The Ottawa Senators continued their good form in the NHL on Thursday as the Boston Bruins edged closer to the Eastern Conference summit.
Goaltender Craig Anderson made 34 saves and secured his first shutout of the season in the Senators' 3-0 win over Eastern Conference leaders the New York Rangers.
A brace from Jason Spezza and a Milan Michalek goal saw the Senators pick up their 10th victory in their last 13 games.
Defending Stanley Cup champions the Boston Bruins took advantage of the Rangers' loss, closing to within a point of top place in the East with a 2-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens.
Jordan Caron and Milan Lucic scored as the Bruins recorded the win, with goalie Tim Thomas stopping 33 shots.
Central Division leaders the Chicago Blackhawks won their second straight game without injured forward Patrick Sharp, easing past the Minnesota Wild 5-2.
Centre Dave Bolland (two goals and an assist) starred as the Blackhawks ensured they kept top spot in Central.
The Western Conference-leading Vancouver Canucks fought to a 3-2 overtime against the St Louis Blues.
Left wing Alexander Burrows scored twice and Daniel Sedin netted the winner just 46 seconds into the extra period.
Sergei Bobrovsky (33 saves) led the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-2 victory against the New York Islanders.
Left wing Loui Eriksson netted twice and was the only player to score in the shootout in the Dallas Stars' 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Kings.
The Detroit Red Wings recorded a 3-2 shootout win against the Phoenix Coyotes, while David Legwand's double guided the Nashville Predators to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
Elsewhere, Antti Niemi shutout the Winnipeg Jets in the San Jose Sharks' 2-0 win, the Calgary Flames extended their home winning streak to eight matches in a 1-0 overtime defeat of the Anaheim Ducks and the Carolina Hurricanes hammered the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-2.