NHL-Highlights of Thursday's NHL games

Dec 18 (The Sports Xchange) - Highlights of Thursday's National Hockey League games: - - - Hurricanes 4, Maple Leafs 1 Cam Ward made 25 saves and the Carolina Hurricanes rode a strong start and solid finish to a 4-1 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs that ended a six-game losing streak. Chris Terry, Justin Faulk, Andrej Sekera and Elias Lindholm scored for a goal-shy Carolina team that struck three times for the first time in nine games. Toronto offered little resistance in losing for the first time in six games with a second-period goal from defenseman Dion Phaneuf their only positive contribution to the scoring. Toronto (19-10-3), the NHL's highest-scoring team with 3.45 goals per game entering the contest, was held to less than two goals for only the second time since October. - - - Ducks 2, Canadiens 1 Matt Beleskey scored the game-winning goal to lead the Anaheim Ducks to victory over the Montreal Canadiens. Defenseman Hampus Lindholm also scored for Anaheim (22-7-5). Ducks goaltender Frederik Andersen stopped 23 shots. Carey Price made 21 saves for Montreal (20-11-2), which saw its three-game winning streak snapped. David Desharnais tallied the lone goal for the Canadiens. - - - Penguins 1, Avalanche 0 (OT) Blake Comeau scored the game-winning goal as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Colorado Avalanche in overtime. The Penguins improved their record to 4-0-2 in their last six games and they have earned at least one point in 14 of their last 17 games. Comeau scored the game-winning goal 2:24 into overtime by pushing an unattended rebound from a shot from the point into a yawning cage. The Penguins (21-6-4) had center Sidney Crosby back in the lineup after he had missed the previous three games with a case of the mumps. The Penguins fared fairly well during his absence, not losing a game in regulation. - - - Capitals 5, Blue Jackets 4 (OT) A diving goal by Washington right winger Eric Fehr only 42 seconds into overtime sent the Capitals to a win over the in-form Columbus Blue Jackets. The Capitals (15-10-6) win snapped the Blue Jackets' winning streak at seven games. Washington got goals from Joel Ward, Jason Chimera, Karl Alzner and Troy Brouwer while the Blue Jackets (13-15-3) got two goals from left winger Nick Foligno, the 100th and 101st of his career. - - - Panthers 2, Flyers 1 (SO) Dave Bolland scored the decisive goal in a shootout, goaltender Roberto Luongo made 25 saves and the Florida Panthers beat the Philadelphia Flyers. Two nights after setting an NHL record with a 20-round shootout victory over Washington, the Panthers needed just six rounds to beat the Flyers. Jakub Voracek scored in regulation for the Flyers (11-15-6) and got their only goal in the shootout. Scottie Upshall had a regulation-goal for Florida (15-8-8). - - - Kings 6, Blues 4 Defenseman Jake Muzzin scored the go-ahead goal, allowing the Los Angeles Kings to rally from a three-goal deficit and defeat the St Louis Blues in a wild affair. Dwight King added a goal with 7:54 remaining, slapping a shot from along the boards near center ice, which bounced over Brodeur to close out the scoring, and the Kings (16-11-6) won for only the second time in seven games. The Blues (21-9-2) had their five-game winning streak snapped. Kings goalie Jonathan Quick saved 24 of the 28 shots he faced, while Brodeur stopped 31-of-37 shots. - - - Sharks 4, Oilers 3 Barclay Goodrow's scored the game-winner shortly after defenseman Matt Tennyson scored his first career goal as the San Jose Sharks beat the pesky Edmonton Oilers. San Jose's seventh straight win at home, and eighth in nine games, moved the Sharks ahead of idle Vancouver into second place in the Pacific Division. The last-place Oilers, whose only win in 18 games came against San Jose on Dec. 11, are winless in six (0-5-1). (Compiled by Jahmal Corner; Editing by John O'Brien)