Hockey Feburary 14th, 2015

To celebrate Valentine's Day, we have eleven hockey games to love. Also, Canada is showing its love for its sport by celebrating Hockey Day in Canada. We begin with a single game from Russia, as...

Atlant Mytishchi hosts Dinamo Minsk. Danny Taylor and Atte Engren draw the starts in goal. Mytishchi led off in the first period on an Artyom Chernov power play goal, powered by Maxim Potapov and Sergei Shmelyov. Minsk tied it on a Charles Linglet goal, via Matt Ellison and Paul Szczechura. Dinamo took the lead with a second period power play goal by Alexander Kulakov, assisted by Lukas Krajicek and Andrei Stepanov. Atlant tied it on a Chernov power play goal, guided in by Potapov and Shmelyov. Minsk regained the lead on an unassisted Linglet goal, his second of the game. Mytishchi tied it in the third period as Mikhail Tyulyapkin scored an unassisted goal. Atlant took the lead on an Andrei Taratukhin goal, fueled by Vyacheslav Leshchenko and Chernov. The three stars were Chernov, Linglet, and Taratukhin, while Potapov and Shmelyov are given the honorable mentions.

In the NHL, the Ottawa Senators welcome the Edmonton Oilers. Viktor Fasth and Robin Lehner are the unknown goalies. Ottawa was first to score in the first period on a Milan Michalek power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Mike Hoffman and Erik Karlsson. Edmonton tied it on a Derek Roy goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Ryan Hamilton and Nail Yakupov. The Senators took the lead back on a Cody Ceci goal, his fourth of the season, via Erik Condra and Alex Chiasson. Ottawa chased Fasth on a Kyle Turris goal, his twelfth of the year, passed from Mark Stone and Michalek. Richard Bachman came on in relief. The Oilers got one back on a Mark Fayne goal, his second of the season, assisted by Jeff Petry and Andrew Ference. The Senators shot back on a Michalek goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, guided in by Turris and Stone. Ottawa extended the lead on a Chiasson goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Condra and Karlsson. The Senators padded the lead in the third period on a Hoffman goal, his nineteenth of the year, fueled by Mika Zibanejad and Bobby Ryan. Ottawa iced it at 7-2 on a David Legwand power play goal, his eighth of the campaign, with assists provided by Patrick Wiercioch and Ryan. The three stars were Michalek, Turris, and Chiasson, while Hoffman, Stone, Condra, Karlsson, and Ryan all get honorable mentions.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Michael Hutchinson and Jimmy Howard are the masked men. Winnipeg struck first in the first period on a Chris Thorburn goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Jacob Trouba and Dustin Byfuglien. Detroit tied it on a Niklas Kronwall power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist. The Red Wings took the lead in the second period on a Darren Helm power play goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Tomas Tatar and Pavel Datsyuk. Detroit added on with a Datsyuk goal, his sixteenth of the year, passed from Helm and Tatar. The Jets pulled back on a Blake Wheeler goal, his sixteenth of the season, with helpers provided by Tyler Myers and Bryan Little. Winnipeg tied it on a Drew Stafford goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Myers and Michael Frolik on the power play. The Jets took the lead on a power play goal by Andrew Ladd in the third period, his nineteenth of the season, with assists from Little and Byfuglien. The Red Wings tied it as Datsyuk scored his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, thanks to Brendan Smith and Danny DeKeyser. Winnipeg won with a lone tally by Stafford in the shootout. The three stars went to Stafford, Datsyuk, and Byfuglien, while Little, Myers, Helm, and Tatar get the honorable mentions.

Back into Canada, where the Montreal Canadiens host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jonathan Bernier and Carey Price guard the cages. Toronto began in the first period on a Daniel Winnik goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Richard Panik and Roman Polak. Montreal tied it on a Brendan Gallagher goal, his thirteenth of the year, a power play goal powered by Tomas Plekanec and P.K. Subban. The Canadiens took the game 2-1 in the shootout with goals by Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais, topping a Mike Santorelli tally. The three stars went to Price (28 for 29 in saves), Bernier (31 for 32 in saves), and Desharnais.

Back stateside, the New York Islanders welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Anton Forsberg and Jaroslav Halak are called on to start in goal. New York opened in the first period with a Josh Bailey goal, his tenth of the season, fueled by Anders Lee and John Tavares. The Islanders added on as Bailey scored his second of the game and eleventh of the year, thanks to Tavares and Nick Leddy. Columbus got on the board with a Brandon Dubinsky goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Matt Calvert and Fedor Tyutin. The Blue Jackets tied it on a Cam Atkinson goal, his thirteenth of the year, going in unassisted. New York took the lead in the second period on a Ryan Strome goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Lubomir Visnovsky and Frans Nielsen. Columbus tied it again with a Nick Foligno goal, his twenty-second of the year, coming off of Scott Hartnell and James Wisniewski. The Islanders regained the lead in the third period with a Nielsen goal, his tenth of the season, helped along by Thomas Hickey and Mikhail Grabovski. New York extended the lead with a Tavares goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, with helped provided by Lee and Brian Strait. The Islanders padded the lead on another Tavares goal, his second of the game and twenty-sixth of the season, driven in by Bailey and Travis Hamonic. This made it 6-3, the final, with the three stars going to Tavares, Bailey, and Nielsen, while Lee gets an honorable mention.

Southwest to Arizona, where the Coyotes bring in the New York Rangers. Cam Talbot and Mike Smith occupy the creases. New York got going in the second period on a Chris Kreider goal, his thirteenth of the season, fueled by Derek Stepan and Kevin Klein. Arizona tied it on an Antoine Vermette goal, his thirteenth of the year, guided in by Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Lucas Lessio. The Rangers took the lead back in the third period on a Rick Nash goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, passed from Klein and Derick Brassard. New York added on with a Kevin Hayes shorthanded goal, his tenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Rangers extended the lead on a Marc Staal goal, his fourth of the season, via Stepan and Martin St. Louis. New York finished it at 5-1 with a Lee Stempniak goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Dan Girardi and Dominic Moore. The three stars went to Talbot (34 for 35 in saves), Klein, and Stepan.

Backtracking to Nashville, where the Predators host the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Pekka Rinne tend the twines. Nashville started in the first period on a Matt Cullen goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Craig Smith and Shea Weber. New Jersey tied it on a second period Steve Bernier power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Eric Gelinas and Scott Gomez. The Predators retook the lead in the third period on a Colin Wilson goal, his eighteenth of the season, guided in by Victor Bartley and Mike Ribeiro. Nashville iced it at 3-1 with a Smith goal, his fifteenth of the year, passed from Cullen and Mike Fisher. The three stars went to Rinne (21 for 22 in saves), Smith, and Cullen.

Northward to Minnesota, where the Wild welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Anton Khudobin and Devan Dubnyk are the inconsistent goalies. Minnesota led off in the first period on a Thomas Vanek goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Mikael Granlund and Justin Fontaine. The Wild added on with another Vanek goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, passed from Fontaine and Ryan Suter. Minnesota extended the lead as Jordan Schroeder scored his second of the season, with the help of Marco Scandella and Jared Spurgeon. Carolina got on the board with an Andrej Nestrasil goal, his third of the year, via Jay McClement and Justin Faulk. The Wild shot back in the second period with a Nate Prosser goal, his second of the season, made possible by Vanek and Granlund. The Hurricanes got one back with a Jeff Skinner goal, his twelfth of the year, coming off of Jordan Staal and Michal Jordan. Carolina pulled closer on an Elias Lindholm goal, his eleventh of the season, fueled by Faulk and McClement. Minnesota shot back in the third period on an Erik Haula goal, his third of the year, with assists provided by Kyle Brodziak and Stephane Veilleux. The Wild made it 6-3 with a Zach Parise empty net goal, his twenty-third of the campaign, set up by Spurgeon and Mikko Koivu. This was a final, with the three stars going to Vanek, Fontaine, and Granlund, while Spurgeon, Faulk, and McClement get the honorable mentions.

Continuing to Colorado, where the Avalanche bring in the Dallas Stars. Jhonas Enroth and Semyon Varlamov are between the pipes. Colorado began in the first period on a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his tenth of the season, guided in by Ryan O'Reilly and Nick Holden. The Avalanche added on in the second period with an Alex Tanguay goal, his fifteenth of the year, coming off of Dennis Everberg and Nate Guenin. Colorado extended the lead in the third period on a Jarome Iginla goal, his eighteenth of the season, passed from Brad Stuart and Matt Duchene. Dallas got on the board with a Jason Spezza shorthanded goal, his twelfth of the year, set up by Jamie Benn and Jyrki Jokipakka. The Avalanche ended it at 4-1 with an Everberg goal, his second of the campaign, helped along by Tanguay and John Mitchell. The three stars went to Tanguay, Varlamov (24 for 25 in saves), and Everberg.

Up in Calgary, the Flames host the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller faces a lesser foe in Karri Ramo in goal. Vancouver struck first in the first period on a Ronalds Kenins goal, his third of the season, guided in by Jannik Hansen and Bo Horvat. Calgary tied it on a Sean Monahan goal in the second period, his eighteenth of the year, assisted by Johnny Gaudreau and Jiri Hudler. The Flames gained the lead on another Monahan goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the season, passed from Hudler and Deryk Engelland. The Canucks tied it on a Linden Vey goal, his ninth of the year, with a lone assist by Chris Higgins. Calgary took the lead on a third period Lance Bouma goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of David Jones and Dennis Wideman. The final stood at 3-2, and the three stars went to Monahan, Hudler, and Bouma.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Jonathan Quick protect the nets. Los Angeles dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Dwight King goal, his tenth of the season, via Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Carter. The Kings added on in the third period on a Trevor Lewis goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Marian Gaborik and Anze Kopitar. Washington got on the board with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his thirty-fourth of the season, assisted by Evgeny Kuznetsov. Los Angeles shot back on a Jarret Stoll goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Dustin Brown and Justin Williams. This held up for a 3-1 win, with the three stars going to Quick (27 for 28 in saves), Lewis, and Stoll.

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NHL February 13th, 2015

Five games on tonight, with the first from...

Columbus, as the Blue Jackets host the Philadelphia Flyers. Ray Emery and Curtis McElhinney make the starts for injured starters. Philadelphia opened in the first period on a Wayne Simmonds goal, his twentieth of the season, courtesy of Matt Read. Columbus tied it on a second period goal by Brandon Dubinsky, his fourth of the year, made possible by Kevin Connauton. The Flyers retook the lead as Sean Couturier scored his twelfth of the season, with the help of Simmonds. Philadelphia added on in the third period with a Simmonds power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the year, powered by Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. The Blue Jackets got one back with a Jared Boll goal, helped along by Corey Tropp and Mark Letestu. Columbus tied it on a Cam Atkinson goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Scott Hartnell and Dubinsky. The Blue Jackets won 4-3 in overtime with an Artem Anisimov goal, his third of the year, set up by James Wisniewski and Connauton. The three stars were Simmonds, Dubinsky, and Connauton.

Over in Chicago, the Blackhawks welcome the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Corey Crawford protect the nets. New Jersey began in the first period on a Peter Harrold goal, his second of the season, via Scott Gomez and Jon Merrill. Chicago tied it in the third period on a Marian Hossa power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, powered by Brandon Saad and Brent Seabrook. The Blackhawks added on with a Jonathan Toews goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming off of Hossa and Seabrook. Chicago iced it at 3-1 with a Kris Versteeg empty net goal, his tenth of the year, set up by Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith. The three stars were awarded to Hossa, Crawford (25 for 26 in saves), and Seabrook.

Down in Dallas, the Stars host the Florida Panthers. Al Montoya is mismatched with Kari Lehtonen in goal. Dallas started in the first period on a Jamie Benn goal, his nineteenth of the season, a shorthanded goal set up by Vernon Fiddler. The Stars added on as Jason Spezza scored his eleventh of the year, thanks to Erik Cole and Jason Demers. This was all they needed for a 2-0 win, with the three stars given to Lehtonen (37 save shutout), Benn, and Spezza.

Westward to Arizona, where the Coyotes bring the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Mike Smith are the veteran goalies. Arizona led off in the first period with a Mark Arcobello goal, his ninth of the season, guided in by Michael Stone. The Coyotes added on with a Martin Erat power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Sam Gagner and Keith Yandle. San Jose got on the board with a Joe Pavelski goal in the second period, his twenty-ninth of the season, passed from Joe Thornton and Scott Hannan. The Sharks tied it with another Pavelski goal, his second of the game and thirtieth of the year, a power play goal made possible by Logan Couture and Thornton. San Jose took the lead on a third period goal by Barclay Goodrow, his fourth of the season, coming off of Brent Burns and the goalie Niemi. The Sharks ended it at 4-2 with a Pavelski empty net goal, securing his hat trick on his thirty-first of the year, set up by Thornton, who got a sock trick. The three stars were handed to Pavelski, Thornton, and Niemi (32 for 34 in saves).

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Ryan Miller tend the twines. Vancouver struck first in the first period with a Shawn Matthias goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Zack Kassian and Derek Dorsett. The Canucks added on with another Matthias goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, going in unassisted. Boston got on the board with a Patrice Bergeron goal, his sixteenth of the season, an unassisted goal. Vancouver shot back in the second period as Radim Vrbata scored his twenty-first of the year, thanks to Chris Higgins and Linden Vey. The Bruins got one back on a Chris Kelly goal, his seventh of the season, an unassisted goal. The Canucks replied as Matthias finished his hat trick on his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Kassian. Vancouver iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Jannik Hansen, his eleventh of the campaign, set up by Bo Horvat and Christopher Tanev. The three stars were Matthias, Kassian, and Vrbata.

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KHL February 13th, 2015

Ten games for Friday the 13th in the Russian league. We begin in the far east as...

Admiral Vladivostok hosts Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Vladimir Sokhatsky and Ivan Nalimov are in the creases. Vladivostok opened in the first period on an Ilya Zubov goal, coming off of Niclas Bergfors. Ufa tied it on a Dmitry Semin goal, passed from Alexander Kutuzov and Andrei Zubarev. Admiral took the lead back in the second period on a goal by Jan Kolar, made possible by Zubov and Shaun Heshka. Salavat Yulaev tied it again with a power play goal by Kirill Koltsov, powered by Semin and Evgeny Skachkov. Vladivostok retook the lead in the third period on an Enver Lisin goal, assisted by Tom Wandell and Ivan Glazkov on the power play. Admiral added on with a Richard Gynge goal, with assists provided by Vyacheslav Ushenin and Vladislav Ushenin. Vladivostok extended the lead as Alexei Ugarov scored an unassisted goal. Admiral finished it at 6-2 with a Zubov goal, with a lone helper from Bergfors. The three stars were Zubov, Bergfors, and Semin.

Over to Metallurg Novokuznetsk welcoming Avangard Omsk. Konstantin Barulin faces a lesser foe in Rafael Khakimov in goal. Omsk struck first with a Vadim Khomitsky goal in the first period, courtesy of Denis Parshin. Avangard added on with an Erik Gustafsson goal, via Alexander Perezhogin. Nikita Lozhkin relieved Khakimov. Novokuznetsk got on the board with a Cade Fairchild goal, fueled by Vladimir Malinovsky. Metallurg tied it on a Ryan Stoa power play goal in the second period, powered by Malinovsky. Omsk regained the lead in the third period with a Parshin goal, with a lone assist by Sergei Shirokov. The final stood at 3-2, with the three stars going to Parshin, Malinovsky, and Gustafsson.

Nearby, Sibir Novosibirsk brings in Barys Astana. Jan Laco and Alexander Salak are the reliable goalies. Novosibirsk began in the first period on a Jarno Koskiranta goal, assisted by Dmitry Monya and Alexei Kopeikin. Sibir added on with a Sergei Shumakov goal, guided in by Oleg Gubin. Laco was pulled for Pavel Poluektov. Novosibirsk extended the lead with a third period power play goal by Kopeikin, powered by Patrik Hersley and Koskiranta. Sibir iced it at 4-0 with a Kopiekin power play goal, his second of the game, coming off of Monya and Koskiranta. The three stars were Kopeikin, Salak (40 save shutout), and Koskiranta, while Monya gets an honorable mention.

Heading west, Metallurg Magnitogorsk hosts Traktor Chelyabinsk. Michael Garnett and Vasily Koshechkin tend the twines. Magnitogorsk started in the first period with a Denis Platonov goal, coming off of Mikhail Yunkov. Chelyabinsk tied it on an unassisted Stanislav Chistov goal. The tie lasted to overtime, where Rafael Batyrshin scored with the help of Chris Lee and Danis Zaripov to give Metallurg a 2-1 win. The three stars went to Batyrshin, Koshechkin (28 for 29 in saves), and Platonov.

Up in Yekaterinburg, Avtomobilist welcomes Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Alexander Sudnitsin and Jakub Kovar are the talented goalies. Nizhnekamsk was first to score in the first period on a Yegor Milovzorov power play goal, powered by Maxim Rybin and Andrei Ivanov. Yekaterinburg tied it on an Alexander Nesterov power play goal, courtesy of Sergei Gusev and Dmitry Megalinsky. Neftekhimik took the lead in the second period on an Evgeny Grigorenko goal, passed from Stanislav Kalashnikov. Avtomobilist tied it again in the third period on a Vitaly Popov goal, with a lone assist by Pavel Zykov. Nizhnekamsk retook the lead as Mikhail Zhukov scored, thanks to Pavel Kulikov. This produced the 3-2 final, with the three stars given to Zhukov, Grigorenko, and Milovzorov.

Out in Moscow, CSKA brings in Medvescak Zagreb. Mark Owuya and Kevin Lalande are the goalies. Zagreb led off in the first period on a Pascal Pelletier goal, going in unassisted. Medvescak added on with an Edwin Hedberg goal, courtesy of Mark Flood. Ilya Sorokin relieved Lalande after the rough start. Moscow got on the board with a Stephane Da Costa power play goal in the second period, powered by Alexander Radulov and Denis Denisov. CSKA tied it on a Roman Lyubimov goal, fueled by Mikhail Naumenkov and Maxim Mamin. Moscow took the lead as Jan Mursak scored, with the help of Andreas Engqvist and Alexei Bondarev. CSKA extended their lead on an Igor Grigorenko power play goal, with a lone assist by Da Costa. Moscow secured a 5-2 win on a Da Costa power play goal in the third period, his second of the game, guided in by Grigorenko and Nikita Zaitsev. The three stars were handed to Da Costa, Grigorenko, and Mursak.

Back east, Ak Bars Kazan hosts Lada Togliatti. Evgeny Ivannikov and Emil Garipov receive the starting nods in goal. Kazan got going in the second period on a Sergei Kostitsyn goal, guided in by Yakov Rylov and Justin Azevedo. Togliatti tied it on a shorthanded goal by Denis Golubev, set up by Peter Podhradsky and Alexander Streltsov. Lada took the lead in the third period on a Vasily Streltsov goal, courtesy of Fedor Fedorov and Dmitry Ogurtsov. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Ivannikov (35 for 36 in saves), Vasily Streltsov, and Golubev.

Up in Nizhny Novgorod, Torpedo welcomes Slovan Bratislava. Johan Backlund and Mikhail Biryukov are between the pipes. Nizhny Novgorod dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Veli-Matti Savinainen goal, passed from Nikita Dvurechensky. Torpedo added on with a Nikita Filatov goal, with a lone helper by Vladimir Galuzin. Nizhny Novgorod extended the lead as Denis Kazionov scored, thanks to Gennady Stolyarov. Bratislava got on the board in the third period with a Michal Sersen goal, coming off of Rok Ticar and Tomas Netik. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars handed to Biryukov (25 for 26 in saves), Filatov, and Kazionov.

Back to the Moscow area, as Vityaz Podolsk brings in the Sochi Leopards. Andrei Gavrilov and Ivan Lisutin are called on to start. Sochi struck first in the first period on a Mikhail Anisin goal, assisted by Max Warn and Clay Wilson. The Leopards added on with an Andrei Kostitsyn goal, guided in by Ilya Krikunov and Igor Ignatushkin. Sochi extended the lead as Krikunov scored, thanks to Kostitsyn and Andre Petersson on the power play. The Leopards padded the lead in the second period on a Petersson goal, made possible by Andrei Pervyshin and Evgeny Lapenkov. Sochi got another with a Pyotr Schastlivy goal, coming off of Roman Derlyuk and Anisin. Podolsk avoided the shutout with a Maxim Afinogenov shorthaned and unassisted goal in the third period, making the final 5-1. The three stars went to Kostitsyn, Krikunov, and Petersson, while Anisin gets an honorable mention.

Finally, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hosts Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Lazushin and Vitaly Kolesnik are the backups in goal. Yaroslavl was first to score in the first period on a Jonas Holos goal, courtesy of Alexei Vasilyev and Andrei Loktionov. Lokomotiv added on with a Martin Thornberg goal, passed from Petri Kontiola. Moscow tied it on an Alexander Budkin goal in the second period, going in unassisted. Yaroslavl shot back with an Emil Galimov goal, coming off of Staffan Kronwall. Lokomotiv extended the lead in the third period on a Yegor Averin goal, assisted by Jiri Novotny and Sergei Plotnikov. Dynamo pulled back with a power play goal by Denis Kokarev, powered by Mat Robinson. Moscow chipped away with a Denis Mosalyov goal, with a lone assist by Budkin. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars being Averin, Galimov, and Budkin.

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NHL February 12th, 2015

Nine games today, beginning in...

Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes host the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Cam Ward are in the blue paint. Carolina got going in the second period on a Jeff Skinner power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by John-Michael Liles and Alexander Semin. Anaheim tied it on a Francois Beauchemin goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Matt Beleskey and Corey Perry. The Ducks took the lead on an unassisted goal by Beleskey, his twenty-first of the campaign. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Beleskey, Gibson (35 for 36 in saves), and Beauchemin.

Up to New York, where the Islanders welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jonathan Bernier and Jaroslav Halak are the reliable goalies. New York struck first in the first period on an Anders Lee goal, his seventeenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Islanders added on with a Casey Cizikas goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Colin McDonald and Matt Martin. Toronto got on the board in the second period with a Richard Panik goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Korbinian Holzer and Leo Komarov. The Maple Leafs tied it on a Trevor Smith goal, his second of the year, fueled by Panik and Tyler Bozak. New York retook the lead on Lee's second of the game and eighteenth of the campaign, made possible by Josh Bailey and Travis Hamonic. This produced the eventual 3-2 final, with the three stars given to Lee, Panik, and Cizikas.

North to Montreal, where the Canadiens bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Viktor Fasth and Dustin Tokarski are the unknown goalies. Montreal was first to score in the first period on a Christian Thomas goal, with a lone assist by Jacob De La Rose. The Canadiens added on in the second period as Alex Galchenyuk scored his sixteenth of the season, thanks to P.K. Subban and Tomas Plekanec. Edmonton got on the board with a Matt Hendricks goal, his seventh of the year, via Jeff Petry and Andrew Ference. The Oilers tied it on a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Jordan Eberle. Montreal retook the lead on a Max Pacioretty goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, fueled by Subban and Andrei Markov. Edmonton tied it again with another Nugent-Hopkins goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, made possible by Oscar Klefbom and Teddy Purcell. The Oilers won 4-3 in overtime on an Anton Lander goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Klefbom and Nail Yakupov. The three stars belonged to Nugent-Hopkins, Klefboma, nd Subban.

Over in Ontario, the Ottawa Senators host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Thomas Greiss and Robin Lehner are the backup-level goalies. Pittsburgh opened in the first period on a Kris Letang goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Beau Bennett and Brandon Sutter. The Penguins added on with a Sidney Crosby goal, his eighteenth of the year, assisted by Rob Scuderi. Pittsburgh extended the lead in the second period as Evgeni Malkin scored his twenty-first of the season, with the help of Blake Comeau and Letang. Ottawa got on the board in the third period on a power play goal by Mika Zibanejad, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Bobby Ryan and Cody Ceci. The Senators pulled closer on a Mike Hoffman goal, his eighteenth of the season, passed from Ryan and Erik Karlsson. The Penguins shot back on a Crosby goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, with a lone helper from Chris Kunitz. Ottawa answered on a Mark Stone goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Kyle Turris and Karlsson. The Senators tied it as Turris scored his eleventh of the year, thanks to Eric Gryba and Mark Borowiecki. In the shootout, Pittsburgh won with a lone tally by David Perron for a 5-4 final. The three stars went to Crosby, Letang, and Turris, while Ryan and Karlsson receive the honorable mentions.

Way to the south, the Tampa Bay Lightning welcome the St. Louis Blues. Brian Elliott and Ben Bishop are set to start in goal. St. Louis started in the first period on a T.J. Oshie goal, his fifteenth of the season, fueled by Alexander Steen. The Blues added on with a Dmitrij Jaskin power play goal, his eighth of the year, with a lone assist by Steen. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Tyler Johnson power play goal in the second period, his twentieth of the season, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Anton Stralman. St. Louis shot back on a Steen goal, his nineteenth of the year, via David Backes. The Blues extended the lead as Backes potted his nineteenth of the season, thanks to Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo. St. Louis padded the lead on a Paul Stastny goal, his eleventh of the year, coming off of Patrik Berglund and Ian Cole. The Lightning pulled back with a Brett Connolly goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Valtteri Filppula. Tampa Bay got closer on a Steven Stamkos goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, helped along by Alex Killorn and Stralman in the third period. The Blues iced it at 6-3 on an empty net goal by Vladimir Tarasenko, his twenty-ninth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Steen, Backes, and Oshie, while Stralman gets an honorable mention.

Backtracking to Nashville, where the Predators bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec is mismatched with Pekka Rinne in goal. Nashville led off in the first period on a Shea Weber goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg on the power play. Winnipeg tied it on a power play goal by Michael Frolik, his eleventh of the year, guided in by Dustin Byfuglien and Mark Scheifele. The Predators retook the lead on a power play goal by Forsberg in the second period, his nineteenth of the season, powered by Josi and Weber. Nashville wrapped it up at 3-1 in the third period on a James Neal goal, his nineteenth of the year, coming off of Mike Fisher and Weber. The three stars were awarded to Weber, Forsberg, and Rinne (32 for 33 in saves), and Josi.

Further north, the Minnesota Wild host the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Devan Dubnyk are the masked men. Minnesota dented the scoreboard in the first period on a Jason Pominville goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Mikko Koivu and Ryan Suter. The Wild added on in the second period with a Zach Parise goal, his twenty-second of the year, a power play goal powered by Thomas Vanek and Koivu. Florida got on the board with a Nick Bjugstad goal, his nineteenth of the campaign, assisted by Jussi Jokinen and Jimmy Hayes. This was as close as it got, with the final at 2-1, and the three stars went to Dubnyk (26 for 27 in saves), Parise, and Koivu.

Westward to Colorado, as the Avalanche welcome the New York Rangers. Cam Talbot and Semyon Varlamov are in the inconsistent goalies. New York began in the first period on a Dan Boyle goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Kevin Hayes and Ryan McDonagh. The Rangers added on with a Hayes goal in the second period, his ninth of the year, going in unassisted. Colorado got on the board with a Gabriel Landeskog goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from John Mitchell and Nathan MacKinnon. New York responded with a Mats Zuccarello goal, his eleventh of the year, coming off of Rick Nash and Derick Brassard. The Avalanche pulled back on a Jarome Iginla goal, his seventeenth of the season, with a lone helper by Max Talbot in the third period. Colorado tied it with a Jan Hejda goal, made possible by Iginla and Matt Duchene. The Rangers regained the lead on a Carl Hagelin goal, his twelfth of the year, courtesy of Hayes and Kevin Klein. New York extended the lead with a Nash goal, his thirty-fourth of the season, with a lone assist from J.T. Miller. The Rangers finished it at 6-3 on a McDonagh power play goal into an empty net, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Hayes, Nash, and McDonagh, while Iginla gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Calgary Flames. Jonas Hiller and Jonathan Quick are between the pipes. Los Angeles opened in the first period on a Tyler Toffoli goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming off of Jeff Carter. Calgary tied it in the second period as David Jones scored his tenth of the year, a power play goal powered by T.J. Brodie and Dennis Wideman. The Flames took the lead with a Mason Raymond goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Matt Stajan and Wideman. The Kings retied it on a Toffoli goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, courtesy of Jake Muzzin and Carter. Los Angeles took the lead in the third period on a Dwight King goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Carter, who got a sock trick, and Toffoli. The Kings added on with a Jordan Nolan goal, his third of the year, assisted by Drew Doughty. Los Angeles extended the lead as Toffoli finished his hat trick on his eighteenth of the season, thanks to King and Brayden McNabb. Calgary got one back with Raymond's second of the game and eleventh of the year, helped along by Johnny Gaudreau. The three stars of the 5-3 game were Toffoli, Carter, and Raymond, while King and Wideman get the honorable mentions.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion. 

KHL February 12th, 2015

Two games from Russia today, beginning in...

Vladivostok, as Admiral hosts Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Vladimir Sokhatsky and Ilya Proskuryakov are in goal. Ufa led off in the first period with a power play goal by Teemy Hartikainen, powered by Ilkka Heikkinen and Andrei Zubarev. Salavat Yulaev added on in the second period with a Dmitry Makarov goal, guided in by Hartikainen and Anton Slepyshev. Vladivostok got on the board with a third period power play goal by Tom Wandell, coming off of Ivan Glazkov. Ufa iced it at 3-1 with a Stanislav Golovanov goal, passed from Andrei Ankudinov and Alexei Glukhov. The three stars went to Sokhatsky (28 for 29 in saves), Makarov, and Golovanov.

The other game is Dinamo Minsk hosting Atlant Mytishchi. Atte Engren faces a lesser foe in Dmitry Milchakov in goal. Mytischi began in the first period on an Evgeny Bodrov goal, passed from Oleg Yashin. Minsk tied it on a second period goal by Alexander Materukhin, via Artyom Demkov and Charles Linglet. Atlant took the lead with an Igor Levitsky goal, guided in by Artyom Voronin and Alexander Yunkov. Mytishchi added on in the third period as Anton Babchuk scored a power play goal, with a lone assist by Levitsky. Dinamo got one back on a Matt Ellison goal, assisted by Paul Szczechura and Linglet. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Levitsky, Linglet, and Babchuk.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

NHL February 11th, 2015

Three games tonight, beginning in...

Chicago, as the Blackhawks host the Vancouver Canucks. Eddie Lack and Corey Crawford man the nets. Chicago got going in the second period on an unassisted Patrick Kane goal, his twenty-seventh of the season. Vancouver tied it on a Linden Vey goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Chris Higgins and Radim Vrbata. The Canucks took the lead on a Bo Horvat goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Ronalds Kenins and Christopher Tanev. Vancouver added on with a Zack Kassian goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Luca Sbisa and Higgins. The Blackhawks got one back in the third period on a power play goal by Marian Hossa, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Brandon Saad and Jonathan Toews. The Canucks answered with a Daniel Sedin goal, his twelfth of the year, coming off of Alexandre Burrows and Henrik Sedin. Chicago pulled back with a Saad power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, via Duncan Keith and Kane. The Blackhawks tied it on a Hossa goal, his sixteenth of the year, with assists provided by Kane and Michal Rozsival. Vancouver won 5-4 in overtime on a Daniel Sedin goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the campaign, made possible by Henrik Sedin and Sbisa. The three stars were Daniel Sedin, Hossa, and Kane, while Saad, Henrik Sedin, Higgins, and Sbisa got the honorable mentions.

East to Pittsburgh, where the Penguins welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Petr Mrazek and Marc-Andre Fleury are in the creases. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period on a Patric Hornqvist, his fifteenth of the season, guided in by Kris Letang and Blake Comeau. The Penguins added on with a Comeau goal, his twelfth of the year, coming off of Hornqvist. Pittsburgh extended the lead in the second period as David Perron scored his fourteenth of the season, thanks to Maxim Lapierre and Paul Martin. The Penguins padded the lead on a Nick Spaling goal, his eighth of the year, via Rob Scuderi and Simon Despres. Detroit got on the board with a Stephen Weiss power play goal, his seventh of the campaign, powered by Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall. Jimmy Howard relieved Mrazek for the third period. The final stood at 4-1, with the three stars going to Fleury (23 for 24 in saves), Comeau, and Hornqvist.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Antti Niemi guard the cages. Washington was first to score in the first period on a Jay Beagle goal, his eighth of the season, fueled by Brooks Orpik and Michael Latta. San Jose tied it on a Brent Burns power play goal in the second period, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Joe Thornton and Logan Couture. The Sharks took the lead on another Burns goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the year, courtesy of Patrick Marleau and Matthew Nieto. The Capitals tied it on a Troy Brouwer power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, coming off of Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. San Jose regained the lead on a Couture goal, his twentieth of the season, assisted by Nieto and Marleau. Washington tied it on another Beagle goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, via John Carlson and Orpik. The Capitals pulled ahead with a Carlson goal, his seventh of the season, passed from Marcus Johansson and Backstrom. The Sharks tied it again with a Thornton goal, his twelfth of the year, made possible by Joe Pavelski and Melker Karlsson. Washington won 5-4 on a Joel Ward goal in overtime, his twelfth of the campaign, set up by Mike Green and Beagle. The three stars went to Beagle, Burns, and Carlson, while Orpik, Thornton, Couture, Marleau, Nieto, and Backstrom get the honorable mentions.

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Premier League Week 25

Ten games in the middle of the week instead of on the weekend. We begin with four games on Tuesday, including...

Our leadoff game, Arsenal hosting Leicester City. Mark Schwarzer and David Ospina are set to start in goal. Arsenal began in the twenty-seventh minute on a Laurent Koscielny goal, courtesy of Mesut Ozil on a cross after a corner kick. Arsenal added on in the forty-first minute with a Theo Walcott goal. In the sixty-first minute, Andrej Kramaric put Leicester City on the board with his goal. In the sixty-fifth minute, Leicester City's Marcin Wasilewski took a yellow card for a foul. Tomas Rosicky of Arsenal received a yellow card for his sixty-seventh minute foul. Danny Simpson of Leicester City took a yellow card for a foul in the eighty-ninth minute. Leicester City had a yellow card for Ben Hamer's offense in stoppage time, as did Arsenal's Olivier Giroud. The final favored Arsenal 2-1.

Over to Hull City welcoming Aston Villa. Brad Guzan and Allan McGregor are the goalies. Hull City opened in the twenty-second minute on a Nikica Jelavic goal, coming off of Dame N'Doye. Aston Villa's Alan Hutton received a yellow card for his forty-first minute offense. Aston Villa took another yellow card in the fifty-sixth minute for a Gabriel Agbonlahor foul. Hull City added on in the seventy-fourth minute with an N'Doye goal. Hull City's Michael Dawson received a yellow card for an eighty-fifth minute foul. Hull City held on to win 2-0.

Next up, Sunderland brings in the Queens Park Rangers. Robert Green and Costel Pantilimon are the gloved men. QPR was first to score in the seventeenth minute on a Leroy Fer header goal, made possible by a Matthew Phillips cross. In the thirty-fifth minute, Bobby Zamora of QPR took a yellow card for a foul. Sunderland had a yellow card go to Sebastian Larsson for his forty-first minute foul. QPR added on in first half stoppage time with a Zamora goal, fueled by Phillips on a cross. QPR saw yellow cards go to Rio Ferdinand in the seventieth minute and Joey Barton in the seventy-eighth minute for a foul. Sunderland took a yellow card for Ricardo Alvarez's violation in the eighty-third minute. QPR took the game 2-0.

Closing out Tuesday, Liverpool hosts Tottenham Hotspur. Hugo Lloris and Simon Mignolet are the keepers. Liverpool struck first in the fifteenth minute on a Lazar Markovic goal, coming off of Daniel Sturridge. In the twenty-fourth minute, Ryan Mason of Tottenham Hotspur took a yellow card for a foul. Tottenham Hotspur tied it on a twenty-sixth minute Harry Kane goal, via Erik Lamela. Tottenham Hotspur had a yellow card for a twenty-eighth minute foul by Christian Eriksen. Liverpool's Martin Skrtel and Mamadou Sakho received yellow cards for fouls in the fortieth minute and first half stoppage time, respectively. Liverpool retook the lead on a Steven Gerrard penalty kick goal in the fifty-third minute. Gerrard received a yellow card in the sixtieth minute for a foul. Tottenham Hotspur tied it again as Mousa Dembele scored, thanks to Kane's cross after a set piece. Tottenham Hotspur's Dembele and Kyle Walker had yellow cards assessed for fouls in the sixty-third minute and seventy-third minute, respectively. In the eighty-third minute, Mario Balotelli gave Liverpool the lead with a goal, assisted by Adam Lallana. Tottenham Hotspur had two more yellow cards for an eighty-eighth minute Paulinho foul and a Kane offense in stoppage time. The final stood at 3-2 for Liverpool.

Leading off Wednesday, Chelsea welcomes Everton. Tim Howard and Petr Cech are the goalies that haven't made an appearance recently. Everton's Muhamed Besic took a yellow card for his foul in the fifth minute. Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta took a yellow card for a fifteenth minute foul. Everton took another yellow card for a Gareth Barry foul in the twenty-fourth minute. Seamus Coleman of Everton received a yellow card for his foul in the fifty-eighth minute. The referee was busy late, with Barry picking up a second yellow card for a foul to put Everton at ten men, while Cesc Fabregas also received a yellow card for Chelsea in the eighty-eighth minute. In the eighty-ninth minute, Everton's James McCarthy was given a yellow card in the spillover from the previous kerfuffle, as did Chelsea's Ramires. Chelsea struck late on a Willian goal later that minute, and made that stand for a 1-0 win.

Over in Manchester, United bring in Burnley. Tom Heaton and David de Gea are called on to start in goal. Manchester United started in the sixth minute on a Chris Smalling header goal, coming off of Falcao on a headed pass after a corner kick. Burnley tied it in the twelfth minute on a Danny Ings header, set up by Kieran Trippier. Michael Kightly of Burnley took a yellow card for his twenty-sixth minute foul. Manchester United took the lead on another Smalling header in first half stoppage time, passed from Angel Di Maria on a cross after a corner kick. In the fifty-third minute, Burnley's Ben Mee received a yellow card for his foul. Wayne Rooney of Manchester United had a yellow card in the fifty-ninth minute for a foul. Burnley saw a yellow card go to Scott Arfield for his foul in the sixty-seventh minute. Manchester United had another yellow card for a sixty-eighth minute foul by Falcao. Manchester United added on in the eighty-second minute with a Robin van Persie penalty kick goal. Manchester United had two more yellow cards for James Wilson in the eighty-fourth minute and Di Maria in the eighty-sixth minute for fouls. Manchester United cruised to a 3-1 victory.

Moving along to Southampton hosting West Ham United. Adrian and Fraser Forster are in the six-yard boxes. Southampton took yellow cards for a thirty-ninth minute foul by Sadio Mane and a Jose Fonte foul in the forty-second minute. West Ham United took a yellow card for a Carlton Cole foul in the fiftieth minute. West Ham United's plight got much worse in the sixty-first minute when the keeper Adrian handled the ball outside of his area, earning him a straight red card. A couple minutes later, Cole was substituted off to make room for Adrian's replacement, Jussi Jaaskelainen. The backup proved solid in maintaining the 0-0 draw to the very end.

Next up, Stoke City welcomes Manchester City. Joe Hart and Asmir Begovic are the goalies. Manchester City led off in the thirty-third minute with a Sergio Aguero goal, set up by James Milner after a fast break. Stoke City tied it in the thirty-eighth minute on a Peter Crouch goal, via Marko Arnautovic on a cross. In first half stoppage time, Manchester City's Aguero received a yellow card for a handball. Manchester City saw another yellow card assessed to Milner his fifty-second minute foul. Manchester City took the lead back on a fifty-fifth minute Milner header, coming off of Samir Nasri's cross. In the sixty-fourth minute, Arnautovic of Stoke City received a yellow card for a foul. Manchester City added on in the seventieth minute with a penalty kick goal by Aguero. In the seventy-sixth minute, Nasri scored for Manchester City, with the help of Edin Dzeko. This produced the 4-1 final.

Back in London, Crystal Palace brings in Newcastle United. Tim Krul and Julian Speroni guard the woodwork. Newcastle United began in the forty-second minute on a Papiss Demba Cisse header goal, set up by Daryl Janmaat on the cross. Crystal Palace had a yellow card go to James McArthur for his foul in the forty-ninth minute. Newcastle United had two yellow cards, given to Janmaat in the fifty-fourth minute and Jack Colback a minute later, both for fouls. Crystal Palace tied it on a Frazier Campbell goal in the seventy-first minute, passed from Yannick Bolasie on a cross. The tie lasted to make it a 1-1 final.

Finally, West Bromwich Albion hosts Swansea City. Lukasz Fabianski and Ben Foster are the gloved men. West Brom had a yellow card for a twenty-third minute foul by Callum McManaman. In the thirty-fourth minute, Neil Taylor of Swansea City took a yellow card for a foul. West Brom had another yellow card given to Brown Ideye in the forty-first minute. West Brom opened with Ideye's redeeming goal in the sixtieth minute. West Brom added on with a seventy-fourth minute goal by Saido Berahino, passed from Ideye. This was good for a 2-0 win for West Brom.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL February 11th, 2015

Ten games on today after a day off. We begin with...

Metallurg Novokuznetsk hosting Barys Astana. Pavel Poluektov and Rafael Khakimov are the mediocre goalies. Astana struck first in the first period on an Oleg Kvasha goal, going in unassisted. Novokuznetsk tied it on an Alexander Komaristy goal, fueled by Mikhail Plotnikov. Barys took the lead in the third period on a Roman Starchenko goal, guided in by Nikolai Antropov. Metallurg tied it on a Sergei Dorofeyev goal, assisted by Alexander Romanov and Ryan Stoa. In the shootout, Cade Fairchild had the only goal to give Novokuznetsk the 3-2 win. The three stars were Dorofeyev, Komaristy, and Poluektov (45 for 47 in saves).

Over to Novosibirsk, where Sibir welcomes Avangard Omsk. Denis Kostin and Alexander Salak draw the starts in goal. Omsk dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Sergei Shirokov goal, via Denis Parshin and Sergei Kalinin. Novosibirsk tied it in the third period on an Alexei Kopeikin goal, made possible by David Ullstrom and Jarno Koskiranta. In the shootout, Chad Kolarik and Shirokov scored to top a single tally by Sergei Shumakov and give Avangard the 2-1 win. The three stars went to Shirokov, Kostin (33 for 34 in saves), and Salak (30 for 31 in saves).

Westward to Magnitogorsk, where Metallurg brings in Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Ville Kolppanen and Alexei Murygin are the backups in goal. Nizhnekamsk was first to score in the first period on a Matt Anderson goal, coming off of Dan Sexton. Magnitogorsk tied it on a Viktor Antipin goal, fueled by Danis Zaripov and Jan Kovar on the power play. Neftekhimik pulled ahead on an Igor Polygalov goal in the second period, made possible by Teemu Eronen and Yegor Milovzorov. Metallurg tied it with a Sergei Mozyakin goal, with a lone assist by Kovar. Nizhnekamsk pulled ahead in the third period with a Maxim Rybin goal, courtesy of Alexander Nikulin and Alexander Bryntsev. Magnitogorsk tied it on a Tim Brent power play goal, powered by Kovar, who got a sock trick. Metallurg gained the lead on a Kovar goal, helped along by Antipin and Mozyakin. This made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Kovar, Mozyakin, and Antipin.

Up to Khanty-Mansiysk, where Yugra hosts Traktor Chelyabinsk. Michael Garnett and Barry Brust are the North American goalies. Chelyabinsk got going in the second period on a Vyacheslav Osnovin goal, assisted by Stanislav Chistov and Oleg Piganovich. Khanty-Mansiysk tied it on a Nikita Gusev power play goal, powered by Alexander Korolyuk. Traktor won 2-1 in overtime with a Chistov goal, helped along by Jan Bulis and Deron Quint. The three stars went to Chistov, Garnett (29 for 30 in saves), and Brust (37 for 39 in saves).

Continuing to Nizhny Novgorod, where Torpedo welcomes the Sochi Leopards. Andrei Gavrilov and Mikhail Biryukov are set to start in goal. Sochi led off in the second period on an Andrei Kostitsyn goal, with a lone assist by Ilya Krikunov. Nizhny Novgorod tied it on a third period goal by Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev, assisted by Sergei Bernatsky. Torpedo won 2-1 in the shootout with goals by Jarkko Immonen and Krasnoslobodtsev to top a Kostitsyn goal. The three stars belonged to Krasnoslobodtsev, Biryukov (21 for 22 in saves), and Gavrilov (35 for 36 in saves).

Further west, Severstal Cherepovets brings in Medvescak Zagreb. Calvin Heeter is mismatched with Jakub Stepanek in goal. Zagreb began in the first period on a James Wright power play goal, powered by Andrew Hutchinson and Bill Thomas. Cherepovets tied it on a power play goal by Maxim Trunyov, courtesy of Logan Pyett and Pavel Lukin. Severstal took the lead in the second period on an Anatoly Nikontsev goal, coming off of Sergei Monakhov and Zakhar Arzamastsev. Medvescak retied it on a Thomas goal, via Shaone Morrisonn and Patrick Bjorkstrand. Cherepovets regained the lead on a Nikolai Kazakovtsev goal, with helpers from Vadim Berdnikov and Ilya Khokhlov. Zagreb tied it again with an Andrew Murray goal, passed from Morrisonn and Hutchinson. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Dmitry Kagarlitsky scored to give Severstal the 4-3 win. The three stars were Thomas, Morrisonn, and Hutchinson.

Down in Moscow, CSKA hosts Slovan Bratislava. Denis Godla and Stanislav Galimov are in the blue paint. Moscow opened in the first period on an Alexander Radulov goal, via Vladimir Zharkov and Maxim Mamin. CSKA added on with an Igor Grigorenko goal, courtesy of Stephane Da Costa and Radulov. Moscow extended the lead as Zharkov scored, thanks to Denis Denisov and Andrei Stas. Johan Backlund relieved Godla in goal. CSKA padded the lead on Grigorenko's second of the game, made possible by Radulov and Da Costa. Moscow kept going with a Radulov goal, his second of the game, with a lone assist by Nikita Zaitsev. CSKA struck again on a Mamin power play goal, powered by Stanislav Yegorshev and Stas. Moscow continued in the second period with a Da Costa power play goal, helped along by Jan Mursak. CSKA got another with a Grigorenko goal, securing his hat trick with a lone helper from Zaitsev. Ilya Sorokin came on to rest Galimov in the blowout. Moscow poured it on in the third period with Mamin's second of the game, coming off of Zaitsev, who got a sock trick, and Mursak. CSKA pushed on with a Nikita Kvartalnov goal, passed from Roman Lyubimov. Moscow drained another one on Radulov's hat trick securing goal, set up by Da Costa, who got a sock trick, and Mikhail Naumenkov. CSKA iced it at 12-0 with a Simon Hjalmarsson goal, courtesy of Da Costa and Grigorenko. The three stars in the KHL's most brutal beatdown of all time were Grigorenko, Radulov, and Da Costa, while honorable mentions go to Zharkov, Mamin, Stas, Zaitsev, and Mursak.

Backtracking to Yaroslavl, where Lokomotiv welcomes Amur Khabarovsk. Alexander Pechursky and Vitaly Kolesnik are in the creases. Yaroslavl started in the second period on an Andrei Loktionov power play goal, powered by Daniil Apalkov and Petri Kontiola. Khabarovsk tied it on an Evgeny Orlov goal in the third period, helped along by Kirill Safronov and Vyacheslav Litovchenko. Lokomotiv won 2-1 in overtime on a Jonas Holos goal, with a lone assist by Sergei Plotnikov. The three stars went to Holos, Kolesnik (24 for 25 in saves), and Loktionov.

Moving to St. Petersburg, where SKA brings in Dinamo Riga. Jakub Sedlacek and Mikko Koskinen guard the cages. Riga struck first in the first period on a Lauris Darzins goal, made possible by Maris Bicevskis and Miks Indrasis. St. Petersburg tied it on a Tony Martensson goal in the third period, coming off of Viktor Tikhonov. SKA took the lead as Roman Cervenka scored, thanks to Yury Alexandrov and Anton Burdasov. St. Petersburg added on with a power play goal by Maxim Chudinov, powered by Cervnka and Martensson. This produced the 3-1 final, with the three stars going to Cervenka, Martensson, and Koskinen (26 for 27 in saves).

Finally, Vityaz Podolsk hosts Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Yeryomenko and Harri Sateri are the masked men. Podolsk was first to score in the first period on an Anton Korolyov goal, assisted by Vyacheslav Solodukhin. Moscow tied it on a Nikolai Zherdev goal, fueled by Konstantin Volkov. Dynamo took the lead with an Alexander Budkin goal, via Konstantin Gorovikov and Denis Kokarev. Moscow added on in the second period on a Konstantin Glazachev, guided in by Yegor Dugin and Alexander Osipov. Dynamo extended the lead on a power play goal by Mat Robinson, powered by Kokarev and Gorovikov. Vityaz got one back on an unassisted Robert Kousal goal. Moscow replied with a Glazachev goal, his second of the game, passed from Osipov. Podolsk answered on a Maxim Afinogenov goal, with assists provided by Roman Tatalin and Dmitry Tsyganov. Dynamo iced it at 6-3 on a Denis Mosalyov goal, with a lone assist from Zherdev. The three stars went to Glazachev, Gorovikov, and Kokarev, while Zherdev and Osipov get the honorable mentions.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

NHL February 10th, 2015

Nine games on tonight, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen faces a lesser foe in Niklas Svedberg in goal. Dallas struck first on a Vernon Fiddler shorthanded and unassisted goal, his seventh of the season. Boston tied it with a David Krejci goal, his seventh of the year, passed from David Pastrnak and Milan Lucic. The Stars retook the lead on a Jamie Benn goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Alex Goligoski and John Klingberg. Dallas added on with another Jamie Benn goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the year, via Patrick Eaves and Jordie Benn. Tuukka Rask relieved Svedberg in the second period. The Bruins pulled back with a Patrice Bergeron second period goal, his fifteenth of the season, a shorthanded goal set up by Brad Marchand. Boston tied it again with a Dougie Hamilton goal, his ninth of the year, fueled by Chris Kelly and Torey Krug. The Stars regained the lead on a Trevor Daley shorthanded goal, his fourteenth of the season, going in unassisted. Dallas iced it at 5-3 in the third period on an Erik Cole empty net goal, his fifteenth of the year, with assists provided by Jason Demers and Jason Spezza. The three stars were handed to Jamie Benn, Daley, and Fiddler.

Over to Buffalo, where the Sabres welcome the Ottawa Senators. Robin Lehner and Jhonas Enroth are the inexperienced goalies. Ottawa was first to score in the first period with an Erik Karlsson power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Kyle Turris and Mark Stone. Buffalo tied it in the third period on a Tyler Myers power play goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Matt Moulson and Chris Stewart. The Senators took the lead back with a Milan Michalek goal, his eighth of the campaign, helped along by Patrick Wiercioch and Mike Hoffman. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Lehner (35 for 36 in saves), Michalek, and Karlsson.

Back at the coast, the New York Islanders bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Viktor Fasth is mismatched with Jaroslav Halak. Edmonton opened in the first period on a Ryan Hamilton power play goal, powered by Nail Yakupov and Iiro Pakarinen. New York tied it on a Colin McDonald goal, his second of the season, guided in by Matt Martin and Travis Hamonic. The Islanders took the lead in the second period as Josh Bailey scored his ninth of the year, thanks to Thomas Hickey and Anders Lee. The Oilers retied it on an Anton Lander power play goal, his second of the season, via Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. New York took the lead in the third period on a Casey Cizikas goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of McDonald and Hickey. This held up for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to McDonald, Cizikas, and Hickey.

Into Canada, where the Montreal Canadiens host the Philadelphia Flyers. Ray Emery and Carey Price receive the starting nods. Philadelphia began in the first period on a Matt Read goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Wayne Simmonds. Montreal tied it in the third period with a Tomas Plekanec goal, his sixteenth of the year, coming off of Alex Galchenyuk and Brendan Gallagher. The Canadiens won 2-1 in overtime on a David Desharnais goal, his ninth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Andrei Markov. The three stars were Price (23 for 24 in saves), Desharnais, and Plekanec.

West to Ontario, where the Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the New York Rangers. Cam Talbot and James Reimer occupy the creases. New York led off in the first period on a Dan Boyle goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Derick Brassard and Rick Nash. The Rangers added on with a Mats Zuccarello goal, his ninth of the year, via Nash and Brassard. Toronto got on the board with a Morgan Rielly power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Cody Franson and Tyler Bozak. New York replied in the second period on a Kevin Hayes goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Marc Staal and Kevin Klein. The Maple Leafs replied with a Stephane Robidas goal, made possible by Leo Komarov. The Rangers shot back on a shorthanded goal by Dominic Moore, his fifth of the season, set up by Carl Hagelin and Staal. Toronto pulled back on a Rielly goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, with helpers provided by Daniel Winnik and Nazem Kadri. The Maple Leafs tied it on a Winnik goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. New York regained the lead as Zuccarello scored his second of the game and tenth of the year, with the help of Nash, who got a sock trick, and Moore. The final stood at 5-4, with the three stars handed to Zuccarello, Rielly, and Nash, while Brassard, Staal, Winnik, and Moore get the honorable mentions.

Way south to Florida, as the Panthers bring in the Anaheim Ducks. Ilya Bryzgalov and Roberto Luongo are the veteran goalies. Florida started in the first period on a Dmitry Kulikov power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Brian Campbell and Dave Bolland. The Panthers added on with a Nick Bjugstad power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, courtesy of Jimmy Hayes and Jonathan Huberdeau. Florida extended the lead in the second period with an Aaron Ekblad goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Huberdeau and Campbell. John Gibson replaced Bryzgalov in goal. Anaheim got on the board with a power play goal by Kyle Palmieri, his eleventh of the year, via Rickard Rakell and Cam Fowler. The Panthers replied on an Aleksander Barkov goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Brad Boyes and Huberdeau, the latter getting a sock trick. Florida padded the lead as Bolland scored his third of the year, thanks to Tomas Fleischmann and Erik Gudbranson. The Ducks got one back on a Tim Jackman goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Clayton Stoner and Sami Vatanen. The Panthers wrapped it up at 6-2 in the third period on a power play goal by Hayes, his sixteenth of the year, with assists provided by Steven Kampfer and Gudbranson. The three stars were Huberdeau, Hayes, and Bolland, while Campbell and Gudbranson get the honorable mentions.

Northwest to St. Louis, where the Blues host the Arizona Coyotes. Mike Smith and Jake Allen are between the pipes. Arizona struck first in the first period on a Sam Gagner goal, his tenth of the season, via Martin Erat and Michael Stone. St. Louis tied it on an Alexander Steen goal, his eighteenth of the year, made possible by T.J. Oshie and David Backes. The Blues took the lead in the second period on a Dmitrij Jaskin goal, his seventh of the campaign, coming off of Carl Gunnarsson. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars handed to Allen (25 for 26 in saves), Jaskin, and Steen.

Backtracking to Nashville, where the Predators welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Pekka Rinne guard the cages. Nashville got going in the second period on a Seth Jones goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Viktor Stalberg and Anton Volchenkov. The Predators added on with a Taylor Beck goal, his fifth of the year, made possible by Paul Gaustad and Eric Nystrom. Tampa Bay got on the board in the third period as Brett Connolly scored his tenth of the season, thanks to Valtteri Filppula. The Lightning tied it on a Nikita Kucherov goal, his twenty-first of the year, coming off of Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson. Nashville won 3-2 in overtime on a James Neal goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, via Roman Josi and Matt Cullen. The three stars went to Neal, Beck, and Jones.

Finally, the Winnipeg Jets bring in the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Michael Hutchinson are the surprising goalies. Winnipeg dented the scoreboard in the third period on a Toby Enstrom goal, his third of the season, fueled by Mathieu Perreault. Minnesota tied it on an unassisted goal by Jason Pominville, his eleventh of the year. The Jets won 2-1 with a Dustin Byfuglien goal in overtime, his fourteenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Hutchinson (29 for 30 in saves), Byfuglien, and Dubnyk (32 for 34 in saves).

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NHL February 9th, 2015

Five games on tonight, beginning in...

New Jersey, with the Devils hosting the Edmonton Oilers. Ben Scrivens and Cory Schneider draw the starts. New Jersey led off in the first period on a Patrik Elias goal, his eighth of the season, guided in by Martin Havlat and Travis Zajac. Edmonton tied it on an Oscar Klefbom goal, his second of the year, assisted by Jordan Eberle and Teddy Purcell. The Oilers took the lead in the second period on a Nail Yakupov power play goal, his sixth of the campaign, powered by Eberle and Jeff Petry. This was it for the scoring, with the final at 2-1. The three stars went to Yakupov, Eberle, and Scrivens (13 for 14 in saves).

Over in Columbus, the Blue Jackets welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick faces a lesser foe in Curtis McElhinney in goal. Columbus opened in the first period on a Jack Skille goal, his sixth of the season, via Artem Anisimov and Denis Savard. Los Angeles tied it on a Dwight King goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Jeff Carter and Robyn Regehr. The Kings took the lead on a Tyler Toffoli goal, his fifteenth of the season, passed from King. The Blue Jackets retied it on a second period Scott Hartnell goal, his thirteenth of the year, coming off of Ryan Johansen. Los Angeles retook the lead as Carter scored his fifteenth of the season, thanks to Brayden McNabb and Jamie McBain. The Kings added on with a Dustin Brown goal in the third period, his ninth of the year, fueled by Marian Gaborik. Columbus got one back with a Savard goal, his eighth of the campaign, wist assists provided by Nick Foligno and Jack Johnson. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Carter, King, and Savard.

Northwest to Minnesota, as the Wild host the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller and Devan Dubnyk are in the blue paint. Minnesota started in the first period on a Jordan Schroeder goal, courtesy of Charlie Coyle and Matt Dumba. The Wild added on with a Jason Pominville power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Thomas Vanek and Mikko Koivu. Vancouver got on the board with a Zack Kassian goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Chris Higgins and Dan Hamhuis. Minnesota shot back on a Nino Niederreiter goal, his sixteenth of the season, assisted by Koivu and Ryan Suter. The Canucks pulled back on a Shawn Matthias goal in the second period, his tenth of the year, with assists provided by Radim Vrbata and Hamhuis. The Wild answered with a Suter power play goal, his second of the season, made possible by Koivu, who got a sock trick, and Zach Parise. Minnesota extended the lead on a Kyle Brodziak goal, his seventh of the year, via Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin. Eddie Lack replaced Miller in goal. Vancouver got one back in the third period on a Ryan Stanton goal, his second of the campaign, coming off of Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. This only made it 5-3, the final, with the three stars being Suter, Koivu, and Hamhuis.

Backtracking to Chicago, as the Blackhawks bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Mike Smith and Antti Raanta draw the starts. Chicago got going in the second period on a Marian Hossa goal, his thirteenth of the season, with a lone assist by Jonathan Toews. Arizona tied it on a Shane Doan goal, his twelfth of the year, via Keith Yandle and Oliver Ekman-Larsson on the power play. The Coyotes took the lead in the third period on an Antoine Vermette goal, his twelfth of the season, passed from Ekman-Larsson. The Blackhawks retied it on a Hossa goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the year, guided in by Toews. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Lucas Lessio and Vermette combined to top Patrick Kane and give Arizona a 3-2 win. The three stars went to Hossa, Vermette, and Ekman-Larsson, while Toews gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Calgary Flames. Jonas Hiller and Antti Niemi are the veteran goalies. Calgary began in the first period with a Mason Raymond goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Lance Bouma and Kris Russell. The Flames added on in the second period with Bouma's ninth of the year, courtesy of Mark Giordano and David Jones. San Jose got on the board with a Brent Burns goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Logan Couture and Joe Pavelski. Calgary shot back in the third period as Jiri Hudler scored a power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, thanks to Johnny Gaudreau and Dennis Wideman. The Flames iced it at 4-1 with a Jones empty net goal, his ninth of the campaign, set up by T.J. Brodie. The three stars went to Bouma, Hiller (33 for 34 in saves), and Jones.

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KHL February 9th, 2015

Eight games on today before the schedule ramps up to a higher fluctuation later this week. We begin with...

Metallurg Magnitogorsk hosting CSKA Moscow. Stanislav Galimov and Vasily Koshechkin tend the twines. Magnitogorsk got going in the second period as Danis Zaripov scored a power play goal, powered by Chris Lee and Jan Kovar. Moscow tied it on a Stephane Da Costa goal, via Alexander Radulov. CSKA took the lead as Da Costa scored again, with another lone helper by Radulov. Moscow iced it at 3-1 with a third period goal by Vladimir Zharkov, an empty net goal set up by Roman Lyubimov. The three stars went to Da Costa, Galimov (21 for 22 in saves), and Radulov.

Over in Togliatti, Lada welcomes Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Jakub Kovar and Evgeny Ivannikov are set to start in goal. Togliatti led off in the first period on a Georgy Belousov power play goal, powered by Peter Podhradsky. Yekaterinburg tied it on a Vitaly Popov goal, courtesy of Anatoly Golyshev. Yekaterinburg took the lead in the third period as Sami Lepisto scored, thanks to Alexei Simakov and Alexander Rybakov. Yekaterinburg iced it at 3-1 with a shorthanded empty net goal by Anton Lazarev, set up by Nikita Tryamkin. The three stars belonged to Kovar (24 for 25 in saves), Lepisto, and Popov.

Way west to Minsk, where Dinamo hosts Traktor Chelyabinsk. Minsk opened in the first period on a Ryan Vesce goal, made possible by Charles Linglet and Matt Ellison. Chelyabinsk tied it on a second period goal by Francis Pare goal, with a lone helper from Artyom Borodkin. Traktor took the lead with a Vyacheslav Osnovin goal, fueled by Martin Ruzicka and Maxim Kondratyev. Dinamo tied it on a power play goal by Ellison, powered by Paul Szczechura and Vesce. Chelyabinsk took the lead back on a Stanislav Chistov goal, assisted by Ruzicka and Osnovin. Traktor finished it at 4-2 on a Ruzicka shorthanded empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were Ruzicka, Ellison, and Vesce, while Osnovin gets an honorable mention.

Back in Russia, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl brings in Admiral Vladivostok. Ivan Nalimov and Curtis Sanford are the goalies. Vladivostok dented the scoreboard in the second period with an Andrei Sigaryov goal, courtesy of Alexei Ugarov. Admiral added on as Alexander Gorshkov scored, with the help of Vyacheslav Ushenin. Vladivostok finished it at 3-0 with an Ugarov empty net goal, set up by Shaun Heshka. The three stars were handed to Nalimov (28 save shutout), Ugarov, and Sigaryov.

Down in Mytishchi, Atlant hosts Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Stepan Goryachevskikh and Artyom Artemyev are the backups in goal. Mytishchi began in the first period on a Nikita Soshnikov goal, guided in by Sergei Shmelyov. Atlant added on with another Soshnikov goal, coming off of Maxim Potapov and Shmelyov. Mytishchi extended the lead as Shmelyov scored, thanks to Matthew Gilroy and Potapov. Khanty-Mansiysk got on the board with an Alexander Korolyuk goal, made possible by Nikita Gusev. Atlant shot back on a Gilroy penalty shot goal, after he was slashed by Vitaly Sitnikov. Mytishchi padded the lead with a penalty shot goal by Oleg Yashin in the third period, after he was held my Dmitry Ryabykin. Atlant wrapped it up at 6-1 with an Alexander Yunkov goal, with a lone assist by Potapov, who got a sock trick. The three stars were given to Soshnikov, Shmelyov, and Gilroy, while Potapov gets an honorable mention.

Further south, Vityaz Podolsk welcomes Amur Khabarovsk. Alexander Pechursky and Ivan Lisutin are the masked men. Podolsk started in the first period on an Anton Korolyov goal, courtesy of Alexander Kucheryavenko and Georgy Berdyukov. Khabarovsk tied it on a Dmitry Tarasov goal, via Maxim Velikov and Tuukka Mantyla. Amur took the lead in the second period on a Michel Miklik power play goal, powered by Denis Yezhov. Vityaz tied it in the third period on a Vyacheslav Solodukhin goal, with a lone assist by Kucheryavenko. Podolsk took the lead on a Kucheryavenko goal, assisted by Korolyov. This held up for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Kucheryavenko, Korolyov, and Solodukhin.

Northwest to St. Petersburg, where SKA hosts Ak Bars Kazan. Anders Nilsson and Mikko Koskinen guard the cages. Kazan struck first in the first period on a power play goal by Oscar Moller, powered by Sergei Kostitsyn and Mikhail Varnakov. Ak Bars added on with a Petr Vrana goal, made possible by Kostitsyn and Igor Mirnov. St. Petersburg got on the board in the second period as Evgeny Dadonov scored a power play goal, via Andrei Kuteikin and Artemy Panarin. Kazan shot back with a Sheldon Brookbank goal, with a lone assist by Moller. Ak Bars extended the lead with a Varnakov goal in the third period, helped along by Justin Azevedo. Kazan padded the lead on a Vrana goal, his second of the game, passed from Vasily Tokranov and Kostitsyn, the latter getting a sock trick. The three stars were given to Vrana, Moller, and Kostitsyn, while Varnakov gets the honorable mention.

Finally, Jokerit Helsinki brings in Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Lazushin and Henrik Karlsson are between the pipes. Moscow was first to score in the second period on a Konstantin Glazachev goal, passed from Yegor Dugin. Helsinki tied it in the third period on a Petr Koukal power play goal, powered by Ryan Gunderson and Linus Omark. Dynamo took the lead back with a Maxim Karpov goal, guided in by Dugin. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars handed to Lazushin (30 for 31 in saves), Dugin, and Karpov.

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NHL February 8th, 2015

Eight games on an unusually busy Sunday. We begin in...

St. Louis, as the Blues host the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Brian Elliott are the solid goalies. Chicago led off in the first period on a Marcus Kruger goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Daniel Carcillo. St. Louis tied it on a Vladimir Tarasenko goal in the second period, his twenty-eighth of the year, coming off of Jaden Schwartz and Paul Stastny. The Blackhawks retook the lead on a Bryan Bickell goal, his tenth of the season, via David Rundblad and Patrick Kane. The Blues tied it again as David Backes scored his eighteenth of the year, thanks to T.J. Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo. Chicago reclaimed the lead with a Marian Hossa power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Brandon Saad and Bickell. The Blackhawks iced it at 4-2 on a Hossa empty net goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, set up by Saad. The three stars went to Hossa, Bickell, and Saad.

East to DC, where the Washington Capitals welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Braden Holtby are in goal. Philadelphia dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Mark Streit goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Michael Del Zotto and Claude Giroux. Mason was removed with an injury in the ensuing TV timeout, and Ray Emery relieved him. Washington tied it on an Alex Ovechkin goal, his thirty-third of the year, a power play goal powered by Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom. The Flyers reclaimed the lead in the third period with a Wayne Simmonds goal, his nineteenth of the season, passed from Sean Couturier and Matt Read. Philadelphia iced it at 3-1 with a Jakub Voracek empty net power play goal, set up by Brayden Schenn and Giroux. The three stars were given to Giroux, Simmonds, and Streit.

Down to Florida, where the Panthers host the Nashville Predators. Carter Hutton and Roberto Luongo are set to start in goal. Florida got going in the second period on a Tomas Fleischmann goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Dave Bolland. The Panthers added on with an Aaron Ekblad goal, his eighth of the year, with a lone assist by Jimmy Hayes. Nashville got on the board with a third period power play goal by Seth Jones, his fifth of the season, powered by Mike Ribeiro. The Predators tied it on an unassisted Filip Forsberg power play goal, his eighteenth of the year. In the shootout, goals were exchanged between Matt Cullen of Nashville and Brad Boyes of Florida as well as the Predators' Craig Smith and the Panthers' Nick Bjugstad before Forsberg won it 3-2 for Nashville. The three stars went to Forsberg, Jones, and Ekblad.

Back north, the Buffalo Sabres bring in the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Michal Neuvirth are between the pipes. New York began in the first period on a Colin McDonald goal, fueled by Casey Cizikas. The Islanders added on in the second period on an Anders Lee power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Travis Hamonic and John Tavares. New York extended the lead with a Mikhail Grabovski goal, his ninth of the year, coming off of Hamonic and Frans Nielsen. Buffalo got on the board with a Marcus Foligno goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Nikita Zadorov and Brian Flynn. The Sabres pulled closer with the ninth of the year by Drew Stafford, with a lone helper by Foligno. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Hamonic, Foligno, and Grabovski.

Staying in the state, the New York Rangers host the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Cam Talbot are in the creases. Dallas struck first in the second period on a Jason Spezza power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Tyler Seguin and John Klingberg. New York tied it on a Carl Hagelin goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Kevin Hayes and Kevin Klein. The Stars took the lead with an Erik Cole goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Spezza and Ales Hemsky. The Rangers tied it again in the third period as Chris Kreider scored his twelfth of the year, via Mats Zuccarello on the power play. Dallas won 3-2 in overtime on a Hemsky goal, his ninth of the campaign, made possible by Jyrki Jokipakka and Spezza. The three stars went to Hemsky, Spezza, and Cole.

Back south again to Tampa Bay, where the Lightning welcome the Anaheim Ducks. Frederik Andersen and Ben Bishop are the talented goalies. Tampa Bay opened in the first period on a Brian Boyle goal, his eleventh of the season, via Victor Hedman and Brett Connolly. The Lightning added on with a Valtteri Filppula goal, his eleventh of the year, made possible by Steven Stamkos and Ryan Callahan. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Nikita Kucherov scored his twentieth of the season, thanks to Tyler Johnson and Filppula. Anaheim got on the board in the second period with a Ryan Getzlaf goal, his seventeenth of the year, guided in by Corey Perry and Matt Beleskey. The Lightning answered on a Boyle goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the season, fueled by Connolly and Ondrej Palat. Tampa Bay padded the lead in the third period with a Callahan goal, his sixteenth of the year, assisted by Stamkos and Filppula. The Ducks got one back with a Sami Vatanen power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Getzlaf and the goalie Ilya Bryzgalov, who had earlier replaced an injured Andersen. Anaheim pulled closer with an Eric Brewer goal, his first of the year, helped along by Nate Thompson and Andrew Cogliano. This only made it 5-3, the final, with the three stars going to Boyle, Filppula, and Callahan, while Stamkos, Connolly, and Getzlaf get the honorable mentions.

Way to the northwest, the Winnipeg Jets host the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Ondrej Pavelec are the inconsistent goalies. Colorado started in the first period on a Tyson Barrie goal, his sixth of the season, via Alex Tanguay and Jarome Iginla. Winnipeg tied it on a second period Mathieu Perreault goal, his eighteenth of the year, coming off of Mark Scheifele and Dustin Byfuglien. The Jets took the lead on a Byfuglien power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler. Winnipeg added on with a Ben Chiarot goal, his second of the year, helped along by Jim Slater and Chris Thorburn. The Jets extended the lead as Little scored a power play goal, his twenty-first of the season, made possible by Perreault and Byfuglien. The Avalanche got one back in the third period on a Matt Duchene goal, his fourteenth of the year, with assists provided by Iginla and Nate Guenin. Winnipeg answered on a Jacob Trouba goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Perreault and Scheifele. Colorado edged closer with a Tanguay goal, his fourteenth of the year, driven in by Duchene and Cody McLeod. This produced the 5-3 final, with the three stars given to Perreault, Byfuglien, and Little, while Scheifele, Duchene, Tanguay, and Iginla get the honorable mentions.

Finally, we end with the Boston Bruins bringing in the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Tuukka Rask tend the twines. Montreal was first to score in the second period on a Dale Weise goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Max Pacioretty and David Desharnais. The Canadiens added on with a Pacioretty goal in the third period, his twenty-fourth of the year, with a lone assist by Weise. Boston got on the board with a David Pastrnak goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Milan Lucic and Dougie Hamilton. Montreal iced it at 3-1 with an Andrei Markov goal, his seventh of the year, going unassisted into the empty net. The three stars went to Pacioretty, Price (34 for 35 in saves), and Weise.

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KHL February 8th, 2015

Two games on a calm day, beginning in...

Nizhny Novgorod, where Torpedo hosts Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Rafael Khakimov and Ivan Kasutin are in the blue paint. Nizhny Novgorod began in the first period on a Denis Kazionov goal, fueled by Juuso Hietanen. Novokuznetsk tied it on a Dmitry Maltsev goal, courtesy of Alexander Romanov. Torpedo retook the lead on a Nikita Dvurechensky penalty shot goal, after he was held by Nikita Popov. Nizhny Novgorod added on in the second period with an Alexei Potapov goal, via Gennady Stolyarov and Nikita Filatov. Metallurg got one back with a power play goal by Ryan Stoa, powered by Vladimir Malinovsky and Sergei Dorofeyev. This was as close as it got, with the final being 3-2, and the three stars going to Potapov, Dvurechensky, and Kazionov.

The other game had Severstal Cherepovets host Sibir Novosibirsk. Nikita Bespalov and Jakub Stepanek draw the starts. Novosibirsk led off in the first period on a Sergei Shumakov goal, coming off of Oleg Gubin and Stepan Sannikov. Sibir added on in the second period with a Jarno Koskiranta goal, fueled by Dmitry Monya and Alexei Kopeikin. Novosibirsk extended the lead as Artyom Voroshilo scored a shorthanded goal, set up by Konstantin Alexeyev. This produced the 3-0 final, with the three stars given to Bespalov (45 save shutout), Shumakov, and Voroshilo.

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Premier League Week 24

Another round of games this weekend. The next two sets will all happen within a week as well, so lots of soccer/football coming your way this coming week. We begin week 24 with...

Tottenham Hotspur hosting Arsenal. David Ospina and Hugo Lloris draw the starts. In the eleventh minute, Arsenal began with a Mesut Ozil goal, via Olivier Giroud. Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane took a yellow card for a thirty-sixth minute foul. Arsenal saw yellow cards for a Nacho Monreal foul in the forty-third minute and a Danny Welbeck foul in first half stoppage time. Arsenal took another yellow card for Laurent Koscielny's foul in the fifty-third minute. Tottenham Hotspur tied it in the fifty-sixth minute with a Kane goal, following a corner kick. Ryan Mason of Tottenham Hotspur took a yellow card for a seventy-ninth minute offense. In the eighty-fourth minute, Arsenal's Giroud was shown a yellow card for a foul. Tottenham Hotspur gained the lead on a Kane header goal in the eighty-sixth minute, set up by Nabil Bentaleb on a cross. Tottenham Hotspur took a yellow card in stoppage time for time wasting by Bentaleb. Tottenham Hotspur won 2-1.

Next up, Aston Villa welcomes Chelsea. Thibaut Courtois and Brad Guzan are the keepers. Aston Villa's Tom Cleverley took a yellow card for his foul in the fifth minute. Chelsea led off in the eighth minute with an Eden Hazard goal, via Willian. In the thirty-fifth minute, Ramires of Chelsea took a yellow card for a foul. Aston Villa's Ashley Westwood received a yellow card for his forty-fourth minute foul. Aston Villa tied it in the forty-eighth minute on a Jores Akore header goal, fueled by Carles Gil on a cross following a corner kick. Okore received a yellow card for excessive celebration. In the sixty-sixth minute, Branislav Ivanovic gave Chelsea the lead with his goal, passed from Cesar Azpilicueta on a cross. Ivanovic received a yellow card for time wasting in stoppage time. Chelsea took the game 2-1.

Over to Leicester City bringing in Crystal Palace. Julian Speroni and Mark Schwerzer are in the six-yard boxes. Leicester City took a yellow card for a Jeffrey Schlupp foul in the ninth minute and another in the thirty-second minute on a Danny Simpson foul. Crystal Palace opened with a fifty-fifth minute header goal by Joe Ledley, passed from Brede Hangeland on a headed pass after a corner kick. Leicester City saw a yellow card for a Leonardo Ulloa foul in the seventy-ninth minute. Crystal Palace's Martin Kelly had a yellow card in the eighty-second minute for a foul. Leicester City had a stoppage time yellow card given to Paul Konchesky. Crystal Palace won 1-0.

Continuing to Manchester City hosting Hull City. Allan McGregor and Joe Hart protect the nets. Hull City started in the thirty-fifth minute on a David Meyler goal. Hull City took yellow cards for an Ahmed Elmohamady offense in the sixtieth minute and a Michael Dawson foul in the sixty-eighth minute. Manchester City had yellow cards assessed to Samir Nasri in the seventy-eighth minute and Fernandinho for a foul in the eighty-fifth minute. Hull City's Tom Huddlestone was given a yellow card for his foul in stoppage time, directly leading to the Manchester City equalizer on a free kick by James Milner. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Back in London, the Queens Park Rangers welcome Southampton. Fraser Forster and Robert Green are between the posts. QPR saw a yellow card for a Joey Barton foul in the fourteenth minute. In the fifty-eighth minute, Clint Hill of QPR took a yellow card for his foul. Southampton's Morgan Schneiderlin received a yellow card for his foul in the seventy-fifth minute. Southampton got a late goal by Sadio Mane in stoppage time, made possible by Maya Yoshida. Southampton held on for the 1-0 win.

Out in Wales, Swansea City brings in Sunderland. Costel Pantilimon and Lukasz Fabianski are the goalies with interesting names. Swansea City saw yellow cards for a fifteenth minute Jack Cork foul and a thirty-first minute Nathan Dyer foul. In the forty-second minute, Sunderland struck first with a Jermain Defoe goal, via Liam Bridcutt. Bridcutt took a yellow card in the forty-ninth minute for a foul for Sunderland. In the sixty-sixth minute, Swansea City tied it on a Ki Sung-Yueng header goal, passed from Kyle Naughton on a cross. Sebastian Larsson of Sunderland took a yellow card for a hand ball in the seventy-first minute. Swansea City saw a yellow card given to Naughton in the seventy-fifth minute. Sunderland had two more yellow cards for Jordi Gomez in the seventy-seventh minute and Steven Fletcher in the eighty-eighth minute, both for fouls. The game ended 1-1.

Finally, Everton hosts Liverpool in a classic Merseyside derby battle. Simon Mignolet and Joel Robles guard the woodwork. Everton had a yellow card for a thirty-seventh minute foul by James McCarthy. Everton took two yellow cards in the second half for a seventy-second minute Bryan Oviedo foul and a Jordan Henderson offense in the seventy-eighth minute. The game ended in a scoreless draw.

On Sunday, the first game had Burnley welcoming West Bromwich Albion. Ben Foster and Tom Heaton are given the starting nods in goal. Burnley struck first in the eleventh minute with an Ashley Barnes header set up by Danny Ings. Burnley added on in the thirty-second minute as Ings scored, thanks to George Boyd's cross. In the fortieth minute, Chris Baird of West Brom took a yellow card for his foul. In first half stoppage time, Chris Brunt got West Brom on the board with a header goal made possible by Callum McManaman on a cross after a corner kick. West Brom took yellow cards for a forty-eighth minute Claudio Yacob foul and a Brown Ideye foul in the sixty-fourth minute. West Brom tied it on a sixty-seventh minute Ideye header goal, set up by Brunt on a cross after a corner kick. West Brom saw another yellow card given to Craig Dawson in the eighty-fifth minute. The final held at 2-2.

Next up, Newcastle United brings in Stoke City. Asmir Begovic and Tim Krul are the goalies. Stoke City took three straight yellow cards, going to Victor Moses in the fifteenth minute, Stephen Ireland in the twenty-third minute, and Glenn Whelan in the thirty-third minute, all for fouls. In the thirty-fifth minute, Sammy Ameobi of Newcastle United took a yellow card for his foul. Jack Colback of Newcastle United had a yellow card for his fifty-third minute foul. Newcastle United opened the scoring on a Colback goal in the seventy-fourth minute, passed from Moussa Sissoko. In the eighty-ninth minute, Stoke City's Marc Muniesa received a yellow card for his foul. Stoke City tied it on a ninetieth minute Peter Crouch header goal, made possible by Geoff Cameron's cross. The game ended at 1-1.

Finally, West Ham United hosts Manchester United. David de Gea and Adrian occupy the six-yard boxes. Manchester United took a yellow card in the forty-third minute for a Marcos Rojo offense. West Ham United got going in the forty-ninth minute with a Cheikhou Kouyate goal after a set piece. West Ham United saw yellow cards assessed for Alexandre Song in the seventy-third minute for a foul and Adrian in the eightieth minute. Manchester United took a yellow card for a Luke Shaw foul in the eighty-third minute. Manchester United tied it in stoppage time with a Daley Blind goal after a set piece. Manchester United went down a man a minute later when Shaw took a second yellow card for a foul. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

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NHL February 7th, 2015

Eleven games today, beginning in...

Nashville, as the Predators host the New York Rangers. Cam Talbot is mismatched with Pekka Rinne in goal. New York got going in the second period on a Rick Nash power play goal, his thirty-third of the season, powered by Derick Brassard and Kevin Hayes. Nashville tied it on a Roman Josi goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Gabriel Bourque and Calle Jarnkrok. The Predators took the lead with a Shea Weber goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Josi and Matt Cullen. The Rangers retied it with a third period goal by Ryan McDonagh, his fourth of the year, passed from Mats Zuccarello and Brassard. Nashville regained the lead on a Mike Ribeiro goal, his eleventh of the campaign, guided in by Seth Jones and Filip Forsberg. This made it 3-2, with the three stars going to Josi, Ribeiro, and Brassard.

Southeast to Tampa Bay, where the Lightning welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Ben Bishop are the relatively young goalies. Los Angeles opened in the first period on a Tyler Toffoli goal, his fourteenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Kings added on with a Justin Williams goal, his fourteenth of the year, coming off of Trevor Lewis and Jake Muzzin. Los Angeles extended the lead as Drew Doughty scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Robyn Regehr and Anze Kopitar. Andrei Vasilevskiy came on for Bishop in the second period. Tampa Bay got on the board with an unassisted Nikita Kucherov goal, his nineteenth of the year. The Lightning pulled closer in the third period on a Victor Hedman goal, his seventh of the season, with a lone assist by Ryan Callahan. The Kings wrapped it up at 4-2 with Williams' second of the game and fifteenth of the year, via Marian Gaborik and Regehr. The three stars went to Williams, Regehr, and Doughty.

Up the coast, the Boston Bruins bring in the New York Islanders. Chad Johnson and Tuukka Rask draw the starts. New York started in the first period on a John Tavares power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, powered by Frans Nielsen and Travis Hamonic. Boston tied it on a Patrice Bergeron power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Bruins took the lead in the third period on a Loui Eriksson goal, his twelfth of the campaign, helped along by Carl Soderberg and Chris Kelly. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Rask (39 for 40 in saves), Eriksson, and Bergeron.

Continuing to Buffalo, where the Sabres host the Dallas Stars. Anders Lindback and Jhonas Enroth are the unknown goalies. Buffalo led off in the first period on a Tyler Myers goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Chris Stewart and Zemgus Girgensons. The Sabres added on with a Tyler Ennis power play goal in the second period, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Stewart and Matt Moulson. Buffalo extended the lead as Girgensons potted his fourteenth of the season, thanks to Nikita Zadorov and Stewart, the latter getting a sock trick. Dallas got on the board with a Tyler Seguin power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, assisted by John Klingberg and Jason Spezza. The Stars pulled closer in the third period on a Cody Eakin goal, his tenth of the campaign, with helpers from Klingberg and Ryan Garbutt. The three stars of the 3-2 game went to Girgensons, Stewart, and Klingberg.

Into Canada, where the Montreal Canadiens welcome the New Jersey Devils. Keith Kinkaid and Carey Price are in the blue paint. New Jersey began in the first period with a Michael Cammalleri goal, his eighteenth of the season, via Peter Harrold and Jaromir Jagr. Montreal tied it on a second period goal by Andrei Markov, his sixth of the year, a power play goal powered by P.K. Subban and David Desharnais. The Canadiens took the lead on a Lars Eller power play goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Subban. Montreal added on with a Tomas Plekanec power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, fueled by Subban, who got a sock trick, and Sergei Gonchar. The Devils got one back in the third period on a Jacob Josefson goal, his third of the season, helped along by Tuomo Ruutu and Marek Zidlicky. The Canadiens replied on a Plekanec goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, passed from Brendan Gallagher and Markov. Montreal extended the lead on a Dale Weise goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Max Pacioretty and Desharnais. The Canadiens wrapped it up at 6-2 with another Weise goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, with assists provided by Pacioretty and Desharnais, the latter getting a sock trick. The three stars went to Plekanec, Weise, and Markov, while Subban, Desharnais, and Pacioretty get the honorable mentions.

West to Ontario, where the Ottawa Senators bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Curtis McElhinney and Robin Lehner are the backups covering for injured starters. Columbus dented the scoreboard in the third period on a Cam Atkinson goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Scott Hartnell and Ryan Johansen. The Blue Jackets added on with a Nick Foligno goal, his twenty-first of the year, courtesy of Cody Goloubef. Ottawa got on the board with an Erik Condra goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. Columbus shot back on a Hartnell empty net goal, his twelfth of the year, set up by David Savard and Atkinson. The Blue Jackets finished it at 4-1 with a Mark Letestu goal, his sixth of the campaign, via Jared Boll and Matt Calvert. The three stars belonged to Atkinson, McElhinney (34 for 35 in saves), and Hartnell.

Staying in the province, the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Edmonton Oilers. Viktor Fasth and James Reimer occupy the creases. Toronto was first to score in the second period on a Richard Panik power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Peter Holland and Jake Gardiner. The Maple Leafs added on with a Phil Kessel goal, his twenty-first of the year, guided in by Gardiner and Cody Franson. Toronto extended the lead as Morgan Rielly scored his fifth of the season, an unassisted. The Maple Leafs padded the lead in the third period on a Mike Santorelli goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Nazem Kadri. Toronto kept going on a Holland goal, his ninth of the campaign, via Stephane Robidas. Edmonton got on the board with a Luke Gazdic goal, made possible by Rob Klinkhammer and Oscar Klefbom. This made it a 5-1 final, with the three stars going to Holland, Gardiner, and Reimer (31 for 32 in saves).

Way southwest to Arizona, where the Coyotes welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Petr Mrazek and Mike Smith receive the starting nods. Detroit struck first in the second period on a Riley Sheahan power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Pavel Datsyuk and Tomas Tatar. The Red Wings added on in the third period with a Tatar goal, his twenty-third of the year, via Darren Helm. Arizona got on the board with an Oliver Ekman-Larsson goal, his sixteenth of the season, assisted by David Moss and Keith Yandle. Detroit iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Helm, his eleventh of the year, set up by Tatar and Niklas Kronwall. The three stars were given to Tatar, Mrazek (22 for 23 in saves), and Helm.

Backtracking to Minnesota, where the Wild bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Devan Dubnyk are between the pipes. Minnesota opened in the first period on a Charlie Coyle goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Marco Scandella and Nino Niederreiter. This held up for a 1-0 win, with the three stars belonging to Dubnyk (18 save shutout), Coyle, and Varlamov (28 for 29 in saves).

Westward to Vancouver, where the Canucks host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Thomas Greiss and Ryan Miller are the masked men. Vancouver started in the first period on an Alexandre Burrows power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Radim Vrbata and Alexander Edler. The Canucks added on with a Bo Horvat goal, his fifth of the year, with a lone assist by Derek Dorsett. Vancouver extended the lead in the second period as Shawn Matthias scored his ninth of the season, thanks to Vrbata. The Canucks padded the lead on a Zack Kassian goal, his third of the year, coming off of Linden Vey. Vancouver won 5-0 with a third period goal by Daniel Sedin, his eleventh of the campaign, a power play goal made possible by Burrows and Henrik Sedin. The three stars were given to Miller (31 save shutout), Burrows, and Vrbata.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Antti Niemi are the veteran goalies. Carolina led off in the first period on an Eric Staal goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Jiri Tlusty and Jordan Staal. The Hurricanes added on in the second period with an Andrej Nestrasil goal, his second of the year, coming off of Alexander Semin and Andrej Sekera. San Jose got on the board with a Tomas Hertl goal, his ninth of the campaign, passed from Chris Tierney and Andrew Desjardins. Carolina shot back on an Elias Lindholm power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Justin Faulk. The Sharks replied with a Hertl goal in the third period, his second of the game and tenth of the year, with assists provided by Scott Hannan and Tierney. San Jose tied it on a Logan Couture goal, his nineteenth of the campaign, fueled by Matt Tennyson and Patrick Marleau. The Hurricanes regained the lead on a Sekera goal, his second of the season, helped along by Jay McClement and Faulk. Carolina extended the lead with an empty net goal by Victor Rask, his eighth of the year, set up by Lindholm and Faulk, the latter getting a sock trick. The Sharks got one back with a Marleau goal, his eleventh of the campaign, pushed through by Joe Thornton and Hertl. This made it 5-4, the final, with the three stars going to Sekera, Hertl, and Faulk, while Tierney, Lindholm, and Marleau get honorable mentions.

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