NHL roundup: Red Wings stay hot, roll past Capitals 5-2 to maintain Atlantic lead

By Canadian Press on December 20, 2025.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Moritz Seider had a goal and an assist and the Detroit Red Wings beat the Washington Capitals 5-2 on Saturday.

John Leonard and James van Riemsdyk — siblings of sidelined Capitals players Ryan Leonard and Trevor van Riemsdyk — also scored for the Red Wings. So did Elmer Soderblom and Dylan Larkin.

Detroit has won three of its last four games and remains atop a competitive Atlantic Division.

Aliaksei Protas and Martin Fehervary scored for the Capitals, who have dropped four of their last five contests.

The Red Wings dominated early and often, outshooting the Capitals 17-6 in the opening frame. Leonard opened the scoring just 1:05 into the contest, crashing the net and sneaking a rebound past Logan Thompson.

Detroit then took control in the second, scoring three goals in 10:05 to make it a 4-0 game.

Elsewhere in the NHL on Saturday:

RANGERS 4 RED WINGS 4 (SO)

NEW YORK (AP) — Mika Zibanejad tied it late in the third period, and New York killed off two penalties in overtime on the way to beating Philadelphia in a shootout.

The comeback for just a fifth win in 18 home games this season potentially came at a great cost, with captain J.T. Miller leaving in pain after taking a big hit from Nick Seeler with just over eight minutes left. Miller seemed to be favouring his right arm/shoulder as he skated off and went down the tunnel for medical attention.

Miller was already out when Zibanejad scored on a late power play following Rasmus Ristolainen’s delay-of-game penalty for putting the puck over the glass. Penalties to Artemi Panarin and Scott Morrow in OT put the Rangers on the kill, but Igor Shesterkin made four of his 28 saves after regulation.

Panarin scored twice and had the shootout winner in his return after sitting out Thursday night at St. Louis because of an illness. The Rangers fell behind, allowing three goals in less than four minutes and another before the second period ended, then Vincent Trocheck got things rolling in the third.

Travis Sanheim had a goal and an assist, and Denver Barkey picked up his first two career points in his NHL debut for Philadelphia. Samuel Ersson allowed four goals on 27 shots, plus two more in the shootout, and he and the Flyers lost for the fifth time in six games.

SENATORS 6 BLACKHAWKS 4

OTTAWA, Ont. (AP) — Three third-period goals, including a pair from David Perron, powered Ottawa to a win over Chicago.

Despite a solid effort, Chicago lost its fifth straight game.

Perron scored his first goal on the power play and the second off a great pass from Tim Stutzle. Fabian Zetterlund added a late goal to ice the win for Ottawa.

Stutzle had a goal and two assists, and Tyler Kleven and Brady Tkachuk also scored for Ottawa. Leevi Merilainen made 20 saves.

Ilya Mikheyev scored twice for Chicago, and Andre Burakovsky and Nick Lardis — with his first NHL goal — also scored. Arvid Soderblom stopped 34 shots.

WILD 5 OILERS 2

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Matt Boldy scored twice, Filip Gustavsson made 28 saves and Minnesota beat Edmonton for their seventh straight victory.

Ryan Hartman, Vladimir Tarasenko and Nico Sturm also scored, Mats Zuccarello had two assists and Minnesota set a franchise record with a 14-game home points streak, going 12-0-2 at Grand Casino Arena since Nov. 1.

Gustavsson is 8-1-and-1 in his last 10 starts. The Wild have allowed just 11 goals during the winning streak, giving up no more than two in any game.

Connor McDavid and Andrew Mangiapane scored for Edmonton, and Calvin Pickard stopped 32 shots. The Oilers had won four of five and six of eight.

SABRES 3 ISLANDERS 2 (SO)

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Norris got the deciding goal in the shootout and Buffalo beat the New York Islanders for their fifth straight win.

Rasmus Dahlin had a goal and an assist, and Tage Thompson scored for the sixth consecutive game for the Sabres. Alex Lyon had 32 saves and got an assist on Dahlin’s goal.

Mathew Barzal had a goal and an assist, Emil Heineman also scored, and David Rittich made 30 saves for the Islanders, who lost for the third time in four games without leading scorer Bo Horvat.

BLUES 6 PANTHERS 2

SUNRISE, Fla (AP) — St. Louis got a pair of goals from Jake Neighbours and Robert Thomas in a win over Florida.

Jonatan Berggren and Justin Faulk also scored for the Blues, and Joel Hofer made 27 saves. Pavel Buchnevich and Berggren added two assists.

A.J. Greer and Sam Reinhart scored for the Panthers, who had won four straight. Daniil Tarasov stopped 25 shots.

PREDATORS 5 MAPLE LEAFS 3

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Luke Evangelista broke a tie at 9:18 of the third period to help Nashville beat Toronto.

Evangelista drove down the right side and made a move on defenceman Morgan Rielly at the right dot before lifting a backhander over goalie Joseph Woll.

Erik Haula, Adam Wilsby, Steven Stamkos and Cole Smith also scored, and Juuse Saros made 19 saves. The Predators have won two of three.

Bobby McMann had a goal and an assist for Toronto. Nicolas Roy and John Tavares also scored, and Woll made 29 saves. The Maple Leafs have lost four of five.

CANADIENS 4 PENGUINS 0

MONTREAL (AP) — Jacob Fowler made 31 saves for his fourth NHL start for his first shutout and Montreal beat Pittsburgh Penguins to open a home-and-home set.

The teams will meet again Sunday night in Pittsburgh.

Josh Anderson scored twice, the second into an empty net, and Owen Beck had his first NHL goal for Montreal. Juraj Slafkovsky also scored to help Montreal improve to 19-12-4 with its second straight victory.

The Penguins dropped their eighth straight to fall to 14-11-9.

Stuart Skinner stopped 17 shots in his second start for Pittsburgh. He allowed five goals in a 6-4 loss to Edmonton in his Pittsburgh debut Tuesday night after being acquired from Edmonton.

CANUCKS 5 BRUINS 4 (SO)

BOSTON (AP) — Liam Ohgren was the only one to score in a seven-round shootout, and Vancouver beat Boston for their fourth straight victory.

Ohgren had tipped in the tiebreaking goal 7:34 into the third period before Andrew Peeke’s shot from the point hit the post, bounced off the back of goalie Kevin Lankinen’s arm and went into the net, tying it at 4-all with 3:44 left in regulation.

Linus Karlsson had two goals and Max Sasson also scored for the Canucks. Lankinen, playing his first game since Dec. 8, made 38 saves in regulation to stop a personal six-game losing streak.

Morgan Geekie, the NHL’s second-leading goal scorer, had his 25th goal for Boston, which has lost three of four.

Pavel Zacha and Tanner Jeannot also scored for the Bruins, and Jeremy Swayman stopped 18 shots in regulation.

The Associated Press