The Chicago Blackhawks just keep right on rolling

Reuters/Chicago

Jonathan Toews scored twice and goalies Ray Emery and Corey Crawford combined for a shutout as Chicago beat the St Louis Blues 3-0 on Thursday night to extend its NHL-record season-opening point streak to 20 games.

The Blackhawks have won seven in a row and improved to 9-0-2 on the road. They have accumulated 37 of a possible 40 points this season.

St Louis lost for the third time in four games. The Blues fell to 4-5-1 at Scottrade Center after a 30-6-5 home mark last season.

Andrew Ladd scored his 11th and 12th goals of the season to spark the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils. Ladd’s first goal matched the franchise record for the fastest goal at the start of a game when he converted on a breakaway just eight seconds after the opening faceoff.  And he scored the game-winner with just over eight minutes left in the third period to break a 1-1 tie.

Blake Wheeler scored into an empty net to seal the win for Winnipeg who improved to 10-9-1, while the Devils fell to 10-6-4.

Dion Phaneuf’s goal 1:11 into overtime lifted the Toronto Maple Leafs past the New York Islanders, 5-4, at Nassau Coliseum.

Phaneuf’s goal ensured Nazem Kadri’s hat trick - the first multi-goal game of his career - would not go for naught.

Kadri’s first two goals tied the game (at 1-1 and 2-2) while his spectacular third tally capped a three-goal second period flurry by the Leafs, who needed just 5:17 to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead.

James Van Riemsdyk also scored for the Leafs (13-9-0) while the home woes continued for the Islanders (8-11-2), who had two goals overturned on review and missed a penalty shot.

   Boston Bruins 2, Ottawa Senators 1 (OT)

The Boston Bruins won their fifth straight game, edging Ottawa 2-1 in overtime to snap the Senators’ five-game winning streak. Patrice Bergeron deflected a Dennis Seidenberg flip shot at the net and barely through goalie Robin Lehner with 1:21 left in the OT to lift the Bruins to 13-2-2 on the season.

The puck hit Lehner, playing his first NHL game of the season, and trickled toward the goal, barely crawling over the line.

It was called no goal on the ice but was clearly in. The call was quickly overturned upon review.

Jiri Tlusty scored twice and Jeff Skinner produced a goal in his first game back from a concussion as the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-1 at PNC Arena.

Eric Staal added a goal and two assists for Southeast Division-leading Carolina (10-8-1), which entered the game with only one victory in its previous five outings. Tlusty also had an assist.

Goalie Cam Ward made 26 saves for Carolina.

Pittsburgh’s Chris Kunitz opened the scoring, but the Penguins (13-8-0) were undone by Carolina’s three-goal second period.

The New York Rangers, boosted by the return of Rick Nash and several key players, busted out with a two-goal first period and went on to a 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The win at Madison Square Garden snapped the Rangers’ four-game losing streak, with each defeat coming while Nash was out with what he has called a combination of injuries.

Nash put the capper on the win with a goal on his 12th shot of the game with 1:33 left. He also had an assist.