Predators defeat Kings 4-1

MONTREAL— Colton Sissons had a goal and two assists and Juuse Saros made 27 saves, helping the Nashville Predators beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-1.

Nashville has won three in a row for the first time since a four-game streak Dec. 10-16. Jeremy Lauzon had a goal and an assist for the Predators, and Mark Jankowski and Yakov Trenin also scored.

“Just committed efforts up and down the lineup,” Sissons said according to AP. “We´re rolling everybody. Everybody´s having a positive impact. Hopefully we can keep this momentum.”

Alex Tuch scored short-handed to break a second-period tie in the Buffalo Sabres’ 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadians.

Zemgus Girgensons and Jeff Skinner also scored and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 29 saves to help the Sabres improve to 25-27-4.

“Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was on this game. I mean, he had to make several nice saves,” Sabres coach Don Granato said.

“Obviously, they made some nice plays, so you have to have a good goaltending performance if you´re gonna do that.”

Skinner has 27 goals against the Canadiens, the second-most among active players behind Alex Ovechkin (38).

“I thought our battle level was high through the start,” Granato said. “We had to weather a storm in segments, but the guys stayed with it – and the (Tage) Thompson, Tuch and Skinner line was very good.”

Arber Xhekaj and Jayden Struble scored for Montreal and Sam Montembeault made 20 saves. Montreal has lost three straight and five of six to fall to 22-26-8. “They´re a good team. They got a lot of good players,” Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki said. “I think their spot in the standings doesn´t really say what kind of team they are.”

Tuch scored with 1:52 left in the second period after a Canadiens power play that included three turnovers by Cole Caufield.

Girgensons tied it at 1 at 4:20 of the second, deflecting a point shot from Henri Jokiharju past Montembeault while standing alone in front.

Struble put Montreal ahead at 6:35 with a wrist shot that deflected off Sabres forward Peyton Krebs and fooled Luukkonen. Skinner tied it at 9:28 on a power play.

Elsewhere, Yegor Chinakhov scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period and the Columbus Blue Jackets blew a four-goal lead before rallying for a 7-4 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.

Sean Kuraly got his second goal of the night 49 seconds after Chinakhov’s score for Columbus, which finished its three-game California trip with two victories. Boone Jenner had two early assists and got an empty-net goal with 32 seconds left for his fifth goal in five games.

Zach Werenski scored two goals in the first period and Johnny Gaudreau ended his 17-game goal drought for the Jackets, who snapped their five-game losing streak against Anaheim.

Kuraly and Werenski both had their first multi-goal games of the season, but Columbus blew a huge early lead during an 11-minute span of the second period.

“It was disappointing to have a period like that,” Kuraly said. “I guess it´s a lot easier to learn when you end up winning, so hopefully we can take that with us.”

The Ducks trailed 4-0 before they rallied, with Mason McTavish getting two of the four goals. Alex Killorn made it 4-4 with a short-handed goal 24 seconds before the second intermission, but the Ducks flopped again in the third period of their fourth loss in six games.

“We gave pucks away in the third period, and it ended up costing us the game,” Anaheim coach Greg Cronin said. “Their last two goals (came off) turnovers, both of them. At least four of their goals came directly off our sticks.”