Nine games on as the playoff push gains its full steam. First up, the Northeast Division battle in...
Boston, with the Bruins hosting the Ottawa Senators. Robin Lehner and Tim Thomas are in goal. Ottawa led off with an Erik Karlsson goal, his fifteenth of the season, assisted by Milan Michalek and Jason Spezza on the power play. This goal held throughout the game for a 1-0 win, and the three stars were awarded to Lehner (32 save shutout), Thomas (37 for 38 in saves), and Karlsson.
Down the coast, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Nashville Predators. Anders Lindback and Cam Ward will play in front of the goalmouths. Nashville struck first as Craig Smith netted his twelfth of the season, with the help of Matt Halischuk and Gabriel Bourque. Carolina tied it on a Jamie McBain goal in the second period, his seventh of the year, pushed through by Anthony Stewart. The Predators retook the lead with Colin Wilson making his fifteenth of the season, an unassisted goal. The Hurricanes retied it with a Eric Staal goal, his nineteenth of the year, a power play goal made possible by Jeff Skinner and Jussi Jokinen. Carolina took a lead on Tim Brent power play goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Skinner and Staal. The Hurricanes extended the lead in the third period when Bryan Allen scored, thanks to Staal. Nashville got one back with a Bourque goal, his fourth of the year, assisted by Patric Hornqvist and David Legwand. Carolina held on for a 4-3 win, with Staal, Allen, and Skinner getting the three stars, and Bourque gets the honorable mention.
To the Midwest, as the Columbus Blue Jackets host the Detroit Red Wings. Joey MacDonald and Curtis Sanford received the starting nods. Detroit started the scoring with the twenty-fourth of the season by Johan Franzen, courtesy of Jakub Kindl and Danny Cleary. Columbus evened it on a Rick Nash power play goal, his twenty-second of the year, powered by Derick Brassard and James Wisniewski. The Blue Jackets took the lead in the third period with a Derek MacKenzie shorthanded goal, his sixth of the season, going in unassisted. The Red Wings retied it on the power play, when Niklas Kronwall made his thirteenth of the year, with the help of Henrik Zetterberg and Todd Bertuzzi. Detroit got the lead on a Zetterberg goal, his fourteenth of the season, made possible by Valtteri Filppula and Kronwall. The Red Wings kept going with Jan Mursak's goal, coming off of Cory Emmerton and Tomas Holmstrom. Detroit kept up the blitz with a Filppula goal, his nineteenth of the year, guided in by Franzen and Kronwall. The final stuck at 5-2, and the three stars were Kronwall, Zetterberg, and MacKenzie, while Filppula and Franzen get the honorable mentions.
Up in Canada, the Toronto Maple Leafs bring in the Florida Panthers. Jose Theodore and James Reimer take to the nets. Florida got going thirteen seconds in with a Marcel Goc goal, his sixth of the season, coming from Wojtek Wolski. The Panthers added on with Mike Santorelli sinking his eighth of the year, thanks to Jack Skille and Erik Gudbranson. Toronto got one back in the second period when Phil Kessel put away his thirty-second of the season, a power play goal powered by Dion Phaneuf and Joffrey Lupul. Florida got it back as Santorelli made his second of the game and ninth of the year, a power play goal guided in by Tomas Fleischmann and Brian Campbell. The Panthers extended the lead in the third period with a Jason Garrison power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Maple Leafs got one back when Nikolai Kulemin scored his seventh of the year with Phaneuf and Clarke MacArthur getting the assists. Florida shot back with a Stephen Weiss goal, his sixteenth of the season, and Sean Bergenheim had the only helper. Lupul pulled Toronto to a 5-3 loss with his twenty-fourth of the year, a power play goal from Kessel and Phaneuf, the latter earning a sock trick. Earning the three stars were Santorelli, Goc, and Garrison. Kessel, Lupul, and Phaneuf earned the honorable mentions.
Back stateside, the Washington Capitals host the New York Islanders. Evgeni Nabokov and Michal Neuvirth are the Russian goaltenders. New York began with a Josh Bailey goal, his seventh of the season, set up by Frans Nielsen and Andrew MacDonald. The Islanders extended their lead in the third period as Matt Moulson recorded his twenty-seventh of the year with the help of Steve Staios and P.A. Parenteau. Washington got on the board with a Troy Brouwer goal, his sixteenth of the season, fueled by Mathieu Perreault and Jason Chimera. The Capitals tied it with another Brouwer goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, guided in by Brooks Laich and Dennis Wideman to force overtime. It was in this extra frame that Alex Ovechkin completed the Washington comeback with his twenty-sixth of the campaign, an unassisted goal for a 3-2 win. The three stars went to Ovechkin, Brouwer, and Neuvirth (22 for 24 in saves).
Well to the south, the Tampa Bay Lightning are hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Mathieu Garon will be between the pipes. Tampa Bay opened the scoring on the forty-fourth of the season for Steven Stamkos, fueled by Teddy Purcell and Martin St. Louis. Montreal tied it with a David Desharnais goal, his thirteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Lightning took the lead back in the second period when Adam Hall made his second of the season, thanks to Ryan Malone and J.T. Wyman. This held up through the rest of the game, and Tampa Bay won 2-1, with the three stars going to Garon (23 for 24 in saves), Hall, and Eric Brewer, while any other point earner can take the third star.
Northwest of that, the Minnesota Wild host the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Bernier and Niklas Backstrom will keep the puck out of the mesh. Los Angeles struck early with a Justin Williams goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Slava Voynov and Dustin Brown. The Kings added on with a Dwight King goal, his second of the year, made possible by Anze Kopitar and Williams. Los Angeles rolled on with a Kopitar goal, his eighteenth of the season, set up by Brown and Matt Greene. The Kings extended the lead in the second period as Alec Martinez potted his third of the year, via Colin Fraser and Greene. This made it 4-0, which, after the third period ended, was a final, with the three stars as Bernier (26 save shutout), Kopitar, and Matt Cullen, while the following players could take the third star: Williams, Brown, or Greene.
Southwest, as follow a zig-zag pattern, the Phoenix Coyotes welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Cory Schneider and Mike Smith tend the twines. Vancouver struck first with an Alexander Edler goal, his eighth of the season coming on the power play from Sami Salo and Daniel Sedin. Phoenix tied it when Ray Whitney netted his nineteenth of the year, thanks to Keith Yandle and Adrian Aucoin. The Coyotes beat the Canucks with Whitney and Mikkel Boedker tallying in the shootout for a 2-1 win. The three stars belonged to Smith (39 for 40 in saves), Whitney, and Boedker, while Schneider (34 for 35 in saves) gets an honorable mention.
We end the day's games in San Jose, where the Sharks host the Philadelphia Flyers. Ilya Bryzgalov and Antti Niemi stand in the creases. San Jose opened with a Ryane Clowe goal, his eleventh of the season, guided in by Joe Thornton and Brent Burns. This held up through the rest of the game, resulting in a 1-0 final with the three stars being Niemi (26 save shutout), Clowe, and Daniel Winnik, while Bryzgalov (22 for 23 in saves) earns the honorable mention.
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