NHL 2016/17 - Day 31

It's eleven games that will keep us entertained tonight. We begin with...

The Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Washington Capitals. Philipp Grubauer and Cam Ward are set to start in goal. Washington led off in the first period with an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his second of the season, going in unassisted. Carolina tied it on a Sebastian Aho goal, assisted by Jordan Staal and Teuvo Teravainen. The Hurricanes took the lead with a Teravainen goal, his fourth of the year, helped along by Aho and Staal. Carolina added on in the second period with a Staal power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Elias Lindholm and Teravainen. The Hurricanes extended the lead as Victor Rask scored his sixth of the year, via Klas Dahlbeck and Lee Stempniak. Carolina padded the lead with an Aho empty net goal, his second of the game, set up by Teravainen and Staal, both of whom received sock tricks. The game ended at 5-1, with the three stars given to Teravainen, Staal, and Aho.

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Carey Price protect the nets. Montreal began in the first period with a Phillip Danault goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Andrew Shaw and the goalie Price. The Canadiens added on with a Paul Byron goal, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. Montreal extended the lead as Shea Weber scored his sixth of the season on the power play, with the help of Alexander Radulov and Alex Galchenyuk. The Canadiens padded the lead in the second period on a Shaw power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Galchenyuk and Andrei Markov. Montreal kept going with a Max Pacioretty goal, his third of the season, via Shaw and Danault. The scored held at 5-0, with the three stars going to Shaw, Pacioretty, and Danauly, while Galchenyuk and Price (25 save shutout) get the honorable mentions.

Back stateside, the New Jersey Devils bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Cory Schneider are the masked men. New Jersey opened in the first period with a Kyle Quincey goal, via Damon Severson and Adam Henrique. Buffalo tied it in the second period with a Marcus Foligno goal, his third of the season, helped along by Brian Gionta. The Devils took the lead with a Nick Lappin goal, his second of the year, guided in by Taylor Hall and Ben Lovejoy. New Jersey added on with a Kyle Palmieri goal, his third of the season, coming off of Severson and Andy Greene. The Devils extended the lead in the third period as John Moore scored his second of the year, thanks to Henrique and Hall. The Sabres got one back with a Matt Moulson goal, his sixth of the campaign, assisted by Derek Grant and Cody Franson. The final held at 4-2, with the three stars going to Severson, Henrique, and Hall.

Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers host the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Michal Neuvirth are the goalies. Minnesota started in the first period with a Nino Niederreiter goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Charlie Coyle and Eric Staal. Philadelphia tied it on a Brandon Manning goal, his third of the year, via Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Steve Mason replaced Neuvirth for the second period. The Wild retook the lead in the second period on a Mikael Granlund goal, his third of the season, assisted by Mikko Koivu. The Flyers tied it again with a Michael Del Zotto goal, with a lone helper by Michael Raffl. Philadelphia pulled ahead in the third period on a Brayden Schenn power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Wayne Simmonds and Jakub Voracek. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars given to Schenn, Del Zotto, and Manning.

West to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Matt Murray draw the starts in goal. Toronto struck first in the first period with a Zach Hyman goal, his second of the season, assisted by Matt Hunwick and Martin Marincin. Pittsburgh tied it in the second period with an Evgeni Malkin goal, his eighth of the year, coming on the power play from Kris Letang and Patric Hornqvist. The Penguins took the lead with a Chris Kunitz goal, his second of the season, made possible by Bryan Rust and Ian Cole. Pittsburgh added on in the third period with a Rust goal, his second of the year, via Sidney Crosby and Conor Sheary. The Penguins extended the lead as Crosby scored his tenth of the campaign, thanks to Brian Dumoulin and Letang. This held for a 4-1 win, with the three stars awarded to Rust, Crosby, and Murray (35 for 36 in saves), while Letang gets an honorable mention.

Southward to Florida, with the Tampa Bay Lightning bringing in the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Ben Bishop protect the nets. San Jose was first to score in the first period on a Patrick Marleau goal, his fourth of the season, fueled by Brent Burns and Paul Martin. The Sharks added on with a Tommy Wingels goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Chris Tierney and Melker Karlsson. San Jose extended the lead in the second period as Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored his third of the season on the power play, with the help of Tomas Hertl and Joonas Donskoi. Tampa Bay got on the board in the third period with an Anton Stralman goal, coming off of Brian Boyle and Cedric Paquette. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars given to Wingels, Jones (25 for 26 in saves), and Vlasic.

Staying in the state, the Florida Panthers host the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Roberto Luongo guard the cages. New York led off in the first period with a Brock Nelson goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Calvin de Haan and Jason Chimera. The Islanders added on in the second period with a Nick Leddy power play goal, his third of the year, powered by John Tavares and Josh Bailey. Florida got on the board in the third period with a Kyle Rau goal, via Michael Matheson and Derek MacKenzie. The Panthers tied it with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Aleksander Barkov and Keith Yandle. Florida won 3-2 in overtime on a Denis Malgin goal, his third of the year, with assists provided by Vincent Trocheck and Matheson. The three stars went to Matheson, Malgin, and Marchessault.

Back north, the Columbus Blue Jackets welcome the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Sergei Bobrovsky are the solid goalies. Columbus began in the first period with a Sam Gagner goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Scott Hartnell and Lukas Sedlak. St. Louis tied it on a Kevin Shattenkirk power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Vladimir Tarasenko and David Perron. The Blue Jackets took the lead back with a Nick Foligno goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Brandon Saad. Columbus added on with an Alexander Wennberg goal, his second of the year, passed from Saad and Foligno. The Blue Jackets extended the lead in the second period as Gagner scored again, his second of the game and sixth of the season, with the help of Hartnell and Sedlak. Carter Hutton relieved Allen in goal. Columbus kept going with a Brandon Dubinsky goal, made possible by Cam Atkinson and Boone Jenner. The Blue Jackets continued with a Markus Nutivaara goal, with helpers from Atkinson and Jenner. Columbus struck again as William Karlsson scored his second of the year, thanks to David Savard and Atkinson, the latter earning a natural sock trick. The Blues got one back with a Robby Fabbri power play goal, his second of the season, via Tarasenko and Jori Lehtera. St. Louis got closer in the third period on a Tarasenko power play goal, his sixth of the year, with assists provided by Shattenkirk and Perron. The Blue Jackets countered with a Zach Werenski power play goal, his fourth of the season, dished from Atkinson and Foligno. The Blues chipped back on a Fabbri power play goal, his second of the game and third of the year, from Tarasenko and Perron, both of whom earned a sock trick. The wild game ended at 8-4, with the three stars going to Foligno, Gagner, and Atkinson, while Tarasenko, Fabbri, Perron, Shattenkirk, Hartnell, Sedlak, Jenner, and Saad receive honorable mentions.

Out in the desert, the Arizona Coyotes bring in the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask faces a lesser foe in Louis Domingue in goal. Boston got going in the second period with a Ryan Spooner goal, his third of the season, coming off of Zdeno Chara and David Krejci. The Bruins added on with a David Pastrnak goal, his tenth of the year, helped along by Brad Marchand and Torey Krug. Arizona got on the board in the third period with a Radim Vrbata power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Anthony DeAngelo and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars handed to Rask (31 for 32 in saves), Pastrnak, and Spooner.

Backtracking to Nashville, the Predators host the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Pekka Rinne are in the blue paint. Nashville opened in the first period with a Ryan Ellis goal, his second of the season, with a lone assist by Filip Forsberg. The Predators added on in the second period with a James Neal goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Viktor Ardvidsson. Nashville extended the lead on a shorthanded Colton Sissons goal, set up by Arvidsson and Mattias Ekholm. The Predators padded the lead as Forsberg scored, with the help of Ryan Johansen and Yannick Weber. Jonathan Bernier relieved Gibson in goal. Nashville struck again in the third period with a Neal power play goal, his second of the game and sixth of the season, powered by Mike Fisher and Roman Josi. This produced the 5-0 final, with the three stars given to Neal, Forsberg, and Rinne (27 save shutout), while Arvidsson gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Calgary Flames host the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Brian Elliott tend the twines. New York started in the first period with a Michael Grabner goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Jesper Fast. The Rangers added on with a Derek Stepan goal, his second of the year, with a lone assist by Chris Kreider. New York extended the lead in the second period as Jimmy Vesey scored his seventh of the season, with the help of Ryan McDonagh and J.T. Miller. The Rangers padded the lead with a Pavel Buchnevich goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Mats Zuccarello and Mika Zibanejad. Calgary got one back with a Micheal Ferland power play goal in the third period, his third of the campaign, powered by T.J. Brodie and Dennis Wideman. This only made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Lundqvist (35 for 36 in saves), Stepan, and Vesey.

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KHL 2016/17 - Day 77

Ten more games are on for today, beginning with...

Sibir Novosibirsk hosting the Sochi Leopards. Konstantin Barulin and Danny Taylor are the masked men. Novosibirsk started in the first period with an Alexei Glukhov power play goal, powered by Sergei Shumakov and Stepan Sannikov. Sibir added on with a Konstantin Okulov goal in the second period, assisted by Adam Polasek and Sannikov. Novosibirsk extended the lead in the third period as Sannikov scored, thanks to Nikolai Glukhov and Shumakov. Sochi got on the board with a Yury Alexandrov goal, passed from Andrei Kostitsyn and Igor Ignatushkin. The final held at 3-1, with the three stars being Sannikov, Taylor (43 for 44 in saves), and Shumakov.

Over in Novokuznetsk, Metallurg welcomes Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Ivan Kasutin and Mikhail Biryukov are the average goalies. Nizhny Novgorod opened in the first period with a Vyacheslav Kulyomin goal, assisted by Nikolai Zherdev. Torpedo added on in the third period with an Alexander Frolov goal, guided in by Kaspars Daugavins and Dmitry Semin. Torpedo extended the lead with a Semin power play goal, powered by Frolov and Daugavins. Nizhny Novgorod padded the lead as Frolov scored a power play goal, his second of the game, with the help of Sam Lofquist and Semin. Novokuznetsk got on the board with an Andrei Taratukhin power play goal, with assists provided by Mikhail Kuklev and Kirill Semyonov. Metallurg shot back with an Evgeny Solovyov goal, with a lone helper from Semyonov. This made it 4-2, with the three stars going to Frolov, Semin, and Daugavins, while Semyonov gets an honorable mention.

Westward to Chelyabinsk, where Traktor brings in Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Ivan Lisutin and Vasily Demchenko are set to start in goal. Chelyabinsk led off in the first period with an Alexei Petrov power play goal, powered by Dmitry Pestunov and Paul Szczechura. Traktor added on in the second period with an Alexander Sharov goal, courtesy of Kirill Koltsov. Chelyabinsk extended the lead as Yury Petrov scored a shorthanded goal, set up by Alexander Chernikov. Traktor padded the lead with a Konstantin Klimontov goal, via Szczechura on the power play in the third period. Ville Kolppanen replaced Lisutin in goal. Chelyabinsk kept going with a Derek Roy goal, coming off of Klimontov. Traktor iced it at 6-0 with a Sharov empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were Sharov, Klimontov, and Szczechura.

Backtracking to Omsk, with Avangard hosting Spartak Moscow. Nikita Bespalov and Dominik Furch are in the blue paint. Omsk began in the first period with an Anton Burdasov power play goal, powered by Alexander Kucheryavenko. Avangard added on with a Jonas Ahnelov goal in the second period, helped along by Nikolai Lemtyugov and Mikhail Yunkov. Moscow got on the board with a Marcus Hogstrom goal, via Anatoly Nikontsev and Alexander Vasilyev. Spartak tied it with a Matthew Gilroy goal, fueled by Hogstrom and Konstantin Glazachev. Omsk retook the lead in the third period with a Maxim Pestushko goal, guided in by Pyotr Khokhryakov and Yegor Martynov. This held up for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Pestushko, Hogstrom, and Ahnelov.

Next up, Metallurg Magnitogorsk welcomes Lada Togliatti. Ilya Ezhov and Ilya Samsonov are the goalies. Togliatti struck first in the first period with a Nikita Filatov goal, via Andrei Ivanov and Dmitry Sinitsyn. Magnitogorsk tied it on a Sergei Mozyakin power play goal, powered by Chris Lee and Jan Kovar. Lada retook the lead in the second period on an Anton Krysanov goal, guided in by Ivanov and Filatov. Metallurg retied it with a Danis Zaripov goal, going in unassisted on the power play. Magnitogorsk took the lead with a Bogdan Potekhin goal, assisted by Mozyakin and Denis Kazionov. Togliatti tied it again with a Yefim Gurkin goal, helped along by Maxim Rybin and Denis Zernov. Metallurg pulled ahead with a Denis Kazionov goal, courtesy of Denis Platonov and Dmitry Kazionov. Edgars Masalskis relieved Ezhov in goal. Magnitogorsk added on with an Oskar Osala goal, with a lone assist by Yaroslav Khabarov. This produced the 5-3 final score, with the three stars going to Denis Kazionov, Mozyakin, and Filatov, while Ivanov gets an honorable mention.

Continuing along, Salavat Yulaev Ufa brings in Ak Bars Kazan. Stanislav Galimov and Niklas Svedberg protect the nets. Ufa opened in the first period with a Sami Lepisto goal, assisted by Enver Lisin and Igor Makarov. Kazan tied it with a Fyodor Malykhin goal, fueled by Mikhail Zhukov and Dmitry Obukhov. Ak Bars took the lead with a Vladimir Tkachyov goal, coming off of Artyom Lukoyanov. Salavat Yulaev retied it on a Zakhar Arzamastsev power play goal, powered by Evgeny Bodrov and Alexander Loginov. Ufa took the lead in the third period with a Teemu Hartikainen power play goal, with helpers from Kirill Kaprizov and Linus Omark. Salavat Yulaev finished it at 4-2 with a Bodrov power play goal, made possible by Lepisto and Lisin. The three stars went to Bodrov, Lepisto, and Lisin.

Following that, Ugra Khanty-Mansiysk hosts Slovan Bratislava. Barry Brust and Alexander Sharychenkov received the starting nods. Khanty-Mansiysk got going in the second period with a Konstantin Mayorov goal, helped along by Evgeny Kulik and Andrei Ankudinov. Bratislava tied it on a Vaclav Nedorost goal in the third period, via Mislav Rosandic and Radek Smolenak. Ugra retook the lead with a Roman Lyuduchin goal, courtesy of Nikita Khlystov and Evgeny Lapenkov. This produced the 2-1 final, with the three stars going to Lyuduchin, Sharychenkov (31 for 32 in saves), and Mayorov.

Out in Belarus, Dinamo Minsk welcomes Amur Khabarovsk. Juha Metsola and Ben Scrivens guard the cages. Minsk started in the first period with a Rob Klinkhammer goal, assisted by Sergei Kostitsyn and Alexander Pavlovich. Dinamo added on with an Andrei Stepanov goal, fueled by Pavlovich and Alexander Kitarov. Minsk extended the lead in the second period with an Evgeny Kovyrshin power play goal, powered by Matt Ellison and Stepanov. This was it for the scoring, with the final at 3-0 and the three stars awarded to Scrivens (17 save shutout), Stepanov, and Pavlovich.

Up in Finland, Jokerit Helsinki brings in Kunlun Red Star Beijing. Andrei Makarov and Ryan Zapolski play goal. Helsinki led off in the first period with a Peter Regin power play goal, powered by Charles Genoway. Beijing tied it on a Janne Jalasvaara power play goal, coming off of Sean Collins and Chad Rau. Jokerit took the lead back with a Pekka Jormakka power play goal, via Genoway in the third period. Helsinki added on with a Sakari Salminen goal, assisted by Mika Niemi and Jesse Joensuu. Kunlun Red Star got one back with a Tuukka Mantyla goal, helped along by Oleg Yashin. The game ended at 3-2, with the three stars going to Genoway, Salminen, and Jormakka.

Finally, Dinamo Riga hosts Admiral Vladivostok. Igor Bobkov and Janis Kalnins have the green light to play goal. Riga began in the first period with an Edgars Kulda goal, coming off of Georgijs Pujacs. Dinamo added on with a Gints Meija goal, via Krisjanis Redlihs and Filipp Toluzakov. Riga extended the lead in the second period as Pujacs scored, thanks to Patrick Mullen and Kulda. Vladivostok got on the board with an Andrei Sigaryov goal, helped along by Vladimir Tkachyov and James Wright. Admiral pulled closer on another Sigaryov goal, with a lone assist from Tkachyov. This made it 3-2, the eventual final, with the three stars going to Pujacs, Kulda, and Sigaryov, while Tkachyov gets an honorable mention.

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NHL 2016/17 - Day 30

Six games on tonight, beginning with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the New Jersey Devils. Keith Kinkaid and Anders Nilsson are the backups in goal. Buffalo started in the first period with a Matt Moulson power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Kyle Okposo and Ryan O'Reilly. New Jersey tied it on a Yohann Auvitu goal in the third period, courtesy of Taylor Hall and Travis Zajac. The Devils won 2-1 in overtime on an Andy Greene goal, his second of the year, coming on a penalty shot. The three stars were Kinkaid (25 for 26 in saves), Greene, and Auvitu.

In Ontario, the Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Frederik Andersen are the struggling goalies. Toronto opened in the first period with a Nazem Kadri goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Morgan Rielly and Nikita Zaitsev. Philadelphia tied it with a power play goal by Wayne Simmonds, his seventh of the year, powered by Claude Giroux and Shayne Gostisbehere. The Flyers took the lead with a Travis Konecny goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Radko Gudas and Michael Del Zotto. The Maple Leafs retied with a Rielly power play goal, with assists provided by Mitchell Marner and James van Riemsdyk. Philadelphia retook the lead in the second period on another Simmonds goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, coming shorthanded from Sean Couturier. Toronto tied it on a third period Martin Marincin goal, assisted by Rielly and Kadri. The Maple Leafs took the lead with a Zach Hyman goal, guided in by Auston Matthews and Connor Carrick. Toronto added on with a shorthanded and unassisted Leo Komarov goal. The Maple Leafs iced it at 6-3 with a Marner power play goal, his fifth of the campaign, helped along by Rielly and Tyler Bozak, the former earning a sock trick. The three stars went to Rielly, Marner, and Kadri, while Simmonds gets an honorable mention.

Staying in the province, the Ottawa Senators bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jeff Zatkoff is mismatched with Craig Anderson in goal. Los Angeles got going in the second period with a Dwight King goal, his second of the season, via Jeff Carter and Teddy Purcell. Zatkoff was unable to play the third period, so Peter Budaj took over in the Kings net. Ottawa tied it in the third period with a Zack Smith goal, his third of the year, passed from Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Erik Karlsson. The Senators took the game 2-1 late with a Mark Stone goal, his second of the campaign, assisted by Karlsson and Pageau. The three stars went to Pageau, Karlsson, and Anderson (32 for 33 in saves).

Back stateside, the Chicago Blackhawks host the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Corey Crawford tend the nets. Washington led off in the first period with a shorthanded Jay Beagle goal, his second of the season, set up by T.J. Oshie and Matt Niskanen. Chicago tied it with a Brian Campbell power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Marian Hossa and Gustav Forsling. The Capitals retook the lead on another Beagle goal, his second of the game and third of the season, assisted by Daniel Winnik and John Carlson. The Blackhawks tied it again in the third period on a Hossa goal, his eighth of the year, via Artemi Panarin and Duncan Keith. Washington won 3-2 in overtime on a Marcus Johansson goal, his seventh of the campaign, courtesy of Dmitry Orlov. The three stars were Beagle, Hossa, and Johansson.

Into Canada again, where the Edmonton Oilers welcome the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Cam Talbot draw the starts in goal. Dallas began in the first period with a Lauri Korpikoski goal, his third of the season, helped along by Jamie Benn. Edmonton tied it on a Patrick Maroon goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Jordan Eberle and Connor McDavid. The Stars took the lead back with a Patrick Eaves goal, his fourth of the season, coming on the power play from Tyler Seguin and Benn. The Oilers tied it again with a Tyler Pitlick goal, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. Dallas retook the lead in the second period with an Antoine Roussel goal, his third of the season, passed from Seguin and Eaves. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars belonging to Seguin, Eaves, and Benn.

Finally, the Colorado Avalanche bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Michael Hutchinson and Semyon Varlamov are between the pipes. Colorado dented the scoreboard in the second period with a power play goal by Mikko Rantanen, powered by Erik Johnson and Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche added on with a Rene Bourque goal, his third of the season, coming off of Tyson Barrie and Gabriel Landeskog. Winnipeg got on the board with a Blake Wheeler goal, his fifth of the year, via Nikolaj Ehlers. The Jets tied it with a Mark Scheifele power play goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Wheeler and Ehlers. Colorado won 3-2 in overtime with a Bourque goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were given to Bourque, Wheeler, and Ehlers.

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KHL 2016/17 - Day 76

Four games for today, beginning with...

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg hosting Medvescak Zagreb. Michael Garnett and Vladimir Sokhatsky are the goalies. Yekaterinburg got going in the second period with an Anatoly Golyshev goal, passed from Alexei Simakov and Rok Ticar. Avtomobilist added on in the third period with an Artyom Gareyev power play goal, powered by Niclas Andersen and Petr Koukal. Yekaterinburg extended the lead as Gareyev scored again, thanks to Alexei Mikhnov and Alexei Vasilevsky. Zagreb got on the board with a Brandon McMillan power play goal, guided in by Jakub Krejcik and Goran Bezina. Medvescak pulled closer on another McMillan power play goal, going in unassisted. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Gareyev, McMillan, and Golyshev.

Over in Yaroslavl, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl welcomes CSKA Moscow. Ilya Sorokin and Alexei Murygin tend the twines. Moscow began in the first period with an unassisted Igor Ozhiganov power play goal. Yaroslavl tied it on a Petri Kontiola power play goal, going in unassisted. Lokomotiv took the lead in the third period on a Denis Mosalyov power play goal, powered by Daniil Apalkov and Alexander Kadeikin. Yaroslavl iced it at 3-1 with an unassisted empty net goal by Kontiola. The three stars went to Kontiola, Mosalyov, and Murygin (25 for 26 in saves).

Into Podolsk, where Vityaz brings in SKA St. Petersburg. Igor Shestyorkin and Harri Sateri are the masked men. St. Petersburg led off in the first period with a shorthanded and unassisted Jarno Koskiranta goal. SKA added on with an Ilya Kovalchuk power play goal in the second period, powered by Sergei Plotnikov and Vyacheslav Voynov. St. Petersburg extended the lead as Kovalchuk scored another power play goal, thanks to Plotnikov and Pavel Datsyuk. SKA padded the lead with a Nikita Gusev goal, passed from Vadim Shipachyov and Anton Belov. This made it 4-0, the final, with the three stars awarded to Kovalchuk, Shestyorkin (20 save shutout), and Plotnikov.

Finally, Dynamo Moscow hosts Severstal Cherepovets. Jakub Kovar and Alexander Lazushin are in the blue paint. Cherepovets struck first in the first period with a Nikolai Stasenko goal, made possible by Yury Trubachyov and Daniil Vovchenko on the power play. Moscow tied it with an Alexei Tsvetkov power play goal in the second period, powered by Martins Karsums and Mat Robinson. Dynamo took the lead with an Andrei Kuteikin goal, coming off of Denis Kokarev in overtime for the 2-1 win. The three stars went to Kuteikin, Tsvetkov, and Lazushin (31 for 32 in saves).

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NHL 2016/17 - Day 29

Ten games on for tonight, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Tuukka Rask are in goal. Columbus opened in the first period with a Nick Foligno goal, his fifth of the season, via Alexander Wennberg. Boston tied it on a Torey Krug goal, passed from David Krejci and David Backes. The Bruins took the lead with a Matt Beleskey goal, guided in by Austin Czarnik. Boston added on with a Czarnik goal, his second of the year, assisted by Riley Nash and Beleskey. The Bruins extended the lead as Tim Schaller scored his second of the season, with the help of Dominic Moore. Curtis McElhinney replaced Bobrovsky in goal. Boston padded the lead in the second period with a Backes goal, his third of the year, coming off of Krejci and Ryan Spooner. The Blue Jackets got one back with a Sam Gagner goal in the third period, his fourth of the campaign, going in unassisted. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars being Czarnik, Beleskey, and Backes, while Krejci gets an honorable mention.

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Anaheim Ducks. Jonathan Bernier and Cam Ward are the mediocre goalies. Anaheim got going in the second period with a Ryan Kesler goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Andrew Cogliano and Jakob Silfverberg. The Ducks added on with a Silfverberg goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Cam Fowler and Cogliano. Anaheim extended the lead on an unassisted Silfverberg goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season. Carolina got on the board with a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his third of the year, made possible by Jaccob Slavin and Sebastian Aho. The Hurricanes got closer in the third period on a Victor Rask goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Jeff Skinner and Lee Stempniak. The Ducks iced it at 4-2 with a Kesler empty net goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, set up by Ryan Getzlaf and Silfverberg. The three stars went to Silfverberg, Kesler and Cogliano.

Back north, the Pittsburgh Penguins bring in the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Marc-Andre Fleury man the nets. Pittsburgh started in the first period with a Sidney Crosby power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Phil Kessel and Kris Letang. Minnesota tied it on a Charlie Coyle power play goal, his fourth of the year, with assists provided by Ryan Suter and Eric Staal. The Penguins retook the lead with a Patric Hornqvist power play goal in the second period, his fifth of the season, helped along by Kessel and Evgeni Malkin. The Wild retied it on a Nino Niederreiter goal, his third of the year, with a lone assist by Staal. Minnesota took the lead in the third period with a Staal goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Coyle and Niederreiter. The Wild iced it at 4-2 with a Jason Pominville empty net goal, his third of the year, set up by Jared Spurgeon. The three stars went to Staal, Niederreiter, and Coyle, while Kessel gets an honorable mention.

Over to Detroit, where the Red Wings host the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller and Jimmy Howard are the veterans in goal. Detroit led off in the first period with a Dylan Larkin goal, his fifth of the season, fueled by Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist. The Red Wings added on with a Brendan Smith goal, his second of the year, via Niklas Kronwall and Zetterberg. Vancouver got on the board in the third period with a Daniel Sedin goal, his fifth of the campaign, helped along by Henrik Sedin and Troy Stecher. Detroit replied with a Steve Ott goal, passed from Jonathan Ericsson and Alexey Marchenko. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Howard (37 for 38 in saves), Zetterberg, and Smith.

In Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Peter Budaj is mismatched with Carey Price in goal. Montreal began in the first period with a Paul Byron goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Alexander Radulov and Alexei Emelin. The Canadiens added on with a Daniel Carr goal, passed from Andrei Markov and Torrey Mitchell. Montreal extended the lead in the second period as Phillip Danault scored his fourth of the year, thanks to Jeff Petry and Max Pacioretty. Los Angeles got on the board in the third period with a Tyler Toffoli power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter. The Canadiens finished it at 4-1 with an Alex Galchenyuk empty net goal, his sixth of the year, set up by Nathan Beaulieu and Pacioretty. The three stars went to Price (23 for 24 in saves), Pacioretty, and Carr.

Down in Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning bring in the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Andrei Vasilevskiy receive the starting nods in goal. Tampa Bay struck first in the first period with a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Tyler Johnson and Vladislav Namestnikov. The Lightning added on with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his fifth of the year, via Victor Hedman and Stamkos. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Johnson scored a power play goal in the second period, his fifth of the season, thanks to Stamkos and Ondrej Palat. Thomas Greiss replaced Halak in goal. New York got on the board with an Andrew Ladd goal, his second of the year, with a lone assist by Johnny Boychuk. The Lightning replied in the third period with a Brian Boyle goal, his fourth of the campaign, made possible by Cedric Paquette. The three stars of the 4-1 game were Stamkos, Johnson, and Vasilevskiy (31 for 32 in saves).

Staying in the state, the Florida Panthers host the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones faces former backup James Reimer in goal. Florida was first to score in the first period with a Jason Demers goal, helped along by Jared McCann. The Panthers added on with another Demers goal, via Aleksander Barkov and Jaromir Jagr. San Jose got on the board with a Brent Burns goal, his sixth of the season, going in unassisted. The Sharks tied it in the second period on a Joe Pavelski goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Joel Ward. San Jose took the lead in the third period with a Tommy Wingels goal, his second of the season, assisted by Chris Tierney. The Sharks iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Logan Couture, his third of the year, set up by Justin Braun. The three stars went to Wingels, Demers, and Pavelski.

Up to Nashville, where the Predators welcome the St. Louis Blues. Carter Hutton faces his former mentor Pekka Rinne in goal. St. Louis drew first blood in the first period with a Jaden Schwartz goal, his third of the season, made possible by Vladimir Tarasenko and Colton Parayko. Nashville tied it in the second period with a Calle Jarnkrok goal, his second of the year, helped along by Colin Wilson and Matt Irwin. The Predators took the lead in the third period with a James Neal goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Mike Ribeiro and Pontus Aberg. Nashville added on with another Jarnkrok goal, his second of the game and third of the year, with helpers from Mike Fisher and Filip Forsberg. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars given to Jarnkrok, Neal, and Rinne (23 for 24 in saves).

Northwest to Calgary, where the Flames bring in the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Brian Elliott are the masked men. Dallas cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Lauri Korpikoski goal, his second of the season, fueled by Radek Faksa. The Stars added on with a Jamie Benn goal, his third of the year, helped along by John Klingberg and Faksa. Calgary got on the board in the second period with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his third of the season, via Brett Kulak and Sean Monahan. The Flames tied it with another Gaudreau goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, coming off of Kulak and Michael Frolik. Dallas retook the lead in the third period with a Benn power play goal, his second of the game and fourth of the season, powered by Tyler Seguin and Antoine Roussel. The Stars iced it at 4-2 with a Roussel empty net goal, his second of the year, set up by Justin Dowling. The three stars went to Benn, Gaudreau, and Faksa, while Roussel and Kulak get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Arizona Coyotes host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck faces a lesser foe in Louis Domingue in goal. Winnipeg dented the scoreboard in the first period with an Andrew Copp goal, his second of the season, assisted by Mark Scheifele and Toby Enstrom. Arizona tied it with a Radim Vrbata goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Jordan Martinook and Jamie McGinn. The Jets retook the lead in the second period with a Blake Wheeler goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Nic Petan and Tyler Myers. Winnipeg added on in the third period with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Patrik Laine. The Coyotes got one back with a Tobias Rieder goal, his third of the campaign, passed from Max Domi and Shane Doan. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Ehlers, Wheeler, and Copp.

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KHL 2016/17 - Day 75

Another ten-game slate awaits. We begin with...

Sibir Novosibirsk hosting Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Ilya Proskuryakov and Danny Taylor man the nets. Novosibirsk got going in the second period with a Sergei Shumakov power play goal, powered by Stepan Sannikov. Nizhny Novgorod tied it on a Kirill Rasskazov goal, guided in by Nikolai Zherdev. Torpedo took the lead in the third period with an Alexei Potapov goal, via Zherdev. Nizhny Novgorod added on with an Alexander Frolov goal, passed from Vladimir Galuzin and Dmitry Shulenin. Torpedo iced it at 4-1 with a Carter Ashton empty net goal, set up by Zherdev, who got a sock trick. The three stars were Zherdev, Potapov, and Frolov.

Over in Novokuznetsk, Metallurg welcomes Spartak Moscow. Nikita Bespalov and Andrei Kareyev are set to start in goal. Moscow dented the scoreboard in the second period with an Alexei Bondarev goal, assisted by Dmitry Kalinin and Vladimir Bobylyov. Spartak added on with a Ryan Stoa goal, made possible by Anatoly Nikontsev and Lukas Radil. Moscow extended the lead in the third period as Vadim Berdnikov scored, with the help of Vyacheslav Leshchenko and Yaroslav Dyblenko. The final held at 3-0, with the three stars being Bespalov (33 save shutout), Bondarev, and Stoa.

Westward to Chelyabinsk, where Traktor brings in Lada Togliatti. Ilya Ezhov and Pavel Francouz are the goalies. Togliatti led off in the first period with a Stanislav Bocharov goal, passed from Vasily Streltsov and Dmitry Sinitsyn. Chelyabinsk tied it in the second period with a shorthanded goal by Dmitry Pestunov, set up by Alexei Petrov. The tie went to a shootout, where Bocharov lifted Lada to a 2-1 win with his lone tally. The three stars went to Bocharov, Ezhov (45 for 46 in saves), and Francouz (39 for 40 in saves).

Back to Omsk, where Avangard hosts the Sochi Leopards. Konstantin Barulin and Dominik Furch protect the nets. Omsk began in the first period with a Pyotr Khokryakov goal, courtesy of Anton Burdasov and Alexander Kucheryavenko. Avangard added on in the second period with an unassisted goal by Burdasov. Omsk extended the lead in the third period as Khokhryakov scored, thanks to Kucheryavenko. Dmitry Shikin replaced Barulin in goal. Avangard iced it at 4-0 with a power play goal by Erik Gustafsson, powered by Denis Parshin. The three stars went to Khokhryakov, Burdasov, and Kucheryavenko.

Along to Magnitogorsk, where Metallurg welcomes Ak Bars Kazan. Emil Garipov and Vasily Koshechkin are the reliable goalies. Magnitogorsk started in the first period with a Viktor Antipin power play goal, powered by Danis Zaripov and Jan Kovar. Kazan tied it on an Albert Yarullin power play goal, with assists provided by Anton Glinkin and Fyodor Malykhin. Ak Bars took the lead with an Alexander Svitov power play goal in the second period, fueled by Vasily Tokranov and Jiri Sekac. Metallurg retied it with a Zaripov power play goal, guided in by Sergei Mozyakin and Kovar. In the shootout, Malykhin scored the only goal for a 3-2 Ak Bars win. The three stars went to Malykhin, Zaripov, and Kovar.

Next up, Salavat Yulaev Ufa brings in Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Ivan Lisutin and Niklas Svedberg draw the starts in goal. Ufa opened in the first period with a Teemu Hartikainen power play goal, powered by Linus Omark and Kirill Kaprizov. Salavat Yulaev added on with another Hartikainen goal in the second period, helped along by Maxim Mayorov. Nizhnekamsk got one back with a Gilbert Brule goal, made possible by Geoffrey Kinrade and Dan Sexton. Ufa shot back with a Zakhar Arzamastsev goal, via Evgeny Korotkov. Ville Kolppanen replaced Lisutin for the third period. Salavat Yulaev extended the lead as Hartikainen completed his hat trick with a power play goal in the third period, thanks to Alexander Loginov and Omark. The final held at 4-1, with the three stars given to Hartikainen, Svedberg (35 for 36 in saves), and Omark.

In Kazakhstan, Barys Astana hosts Slovan Bratislava. Justin Pogge and Henrik Karlsson play goal. Astana struck first in the first period with a Roman Starchenko goal, guided in by Alexander Lipin and Ivan Kuchin. Barys added on with a Nigel Dawes goal, passed from Martin St. Pierre and Brandon Bochenski. Bratislava got on the board in the second period with a Patrik Lusnak goal, coming off of Lukas Vopelka and Michal Hlinka. Astana replied with a Kuchin power play goal, powered by Starchenko and Roman Savchenko. Barys extended the lead in the third period as Starchenko scored a power play goal, thanks to Evgeny Rymarev and Kuchin. Astana padded the lead with a Bochenski power play goal, with assists provided by Dawes and Kevin Dallman. The three stars of the 5-1 game were Starchenko, Kuchin, and Dawes, while Bochenski gets an honorable mention.

Out in Belarus, Dinamo Minsk welcomes Kunlun Red Star Beijing. Artyom Zagidulin and Ben Scrivens are in the creases. Minsk was first to score in the first period with an unassisted goal by Andrei Stas. Dinamo added on with an Alexander Kitarov goal, fueled by Stas. Beijing got on the board in the second period with a power play goal by Tobias Viklund, powered by Tomas Marcinko and Martin Bakos. Kunlun Red Star tied it in the third period with a Sean Collins power play goal, via Chad Rau and Linus Videll. Minsk retook the lead on an Andrei Stepanov power play goal, helped along by Matt Ellison. Beijing retied it with a Rau goal, with a lone assist by Collins on the power play. Kunlun Red Star took the lead on another Rau goal, made possible by Collins and Janne Jalasvaara. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars awarded to Rau, Collins, and Stas.

In Finland, Jokerit Helsinki brings in Admiral Vladivostok. Igor Bobkov and Ryan Zapolski are given the starting nods in goal. Vladivostok cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a shorthanded James Wright goal, set up by Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev. Helsinki tied it on a Tommi Huhtala power play goal, powered by Maki Marjamaki. Jokerit took the lead in the third period with a Peter Regin goal, assisted by Brian O'Neill and Pekka Jormakka on the power play. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Zapolski (26 for 27 in saves), Regin, and Huhtala.

Finally, Dinamo Riga hosts Amur Khabarovsk. Juha Metsola and Janis Kalnins are the masked men. Riga drew first blood in the first period with a Pyotr Schastlivy goal, passed from Gints Meija. Khabarovsk tied it on a Teemu Ramstedt power play goal, powered by Artyom Zub and Tomas Zohorna. Dinamo retook the lead with a Maris Bicevskis goal, coming off of Lauris Darzins. Riga added on with a Darzins goal in the third period, helped along by Miks Indrasis. Amur got one back with a Zohorna goal, via Ramstedt. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars belonging to Darzins, Zohorna, and Ramstedt.

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NHL 2016/17 - Day 28

Only three games on tonight, beginning with...

The Columbus Blue Jackets hosting the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Sergei Bobrovsky are set to start in goal. Columbus led off in the first period with a Boone Jenner goal, passed from Scott Hartnell and Cam Atkinson. The Blue Jackets added on with a Brandon Saad goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Ryan Murray and Jack Johnson. Anaheim got on the board in the second period with a Rickard Rakell goal, his fourth of the year, via Cam Fowler and Josh Manson. The Ducks tied it in the third period on a Nick Ritchie goal, his third of the season, assisted by Joseph Cramarossa. Columbus won 3-2 in overtime with a Zach Werenski goal, guided in by Alexander Wennberg and Saad. The three stars went to Saad, Werenski, and Jenner.

East to Buffalo, where the Sabres welcome the Ottawa Senators. Mike Condon and Robin Lehner draw the starts in goal. Buffalo began in the first period with a Nicholas Baptiste goal, his second of the season, assisted by Cole Schneider and Derek Grant. Ottawa tied it in the second period on a Ryan Dzingel goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Derick Brassard and Dion Phaneuf. The tie went to a shootout, where Kyle Turris and Bobby Ryan lifted the Senators 2-1 over Sam Reinhart. The three stars went to Condon (31 for 32 in saves), Dzingel, and Lehner (28 for 29 in saves).

Finally, in St. Louis, the Blues bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Jake Allen guard the cages. Chicago got going in the second period with a Marian Hossa goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Gustav Forsling and Artemi Panarin. St. Louis tied it on an Alex Pietrangelo goal, his third of the year, guided in by Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko. The Blackhawks won 2-1 in overtime with a Panarin goal, his sixth of the campaign, via Brent Seabrook and Patrick Kane. The three stars were awarded to Panarin, Hossa, and Crawford (27 for 28 in saves).

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KHL 2016/17 - Day 74

Four games on today, beginning with...

Ugra Khanty-Mansiysk hosting Medvescak Zagreb. Drew MacIntyre and Alexander Sharychenkov man the nets. Khanty-Mansiysk opened in the first period with a Konstantin Sokolov goal, assisted by Anton Kuryanov. Zagreb tied it on a Lukas Lessio power play goal, powered by Goran Bezina and Colby Genoway. Ugra took the lead with a third period Denis Khlystov goal, passed from Roman Lyuduchin. Khanty-Mansiysk added on with an Alexander Akmaldinov goal, with a lone assist by Sokolov. The game ended at 3-1, with Sokolov, Sharychenkov (27 for 28 in saves), and Khlystov receiving the three stars.

In Moscow, Dynamo welcomes SKA St. Petersburg. Igor Shestyorkin and Alexander Lazushin play goal. Moscow started in the first period with a Yakov Rylov goal, assisted by Ilya Shipov and Artyom Fyodorov. St. Petersburg tied it with a Maxim Chudinov goal, guided in by Vadim Shipachyov and Nikita Gusev. Dynamo took the lead back with an Ansel Galimov goal in the second period, going in unassisted. SKA tied it again in the third period with an Evgeny Ketov goal, passed from Yegor Rykov and Dinar Khafizullin. St. Petersburg took the lead with a power play goal by Anton Belov, powered by Shipachyov and Gusev. This stood for a 3-2 win, wit hthe three stars going to Shipachyov, Gusev, and Belov.

Next up, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl brings in Severstal Cherepovets. Jakub Kovar and Alexei Murygin tend the twines. Cherepovets led off in the first period with a Vojtech Polak power play goal, powered by Adam Masuhr and Pavel Chernov. Yaroslavl tied it on a Brandon Kozun power play goal in the second period, via Pavel Koledov and Petri Kontiola. Severstal took the lead back in the third period on a Chernov power play goal, fueled by Masuhr and Dmitry Kagarlitsky. Cherepovets added on with an Evgeny Mons goal, made possible by Kagarlitsky and Chernov. Severstal extended the lead as Chernov scored an unassisted empty net goal to ice the game at 4-1. The three stars were Chernov, Masuhr, and Kagarlitsky.

Finally, Vityaz Podolsk hosts CSKA Moscow. Viktor Fasth and Igor Saprykin are set to start in goal. Moscow began in the first period with a Denis Denisov power play goal, powered by Dmitry Kugryshev. CSKA added on with a Nikita Pivtsakin goal, passed from Sergei Andronov. Podolsk got on the board in the third period with a Roman Horak goal, made possible by Evgeny Katichev and Alexei Kopeikin. Vityaz tied it again with a Vyacheslav Solodukhin goal, with a lone assist by Kopeikin. The tie went to a shootout, where Kopeikin and Nikita Vyglazov scored to give Vityaz the 3-2 win. The three stars went to Kopeikin, Solodukhin, and Horak.

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NHL 2016/17 - Day 27

Ten games fill up the schedule tonight, beginning with...

The New Jersey Devils hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Corey Schneider make the starts in goal. New Jersey opened in the first period with a P.A. Parenteau goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Travis Zajac and Taylor Hall. Carolina tied it in the second period with a Jordan Staal power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce. The Hurricanes took the lead with an unassisted Klas Dahlbeck goal. The Devils retied it in the third period with a Nick Lappin goal, via Sergey Kalinin and Vernon Fiddler. The tie went to a shootout, where Parenteau and Hall lifted the Devils to a 3-2 win. The three stars belonged to Parenteau, Hall, and Lappin.

Over in Manhattan, the New York Rangers welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Antti Raanta are the backups in goal. New York got going in the second period with a Pavel Buchnevich goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Jesper Fast and Brady Skjei. Vancouver tied it on a Loui Eriksson goal, helped along by Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. The Canucks took the lead in the third period on a Henrik Sedin goal, his fifth of the year, assisted by Erik Gudbranson and Derek Dorsett. The Rangers retied it on a Rick Nash power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Buchnevich and Kevin Hayes. Vancouver pulled ahead with an Alexandre Burrows goal, courtesy of Bo Horvat and Sven Baertschi. The Canucks added on with a Baertschi goal, passed from Jack Skille and Michael Chaput. Vancouver extended the lead with an empty net goal by Burrows, his second of the game, set up by Horvat and Brendan Gaunce. New York got one back with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his third of the year, with a lone helper from Buchnevich. This only made it 5-3, the final, with the three stars going to Burrows, Baertschi, and Buchnevich, while Henrik Sedin and Horvat get the honorable mentions.

West to Philadelphia, where the Flyers bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Steve Mason are the average goalies. Philadelphia started in the first period with a Claude Giroux power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Jakub Voracek and Brayden Schenn. Detroit tied it with a Tomas Tatar goal, his second of the year, guided in by Henrik Zetterberg. The Flyers took the lead back on a Sean Couturier goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Voracek and Mark Streit in the third period. The Red Wings tied it again with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Danny DeKeyser and Mike Green. The tie went to a shootout, where Athanasiou had the lone tally for a 3-2 Red Wings win. The three stars belonged to Athanasiou, Voracek, and Tatar.

Across Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Matt Murray are the young goalies. Pittsburgh led off in the first period with a Conor Sheary goal, his second of the season, fueled by Bryan Rust. Edmonton tied it on a Jordan Eberle goal, his fourth of the year, made possible by Connor McDavid and Patrick Maroon. The Oilers took the lead with a Maroon goal, his fifth of the season, via McDavid and Eberle. Edmonton added on in the second period with another Eberle goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, courtesy of McDavid, who had a sock trick. The Penguins got one back on a Carl Hagelin goal, his second of the season, passed from Patric Hornqvist and Trevor Daley. Pittsburgh tied it in the third period with an Evgeni Malkin goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of Phil Kessel and Chris Kunitz. The Penguins took the lead on Sheary's second of the game and third of the campaign, going in unassisted. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars going to Sheary, Eberle, and McDavid, while Maroon gets an honorable mention.

Down to DC, where the Washington Capitals welcome the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Braden Holtby guard the cages. San Jose dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal, his second of the season, assisted by Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton. The Sharks added on with a Brent Burns goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Logan Couture and Paul Martin. San Jose iced it at 3-0 in the third period with a Thornton empty net goal, his second of the campaign, set up by Joel Ward. The three stars were given to Thornton, Jones (24 save shutout), and Vlasic.

Up in Canada, the Montreal Canadiens bring in the Boston Bruins. Zane McIntyre is mismatched with Carey Price in goal. Montreal drew first blood in the second period on a Shea Weber power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Andrei Markov and Tomas Plekanec. Boston tied it with an unassisted Colin Miller goal. The Canadiens retook the lead on an Alex Galchenyuk goal, his fifth of the year, assisted by Alexander Radulov and Paul Byron. The Bruins tied it again in the third period with a David Pastrnak power play goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by John-Michael Liles and Brad Marchand. Montreal regained the lead with a Byron goal, his third of the year, guided in by Galchenyuk and Radulov. This held up for a 3-2 win, with the three stars awarded to Byron, Galchenyuk, and Radulov.

Over in Ontario, the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Los Angeles Kings. Peter Budaj and Frederik Andersen are the goalies. Los Angeles began in the first period with a Dustin Brown goal, his second of the season, via Nic Dowd. The Kings added on in the second period with a Tanner Pearson goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Anze Kopitar and Kevin Gravel. Los Angeles extended the lead as Tyler Toffoli scored his third of the season, with the help of Drew Doughty and Derek Forbort. The Kings padded the lead with a Jeff Carter goal, his fourth of the year, helped along by Dwight King and Matt Greene. Andersen was replaced by Jhonas Enroth in goal. Los Angeles continued with another Carter goal, his second of the game and fifth of the campaign, made possible by Toffoli and Forbort. The Kings kept going in the third period with a Kyle Clifford goal, his second of the season, with a lone assist by Forbort, who earned a sock trick. Los Angeles iced it at 7-0 with a King goal, guided in by Trevor Lewis and Jake Muzzin. The three stars were Carter, Forbort, and Toffoli, while King gets an honorable mention.

Down in Nashville, the Predators welcome the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Pekka Rinne are the veteran goalies. Nashville cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a James Neal goal, his third of the season, passed from Roman Josi and P.K. Subban. The Predators added on with a Subban goal, his third of the year, via Neal and Viktor Arvidsson. Nashville extended the lead in the third period as Ryan Ellis scored, thanks to Filip Forsberg. Ottawa got on the board with a Kyle Turris goal, his sixth of the campaign, helped along by Ryan Dzingel and Dion Phaneuf. The game ended at 3-1, with the three stars being Subban, Neal, and Rinne (33 for 34 in saves).

Returning to Canada, the Winnipeg Jets bring in the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Connor Hellebuyck draw the starts in goal. Winnipeg struck first in the first period with a Mark Scheifele goal, his eighth of the season, via Nikolaj Ehlers. The Jets added on with a Patrik Laine goal, his ninth of the year, coming off of Ben Chiarot and Paul Postma. Dallas got on the board in the second period with a Patrick Eaves power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Devin Shore and John Klingberg. Winnipeg answered with a Laine power play goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, helped along by Blake Wheeler and Scheifele. The Jets extended the lead as Laine scored his eleventh of the season to complete his hat trick, thanks to Scheifele and Ehlers. Antti Niemi replaced Lehtonen in goal. Winnipeg padded the lead with a Marko Dano power play goal, his second of the year, with helpers from Kyle Connor and Nic Petan. The Jets kept going with a Scheifele power play goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, fueled by Petan and Laine. The Stars got one back in the third period with a Tyler Seguin power play goal, his seventh of the year, with assists provided by Antoine Roussel and Eaves. Winnipeg countered with a shorthanded Andrew Copp goal, set up by Alex Burmistrov and Tyler Myers. The Jets iced it at 8-2 with an Adam Lowry goal, his third of the campaign, dished from Copp and Myers. The three stars were Laine, Scheifele, and Ehlers, while Copp, Myers, Petan, and Eaves get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Colorado Avalanche host the Arizona Coyotes. Louis Domingue and Calvin Pickard are the unknown goalies. Arizona was first to score in the first period with a Jordan Martinook goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Radim Vrbata and Jamie McGinn. Colorado tied it in the second period with a Rene Bourque power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Erik Johnson and Mikhail Grigorenko. The Avalanche took the lead with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his second of the season, with a lone assist by Matt Duchene. The Coyotes retied it on an Anthony DeAngelo goal, helped along by Max Domi and Anthony Duclair. Arizona took the lead with a Domi goal, via Connor Murphy. The Coyotes added on with a Martinook power play goal in the third period, his second of the game and fifth of the year, courtesy of Vrbata and Domi. This made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars handed to Martinook, Domi, and Vrbata.

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KHL 2016/17 - Day 73

The league is back in full force after a week off, with ten games today. We begin with...

Sibir Novosibirsk hosting Spartak Moscow. Nikita Bespalov and Alexei Krasikov are the goalies. Moscow led off in the first period with a Matthew Gilroy power play goal, powered by Konstantin Glazachev and Lukas Radil. Spartak added on with an Igor Mirnov power play goal in the third period, coming off of Yaroslav Dyblenko. This made it 2-0, the final, with the three stars going to Bespalov (29 save shutout), Gilroy, and Mirnov.

Over in Novokuznetsk, Metallurg welcomes the Sochi Leopards. Konstantin Barulin and Andrei Kareyev draw the starts, and they played well, each of them perfect into the shootout. Here, only Kirill Semyonov of Metallurg scored for a 1-0 win. The three stars went to Kareyev (42 save shutout), Semyonov, and Barulin (26 save "shutout").

Along to Omsk, where Avangard brings in Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Ilya Proskuryakov faces a lesser foe in Oleg Shilin in goal. Omsk began in the first period with an Anton Burdasov goal, passed from Evgeny Medvedev. Avangard added on with another Burdasov goal in the third period, helped along by Pyotr Khokhryakov on the power play. Nizhny Novgorod got on the board with an Evgeny Grachyov goal, guided in by Dmitry Shulenin. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Shilin (17 for 18 in saves), Burdasov, and Grachyov.

Down in Magnitogorsk, Metallurg hosts Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Ivan Lisutin and Vasily Koshechkin play in the blue paint. Magnitogorsk opened in the first period on a Sergei Mozyakin goal, assisted by Danis Zaripov and Jan Kovar. Nizhnekamsk tied it in the second period on a Dan Sexton goal, fueled by Maxim Berezin and Gilbert Brule. The tie went to a frenetic shootout, where Zaripov, Kovar, and Mozyakin all had important tallies to take Metallurg to a 2-1 win over Neftekhimik's Sergei Konkov and Dmitry Makarov. The three stars belonged to Mozyakin, Kovar, and Zaripov, while Koshechkin (39 for 40 in saves) and Lisutin (30 for 31 in saves) receive the honorable mentions.

Backtracking to Ufa, where Salavat Yulaev welcomes Lada Togliatti. Edgars Masalskis and Andrei Gavrilov are between the pipes. Ufa got going in the second period with an Enver Lisin goal, coming off of Igor Makarov and Evgeny Bodrov. Salavat Yulaev added on with a Stepan Khripunov goal, assisted by Teemu Hartikainen and Linus Omark. Togliatti got on the board with an Anton Shenfeld goal, passed from Yefim Gurkin and Georgy Belousov. Lada tied it with a Stanislav Bocharov goal, made possible by Alexander Streltsov. Ufa regained the lead in the third period on another Lisin goal, courtesy of Makarov and Zakhar Arzamastsev. Salavat Yulaev extended the lead as Kirill Kaprizov scored, thanks to Khripunov. This stood for a 4-2 win, with the three stars awarded to Lisin, Khripunov, and Makarov.

Next up, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg brings in Slovan Bratislava. Justin Pogge and Igor Ustinsky man the nets. Bratislava struck first in the first period with a Jonathan Cheechoo goal, assisted by Jeff Taffe and Radek Smolenak. Yekaterinburg tied it with a Petr Koukal power play goal, powered by Alexei Mikhnov. Slovan took the lead back with a Ziga Jeglic goal in the second period, passed from Ivan Svarny and Nick Plastino. Bratislava added on with a Jeglic power play goal, with assists provided by Vaclav Nedorost. Slovan iced it at 4-1 as Jeglic scored an empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were Jeglic, Cheechoo, and Pogge (25 for 26 in saves).

West to Chelyabinsk, where Traktor hosts Ak Bars Kazan. Stanislav Galimov and Pavel Francouz are in the creases. Chelyabinsk dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Maxim Yakutsenya power play goal, powered by Kirill Koltsov. Kazan tied it on an Andrei Popov goal, coming off of Michal Jordan and Stefan Elliott on the power play. Ak Bars took the lead with an Elliott goal, helped along by Alexander Svitov and Jiri Sekac. Traktor retied it in the third period with an Alexei Kruchinin goal, fueled by Yakutsenya and Konstantin Klimontov. The tie went to a shootout, where Anton Glinkin lifted Ak Bars to a 3-2 win. The three stars were Elliott, Yakutsenya, and Glinkin.

Out in Belarus, Dinamo Minsk welcomes Admiral Vladivostok. Igor Bobkov and Ben Scrivens are the masked men. Vladivostok began in the first period with a Robert Sabolic power play goal, powered by James Wisniewski. Admiral added on in the third period with an Alexander Gorshkov goal, made possible by Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev and James Wright. Vladivostok iced it at 3-0 with a shorthanded empty net goal by Krasnoslobodtsev, set up by Wright. The three stars were handed to Bobkov (43 save shutout), Krasnoslobodtsev, and Wright.

North to Finland, where Jokerit Helsinki brings in Amur Khabarovsk. Juha Metsola and Ryan Zapolski are set to start in goal. Khabarovsk was first to score in the first period with a Tomas Zohorna goal, passed from Kristian Kuusela. Helsinki tied it on a Peter Regin goal, assisted by Brian O'Neill. Jokerit took the lead with an O'Neill goal, guided in by Arturs Kulda and Jesse Joensuu. Amur retied it in the third period with a Vladislav Ushenin goal, fueled by Vyacheslav Ushenin and Vladimir Malevich. The tie went to a shootout, where O'Neill and Pekka Jormakka lifted Jokerit to the 3-2 win over a lone tally by Amur's Vyacheslav Ushenin. The three stars went to O'Neill, Vyacheslav Ushenin, and Regin.

Finally, Dinamo Riga hosts Kunlun Red Star Beijing. Andrei Makarov and Jakub Sedlacek have the green light to play goal. Riga drew first blood in the first period with a Pyotr Schastlivy goal, coming off of Sedlacek and Gunars Skvorcovs. Beijing tied it on a Linus Videll goal, helped along by Janne Jalasvaara in the second period on the power play. Kunlun Red Star took the lead with a Chad Rau goal, via Sean Collins and Videll. Beijing added on with a power play goal by Martin Bakos, powered by Tomas Marcinko. Kunlun Red Star extended the lead with a shorthanded goal by Oleg Yashin in the third period, set up by Vadim Pereskokov and Brett Bellemore. Beijing padded the lead as Rau scored a shorthanded empty net goal, with the help of Collins. Dinamo got one back with a Patrick Mullen power play goal, with a lone assist by Georgijs Pujacs. This only made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars given to Rau, Videll, and Collins.

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2016/17 Hockey - KHL Day 72/NHL Day 26

Four games are on today, spread across the top two leagues in the world. We begin with...

The lone KHL game, as Barys Astana hosts Medvescak Zagreb. Drew MacIntyre and Henrik Karlsson man the nets. Astana got going in the second period with a Roman Savchenko power play goal, powered by Evgeny Rymarev and Roman Starchenko. Barys iced it at 2-0 with a Martin St. Pierre empty net goal in the third period on the power play, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Karlsson (30 save shutout), Savchenko, and St. Pierre.

In the NHL, the Boston Bruins welcome the Buffalo Sabres in the first of three games. Robin Lehner and Tuukka Rask play goal. Boston dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Brad Marchand power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by David Pastrnak and Matt Beleskey. The Bruins added on with a David Krejci power play goal, coming off of Torey Krug and Ryan Spooner. Boston extended the lead on an unassisted Riley Nash goal. The Bruins padded the lead as Pastrnak scored his eighth of the year on the power play, thanks to Austin Czarnik and John-Michael Liles in the third period. The final was 4-0, with the three stars going to Pastrnak, Rask (32 save shutout), and Krejci.

Down in Brooklyn, the New York Islanders bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller and Jaroslav Halak are the veterans in goal. Vancouver started in the first period with a Daniel Sedin goal, his fourth of the season, going in unassisted. New York tied it with a Jason Chimera goal, passed from Anders Lee and Brock Nelson. The Islanders took the lead in the second period on a Nikolay Kulemin goal, via John Tavares and Thomas Hickey. The Canucks retied it with a power play goal by Markus Granlund, his third of the year, powered by Bo Horvat and Ben Hutton. New York pulled ahead in the third period on a Cal Clutterbuck goal, his second of the season, made possible by Johnny Boychuk and Alan Quine. The Islanders added on with an Andrew Ladd goal, courtesy of Nick Leddy and Adam Pelech. The game ended at 4-2, with the three stars going to Clutterbuck, Ladd, and Kulemin.

Finally, the Battle of Florida ends the day with the Panthers hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ben Bishop and Roberto Luongo tend the twines. Florida opened in the first period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Keith Yandle and Aleksander Barkov on the power play. Tampa Bay tied it on an Ondrej Palat goal in the third period, his second of the year, going in unassisted. The Panthers took the lead back on an unassisted Reilly Smith goal, his third of the season. Florida iced it at 3-1 with a Derek MacKenzie empty net goal, set up by Yandle. The three stars were Luongo (34 for 35 in saves), Yandle, and Smith.

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NHL 2016/17 - Day 25

It's time for Sunday hockey, with six games on the slate. We begin with...

The Detroit Red Wings hosting the Edmonton Oilers. Jonas Gustavsson and Jimmy Howard are the backups in goal. Detroit started in the first period with a Justin Abdelkader power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Brendan Smith and Frans Nielsen. Edmonton tied it on a Tyler Pitlick goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Milan Lucic and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers gained the lead in the second period with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins power play goal, his second of the season, with assists provided by Connor McDavid and Oscar Klefbom. This stood for the eventual 2-1 win, with the three stars being Nugent-Hopkins, Pitlick, and Gustavsson (22 for 23 in saves).

Down in St. Louis, the Blues welcome the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Jake Allen are the masked men. St. Louis opened in the first period with a Robby Fabbri goal, passed from Dmitrij Jaskin and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Blues added on with a Jori Lehtera goal, courtesy of Carl Gunnarsson and Vladimir Tarasenko. Colorado got on the board in the second period with a Matt Duchene goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Francois Beauchemin and Fedor Tyutin. St. Louis replied with a Jaden Schwartz power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Alexander Steen and Shattenkirk. The Blues extended the lead as Scottie Upshall scored, his second of the season, thanks to Ryan Reaves and Kyle Brodziak. St. Louis padded the lead with a David Perron goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Colton Parayko and Shattenkirk, the latter earning a sock trick. Varlamov was replaced by Calvin Pickard at the start of the third period. The game ended at 5-1, with the three stars given to Shattenkirk, Allen (22 for 23 in saves), and Lehtera.

East to Raleigh, where the Carolina Hurricanes bring in the New Jersey Devils. Keith Kinkaid and Eddie Lack are in the creases. New Jersey got going in the second period with a Michael Cammalleri goal, assisted by Travis Zajac and Beau Bennett. The Devils added on with another Cammalleri goal, via Jacob Josefson. New Jersey extended the lead in the third period as Cammalleri finished his natural hat trick, with the help of Bennett and John Moore. Carolina got on the board with an Andrej Nestrasil goal, helped along by Noah Hanifin and Jordan Staal. New Jersey iced it at 4-1 with a shorthanded empty net goal by Andy Greene, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Cammalleri, Bennett, and Kinkaid (33 for 34 in saves).

Back west, the Chicago Blackhawks host the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Scott Darling draw the starts in goal. Dallas began in the first period with a Tyler Seguin power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Antoine Roussel and Patrick Eaves. The Stars added on in the second period with a shorthanded Gemel Smith goal, set up by Dan Hamhuis. Chicago got on the board with a Patrick Kane goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook. The Blackhawks tied it in the third period on a Toews goal, his third of the season, via Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith. Chicago took the lead with an Artem Anisimov goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Toews and Keith. Dallas tied it again with a Smith goal, his second of the game, courtesy of John Klingberg and Jamie Benn. The Blackhawks won 4-3 with an overtime goal by Hossa, his sixth of the campaign, guided in by Seabrook and Anisimov. The three stars went to Hossa, Anisimov, and Seabrook, while Toews, Smith, and Keith get the honorable mentions.

In New York, the Rangers welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Henrik Lundqvist protect the nets. New York led off in the first period with a Kevin Hayes goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Kevin Klein and Brady Skjei. Winnipeg tied it on a Patrik Laine goal, his eighth of the year, assisted by Ben Chiarot and Mark Scheifele. The Rangers took the lead with a second period Mats Zuccarello goal, his sixth of the season, guided in by Chris Kreider. The Jets tied it again with a Scheifele goal, his seventh of the year, helped along by Paul Postma and Nikolaj Ehlers. New York pulled ahead again on a J.T. Miller goal, his fifth of the season, via Nick Holden. The Rangers added on with a Jesper Fast goal, his second of the year, coming off of Klein and Brandon Pirri. New York extended the lead as Pavel Buchnevich scored his second of the season, thanks to Pirri and Adam Clendening. The game ended at 5-2, with the three stars given to Scheifele, Pirri, and Klein.

Finally, in Anaheim, the Ducks bring in the Calgary Flames. Chad Johnson and Jonathan Bernier man the nets. Anaheim struck first in the first period with a Clayton Stoner goal, passed from Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. Calgary tied it on an Alex Chiasson goal, his second of the season, assisted by Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. The Ducks took the lead back in the second period with a Ryan Kesler power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Perry and Getzlaf. Anaheim added on with an Andrew Cogliano goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Jakob Silfverberg and Josh Manson. The Ducks extended the lead in the third period as Kesler scored his second of the game and fourth of the year, with assists provided by Perry and Getzlaf, both of whom received sock tricks. The final stood at 4-1, with the three stars given to Kesler, Perry, and Getzlaf.

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MLS Conference Semifinals - Leg 2

After last weekend saw a good run for the lower-ranked teams, the higher seeds get to host their games and try to salvage their playoff runs. We begin in the west, with...

The Colorado Rapids hosting the Los Angeles Galaxy. Brian Rowe and Tim Howard are the goalies, and the Galaxy have a 1-0 advantage in the series. Colorado's Shkelzen Gashi took a yellow card for a thirtieth minute foul. The Rapids opened the scoring and tied the series in the thirty-sixth minute on a Gashi goal, via Sam Cronin. In the fifty-seventh minute, Cronin received a yellow card for a foul. The series remained tied, forcing a penalty kick shootout. Steven Gerrard had the only goal for the Galaxy, and the Rapids went through 3-1 in the shootout and 2-1 overall with goals by Kevin Doyle, Sebastien Le Toux, and Marco Pappa. The man of the match was Gashi for his series-equalizing goal. The Rapids face the winner of the Seattle Sounders v. FC Dallas series in the Western Conference Final.

Next up, we go back-to-back in the east, starting with the New York Red Bulls welcoming the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Luis Robles are gloved men. The Impact have a 1-0 aggregate lead. New York's Felipe took a yellow card for a nineteenth minute foul. Montreal got going with a fifty-first minute Ignacio Piatti goal, via Dominic Oduro. The Impact's keeper Bush took a yellow card for time wasting in the fifty-sixth minute. Laurent Ciman of Montreal had a yellow card for a sixty-third minute foul. Dax McCarty of the Red Bulls received a yellow card for his seventy-fourth minute foul. New York got on the board with a seventy-seventh minute goal by Bradley Wright-Phillips, assisted by Daniel Royer and Damien Perrinelle. The Impact shot back with another Piatti goal in the eighty-fifth minute, made possible by Didier Drogba and Oduro. Sacha Kljestan of the Red Bulls received a yellow card for an eighty-ninth minute foul. Montreal saw a stoppage time yellow card for Johan Venegas. The game ended 2-1, and the Impact won the series on a 3-1 aggregate score. Piatti was the man of the match this time for his brace. The Impact will face the winner of the next series for the Eastern Conference Final.

Staying in the New York Metro area, New York City FC brings in Toronto FC. Clint Irwin and Eirik Johansen are the goalies, with Toronto already holding a 2-0 lead. Toronto struck first and added on with a sixth minute Sebastian Giovinco goal, assisted by Jozy Altidore. Toronto extended the lead as Giovinco made a penalty kick goal in the twentieth minute. Toronto padded their lead with an Altidore goal in the thirtieth minute, made possible by Eriq Zavaleta. Toronto kept going in the fiftieth minute with a Jonathan Osorio goal, passed from Will Johnson and Giovinco. Toronto iced the game at 5-0 and the series at 7-0 with a Giovinco goal in stoppage time to complete his hat trick, with the help of Nick Hagglund. Giovinco was the man of the match as Toronto FC heads on to face the Montreal Impact in the Eastern Conference Final, meaning Canada will be represented in MLS Cup. Also, for fans of the CONCACAF Champions League, the winner of the Western Conference Final will earn a bid to the 2017-18 edition of that competition.

Finally, FC Dallas hosts the Seattle Sounders FC. Stefan Frei and Chris Seitz are the goalies, as the Sounders look to make a 3-0 aggregate lead hold up. Dallas was first to score in the twenty-fifth minute on a Tesho Akindele goal, helped along by Atiba Harris and Michael Barrios. In the twenty-seventh minute, Harris of Dallas and Cristian Roldan of Seattle each had yellow cards for foul. The Sounders tied the game in the fifty-fourth minute on a Nicolas Lodeiro goal, assisted by Tyrone Mears. Dallas retook the lead in the game on a Maximiliano Urruti goal in the fifty-sixth minute, coming off of Mauro Rosales and Harris. Seattle keeper Frei took a yellow card for time wasting in the sixty-seventh minute. The game ended 2-1 in favor of Dallas, but the Sounders won the series 4-2. Harris was the man of the match, a small consolation as it will be the Sounders and Rapids for the Western Conference Final.

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