New York Rangers 8-1 Washington Capitals
In what is perhaps the most surprising result of the day, the New York Rangers ran rampant in their 8-1 thrashing of the visiting Washington Capitals.
Conor Sheary needed 23 seconds to put the Rangers in front, giving the fans something to cheer about. The Caps did respond later on through Connor McMichael, restoring parity.
It all went downhill from there for Washington, as they proceeded to concede five times in a costly second period. Will Cuylle scored twice in the middle frame, while J.T. Miller, Adam Sykora, and Adam Fox all got in on the action for New York.
There was no coming back for the Capitals, who let in two more in the final period through Vincent Trocheck and Cuylle, who completed his hat-trick just before the end of the game.
The Rangers have won five of their last six games, though they remain bottom of the East. Washington's hopes of a playoff spot took a hit with the defeat, which was their 30th regulation loss of the season.
Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 Boston Bruins (OT)
Early goals were the theme in regulation before the Philadelphia Flyers scored an overtime winner to top the Boston Bruins 2-1.
Christian Dvorak gave the home side the lead less than five minutes in, as he finished off a two-on-one to put the Flyers in front. That was the only goal of an opening period where Philadelphia had double the shots to Boston (12-6).
It only took 35 seconds after the second intermission for the Bruins to respond. Pavel Zacha made the most of a power play carried over from the previous frame, where he tapped in a loose puck from close range to tie the contest.
Overtime was required at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, with both teams desperate for points in their playoff push. It would be Porter Martrone who gave the Flyers their winner, scoring midway through the five-minute period to end the game.
Philadelphia will go into next week in eighth spot in the East with the vital win. With five games left in their regular season, they hold a narrow advantage over several teams. As for the Bruins, their third straight loss complicates their postseason push.
Other results
Detroit Red Wings 4-5 Minnesota Wild
Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 Florida Panthers
Ottawa Senators 6-3 Carolina Hurricanes
Montreal Canadiens 0-3 New Jersey Devils
Colorado Avalanche - St. Louis Blues
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