Washington Capitals 1-4 Dallas Stars
Scoring early on in the opening two periods proved key for the Dallas Stars, who pulled off a 4-1 success on the road versus the Washington Capitals.
Radek Faksa's shorthanded goal three minutes in got the party started for the Stars. It took Sam Steel even less time in the second frame, scoring two and a half minutes after the puck drop.
Wyatt Johnston made it 3-0 with 6:29 left in the contest, before the Caps finally got on the board. Captain and the league's all-time leading scorer Alex Ovechkin notched his 915th goal to give his team hope heading into the final stages.
Yet, Dallas held on for the victory, restoring their three-goal cushion in the dying moments through Roope Hintz.
The Stars now have sole possession of second spot in the Western Conference after ending a six-game losing skid. They are still nine points back from the Colorado Avalanche.
As for the Capitals, who have now been defeated in three of their last four, they are seventh in the East.
Montreal Canadiens 4-1 Calgary Flames
The all-Canadian clash at the Bell Centre went the Montreal Canadiens' way, as they topped the visiting Calgary Flames 4-1. After a scoreless opening period, the Habs ran rampant to begin the second, opening up a three-goal lead.
Alexandre Texier got them on the board, before Lane Hutson doubled the hosts' advantage a few minutes later. It took just 67 seconds for them to add a third via Oliver Kapanen, who found the back of the net for the 14th time this season.
Calgary got their goal a few minutes before the second intermission, with Joel Farabee keeping his team in the game.
Unfortuantely for the Flames, who lost their last two heading into the contest, that was the best it got for them. Cole Caufield made it 4-1 for Montreal 3:56 into the third, which ultimately was the final goal.
The Habs are up to third in the East now, jumping ahead of the Detroit Red Wings. As for the Flames, they stay third from bottom in the West, having scored the third fewest goals in the league on 113.
Other results
Chicago Blackhawks 7-3 St. Louis Blues
Utah Mammoth 3-1 Ottawa Senators
Los Angeles Kings 3-4 San Jose Sharks