National Hockey

NEW YORK — T.J. Oshie scored twice, Dmitry Orlov and Nicklas Backstrom each had a goal and two assists, and the first-place Washington Capitals beat the struggling New York Islanders 7-3 Thursday night.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Nashville Predators keep rolling toward the best regular season in franchise history.

SUNRISE, Fla. — James Reimer found a great way to celebrate his 30th birthday: He tied a season high with 46 saves to lead the Florida Panthers over the Boston Bruins 3-0 on Thursday night.

WINNIPEG — Kyle Connor hasn't exceeded his expectations for his rookie NHL season because he never set any.

PHILADELPHIA — Cam Atkinson and the Columbus Blue Jackets have picked a perfect time to get on a roll. Atkinson scored a hat trick to lead the surging Blue Jackets to their sixth straight victory, 5-3 over the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday night.

ST. LOUIS — Nathan MacKinnon thought back to the Colorado Avalanche's struggles last season and couldn't help but chuckle. "We were out of the (playoff chase) with 30 games left," he said.

MONTREAL — It was only a matter of time before the relentless Pittsburgh Penguins broke through Montreal's defences for good.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — James van Riemsdyk thought about the possibility of back-to-back hat tricks. Then again, five goals over two nights and a career milestone will do just fine.

NEW YORK — The Washington Capitals — particularly T.J. Oshie — were grateful to get a high-scoring win.

OTTAWA — His coach may dislike the word, but Ottawa forward Zack Smith says the Senators are determined to act as spoiler over the next three weeks.