NHL 2021 - Day 111

Another overfilled schedule tonight with 14 games, beginning with...

The New York Rangers welcoming the Washington Capitals. Vitek Vanecek and Igor Shesterkin are the goalies. Washington led off in the first period with a Nic Dowd goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Carl Hagelin and Garnet Hathaway. The Capitals added on with a Conor Sheary goal, his thirteenth of the year, via Michael Raffl and Tom Wilson. New York got on the board with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his twenty-first of the season, assisted by Artemi Panarin and Pavel Buchnevich. The Rangers tied it in the second period with a Zibanejad power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the year, powered by Ryan Strome and Panarin. New York took the lead with a Kaapo Kakko goal, his ninth of the season, courtesy of Alexis Lafreniere and Kevin Rooney. Washington retied it on a Hathaway goal, his sixth of the year, with a lone helper by Nic Dowd. The Capitals pulled ahead in the third period with an unassisted Daniel Sprong goal, his twelfth of the season. Washington extended the lead as Nicklas Backstrom scored his fifteenth of the year, thanks to Raffl and Nick Jensen. The Capitals iced it at 6-3 with a Wilson empty net goal, his thirteenth of the campaign, set up by John Carlson. The three stars were Wilson, Hathaway, and Zibanejad, while Dowd, Panarin, and Raffl get the honorable mentions. 

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jack Campbell and Jake Allen are set to start in goal. Toronto began in the first period with a Morgan Rielly goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Alex Galchenyuk and William Nylander. Montreal tied it in the second period on a Tyler Toffoli power play goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, powered by Nick Suzuki and Jeff Petry. The Maple Leafs retook the lead with an Auston Matthews goal, his thirty-ninth of the season, guided in by Jake Muzzin and Joe Thornton. The Canadiens tied it in the third period with a Phillip Danault goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Suzuki and Petry. Montreal won 3-2 in overtime with a Cole Caufield goal, his second of the campaign, set up by Petry and Suzuki. The three stars were Suzuki, Petry, and Caufield. 

Way south to Florida, as the Panthers host the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Spencer Knight draw the starts. Florida opened in the first period with a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his nineteenth of the season, made possible by Owen Tippett and Keith Yandle. The Panthers added on with a Nikita Gusev goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Brandon Montour. Dallas got on the board with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his twenty-second of the season, powered by Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson. Florida replied on a MacKenzie Weegar goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Tippett and Grigori Denisenko. The Stars got one back with an unassisted Hintz goal, his fifteenth of the season. The Panthers countered in the second period with a Gustav Forsling goal, his fifth of the year, with helpers from Denisenko and Aleksander Barkov. Jake Oettinger took over for Khudobin in goal. Dallas pulled back in the third period with a Joel Kiviranta goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Tanner Kero and Jamie Oleksiak. The Stars tied it on a Tyler Seguin goal, coming off of Denis Gurianov and John Klingberg. Florida won 5-4 in overtime with a Barkov power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, with assists provided by Yandle and Weegar. The three stars went to Barkov, Weegar, and Hintz, while Tippett, Denisenko, and Yandle get the honorable mentions. 

North again to Columbus, as the Blue Jackets welcome the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Elvis Merzlikins are in the blue paint. Nashville got going in the second period with a Filip Forsberg goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Ryan Ellis and Ryan Johansen. The Predators added on with a Johansen power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Eeli Tolvanen and Forsberg. Nashville extended the lead as Roman Josi scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Ellis and Nick Cousins. Columbus got on the board in the third period with an Emil Bemstrom goal, assisted by Jack Roslovic and Michael Del Zotto. The Blue Jackets got closer with another Bemstrom goal, via Mikhail Grigorenko and Del Zotto. Columbus tied it on a Bemstrom power play goal to complete his natural hat trick, with assists provided by Seth Jones and Roslovic. The Predators won 4-3 in overtime with a Josi goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Erik Haula and Calle Jarnkrok. The three stars went to Josi, Bemstrom, and Forsberg, while Johansen, Ellis, Del Zotto, and Roslovic get the honorable mentions. 

Backtracking to Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Malcolm Subban and Alex Nedeljkovic man the creases. Carolina started in the first period with a Dougie Hamilton goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Vincent Trocheck and Warren Foegele. The Hurricanes added on with a Martin Necas goal, his twelfth of the year, passed from Trocheck and Jake Bean. Carolina extended the lead in the second period as Sebastian Aho scored his twenty-second of the season, thanks to Andrei Svechnikov and Brady Skjei. The Hurricanes padded the lead on an Aho power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-third of the year, powered by Hamilton and Jordan Staal. Collin Delia replaced Subban in goal. Chicago got on the board with an Ian Mitchell goal, his third of the season, passed from Dylan Strome and Dominik Kubalik. The Blackhawks got closer in the third period with an Alex DeBrincat goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, with a lone assist by Kubalik. Carolina iced it at 5-2 with an Aho empty net goal to complete his hat trick on his twenty-fourth of the campaign, set up by Jesper Fast. The three stars belonged to Aho, Hamilton, and Kubalik, while Trocheck gets an honorable mention. 

Up to Philadelphia, as the Flyers host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Casey DeSmith and Alex Lyon are the backups in goal. Philadelphia struck first in the first period with a Kevin Hayes goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Joel Farabee and Jakub Voracek. The Flyers added on with a Shayne Gostisbehere power play goal, his ninth of the of the year, powered by Travis Konecny and Claude Giroux. Philadelphia extended the lead as Giroux scored his fifteenth of the season, thanks to Konecny and Sean Couturier. The Flyers padded the lead in the second period with a Wade Allison goal, his second of the year, via Scott Laughton and Gostisbehere. Tristan Jarry replaced DeSmith in the third period. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Sidney Crosby power play goal, his twenty-first of the season, assisted by Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins got closer with a Jason Zucker power play goal, his eighth of the year, with assists provided by John Marino and Kasperi Kapanen. Philadelphia shot back with a Farabee goal, his seventeenth of the season, guided in by Voracek and Travis Sanheim. The Flyers struck again on an unassisted empty net goal by Giroux, his sixteenth of the year. Philadelphia iced it at 7-2 with a Robert Hagg goal, his second of the campaign, fueled by Farabee and Voracek. The three stars were given to Giroux, Farabee, and Voracek, while Gostisbehere and Konecny get the honorable mentions. 

Along to Buffalo, as the Sabres welcome the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov faces a lesser foe in Michael Houser in goal. New York kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Adam Pelech goal, his fourth of the season, via Josh Bailey and Anthony Beauvillier. The Islanders added on in the second period with an Oliver Wahlstrom goal, his eleventh of the year, assisted by Pelech and Kyle Palmieri. Buffalo got on the board with a Tage Thompson power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Jacob Bryson and Rasmus Ristolainen. The Sabres tied it in the third period with a Rasmus Asplund goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Sam Reinhart and Thompson. Buffalo took the lead with a Reinhart goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, with a lone helper from Ristolainen. The Sabres iced it at 4-2 with a Reinhart empty net goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Reinhart, Thompson, and Ristolainen, while Pelech gets an honorable mention. 

Next up, the New Jersey Devils bring in the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Scott Wedgewood receive the starting nods in goal. Boston dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Nick Ritchie goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Jakub Zboril. The Bruins added on with a Patrice Bergeron goal, his twentieth of the year, via Brad Marchand. Boston extended the lead in the third period as Matt Grzelcyk scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Marchand and Bergeron. This stood for a 3-0 win, with the three stars going to Bergeron, Rask (20 save shutout), and Marchand. 

Into Canada again, with the Ottawa Senators hosting the Winnipeg Jets. Laurent Brossoit and Filip Gustavsson patrol the creases. Ottawa drew first blood in the first period with a Connor Brown shorthanded goal, his eighteenth of the season, set up by Nick Paul. Winnipeg tied it on a Josh Morrissey goal, his fourth of the year, via Neal Pionk and Blake Wheeler in the third period. The Senators retook the lead with a Nikita Zaitsev goal, his third of the campaign, courtesy of Drake Batherson and Brown. This held for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Brown, Zaitsev, and Gustavsson (28 for 29 in saves). 

Westward to Minnesota, as the Wild welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Robin Lehner and Cam Talbot protect the nets. Minnesota was first to score in the first period with a Joel Eriksson Ek goal, his eighteenth of the season, coming off of Jared Spurgeon. Vegas tied it on a Shea Theodore goal, his eighth of the year, assisted by Mark Stone and Brayden McNabb. The Golden Knights took the lead with an Alec Martinez power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Reilly Smith and William Karlsson. The Wild retied it on a Nick Bonino goal, his eighth of the year, made possible by Matt Dumba and Jonas Brodin. Vegas retook the lead with an Alex Tuch goal, his eighteenth of the season, guided in by Peyton Krebs and Nicolas Roy. The Golden Knights added on in the second period with a Stone goal, his twenty-first of the year, with a lone helper from Chandler Stephenson. Minnesota pulled one back with a Bonino power play goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, with assists provided by Spurgeon and Kirill Karpizov. Vegas answered on a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his sixteenth of the year, helped along by Martinez and Karlsson. The Wild pulled one back in the third period with a Kevin Fiala goal, his twentieth of the season, passed from Bonino and Victor Rask. Minnesota tied it with a Kaprizov goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, courtesy of Fiala. The Wild won 6-5 with a Brodin goal, his ninth of the campaign, with helpers provided by Marcus Foligno and Jordan Greenway. The three stars were Bonino, Brodin, and Kaprizov, while Fiala, Spurgeon, Stone, Martinez, and Karlsson get the honorable mentions.

South to St. Louis, as the Blues bring in the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Jordan Binnington guard the cages. St. Louis cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a Brayden Schenn power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Jaden Schwartz and Justin Faulk. Anaheim tied it on a Ryan Getzlaf goal, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. The Blues took the lead back in the third period with a Robert Bortuzzo goal, via Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas. St. Louis iced it at 3-1 with a Ryan O'Reilly empty net goal, his twenty-third of the campaign, set up by David Perron and Faulk. The three stars were Bortuzzo, Binnington (19 for 20 in saves), and Faulk. 

Way northwest to Vancouver, as the Canucks host the Edmonton Oilers. Mikko Koskinen and Braden Holtby are between the pipes. Edmonton led off in the first period with a Jesse Puljujarvi goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Vancouver tied it with a Nate Schmidt goal, his fifth of the year, fueled by J.T. Miller and Nils Hoglander. The Oilers took the lead back in the second period with a Tyson Barrie goal, his eighth of the season, guided in by Pujlujarvi and McDavid. Edmonton added on with an unassisted McDavid goal, his thirtieth of the year. The Canucks shot back with a Miller goal, his twelfth of the season, going in unassisted. The Oilers fired back with a Dominik Kahun goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Dmitry Kulikov and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Vancouver got one back in the third period with a Brock Boeser goal, his eighteenth of the season, helped along by Bo Horvat. Edmonton iced it at 5-3 with a McDavid empty net goal, his second of the game and thirty-first of the year, set up by Draisaitl and Jujhar Khaira. The three stars were McDavid, Miller, and Puljujarvi, while Draisaitl gets an honorable mention.

Down in Arizona, the Coyotes welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Darcy Kuemper are the veteran goalies. Arizona began in the first period with a Christian Dvorak goal, his fifteenth of the season, assisted by Lawson Crouse and Christian Fischer. Los Angeles tied it with an unassisted Trevor Moore goal, his tenth of the year. The Coyotes retook the lead in the second period with a Jakob Chychrun power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, powered by Conor Garland and Alex Goligoski. The Kings retied it on an Anze Kopitar goal, his thirteenth of the year, guided in by Adrian Kempe and Dustin Brown. Los Angeles gained the lead with an Alex Iafallo power play goal, his twelfth of the season, with assists provided by Drew Doughty and Kopitar. Calvin Petersen replaced an injured Quick in the third period. The final held at 3-2, with the three stars going to Kopitar, Iafallo, and Moore.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Philipp Grubauer and Martin Jones tend the twines. San Jose struck first in the first period with an Evander Kane goal, his twenty-first of the season, going in unassisted. Colorado tied it on a Mikko Rantanen goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, made possible by Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. The Sharks took the lead back in the second period with a Tomas Hertl goal, his seventeenth of the season, an unassisted goal. San Jose added on with a Kane goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the year, passed from Hertl and Alexander Barabanov. The Avalanche got one back in the third period with a Valeri Nichushkin goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Andre Burakovsky and Ryan Graves. The Sharks answered with a Timo Meier goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Brent Burns and Mario Ferraro. Colorado pulled back with a Landeskog goal, his nineteenth of the season, with a lone helper by MacKinnon. The Avalanche tied it with an unassisted Nazem Kadri goal, his eleventh of the year. Colorado won 5-4 in overtime with a Burakovsky goal, his sixteenth of the campaign, helped along by Cale Makar and Rantanen. The three stars were Burakovsky, Rantanen, and Landeskog, while Kane, Hertl, and MacKinnon get the honorable mentions. 

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