Today we have a very heavy slate of games, and we begin with the Winnipeg Jets 1.0 (Phoenix Coyotes) against the Winnipeg Jets 2.0 (formerly Atlanta Thrashers). The desert duel features Chris Mason and Mike Smith in net. Phoenix led off with a Daymond Langkow goal, with Ray Whitney and Shane Doan grabbing the assists. The Coyotes took a 3-0 lead after Oliver Ekman-Larsson tallied two in a row, his second and third of the year, with the first going unassisted and the second from Boyd Gordon and Taylor Pyatt. Andrew Ladd put Winnipeg on the board with a late second period goal, courtesy of Tobias Enstrom and Blake Wheeler. Phoenix made it 4-1 in the third period with a Whitney goal, his second of the season, a power play tally powered by Martin Hanzal and Doan. This was the final, and the three stars went to Ekman-Larsson, Smith (18 for 19 in saves), and Doan.
Next up, the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Calgary Flames. Miikka Kiprusoff and James Reimer get the starting nods. Calgary led off with a Curtis Glencross goal, his third of the season coming off of Lee Stempniak and Olli Jokinen. The Flames extended the lead with a Scott Hannan goal, assisted by Niklas Hagman and Anton Babchuk. Toronto got going in the second period with a Joffrey Lupul goal, his second of the year, made possible by Phil Kessel. Kessel put in two pucks on his own later, spanning the second and third periods, his fourth and fifth of the season. Carl Gunnarsson and Cody Franson had the primary assists, while Tyler Bozak raked in the two secondary assists. This would be enough to win 3-2, and the three stars were Kessel, Reimer (30 for 32 in saves), and Bozak.
Down to Pittsburgh, with the Penguins hosting the Buffalo Sabres. Jhonas Enroth and Marc-Andre Fleury get the starts in goal. Buffalo led off with a Nathan Gerbe goal, assisted by Luke Adam and Christian Ehrhoff. Adam shortly added on for the Sabres with his third of the season, made possible by Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville. Pittsburgh got on the board in the second period with a James Neal goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Richard Park. Buffalo answered in the third period with a Drew Stafford goal, his third of the season, guided in by Gerbe and Ehrhoff. The Penguins made it 3-2 with a Jordan Staal goal, his second of the year coming off of Tyler Kennedy and Paul Martin, but they failed to get an equalizer and lost by that margin. The three stars were awarded to Adam, Gerbe, and Neal.
Into New York, with the Islanders hosting the Rangers with the inner-city battle. Henrik Lundqvist opposed Evgeni Nabokov in his return to the NHL. Matt Moulson put the Islanders out front with his second of the season, assisted by P.A. Parenteau and John Tavares. Marian Gaborik tied it for the Rangers on his second of the year, courtesy of Brad Richards. Tavares gave the Islanders the lead back with his third of the season, a power play goal powered by Mark Streit and Brian Rolston. The Rangers tied it at 2 with a Brandon Prust goal, guided in by Ruslan Fedotenko. The Islanders would charge it up in the third period, as Tavares unleashed another power play goal and an empty netter for the hat trick, tallying his goals up to 5 on the year. Parenteau recorded assists on both goals, giving himself a sock trick, while Streit and Moulson each picked up one helper. The Isles would win 4-2, and the three stars were Tavares, Nabokov (29 for 31 in saves), and Moulson, although Streit and Parenteau also had very good games.
Into Pennsylvania again, as the Philadelphia Flyers host the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Ilya Bryzgalov were the netminders. Philadelphia led off with a Danny Briere power play goal, powered by Jaromir Jagr and Chris Pronger. Los Angeles replied with a Justin Williams goal, also on the power play, fueled by Simon Gagne and Willie Mitchell. The scoring resumed in the third period with another Williams goal, helped along by Anze Kopitar and Jack Johnson. The Flyers tied it on a Matt Carle goal (matching his output from last year), a power play tally made possible by James van Riemsdyk and Briere. The game was decided in overtime, fittingly on the power play, as the Kings' Johnson netted his second of the season, from former Flyer Mike Richards and young King Kopitar, for a 3-2 win. The three stars went to Carle, Williams, and Quick (32 for 34 in saves), and honorable mentions to Kopitar and Briere.
Now we have a battle between the teams of capital cities, taking place in D.C., with the Washington Capitals hosting the Ottawa Senators. Alex Auld and Tomas Vokoun played between the pipes. Washington struck first with a Nicklas Backstrom power play goal, thanks to Alexander Semin and Mike Knuble. The Capitals made it 2-0 on a Marcus Johansson goal, his second of the season, fueled by Knuble and Dennis Wideman. Ottawa scored late in the period with a Peter Regin goal, set up by Nick Foligno and David Rundblad. This 2-1 score would last for the next 40 minutes, giving Washington the win. The three stars were given to Vokoun (33 for 34 in saves), Knuble, and Johansson were the three stars.
Up to Montreal, with the Canadiens hosting the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Carey Price got the starts, but they were heavily assaulted with pucks throughout the high scoring affair. Chuck Kobasew led it off for Colorado with a goal, assisted by David Jones. Montreal evened it as Max Pacioretty registered his second of the season, assisted by David Desharnais and Rafhael Diaz. Tomas Plekanec put the Canadiens in front with his second of the year in the second period, a power play goal powered by Brian Gionta and P.K. Subban. Jones put the Avalanche back into a tie with his second of the season, courtesy of Erik Johnson and Paul Stastny on the power play. Stastny would give Colorado the lead with a later goal, an unassisted marker. Travis Moen made it 3-3 with his second of the year shortly after that, helped along by Gionta and Scott Gomez. Jones came on again to bail the Avalanche out of trouble, netting his second of the game and third on the season, and the helpers were provided by Ryan Wilson and Kyle Quincey. Gionta finally put the puck in the net to retie the game for the Canadiens in the third period, as Josh Gorges and Erik Cole picked up assists. Twenty seconds later, Desharnais potted a goal to give Montreal a 5-4 lead with assistance from Pacioretty and Andrei Kostitsyn. Colorado again evened the score with a Quincey power play goal, made possible by Milan Hejduk and Johnson. The tie surprisingly lasted into a shootout, where the Avalanche overwhelmed the Canadiens with goals by Hejduk and Matt Duchene. The three stars went to Hejduk, Pacioretty, and Gionta, and blogger's honorable mentions for multiple-point nights go to Johnson, Jones, Quincey, Stastny, and Desharnais.
Down to the battle of Florida, with the Panthers hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Mathieu Garon and Jose Theodore wore the masks in this game. Ed Jovanovski put Florida up first with a power play goal, powered by Tomas Kopecky and David Booth. The scoring was stagnant until the third period, with Tampa Bay finding the mesh with a Marc-Andre Bergeron goal, courtesy of Dominic Moore. The Panthers retook the lead on a Kris Versteeg power play goal, guided in by Dmitry Kulikov and Brian Campbell. Thirty-nine seconds later, the Lightning tied it with another Bergeron goal, this time helped along by Pavel Kubina and Martin St. Louis. The tie lasted into a shootout, with Marcel Goc winning it for Florida with the lone tally. In the Panthers' 3-2 win, the three stars went to the goal scorers, Versteeg, Bergeron, and Jovanovski.
Into the Central Division arena in Nashville, with the Predators hosting the New Jersey Devils. Johan Hedberg and Pekka Rinne get the starting nods. Nashville quickly took the lead with a Coin Wilson power play goal, his second of the season, assisted by Sergei Kostitsyn and David Legwand. Jerred Smithson put the Predators up 2-0 with his goal, made possible by Jordin Tootoo and Kevin Klein. The scoring was quiet until New Jersey struck in the third period, with Ilya Kovalchuk netting a goal on the power play, his second of the year powered by Henrik Tallinder and Patrik Elias. The Devils tied it at 2 with a David Clarkson goal, thanks to efforts from Mattias Tedenby and Mark Fayne. The game would require extra time to finish, and it was in the shootout where New Jersey beat Nashville, rocketing to a 3-2 win with tallies by Kovalchuk and Zach Parise. Kovalchuk, Wilson, and Hedberg (29 for 31 in saves) were the three stars, which checks out nicely to me.
Heading north again, with the Minnesota Wild hosting the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Josh Harding played in the creases. Greg Zanon got Minnesota on the board late in the first period, with his goal being helped in by Guillaume Latendresse. The Wild struck again in the early second period on a Cal Clutterbuck goal, fueled by Colton Gillies and Kyle Brodziak. Detroit answered on the other side of the period with an Ian White goal, his second of the season coming off of Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula. The Red Wings tied it in the third period with a Jiri Hudler goal, his second of the year made possible by Jakub Kindl and Filppula. The game was decided in overtime on a power play goal from the Matt Cullen tripping penalty, as Franzen found twine for the second time this season, and help came from Tomas Holmstrom and White. The final was 3-2, and the three stars were Harding (38 for 41 in saves), Hudler, and Clutterbuck, although White, Franzen, and Filppula also heavily contributed.
Down to the former Minnesota team's home, Dallas, to see the Stars host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Kari Lehtonen get the starts in net. Columbus led off with a Vinny Prospal goal, his third of the season coming on the power play (yes, a CBJ PP goal) with the help of Fedor Tyutin and David Savard. Dallas evened it with a Brenden Morrow goal, his second of the season coming off of Mike Ribeiro and Michael Ryder. The Blue Jackets regained the lead on an Alexandre Giroux goal, courtesy of R.J. Umberger. The Stars tied it again with a Loui Eriksson goal, his third of the year, guided in by Steve Ott and Jamie Benn. Dallas took the lead in the third period with Sheldon Souray's goal, thanks to Ribeiro for the assist. The Stars iced it at 4-2 with a Ryder power play goal, powered by Morrow and Ribeiro, the latter finishing off a sock trick. This would be a final score, with Ribeiro, Morrow, and Eriksson getting the three stars, although Ryder would have fit in the third slot as well.
Going back up to Chicago, with the Blackhawks hosting the Boston Bruins. Tim Thomas and Corey Crawford were in the blue paint. Chicago led off with a Bryan Bickell goal, going in with no assistance. Boston replied in the second period with a shorthanded Chris Kelly marker, courtesy of Rich Peverley and Andrew Ference. Patrick Kane gave the Blackhawks another lead on his second of the season, made possible by Sean O'Donnell and Patrick Sharp. The Bruins would retie it in the third period with a Nathan Horton goal, guided along by Johnny Boychuk and Tyler Seguin. The game was decided in the shootout, favoring Boston 3-2 as the only tally was by Seguin. The three stars were awarded to Horton, Kane, and Thomas (27 for 29 in saves), although Seguin had very valuable contributions.
Out west, the San Jose Sharks host the St. Louis Blues. Brian Elliott and Thomas Greiss are in net as the backups do battle. St. Louis led off with the second of the season by Matt D'Agostini, an unassisted goal. San Jose tied it late in the first period with a power play goal by Michael Handzus, powered by Ryane Clowe and Jason Demers. The Sharks took the lead in the second period with a Brent Burns goal, assisted by Clowe and Torrey Mitchell. The Blues tied it on a Kent Huskins goal, an unassisted goal. St. Louis took the lead with an Alex Steen goal, his second of the year coming off of Kevin Shattenkirk and Jason Arnott. The Blues iced it off with David Backes' empty net goal, courtesy of Jamie Langenbrunner and Vladimir Sobotka. The final was 4-2, and the three stars were Elliott (34 for 36 in saves), Clowe, and Huskins.
Lastly, we go to Alberta for a Western Canada battle, with the Edmonton Oilers hosting the Vancouver Canucks. Roberto Luongo and Devan Dubnyk tend the twines. Vancouver took the first lead with Sami Salo scoring on the power play, powered by Cody Hodgson and Chris Higgins. Edmonton replied with a pair of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goals, his second and third of the year, with assists rewarded to Jordan Eberle twice, and Taylor Hall and Tom Gilbert once. The Canucks tied it with a Henrik Sedin goal, his second of the season coming on the power play via Salo. The Oilers regained the lead with a Nugent-Hopkins power play goal, with helpers provided by Hall and Corey Potter to help him finish up a hat trick on his fourth of the year. Vancouver tied it before the period expired, as Alexandre Burrows found twine with sixteen seconds to go, his second goal of the season gathering steam from Daniel Sedin and his twin Henrik. Salo would step up again in the third period, notching his second of night thanks to a series of passes going through Mikael Samuelsson and Higgins. This would make a 4-3 final, with the three stars going to Nugent-Hopkins, Salo, and Higgins, and honorable mentions to the Sedin twins and Hall and Eberle.
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