Just five games to see tonight, but a few spirited rivalries among them. We begin with a Northeast Division battle in...
Ottawa, with the Senators hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Ben Bishop stand in the blue paint. Montreal opened with a Tomas Plekanec shorthanded goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming from Ryan White. Ottawa tied it in the third period when Colin Greening deposited his fifteenth of the year, with the help of Zack Smith and Erik Condra. The Senators won in overtime as Filip Kuba notched his sixth of the campaign, via Daniel Alfredsson and Erik Karlsson. Josh Gorges, Greening, and Kuba took the three stars, while any point earner can take the first slot, along with either goalie.
Down to Dallas, as the Stars bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Kari Lehtonen got the starting nods. Chicago led off just ten seconds into the game as Dave Bolland sank his eighteenth of the season, thanks to Andrew Shaw and Bryan Bickell. The Blackhawks kept up the early blitz with a Patrick Sharp goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, made possible by Viktor Stalberg and Brent Seabrook. Chicago got things moving again in the third period on another quick goal, this time from the tape of Marian Hossa thirty-three seconds after the initial puck drop, his twenty-eighth of the season assisted by Patrick Kane. The Blackhawks followed their earlier pattern with another rapid goal, when Sharp potted his second of the game and twenty-eighth of the year, passed from Stalberg and Johnny Oduya. Dallas busted the shutout bid when Jamie Benn sank his twenty-second of the campaign, helped along by Steve Ott and Loui Eriksson. This left the final at 4-1, with the three stars going to Sharp, Bolland, and Hossa, while Stalberg gets an honorable mention.
Back in Canada, the Winnipeg Jets host the Washington Capitals. Tomas Vokoun and Ondrej Pavelec are in the creases. Winnipeg started the scoring with the twenty-fourth of the season by Andrew Ladd, courtesy of Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien. Washington answered quickly as Brooks Laich sank his fifteenth of the year, with a lone Marcus Johansson assist, only twenty-two seconds later. The Jets retook the lead in the second period as Nik Antropov shelved his twelfth of the season, with the help of Tim Stapleton and Antti Miettinen. The Capitals tied it early in the third period on a Mathieu Perreault power play goal just twenty-seven seconds into the frame, his thirteenth of the year, going in unassisted. Winnipeg took the lead back as Byfuglien put away his eleventh of the season, thanks to Evander Kane and Alex Burmistrov. They held on from here to earn a 3-2 victory, with Byfuglien, Antropov, and Vokoun (25 for 28 in saves) being named the three stars.
A tad west, we have another installment in the battle of Alberta, with the Edmonton Oilers hosting their southern rivals, the Calgary Flames. Leland Irving and Devan Dubnyk are the young masked men. Edmonton began with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his seventeenth of the season, fueled by Jordan Eberle. The Oilers added on with an Eberle goal, his thirty-first of the year, made possible by Teemu Hartikainen and Jeff Petry. Calgary got one back in the second period as Mark Giordano put down his eighth of the season, an unassisted goal. Edmonton replied in the third period as Nugent-Hopkins made his second of the night and eighteenth of the year, guided in by Ryan Jones and Eberle. The final stood at 3-1, with Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins, and Petry earning the three stars.
Finally, another big rivalry on the night is a part of the Battle of California, with the Anaheim Ducks hosting Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Jonas Hiller tend the twines. Los Angeles started with an Alec Martinez goal, his third of the season, fueled by Matt Greene and Colin Fraser. The Kings extended the lead with the twenty-second of the year for Anze Kopitar, coming off of Justin Williams and Greene. Williams kept Los Angeles going, scoring his eighteenth of the season, with a lone Drew Doughty helper. Anaheim got on the board in the second period as Cam Fowler shelved his fourth of the year, a power play goal powered by Ryan Getzlaf and Teemu Selanne. The Ducks pulled closer in the third period when Luca Sbisa made his fifth of the season, courtesy of Fowler and Selanne. The Kings iced it at 4-2 with a Mike Richards empty netter, his fifteenth of the year, made possible by Dustin Brown and Doughty. The three stars were Hiller (39 for 42), Kopitar, and Richards, while Williams, Greene, Doughty, Selanne, or Fowler could take the third slot.
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