Ottawa’s Craig Anderson blanked the Edmonton Oilers 2-0 on Sunday in an emotional victory for the Ottawa Senators goaltender whose wife was recently diagnosed with cancer.
Anderson marked his return to the NHL club following his wife’s diagnosis by making 37 saves for his second shutout in as many starts. “We couldn’t really feel the gravity until the final whistle,” said Senators captain Erik Karlsson of Anderson. “He held a strong face but you could still see the pain in his eyes.”
After returning home to Ottawa from a road trip last week to be with his wife Nicholle, Anderson flew back west Sunday when backup Andrew Hammond suffered an injury Friday in Calgary. It was a selfless move that resonated with the team. Anderson, of the US, had a stellar night for the Senators against the league’s highest scoring team at Rogers Arena in Edmonton.
“It was an emotional night for us as a team,” said Ottawa forward Bobby Ryan.“Rightfully so that he should be emotional at the end, because the room was as well,” Ryan said.
“The way he held it for 60 minutes and got through it speaks to his character. That was the quietest I’ve ever heard a room after a win. What Andy did tonight was pretty incredible.”

Panthers 5 Red Wings 2
Colton Sceviour had three goals - one at even strength, one on the power play and one shorthanded - and an assist for his first career hat trick to lead the Florida Panthers to a 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday at Joe Louis Arena. Vincent Trocheck had a goal and an assist and Jonathan Marchessault also scored for Florida while James Reimer made 34 saves.

Sabres 3 Jets 1
Kyle Okposo scored twice and Robin Lehner kicked out 37 of 38 shots in Buffalo’s win over Winnipeg. Sabres captain Brian Gionta scored the game winner before the game was 13 minutes old while Nikolaj Ehlers had the lone marker for the Jets. The Jets (4-5) outshot the Sabres 38-28.

Flyers 4 Hurricanes 3
Brandon Manning scored a shorthanded goal with 12 minutes left and Claude Giroux added a goal and assist as Philadelphia beat Carolina for the second time in eight days. It was just Manning’s third goal in 87 career games - including two against Carolina in October - as the Flyers snapped a two-game losing skid.

Islanders 5, Maple Leafs 1
Travis Hamonic scored 61 seconds into the first period to give New York a lead they never relinquished over Toronto at Barclays Center. Casey Cizikas scored later in the first while Shane Prince and Brock Nelson added goals during a span less than three minutes early in the third for the Islanders, who snapped a two-game losing streak in the opener of a five-game homestand. Josh Bailey added another insurance goal with 43.4 seconds remaining.

Blackhawks 3 Kings 0
Jonathan Toews, Artem Anisimov and Marian Hossa scored goals, and Corey Crawford made 32 saves as Chicago shut out Los Angeles. Anisimov’s second-period goal gave the Blackhawks a two-goal advantage. Anisimov took a perfect pass from Hossa and shoveled the puck into a yawning cage with Kings goalie Peter Budaj’s focus on Hossa.

Rangers 6 Lightning 1
Michael Grabner had a hat trick and Antti Raanta stopped 31 shots as New York blitzed Tampa Bay at Madison Square Garden. Rick Nash, Jimmy Vesey and JT Miller also scored for the Rangers.