Saturday, April 13, 2019

2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Round 1 Day 4

Another four-game day goes today, beginning with...

The Washington Capitals hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Petr Mrazek and Braden Holtby are in goal. Washington led off in the first period with a Nicklas Backstrom goal, his third of the postseason, via Alex Ovechkin and Dmitry Orlov. The Capitals added on with a T.J. Oshie goal, coming off of Evgeny Kuznetsov and Matt Niskanen. Carolina got on the board with a Lucas Wallmark goal, passed from Jaccob Slavin and Warren Foegele. The Hurricanes tied it in the second period with a Sebastian Aho goal, assisted by Justin Williams and Slavin. Washington retook the lead in the third period on a Tom Wilson goal, helped along by Ovechkin and Backstrom. Carolina tied it again with a Jordan Staal power play goal, powered by Dougie Hamilton and Andrei Svechnikov. The Capitals won 4-3 in overtime with a Brooks Orpik goal, courtesy of Kuznetsov and Oshie. The three stars were Backstrom, Oshie, and Kuznetsov, while Ovechkin and Slavin get the honorable mentions. Washington will travel with a 2-0 series lead.

Southwest to Nashville, as the Predators welcome the Dallas Stars. Ben Bishop and Pekka Rinne are the masked men. Dallas got going in the second period with a Jamie Benn goal, with a lone assist by Tyler Seguin. Nashville tied it on a Rocco Grimaldi goal, via Austin Watson and Calle Jarnkrok. The Predators won 2-1 in overtime with a Craig Smith goal, passed from Mattias Ekholm and Jarnkrok. The three stars were Jarnkrok, Rinne (22 for 23 in saves), and Bishop (40 for 42 in saves). The series heads to Dallas tied at 1.

Back to the northeast, the Boston Bruins bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Tuukka Rask guard the cages. Boston began in the first period with a Charlie Coyle goal, via David Backes. The Bruins added on with a Brad Marchand goal, assisted by David Pastrnak and Torey Krug. Boston extended the lead in the second period as Danton Heinen scored an unassisted goal. Toronto got on the board in the third period with a Nazem Kadri goal, coming off of Travis Dermott and William Nylander. The Bruins replied with a Patrice Bergeron power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Marchand and Matt Grzelcyk. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars being Rask (30 for 31 in saves), Marchand, and Heinen. The series crosses into Canada tied at 1.

Finally, the Calgary Flames host the Colorado Avalanche. Philipp Grubauer and Mike Smith are the goalies. Colorado dented the scoreboard in the second period with a shorthanded and unassisted Matt Nieto goal. Calgary tied it on a Rasmus Andersson power play goal, powered by Sam Bennett and Mikael Backlund. The Flames took the lead in the third period with a Sean Monahan goal, guided in by Bennett and Johnny Gaudreau. The Avalanche retied it with a J.T. Compher goal, fueled by Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. Colorado won 3-2 in overtime with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, via Rantanen and Ian Cole. The three stars were MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Bennett.

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Friday, April 12, 2019

2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Round 1 Day 3

We've got four Game 2s today, beginning with...

The Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy tend the twines. Columbus opened with a Cam Atkinson goal, courtesy of Matt Duchene. The Blue Jackets added on with a Zach Werenski power play goal, powered by Duchene. Columbus extended the lead in the second period as Duchene scored on the power play, with the help of Artemi Panarin and Werenski. Tampa Bay got on the board in the third period with a Mikhail Sergachev goal, helped along by J.T. Miller and Erik Cernak. The Blue Jackets shot back on a Riley Nash goal, via Boone Jenner. Columbus padded the lead on a Panarin goal, made possible by Duchene, who earned a sock trick, and Oliver Bjorkstrand. The final was 5-1, with the three stars going to Duchene, Panarin, and Werenski. The Blue Jackets unexpectedly head home with a 2-0 series lead.

Up in New York, the Islanders welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Matt Murray and Robin Lehner are in the creases. Pittsburgh got going in the second period with an Erik Gudbranson goal, assisted by Evgeni Malkin. New York tied it with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, coming off of Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle. The Islanders took the lead in the third period on an Eberle goal, his second of the postseason, guided in by Barzal and Johnny Boychuk. New York added on with a Josh Bailey power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Anders Lee and Devon Toews. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars awarded to Lehner (32 for 33 in saves), Eberle, and Barzal. The Islanders will pack a 2-0 series lead as they head to Pittsburgh.

Northwest to Winnipeg, where the Jets bring in the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Connor Hellebuyck are between the pipes. St. Louis started in the first period with an Oskar Sundqvist goal, assisted by Jay Bouwmeester and Jaden Schwartz. Winnipeg tied it on a Blake Wheeler goal, via Mark Scheifele and Andrew Copp. The Jets retook the lead with a Patrik Laine power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Wheeler and Byfuglien in the second period. The Blues retied it on a Pat Maroon goal, helped along by Robert Thomas and Alex Pietrangelo. St. Louis pulled ahead with a Sundqvist goal, his second of the game, fueled by David Perron and Joel Edmundson. Winnipeg tied it again with a Scheifele power play goal, with assists provided by Kyle Connor and Byfuglien. The Blues gained the lead again with a Ryan O'Reilly goal, courtesy of Bouwmeester and Colton Parayko. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars belonging to Sundqvist, Bouwmeester, and O'Reilly, while Wheeler, Scheifele, and Byfuglien get the honorable mentions. The Blues head home with a 2-0 series lead.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Martin Jones are the masked men. Vegas struck first in the first period with a Cody Eakin goal, helped along by Max Pacioretty. The Golden Knights added on with a shorthanded and unassisted Colin Miller goal. Vegas extended the lead as Pacioretty scored, thanks to Paul Stastny. San Jose got on the board with a Logan Couture goal, assisted by Joe Pavelski and Erik Karlsson. The Sharks got closer with a Tomas Hertl power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Karlsson and Couture. San Jose tied it as Joe Thornton scored, with the help of Brenden Dillon and Evander Kane. The Golden Knights regained the lead with a Mark Stone power play goal in the second period, his third of the playoffs, with assists provided by Stastny and Alex Tuch. Vegas padded the lead on a William Karlsson shorthanded goal in the third period, set up by Reilly Smith and Nate Schmidt. This held up for a 5-3 win, with the three stars given to Pacioretty, Stastny, and Couture, while Erik Karlsson gets an honorable mention. The series shifts to Nevada tied at 1.

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Thursday, April 11, 2019

2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Round 1 Day 2

The three series that didn't begin Wednesday start now, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Tuukka Rask are the masked men. Boston led off in the first period with a Patrice Bergeron power play goal, powered by Brad Marchand and Torey Krug. Toronto tied it on a Mitchell Marner goal, via Jake Muzzin and John Tavares. The Maple Leafs took the lead in the second period with a shorthanded penalty shot goal by Marner, after he was tripped by the Bruins' Jake DeBrusk. Toronto added on with a William Nylander goal, courtesy of Nazem Kadri and Patrick Marleau. The Maple Leafs iced it at 4-1 in the third period with a Tavares empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were Marner, Tavares, and Andersen (37 for 38 in saves). Toronto holds a 1-0 series lead.

Along to DC, as the Washington Capitals welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Petr Mrazek and Braden Holtby draw the starts in goal. Washington began in the first period with a Nicklas Backstrom goal, assisted by John Carlson and Brooks Orpik. The Capitals added on with a Backstrom power play goal, his second of the game, powered by Evgeny Kuznetsov and Carlson. Washington extended the lead as Alex Ovechkin scored on the power play, with the help of Tom Wilson and Carlson. Carolina got on the board in the third period with an Andrei Svechnikov goal, courtesy of Lucas Wallmark and Dougie Hamilton. The Hurricanes got closer with another Svechnikov goal, made possible by Wallmark and Justin Faulk. The Capitals capped it at 4-2 with a Lars Eller empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were awarded to Backstrom, Carlson, and Svechnikov, while Wallmark gets an honorable mention. The Capitals lead the series 1-0.

Finally, the Calgary Flames bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Philipp Grubauer and Mike Smith man the nets. Calgary got going in the second period with an unassisted Andrew Mangiapane goal. The Flames added on with a Matthew Tkachuk power play goal, powered by Mark Giordano and Elias Lindholm. Calgary extended the lead as Mikael Backlund scored a power play goal, thanks to Sam Bennett and Rasmus Andersson. The Flames padded the lead on a Tkachuk empty net goal, his second of the game, set up by the goalie Smith. This made it 4-0, the final, with the three stars awarded to Smith (26 save shutout), Tkachuk, and Mangiapane.

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Wednesday, April 10, 2019

2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs - Round 1 Day 1

The playoffs open with five games today, beginning in...

Tampa Bay, as the Lightning host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy are the Russian goalies. Tampa Bay led off in the first period with a shorthanded and unassisted Alex Killorn goal. The Lightning added on with an Anthony Cirelli goal, via Erik Cernak and J.T. Miller. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Yanni Gourde scored, thanks to Mikhail Sergachev and Jan Rutta. Columbus got on the board in the second period with a Nick Foligno goal, courtesy of Josh Anderson. The Blue Jackets got closer in the third period with a David Savard goal, going in unassisted. Columbus tied it on an Anderson shorthanded goal, set up by Boone Jenner. The Blue Jackets pulled ahead with a Seth Jones power play goal, powered by Artemi Panarin and Zach Werenski. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars being Anderson, Jones, and Savard. Columbus owns a 1-0 series lead.

Up in New York, the Islanders welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Matt Murray and Robin Lehner are the masked men. New York began in the first period with a Jordan Eberle goal, assisted by Anders Lee and Adam Pelech. Pittsburgh tied it on a Phil Kessel goal, made possible by Dominik Simon and Brian Dumoulin. The Islanders retook the lead with a Brock Nelson power play goal, powered by Eberle and Devon Toews. The Penguins evened it in the second period on an Evgeni Malkin power play goal, with assists provided by Justin Schultz and Kessel. New York regained the lead in the third period with a Nick Leddy goal, helped along by Valtteri Filppula and Leo Komarov. Pittsburgh tied it again with a Schultz goal, coming off of Kris Letang and Malkin. The Islanders won 4-3 in overtime with a Josh Bailey goal, with a lone helper from Mathew Barzal. The three stars were Eberle, Kessel, and Schultz, while Malkin gets an honorable mention. New York is up 1-0 in the series.

Northwest to Winnipeg, where the Jets host the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Connor Hellebuyck are in the creases. Winnipeg started in the first period with a Patrik Laine goal, assisted by Bryan Little and Dustin Byfuglien. St. Louis tied it in the third period with a David Perron goal, passed from Colton Parayko and Oskar Sundqvist. The Blues took the lead with a Tyler Bozak goal, via Pat Maroon and Alex Pietrangelo. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars handed to Binnington (24 for 25 in saves), Bozak, and Perron. St. Louis staked out a 1-0 series lead.

Back stateside, the Nashville Predators bring in the Dallas Stars. Ben Bishop and Pekka Rinne tend the twines. Nashville opened in the first period with a Roman Josi goal, courtesy of Ryan Ellis and Nick Bonino. Dallas tied it on a Miro Heiskanen power play goal in the second period, going in unassisted. The Stars took the lead in the third period with a Heiskanen goal, his second of the game with a lone assist by John Klingberg. Dallas added on with a Mats Zuccarello goal, via Ben Lovejoy and Jamie Benn. The Predators got one back with a P.K. Subban goal, coming off of Brian Boyle and Mattias Ekholm. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Heiskanen, Bishop (30 for 32 in saves), and Zuccarello. The Stars lead the series 1-0.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Martin Jones guard the cages. San Jose struck first in the first period with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, powered by Brent Burns. The Sharks added on in the second period with a Burns goal, via Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl. San Jose extended the lead as Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored, thanks to Joe Thornton and Evander Kane. Vegas got on the board with a Mark Stone goal, passed from Paul Stastny and Max Pacioretty. The Sharks replied with a Kane goal, helped along by Karlsson and Gustav Nyquist. The Golden Knights got one back in the third period with a Stone power play goal, his second of the game, with assists provided by Shea Theodore and Pacioretty. San Jose iced it at 5-2 with a Hertl empty net goal, set up by Logan Couture and Vlasic. The three stars were Vlasic, Kane, and Burns, while Karlsson, Hertl, Stone, and Pacioretty get the honorable mentions. San Jose owns a 1-0 series lead.

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Tuesday, April 9, 2019

MLS 2019 - Midweek April 9-10

Two games were scheduled for midweek in MLS this week, until a blizzard postponed the Colorado Rapids hosting the Seattle Sounders FC to September. That leaves us with...

DC United hosting the Montreal Impact on Tuesday. Evan Bush and Bill Hamid are the keepers. DC saw yellow cards for fouls by Paul Arriola in the 27th minute and Leonardo Jara in the 40th minute. Montreal had yellow cards for a Shamit Shome foul in the 49th minute and dissent by Saphir Taider in the 62nd minute. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, with Hamid earning man of the match honors for stopping the only shot to go on target.

Sunday, April 7, 2019

MLS 2019 - Week 6

Another weekend of games begins on Friday, with...

The Vancouver Whitecaps FC hosting the Los Angeles Galaxy. David Bingham and Maxime Crepeau are the goalies. Los Angeles saw a yellow card for a foul by Jonathan dos Santos in the 16th minute. Romain Alessandrini of the Galaxy took a yellow card for his 44th minute foul. Los Angeles got going in the 63rd minute with a Daniel Steres goal, coming off of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Galaxy added on in the 71st minute with an Ibrahimovic goal, set up by Rolf Feltscher. Fredy Montero of Vancouver received a yellow card for an 86th minute foul, as did teammate Felipe in the 90th minute. The final was 2-0, with the man of the match being Ibrahimovic.

On Saturday, New York City FC hosts the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Sean Johnson are the gloved men. New York City's Ronald Matarrita took a yellow card for a foul in the 32nd minute. Montreal's Harry Novillo received a yellow card for a 59th minute foul, as did teammate Samuel Piette in the 63rd minute. The Impact went down to ten men in the 70th minute when Maximiliano Urruti took a straight red card for a foul. Bacary Sagna of Montreal had a yellow card for a 72nd minute foul. James Sands of the Pigeons picked up a yellow card for his foul in stoppage time. The final was a 0-0 draw, with Bush's four save clean sheet making him man of the match.

Next up, DC United welcomes Los Angeles FC. Tyler Miller and Bill Hamid are the strong keepers. Los Angeles began in the 15th minute with a Carlos Vela goal, passed from Adama Diomande. The Black and Gold added on with a Rossi goal in the 27th minute, set up by Vela and Latif Blessing. Los Angeles extended the lead as Rossi scored again, with the help of Mark-Anthony Kaye, in the 32nd minute. DC went down to ten men in the 52nd minute as Wayne Rooney took a straight red card for a foul. The Black and Red's Junior Moreno received a yellow card for persistent infringement in the 54th minute. Upon review in the 64th minute, Frederic Brillant of DC earned a yellow card. The Black and Gold padded the lead with another Rossi goal in the 76th minute, courtesy of Christian Ramirez and Blessing. The Black and Red had a yellow card for a Lucas Rodriguez foul in the 88th minute. The game ended 4-0, with Rossi named man of the match with the hat trick.

Up in Canada, Toronto FC brings in the Chicago Fire. David Ousted and Alex Bono are the keepers. Toronto led off in the 31st minute with a Jozy Altidore goal, set up by Alejandro Pozuelo and Nick DeLeon. In the 37th minute, Richie Laryea of the Reds and Aleksandar Katai of Chicago took yellow cards for fouls. The Fire tied it in first half stoppage time on a C.J. Sapong goal, via Jeremiah Gutjahr. Chicago saw yellow cards for fouls by Nemanja Nikolic in the 52nd minute and Djordje Mihailovic in the 56th minute. Toronto's Pozuelo took a yellow card for his 57th minute foul. The Fire pulled ahead on a Nikolic goal in the 62nd minute, courtesy of Katai and Dax McCarty. The Reds' Jonathan Osorio tied it in the 76th minute with a goal fueled by Altidore and DeLeon. In the 81st minute, Bastian Schweinsteiger of Chicago received a yellow card for time wasting. The game ended 2-2, with the man of the match being Altidore.

Back stateside, the New York Red Bulls host Minnesota United FC. Vito Mannone and Luis Robles are in the six yard boxes. Minnesota started in the 34th minute with an Abu Danladi goal, assisted by Angelo Rodriguez and Romain Metanire. The Loons added on in the 50th minute with a Romario Ibarra goal. New York got on the board with a Cristian Casseres Jr. goal in the 70th minute. The final stayed at 2-1, with the man of the match being Ibarra.

Down in Florida, Orlando City SC welcomes the Colorado Rapids. Tim Howard faces a lesser foe in Brian Rowe in goal. Colorado opened in the 9th minute with a Kei Kamara goal. Orlando City tied it in the 31st minute with a Nani goal, set up by Joao Moutinho. The Lions took the lead with a Tesho Akindele goal in the 33rd minute. The Rapids' Kamara received a yellow card for a 39th minute foul. Colorado retied it in the 61st minute with a Nicolas Mezquida goal, assisted by Cole Bassett and Kellyn Acosta. The Rapids pulled ahead on a Bassett goal in the 71st minute, coming off of Benny Feilhaber. Orlando City tied it again with a Chris Mueller goal in the 81st minute, courtesy of Akindele and Nani. The Lions gained the lead on a penalty kick goal in the 89th minute by Nani. This stood for the 4-3 win, with the man of the match being Nani.

North again to Philadelphia, as the Union bring in FC Dallas. Jimmy Maurer and Andre Blake are between the sticks. Marco Fabian of Philadelphia had a yellow card for a 9th minute foul. Dallas struck first in the 10th minute on a Reto Ziegler goal. Ziegler took a yellow card for an 85th minute foul. The Union tied it in the 85th minute with a Cory Burke goal. Philadelphia pulled ahead in stoppage time with an Alejandro Bedoya goal, passed from Ilsinho. This gave them a 2-1 win, with Bedoya as the man of the match.

West to Ohio, where the Columbus Crew SC host the New England Revolution. Cody Cropper is mismatched with Zack Steffen in goal. Michael Mancienne of New England had a yellow card for a 9th minute foul. Jonathan Mensah of Columbus took a yellow card for a foul in the 20th minute. The Crew drew first blood in the 42nd minute on a Josh Williams goal, via Federico Higuain. In first half stoppage time, Juan Agudelo of the Revolution picked up a yellow card for not retreating. Higuain of Columbus had a yellow card for his 54th minute foul. In the 64th minute, New England went down to ten men when Mancienne received a second yellow card for a foul. The game ended at 1-0, with Williams picked as man of the match.

Out in California, the San Jose Earthquakes welcome the Portland Timbers. Jeff Attinella and Daniel Vega are the less-experienced goalies. San Jose kicked off the scoring in the 15th minute with a Shea Salinas goal, set up by Cristian Espinoza. Larrys Mabiala of Portland had a yellow card for a 26th minute foul. Marcos Lopez of the Earthquakes saw a yellow card for a 28th minute foul. San Jose added on with a Danny Hoesen goal in the 33rd minute. The Earthquakes extended the lead in the 34th minute as Espinoza scored. Magnus Eriksson of San Jose received a yellow card for a 36th minute foul. The Earthquakes' Harold Cummings picked up a yellow card for his handball in the 55th minute. The final remained at 3-0 with Espinoza as the man of the match.

Saturday ends in Seattle, with the Sounders FC bringing in Real Salt Lake. Nick Rimando and Stefan Frei tend the twines. Seattle was first to score in the 18th minute with a Nicolas Lodeiro goal, passed from Cristian Rolden. The Sounders saw yellow cards for fouls by Roldan in the 73rd minute and Kelvin Leerdam in the 78th minute. Salt Lake's Marcelo Silva took a yellow card for an 83rd minute foul. The final held at 1-0, with Lodeiro as the man of the match.

On Sunday, FC Cincinnati hosts Sporting Kansas City. Adrian Zendejas and Spencer Richey are the little-known keepers. Andreu Fontas of Kansas City had a yellow card for an 18th minute foul. Cincinnati cracked the scoresheet in the 19th minute with a Darren Mattocks penalty kick goal. Sporting saw yellow cards for fouls by Yohan Croizet in the 35th minute and Gedion Zelalem in the 38th minute. Kansas city tied it in the 62nd minute with a Gianluca Busio goal. The Orange and Blue's Greg Garza received a yellow card for his 78th minute foul, as did teammate Leonardo Bertone in the 88th minute. In stoppage time, Botond Barath of Sporting had a yellow card for a foul. The game ended 1-1, with Busio's equalizer making him man of the match.