Saturday, December 7, 2019

NHL 2019-20 - Day 67

We've got eleven games today, with two of them being matinees. First up...

The Philadelphia Flyers welcome the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Carter Hart are the goalies. Philadelphia opened in the first period with a Travis Konecny goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Morgan Frost and Claude Giroux. Ottawa tied it on a Brady Tkachuk goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Connor Brown. The Flyers took the lead back with a Shayne Gostisbehere goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Tyler Pitlick and James van Riemsdyk. The Senators tied it again on a shorthanded and unassisted Anthony Duclair goal in the second period, his twelfth of the year. Philadelphia regained the lead in the third period on an Ivan Provorov goal, his seventh of the season, fueled by Joel Farabee and Scott Laughton. Ottawa equalized as Duclair scored his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, thanks to Thomas Chabot and Dylan DeMelo. The Flyers pulled ahead again on a Laughton goal, his fourth of the campaign, guided in by Kevin Hayes and van Riemsdyk. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars being Laughton, Duclair, and van Riemsdyk.

Out west, the Vancouver Canucks bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Carter Hutton and Thatcher Demko drew the starts in goal. Vancouver started in the first period with a Josh Leivo goal, his fifth of the season, fueled by Jordie Benn and Troy Stecher. The Canucks added on in the second period with an Antoine Roussel goal, his second of the year, via Tyler Myers and Jake Virtanen. Buffalo got on the board with a Kyle Okposo goal, his second of the season, coming off of Johan Larsson and Jeff Skinner. The Sabres tied it with a Sam Reinhart goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Rasmus Ristolainen and Victor Olofsson. Vancouver reclaimed the lead on a Leivo goal, his second of the game and sixth of the season, helped along by Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser. Buffalo evened it again on an Olofsson power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by Reinhart and Jack Eichel. The Canucks regained the lead on a shorthanded Myers goal in the third period, set up by J.T. Miller and Tanner Pearson. Vancouver extended the lead as Roussel scored his second of the game and third of the season, thanks to Virtanen and Stecher. The Sabres chipped back on a Zemgus Girgensons goal, his fourth of the year, with a lone helper from Larsson. Buffalo tied it as Marcus Johansson scored his fifth of the season, with the help of Eichel and Ristolainen. The Canucks won 6-5 in overtime with a Miller power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, with assists provided by Quinn Hughes and Boeser. The three stars were Miller, Roussel, and Leivo, while Myers, Boeser, Virtanen, Stecher, Reinhart, Olofsson, Eichel, Larsson, and Ristolainen all get honorable mentions.

Back east, the Boston Bruins host the Colorado Avalanche. Philipp Grubauer and Jaroslav Halak are the masked men. Boston led off in the first period with a Chris Wagner goal, his third of the season, courtesy of John Moore and Anders Bjork. Pavel Francouz replaced an injured Grubauer in goal. Colorado tied it on a Valeri Nichushkin goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Matt Nieto. The Avalanche took the lead in the second period with an Ian Cole goal, via Mark Barberio and Joonas Donskoi. Colorado added on with an Andre Burakovsky goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Nathan MacKinnon and Joonas Donskoi. The Avalanche iced it at 4-1 in the third period with a Gabriel Landeskog empty net goal, his fifth of the year, set up by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. The three stars were Francouz (16 for 16 in saves in relief), Cole, and Burakovsky.

Down to Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Minnesota Wild. Alex Stalock and Petr Mrazek are set to start in goal. Minnesota began in the first period with a Ryan Donato goal, his fourth of the season, via Marcus Foligno and Jonas Brodin. Carolina tied it with a Lucas Wallmark goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Ryan Dzingel and Trevor van Riemsdyk. The Hurricanes took the lead with an Andrei Svechnikov power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho. Carolina added on in the second period with an Aho goal, his fourteenth of the year, made possible by Teravainen and Nino Niederreiter. The Wild got one back with a Mats Zuccarello goal, his seventh of the season, helped along by Eric Staal. The Hurricanes shot back with an Aho power play goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, with assists provided by Teravainen and Jordan Staal. Carolina extended the lead in the third period as Joel Edmundson scored his third of the season, thanks to Aho. The Hurricanes padded the lead as Aho completed his hat trick with his sixteenth of the year on a shorthanded empty net goal, going in unassisted. This stood for a 6-2 win, with the three stars being Aho, Teravainen, and Svechnikov.

Westward to St. Louis, as the Blues bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Jordan Binnington tend the twines. Toronto struck first in the first period with a Zach Hyman goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Mitchell Marner. St. Louis tied it on an Ivan Barbashev goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Robert Thomas. The Maple Leafs retook the lead on an Auston Matthews goal, his seventeenth of the season, coming off of William Nylander. Toronto added on with a shorthanded Hyman goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, set up by Pierre Engvall. The Maple Leafs chased Binnington on a Jason Spezza power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Morgan Rielly and Kasperi Kapanen. Toronto continued in the second period against Jake Allen with a Matthews power play goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the year, with a lone assist by Marner. The Blues got one back in the third period with a David Perron goal, his twelfth of the season, via Alex Pietrangelo and Ryan O'Reilly. This only made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars handed to Hyman, Matthews, and Marner.

Up in Detroit, the Red Wings host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Matt Murray and Jonathan Bernier are in the creases. Pittsburgh drew first blood in the first period with a Jake Guentzel goal, his sixteenth of the season, helped along by Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins added on with a Chad Ruhwedel goal, passed from Malkin and Guentzel. Detroit got on the board with a Robby Fabbri power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Tyler Bertuzzi and Dylan Larkin in the second period. Pittsburgh shot back with a Malkin goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Guentzel and Ruhwedel. The Penguins extended the lead in the third period as Dominik Kahun scored his eighth of the year, thanks to John Marino and Marcus Pettersson. The Red Wings got one back on a Filip Hronek goal, his sixth of the season, with a lone helper from Darren Helm. Detroit pulled closer on a Larkin power play goal, his eighth of the year, with assists provided by Fabbri and Dennis Cholowski. Pittsburgh iced it at 5-3 with a Marino power play empty net goal, his third of the campaign, set up by Letang and Brandon Tanev. The three stars went to Malkin, Guentzel, and Larkin, while Marino, Ruhwedel, Letang, and Fabbri get the honorable mentions.

To Florida, where the Tampa Bay Lightning welcome the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Andrei Vasilevskiy are between the pipes. Tampa Bay cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Tyler Johnson goal, his sixth of the season, with a lone helper from Carter Verhaeghe. The Lightning added on in the second period with an Alex Killorn goal, his eighth of the year, going in unassisted. Tampa Bay extended the lead on a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Victor Hedman and Killorn. The Lightning chased Jones in the third period with a Hedman goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of Anthony Cirelli and Killorn. Aaron Dell took over in goal. Tampa Bay padded the lead as Johnson scored his second of the game and seventh of the season, thanks to Stamkos and Verhaeghe. San Jose got on the board with a Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal, his fifth of the year, made possible by Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier. The Lightning responded with another Stamkos power play goal, his second of the game and ninth of the campaign, with helpers from Killorn and Hedman. Tampa Bay capped it at 7-1 with a Verhaeghe goal, set up by Jan Rutta and Yanni Gourde. The final remained at 7-1, with the three stars awarded to Killorn, Stamkos, and Verhaeghe, while Johnson and Hedman get the honorable mentions.

Staying in the state, the Florida Panthers bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins and Sergei Bobrovsky draw the starts in goal. Florida kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Evgenii Dadonov goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Aleksander Barkov and Keith Yandle. The Panthers added on with a Josh Brown goal in the second period, his second of the year, guided in by Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. Florida extended the lead in the third period as Brett Connolly scored his thirteenth of the season on the power play, with the help of Yandle and Mike Hoffman. Columbus got on the board with a Vladislav Gavrikov goal, his second of the year, passed from Alexandre Texier and Josh Anderson. The Panthers finished it at 4-1 with a Hoffman empty net goal, his eleventh of the campaign, set up by Colton Sceviour. The three stars were Bobrovsky (33 for 34 in saves, Yandle, and Barkov, while Hoffman gets an honorable mention.

Northwest to Nashville, as the Predators host the New Jersey Devils. Louis Domingue and Pekka Rinne are the goalies. Nashville was first to score in the first period with a Daniel Carr goal, via Dan Hamhuis and Yannick Weber. The Predators added on with a Dante Fabbro goal, his third of the season, fueled by Nick Bonino and Craig Smith. New Jersey got on the board with a Jesper Bratt goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Pavel Zacha and Sami Vatanen. The Devils tied it on a Travis Zajac goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Nikita Gusev and Blake Coleman. The Predators took the lead back in the second period with a Yakov Trenin goal, with a lone assist by Rocco Grimaldi. The Predators extended the lead as Filip Forsberg scored his eleventh of the year, thanks to Calle Jarnkrok and Roman Josi. New Jersey got one back with a Kyle Palmieri power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Taylor Hall and Vatanen. Nashville fired back with a Bonino goal in the third period, his eleventh of the year, coming off of Fabbro and Mattias Ekholm. New Jersey pulled back with a Hall goal, his sixth of the season, with a lone helper from Jack Hughes. The Predators responded on a Grimaldi goal, his third of the year, helped along by Ekholm. The final held at 6-4, with the three stars being Bonino, Grimaldi, and Fabbro, while Ekholm, Hall, and Vatanen get the honorable mentions.

Along to Dallas, where the Stars welcome the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Ben Bishop guard the cages. Dallas opened in the first period with an Andrew Cogliano goal, via Jamie Oleksiak and Miro Heiskanen. The Stars added on with an Alexander Radulov power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by John Klingberg and Mattias Janmark. Dallas extended the lead as Denis Gurianov scored his sixth of the year on the power play in the second period, thanks to Radulov and Corey Perry. New York got on the board in the third period with a Mathew Barzal goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Devon Toews and Scott Mayfield. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Radulov, Bishop (34 for 35 in saves), and Gurianov.

Finally, the Calgary Flames bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jack Campbell and Cam Talbot are the backups in goal. Los Angeles started in the first period with an Anze Kopitar power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Drew Doughty. The Kings added on with a Doughty power play goal, his sixth of the year, with assists provided by Dustin Brown and Kopitar. Calgary got on the board with a Milan Lucic power play goal, his second of the season, assisted by Mikael Backlund and Derek Ryan. The Flames tied it in the second period with a Zac Rinaldo goal, courtesy of Dillon Dube and Tobias Rieder. Calgary took the lead on a Sean Monahan goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Johnny Gaudreau. The Flames extended the lead as Dube scored his third of the season, thanks to Ryan and Lucic. Los Angeles got one back on a Matt Roy goal, his third of the year, helped along by Nikolai Prokhorkin and Trevor Lewis. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars awarded to Dube, Lucic, and Kopitar, while Doughty and Ryan get the honorable mentions.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Friday, December 6, 2019

NHL 2019-20 - Day 66

Five games on this Friday, beginning with...

The Pittsburgh Penguins hosting the Arizona Coyotes. Antti Raanta and Tristan Jarry draw the starts in goal. Pittsburgh dented the scoreboard with an Evgeni Malkin goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Jake Guentzel. The Penguins iced it at 2-0 with a Brandon Tanev shorthanded empty net goal, his sixth of the year, set up by Teddy Blueger. The three stars were awarded to Jarry (33 save shutout), Malkin, and Raanta (24 for 25 in saves).

Over in New Jersey, the Devils welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and MacKenzie Blackwood are the goalies. New Jersey opened in the first period with a Taylor Hall power play goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Sami Vatanen and Nikita Gusev. Chicago tied it in the second period with an Alex DeBrincat power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Patrick Kane and Dylan Strome. The tie went to a shootout, where Jonathan Toews, Kane, and Kirby Dach lifted the Blackhawks to a 2-1 win over Gusev, Jesper Boqvist, and the Devils. The three stars were Kane, Gusev, and Crawford (29 for 30 in saves). Vatanen: 17:52, five BS, assists, three SOG

Next up, the New York Rangers host the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Alexandar Georgiev are between the pipes. Montreal started in the first period with a Brendan Gallagher goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Phillip Danault and Tomas Tatar. New York tied it on a Brendan Smith goal, his third of the year, going in unassisted in the second period. The Canadiens took the lead back in the third period with a Nate Thompson goal, his second of the season, via Nick Cousins and Nick Suzuki. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Price (29 for 30 in saves), Thompson, and Gallagher.

Out west, the Edmonton Oilers bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Mikko Koskinen are set to start in goal. Edmonton led off in the first period with a Leon Draisaitl power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, powered by Alex Chiasson and James Neal. The Oilers added on with a Chiasson power play goal, his third of the year, with assists provided by Connor McDavid and Draisaitl. Los Angeles got on the board in the third period with a Michael Amadio goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Drew Doughty and Joakim Ryan.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Ryan Miller are in the creases. Washington began in the first period with a Travis Boyd goal, his second of the season, coming off of Carl Hagelin and Dmitry Orlov. The Capitals added on with an Evgeny Kuznetsov power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by John Carlson and Jakub Vrana in the second period. Anaheim got on the board with a Ryan Getzlaf goal, his tenth of the season, via Troy Terry. The Ducks tied it in the third period with an Adam Henrique goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Getzlaf. Washington retook the lead with an unassisted Vrana goal, his fifteenth of the season. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Vrana, Getzlaf, and Kuznetsov.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0. 

Thursday, December 5, 2019

NHL 2019-20 - Day 65

Nine games on tonight, beginning with...

The New York Islanders hosting the Vegas Golden Knights. Malcolm Subban and Semyon Varlamov are in the blue paint. New York got going in the second period with an unassisted Cal Clutterbuck goal, his third of the season. Vegas tied it on an Alex Tuch goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Cody Glass and Jon Merrill. The Islanders took the lead back in the third period with a Brock Nelson goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Anthony Beauvillier and Scott Mayfield. The Golden Knights tied it again on a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his ninth of the year, with helpers from Nicolas Hague and Reilly Smith. New York won 3-2 in overtime with a Ryan Pulock power play goal, his fourth of the campaign, powered by Anders Lee and Josh Bailey. The three stars were Pulock, Nelson, and Clutterbuck.

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the San Jose Sharks. Aaron Dell and Petr Mrazek man the nets. Carolina started in the first period with an Andrei Svechnikov goal, his twelfth of the season, passed from Warren Foegele and Jordan Staal. San Jose tied it on a Marcus Sorensen goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Joe Thornton and Kevin Labanc. The Hurricanes took the lead back in the second period with a Jake Gardiner goal, his second of the season, coming off of Foegele and Svechnikov. The Sharks tied it again with a Logan Couture goal, his ninth of the year, helped along by Erik Karlsson and Brenden Dillon. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Svechnikov's lone tally gave the Hurricanes a 3-2 win. The three stars belonged to Svechnikov, Foegele, and Gardiner.

Back north, the Boston Bruins bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Robin Lehner and Tuukka Rask are the masked men. Chicago opened in the first period with a Ryan Carpenter shorthanded goal, set up by Connor Murphy. The Blackhawks added on with a Dylan Strome power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Erik Gustafsson and Patrick Kane. Chicago extended the lead as Alex DeBrincat scored his sixth of the year in the third period, thanks to Strome and Calvin de Haan. Boston got on the board with a Joakim Nordstrom goal, his third of the season, courtesy of David Backes and Charlie McAvoy. The Bruins got closer with a shorthanded Chris Wagner goal, his second of the year, with helpers from Sean Kuraly and Matt Grzelcyk. Boston tied it as Torey Krug scored his fourth of the season, with the help of Jake DeBrusk. The Blackhawks won 4-3 in overtime with a Jonathan Toews goal, his fifth of the year, with a lone assist by Murphy. The three stars were Strome, Murphy, and Toews.

Along to Philadelphia, where the Flyers host the Arizona Coyotes. Darcy Kuemper and Brian Elliott draw the starts in goal. Arizona led off in the first period with a Phil Kessel power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Clayton Keller and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The Coyotes added on with a Conor Garland goal in the third period, his eleventh of the year, via Christian Dvorak and Jakob Chychrun. Philadelphia got on the board with a Matt Niskanen goal, his third of the season, assisted by Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek. Arizona iced it at 3-1 with a Kessel power play empty net goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, set up by Carl Soderberg and Keller. The three stars belonged to Kessel, Kuemper (28 for 29 in saves), and Keller.

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens welcome the Colorado Avalanche. Pavel Francouz and Cayden Primeau are the backups in goal. Colorado began in the first period with a Ryan Graves goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Matt Calvert and Cale Makar. The Avalanche added on with a Gabriel Landeskog goal, his fourth of the year, assisted by Mikko Rantanen. Colorado extended the lead in the second period on a Calvert shorthanded goal, his fifth of the season, set up by J.T. Compher. Montreal got on the board with a Brendan Gallagher goal, his twelfth of the year, with a lone assist by Phillip Danault. The Canadiens pulled closer in the third period with a Nick Cousins power play goal, his third of the campaign, powered by Max Domi. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars given to Calvert, Landeskog, and Francouz (38 for 40 in saves).

Back stateside, the Tampa Bay Lightning bring in the Minnesota Wild. Alex Stalock and Andrei Vasilevskiy are between the pipes. Tampa Bay struck first in the first period with an Erik Cernak goal, his second of the season, helped along by Brayden Point and the goalie Vasilevskiy. Minnesota tied it with a Joel Eriksson Ek goal, his second of the year, guided in by Jordan Greenway and Ryan Suter. The Wild took the lead with a Jason Zucker goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Eric Staal and Mats Zuccarello. Minnesota added on with a Carson Soucy goal, his third of the year, fueled by Zuccarello and Jonas Brodin. The Lightning got one back with a Mikhail Sergachev goal, his fourth of the season, via Kevin Shattenkirk and Cedric Paquette. Tampa Bay tied it in the second period with a Victor Hedman power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn. The Wild retook the lead with a Victor Rask goal, his third of the season, coming off of Kevin Fiala and Soucy. The Lightning tied it again in the third period with a Killorn goal, his seventh of the year, with a lone helper by Cernak. Minnesota reclaimed the lead on a Zuccarello goal, his sixth of the campaign, courtesy of Zucker and Brodin. This stood for a 5-4 win, with the three stars handed to Zuccarello, Zucker, and Soucy, while Brodin, Killorn, and Cernak get the honorable mentions.

Heading north, the Columbus Blue Jackets host the New York Rangers. Alexandar Georgiev and Joonas Korpisalo receive the starting nods in goal. Columbus kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Cam Atkinson goal, his fifth of the season, with a lone assist by Nick Foligno. New York tied it on a Brendan Lemieux goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Mika Zibanejad and Kaapo Kakko. The Rangers took the lead in the second period with a Jacob Trouba power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Adam Fox and Ryan Strome. New York added on with an Artemi Panarin goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Tony DeAngelo and Brett Howden. The Blue Jackets got one back in the third period with a Seth Jones goal, his fourth of the campaign, courtesy of Dean Kukan. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars given to Georgiev (45 for 47 in saves), Panarin, and Trouba.

Down in Dallas, the Stars welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Ben Bishop tend the twines. Dallas drew first blood in the first period with a Jamie Benn goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Miro Heiskanen and Tyler Seguin. The Stars added on in the second period with a Denis Gurianov goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Corey Perry and Jason Dickinson. Winnipeg got on the board in the third period with a Blake Wheeler goal, his seventh of the season, passed from Nikolaj Ehlers and Tucker Poolman. The Jets tied it on a Mark Scheifele goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Patrik Laine and Kyle Connor. Dallas won 3-2 in overtime with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his sixth of the campaign, with assists provided by Seguin and Heiskanen.

Finally, the Calgary Flames bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Linus Ullmark and David Rittich protect the nets. Buffalo cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Sam Reinhart goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Rasmus Ristolainen and Victor Olofsson. Calgary tied it on a Johnny Gaudreau power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Sean Monahan and Matthew Tkachuk. The Flames took the lead in the second period with a shorthanded Tobias Rieder goal, his second of the season, set up by Derek Ryan. Calgary added on with a Monahan goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Mikael Backlund and Rasmus Andersson. The Flames extended the lead as Milan Lucic scored, thanks to Ryan and Dillon Dube in the third period. The Sabres got one back with a Jake McCabe goal, his second of the season, with a lone helper from Olofsson. Buffalo pulled closer on a Jack Eichel power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, with assists provided by Brandon Montour and Marcus Johansson. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Monahan, Ryan, and Olofsson.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

NHL 2019-20 - Day 64

Four games on tonight, beginning with...

The Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Colorado Avalanche. Philipp Grubauer and Frederik Andersen protect the nets. Colorado got going in the second period with a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. Toronto tied it on a Zach Hyman goal, his third of the year, fueled by Alexander Kerfoot and Cody Ceci. The Avalanche took the lead in the third period with a Valeri Nichushkin shorthanded goal, his third of the season, going in unassisted. Colorado iced it at 3-1 with a Joonas Donskoi empty net goal, his twelfth of the year, set up by MacKinnon and Matt Calvert. The three stars went to MacKinnon, Grubauer (38 for 39 in saves), and Nichushkin.

Stateside, the Pittsburgh Penguins welcome the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Tristan Jarry are in goal. Pittsburgh led off in the first period with a Teddy Blueger goal, his third of the season, coming off of Marcus Pettersson and Brandon Tanev. The Penguins added on in the second period with a Stefan Noesen goal, courtesy of Jared McCann and Dominik Kahun. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Alex Galchenyuk scored his second of the year, thanks to Sam Lafferty. This stood for a 3-0 win, with the three stars being Jarry (28 save shutout), Blueger, and Noesen.

Out west, the Edmonton Oilers bring in the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Mikko Koskinen are the masked men. Edmonton began in the first period with a Jujhar Khaira goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Leon Draisaitl and Sam Gagner. Ottawa tied it in the second period with an Artem Anisimov power play goal, his third of the year, via Vladislav Namestnikov and Colin White. The Senators took the lead with a Connor Brown goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Chris Tierney and Ron Hainsey. Ottawa added on with a Tyler Ennis goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Brown and Dylan DeMelo. The Oilers got one back with an Oscar Klefbom power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Gagner and James Neal. The Senators replied with an Anthony Duclair goal in the third period, his eleventh of the year, helped along by Ennis. Ottawa extended the lead as Namestnikov scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Tierney and Ennis. The final remained at 5-2, with the three stars handed to Ennis, Brown, and Namestnikov, while Tierney and Gagner get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Washington Capitals. Ilya Samsonov and Jonathan Quick are the goalies. Washington struck first in the first period with a John Carlson goal, his tenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Capitals added on with another Carlson goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, made possible by T.J. Oshie and Lars Eller. Los Angeles got on the board in the third period with a Blake Lizotte goal, his third of the season, an unassisted goal. Washington iced it at 3-1 with a Tom Wilson empty net goal, his eleventh of the year, an unassisted tally. The three stars were Carlson, Samsonov (22 for 23 in saves), and Lizotte.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

NHL 2019-20 - Day 63

We've got ten games on a rather full schedule tonight, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. James Reimer and Jaroslav Halak are in goal. Boston dented the scoreboard in the third period with a Charlie Coyle goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Brad Marchand and Danton Heinen. The Bruins added on with a David Krejci goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak. This made it 2-0, the final, with the three stars awarded to Halak (24 save shutout), Coyle, and Krejci.

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens welcome the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Carey Price are the rhyming goalies. Montreal opened in the first period with a Phillip Danault goal, his seventh of the season, with a lone helper by Brendan Gallagher. The Canadiens added on in the second period with a Gallagher goal, his eleventh of the year, via Shea Weber and Danault. Montreal extended the lead in the third period as Jeff Petry scored his third of the season, with the help of Nick Suzuki. New York got on the board with a Scott Mayfield goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Jordan Eberle and Ryan Pulock. The Islanders got closer with a Mathew Barzal goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Nick Leddy and Josh Bailey. The Canadiens capped it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Weber, his ninth of the year, set up by Nate Thompson. The three stars were Gallagher, Danault, and Weber.

Back stateside, the Philadelphia Flyers bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Carter Hart guard the cages. Philadelphia got going in the second period with a Scott Laughton goal, his third of the season, made possible by Kevin Hayes and Matt Niskanen. Toronto tied it in the third period with a Travis Dermott goal, his third of the year, with a lone helper by Jason Spezza. The Flyers took the lead back with a Claude Giroux goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Travis Konecny and Philippe Myers. Philadelphia added on with a Konecny goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Myers. The Flyers extended the lead with a Joel Farabee empty net goal, his third of the season, set up by Ivan Provorov. Philadelphia padded the lead as Shayne Gostisbehere scored his third of the year, thanks to Travis Sanheim. The Flyers kept going on a James van Riemsdyk goal, his sixth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The final stood at 6-1, with the three stars going to Konecny, Myers, and Hart (27 for 28 in saves).

Over in New Jersey, the Devils host the Vegas Golden Knights. Malcolm Subban and MacKenzie Blackwood are the lesser-known goalies. New Jersey led off in the first period with a Kyle Palmieri goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Damon Severson and Blake Coleman. Vegas tied it in the second period with a Chandler Stephenson goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Alex Tuch and Tomas Nosek. The Devils retook the lead with a Jesper Bratt goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Severson and Pavel Zacha. The Golden Knights tied it in the third period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his sixth of the year, via William Karlsson and Reilly Smith. Vegas took the lead on another Marchessault goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, made possible by Deryk Engelland and Nate Schmidt. The Golden Knights added on with a Marchessault goal to complete the natural hat trick on his eighth of the year, passed from Tuch and Smith on the power play. New Jersey got one back with a Nico Hischier goal, his fifth of the season, with helpers from Taylor Hall and Palmieri. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars handed to Marchessault, Tuch, and Smith, while Palmieri and Severson get the honorable mentions.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Minnesota Wild. Kaapo Kahkonen and Chris Driedger are the young goalies. Florida began in the first period on an Aleksander Barkov power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Keith Yandle and Jonathan Huberdeau. The Panthers added on with a Huberdeau goal, his eleventh of the year, via Frank Vatrano. Minnesota got on the board in the second period with an unassisted Jason Zucker goal, his tenth of the season. The Wild tied it on a Mats Zuccarello goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Brad Hunt and Zucker. Minnesota pulled ahead in the third period with a Carson Soucy goal, his second of the season, coming off of Zach Parise and Victor Rask. The Wild iced it at 4-2 with a Luke Kunin empty net goal, his sixth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars belonged to Zucker, Huberdeau, and Soucy.

Back north, the Columbus Blue Jackets bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Darcy Kuemper faces a lesser foe in Joonas Korpisalo in goal. Arizona started in the first period with a Clayton Keller power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Christian Dvorak and Phil Kessel. Columbus tied it in the second period with a Dean Kukan power play goal, with assists provided by Sonny Milano and Ryan Murray. The Coyotes took the lead again with a Christian Fischer goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Carl Soderberg and Jason Demers. Arizona added on with a Lawson Crouse goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Soderberg and Alex Goligoski. The Blue Jackets got one back in the third period with an Alexandre Texier goal, his fourth of the year, made possible by Cam Atkinson and Nick Foligno. The Coyotes iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Soderberg, his eighth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Soderberg, Crouse, and Fischer.

In Canada, the Winnipeg Jets host the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Connor Hellebuyck are in the creases. Winnipeg struck first in the first period with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his thirteenth of the season, via Neal Pionk and Luca Sbisa. The Jets added on in the second period with a Kyle Connor goal, his eleventh of the year, assisted by Josh Morrissey and Tucker Poolman. Winnipeg extended the lead as Morrissey scored his third of the season thanks to Ehlers and Blake Wheeler. Dallas got on the board with a Miro Heiskanen goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of Andrej Sekera and Mattias Janmark. The Jets replied with a Patrik Laine goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Mark Scheifele and Connor. Winnipeg padded the lead in the third period as Scheifele scored his tenth of the year, with the help of Laine and Connor. The final remained at 5-1, with the three stars going to Connor, Morrissey, and Ehlers, while Scheifele and Laine get the honorable mentions.

Backtracking to Nashville, as the Predators welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Pekka Rinne tend the twines. Tampa Bay kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Victor Hedman goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Steven Stamkos and Tyler Johnson. Nashville tied it in the second period with a Calle Jarnkrok goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Kyle Turris. The Lightning took the lead back with an Ondrej Palat goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Nikita Kucherov and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Predators tied it on a Turris power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis. Tampa Bay won 3-2 in overtime with a Kucherov goal, his tenth of the campaign, guided in by Stamkos and Mikhail Sergachev. The three stars belonged to Kucherov, Stamkos, and Turris.

Way northwest to Vancouver, where the Canucks bring in the Ottawa Senators. Anders Nilsson and Thacher Demko are between the pipes. Vancouver drew first blood in the first period with an Antoine Roussel goal, via Adam Gaudette. The Canucks added on with a Tanner Pearson goal, his eighth of the season, courtesy of Christopher Tanev. Vancouver extended the lead as Elias Pettersson scored a power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller. The Canucks padded the lead as Zack MacEwen scored, thanks to Jordie Benn and Tanev. Marcus Hogberg replaced Nilsson in goal to start the second period. Ottawa got on the board in the second period with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his fifteenth of the season, coming off of Brady Tkachuk and Anthony Duclair. The Senators got closer in the third period with a Tyler Ennis goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Thomas Chabot and Colin White. Vancouver replied with an Oscar Fantenberg goal, passed from Jake Virtanen and Gaudette. The final held at 5-2, with the three stars given to Roussel, Tanev, and Gaudette.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Martin Jones protect the nets. San Jose cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Melker Karlsson goal, his third of the season, helped along by Brenden Dillon and Mario Ferraro. Washington tied it on a Garnet Hathaway goal, his third of the year, coming off of John Carlson and Nic Dowd. The Capitals took the lead with a Jakub Vrana goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Carlson and T.J. Oshie. Washington added on with a Carlson goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Michal Kempny. The Capitals extended the lead as Hathaway scored his second of the game and fourth of the season, with the help of Dowd. Washington padded the lead on a Vrana goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the year, with helpers from Lars Eller and Dmitry Orlov. Aaron Dell replaced Jones to start the third period. The Sharks got one back in the third period with an Evander Kane goal, his thirteenth of the season, guided in by Karlsson. This only made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars handed to Carlson, Vrana, and Hathaway, while Dowd and Karlsson get the honorable mentions.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Monday, December 2, 2019

NHL 2019-20 - Day 62

Just five games tonight, beginning with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the New Jersey Devils. Louis Domingue and Linus Ullmark start in goal. Buffalo led off in the first period with a Jack Eichel goal, his seventeenth of the season, with a lone assist by Rasmus Ristolainen. The Sabres added on with a Jeff Skinner goal, his eleventh of the year, guided in by John Larsson. Buffalo extended the lead as Conor Sheary scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Skinner and Larsson. The Sabres padded the lead on another Sheary goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, assisted by Larsson and Jake McCabe. Buffalo continued with a Rasmus Asplund goal, coming off of Casey Mittelstadt. MacKenzie Blackwood replaced Domingue in goal to start the second period. The Sabres kept going with a Victor Olofsson goal, his eleventh of the season, helped along by Brandon Montour and Eichel. New Jersey got on the board with a Nico Hischier power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Sami Vatanen and Nikita Gusev. Buffalo responded on a Henri Jokiharju power play goal, his third of the campaign, with helpers from Olofsson and Eichel. This stood for the eventual 7-1 final score, with the three stars given to Sheary, Eichel, and Larsson, while Olofsson and Skinner get the honorable mentions.

Along to Manhattan, as the New York Rangers welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Malcolm Subban and Henrik Lundqvist are in the creases. Vegas began in the first period with an Alex Tuch goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Jonathan Marchessault and Brayden McNabb. The Golden Knights added on with a Tuch power play goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, powered by Nate Schmidt and William Karlsson. Vegas extended the lead in the second period as Reilly Smith scored an unassisted goal, his twelfth of the season. The Golden Knights padded the lead as Max Pacioretty scored his tenth of the year on the power play, with the help of Cody Glass and Mark Stone. New York got on the board with a Brendan Lemieux goal, his fourth of the campaign, via Jacob Trouba and Mika Zibanejad. This only made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars being Tuch, Subban (29 for 30 in saves), and Smith.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings host the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Jonathan Bernier draw the starts. New York started in the first period with an Anders Lee goal, his seventh of the season, courtesy of Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock. The Islanders added on with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Josh Bailey and Pulock. Detroit got on the board in the second period with a Dylan Larkin power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Tyler Bertuzzi and Filip Zadina. New York shot back with a Jordan Eberle power play goal, with assists provided by Lee and Nick Leddy. The Islanders extended the lead in the third period as Eberle scored his second of the game, thanks to Pulock and Leo Komarov. This stood for a 4-1 win, with the three stars handed to Eberle, Pulock, and Lee.

Continuing to Chicago, as the Blackhawks bring in the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Corey Crawford are the veteran goalies. St. Louis opened in the first period with a MacKenzie MacEachern goal, his fourth of the season, with a lone helper by Vince Dunn. The Blues added on with a Jaden Schwartz power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Alex Pietrangelo and David Perron. St. Louis extended the lead in the third period as Brayden Schenn scored his fourteenth of the season, thanks to Nathan Walker and Schwartz. The Blues capped it at 4-0 with a Tyler Bozak goal, his third of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were awarded to Allen (38 save shutout), Schwartz, and MacEachern.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the Los Angeles Kings. Jack Campbell and Ryan Miller are the backups in goal. Anaheim struck first in the first period with a Derek Grant goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Nicolas Deslauriers and Carter Rowney. The Ducks added on with a Jakob Silfverberg power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell. Los Angeles got on the board with a Kurtis MacDermid goal, his second of the season, via Trevor Lewis and Michael Amadio. Anaheim shot back with a Rowney goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Lindholm and Michael Del Zotto. The Kings pulled one back with a Nikolai Prokhorkin goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Sean Walker and Tyler Toffoli. The Ducks replied with a Grant empty net goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, with helpers from Ryan Getzlaf and Lindholm. This stood for a 4-2 win, with the three stars being Grant, Rowney, and Lindholm.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

NHL 2019-20 - Day 61

Just three games today, beginning with...

The Minnesota Wild hosting the Dallas Stars. Ben Bishop and Alex Stalock are the goalies. Minnesota got going in the second period with a Kevin Fiala power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise. Dallas tied it on a John Klingberg power play goal, his second of the year, with assists provided by Esa Lindell and Jamie Benn. The Stars took the lead in the third period on a Blake Comeau goal, his third of the season, going in unassisted. The Wild retied it with a Parise power play goal, his twelfth of the year, with helpers from Fiala and Jared Spurgeon. The tie went to a shootout, where Parise, Fiala, and Koivu all tallied to top Joe Pavelski and Tyler Seguin as the Wild won 3-2. The three stars were Parise, Fiala, and Koivu.

Over in Boston, the Bruins welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Tuukka Rask tend the twines. Montreal opened in the first period with a Joel Armia goal, his tenth of the season, an unassisted goal. Boston tied it in the third period with a David Pastrnak goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, courtesy of Anders Bjork and Brandon Carlo. The Bruins took the lead on a David Backes power play goal, powered by David Krejci and Matt Grzelcyk. Boston added on with a Jake DeBrusk goal, his sixth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Charlie Coyle. The final was 3-1, with the three stars being Rask (28 for 29 in saves), Backes, and Pastrnak.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Mikko Koskinen and Jacob Markstrom are the masked men. Edmonton started in the first period with a Josh Archibald goal, coming off of Darnell Nurse and Connor McDavid. Vancouver tied it on a Brock Boeser goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Quinn Hughes and J.T. Miller. The Canucks took the lead in the second period with a Josh Leivo goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Jordie Benn and Bo Horvat. The Oilers retied it on a Leon Draisaitl power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, powered by McDavid. Edmonton took the lead in the third period with a Draisaitl power play goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the year, with helpers from James Neal and Chiasson. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Draisaitl, McDavid, and Chiasson.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.