The high-flying Columbus Blue Jackets have entered uncharted territory in their best-ever season.

Thanks to Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Metropolitan-leading Washington Capitals, the Blue Jackets have now lost three in a row for the first time all season.

With Columbus already locked into a top-three seed in the stacked Metro, the ramifications of the mini-skid aren't-season altering, but considering last year's Blue Jackets - who finished the season in 27th place - had eight losing streaks of three games or more, it truly shines a light on how consistent John Tortorella's group has been in 2016-17.

Columbus' next opportunity to snap the slump comes Tuesday in a pivotal contest against Pittsburgh, which trails the Blue Jackets by just a single point in the standings.

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Perhaps setting a franchise record can aid Devan Dubnyk in his quest to get back on track.

The struggling Minnesota Wild netminder made 30 saves Sunday versus the Colorado Avalanche to secure his 38th victory of the season, the highest single-season wins total for any goalie in franchise history.

Dubnyk set the record despite enduring a miserable March, during which the Wild limped to a 4-10-2 record while falling out of contention in the race for the Central Division crown.

On the season, Dubnyk is 38-19-5 with a 2.23 goals against average and .924 save percentage. A return to his early-season form will be imperative to Minnesota's success come the postseason.

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When the Washington Capitals managed to snag the prize of the 2017 trade deadline, Kevin Shattenkirk, it was pretty clear the result was going to be increased offensive dominance - a frightening prospect given the Capitals were already one of the top offensive clubs in the game.

But there are never any guarantees when adding a new name to a roster - especially on the blue line, where a change in address usually brings a significant change in approach as well, as each team utilizes an array of varied defensive schemes.

Now, 15 games into Shattenkirk's tenure in Washington, it's clear the move has paid off.

Since joining the likes of Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, Shattenkirk has posted 12 assists through 15 games. He's been particularly hot as of late, registering eight points over his past seven appearances.

And while he's certainly benefiting from suiting up alongside Washington's elite scorers, Shattenkirk is doing his part as well. Nine of those assists have been primary helpers, with only three secondary assists - where Shattenkirk might have had less impact - rounding out the total.

It may be a small sample size, but that sample is all the more important given the time of year. With the postseason just a handful of games away, and with Washington once again facing Stanley Cup-or-bust pressure, the fact that Shattenkirk has fit in seamlessly is key.

He's actually done more than just fit in, however, as the veteran rearguard is registering points at a career-high clip. His 0.79 points per game has matched his career-best scoring pace from 2014-15.

Whether he could sustain that pace over a full season in Washington is irrelevant at the moment. All that matters now - with his club loading up for a shot at redemption - is that Shattenkirk is rolling. And if he can keep it going once the schedule transitions from regular season to post, then the ever-dangerous Capitals will be all the more lethal as they begin their march.

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This is the last thing the struggling San Jose Sharks wanted to see.

Joe Thornton needed to be helped to the dressing room and was clearly in distress after sustaining an apparent left leg injury in the first period Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks.

There are early concerns that his knee took the brunt of the collision. Thornton missed the second period and the Sharks announced after 40 minutes that he wouldn't return.

Thornton's started each of San Jose's 79 games this season, and his remarkable durability into his late thirties is something that isn't talked about enough. Since 2006-07, he's missed only nine regular-season games.

While it's been an offensively down season for Thornton, the Sharks will certainly trade his 0.64 points per game - his lowest since 1998-99, when he was 19 - for another deep playoff run, and ideally two more wins this time around. But make no mistake, for the Sharks to win 16 games and the Stanley Cup, they're going to need "Jumbo Joe" every bit of the way.

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That's one way to reach a milestone.

Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Justin Faulk netted his 17th goal of the season Sunday - marking a new career high for the 25-year-old - but it's safe to say the tally didn't come as he thought it would.

Faulk's career-best tally came by way of a fortuitous bounce at the expense of the Pittsburgh Penguins, as the smooth-skating rearguard fired a slapper from the point and watched it hit the end boards, bounce high towards Matt Murray, and roll in off the netminder's back.

Faulk's 17 goals are the most ever scored by a Hurricanes defender. He tied the all-time mark with 16 last season, putting him level with Anton Babchuck's 2008-09 total.

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Jayson Megna will be with the Vancouver Canucks next season.

The club announced a one-year, one-way contract extension with the 27-year-old Sunday worth $675,000.

Megna signed with Vancouver in July and has four goals and eight points in 53 games, averaging 12:26 in ice time.

(Courtesy: Own the Puck HERO Charts)

In 107 career NHL games with Pittsburgh, New York, and Vancouver, Megna has 10 goals and 10 assists.

"Jayson is a strong skater who has added depth to our forward group," general manager Jim Benning said. "We value his character and professionalism and are pleased to re-sign him for another year."

The rebuilding Canucks rank 27th in the league in points, and they'll need bodies next season. That's likely where Megna comes into play.

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New Jersey Devils defenseman Dalton Prout has a hearing Monday afternoon after a questionable hit Saturday on Philadelphia Flyers defender Radko Gudas, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Sunday.

Prout got five minutes and a game misconduct for interference after he drilled Gudas, who moments earlier had clocked Prout's teammate John Quenneville with a hit just inside the Flyers' blue line.

It was a very chippy affair - a 3-0 Flyers final - between the rivals, who will face each other again Tuesday in Newark.

Gudas is out of the Flyers' lineup Sunday, with Philly in Manhattan, looking to keep its slim postseason hopes alive against the New York Rangers. The Flyers haven't disclosed the nature of his injury.

Prout was suspended one game last March for a sucker punch on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, so the league's got his contact information.

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New Jersey Devils defenseman Dalton Prout has a hearing Monday afternoon after a questionable hit Saturday on Philadelphia Flyers defender Radko Gudas, the NHL's Department of Player Safety announced Sunday.

Prout got five minutes and a game misconduct for interference after he drilled Gudas, who moments earlier had clocked Prout's teammate John Quenneville with a hit just inside the Flyers' blue line.

It was a very chippy affair - a 3-0 Flyers final - between the rivals, who will face each other again Tuesday in Newark.

Gudas is out of the Flyers' lineup Sunday, with Philly in Manhattan, looking to keep its slim postseason hopes alive against the New York Rangers. The Flyers haven't disclosed the nature of his injury.

Prout was suspended one game last March for a sucker punch on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, so the league's got his contact information.

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Is there anyone on the Tampa Bay Lightning roster whose hands aren't made of silk?

Take rookie Adam Erne off that potential list, as the 21-year-old showed off his tremendous handles Sunday, cutting into the Dallas Stars' zone and going right-to-left on netminder Kari Lehtonen en route to his second career goal.

The effort marked just the second point of Erne's career, as he appeared in his 22nd NHL tilt.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. - Anders Lee scored third-period goals a little more than five minutes apart, and the New York Islanders overcame the absence of captain John Tavares to stay in the playoff hunt with a 4-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.

Cal Clutterbuck and Joshua Ho-Sang also scored and Jaroslav Halak stopped 35 shots to improve to 3-1 since being recalled from the minors.

With four games left, New York earned its 86th point to inch within five of Ottawa and Toronto, and remain six behind Boston in the race for the Eastern Conference's final three playoff berths.

It was the Islanders' first game since Tavares was sidelined by a left hamstring injury in a 2-1 win over New Jersey on Friday.

He's listed week to week and, before the game, coach Doug Weight said there is no chance Tavares will play before New York closes the season against Ottawa on April 9.

Evander Kane, with his team-leading 27th goal, and Zemgus Girgensons scored for Buffalo in a game the Sabres never led. Robin Lehner stopped 22 shots.

Both of Lee's goals were unassisted, and came off Sabres turnovers.

With the score tied at 2, Lee put the Islanders ahead for good with 10:41 remaining.

Lehner inadvertently began the play by casually swatting a shot directed at the Buffalo goal. The puck bounced into the high slot, where Lee snapped a shot, beating Lehner under the left arm.

Lee scored again with 5:27 left after Sabres defenseman Jake McCabe misplayed a puck to the left of his own net. The puck squirted into the lower left circle, from where Lee backhanded a shot in for his team-leading 31st goal.

The Islanders continued their dominance over Buffalo by improving to 8-1-5 in their past 14 against the Sabres.

The Sabres tied the game at 2 on Girgenson's goal 5:17 into the third period. By gaining the Islanders blue line, Girgensons dished off to Matt Moulson and then broke to the net where he deflected in Moulson's return pass.

The Sabres came out flat, resembling a team coming off a four-day break. Buffalo managed just three shots first 17 minutes and six overall through the opening period and gave up the opening goal to Clutterbuck 9:31 into the game.

The Sabres found their legs in the second period, during which they outshot the Islanders 9-0 at one point when Kane tied to convert a two-on-one break midway through the second period.

Kane was set up by C.J. Smith, who was making his NHL debut three days after forgoing his senior season at UMass-Lowell by signing a two-year contract with Buffalo.

It took 56 seconds after Buffalo tied the score on Kane's goal 10:08 into the second period for the Islanders to regain the lead.

New York defensive Dennis Seidenberg forced Jack Eichel to commit a turnover along the left boards of the Islanders zone, and sprung Ho-Sang on a breakaway.

Driving directly at the net, Ho-Sang faked left and then put on the breaks before slipping a shot inside the right post.

NOTES: Sabres D Rasmus Ristolainen returned after serving a three-game suspension for a blindside hit that led to Pittsburgh forward Jake Guentzel sustaining a concussion. ... Islanders C Connor Jones made his NHL debut a day after being called up from AHL Bridgeport. ... Sabres RW Kyle Okposo missed his second game due to illness and has already been ruled out from playing against Toronto on Monday.

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