National Hockey

UNIONDALE, N.Y. — Evgeny Kuznetsov wasn't sure if he was going to get a chance in the shootout. When he did, he took advantage and sent the Washington Capitals back into sole possession of first place in the East Division.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — David Pastrnak, better known as “Pasta,” is finally starting to cook for the Boston Bruins.

DETROIT — Jakub Vrana scored four goals in a game for the first time to help the Detroit Red Wings rout the Dallas Stars 7-3 Thursday night and match their total number of wins from last season.

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins weren’t happy with the way they finished Tuesday night’s game against the New Jersey Devils. Team captain Sidney Crosby set the tone on the first shift two nights later.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild signed forward Ryan Hartman to a three-year, $5.1 million contract extension Thursday night. Hartman was eligible to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights this summer.

NEW YORK — James van Riemsdyk scored two power-play goals and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the New York Rangers 3-2 on Thursday night to snap a two-game slide. Jakub Voracek scored the deciding goal for Philadelphia, and Brian Elliott made 33 saves.

WINNIPEG — Maple Leafs goaltender Jack Campbell admitted that Toronto's five-game winless skid was starting to weigh on the team. The arrival of Nick Foligno put a charge into the lineup Thursday as the club got back in the win column.

SUNRISE, Fla. — Sebastian Aho scored two short-handed goals and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Florida Panthers 4-2 on Thursday night.

Nashville Predators (25-21-2, fourth in the Central Division) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (22-20-5, sixth in the Central Division) Chicago; Friday, 8 p.m.

Montreal Canadiens (20-15-9, fourth in the North Division) vs. Calgary Flames (19-23-3, fifth in the North Division) Calgary, Alberta; Friday, 9 p.m.