Saturday, January 25, 2020

NHL 2019-20 All-Star Game

The annual All-Star game festivities are here. We begin with...

The Atlantic Division against the Metropolitan Division. Braden Holtby and Frederik Andersen made the starts in goal. Atlantic opened the first half with a David Pastrnak goal, via Victor Hedman. Atlantic added on with a Shea Weber goal, coming off of Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Duclair. Metropolitan got on the board with a John Carlson goal, courtesy of Mathew Barzal and T.J. Oshie. Metropolitan tied it with a Nico Hischier goal, passed from Seth Jones and Travis Konecny. Metropolitan took the lead on an Oshie goal, helped along by Barzal and Jones. Metropolitan extended the lead as Jones scored, thanks to Konecny and Hischier. Atlantic bounced back with a Duclair goal, guided in by Bertuzzi and Weber. Atlantic evened it as Pastrnak scored his second of the game, fueled by Hedman and Jack Eichel. Tristan Jarry and Andrei Vasilevskiy protect the nets in the second half. Metropolitan regained the lead in the second half on a Hischier goal with helpers from Konency and Jones. Atlantic tied it again as Jonathan Huberdeau scored, with the help of Brady Tkachuk. Atlantic pulled ahead on a Hedman goal, made possible by Eichel and Pastrnak. Atlantic padded the lead with Duclair's second goal of the game, dished from Bertuzzi. Atlantic kept going with a Pastrnak empty net goal, set up by Hedman and Eichel. Atlantic iced it at 9-5 with a Duclair empty net goal, with a lone assist by Bertuzzi. Leading the way in the first game were Pastrnak, Duclair, Hedman, Bertuzzi, and Jones with four points each.

In game two, the Pacific Division takes on the host Central Division. Jordan Binnington and Jacob Markstrom are in the blue paint to start. Pacific started on a Matthew Tkachuk goal, courtesy of Quinn Hughes. Pacific added on with a Leon Draisaitl goal, via Tkachuk and Hughes. Pacific extended the lead as Tomas Hertl scored, thanks to Anze Kopitar. Central got on the board with a Mark Scheifele goal, passed from Roman Josi and Tyler Seguin. Central got closer with a David Perron goal, made possible by Alex Pietrangelo and Ryan O'Reilly. Central tied it with an unassisted Patrick Kane goal. Pacific retook the lead with a Hughes goal, helped along by Tkachuk. Central evened it again as Seguin scored, with the help of Scheifele and Josi. In the second half, Connor Hellebuyck and David Rittich played in goal. Pacific regained the lead with a Draisaitl goal, his second of the game, fueled by Connor McDavid and Mark Giordano. Central tied it again on a Kane goal, his second of the game, with a lone helper by Nathan MacKinnon. Pacific pulled ahead with Tkachuk's second of the game, guided in by Hughes and Elias Pettersson. Pacific padded the lead on a Draisaitl goal, his third of the game, coming off of McDavid. Pacific kept going with a Hertl goal, his second of the game, with assists provided by Max Pacioretty and Kopitar. Pacific continued when Hertl completed his hat trick, assisted by Draisaitl and McDavid. Pacific capped it at 10-5 with Hertl's fourth goal of the game, dished from Kopitar and Pacioretty. The leaders in this game were Hertl, Tkachuk, Draisaitl, and Hughes with four points each.

In the final, Atlantic meets Pacific. Frederik Andersen and Jacob Markstrom started in goal. Atlantic kicked off the first half with a Victor Hedman goal, via David Pastrnak and Jack Eichel. Atlantic added on with a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, passed from Brady Tkachuk and Mitchell Marner. Pacific got on the board with a Max Pacioretty goal, helped along by Anze Kopitar. Atlantic responded with a Pastrnak goal, coming off of Huberdeau and the goalie Andersen. Andrei Vasilevskiy and David Rittich took over in goal for the second half. Pacific got closer with an Elias Pettersson goal, assisted by Matthew Tkachuk and Quinn Hughes. Pacific tied it as Leon Draisaitl scored, thanks to Mark Giordano. Atlantic retook the lead on a Tyler Bertuzzi goal, courtesy of Anthony Duclair and Shea Weber. Pacific tied it again as Pettersson scored his second of the game, with the help of Hughes and Matthew Tkachuk. Pacific pulled ahead on a Tomas Hertl goal, made possible by Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. This stood for a 5-4 win, with Pastrnak named All-Star Game MVP in a losing effort.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

NHL 2019-20 - Day 110

Another two-game day is here, beginning with...

The Columbus Blue Jackets welcoming the Winnipeg Jets. Laurent Brossoit and Elvis Merzlikins are the unknown goalies. Winnipeg started in the first period with a Mason Appleton goal, his second of the season, via Mathieu Perreault and Luca Sbisa. Columbus tied it with a Seth Jones goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Nick Foligno and Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Jets retook the lead on a Kyle Connor goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, assisted by Anthony Bitetto and Sbisa. The Blue Jackets tied it again in the second period with an Oliver Bjorkstrand goal, his fifteenth of the year, with a lone helper by Dubois. Winnipeg pulled ahead with a Neal Pionk power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Blake Wheeler and Connor. Columbus equalized with a Gustav Nyquist power play goal, his eleventh of the year, with assists provided by Dubois and Zach Werenski. The Blue Jackets gained the lead in the third period with a Bjorkstrand goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the season, helped along by Jones. The final held at 4-3, with the three stars awarded to Bjorkstrand, Dubois, and Jones, while Connor and Sbisa get the honorable mentions.

Also, the Minnesota Wild bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Devan Dubnyk are the goalies. Detroit opened in the first period with a Filip Zadina goal, his seventh of the season, passed from Dylan Larkin and Trevor Daley. Minnesota tied it on a Jordan Greenway goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Matt Dumba. The Red Wings took the lead back with a Zadina power play goal, his second of the game and eighth of the season, powered by Daley and Valtteri Filppula. The Wild tied it in the second period with a Mats Zuccarello goal, his thirteenth of the year, assisted by Eric Staal and Dumba. Minnesota pulled ahead with a Jason Zucker goal, his fourteenth of the season, courtesy of Victor Rask and Kevin Fiala. The Wild added on with a Staal goal, his seventeenth of the year, fueled by Zach Parise and Zuccarello. This produced the eventual 4-2 final score, with the three stars being Staal, Zuccarello, and Zadina, while Dumba and Daley get the honorable mentions.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Tuesday, January 21, 2020

NHL 2019-20 - Day 109

A five-game slate will be played today, beginning with...

The Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Petr Mrazek are the goalies. Carolina started in the first period with a Martin Necas goal, via Ryan Dzingel and Haydn Fleury. The Hurricanes added on with a Justin Williams power play goal, powered by Teuvo Teravainen and Jaccob Slavin. Winnipeg got on the board with a Patrik Laine goal, his seventeenth of the year, assisted by Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor. Carolina responded with a Teravainen goal, his tenth of the season, guided in by Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. The Hurricanes extended the lead in the third period as Williams scored his second of the game, thanks to Svechnikov and Teravainen. The Hurricanes held on for a 4-1 win, with the three stars awarded to Williams, Teravainen, and Svechnikov.

Up north, the New York Rangers welcome the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Alexandar Georgiev draw the starts in goal. The Islanders opened in the first period with a Josh Bailey power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Noah Dobson and Derick Brassard. The Islanders added on with an Anthony Beauvillier power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, with assists provided by Mathew Barzal and Bailey. The Islanders extended the lead in the second period as Anders Lee scored his sixteenth of the season, thanks to Barzal and Jordan Eberle. The Islanders padded the lead on a Brock Nelson goal in the third period, his twentieth of the year, via Bailey and Ryan Pulock. The Rangers got on the board with a Pavel Buchnevich power play goal, his eighth of the season, with helpers from Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad. The Rangers got closer with a Chris Kreider power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, helped along by Zibanejad and Ryan Strome. The final remained at 4-2, with the three stars handed to Bailey, Barzal, and Zibanejad.

To Boston, as the Bruins host the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jaroslav Halak are the veterans in goal. Vegas led off in the first period with a Mark Stone goal, his eighteenth of the season, made possible by Nate Schmidt. Boston tied it with a Jeremy Lauzon goal, coming off of David Krejci and Karson Kuhlman. The Golden Knights shot back with a Nicolas Hague power play goal in the second period, powered by Schmidt and Jonathan Marchessault. The Bruins tied it in the third period with a Jake DeBrusk goal, his fifteenth of the year, passed from Charlie Coyle and the goalie Halak. Boston pulled ahead on a Krejci goal, his twelfth of the season, courtesy of Brandon Carlo and Danton Heinen. This held for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Krejci, Schmidt, and DeBrusk.

In Philadelphia, the Flyers bring in their Pennsylvania rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Brian Elliott man the creases. Philadelphia got going in the second period with a Jakub Voracek goal, his tenth of the season, courtesy of Sean Couturier and Joel Farabee. The Flyers added on with a James van Riemsdyk goal, his fourteenth of the year, fueled by Travis Konecny and Claude Giroux. Philadelphia iced it at 3-0 in the third period with a Justin Braun empty net goal, his third of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Elliott (19 save shutout), Voracek, and van Riemsdyk.

Finally, the Chicago Blackhawks host the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Robin Lehner guard the cages. Florida dented the scoreboard in the second period with an Evgenii Dadonov goal, his twenty-third of the season, assisted by Aleksander Barkov and Mike Matheson. The Panthers added on with a Frank Vatrano goal, his twelfth of the year, via Dominic Toninato and Mike Hoffman. Florida extended the lead as Vatrano scored his second of the game and thirteenth of the season, thanks to Aaron Ekblad and Brian Boyle. Chicago got on the board with a Kirby Dach goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Alex DeBrincat and Slater Koekkoek. The Panthers replied with a Vatrano power play goal to complete his hat trick on his fourteenth of the season, with helpers from Hoffman and Huberdeau. The Blackhawks fired back with a Drake Caggiula power play goal in the third period, his sixth of the year, coming off of Erik Gustafsson and Duncan Keith. Chicago got closer with a Patrick Kane goal, his twenty-fifth of the campaign, helped along by Dach and Gustafsson. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Vatrano, Hoffman, and Dach, while Gustafsson gets an honorable mention.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Monday, January 20, 2020

NHL 2019-20 - Day 108

Just two games on as the bye weeks are in full swing. First up...

The Colorado Avalanche host the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Pavel Francouz are the goalies. Detroit led off in the first period with a Tyler Bertuzzi goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Dylan Larkin. Colorado tied it in the second period with a Nazem Kadri power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, powered by Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen. The Avalanche took the lead on a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, assisted by Makar and Rantanen. Colorado added on in the third period with a Kadri goal, his seventeenth of the year, guided in by Andre Burakovsky and Nikita Zadorov. The Avalanche extended the lead as Matt Nieto scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Tyson Jost and Ryan Graves. The Red Wings got one back with a Larkin goal, his thirteenth of the year, coming off of of Bertuzzi and Filip Zadina. Colorado answered on a Graves goal, his eighth of the season, fueled by Burakovsky and Kadri. Detroit responded on a Givani Smith goal, his second of the year, passed from Robby Fabbri and Larkin. The Avalanche iced it at 6-3 with a MacKinnon empty net goal, his second of the game and thirtieth of the campaign, set up by Ian Cole and Zadorov. The three stars were Kadri, Larkin, and MacKinnon, while Graves, Bertuzzi, Makar, Rantanen, Burakovsky, and Zadorov earned the honorable mentions.

The other game has the Minnesota Wild hosting the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Alex Stalock are in the creases. Florida began in the first period with a Keith Yandle goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Mike Hoffman and Frank Vatrano. Minnesota tied it on a Jared Spurgeon power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Eric Staal and Ryan Suter. The Panthers retook the lead in the second period with an Aleksander Barkov goal, his sixteenth of the season, via Josh Brown and Yandle. The Wild tied it again with a Luke Kunin shorthanded goal, his eleventh of the year, set up by Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin. Florida pulled ahead in the third period with an Evgenii Dadonov power play goal, his twenty-second of the season, with assists provided by Yandle and Barkov. Minnesota retied it on a Zach Parise power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, helped along by Spurgeon and Suter. The Wild took the lead with a Kunin goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the season, coming off of Eriksson Ek and Marcus Foligno. The Panthers tied it again with a Vincent Trocheck goal, his seventh of the year, fueled by Anton Stralman and Yandle. Florida won 5-4 with a Noel Acciari goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, with helpers from Aaron Ekblad and Mark Pysyk. The three stars were Yandle, Barkov, and Kunin, while Spurgeon, Suter, and Eriksson Ek get the honorable mentions.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

NHL 2019-20 - Day 107

We've got four games on Sunday, beginning with...

The Pittsburgh Penguins hosting the Boston Bruins. Jaroslav Halak and Matt Murray protect the nets. Boston opened in the first period with a Patrice Bergeron goal, his twenty-first of the season, assisted by Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. The Bruins added on with an Anders Bjork goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Charlie Coyle and Jake DeBrusk. Boston extended the lead as Pastrnak scored his thirty-seventh of the season, an unassisted goal. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Dominik Simon goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Sidney Crosby and Patric Hornqvist. The Penguins got closer with a Teddy Blueger goal, his seventh of the season, via Crosby and Kris Letang in the second period. Pittsburgh tied it in the third period with a shorthanded Jack Johnson goal, his third of the year, set up by Brandon Tanev. The Penguins took the lead on a Bryan Rust goal, his twenty-first of the campaign, with a lone helper by Evgeni Malkin. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars going to Crosby, Pastrnak, and Rust.

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and James Reimer are the 1B goalies. Carolina started in the first period with an Andrei Svechnikov goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Brett Pesce and Nino Niederreiter. New York tied it on an Anders Lee goal, his fifteenth of the year, via Casey Cizikas and Scott Mayfield in the second period. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Svechnikov, Teuvo Teravainen, and Justin Williams lifted the Hurricanes 2-1 over Mathew Barzal, Anthony Beauvillier, and the Islanders. The three starts were Svechnikov, Reimer (26 for 27 in saves), and Greiss (31 for 32 in saves).

Back north, the New York Rangers bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Matiss Kivlenieks and Igor Shesterkin are the unknown goalies. New York began in the first period with a Brady Skjei goal, his seventh of the season, with a lone assist by Jacob Trouba. Columbus tied it in the third period on an Oliver Bjorkstrand goal, his thirteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Blue Jackets took the lead with another Bjorkstrand goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the campaign, coming off of Pierre-Luc Dubois and Seth Jones. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars being Bjorkstrand, Kivlenieks, and Skjei.

Finally, the Chicago Blackhawks host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Robin Lehner are set to start in goal. Chicago led off in the first period with an Alex Nylander goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Erik Gustafsson and Connor Murphy. The Blackhawks added on with a Gustafsson goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Nylander and Matthew Hughmore. Winnipeg got on the board in the second period with a Mark Scheifele goal, his twenty-third of the season, assisted by Nikolaj Ehlers and Luca Sbisa. Chicago replied in the third period with a David Kampf goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Kirby Dach and Alex DeBrincat. The Blackhawks extended the lead as Brandon Saad scored his thirteenth of the season, thanks to Ryan Carpenter and Patrick Kane. The Jets got one back with a Patrik Laine goal, his sixteenth of the year, fueled by Neal Pionk and Blake Wheeler. Chicago iced it at 5-2 with a Dominik Kubalik goal, his twenty-first of the campaign, set up by Jonathan Toews and Murphy. The three stars were Gustafsson, Nylander, and Murphy.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.