Tuesday, February 9, 2016

2015-16 NHL Season - Day 117

Twelve games on today, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Tuukka Rask guard the cages. Boston led off in the first period with a Brad Marchand power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, powered by Matt Beleskey and Zdeno Chara. Los Angeles tied it on a Jeff Carter power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, assisted by Jake Muzzin and Drew Doughty. The Kings gained the lead with a Marian Gaborik goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Vincent Lecavalier. Los Angeles added on with an unassisted Andy Andreoff goal in the second period, his fourth of the year. The Kings extended the lead as Doughty scored his eleventh of the season, a power play goal made possible by Milan Lucic and Gaborik. Los Angeles chased Rask with a Dwight King goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Tyler Toffoli and Carter. Jonas Gustavsson came on in relief. The Kings padded the lead as Trevor Lewis scored his sixth of the season, thanks to Muzzin and Kyle Clifford. Los Angeles kept going in the third period with a Lucic goal, his thirteenth of the year, via Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. The Bruins got one back with a Tyler Randell goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Kevan Miller and Max Talbot. The Kings shot back with a Luke Schenn power play goal, his third of the year, with helpers from Christian Ehrhoff and Toffoli. Los Angeles finished it at 9-2 with a Brown goal, his eighth of the campaign, courtesy of Schenn and Ehrhoff. The three stars went to Doughty, Lucic, and Gaborik, while Carter, Brown, Ehrhoff, Schenn, Toffoli, and Muzzin get the honorable mentions.

Over in Buffalo, the Sabres welcome the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Robin Lehner draw the starts in goal. Florida began in the first period with a Reilly Smith goal, his seventeenth of the season, passed from Jussi Jokinen and Vincent Trocheck. The Panthers added on with a Brian Campbell goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Alex Petrovic and Nick Bjugstad. Florida extended the lead as Jokinen scored his eleventh of the season, with the help of Smith and Trocheck. The Panthers chased Lehner in the second period with a Petrovic goal, his second of the year, via Bjugstad. Chad Johnson came on in relief. Buffalo got on the board with a Sam Reinhart goal, his fifteenth of the season, a power play goal powered by Rasmus Ristolainen and Ryan O'Reilly. The Sabres got closer with another Reinhart power play goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the year, with helpers provided by O'Reilly and Jack Eichel. Florida answered with a Brandon Pirri goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Campbell and Quinton Howden. The Panthers padded the lead as Jaromir Jagr scored his seventeenth of the year, thanks to Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad. Buffalo chipped back in the third period with an Evander Kane goal, his thirteenth of the season, fueled by Josh Gorges. The Sabres edged closer with a Mike Weber goal, guided in by David Legwand and Cody Franson. Florida iced it at 7-4 with a Smith empty net goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the year, set up by Jokinen. Additional, Kane and Petrovic fought three times, with the latter getting the rare Gordie Howe Hat Trick mixed with punch trick. The three stars went to Smith, Jokinen, and Petrovic, while Reinhart, Trocheck, Campbell, Bjugstad, and O'Reilly get the honorable mentions.

Down in New Jersey, the Devils bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot is mismatched with Cory Schneider in goal. New Jersey struck first in the first period with an Adam Henrique power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by Lee Stempniak and Reid Boucher. Edmonton tied it on a Jordan Eberle goal, his fifteenth of the year, courtesy of Benoit Pouliot and Connor McDavid. The Devils regained the lead with a Boucher power play goal in the third period, his third of the campaign, assisted by Henrique and Tyler Kennedy. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Boucher, Henrique, and Schneider (19 for 20 in saves), with the third star being most appropriate on the night celebrating legendary goaltender Martin Brodeur.

West to Philadelphia, with the Flyers hosting the Anaheim Ducks. Frederik Andersen and Steve Mason are the average goalies. Anaheim was first to score in the first period with a Rickard Rakell goal, his twelfth of the season, coming on the power play from Corey Perry and Sami Vatanen. The Ducks added on with a Rakell goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, via Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. Anaheim extended the lead in the second period as Chris Stewart converted a penalty shot goal for his eighth of the season, which came after Nick Schultz hooked him. Philadelphia got on the board in the third period with a Wayne Simmonds power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, powered by Claude Giroux and Shayne Gostisbehere. The Ducks iced it at 4-1 with an Andrew Cogliano empty net goal, his sixth of the campaign, set up by Simon Despres and Getzlaf. The three stars belonged to Rakell, Andersen (28 for 29 in saves), and Perry, while Getzlaf gets an honorable mention.

Along to Columbus, with the Blue Jackets welcoming the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Joonas Korpisalo are in the blue paint. New York opened in the first period with a Ryan Strome goal, his sixth of the season, with a lone assist by John Tavares. Columbus tied it with a Cam Atkinson goal, his eighteenth of the year, guided in by Brandon Dubinsky and Dalton Prout. The Blue Jackets took the lead with a Dubinsky goal, his twelfth of the season, with a lone helper from Atkinson. The Islanders tied it in the third period on an Anders Lee power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen. In the shootout, Nielsen cancelled out Alexander Wennberg, and then Cal Clutterbuck took it for the Islanders with a 3-2 win. The three stars went to Korpisalo (44 for 46 in saves), Nielsen, and Dubinsky, while Atkinson gets an honorable mention.

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens bring in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ben Bishop and Ben Scrivens are the goalies with the same first name. Montreal started in the first period with a Brendan Gallagher goal, his fourteenth of the season, courtesy of Tomas Plekanec. Tampa Bay tied it with a Valtteri Filppula goal, his seventh of the year, assisted by Victor Hedman in the second period. The Canadiens took the lead back with a Plekanec goal, his eleventh of the campaign, helped along by Gallagher and Mark Barberio. Montreal added on with a Devante Smith-Pelly goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of P.K. Subban and Lars Eller. The Canadiens extended the lead as Plekanec scored his second of the game and twelfth of the year, guided in by Alex Galchenyuk and Alexei Emelin. The Lightning got one back with a Hedman goal, his fifth of the campaign, fueled by Filppula and Ryan Callahan. This only made it 4-2, with the three stars given to Plekanec, Gallagher, and Hedman, while Filppula gets an honorable mention.

Down in St. Louis, the Blues host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Brian Elliott are the solid goalies. Winnipeg got going in the second period with a Bryan Little goal, his sixteenth of the season, assisted by Dustin Byfuglien and Toby Enstrom. St. Louis tied it on a Colton Parayko power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Jori Lehtera and Robby Fabbri. The tie went to a shootout, where only Mark Scheifele of the Jets scored, giving the visitors a 2-1 win. The three stars were Elliott (32 for 33 in saves), Hellebuyck (21 for 22 in saves), and Little.

Back in Nashville, the Predators welcome the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Pekka Rinne are the masked men. Washington drew first blood in the first period with a Jason Chimera goal, his fourteenth of the season, passed from Tom Wilson. The Capitals added on with a Wilson goal in the second period, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Marcus Johansson and John Carlson. Nashville got on the board with a Filip Forsberg power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Craig Smith and Mattias Ekholm. Washington answered in the third period with a Justin Williams goal, his seventeenth of the year, via Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky. The Capitals extended the lead as Johansson scored his fourteenth of the season, thanks to Williams and Karl Alzner. The Predators got one back with a Roman Josi goal, his eleventh of the year, with assists provided by Calle Jarnkrok and Ryan Johansen. Nashville chipped closer with a Forsberg goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the season, guided in by Ekholm and Ryan Ellis. Washington iced it at 5-3 with an Alex Ovechkin power play empty net goal, set up by Nicklas Backstrom and Johansson. The three stars went to Johansson, Wilson, and Williams, while Forsberg and Ekholm get the honorable mentions.

Up north, the Minnesota Wild bring in the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Darcy Kuemper are the backups in goal. Minnesota led off in the first period with an Erik Haula goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Thomas Vanek and Ryan Suter. Dallas tied it on an Alex Goligoski goal, his fourth of the year, via Tyler Seguin and Patrick Eaves. The Wild took the lead back with a Justin Fontaine goal, his third of the season, passed from Haula and Vanek. The Stars tied it with a Jason Demers goal in the second period, his seventh of the year, assisted by Mattias Janmark and Valeri Nichushkin. Dallas took the lead with an Eaves power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Seguin and Jamie Benn. Minnesota retied it in the third period with a Mikko Koivu power play goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Matt Dumba and Zach Parise. The Stars won 4-3 in overtime with a John Klingberg goal, his ninth of the campaign, with a lone helper from Benn. The three stars went to Eaves, Haula, and Benn, while Seguin and Vanek get the honorable mentions.

Backtracking to Chicago, where the Blackhawks host the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Corey Crawford protect the nets. San Jose dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Patrick Marleau power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Logan Couture and Joe Thornton. The Sharks iced it at 2-0 with a Thornton empty net goal in the third period, his twelfth of the year, set up by Joe Pavelski and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The three stars went to Jones (33 save shutout), Thornton, and Crawford (25 for 26 in saves).

Northwest to Alberta, with the Calgary Flames welcoming the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Jonas Hiller are the inconsistent goalies. Calgary began in the first period with a Markus Granlund shorthanded goal, his fourth of the season, set up by Michael Frolik and T.J. Brodie. Toronto tied it with a Peter Holland power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Frank Corrado and Matt Hunwick. The Flames retook the lead with a Mikael Backlund power play goal, his seventh of the campaign, assisted by Dougie Hamilton and Sam Bennett. Calgary added on with a Micheal Ferland goal, his third of the season, via Joe Colborne. The Flames extended the lead as Hamilton scored his eighth of the year, thanks to Granlund. The Maple Leafs got one back with a Josh Leivo goal, helped along by Rich Clune and Corrado. Toronto got closer in the third period with an unassisted Jake Gardiner goal, his fourth of the campaign. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars given to Granlund, Hamilton, and Corrado.

Finally, the Colorado Avalanche bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Semyon Varlamov man the blue paint. Colorado got going in the second period with a Francois Beauchemin goal, his seventh of the season, helped along by Jarome Iginla and Alex Tanguay. Vancouver tied it with a Matt Bartkowski goal, his third of the year, via Alexandre Burrows and Ben Hutton. The Canucks took the lead with a Sven Baertschi goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Hutton and Bo Horvat. Vancouver added on in the third period with a Horvat goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Luca Sbisa and the goalie Markstrom. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars given to Horvat, Hutton, and Markstrom (29 for 30 in saves).

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