TORONTO - Eric Lindros had just received his Hockey Hall of Fame ring and was feeling particularly buoyant.

''Check it out!'' he said, raising his left hand and shiny new ring to show to the television camera. ''Check it out!''

Lindros' long Hall of Fame wait is over.

Passed over six times for entry into the shrine, the now 43-year-old will finally get his plaque, honored along with Rogie Vachon, Sergei Makarov and the late Pat Quinn.

''It's just an honor,'' Lindros said Friday. ''Look at the names on the plaques. Just being in here. Jeez, it's the cream of the crop. It's a real honor to be part of this.''

Living in the Toronto area with his wife and three kids, Lindros said he'd driven by the Hall numerous times and visited occasionally for charity events. But he'd yet to take a serious walk through the place. He will now, and what he'll see is his face right there among the greats.

For years after his career ended in 2007, the argument against Lindros entering the Hall was two-fold. For one, he played only 760 regular- season games in a career cut short from concussions. He also failed to win a Stanley Cup, swept in the 1997 final by the Detroit Red Wings while still a member of the Philadelphia Flyers.

When healthy he was a truly dominant force, a rare combination of size, skill, and power. He was the kind of player the game had never seen and probably hasn't since. Lindros finished with 372 goals and 865 points, tucked inside the top 20 in points per-game (1.14). He also was a six-time All-Star and won the Hart Trophy as league MVP as a 22-year-old in 1995 after posting 29 goals and 70 points in 46 games.

Lindros was the No. 1 overall pick of the Quebec Nordiques in 1991, but refused to play there. He was eventually dealt to the Flyers in a swap that included another future Hall of Famer, Peter Forsberg.

Lindros said he was well aware of the Hall of Fame's annual summer selection date for inductees, each year passing by without entry. Earlier this past summer he heard from a former New York Rangers staffer who wondered whether he'd heard anything yet from the Hall about the class of 2016.

''No,'' Lindros replied.

He did get the call from Hall chairman Lanny McDonald a short while later while driving north on Highway 11 in Ontario with his family.

''It truly is an honor,'' he said.

It also took a while for Vachon, Makarov, and Quinn to take their places in the Hall.

A three-time Cup-winning goalie with the Montreal Canadiens who later starred for Los Angeles, Vachon last played in the NHL in 1982. Makarov's last NHL game came with the San Jose Sharks in 1997. He enjoyed his best years in Russia, leading the Soviet league in scoring for nine seasons.

Quinn, who died two years ago, last coached in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers in 2010, one of his five stints as an NHL head coach. Perhaps his most notable hockey achievement came outside the league, guiding Canada's men's hockey team in 2002 to their first Olympic gold medal in 50 years.

When McDonald called Vachon to tell him was finally in this past summer, Vachon replied: ''I'm in what?''

''It doesn't get any better than this,'' Vachon said Friday.

The long wait was over for all.

''Take whatever path you want,'' Lindros said. ''We're here forever. All of us.''

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TORONTO - Eric Lindros had just received his Hockey Hall of Fame ring and was feeling particularly buoyant.

''Check it out!'' he said, raising his left hand and shiny new ring to show to the television camera. ''Check it out!''

Lindros' long Hall of Fame wait is over.

Passed over six times for entry into the shrine, the now 43-year-old will finally get his plaque, honored along with Rogie Vachon, Sergei Makarov and the late Pat Quinn.

''It's just an honor,'' Lindros said Friday. ''Look at the names on the plaques. Just being in here. Jeez, it's the cream of the crop. It's a real honor to be part of this.''

Living in the Toronto area with his wife and three kids, Lindros said he'd driven by the Hall numerous times and visited occasionally for charity events. But he'd yet to take a serious walk through the place. He will now, and what he'll see is his face right there among the greats.

For years after his career ended in 2007, the argument against Lindros entering the Hall was two-fold. For one, he played only 760 regular- season games in a career cut short from concussions. He also failed to win a Stanley Cup, swept in the 1997 final by the Detroit Red Wings while still a member of the Philadelphia Flyers.

When healthy he was a truly dominant force, a rare combination of size, skill, and power. He was the kind of player the game had never seen and probably hasn't since. Lindros finished with 372 goals and 865 points, tucked inside the top 20 in points per-game (1.14). He also was a six-time All-Star and won the Hart Trophy as league MVP as a 22-year-old in 1995 after posting 29 goals and 70 points in 46 games.

Lindros was the No. 1 overall pick of the Quebec Nordiques in 1991, but refused to play there. He was eventually dealt to the Flyers in a swap that included another future Hall of Famer, Peter Forsberg.

Lindros said he was well aware of the Hall of Fame's annual summer selection date for inductees, each year passing by without entry. Earlier this past summer he heard from a former New York Rangers staffer who wondered whether he'd heard anything yet from the Hall about the class of 2016.

''No,'' Lindros replied.

He did get the call from Hall chairman Lanny McDonald a short while later while driving north on Highway 11 in Ontario with his family.

''It truly is an honor,'' he said.

It also took a while for Vachon, Makarov, and Quinn to take their places in the Hall.

A three-time Cup-winning goalie with the Montreal Canadiens who later starred for Los Angeles, Vachon last played in the NHL in 1982. Makarov's last NHL game came with the San Jose Sharks in 1997. He enjoyed his best years in Russia, leading the Soviet league in scoring for nine seasons.

Quinn, who died two years ago, last coached in the NHL with the Edmonton Oilers in 2010, one of his five stints as an NHL head coach. Perhaps his most notable hockey achievement came outside the league, guiding Canada's men's hockey team in 2002 to their first Olympic gold medal in 50 years.

When McDonald called Vachon to tell him was finally in this past summer, Vachon replied: ''I'm in what?''

''It doesn't get any better than this,'' Vachon said Friday.

The long wait was over for all.

''Take whatever path you want,'' Lindros said. ''We're here forever. All of us.''

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NEW YORK - J.T. Miller, Jesper Fast, and Pavel Buchnevich scored 4:04 apart late in the second period to lead the New York Rangers over the Winnipeg Jets 5-2 on Sunday night for their fifth straight victory.

Kevin Hayes and Mats Zuccarello also scored, Kevin Klein and Brandon Pirri had two assists and Henrik Lundqvist stopped 24 shots as New York won for the eighth time in nine games. The Rangers, who lead the NHL with 55 goals and 4.23 per game, have scored at least five in each game of their winning streak.

Patrik Laine and Mark Scheifele scored for Winnipeg, which has lost four of its last five (1-3-1). Connor Hellebuyck started and gave up four goals on 16 shots before he was replaced late in the second period by Michael Hutchinson, who finished with one save.

After a scoreless first half of the second period in which Winnipeg had a 4-1 advantage on shots, the Rangers outscored the Jets 4-1 over the final 10 minutes.

Zuccarello took a pass from Chris Kreider and fired a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle past Hellebuyck for his sixth to put the Rangers up 2-1 just past the midpoint of the period.

Scheifele tied it two minutes later as he pounced on a puck sitting in front of an open net after a shot by Paul Postma was stopped by Lundqvist. It was Scheifele's seventh of the season.

Miller skated up along the right side and fired a wrist shot over Hellebuyck's right shoulder for his fifth, putting the Rangers up 3-2 with 6:59 remaining.

Fast gave New York a two-goal lead with 3:36 left as he tipped a point shot by Klein from the right faceoff circle for his second goal. That chased Hellebuyck and brought on Hutchinson.

Buchnevich made it 5-2 just 41 seconds later as he skated in from the right side, slid the puck from his backhand across to the left side as he crossed in front of Hutchinson and fired it over the sprawled goalie. It was Buchnevich's second of the season and second in two games.

The Jets controlled play in the scoreless third period, outshooting the Rangers 9-1, but couldn't get anything past Lundqvist.

Hayes got the Rangers off to a fast start with his sixth of the season 2:12 into the game. Skating with an extra attacker on a delayed penalty, Klein sent a pass across to Hayes at the right point, and Hayes fired a slap shot from inside the blue line past Hellebuyck. That gave Hayes a goal in four straight games.

Laine tied it with 9:15 left in the first, tipping a point shot by Ben Chiarot for the 18-year-old rookie's eighth of the season. It came on Winnipeg's fifth shot of the game.

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DETROIT - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored a go-ahead goal late in the second period on an assist from Connor McDavid, giving the Edmonton Oilers a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday.

Edmonton's Jonas Gustavsson made 22 saves and Tyler Pitlick scored a tying goal for the Oilers late in the first period.

The Pacific Division-leading Oilers have won two straight, playing their first set of back-to-back games this season, after losing three in a row.

Justin Abdelkader put the Red Wings up 1-0 midway through the first period on a power play, and Jimmy Howard made 26 saves.

Detroit has lost five straight after winning six consecutive games.

McDavid made the go-ahead goal happen, starting with a faceoff he won in the left circle. After the draw, the 19-year-old center skated toward the net before finding a spot on the bottom of the right circle. McDavid got the puck back, drew three Detroit players, and threaded a pass between two of them to Nugent-Hopkins on the inside of the left circle, where he shot into an empty net.

Detroit became the first team to score with an extra skater at home against the Oilers, who rank among NHL leaders in penalty killing, when Abdelkader scored 8:53 into the game.

The Red Wings pulled Howard with a minute left and a faceoff in the Edmonton end, but they couldn't score to send the game to overtime.

NOTES: Gustavsson, a former Red Wing, played in just his second game this season to give Cam Talbot a break. ... Detroit F Thomas Vanek missed his sixth game with a lower body injury.

UP NEXT

Oilers: Edmonton plays at Pittsburgh on Tuesday night.

Red Wings: Detroit plays at Philadelphia on Tuesday night.

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MONTREAL - Tomas Plekanec scored a short-handed goal in the third period to lift the Montreal Canadiens to a 5-4 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.

Andrei Markov, Greg Pateryn, Alex Galchenyuk and Phillip Danault also scored for Montreal (10-1-1) while Carey Price stopped 34-of-38 shots.

Chris VandeVelde, Shayne Gostisbehere, Claude Giroux and Travis Konecny scored for Philadelphia (6-6-1), which saw its three-game winning streak snapped. Michal Neuvirth made 12 saves in defeat.

Plekanec scored the eventual winner at 10:57 while the Habs were playing down a man. Streaking down the wing, Plekanec beat Neuvirth for his first goal of the season.

Saturday's contest was the second game of a back-to-back for Montreal. The Habs were coming off a 10-0 drubbing at the hands of the Blue Jackets on Friday - the first time Montreal conceded 10 goals since Dec. 2, 1995.

Canadiens coach Michel Therrien played around with his lines on Saturday, most notably putting Artturi Lehkonen on the first line with Galchenyuk and Alexander Radulov.

But it was Montreal's defensemen who provided the offense to start the game.

Markov made it 1-0 just 1:06 into the game, jumping on a giveaway by Sean Couturier and firing home his first of the year. Neuvirth got his glove on Markov's slap shot, but not enough of it as the puck trickled in.

After VandeVelde and Gostisbehere got two goals in quick succession for the visitors, Pateryn made it 2-2 for Montreal at 9:09 of the first. The young defenseman just threw the puck on net, and a screened Neuvirth saw absolutely nothing until it was already too late.

Galchenyuk put the Canadiens ahead late in the second period, scoring at 18:38 on Montreal's third shot of the middle frame. The first-line centre, all alone at the side of Neuvirth's goal, took a cross-ice pass from Radulov through traffic and scored into a gaping net for his fourth goal of the season.

Galchenyuk now has six points in his last five games.

After Danault made it 4-2, Giroux made things interesting in the third period, scoring on the power play. But Plekanec scored his short-handed goal on the same four-minute minor to Andrew Shaw.

Konecny got the Flyers back to within one goal at 16:16, but that's as close as the visitors would come.

NOTES: Montreal is 9-0-0 when scoring first this year. ... The Canadiens remain perfect at home this season 7-0-0. ... The Habs are 6-0-0 at home against the Flyers in their last six games. ... This was the second of three meetings between Philadelphia and Montreal this season.

UP NEXT:

Flyers: Hosts Red Wings on Tuesday.

Canadiens: Hosts Bruins on Tuesday.

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BOSTON - Derek Stepan and Kevin Hayes each scored short-handed goals, Antti Raanta made 35 saves and the surging New York Rangers beat the Boston Bruins 5-2 on Saturday night.

Pavel Buchnevich added a power-play goal, Stepan had two assists, and Michael Grabner and Nick Holden also scored for New York, which won its fourth straight game and seventh in the last eight.

David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron scored for the Bruins, who had won their last three games. Tuukka Rask made 19 saves, but lost for the first time after winning his first six starts.

New York took a 2-1 lead on Stepan's goal late in the first period as he broke in alone after taking a pass from Grabner. Rask poked the puck off his stick, but it caromed off both of the winger's skates and slid into the net.

Hayes scored on the end of a 3-on-1 break at 2:18 of the second to make it 3-1.

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CHICAGO - Marian Hossa raced up the ice and headed to the net. Fedor Tyutin jabbed at him with his stick, but it was too late. Hossa shook him off and flicked the puck over Semyon Varlamov's glove.

It was vintage Hossa.

While the NHL playoffs raged into June, the 37-year-old Hossa found his legs again. The physical winger is off to a solid start for the Chicago Blackhawks, flashing the form that made him one of the league's best two-way players for most of his distinguished career.

''So far, I feel pretty good, skating-wise, and also had lots of puck on my stick,'' Hossa said. ''So when you play with the puck you get more comfort level and you are making things happen.''

Like Thursday night, when Hossa played a key role in Chicago's 4-0 win over Colorado. First, he got free for a breakaway and held off Tyutin on the way to his fourth goal of the season at 15:03 of the first.

Hossa scored again 55 seconds into the third , taking a stretch pass from defenseman Duncan Keith and shooting over Varlamov's glove for his fourth goal in his last four games.

''He's skating well,'' coach Joel Quenneville said. ''He's never really looked like he's slowing down at any time. The finish around the net was nice to see, two outstanding shots.''

Hossa, who signed a 12-year, $62.8 million contract in July 2009, helped the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015. But the years of long playoff runs and Olympic play took a toll.

He had just 13 goals and 20 assists in 64 games last season, and Chicago was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

''Definitely longer summer helps after such a long time,'' Hossa said. ''I think the body needed a little rest.''

His resurgence has helped Chicago to four straight wins and seven of nine overall, masking some issues with puck possession and turnovers. The Blackhawks face a difficult test this weekend when they take on Dallas in a home-and-home set.

Hossa has five goals and four assists in 10 games. He didn't score his fifth goal last season until his 24th game.

''You know sometimes when the puck goes in early for you you're more relaxed,'' he said. ''You don't force things, and I think right now that's what's happening.''

Hossa also has found a home on Chicago's second line, playing alongside center Artem Anisimov and Calder Trophy winner Artemi Panarin. Anisimov, Panarin and Patrick Kane formed one of the NHL's most potent lines last season, but Kane is playing alongside captain Jonathan Toews in the top group at the moment as Quenneville searches for balance in his lineup.

Panarin set up Hossa's first goal against the Avalanche.

''Playing with two really good players, you know, try to find an open area and those guys can find you,'' Hossa said. ''I think things are clicking, just need to keep working on it.''

Hossa's first multigoal game since Jan. 10, also against Colorado, ran his goal total to 504, passing Peter Bondra for the highest total for a Slovakian-born player. Hossa is 41st on the NHL's career list, just three back of Hall of Fame center Jean Beliveau.

''He's got some offensive numbers that really are great to look at,'' Quenneville said after Hossa scored his 500th goal, which occurred last month against Philadelphia. ''The best part of his game is the consistency of being a pro, night in and night out, being responsible on both sides of the puck, plays hard every single game and night. It's a good example for our young guys learning how to play the right way.''

---

Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap

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DALLAS - Tyler Seguin assisted on Dallas' first four goals to help the Stars beat the St. Louis Blues 6-2 on Thursday night.

Seguin's four assists tied his career high. He had scored three of Dallas' six goals in the previous five games.

John Klingberg had two goals for the Stars, including an empty-netter. Patrick Eaves, Stephen Johns, Jason Spezza and Jordie Benn also scored for Dallas. Jamie Benn had three assists.

Paul Stastny and captain Alex Pietrangelo scored for St. Louis.

Stars goalie Antti Niemi made 28 saves. Jake Allen had 21 for the Blues.

Eaves broke a scoreless tie at 6:35 of the second period. St. Louis tied it on Stastny's goal at 11:26, but Dallas took a 2-1 lead 31 seconds later on Klingberg's first of the season.

Pietrangelo scored at 10:27 of the third. He and Stastny each had a goal and an assist.

In the first period, each team had eight shots on goal. Four of St. Louis' shots came in less than 2 minutes, beginning with Carl Gunnarsson's attempt at 12:34.

The Blues killed the only penalty in the first, against Alexander Steen for hooking at 3:31.

In the second period, Dallas scored when Eaves skated in front of the net as Seguin arrived from the right faceoff circle. Eaves deflected the puck off his body and over Allen.

St. Louis scored its first goal when the puck went off Spezza in front to Stastny, who beat Niemi from short range.

Seguin set up Benn for a scoring chance, but Allen stopped his shot. Benn gathered in the puck and passed out to Klingberg at the right faceoff dot. His shot went past Allen into the upper left corner.

NOTES: It was the first regular-season game between the teams since St. Louis beat the Stars 6-1 in the deciding seventh game of a Western Conference semifinal playoff series last season. Play between the Central Division rivals became chippy, with two fights in the second period and coincidental minor penalties for roughing in the third. . The Blues had scored only three goals in their previous four games. St. Louis entered the game ranked 16th in the NHL in shots on goal per game, but 28th in goals per game. Seguin's previous four-assist game was on Oct. 18, 2014, against Philadelphia. He has seven points (three goals, four assists) in the last five games.

UP NEXT:

Blues: St. Louis will return home to face Columbus on Saturday.

Stars: They'll end a two-game homestand Saturday vs. Chicago.

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NEW YORK - Claude Giroux scored the only goal in the shootout to lift the Philadelphia Flyers to a 3-2 win over the New York Islanders on Thursday night.

Travis Konecny and Jakub Voracek also scored for the Flyers, who improved to 6-5-1 with their third straight victory.

Dennis Seidenberg and John Tavares had goals for the Islanders and Jaroslav Halak stopped 40 of 42 shots.

Despite both teams struggling to stop their opponents, neither scored in the first period. Philadelphia outshot New York 14-8 in the period and 42-27 for the game.

Michal Neuvirth made 25 saves for the Flyers.

Konecny got the Flyers on the board in the second period. He corralled a stretch pass from Radko Gudas and fired a shot that Halak stopped, but the goalie wasn't able to control the rebound and Philadelphia's rookie center put in his second goal of the season.

It also marked only the fourth time this season that Philadelphia scored the first goal and was also the Flyers' league-leading 21st second period goal.

The lead lasted for all of 8:20, as Tavares tapped in a power-play goal with 29 seconds left in the period. The goal was Tavares' fifth overall and his second on the power play.

The Islanders went ahead 2-1 on Seidenberg's goal with 7:05 left. It was his fourth of the season. Voracek tied it with less than a minute left when he put in his seventh goal of the season.

New York dropped to 4-6-1 with its fourth loss in five games.

NOTES: Prior to the game, the Flyers announced D Andrew MacDonald would miss a week with a lower body injury. He was replaced in the lineup by Nick Schultz. The team also noted C Boyd Gordon was placed on the injured reserve. Left winger Michael Raffl was activated in the corresponding roster move, and skated on a line with C Giroux and RW Wayne Simmonds. ... RW Dale Weise was scratched. ... New York scratched G Jean-Francois Berube, LW Anthony Beauvillier and C Matthew Barzal. ... The game was the first of four regular season meetings between the longtime rivals. The Flyers and Islanders are scheduled to play Jan. 22 in New York, Feb. 9 in Philadelphia and Mar. 30 in Philadelphia.

UP NEXT:

FLYERS: Play at Montreal Saturday.

ISLANDERS: Play Edmonton Saturday.

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SUNRISE, Fla. - Vincent Trocheck scored two goals, including the game-winner in overtime, to lift the Florida Panthers to a 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Thursday night.

Trocheck poked in a rebound past Cory Schneider with 43.4 seconds left in overtime.

Denis Malgin and Aaron Ekblad also scored for the Panthers and James Reimer made 33 saves. Reimer started in place of Roberto Luongo, who has lost his last three starts.

Pavel Zacha, PA Parenteau and Travis Zajac scored for the Devils and Schneider stopped 25 shots.

Zacha tied the score 3-all with 3:55 left in the third period. Zacha's shot from the slot beat Reimer for his first NHL goal.

The teams traded goals 20 seconds apart early in the third.

Trocheck extended the Panthers lead to 3-1 when he took a nice feed from Jaromir Jagr in the right circle and one-timed the puck past Schneider at 4:29.

The Devils answered when Parenteau took a pass from John Moore in the right circle and beat Reimer to cut the deficit to 3-2.

The Devils closed to 2-1 on a power-play goal by Zajac, whose shot was blocked but deflected off the skate of Panthers defenseman Alex Petrovic and into the net with 1:56 left in the second.

After going 0 for 7 on the power play in Tuesday's 2-1 loss to Boston, the Panthers converted on their first two opportunities.

The Panthers took a 1-0 lead on a power-play goal by Ekblad. Keith Yandle passed from the slot to Ekblad high in the left circle. Ekblad's one-timer got by Schneider with 7:02 left in the first.

Florida stretched its lead to 2-0 on Malgin's power-play goal at 6:44 of the second. Malgin's shot from low in the right circle went past Schneider's glove. The 19-year-old recorded his first NHL goal on Tuesday against Boston.

Notes: Florida's Jagr played in his 1,640th NHL game, passing Dave Andreychuk and moving into sixth all-time on the league list. Next up: No. 5 Chris Chelios (1,651) and No. 4 Mark Recchi (1,652). The earliest Jagr could pass Gordie Howe (1,767) for the NHL record would be in the second half of the 2017-18 season. . Panthers coach Gerard Gallant said C Nick Bjugstad (hand) and LW Jussi Jokinen (lower body) could be back with the team as early as next week. .The Devils played their first game since a 3-1 victory at Tampa Bay on Saturday. . Devils C Reid Boucher and C Jacob Josefson were scratched.

UP NEXT

Devils: Visit Tampa Bay on Saturday

Panthers: Visit Washington on Saturday

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