NHL 2023-24 - Day 26

The NHL loads them up again with 15 games this Saturday. First up...

The Edmonton Oilers host the Nashville Predators. Kevin Lankinen and Jack Campbell are in goal. Edmonton started in the first period with a Darnell Nurse power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Mattias Ekholm and Ryan McLeod. Nashville tied it on a Filip Forsberg goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Ryan O'Reilly and Marc Del Gaizo. The Predators pulled ahead in the second period with an O'Reilly goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Forsberg and Alexandre Carrier. Nashville added on with an O'Reilly power play goal, his sixth of the year, with assists provided by Forsberg and Thomas Novak. The Oilers got one back on a Zach Hyman power play goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Evan Bouchard and Connor McDavid. The Predators fired back with a Novak goal, his sixth of the year, assisted by Luke Evangelista and Roman Josi. Nashville extended the lead in the third period as O'Reilly completed his hat trick on his seventh of the campaign, thanks to Carrier and Forsberg. This stood for a 5-2 win, with the three stars going to O'Reilly, Forsberg, and Novak, while Carrier gets an honorable mention. 

Down in Arizona, the Coyotes welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Karel Vejmelka are the masked men. Arizona opened in the first period with a J.J. Moser goal, his second of the season, via Matias Maccelli and Lawson Crouse. The Coyotes added on with a Liam O'Brien goal in the second period, his second of the year, courtesy of Jack McBain. Winnipeg got on the board with a Nino Niederreiter goal, his third of the season, passed from Mason Appleton and Josh Morrissey. The Jets tied it on a Brenden Dillon goal, fueled by Vladislav Namestnikov and Cole Perfetti. Arizona retook the lead with a Crouse power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Nick Bjugstad. Winnipeg tied it again with a Niederreiter power play goal, his fourth of the season, with assists provided by Nikolaj Ehlers and Neal Pionk. The Jets pulled ahead in the third period with a Dillon goal, his second of the game, made possible by Appleton and Adam Lowry. Winnipeg extended the lead as Niederreiter completed his hat trick with his fifth of the year, with the help of Lowry and Dillon. The final stood at 5-3, with the three stars going to Niederreiter, Dillon, and Appleton, while Lowry and Crouse get the honorable mentions.

At the regular time, the Detroit Red Wings bring in the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Ville Husso protect the nets. Boston led off in the first period with a James van Riemsdyk goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha. The Bruins added on with a Matthew Poitras goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Kevin Shattenkirk and van Riemsdyk. Detroit got on the board with a Lucas Raymond power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by David Perron and Dylan Larkin. The Red Wings tied it on a Jake Walman power play goal, his third of the year, with assists provided by Moritz Seider and Daniel Sprong. Boston retook the lead on a Charlie Coyle goal, his second of the season, passed from Jake DeBrusk and Parker Wotherspoon. Detroit tied it in the third period with a Larkin goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Raymond and Alex DeBrincat. The Red Wings pulled ahead with a Perron goal, his third of the season, coming off of J.T. Compher and Jeff Petry. Detroit extended the lead as Andrew Copp scored his fourth of the year, thanks to Compher and Perron. The Bruins got one back with a Pastrnak goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by Poitras and Hampus Lindholm. They couldn't tie it, with the final being 5-4. The three stars were Larkin, Perron, and Pastrnak, while Compher, Poitras, Raymond, and van Riemsdyk get the honorable mentions.

Into Ontario, as the Ottawa Senators host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jonas Johansson and Joonas Korpisalo are in the blue paint. Ottawa kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Brady Tkachuk goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Mathieu Joseph and Jake Sanderson. Tampa Bay tied it on a Victor Hedman goal, his second of the year, via Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. The Lightning took the lead in the second period with a Point goal, his third of the season, assisted by Kucherov. Tampa Bay added on with a Mikey Eyssimont goal, his third of the year, guided in by Anthony Cirelli. Anton Forsberg replaced Korpisalo in goal. The Lightning extended the lead as Point scored his second of the game and fourth of the season, thanks to Kucherov. The Senators got one back in the third period with a Claude Giroux goal, his third of the year, made possible by Tim Stutzle and Jacob Bernard-Docker. Tampa Bay replied with a Point goal, completing his hat trick on his fifth of the season, with helpers from Steven Stamkos and Kucherov on the power play. Ottawa pulled one back with a Tkachuk power play goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, powered by Josh Norris. The Lightning shot back with a Kucherov goal, his seventh of the season, courtesy of Alex Barre-Boulet. The Senators countered with a Drake Batherson goal, his second of the year, with a lone helper from Tkachuk. This only made it 6-4, the final, with the three stars handed to Point, Kucherov, and Tkachuk.

Staying in the province, the Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Devon Levi and Joseph Woll are the young goalies. Toronto was first to score in the first period with a Mitchell Marner goal, his fourth of the season, via Calle Jarnkrok and Morgan Rielly. Buffalo tied it on a JJ Peterka power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Owen Power and Peyton Krebs. The Sabres took the lead with a Tage Thompson shorthanded goal, his sixth of the season, going in unassisted. The Maple Leafs tied it again with an Auston Matthews power play goal, his ninth of the year, with assists provided by William Nylander and Marner. Buffalo retook the lead on a Jeff Skinner goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Ryan Johnson. Toronto tied it on a Matthews goal in the third period, his second of the game and tenth of the year, helped along by Marner. The Sabres reclaimed the lead on a Jordan Greenway goal, his second of the season, coming off of Casey Mittelstadt and Peterka. The Maple Leafs retied it with a Matthews goal, completing his hat trick on his eleventh of the year, with helpers from Mark Giordano and Marner. Buffalo pulled ahead again with an Alex Tuch goal, his second of the season, guided in by Rasmus Dahlin and Connor Clifton. The Sabres iced it at 6-4 with an empty net goal by Tuch, his second of the game and third of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Matthews, Tuch, and Marner, while Peterka gets an honorable mention.

Stateside, the St. Louis Blues bring in the Montreal Canadiens. Sam Montembeault and Joel Hofer are in the creases. St. Louis began in the first period with a Jordan Kyrou goal, his second of the season, coming off of Brayden Schenn. Montreal tied it on a Juraj Slafkovsky power play goal, powered by Alex Newhook and Brendan Gallagher. The Blues took the lead back with a Robert Thomas goal, his fourth of the year, via Justin Faulk. St. Louis added on with a Brandon Saad goal in the second period, his third of the season, assisted by Kyrou and Schenn. The Canadiens got one back with a Gallagher goal, his fourth of the year, helped along by Sean Monahan. The Blues fired back in the third period on a shorthanded Alexey Toropchenko goal, set up by Pavel Buchnevich. St. Louis extended the lead as Schenn scored, thanks to Kyrou and Saad. The Blues padded the lead on a Kasperi Kapanen empty net goal, his second of the season, with a lone helper by Thomas. Montreal got one back with a Nick Suzuki goal, his third of the year, guided in by Cole Caufield and Michael Matheson. This only made it 6-3, the final, with the three stars being Kyrou, Schenn, and Thomas, while Saad and Gallagher get the honorable mentions.

Back east, the Washington Capitals host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins and Charlie Lindgren are set to start in goal. Washington struck first in the first period with a Tom Wilson goal, his third of the season, assisted by Nick Jensen and Rasmus Sandin. The Capitals added on with a Sonny Milano goal, his second of the year, via Jensen and Rasmus. Columbus got on the board with a Dmitri Voronkov goal in the second period, his second of the season, guided in by Kirill Marchenko and David Jiricek. This only made it 2-1, the eventual final, with the three stars going to Lindgren (35 for 36 in saves), Milano, and Wilson.

To New York, where the Islanders welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Antti Raanta is mismatched with Ilya Sorokin in goal. New York cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Noah Dobson goal, his third of the season, assisted by Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat. The Islanders added on with a Simon Holmstrom shorthanded goal, his third of the year, set up by Jean-Gabriel Pageau. New York extended the lead as Barzal scored his second of the season, thanks to Horvat and Ryan Pulock. Carolina got on the board with a Jalen Chatfield goal, via Jordan Martinook and Jordan Staal. The Hurricanes got closer in the third period with a Dmitry Orlov goal, helped along by Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Andrei Svechnikov. Carolina tied it with a Kotkaniemi goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Svechnikov. The Hurricanes won 4-3 in overtime with a Sebastian Aho goal, his second of the campaign, passed from Martin Necas. The three stars were Kotkaniemi, Svechnikov, and Horvat, while Barzal gets an honorable mention.

Onward to Philadelphia, as the Flyers bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Cam Talbot and Cal Petersen have the green light to play in goal. Los Angeles drew first blood in the first period with an Adrian Kempe goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Quinton Byfield and Mikey Anderson. The Kings added on with an Anze Kopitar goal, his sixth of the year, via Matt Roy and Byfield. Los Angeles extended the lead in the second period as Arthur Kaliyev scored his third of the season on the power play, with the help of Byfield and Trevor Moore. The Kings padded the lead on a Moore shorthanded goal, his sixth of the year, set up by Kaliyev. Los Angeles continued in the third period with a Blake Lizotte goal, his third of the season, made possible by Alex Laferriere. This stood for a 5-0 win, with the three stars going to Talbot (24 save shutout), Byfield, and Kaliyev, while Moore gets an honorable mention.

West to Chicago, where the Blackhawks host the Florida Panthers. Anthony Stolarz and Petr Mrazek patrol the creases. Chicago opened in the first period with a Nick Foligno power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Seth Jones and Corey Perry. The Blackhawks added on with a Nikita Zaitsev goal, via Philipp Kurashev and Lukas Reichel. Chicago extended the lead as Taylor Hall scored, thanks to Jason Dickinson and Tyler Johnson. The Blackhawks padded the lead in the second period with a Connor Bedard goal, his fifth of the year, with helpers from Kurashev and Jarred Tinordi. Florida got on the board in the third period with an Oliver Ekman-Larsson power play goal, his second of the season, with assists provided by Carter Verhaeghe and Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers got closer with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Verhaeghe and Josh Mahura. The Blackhawks iced it at 5-2 with a Kurashev empty net goal, his second of the season, coming off of Ryan Donato. The three stars were Kurashev, Verhaeghe, and Hall.

Up in Minnesota, the Wild welcome the New York Rangers. Jonathan Quick and Filip Gustavsson are the goalies. New York started in the first period with a Jimmy Vesey goal, assisted by Tyler Pitlick and Ryan Lindgren. The Rangers added on with an Artemi Panarin goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere. New York extended the lead as Erik Gustafsson scored his third of the year, thanks to Blake Wheeler and Will Cuylle. Marc-Andre Fleury replaced Gustavsson in goal. Minnesota got on the board in the second period with a Ryan Hartman goal, his seventh of the season, passed from Dakota Mermis and Mats Zuccarello. The Wild got closer with a Joel Eriksson Ek goal, his sixth of the year, helped along by Brock Faber and Marcus Foligno. Minnesota tied it in the third period with a Zuccarello goal, his third of the season, coming off of Jonas Brodin and Marcus Johansson. The Wild gained the lead on a Marco Rossi goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy. The Rangers tied it on a Chris Kreider goal, his eighth of the season, via Panarin and Gustafsson. The tie went to a shootout, where Zuccarello and Boldy lifted the Wild to a 5-4 win over Panarin and the Rangers. The three stars belonged to Zuccarello, Panarin, and Gustafsson.

Out in California, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Mackenzie Blackwood are between the pipes. Pittsburgh led off in the first period with a Reilly Smith power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Erik Karlsson and Jake Guentzel. The Penguins added on with a Smith goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, assisted by Marcus Pettersson and Bryan Rust. Pittsburgh extended the lead in the second period as Guentzel scored his third of the season, thanks to Rust and Pierre-Olivier Joseph. The Penguins padded the lead with a Vinnie Hinostroza goal, going in unassisted. San Jose got on the board with an Anthony Duclair power play goal, his second of the year, with assists provided by Tomas Hertl and Jacob MacDonald. Pittsburgh countered with an Evgeni Malkin goal, his sixth of the season, guided in by Smith and Rickard Rakell. The Penguins kept going with a Kris Letang goal, coming off of Sidney Crosby and Rust. Pittsburgh continued with a Matt Nieto goal, with helpers from Noel Acciari and Hinostroza. The Penguins struck again in the third period with a Rust goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Guentzel and Karlsson. The Sharks took one back with a MacDonald power play goal, dished from Hertl and Mikael Granlund. Pittsburgh fired back with a Malkin power play goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, fueled by Smith and Rakell. The Penguins reached double digits on a Guentzel goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, made possible by Rust and Ryan Shea. The final stood at 10-2, with the three stars going to Rust, Guentzel, and Smith, while Malkin, Hinostroza, Rakell, Karlsson, MacDonald, and Hertl get the honorable mentions.

North to Seattle, as the Kraken host the Calgary Flames. Dan Vladar and Philipp Grubauer are set to play in goal. Seattle began in the first period with an Oliver Bjorkstrand power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Justin Schultz and Yanni Gourde. Calgary tied it on a Martin Pospisil goal, via Nazem Kadri and Dillon Dube. The Kraken retook the lead with an Eeli Tolvanen goal, his second of the year, coming off of Gourde and Devin Shore. The Flames tied it in the second period on a Noah Hanifin goal, guide in by Jonathan Huberdeau and Connor Zary on the power play. Calgary took the lead with a Yegor Sharangovich goal, his second of the season, helped along by Nikita Zadorov and Nick DeSimone. The Flames added on with a Mikael Backlund goal, with helpers from Walker Duehr and A.J. Greer. Seattle got one back with a Jaden Schwartz goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Matty Beniers and Vince Dunn. Calgary answered with a Backlund empty net goal, his second of the game, going in unassisted. The Flames finished it at 6-3 with an empty net goal by Rasmus Andersson, his second of the campaign, an unassisted goal. The three stars went to Backlund, Gourde, and Sharangovich.

Further north, the Vancouver Canucks welcome the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Thatcher Demko tend the twines. Vancouver got going in the second period with a Pius Suter goal, his second of the season, assisted by Dakota Joshua and Carson Soucy. The Canucks added on with an Elias Pettersson goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Filip Hronek and Ilya Mikheyev. The final remained at 2-0, with the three stars awarded to Demko (27 save shutout), Suter, and Pettersson.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Adin Hill guard the cages. Vegas struck first in the first period with a Mark Stone shorthanded goal, his third of the season, set up by Brayden McNabb and Chandler Stephenson. The Golden Knights added on in the second period with a Jack Eichel goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Jonathan Marchessault and Alex Pietrangelo. Vegas extended the lead as William Carrier scored his third of the season, thanks to Stone and Stephenson. The Golden Knights padded the lead on an Eichel power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, powered by Stone and Shea Theodore. Vegas continued in the third period with another Stone shorthanded goal, his second of the game and fourth of the season, going in unassisted. The Golden Knights got another one with a William Karlsson goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Pavel Dorofeyev. Vegas piled on with another Karlsson goal, his second of the game and sixth of the season, guided in by Dorofeyev and Michael Amadio. This made it 7-0, the final, with the three stars going to Stone, Eichel, and Karlsson, while Hill (41 save shutout), Stephenson, and Dorofeyev get the honorable mentions. 

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