NHL Saturday - Hockey Day in Canada

Today we have a light schedule for a Saturday, with only eight games, three of which being all-Canada games. We start early with the...

Washington Capitals hosting the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Bernier and Semyon Varlamov were given the starts. Opening the scoring was Washington when Alex Ovechkin put his 21st of the season away unassisted. Los Angeles tied it with an Anze Kopitar tally, his 17th of the year coming from Wayne Simmonds and Michal Handzus. The Kings took the lead with an Andrei Loktionov marker, his third of the campaign made possible by Kyle Clifford and Matt Greene. Handzus made it 3-1 Los Angeles with his eighth of the season, coming from Kopitar and Simmonds. Jarret Stoll extended the Kings lead farther with his 16th of the year, assisted by Justin Williams and Ryan Smyth. This was the final tally, and the three stars went to Kopitar, Simmonds, and Willie Mitchell.

In the first of the Canada matches, the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Ottawa Senators during the afternoon. Nikolai Khabibulin opposed Brian Elliott. Ottawa drew first blood on Bobby Butler's first goal of the season, an unassisted goal. Andrew Cogliano replied for Edmonton with his ninth of the year, thanks to Jordan Eberle and Kurtis Foster. Alex Kovalev retook the lead for the Senators on his 12th of the season, with help from Nick Foligno. The Oilers tied it again in the second period with Dustin Penner scoring his 19th of the year via Ales Hemsky. Ottawa made it 3-2 when Milan Michalek scored on the power play with his 14th of the season, courtesy of Butler and Jason Spezza. The Senators extended the lead again with a Peter Regin tally, his third of the year, with help from Kovalev and Foligno. Edmonton got back within a goal on Penner's second of the game and 20th of the season, assisted by Hemsky and Linus Omark. However, Ottawa sealed the deal with Kovalev notching his second of the game and 13th of the year into the open cage, with Spezza and Erik Karlsson picking up the helpers. Butler, Penner, and Kovalev were the three stars.

Staying Canadian (or should we say Canadien), the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Carey Price got the starts (and name association to team loyalties would be misleading in this scenario) in front of the cages. Benoit Pouliot got Montreal out front in the second period with his 12th of the season, a goal from David Desharnais and Roman Hamrlik. Shortly thereafter, Brian Gionta added on his 21st of the year for the Canadiens, with help from Max Pacioretty. Montreal got it out to 3-0 with a Desharnais power play marker, his fifth of the campaign going in with assistance from Scott Gomez and Hamrlik. This would be the final, giving Desharnais, Price (27 save shutout), and Pouliot the three stars.

Heading south, where the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Dwayne Roloson were given the responsibility in front of the nets. Tampa Bay struck first in the second period on a Steve Downie goal, his seventh of the season from Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos. The Lightning made it 2-0 with a Vincent Lecavalier marker, his 12th of the year being assisted by Teddy Purcell and Simon Gagne on the power play. Carolina answered with an Eric Staal tally, his 27th of the season also coming on the power play with the help of Joni Pitkanen and Erik Cole. Sean Bergenheim extended the Tampa Bay lead to 3-1 with his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Dana Tyrell. Jeff Skinner got the Hurricanes back within a goal on his 21st of the season, thanks to Staal and Tuomo Ruutu. Nineteen seconds later, Cole potted his 15th of the year to tie the game with a mere thirty-three seconds left in regulation. Pitkanen and Joe Corvo grabbed the assists. This was just an extension of the loss though, as Marc-Andre Bergeron nailed his first of the season in overtime to win it for the Lightning, with the help of Bergenheim. Earning the three stars were Bergeron, Lecavalier, and Pitkanen.

Out west, the Phoenix Coyotes hosted the Chicago Blackhawks. Earning the chance to start were Corey Crawford and Ilya Bryzgalov. Phoenix drew first blood with a Radim Vrbata goal, his 15th of the season getting help from Ray Whitney. The Coyotes made it 2-0 early in the second period on a Taylor Pyatt marker, his 14th of the year coming off of Shane Doan and Sami Lepisto. Chicago got a goal back with Troy Brouwer putting his 16th of the season away on the power play with the help of Marian Hossa and Dave Bolland. Duncan Keith tied it for the Blackhawks in the third period with his own power play goal, helped along by Brian Campbell and Bolland as his fifth of the year. The tie was preserved into a shootout, where Vrbata scored the only tally and gave Phoenix the 3-2 victory. Vrbata, Pyatt, and Bryzgalov (31 for 33 saves) were the three stars.

Back east, the Nashville Predators hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Peter Budaj and Pekka Rinne were in front of the cages. Colorado opened the scoring with Kevin Porter notching his tenth of the season courtesy of Paul Stastny and Matt Hunwick. Eleven seconds later, Shea Weber potted his eleventh of the year for Nashville to tie the game, with help from Martin Erat and Ryan Suter. Erat made it 2-1 for the Predators in the second period with his ninth of the season, a power play goal made possible by Patric Hornqvist and Sergei Kostitsyn. The Avalanche retied the game with David Jones scoring his 19th of the year, thanks to Daniel Winnik and Ryan O'Reilly. Colorado took a 3-2 lead early in the third period with Matt Duchene sinking his 21st of the season, with assists from Brandon Yip and Porter. Hornqvist retied the game for Nashville on his 17th of the year, with help from David Legwand and Steve Sullivan. Cody Franson gave the Predators a 4-3 lead with his seventh of the year, unassisted. Icing the game off for Nashville was Legwand, providing his ninth of the season into the empty net with assistance from Erat and new Predator Mike Fisher. Earning the three stars were Hornqvist, Franson, and Erat.

North for the Minnesota Wild hosting the St. Louis Blues. Jaroslav Halak and Niklas Backstrom put on the masks for the game. Two fights opened the action in the mid first period, with Matt D'Agostini taking on Cam Barker, and the sequel between Cam Janssen and Brad Staubitz. Minnesota ended up drawing the first goal with Cal Clutterbuck taking his 17th of the season to the twine with help from Jared Spurgeon and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. The Wild made it 2-0 with the eleventh of the year by Antti Miettinen, a power play goal coming off of Andrew Brunette. Minnesota rolled along with Kyle Brodziak notching his eleventh of the season, with Brent Burns picking up the assist. St. Louis got on the board with Patrik Berglund scoring his 14th of the year on the power play, courtesy of T.J. Oshie and Brad Boyes. With no scoring in the third period, 3-1 Wild over Blues was the final, but there was a mini-brawl at the end with Alex Steen and Greg Zanon exchanging minors as Colin Stoner fought with David Backes, earning them 15 minutes apiece. The three stars went out to Burns, Backstrom (24 for 25 saves), and Staubitz.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Calgary Flames to wrap up the Canadian-themed day. Miikka Kiprusoff and Roberto Luongo were between the pipes. Vancouver opened the scoring with Alexandre Burrows potting his 16th of the season on the power play with assists provided by Mason Raymond and Manny Malhotra. Calgary tied the game in the second period with Tim Jackman sinking his tenth of the year with the help of Matt Stajan and Anton Babchuk. Curtis Glencross soon made it 2-1 Flames with his 17th of the season, helped along by Brendan Morrison and Jarome Iginla. Mikael Samuelsson put the Canucks back in front with two goals in a row, his 14th and 15th of the campaign. Picking up assists were first Raymond and Kevin Bieksa at even strength and then Christian Ehrhoff and Daniel Sedin on the power play. Burrows sealed the deal 4-2 for Vancouver over Calgary with his second of the game and 17th of the year into an empty net, with the set up made by Aaron Rome and Malhotra. Samuelsson, Glencross, and Bieksa earned the three stars.

That's all for Saturday. Happy Hockey Day.