Six games on tonight, although I'm going to a soccer game so the finals won't be done until tomorrow morning. With that, we start in...
Columbus, where the Blue Jackets host the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Steve Mason are in the blue paint. Vinny Prospal got things started for Columbus with his thirteenth of the season, made possible by Jack Johnson and David Savard. R.J. Umberger added on for the Blue Jackets in the second period with his twelfth of the year, a power play goal powered by Nikita Nikitin and Derick Brassard. Carolina got one back as Drayson Bowman potted his sixth of the season, thanks to Brandon Sutter and Justin Faulk. Columbus answered on another Umberger goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, coming off of Brassard and Nikitin. Umberger extended the Blue Jackets lead in the third period by finishing his hat trick with his fourteenth of the season, fueled by Brassard, who got a sock trick. Mark Letestu iced it at 5-1 for Columbus with his ninth of the year, guided in by Prospal and Johnson. Umberger, Mason (39 for 40 in saves), and Brassard got the three stars, while Johnson, Nikitin, and Prospal earn the honorable mentions.
Eastward a bit, the New York Rangers host the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Henrik Lundqvist tend the twines. Buffalo led off in the second period with a Travis Turnbull goal, with a lone Brad Boyes assist. New York answered as Brian Boyle shelved his seventh of the season, thanks to Artem Anisimov and Tim Erixon. Drew Stafford took the lead back for the Sabres on his sixteenth of the year, guided in by Tyler Ennis and Marcus Foligno. Buffalo rolled on in the third period with an Ennis goal, his twelfth of the season, passed from Stafford and Foligno. The Sabres iced it at 4-1 with Stafford's second of the night and seventeenth of the year, made possible by Ennis. The three stars were given to Stafford, Miller (26 for 27 in saves), and Ennis, while Foligno earns an honorable mention.
Crossing into New Jersey, where the Devils bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Martin Brodeur are the masked men. Toronto scored first with a Tyler Bozak goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming from Luke Schenn and Matthew Lombardi in the second period. The Maple Leafs extended the lead on a Nazem Kadri goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Jake Gardiner and Ryan Hamilton. New Jersey shot back with a Jacob Josefson goal, fueled by Alexei Ponikarovsky and Dainius Zubrus. Toronto replied in the third period as Dave Steckell netted his eighth of the campaign, with the help of Joey Crabb and Tim Connolly. The Devils pulled back on a Zach Parise goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, set up by Bryce Salvador and David Clarkson. New Jersey tied the game when Adam Henrique registered his sixteenth of the year, assisted by Andy Greene and Adam Larsson. In the shootout, the Maple Leafs used tallies by Bozak, Connolly, and Kadri to topple the Devils goals from Ilya Kovalchuk and Parise for a 4-3 win. The three stars were given to Henrique, Reimer (43 for 46 in saves), and Parise, while Bozak, Kadri, and Connolly get honorable mentions.
A bit south, the Washington Capitals host the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec and Michal Neuvirth will play between the pipes. Jason Chimera got Washington going with his eighteenth of the season, thanks to Jeff Halpern and Alexander Semin. The Capitals added on in the second period as Alex Ovechkin registered his thirty-fourth of the year, courtesy of Brooks Laich and Mike Knuble. Washington kept going as Ovechkin struck again, his second of the game and thirty-fifth of the season, fueled by Mathieu Perreault and Chimera. Winnipeg finally got on the board as Ben Maxwell scored, via Tim Stapleton and Spencer Machacek. The Jets pulled closer as Bryan Little recorded his twenty-second of the campaign, with the help of Tobias Enstrom and Blake Wheeler. Winnipeg tied it in the third period as Machacek scored, assisted by Maxwell. The game was decided in overtime as the Jets defeated the Capitals 4-3 with a Stapleton goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Dustin Byfuglien. The three stars belonged to Ovechkin, Stapleton, and Chimera, while Machacek and Maxwell earn the honorable mentions.
Up in Canada, the Montreal Canadiens welcome the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson returns from injury to oppose fellow goalie Carey Price, although Ben bishop was in for Anderson for a short time in the first and second periods. Montreal led off with an Erik Cole tally, his twenty-eighth of the season, going in unassisted just twenty-nine seconds into the game. The Canadiens added on with another Cole goal, his second of the game and twenty-ninth of the year, made possible by P.K. Subban and David Desharnais. Montreal struck again just forty-five seconds later, and 5:41 into the game, as Cole finished an impressively quick natural hat trick with his thirtieth of the season, a power play goal powered by Desharnais and Subban. The Canadiens kept the attack up with a Petteri Nokelainen goal, his third of the year, via Aaron Palushaj and Chris Campoli. Ottawa finally stopped the bleeding a bit with a Jason Spezza goal, his thirtieth of the season, set up by Milan Michalek and Chris Phillips. Montreal struck again, icing the game at 5-1 in the third period, with a power play goal off the tape of Lars Eller, his sixteenth of the year, courtesy of Tomas Plekanec and Campoli. Cole, Price (37 for 38 in saves), and Subban got the three stars, while Campoli and Desharnais get the honorable mentions.
Finally, we end in a rather abnormal ending place, as the Florida Panthers host the Edmonton Oilers. Devan Dubnyk and Jose Thoedore guard the cages. Edmonton opened the scoring in the second period with a Ryan Jones goal, his sixteenth of the season, set up by Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Florida tied it with the sixteenth of the year by Jason Garrison, via Tomas Fleischmann and Stephen Weiss. The game went into a shootout, where a lone Nugent-Hopkins tally led the Oilers to a 2-1 victory over the Panthers. The three stars were awarded to Dubnyk (26 for 27 in saves), Garrison, and Theodore (20 for 21 in saves), while Nugent-Hopkins gets an honorable mention.
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