Paul Byron scored the tiebreaking goal with nine seconds left as the Canadiens edged the Nashville Predators, 2-1, on Thursday night in Montreal in P.K. Subban’s first game against the Canadiens since they traded him last summer.
Brendan Gallagher also scored and Carey Price made 24 saves as the Canadiens extended their winning streak to four games.
Ryan Ellis scored for the Predators before leaving with a lower-body injury. Pekka Rinne stopped 24 shots in defeat as Nashville had its four-game winning streak snapped.
Byron poked the puck away from Matt Irwin in the neutral zone and chased it down the length of the ice on a breakaway with time running out in the third period. Rinne got his body on Byron’s shot, but the puck trickled past him.
The Canadiens saluted Subban with a video montage before the puck was dropped. A teary-eyed Subban acknowledged the crowd during a long standing ovation.
Capitals 1, Devils 0 — Washington won its franchise-record 14th consecutive home game, beating New Jersey thanks to rookie forward Jakub Vrana’s power-play goal with 12½ minutes left in the third period.
Capitals goalie Braden Holtby only needed to make 15 saves for his eighth shutout of the season. New Jersey’s previous season low for shots on goal was 17.
Washington’s streak in the nation’s capital began on New Year’s Day; the team’s last defeat on home ice came was 2-1 via a shootout on Dec. 29 against the Devils.
Flyers 2, Panthers 1 — Newly acquired Valtteri Filppula scored in regulation and Jakub Voracek and Jordan Weal netted goals in the shootout to power host Philadelphia.
Aaron Ekblad scored for the Panthers, who were trying to tie a franchise record with their sixth straight road victory. Florida has lost four of its past five.
Blue Jackets 1, Wild 0 — Brandon Saad broke a scoreless tie in the third period and Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 38 shots as host Columbus beat Minnesota.
Saad got his 19th goal of the year 4:32 into the final frame when he charged in to get his own rebound and poked it past Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk, who had 39 saves.
Sabres 6, Coyotes 3 — Evander Kane scored the go-ahead goal with 5:36 remaining to lift host over Arizona.
Ryan O'Reilly had a goal and two assists, including a no-look backhand pass to set up Kane’s goal. Marcus Foligno scored twice and Jack Eichel had a goal and two assists.
Islanders 5, Stars 4 — Ryan Strome had a goal and two assists, and visiting New York rallied with four straight goals to beat Dallas.
Strome scored the game’s first goal, then assisted on Andrew Ladd’s second-period goal and Dennis Seidenberg’s tiebreaker at 7:46 of the third.
Senators 2, Avalanche 1 — Alex Burrows scored twice in his debut with host Ottawa and led his new club past Colorado. Burrows was traded by Vancouver to Ottawa on Monday for prospect Jonathan Dahlen.
