Monday's hockey: Griffins lose first game since January; MacKinnon chases Gretzky's record
The Grand Rapids Griffins' point streak is over.
After recording at least a point in 18 straight games, the Griffins suffered a 5-3 setback against the Cleveland Monsters on Monday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.
It was the first regulation loss since Jan. 12, falling one game short of the team record of 19 straight games with at least a point in 2015.
Jonatan Berggren extended his point streak to six games with a goal and goalie Michael Hutchinson made 24 saves.
MacKinnon chases Gretzky's record
Justus Annunen saves his best for the Chicago Blackhawks. Nathan MacKinnon is at his best against just about anyone, and especially at home.
MacKinnon extended his home point streak to 30 games with two goals and two assists, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Blackhawks 5-0 on Monday. The Avs will host the Red Wings on Wednesday.
MacKinnon’s home point streak is the second-longest to start a season in NHL history, trailing only Wayne Gretzky’s 40-game run in 1988-89. MacKinnon's big night also was his 33rd multipoint game of the season.
“Just feel good this year on home ice, for whatever reason,” MacKinnon said. “Obviously, getting a lot of bounces as well."
Annunen stopped 37 shots to blank the Blackhawks for a second time in less than a week. He became the first rookie goaltender in franchise history to record a shutout in back-to-back appearances, according to NHL Stats.
“He's been awesome,” defenseman Cale Makar said. “He’s making some unreal saves.”
Makar, Jonathan Drouin and Zach Parise also scored for the Avalanche, who improved to a league-best 24-6-0 at home this season.
It was the Blackhawks' 22nd straight loss on the road (0-21-1). Their last win away from home was Nov. 9 in Tampa against the Lightning.
More Monday games
Florida 4, (at) N.Y. Rangers 2: Ryan Lomberg scored the go-ahead goal early in the third period for the Panthers in a matchup of first-place teams.
Sam Reinhart had two goals and Anton Lundell also scored as the Panthers won their fifth straight and 11th in the last 12 games. Florida leads the NHL with 42 wins and 88 points.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves to improve to 31-11-2 this season, including 15-6-1 on the road. The 35-year-old has 391 career wins.
Since Dec. 23, Florida is 24-4-2. The Panthers also have a league-leading 21 road wins and 44 road points.
Will Cuylle and Chris Kreider scored for Metropolitan Division-leading New York, which lost for the third time in four games. Igor Shesterkin finished with 25 saves.
Boston 4, (at) Toronto 1: Pavel Zacha scored twice to send Boston to the road win.
Jake DeBrusk had a goal and an assist for the Bruins (36-13-14), who had dropped four of five. Morgan Geekie also scored, and David Pastrnak had three assists.
Jeremy Swayman made 32 saves for the Bruins, who are eight points ahead of the Leafs for second in the Atlantic Division.
John Tavares scored for Toronto (35-18-8), and Joseph Woll stopped 25 shots.
(At) Calgary 4, Seattle 2: Jared McCann had a goal and an assist, and the Kraken won for the third time in four games.
Yanni Gourde, Oliver Bjorkstrand, and Adam Larsson also scored for Seattle, which is 6-2-1 in its last nine. Philipp Grubauer stopped 35 shots as the Kraken pulled even with the Flames in the Western Conference playoff chase, seven points back of idle Nashville for the second wild card.
Andrei Kuzmenko scored twice for Calgary, which had won five in a row. Jacob Markstrom finished with 26 saves.
St. Louis 2, (at) Philadephia 1 (SO): Pavel Buchnevich and Jake Neighbours scored in the shootout, lifting St. Louis to the win.
Neighbours scored between the pads of Flyers goalie Sam Ersson as St. Louis’ second shooter. Philadelphia’s Morgan Frost beat Jordan Binnington over the left shoulder. After the Flyers’ fourth shooter, Owen Tippett, missed, Buchnevich used a nifty move to score with a backhand shot.
Binnington made 40 saves in regulation and overtime as St. Louis earned its second straight win. Kevin Hayes scored in the second period against his former team.
Scott Laughton scored in regulation for Philadelphia. Ersson made 24 stops in regulation and OT.
(At) Columbus 6, Vegas 3: Alex Nylander scored three times, and the Blue Jackets posted back-to-back wins for the first time in more than three months.
Nylander has four goals and two assists in five games since he was acquired in a Feb. 22 trade with Pittsburgh. It was his first career hat trick.
Justin Danforth, Erik Gudbranson and Yegor Chinakhov also scored for the last-place Blue Jackets, who strung together two straight wins for the first time since Nov. 22 and Nov. 24. They beat Chicago 5-2 on Saturday.
Columbus goaltender Daniil Tarasov made 37 saves.
Mason Morelli, William Karlsson and Chandler Stephenson scored for Vegas, and Adin Hill had 27 stops. The Golden Knights have lost three straight.
Playoff tracker
Atlantic
▶ Panthers (88)
▶ Bruins (86)
▶ Maple Leafs (78)
Metropolitan
▶ Rangers (84)
▶ Hurricanes (78)
▶ Flyers (72)
Wild card
▶ Red Wings (72)
▶ Lightning (72)
(Top two wild-card teams make the playoffs)
▶ Islanders (66)
▶ Capitals (65)
▶ Devils (64)
▶ Pittsburgh (62)
▶ Sabres (62)
Devils fire coach Ruff
The New Jersey Devils fired coach Lindy Ruff on Monday and named assistant Travis Green as the interim replacement for the rest of the season.
General manager Tom Fitzgerald made the surprising move with just over 20 games left to play. The Devils have lost five of seven to fall further out of playoff contention, seven points back of Metropolitan Division rival Philadelphia and eight back of the two Eastern Conference wild-card spots.
Ruff, 64, was in his fourth season with the team. The Devils reached the second round of the playoffs last year before losing to Carolina and had preseason expectations of making another run.
“I hold our entire organization to the highest levels of accountability to focus on being a competitive team that expects to be a perennial playoff contender,” Fitzgerald said in a statement. “Unfortunately, we are not currently at that level, and I needed to make this decision.
“This was an extremely difficult conversation to have with Lindy based on the relationship that he and I have. He was the right coach to develop our young players on the ice, and above all else, he is a tremendous person."
Predators sign Novak
The Nashville Predators don’t appear likely to be sellers at the NHL trade deadline, and they took an important step toward at least standing pat in their playoff pursuit by extending pending free agent forward Tommy Novak.
The team on Monday re-signed Novak to a three-year contract worth $10.5 million. He’ll count $3.5 million against the salary cap through 2027.
Novak, 26, was a late bloomer after being a third-round pick of the Predators nearly a decade ago. He has established himself as a full-time NHL player over the past two seasons.
This season, Novak has 34 points through 51 games and has contributed to Nashville being on track to return to the playoffs. He set a career high in points last season with 43 on 17 goals and 26 assists.
Michigan-area hockey this week
Monday
▶ Cleveland 5, Grand Rapids 3
Wednesday
▶ Red Wings at Colorado, 9:30 (TNT/97.1)
Friday
▶ Red Wings at Arizona, 9 (BSD/97.1)
▶ Chicago at Grand Rapids, 7 (AHL/106.9/1300)
▶ Notre Dame at Michigan, 7
▶ Miami University at Western Michigan, 7
▶ Bowling Green at Michigan Tech, 7
▶ Northern Michigan at Mankato, 8
▶ Ferris State at Bermidji State, 8
Saturday
▶ Red Wings at Vegas, 10 (BSD/97.1)
▶ Grand Rapids at Milwaukee, 7 (AHL/106.9/1300)
▶ Notre Dame at Michigan, 7
▶ Miami University at Western Michigan, 6
▶ Bowling Green at Michigan Tech, 6
▶ Northern Michigan at Mankato, 7
▶ Ferris State at Bermidji State, 7
▶ NTDP U17s at Chicago, 7
Sunday
▶ Bowling Green at Michigan Tech, 5 (if necessary)
▶ Notre Dame at Michigan, 7 (if necessary)
▶ Northern Michigan at Mankato, 5 (if necessary)
▶ Ferris State at Bermidji State, 6 (if necessary)
▶ NTDP U18s at Chicago, 4