Blackhawks move to NHL top

The Chicago Blackhawks jumped to the top of the NHL with a comfortable 3-1 win over the Florida Panthers.

Despite the start of the match being delayed by snow, the Blackhawks had no trouble notching their third win in a row - and 29th of the season - thanks to a strong finish to the first period in which they set up their victory.

First, Jonathan Toews scored with less than three minutes remaining in the quarter before Duncan Keith bagged a powerplay goal in the dying seconds.

That gave the Blackhawks a handy advantage in the early stages and they moved further clear when Patrick Kane ended a seven-game goal drought to score midway through the second period.

Jason Garrison gave the Panthers a flicker of hope with his goal just 43 seconds into the third period but Chicago held firm to win, putting them one point clear of Detroit in the league standings.

Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins recovered from a 4-2 deficit to earn a 5-4 shootout victory against the Montreal Canadiens for their fifth straight win.

Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin scored with less than three minutes remaining of normal time to force a shootout before he was the only player to find the net during the shootout.

The Carolina Hurricanes cruised to a 3-0 win over Southeast Division leaders the Washington Capitals as Cam Ward secured his 18th shutout of his career.

And the Tampa Bay Lightning won their first match on the road in seven attempts as they beat the Dallas Stars 2-1 thanks to Teddy Purcell's double.