The New York Islanders halted a pair of skids with a 4-3 shootout win over the New York Rangers. Frans Nielsen and John Tavares scored in the shootout for the Islanders, who had lost five in a row and eight straight at Madison Square Garden. Evgeni Nabokov made 36 saves and turned aside both shootout attempts to assure the extra point for the Islanders. Martin Biron, making his second start of the season, finished with 28 saves for the Rangers, who were vying for a fourth consecutive win.

Final Score: Carolina 3, Toronto 1

Raleigh, NC (Sports Network) - Dan Ellis posted 22 stops to help the Carolina Hurricanes take a 3-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday. Joe Corvo had a goal and an assist while Jussi Jokinen and Jordan Staal also scored for the Hurricanes, who have won three straight and five of six. Nazem Kadri had the lone goal for the Maple Leafs, who had a four-game winning streak snapped. Ben Scrivens gave up all three goals on 33 shots in the loss.

Final Score: Washington 4, Tampa Bay 3

Tampa, FL (Sports Network) - Eric Fehr scored twice and the Washington Capitals held off the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-3, on Thursday. Troy Brouwer and Jay Beagle each scored, while Mathieu Perreault added three assists for the Capitals, who have won three straight. Braden Holtby stopped 27 shots in the win. Martin St. Louis had a goal and an assist, while Teddy Purcell and Nate Thompson also scored for the Lightning, who are in the midst of a six-game losing streak. Mathieu Garon gave up all four goals on 39 shots in the loss.

Final Score: Montreal 1, Florida 0 (OT)

Sunrise, FL (Sports Network) - Rene Bourque scored the game winner 2:10 into overtime to lift the Montreal Canadiens to a 1-0 victory over the Florida Panthers on Thursday at BB&T Center. Carey Price posted 26 saves to notch his 17th career shutout and help Montreal earn its second consecutive win on the heels of a three-game slide. Jose Theodore performed admirably in defeat, stopping 31-of-32 shots for the Panthers, who have lost three straight and four of their last five.

Final Score: Nashville 3, Phoenix 0

Nashville, TN (Sports Network) - Pekka Rinne recorded 19 saves to notch his second straight shutout, as the Nashville Predators used a three-goal third period to beat the Phoenix Coyotes, 3-0, on Thursday at Bridgestone Arena. Rinne has been lights out of late, posting three shutouts over his last four starts to improve to 6-3-3 on the season. Gabriel Bourque, Nick Spaling and Mike Fisher each lit the lamp for the Predators, who have won two straight. Mike Smith was charged with all three goals on 29 shots for Phoenix, which had won two straight.

Final Score: Colorado 4, Minnesota 3 (SO)

St. Paul, MN (Sports Network) - Matt Duchene tied the game in the third period and scored in the shootout, as the Colorado Avalanche edged the Minnesota Wild, 4-3, at Xcel Energy Center. Colorado goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere turned away a backhander from Zach Parise to begin the penalty-shot tiebreaker. Birthday boy Milan Hejduk, who netted a power-play goal in the second period for his 800th career point, used the same move to beat Minnesota's Niklas Backstrom. Wild captain Mikko Koivu, like Parise, opted for a backhander and he was also denied by the veteran Giguere. Duchene then ripped a wrister past Backstrom's blocker to halt Colorado's three-game slide. Giguere, making his second start of the season, made 26 saves.