Six games on the final Sunday of the season. We begin in Pennsylvania...
As the Pittsburgh Penguins host their cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Marc-Andre Fleury started in goal. Pittsburgh began with a Steve Sullivan goal, his sixteenth of the season, assisted by Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis. The Penguins added on with James Neal recording his thirty-ninth of the year, via Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz. Philadelphia got one back when Claude Giroux made his twenty-eighth of the campaign, with the help of Jaromir Jagr and Scott Hartnell. The Flyers tied it in the second period on a Max Talbot goal, his nineteenth of the season, fueled by Zac Rinaldo and Sean Couturier. Philadelphia took the lead in the third period on a power play goal by Wayne Simmonds, his twenty-seventh of the year, powered by Jakub Voracek and Giroux. The Flyers rolled on with a Voracek goal, his sixteenth of the campaign, guided in by Eric Wellwood and Braydon Coburn. Philadelphia extended the lead again with a Marc-Andre Bourdon goal, his third of the season, with Giroux providing the lone helper. Pittsburgh got one back with Sullivan's second of the game and seventeenth of the year, courtesy of Dupuis and Zbynek Michalek. The Flyers got it back when Voracek netted his second of the game and seventeenth of the campaign, an empty net goal set up by Matt Carle and Talbot. The Penguins replied too little, too late, with a power play goal by Kunitz, his twenty-fourth of the season, with assists from Malkin and Crosby. The three stars went to Voracek, Giroux, and Sullivan, while Talbot, Kunitz, Crosby, Dupuis, and Malkin get the honorable mentions.
Down into New York, with the Islanders bringing in the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Al Montoya are in the creases. New York struck first with a Mark Streit goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by John Tavares and Matt Moulson. Ottawa tied the game with the eleventh of the year for Kyle Turris, fueled by Milan Michalek and Sergei Gonchar. The Senators took the lead in the second period with a Gonchar power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Michalek and Turris. Ottawa added on with a Michalek goal, his thirty-fifth of the year, coming off of Turris and Bobby Butler. The Senators extended their lead with a Nick Foligno goal, his fifteenth of the season, set up by Jesse Winchester and Colin Greening. Ottawa did not relent in the third period, as Turris scored his second of the game and twelfth of the year, courtesy of Foligno and Erik Karlsson on the power play. The Senators cruised from here on for a 5-1 win, with the three stars going to Turris, Michalek, and Gonchar, while Foligno gets the honorable mention.
Westward to Detroit, where the Red Wings welcome the Florida Panthers. Scott Clemmensen and Jimmy Howard play in the blue paint. Florida was first to score with a Tomas Fleischmann goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, fueled by Kris Versteeg and Stephen Weiss. Detroit tied it in the third period with a Jiri Hudler goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, guided in by Valtteri Filppula and Jakub Kindl. The game went to a shootout, where Pavel Datsyuk and Hudler carried the Red Wings over a lone Wojtek Wolski tally to defeat the Panthers 2-1. The three stars were handed out to Hudler, Howard (27 for 28 in saves), and Clemmensen (31 for 32 in saves).
Down to Chicago, as the Blackhawks bring in the Minnesota Wild. Josh Harding and Ray Emery get the spot starts. Minnesota got started with a Devin Setoguchi goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Dany Heatley and Marco Scandella. Chicago answered thirty-four seconds later on a Patrick Sharp goal, his thirty-third of the year, courtesy of Nick Leddy and Marcus Kruger. The Wild took the lead again with a power play goal by Heatley, his twenty-second of the season, powered by Mikko Koivu and Setoguchi. The Blackhawks tied it up again with a second period goal by Viktor Stalberg, his twenty-first of the year, made possible by Brent Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Minnesota again gained the lead with a Clayton Stoner goal, set up by Setoguchi and Koivu just twenty seconds later. The Wild added on with a Kyle Brodziak goal, his twenty-second of the season, thanks to Tom Gilbert and Stephane Veilleux. Chicago got one back with a Patrick Kane goal, his twenty-second of the year, guided in by Marian Hossa and Leddy. Kane tied it for the Blackhawks late in the third period with his second of the game and twenty-third of the season, fueled by Andrew Shaw. Minnesota took the game in the shootout with Erik Christensen and Setoguchi scoring to overpower Kane's lone tally, giving the Wild a 5-4 win over the Blackhawks. The three stars were awarded to Setoguchi, Heatley, and Leddy, while Kane and Koivu get honorable mentions.
Eastward to New York, with the Rangers hosting the Boston Bruins. Tim Thomas and Henrik Lundqvist tended the twines. Marian Gaborik put New York on the board first with his fortieth of the season, an unassisted goal. Boston replied in the second period when Dennis Seidenberg netted his fifth of the year, via Zdeno Chara and Brad Marchand. The Bruins took the lead on a Patrice Bergeron power play goal, his twenty-second of the season, with a lone Tyler Seguin assist. The scoring ended here, with Boston winning 2-1, and the three stars were Thomas (33 for 34 in saves), Chara, and Gaborik.
Finally, we'll stop in Anaheim as the Ducks host the Edmonton Oilers with only pride on the line. Devan Dubnyk and Jonas Hiller guard the cages. Fifteen seconds in, Edmonton was on the board when Teemu Hartikainen scored, with a lone Jordan Eberle assist. The Oilers extended the lead later with another Hartikainen tally, his second of the game, set up by Ryan Whitney and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Anaheim got one back with the slightly more famous Teemu, Mr. Selanne, who scored his twenty-sixth of the season, with the help of Niklas Hagman and Saku Koivu. The second and third periods were silent, so the final was 2-1 Edmonton, and the three stars were Selanne, Dubnyk (32 for 33 in saves), and Lubomir Visnovsky, while Hartikainen gets honorable mention. (Editor's Note: This game lacked neither Ryans (Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, The Nuge, Smyth, Whitney, Jones) nor Teemus (Hartikainen, Selanne) which is odd to have such a concentration of particular names).
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