In Brooklyn, Quinn Hughes struck for his second goal of the game in extra time to send the visiting Vancouver Canucks to a 4-3 win over the New York Islanders on Saturday.
It was the Canucks fifth straight win.
J.T. Miller scored his 20th of the season in the Canucks win – file photo by Lewis Bleiman
“Obviously it’s nice to contribute, because you want to feel like you’re a part of it and you want to have an impact on the group,” Hughes said. “But it’s nice that we’re winning, because I remember a time not too long ago in early December when we lost three in a row and people were kind of losing it. So it’s nice to have five in a row here.
“There will be another time for sure we lose two in a row; it’s just a hard league the way it is, but it’s good to get the points when you can get them.”
Jacob Markstrom made 34 saves in the win.
Vancouver held a 3-2 lead in the third period, but Brock Nelson sent the game to an extra session with a goal with 26 seconds left in regulation.
Michael Dal Colle and Jordan Eberle also had markers for the Isles.
New York is 4-5-3 in their last 12.
“That was a huge point,” New York coach Barry Trotz said. “That might be the point that at the end of the day gets us in the playoffs. It really might, so you just don’t know how it’s going to play out until it’s all over. But that was a huge point.”
Tim Schaller and J.T. Miller (his 20th) added single markers for the Canucks.
“That’s the fastest I’ve gotten there (20 goals),” Miller said. “I want more, to be honest. It’s nice to get there, but you obviously don’t want to be satisfied with that. I want to keep going.”
[WATCH: All Canucks vs. Islanders highlights]
Thomas Greiss made 20 saves in the loss.
“This is going to be a long stretch. It’s not going to be easy and it’s that grind that makes this so much more exciting and so much more rewarding when you put yourself in a good position to end the season,” the Islanders’ Anders Lee said. “I think that’s what makes this all so great. We’ll find energy when we need it.”
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