NHL 2017-18 Day 84

A light Saturday schedule sees six games on, beginning with...

The Ottawa Senators hosting the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask faces a lesser foe in Mike Condon in goal. Boston opened in the first period with a Ryan Spooner power play goal, his second of the season, powered by David Backes and David Krejci. The Bruins added on with a Noel Acciari goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Torey Krug and Tim Schaller in the second period. Boston extended the lead as Spooner scored again, his second of the game and third of the season, going in unassisted. The Bruins padded the lead on a power play goal by Krejci, his sixth of the year, made possible by Backes and Charlie McAvoy. Boston iced it at 5-0 in the third period with a Patrice Bergeron power play goal, his eleventh of the campaign, with helpers from Krug and David Pastrnak. Spooner, Krejci, and Rask (25 save shutout) received the three stars, while Krug and Backes earned honorable mentions.

Down in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Braden Holtby guard the cages. Washington started in the first period with a Tom Wilson goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Christian Djoos and John Carlson. The Capitals added on with a Djoos goal, his third of the year, via Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. New Jersey got on the board with a John Moore goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Travis Zajac and Marcus Johansson. Washington replied in the second period with a Carlson power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Backstrom and Ovechkin. Washington extended the lead as Matt Niskanen goal, his third of the season, guided in by Devante Smith-Pelly and Ovechkin, the latter earning a sock trick. The Devils answered with a Zajac goal, his third of the year, helped along by Johansson and Sami Vatanen. The Capitals iced it at 5-2 with an empty net Backstrom goal, his eighth of the campaign, set up by Carlson. The three stars belonged to Carlson, Backstrom, and Ovechkin, while Djoos, Zajac, and Johansson get the honorable mentions.

Further south to Florida, where the Panthers bring in the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and James Reimer are between the pipes. Florida got going in the second period with a Connor Brickley goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Mark Pysyk and Mike Matheson. The Panthers added on with a Vincent Trocheck goal, his fifteenth of the year, fueled by MacKenzie Weegar and Brickley in the third period. This stood for a 2-0 with, with the three stars being Reimer (38 save shutout), Brickley, and Trocheck.

Northwest to St. Louis, where the Blues host the Carolina Hurricanes. Scott Darling and Carter Hutton are the inexperienced goalies. St. Louis led off in the first period with a Kyle Brodziak goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Alexander Steen and Alex Pietrangelo. The Blues added on in the second period with a Patrik Berglund goal, his sixth of the year, assisted by Pietrangelo and Brodziak. Carolina got on the board with a Derek Ryan goal, his ninth of the season, going in unassisted. The Hurricanes tied it on a Lucas Wallmark goal, helped along by Noah Hanifin and Sebastian Aho. St. Louis retook the lead in the third period with a Scottie Upshall goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Brayden Schenn and Vladimir Tarasenko. This held up for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Brodziak, Pietrangelo, and Upshall.

Backtracking to Nashville, where the Predators welcome the Minnesota Wild. Alex Stalock and Juuse Saros are in the blue paint. Nashville dented the scoreboard in the third period with a Scott Hartnell goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Nick Bonino and Matt Irwin. The Predators added on with a P.K. Subban power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Calle Jarnkrok and Ryan Johansen. Nashville iced it at 3-0 with a Viktor Arvidsson empty net goal, his twelfth of the campaign, set up by Subban and Jarnkrok. The three stars went to Saros (29 save shutout), Subban, and Jarnkrok.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Jacob Markstrom man the nets. Vancouver began in the first period with a Troy Stecher goal, going in unassisted. Los Angeles tied it on a Tyler Toffoli goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Marian Gaborik and Adrian Kempe. The Kings took the lead with a Gaborik power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Trevor Lewis and Toffoli. The Canucks tied it in the second period with a Nikolay Goldobin goal, his second of the season, helped along by Ben Hutton and the goalie Markstrom. Vancouver took the lead in the third period with a Nic Dowd goal, passed from Markus Granlund and Hutton. Los Angeles retied it on a Kyle Clifford goal, assisted by Nick Shore and Lewis. The Kings took the lead on a Drew Doughty goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of Toffoli. The final held at 4-3, with the three stars being Toffoli, Gaborik, and Lewis, while Hutton gets an honorable mention.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2017-18 Day 83

Eleven games on tonight, beginning with...

The New Jersey Devils hosting the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Cory Schneider are the goalies. New Jersey opened in the first period with a Miles Wood goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Stefan Noesen and Pavel Zacha. Buffalo tied it in the second period with a Jacob Josefson goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Jordan Nolan. The Devils took the lead with a Marcus Johansson power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Sami Vatanen and Nico Hischier. New Jersey added on with a John Moore goal, his fifth of the year, with a lone assist by Brian Gibbons. The Sabres got one back with a Jack Eichel goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Jake McCabe and Zemgus Girgensons. Buffalo tied it in the third period with another Eichel goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, with assists provided by Kyle Okposo and Rasmus Ristolainen on the power play. The Sabres won 4-3 in overtime with a Ristolainen goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were Ristolainen, Eichel, and Josefson.

West to Detroit, where the Red Wings welcome the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Jimmy Howard are the veterans in goal. New York started in the first period with a David Desharnais goal, his fourth of the season, with a lone assist by Jimmy Vesey. Detroit tied it in the second period with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his sixth of the year, via Dylan Larkin. The Rangers retook the lead in the third period with a Ville Lettieri goal, coming off of Boo Nieves. The Red Wings retied it on a Henrik Zetterberg goal, his sixth of the season, helped along by Gustav Nyquist. Detroit won 3-2 in the shootout with a Frans Nielsen tally. The three stars were Howard (37 for 39 in saves), Zetterberg, and Lundqvist (33 for 35 in saves).

Down in Carolina, the Hurricanes bring in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Cam Ward draw the starts in goal. Pittsburgh led off in the first period with a Brian Dumoulin goal, his second of the season, helped along by Jake Guentzel and the goalie Jarry. Carolina tied it on a Derek Ryan goal in the second period, his eighth of the year, assisted by Elias Lindholm and Klas Dahlbeck. The Hurricanes took the lead with an unassisted Sebastian Aho goal, his eleventh of the season. This stood for the eventual 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Ward (27 for 28 in saves), Aho, and Ryan.

North to Ottawa, as the Senators host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Mike Condon are in the creases. Columbus got going in the second period with a Sonny Milano goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Boone Jenner and Markus Nutivaara. Ottawa tied it on a Derick Brassard goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Erik Karlsson and Mark Stone. The Blue Jackets took the lead with a Josh Anderson goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, helped along by Artemi Panarin. Columbus added on with a Milano goal, his second of the game and eighth of the season, with a lone assist by Seth Jones. The Senators got one back with a Nick Paul goal, via Dion Phaneuf and Nate Thompson. Ottawa tied it on a Matt Duchene goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Johnny Oduya. The Senators pulled ahead in the third period with a Stone goal, his fifteenth of the season, fueled by Phaneuf. Ottawa extended the lead as Bobby Ryan scored his fifth of the year, thanks to Karlsson. The Blue Jackets got one back with a Zach Werenski power play goal, his eleventh of the campaign, powered by Anderson and Pierre-Luc Dubois. This only made it 5-4, the final, with the three stars being Stone, Karlsson, and Phaneuf, while Anderson and Milano gets honorable mentions.

South again to Tampa Bay, where the Lightning welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Elliott and Peter Budaj play in goal. Tampa Bay began in the first period with a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman. Philadelphia tied it in the second period with a Wayne Simmonds power play goal, his twelfth of the year, with assists provided by Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek. The Flyers took the lead with a Shayne Gostisbehere power play goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Simmonds and Claude Giroux. The Lightning tied it on a Brayden Point goal, his sixteenth of the year, courtesy of Ondrej Palat and Kucherov. Philadelphia retook the lead with a Couturier goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Giroux and Travis Konecny. The Flyers added on with a Brandon Manning goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Giroux and Konecny. Tampa Bay got one back with a shorthanded and unassisted Tyler Johnson goal, his tenth of the season. Philadelphia iced it at 5-3 with a Valtteri Filppula empty net goal, his ninth of the year, set up by Voracek and Couturier. The three stars went to Couturier, Giroux, and Simmonds, while Voracek, Konecny, and Kucherov.

Up in Canada, the Winnipeg Jets bring in the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Connor Hellebuyck are the masked men. Winnipeg struck first in the first period with a Shawn Matthias goal, made possible by Adam Lowry. The Jets added on with a Blake Wheeler goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Kyle Connor and Patrik Laine. New York got on the board with an Anders Lee goal, his twenty-third of the year, coming off of John Tavares and Josh Bailey in the second period. Winnipeg replied in the third period with a Connor goal, his twelfth of the season, passed from Laine. The Jets extended the lead as Lowry scored his eighth of the year on the power play, thanks to Jacob Trouba and Wheeler. The Islanders got one back with a Lee goal, his second of the game and twenty-fourth of the season, with a lone helper by Ryan Pulock. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars given to Lowry, Connor, and Wheeler, while Laine and Lee get the honorable mentions.

Back stateside, the Minnesota Wild host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Devan Dubnyk protect the nets. Minnesota drew first blood in the first period with a Mikael Granlund goal, his ninth of the season, with a lone assist by Matt Dumba. Nashville tied it on a P.K. Subban goal, his eighth of the year, coming off of Alexei Emelin. The Wild retook the lead with a Granlund power play goal, his second of the game and tenth of the season, powered by Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Suter. Minnesota added on in the second period with a Dumba goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Jonas Brodin and Matt Cullen. The Predators got one back with a Kyle Turris power play goal in the third period, his eighth of the season, with assists provided by Subban and Roman Josi. The Wild answered with a Granlund empty net goal, his eleventh of the year completing his hat trick with the help of Eric Staal and Mikko Koivu. The three stars were Granlund, Dumba, and Subban.

Way down in Dallas, the Stars welcome the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Ben Bishop are between the pipes. Dallas dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Mattias Janmark goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Jason Spezza and Julius Honka. St. Louis tied it on a Vladimir Tarasenko goal in the third period, his sixteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Blues took the lead with a Tage Thompson goal, his second of the season, passed from Alex Pietrangelo and Alexander Steen. The Stars retied it on a Jamie Benn goal, his sixteenth of the year, an unassisted goal. Dallas took the lead with an Alexander Radulov power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by John Klingberg and Esa Lindell. The Stars won 4-2 as Radulov scored a power play empty net goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the year, set up by Dan Hamhuis and Benn. The three stars went to Radulov, Benn, and Bishop (35 for 37 in saves).

In Alberta, the Edmonton Oilers bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff Glass is mismatched with Cam Talbot in goal. Edmonton cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Jesse Puljujarvi power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Oscar Klefbom. Chicago tied it on a Ryan Hartman goal, his seventh of the year, helped along by Patrick Kane and Nick Schmaltz. The Blackhawks took the lead in the second period with an Alex DeBrincat power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Schmaltz and Duncan Keith. Chicago added on in the third period with a Jordan Oesterle power play goal, passed from Vinnie Hinostroza. The Oilers got one back with a Nugent-Hopkins goal, his fifteenth of the year, courtesy of Puljujarvi and Kris Russell. Edmonton tied it on a Leon Draisaitl goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Nugent-Hopkins and Patrick Maroon. The Blackhawks won 4-3 in overtime on a Kane goal, his sixteenth of the year, guided in by Keih and Schmaltz. The three stars were Kane, Schmaltz, and Keith, while Nugent-Hopkins and Puljujarvi get the honorable mentions.

Down in Colorado, the Avalanche host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Calvin Pickard faces his former team and Semyon Varlamov in goal. Colorado was first to score in the first period with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming off of Gabriel Landeskog. Toronto tied it on a Matt Martin goal, his third of the year, via Josh Leivo and Roman Polak. The Avalanche retook the lead in the second period with a Mikko Rantanen goal, his twelfth of the season, guided in by MacKinnon and Nikita Zadorov. The Maple Leafs retied it on a Polak goal, his second of the year, passed from Andreas Borgman and Patrick Marleau. Colorado took the lead again in the third period on an Alexander Kerfoot goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Zadorov and MacKinnon. Toronto tied it on a James van Riemsdyk goal, his seventeenth of the year, assisted by Morgan Rielly and Jake Gardiner. The Avalanche won 4-3 in overtime with a J.T. Compher power play goal, his seventh of the campaign, powered by Samuel Girard and Carl Soderberg. The three stars were MacKinnon, Zadorov, and Polak.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the Calgary Flames. Mike Smith and John Gibson guard the cages. Anaheim kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Cam Fowler goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Ryan Getzlaf and Rickard Rakell. Calgary tied it in the second period with a Micheal Ferland goal, his fifteenth of the year, passed from Matt Bartkowski and the goalie Smith. The Ducks took the lead in the third period with a Rakell power play goal, his twelfth of the campaign, powered by Getzlaf and Jakob Silfverberg. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars given to Rakell, Getzlaf and Gibson (22 for 23 in saves).

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2017-18 Day 82

Seven games tonight, beginning in...

Tampa Bay, as the Lightning host the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Andrei Vasilevskiy tend the twines. Montreal got going in the second period with a Brendan Gallagher power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Charles Hudon and Joe Morrow. Tampa Bay tied it on a Steven Stamkos goal, his fourteenth of the year, via Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman. The Lightning took the lead in the third period with a Brayden Point goal, his fifteenth of the season, passed from Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. Tampa Bay added on with a Stamkos power play goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, assisted by Vladislav Namestnikov and Palat. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars given to Stamkos, Palat, and Vasilevskiy (31 for 32 in saves).

Up in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the Boston Bruins. Anton Khudobin is mismatched with Braden Holtby in goal. Boston opened in the first period with a David Backes goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Riley Nash and Danton Heinen. The Bruins added on with a Noel Acciari goal, his third of the year, with a lone assist by Sean Kuraly. Washington got on the board in the second period with a Lars Eller goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Tom Wilson. The Capitals tied it on an Alex Ovechkin power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, powered by John Carlson and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Boston retook the lead in the third period with another Backes goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, helped along by Heinen and Jake DeBrusk. Washington retied it on a Brett Connolly goal, his eighth of the year, via Eller and Madison Bowey. The Capitals won 4-3 in the shootout with a lone tally by Ovechkin. The three stars were Eller, Ovechkin, and Backes, while Heinen gets an honorable mention.

Back south, the Florida Panthers bring in the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Elliott and James Reimer are in the creases. Florida started in the first period with a Jared McCann goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Nick Bjugstad and Mike Matheson. The Panthers added on in the second period with a shorthanded goal by Derek MacKenzie, set up by Colton Sceviour. Florida extended the lead as Jonathan Huberdeau scored his thirteenth of the year, thanks to Bjugstad and Aleksander Barkov. Philadelphia got on the board in the third period with a Scott Laughton goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Travis Konecny and Michael Raffl. The Flyers got closer with a Sean Couturier goal, his seventeenth of the year, made possible by Shayne Gostisbehere and Claude Giroux. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars handed to Bjugstad, Huberdeau, and MacKenzie.

Out west, the Arizona Coyotes host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Scott Wedgewood make the starts in goal. Toronto led off in the first period with a shorthanded and unassisted Zach Hyman goal, his seventh of the season. The Maple Leafs added on with an Auston Matthews goal, his fifteenth of the year, fueled by William Nylander and Jake Gardiner. Toronto extended the lead as Mitchell Marner scored his fifth of the season, with the help of Tyler Bozak and James van Riemsdyk. Arizona got on the board with a Josh Archibald goal, coming off of Jordan Martinook. The Coyotes got closer with a Brendan Perlini goal, his ninth of the year, guided in by Tobias Rieder and Derek Stepan. The Maple Leafs answered in the second period with a Patrick Marleau power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Marner and Morgan Rielly. Toronto padded the lead on an unassisted Nylander goal, his eighth of the year. The Maple Leafs continued with a Marleau goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, assisted by Marner and Leo Komarov. Arizona got one back with a Martinook goal, his third of the year, made possible by Rieder and Jakob Chychrun. The Coyotes got closer in the third period with a Christian Fischer power play goal, his tenth of the season, with helpers from Clayton Keller and Alex Goligoski. Toronto iced it at 7-4 with a Connor Brown goal, his tenth of the year, an empty net goal with assists provided by Rielly and Marleau. The three stars where Marleau, Marner, and Martinook, while Nylander and Rielly get the honorable mentions.

Up in Vancouver, the Canucks welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Anton Forsberg and Jacob Markstrom are the lesser-known goalies. Vancouver began in the first period with a Sam Gagner goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Nikolay Goldobin and Thomas Vanek. Chicago tied it on a Nick Schmaltz power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith. The Canucks retook the lead with a Vanek goal, his eleventh of the season, helped along by Gagner and Brock Boeser in the second period. Vancouver added on in the third period with a Gagner goal, his sixth of the year and second of the game, made possible by Vanek and Boeser. The Canucks extended the lead as Vanek scored his second of the game and twelfth of the season, thanks to Boeser and Troy Stecher. Vancouver padded the lead on a Boeser goal, his twenty-first of the year, fueled by Vanek, who got a sock trick, and Alexander Edler. The Blackhawks got one back with a Ryan Hartman goal, his sixth of the campaign, guided in by Alex DeBrincat and John Hayden. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars given to Vanek, Gagner, and Boeser.

South to Los Angeles, as the Kings bring in the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonathan Quick protect the nets. Los Angeles struck first in the first period with a Marian Gaborik goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Derek Forbort and Drew Doughty. Vegas tied it in the second period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Colin Miller and Reilly Smith. The Golden Knights took the lead in the third period with a Brendan Leipsic goal, assisted by Alex Tuch and Cody Eakin. The Kings tied it again with a Doughty goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Jake Muzzin. Vegas won 3-2 in overtime with a David Perron goal, his ninth of the year, with a lone assist by Smith. The three stars were Smith, Perron, and Doughty.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Calgary Flames. David Rittich and Martin Jones are between the pipes. Calgary was first to score in the first period with a Garnet Hathaway goal, his second of the season, passed from Sam Bennett and Mark Jankowski. San Jose tied it on a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Joe Thornton and Kevin Labanc. The Flames retook the lead with a Mikael Backlund power play goal, his eighth of the season, with assists provided by Matthew Tkachuk and Mark Giordano. The Sharks tied it in the third period with a Timo Meier goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Brent Burns and Brenden Dillon. The tie went to a shootout, where Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi scored to give the Sharks a 3-2 win. The three stars were Pavelski, Meier, and Jones (32 for 34 in saves).

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2017-18 Day 81

The NHL returns to action with eleven games tonight, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Tuukka Rask are in goal. Boston led off in the first period with a Kevan Miller goal, passed from David Backes and Riley Nash. The Bruins added on with a Danton Heinen goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Ryan Spooner and Matt Grzelcyk. Boston extended the lead in the second period as Nash scored his third of the year, going in unassisted. Ottawa got on the board with a Thomas Chabot goal, his second of the season, made possible by Mark Stone and Derick Brassard. The Bruins replied with a Nash goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, guided in by Anders Bjork. Boston iced it at 5-1 with a Backes goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Grzelcyk and Heinen. The three stars were Nash, Heinen, and Backes, while Grzelcyk gets an honorable mention.

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Cam Ward are the veteran goalies. Carolina began in the first period with a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his ninth of the season, with a lone assist by Justin Faulk. Montreal tied it in the second period with an Alex Galchenyuk goal, his ninth of the year, fueled by Jeff Petry. The Hurricanes took the lead back in the third period with a Sebastian Aho power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Elias Lindholm and Jordan Staal. Carolina iced it at 3-1 with an Aho empty net goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, set up by Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce. The three stars were Aho, Ward (23 for 24 in saves), and Teravainen.

Back north, the New Jersey Devils bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Cory Schneider protect the nets. New Jersey opened in the first period with a Nico Hischier goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Steven Santini and Taylor Hall. The Devils added on with a Hischier goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, with helpers from Hall and Jesper Bratt. Detroit got on the board in the second period with a Justin Abdelkader goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Tyler Bertuzzi and Dylan Larkin. New Jersey iced it at 3-1 with a Sami Vatanen empty net goal in the third period, his second of the year, set up by Blake Coleman. The three stars went to Hischier, Hall, and Schneider (31 for 32 in saves).

In Brooklyn, the New York Islanders host the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Jaroslav Halak are in the creases. New York got going in the second period with a Jason Chimera goal, his second of the season, via Cal Clutterbuck and Casey Cizikas. Buffalo tied it on a Zemgus Girgensons goal, his third of the year, made possible by Jack Eichel and Marco Scandella. The Sabres took the lead in the third period with a Kyle Okposo goal, his sixth of the season, with a lone assist by Evander Kane. The Islanders retied it on a Josh Bailey goal, his eleventh of the year, guided in by John Tavares. New York won 3-2 in overtime with a Mathew Barzal goal, his thirteenth of the campaign, passed from Bailey and Tavares. The three stars were Bailey, Tavares, and Halak (35 for 37 in saves).

West to Pittsburgh, where the Penguins welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Murray guard the cages. Columbus started in the first period with a Sonny Milano goal, his sixth of the season, via Seth Jones and Markus Nutivaara. The Blue Jackets added on with a Boone Jenner goal, his fourth of the year, assisted by Oliver Bjorkstrand and Nick Foligno. Pittsburgh got on the board in the second period with a Conor Sheary goal, his tenth of the season, helped along by Bryan Rust and Riley Sheahan. Columbus answered with an Artemi Panarin goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Matt Calvert and David Savard. The Penguins got one back in the third period with a Phil Kessel power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Patric Hornqvist and Evgeni Malkin. The Blue Jackets answered on another Panarin goal, his tenth of the year, with helpers from Josh Anderson and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Pittsburgh countered with a Malkin power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, with assists provided by Kessel and Sidney Crosby. The Penguins tied it on a Jake Guentzel goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Hornqvist and Malkin. In the shootout, Malkin and Crosby tallied to give the Penguins a 5-4 win. The three stars were Malkin, Hornqvist, and Kessel, while Panarin and Crosby get the honorable mentions.

Back east, the New York Rangers bring in the Washington Capitals. Philipp Grubauer and Ondrej Pavelec are the backups in goal. The game went into a shootout scoreless, where Mats Zuccarello and Mika Zibanejad lifted the Rangers to a 1-0 win. The three stars were Pavelec (30 save shutout), Grubauer (37 save "shutout"), and Zibanejad.

To the west, the St. Louis Blues host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Jake Allen tend the twines. Nashville struck first in the first period with a Craig Smith goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Roman Josi. The Predators added on in the second period with a Calle Jarnkrok goal, his tenth of the year, via Filip Forsberg and Matt Irwin. St. Louis got on the board in the third period with a Vladimir Sobotka goal, his seventh of the campaign, assisted by Kyle Brodziak and Alex Pietrangelo. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars given to Rinne (29 for 30 in saves), Jarnkrok, and Smith.

Up in Winnipeg, the Jets welcome the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Connor Hellebuyck are the masked men. Edmonton was first to score in the first period with a shorthanded Leon Draisaitl goal, his ninth of the season, set up by Connor McDavid and Brandon Davidson. Winnipeg tied it on a Bryan Little goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Nikolaj Ehlers and Mathieu Perreault. The Jets took the lead with a Joel Armia goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Matt Hendricks and Dmitry Kulikov. The Oilers retied it on a Jesse Puljujarvi goal, his seventh of the year, assisted by Kris Russell and McDavid. Winnipeg retook the lead in the second period with a Kyle Connor goal, his eleventh of the season, guided in by Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele. The Jets added on with an Armia goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, going in unassisted. Edmonton got one back with a Jujhar Khaira goal, his seventh of the campaign, made possible by Ryan Strome and Draisaitl. This only made it 4-3, the eventual final, with the three stars given to Armia, McDavid, and Draisaitl.

Back stateside, the Minnesota Wild bring in the Dallas Stars. Ben Bishop and Alex Stalock draw the starts in goal. Dallas drew first blood in the first period with a Tyler Seguin goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Esa Lindell and Devin Shore. Minnesota tied it on a Jared Spurgeon goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Charlie Coyle and Tyler Ennis. The Wild took the lead in the second period with an Eric Staal goal, his fifteenth of the season, fueled by Coyle and Jonas Brodin. The Stars retied it on a Mattias Janmark power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Seguin and Jamie Benn. Minnesota regained the lead on a Mikael Granlund power play goal, his eighth of the season, with assists provided by Jason Zucker and Mikko Koivu. The Wild iced it at 4-2 with a Zucker empty net goal in the third period, his fifteenth of the year, set up by Granlund and Ryan Suter. The three stars belonged to Granlund, Seguin, and Coyle, while Zucker gets an honorable mention.

Southwest to Colorado, where the Avalanche host the Arizona Coyotes. Antti Raanta and Semyon Varlamov are in the creases. Arizona dented the scoreboard in the first period with a Tobias Rieder goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Brendan Perlini and Jakob Chychrun. Colorado tied it on a Mikko Rantanen goal, his eleventh of the year, helped along by Erik Johnson and Gabriel Landeskog. The Coyotes retook the lead in the second period with an Alex Goligoski goal, his fourth of the season, via Clayton Keller. Arizona added on with a Lawson Crouse goal in the third period, made possible by Josh Archibald. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars being Raanta (25 for 26 in saves), Goligoski, and Crouse.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the Vegas Golden Knights. Malcolm Subban and John Gibson receive the starting nods in goal. Anaheim kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Rickard Rakell goal, his eleventh of the season, helped along by Jakob Silfverberg and Brandon Montour. Vegas tied it on a Shea Theodore goal, his third of the year, guided in by Tomas Nosek and Oscar Lindberg. The Golden Knights took the lead with a second period Cody Eakin goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. Vegas added on in the third period with a William Karlsson goal, his seventeenth of the year, courtesy of Jonathan Marchessault. The Golden Knights iced it at 4-1 with a David Perron empty net goal, his eighth of the campaign, set up by Erik Haula and Nate Schmidt. The three stars were Subban (27 for 28 in saves), Eakin, and Karlsson.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.