A back-and-forth tilt in Boston saw the Bruins fall 7-5 against the Anaheim Ducks. Twice did the hosts take the lead, but on both occasions, the Ducks had an answer.
Level at 3-3 going into the final period, Anaheim went back in front through Mikael Granlund. Sam Colangelo opened up a two-goal cushion a few minutes later, making it 5-3.
Back came the Bruins, who responded with a pair in less than 30 seconds. Just like that, it was 5-5, and no one knew what would happen next.
Unfortunately for the fans at TD Garden, their side could not pull through. Troy Terry scored what proved to be the winner 4:33 from the end. Grandlund added a second with 2:08 left, with the Ducks holding on for an incredible win.
The Ducks were not the only ones to score seven on Thursday night. The New York Islanders and Utah Mammoth also hit that number in their games. It was a far less dramatic win for the former, who topped the visiting Detroit Red Wings 7-2. As for the NHL's newest team, they got a rare natural hat-trick from Logan Cooley in a 7-4 success against the St. Louis Blues on the road.
The Florida Panthers lost once more, as the defending Stanley Cup champions have already been beaten five times this year. This time, it was the Pittsburgh Penguins who took their turn in a 5-3 win in which they never went behind. Team captain Sidney Crosby scored twice and added an assist in the victory.
In Tampa Bay, Ryan Donato got the go-ahead goal for the Chicago Blackhawks in a 3-2 success against the Lightning. The Winnipeg Jets were the only ones to be shut out on the night, falling 3-0 at the hands of the Seattle Kraken. It was a rather close contest in Manitoba, as Jaden Schwartz's second period goal did the trick for the guests. The third line winger added a second, as well as an assist, near the end to complete the victory.
Sharks prevail in overtime
The San Jose Sharks and New York Rangers played the most exciting game of the night, which required overtime. In the end, William Smith settled the match 98 seconds into the extra frame to lift the Sharks to a 6-5 win, which was their first on the year.
Adam Gaudette and Macklin Celebrini put winless San Jose in front in the opening period. The Rangers then got on the board, but conceded again to Celebrini just as the first stanza was concluding.
Things took a turn after intermission, as the hosts scored thrice in eight minutes to take their first lead of the contest. Yet, they could not take it into the break, as Celebrini completed his hat-trick with six seconds left.
Smith then gave the Sharks their third advantage six and a half minutes into the third. With how this game was going, there was no way another goal was not going to be scored. Surely, 5:19 later, Taylor Raddysh tied things back up, matching Celebrini by collecting his hat-trick.
The winning goal was a lovely first-time shot from Smith to put it beyond Igor Shesterkin and end an incredible match. Remarkably, the Sharks scored six of their 22 goals on the season, in the contest as they jump ahead of the Calgary Flames with the win.
Extra hockey was also required in Dallas, as the Los Angeles Kings edged the Stars 3-2. Adrian Kempe made the difference for his team, needing just 39 seconds to get the deciding goal.
Oilers pull off late comeback to top Habs
In what was another highly entertaining clash, the Edmonton Oilers got past the high-flying Montreal Canadiens 6-5 at home. After going behind early in the first, the hosts hit back with an equalizer before intermission, plus two in the second to go up 3-1.
The response from the Habs was even more devastating, as they took just a minute and 52 seconds to score thrice and go back in front. By the time Adam Newhook added a fifth moments into the third, the Oilers found themselves down two goals once more.
However, they used the second half of the period to pull off a stunning comeback. Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins converted power play goals within a minute of each other, before Vasili Podkolzin netted the winner with just over a minute left in regulation.
Elsewhere, Cole Smith's marker five minutes into the third helped the Nashville Predators defeat the Vancouver Canucks 2-1. The Ottawa Senators also managed to prevail by the same scoreline over the Philadelphia Flyers, as Olle Lycksell scored the winner three minutes and change into the second.
The last match to end for the night saw the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-4 in a shootout. Despite going down 4-1 in the opening period, the Canes bounced back, getting one back in the second, before tying things up with 5:51 left in regulation.
After overtime resolved nothing, a shootout was needed to decide who would leave with the extra point. Seth Jarvis converted his attempt in what proved to be the only goal for any team. Frederik Andersen stopped all three of his shots to help his side claim a win.
Carolina end the night in a four-way tie for top spot in the Eastern Conference, while the Avs still lead the West in what was already their third overtime/shootout loss of the year. They, along with the Vegas Golden Knights, are the only ones to have not lost in 60 minutes so far.