National Hockey

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Anders Nilsson's follow-up to a shutout in his Vancouver Canucks' debut was a four-goal loss to Boston in which he was pulled less than 11 minutes into the game.

PITTSBURGH — Connor McDavid keeps getting the better of Sidney Crosby. Statistically, anyway. Considering the end result, it's a trade-off Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins can live with.

Montreal's franchise players stepped up in a big way as the Canadiens notched their first regulation victory of the season. The Canadiens ended their seven-game losing skid with a convincing 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night.

NEW YORK — The New York Islanders invariably look to their captain John Tavares for a boost and he delivered with a timely hat trick against the struggling Arizona Coyotes.

PHILADELPHIA — Nolan Patrick's face was plastered against the glass courtesy of a shoulder-to-shoulder hit, and one of the top rookies in the NHL grabbed his head as he dropped to the ice. Patrick was out for the game.

RALEIGH, N.C. — The surging Tampa Bay Lightning kept their impressive streaks going — even if they needed all 60 minutes to do it.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesota Wild left wing Zach Parise will miss at least two more months after having surgery on his lower back.

TORONTO — Sean Avery on "Coach's Corner?" The former NHL bad boy says he could see himself dishing out opinions on today's hockey on TV. Avery says while he's not interested in analysing X's and O's, he has plenty to say about the game.

ARLINGTON, Va. — Washington Capitals forward Andre Burakovsky is expected to miss six to eight weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured left thumb.

TORONTO — Sean Avery is the first to admit he's made mistakes. "I've put myself in some stupid situations. I always have," the former NHL agitator said in an interview. "I'm not perfect and I don't think before I act — a lot.