Florida Panthers go top, Dallas Stars win again

The Florida Panthers moved into first in the Atlantic Division after securing their sixth successive win in a 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.

Aleksander Barkov scored twice, each thanks to an assist from Jonathan Huberdeau, with the Panthers sealing their longest winning streak since 2008.

The win puts them in first place in the Atlantic Division - one point ahead of the Detriot Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens, with the latter having lost 10 of their last 11 games.

The Panthers have only qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs once since 2000 but are in good stead heading into the new year.

The Dallas Stars kept up their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference with a comfortable 3-0 win over the St. Louis Blues.

Patrick Sharp scored a birthday goal to give the Stars the lead, before Jamie Benn and Cody Eakin sealed the win with goals in the third period, extending their home record to 15-4-0.

Meanwhile, Ryan Getzlaf scored his 700th NHL point as the Anaheim Ducks accounted for the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2.

Brent Seabrook suffered a loss in his 800th career game, with the Chicago Blackhawks going down to the Carolina Hurricanes 2-1.

In other results, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the New York Islanders 3-1, the Arizona Coyotes needed overtime to seal a 2-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche, while the Calgary Flames picked up a 5-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers.