Saturday, January 13, 2018

NHL 2017-18 Day 98

We've got nine games on for today, beginning with two matinees. The first is in...

Manhattan, as the New York Rangers host crosstown rivals, the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Ondrej Pavelec are the experienced goalies. The Islanders opened in the first period with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Jordan Eberle and Mathew Barzal. The Rangers tied it on a Kevin Hayes power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Rick Nash. The Islanders retook the lead on a Shane Prince goal, made possible by Scott Mayfield. The Islanders added on in the second period with a Barzal goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Eberle and Mayfield. The Islanders extended the lead as Barzal scored his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, thanks to Beauvillier and Eberle, the latter earning a sock trick. The Islanders padded the lead on another Beauvillier goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, helped along by John Tavares and Thomas Hickey. Henrik Lundqvist replaced Pavelec in goal. The Rangers got one back in the third period on a Mika Zibanejad goal, his fourteenth of the year, coming off of Mats Zuccarello and Ryan McDonagh. The Islanders countered on a Hickey goal, his second of the season, with helpers from Eberle and Barzal. The Islanders iced it at 7-2 with a Cal Clutterbuck goal, his eighth of the year, fueled by Jason Chimera and Barzal. The three stars were Barzal, Eberle, and Beauvillier, while Hickey and Mayfield get the honorable mentions.

West to Pittsburgh, where the Penguins welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Tristan Jarry make the starts in goal. Pittsburgh started in the first period with an Evgeni Malkin goal, his eighteenth of the season, via Carl Hagelin and Olli Maatta. Detroit tied it on a Justin Abdelkader power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Tomas Tatar and Henrik Zetterberg. The Penguins retook the lead on a Phil Kessel power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, guided in by Sidney Crosby and Malkin. Pittsburgh added on in the second period with a Malkin goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, with a lone assist by Kessel. The Penguins extended the lead as Crosby scored a power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, thanks to Kessel and Malkin. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars given to Malkin, Kessel, and Crosby.

In Canada, the Montreal Canadiens bring in the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Carey Price tend the twines. Montreal led off in the first period with a Max Pacioretty goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Victor Mete and Phillip Danault. Boston tied it on a Brad Marchand power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Patrice Bergeron and Danton Heinen. The Bruins took the lead with a Jake DeBrusk goal, his tenth of the season, via Charlie McAvoy and Zdeno Chara in the second period. The Canadiens retied it on a Nicolas Deslauriers goal, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. Montreal took the lead back with an Alex Galchenyuk power play goal, his eleventh of the season, with assists provided by Jonathan Drouin and Jeff Petry. Boston tied it on a David Krejci goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of McAvoy and DeBrusk. The Bruins won 4-3 in the shootout with tallies by DeBrusk and Marchand to top Paul Byron and the Canadiens. The three stars were given to DeBrusk, McAvoy, and Marchand.

Back stateside, the New Jersey Devils host the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Elliott and Cory Schneider man the nets. New Jersey began in the first period with a Jesper Bratt goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Nico Hischier and Taylor Hall. Philadelphia tied it on a Sean Couturier goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, via Jordan Weal and Andrew MacDonald. The Devils retook the lead on a second period Kyle Palmieri power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Will Butcher and Hall. The Flyers retied it on a Wayne Simmonds power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, with helpers from Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. Philadelphia gained the lead on a Couturier power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the season, assisted by Giroux and Ivan Provorov. The Flyers added on in the third period with a Travis Konecny goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Provorov and Couturier. Philadelphia extended the lead as Michael Raffl scored his eighth of the season, thanks to Voracek and Valtteri Filppula. New Jersey got one back with a Drew Stafford power play goal, his sixth of the year, helped along by Damon Severson and John Moore. This only made it 5-3, the final, with the three stars going to Couturier, Voracek, and Giroux, while Provorov and Hall get the honorable mentions.

West to Minnesota, where the Wild welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Devan Dubnyk guard the cages. Minnesota struck first in the first period with a Mikael Granlund power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon. The Wild added on with a Jason Zucker goal in the second period, his sixteenth of the year, via Mikko Koivu and Granlund. Winnipeg got on the board in the third period with a Mathieu Perreault power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, with assists provided by Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien. Minnesota answered on a Matt Dumba goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Marcus Foligno and Charlie Coyle. The Wild extended the lead as Dumba scored his second of the game and ninth of the campaign, with the help of Coyle and Foligno. The final stood from here at 4-1, with the three stars given to Dumba, Granlund, and Dubnyk (32 for 33 in saves), while Foligno and Coyle get the honorable mentions.

Down in Dallas, the Stars bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Jonathan Bernier and Ben Bishop are in the blue paint. Colorado was first to score in the first period with an Alexander Kerfoot goal, his eleventh of the season, courtesy of A.J. Greer and Samuel Girard. Dallas tied it in the second period with a Jamie Benn goal, his eighteenth of the year, fueled by John Klingberg and Alexander Radulov. The Avalanche retook the lead in the third period with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his nineteenth of the season, made possible by Kerfoot and Nikita Zadorov. Colorado added on with a Blake Comeau goal, his eighth of the year, with a lone helper by Zadorov. The Avalanche finished it at 4-1 with a Mark Barberio shorthanded empty net goal, his third of the campaign, set up by Patrik Nemeth and the goalie Bernier. The three stars were Kerfoot, Zadorov, and Bernier (27 for 28 in saves).

Over in Vegas, the Golden Knights host the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Marc-Andre Fleury are the masked men. Edmonton got going in the second period with a Patrick Maroon goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Darnell Nurse and Connor McDavid. Vegas tied it on a Reilly Smith goal, his twelfth of the year, going in unassisted. The Golden Knights took the lead with a William Karlsson goal, his twenty-third of the season, helped along by Jonathan Marchessault. The Oilers retied it in the third period with a Drake Caggiula goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Maroon and McDavid. Edmonton won 3-2 in overtime on a Nurse goal, his sixth of the campaign, passed from Caggiula and Leon Draisaitl. The three stars belonged to Nurse, Caggiula, and Maroon, while McDavid gets an honorable mention.

In California, the Los Angeles Kings welcome the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Jonathan Quick protect the nets. Anaheim drew first blood in the first period with an Ondrej Kase goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Rickard Rakell and Ryan Getzlaf. The Ducks added on with a Ryan Kesler power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Brandon Montour and Kase. Anaheim extended the lead in the third period as Kase scored his second of the game and eleventh of the season, with the help of Nick Ritchie. Los Angeles got on the board with a Nick Shore goal, his third of the year, made possible by Christian Folin and Trevor Lewis. The Kings got closer with an Anze Kopitar goal, his eighteenth of the season, via Derek Forbort and Alex Iafallo. The Ducks iced it at 4-2 with a Corey Perry empty net goal, his seventh of the year, set up by Hampus Lindholm. The three stars went to Kase, Kesler, and Gibson (23 for 25 in saves).

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Scott Wedgewood and Martin Jones are between the pipes. San Jose kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Joe Thornton goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Joe Pavelski. Arizona tied it on a Derek Stepan goal, his ninth of the year, via Brendan Perlini and Richard Panik. The Sharks retook the lead on a Pavelski power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Brent Burns and Thornton. The Coyotes tied it again with an Alex Goligoski goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Stepan. San Jose retook the lead with a Logan Couture goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Joonas Donskoi and Burns. Arizona tied it once more with a Christian Fischer goal, his twelfth of the year, with a lone assist by Kevin Connauton. The Sharks reclaimed the lead in the second period on a Donskoi goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Mikkel Boedker and the relief goalie Aaron Dell. The Coyotes equalized in the third period on an Oliver Ekman-Larsson goal, his seventh of the year, helped along by Christian Dvorak and Clayton Keller. Arizona took the lead on a Josh Archibald goal, his third of the season, with assists from Jakob Chychrun and Dvorak. San Jose pulled even on a Donskoi goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, courtesy of Burns, who got a sock trick, and Chris Tierney. The Sharks won 6-5 in overtime on a Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal, his fifth of the campaign, fueled by Pavelski and Thornton. The three stars were Donskoi, Pavelski, and Burns, while Thornton, Stepan, and Dvorak get the honorable mentions.

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Friday, January 12, 2018

NHL 2017-18 Day 97

Five games tonight, beginning with...

The Columbus Blue Jackets hosting the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Sergei Bobrovsky man the nets. Columbus led off in the first period with a Seth Jones power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Nick Foligno and Artemi Panarin. Vancouver tied it in the second period on a Sven Baertschi power play goal, his ninth of the year, with assists provided by Thomas Vanek and Sam Gagner. The Canucks took the lead with an Erik Gudbranson goal, passed from Loui Eriksson and Henrik Sedin. Vancouver added on with a Brendan Gaunce goal, his second of the season, via Vanek and Michael Del Zotto on the power play. The Canucks extended the lead as Alexander Edler scored his second of the year, with the help of Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. The Blue Jackets got one back in the third period on a Scott Harrington goal, his second of the season, made possible by Foligno and Matt Calvert. Vancouver iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Jake Virtanen, his sixth of the year, set up by Markus Granlund. The three stars were Vanek, Henrik Sedin, and Foligno.

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Washington Capitals. Philipp Grubauer and Cam Ward are the backups in goal. Carolina began in the first period with a Jordan Staal power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Justin Williams and Sebastian Aho. Washington tied it on a Lars Eller power play goal, his ninth of the year, coming off of Jakub Vrana and Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals took the lead with an Ovechkin goal in the second period, his twenty-eighth of the season, guided in by John Carlson and Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Hurricanes retied it on an Aho power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, with helpers from Justin Faulk and Staal. Carolina took the lead in the third period on a Jeff Skinner goal, his fourteenth of the season, courtesy of Lee Stempniak and Hadyn Fleury. Washington tied it with an unassisted Brett Connolly goal, his tenth of the year. The Capitals won with less than two seconds left with a Jay Beagle goal, his fifth of the campaign, with assists provided by Nicklas Backstrom and Ovechkin. The final was 4-3, with the three stars handed to Ovechkin, Aho, and Staal.

Further south, the Florida Panthers host the Calgary Flames. David Rittich and James Reimer are in the creases. Florida got going in the second period with an Evgenii Dadonov power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Jonathan Huberdeau and Vincent Trocheck. Calgary tied it on a Sean Monahan goal, his twenty-first of the year, passed from Dougie Hamilton and Mark Giordano. The Flames took the lead with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his twelfth of the season, fueled by Travis Hamonic and Mikael Backlund. Calgary added on with a Johnny Gaudreau power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, assisted by Monahan and Backlund. The Panthers got one back in the third period with a Dadonov goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, going in unassisted. The Flames iced it at 4-2 with a Backlund empty net goal, his ninth of the year, set up by Tkachuk. The three stars belonged to Monahan, Backlund, and Tkachuk, while Rittich (41 for 43 in saves) gets an honorable mention.

Northwest to Chicago, where the Blackhawks bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Jeff Glass draw the starts in goal. Chicago dented the scoreboard in the second period with a David Kampf goal, coming off of Connor Murphy and Alex DeBrincat. The Blackhawks added on with a Jan Rutta goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Anthony Duclair and Kampf. Winnipeg got on the board in the third period with an unassisted Patrik Laine goal, his twentieth of the year. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars given to Kampf, Glass (31 for 32 in saves), and Rutta.

Finally, the Arizona Coyotes host the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Antti Raanta are in the blue paint. Arizona struck first in the first period with a Brad Richardson goal, his second of the season, made possible by Jakob Chychrun and Jordan Martinook. The Coyotes added on with a Josh Archibald goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Christian Dvorak and Clayton Keller. Al Montoya replaced Talbot in goal. Edmonton got on the board with a Darnell Nurse goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Adam Larsson and Jujhar Khaira. The Oilers tied it with a Patrick Maroon goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Oscar Klefbom and Connor McDavid. Edmonton took the lead with a Nurse goal in the third period, his second of the game and fifth of the season, via Leon Draisaitl and McDavid. The Oilers iced it at 4-2 with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins empty net goal, his sixteenth of the year, set up by Milan Lucic. The three stars went to Nurse, McDavid, and Montoya (19 for 19 in saves in relief).

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Thursday, January 11, 2018

NHL 2017-18 Day 96

Just three games today, beginning with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Linus Ullmark are the goalies. Buffalo led off in the first period with a Benoit Pouliot goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Kyle Okposo and Jack Eichel. The Sabres added on in the third period with an Okposo goal, his seventh of the year, via Evander Kane and Brendan Guhle. Columbus got on the board with an Artemi Panarin power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Zach Werenski and Seth Jones. Buffalo iced it at 3-1 with an Eichel empty net goal, his eighteenth of the year, set up by Ryan O'Reilly. The three stars went to Okposo, Ullmark (44 for 45 in saves), and Eichel.

Down in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Scott Darling and Braden Holtby make the starts in goal. Carolina got going in the second period with a shorthanded and unassisted Jordan Staal goal, his twelfth of the season. Washington tied it on a Lars Eller goal, his eighth of the year, passed from T.J. Oshie and Christian Djoos. The Hurricanes retook the lead on a Victor Rask goal in the third period, his eleventh of the season, going in unassisted. Carolina iced it at 3-1 with a Sebastian Aho empty net goal, his fifteenth of the year, set up by Elias Lindholm. The three stars were Darling (27 for 28 in saves), Rask, and Staal.

Finally, the Tampa Bay Lightning bring in the Calgary Flames. Mike Smith and Andrei Vasilevskiy protect the nets. Calgary began in the first period with a Micheal Ferland goal, his nineteenth of the season, made possible by Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. Tampa Bay tied it in the second period on a Brayden Point goal, his seventeenth of the year, assisted by Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. The Flames regained the lead on a Gaudreau goal, his fourteenth of the season, guided in by Ferland and Dougie Hamilton. Calgary added on with a Sam Bennett power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by T.J. Brodie and Mark Jankowski. The Flames extended the lead in the third period as Jankowski scored his eighth of the season, thanks to Garnet Hathaway. Calgary padded the lead on a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Troy Brouwer. This stood for a 5-1 win, with the three stars being Gaudreau, Ferland, and Jankowski.

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Wednesday, January 10, 2018

NHL 2017-18 Day 95

Just two games tonight, beginning with...

The Toronto Maple Leafs welcoming the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Frederik Andersen are the similarly named goalies. Ottawa began in the first period with a Thomas Chabot goal, his third of the season, via Ryan Dzingel. The Senators added on in the second period with a Mike Hoffman goal, his eleventh of the year, assisted by Matt Duchene. Toronto got on the board with an Andreas Borgman goal, his third of the season, passed from Tyler Bozak and Leo Komarov. The Maple Leafs tied it in the third period with a James van Riemsdyk goal, his nineteenth of the year, guided in by Bozak and Mitchell Marner. Ottawa retook the lead with a Gabriel Dumont goal, helped along by Filip Chlapik and Alexandre Burrows. Toronto retied it on a Morgan Rielly goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by William Nylander and Ron Hainsey. The Senators gained the lead on a Tom Pyatt goal, his fifth of the year, fueled by Duchene and Zack Smith. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars going to Duchene, Pyatt, and Bozak.

The other game has the Chicago Blackhawks bringing in the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Anton Forsberg make the starts in goal. Chicago led off in the first period with a Brent Seabrook goal, his second of the season, coming off of Michal Kempny and Nick Schmaltz. Minnesota tied it in the second period on a Jonas Brodin goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba. The Wild took the lead in the third period with a Ryan Suter goal, his sixth of the campaign, via Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund. The final held from here at 2-1, with the three stars going to Dubnyk (34 for 35 in saves), Suter, and Brodin.

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Tuesday, January 9, 2018

NHL 2017-18 Day 94

Seven games on tonight, beginning with the...

Buffalo Sabres hosting the Winnipeg Jets. Steve Mason and Robin Lehner are the goalies. Winnipeg started with a Patrik Laine power play goal in the first period, his nineteenth of the season, powered by Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor. Buffalo tied it on a Jack Eichel goal, his sixteenth of the year, guided in by Kyle Okposo and Ryan O'Reilly. The Jets retook the lead with a Dustin Byfuglien goal, his second of the season, assisted by Mathieu Perreault and Toby Enstrom. Winnipeg added on with a second period goal by Nikolaj Ehlers, his eighteenth of the year, passed from Perreault and Josh Morrissey. The Jets extended the lead as Connor scored his fourteenth of the season, thanks to Wheeler and Jacob Trouba. Winnipeg padded the lead with a power play goal by Ehlers, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, with helpers from Tyler Myers and Bryan Little. The Sabres got one back with an O'Reilly power play goal, his eleventh of the season, helped along by Eichel and Okposo. The Jets countered on a Connor goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, with a lone assist by Trouba. Buffalo pulled back on a Jason Pominville goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by Marco Scandella and O'Reilly. The Sabres got closer with an Eichel goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, via Okposo, who got a sock trick, and Rasmus Ristolainen. Winnipeg iced it at 7-4 with a Joel Armia empty net goal, his seventh of the campaign, set up by Andrew Copp. The three stars went to Connor, Eichel, and Ehlers, while Okposo, O'Reilly, Trouba, Wheeler, and Perreault get the honorable mentions.

Down in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Philipp Grubauer are set to play in goal. Vancouver opened in the first period with a Daniel Sedin power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Alexander Edler and Henrik Sedin. Washington tied it on a John Carlson goal, his fifth of the year, via Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. The Capitals took the lead on a Lars Eller goal, his seventh of the season, with a lone assist by Madison Bowey. Washington added on in the second period with an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Matt Niskanen and Dmitry Orlov. This stood for the eventual 3-1 final, with the three stars given to Grubauer (37 for 38 in saves), Eller, and Kuznetsov.

In Canada's capital, the Ottawa Senators bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Anton Forsberg and Craig Anderson are in the blue paint. Chicago led off in the first period with a Richard Panik goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Michal Kempny and Connor Murphy. The Blackhawks added on with a Patrick Sharp goal, his sixth of the year, via Patrick Kane and David Kampf in the second period. Chicago extended the lead as Nick Schmaltz scored a power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Jordan Oesterle and Kane. The Blackhawks padded the lead on a Jonathan Toews goal, his thirteenth of the year, made possible by Oesterle and Duncan Keith. Mike Condon replaced Anderson in goal. Ottawa got on the board with an unassisted Mark Stone goal, his eighteenth of the season. The Senators got closer with a Derick Brassard goal, his twelfth of the year, passed from Stone and Cody Ceci. Chicago replied with a Schmaltz power play goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the season, with helpers from Sharp and Kane, the latter earning a sock trick. The Blackhawks continued as Jan Rutta scored his fourth of the year on the power play, with the help of Kane and the goalie Forsberg. Chicago struck again in the third period with a Toews goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, with a lone assist by Vinnie Hinostroza. The Blackhawks got another with a Kane goal, his eighteenth of the year, with helpers delivered by Keith, and Schmaltz. This stood for an 8-2 win, with the three stars awarded to Kane, Schmaltz, and Toews, while Sharp, Keith, Oesterle, and Stone get the honorable mentions.

Down in Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Andrei Vasilevskiy are between the pipes. Carolina began in the first period with a Brock McGinn power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Justin Williams and Jaccob Slavin. Tampa Bay tied it on a Victor Hedman goal, his sixth of the year, assisted by Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos. The Hurricanes retook the lead with an unassisted Sebastian Aho goal, his fourteenth of the season. The Lightning retied it on a Tyler Johnson goal, his fourteenth of the year, guided in by Anton Stralman and Brayden Point. Tampa Bay took the lead in the second period with another Johnson goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the season, made possible by Jake Dotchin and Point. Carolina pulled even with a Justin Faulk power play goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Teuvo Teravainen and Jordan Staal. The Lightning took the lead in the third period with a Dotchin goal, his third of the season, coming off of Point, who got a sock trick, and Ondrej Palat. Tampa Bay added on with a Johnson goal, completing his hat trick on his sixteenth of the year, with a lone helper by Hedman. The Hurricanes got one back with an Elias Lindholm goal, his twelfth of the campaign, courtesy of Faulk and Teravainen. This only made it 5-4, the final, with the three stars awarded to Johnson, Point, and Hedman, while Dotchin, Faulk, and Teravainen get the honorable mentions.

Northwest to St. Louis, as the Blues welcome the Florida Panthers. James Reimer and Jake Allen are the masked men. St. Louis struck first in the first period with a Paul Stastny goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Joel Edmundson and Ivan Barbashev. The Blues added on with a Colton Parayko goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Vladimir Tarasenko and Brayden Schenn. Florida got on the board with an Aaron Ekblad goal, his seventh of the season, via Keith Yandle and Denis Malgin. The Panthers tied it on an Aleksander Barkov goal, his fourteenth of the year, assisted by Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgenii Dadonov. St. Louis retook the lead with a Tarasenko goal in the second period, his nineteenth of the season, coming off of Barbashev and Stastny. Florida retied it on a Radim Vrbata goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Connor Brickley and Vincent Trocheck. The Panthers pulled ahead with a Huberdeau goal, his sixteenth of the season, passed from Barkov. Florida extended the lead as Trocheck scored his sixteenth of the year, with a lone helper by Mike Matheson. The Panthers padded the lead in the third period with a Colton Sceviour shorthanded goal, his sixth of the season, set up by Derek MacKenzie. The Blues pulled back on a Tage Thompson goal, his third of the year, dished from Vladimir Sobotka and Alex Pietrangelo. Florida iced it at 7-4 with a Trocheck empty net goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the campaign, with helpers provided by Huberdeau and Barkov. The three stars were Trocheck, Barkov, and Huberdeau, while Tarasenko and Stastny get honorable mentions.

Backtracking to Nashville, as the Predators bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Pekka Rinne protect the nets. Nashville was first to score in the first period with a Craig Smith power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Viktor Arvidsson and P.K. Subban. The Predators added on with an Arvidsson goal, his thirteenth of the year, assisted by Roman Josi and Ryan Johansen. Edmonton got on the board in the second period with a Connor McDavid goal in the second period, his fifteenth of the season, passed from Matt Benning and Leon Draisaitl. This only made it 2-1, the eventual final, with the three stars being Arvidsson, Rinne (25 for 26 in saves), and Smith.

Finally, the Minnesota Wild host the Calgary Flames. Mike Smith faces a lesser foe in Alex Stalock in goal. Calgary kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Micheal Ferland goal, his eighteenth of the season, courtesy of Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. The Flames added on with a second period Monahan goal, his twentieth of the year, coming off of Ferland and Gaudreau. Minnesota got on the board in the third period with a Mikael Granlund goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Mikko Koivu and Ryan Suter. The Wild tied it on a Jared Spurgeon goal, his fifth of the year, via Suter and Granlund. Calgary won 3-2 in overtime on a Dougie Hamilton goal, his sixth of the campaign, passed from Gaudreau, who got a sock trick, and Mark Giordano. The three stars went to Guadreau, Monahan, and Ferland, while Granlund and Suter get the honorable mentions.

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Monday, January 8, 2018

NHL 2017-18 Day 93

Just a single game on tonight, as the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Frederik Andersen protect the nets. Toronto got going in the second period on a James van Riemsdyk goal, his eighteenth of the season, passed from Roman Polak and Tyler Bozak. The Maple Leafs added on with a William Nylander power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Jake Gardiner. Columbus got on the board with a third period Nick Foligno goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Jordan Schroeder and Markus Nutivaara. The Blue Jackets tied it on a Pierre-Luc Dubois goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Seth Jones. Columbus won 3-2 in overtime with an Artemi Panarin goal, his eleventh of the campaign, guided in by Zach Werenski and Jones. The three stars were Panarin, Jones, and Bobrovsky (35 for 37 in saves).

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Sunday, January 7, 2018

NHL 2017-18 Day 92

We've got ten games on today in the last truly busy day for awhile. We begin with...

The New York Islanders hosting the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Jaroslav Halak are the veterans in goal. New York led off in the first period with an Anders Lee goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, assisted by Ryan Pulock and Thomas Hickey. New Jersey tied it on a Travis Zajac goal in the second period, his fourth of the year, via Marcus Johansson and Sami Vatanen. The Islanders retook the lead with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle. The Devils retied it with a Zajac shorthanded goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, set up by Brian Gibbons. New Jersey took the lead in the third period on a Miles Wood goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Will Butcher and Taylor Hall. The Devils added on with a Hall goal, his fifteenth of the year, guided in by John Moore and Wood. New York got one back with a Sebastian Aho power play goal, powered by John Tavares and Barzal. The Islanders tied it again on a Cal Clutterbuck goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Aho and Brock Nelson. New York won 5-4 in the shootout with a lone tally by Nelson. The three stars went to Aho, Nelson, and Barzal, while Zajac, Hall, and Wood get the honorable mentions.

Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Michal Neuvirth make the starts in goal. Buffalo got going in the second period with a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Jack Eichel and Rasmus Ristolainen. Philadelphia tied it on a Shayne Gostisbehere goal, his ninth of the year, fueled by Scott Laughton and Jori Lehtera. The Flyers took the lead with a Sean Couturier power play goal, his twenty-second of the season, with assists provided by Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. Philadelphia added on in the third period with a Couturier empty net goal, his second of the game and twenty-third of the year, set up by Voracek and Michael Raffl. The Flyers iced it at 4-1 with an Ivan Provorov goal, his eighth of the campaign, with helpers from Wayne Simmonds and Andrew MacDonald for the empty net tally. The three stars were Couturier, Voracek, and Neuvirth (30 for 31 in saves).

West to Chicago, as the Blackhawks bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg are in the blue paint. Chicago began in the first period with a Nick Schmaltz goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Ryan Hartman and Jan Rutta. The Blackhawks added on with an Alex DeBrincat goal, his fourteenth of the year, passed from David Kampf. Edmonton got on the board in the second period with a Darnell Nurse goal, his third of the season, via Michael Cammalleri and Zack Kassian. Chicago replied with a Brandon Saad goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Jonathan Toews and Vinnie Hinostroza. The Blackhawks extended the lead as Jordan Oesterle scored his third of the season in the third period, an unassisted goal. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars being Forsberg (32 for 33 in saves), DeBrincat, and Saad.

Back east, the Washington Capitals host the St. Louis Blues. Carter Hutton and Braden Holtby are in the creases. Washington opened in the first period with a Brett Connolly power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson. St. Louis tied it in the second period with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his eighteenth of the year, passed from Ivan Barbashev and Joel Edmundson. The Blues took the lead with an Alexander Steen power play goal, his sixth of the season, with assists provided by Brayden Schenn and Alex Pietrangelo. The Capitals retied it on an Ovechkin power play goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, helped along by Carlson and Nicklas Backstrom. Washington pulled ahead with a Lars Eller goal, his sixth of the season, via T.J. Oshie and Madison Bowey. St. Louis retied it on a Carl Gunnarsson goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Patrik Berglund and Tage Thompson. The Capitals won 4-3 in overtime with a Backstrom goal, his ninth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Oshie. The three stars went to Backstrom, Ovechkin, and Oshie, while Carlson gets the honorable mention.

Northwest to Winnipeg, as the Jets welcome the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Connor Hellebuyck protect the nets. Winnipeg started in the first period with a Matt Hendricks goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by Joel Armia and Andrew Copp. The Jets added o with a Marko Dano goal in the second period, his second of the year, via Jacob Trouba and Copp. San Jose got on the board with a Logan Couture power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns. Winnipeg replied on a Mathieu Perreault power play goal, his eleventh of the year, with helpers from Blake Wheeler and Tyler Myers. The Jets iced it at 4-1 with a Perreault empty net goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the campaign, set up by Myers. The three stars belonged to Perreault, Hellebuyck (31 for 32 in saves), and Copp, while Myers earns an honorable mention.

The last of the early starts has the Columbus Blue Jackets bringing in the Florida Panthers. James Reimer and Sergei Bobrovsky are the masked men. Columbus struck first in the first period with a Nick Foligno power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Pierre-Luc Dubois and Seth Jones. Florida tied it on a Jonathan Huberdeau power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, with assists provided by Evgenii Dadonov and Aleksander Barkov in the second period. The Blue Jackets took the lead on a Dubois power play goal, his ninth of the season, helped along by Jones and Artemi Panarin. The Panthers retied it in the third period with a Barkov goal, his thirteenth of the year, passed from Huberdeau and Keith Yandle. The tie went to a shootout, where Panarin, Jack Johnson, and Josh Anderson lifted the Blue Jackets 3-2 over Barkov and Mike Matheson. The three stars were Dubois, Panarin, and Jones, while Huberdeau and Barkov get the honorable mentions.

In Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens host the Vancouver Canucks. Anders Nilsson and Carey Price are between the pipes. Montreal was first to score in the first period with an unassisted Karl Alzner goal. The Canadiens added on with an Alex Galchenyuk power play goal in the second period, his tenth of the season, powered by Jeff Petry and Jonathan Drouin. Vancouver got on the board with a Daniel Sedin goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Alexander Edler and Henrik Sedin. The Canucks tied it on a Michael Del Zotto goal in the third period, his second of the season, assisted by Brock Boeser and Daniel Sedin. Montreal retook the lead on a Brendan Gallagher goal, his sixteenth of the year, with a lone assist by Alzner. The Canadiens extended the lead as Paul Byron scored his eleventh of the season, thanks to Gallagher. Montreal iced it at 5-2 with a Max Pacioretty empty net goal, his tenth of the year, set up by Phillip Danault and Petry. The three stars were Gallagher, Alzner, and Daniel Sedin, while Petry gets an honorable mention.

Back stateside, the Detroit Red Wings welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Louis Domingue and Petr Mrazek are the backups in goal. Tampa Bay drew first blood in the first period with a Dan Girardi goal, his third of the season, guided in by Vladislav Namestnikov and Yanni Gourde. The Lightning added on with a Tyler Johnson goal, his thirteenth of the year, passed from Girardi and Ondrej Palat. Detroit got on the board with a Gustav Nyquist goal in the second period, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Tyler Bertuzzi and Henrik Zetterberg. Tampa Bay answered on a Gourde goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Alex Killorn and Namestnikov. The Red Wings got one back with a Justin Abdelkader goal in the third period, his seventh of the season, via Anthony Mantha. The Lightning countered on a Nikita Kucherov goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, made possible by Steven Stamkos. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Gourde scored his fourteenth of the campaign, thanks to Palat. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars being Gourde, Girardi, and Palat, while Namestnikov gets an honorable mention.

Over in Pittsburgh, the Penguins bring in the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Tristan Jarry receive the starting nods in goal. Boston kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Ryan Spooner goal, his fourth of the season, via Kevan Miller and Jake DeBrusk. Pittsburgh tied it on a Jamie Oleksiak goal, his third of the year, fueled by Matt Hunwick and Carl Hagelin. The Penguins took the lead with a Phil Kessel power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Pittsburgh added on with a Kris Letang goal, his third of the year, with a lone assist by Crosby. The Bruins got one back in the second period with a Brad Marchand goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Patrice Bergeron. Boston tied it on a Noel Acciari goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Brandon Carlo and Marchand. The Bruins pulled ahead on a David Pastrnak goal, his seventeenth of the season, going in unassisted. Boston extended the lead as David Backes scored his eighth of the year, with the help of Zdeno Chara and Danton Heinen. The Penguins got one back on a Malkin power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, with assists provided by Crosby, who got a sock trick, and Patric Hornqvist. Pittsburgh tied it in the third period with a Riley Sheahan goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The Penguins won 6-5 in overtime with another Malkin goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the campaign, with helpers from Kessel and Letang. The three stars belonged to Malkin, Crosby, and Marchand, while Letang and Kessel get honorable mentions.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights host the New York Rangers. Ondrej Pavelec and Marc-Andre Fleury are the experienced goalies. New York dented the scoreboard in the first period with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Michael Grabner and Vinni Lettieri. Vegas tied it on a James Neal goal, his eighteenth of the year, passed from David Perron. The Golden Knights took the lead with a William Karlsson goal in the third period, his twenty-second of the campaign, assisted by Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Fleury (28 for 29 in saves), Karlsson, and Neal.

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