NHL scores: Islanders remain unbeaten, Avalanche keep losing

Not only did they blow a 3-1 lead on Thursday against the Ottawa Senators to lose for the fourth time in their first five games, but they're now to a point where their top two goalies are injured. Starter Semyon Varlamov is on injured reserve with a groin injury, and his backup, Reto Berra, was knocked out of game after a collision with Kyle Turris.

They're now in a position where rookie Calvin Pickard could be starting games for them. The only other alternative: Patrick Roy as player-coach.

But while the Avalanche can't seem to catch a break, the New York Islanders can seemingly do no wrong. They won their fourth game in a row to start the season with a 4-3 shootout win over the San Jose Sharks in a game that probably shouldn't have been that close. The Islanders played what was perhaps their best game of the season to date and at times were rolling all over the Sharks. John Tavares scored the winner in the shootout while Nick Leddy continued his strong play since coming over from the Chicago Blackhawks by scoring his second goal of the season.

The only negative for the Islanders on Thursday was the injury suffered by forward Mikhail Grabovski when he was on the receiving end of a huge hit from San Jose's John Scott.

In the late game, the Kings were outshot by St. Louis 41-18 through regulation and overtime but were still 1-0 winners in a shootout thanks to a Jeff Carter goal.

Islanders 4, Sharks 3 (SO)

Stars 3, Penguins 2

Capitals 6, Devils 2

Rangers 2, Hurricanes 1 (SO)

Canadiens 6, Bruins 4

Senators 5, Avalanche 3

Kings 1, Blues 0 (SO)

1. No lead is safe around Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. The Stars weren't anything special for 57 minutes on Thursday night, but their top-line duo only needed three minutes to stun the Penguins in the third period, tying the game late and then winning with 2.9 seconds to play on Seguin's power play goal, his fifth goal of the season.

2. Sometimes you need to be lucky, like when you score a potential butt goal off the goalie. Just ask Joel Ward, who netted his second goal of the year in Washington's 6-2 win over New Jersey, and it was easily the weirdest goal of the young season.

3. Milan Lucic didn't do anything to Dale Weise (mainly because Weise didn't play), but he still made a scene. And there is a good chance that his little gesture for the Montreal crowd could probably cost him a game or two.

It was a difficult night for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not only did they lose a 2-0 lead and lose to the Dallas Stars, but they also lost forward Pascal Dupuis during a strange sequence when he was knocked to the ice by an Alex Goligoski cross check, and was then struck by a puck. Dupuis had to leave the game on a stretcher. He apparently had some numbness in his arm but the feeling was starting to return. There was no other update at that moment.

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