Sunday NHL games

Today we have another eight games of hockey. We start off in...

New York, where the Rangers host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Dwayne Roloson and Henrik Lundqvist tended the twines. Martin St. Louis put Tampa Bay on the board first with his 24th of the campaign, courtesy of Steve Downie. New York tied it in the second period with a shorthanded goal by Brandon Prust, his tenth of the season coming off of Ryan McDonagh and Brian Boyle. The Lightning reclaimed the lead in the third period with a Vincent Lecavalier goal powered by St. Louis and Teddy Purcell with the man advantage, going in the books as his 15th of the year. It would be the final goal, and the three stars went to St. Louis, Lecavalier, and Prust.

Also playing early, the Nashville Predators hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets. Mathieu Garon and Pekka Rinne took to the nets. Columbus drew first blood in the second period with the tenth goal of the season by Matt Calvert, a power play marker fueled by R.J. Umberger and Grant Clitsome. Nashville evened it in the third period on Shea Weber's 13th of the year, assisted by Ryan Suter and Mike Fisher. The Predators made it 2-1 with Jonathon Blum sinking his first of the campaign, with the help of Joel Ward and Nick Spaling. The Blue Jackets tied it again with Kris Russell getting his fourth of the season on the power play, with an unassisted goal. Nashville retook the lead at 3-2 with David Legwand potting his tenth of the year off of Martin Erat and Weber. This was the final, and the three stars went to Legwand, Blum, and Weber.

Going further south to Florida, where the Panthers hosted the New Jersey Devils. Martin Brodeur and Tomas Vokoun put on the masks to guard the cages. New Jersey opened the scoring in the second period on the ninth goal of the season for David Clarkson, assisted by Rod Pelley and Adam Mair. The Devils made it 2-0 on the power play with the eleventh of the year for Brian Rolston, coming from Dainius Zubrus. Florida got on the board with a goal by Marty Reasoner, his 13th of the season made possible by Michal Repik and Mike Santorelli. The comeback went incomplete, though, as New Jersey held on for victory, with the three stars going to Rolston, Reasoner, and Brodeur (25 for 26 saves).

Also in the south, the Atlanta Thrashers hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Chris Mason got the starting honors. Toronto opened the scoring with the 22nd of the season off of the stick of Nikolai Kulemin, with help from Mikhail Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur. The Maple Leafs made it 2-0 with the 26th of the year for Phil Kessel, which went unassisted. James Reimer came out of the game in the late second period, and was replaced by Jean-Sebastien Giguere. Atlanta finally got on the board in the third period with a power play goal by Andrew Ladd, his 23rd of the season from Blake Wheeler and Tobias Enstrom. The Thrashers found an equalizer with the first of the year for Tim Stapleton, courtesy of Zach Bogosian and Evander Kane. Atlanta took the game in the overtime period with Ron Hainsey sinking his second goal of the season, with helpers by Bryan Little and Johnny Oduya. Hainsey, Stapleton, and Mason (22 for 24 saves), earned the three stars.

Heading west to regularly scheduled games, with the Chicago Blackhawks hosting the Phoenix Coyotes. Ilya Bryzgalov and Corey Crawford guarded the cages. Chicago opened the scoring with two Jonathan Toews goals, his 21st and 22nd of the season, with helpers provided by Tomas Kopecky and Viktor Stalberg on the first goal and Brent Seabrook and Patrick Kane on the later power play goal. Phoenix got on the board when Adrian Aucoin sank his third of the year in the second period, with assists by Keith Yandle and Shane Doan. The Blackhawks made it 3-1 when Marian Hossa potted his 15th of the campaign on the power play, courtesy of Kane and Duncan Keith. Yandle put the Coyotes back within a goal by netting his tenth of the season, another power play goal, fueled by Ray Whitney and Mikkel Boedker. Martin Hanzal tied it with his 15th of the year, also on the power play, helped along by Whitney and Boedker again. This tie lasted through the third period and overtime into the shootout, where Chicago took the game 4-3 with Toews lone tally in the skills competition. Toews, Yandle, and Kane earned the three stars.

Up into Alberta, where the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask opposed Devan Dubnyk in the blue paint. Edmonton opened the scoring with Ales Hemsky notching his 14th of the season, helped along by Jim Vandermeer and Dustin Penner. Boston replied with Michael Ryder registering his 17th of the year, thanks to Milan Lucic and Adam McQuaid. Nathan Horton gave the Bruins a 2-1 lead with his own 17th of the campaign, assisted by David Krejci and Dennis Seidenberg. Boston continued to roll in the second period with Rich Peverley getting his 15th of the season, courtesy of Ryder and Chris Kelly. The Oilers attempted a comeback with Gilbert Brule putting his seventh of the year away in the third period with the help of Jordan Eberle and Jason Strudwick, but it wasn't going to be enough, as they lost 3-2. The three stars went to Ryder, Brule, and Horton.

Staying in the province, the Calgary Flames hosted the St. Louis Blues. Ben Bishop and Miikka Kiprusoff were in between the pipes. The only goal of the game belonged to David Moss of Calgary, which was his 15th of the season, and the lone assist went to Alex Tanguay. Kiprusoff (27 save shutout), Moss, and Patrik Berglund collected the three stars.

Finally, in Anaheim, the Ducks welcomed the Colorado Avalanche to the Honda Center. Peter Budaj and Dan Ellis were in front of the nets. The game opened with three and a half fights (3 fights and two offsetting roughing penalties), premiering with George Parros dropping gloves with David Koci, followed by Sheldon Brookbank and Cody Mcleod seventeen ticks later. A period of relative calm before the roughing match between Cameron Gaunce and Jarkko Ruutu, and then Gaunce took on Luca Sbisa. After working out the differences, Kevin Porter got Colorado on the board with his eleventh of the season, helped along by Matt Duchene and Jonas Holos. Anaheim tied it in the second period with Ryan Getzlaf sinking his 16th of the year with guidance from Corey Perry and Bobby Ryan. The Ducks took the lead with Todd Marchant sinking his first of the campaign, with the help of Sbisa and Ruutu. The Avalanche retied the game in the third period, with David Jones potting his 23rd of the season, thanks to Matt Hunwick and Paul Stastny. Anaheim took the lead at 3-2 later in that frame with a power play goal off of the stick of Brandon McMillan, his ninth of the year powered by Ryan and Francois Beauchemin. This was the final, and the three stars went to Getzlaf, Perry, and Ryan.

That's all. Deadline deals will be covered in Monday's post in the first paragraph.