Devils 4, Capitals 3

Devils 4, Capitals 3
WASHINGTON -- Martin Brodeur returned to the lineup to end the New Jersey Devils' four-game losing streak, making 20 saves to beat the Washington Capitals in a Veterans Day matinee. Brodeur, who missed six games with a sprained knee for the longest injury-induced absence of his durable NHL career, won his 408th game to move ahead of Glenn Hall and into sole possession of sixth place in NHL victories. Grant Marshall, Zach Parise, Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez scored for the Devils, who moved back to .500 and ended their longest losing streak in four years. Washington captain Jeff Halpern scored his first goal of the season, and rookie Alexander Ovechkin poked in his 13th to pull the Capitals within one with 9:25 remaining.
Thrashers 5, Lightning 2
ATLANTA -- Ilya Kovalchuk scored a career-high four goals -- all in a row -- and Atlanta rallied from an early deficit to send defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay to its sixth straight loss. After Atlanta fell behind 2-0 late in the first period, Kovalchuk cut Tampa Bay's lead in half with 1:49 remaining. He then scored the first three goals of the second period to notch his fourth career hat trick and give the Thrashers a 4-2 advantage. Marian Hossa added a short-handed goal with 6:29 remaining and helped set up Kovalchuk's first. Marc Savard had three assists, and Niclas Havelid had two for Atlanta, which won two straight for the first time in 34 days. Vaclav Prospal and Ruslan Fedotenko scored to give Tampa Bay a 2-0 lead in the first period.
Red Wings 3, Wild 1
DETROIT -- Brendan Shanahan and Jason Williams scored second-period goals to lift Detroit over Minnesota. Johan Franzen added a goal, and Manny Legace made 16 saves for the Red Wings, who have won three straight. Randy Robitaille scored for Minnesota, outshot 37-17. Shanahan and Williams connected to give Detroit a 2-0 lead in the middle period when the Red Wings held a 20-4 shots advantage.
Sabres 5, Maple Leafs 2
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Tim Connolly scored two goals, including the winner, and Buffalo snapped a four-game losing streak. It was the first two-goal game for Connolly, who missed the entire 2003-04 season with a concussion. Chris Drury, Mike Grier and Thomas Vanek also scored for the Sabres, who won for only the second time in eight games after starting the season 6-2. Teppo Numminen added three assists for Buffalo. Alex Steen and Eric Lindros scored for the Maple Leafs, who lost their fourth straight road game.
Hurricanes 1, Panthers 0
SUNRISE, Fla. -- Eric Staal scored his team-leading 12th goal, and Martin Gerber stopped 26 shots as Carolina earned its franchise-record ninth straight victory.
Kings 4, Blackhawks 2
CHICAGO -- Mathieu Garon stopped 32 shots, and Los Angeles' penalty killing was perfect for the third straight game. Eric Belanger had a goal and assist, and Michael Cammalleri, Alexander Frolov and Craig Conroy also scored for the Kings. Los Angeles was 6-for-6 on the penalty kill, including a 5-on-3 disadvantage that lasted 35 seconds in the middle period. The Kings have turned away 21 straight power-play chances by opponents.
Associated Press
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