National Hockey

TORONTO — Defence, slow starts and injuries are some of issues that have challenged the Toronto Maple Leafs in their quest to become an elite team.

There's no need to push the panic button in Pittsburgh yet. Soon, maybe. There are plenty of examples of a reigning Stanley Cup champion not making the following season's playoffs, most recently the Los Angeles Kings in 2015.

VANCOUVER — Ryan Miller acknowledged an ovation from the crowd marking his return to Rogers Arena with a wave moments before the opening faceoff.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Alex Ovechkin scored his NHL-leading 26th goal 1:57 into overtime and the Washington Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5-4 on Tuesday night for their third straight win.

LAS VEGAS — Night after night, the Vegas Golden Knights keep proving it's no fluke they're the top team in the West. Just ask last year's conference champions.

DENVER — Erik Johnson's stumble in overtime nearly led to the winning goal for Winnipeg, but his goaltender bailed him out. Given another opportunity, Johnson didn't stumble again. The Avalanche defenceman scored on a breakaway with 9.

EDMONTON — Patrick Maroon's major penalty late in the second period proved to be a costly one for the Edmonton Oilers.

ST. LOUIS — Carter Hutton felt relaxed and in control. The St. Louis goalie stopped 24 shots through overtime and both attempts he faced in the shootout to help the Blues to a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night.

DALLAS — Oliver Bjorkstrand and the Columbus Blue Jackets were headed in the opposite direction of the Dallas Stars even though the teams had identical records going into the halfway point of the season.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Wild marked Zach Parise's season debut after recovering from back surgery with a relentless performance typical of the star forward.