What was supposed to be a rebuilding season for youthful Toronto could turn into a playoff appearance. Nazem Kadri sparked Toronto's four-goal first period with a power-play score, and the Maple Leafs beat the New Jersey Devils 4-2 Friday night for their sixth win in seven games. The victory gave Toronto 44 points for the season, moving it into third place in the Atlantic Division, a playoff spot. Kadri and Tyler Bozak each had a goal and an assist, Auston Matthews scored his 21st goal and fellow rookie Connor Brown embarrassed Devils goaltender Cory Schneider with a short-handed goal as Toronto bounced back from an overtime loss to Washington. The Maple Leafs, who had blown multiple-goal leads in their last four games, got 30 saves from Frederik Andersen while spoiling the Devils' celebration of former owner John McMullen, who became the team's first inductee into its ring of honor at the Prudential Center. PA Parenteau and Jon Merrill scored in the final 3:24 for New Jersey, which had won three of four. Panthers 2, Predators 1: Jonathan Marchessault scored in the third period, James Reimer made 28 saves and the Florida Panthers beat the Nashville Predators 2-1. Greg McKegg also scored for the Panthers, and Jaromir Jagr got his 1,137th career assist on Marchessault's 12th goal of the season. The Panthers held a moment of silence before the game for the victims of the shooting earlier in the day at the Fort Lauderdale airport. Craig Smith scored for Nashville, and Juuse Saros stopped 32 shots. The Predators have lost five of their last seven games. Avalanche 2, Islanders 1 (OT): Nathan MacKinnon scored 4:43 into overtime, and the Avalanche got their first win at home in more than seven weeks. MacKinnon also assisted on Gabriel Landeskog's first-period goal, and Calvin Pickard finished with 35 saves for Colorado. It was the Avalanche's first home win since Nov. 14. Johnny Boychuk had New York's only goal, and Thomas Greiss made 37 stops. Ducks 3, Coyotes 2 (OT): Ondrej Kase scored at 4:24 of overtime, sending Anaheim to the win. Kase was stopped by Mike Smith, but the goaltender bobbled the puck and Kase swiped it from him in the crease and swept it into the open net, handing the Coyotes their ninth straight loss. Joseph Cramarossa and Chris Wagner scored for Anaheim, and John Gibson stopped 21 shots. Martin Hanzal and Oliver Ekman-Larsson scored for Arizona, and Smith finished with 32 stops. Blackhawks 2, Hurricanes 1: Scott Darling made a season-high 39 saves, Jonathan Toews and Artemi Panarin scored and Chicago held on for its second straight win. Cam Ward made 22 saves in his 15th straight start for Carolina. Victor Rask had Carolina's goal, connecting against Darling on the Hurricanes' 31st shot with 4.2 seconds left in the second. Canucks 4, Flames 2: Markus Granlund had two goals and an assist, Ryan Miller made 44 saves and the Canucks earned their sixth straight victory. Michael Chaput and Loui Eriksson also scored for Vancouver in the opener of a home-and-home series that ends Saturday night in Calgary. The Canucks have their longest winning streak since December 2013. Michael Frolik scored twice for Calgary, Mikael Backlund had two assists and Brian Elliott stopped nine shots. — Agencies
