NHL roundup: Samuelsson, Sabres make it eight in a row with 4-1 win over Bruins
By Canadian Press on December 27, 2025.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Mattias Samuelsson had a goal and two assists as the Buffalo Sabres beat the Boston Bruins 4-1 on Saturday night for their eighth straight victory.
Samuelsson’s three-point night came together in a three-goal second period with assists on goals by Ryan McLeod and Peyton Krebs.
Josh Norris added an empty-netter late and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen made 21 saves for Buffalo.
The Sabres’ win streak is their longest since they won 10 in a row in November 2018.
David Pastrnak scored in the first period for the Bruins, who have lost five in a row and six of their last seven games. Joonas Korpisalo made 30 saves.
Elsewhere in the NHL on Saturday:
ISLANDERS 2 RANGERS 0
NEW YORK (AP) — David Rittich made 27 saves for his ninth career shutout, Anders Lee scored less than a minute into the game, and the New York Islanders blanked the New York Rangers.
Lee’s unassisted goal 58 seconds in extended his point streak to five games as the Islanders won their second straight. Simon Holmstrom added an empty-netter with 16 seconds left in the game.
The Islanders’ Bo Horvat returned to the lineup after missing the previous five games with a lower-body injury.
Igor Shesterkin finished with 24 saves but the Rangers were blanked for the seventh time this season.
LIGHTNING 4 PANTHERS 2
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Pontus Holmberg scored with 7.3 seconds left in the first period to put Tampa Bay on top for good, Nikita Kucherov scored twice, and the Lightning beat Florida Panthers in another penalty-filled matchup between the Sunshine State rivals.
Jake Guentzel also scored for Tampa Bay, which has won three straight. Kucherov sealed it with an empty-netter with 56 seconds left.
Brad Marchand and Eetu Luostarinen scored for the Panthers, who lost for just the second time in their last seven games. Florida was 1-for-11 on the power play.
CAPITALS 4 DEVILS 3 (OT)
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Defenceman Jakob Chychrun scored in overtime and Logan Thompson made 35 saves as Washington beat New Jersey.
Chychrun beat Devils netminder Jake Allen with his 15th goal 4:06 into the extra session to lift Washington to only its second win in its last eight games. New Jersey lost its third straight.
Aliaksei Protas also scored and added two assists for Washington. Anthony Beauvillier and Alex Ovechkin also scored for the Capitals who are 11-1-0 in their last 12 visits to Prudential Center.
The visitors led 2-1 entering the third period before the Devils scored twice in a 32-second span to move ahead. Ovechkin then tied the game at 3-3 with his 15th goal, the NHL-record 912th of this career at 9:17.
Jesper Bratt — who had just one goal since Nov. 6 — scored twice for New Jersey. Cody Glass also scored for the Devils, who have lost 13 of their last 20 games.
HURRICANES 5 RED WINGS 2
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Shayne Gostisbehere and Andrei Svechnikov each had a goal and two assists and Carolina snapped a season-worst three-game skid with a win over Detroit in a matchup of divisional leaders.
Jackson Blake and Eric Robinson scored during the Hurricanes’ three-goal second period. Jordan Martinook, who missed the three previous games with an injury, scored his 100th career goal with an empty-netter with 1:21 to play. Brandon Bussi made 18 saves and boosted his record to 12-1-1.
Michael Rasmussen and Andrew Copp scored for the Atlantic Division-leading Red Wings. John Gibson stopped 33 shots and lost for the first time in nine December outings.
MAPLE LEAFS 7 SENATORS 5
TORONTO (AP) — Captain Auston Matthews shook off a slump with a goal and two assists, and Matthew Knies scored twice to lead Toronto to a win against Ottawa.
Matthews, who had gone four games without a point, got his first three-point outing of the season. He set up William Nylander on the power play to open the scoring, assisted on Bobby McMann’s go-ahead goal early in the second period, and scored on his next shift for a 4-2 Toronto advantage.
The Senators pulled to within a goal twice, but Knies’ second with 14:07 remaining stood as the winner.
The Maple Leafs jumped out to a 2-0 lead after a power-play goal by Knies. But Ottawa’s Nick Cousins scored late in the first period, and Ridly Greig pulled his team even 18 seconds into the second period.
WILD 4 JETS 3 (OT)
WINNIPEG, Man. (AP) — Matt Boldy scored two goals, including the winner just 39 seconds into overtime, to lead Minnesota to a come-from-behind victory over Winnipeg.
Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov also scored for Minnesota. Quinn Hughes added three assists.
Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor had a goal and an assist each, and Josh Morrissey also scored for Winnipeg.
The Associated Press
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