Saturday, December 29, 2018

NHL 2018/19 - Day 84

Fifteen games on for a loaded schedule today, beginning with four matinees. The first has...

The New Jersey Devils hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Curtis McElhinney and MacKenzie Blackwood are the backups in goal. New Jersey got going in the second period with a shorthanded Pavel Zacha goal, his sixth of the season, going in unassisted. The Devils iced it at 2-0 in the third period with an empty net goal by Andy Greene, his second of the year, set up by Nico Hischier and Zacha. The three stars were Blackwood (37 save shutout), Zacha, and McElhinney (28 for 29 in saves).

Over in Alberta, the Edmonton Oilers welcome the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Cam Talbot draw the starts in goal. Edmonton led off in the first period with a Connor McDavid goal, his twentieth of the season, assisted by Ty Rattie and Leon Draisaitl. San Jose tied it with a Joonas Donskoi goal, his seventh of the year, via Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl. The Sharks pulled ahead on a Hertl goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson. San Jose added on in the second period with a Logan Couture goal, his fourteenth of the year, passed from Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. The Sharks extended the lead as Erik Karlsson scored his third of the season, thanks to Barclay Goodrow and Donskoi. San Jose padded the lead on a Melker Karlsson goal in the third period, his fifth of the year, fueled by Burns and Kevin Labanc. The Sharks continued with a shorthanded Couture goal, his fifteenth of the season, set up by Evander Kane. The Oilers got one back with a Caleb Jones goal, made possible by Rattie and Drake Caggiula. San Jose answered with a Melker Karlsson goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, with helpers from Erik Karlsson and Goodrow. Edmonton pulled back on a Draisaitl goal, his nineteenth of the season, courtesy of Milan Lucic and Matt Benning. The Oilers got closer with a McDavid goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the year, guided in by Chris Wideman and Rattie, the latter earning a sock trick. This made it 7-4, the final, with the three stars given to Erik Karlsson, Couture, and Melker Karlsson, while Hertl, Donskoi, Goodrow, Burns, McDavid, Rattie, and Draisaitl all get honorable mentions.

Down in California, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Vegas Golden Knights. Malcolm Subban and Jonathan Quick play in goal. Vegas began in the first period with a William Carrier goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Cody Eakin and Nick Holden. Los Angeles tied it on an Anze Kopitar goal, his ninth of the year, coming off of Sean Walker and Alex Iafallo. The Golden Knights retook the lead in the second period with an Alex Tuch goal, his thirteenth of the season, with a lone assist by Paul Stastny. Vegas added on in the third period with a William Karlsson goal, his fifteenth of the year, helped along by Nate Schmidt. The Golden Knights capped it at 4-1 with a Stastny empty net goal, his fourth of the campaign, set up by Tuch and Schmidt. The three stars were Subban (30 for 31 in saves), Tuch, and Stastny, while Schmidt gets an honorable mention.

In Canada again, the last matinee sees the Winnipeg Jets host the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Connor Hellebuyck guard the cages. Minnesota opened in the first period on a Matt Bartkowski goal, with a lone helper by Marcus Foligno. The Wild added on in the second period with a Charlie Coyle goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Luke Kunin and Zach Parise. Winnipeg got on the board in the third period with a Patrik Laine power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, powered by Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien. Minnesota iced it at 3-1 with an Eric Fehr empty net goal, his fifth of the campaign, set up by Parise. The three stars were Dubnyk (26 for 27 in saves), Parise, and Coyle.

At the regular time, the Buffalo Sabres welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Carter Hutton are in the creases. Buffalo started in the first period with a Marco Scandella goal, his second of the season, via Jeff Skinner and Sam Reinhart. Boston tied it on an unassisted Noel Acciari goal. The Sabres retook the lead with a shorthanded Johan Larsson goal in the second period, his fourth of the year, set up by Evan Rodrigues and Scandella. The Bruins retied it in the third period with a Jake DeBrusk power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Torey Krug and David Pastrnak. Boston won 3-2 in overtime with a Sean Kuraly goal, his third of the year, made possible by Matt Grzelcyk and Kevan Miller. The three stars were Scandella, Kuraly, and DeBrusk.

Along to Ontario, as the Ottawa Senators bring in the Washington Capitals. Pheonix Copley and Marcus Hogberg are the little-known goalies. Washington struck first in the first period with a Tom Wilson goal, his eleventh of the season, fueled by Evgeny Kuznetsov and Tyler Lewington. The Capitals added on with a Lewington goal, coming off of Nicklas Backstrom and Jonas Siegenthaler. Washington extended the lead in the second period as Madison Bowey scored, with the help of Wilson. Ottawa got on the board with a Colin White goal, his tenth of the year, via Mark Stone and Brady Tkachuk. The Senators got closer in the third period with a Stone goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, helped along by Tkachuk and White. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Lewington, Wilson, and White, while Stone and Tkachuk get the honorable mentions.

Way to the south, the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Montreal Canadiens. Antti Niemi is mismatched with Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal. Montreal was first to score in the first period with an Andrew Shaw power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Tomas Tatar and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The Canadiens added on with a Kenny Agostino goal, his second of the year, coming off of Jordie Benn and Phillip Danault. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Yanni Gourde goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Adam Erne and Ryan McDonagh. The Lightning tied it on an unassisted Anton Stralman goal, his second of the year. Montreal retook the lead with a Benn goal, his second of the season, via Danault and Brendan Gallagher. Tampa Bay tied it again in the second period with a Nikita Kucherov power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, with assists provided by Victor Hedman and Brayden Point. The Lightning took the lead on a Tyler Johnson goal, his eighteenth of the season, guided in by Mikhail Sergachev and Kucherov. The Canadiens evened it on a Brett Kulak goal, fueled by Tatar and Danault, the latter earning a sock trick. Montreal surged ahead on a Shaw goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, with helpers from Artturi Lehkonen and Shea Weber. Tampa Bay pulled even in the third period on an Erne goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Stralman and Hedman. The Lightning took the lead with another Erne goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, dished from Gourde and Anthony Cirelli. This held for a 6-5 win, with the three stars going to Erne, Danault, and Shaw, while Benn, Tatar, Kucherov, Gourde, Stralman, and Hedman take the honorable mentions.

Returning to Ontario, the Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the New York Islanders. Robin Lehner and Garret Sparks receive the starting nods in goal. New York drew first blood in the first period with a Valtteri Filppula goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Michael Dal Colle and Ryan Pulock. The Islanders added on in the second period with a Mathew Barzal goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Johnny Boychuk and Anthony Beauvillier. New York extended the lead as Barzal scored a power play goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, powered by Nick Leddy and Brock Nelson. The Islanders padded the lead as Barzal completed his natural hat trick with his tenth of the year, thanks to Pulock. This stood for the eventual 4-0 win, with the three stars belonging to Barzal, Lehner (36 save shutout), and Pulock.

Continuing the back-and-forth, the Florida Panthers bring in the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and James Reimer are in the blue paint. Philadelphia kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Shayne Gostisbehere goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Jordan Weal and Scott Laughton. Florida tied it in the third period with a Mike Hoffman power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers took the lead on a Huberdeau goal, his tenth of the campaign, assisted by Barkov and Evgenii Dadonov. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Reimer (34 for 35 in saves), Huberdeau, and Barkov.

Westward to Dallas, as the Stars host the Detroit Red Wings. Jonathan Bernier and Ben Bishop man the creases. Dallas dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Blake Comeau goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Radek Faksa and Taylor Fedun. The Stars added on with an Alexander Radulov goal, his twelfth of the year, coming off of Mattias Janmark and Esa Lindell. Dallas extended the lead as Radulov scored his second of the game and thirteenth of the season on the power play, with the help of Jason Spezza and Tyler Seguin. The Stars padded the lead in the third period as Tyler Pitlick scored his sixth of the year, thanks to Faksa and Comeau. Dallas continued with an unassisted Spezza goal, his sixth of the season. Detroit got on the board with a Dylan Larkin power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, powered by Gustav Nyquist and Frans Nielsen. This only made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars handed to Radulov, Comeau, and Spezza, while Faksa gets an honorable mention.

North to St. Louis, where the Blues welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Matt Murray and Jake Allen protect the nets. Pittsburgh cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Sidney Crosby power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, powered by Patric Hornqvist and Phil Kessel. The Penguins added on with a Juuso Riikola power play goal, with assists provided by Tanner Pearson and Derick Brassard. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Zach Aston-Reese scored his fifth of the year, thanks to Kris Letang and Crosby. The Penguins padded the lead on a Hornqvist power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, guided in by Letang and Kessel. Jordan Binnington relieved Allen. St. Louis got on the board with a David Perron goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Ryan O'Reilly and Alexander Steen. Pittsburgh replied in the third period with a Jake Guentzel goal, his sixteenth of season, with helpers from Brian Dumoulin and Crosby. The Penguins capped it at 6-1 with an Evgeni Malkin power play goal, his twelfth of the year, set up by Kessel and Letang, both of whom earned sock tricks. The three stars were Crosby, Letang, and Kessel, while Hornqvist gets an honorable mention.

Backtracking to Nashville, we have the Predators bringing in the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Pekka Rinne tend the twines. New York led off in the first period with a Chris Kreider power play goal, his twentieth of the season, powered by Mika Zibanejad and Kevin Hayes. Nashville tied it on a Nick Bonino power play goal, his seventh of the year, with assists provided by Mattias Ekholm and Kevin Fiala. The Rangers took the lead back on a second period Jesper Fast goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Zibanejad and Kreider. The Predators retied it on an unassisted Fiala goal, his seventh of the year. Nashville gained the lead on a Bonino power play goal, his second of the game and eighth of the season, assisted by Craig Smith and Fiala. New York tied it again in the third period with a Marc Staal goal, his third of the year, guided in by Fast and Zibanejad, the latter earning a sock trick. The Rangers pulled ahead with Fast's second goal of the game and fifth of the campaign, made possible by Zibanejad and Kreider. They held on to win 4-3, with the three stars awarded to Zibanejad, Fast, and Kreider, while Fiala and Bonino take the honorable mentions.

On to Denver, as the Colorado Avalanche host the Chicago Blackhawks. Collin Delia and Semyon Varlamov are set to start in goal. Chicago began in the first period with an Alex DeBrincat power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by Patrick Kane and Dylan Strome. The Blackhawks added on with a Kane goal, his twenty-first of the year, via Artem Anisimov and Strome. Colorado got on the board with a Mikko Rantanen power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, with assists provided by Tyson Barrie and Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche tied it on a Nathan MacKinnon goal in the second period, his twenty-third of the year, passed from Patrik Nemeth and Sven Andrighetto. Chicago won 3-2 in overtime on a Kane power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the campaign, assisted by Jonathan Toews and Erik Gustafsson. The three stars went to Kane, Strome, and Delia (30 for 32 in saves).

Returning to Alberta, the Calgary Flames welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and David Rittich are the underrated goalies. Vancouver started in the first period with a Brock Boeser power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Alexander Edler and Sven Baertschi. Calgary tied it on a shorthanded Mark Jankowski goal, his sixth of the year, set up by Noah Hanifin. The Flames took the lead on a Travis Hamonic shorthanded goal in the second period, his third of the season, with a lone assist by Jankowski. The Canucks tied it again with an Elias Pettersson goal, his nineteenth of the year, guided in by Christopher Tanev. Vancouver won 3-2 in overtime on an Edler goal, his fourth of the campaign, helped along by Boeser. The three stars went to Edler, Boeser, and Jankowski.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Adin Hill and John Gibson are the netminders. Anaheim opened in the first period with an Ondrej Kase goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Nick Ritchie and Brandon Montour. The Ducks added on with a Daniel Sprong power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Jakob Silfverberg and Adam Henrique. Arizona got on the board with an Oliver Ekman-Larsson power play goal, his fifth of the season, with helpers from Alex Galchenyuk and Clayton Keller. Anaheim responded in the second period with a Henrique goal, his eighth of the year, with a lone assist by Ritchie. The Coyotes replied with a Christian Fischer goal, his ninth of the season, courtesy of Ilya Lyubushkin and Conor Garland. The Ducks countered with Kase's second goal of the game and eleventh of the year, via Ritchie, who got a sock trick, and Hampus Lindholm. Arizona pulled back on a Nick Cousins goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Lawson Crouse. The Coyotes tied it on a Jakob Chychrun goal, his third of the year, fueled by Nick Schmaltz and Galchenyuk. Arizona took the win 5-4 in overtime when Schmaltz scored his seventh of the campaign, thanks to Keller and Ekman-Larsson. The three stars went to Schmaltz, Ekman-Larsson, and Kase, while Ritchie, Keller, Galchenyuk, and Henrique get the honorable mentions.

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Friday, December 28, 2018

NHL 2018/19 - Day 83

Just three games today, beginning with...

The New York Islanders hosting the Ottawa Senators. Mike McKenna and Thomas Greiss make the starts in goal. Ottawa led off in the first period with an unassisted Mark Stone goal, his seventeenth of the season. The Senators added on with a Matt Duchene power play goal in the second period, his fifteenth of the year, powered by Bobby Ryan and Thomas Chabot. New York got on the board with a Josh Bailey goal, his eighth of the season, guided in by Mathew Barzal. Ottawa replied with a Cody Ceci goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Chris Tierney and Mikkel Boedker. Robin Lehner replaced Greiss in goal. The Islanders pulled back on an Anders Lee goal, his fourteenth of the season, going in unassisted. New York tied it in the third period with a Johnny Boychuk goal, his second of the year, made possible by Casey Cizikas and Matt Martin. The Islanders pulled ahead on a Barzal goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Leo Komarov and Anthony Beauvillier. New York extended the lead as Barzal scored his second of the game and seventh of the year, fueled by Bailey. The Islanders finished it at 6-3 with a Cizikas empty net goal, his tenth of the campaign, set up by Tom Kuhnhackl. The three stars went to Barzal, Baily, and Cizikas.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Antti Niemi and Roberto Luongo are the veterans in goal. Montreal began in the first period with a Tomas Tatar goal, his thirteenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Canadiens added on with a Nicolas Deslauriers goal, his second of the year, via Victor Mete and Shea Weber. Florida got on the board with a Henrik Borgstrom goal, his second of the season, coming off of Mike Hoffman. The Panthers tied it on a Denis Malgin goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Troy Brouwer. Montreal reclaimed the lead in the third period on a Tatar power play goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, powered by Jonathan Drouin and Max Domi. The Canadiens extended the lead as Artturi Lehkonen scored his seventh of the year, with the help of Andrew Shaw and Brett Kulak. Florida got one back on a Keith Yandle power play goal, his sixth of the season, with assists provided by Hoffman and Aleksander Barkov. Montreal iced it at 5-3 with a Drouin empty net goal, his twelfth of the year, set up by Jeff Petry. The three stars belonged to Tatar, Drouin, and Hoffman.

Finally, the Columbus Blue Jackets bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Garret Sparks is mismatched with Sergei Bobrovsky in goal. Toronto struck first in the first period with a John Tavares power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, powered by Nazem Kadri and Mitchell Marner. Columbus tied it on a Nick Foligno goal, his tenth of the year, helped along by Alexander Wennberg and Seth Jones. The Maple Leafs retook the lead in the second period with another Tavares goal, his second of the game and twenty-sixth of the season, via Marner. Toronto added on with a Marner goal in the second period, his thirteenth of the year, passed from Auston Matthews and Jake Gardiner. The Maple Leafs extended the lead in the third period as Frederik Gauthier scored his second of the season, thanks to Par Lindholm and Trevor Moore. The Blue Jackets got one back with an Artemi Panarin goal, his twelfth of the year, courtesy of Zach Werenski. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars going to Tavares, Marner, and Sparks (27 for 29 in saves).

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Thursday, December 27, 2018

NHL 2018/19 - Day 82

After the holiday break, we return with thirteen games today. First up...

The Boston Bruins host the New Jersey Devils. MacKenzie Blackwood and Jaroslav Halak get the starts in goal. New Jersey started in the first period with a Damon Severson goal, his fifth of the season, via Andy Greene and Travis Zajac. The Devils added on with a Kyle Palmieri power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, powered by Will Butcher and Brian Boyle. Boston got on the board in the second period with a Chris Wagner goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of John Moore and Danton Heinen. The Devils replied in the third period with an unassisted Blake Coleman goal, his tenth of the year. New Jersey extended the lead as Nico Hischier scored his tenth of the season, thanks to Miles Wood and Stefan Noesen. The Bruins got one back with a Patrice Bergeron goal, his twelfth of the year, with a lone assist by Jake DeBrusk. New Jersey capped it at 5-2 with a Coleman power play empty net goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the campaign, set up by Hischier and Greene. The three stars were Coleman, Hischier, and Greene.

In Manhattan, the New York Rangers welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo is mismatched with Henrik Lundqvist in goal. Columbus opened in the first period with an Oliver Bjorkstrand goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Boone Jenner and Cam Atkinson. New York tied it with a Jimmy Vesey goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Kevin Hayes and Vladislav Namestnikov. The Blue Jackets retied it on a David Savard goal, his second of the season, passed from Bjorkstrand and Scott Harrington. The Rangers tied it again in the second period with a Chris Kreider power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes. New York retook the lead with a Kreider goal in the third period, his second of the game and nineteenth of the season, assisted by Brady Skjei and the goalie Lundqvist. Columbus retied it on a Zach Werenski goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Jenner. The Blue Jackets won 4-3 in overtime on a Pierre-Luc Dubois goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, made possible by Artemi Panarin and Seth Jones. The three stars were Kreider, Bjorkstrand, and Jenner, while Hayes gets an honorable mention.

Westward to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Matt Murray are the masked men. Detroit led off in the first period with a Dylan Larkin goal, his sixteenth of the season, via Gustav Nyquist and Justin Abdelkader. Pittsburgh tied it on a Phil Kessel power play goal in the second period, his fifteenth of the year, powered by Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang. The Penguins took the lead with a Derick Brassard goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Kessel and Tanner Pearson. Pittsburgh added on with a Kessel power play goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the year, with assists provided by Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. The Red Wings got one back in the third period on an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Michael Rasmussen and Luke Glendening. The Penguins replied with a Patric Hornqvist goal, his thirteenth of the year, passed from Jack Johnson and Marcus Pettersson. Pittsburgh iced it at 5-2 with a Brassard empty net goal, his second of the game and sixth of the campaign, set up by Malkin. The three stars were Kessel, Brassard, and Crosby, while Malkin gets an honorable mention.

In DC, the Washington Capitals host the Carolina Hurricanes. Petr Mrazek and Braden Holtby are in the creases. Washington got going in the second period with a Chandler Stephenson goal, his fourth of the season, going in unassisted. The Capitals added on with a T.J. Oshie power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin. Carolina got on the board in the third period with a Sebastian Aho goal, his fifteenth of the season, with a lone assist by Micheal Ferland. Washington iced it at 3-1 with a Carlson empty net goal, his sixth of the year, set up by Nicklas Backstrom. The three stars belonged to Holtby (28 for 29 in saves), Carlson, and Oshie.

Way to the south, the Tampa Bay Lightning welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Michal Neuvirth and Andrei Vasilevskiy are in the blue paint. Philadelphia began in the first period with a Michael Raffl goal, his second of the season, coming off of Scott Laughton and Travis Sanheim. Tampa Bay tied it on a Nikita Kucherov goal, his seventeenth of the year, via Tyler Johnson and Brayden Point. The Lightning took the lead on a Point power play goal, his twenty-second of the season, powered by Yanni Gourde and Steven Stamkos. The Flyers retied it on a Claude Giroux goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Andrew MacDonald and Radko Gudas. Tampa Bay retook the lead with a Stamkos goal, his twenty-first of the season, with a lone assist by Kucherov. The Lightning added on with a Stamkos power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the year, with assists provided by Kucherov and Victor Hedman. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Johnson scored his seventeenth of the season, thanks to Kucherov, who got a sock trick, and Stamkos. Philadelphia got one back in the third period on a Dale Weise goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by James van Riemsdyk. The Flyers pulled closer with a Robert Hagg goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Giroux and van Riemsdyk. Philadelphia tied it as Ivan Provorov scored his fourth of the year, with the help of Jakub Voracek and Sean Couturier. The Lightning won 6-5 in overtime with an Alex Killorn goal, his tenth of the campaign, with a lone helper from Anthony Cirelli. The three stars were awarded to Stamkos, Kucherov, and Johnson, while Giroux, van Riemsdyk, and Point get the honorable mentions.

Northwest to St. Louis, as the Blues bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Carter Hutton and Jake Allen are the masked men. St. Louis dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Robert Thomas goal, his third of the season, assisted by Vince Dunn and Tyler Bozak. The Blues added on with a Jay Bouwmeester goal, courtesy of David Perron and Alexander Steen. St. Louis extended the lead as Pat Maroon scored his third of the year, with the help of Thomas and Robert Bortuzzo. Buffalo got on the board with a Jack Eichel power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Rasmus Ristolainen and Sam Reinhart. The Blues replied in the third period with a Ryan O'Reilly goal, his fourteenth of the year, passed from Steen and Perron. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Allen (30 for 31 in saves), Thomas, and Perron, while Steen gets an honorable mention.

Backtracking to Nashville, where the Predators host the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Pekka Rinne draw the starts in goal. Dallas struck first in the first period with a Tyler Pitlick goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Radek Faksa and Esa Lindell. The Stars added on in the second period with a Mattias Janmark goal, his third of the year, going in unassisted. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the three stars handed to Khudobin (49 save shutout), Pitlick, and Janmark.

Up in Winnipeg, the Jets welcome the Calgary Flames. David Rittich and Connor Hellebuyck are between the pipes. Calgary cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his seventeenth of the season, with a lone assist by Sean Monahan. Winnipeg tied it on an Adam Lowry goal, his sixth of the year, going in unassisted. The Flames took the lead with another Gaudreau goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the season, assisted by Elias Lindholm and Monahan. Calgary added on in the third period with a shorthanded Mark Jankowski goal, his fifth of the year, set up by Lindholm and Travis Hamonic. The Flames capped it at 4-1 with a Gaudreau empty net goal, his nineteenth of the campaign, with helpers from Monahan, who got a sock trick, and Mark Giordano. The three stars were Gaudreau, Rittich (35 for 36 in saves), and Monahan, while Lindholm got an honorable mention. 

Back stateside, the Chicago Blackhawks bring in the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Collin Delia make the starts in goal. Chicago kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Patrick Kane goal, his eighteenth of the season, courtesy of Erik Gustafsson and Dylan Strome. Minnesota tied it on a Zach Parise goal, his sixteenth of the year, guided in by Eric Staal. The Blackhawks retook the lead in the second period with a Brandon Saad goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Jonathan Toews and Dominik Kahun. Chicago added on with a Kane power play goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, powered by Gustafsson and Toews. The Blackhawks extended the lead in the third period as Saad scored his second of the game and eleventh of the season on the power play, thanks to Alex DeBrincat. The Wild got one back with a Staal goal, his thirteenth of the year, coming off of Ryan Suter and Mikael Granlund. Chicago iced it at 5-2 with a Kane empty net goal, his twentieth of the campaign, set up by Strome to complete the hat trick. The three stars went to Kane, Saad, and Gustaffson, while Toews and Staal get the honorable mentions.

In Canada again, the Edmonton Oilers host the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Cam Talbot are the average goalies. Vancouver drew first blood in the first period with a Tyler Motte goal, his sixth of the season, with a lone assist by Antoine Roussel. The Canucks added on with a Brock Boeser goal, his thirteenth of the year, via Elias Pettersson and Nikolay Goldobin. Edmonton got on the board with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Vancouver shot back on a Pettersson goal, his eighteenth of the year, guided in by Goldobin and Derrick Pouliot. The Canucks extended the lead as Roussel scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Jay Beagle and Bo Horvat. The Oilers got one back in the second period on a Draisaitl power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, with assists provided by McDavid and Darnell Nurse. This only made it 4-2, the eventual final, with the three stars given to Pettersson, Roussel, and Draisaitl, while McDavid and Goldobin get the honorable mentions.

South to Nevada, where the Vegas Golden Knights welcome the Colorado Avalanche. Philipp Grubauer is mismatched with Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. Colorado was first to score in the first period with a J.T. Compher power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon. Vegas tied it on a Paul Stastny goal, his third of the year, fueled by Alex Tuch and Nate Schmidt. The Golden Knights took the lead in the third period on a Brandon Pirri goal, his fourth of the campaign, passed from Stastny. This gave them a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Fleury (31 for 32 in saves), Stastny, and Grubauer (41 for 43 in saves).

Out in California, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Darcy Kuemper and Jonathan Quick man the creases. Arizona started in the first period with a Jakob Chychrun power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Alex Galchenyuk and Conor Garland. Los Angeles tied it on a Jake Muzzin goal, his fourth of the year, assisted by Brendan Leipsic and Kyle Clifford. The Kings took the lead on a Dustin Brown goal, his tenth of the campaign, helped along by Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty in the third period. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Quick (26 for 27 in saves), Brown, and Muzzin.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Martin Jones tend the twines. Anaheim opened in the first period with a Jakob Silfverberg power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Nick Ritchie and Josh Mahura. San Jose tied it on a Melker Karlsson goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Joonas Donskoi and Barclay Goodrow. Chad Johnson replaced Gibson in goal to start the second period. The Sharks took the lead with a Marcus Sorensen goal in the second period, his seventh of the season, helped along by Joe Pavelski and Joakim Ryan. The Ducks retied it in the third period with a Kiefer Sherwood goal, his fifth of the year, fueled by Josh Manson and Carter Rowney. San Jose reclaimed the lead on a Brent Burns goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Brenden Dillon and Goodrow. The Sharks capped it at 4-2 with a Tomas Hertl empty net goal, his thirteenth of the year, set up by Goodrow and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The three stars were Goodrow, Burns, and Sorensen.

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Sunday, December 23, 2018

NHL 2018/19 - Day 81

The last day before the holiday break sees eight games, beginning early with...

The New Jersey Devils hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Keith Kinkaid are set to start in goal. Columbus led off in the first period with a Cam Atkinson goal, his twenty-third of the season, assisted by Artemi Panarin and Ryan Murray. The Blue Jackets added on with an Oliver Bjorkstrand goal, his fourth of the year, via Alexander Wennberg and Zach Werenski. Columbus extended the lead in the second period as Panarin scored his eleventh of the season, an unassisted goal. This stood for a 3-0 win, with the three stars given to Bobrovsky (39 save shutout), Panarin, and Atkinson.

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Petr Mrazek are the goalies. Boston began with a Ryan Donato power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Torey Krug and Brad Marchand. The Bruins added on with a Steven Kampfer goal, his second of the year, via Sean Kuraly and Marchand. Carolina got on the board with a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his seventh of the season, guided in by Jaccob Slavin and Sebastian Aho. The Hurricanes tied it in the second period on a shorthanded Aho goal, his thirteenth of the year, set up by Teravainen. Carolina took the lead with another Aho goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, coming off of Teravainen. The Hurricanes extended the lead as Justin Faulk scored his second of the year, thanks to Micheal Ferland and Justin Williams. Boston got one back with another Donato goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, courtesy of Colby Cave and David Backes. Carolina replied in the third period with a shorthanded Teravainen goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, with a lone helper by Aho. This made it 5-3, the final, with the three stars awarded to Aho, Teravainen, and Donato, while Marchand gets an honorable mention.

Westward to Chicago, as the Blackhawks host the Florida Panthers. James Reimer and Cam Ward are the veterans in goal. Chicago started in the first period with a Connor Murphy goal, assisted by Dylan Strome and Brendan Perlini. Florida tied it on a Jayce Hawryluk goal, made possible by Mark Pysyk and Bogdan Kiselevich. The Panthers took the lead with another Hawryluk goal in the second period, via Mike Matheson. The Blackhawks retied it in the second period with an Alex DeBrincat power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, powered by Strome and Jonathan Toews. Florida retook the lead on a Mike Hoffman power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, with assists provided by MacKenzie Weegar and Frank Vatrano. The Panthers added on with a Jared McCann goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Weegar. Florida extended the lead as Denis Malgin scored his third of the year in the third period, thanks to McCann. Chicago replied with a Strome goal, his ninth of the season, helped along by Patrick Kane and Murphy. The Panthers iced it at 6-3 with a Vatrano empty net goal, his tenth of the year, set up by Aleksander Barkov. The three stars were Hawryluk, McCann, and Strome, while Murphy, Weegar, and Vatrano take the honorable mentions.

Back east, the New York Rangers bring in the Philadelphia Flyers. Michal Neuvirth is mismatched with Henrik Lundqvist in goal. New York opened in the first period with a Chris Kreider goal, his seventeenth of the season, coming off of Kevin Hayes and Marc Staal. Philadelphia tied it on a Michael Raffl goal in the second period, helped along by Travis Sanheim. The Flyers took the lead with a Wayne Simmonds power play goal in the third period, his eleventh of the year, powered by Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek. The Rangers tied it on a Boo Nieves goal, with a lone assist provided by Lias Andersson. Philadelphia won 3-2 with a lone shootout tally by Nolan Patrick. The three stars were Neuvirth (32 for 34 in saves), Simmonds, and Raffl.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs host the Detroit Red Wings. Jonathan Bernier and Garret Sparks are the backups in goal. Toronto struck first in the first period with a Kasperi Kapanen goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Auston Matthews and Morgan Rielly. Detroit tied it on a Filip Hronek goal, his second of the year, going in unassisted. The Red Wings pulled ahead on a Michael Rasmussen goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Dylan Larkin. Detroit added on in the second period with a Christoffer Ehn goal, via Wage Megan. The Maple Leafs got one back with a Frederik Gauthier goal, helped along by Par Lindholm and Trevor Moore. Toronto tied it on a Rielly goal, his thirteenth of the year, assisted by John Tavares and Andreas Johnsson. The Red Wings regained the lead in the third period with a Frans Nielsen goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Niklas Kronwall and Tyler Bertuzzi. The Maple Leafs tied it again with a Tavares goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, with a lone helper from Jake Gardiner. Toronto won 5-4 in overtime with a Kapanen goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the campaign, set up by Travis Dermott and Nazem Kadri. The three stars were Kapanen, Tavares, and Rielly.

Back stateside, the Dallas Stars welcome the New York Islanders. Robin Lehner and Anton Khudobin make spot starts in goal. Dallas got going with a Tyler Pitlick goal in the second period, his fourth of the season, made possible by Mattias Janmark and Jason Spezza. New York tied it on an unassisted Casey Cizikas goal, his ninth of the year. The Islanders took the lead in the third period on an Anders Lee power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Nick Leddy and Mathew Barzal. New York iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Leo Komarov, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Lehner (19 for 20 in saves), Lee, and Cizikas.

Out in California, the San Jose Sharks host the Arizona Coyotes. Darcy Kuemper and Aaron Dell occupy the creases. San Jose kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Tim Heed power play goal, powered by Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Joe Thornton. Arizona tied it with an Alex Galchenyuk goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Clayton Keller. The Coyotes took the lead on a Galchenyuk power play goal in the second period, his second of the game and fifth of the year, with assists provided by Keller and Nick Schmaltz. The Sharks tied it in the third period with a Tomas Hertl goal, his eleventh of the season, helped along by Justin Braun and Vlasic. Arizona regained the lead with a Conor Garland goal, his second of the year, passed from Richard Panik and Jakob Chychrun. San Jose retied it with a Hertl goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the campaign, via Evander Kane and Braun. The tie went to a shootout, where Galchenyuk's tally gave the Coyotes the 4-3 win. The three stars were Galchenyuk, Hertl, and Keller, while Braun and Vlasic get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Calvin Petersen and Marc-Andre Fleury receive the starting nods in goal. Vegas drew first blood in the first period with a Tomas Nosek goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Oscar Lindberg and Nick Holden. Los Angeles tied it with a Michael Amadio goal in the second period, his second of the year, guided in by Adrian Kempe and Matt Luff. The Golden Knights retook the lead with a Reilly Smith goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Jonathan Marchessault and Holden. The Kings tied it again with an unassisted Alex Iafallo goal, his ninth of the year. Los Angeles pulled ahead with a Jeff Carter power play goal in the third period, his seventh of the season, powered by Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar. Vegas tied it on a Ryan Reaves power play goal, his seventh of the year, with assists provided by Nate Schmidt and Brandon Pirri. The Kings won 4-3 with a Tyler Toffoli goal, his sixth of the campaign, set up by Oscar Fantenberg in overtime. The three stars belonged to Holden, Toffoli, and Carter.

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