UNIONDALE, NY — Anthony Beauvillier scored twice Saturday night for the New York Islanders, who capped one of the most remarkable stories of the NHL regular season by clinching a playoff berth with a 5-1 win over the visiting Buffalo Sabres.
Jordan Eberle, Michael Dal Colle and Ryan Pulock also scored for the Islanders (46-26-7), who will return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 thanks to a raucous victory in a building they thought they’d left in the spring of 2015.
The Islanders moved from Nassau Coliseum to Brooklyn’s Barclays Center following the 2014-15 season but began splitting their home schedule between the two arenas this season as they wait for construction to begin on a proposed hockey-only building at the Nassau/Queens border.
The Islanders are 12-6-2 at the Coliseum and will close out their home schedule there Monday.
Hurricanes 5, Flyers 2
Carolina scored twice on power plays in a victory in Raleigh, which eliminated Philadelphia from playoff contention.
Blue Jackets 5, Predators 2
Cam Atkinson scored twice to tie the franchise record for goals in a season, and Artemi Panarin collected four assists to set a team record for points in a campaign as visiting Columbus beat Nashville to remain in a playoff spot.
Canadiens 3, Jets 1
Joel Armia, Jeff Petry and Jordan Weal all scored as visiting Montreal held on to claim a win over Winnipeg that was crucial to their playoff hopes.
Senators 4, Maple Leafs 2
Anthony Duclair scored twice, including an empty-netter, as Ottawa defeated visiting Toronto, which missed a chance to clinch a playoff berth.
Capitals 6, Lightning 3
Alex Ovechkin scored twice to eclipse the 50-goal mark, and Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie each had two goals and an assist as visiting Washington beat Tampa Bay.
Sharks 4, Golden Knights 3 (OT)
Brent Burns’ power-play goal 22 seconds into overtime lifted San Jose over visiting Vegas, ending a season-worst losing streak at seven games.
Blues 3, Devils 2 (OT)
Defenseman Vince Dunn scored 4:56 into overtime as visiting St. Louis recorded its 11th straight victory over New Jersey, in Newark.
Ducks 5, Oilers 1
Rickard Rakell notched a natural hat trick in the second period, and visiting Anaheim all but eliminated Edmonton from the playoffs for the 12th time in 13 seasons.
Canucks 3, Stars 2 (SO)
Markus Granlund’s goal in the eighth round of the shootout gave Vancouver a home-ice win over Dallas.
Kings 3, Blackhawks 2 (OT)
Drew Doughty scored with 12 seconds remaining in overtime as Los Angeles dealt a major blow to visiting Chicago’s fading playoff chances.
Panthers 4, Bruins 1
Boston’s 12-game home-ice win streak was snapped by visiting Florida. The Bruins’ streak was their longest since 2008-2009. It was the first Bruins home loss since Jan. 31. — Reuters
