NHL Recap 12-28-09: Wild mimic Leafs; 'Canes win, 'Canes win

Abbreviated version. Think I'm getting sick.

Let's be like Toronto
Words never before spoken this season.

The Minnesota Wild must've watched the Toronto-Pittsburgh game and took some lessons, because they ended their game in similar fashion. After Scott Parse tied the score at 3-3 with 2:37 left, Eric Belanger needed just 12 seconds to silence the crowd by scoring his second of the night, and Minnesota hung on for a 4-3 win over Los Angeles.

Belanger added an assist, and Martin Havlat and Kim Johnsson also had goals for Minnesota, which never trailed. Niklas Backstrom made 29 saves.

Drew Doughty netted his ninth of the season for LA, a goal that probably shouldn't have counted, and Jack Johnson also scored for the Kings.

Making them count
The Carolina Hurricanes haven't done much on the road this season. But it's newsworthy when they do.

Carolina earned just its second road win of the season in impressive fashion, doubling up Washington, 6-3, behind a five-point night from Eric Staal. The Hurricanes' only other win away from Raleigh was at Pittsburgh.

Staal scored twice, once into an empty net to seal the game, and set up first-period goals by Tuomo Ruutu and Jussi Jokinen as Carolina opened a 3-0 lead. Jokinen also had two assists.

Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green had a goal and assist each for the Capitals.

Stars of the night
--Zach Parise broke out of a long goal scoring drought by netting a pair, including the winner, and New Jersey reclaimed first in the East with a 3-2 win over Atlanta. Ilya Kovalchuk scored his 23rd for Atlanta. Parise hadn't scored in 12 games.
--Speaking of droughts, Columbus ended a nine-game winless streak, which tied the franchise record, in surprising fashion, as Steve Mason mustered a good effort for once, blanking Detroit, 1-0 in overtime. Fredrik Modin scored the winner and Mason made 34 saves.
--Pascal Leclaire made 29 saves and Ottawa erased a 2-0 deficit by scoring the game's final four goals to defeat Montreal, 4-2. Benoit Pouliot scored the 20,001st franchise goal for the Habs. Mike Cammalleri had the preceding one.
--Mike Smith made 31 saves, Martin St. Louis scored in the second period and Tampa Bay hung on to knock off Boston, 2-1.
--Rene Bourque netted his second career hat trick - once even-strength, one on the power play and the last shorthanded - and Miikka Kiprusoff made 34 saves as Calgary rebounded for a 4-1 win over Edmonton.
--Evgeni Nabokov stopped 31 shots and three more in a shootout and the Sharks bested Phoenix, 3-2.