NHL 2018/19 - Day 50

Before a day off, we have fourteen games to head into the Thanksgiving holiday with. First up...

The Carolina Hurricanes host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Curtis McElhinney are in goal. Carolina opened in the first period with a Trevor van Riemsdyk goal, going in unassisted. The Hurricanes added on with a Justin Williams goal, his third of the season, passed from Calvin de Haan and Jordan Staal. Toronto got on the board with a John Tavares goal, his fourteenth of the year, an unassisted goal. Carolina replied in the third period with a Micheal Ferland power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Teuvo Teravainen. The Maple Leafs got one back with a Kasperi Kapanen goal, his ninth of the year, with a lone helper by Travis Dermott. The Hurricanes answered with a Sebastian Aho empty net goal, his seventh of the season, via Staal. Carolina iced it at 5-2 with an Andrei Svechnikov empty net goal, his fifth of the year, set up by Lucas Wallmark and Jordan Martinook. The three stars were Ferland, Williams, and Staal.

Up in New Jersey, the Devils welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Keith Kinkaid are between the pipes. New Jersey started in the first period with a Kyle Palmieri goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Andy Greene and Blake Coleman. Montreal tied it on a Jonathan Drouin goal, his eighth of the year, fueled by Andrew Shaw. The Devils took the lead back with a Nico Hischier goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Taylor Hall. New Jersey added on in the second period with a Hall goal, his sixth of the year, via Egor Yakovlev and Marcus Johansson. The Devils extended the lead as Pavel Zacha scored his third of the season, thanks to Johansson and Jesper Bratt. New Jersey padded the lead on a Zacha power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Damon Severson and Brett Seney. The Canadiens got one back with a Max Domi goal, his eleventh of the campaign, helped along by Drouin and Shaw in the third period. This only made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars being Zacha, Hall, and Drouin, while Johansson and Shaw get the honorable mentions.

Over in Manhattan, a battle of New York sees the Rangers bring in crosstown rivals in the Islanders. Robin Lehner and Alexandar Georgiev draw the starts in goal. The Rangers led off in the first period with a Filip Chytil goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Kevin Shattenkirk and Chris Kreider. The Rangers added on with a Cody McLeod goal, with helpers by Tony DeAngelo and Ryan Strome. The Rangers extended the lead with a Neal Pionk power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Vladislav Namestnikov and Mika Zibanejad. The Rangers padded the lead in the second period on a Kevin Hayes goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Shattenkirk. The Rangers capped it at 5-0 in the third period with a Kreider goal, his twelfth of the year, fueled by Zibanejad. The three stars belonged to Georgiev (29 save shutout), Kreider, and Shattenkirk, while Zibanejad earns the honorable mention.

West to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins host the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Casey DeSmith are the backups in goal. Pittsburgh began in the first period with a Jake Guentzel goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Sidney Crosby and Jamie Oleksiak. The Penguins added on with an Evgeni Malkin power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Kris Letang and Phil Kessel. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Crosby scored his ninth of the season, with the help of Guentzel and Patric Hornqvist. The Penguins padded the lead in the second period on a Hornqvist goal, his ninth of the year, via Olli Maatta and Crosby. Pittsburgh continued with a Tanner Pearson goal, his second of the season, with a lone assist by Derek Grant. Dallas got on the board with a Roope Hintz goal, his second of the year, made possible by Alexander Radulov and Mattias Janmark in the third period. The final held at 5-1, with the three stars given to Crosby, Guentzel, and Hornqvist.

Down in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Braden Holtby protect the nets. Washington struck first in the first period with a Tom Wilson goal, his second of the season, guided in by Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. The Capitals added on with an Andre Burakovsky power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Jakub Vrana and Matt Niskanen. Washington extended the lead in the second period as Michal Kempny scored, thanks to Vrana and Lars Eller. Chicago got on the board with a Brandon Saad goal, his seventh of the season, via Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith. The Blackhawks got closer in the third period with an Erik Gustafsson goal, his second of the year, fueled by Artem Anisimov and Nick Schmaltz. The Capitals answered on a Devante Smith-Pelly goal, his fourth of the campaign, assisted by Travis Boyd and John Carlson. The final stood from here at 4-2, with the three stars named as Vrana, Kempny, and Holtby (37 for 39 in saves).

Back north, the Buffalo Sabres bring in the Philadelphia Flyers. Alex Lyon is mismatched with Carter Hutton in goal. Buffalo was first to score in the first period with a Jeff Skinner goal, his fifteenth of the season, with a lone assist by Jason Pominville. The Sabres added on with a Tage Thompson goal, his second of the year, passed from Vladimir Sobotka and Kyle Okposo. Buffalo extended the lead as Evan Rodrigues scored on the power play, with the help of Sam Reinhart and Rasmus Dahlin. The Sabres padded the lead with a Johan Larsson goal, guided in by Rodrigues and Rasmus Ristolainen. Lyon was pulled for Calvin Pickard to start the second period. Philadelphia got on the board with a Claude Giroux goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny. The Flyers got closer with a Wayne Simmonds goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Jordan Weal and Travis Sanheim. Buffalo iced it at 5-2 in the third period with a Reinhart empty net goal, his third of the campaign, set up by Jack Eichel. The three stars went to Rodrigues, Reinhart, and Larsson.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings host the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Jimmy Howard guard the cages. Boston got going in the second period with a Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson goal, his second of the season, going in unassisted. Detroit tied it on a Tyler Bertuzzi goal, his sixth of the year, via Nick Jensen and Danny DeKeyser. The Bruins took the lead back in the third period with a Chris Wagner goal, his second of the season, with a lone helper by Sean Kuraly. The Red Wings tied it on an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Gustav Nyquist. Detroit won 3-2 in overtime with an Athanasiou goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, fueled by Frans Nielsen. The three stars were Athanasiou, Howard (34 for 36 in saves), and Bertuzzi.

Way to the south, a Florida battle sees the Tampa Bay Lightning welcome the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo faces a lesser foe in Louis Domingue in goal. Tampa Bay drew first blood in the first period with a Mathieu Joseph goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. Florida tied it on a Troy Brouwer goal, his fifth of the year, via Micheal Haley and Colton Sceviour. The Lightning retook the lead with a Nikita Kucherov power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Victor Hedman and J.T. Miller. Tampa Bay added on in the second period with a Yanni Gourde goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Steven Stamkos and Miller. The Lightning extended the lead as Adam Erne scored his third of the season, thanks to Kucherov and Ryan McDonagh. The Panthers got one back with an Aleksander Barkov power play goal, his seventh of the year, with assists provided by Jonathan Huberdeau and Keith Yandle. Tampa Bay answered in the third period with a Stamkos goal, his seventh of the season, guided in by Kucherov and McDonagh. The Lightning chased Luongo in favor of James Reimer on a McDonagh goal, his second of the year, with helpers from Stamkos and Miller, the latter earning a sock trick. Tampa Bay padded the lead on a Dan Girardi goal, helped along by Hedman and Stamkos, the latter earning a sock trick. Florida pulled back on a Mike Hoffman power play goal, his tenth of the campaign, made possible by Yandle and Huberdeau. The final stood at 7-3 Lightning, with the three stars awarded to Stamkos, Kucherov, and McDonagh, while Miller, Hedman, Huberdeau, and Yandle take the honorable mentions.

Northwest to Nashville, as the Predators bring in the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Pekka Rinne are the masked men. Nashville kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Frederick Gaudreau goal, assisted by Anthony Bitetto and Yannick Weber. St. Louis tied it on a Robert Thomas goal, passed from Brayden Schenn. The Predators took the lead back in the second period on a shorthanded and unassisted Filip Forsberg goal, his fourteenth of the season. Nashville added on with an Austin Watson goal in the third period, going in unassisted. The Predators iced it at 4-1 with a shorthanded empty net goal by Ryan Ellis, an unassisted goal. The three stars were Forsberg, Rinne (28 for 29 in saves), and Gaudreau.

Further to the north, the Minnesota Wild host the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Devan Dubnyk are in the creases. Minnesota started in the first period with a Jordan Greenway goal, his third of the season, assisted by Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin. The Wild added on with a Matt Dumba power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Mikael Granlund and Ryan Suter. Minnesota extended the lead in the second period as Eric Staal scored his seventh of the season on the power play, with the help of Granlund and Suter. Ottawa got on the board with a Chris Tierney goal, his third of the year, guided in by Mikkel Boedker and Christian Jaros. The Wild replied with another Dumba goal, his second of the game and tenth of the season, helped along by Greenway and Charlie Coyle. The Senators pulled back in the third period with a shorthanded Thomas Chabot goal, his sixth of the year, set up by Zack Smith. Ottawa got closer with a Jaros goal, with a lone assist by Smith. The Senators tied it as Colin White scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Tom Pyatt. Alex Stalock relieved Dubnyk in goal. Minnesota regained the lead on a Staal goal, his eighth of the year, with helpers from Jason Zucker and Granlund, the latter earning a sock trick. The Wild iced it at 6-4 with an Eric Fehr empty net goal, his third of the campaign, made possible by Zach Parise and Mikko Koivu. The three stars belonged to Dumba, Staal, and Granlund, while Suter, Greenway, Jaros, and Smith take the honorable mentions.

Southwest to Arizona, as the Coyotes welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Darcy Kuemper are in the blue paint. Arizona opened in the first period with a Derek Stepan goal, his fifth of the season, with a lone assist by Jakob Chychrun. Vegas tied it on a Tomas Nosek goal in the second period, his second of the year, via Reilly Smith and Brayden McNabb. The Golden Knights took the lead with a Max Pacioretty goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Cody Eakin and Alex Tuch. The Coyotes retied it in the third period on a Stepan power play goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, powered by Alex Galchenyuk and Clayton Keller. Vegas won 3-2 in overtime with a Pacioretty goal, his second of the game and sixth of the campaign, set up by Shea Theodore. The three stars went to Pacioretty, Stepan, and Fleury (19 for 21 in saves).

In Canada, the Calgary Flames bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and David Rittich man the nets. Winnipeg led off in the first period with a Brandon Tanev goal, his second of the season, made possible by Andrew Copp and Adam Lowry. Calgary tied it on a Dillon Dube goal, via Mark Jankowski and Garnet Hathaway. The Flames took the lead on a Sam Bennett goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Matthew Tkachuk. Calgary added on with a Tkachuk goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by T.J. Brodie and Bennett. Laurent Brossoit replaced Hellebuyck in goal. The Flames extended the lead as Jankowski scored his second of year, an unassisted goal. Calgary padded the lead with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Sean Monahan and Noah Hanifin. The Jets got one back in the second period with a Patrik Laine goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien. Winnipeg got closer with a Laine power play goal in the third period, his second of the game and thirteenth of the season, powered by Byfuglien. The Flames finished it at 6-3 with a Derek Ryan empty net goal, his third of the year, set up by Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm. The three stars were Jankowski, Bennett, and Tkachuk, while Laine, Gaudreau, and Byfuglien get the honorable mentions.

Down in California, the Anaheim Ducks host the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and John Gibson are the solid goalies. Anaheim began in the first period with a Ryan Getzlaf goal, his sixth of the season, going in unassisted. Vancouver tied it in the second period on a Derrick Pouliot goal, his second of the year, via Sam Gagner. The Ducks took the lead back with an Ondrej Kase power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Josh Mahura and Jakob Silfverberg. Anaheim added on in the third period with an Adam Henrique goal, his fifth of the year, fueled by Brandon Montour and Getzlaf. The Canucks got one back with a Jake Virtanen goal, his ninth of the season, going in unassisted. The Ducks shot back with a Kalle Kossila goal, assisted by Brian Gibbons and Nick Ritchie. Vancouver pulled back on a Bo Horvat power play goal, his eleventh of the year, with assists provided by Nikolay Goldobin and Ben Hutton. This made it only 4-3, the final, with the three stars being Getzlaf, Kossila, and Henrique.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Calvin Petersen receive the starting nods in goal. Colorado struck first in the first period with a Vladislav Kamenev power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Carl Soderberg and Alexander Kerfoot. Los Angeles tied it on a Kyle Clifford goal, his third of the year, passed from Tyler Toffoli and Alec Martinez. The Avalanche took the lead back on a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, with assists provided by Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. Colorado added on in the second period with a Patrik Nemeth goal, coming off of Kerfoot and Tyson Jost. The Avalanche extended the lead as Colin Wilson scored his sixth of the year on the power play, thanks to Rantanen and MacKinnon. Colorado padded the lead on a Tyson Barrie goal, his second of the season, assisted by Kerfoot, who got a sock trick, and Jost. The Avalanche chased Petersen with a Nikita Zadorov goal, his second of the year, via Matt Nieto and Kamenev. Peter Budaj came on in relief. Colorado continued with a Matt Calvert goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Barrie and Soderberg. The Kings got one back with a Matt Luff goal, his second of the year, with helpers from Austin Wagner and Drew Doughty. Los Angeles pulled closer on a Wagner goal, made possible by Luff and Derek Forbort. The final remained at 7-3, with the three stars going to Kerfoot, Kamenev, and Barrie, while MacKinnon, Rantanen, Jost, Soderberg, Luff, and Wagner get the honorable mentions.

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