DETROIT – Pavel Datsyuk and Johan Franzen scored in the second period, and the Detroit Red Wings beat the St. Louis Blues 3-1 on Monday night for their 17th straight home win — the NHL’s longest single-season streak in 36 years.
The Red Wings’ spurt is the league’s fourth longest. Detroit (33-15-1) has won seven in a row overall and leads the NHL with 67 points.
Niklas Kronwall sealed the win with a power-play goal with 3:03 left. Jimmy Howard made 21 saves to earn his NHL-leading 30th win.
St. Louis had won four straight, and lost in regulation for the first time since a Dec. 31 defeat at Detroit. Jaroslav Halak, who had won a career-high seven in a row, made 25 saves.
Scott Nichol put the Blues ahead midway through the first period, but they couldn’t get the puck past Howard again.
Detroit is three wins away at home from matching the league record of 20, set by the Boston Bruins during the 1929-30 season, and matched by Philadelphia in 1976. The Red Wings are 20-2-1 at home this season and haven’t lost there since Nov. 3.
The Blues are 23-6-6 since coach Ken Hitchcock replaced the fired Davis Payne.
PREDATORS 4, BLUE JACKETS 1
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Mike Fisher scored two goals, and Nashville beat Columbus for its third straight victory and 11th in 13 games.
The Predators wrapped up their season series with Columbus by going 5-0-1. Fisher has scored six of his 11 goals against the Blue Jackets.
Matt Halischuk and Patric Hornqvist both scored, and Ryan Suter had two assists as Nashville won for the 12th time in 14 home games. Pekka Rinne stopped 25 shots for a franchise-record and career-high eighth straight victory.
Rick Nash scored for Columbus to avoid the shutout.
MAPLE LEAFS 3, ISLANDERS 0
TORONTO (AP) — Matthew Lombardi scored two goals and Jonas Gustavsson made 25 saves as Toronto beat the New York Islanders in the first game of a home-and-home series.
Phil Kessel also scored for Toronto (24-19-5), which moved into an eighth-place tie in the Eastern Conference with the idle Washington Capitals.
The Leafs stopped Islanders forward John Tavares’ 12-game point streak — the longest run in the NHL this season — and snapped a three-game winning streak for New York (19-22-6). Tavares notched eight goals and 13 assists during his spurt, and helped the Islanders to an 8-4 mark.
It was the third shutout of the season for Gustavsson, who has started nine of Toronto’s past 10 games. The Maple Leafs, who had lost four of five, outshot New York 35-25.
HURRICANES 2, JETS 1
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Jeff Skinner and Tim Brent scored first-period goals for Carolina, which held off Winnipeg and won its third straight at home.
Kyle Wellwood scored at 13:47 of the second period for the Jets’ only goal.
Cam Ward stopped 29 shots for his 18th win. Winnipeg’s Chris Mason, who played in his 300th NHL game, made 14 saves.
The Jets had won the previous three matchups with Carolina this season.
KINGS 4, SENATORS 1
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kyle Clifford had a goal and an assist, Jonathan Quick made 27 saves, and Los Angeles rolled into its all-star break with a victory over Ottawa.
Trevor Lewis scored on a penalty shot and Jack Johnson scored during a two-man advantage for the Kings, who moved even with San Jose atop the Pacific Division after earning a point for the 16th time in 18 games.
Quick headed to his first all-star game appearance in style, shutting down the Senators’ powerful lineup until captain Daniel Alfredsson’s power-play goal with 11:23 to play. His teammates had already built a four-goal lead and chased Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson by breaking out of the latest scoring slump for the NHL’s lowest-scoring team.
Anderson stopped 22 shots before Alex Auld replaced him to start the third period for the Senators, who lost on both of their Southern California stops during their six-game trip.
Willie Mitchell scored Los Angeles’ first goal in the clubs’ only meeting of the season. Drew Doughty and Colin Fraser had two assists apiece in the Kings’ final game before an eight-day break.
OILERS 2, SHARKS 1, SO
EDMONTON (AP) — Taylor Hall scored the winning goal in a shootout and Edmonton snapped a three-game skid by beating Pacific Division-leading San Jose.
Edmonton’s Devan Dubnyk was the first star of the game, stopping 44 shots through overtime and three more in the shootout.
Jordan Eberle scored in regulation for the Oilers (18-26-4), who won for the second time in 10 games and sixth in 26 outings.
Logan Couture had the lone goal for the Sharks (26-14-6), who have lost three straight and four of five. Thomas Greiss made 17 saves in a matchup of backup goalies.
