Panthers move into driver’s seat with Canadiens win

NEW YORK — Vincent Trocheck scored a goal and added an assist to help the Florida Panthers to a 4-1 win over the Montreal Canadiens Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. Nick Bjugstad, Jiri Hudler and Aleksander Barkov also scored for the Panthers (39-22-9), who moved into the driver’s seat in the race for the Atlantic Division lead. Capitals 2, Hurricanes 1 (OT): Alex Ovechkin scored his league-leading 42nd goal with 3:22 left in overtime, and the Washington Capitals defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1. Evgeny Kuznetsov, behind the end line, fed out in front to Ovechkin, who fired high over the right shoulder of Carolina goalie Eddie Lack for the game-winner. Penguins 2, Islanders 1 (SO): Kris Letang was the only successful shooter in the shootout, and the Pittsburgh Penguins overcame a remarkable night by rookie goaltender Jean-Francois Berube to beat the New York Islanders 2-1. Berube made 33 saves, including seven in overtime, in only his third career NHL start, but was beaten by Letang on a backhander in the shootout. Winger Chris Kunitz scored the only Penguins goal in regulation. Maple Leafs 4, Lightning 1: The Toronto Maple Leafs, which are last in the National Hockey League, defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, one of the best in the NHL, 4-1 Tuesday night in front of a crowd of 18,874 at Air Canada Centre. The Leafs received goals from defenseman Connor Carrick, right-winger Ben Smith, both were their initial markers as with Toronto, center Zach Hyman and right-winger P.A. Parenteau. Senators 3, Wild 2 (OT): Erik Karlsson scored on a slap shot from the slot with 30.4 seconds left in overtime to give the Ottawa Senators a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild at Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators forced the extra period with a goal off a rebound from the end boards with 7.1 seconds left in the third. Kings 5, Stars 2: Anze Kopitar had a goal and an assist and Jhonas Enroth stopped 24 of 26 shots for the Los Angeles Kings in a 5-2 win against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center. Kris Versteeg, Tyler Toffoli, Dustin Brown and Trevor Lewis also scored for the Kings (42-22-5), who have won nine of their last 12 games. Rob Scuderi also had a career-high tying two assists. Flyers 4, Red Wings 3: In a matchup of teams jostling for the Eastern Conference’s final playoff seed, the Philadelphia Flyers answered the bell on home ice by beating the Detroit Red Wings 4-3 at Wells Fargo Center. Sharks 3, Bruins 2: Brent Burns enjoyed a historic night in leading the San Jose Sharks to a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins at SAP Center. — Agencies