Wednesday Hockey action

Yesterday, there were eight games on, all of which I missed the opportunity to cover at that time due to a heavy workload which continues into today. They started off in...

New Jersey, with the Devils hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Johan Hedberg took to the nets. The first tally was recorded by Ilya Kovalchuk for New Jersey in the second period, his 20th of the season going in thanks to Nick Palmieri and Travis Zajac. Brian Rolston padded the lead for the Devils with his ninth of the year, assisted by Patrik Elias and Anssi Salmela. Elias later added his own for New Jersey, making it 3-0 on his 14th of the season with the help of Rolston and Mark Fayne. Carolina got into the scoring with the tenth of the campaign by Sergei Samsonov from Jiri Tlusty. Tuomo Ruutu put the Hurricanes within a goal on his 14th of the year via Eric Staal and Jamie McBain, but the remaining five second was not enough time for an equalizer. Hedberg (25 for 27 saves), Kovalchuk, and Elias earned the three stars in the 3-2 Devils win.

Later, the Buffalo Sabres hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Ryan Miller made the starts, but Giguere left after the first period with an injury and was replaced by James Reimer. Toronto struck first in the second period with Phil Kessel netting his 22nd of the season, courtesy of Tomas Kaberle and Joffery Lupul. The Maple Leafs took the lead up to 2-0 with the first of the campaign by Joey Crabb, a shorthanded goal coming from Tim Brent. Buffalo attempted to get back into the game with Paul Gaustad's eighth of the year, as Drew Stafford and Chris Butler picked up the helpers. This wouldn't be enough, and Toronto held on to beat the Sabres 2-1, giving the three stars to Lupul, Kessel, and Miller (28 for 30 saves).

Out west, the Columbus Blue Jackets hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Mathieu Garon got the starting honors. Los Angeles struck first with Justin Williams potting his 20th of the season with help from Andrei Loktionov and Alec Martinez. Columbus tied it later with Jakub Voracek notching his eleventh of the year, helped along by Derek MacKenzie and Rick Nash. Loktionov gave the Kings the lead back in the second period with his fourth of the season, made possible by Matt Greene. Nash replied for the Blue Jackets with his 27th of the year, assisted by MacKenzie and Grant Clitsome. Los Angeles replied with the eighth of the season for Drew Doughty, making it 3-2 after assistance by Michal Handzus and Anze Kopitar. Columbus got another equalizer late in the period with Kris Russell potting his third of the year, from Voracek and Nash. The tie lasted into a shootout, where the only goal came from Jarret Stoll, giving the Kings the 4-3 victory. The three stars were awarded to Nash, Loktionov, and MacKenzie.

Down south, the Florida Panthers hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Tomas Vokoun were assigned to the creases. Philadelphia struck first with a Mike Richards goal, his 18th of the season going to twine with help from newly-acquired Kris Versteeg and noted pugilist Dan Carcillo. Andreas Nodl made it 2-0 Flyers with his tenth of the year, assisted by Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell. James van Riemsdyk kept Philadelphia going with his 14th of the season, courtesy of Briere and Chris Pronger. Florida got on the board in the third period with Rostislav Olesz scoring his sixth of the year on the power play via Jason Garrison and Marty Reasoner. The Panthers got within one when David Booth nailed his 16th of the season into the mesh unassisted. However, the Flyers put the dagger in with an empty-netter by Briere, his 28th of the year, with the help of Nodl and Kimmo Timonen to secure a 4-2 victory. Briere, Booth, and van Riemsdyk picked up the three stars.

West again, to the United Center, where the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Minnesota Wild. Jose Theodore and Corey Crawford put on the masks. Brian Campbell scored in the first period for Chicago with help from Dave Bolland and Marian Hossa for his third of the season, a power play goal. The next goal came from Minnesota in the third period, a power play goal by Matt Cullen, his eleventh of the year getting steam from Jared Spurgeon and Mikko Koivu. Thirty-four seconds later, the Blackhawks reclaimed the lead with another power play goal from Troy Brouwer, his 17th of the season going down thanks to Bolland and Duncan Keith. Chicago sealed the game at 3-1 with a Jake Dowell empty net goal, his sixth of the year made possible by a sock trick-earning Bolland and Hossa. The three stars went to Crawford (33 for 34 saves), Brouwer, and Theodore (34 for 36 saves).

Heading up in the air a mile, for the Colorado Avalanche hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Peter Budaj guarded the cages. Pittsburgh struck first with Joe Vitale scoring his first of the season, assisted by Brett Sterling and Paul Martin. Colorado tied the game in the second period with Chris Stewart scoring his 13th of the year, thanks to David Jones and John-Michael Liles. The Avalanche took a lead with Cameron Gaunce scoring his first of the season, with the help of Matt Hunwick and Paul Stastny. Thirty-two seconds later, the Penguins tied it with Jordan Staal getting his sixth of the year, via Nick Johnson and Kris Letang. The tie lasted into overtime, where Pittsburgh took the 3-2 win over Colorado with Tyler Kennedy's 12th of the campaign on the power play from Alex Goligoski and Letang. Kennedy, Gaunce, and Vitale earned the three stars.

Up in Canada, the Calgary Flames hosted the Dallas Stars. Kari Lethonen and Miikka Kiprusoff were in between the pipes. Calgary was the first to score with Olli Jokinen getting his 13th of the season with the help of Mark Giordano and David Moss. Dallas replied in the second period with Mike Ribeiro notching his eleventh of the year with helpers by Brenden Morrow and Jamie Langenbrunner. Langenbrunner (is there an echo on this blog? *this blog*) added on his sixth of the season to give the Stars a 2-1 lead thanks to James Neal and Trevor Daley. The Flames tied it on the power play with Tom Kostopolous getting his fifth of the year, courtesy of Rene Bourque and Anton Babchuk. Calgary took the lead back in the third period on the third of the season by Cory Sarich, helped along by Mikael Backlund. Making it 4-2 Flames was Steve Staios with his second of the year, a shorthanded goal coming off of Bourque and Matt Stajan. This was the eventual final, giving the three stars to Giordano, Bourque, and Kiprusoff (22 for 24 saves).

Lastly, the Anaheim Ducks hosted the Washington Capitals. Semyon Varlamov and Curtis McElhinney tended the twines to start with. Ryan Getzlaf put Anaheim in front first with his 14th of the season, a power play goal from Jason Blake and Bobby Ryan. Washington answered with an Alex Ovechkin tally, his 22nd of the year going down thanks to Nicklas Backstrom and Karl Alzner. Brooks Laich put the Capitals out front with his unassisted 12th of the season. The Ducks tied the game back up with Teemu Selanne's 18th of the year, courtesy of Saku Koivu and Luca Sbisa. Toni Lydman made it 3-2 for Anaheim with his third of the season, off the sticks of Corey Perry and Getzlaf previously. Perry kept the Ducks going with his 29th of the year, a shorthanded goal made possible by Sbisa and Brandon McMillan. Washington turned the tide with Dave Steckel's fifth of the season, courtesy of Boyd Gordon and Matt Hendricks. Alexander Semin tied it for the Capitals with his 19th of the year, with Marcus Johansson and Ovechkin picking up the helpers. Anaheim regained the lead with Lubomir Visnovsky potting his ninth of the season to make it 5-4, with the help of Perry and Getzlaf. Mike Knuble tied it again for Washington with his 14th of the year in the third period, from Backstrom and Alzner. The Ducks went back out in front on the 28th of the season by Bobby Ryan, which allowed both Getzlaf and Perry to get sock tricks with their assists. However, the Capitals had more to come, and ended up winning on Semin's hat trick completion with his 20th and 21st coming consecutively. The assists were doled out to Scott Hannan, Hendricks, Laich, and the sock trick earning Alzner, producing the 7-6 final. Perry, Semin, and Getzlaf earned the three stars.

Sorry for the delay, Thursday's games out tomorrow afternoon.