SCOREBOARD
Tuesday, Dec. 4
Detroit at Montreal (7:30 p.m. EST). Detroit leads the league with 18 wins and 88 goals scored.
STARS
Monday
– Cory Stillman and Cam Ward, Hurricanes. Stillman scored twice and Ward stopped 28 shots to help Carolina thump the New York Rangers 4-0.
– Joe Thornton, Sharks, had a pair of assists to help San Jose squeak past Colorado 3-2.
– Mathieu Garon, Oilers, made 31 saves and survived all three shots he faced in the shootout and Edmonton beat Los Angeles 4-3.
ISLES STRANDED
The New York Islanders fell to Boston 3-1 on Monday and have lost three straight for the first time this season. The Islanders have gone 13 straight games scoring two goals or fewer in regulation and overtime. Chris Campoli had just the fourth power play-goal for the Islanders in their past 49 chances in the loss.
BOUNCING BACK
Matt Cullen had two assists in his return to Madison Square Garden to help Carolina beat the New York Rangers 4-0 on Monday. Cullen already has 21 assists this season after recording only 25 during his one year with the Rangers. It was quite a turnaround for the Hurricanes, who had lost four of six and were pounded 8-1 in Buffalo on Saturday.
STARS SHINE IN COLUMBUS
Dallas edged Columbus 2-1 in a shootout on Monday, improving to 20-3-3 against the Blue Jackets. The Stars have won both meetings with Columbus this season in shootouts at Nationwide Arena. Marty Turco made 25 saves and improved to 11-1-1 against the Blue Jackets.
OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS
Pittsburgh defeated Phoenix 3-1 on Monday to earn its fourth victory in five games. The Coyotes completed a four-game road trip winless after winning their previous four.
RARITY
Henrik Lundqvist made 25 saves, but allowed more than three goals in a game for just the second time in 25 appearances this season, as the New York Rangers fell to Carolina 4-0 on Monday.
SNAPPED
Boston downed the New York Islanders 3-1 on Monday for its first road win against the Islanders in 11 games. The Bruins were 0-5-4-1 at the Nassau Coliseum since a 4-2 victory on Dec. 22, 2001. Chris Campoli broke New York’s shutout streak with 1:51 left in the game. The Islanders had been blanked for the previous 140 minutes, 12 seconds.
SUSPENDED
Philadelphia’s Riley Cote was suspended three games by the NHL on Monday, the fifth Flyers player disciplined by the league this season for illegal hits. Cote was given a match penalty for a head shot on Dallas’ Mat Niskanen in the third period of the Stars’ 4-1 win over the Flyers on Saturday. The NHL is prepared to take severe discipline against the franchise, such as a hefty fine, if another Flyer needs to be punished again for an illegal hit. … Nashville’s Scott Nichol has been suspended five games by the league for a blow to the head of Montreal’s Patrice Brisebois. Nichol, who was suspended nine games last December, is considered a repeat offender under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement.
SPEAKING
“What’s wrong with the offense? A lot. We’ve just got to work harder. It comes down to be a little more gritty, a little hungrier. We’re OK. OK just doesn’t cut it.” – New York Islanders coach Ted Nolan, on his frustration with the team’s lack of scoring.