NHL roundup: Cole Caufield scores third career hat trick in dominant win over Islanders

Updated
Cole Caufield (second from left) celebrates hat trick against the Islanders with his teammates
Cole Caufield (second from left) celebrates hat trick against the Islanders with his teammatesGraham Hughes / CTK / AP

Montreal Canadiens young star Cole Caufield scored his third career hat trick during Saturday's win over the New York Islanders!

Canadiens 7-3 Islanders

Caufield broke the 2-2 tie with just 52 seconds left in the second period for his first of three goals. After Islanders rookie sensation Matthew Schaefer scored his 22nd goal of the season, the Habs would go on to score four straight. 

Caufield would record his 43rd goal and the final one of the game on a power play that buried the Islanders. Montreal improved to 38-21-10, while the Isles fell to 39-26-5. 

Flyers 4-1 Sharks

The Flyers earned their seventh-straight road win after they put up three goals in the third period to take home the win. Christian Dvorak (14) broke the tie in the third period, then Philly would hit two empty-netters as they improved to 34-23-12. 

Philly is now 7-2-1 in their last 10 and sit just four points out of the Eastern Conference Wild Card. 

San Jose dropped their fourth straight as they dropped to 32-30-6. 

Sabres 4-1 Kings

Much like the Flyers, Buffalo scored three goals in the third period to win their fourth straight game and have now won 12 of their last 13. They improved to 44-20-6, sitting just one loss behind the Carolina Hurricanes (44-19-6) for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. 

Meanwhile, the Kings dropped to 28-25-16 and sit just one point out of the second Western Conference Wild Card spot. 

Wild 2-1 Stars

Jason Robertson scored his 38th goal of the season to put Dallas up 1-0 in the first, but a Bobby Brink (15) goal in the second tied things up heading into what would be a scoreless third period. 

Minnesota's Vladimir Tarasenko scored his 20th goal of the season to give the Wild the win as they improved to 40-19-12.

Predators 4-1 Golden Knights

Steven Stamkos scored his 32nd and 33rd goals of the season to put the Preds up to an early 2-0 lead before Tyson Jost (7) added one on top before Vegas finally responded. 

Nashville would hold on despite Vegas outshooting them 40-20 in the game, improving to 32-28-9 as they've now won three straight. 

Vegas, who has lost three straight, fell to 31-25-14 and have lost three of their last seven.

Penguins 5-4 Jets

After pulling the Penguins within one to make it 3-2 with his 10th goal of the season, defenseman Erik Karlsson scored again late in the third to send it to overtime with just over seven minutes left in regulation. 

Following a scoreless overtime, none other than Sidney Crosby would score the game-winner as the Penguins improved to 35-18-16. 

Winnipeg fell to 28-29-12. 

Blue Jackets 5-2 Kraken

Unlike other games, the Blue Jackets scored three straight goals to start rather than finish. Cole Sillinger (one goal, two assists) and Zach Werenski (three assists) both had three points each. 

Columbus improved to 37-21-11 as they extended their win streak to four games. Meanwhile, the Kraken fell to 31-29-9 and have now lost three straight. 

Blues 3-1 Canucks

Pius Suter (11) and Pavel Buchnevich (16) scored within 1:19 of each other in the second period, which gave the Blues a 2-0 lead in the second and that's all they needed to secure the win. 

St. Louis are 28-30-11 on the year and 7-1-2 in their last 10 games. Meanwhile, the Canucks remain at the bottom of the league at 21-40-8. No other team has fewer than 25 losses or 40 losses in regulation. 

Senators 5-2 Maple Leafs

Three straight goals to start and two straight goals to end is all the Senators needed to secure the win. Toronto goaltender Anthony Stolarz took a puck to the neck during warmups and was sent to a local hospital for precautionary imaging. 

Ottawa improved to 36-24-9, while the Leafs dropped to 29-29-13.

Ongoing

Boston Bruins vs. Detroit Red Wings

Edmonton Oilers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning

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