Thursday over the Columbus Blue Jackets, for example.

The Canes stumbled through a terrible first period, allowing two goals, mismanaging the puck, making mental mistakes, giving up scoring chances. In short: A miserable 20 minutes for the home ...Read more

NEW YORK — The lights went out on Broadway for the Flyers.

With a 6-1 loss to the New York Rangers, the Orange and Black’s season-high six-game point streak came to an end. It also ended the Flyers three-game winning streak, which tied a previous season-high set twice in November.

Things started well for the Flyers.

After goalie Sam ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — Since a teenage Drew Doughty joined Anze Kopitar on the Kings' roster in 2008, the team has won its only two Stanley Cups, posted the top five seasons with the most wins in franchise history and six of the top eight seasons with the most points.

So does that makes this the Kings' golden era?

"Absolutely," Kings president Luc ...Read more

The Bruins arrived in New Jersey with a four-game point streak (3-0-1), but after the Devils got through with them, that productive stretch seemed like ancient history.

Running hopelessly around in their own zone, the B’s gave up four second-period goals and suffered yet another lopsided road loss to a quality opponent, bowing to the Devils, ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — This four-game road trip that everyone felt was going to somehow define the Red Wings is finally over.

What we learned about them is, there's still probably much to be learned, although Tuesday's 2-1 overtime loss in Philadelphia gave the Wings a less than .500 trip (1-2-1).

Patrick Kane just missed on a scoring chance in ...Read more

PHILADELPHIA — The first time the Flyers and Detroit Red Wings met this season on Dec. 12, five combined goals were scored at the Wells Faro Center. The next matchup on Dec. 18, in the Motor City, featured 10.

On Tuesday night in South Philly, there were three, with the Flyers picking up a 2-1 overtime win.

Joel Farabee sent a leading pass ...Read more

DENVER — The first sign that something wasn’t right came a few minutes after the puck dropped at 1 p.m. A special weekday matinee on Martin Luther King Jr. Day should have been a treat.

Instead, the Avalanche operated with the urgency of Eeyore. And the crowd wasn’t exactly buzzing either. For long stretches, the only sound was sticks ...Read more

LAS VEGAS — For 59 1/2 minutes, it looked like Monday afternoon's date with the Vegas Golden Knights was just what the doctor ordered for the St. Louis Blues.

Vegas tied the game with 28.9 seconds left in the third period, setting up Brayden Schenn to score the game-deciding goal for St. Louis in the second round of the shootout in a 5-4 ...Read more

DENVER – The Minnesota Wild won’t be returning home empty-handed.

They snapped a three-game losing streak by stymieing the high-flying Colorado Avalanche 3-1 on Monday afternoon at Ball Arena to earn a split on their road trip.

Yakov Trenin broke a 1-1 tie 2 minutes, 8 seconds into the third period before a buffer goal by Brock Faber only ...Read more

SEATTLE — For all the times this season where the Kraken have done a poor job of handling bad bounces, a soft goal or a defensive breakdown, it’s notable when they provide an immediate response.

The Kraken did just that on Monday in a 6-4 win over the Buffalo Sabres for their third win in the past four games. Three times the Kraken scored ...Read more