2/15 Hockey

Tonight, there are seven games being played. However, before we dive in, the Toronto Maple Leafs have traded Kris Versteeg to the Philadelphia Flyers for their 1st and 3rd round picks in the next draft. As for the Maple Leafs...

They were hosted by Boston tonight. The goalies are James Reimer and Tim Thomas. Boston struck first, with Daniel Paille registering his second of the season, with help from Mark Stuart and Gregory Campbell. Toronto tied the game with Phil Kessel potting his 20th of the year on the power play with the help of Dion Phaneuf, and the newest Leaf, Joffery Lupul. The Maple Leafs went up 2-1 with Mikhail Grabovski scoring his 23rd of the season, thanks to Mike Komisarek and Carl Gunnarsson. Campbell retied the game for the Bruins with a power play goal of his own, his eighth of the year going in via Brad Marchand and Michael Ryder. Boston took a 3-2 lead with Patrice Bergeron sinking his 20th of the season, courtesy of Adam McQuaid and Mark Recchi. Kessel replied with his second of the game and 21st of the campaign, another power play goal gaining steam from Lupul and Tomas Kaberle. The Maple Leafs took a 4-3 lead on Grabovski's second of the game and 24th of the year, helped along by Clarke MacArthur and Phaneuf. This was the final, and the three stars went to Grabovski, Kessel, and Campbell.

Heading north of the border, the Ottawa Senators hosted the New York Islanders. Nathan Lawson and Brian Elliott were given the starting duties. Bobby Butler put Ottawa out front first with his second of the season, assisted by Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek on the power play. New York replied with a Blake Comeau tally, his 15th of the year going in via Ty Wishart and Jesse Joensuu. Ryan Shannon put the Senators back in front with his fifth of the season, also a power play goal, with helpers by Butler and Michalek. The Islanders tied the game on the 25th of the year by Michael Grabner, a shorthanded and unassisted goal. Josh Bailey put New York in front with his seventh of the season, made possible by Grabner and Okposo. Ottawa retied the game on a Erik Karlsson goal from Erik Condra and Zack Smith, good as his ninth of the year. The Islanders took the game in the shootout on Frans Nielsen's goal, which came after Alex Kovalev and Rob Schremp exchanged tallies. The three stars were Shannon, Grabner, and Butler.

Staying in Canada, the Montreal Canadiens host the Buffalo Sabres. Jhonas Enroth and Carey Price tended the twines. Montreal struck first with a Max Pacioretty power play goal, his tenth of the season going down with help from Tomas Plekanec and Roman Hamrlik. Benoit Pouliot made it 2-0 Canadiens with his 13th of the year, assisted by David Desharnais and James Wisniewski. Buffalo got on the board with a Drew Stafford marker, his 24th of the season going in thanks to Thomas Vanek and Tim Connolly on the power play. The Sabres tied it with Jason Pominville getting his 13th of the year in the third period, with assists by Jochen Hecht and Nathan Gerbe. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Montreal scored with Desharnais, Plekanec, and Pacioretty, and Buffalo got tallies from Vanek, Tyler Ennis, and Gerbe before winning it with Hecht. The three stars were Hecht, Pouliot, and Pacioretty.

Moving along to the Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Boucher and Dwayne Roloson were in the creases.Opening the game was a fight between Randy Jones and James van Riemsdyk. Philadelphia opened the scoring with a van Riemsdyk tally, his 13th of the season coming from Claude Giroux and Jeff Carter. Tampa Bay answered back with Dominic Moore netting his tenth of the year in the second period with the help of Adam Hall. The Flyers regained the lead on a power play goal by Scott Hartnell, his 18th of the season made possible by van Riemsdyk, who earned himself a Gordie Howe hat trick, and Andrej Meszaros. Darroll Powe made it 3-1 Philadelphia with his conversion of a penalty shot after a Steven Stamkos hooking call, his fifth goal of the year. The Lightning got back within a goal on the tally from Vincent Lecavalier, a power play goal good as his 13th of the season coming off of Marc-Andre Bergeron and Martin St. Louis. Teddy Purcell tied the game for Tampa Bay with his 12th of the year, thanks to Pavel Kubina and Michael Vernace. The tie went through the third period and overtime to a shootout where goals were exchanged by Moore and Mike Richards before the Flyers defeated the Lightning with Kimmo Timonen's goal. The three stars went to Moore, van Riemsdyk, and Victor Hedman.

Playing out west were the Nashville Predators, who hosted the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Pekka Rinne put on the masks for the game. Nashville struck first with Cody Franson scoring his eighth of the campaign on the power play with the help of Steve Sullivan and David Legwand. San Jose answered with a tying goal in the second period from Devin Setoguchi, his 12th of the season going down thanks to Kent Huskins and Patrick Marleau. The tie lasted throughout the third period until the Sharks won the game 2-1 in overtime on Marleau's 22nd of the year, courtesy of Huskins and Joe Thornton. The three stars were awarded to Marleau, Niemi (30 for 31 saves), and Rinne (48 for 50 saves).

Up in Minnesota, the Wild hosted the Vancouver Canucks. Cory Schneider and Niklas Backstrom took to guarding the cages. Vancouver struck first with Manny Malhotra sinking his seventh of the season on the power play from Sami Salo. Cal Clutterbuck replied for Minnesota with his 18th of the year, also a power play goal, from Kyle Brodziak and Jared Spurgeon. Jannik Hansen gave the lead back to the Canucks with his eighth of the campaign, assisted on by Malhotra. Mikael Samuelsson put Vancouver up 3-1 with his 16th of the season, made possible by Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond. Icing the game off for the Canucks was Kesler with his 33rd of the year into the empty net to make it 4-1 from Christian Ehrhoff. Schneider (28 for 29 saves), Malhotra, and Clutterbuck were the three stars.

Lastly, the Dallas Stars visited the Edmonton Oilers. The goalies were Kari Lethonen and Nikolai Khabibulin. Edmonton was the first to score with Jordan Eberle getting his 12th of the season from Sam Gagner and Jim Vandermeer. Taylor Chorney added on his first of the year for the Oilers in the second period, a power play goal made possible by Shawn Horcoff and Tom Gilbert. Dallas answered with the 19th of the campaign by Loui Eriksson, also on the power play, courtesy of the newly acquired Jason Williams and the goalie Kari Lethonen. Horcoff responded for Edmonton with his eighth of the season, coming on the man advantage via Ales Hemsky and Chorney. Twenty-eight seconds into the third period, Hemsky scored his tenth of the year for the Oilers, making it 4-1 with the help of Horcoff and Gilbert. This was the final, and the three stars went to Horcoff, Chorney, and Khabibulin (24 for 25 saves).

That's all for the hockey world. There may not be any posts tomorrow, as I should be fairly busy.