Bruins hit NHL’s Olympic break on top
Team Canada centre Patrice Bergeron scores two goals for the Boston Bruins as they cruised to a 7-2 win in the NHL.
The Bruins have hit the Olympic break as the hottest team in the NHL as centre Patrice Bergeron, a member of Team Canada, scored two goals to power Boston to a 7-2 pasting of the Ottawa Senators.
The Bruins were missing captain Zdeno Chara, who left for the Olympics early to carry the flag for Slovakia at the opening ceremony in Sochi, but still improved to 8-1-2 in their last 11 games.
They are 20-3-2 in their last 25 home games and 23-6-2 at home overall this season.
Bergeron also had an assist while Chris Kelly, Jarome Iginla, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand and Carl Soderberg also scored for the Bruins.
Centres Brayden Schenn and Scott Hartnell scored goals and goaltender Ray Emery made 32 saves to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 2-1 win over the Calgary Flames.
The Flyers (30-23-6) have won four straight games and are among the top eight teams in the Eastern Conference going into the Olympic break.
Four-game streak
The Flames (22-29-7) lost for only the second time in eight games and are way behind in the playoff chase in the West.
Right wings T.J. Oshie and Vladimir Tarasenko scored in the shootout to give the St Louis Blues a 4-3 win over the Winnipeg Jets and lift the Blues into first place in the Central Division.
Goalie Brian Elliott stopped shots by centre Bryan Little and left wing Andrew Ladd in the shootout for the Blues.
The win gave the Blues 84 points, the same total as the Chicago Blackhawks, but the Blues (39-12-6) have more wins and have played three fewer games than Chicago.
A power-play goal by Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien tied the game at 3-3 at 13:43 of the third period.
Centre David Desharnais scored two goals and goaltender Carey Price made 31 saves as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-1.
Desharnais and centre Ryan White scored in an 85-second span in the waning minutes of the second period as the Canadiens wiped out a 1-0 deficit.
Montreal takes a three-game winning streak into the layoff but left winger and U.S. team hopeful Max Pacioretty might not get to Sochi after he departed with a lower-body injury in the first period after he crashed into the net.
The Toronto Maple Leafs scored three goals in just under five minutes in the third period to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 3-1, extending their home winning streak to seven games.
It was the seventh loss in a row for the Canucks, who lost all five games of their road trip. The Maple Leafs also snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Canucks.
Left winger Mason Raymond, right winger Phil Kessel and left winger James van Riemsdyk scored for the Maple Leafs (32-22-6).
Centre Ryan Kesler scored for Vancouver (27-24-9).