Monday, February 6, 2012

NHL Day 124 2011-2012

Only three games on tonight. We start in...

Toronto, as they host cross-country rivals in the Edmonton Oilers. Devan Dubnyk and James Reimer played in goal. Edmonton began early with a Jordan Eberle goal, his twenty-third of the season, assisted by Taylor Hall and Sam Gagner. Clarke MacArthur tied it for Toronto on his seventeenth of the year, courtesy of Mikhail Grabovski and Phil Kessel. The Maple Leafs got the bead with Jake Gardiner making his second of the campaign, with the help of Grabovski. Eberle retied it for the Oilers on his second of the game and twenty-fourth of the season, made possible by Jeff Petry and Hall. Toronto took the lead again in the second period with a Kessel goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, thanks to Matthew Lombardi and Tim Connolly. The Maple Leafs extended the lead with a Tyler Bozak goal, his tenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. Edmonton got one back when Petry registered his second of the season, requiring no assistance. Toronto took it back on a Joffrey Lupul goal, his twenty-first of the year, with a lone helper from Dion Phaneuf. The Maple Leafs iced it at 6-3 in the third period when Kessel's second of the game and twenty-ninth of the campaign found the empty cage, with assists provided by Phaneuf and MacArthur. The three stars were Grabovski, Eberle, and Kessel, while Petry, Hall, MacArthur, and Phaneuf earn honorable mentions.

Well to the southwest, the Phoenix Coyotes welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Joey MacDonald and Mike Smith earned the starts. Phoenix led off with a Boyd Gordon shorthanded goal, his sixth of the season, an unassisted goal. The Coyotes added on in the second period with a power play goal by Martin Hanzal, his seventh of the year, coming off of Ray Whitney and Radim Vrbata. Detroit got on the board with Johan Franzen notching his twentieth of the season, a power play goal powered by Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Hanzal iced it for Phoenix at 3-1 with his second of the game and eighth of the year going into the empty net, made possible by Whitney. The three stars went to Smith (30 for 31 in saves), Gordon, and Hanzal, while Whitney earns honorable mention.

Finishing off the day, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Calgary Flames. Miikka Kiprusoff and Jonas Hiller guard the cages. Anaheim began with a Bobby Ryan goal, his twentieth of the season, guided in by Lubomir Visnovsky and Ryan Getzlaf. The Ducks extended the lead with Matt Beleskey notching his fourth of the year, with the help of Sheldon Brookbank and Teemu Selanne. Calgary got one back in the second period as Alex Tanguay sank his sixth of the season, thanks to Blair Jones and Scott Hannan. The Flames tied it in the third period with a Jarome Iginla power play goal, his twentieth of the year, powered by Olli Jokinen and Mark Giordano. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Jokinen and Corey Perry exchanged goals, followed by another matching set by Ryan and Blair Jones. Niklas Hagman had the last laugh in the game, scoring an unanswered tally for Anaheim to win 3-2 over Calgary. The three stars were awarded to Francois Beauchemin, Iginla, and Cam Fowler, while anyone earning a point or scoring in the shootout also deserves recognition.

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