Saturday, April 7, 2018

NHL 2017-18 Day 179

It's the last Saturday of the NHL regular season. We have fifteen games today, beginning with...

The Philadelphia Flyers hosting the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Brian Elliott are the experienced goalies. Philadelphia began in the first period with an Ivan Provorov goal, his seventeenth of the season, courtesy of Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek. The Flyers added on in the second period with a Claude Giroux power play goal, his thirty-second of the year, powered by Couturier and Shayne Gostisbehere. Philadelphia extended the lead as Michael Raffl scored his thirteenth of the season, thanks to Radko Gudas and Brandon Manning. The Flyers padded the lead on a Giroux goal, his second of the game and thirty-third of the year, assisted by Raffl. Philadelphia iced it at 5-0 when Giroux completed his hat trick in the third period on his thirty-fourth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Travis Sanheim. The three stars belonged to Giroux, Raffl, and Couturier.

At the regular time, the Boston Bruins welcome the Ottawa Senators. Danny Taylor and Anton Khudobin are the backups in goal. Ottawa was first to score in the first period with a Ryan Dzingel goal, his twenty-second of the season, made possible by Matt Duchene and Colin White. Boston tied it in the second period with a David Pastrnak power play goal, his thirty-fourth of the year, powered by Patrice Bergeron and Torey Krug. The Bruins took the lead with an unassisted Tommy Wingels goal, his ninth of the season. Boston added on with a Danton Heinen goal, his sixteenth of the year, via Brian Gionta and Adam McQuaid. The Senators got one back with a Dzingel goal in the third period, his second of the game and twenty-third of the season, passed from White and Christian Wolanin. The Bruins countered with a Noel Acciari goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Tim Schaller and Zdeno Chara. Boston iced it at 5-2 with a David Backes empty net goal, his thirteenth of the campaign, set up by Heinen. The three stars were Heinen, Dzingel, and White.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings bring in the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Jared Coreau draw the starts in goal. Detroit led off in the first period with a Henrik Zetterberg goal, his eleventh of the season, with a lone assist by Gustav Nyquist. New York tied it on an Andrew Ladd goal in the second period, his twelfth of the year, helped along by Cal Clutterbuck and Thomas Hickey. The Red Wings retook the lead with a Justin Abdelkader power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall. Detroit added on in the third period with a Dylan Larkin goal, his sixteenth of the year, fueled by Anthony Mantha and Xavier Ouellet. The Islanders got one back with an Anders Lee goal, his fortieth of the season, passed from Mathew Barzal and Adam Pelech. New York tied it on a Ryan Pulock power play goal, his tenth of the year, with assists provided by Barzal and Josh Bailey. The Islanders won 4-3 in overtime on a John Tavares goal, his thirty-seventh of the campaign, with a lone helper from Pulock. The three stars went to Pulock, Barzal, and Zetterberg.

To the south, the Carolina Hurricanes host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Louis Domingue and Cam Ward are the mediocre goalies. Carolina opened in the first period with a Jordan Staal goal, his nineteenth of the season, made possible by Justin Williams and Phillip Di Giuseppe. The Hurricanes added on with a Williams goal, his sixteenth of the year, guided in by Di Giuseppe and Noah Hanifin. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Ryan Callahan goal in the second period, his fifth of the season, via Victor Hedman and Chris Kunitz. The Lightning tied it in the third period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his eleventh of the year, assisted by J.T. Miller and Tyler Johnson. Carolina won 3-2 in overtime with an Elias Lindholm goal, his sixteenth of the campaign, passed from Teuvo Teravainen and Haydn Fleury. The three stars went to Williams, Di Giuseppe, and Lindholm.

In Canada, the Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Frederik Andersen guard the cages. Toronto kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Auston Matthews power play goal, his thirty-fourth of the season, powered by William Nylander and Jake Gardiner. Montreal tied it on a Daniel Carr goal in the second period, his sixth of the year, made possible by Michael McCarron and Kerby Rychel. The Maple Leafs took the lead back in the third period with a Zach Hyman goal, his fifteenth of the season, passed from Matthews and Gardiner. Toronto added on with a Nazem Kadri power play goal, his thirty-second of the year, with helpers from Tyler Bozak and Morgan Rielly. The Canadiens got one back on a Mike Reilly power play goal, his third of the season, with a lone assist by Brendan Gallagher. The Maple Leafs iced it at 4-2 with a Patrick Marleau goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Matthews, Gardiner, and Kadri.

Back stateside, the Washington Capitals bring in the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Braden Holtby protect the nets. Washington started in the first period with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his forty-eighth of the season, coming off of Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tom Wilson. New Jersey tied it on a Nico Hischier goal, his twentieth of the year, via Patrick Maroon and Damon Severson. The Capitals took the lead back on a Nicklas Backstrom goal, his twenty-first of the season, assisted by Brett Connolly and John Carlson. Washington added on in the second period with a Michal Kempny goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Shane Gersich and Chandler Stephenson. The Devils got one back with a Miles Wood goal, his nineteenth of the season, guided in by Maroon and Pavel Zacha. New Jersey tied it in the third period with a Maroon goal, his seventeenth of the year, helped along by Pavel Zacha and Wood. The Capitals regained the lead on another Ovechkin goal, his second of the game and forty-ninth of the season, going in unassisted. Washington capped it at 5-3 with an Andre Burakovsky goal, his twelfth of the year, with assists provided by Kempny and Backstrom. The three stars went to Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Kempny, while Maroon, Wood, and Zacha get the honorable mentions.

Down in Florida, the Panthers host the Buffalo Sabres. Chad Johnson and James Reimer are in the blue paint. Florida struck first in the first period with a Jonathan Huberdeau power play goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, powered by Vincent Trocheck and Aaron Ekblad. The Panthers added on with a Colton Sceviour goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Frank Vatrano. Florida extended the lead as Nick Bjugstad scored his nineteenth of the season, thanks to Evgenii Dadonov and Jared McCann. Buffalo got on the board in the third period with a Jason Pominville goal, his sixteenth of the year, passed from Evan Rodrigues and Casey Mittelstadt. The Sabres got closer on a Sam Reinhart goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, coming off of Brendan Guhle. The Panthers replied with a Trocheck empty net goal, his thirty-first of the year, set up by Sceviour. Buffalo got one back with a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Jack Eichel. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars given to Trocheck, Sceviour, and Bjugstad.

Back north, the Winnipeg Jets welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff Glass is mismatched with Connor Hellebuyck in goal. Winnipeg drew first blood in the first period with a Dustin Byfuglien power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine. The Jets added on in the second period with a Kyle Connor goal, his thirty-first of the year, going in unassisted. Winnipeg extended the lead as Andrew Copp, scored his eighth of the season, thanks to Adam Lowry and Brandon Tanev. The Jets padded the lead on a Copp shorthanded goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, set up by Joel Armia. Chicago got on the board with a Brent Seabrook goal, his seventh of the campaign, passed from Patrick Kane and Connor Murphy. This produced the final score of 4-1, with the three stars given to Copp, Hellebuyck (30 for 31 in saves), and Connor.

Southeast to Nashville, where the Predators bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Pekka Rinne are the Finnish goalies. Nashville cracked the scoresheet in the first period with an Austin Watson goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Mike Fisher. The Predators added on with a Filip Forsberg goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, a power play goal made possible by Scott Hartnell and Ryan Johansen. Nashville extended the lead as Forsberg scored another power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the season, with the help of Craig Smith and Kyle Turris. Columbus got on the board in the second period with a Josh Anderson goal, his nineteenth of the year, passed from Mark Letestu. The Blue Jackets got closer in the third period with a shorthanded Brandon Dubinsky goal, his sixth of the season, set up by Markus Hannikainen and Scott Harrington. The Predators iced it at 4-2 with a Forsberg empty net goal to complete his hat trick on his twenty-sixth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Forsberg, Watson, and Dubinsky.

West to Colorado, as the Avalanche host the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Jonathan Bernier are in the creases. Colorado led off in the first period with a Samuel Girard goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Blake Comeau and Carl Soderberg. The Avalanche added on in the second period with a Tyson Barrie power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. St. Louis got on the board with a Jaden Schwartz power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, assisted by Alex Pietrangelo and Brayden Schenn. Colorado replied on a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his thirty-ninth of the year, passed from Landeskog. The Avalanche extended the lead as Landeskog scored his twenty-fifth of the season into an empty net, with the help of MacKinnon. The Blues got one back with a Schenn goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, fueled by Schwartz and Patrik Berglund. Colorado iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Matt Nieto, his fifteenth of the campaign, set up by Soderberg. The three stars were Landeskog, MacKinnon, and Soderberg, while Schwartz and Schenn get the honorable mentions.

Down in Arizona, the Coyotes welcome the Anaheim Ducks. Ryan Miller and Antti Raanta are between the pipes. Anaheim began in the first period with an Adam Henrique power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, powered by Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell. The Ducks added on in the second period with a Rakell goal, his thirty-fourth of the year, guided in by Ryan Getzlaf and Josh Manson. Anaheim iced it at 3-0 with a Hampus Lindholm empty net goal, his thirteenth of the campaign, set up by Henrique. The three stars went to Miller (31 save shutout), Henrique, and Rakell.

Way to the north, the Edmonton Oilers bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Anders Nilsson and Cam Talbot are set to start in goal. Edmonton opened in the first period with a Leon Draisaitl power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, powered by Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Vancouver tied it on a Jussi Jokinen goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Brendan Leipsic and Michael Del Zotto. The Canucks took the lead in the second period with a Tyler Motte goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Brandon Sutter and Darren Archibald. The Oilers retied it on a Nugent-Hopkins goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, passed from McDavid and Darnell Nurse. In the shootout, McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins, and Draisaitl lifted the Oilers 3-2 over Daniel Sedin and Jokinen. The three stars were Nugent-Hopkins, McDavid, and Draisaitl.

Also in Alberta, the Calgary Flames host the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury faces a lesser foe in Jon Gillies. Calgary started in the first period with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, coming off of Micheal Ferland. The Flames added on with a Mark Jankowski goal, his fourteenth of the year, helped along by Gaudreau and Michael Stone. Calgary extended the lead as Jankowski scored his second of the game and fifteenth of the season, thanks to Nick Shore and Troy Brouwer. Vegas got on the board in the second period with a Cody Eakin goal, his eleventh of the year, going in unassisted. The Flames answered with a Garnet Hathaway goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Matt Stajan and Curtis Lazar. Calgary padded the lead with a Spencer Foo goal, his second of the year, passed from Mikael Backlund and Matt Bartkowski. The Flames continued as Jankowski completed his hat trick with a shorthanded and unassisted goal, his sixteenth of the season. Calgary kept going against Malcolm Subban in the third period with a Jankowski power play goal, his fourth of the night and seventeenth of the year, powered by Brouwer and Shore. Calgary won 7-1, with the three stars given to Jankowski, Gaudreu, and Shore, while Brouwer gets an honorable mention.

South to California, as the Los Angeles Kings welcome the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Jonathan Quick are the veterans in goal. Dallas struck first in the first period with a Devin Shore goal, his eleventh of the season, going in unassisted. The Stars added on with a Jamie Benn goal, his thirty-fourth of the year, passed from Alexander Radulov and Esa Lindell. Dallas extended the lead as Benn scored his second of the game and thirty-fifth of the season, with the help of Radulov and Tyler Seguin. The Stars padded the lead on another Benn goal, completing his hat trick with his thirty-sixth of the year, with helpers from Radulov, who got a sock trick, and John Klingberg. Los Angeles got on the board in the second period with an Alec Martinez goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Kyle Clifford and Jeff Carter. The Kings got closer with another Martinez goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, helped along by Michael Amadio and Tyler Toffoli. This produced the eventual 4-2 final score, with the three stars going to Benn, Radulov, and Martinez.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Martin Jones tend the twines. Minnesota kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Jonas Brodin goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Charlie Coyle and Tyler Ennis. The Wild added on with a Matt Cullen goal, his eleventh of the year, helped along by Ennis and Louis Belpedio. San Jose got on the board with a Brent Burns goal, his twelfth of the season, passed from Marcus Sorensen. The Sharks tied it on a Joe Pavelski goal, his twenty-second of the year, courtesy of Mikkel Boedker. Minnesota regained the lead in the second period on a Mikael Granlund goal, his twenty-first of the season, assisted by Jordan Greenway and Nick Seeler. The Wild extended the lead as Jason Zucker scored his thirty-second of the year, thanks to Nino Niederreiter and Matt Dumba. Minnesota padded the lead on another Zucker goal, his second of the game and thirty-third of the season, guided in by Niederreiter and Belpedio. San Jose got one back in the third period on a Timo Meier goal, his twenty-first of the year, fueled by Dylan DeMelo and Burns. The Wild iced it at 6-3 with an Eric Staal empty net goal, his forty-second of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars belonged to Zucker, Neiderreiter, and Ennis, while Burns and Belpedio get the honorable mentions.

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