Friday, December 31, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 73

There's four games left on the New Year's Eve schedule. Two are matinees, beginning with...

The New Jersey Devils hosting the Edmonton Oilers. Mike Smith and MacKenzie Blackwood are the goalies. New Jersey led off in the first period with a Jack Hughes power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Dougie Hamilton and Jesper Bratt. Edmonton tied it on a Connor McDavid goal, his eighteenth of the year, coming off of Ryan McLeod and Cody Ceci. The Devils retook the lead with a Nico Hischier goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Jesper Boqvist and Ryan Graves. The Oilers tied it again on a Kailer Yamamoto goal, his sixth of the year, assisted by Slater Koekkoek and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. New Jersey retook the lead again with a Dawson Mercer goal, his ninth of the season, guided in by Andreas Johnsson and Damon Severson. Edmonton tied it on another McDavid goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, passed from Duncan Keith and Yamamoto. The Devils regained the lead in the third period with a Janne Kuokkanen goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Johnsson and Mercer. The Oilers tied it again with a Devin Shore goal, his second of the year, with helpers from McLeod and William Lagesson. Edmonton pulled ahead on a Yamamoto goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, fueled by Leon Draisaitl and Keith. New Jersey tied it once more with a Yegor Sharangovich goal, his sixth of the year, helped along by Hamilton and Hughes. The Devils won 6-5 in overtime with a Hughes goal, his second of the game and eighth of the campaign, set up by Bratt and Severson. The three stars were Hughes, Mercer, and Yamamoto, while McDavid, Bratt, Johnsson, Hamilton, Severson, McLeod, and Keith get the honorable mentions. 

Out in Vegas, the Golden Knights welcome the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Laurent Brossoit are the goalies. Vegas began in the first period with a Nicolas Roy goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Ben Hutton. The Golden Knights added on with an Adam Brooks goal, his second of the year, via Dylan Coghlan and Chandler Stephenson. Vegas extended the lead in the second period as Mattias Janmark scored his fourth of the season, going in unassisted. Anaheim got on the board with a Ryan Getzlaf power play goal in the third period, his second of the year, powered by Sonny Milano and Vinni Lettieri. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars being Brooks, Janmark, and Brossoit (15 for 16 in saves). 

Back east, the Tampa Bay Lightning bring in the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin faces a lesser foe in Brian Elliott in goal. Tampa Bay started in the first period with a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Victor Hedman and Ondrej Palat. New York tied it in the second period with an Alexis Lafreniere goal, his seventh of the year, going in unassisted. The Rangers took the lead on a Barclay Goodrow shorthanded goal, his fifth of the season, set up by Greg McKegg. The Lightning retied it on a Ross Colton goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Brayden Point and Alex Killorn. New York pulled ahead in the third period with another Goodrow goal, his second of the game and sixth of the season, coming off of Artemi Panarin and K'Andre Miller. Tampa Bay tied it again with a Corey Perry goal, his eighth of the year, fueled by Stamkos and Palat. The tie went to a shootout, where Mika Zibanejad's lone tally lifted the Rangers to a 4-3 win. The three stars were Goodrow, Stamkos, and Palat. 

Finally, the Detroit Red Wings host the Washington Capitals. Ilya Samsonov and Thomas Greiss draw the starts in goal. Detroit got going in the second period with a Pius Suter goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Sam Gagner and Vladislav Namestnikov. Washington tied it on an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his eleventh of the year, via Lucas Johansen and Matt Irwin. The Capitals took the lead in the third period with an Alex Ovechkin power play goal, his twenty-third of the season, powered by Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom. Washington iced it at 3-1 with an Ovechkin empty net goal, his second of the game and twenty-fourth of the year, set up by Garnet Hathaway and John Carlson. The three stars were Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, and Samsonov (19 for 20 in saves). 

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Thursday, December 30, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 72

A day unmarked by postponements is here, with seven games on. First up...

The Florida Panthers host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Max Lagace and Spencer Knight are the backups in goal. Florida started in the first period with an Anthony Duclair goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Brandon Montour and Jonathan Huberdeau. The Panthers added on with a Huberdeau power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Aleksander Barkov and Sam Reinhart. Florida extended the lead as Frank Vatrano scored his seventh of the season, courtesy of Anton Lundell and Mason Marchment. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Zach Bogosian goal, his second of the year, via Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Corey Perry. The Panthers replied in the second period with an Eetu Luostarinen goal, his eighth of the season, fueled by Radko Gudas and Ryan Lomberg. The Lightning got one back with a Steven Stamkos goal, his fifteenth of the year, helped along by Ondrej Palat and Ross Colton. Florida responded with a Maxim Mamin goal, his fourth of the season, with helpers from Carter Verhaeghe and Luostarinen. The Panthers padded the lead on a Lundell goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Vatrano and MacKenzie Weegar. Hugo Alnefelt replaced Lagace in goal. Tampa Bay pulled one back in the third period with a Brayden Point power play goal, his tenth of the season, with assists provided by Alex Killorn and Palat. Florida shot back on a Duclair goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, dished from Huberdeau and Weegar. The Panthers continued with an Aaron Ekblad goal, his ninth of the season, guided in by Huberdeau and Duclair. Florida struck again with a Barkov shorthanded goal, his eleventh of the year, set up by Huberdeau. The final stood at 9-3, with the three stars being Huberdeau, Barkov, and Duclair, while Lundell, Vatrano, Luostarinen, Weegar, and Palat get the honorable mentions.

Up in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Sam Montembeault and Antti Raanta are set to start in goal. Carolina led off in the first period with a Nino Niederreiter power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jaccob Slavin. The Hurricanes added on with a Teuvo Teravainen shorthanded goal, his eighth of the year, set up by Sebastian Aho and Slavin. Carolina extended the lead in the second period as Teravainen scored his second of the game and ninth of the season, thanks to Martin Necas and Aho on the power play. The Hurricanes padded the lead in the third period on a Seth Jarvis power play goal, his fifth of the year, with assists provided by Andrei Svechnikov and Slavin. The final stood at 4-0, with the three stars going to Raanta (26 save shutout), Teravainen, and Slavin, while Aho gets an honorable mention.

Along to Columbus, as the Blue Jackets bring in the Nashville Predators. David Rittich and Elvis Merzlikins are in the blue paint. Nashville opened in the first period with a Michael McCarron goal, via Matt Luff and Philip Tomasino. Columbus tied it on a Boone Jenner goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Vladislav Gavrikov and Adam Boqvist. The Blue Jackets took the lead in the second period on a Patrik Laine goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Jakub Voracek and Jenner. The Predators tied it again on a Nick Cousins goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Matt Duchene and Dante Fabbro. Nashville took the lead on a Ryan Johansen power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Mikael Granlund and Duchene. Columbus tied it again in the third period with an Alexandre Texier goal, his tenth of the season, going in unassisted. The tie went to a shootout, where Texier and Gustav Nyquist topped Granlund to give the Blue Jackets a 4-3 win. The three stars were Duchene, Texier, and Jenner.

To New York, where the Islanders host the Buffalo Sabres. Malcolm Subban and Semyon Varlamov are the goalies. New York began in the first period with a Mathew Barzal goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Josh Bailey and Noah Dobson. Buffalo tied it on a Kyle Okposo power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Brett Murray and Victor Olofsson. The Islanders pulled ahead on a Kieffer Bellows goal, his third of the season, coming off of Andy Greene. New York added on with an Anders Lee power play goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Bellows and Barzal. The Islanders extended the lead as Dobson scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Bailey and Barzal. The final held at 4-1 with the three stars going to Barzal, Dobson, and Bailey, while Bellows gets an honorable mention.

Out in Seattle, the Kraken welcome the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom faces a lesser foe in Chris Driedger in goal. Seattle struck first in the first period with a Mark Giordano goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Colin Blackwell and Calle Jarnkrok. Calgary tied it on a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his eleventh of the year, via Nikita Zadorov and Matthew Tkachuk. The Kraken retook the lead with a Jarnkrok power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Jared McCann and Giordano. The Flames tied it on a Gaudreau power play goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, with assists provided by Sean Monahan and Tkachuk. Calgary took the lead with a Milan Lucic goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Christopher Tanev. Seattle tied it in the third period with a Yanni Gourde goal, his eighth of the year, coming off of Blackwell and Jarnkrok. The Flames took the lead with an Andrew Mangiapane power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, with helpers from Oliver Kylington and Noah Hanifin. The Kraken tied it again with a McCann goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Giordano and Jordan Eberle. Calgary retook the lead on a Tkachuk goal, his thirteenth of the season, guided in by Gaudreau. The Flames iced it at 6-4 with a Hanifin empty net goal, his third of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Gaudreau, Tkachuk, and Giordano, while Hanifin, Jarnkrok, McCann, and Blackwell get the honorable mentions.

Down in Los Angeles, the Kings bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Jaroslav Halak and Jonathan Quick man the nets. Los Angeles got going in the second period with a Brendan Lemieux goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Christian Wolanin. Vancouver tied it in the third period with a Bo Horvat power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. The tie went to a shootout, where Adrian Kempe and Viktor Arvidsson lifted the Kings over Horvat and the Canucks by a 2-1 score. The three stars were Horvat, Quick (17 for 18 in saves), and Lemieux.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Philadelphia Flyers. Felix Sandstrom is mismatched with James Reimer in goal. Philadelphia kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Morgan Frost goal, his second of the season, via Travis Konecny and Oskar Lindblom. San Jose tied it on a shorthanded Logan Couture goal, his eleventh of the year, set up by Andrew Cogliano and Jacob Middleton. The Sharks took the lead with a Brent Burns goal, his third of the season, guided in by Tomas Hertl and Middleton. The Flyers tied it on a Joel Farabee goal in the third period, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Lindblom and Keith Yandle. San Jose won 3-2 in overtime with a Hertl goal, his sixteenth of the campaign, helped along by Erik Karlsson. The three stars were Hertl, Middleton, and Lindblom. 

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Wednesday, December 29, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 71

Six games are left on Wednesday's schedule. First up...

The Buffalo Sabres host the New Jersey Devils. MacKenzie Blackwood and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are manning the nets. New Jersey started in the first period with a Dougie Hamilton power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. The Devils added on with a Jesper Bratt goal, his ninth of the year, via P.K. Subban and Hughes. Buffalo got on the board in the second period with a Tage Thompson goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Alex Tuch and Rasmus Dahlin. The Sabres tied it on another Thompson goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, guided in by Dahlin. New Jersey retook the lead in the third period with a Hughes goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Yegor Sharangovich and Bratt. The Devils extended the lead as Sharangovich scored his fifth of the year, thanks to Ty Smith and Bratt. Buffalo got one back with an Ethan Prow goal, with helpers from Victor Olofsson and Mark Pysyk. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Hughes, Bratt, and Thompson, while Sharangovich and Dahlin get the honorable mentions.

In DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Ilya Samsonov guard the cages. Washington opened in the first period with a Lars Eller goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals added on with a Carlson goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Nicklas Backstrom and Dmitry Orlov. Washington extended the lead as Nic Dowd scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Carl Hagelin and Michal Kempny. Nashville got on the board in the second period with a Yakov Trenin goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Tanner Jeannot and Dante Fabbro. The Predators got closer with a Luke Kunin goal, his fifth of the season, with helpers from Eeli Tolvanen and Ben Harpur. Nashville tied it as Filip Forsberg scored his fourteenth of the year, with the help of Fabbro and Mikael Granlund. The Capitals retook the lead in the third period on an Evgeny Kuznetsov shorthanded goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by T.J. Oshie and Carlson. Washington iced it at 5-3 with a Carl Hagelin empty net goal, his second of the year, set up by Orlov and Carlson. The three stars went to Carlson, Hagelin, and Orlov, while Fabbro gets an honorable mention.

Down in Florida, the Panthers bring in the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Sergei Bobrovsky tend the twines. New York led off in the first period with an Artemi Panarin goal, his tenth of the season, fueled by Ryan Strome and Jacob Trouba. Florida tied it in the second period with an Anton Lundell goal, his sixth of the year, assisted by Gustav Forsling and Ryan Lomberg. The Rangers retook the lead on a Mika Zibanejad goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Panarin and Libor Hajek. The Panthers tied it again in the third period with a MacKenzie Weegar goal, courtesy of Eetu Luostarinen and Mason Marchment. Florida took the lead with a Carter Verhaeghe goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Radko Gudas and Forsling. The Panthers added on with an Anthony Duclair goal, his tenth of the season, helped along by Sam Bennett. New York pulled one back on a Chris Kreider goal, his nineteenth of the year, passed from Zibanejad. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars being Panarin, Zibanejad, and Forsling.

Out west, the St. Louis Blues host the Edmonton Oilers. Mike Smith and Jordan Binnington patrol the creases. St. Louis began in the first period with a Robert Thomas goal, his third of the season, coming off of Vladimir Tarasenko and Jordan Kyrou. The Blues added on with a Kyrou goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Tarasenko and Torey Krug. Edmonton got on the board with a Leon Draisaitl goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, fueled by Kailer Yamamoto and Slater Koekkoek. The Oilers tied it on an Evan Bouchard goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Connor McDavid. St. Louis retook the lead on a Tarasenko goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Kyrou and Justin Faulk. The Blues extended the lead in the third period as Brandon Saad scored his twelfth of the year on the power play, thanks to David Perron and Krug. This made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars given to Tarasenko, Kyrou, and Krug.

Northwest to Seattle, where the Kraken welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Martin Jones and Philipp Grubauer are between the pipes. Philadelphia struck first in the first period with a James van Riemsdyk power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Claude Giroux and Travis Konecny. Seattle tied it on a Yanni Gourde power play goal, his seventh of the year, with assists provided by Carson Soucy and Morgan Geekie. The Kraken took the lead in the third period with a Jeremy Lauzon goal, assisted by Adam Larsson and Calle Jarnkrok. The Flyers retied it on a van Riemsdyk goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, via Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen. Philadelphia won 3-2 in overtime with an Ivan Provorov goal, his third of the year, guided in by Kevin Hayes.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and John Gibson are the American goalies. Anaheim kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Sam Carrick goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Nicolas Deslauriers and Hampus Lindholm. Vancouver tied it on a Tanner Pearson goal, his fifth of the year, via Quinn Hughes and J.T. Miller. The Canucks won 2-1 in overtime with a Miller goal, his eleventh of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Miller, Demko (22 for 23 in saves), and Pearson. 

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Tuesday, December 28, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 70

Just three games are on as the NHL resumes its schedule. First up...

The Tampa Bay Lightning host the Montreal Canadiens. Sam Montembeault and Maxime Lagace are the goalies. Montreal led off in the first period with a Lukas Vejdemo goal, via Michael Pezzetta and Cedric Paquette. Tampa Bay tied it on a Brayden Point goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Mathieu Joseph and Victor Hedman. The Lightning took the lead with a Point goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, passed from Alex Killorn. The Canadiens tied it in the second period with a Rafael Harvey-Pinard, assisted by Sami Niku and Corey Schueneman. Tampa Bay retook the lead with a Ross Colton goal, his third of the season, guided in by Steven Stamkos and Perry. Montreal tied it again with a Kale Clague goal, helped along by Cole Caufield and Ryan Poehling. The Canadiens pulled ahead on an unassisted David Savard goal. The Lightning retied it with a Perry goal, his seventh of the year, with helpers from Killorn and Point. Tampa Bay won 5-4 in overtime with an Ondrej Palat goal, his tenth of the campaign, fueled by Hedman. The three stars were Point, Perry, and Hedman, while Killorn gets an honorable mention. 

Way out west, the Los Angeles Kings welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Laurent Brossoit and Jonathan Quick are in the creases. Vegas struck first in the first period with a Reilly Smith power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore. The Golden Knights added on with a Keegan Kolesar goal, his second of the year, guided in by Ben Hutton and William Carrier. Los Angeles got on the board with an Adrian Kempe goal, his thirteenth of the season, fueled by Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar. Vegas replied on a Marchessault goal, his fifteenth of the year, via William Karlsson and Smith. The Golden Knights extended the lead as Chandler Stephenson scored his tenth of the season on the power play, thanks to Nicolas Roy. Vegas padded the lead on a Mattias Janmark goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Zach Whitecloud and Stephenson. The Kings pulled one back with a Trevor Moore shorthanded goal, his third of the season, set up by Matt Roy. The Golden Knights countered with a Marchessault goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the year, going in unassisted. Los Angeles pulled one back on an Alex Iafallo goal, his tenth of the season, helped along by Sean Durzi and Kempe. This only made it 6-3, the final, with the three stars being Marchessault, Stephenson, and Smith, while Kempe gets an honorable mention.

Up in San Jose, the Sharks bring in the Arizona Coyotes. James Reimer and Scott Wedgewood are in the blue paint. San Jose began in the first period with an Alexander Barabanov goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Logan Couture and Timo Meier. Arizona tied it on a Lawson Crouse goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Phil Kessel. The Sharks took the lead on a Nick Bonino goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Matt Nieto and Andrew Cogliano. The Coyotes tied it on a Janis Moser goal, via Crouse. San Jose took the lead with a Radim Simek goal, with helpers from Jayden Halbegewachs and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The Sharks added on with a Jeffrey Viel goal, courtesy of Jonah Gadjovich and Lane Pederson. Arizona got one back with a Clayton Keller goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Kessel and Johan Larsson. San Jose replied with a Meier goal, his thirteenth of the season, helped along by Barabanov and Couture. The Coyotes answered with a Moser power play goal, his second of the game, powered by Larsson and Loui Eriksson. San Jose responded with a Tomas Hertl goal, his fifteenth of the year, made possible by Noah Gregor. Arizona fired back on a Crouse goal, his second of the game and eighth of the season, fueled by Dysin Mayo and Kessel. San Jose countered with a Couture goal, his tenth of the year, with assists provided by Barabanov and Erik Karlsson. The Coyotes got closer with a Shayne Gostisbehere goal, his fifth of the season, dished from Kessel and Larsson. Arizona tied it on an Andrew Ladd power play goal, his fifth of the year, with the help of Crouse and Gostisbehere. The tie went to a shootout, where Couture and Hertl gave the Sharks an 8-7 win. The three stars were Crouse, Kessel, and Moser, while Meier, Couture, Barabanov, Gostisbehere, and Larsson get the honorable mentions. 

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Tuesday, December 21, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 69

Another one-game night, as the Vegas Golden Knights host the Tampa Bay Lightning to lead the NHL into its holiday break. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Laurent Brossoit are the goalies. Tampa Bay began in the first period with a Gabriel Fortier goal, assisted by Mikhail Sergachev. Vegas tied it on a Mark Stone goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Max Pacioretty and Shea Theodore on the power play. The Golden Knights took the lead in the second period with a Stone goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, guided in by Chandler Stephenson. Vegas added on with a Nicolas Roy goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Theodore and Zach Whitecloud. The Lightning took the lead with a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal, his third of the year, with helpers from Corey Perry and Pat Maroon. Tampa Bay tied it with an Anthony Cirelli goal, his ninth of the season, courtesy of Alex Killorn and Zach Bogosian. The Lightning pulled ahead in the third period with a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Victor Hedman and Ondrej Palat. This made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Stamkos, Stone, and Theodore. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0 and I'll have more recaps hopefully next Monday.

Monday, December 20, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 68

Just one game left on the schedule for this Monday, as the Dallas Stars host the Minnesota Wild. Cam Talbot and Jake Oettinger are the goalies. Dallas led off in the first period with a Joe Pavelski goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen. The Stars added on with a shorthanded and unassisted Esa Lindell goal. Minnesota got on the board with a Ryan Hartman goal, his fourteenth of the year, guided in by Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. The Wild got closer with a Kevin Fiala goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Marcus Foligno. Dallas replied with a Tyler Seguin goal, his eighth of the year, fueled by Denis Gurianov and Jamie Benn. The Stars extended the lead in the second period on a Roope Hintz power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by John Klingberg and Robertson. Minnesota pulled one back with a Kaprizov goal, his twelfth of the year, with helpers from Zuccarello and Alex Goligoski. Dallas shot back on a Jacob Peterson goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Gurianov in the third period. The Stars padded the lead as Heiskanen scored his fourth of the year, thanks to Michael Raffl. The Wild answered on a Fiala power play goal, his sixth of the season, with assists provided by Hartman and Kaprizov. Dallas iced it at 7-4 with a Benn empty net goal, his eighth of the year, set up by Radek Faksa. The three stars were Heiskanen, Benn, and Fiala, while Kaprizov, Hartman, Robertson, Gurianov, and Zuccarello get the honorable mentions.

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Sunday, December 19, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 67

Just four games left on the schedule for Sunday, beginning with...

The New York Islanders hosting the Vegas Golden Knights. Robin Lehner and Ilya Sorokin tend the twines. Vegas opened in the first period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Zach Whitecloud and Reilly Smith. New York tied it on a Brock Nelson power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Noah Dobson and Oliver Wahlstrom. The Golden Knights retook the lead on a Shea Theodore power play goal, his fifth of the season, with assists provided by Chandler Stephenson and Max Pacioretty. The Islanders tied it on a Kieffer Bellows goal, his second of the year, coming off of Zach Parise. New York pulled ahead with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Wahlstrom and Anders Lee. Vegas retied it on a Theodore goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, with a lone helper by Alex Pietrangelo. The tie went to a shootout, where Theodore and Nicolas Roy lifted the Golden Knights to a 4-3 win. The three stars were Theodore, Wahlstrom, and Marchessault. 

In Winnipeg, the Jets welcome the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Connor Hellebuyck guard the cages. Winnipeg got going in the second period with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Mark Scheifele and Paul Stastny. St. Louis tied it on a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his twelfth of the year, passed from Ivan Barbashev and Pavel Buchnevich. The Jets took the lead back with a Scheifele goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Ehlers. Winnipeg added on in the third period with a Stastny goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Ehlers and Brenden Dillon. The Blues got one back with a Niko Mikkola shorthanded goal, his second of the season, set up by Buchnevich and Barbashev. The Jets countered on a Stastny power play goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, powered by Ehlers and Adam Lowry. The final held at 4-2 with the three stars being Ehlers, Stastny, and Scheifele, while Buchnevich and Barbashev get the honorable mentions. 

Back stateside, the Washington Capitals bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Garret Sparks is mismatched with Vitek Vanecek in goal. Washington struck first in the first period with a Connor McMichael goal, his fourth of the season, via Joe Snively. The Capitals added on in the second period with a Justin Schultz goal, his second of the year, assisted by Conor Sheary and Garnet Hathaway. Los Angeles got on the board with a Blake Lizotte shorthanded goal, his third of the season, set up by Alex Iafallo and Anze Kopitar. The Kings tied it in the third period with a Christian Wolanin goal, passed from Matt Roy. Los Angeles took the lead with an Adrian Kempe goal, his twelfth of the year, coming off of Roy and Dustin Brown. The final held from here at 3-2, with the three stars being Kempe, Roy, and Wolanin.

Finally, the New Jersey Devils host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Jon Gillies are in the blue paint. Pittsburgh started in the first period with a shorthanded Teddy Blueger goal, his seventh of the season, going in unassisted. The Penguins added on in the second period with a Danton Heinen goal, his ninth of the year, via Marcus Pettersson and Jason Zucker. New Jersey got on the board with a Janne Kuokkanen goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Ty Smith and Yegor Sharangovich. Pittsburgh replied in the third period with a Mike Matheson goal, his third of the year, guided in by Dominik Simon. The Devils pulled one back with a Nathan Bastian power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Dougie Hamilton and Pavel Zacha. The Penguins held on for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Matheson, Heinen, and Blueger. 

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Saturday, December 18, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 66

We're going with five games today after postponements decimated the schedule. First up...

The Carolina Hurricanes host the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Frederik Andersen guard the cages. Carolina started in the first period with a Jesperi Kotkaniemi goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Brady Skjei and Jesper Fast. The Hurricanes added on with a Fast power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Jaccob Slavin and Andrew Poturalski. Carolina extended the lead in the second period as Brett Pesce scored his second of the season, thanks to Josh Leivo and Skjei. The Hurricanes padded the lead on a Teuvo Teravainen power play goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Tony DeAngelo and Kotkaniemi. Los Angeles got on the board with a Blake Lizotte goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Tobias Bjornfot. Carolina answered in the third period with a Jack Drury goal, his second of the year, with helpers from Derek Stepan and Brendan Smith. The final was 5-1, with the three stars going to Kotkaniemi, Fast, and Skjei.

In Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the Ottawa Senators. Anton Forsberg and Martin Jones are the goalies. Philadelphia opened in the first period with a Claude Giroux goal, his eleventh of the season, helped along by Oskar Lindblom. The Flyers added on with a Lindblom goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov. Ottawa got on the board in the second period with a Tim Stutzle goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Alex Formenton and Connor Brown. The Senators tied it on a shorthanded Formenton goal, his sixth of the year, going in unassisted. Ottawa pulled ahead in the third period with an Artem Zub goal, his second of the season, made possible by Dylan Gambrell and Zach Sanford. Philadelphia retied it on a Joel Farabee goal, his eighth of the year, coming off of Sean Couturier and Travis Sanheim. The Flyers won 4-3 in overtime with a Sanheim goal, his second of the campaign, set up by Cam Atkinson. The three stars were Sanheim, Lindblom, and Formenton.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings host the New Jersey Devils. Akira Schmid and Thomas Greiss are the backups in goal. Detroit began in the first period with a Dylan Larkin goal, his thirteenth of the season, fueled by Filip Hronek. New Jersey tied it on a Michael McLeod goal, his second of the year, via Jimmy Vesey and Jonas Siegenthaler. The Red Wings took the lead back in the second period with another Larkin goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, assisted by Vladislav Namestnikov and Pius Suter. Detroit added on with a Tyler Bertuzzi goal, his eleventh of the year, guided in by Moritz Seider. The Red Wings extended the lead as Larkin finished his hat trick on his fifteenth of the season, with the help of Kyle Criscuolo. The Devils got one back on a Dawson Mercer shorthanded goal, his eighth of the year, set up by Damon Severson. Detroit countered on a Bertuzzi goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the season, with assists provided by Larkin and Lucas Raymond. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars being Larkin, Bertuzzi, and Greiss (32 for 34 in saves).

Down in Dallas, the Stars bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Kevin Lankinen and Jake Oettinger are the masked men. Dallas led off in the first period with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his tenth of the season, with a lone assist by John Klingberg. The Stars added on with another Pavelski power play goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, powered by Roope Hintz and Alexander Radulov. Chicago got on the board in the second period with an Alex DeBrincat power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, coming off of Patrick Kane and Erik Gustafsson. Dallas replied on a Jason Robertson goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Hintz and Pavelski. The Blackhawks got one back on a Dylan Strome goal, his third of the season, made possible by Brandon Hagel and Caleb Jones. Chicago tied it in the third period with a Dominik Kubalik goal, his sixth of the year, via Hagel. The Stars won 4-3 in overtime with a Klingberg power play goal, with assists provided by Pavelski and Hintz. The three stars belonged to Pavelski, Klingberg, and Hintz, while Hagel gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Seattle Kraken host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Chris Driedger draw the starts in goal. Seattle struck first in the first period with a Ryan Donato goal, his eighth of the season, via Morgan Geekie and Haydn Fleury. The Kraken added on with a Jared McCann goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz. Edmonton got on the board with an Evan Bouchard goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Cooper Marody and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers tied it on a Warren Foegele power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Kailer Yamamoto and Draisaitl. Edmonton took the lead in the second period on a Colton Sceviour goal, his second of the season, fueled by Connor McDavid and Seth Griffith. Seattle retied it on a Carson Soucy goal, his fourth of the year, assisted by Jeremy Lauzon and Eberle. The Oilers took the lead in the third period with a Foegele goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, with helpers from Bouchard and Draisaitl. Edmonton iced it at 5-3 with a McDavid empty net goal, his seventeenth of the year, set up by Zack Kassian. The three stars were Foegele, Bouchard, and Draisaitl, while McDavid and Eberle get the honorable mentions. 

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Friday, December 17, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 65

There's six games on this Friday, beginning with...

The New York Rangers hosting the Vegas Golden Knights. Laurent Brossoit and Alexandar Georgiev are in the blue paint. Vegas opened in the first period with a Brett Howden goal, his third of the season, made possible by William Carrier and Keegan Kolesar. New York tied it in the second period with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Chris Kreider and K'Andre Miller. The Rangers took the lead with a Kreider power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by Zibanejad and Ryan Strome. The Golden Knights tied it on a Dylan Coghlan goal, his third of the year, fueled by Nicolas Hague and Howden. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Jonathan Marchessault had the lone tally for a 3-2 Golden Knights win. The three stars were Howden, Kreider, and Zibanejad.

Along to Pittsburgh, where the Penguins welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Malcolm Subban is mismatched with Tristan Jarry in goal. Pittsburgh started in the first period with an Evan Rodrigues power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby. The Penguins added on in the second period with a Brock McGinn goal, his eighth of the year, made possible by Mike Matheson and Teddy Blueger. Buffalo got on the board with a Zemgus Girgensons goal, his sixth of the season, via Casey Fitzgerald and John Hayden. The Sabres tied it on a third period goal by Rasmus Dahlin, his sixth of the year, fueled by Rasmus Asplund and Kyle Okposo. Pittsburgh won 3-2 in overtime with a Jeff Carter goal, his ninth of the campaign, set up by Letang. The three stars were Letang, Carter, and Rodrigues.

Over in St. Louis, the Blues bring in the Dallas Stars. Braden Holtby and Charlie Lindgren are set to start in goal. St. Louis got going in the second period with a Logan Brown goal, his third of the season, assisted by Colton Parayko and Ryan O'Reilly. The Blues added on with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his tenth of the year, via Pavel Buchnevich and Ivan Barbashev. Dallas got on the board in the third period with a Jason Robertson goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of John Klingberg and Joe Pavelski. St. Louis replied on a Tarasenko power play goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, powered by Buchnevich and Torey Krug. St. Louis iced it at 4-1 with a Barbashev empty net goal, his eleventh of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars belonged to Tarasenko, Buchnevich, and Barbashev.

Up in Winnipeg, the Jets host the Washington Capitals. Vitek Vanecek and Connor Hellebuyck guard the cages. Washington dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Brett Leason goal, his third of the season, passed from Michael Sgarbossa and Matt Irwin. The Capitals added on with a Daniel Sprong goal, his fifth of the year, via Aliaksei Protas. Winnipeg got on the board with a Brenden Dillon goal, coming off of Nikolaj Ehlers. The Jets tied it in the third period with a Josh Morrissey power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Ehlers and Nate Schmidt. Washington retook the lead with a Conor Sheary goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Justin Schultz and Dennis Cholowski. The Capitals extended the lead on an empty net goal by Sgarbossa, his second of the year, set up by Leason and Nick Jensen. Washington finished it at 5-2 with an Alex Ovechkin empty net goal, his twenty-second of the season, with a helper from Sprong and John Carlson. The three stars were Leason, Sgarbossa, and Sprong, while Ehlers gets an honorable mention.

Back stateside, the Chicago Blackhawks welcome the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Marc-Andre Fleury tend the twines. Nashville led off in the first period with a Thomas Novak power play goal, powered by Alexandre Carrier and Luke Kunin. Chicago tied it on a Kirby Dach goal, his fifth of the season, via MacKenzie Entwistle and Dominik Kubalik. The Predators retook the lead in the third period with a Colton Sissons power play goal, his fourth of the year, with assists provided by Filip Forsberg and Eeli Tolvanen. The Blackhawks retied it on a Jonathan Toews goal, his third of the season, coming off of Riley Stillman. Nashville won 3-2 in overtime with a Tanner Jeannot goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Roman Josi. The three stars were Jeannot, Sissons, and Novak.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Scott Wedgewood and John Gibson man the nets. Arizona began in the first period with a Travis Boyd goal, his seventh of the season, courtesy of Phil Kessel and Clayton Keller. Anaheim tied it on a Kevin Shattenkirk power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Cam Fowler and Troy Terry. The Ducks took the lead with a Hampus Lindholm goal, his fourth of the season, via Sam Steel and Rickard Rakell. Anaheim added on with a Derek Grant goal, his third of the year, guided in by Jakob Silfverberg and Isac Lundestrom. The Coyotes got one back with a Christian Fischer power play goal, his third of the season, with assists provided by Barrett Hayton and Nick Schmaltz. Arizona tied it on a Keller goal, his eighth of the year, fueled by Shayne Gostisbehere. The Ducks retook the lead with a Trevor Zegras goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Jamie Drysdale and Lindholm. The Coyotes tied it on an Andrew Ladd goal, his fourth of the year, with helpers from Boyd and Ilya Lyubushkin. Arizona took the lead with a Kessel goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Boyd and Anton Stralman. Anaheim tied it again with a Lindholm power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, dished from Zegras and Ryan Getzlaf. The Coyotes won on a Keller goal in overtime, his second of the game and ninth of the campaign, helped along by Schmaltz. The three stars belonged to Keller, Boyd, and Lindholm, while Kessel, Schmaltz, and Zegras get the honorable mentions. 

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Thursday, December 16, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 64

The show goes on with ten games tonight amid a virus outbreak. First up...

The Montreal Canadiens host the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Cayden Primeau are in goal. Montreal opened in the first period with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, his fourth of the season, via Brett Kulak and Alexander Romanov. Philadelphia tied it in the second period with a Max Willman goal, his second of the year, courtesy of James van Riemsdyk and Kevin Hayes. The Flyers took the lead with a Jackson Cates goal, assisted by Patrick Brown and Travis Sanheim. The Canadiens retied it in the third period with a Laurent Dauphin goal, passed from Ben Chiarot and David Savard. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Jonathan Drouin lifted the Canadiens to a 3-2 win. The three stars were Dauphin, Lehkonen, and Primeau (37 for 39 in saves).

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning welcome the Ottawa Senators. Anton Forsberg and Andrei Vasilevskiy are in the blue paint. Ottawa struck first in the first period with a Thomas Chabot goal, going in unassisted. Tampa Bay tied it in the second period with an Alex Killorn goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Ross Colton and Victor Hedman. The Lightning took the lead on a Hedman power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Taylor Raddysh and Steven Stamkos. The final held at 2-1, with the three stars going to Hedman, Vasilevskiy (25 for 26 in saves), and Killorn.

Also in Florida, the Panthers bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Sergei Bobrovsky guard the cages. Florida started in the first period with a Matt Kiersted goal, via Jonathan Huberdeau and Sam Reinhart. Los Angeles tied it on an Olli Maatta goal, assisted by Carl Grundstrom and Trevor Moore. The Kings took the lead in the second period with an Anze Kopitar goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by Sean Durzi and Alex Iafallo. Los Angeles added on with a Dustin Brown goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Matt Roy. The Kings extended the lead in the third period as Arthur Kaliyev scored his sixth of the season, thanks to Blake Lizotte. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Quick (41 for 42 in saves), Kopitar, and Brown.

Back north, the New Jersey Devils host the Vegas Golden Knights. Robin Lehner and MacKenzie Blackwood are between the pipes. New Jersey led off in the first period with a Jack Hughes goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Dougie Hamilton and Tomas Tatar. Vegas tied it on a Dylan Coghlan power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault. The Golden Knights took the lead in the second period with a William Carrier goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Keegan Kolesar and Brett Howden. Vegas added on in the third period with a William Karlsson goal, his third of the year, guided in by Smith and Coghlan. The Golden Knights extended the lead as Nicolas Roy scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Mattias Janmark and Alex Pietrangelo. The Devils got one back on a Tatar power play goal, his sixth of the year, with assists provided by Damon Severson and Ty Smith. New Jersey got closer with a shorthanded Jimmy Vesey goal, his fifth of the season, set up by Jonas Siegenthaler. Vegas iced it at 5-3 with a Marchessault empty net goal, his thirteenth of the year, with helpers from Karlsson and Brayden McNabb. The three stars were given to Karlsson, Marchessault, and Coghlan, while Smith gets an honorable mention.

South to Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Alex Nedeljkovic and Frederik Andersen are the masked men. Carolina began in the first period with a Nino Niederreiter power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Jesper Fast and Andrew Poturalski. Detroit tied it on a Sam Gagner goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The Hurricanes retook the lead on a Tony DeAngelo goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Fast and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The Red Wings tied it on a Dylan Larkin goal, his twelfth of the year, via Lucas Raymond. Carolina gained the lead on a Jack Drury goal, made possible by Kotkaniemi and Teuvo Teravainen. Detroit tied it on a Tyler Bertuzzi goal in the second period, his tenth of the season, assisted by Larkin and Raymond. The Hurricanes took the lead in the third period on a Niederreiter goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, with helpers from Martin Necas and Brett Pesce. Carolina iced it at 5-3 on a Vincent Trocheck empty net goal, his seventh of the campaign, set up by Teravainen and Necas. The three stars were Niederreiter, Kotkaniemi, and Fast, while Teravainen, Necas, Larkin, and Raymond get the honorable mentions.

In New York, the Islanders bring in the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Semyon Varlamov make the starts in goal. New York kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Cal Clutterbuck goal, his fourth of the season, going in unassisted. The Islanders added on in the second period with an Anthony Beauvillier power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Robin Salo and Josh Bailey. The Islanders extended the lead with a Clutterbuck empty net goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, set up by Anders Lee and Zdeno Chara. Boston got on the board with a Mike Reilly goal, his third of the year, via Brandon Carlo and the goalie Ullmark. The final was 3-1, with the three stars going to Clutterbuck, Varlamov (40 for 41 in saves), and Beauvillier.

Southwest to Nashville, as the Predators host the Colorado Avalanche. Pavel Francouz and Juuse Saros tend the twines. Nashville drew first blood in the first period with a Filip Forsberg goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Alexandre Carrier and Colton Sissons. The Predators added on in the second period with a Tanner Jeannot power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Sissons and Forsberg. Colorado got on the board with a Mikko Rantanen power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, with assists provided by Nazem Kadri and Nathan MacKinnon. Nashville replied with another Forsberg goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Avalanche got one back in the third period with a Valeri Nichushkin goal, his tenth of the season, via Rantanen and Samuel Girard. The Predators answered with a Roman Josi power play goal, his tenth of the year, with helpers from Sissons and Jeannot. Nashville iced it at 5-2 with a Mattias Ekholm empty net goal, set up by Carrier. The three stars were Forsberg, Sissons, and Jeannot, while Rantanen and Carrier get the honorable mentions.

Up in Minnesota, the Wild welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is mismatched with Cam Talbot in goal. Minnesota was first to score in the first period with a Jon Merrill goal, his third of the season, assisted by Dmitry Kulikov and Ryan Hartman. Buffalo tied it in the second period with a Dylan Cozens goal, his eighth of the year, via Henri Jokiharju. The Wild took the lead on a Kirill Kaprizov goal, his eleventh of the season, fueled by Alex Goligoski and Jared Spurgeon. The Sabres tied it on a Mark Pysyk goal, passed from Vinnie Hinostroza and Mark Jankowski. The tie went to a shootout, where Tage Thompson had the lone tally for a 3-2 Sabres win. The three stars were Pysyk, Cozens, and Luukkonen (30 for 32 in saves).

Over in Edmonton, the Oilers bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins and Stuart Skinner receive the starting nods in goal. Edmonton led off in the first period with a Jesse Puljujarvi power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Tyson Barrie and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers added on with another Puljujarvi power play goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, via Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid. Edmonton extended the lead as Derek Ryan scored his second of the season, with the help of Brendan Perlini. The Oilers padded the lead on a Perlini goal in the second period, coming off of Zack Kassian and Evan Bouchard. Joonas Korpisalo replaced Merzlikins in goal in the third period. Columbus got on the board with a Gustav Nyquist goal, his fifth of the year, made possible by Cole Sillinger and Jake Bean. The Blue Jackets got closer with a Justin Danforth goal, his second of the season, guided in by Zach Werenski. Edmonton iced it at 5-2 with a Warren Foegele empty net goal, his third of the year, set up by Puljujarvi. The three stars were Puljujarvi, Perlini, and Skinner (36 for 38 in saves).

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Adin Hill draw the starts in goal. Vancouver dented the scoreboard in the first period with a Brock Boeser goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Tanner Pearson. The Canucks added on with a Bo Horvat power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes. San Jose got on the board with a Timo Meier goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl. Vancouver shot back in the second period on another Boeser goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, coming off of Miller and Pearson. The Sharks got one back with an Andrew Cogliano goal, his third of the season, guided in by Lane Pederson and Brent Burns. The Canucks countered with a Miller goal, his tenth of the year, going in unassisted. Vancouver iced it at 5-2 with a Jason Dickinson goal, his second of the campaign, set up by Elias Pettersson and Kyle Burroughs. The three stars were Boeser, Miller, and Pearson. 

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Wednesday, December 15, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 63

Three games on for this Wednesday, beginning with...

The Chicago Blackhawks hosting the Washington Capitals. Ilya Samsonov and Marc-Andre Fleury guard the cages. Washington got going in the second period with an Alex Ovechkin power play goal, his twenty-first of the season, powered by T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom. Chicago tied it on an Alex DeBrincat power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, via Patrick Kane and Dominik Kubalik. The Blackhawks took the lead with a Philipp Kurashev power play goal, with assists provided by Kirby Dach and Caleb Jones. Chicago added on with a MacKenzie Entwistle goal, his third of the season, coming off of Brandon Hagel and Jonathan Toews. The Capitals got one back with a Daniel Sprong goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Lars Eller. Washington tied it in the third period with an Eller goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Oshie and Conor Sheary. The Blackhawks retook the lead with a DeBrincat power play goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the year, with helpers from Hagel and Dylan Strome. The Capitals tied it on a Sheary goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Ovechkin and John Carlson. Chicago won 5-4 in overtime with a Caleb Jones goal, set up by Dach.

Out in Arizona, the Coyotes welcome the New York Rangers. Keith Kinkaid and Scott Wedgewood are in the blue paint. Arizona led off in the first period with a Loui Eriksson shorthanded goal, set up by Clayton Keller and Ilya Lyubushkin. New York tied it on a Kaapo Kakko goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider in the second period. The Coyotes took the lead on a Keller goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of Nick Schmaltz and Anton Stralman. The Rangers tied it again with a Zibanejad power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Adam Fox and Kreider. New York pulled ahead on a Kakko power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, with assists provided by Kreider and Ryan Strome. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Kakko, Kreider and Zibanejad.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Seattle Kraken. Philipp Grubauer and Anthony Stolarz are set to start in goal. Anaheim began in the first period with a Trevor Zegras goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Sonny Milano and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Ducks added on with a Derek Grant shorthanded goal, his second of the year, going in unassisted. Anaheim extended the lead on a Troy Terry power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by Sam Steel and Jakob Silfverberg. Seattle got on the board with a Ryan Donato power play goal, his seventh of the year, with assists provided by Jordan Eberle and Vince Dunn. The Ducks shot back in the third period with a Sam Carrick goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Simon Benoit and Buddy Robinson. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Stolarz (19 for 20 in saves), Grant, and Terry. 

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Tuesday, December 14, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 62

We've got twelve games left on the schedule after postponements today. First up...

The Boston Bruins host the Vegas Golden Knights. Robin Lehner and Jeremy Swayman are between the pipes. Vegas struck first in the first period with a Shea Theodore goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Ben Hutton and Chandler Stephenson. The Golden Knights added on with a Max Pacioretty goal, his eleventh of the year, guided in by Stephenson and Mark Stone. Vegas extended the lead as Jonathan Marchessault scored his twelfth of the season on the power play, thanks to Alex Pietrangelo and Reilly Smith. The Golden Knights padded the lead on a Pacioretty goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, made possible by Stone and Stephenson. Boston got on the board in the third period with a Patrice Bergeron goal, his tenth of the season, via Taylor Hall. This only made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars given to Pacioretty, Stephenson, and Stone.

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Andrei Vasilevskiy guard the cages. Los Angeles led off in the first period with a Drew Doughty power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Alex Iafallo and Anze Kopitar. Tampa Bay tied it on a Victor Hedman goal, his sixth of the year, assisted by Steven Stamkos and Pat Maroon. The Kings took the lead in the second period on a Viktor Arvidsson goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Matt Roy and Phillip Danault. The Lightning tied it on a Taylor Raddysh goal, his fourth of the year, via Jan Rutta and Boris Katchouk. Tampa Bay won 3-2 in overtime on a Mathieu Joseph goal, his fifth of the campaign, with a lone helper from Ross Colton. The three stars were Joseph, Raddysh, and Hedman.

Also in Florida, the Panthers bring in the Ottawa Senators. Anton Forsberg and Spencer Knight get the starting nods in goal. Ottawa opened in the first period with an Austin Watson goal, his second of the season, made possible by Nick Paul and Thomas Chabot. Florida tied it on a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his tenth of the year, via Sam Reinhart and Lucas Carlsson. The Senators took the lead in the second period on a Dylan Gambrell shorthanded goal, set up by Connor Brown. The Panthers retied it with a Reinhart goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Anton Lundell. Ottawa retook the lead with a Josh Norris goal, his thirteenth of the year, guided in by Drake Batherson and Nikita Zaitsev. The Senators added on with a Tim Stutzle goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Brown and Alex Formenton. Ottawa extended the lead as Norris scored his second of the game and fourteenth of the year, passed from Batherson. The Senators padded the lead on a Batherson goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by Norris. Ottawa continued on a Paul goal, his fourth of the year, a power play goal powered by Chabot. The Senators struck again with another Paul power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, with assists provided by Brown and Tyler Ennis. The final was 8-2, and the three stars were Paul, Norris, and Batherson, while Brown, Chabot, and Reinhart get the honorable mentions.

Back north, the Philadelphia Flyers host the New Jersey Devils. MacKenzie Blackwood and Carter Hart patrol the creases. Philadelphia started in the first period with a Travis Sanheim goal, coming off of Rasmus Ristolainen and James van Riemsdyk. The Flyers added on with a Cam Atkinson goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Ristolainen and Sanheim. Philadelphia extended the lead in the second period as Justin Braun goal, his second of the year, thanks to Oskar Lindblom and Ivan Provorov. New Jersey got on the board with a P.K. Subban goal, his second of the season, fueled by Michael McLeod. The Flyers shot back on an Atkinson shorthanded goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, set up by Provorov. Philadelphia padded the lead on a Lindblom goal, his second of the season, helped along by Atkinson. Akira Schmid replaced Blackwood in goal. The Flyers kept going in the third period when Atkinson finished his hat trick on his twelfth of the year, with helpers from Claude Giroux and Max Willman. The final stood at 6-1, with the three stars given to Atkinson, Sanheim, and Lindblom, while Provorov and Ristolainen get the honorable mentions.

Across Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Penguins welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Jake Allen and Tristan Jarry man the nets. Pittsburgh began in the first period with a Kasperi Kapanen goal, his seventh of the season, fueled by Evan Rodrigues. The Penguins added on in the second period with a Rodrigues power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Kris Letang and Jeff Carter. Montreal replied on a Jonathan Drouin goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Laurent Dauphin. Pittsburgh replied with a Mike Matheson goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Sidney Crosby and Rodrigues. The Canadiens pulled one back with a Jesse Ylonen goal, helped along by Drouin. The Penguins shot back in the third period with a Brian Dumoulin goal, courtesy of Crosby. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Brian Boyle scored his third of the season, thanks to Dominik Simon and Chad Ruhwedel. The final held at 5-2, with the three stars being Rodrigues, Crosby, and Drouin.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings bring in the New York Islanders. Ilya Sorokin and Alex Nedeljkovic are the masked men. Detroit got going in the second period with a Dylan Larkin power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Moritz Seider and Lucas Raymond. The Red Wings added on in the third period with a Michael Rasmussen goal, his third of the year, guided in by Adam Erne. New York got on the board with an Anders Lee goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Noah Dobson and Brock Nelson. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Nedeljkovic (33 for 34 in saves), Rasmussen, and Larkin.

Up in Winnipeg, the Jets host the Buffalo Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is mismatched with Connor Hellebuyck in goal. Buffalo kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Rasmus Dahlin power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Tage Thompson. Winnipeg tied it on a Pierre-Luc Dubois goal, his fourteenth of the year, guided in by Josh Morrissey. The Sabres took the lead in the second period with an Anders Bjork goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Vinnie Hinostroza and Cody Eakin. The Jets tied it on a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his eleventh of the year, via Dubois and Brenden Dillon. Buffalo took the lead back on a Dahlin goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, fueled by Victor Olofsson and Thompson. The Sabres added on in the third period with a Jeff Skinner goal, his ninth of the year, with helpers from Olofsson and Henri Jokiharju. The final stood at 4-2, with the three stars being Dahlin, Olofsson, and Thompson, while Dubois gets an honorable mention.

Way south to Dallas, as the Stars welcome the St. Louis Blues. Charlie Lindgren and Jake Oettinger draw the starts in goal. Dallas dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Riley Damiani goal, assisted by John Klingberg and Jason Robertson. St. Louis replied on a Colton Parayko goal, his third of the season, via Vladimir Tarasenko and Pavel Buchnevich. The Blues took the lead in the third period with a Justin Faulk goal, his fifth of the year, an unassisted goal. St. Louis added on with a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, his fifth of the season, with assists provided by Tarasenko and Ivan Barbashev. The Blues extended the lead on a Tarasenko power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Barbashev and Buchnevich. The final was 4-1, with the three stars going to Tarasenko, Faulk, and Barbashev.

Along to Colorado, as the Avalanche bring in the New York Rangers. Alexandar Georgiev and Darcy Kuemper are in the creases. Colorado drew first blood in the first period on a Mikko Rantanen goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Nathan MacKinnon and Andre Burakovsky. The Avalanche added on with a Cale Makar power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by MacKinnon and Nazem Kadri. New York got on the board with a Ryan Strome goal in the second period, his sixth of the season, via Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin. Colorado replied on a Valeri Nichushkin goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by J.T. Compher and Kadri. The Rangers pulled one back in the third period on a Julien Gauthier goal, his second of the season, fueled by Dryden Hunt and Barclay Goodrow. The Avalanche iced it at 4-2 with a Nichushkin goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, set up by Kadri. The three stars were Nichushkin, Kadri, and MacKinnon.

North to Edmonton, as the Oilers host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jack Campbell and Mikko Koskinen protect the nets. Toronto was first to score in the first period with an Auston Matthews power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, powered by John Tavares and Ondrej Kase. The Maple Leafs added on in the second period with a Wayne Simmonds goal, his fourth of the year, via Morgan Rielly and Kyle Clifford. Toronto extended the lead as T.J. Brodie scored, thanks to Timothy Liljegren and David Kampf. Edmonton got on the board in the third period with a Colton Sceviour goal, helped along by Zack Kassian and Tyson Barrie. The Maple Leafs shot back with a Rielly goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by William Nylander. Toronto padded the lead as Matthews scored his second of the game and twentieth of the year, with the help of Kase. This made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars awarded to Matthews, Rielly, and Kase.

In Vancouver, the Canucks welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins and Jaroslav Halak are in the blue paint. Columbus cracked the scoresheet in the first period with an Eric Robinson goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Alexandre Texier and Zach Werenski. The Blue Jackets added on with a Max Domi goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Jack Roslovic and Gabriel Carlsson. Columbus extended the lead as Robinson scored his second of the game and fifth of the season, thanks to Texier and Gavin Bayreuther. Vancouver got on the board in the second period with a Bo Horvat goal, his eighth of the year, fueled by Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser. The Canucks got closer in the third period with an Elias Pettersson goal, his sixth of the season, helped along by Conor Garland and Tyler Myers. Vancouver tied it on a Vasily Podkolzin goal, his sixth of the year, with helpers from Hughes and Myers. The Canucks took the lead on a Horvat power play goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, powered by J.T. Miller and Hughes. The final stood at 4-3, with the three stars handed to Horvat, Hughes, and Robinson, while Myers and Texier get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Seattle Kraken. Chris Driedger and James Reimer make the starts in goal. Seattle tallied first in the third period with a Ryan Donato goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Joonas Donskoi and Carson Soucy. The Kraken added on with a Brandon Tanev goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Morgan Geekie and Calle Jarnkrok. San Jose got on the board with a Logan Couture goal, his ninth of the season, courtesy of Brent Burns and Tomas Hertl. The Kraken iced it at 3-1 with a Jarnkrok empty net goal, his second of the year, set up Mason Appleton and Alex Wennberg. The three stars were Driedger (33 for 34 in saves), Jarnkrok, and Tanev. 

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Sunday, December 12, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 61

There's five games on today, beginning with...

The New York Rangers hosting the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Alexandar Georgiev man the nets. Nashville got going in the second period with a Philip Tomasino goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Filip Forsberg and Alexandre Carrier. This stood for a 1-0 win, with the three stars going to Saros (32 save shutout), Tomasino, and Georgiev (23 for 24 in saves). 

Over in St. Louis, the Blues welcome the Anaheim Ducks. Anthony Stolarz and Jon Gillies are the backups in goal. Anaheim opened in the first period with a Buddy Robinson goal, coming off of Nicolas Deslauriers and Sam Carrick. St. Louis tied it in the second period with an Oskar Sundqvist goal, made possible by Nathan Walker and Brayden Schenn. The Blues took the lead in the third period on a Walker goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Schenn. The Ducks retied it with a Troy Terry goal, his sixteenth of the year, fueled by Cam Fowler and Sam Steel. Anaheim won 3-2 in overtime with a Terry penalty shot goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the campaign. The three stars were Terry, Walker, and Schenn. 

Further west, the Colorado Avalanche host the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Darcy Kuemper are the goalies. Colorado dented the scoreboard in the second period with an Andre Burakovsky power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche added on in the third period with another Burakovsky goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, fueled by Rantanen. Florida got on the board with a Joe Thornton power play goal, his third of the season, with assists provided by Carter Verhaeghe and Frank Vatrano. The Panthers tied it on a Brandon Montour goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Verhaeghe and Gustav Forsling. Colorado retook the lead on a Burakovsky goal, completing his hat trick on his twelfth of the season, made possible by MacKinnon and Rantanen. This stood for a 3-2 final score, with the three stars awarded to Burakovsky, Rantanen, and MacKinnon, while Verhaeghe gets an honorable mention.

Out in Vegas, the Golden Knights bring in the Minnesota Wild. Cam Talbot and Robin Lehner tend the twines. Vegas started in the first period on a Zach Whitecloud goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Max Pacioretty and Chandler Stephenson. Minnesota tied it on an Alex Goligoski goal, his third of the year, helped along by Brandon Duhaime and Jared Spurgeon. The Golden Knights retook the lead with an Evgenii Dadonov power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Mark Stone and Stephenson. The Wild tied it again with a Mats Zuccarello power play goal, his eighth of the year, with assists provided by Spurgeon and Ryan Hartman. Minnesota pulled ahead in the second period on a Nick Bjugstad goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Matt Dumba and Jon Merrill. Vegas tied it again on a Whitecloud goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, via Dadonov. The Golden Knights took the lead with a Pacioretty goal, his tenth of the season, courtesy of Stephenson and Stone. The Wild retied it on a Marcus Foligno goal, his thirteenth of the year, with helpers from Spurgeon and Joel Eriksson Ek. Vegas pulled ahead again with a Stone power play goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by Pacioretty and Stephenson. The Golden Knights iced it at 6-4 with an Alex Pietrangelo empty net goal, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Carolina Hurricanes. Antti Raanta and Thatcher Demko are in the creases. Vancouver kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Brock Boeser goal, his seventh of the season, fueled by J.T. Miller and Tanner Pearson. The Canucks added on with an Elias Pettersson goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Conor Garland and Tyler Myers. Carolina got on the board with a Martin Necas goal, his seventh of the season, via Seth Jarvis and Jesperi Kotkaniemi in the third period. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars being Demko (29 for 30 in saves), Pettersson, and Boeser. 

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Saturday, December 11, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 60

We've got twelve games on Saturday, though just one matinee. First up...

The Ottawa Senators hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Brian Elliott and Anton Forsberg are the goalies. Ottawa led off in the first period with a Josh Norris goal, his twelfth of the season, via Drake Batherson and Thomas Chabot. The Senators added on in the second period with a Brady Tkachuk power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Tim Stutzle. Ottawa extended the lead as Tkachuk scored on the power play again, his second goal of the game and tenth of the season, with the help of Chabot and Batherson. The Senators iced it at 4-0 in the third period with a Tkachuk empty net goal to complete his hat trick on his eleventh of the year, set up by Batherson. The three stars were Tkachuk, Forsberg (25 save shutout), and Batherson, while Chabot gets an honorable mention. 

Stateside, the Buffalo Sabres welcome the Washington Capitals. Vitek Vanecek and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are in the blue paint. Washington started in the first period with a Lars Eller goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Conor Sheary and T.J. Oshie. Buffalo tied it on a Vinnie Hinostroza goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Robert Hagg and Jacob Bryson. The Sabres took the lead in the second period with a Will Butcher goal, assisted by Rasmus Asplund and Kyle Okposo. The Capitals tied it on a Martin Fehervary goal, his third of the season, coming off of Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Daniel Sprong and Oshie lifted the Capitals over Victor Olofsson and the Sabres by a 3-2 score. The three stars were Oshie, Fehervary, and Eller.

Back in Canada, the Toronto Maple Leafs bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Kevin Lankinen and Petr Mrazek are the backups in goal. Chicago opened in the first period with a Jonathan Toews goal, his second of the season, assisted by Reese Johnson and Connor Murphy. Toronto tied it on a John Tavares power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Auston Matthews and William Nylander. The Maple Leafs took the lead with a Nylander goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Tavares and Timothy Liljegren. Toronto added on with a Matthews power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, with assists provided by Ondrej Kase and Nylander. Toronto extended the lead as Pierre Engvall scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Kyle Clifford and Alex Steeves. The Blackhawks got one back with a Murphy goal, his second of the year, guided in by Brandon Hagel. Chicago got closer in the third period with a Dominik Kubalik goal, his fifth of the season, with helpers from Philipp Kurashev and Jake McCabe. The Blackhawks tied it on a McCabe goal, his second of the year, via Riley Stillman and Ryan Carpenter. Toronto retook the lead on a David Kampf goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Morgan Rielly and T.J. Brodie. This stood for a 5-4 win, with the three stars going to Nylander, Matthews, and Tavares, while Murphy and McCabe get the honorable mentions.

To Pittsburgh, where the Penguins host the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Casey DeSmith draw the starts in goal. Pittsburgh began in the first period with a Brock McGinn goal, his seventh of the season, courtesy of Zach Aston-Reese and Chad Ruhwedel. Anthony Stolarz replaced an injured Gibson in the third period. This stood for a 1-0 win, with the three stars going to DeSmith (33 save shutout), McGinn, and Stolarz (13 saves in relief).

In St. Louis, the Blues welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Jake Allen and Charlie Lindgren face their former teams in goal. St. Louis struck first in the first period with a Pavel Buchnevich goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Vladimir Tarasenko and Ryan O'Reilly. The Blues added on with a Dakota Joshua goal, via Logan Brown and Matthew Peca in the second period. St. Louis extended the lead as Ivan Barbashev scored his tenth of the year on the power play, powered by Vladimir Tarasenko and Buchnevich. Montreal got on the board in the third period with an Alexander Romanov goal, his second of the season, coming off of Ryan Poehling. The Blues answered with a Torey Krug power play goal, his fourth of the year, with assists from O'Reilly and Brown. This stood for a 4-1 win, with the three stars being Buchnevich, Lindgren (22 for 23 in saves), and O'Reilly, while Brown and Tarasenko get the honorable mentions.

Back east, the New York Islanders bring in the New Jersey Devils. Akira Schmid is mismatched with Ilya Sorokin in goal. New Jersey kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Jesper Bratt goal, his eighth of the season, courtesy of Jonas Siegenthaler. New York tied it on a Noah Dobson power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Mathew Barzal and Oliver Wahlstrom. The Devils retook the lead with a Jack Hughes goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Pavel Zacha. The Islanders tied it on an Andy Greene goal, coming off of Barzal and Josh Bailey. New York took the lead on a Zach Parise shorthanded goal, set up by Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Scott Mayfield. The Islanders added on with a Pageau goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Wahlstrom. The final remained at 4-2, with the three stars going to Pageau, Barzal, and Wahlstrom.

Out west, the Arizona Coyotes host the Philadelphia Flyers. Martin Jones and Karel Vejmelka are given the starting nods in goal. Philadelphia was first to score in the first period with a James van Riemsdyk goal, his fourth of the season, going in unassisted. Arizona tied it on a Jay Beagle goal, via Antoine Roussel and Loui Eriksson. The Flyers took the lead on a Scott Laughton goal in the second period, his sixth of the year, assisted by Travis Konecny and Sean Couturier. The Coyotes tied it again on a Nick Schmaltz goal, passed from Cam Dineen and Barrett Hayton. Philadelphia retook the lead on a Patrick Brown goal, going in unassisted. The Flyers added on with a van Riemsdyk goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, with assists provided by Konecny and Keith Yandle on the power play. Philadelphia extended the lead as Claude Giroux scored his tenth of the year, helped along by Cam Atkinson and Morgan Frost. Arizona pulled one back with a Lawson Crouse goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Schmaltz and Dineen. This only made it 5-3, the final, with the three stars handed to van Riemsdyk, Konecny, and Schmaltz, while Dineen gets an honorable mention.

Up in Calgary, the Flames welcome the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Jacob Markstrom are the Swedes in goal. Boston led off in the first period with a Connor Clifton goal, courtesy of Trent Frederic and Anton Blidh. The Bruins added on in the second period with a Brad Marchand goal, his eleventh of the season, via David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron. Boston extended the lead as Charlie McAvoy scored his fourth of the year, thanks to Bergeron and Marchand. Calgary got on the board with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Rasmus Andersson and Johnny Gaudreau on the power play. The Bruins replied in the third period with a Curtis Lazar goal, his second of the year, assisted by Frederic and Matt Grzelcyk. The Flames pulled one back on a Sean Monahan goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Milan Lucic and Andersson. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars going to Marchand, Bergeron, and Frederic, while Andersson gets an honorable mention.

Also in Alberta, the Edmonton Oilers bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen and Mikko Koskinen are the veteran goalies. Carolina drew first blood in the first period with a Sebastian Aho power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Vincent Trocheck and Teuvo Teravainen. The Hurricanes added on with a Nino Niederreiter goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Aho. Edmonton got on the board with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his third of the season, fueled by Jesse Puljujarvi and Darnell Nurse. Carolina replied in the third period with another Aho goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, going in unassisted. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars given to Aho, Andersen (22 for 23 in saves).

Down in Seattle, the Kraken host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins and Philipp Grubauer are the masked men. Columbus got going in the second period with an Oliver Bjorkstrand goal, his ninth of the year, coming off of Boone Jenner. The Blue Jackets added on with a Jack Roslovic goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Max Domi and Jakub Voracek. Seattle got on the board with a Jared McCann goal, his eleventh of the year, via Jordan Eberle. Columbus replied on a Domi goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Roslovic Jake Bean. The Blue Jackets extended the lead as Domi scored his second of the game and sixth of the year, thanks to Bjorkstrand and Jenner. The Kraken got one back in the third period with a Jaden Schwartz power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Joonas Donskoi and Mark Giordano. Seattle got closer on a Morgan Geekie goal, his third of the year, made possible by Mason Appleton and Brandon Tanev. The Kraken tied it as Vince Dunn scored his third of the season, with the help of Adam Larsson and Calle Jarnkrok. Columbus won 5-4 in overtime with a Bean goal, his fourth of the year, with helpers from Voracek and Sean Kuraly. The three stars went to Domi, Bean, and Bjorkstrand, while Roslovic, Jenner, and Voracek get the honorable mentions.

South to Los Angeles, as the Kings welcome the Minnesota Wild. Kaapo Kahkonen and Jonathan Quick are between the pipes. Minnesota dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Marcus Foligno power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Matt Dumba and Kevin Fiala. Los Angeles tied it on a Phillip Danault goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Drew Doughty. The Kings took the lead in the third period with a Brendan Lemieux goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Carl Grundstrom and Trevor Moore. This held for a 2-1 final score, with the three stars going to Quick (29 for 30 in saves), Lemieux, and Danault.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Dallas Stars. Braden Holtby and James Reimer guard the cages. San Jose began in the first period with a Tomas Hertl goal, his fourteenth of the season, via Timo Meier and Alexander Barabanov. The Sharks added on in the second period with an Erik Karlsson goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Meier and Barabanov. Dallas got on the board with a Michael Raffl goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Radek Faksa and Jani Hakanpaa. The comeback fell short at 2-1, with the three stars being Reimer (34 for 35 in saves), Meier, and Barabanov. 

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Friday, December 10, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 59

Seven games on a rather busy Friday, beginning with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the New York Rangers. Alexandar Georgiev and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are the goalies. New York led off in the first period with a Mika Zibanejad power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox. The Rangers added on in the second period with an Alexis Lafreniere goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Fox and Filip Chytil. Buffalo got on the board with a Brett Murray goal, his second of the campaign, helped along by Mark Pysyk and Kyle Okposo. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Fox, Georgiev (36 for 37 in saves), and Lafreniere. 

Down in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Ilya Samsonov are the masked men. Pittsburgh began in the first period with a Danton Heinen goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of John Marino and Mike Matheson. The Penguins added on in the second period with a Brock McGinn goal, his sixth of the year, via Matheson and Zach Aston-Reese. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Kasperi Kapanen scored his sixth of the season, fueled by Sidney Crosby and Evan Rodrigues. Washington got on the board in the third period with an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Alex Ovechkin and Daniel Sprong. The Capitals got closer with a Lars Eller goal, his third of the season, assisted by Ovechkin and Conor Sheary. The Penguins finished it at 4-2 with a Jeff Carter empty net goal, his eighth of the year, set up by Crosby and the goalie Jarry. The three stars belonged to Crosby, Matheson, and Ovechkin. 

Along to New Jersey, as the Devils bring in the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and MacKenzie Blackwood are in the blue paint. New Jersey got going in the second period with a Pavel Zacha goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier. Nashville tied it on a Roman Josi goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Philip Tomasino and Filip Forsberg. The Predators took the lead with an Eeli Tolvanen power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Mikael Granlund and Josi. Nashville added on in the third period with a Yakov Trenin goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Nick Cousins and Tanner Jeannot. The Devils got one back on a Yegor Sharangovich goal, his fourth of the campaign, with helpers from Jack Hughes and Andreas Johnsson. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Josi, Trenin, and Tolvanen. 

Out west, the Colorado Avalanche host the Detroit Red Wings. Thomas Greiss and Darcy Kuemper get the starting nods in goal. Colorado opened in the first period with a J.T. Compher goal, his sixth of the season, guided in by Devon Toews and Cale Makar. The Avalanche added on with an Andre Burakovsky goal, his eighth of the year, helped along by Alex Newhook and Jack Johnson. Colorado extended the lead as Darren Helm scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Nicolas Aube-Kubel. Alex Nedeljkovic replaced Greiss in goal. Detroit got on the board with a Vladislav Namestnikov goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Pius Suter and Moritz Seider. The Red Wings got closer in the second period with a Joe Veleno goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Sam Gagner and Filip Hronek. The Avalanche replied with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his third of the year, with helpers from Gabriel Landeskog and Toews. Colorado padded the lead on a Burakovsky goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, assisted by Mikko Rantanen. The Avalanche continued on a Samuel Girard goal, his third of the year, with assists provided by Tyson Jost and Erik Johnson. Detroit got one back with a Hronek power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Filip Zadina and Nick Leddy. Colorado iced it at 7-3 with a Makar empty net goal, his twelfth of the year, set up by Toews. The three stars were Burakovsky, Toews, and Makar, while Hronek gets an honorable mention.

Down in Arizona, the Coyotes welcome the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Scott Wedgewood man the nets. Florida started in the first period with a Patric Hornqvist goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Ryan Lomberg and Eetu Luostarinen. The Panthers added on with a Sam Bennett goal, his ninth of the year, assisted by Sam Reinhart and Aaron Ekblad. Arizona got on the board with a Phil Kessel power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Travis Boyd and Barrett Hayton. Florida responded on a Reinhart power play goal, his eighth of the year, with assists provided by Hornqvist and Jonathan Huberdeau. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars given to Reinhart, Hornqvist, and Bobrovsky (22 for 23 in saves).

Along to Vegas, as the Golden Knights bring in the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Laurent Brossoit protect the nets. Philadelphia kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Kevin Hayes goal, his second of the season, via Scott Laughton. Vegas tied it on a William Karlsson goal, his second of the year, coming off of Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith. The Flyers retook the lead with a Max Willman goal in the second period, assisted by Patrick Brown and Zack MacEwen. The Golden Knights tied it again on a Max Pacioretty goal, his eighth of the season, courtesy of Alex Pietrangelo and Mark Stone. Philadelphia took the lead with a Sean Couturier power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Keith Yandle and Claude Giroux in the third period. The Flyers added on with a James van Riemsdyk power play goal, his third of the season, with assists provided by Travis Konecny and Yandle. Vegas pulled one back with a Pacioretty power play goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, helped along by Shea Theodore and Pietrangelo. This cut it to 4-3, the final, with the three stars handed to Pacioretty, Yandle, and Pietrangelo.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Winnipeg Jets. Eric Comrie is mismatched with Thatcher Demko in goal. Vancouver struck first in the first period with a Nils Hoglander goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Bo Horvat and Quinn Hughes. Winnipeg tied it on a Blake Wheeler power play goal, powered by Nate Schmidt and Kyle Connor. The Canucks retook the lead on another Hoglander goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, passed from Horvat. The Jets tied it in again in the second period on a Connor goal, his eighteenth of the season, coming off of Wheeler. Vancouver regained the lead on a Conor Garland goal, his ninth of the year, via J.T. Miller. Winnipeg tied it again on a Mark Scheifele goal, his seventh of the season, helped along by Connor and Wheeler. The Canucks won 4-3 in the shootout on a lone tally by Elias Pettersson. The three stars were Hoglander, Wheeler, and Horvat, while Connor gets an honorable mention. 

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Thursday, December 9, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 58

We've got another ten-game schedule on, beginning with...

The Montreal Canadiens hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jake Allen start in goal. Chicago got going in the second period with a Jonathan Toews power play goal, powered by Seth Jones and Patrick Kane. The Blackhawks added on in the third period with a Henrik Borgstrom goal, his second of the season, going in unassisted. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Fleury (30 save shutout), Toews, and Borgstrom.

Over in Toronto, the Maple Leafs welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jack Campbell tend the twines. Toronto led off in the first period with an Ondrej Kase power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by John Tavares and Morgan Rielly. Tampa Bay tied it on a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal, his second of the year, via Corey Perry. The Lightning took the lead on a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, with a lone helper by Alex Killorn. The Maple Leafs tied it on a William Nylander power play goal, his twelfth of the year, with an assist provided by Auston Matthews. Tampa Bay retook the lead in the second period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Stamkos and Taylor Raddysh. The Lightning added on with a Raddysh goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Palat and Stamkos. Toronto pulled one back on a Kase goal in the third period, his second of the game and eighth of the season, coming off of Jake Muzzin and Tavares. Tampa Bay iced it at 5-3 with a Palat empty net goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, set up by Stamkos and Killorn. The three stars went to Stamkos, Palat, and Kase, while Raddysh, Killorn, and Tavares get the honorable mentions.

Stateside, the Columbus Blue Jackets bring in the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Elvis Merzlikins man the nets. Columbus began in the first period with an Alexandre Texier goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Eric Robinson and Sean Kuraly. Anaheim tied it on an Isac Lundestrom goal, his seventh of the year, going in unassisted.  The tie lasted to a shootout, where Trevor Zegras and Rickard Rakell lifted the Ducks to a 2-1 win over Jakub Voracek and the Blue Jackets. The three stars were Gibson (33 for 34 in saves), Lundestrom, and Merzlikins (25 for 26 in saves).

East to New York, as the Islanders host the Nashville Predators. David Rittich and Semyon Varlamov patrol the creases. New York opened in the first period with an Austin Czarnik goal, fueled by Oliver Wahlstrom and Kieffer Bellows. Nashville tied it on a Ryan Johansen goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Luke Kunin. The Predators took the lead with a Colton Sissons goal, his third of the year, guided in by Tanner Jeannot and Matt Benning. The Islanders tied it in the second period with an Anders Lee power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Mathew Barzal and Wahlstrom. New York took the lead in the third period with a Noah Dobson goal, his second of the year, assisted by Andy Greene and Ross Johnston. Nashville tied it again with a Yakov Trenin goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Jeannot and Sissons. The Predators pulled ahead on an Eeli Tolvanen goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Roman Josi and Johansen. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars given to Johansen, Sissons, and Jeannot, while Wahlstrom gets an honorable mention.

In St. Louis, the Blues welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Alex Nedeljkovic faces a lesser foe in Charlie Lindgren in goal. St. Louis started in the first period with a Nathan Walker goal, via Brayden Schenn and Dakota Joshua. The Blues added on with another Walker goal, his second of the game, passed from Niko Mikkola and Ryan O'Reilly. Detroit got on the board with a Robby Fabbri goal in the second period, his seventh of the season, assisted by Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin. St. Louis replied with a Colton Parayko goal, his second of the year, guided in by Joshua and Mikkola. Thomas Greiss replaced Nedeljkovic in goal in the third period. The Blues extended the lead in the third period as Walker completed his hat trick, with the help of Torey Krug and Marco Scandella. St. Louis padded the lead on an Ivan Barbashev goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Krug and Pavel Buchnevich. The Red Wings pulled one back with a Fabbri goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, helped along by Raymond and Filip Hronek. The Blues iced it at 6-2 with a Scandella empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars belonged to Walker, Joshua, and Scandella, while Fabbri, Krug, Mikkola, and Raymond get the honorable mentions.

Northwest to Calgary, as the Flames bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen and Jacob Markstrom protect the nets. Carolina kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Sebastian Aho goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Jaccob Slavin and Nino Niederreiter. Calgary tied it in the second period with a Noah Hanifin goal, his second of the year, via Rasmus Andersson and Elias Lindholm. The Hurricanes won 2-1 in overtime on an Aho goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the campaign, coming off of the goalie Andersen and Teuvo Teravainen. The three stars went to Aho, Andersen (26 for 27 in saves), and Hanifin.

Up in Edmonton, the Oilers host the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Stuart Skinner are set to start in goal. Boston struck first in the first period with a shorthanded goal by Brad Marchand, his tenth of the season, set up by Patrice Bergeron. The Bruins added on in the second period with a Jake DeBrusk power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Taylor Hall. Edmonton got on the board with a Leon Draisaitl power play goal, his twenty-second of the season, assisted by Tyson Barrie and Connor McDavid. The Oilers tied it in the third period on a power play goal by Draisaitl, his second of the game and twenty-third of the year, with assists provided by McDavid and Barrie. Boston regained the lead on a Matt Grzelcyk goal, passed from Hall and Craig Smith. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Draisaitl, McDavid, and Hall, while Barrie gets an honorable mention.

In Seattle, the Kraken welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Philipp Grubauer guard the cages. Winnipeg drew first blood in the first period with a Dominic Toninato goal, his third of the season, coming off of Paul Stastny. The Jets added on in the third period with a Kyle Connor goal, his sixteenth of the year, guided in by Mark Scheifele and Logan Stanley. Winnipeg extended the lead as Connor scored his second of the game and seventeenth of the season, thanks to Scheifele. The final held at 3-0, with the three stars awarded to Hellebuyck (25 save shutout), Connor, and Scheifele. 

To California, as the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Jonathan Quick are the masked men. Los Angeles dented the scoreboard in the second period with an Adrian Kempe goal, his eleventh of the season, helped along by Dustin Brown and Phillip Danault. The Kings added on with an Arthur Kaliyev goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Rasmus Kupari and Tobias Bjornfot in the third period. Los Angeles extended the lead as Viktor Arvidsson scored his fifth of the season into an empty net, going in unassisted. The Kings finished it at 4-0 with an Andreas Athanasiou empty net goal, his third of the year, set up by Matt Roy and Alexander Edler. The three stars went to Quick (27 save shutout), Kempe, and Kaliyev.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Minnesota Wild. Cam Talbot and Adin Hill are in the creases. Minnesota was first to score in the first period with a Kevin Fiala goal, his fourth of the season, via Jon Merrill and Brandon Duhaime. The Wild added on in the second period with a Joel Eriksson Ek goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov on the power play. Minnesota extended the lead as Jordan Greenway scored his third of the season on the power play, thanks to Fiala and Alex Goligoski. San Jose got on the board with a Jonathan Dahlen goal in the third period, his eighth of the year, assisted by Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl. The Sharks got closer with a Hertl power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, with helpers from Dahlen and Logan Couture. The Wild answered with a Greenway empty net goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, set up by Ryan Hartman and Eriksson Ek. Minnesota iced it at 5-2 with a Kaprizov empty net goal, his tenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Greenway, Fiala, and Eriksson Ek, while Kaprizov, Hertl, and Dahlen get the honorable mentions. 

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Wednesday, December 8, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 57

We've got just four games today, beginning with...

The New Jersey Devils hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and MacKenzie Blackwood are the goalies. New Jersey got going in the second period with a Jesper Bratt goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Nico Hischier and Damon Severson. The Devils added on with a Dawson Mercer power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Ty Smith and Bratt. New Jersey iced it at 3-0 in the third period on a Michael McLeod empty net goal, set up by Jack Hughes and Yegor Sharangovich. The three stars were Bratt, Blackwood (25 save shutout), and Mercer.

In New York, the Rangers welcome the Colorado Avalanche. Darcy Kuemper faces a lesser foe in Adam Huska in goal. Colorado opened in the first period with a Mikko Rantanen goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Nazem Kadri and Devon Toews. New York tied it on a Jacob Trouba goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Artemi Panarin and Ryan Reaves. The Rangers took the lead with a Nils Lundkvist power play goal, powered by Filip Chytil and Trouba. The Avalanche tied it in the second period with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his second of the season, via Gabriel Landeskog and Samuel Girard. Colorado took the lead with a Kadri goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Cale Makar and Valeri Nichushkin. The Avalanche added on with an Alex Newhook power play goal, his sixth of the season, with assists provided by Girard and Toews. Colorado extended the lead as Logan O'Connor scored his fourth of the year, thanks to Kadri and Kurtis MacDermid. The Avalanche padded the lead on another O'Connor goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, going in unassisted. New York got one back in the third period with a Chytil goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Alexis Lafreniere and K'Andre Miller. Colorado shot back with another Rantanen goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the season, with helpers from Erik Johnson and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. This made it 7-3, the final, with the three stars going to Rantanen, O'Connor, and Kadri, while Chytil, Toews, Girard, and Trouba get the honorable mentions.

Out in Vancouver, the Canucks brings in the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Thatcher Demko protect the nets. Vancouver dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Brock Boeser power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes. Boston tied it on a Patrice Bergeron goal, his ninth of the year, with helpers from David Pastrnak and Charlie Coyle. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Miller and Bo Horvat lifted the Canucks to a 2-1 win. The three stars were Demko (35 for 36 in saves), Miller, and Swayman (31 for 32 in saves).

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Dallas Stars. Braden Holtby and Robin Lehner tend the twines. Dallas started in the first period with a Jason Robertson power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Roope Hintz and John Klingberg. Vegas tied it in the second period with a Mark Stone goal, his second of the year, via Alex Pietrangelo and Nicolas Hague. The Stars retook the lead with a Tyler Seguin power play goal, his seventh of the season, with assists provided by Jamie Benn and Ryan Suter. Dallas added on with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his eighth of the year, assisted by Klingberg and Robertson. The Golden Knights got one back on a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Pietrangelo and William Karlsson. The Stars replied in the third period with a Pavelski goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, passed from Hintz and Andrej Sekera. Vegas responded with a Michael Amadio goal, his second of the season, helped along by Keegan Kolesar and Shea Theodore. The Golden Knights tied it on a Stone goal, his second of the game and third of the year, coming off of Dylan Coghlan and Max Pacioretty. Vegas took the lead with a Pacioretty goal, his seventh of the season, courtesy of Stone and Hague. This stood for a 5-4 win, with the three stars going to Pacioretty, Stone, and Pavelski, while Pietrangelo, Hague, Robertson, Klingberg, and Hintz get the honorable mentions. 

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