WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Pairing Drew Stafford with Mark Scheifele helped the Winnipeg Jets end their losing skid.
Scheifele and Stafford each had two goals and an assist and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-1 Wednesday night to end a six-game losing streak.
Stafford put the Jets up 1-1 late in the second period with his first goal in 12 games. He scored again with 1:34 left in the game into an empty net. Scheifele centered a line with Stafford on the right side and Mathieu Perreault on the other. Perreault had three assists.
Coach Paul Maurice put that trio together after the Jets returned from a four-game trip with four losses. Winnipeg was outscored 27-10 during its six-game skid and had allowed 5.25 goals per game over its past four. Ondrej Pavelec made 29 saves for the Jets.
Ryan Miller stopped 30 shots and the Canucks lost their fourth game in a row. This was the last in a seven-game trip — Vancouver’s longest this season.
“We were right there and trying to get a chance at the end to tie it up, but just couldn’t quite get there,” Miller said. “We keep saying we’re close. We’ve got to make the turn here.”
Blackhawks 4, Oilers 3 (OT)
Marian Hossa scored 1:08 into overtime, Artemi Panarin had a goal and two assists and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 for their third consecutive victory.
Patrick Kane had two assists and extended his point streak to 14 games but had his goal streak ended at seven. He leads the NHL with 13 goals and 30 points.
Hossa turned a long pass from Brent Seabrook into a breakaway and beat Anders Nilsson with a slap shot from in close.
Panarin, a 24-year-old rookie, has points in six straight games, amassing five goals and five assists in that time while on a line with Kane and Artem Anisimov.
Duncan Keith and Andrew Shaw also scored for the Blackhawks. Corey Crawford made 34 saves.
Benoit Pouliot, Jordan Eberle and Leon Draisaitl scored, Teddy Purcell had two assists and Edmonton lost its third straight.
Capitals 2, Red Wings 1 (OT)
Evgeny Kuznetsov’s goal 45 seconds into overtime gave the Washington Capitals a 2-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings.
Justin Williams also scored for Washington, while goaltender Braden Holtby made 25 saves.
Forward Dylan Larkin scored for Detroit (9-8-2) and goalie also Petr Mrazek made 25 saves.
All-Star Game transformed to 3-on-3 tournament
The 2016 NHL All-Star Game is getting a major makeover, with the annual mid-season exhibition being turned into a 3-on-3 All-Star tournament among the league’s divisions.
The new format calls for three 20-minute games, with players from each division making up the four All-Star teams: Pacific, Central, Atlantic, and Metropolitan.
There will be a $1 million prize for the winning team in the inter-division tournament.
This season’s All-Star contest is scheduled for Jan. 31 in Nashville.
“The NHL All Star Weekend festivities provide a unique opportunity for our fans, players, clubs, and business partners to come together in one city to celebrate the game at its highest level,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said. “We are introducing a creative new format in Nashville not only as a way to enhance the competitiveness of the event, but also as a vehicle to highlight and emphasize the incredible skill, speed and athleticism it takes to play our game.”
