The final game day of the regular season sees fifteen games in a grand finale. We begin with two matinees, the first in...
Boston, as the Bruins host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Edward Pasquale is mismatched with Tuukka Rask in goal. Boston led off in the first period with a David Krejci goal, his twentieth of the season, passed from Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak. The Bruins added on with a Danton Heinen goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Steven Kampfer. Tampa Bay got on the board in the second period with an Erik Cernak power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by J.T. Miller and Yanni Gourde. The Lightning tied it on a shorthanded Steven Stamkos goal, his forty-fifth of the year, going in unassisted. Tampa Bay took the lead with an Anthony Cirelli goal, his nineteenth of the season, coming off of Miller and Braydon Coburn. The Lightning extended the lead in the third period as Nikita Kucherov scored his forty-first of the year, thanks to Ryan McDonagh. Boston got one back with a Matt Grzelcyk goal, his third of the season, guided in by Pastrnak and Krejci. Tampa Bay shot back on a Coburn goal, his fourth of the year, made possible by Cirelli and Dan Girardi. The Lightning iced it at 6-3 with a Tyler Johnson empty net goal, his twenty-ninth of the campaign, set up by Ondrej Palat and Kucherov. The three stars were Cirelli, Coburn, and Miller, while Kucherov, Krejci, and Pastrnak get the honorable mentions.
The other matinee has the St. Louis Blues welcoming the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Jordan Binnington are the rookie goalies. St. Louis began in the first period with a Brayden Schenn goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O'Reilly. Vancouver tied it on a Tanner Pearson power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Alexander Edler and the goalie Demko in the third period. The Blues retook the lead with a Tarasenko power play goal, his thirty-third of the season, with assists provided by Alex Pietrangelo and O'Reilly. The Canucks tied it again on an Elias Pettersson power play goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, guided in by Edler and Brock Boeser. St. Louis won 3-2 in the shootout with tallies from O'Reilly and David Perron. The three stars were O'Reilly, Tarasenko, and Edler.
At the regular time, the Detroit Red Wings bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Linus Ullmark and Jimmy Howard are in the blue paint. Buffalo started in the first period with a Sam Reinhart goal, his twenty-second of the season, via Jack Eichel. The Sabres added on with a Rasmus Dahlin power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Rasmus Ristolainen and Eichel. Detroit got on the board with an Anthony Mantha power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, with assists provided by Andreas Athanasiou and Filip Hronek. Buffalo replied in the second period with a Conor Sheary goal, his fourteenth of the year, fueled by Casey Nelson and Scott Wilson. The Sabres extended the lead as Jeff Skinner scored his thirty-ninth of the season, an unassisted goal. Buffalo padded the lead on a Zemgus Girgensons goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Jason Pominville. Kaden Fulcher replaced Howard in goal. The Sabres continued in the third period with another Skinner goal, his second of the game and fortieth of the season, passed from Dahlin. Buffalo capped it at 7-1 with a Brandon Montour power play goal, his eighth of the year, with helpers from Ristolainen and Kyle Okposo. The three stars were handed to Skinner, Dahlin, and Eichel, while Ristolainen gets an honorable mention.
In Canada, the Montreal Canadiens host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen faces a lesser foe in Charlie Lindgren in goal. Toronto opened in the first period with an unassisted Zach Hyman goal, his twenty-first of the season. The Maple Leafs added on with a Jake Gardiner goal, his third of the year, via Mitchell Marner and Hyman. Montreal got on the board with a Ryan Poehling goal, assisted by Jordan Weal and Nicolas Deslauriers. The Canadiens tied it in the second period with a Poehling goal, coming off of Jeff Petry and Deslauriers. Montreal pulled ahead on a Weal power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Joel Armia and Jonathan Drouin. The Maple Leafs countered with a Trevor Moore goal, his second of the year, fueled by Frederik Gauthier. The Canadiens regained the lead on an Andrew Shaw goal, his nineteenth of the season, helped along by Max Domi and Artturi Lehkonen. The Maple Leafs evened it again on a William Nylander goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Nazem Kadri. Toronto edged ahead with a Kasperi Kapanen goal, his twentieth of the season, courtesy of Auston Matthews and Andreas Johnsson. Montreal retied it with Poehling completing his hat trick, with helpers from Lehkonen and Shaw. The tie went to a shootout, where Drouin and Poehling lifted the Canadiens 6-5 over Matthews and the Maple Leafs. The three stars belonged to Poehling, Shaw, and Weal, while Lehkonen, Deslauriers, Drouin, Hyman, and Matthews get the honorable mentions.
In Ontario, the Ottawa Senators welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Craig Anderson are in the blue paint. Columbus struck first in the first period with a Pierre-Luc Dubois goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, assisted by Artemi Panarin and David Savard. The Blue Jackets added on with a Markus Nutivaara goal, his fifth of the year, via Oliver Bjorkstrand and Nick Foligno. Columbus extended the lead as Dubois scored again, his second of the game and twenty-seventh of the season, going in unassisted. Anders Nilsson relieved Anderson. Ottawa got on the board in the second period with a Thomas Chabot goal, his fourteenth of the year, guided in by Brian Gibbons. The Blue Jackets replied on an Alexandre Texier goal, coming off of Bjorkstrand. The Senators shot back in the third period with a Mikkel Boedker goal, his seventh of the season, fueled by Chris Tierney and Bobby Ryan. Columbus answered on an unassisted Bjorkstrand goal, his twenty-third of the year. The Blue Jackets iced it at 6-2 with a Riley Nash empty net goal, his third of the campaign, set up by Panarin and Savard. The three stars were Duboi, Bjorkstand, and Panarin, while Savard gets an honorable mention.
Back stateside, the Philadelphia Flyers bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Curtis McElhinney and Carter Hart draw the starts in goal. Carolina kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Warren Foegele goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Lucas Wallmark and Brock McGinn. The Hurricanes added on wit ha Justin Faulk goal, his eleventh of the year, via Jordan Martinook and McGinn. Philadelphia got on the board with an Oskar Lindblom goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Travis Sanheim and Claude Giroux. Carolina answered with a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his twenty-first of the year, passed from Jordan Staal and Nino Niederreiter. The Flyers got one back in the second period with a Travis Konecny goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, helped along by Scott Laughton. Philadelphia tied it on a Sean Couturier power play goal, his thirty-third of the year, powered by Jakub Voracek and Giroux. The Hurricanes regained the lead on a Staal goal, his eleventh of the campaign, with helpers from Dougie Hamilton and Teravainen. This held for the eventual 4-3 final score, with the three stars being Staal, Teravainen, and McGinn, while Giroux gets an honorable mention.
Across Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Penguins host the New York Rangers. Alexandar Georgiev and Matt Murray are the goalies. Pittsburgh drew first blood in the first period with a Sidney Crosby goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, assisted by Jake Guentzel and Jared McCann. New York tied it on a Brendan Smith goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The Penguins retook the lead in the third period with a Nick Bjugstad goal, his fourteenth of the season, passed from Patric Hornqvist and Marcus Pettersson. The Rangers tied it on a Brady Skjei goal, his eighth of the year, coming off of Kevin Shattenkirk. New York pulled ahead with a Vladislav Namestnikov shorthanded goal, his eleventh of the season, set up by Neal Pionk. Pittsburgh tied it again on a Guentzel goal, his fortieth of the year, guided in by Crosby and Justin Schultz. The Rangers won 4-3 in overtime on a Ryan Strome goal, his nineteenth of the campaign, via Namestnikov. The three stars were Namestnikov, Crosby, and Guentzel.
Down in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the New York Islanders. Robin Lehner and Pheonix Copley man the creases. New York got going in the second period with a Valtteri Filppula goal, his sixteenth of the season, via Devon Toews and Anthony Beauvillier. The Islanders added on in the third period with a Filppula goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, fueled by Adam Pelech and Leo Komarov. New York iced it at 3-0 with a Matt Martin empty net goal, his sixth of the campaign, set up by Casey Cizikas and Cal Clutterbuck. The three stars were Filppula, Lehner (29 save shutout), and Martin.
Further to the south, the Florida Panthers bring in the New Jersey Devils. MacKenzie Blackwood and Roberto Luongo are the goalies with a large age gap. New Jersey was first to score in the first period with a Nathan Bastian goal, his second of the season, assisted by Nico Hischier and Will Butcher. The Devils added on with another Bastian goal in the second period, his second of the game and third of the year, via Egor Yakovlev and Blake Coleman. Florida got on the board with an Aleksander Barkov goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, made possible by Jonathan Huberdeau. New Jersey answered with a Pavel Zacha goal, his thirteenth of the year, coming off of Joey Anderson and Kevin Rooney. The Panthers got one back in the third period with a Huberdeau goal, his thirtieth of the season, guided in by Evgenii Dadonov and Keith Yandle. Florida tied it on a Mike Hoffman goal, his thirty-sixth of the year, fueled by Barkov and Vincent Trocheck. The Devils won 4-3 in overtime with a Travis Zajac power play goal, his nineteenth of the campaign, powered by Damon Severson, powered by Zacha. The three stars went to Bastian, Zacha, and Huberdeau, while Barkov takes an honorable mention.
Westward to Dallas, as the Stars host the Minnesota Wild. Alex Stalock and Ben Bishop have the green light to play in goal. Dallas dented the scoreboard in the third period on a Tyler Seguin power play goal, his thirty-second of the season, powered by Alexander Radulov and John Klingberg. The Stars added on with another Seguin goal, his second of the game and thirty-third of the year, via Jamie Oleksiak and Jamie Benn. Dallas extended the lead as Tyler Pitlick scored his eighth of the campaign, thanks to Roope Hintz and Jason Dickinson. This made it 3-0, the final, with the three stars given to Seguin, Bishop (24 save shutout), and Pitlick.
Backtracking to Nashville, where the Predators welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Cam Ward and Pekka Rinne are the veteran goalies. Chicago cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Brendan Perlini goal, his fourteenth of the season, helped along by Dylan Strome and Alex DeBrincat. The Blackhawks added on with a Drake Caggiula goal, his twelfth of the year, via Patrick Kane. Nashville got on the board in the second period with a Dante Fabbro goal, coming off of Filip Forsberg and Dan Hamhuis. The Predators tied it on a Forsberg goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, assisted by Mikael Granlund and Wayne Simmonds. Nashville took the lead in the third period on a Viktor Arvidsson power play goal, his thirty-fourth of the year, powered by Craig Smith and P.K. Subban. The Predators extended the lead on an empty net goal by Colton Sissons, his fifteenth of the season, set up by Nick Bonino and Ryan Ellis. Nashville padded the lead as Bonino scored his seventeenth of the year, thanks to Austin Watson. The three stars of the 5-2 game were Forsberg, Bonino, and Arvidsson.
Far northwest to Calgary, where the Flames bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith guard the cages. Edmonton opened in the first period with a Leon Draisaitl goal, his fiftieth of the season, courtesy of Andrej Sekera and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Calgary tied it with a Mark Jankowski goal, his fourteenth of the year, via Travis Hamonic and Johnny Gaudreau. The Oilers took the lead back in the second period with an Alex Chiasson power play goal, his twenty-second of the season, powered by Oscar Klefbom and Nugent-Hopkins. Edmonton added on in the third period with a Darnell Nurse goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Chiasson. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars awarded to Chiasson, Nugent-Hopkins, and Koskinen (30 for 31 in saves).
Way down south, the Arizona Coyotes host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck faces a lesser foe in Calvin Pickard in goal. Arizona started in the first period with an unassisted Alex Galchenyuk power play goal, his nineteenth of the season. Winnipeg tied it on a Mark Scheifele goal, his thirty-eighth of the year, via Kyle Connor. The Jets took the lead with a Jacob Trouba goal, his eighth of the season, guided in by Par Lindholm and Adam Lowry in the second period. Winnipeg added on with a Connor goal, his thirty-fourth of the year, fueled by Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. The Jets extended the lead as Nikolaj Ehlers scored his twenty-first of the season on the power play, thanks to Tyler Myers. The Coyotes got one back on a Brad Richardson goal, his nineteenth of the year, helped along by Vinnie Hinostroza and Michael Grabner. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars being Connor, Scheifele, and Ehlers.
Out in California, the Los Angeles Kings welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonathan Quick protect the nets. Los Angeles led off in the first period with an Ilya Kovalchuk goal, his fifteenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Kings added on with a Jeff Carter goal, his thirteenth of the year, guided in by Kyle Clifford. Los Angeles extended the lead as Matt Roy scored his second of the season, thanks to Dustin Brown and Alex Iafallo. Vegas got on the board with a Brandon Pirri goal, his twelfth of the year, via Cody Eakin and Deryk Engelland. The Golden Knights got closer with a Valentin Zykov goal, his second of the season, passed from Jimmy Schuldt and Jonathan Marchessault. The Kings replied in the third period with an Anze Kopitar power play goal, his twenty-second of the year, powered by Brown and Carl Grundstrom. Los Angeles iced it at 5-2 with a Kovalchuk empty net goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the campaign, set up by Kopitar. The three stars were Kovalchuk, Kopitar, and Brown.
Finally, the NHL regular season ends with the San Jose Sharks bringing in the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Martin Jones are the masked men. Colorado began in the first period with a Tyson Jost goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Samuel Girard and Erik Johnson. San Jose tied it on a Brent Burns goal, his sixteenth of the year, via Tomas Hertl. The Sharks added on with an Evander Kane goal, his thirtieth of the season, fueled by Gustav Nyquist and Brenden Dillon. The Avalanche retied it with a Nathan MacKinnon goal in the second period, his forty-first of the year, guided in by Gabriel Landeskog and Girard. San Jose reclaimed the lead on a Kevin Labanc goal, his seventeenth of the season, helped along by Joe Thornton and Marcus Sorensen. The Sharks extended the lead as Nyquist scored his twenty-second of the year in the third period, with the help of Kane and Hertl. San Jose iced it at 5-2 with a Micheal Haley empty net goal, his second of the campaign, set up by Burns. The three stars belonged to Kane, Nyquist, and Burns, while Hertl and Girard get the honorable mentions.
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