NEW YORK (AP) — Mika Zibanejad and Erik Gustafsson scored in the second period as the New York Rangers beat the New Jersey Devils 3-1 on Monday night.
Vincent Trocheck also scored and Jonathan Quick made 20 saves as the first-place Rangers won their second straight after losing three of four. New York is 14-3-2 in its last 19 games and beat New Jersey for the third straight time this season after the Devils won their first-round playoff series in seven games last spring.
Devils' defenceman Simon Nemec spoiled Quick’s shutout bid with 2:34 remaining. Kaapo Kahkonen finished with 23 saves in his New Jersey debut after he was acquired from San Jose last Friday.
The Devils lost for the eighth time in 11 games and for the third time in four games under interim coach Travis Green, who replaced Lindy Ruff on March 4. They trail Detroit by six points for the second wild-card berth in the Eastern Conference.
Elsewhere in the NHL on Monday:
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JETS 3 CAPITALS 0
WINNIPEG, Man. (AP) — Connor Hellebuyck stopped 23 shots for his fourth shutout of the season as Winnipeg beat Washington.
Hellebuyck improved to 30-14-3, becoming the fourth goalie this season to reach the 30-win mark. He accomplished the feat for the fifth time in his career. It was Hellebuyck’s 36th career shutout.
Neal Pionk, Alex Iafallo and Kyle Connor scored for the Jets, who were coming off a 5-0 shutout loss to Vancouver on Saturday that Winnipeg coach Rick Bowness described as the worst game “by far” the team had played in his two-year tenure. The Jets have won eight of their last 11.
Charlie Lindgren had 26 saves for Washington, which began a five-game road trip with its third loss in six games.
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KINGS 3 ISLANDERS 0
LOS ANGELES (AP) — David Rittich stopped 26 shots for his sixth career shutout, Adrian Kempe reached the 20-goal mark for the third straight season and Los Angeles snapped New York's six-game winning streak.
It was the Kings’ fifth shutout this season and the second for Rittich. The Czech-born goalie made 26 saves in a 4-0 victory over Edmonton on Feb. 10, which was Jim Hiller’s first game as interim coach.
Trevor Moore had a goal and an assist and Phillip Danault also scored for the Kings, who went 3-1-1 during their five-game homestand. Los Angeles is third in the Pacific Division with 77 points.
The Islanders didn’t convert on any of their five power-play opportunities and were blanked for the fifth time. They are tied with Detroit for the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card berth with 72 points. Ilya Sorokin made 22 saves.
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BLUES 5 BRUINS 1
BOSTON (AP) — Kasperi Kapanen and Robert Thomas each scored in the first period, Joel Hofer stopped 36 shots and St. Louis beat Boston.
Entering the night eight points out of a wild-card spot and tied for 10th in the Western Conference with two other teams, the Blues snapped a three-game losing streak and completed a five-game road trip (2-3) with a solid win.
Kevin Hayes, Brandon Saad and Alexey Toropchenko also scored for St. Louis, which totalled just three goals during its losing streak. It was the Blues’ highest goal total since a 6-3 victory over Edmonton at home on Feb. 15.
David Pastrnak scored his 41st of the season for Boston, which had a two-game winning streak stopped. The Bruins are in position to finish with the NHL’s best record after recording league records with victories (65) and points (135) last season.
POKE CHECKS: The New York Islanders, aiming to extend their winning streak to seven straight, played the Kings in Los Angeles in Monday's late game.
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
The Associated Press