National Hockey

EDMONTON — Jesse Puljujarvi's decision to spend his time off playing with Edmonton kids on an outdoor rink seems to have paid off.

ST. LOUIS — Christian Dvorak had no idea the two goals he scored Saturday night helped the Arizona Coyotes end a long run of futility against the St. Louis Blues. "Wow, we lost 12 in a row to them?" Dvorak said. "That makes this even better.

CHICAGO — The New York Islanders played like a desperate team looking to move up the standings in one of the NHL's most competitive divisions. Facing a similar situation, the Chicago Blackhawks turned in one of their worst games of the season.

NASHVILLE — The Nashville Predators are starting to see why they signed Nick Bonino as a free agent.

DETROIT — Elias Lindholm made the most of his chance to fill in for Sebastian Aho on Carolina's top line. Lindholm's second goal of the game broke a third-period tie and the Hurricanes went on to beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-1 Saturday night.

Montreal Canadiens coach Claude Julien's first taste of action against his former team didn't go well at all.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Tomas Hertl scored a tiebreaking, power-play goal early in the third period and Aaron Dell made 31 saves to lead the San Jose Sharks to a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night.

OTTAWA — Veteran Patrick Marleau didn't have to score to spark Toronto's comeback. Connor Carrick scored the winner as the Leafs erased a two-goal deficit in the third period to defeat the Ottawa Senators 4-3 on Saturday.

CALGARY — A potent display in the shootout and a critical coach's challenge by Paul Maurice helped Winnipeg pick up two big points on Saturday afternoon.

DENVER — The Colorado Avalanche have gone from pushover to powerhouse in less than a season, and their recent streak is evoking memories of past glory.