Ten games on tonight as I catch up from a little two-day illness break I've taken. First off...
The New York Islanders host the Dallas Stars. Richard Bachman and Kevin Poulin get the start in a game of relatively obscure goalies. Dallas opened with a Loui Eriksson goal, his eleventh of the season, courtesy of Jamie Benn and Trevor Daley. New York tied it when the ninth of the year for Michael Grabner went into the net, thanks to Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen. The Islanders took the lead in the second period with Okposo scoring his fifth of the campaign, with help from Marty Reasoner and Travis Hamonic. The Stars tied it back up in the third period as Brenden Morrow netted his fifth of the season on the power play, powered by Steve Ott and Mike Ribeiro. Dallas would take the game 3-2 when Benn sank his eighth of the year, via Michael Ryder and Eriksson. Benn, Okposo, and Eriksson earned the three stars.
Down the coast, the Carolina Hurricanes host the traveling Vancouver Canucks. Cory Schneider and Cam Ward will take their places in the blue paint. Vancouver started the scoring when Kevin Bieksa put his third of the season in the net, coming off of Chris Higgins and Ryan Kesler. The Canucks kept going in the second period on the second of the year for Mason Raymond, assisted by Henrik Sedin and Alexandre Burrows. Carolina got on the board with a Drayson Bowman goal, fueled by Anthony Stewart and Jamie McBain. The Hurricanes tied it before the end of the frame on the tenth of the season for Tuomo Ruutu, courtesy of Bryan Allen and Jussi Jokinen. Carolina took the lead in the third period on another Bowman goal, made possible by Chad LaRose and Brandon Sutter. Jaroslav Spacek kept the Hurricanes ahead with a power play goal powered by Ruutu and Tim Brent. Vancouver cut it to 4-3 but never got an equalizer after Burrows found a place for his tenth of the year, guided in by Sedin and Raymond. Bowman, Ward (33 for 36 in saves), and Ruutu got the three stars, while the Sedin-Burrows-Raymond combo looked pretty good as well.
Back inland, the Columbus Blue Jackets hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Curtis Sanford got the starting nods. Columbus got things going in the second period with Jeff Carter netting his seventh of the season, coming off of Vinny Prospal and Nikita Nikitin. Los Angeles answered in the third period with a Davis Drewiske goal, made possible by Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. Brown gave the Kings a 2-1 lead with his sixth of the year, thanks to Drew Doughty and Simon Gagne. This was a final, where Brown, Sanford (39 for 41 in saves), and Doughty got the three stars.
Southward again, to Tampa Bay, where the Lightning host the Calgary Flames. Miikka Kiprusoff and Mathieu Garon were given goaltending duties. Tampa Bay struck first with Teddy Purcell scoring a power play goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Steve Downie and Dominic Moore. Matt Stajan tied it for Calgary, and helping him were Tim Jackman and Tom Kostopoulos. The Flames grabbed the lead with the twelfth of the year by Jarome Iginla, thanks to Olli Jokinen and Jay Bouwmeester. The Lightning tied it back up on the third of the season for Tom Pyatt, via Ryan Shannon and Blair Jones. Tampa Bay regained the lead on a Ryan Malone goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman. The Lightning extended the lead as Nate Thompson scored his third of the season, with assists from Dana Tyrell and Hedman. Calgary got it going again in the third period as Rene Bourque deposited his tenth of the year, with the help of Derek Smith. Jokinen tied it up for the Flames with a power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Alex Tanguay and Smith. The game went to overtime, where Stamkos won it 5-4 for Tampa Bay on his nineteenth of the year, assisted by Eric Brewer and Downie. The three stars were officially Stamkos, Jokinen, and Brewer, while honorable mentions include Smith, Downie, and Hedman.
Northward to Montreal, as the Canadiens are hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Carey Price guarded the cages. Philadelphia opened on a Max Talbot goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Jakub Voracek and Sean Couturier. Montreal tied it in the second period with the fifth of the year for David Desharnais, courtesy of Max Pacioretty and Tomas Kaberle. The Flyers retook the lead with Harry Zolnierczyk's second of the season, coming off of Zac Rinaldo and Matt Carle. The Canadiens tied it again with a Louis Leblanc goal, via Mike Blunden and P.K. Subban. Philadelphia again took the lead as Wayne Simmonds found a place for his ninth of the year, thanks to Carle and Matt Read. Montreal got another equalizer as Erik Cole deposited his twelfth of the season on the power play, powered by Pacioretty and Desharnais. The Flyers would take the game 4-3 as Andrej Meszaros potted his third of the year in the third period, and the helpers were credited to Jaromir Jagr and Carle, the latter getting a sock trick. Carle, Desharnais, and Leblanc earned the three stars, while Pacioretty also had an honorable mention.
In the Midwest, the St. Louis Blues welcomed in the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Brian Elliott took to the nets. St. Louis drew first blood with the seventh of the season by Patrik Berglund, courtesy of Alex Steen and Barret Jackman. The Blues extended their lead with David Perron making his second of the year, thanks to Carlo Colaiacovo and Chris Stewart. New York got on the board in the second period with the third of the campaign for Michael Del Zotto, assisted by Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan. Steen got it back in the third period with his tenth of the season for St. Louis, while T.J. Oshie and Roman Polak got the assists. The Blues iced it at 4-1 with the empty net goal from Jason Arnott, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. David Backes, Steen, and Elliott (25 for 26 in saves) were given the three stars.
South a little to Nashville, as the Predators hosted the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Pekka Rinne were the puckstoppers. Detroit led off when Tomas Holmstrom scored his sixth of the season, a power play goal, fueled by Ian White and Pavel Datsyuk. Nashville replied with David Legwand notching his eighth of the year, via Craig Smith and Martin Erat. Henrik Zetterberg gave the Red Wings a second period lead on his seventh of the season, another power play goal made possible by Jiri Hudler and Todd Bertuzzi. Detroit extended the lead when the seventh of the year for Nicklas Lidstrom went in the net, courtesy of White and Datsyuk. The Predators got one back as Jordin Tootoo scored his fifth of the season, assisted by Kevin Klein and Nick Spaling. Nashville would take the game 4-3 after a pair of Shea Weber goals in the third period, his seventh and eighth of the year, with assists on the earlier power play goal going to Ryan Suter and Erat and Tootoo picked up the lone helper on the later goal. The three stars were given out to Weber, Tootoo, and Lidstrom, while Erat, White, and Datsyuk had honorable mentions.
To the great north, where the Winnipeg Jets host the Washington Capitals. Michal Neuvirth and Ondrej Pavelec will oppose each other from 200 feet away. Both of these men were sterling until late in the third period when Washington's Alex Ovechkin broke through Pavelec on his tenth of the season, assisted by Marcus Johansson and Nicklas Backstrom. This would be a 1-0 final, and the three stars went to Neuvirth (26 save shutout), Pavelec (27 for 28 in saves), and Jason Chimera. Ovechkin is the obvious honorable mention.
Way back south again, the Phoenix Coyotes host the Edmonton Oilers. Devan Dubnyk and Mike Smith get the starting honors. Phoenix drew first blood with a Lauri Korpikoski goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Cal O'Reilly and Michal Rozsival. Edmonton answered with a second period power play goal by Taylor Hall, assisted by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle as his eighth of the year. The Coyotes regained the lead on the fifteenth of the season for Radim Vrbata, courtesy of Ray Whitney and Martin Hanzal. The Oilers got another equalizer in the third period, the second of the game and ninth of the year by Hall, also a power play goal powered by Ryan Smyth and Ryan Whitney. Phoenix stole the lead back with Shane Doan potting his eighth of the season, with the help of Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Mikkel Boedker. The Coyotes iced it 4-2 on the sixth goal of the year by Ekman-Larsson, made possible by Ray Whitney and Hanzal. The three stars were awarded to Ray Whitney, Ekman-Larsson, and Hanzal, while Hall earns the honorable mention.
Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Antti Niemi again tend the cages. San Jose struck first of the seventh of the season by Ryane Clowe, with a lone assist by Logan Couture. Colorado tied it up when Paul Stastny netted a power play goal off of Erik Johnson for his ninth of the year. The Avalanche grabbed the lead with a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Stefan Elliott and Milan Hejduk. The Sharks retied it in the second period with the third of the year for Michal Handzus, from Martin Havlat and Jamie McGinn. Colorado replied as Stastny struck again, his tenth of the season and second on the night, thanks to Daniel Winnik and Matt Duchene. Winnik extended the Avalanche lead with his fifth of the year, pushed through by Stastny and David Van der Gulik. San Jose got one back on the fifth of the season for Brent Burns, courtesy of Havlat in the third period. The Sharks got the equalizer with the thirteenth of the campaign off the tape of Joe Pavelski, set up by Jason Demers and Joe Thornton. San Jose would win 5-4 after Couture made his twelfth of the year, guided in by Patrick Marleau and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The three stars belonged to Couture, Stastny, and Clowe, while Havlat and Winnik earn honorable mentions.
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