Best of NHL: Canadiens top Devils in overtime to snap 3-game slide

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MONTREAL -- Tomas Plekanec scored 1:52 into overtime and the Montreal Canadiens beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night to snap a three-game slide.

Andrew Shaw scored for the Canadiens (14-14-4) in the first period and Carey Price made 31 saves in his ninth straight start.

Stefan Noesen had the goal for the Devils (17-9-5), who remained third in the rugged Metropolitan Division. Cory Schneider stopped 34 shots in defeat.

Plekanec beat Schneider between the legs after tremendous work along the boards by Charles Hudon to get him the puck in open ice.

The Canadiens ended their 2-2-1 homestand on a positive note before they embark on a seven-game road trip, starting with Saturday's outdoor game against the Ottawa Senators to mark the NHL's 100th anniversary (see full recap).

Wild’s Stalock posts 1st shutout in 3 seasons
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Alex Stalock stopped 28 shots to complete his first NHL shutout in three seasons, steering the Minnesota Wild past the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 on Thursday night for their fourth straight victory.

Tyler Ennis scored early and Mikael Granlund added a late goal for the Wild, whose first three wins on the streak were all in extra time. They handed the Maple Leafs their first blank slate in more than a year, since a 3-0 loss at Calgary on Nov. 30, 2016.

The Maple Leafs, who have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and entered the game with the fifth-highest scoring average in the league, have totaled three goals over their last three games without young star center Auston Matthews because of an upper-body injury.

Stalock stepped up at an opportune time for the Wild, who had to pull starter Devan Dubnyk from the previous game after one period because of an unspecified lower-body injury. Dubnyk will miss at least another week, leaving the net in the hands of the career backup Stalock who played at South St. Paul High School just 5 miles from Xcel Energy Center. All four of his previous NHL shutouts came with San Jose.

Since losing 4-2 to the Maple Leafs in Toronto on Nov. 8, the Wild are 12-4-1 in their last 17 games for an NHL-leading 25 points over that span. This was their fifth straight win at home (see full recap).

Chiasson catches fire late in Capitals’ win
BOSTON -- Alex Chiasson scored two third-period goals, the second on a short-handed breakaway with 8:29 left, and the Washington Capitals beat the Boston Bruins 5-3 on Thursday night.

Patrice Bergeron scored twice for Boston, moving past Bobby Orr on the team's all-time list with his 265th career goal and adding another in the final seconds.

Braden Holtby stopped 33 shots for the Capitals, who have beaten Boston 11 straight times. Jakub Vrana and Nicklas Backstrom also scored for Washington, and Alex Ovechkin added an empty netter to make it 5-2 before Bergeron cut the deficit to two with 27 seconds left.

The Bruins trailed 3-1 but they had just begun a power play when Chiasson pushed the puck out of his zone and outraced three Boston players to center ice. Alone as he crossed the red line, he skated in on Anton Khudobin, went to his backhand and beat the goalie on the stick side.

Khudobin made 16 saves for the Bruins. David Krejci made it 4-2 in the final minutes when he tipped Charlie McAvoy's slapshot into the net (see full recap).

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