BOSTON — Ryan Spooner scored midway through the third period to lift the Boston Bruins over the New Jersey Devils 3-2 on Saturday night for their eighth victory in 10 games under interim coach Bruce Cassidy.

Brandon Carlo and Torey Krug also scored for the Bruins, and backup goalie Anton Khudobin stopped 15 shots. Cassidy took over for fired coach Claude Julien on Feb. 7.

Kyle Palmieri and Devante Smith-Pelly had goals for the Devils, who lost their sixth straight (0-4-2) as their playoff hopes continue to fade. Cory Schneider made 37 saves.

Spooner one-timed Drew Stafford’s pass from the right circle for the winner 8:18 into the third.

Stafford, acquired from Winnipeg in a trade on Wednesday, nearly had a goal in his Bruins debut midway into the second when he poked a loose puck under Schneider, but it was overturned after a review because of goaltender interference.

CAPITALS 2, FLYERS 1: Nicklas Backstrom scored a power-play goal in overtime to lift Washington over Philadelphia and extend its franchise-record home winning streak to 15.

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CANADIENS 4, RANGERS 1: Carey Price made 26 saves and Montreal extended its winning streak to five games with a victory at New York.

SENATORS 3, BLUE JACKETS 2: Zack Smith scored a short-handed goal in the third period and Viktor Stalberg got his first goal as a Senator after being acquired in a trade last week as Ottawa won at home.

LIGHTNING 2, SABRES 1: Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov scored in a shootout and Tampa Bay won at Buffalo, New York.

STARS 2, PANTHERS 1: John Klingberg scored the winning goal with 1:07 left and Dallas won at Sunrise, Florida.


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