NHL 2022-23 - Day 159

This is a loaded Saturday, with 15 games on throughout the day. First up...

The Boston Bruins host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Linus Ullmark tend the twines. Boston led off in the first period with a Patrice Bergeron power play goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, powered by Brad Marchand and Hampus Lindholm. Tampa Bay tied it on a Victor Hedman shorthanded goal, his eighth of the year, set up by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Alex Killorn. The Bruins retook the lead in the second period with a Garnet Hathaway goal, his twelfth of the campaign, assisted by Matt Grzelcyk and Tomas Nosek. This made it 2-1, the eventual final, with the three stars going to Ullmark (26 for 27 in saves), Hathaway, and Bergeron. 

Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Alex Nedeljkovic and Carter Hart patrol the creases. Philadelphia got going in the second period with a Kieffer Bellows goal, his third of the season, made possible by Owen Tippett and Scott Laughton. The Flyers added on with a Laughton goal, his eighteenth of the year, passed from Rasmus Ristolainen. Philadelphia iced it at 3-0 with a Tyson Foerster empty net goal, his third of the campaign, set up by Joel Farabee and Noah Cates. The three stars were Hart (29 save shutout), Laughton, and Bellows.

Down in Nashville, the Predators bring in the Seattle Kraken. Philipp Grubauer and Juuse Saros man the nets. Seattle began in the first period with a Daniel Sprong goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Ryan Donato and Brandon Tanev. The Kraken added on with an Eeli Tolvanen power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, powered by Jared McCann and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Nashville got one back with a Tyson Barrie goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Philip Tomasino and Matt Duchene. Seattle shot back with a Tolvanen goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Predators got one back in the third period with a Duchene goal, his twenty-second of the season, helped along by Barrie and Tomasino. The Kraken responded with an Adam Larsson goal, his seventh of the year, with helpers from McCann and Vince Dunn. Seattle extended the lead as Matty Beniers scored his twentieth of the season, thanks to Dunn and Jordan Eberle. The Kraken padded the lead on an unassisted McCann goal, his thirty-fifth of the year. Seattle continued with a Bjorkstrand goal, his seventeenth of the season, courtesy of Yanni Gourde. This produced the 7-2 final score, with the three stars going to Tolvanen, McCann, and Bjorkstrand, while Duchene, Barrie, Dunn, and Tomasino get the honorable mentions.

Out west, the Los Angeles Kings host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Joonas Korpisalo receive the starts in goal. Los Angeles started in the first period with a Viktor Arvidsson goal, his twenty-first of the season, coming off of Trevor Moore. The Kings added on in the second period with an Alex Iafallo power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Phillip Danault and Sean Walker. Winnipeg got on the board with a Pierre-Luc Dubois power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, with assists provided by Kyle Connor and Neal Pionk. Los Angeles replied in the third period with a Drew Doughty goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar. The Kings iced it at 4-1 with an Arvidsson empty net goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the campaign, set up by Mikey Anderson and Doughty. The three stars were Arvidsson, Doughty, and Korpisalo (25 for 26 in saves).

Northeast to Calgary, as the Flames welcome the San Jose Sharks. Kaapo Kahkonen and Jacob Markstrom are in the blue paint. Calgary opened in the first period with a MacKenzie Weegar goal, his fourth of the season, going in unassisted. The Flames added on with a Tyler Toffoli goal, his thirtieth of the year, passed from Elias Lindholm and Jonathan Huberdeau. San Jose got on the board with a Logan Couture goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, made possible by Erik Karlsson and Andrew Agozzino. The Sharks tied it in the second period with a Nico Sturm goal, his fourteenth of the year, guided in by Noah Gregor and Karlsson. San Jose took the lead on a Martin Kaut goal, his third of the season, fueled by Steven Lorentz and Oskar Lindblom. Calgary retied it on a Walker Duehr goal, his fifth of the year, assisted by Trevor Lewis. The Flames pulled ahead in the third period with a Nazem Kadri goal, his twenty-third of the season, coming off of Duehr and Milan Lucic. Calgary iced it at 5-3 with a Toffoli empty net goal, his second of the game and thirty-first of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Duehr, Toffoli, and Karlsson.

Back east, the Florida Panthers bring in the New York Rangers. Jaroslav Halak and Sergei Bobrovsky are set to start in goal. Florida struck first in the first period with an Aleksander Barkov goal, his nineteenth of the season, via Anthony Duclair and Gustav Forsling. The Panthers added on with a Ryan Lomberg goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Marc Staal. New York got on the board in the second period with a Kaapo Kakko goal, his fourteenth of the season, passed from Filip Chytil and Alexis Lafreniere. The Rangers tied it on a Lafreniere goal, his fifteenth of the year, assisted by Jacob Trouba and Tyler Motte. New York took the lead in the third period with a Patrick Kane goal, his twentieth of the season, going in unassisted. The Rangers extended the lead as Chytil scored his twenty-first of the year, helped along by Kakko. Florida replied on a Barkov goal, his second of the game and twentieth of the season, coming off of Carter Verhaeghe. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Chytil, Kakko, and Lafreniere, while Barkov gets an honorable mention.

Up in Minnesota, the Wild host the Chicago Blackhawks. Alex Stalock and Filip Gustavsson are between the pipes. Minnesota dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Ryan Reaves goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. Chicago tied it in the third period with a Lukas Reichel goal, his fourth of the year, an unassisted goal. The Wild took the lead with a Ryan Hartman goal, his thirteenth of the season, going in unassisted. Minnesota iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Frederick Gaudreau, his fourteenth of the year, set up by Jared Spurgeon. The three stars were Gustavsson (22 for 23 in saves), Hartman, and Reaves.

East to New York, as the Islanders welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Eric Comrie and Semyon Varlamov are the backups in goal. Buffalo cracked the scoresheet in the third period with a Kyle Okposo goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Ilya Lyubushkin. The Sabres iced it at 2-0 with an empty net goal by Jeff Skinner, his thirty-first of the year, set up by Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt. The three stars went to Comrie (27 save shutout), Okposo, and Varlamov (33 for 34 in saves).

South to Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Matt Murray and Pyotr Kochetkov start in goal. Carolina was first to score in the first period with a Brent Burns power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Martin Necas and Shayne Gostisbehere. The Hurricanes added on with a Jordan Staal goal, his seventeenth of the year, courtesy of Jordan Martinook and Jesper Fast. Toronto got on the board with a Calle Jarnkrok goal in the second period, his eighteenth of the season, helped along by Morgan Rielly and Mitch Marner. The Maple Leafs tied it on an Auston Matthews goal, his thirty-fifth of the year, going in unassisted. Carolina retook the lead in the third period with a Stefan Noesen goal, his twelfth of the season, via Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Toronto retied it on another Matthews goal, his second of the game and thirty-sixth of the year, guided in by Michael Bunting and Morgan Rielly. The Hurricanes shot back with a Sebastian Aho goal, his thirty-second of the season, made possible by Jaccob Slavin and Necas. Carolina finished it at 5-3 with a Teuvo Teravainen empty net goal, his twelfth of the year, set up by Aho and Fast. The three stars were Aho, Matthews, and Necas, while Fast and Rielly get the honorable mentions.

Southwest to Dallas, as the Stars host the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko faces a lesser foe in Matt Murray in goal. Dallas opened in the first period with a Ryan Suter goal, his third of the season, coming off of Tyler Seguin and Ty Dellandrea. Vancouver tied it on a Dakota Joshua shorthanded goal, his eleventh of the year, set up by Nils Aman. The Canucks took the lead with a Brock Boeser goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by J.T. Miller and Filip Hronek. Vancouver added on with a Jack Rathbone goal, courtesy of Andrei Kuzmenko and Elias Pettersson. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars being Demko (25 for 26 in saves), Boeser, and Rathbone.

In Canada, the Montreal Canadiens welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins and Sam Montembeault have the green light to start in goal. Columbus drew first blood in the first period with a Lane Pederson goal, his third of the season, coming off of Kent Johnson and Jack Roslovic. Montreal tied it on a Mike Hoffman goal, his thirteenth of the year, assisted by Michael Matheson and Nick Suzuki. The Canadiens took the lead with a Jesse Ylonen goal, his sixth of the season, via Brendan Gallagher and Joel Edmundson. The Blue Jackets retied it on a Kirill Marchenko goal, his nineteenth of the year, courtesy of Andrew Peeke and Gavin Bayreuther. Montreal pulled ahead in the second period with a Rafael Harvey-Pinard goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Matheson and Suzuki. The Canadiens added on with another Harvey-Pinard goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, made possible by Hoffman and Suzuki. Montreal extended the lead as Gallagher scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Jake Evans and Ylonen. The Canadiens padded the lead on a Harvey-Pinard goal to finish his hat trick on his twelfth of the year, a power play goal powered by Hoffman and Matheson. Michael Hutchinson replaced an injured Merzlikins in goal. Montreal kept going in the third period with an Alex Belzile goal, his fifth of the season, with assists from Chris Tierney and Johnathan Kovacevic. The Canadiens struck again with a Suzuki goal, his twenty-third of the year, with helpers from Kovacevic and Jordan Harris. The final held at 8-2, with the three stars being Suzuki, Harvey-Pinard, and Matheson, while Hoffman, Gallagher, Ylonen, and Kovacevic get the honorable mentions.

Stateside again, the New Jersey Devils bring in the Ottawa Senators. Dylan Ferguson and Mackenzie Blackwood are the starting goalies. Ottawa kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Brady Tkachuk goal, his thirty-third of the season, guided in by Tim Stutzle. New Jersey tied it on a Jack Hughes power play goal, his fortieth of the year, going in unassisted. The Devils took the lead on an unassisted Jesper Bratt goal, his thirty-first of the season. New Jersey added on with a Dawson Mercer goal, his twenty-third of the year, fueled by Nico Hischier. The Senators got one back with a Thomas Chabot goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Stutzle and Drake Batherson. Ottawa tied it on a Mark Kastelic goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Travis Hamonic. The Devils regained the lead with a Dougie Hamilton goal in the third period, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Hughes and Ondrej Palat. New Jersey finished it at 5-3 with a Tomas Tatar empty net goal, his seventeenth of the year, set up by Hischier and John Marino. The three stars went to Hughes, Hischier, and Stutzle.

Along to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins host the Washington Capitals. Darcy Kuemper and Casey DeSmith are given the starting nods in goal. Pittsburgh scored first in the second period with a Ryan Poehling goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Danton Heinen. The Penguins added on with a Chad Ruhwedel goal, via Jason Zucker and Mikael Granlund. Pittsburgh extended the lead in the third period on a Jake Guentzel power play goal, his thirty-second of the year, powered by Rickard Rakell. Washington got on the board with a Tom Wilson goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Capitals got closer with an Alex Ovechkin power play goal, his forty-second of the year, with assists provided by John Carlson and Dylan Strome. Washington tied it on a Strome goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Conor Sheary and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. The Penguins reclaimed the lead with an Evgeni Malkin goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, going in unassisted. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars being Strome, Malkin, and Guentzel.

Westward to Edmonton, where the Oilers welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Laurent Brossoit and Stuart Skinner occupy the blue paint. Vegas started in the first period with a Jack Eichel goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, assisted by Ivan Barbashev and Jonathan Marchessault. Edmonton tied it on a Zach Hyman goal, his thirty-first of the year, fueled by Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Golden Knights took the lead back with a Pavel Dorofeyev power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by William Karlsson and Phil Kessel. The Oilers retied it in the second period with a Draisaitl power play goal, his forty-fifth of the year, with assists provided by Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard. Vegas regained the lead in the third period with a Marchessault goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, guided in by Eichel and Shea Theodore. Edmonton tied it again with a Warren Foegele goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Darnell Nurse and Kailer Yamamoto. The Golden Knights won 4-3 in overtime with a Nicolas Roy goal, his thirteenth of the campaign, made possible by Eichel and Theodore. The three stars were Eichel, Marchessault, and Draisaitl, while Theodore gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and John Gibson are the veterans in goal. Anaheim struck first in the first period with a Troy Terry power play goal, his twenty-first of the season, powered by Kevin Shattenkirk and Jakob Silfverberg. St. Louis tied it on a Jakub Vrana goal, his seventh of the year, fueled by Justin Faulk and Brayden Schenn. The Ducks retook the lead with a Nikita Nesterenko goal, via Mason McTavish and Terry. The Blues tied it on a Sammy Blais goal, his eighth of the season, guided in by Kasperi Kapanen and Colton Parayko. St. Louis took the lead with a Schenn goal, his twentieth of the year, assisted by Faulk. The Blues added on in the second period with a Schenn goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the season, passed from Vrana and Parayko. St. Louis extended the lead as Kapanen scored his twelfth of the year, thanks to Torey Krug and Blais. The Blues padded the lead on another Kapanen goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the season, helped along by Nick Leddy and Parayko. Anaheim got one back with a Ryan Strome goal, his fourteenth of the year, with helpers from Trevor Zegras and Max Jones. The final stood at 6-3, with the three stars being Kapanen, Schenn, and Parayko, while Vrana, Blais, Terry, and Faulk get the honorable mentions. 

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