We have eight games tonight as the season ticks down its final days. We begin with a semi-critical Southeast Division match...
As the Carolina Hurricanes host the Winnipeg Jets. Chris Mason and Cam Ward were in goal. Winnipeg got the first goal when Nik Antropov scored his fourteenth of the season, thanks to Kyle Wellwood and Evander Kane. Carolina answered on a Derek Joslin goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Jeff Skinner. The Hurricanes took the lead as Eric Staal potted his twenty-fourth of the season, a shorthanded and unassisted goal. Carolina added on in the second period with a Brandon Sutter goal, his sixteenth of the year, via Patrick Dwyer and Drayson Bowman. The Jets got one back with Jim Slater depositing his eleventh of the season, with the help of Spencer Machacek and Zach Bogosian. Winnipeg tied it in the third period as Wellwood scored his seventeenth of the year, guided in by Antti Miettinen and Bogosian on the power play. The Jets quickly won it, just sixteen seconds into overtime with an Andrew Ladd goal, his twenty-fifth of the campaign, with a lone Bogosian assist to earn him a sock trick. The three stars of the 4-3 game were Ladd, Staal, and Wellwood, while Bogosian gets the honorable mention.
Out west a bit, the Columbus Blue Jackets hosted the Florida Panthers. Jose Theodore and Allen York were in front of the nets. Columbus struck first on an R.J. Umberger goal, his sixteenth of the season, made possible by Derick Brassard and Cam Atkinson. The Blue Jackets added on with a second period goal from Nikita Nikitin, his sixth of the year coming on the power play from Mark Letestu and Vinny Prospal. Columbus extended the lead again in the third period as Nikitin put down his second of the game and seventh of the season, with the help of Derek Dorsett and Ryan Johansen. Florida got on the board with a Tomas Kopecky goal, his ninth of the year, guided in by Dmitry Kulikov and Brian Campbell. The Blue Jackets iced it at 4-1 with an Umberger empty net goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the campaign, passed from Rick Nash and Nikitin. The three stars ended up with Nikitin, York (30 for 31 in saves), and Umberger.
Up in Detroit, the Red Wings host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Jimmy Howard tend the twines. Nashville led off in the second period with a Gabriel Bourque goal, his sixth of the season, set up by Jordin Tootoo and Hal Gill. The Predators added on as Francis Bouillon potted his third of the year, with a lone Alexander Radulov helper. Nashville kept going in the third period with a Radulov goal, his second of the season, fueled by Andrei Kostitsyn and goal Rinne (fifth assist of the year for the talented twine-tender). Detroit got one the board with a Jiri Hudler goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, courtesy of Henrik Zetterberg and Jonathan Ericsson. The Predators iced it at 4-1 with a Shea Weber empty net goal, his seventeenth of the campaign, passed from David Legwand. The three stars went to Rinne (31 for 32 in saves), Sergei Kostitsyn, and Zetterberg, while Radulov deserves the second slot.
Heading east again, as the Buffalo Sabres bring in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brent Johnson and Ryan Miller got the starting nods. Pittsburgh began with Evgeni Malkin notching his forty-eighth of the season, a power play goal powered by Steve Sullivan and Sidney Crosby. Buffalo answered on a Jordan Leopold goal, his ninth of the year, assisted by Jason Pominville and Ville Leino. The Penguins regained the lead with Crosby's fifth of the season, made possible by Sullivan and Pascal Dupuis. The Sabres retied it on a Tyler Ennis goal, his thirteenth of the year, courtesy of Alexander Sulzer and Mike Weber. Pittsburgh got the lead back again in the second period on a James Neal power play goal, his thirty-eighth of the season fueled by Crosby and Malkin. The Penguins gained a little separation when Sullivan netted his fifteenth of the year, via Dupuis and Crosby, the latter getting a sock trick. Buffalo got one back as Thomas Vanek shelved his twenty-sixth of the season, an unassisted goal. Pittsburgh iced it at 5-3 with a Jordan Staal empty net goal, his twenty-fifth of the year with a lone Brooks Orpik assist. Crosby, Vanek, and Sullivan had the three stars while Malkin and Dupuis get the honorable mentions.
South to New York City, where the Rangers welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist protect the nets. New York started off with a Marian Gaborik goal, his thirty-ninth of the season, assisted by Brad Richards and Carl Hagelin. The Rangers extended their lead with a Richards goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, powered by Derek Stepan and Michael Del Zotto on the power play. New York padded their lead with a third period Del Zotto power play goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Stepan. The Rangers kept going with another Del Zotto goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, via Gaborik and Richards. Montreal avoided the shutout when Rene Bourque cut it to 4-1 with his eighteenth of the campaign, helped along by Tomas Plekanec and Chris Campoli. The three stars were given to Lundqvist (19 for 20 in saves), Del Zotto, and Gaborik, while Richards and Stepan take the honorable mentions.
Way to the west, the Calgary Flames hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Miikka Kiprusoff guard the cages. Colorado started off with a Mark Olver goal, his fourth of the season, going in unassisted. The Avalanche extended the lead with an David Jones goal, his nineteenth of the year, coming off of Erik Johnson and Gabriel Landeskog. Colorado added on in the second period as Milan Hejduk potted his fourteenth of the season, with the help of Landeskog and Johnson. Calgary got one back with a Jarome Iginla power play goal late in the third period, his thirty-second of the year, powered by Olli Jokinen and Curtis Glencross. Five seconds later, the Avalanche iced it at 4-1 with a Peter Mueller empty net goal, his seventh of the campaign, passed from Shane O'Brien and Jay McClement. Varlamov (38 for 39 in saves), Johnson, and Tim Jackman had the three stars, while Landeskog gets the honorable mention.
North in Alberta, the Edmonton Oilers host the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Nikolai Khabibulin play between the pipes. Los Angeles started the scoring early with an Anze Kopitar goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, assisted by Dwight King and Dustin Brown. Edmonton tied it with a Jordan Eberle power play goal, his thirty-third of the year, powered by Jeff Petry and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Kings got the lead back with a Mike Richards shorthanded goal, his seventeenth of the season, passed from Willie Mitchell and Matt Greene. Los Angeles extended their lead with a second period power play goal from the tape of Drew Doughty, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Justin Williams and Kopitar. The Kings added on with an Alec Martinez goal, his fifth of the season, thanks to Greene and King. The final stuck at 4-1, and the three stars went to Richards, Kopitar, and King. Greene gets the honorable mention.
We end in British Columbia, as the Vancouver Canucks bring in the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Cory Schneider are the masked men. Vancouver opened on a Chris Higgins goal, his seventeenth of the season, set up by Jannik Hansen. Dallas tied it in the second period with a Steve Ott goal, his eleventh of the year, with a lone Jamie Benn helper. The Canucks got the lead back on a Sami Salo goal, his ninth of the season, thanks to Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler. Vancouver extended the lead on an Andrew Alberts goal, his second of the year, coming off of Sedin and Maxim Lapierre. The Canucks added on in the third period as Alexandre Burrows recorded his twenty-fifth of the season, via Sedin for a sock trick and Lapierre. Richard Bachman relieved Lehtonen here. Vancouver kept going with a Lapierre goal, his seventh of the year, with assists provided by Marc-Andre Gragnani and Zack Kassian. The Stars got one back as Jake Dowell notched his second of the season, passed from Tomas Vincour and Philip Larsen. The final stood at 5-2, with the three stars being Sedin, Lapierre, and Higgins.
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