The Washington Capitals overcame the Boston Bruins without star Alex Ovechkin in the NHL on Tuesday, while the Central Division got tighter.
A weakened Capitals side were led by centre Mathieu Perreault, who netted his first NHL hat-trick in their 5-3 victory against the Bruins.
Without the suspended Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, the Southeast Division-leading Capitals had their depth to thank for the win.
Perreault put them 4-3 ahead seven minutes 18 seconds into the final period, before Dennis Wideman sealed the game for the victors, who also had Cody Eakin net.
Meanwhile, only three points separates first and fourth in the Central Division after the Nashville Predators edged the Chicago Blackhawks 3-1.
Star goaltender Pekka Rinne made 24 saves as the Predators moved above the Blackhawks and into third, behind the Detroit Red Wings and St Louis Blues.
The Pittsburgh Penguins snatched their seventh consecutive victory with a 3-2 shootout defeat of the Blues.
The Minnesota Wild moved into eighth in the Western Conference after ending an 11-game winless streak on the road with a 3-2 victory over the Colorado Avalanche.
Kari Lehtonen (26 saves) helped the Dallas Stars end a five-game winless run as he ensured Alex Goligoski's first-period goal was enough for a 1-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.
Antti Niemi also starred, stopping 25 shots to shut out the Calgary Flames in the San Jose Sharks' 1-0 win, while the Philadelphia Flyers recorded a 3-2 shootout victory over the Florida Panthers.
Left wing Clarke MacArthur scored twice, including the winner, and had an assist as the Toronto Maple Leafs edged the New York Islanders 4-3 after overtime.
The Eastern Conference-leading New York Rangers eased past the Winnipeg Jets 3-0 thanks to Henrik Lundqvist's fifth shutout of the season, while Northwest Division leaders the Vancouver Canucks were forced into a tough 3-2 shootout win against the Edmonton Oilers.
In other matches, the Phoenix Coyotes battled past the Ottawa Senators 3-2, the Buffalo Sabres had a 2-1 shootout win over the New Jersey Devils and the Tampa Bay Lightning extended their winning streak to a season-high four with a 4-2 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets.