Six games will go tonight, and we begin with...
The Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Mathieu Garon and Jonas Gustavsson pick up the starts. Tampa Bay struck early with the fourteenth of the season by Vincent Lecavalier, assisted by J.T. Wyman and Dominic Moore. Toronto tied it on a Joffrey Lupul goal, his eighteenth of the year, coming off of Tim Connolly and Jake Gardiner. The Maple Leafs grabbed the lead on a Carl Gunnarsson goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Connolly and Lupul. The Lightning retied it with a Steven Stamkos goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, made possible by Martin St. Louis. Toronto shot back on a Mikhail Grabovski goal, his eleventh of the season, guided in by Lupul and Luke Schenn. Tampa Bay got another equalizer when Pavel Kubina put his third of the year away, thanks to Eric Brewer. The Maple Leafs regained the lead again quickly as Darryl Boyce scored, helped along by Matt Frattin and Keith Aulie. Toronto added on again with a Frattin goal, his fifth of the campaign, set up by Nazem Kadri and Matthew Lombardi. The Maple Leafs rolled on with a power play goal in the third period, the sixth of the season for Dion Phaneuf, powered by Grabovski and Clarke MacArthur. Toronto iced it at 7-3 with a Phil Kessel power play goal, his twenty-second of the year, coming from Lupul for a sock trick and Phaneuf. Lupul, Frattin, and Gunnarsson had the three stars while Connolly, Grabovski, and Phaneuf were the honorable mentions.
Down to Carolina, where the Hurricanes host the New York Islanders. Evgeni Nabokov and Cam Ward guard the cages. New York was first to score with a Matt Moulson power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by John Tavares and Frans Nielsen. Carolina got an equalizer when Anthony Stewart potted his sixth of the year, with the help of Jay Harrison and Andreas Nodl. Brandon Sutter put the Hurricanes ahead in the second period on his ninth of the season, made possible by Drayson Bowman.The Islanders retied it on a Nielsen power play goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Mark Streit and Tavares. Carolina shot back with a Chad LaRose goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Sutter. New York got a quick equalizer with a Kyle Okposo goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Tavares for a sock trick and Travis Hamonic. The Islanders would take the game 4-3 over the Hurricanes in the shootout when P.A. Parenteau and Nielsen outscored Jussi Jokinen. The three stars went to Tavares, LaRose, and Sutter, while Nielsen picks up an honorable mention.
Up just a bit to Washington with the Capitals welcoming the Calgary Flames. Miikka Kiprusoff and Tomas Vokoun tend the twines. Washington was first to score with Alex Ovechkin netting his seventeenth of the season on the power play with help from Marcus Johansson and Nicklas Backstrom. The Capitals added on with a second period Troy Brouwer goal, his eleventh of the year coming on the power play via Ovechkin and Backstrom. Calgary got on the board with a Curtis Glencross goal, his sixteenth of the season, helped along by Jarome Iginla and T.J. Brodie. Washington got it back when Dennis Wideman scored his seventh of the year, assisted by Backstrom for a sock trick and Johansson. The third period was scoreless, so the final was 3-1, and the three stars were Backstrom, Johansson, and Ovechkin.
Into upstate New York, as the Buffalo Sabres welcome the Edmonton Oilers. Nikolai Khabibulin and Ryan Miller will attempt to stop the puck. Edmonton struck first with a Taylor Hall goal, his twelfth of the season, courtesy of Ales Hemsky. Buffalo tied it with a Jason Pominville goal, his thirteenth of the year, pushed through by Jochen Hecht and Brayden McNabb. The Sabres took the lead in the second period when the seventh of the season by Jordan Leopold found twine, and he got help from Drew Stafford and McNabb. The Oilers got it back with a Sam Gagner power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Jeff Petry and Hemsky. Stafford gave Buffalo another lead in the third period on his seventh of the campaign, assisted by Nathan Gerbe and Derek Roy. The Sabres extended the lead with Gerbe's fourth of the season, and the lone assist was off Stafford's tape. Edmonton got it to 4-3 with a Corey Potter goal, his third of the year, thanks to Jordan Eberle and Anton Lander. This would be a final, and the three stars would go to Stafford, Gerbe, and McNabb. Gagner and Hemsky earned honorable mentions.
Southwest to Dallas, where the Stars host the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Kari Lehtonen are the masked men. Detroit was first to score as Valtteri Filppula netted his thirteenth of the season, thanks to Henrik Zetterberg and Ian White. The Red Wings extended the lead on a Jiri Hudler goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Zetterberg and Filppula. Dallas got on the board when Loui Eriksson scored his fourteenth of the season, set up by Jamie Benn and Jordie Benn. Detroit got it back when Hudler netted his second of the game and eleventh of the year, with helpers provided by Filppula and Zetterberg, the latter notching a sock trick. The Stars pulled back in the second period with a Jamie goal, his tenth of the season, courtesy of Alex Goligoski and Michael Ryder. Cory Emmerton shot back for the Red Wings with his fourth of the year, fueled by Gustav Nyquist and Brad Stuart. Dallas replied again on a Ryder goal, his sixteenth of the campaign, guided in by Jamie and Eriksson. Detroit answered yet again on a Johan Franzen goal, his sixteenth of the season, with a lone assist from Pavel Datsyuk. The Stars got to 5-4 before the game expired as Ryder potted his second of the night and seventeenth of the year, helped along by Tom Wandell and Trevor Daley. Hudler, Ryder, and Filppula got the three stars while Zetterbeg, Jamie, and Eriksson were the honorable mentions.
Up a little to our terminus in St. Louis, as the Blues take on the Phoenix Coyotes. Mike Smith and Jaroslav Halak got the starting nods. St. Louis led off with a Chris Stewart goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by David Backes and David Perron. The Blues added on with a Jamie Langenbrunner goal, his third of the year, pushed through by Barret Jackman and Vladimir Sobotka. Phoenix got on the board with a Radim Vrbata power play goal, his nineteenth of the campaign, powered by Keith Yandle and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. St. Louis got it back in the second period when T.J. Oshie potted a power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, with the help of Alex Pietrangelo and Perron. The Blues iced it in the third period at 4-1 with a Patrik Berglund empty net goal, his ninth of the year, set up by Langenbrunner and Pietrangelo. The three stars went to Halak (34 for 35 in saves), Stewart, and Jackman, while Langenbrunner, Pietrangelo, and Perron pick up honorable mentions.
No comments :
Post a Comment