Sunday Hockey

One week until the All-Star Game at Raleigh, and there are five games on today. Please note that there is no hockey from Thursday-Monday, the 27-31st except for the All-Star Game. Also, on Friday, there will be coverage of the All-Star Fantasy draft between team Staal and team Lidstrom. I will post the teams up as they become available, and I can find them. As for the action today...

The Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Philadelphia Flyers in the one and only Stanley Cup rematch for this season. Sergei Bobrovsky and Corey Crawford were sent out for netminding duties. Jeff Carter put Philadelphia on the board first with his 21st of the season in the second period with help from Claude Giroux and Nikolay Zherdev. Zherdev made it 2-0 in the third period with his 15th of the year, assisted on by Giroux. Carter extended the Flyers lead to 3-0 with his second of the afternoon and 22nd of the season, with Giroux completing his sock trick with the lone assist. Chicago finally got on the board when Marian Hossa converted a penalty shot after Braydon Coburn fell on the puck, which was his eleventh of the year. Scott Hartnell secured a victory of 4-1 for the Flyers over the Blackhawks with his 17th of the season going into the empty net courtesy of Carter and the four-helper man Giroux. Picking up the three stars were Carter, Hossa, and Bobrovsky (30 for 31 saves).

Next up during the afternoon was the New Jersey Devils hosting the Florida Panthers. Scott Clemmensen faced off against the goalie he used to be backup to, Martin Brodeur. Ilya Kovalchuk put New Jersey up first with his 14th of the season, getting help from Adam Greene and Travis Zajac. With two seconds left in the first period, the Devils snagged a 2-0 lead with a Jason Arnott marker, his eleventh of the year made possible by Adam Mair and Mark Fayne. Jacob Markstrom came on to relieve Clemmensen in the second period. Florida visited the scoresheet with Shawn Matthias sinking his sixth of the season, with helpers provided by Cory Stillman and Steve Bernier. New Jersey made it 3-1 on the power play with Brian Rolston netting his fifth of the year in the net, thanks to Kovalchuk and Mattias Tedenby. Patrik Elias extended the Devils lead once again with his 13th of the season, a power play goal from Rolston and Kovalchuk. The Panthers came back with a Marty Reasoner goal in the third period to make it 4-2, with Radek Dvorak and Stillman assisting on Reasoner's tenth of the year. New Jersey would finish the game up 5-2 after the 12th of the season and second of the afternoon by Arnott, with help from Rod Pelley and Henrik Tallinder for the empty net goal. Kovalchuk, Rolston, and Elias earned the three stars.

A short travel to New York for the other noon game, Pacific time. The Islanders host the Buffalo Sabres, with Ryan Miller and Rick DiPietro guarding the cages. Paul Gaustad got Buffalo on the board just fifteen seconds in with his fifth of the season, assisted by Rob Niedermayer (as opposed to Neidermayer) and Mike Grier. New York answered with Matt Moulson putting his 16th of the year in the mesh, with help from John Tavares on the power play. The Sabres took the lead back with Tyler Ennis potting his 12th of the season, courtesy of Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville. The Islanders tied the game back up with another Moulson tally, his second of the game and 17th of the year, receiving help from P.A. Parenteau and Tavares. Buffalo took the lead once more, this time with Nathan Gerbe notching his sixth of the season, with help from Ennis and Tyler Myers on the power play. The Sabres make it 4-2 with Myers nailing his sixth of the year, courtesy of Gerbe and Paul Byron. Jack Hillen gets New York going later in the third period with his Michael Grabner and Frans Nielsen assisted third of the year. Pominville finalized the game at 5-3 with his empty net goal for his eleventh of the season, with helpers by Steve Montador and Jordan Leopold. The three stars were awarded to Ennis, Moulson, and Miller (31 for 34 saves).

Later in the afternoon, the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Dwayne Roloson went in between the pipes. Tampa Bay struck first in the second period with Nate Thompson's seventh of the season, a shorthanded and unassisted goal. Dana Tyrell made it 2-0 Lightning with his fifth of the year, coming from Dominic Moore and Pavel Kubina. Steven Stamkos added on for Tampa Bay with his 38th of the season, with helpers by Martin St. Louis and Mike Lundin. Peter Mannino relieved Ondrej Pavelec after these three goals. The Lightning continued to pour it on, this time with St. Louis notching his 20th of the year, with help by Steve Downie. Simon Gagne kept Tampa Bay going with his seventh of the season, with assists coming from Vincent Lecavalier and Teddy Purcell. The Lightning had no trouble scoring in the third period either, led off by Kubina and his third of the year, from Purcell. Gagne made it 7-0 with his second of the game and seventh of the season, a power play goal from Lecavalier and Purcell again, with Purcell securing a sock trick. Atlanta finally got on the board when Rich Peverley put away his 13th of the year, with help from Niclas Bergfors. This was the final, with Gagne, Purcell, and Kubina getting the three stars.

Lastly, the Edmonton Oilers host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Devan Dubnyk are in place to see rubber. Nashville strikes first with an Alexander Sulzer goal, his first of the season coming from Sergei Kostitsyn and Cory Franson. Edmonton answered in the third period with Andrew Cogliano netting his seventh of the year, helped along by Liam Reddox and Theo Peckham. Joel Ward gave the Predators the lead back on his sixth of the season, getting help from Sulzer and Franson on the power play. The Oilers tied the game again with Taylor Hall putting his 15th of the year in the twine, thanks to Dustin Penner and Jim Vandermeer. Nashville would go on to topple Edmonton 3-2 in the shootout on the back of a Franson conversion, with the three stars given out to Ward, Hall, and Sulzer.

That's all for the hockey world. Monday will bring Song of the Week, Fantasy Hockey All-Stars, and Championship round recaps.