The Vancouver Canucks head into the N-H-L’s Christmas break leading the entire Western Conference in points following a 7-4 win over the visiting San Jose Sharks. The Canucks have 49 points, two more than the Vegas Golden Knights and three more than the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars. Andrei Kuzmenko scored twice for the Canucks, while Mario Ferraro had three assists for the Sharks.
Los Angeles put an end to the Calgary Flames three-game win streak as the Kings beat the visitors 5-3. Quinton Byfield scored twice for the Kings, while Pierre-Luc Dubois, Alex Laferriere and Trevor Moore netted singles. Drew Doughty added two assists for L-A. Blake Coleman scored twice for the Flames, while Rasmus Andersson added a single.
Craig Smith and Jani Hakanpaa scored in the final 15 seconds, rallying the visiting Dallas Stars to a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators. The Stars became the first team in N-H-L history to secure a win after scoring a tying and go-ahead goal in the final 15 seconds of regulation. Evgeni Dadonov also scored in the third period as Dallas improved to 5-0-and-1 in its last six games.
Reserve guard Jordan Clarkson scored 16 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as the visiting Utah Jazz rallied past the Toronto Raptors 126-119. Lauri Markkanen had nine of his 30 in the fourth as part of Utah’s spirited comeback. Scottie Barnes had a double-double with 14 rebounds and matched his career high of 32 points as Toronto lost its third straight.
The Detroit Pistons matched the N-B-A record for the longest losing streak in a single season, falling 126-115 to the Brooklyn Nets for their 26th straight loss. The Pistons joined the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and 2013-14 Philadelphia 76ers, dropping to 2-and-27 in their first season under Monty Williams. Mikal Bridges had 29 points for the Nets. Jaden Ivey scored 23 points for the Pistons.
Josh Allen accounted for 3 touchdowns, Tyler Bass made a 29-yard field goal with 28 seconds remaining, and the Buffalo Bills edged the Los Angeles Chargers 24-22 to improve their playoff chances. Allen ran for two T-Ds and threw for one, becoming the first player in N-F-L history with four consecutive seasons with 40 combined T-Ds. The 9-and-6 Bills have won 4 of their last 5.
Saturday’s Scoreboard
NHL
Vancouver 7 San Jose 4
Toronto 4 Columbus 1
Ottawa 5 Pittsburgh 4 (OT)
Los Angeles 5 Calgary 3
Colorado 4 Arizona 1
Dallas 3 Nashville 2
Florida 4 Vegas 2
Minnesota 3 Boston 2
New Jersey 3 Detroit 2
Tampa Bay 2 Washington 1 (SO)
N.Y. Rangers 4 Buffalo 3 (OT)
N.Y. Islanders 5 Carolina 4
St. Louis 7 Chicago 5
Seattle 3 Anaheim 2
NBA
Utah 126 Toronto 119
Brooklyn 126 Detroit 115
Milwaukee 130 New York 111
Boston 145 L.A. Clippers 108
Denver 102 Charlotte 95
Houston 106 New Orleans 104
Orlando 117 Indiana 110
Memphis 125 Atlanta 119
Cleveland 109 Chicago 95
L.A. Lakers 129 Oklahoma City 120
Golden State 126 Portland 106
Dallas 144 San Antonio 119
Minnesota 110 Sacramento 98
NFL
Buffalo 24 L.A. Chargers 22
Pittsburgh 34 Cincinnati 11
Sunday’s Games (All times Eastern)
NFL
Cleveland at Houston, 1 p.m.
Detroit at Minnesota, 1 p.m.
Green Bay at Carolina, 1 p.m.
Indianapolis at Atlanta, 1 p.m.
Seattle at Tennessee, 1 p.m.
Washington at N.Y. Jets, 1 p.m.
Jacksonville at Tampa Bay, 4:05 p.m.
Arizona at Chicago, 4:25 p.m.
Dallas at Miami, 4:25 p.m.
New England at Denver, 8:15 p.m.