Sam Reinhart had two goals and two assists and the Florida Panthers withstood another standout performance by rookie sensation Connor Bedard in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks.

Reinhart assisted on Carter Verhaeghe's power-play goal that snapped a 3-3 tie early in the third period, and Sergei Bobrovsky made 13 of his 23 saves in the final frame to help seal Florida's fourth straight win.

Bedard followed up Thursday's two-goal, two-assist effort at Tampa Bay with two more goals, giving the 2023 No. 1 overall draft pick seven in his last six games. 

Reinhart's second goal of the night gave Florida a 3-2 lead seven minutes into the second period, but Bedard answered just 1:18 later and the game remained deadlocked at 3-3 into the second intermission.

Verhaeghe put the Panthers up for good 2:44 into the third period, and Bobrovsky made the lead hold up despite the Panthers being outshot by a 13-6 margin in the final 20 minutes.

Reinhart and Oliver Ekman-Larsson had first-period goals for Florida, while Bedard and Jason Dickinson both scored for Chicago in the opening session.

Arvid Soderblom finished with 28 saves for the Blackhawks.

Stars score five power-play goals in 8-3 rout of Wild

Jason Robertson had two of five Dallas power-play goals as the Stars rolled to an 8-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild to complete a perfect three-game road trip.

Wyatt Johnston also scored twice, including a short-handed goal in the final minutes, in Dallas' first meeting with Minnesota since ousting the Wild in six games in the first round of last season's playoffs.

Both Robertson and Johnston added an assist for the Stars, whose five power-play goals tied a franchise single-game record. Dallas also received goals from Joe Pavelski, Radek Faksa, Matt Duchene and Evgenii Dadonov, while Miro Heiskanen finished with three assists to back Jake Oettinger's 23 saves.

Dallas took a 3-2 lead after one period, highlighted by Pavelski's power-play goal just 57 seconds in and a short-handed tally by Faksa, and both Johnston and Dadonov scored on the power play in the second to extend the margin to three.

Robertson's two goals came just 2:07 apart and gave Dallas a 7-3 advantage early in the third.

Brandon Duhaime, Vinni Lettieri and Mats Zuccarello had goals in the Wild's third straight loss. Marc Andre-Fleury surrendered all eight Dallas goals on 37 shots. 

Lafreniere stars in Rangers' shootout win over Blue Jackets

Alexis Lafreniere scored twice in regulation before recording the deciding goal in the shootout as the New York Rangers rallied for a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Lafreniere's second goal of the game came with just 11 seconds left in regulation and forged a 3-3 tie. The former No. 1 overall pick then registered the lone goal during the shootout phase to extend the Rangers' point streak to 10 games, a stretch in which they've gone 9-0-1.

Chris Kreider delivered his 10th goal of the season and added an assist for New York, while Jonathan Quick made 25 saves before stopping all three Columbus skaters in the shootout.

Lafreniere's first of the night gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead with 8:43 left in the second period, but Adam Fantilli and Sean Kuraly scored 19 seconds apart later in the period to put the Blue Jackets back ahead.

Justin Danforth put Columbus up 1-0 with 3:34 remaining in the first period before Kreider answered less than 2 1/2 minutes later.

Elvis Merzlikins finished with 37 saves for Columbus, which fell to 0-3-2 over its last five games.

Brayden Schenn and Pavel Buchnevich each notched a hat trick and the St. Louis Blues rolled to an 8-2 drubbing of the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.

Schenn’s hat trick was the fourth of his career and first since 2017 and Buchnevich tallied his third.

They became the third pair of teammates in franchise history to record hat tricks in the same game. It last happened in 1986. 

Alexey Toropchenko and Torey Krug also scored for the Blues and Jordan Binnington made 36 saves to help St. Louis win for the fourth time in five games.

Alexander Georgiev started and gave up six goals on 28 shots before he was replaced by Ivan Prosvetov early in the third period.

Colorado coach Jared Bednar remained one win shy of 300.

Maple Leafs’ Nylander extends point streak in win

William Nylander scored to extend his franchise-record season-opening point streak to 15 games as the Toronto Maple Leafs cooled off the Vancouver Canucks, 5-2.

Noah Gregor had a goal and an assist and Ilya Samsonov stopped 31 shots as Toronto won for the third time in four games following a four-game skid (0-2-2).

Nylander tallied his 10th goal of the season in the second period to forge a 2-2 tie and Gregor’s goal with 5:38 left in the period put the Leafs on top for good.

Nylander has 22 points during his streak and ranks among the NHL scoring leaders.

Vancouver got goals from J.T. Miller and Pius Suter as its five-game winning streak was snapped. The Canucks dropped to 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.

Penguins down Sabres for fourth straight win

Erik Karlsson scored twice and Tristan Jarry had a shutout in his return from injury to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to their fourth consecutive win, 4-0 over the Buffalo Sabres.

Evgeni Malkin and Drew O’Connor also scored for the Penguins, who have outscored opponents 20-5 during the four-game run after losing five of six.

Jarry made 35 saves for his third shutout of the season and 16th of his career. He missed Thursday’s game at Los Angeles with a facial injury.

Matthew Tkachuk, Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe each had a goal and an assist to lead the Florida Panthers to a 5-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference finals on Friday.

Sam Reinhart set up two goals and Sergei Bobrovsky made 28 saves to win his fourth straight start for Florida, which improved to 6-1-1 in its last eight games.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Sebastian Aho scored for the Hurricanes, which entered having won five of six.

The Panthers have won 10 of the last 12 meetings in the series, including all four in last season’s playoffs.

Golden Knights blank Sharks to avoid third straight loss

Alec Martinez scored twice and Adin Hill made 20 saves for his second shutout in three games as the Vegas Golden Knights got back on track with a 5-0 rout of the San Jose Sharks.

Alex Pietrangelo had a goal and two assists for the Knights, who were coming off consecutive losses following an 11-0-1 start to the season.

The Sharks failed in a bid to win three straight after they went winless in their first 11 games (0-10-1).

Vegas has dominated the all-time series with San Jose, going 22-2-5.  

Capitals score 2 in 15 seconds, hold off Devils

Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Beck Malenstyn scored 15 seconds apart in the first period and the Washington Capitals continued their surge with a 4-2 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Evgeny Kuznetsov had two goals and Charlie Lindgren turned aside stopped 24 shots to help the Capitals improve to 5-1-1 in their last seven games following a 1-3-1 start.

Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer scored third-period goals for New Jersey, which has lost three or four.

Vitek Vanecek allowed two goals on five shots for the Devils before he was replaced by Akira Schmid midway through the first period.

Connor Bedard tallied two goals and two assists for his first multipoint game and the Chicago Blackhawks stopped an eight-game losing streak against the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 5-3 victory on Thursday.

Bedard has five goals in his last five games and has taken over the rookie scoring lead with 11 points this season.

Rookie defenseman Kevin Korchinski and ex-Lightning forwards Tyler Johnson and Corey Perry also scored for the Blackhawks, who hadn’t beaten Tampa Bay since a shootout win on March 5, 2021.

Anthony Cirelli, Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos scored for Tampa Bay, which lost in regulation for the first time in seven home games (4-1-2).

Pettersson leads Canucks to 5th straight win

Red-hot Elias Pettersson scored one goal and set up two others as the Vancouver Canucks beat the Ottawa Senators 5-2 for their fifth consecutive win.

Ilya Mikheyev scored twice and Brock Boeser and J.T Miller also had goals to help Vancouver extend its point streak to nine games (8-0-1).

Pettersson has five goals and nine assists during a seven-game point streak and leads the NHL with 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists).

Drake Batherson and Artem Zub scored for the Senators, who have allowed 25 goals during a five-game home skid.

Lafreniere keeps Rangers surging

Alexis Lafreniere snapped a tie early in the third period and added two assists as the New York Rangers extended their point streak with a 4-1 win over the Minnesota Wild.

Vincent Trocheck also had a goal and two assists and Louis Domingue made 25 saves in his first NHL game in nearly 18 months as New York improved to 8-0-1 in its last nine games.

Artemi Panarin had a goal and an assist for the Rangers to push his season-starting point streak to 13 games, one shy of the franchise record set by Rod Gilbert in 1972-73.

Anze Kopitar scored his 400th career goal and the Los Angeles Kings sent the Vegas Golden Knights to their second straight loss, 4-1 on Wednesday.

Kopitar sealed the win with an empty-net goal to become the fourth player in franchise history to score 400 goals. The others are Marcel Dionne, Luc Robitaille and Dave Taylor.

Adrian Kempe had a goal and an assist and Cam Talbot stopped 37 shots as the Kings won their fourth in a row overall and became the eighth team in history to win its first seven road games.

They are the first team to accomplish the feat since the Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils did it in 2009.

William Karlsson scored the lone goal for Vegas as the Golden Knights dropped its second straight after opening the season 11-0-1.

Reinhart scores in OT as Panthers rally again

Sam Reinhart scored just 15 seconds into overtime and the Florida Panthers rallied for the second straight game in a 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals.

Evan Rodrigues tallied the tying goal early in the third period and Aleksander Barkov and Oliver Ekman-Larsson each had a goal and an assist to help Florida notch at least a point for the sixth time in seven games (5-1-1).

The Panthers scored in the final minute of regulation and Carter Verhaeghe netted the overtime winner in a 5-4 victory over Columbus on Monday.

Anthony Mantha scored twice for the Capitals before leaving in the third period after taking a puck to the left side of his face.

Senators score 3 in 3rd to defeat Maple Leafs

Claude Giroux scored two goals and set up another as the Ottawa Senators beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 for just their second win in three weeks.

Domink Kubalik also scored twice and Tim Stutzle had a goal and three assists for the Senators, who had lost their last two and five of their past six in regulation.

William Nylander scored for the Maple Leafs to extend his franchise-record point streak to open a season to 13 games.

Vincent Trocheck scored a pair of goals to help the Metropolitan Division-leading New York Rangers extend their point streak to eight games with a 5-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.

After having a six-game winning streak end with Saturday's shootout loss to the Minnesota Wild, Trocheck put the Rangers (9-2-1) ahead early, scoring 1:40 into the contest.

Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin each had a goal and an assist during a four-goal second period for New York, which hasn't lost in regulation since a 4-1 setback to the Nashville Predators on October 19.

The Rangers converted two of three power-play opportunities while holding the Red Wings (7-5-1) without a score on their six chances with the extra skater.

Panarin's goal was his seventh of the season as he extended his season-opening points streak to 12 games. The only longer points streak to begin a season by a Ranger is Rod Gilbert's 14-gamer to open the 1972-73 season.

Lightning score four in first period in win over Canadiens

Nikita Kucherov stayed hot and Matt Tomkins earned his first career win in the Tampa Bay Lightning's 5-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.

A night after blowing a three-goal lead in Monday's 6-5 overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Lightning (6-3-4) jumped out to a fast start with Kucherov scoring 22 seconds into the game for his 10th goal of the season. Tampa Bay led 4-0 in less than 14 minutes, with Nicholas Paul, Alex Barre-Boulet and Michael Eyssimont also scoring in the first period.

Paul later scored on the power play in the third period to give him seven goals on the season, with Kucherov and Steven Stamkos being credited with assists.

With 11 points in his last three games, Kucherov now leads the league with 22 points on the season.

Tomkins stopped 22 shots to notch his first NHL win in his third career start. His bid for a shutout ended when Nick Suzuki scored 6:50 into the third period.

Michael Pezzetta and Christian Dvorak also scored for Montreal (5-5-2), which lost its fourth in a row with the last three coming in regulation.

Avalanche score three in third period to pull away from Devils

After being embarrassed the last time they took the ice, the Colorado Avalanche responded with a 6-3 win over the New Jersey Devils.

Tied at 3-3 after two periods, Ryan Johansen scored the go-ahead goal 7:37 into the third period with Nathan MacKinnon scoring his fifth goal of the season just over two minutes later.

Mikko Rantanen later added an empty-netter for Colorado (8-3-0), which was playing for the first time since Saturday's 7-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights. That marked the Avs' third defeat in four games, with all three losses being shutouts.

All of Colorado's defeats, however, have been on the road, as the Avs improved to 4-0-0 at home.

The Devils (7-4-1) took advantage of successive boarding and cross-checking penalties on Ross Colton, that resulted in a seven-minute trip to the penalty box, during which Timo Meier and Dougie Hamilton scored power-play goals.

Tyler Toffoli opened the scoring for New Jersey with his team-leading eighth goal of the season 3:43 into the game.

The coroner investigating the death of Nottingham Panthers player Adam Johnson has told the governing body of ice hockey in the UK she is “sufficiently concerned that deaths may occur in the future” if neck guards are not worn.

Sheffield’s senior coroner Tanyka Rawden opened the inquest into the death of Johnson on Friday following the tragic incident at the city’s Utilita Arena on October 28, when he was hit in the neck by the skate of a member of the opposing Sheffield Steelers team.

During the four-minute hearing there was no mention of the coroner issuing a Prevention of Future Deaths (PFD) Report in the wake of the death. But details of the report have now been published.

The report, which is addressed to Ice Hockey UK and the English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA), says: “During the course of the investigation my inquiries revealed matters giving rise to concern.

“In my opinion there is a risk that future deaths will occur unless action is taken. In the circumstances it is my statutory duty to report to you.”

Rawden outlined the “matters of concern” as: “The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) recommends that neck guards or protectors are worn, but there is no requirement for ice hockey players over the age of 18 to wear equipment designed to protect the neck.

“In due course the inquest will consider whether the use of a neck guard or protector could have prevented Mr Johnson’s death.

“At this stage in my investigation however, I am sufficiently concerned that deaths may occur in the future if neck guards or protectors are not worn.”

The death of the 29-year-old American has shocked the ice hockey world, especially as the incident happened in front of 8,000 fans, including many children.

The Panthers and the Steelers are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League, a 10-team set-up comprising outfits from across the UK. It is the most senior level of ice hockey in the UK.

According to the PFD report: “During the game Mr Johnson sustained an incised wound to the neck caused by the skate of another player.

“He was taken by ambulance to the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield where he died as a result of his injury.”

The report requires the governing body to respond within 56 days and adds: “Your response must contain details of action taken or proposed to be taken, setting out the timetable for action.

“Otherwise, you must explain why no action is proposed.”

A coroner issuing a PFD report so early in an investigation is a highly unusual move. These reports are normally produced after a full inquest is concluded and Rawden made it clear on Friday that this hearing will not take place for many months.

South Yorkshire Police are also continuing to investigate the incident.

The Elite Ice Hockey League has said it will not make the use of neck guards mandatory but will “strongly encourage” players and officials to wear them following the tragedy.

Last week, the EIHA said neck guards will become mandatory from 2024, but the Elite League is not under its control.

On Saturday, ice hockey fans paid tribute to Johnson at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena, with many supporters in tears as they signed books of condolence.

They walked past a photo of Johnson and a shirt displaying his name and team number, 47, as they came onto the ice – which had been carpeted – to pay their respects to the American.

Governing body Ice Hockey UK has been approached for comment.

Calle Jarnkrok's goal 46 seconds into overtime capped a furious rally for the Toronto Maple Leafs, who overcame an early three-goal deficit to hand the Tampa Bay Lightning a 6-5 loss on Monday.

Both Jarnkrok and Auston Matthews scored two goals for Toronto, which trailed by a 4-1 margin after one period and bounced back after allowing Tampa Bay's Brandon Hagel to tie the game late in the third. Matthews added an assist, while Mitchell Marner finished with four points on a goal and three assists.

After the Leafs' Matthew Knies recorded the game's first goal, the Lightning struck four times against Toronto starting goaltender Ilya Samsonov before the first intermission. Nikita Kucherov scored twice with Victor Hedman and Brayden Point also beating Samsonov to stake Tampa Bay to a 4-1 lead.

Toronto cut its deficit to one on two second-period goals by Matthews, then took a 5-4 advantage when Jarnkrok and Marner scored just eight seconds apart early in the third. The lead lasted late into regulation before Hagel found the back of the net with 2:26 left in regulation.

Joseph Woll stopped 18 of 19 shots in relief of Samsonov, who was pulled late in the first period after allowing four goals on 12 shots. Jonas Johansson made 26 saves for Tampa Bay.

Two rookies get first NHL goals in Bruins' win

John Beecher and Mason Lohrei each scored the first goals of their NHL careers to help the Boston Bruins continue their sizzling start with Monday's 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars.

Brad Marchand added a goal and Jeremy Swayman made 35 saves as the Bruins improved to 10-1-1 and bounced back from their first regulation loss of the season, a 5-4 defeat at Detroit on Saturday.

Beecher opened the scoring just past the midway mark of the first period and Lohrei made it 2-0 less than four minutes later when he converted a feed from Danton Heinen past Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger. 

Swayman kept the Stars off the scoreboard until Wyatt Johnson's goal 5:09 into the third period. Marchand later scored on the power play to restore Boston's two-goal advantage before Dallas' Joe Pavelski cut the lead to 3-2 with just 28 seconds remaining.

Oettinger finished with 26 saves for the Stars, who have now lost two straight following a 7-1-1 start to the season.

Canucks rout sputtering Oilers to extend win streak

Quinn Hughes had one of three Vancouver goals in the first period and added three assists as the Canucks rolled to a 6-2 victory over the slumping Edmonton Oilers to extend their winning streak to four games.

Hughes, Pius Suter and Brock Boeser scored within a span of 3:22 in the opening period to help surprising Vancouver move to 9-2-1 on the season. The Canucks have missed the playoffs in each of the previous three seasons.

Boeser finished with two goals and J.T. Miller had a goal and an assist to support a 40-save performance from Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko.

Mattias Ekholm scored on a power play to give Edmonton a short-lived 1-0 lead less than seven minutes in. Following Vancouver's three-goal barrage later in the period, Leon Draisaitl got the Oilers within 3-2 in the second before Nils Hoglander restored the Canucks' two-goal advantage with just over nine minutes remaining before the second intermission.

Stuart Skinner recorded 30 saves for Edmonton, which has now lost three straight and fell to 2-8-1.

The Anaheim Ducks struck for four unanswered goals in the third period to rally for a 4-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, which extended their winning streak to six games and gave the defending Stanley Cup champions their first regulation loss of the season.

Sam Carrick scored two goals and Mason McTavish had the tie-breaking tally with 3:40 left to play as the Ducks snapped Vegas' 12-game point streak to begin its Stanley Cup title defence. The Golden Knights began the season on an 11-0-1 run and hadn't lost in regulation in a regular-season game since March 28 of last season, going 16-0-4 since that defeat prior to Sunday's setback. 

Anaheim's winning streak is the franchise's longest since an eight-game run from Oct. 31-Nov. 16, 2021. The Ducks have missed the playoffs in each of the five previous seasons.

The Knights looked to be on the way towards another win after Ivan Barbashev scored in the first period and Jack Eichel did so in the second to build a 2-0 lead entering the final stanza.

Adam Henrique gave the Ducks renewed life, however, with a power-play goal just 1:38 into the third period.

After Carrick's first goal of the night tied the score with 9:05 remaining, McTavish beat Vegas goaltender Logan Thompson with a one-timer less than 5 1/2 minutes later to put Anaheim ahead.

Carrick later sealed the victory with an empty-net score with 1:09 left.

John Gibson aided the Ducks' comeback with 30 saves, while Thompson stopped 19 of 22 shots in defeat.

Devils bounce back with win over Blackhawks

Dawson Mercer and Max Willman scored first-period goals to help the New Jersey Devils get back on track with a 4-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks.

New Jersey had a three-game winning streak snapped with Friday's 4-1 loss at St. Louis, then fell behind early in this one when former Devil Taylor Hall gave Chicago a 1-0 lead just 1:51 into the contest.

Mercer and Willman scored just 1:34 apart later in the opening period, however, and Curtis Lazar extended the lead by redirecting teammate John Marino's shot past Blackhawks' netminder Arvid Soderblom 4:35 into the third.

Ryan Donato's goal with 4:46 remaining got Chicago within 3-2, but Michael McLeod scored into an empty net in the closing seconds to seal the Devils' sixth win in eight games.

Soderblom finished with 36 saves, while Vitek Vanecek stopped 32 shots for New Jersey.

Blackhawks rookie Connor Bedard, the No. 1 overall pick of this year's draft, was held without a point after registering a goal in each of the team's previous three games.

Mark Stone scored a pair of short-handed goals and added two assists as the Vegas Golden Knights rolled to a 7-0 rout of the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday to continue their blazing start.

Jack Eichel and William Karlsson had two goals apiece and Adin Hill turned aside 41 shots for his sixth career shutout to help Vegas improve to an NHL-best 11-0-1.

The Golden Knights are tied with two other teams for the seventh-longest point streak to open a season.

Karlsson extended his point streak to nine games to tie four other players for the longest in team history.

Colorado has lost three of four – all by shutouts on the road – since opening the season with six straight wins.

Red Wings hand Bruins 1st regulation loss

David Perron had the go-ahead tally during a three-goal third period and the Detroit Red Wings rallied for a 5-4 victory to send the Boston Bruins to their first regulation loss of the season.

Boston took a 3-2 lead into the third period, but Dylan Larkin tied it at 6:50 and Perron put Detroit ahead to stay just over two minutes later.

Andrew Copp extended the lead at 10:34 and Davis Pastrnak’s power-play goal with 5:49 left closed the scoring.

Perron finished with a goal and two assists as the Red Wings won for the third time in four games.

The Bruins had won a franchise-record 12 straight regular-season road games dating to last season before the loss.

Matthews notches another hat trick in loss

Auston Matthews scored three times for the third time this season, but Alex Tuch’s two goals lifted the Buffalo Sabres to a 6-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Matthews raised his NHL-leading goal total to 11 with his 10th career hat trick and third in 11 games this season.

JJ Peterka scored one goal and set up another for Buffalo, which has won three of four.

Mitch Marner had a goal and three assists as the Maple Leafs dropped their fourth straight (0-2-2).

Toronto’s William Nylander had an assist to extend his franchise-record point streak to open a season to 11 games.

Ice hockey fans have paid tribute to Nottingham Panthers player Adam Johnson, who died after sustaining a serious injury during a match watched by thousands.

Many supporters were in tears as they signed books of condolence on the ice at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena on Saturday evening.

Fans walked past a photo of Johnson and a shirt displaying his name and team number, 47, as they came onto the ice – which had been carpeted – to pay their respects to the American.

Hundreds of floral tributes to Johnson have also been left outside the Motorpoint Arena in Bolero Square.

Nottingham Panthers said the team’s players and staff would spend Saturday afternoon privately reflecting on their memories of Johnson while signing the books of condolence.

Johnson’s funeral will take place on Sunday in the US, according to an obituary posted on the website of Dougherty Funeral Home in Hibbing, Minnesota.

The obituary stated: “Adam had a quiet confidence about him and was never boastful.

“He was never looking to be the centre of attention, but rather he preferred to listen to others and do what he could to make them feel important.”

The 29-year-old American was playing for the Panthers against Sheffield Steelers on October 28 when he was hit in the throat by an opponent’s skate, causing a fatal injury.

About 8,000 fans watched in horror as attempts were made to save Johnson’s life as he lay on the ice at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena, shielded by fellow players.

On Friday, Sheffield’s senior coroner Tanyka Rawden opened and adjourned an inquest into Johnson’s death at Sheffield’s Medico-Legal Centre.

The New Jersey Devils lost star center Jack Hughes to an injury and Kevin Hayes scored twice in the St. Louis Blues’ 4-1 victory.

Hughes, who entered with an NHL-leading 15 assists and 20 points, left after awkwardly crashing into the boards following a slight hook by Blues defenseman Torey Krug. No penalty was called on the play.

New Jersey was already playing without center Nico Hischier, who missed his third straight game with an upper-body injury.

Jake Neighbours and Robert Thomas had the other goals and Jordan Binnington made 34 saves to prevent the Blues from a third consecutive loss.

Curtis Lazer scored for the Devils, who had won three in a row.

Ersson leads Flyers past Sabres

Samuel Ersson turned away 22 shots and Bobby Brink had a goal and an assist as the Philadelphia Flyers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 5-1 win over the Buffalo Sabres.

Scott Laughton, Louie Belpedio, Travis Konecny and Garnet Hathaway also scored for the Flyers, who had allowed 15 goals during the three-game skid, including a 5-2 loss to the Sabres on Wednesday.

Henri Jokiharju had the lone goal for Buffalo, which failed in a bid for a three-game winning streak.

Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson left the game in the first period with a lower-body injury.

The Elite Ice Hockey League will not make the use of neck guards mandatory but will “strongly encourage” players and officials to wear them following the death of Nottingham Panthers player Adam Johnson.

Johnson, who was 29, died on Saturday after suffering a cut to the neck during a game against the Sheffield Steelers.

The English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) has since said neck guards will become mandatory from 2024, but the Elite League is not under the governing body’s control.

A spokesperson for Elite Ice Hockey League said: “We are devastated by the loss of Adam’s life, and our thoughts remain with his family, team mates and everyone else affected during this difficult time.

“Player safety and welfare is our top priority and we work with players, officials, clubs, and the relevant authorities to review research and advice to understand how we continually enhance the safety of our sport.

“All clubs continue to follow the existing guidance from the International Ice Hockey Federation, that the use of a BNQ or other ISO Standard neck laceration protector is recommended.

“The Elite Ice Hockey League strongly encourages players and officials to wear one and clubs and the League will continue to support players and officials to do so.”

No games have been played since Johnson’s death, will all fixtures postponed, but the league will return to action this weekend, with all teams except Nottingham and Sheffield due to play on both Saturday and Sunday.

An inquest into Johnson’s death was opened and adjourned in Sheffield on Friday morning.

Sheffield’s senior coroner Tanyka Rawden said that inquiries into the death were continuing, and adjourned the inquest until January 26, while stressing this would be for a review and not for the full hearing.

Mrs Rawden concluded the four-minute-long hearing by saying she wanted to “take this opportunity to offer to his family, his friends and all those who knew him, my sincere condolences at this difficult time.”

None of Johnson’s family were in court for the brief hearing.

South Yorkshire Police has confirmed it is investigating the incident but officers have said the inquiry “will take some time”.

Officers have carried out inquiries at the arena, studied footage of the collision and spoken to experts, aided by Sheffield City Council’s health and safety team.

The force said the investigation would be lengthy.

On Wednesday, the Panthers invited fans of all clubs to attend Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena to celebrate the former NHL player on November 4.

This venue has been the focus of fans’ outpouring of shock and emotion since the tragedy at the weekend.

The Panthers have also announced the creation of an official fundraising page to raise money for the Love for Hibbing and Hockey Memorial Fund – established in Johnson’s memory.

A coroner has offered her “sincere condolences” to the family and friends of Nottingham Panthers ice hockey player Adam Johnson, who died after sustaining a serious injury during a match watched by thousands.

The 29-year-old American was playing for the Panthers against Sheffield Steelers on Saturday when he was hit in the throat by an opponent’s skate, causing a fatal injury.

About 8,000 fans watched in horror as attempts were made to save Johnson’s life as he lay on the ice at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena, shielded by fellow players.

On Friday, Sheffield’s senior coroner Tanyka Rawden opened and adjourned an inquest into Johnson’s death at Sheffield’s Medico-Legal Centre.

Mrs Rawden confirmed personal details about the player, including that he was from Minnesota, in the United States, and gave very brief details of how he died.

She said that initial investigations had found that: “Mr Johnson was seriously injured.”

“He was taken by ambulance to the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield where he died later that day as a result of the injuries sustained.

“He was identified by his fiancee, Ryan Wolfe.”

She said inquiries into the death were continuing.

The coroner adjourned the inquest until January 26 but stressed that this would be for a review and not for the full hearing.

Mrs Rawden concluded the four-minute long hearing by saying she wanted to “take this opportunity to offer to his family, his friends and all those who knew him, my sincere condolences at this difficult time.”

Will Cuylle snapped a tie midway through the third period and the New York Rangers edged the Carolina Hurricanes, 2-1 for their sixth consecutive win on Thursday.

Chris Kreider had the other goal and Igor Shesterkin stopped 27 shots to give the Rangers eight wins in their first 10 games for the second time in franchise history. The 8-2-0 mark trails only a 9-1-0 record to open the 1983-84 season.

Seth Jarvis scored for the Hurricanes, who had a three-game winning streak stopped.

New York has won 10 of its last 14 regular-season games against Carolina and is 19-4-0 in the last 23 meetings at home.

Rangers forward Artemi Panarin assisted on Kreider’s goal to extend his season-opening point streak to 10 games with five goals and 11 assists.

New York’s Adam Fox left the game with a lower-body injury after the first period. He appeared to suffer the injury in a leg-on-leg collision with Carolina’s Sebastian Aho.

Bruins top Maple Leafs in shootout

Jake DeBrusk and Charlie Coyle converted in the shootout and the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 to remain without a regulation loss.

DeBrusk and Pavel Zacha scored in regulation and Jeremy Swayman stopped 33 shots to help Boston improve to 9-0-1 and keep pace with Vegas as the only teams yet to fall in regulation.

Toronto’s William Nylander had an assist to extend his season-opening, franchise-record point streak to 10 games.

Mitchell Marner and Auston Matthews had regulation goals for the Leafs, who are winless in their last three (0-1-2).

Golden Knights defeat Jets

The Vegas Golden Knights got a hat trick from Jonathan Marchessault and continued their blazing start with a 5-2 victory over the visiting Winnipeg Jets.

Ivan Barbashev and William Karlsson each had a goal and an assist to help Vegas improve to an NHL-best 10-0-1.

The Golden Knights are the 13th team in NHL history to record a season-opening point streak of at least 11 games.

Logan Thompson turned aside 29 of 31 shots and is 5-0-0 this season.