Tuesday, December 19, 2023

NHL 2023-24 - Day 69

There's 11 games on this Tuesday slate, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Minnesota Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury and Linus Ullmark protect the nets. Minnesota led off in the first period with a Marcus Johansson power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Frederick Gaudreau and Alex Goligoski. Boston tied it on a David Pastrnak goal, his eighteenth of the year, courtesy of John Beecher. The Bruins took the lead with another Pastrnak goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the season, assisted by Pavel Zacha and James van Riemsdyk. The Wild tied it in the third period with a Kirill Kaprizov goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Jake Middleton and Brock Faber. Minnesota took the lead with a Ryan Hartman goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Marco Rossi and Faber. Boston tied it with a Brad Marchand power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Morgan Geekie and Charlie McAvoy. The Wild won 4-3 in overtime with a Kaprizov goal, his second of the game and tenth of the campaign, coming off of Joel Eriksson Ek. The three stars were Kaprizov, Pastrnak, and Hartman.

Over in Buffalo, the Sabres welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Daniil Tarasov and Devon Levi are set to start in goal. Buffalo started in the first period with a Rasmus Dahlin goal, his eighth of the season, courtesy of Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt. Columbus tied it on a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his sixth of the year, via Adam Fantilli. The Blue Jackets took the lead with a Fantilli goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Gaudreau and Ivan Provorov. Columbus added on with a Kirill Marchenko power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Gaudreau and Zach Werenski. The Blue Jackets extended the lead in the second period as Marchenko scored his second of the game and twelfth of the season, with the help of Yegor Chinakhov and Andrew Peeke. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen replaced Levi in goal. Columbus padded the lead as Marchenko scored his thirteenth of the year to complete his hat trick, thanks to Chinakhov and Provorov. The Blue Jackets continued with an Erik Gudbranson goal, his third of the season, fueled by Alexandre Texier and Sean Kuraly. Columbus struck again with a Kuraly goal, his sixth of the year, with helpers from Texier and Brendan Gaunce. The Sabres got one back with a Kyle Okposo goal, his sixth of the season, with assists provided by Mittelstadt and Victor Olofsson. Buffalo pulled one back in the third period with a Tage Thompson power play goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Dahlin and Alex Tuch. The Sabres got closer with a Cozens goal, his sixth of the season, helped along by Zach Benson and Mittelstadt. The Blue Jackets replied with a Cole Sillinger goal, his second of the year, made possible by Werenski and Kent Johnson. Columbus kept going with a Johnson goal, his fourth of the season, dished from Sillinger and Emil Bemstrom. This stood for a 9-4 win, with the three stars going to Marchenko, Gaudreau, and Fantilli, while Johnson, Sillinger, Kuraly, Chinakhov, Texier, Werenski, Provorov, Dahlin, Mittelstadt, and Cozens get the honorable mentions.

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes bring in the Vegas Golden Knights. Logan Thompson and Pyotr Kochetkov are the young goalies. Carolina began in the first period with an Andrei Svechnikov power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Brady Skjei and Sebastian Aho. Vegas tied it on a William Carrier goal, his fourth of the year, via Brayden McNabb and Brett Howden. The Hurricanes took the lead back in the second period with a Jordan Staal goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Jesper Fast and Jordan Martinook. Carolina added on with a Jesperi Kotkaniemi goal, his ninth of the year, fueled by Jalen Chatfield and Michael Bunting. The Hurricanes extended the lead as Bunting scored his seventh of the season on the power play, with the help of Aho and Brent Burns. Carolina padded the lead in the third period with a Seth Jarvis power play goal, his eleventh of the year, with assists provided by Bunting and Aho. The Hurricanes continued with a Skjei goal, his sixth of the season, going in unassisted. Jiri Patera replaced Thompson in goal. The Golden Knights got one back with a Nicolas Hague goal, his second of the year, with helpers from Mark Stone and Jack Eichel. Vegas got closer with another Carrier goal, his second of the game and fifth of the campaign, helped along by Howden and Michael Amadio. The three stars of the 6-3 game were Bunting, Aho, and Carrier, while Skjei and Howden get the honorable mentions.

Back north, the New Jersey Devils host the Philadelphia Flyers. Samuel Ersson and Vitek Vanecek patrol the creases. New Jersey struck first in the first period with a Michael McLeod goal, his seventh of the season, courtesy of Nathan Bastian and Curtis Lazar. Philadelphia tied it on a second period goal by Ryan Poehling, his third of the year, via Joel Farabee. The Devils took the lead back with a Jesper Bratt power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. The Flyers tied it on another Poehling goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, fueled by Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim. The Flyers won 3-2 in overtime with an Owen Tippett goal, his eleventh of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Poehling, Ersson (24 for 26 in saves), and Tippett.

Further south, the Tampa Bay Lightning welcome the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Andrei Vasilevskiy guard the cages. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with a Mikey Eyssimont goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Tanner Jeannot and Haydn Fleury. The Lightning added on with a Tyler Motte goal, his second of the year, guided in by Conor Sheary and Steven Stamkos. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Nikita Kucherov scored his twenty-first of the season, thanks to Brayden Point and Nick Paul. The Lightning padded the lead on another Kucherov goal in the second period, his second of the game and twenty-second of the year, via Nick Perbix and Paul. Tampa Bay chased Binnington with a Fleury goal, made possible by Stamkos and Brandon Hagel. Joel Hofer entered in goal. The Lightning continued in the third period with a Paul power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Stamkos and Victor Hedman. St. Louis got on the board with a Justin Faulk power play goal, with assists provided by Jake Neighbours and Kevin Hayes. The final stood at 6-1, with the three stars being Paul, Stamkos, and Kucherov, while Fleury gets an honorable mention.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs bring in the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin faces a lesser foe in Martin Jones in goal. New York got going in the second period with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Blake Wheeler and Chris Kreider. Toronto tied it on an Auston Matthews goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, passed from Morgan Rielly and Tyler Bertuzzi. The Rangers took the lead back with an Alexis Lafreniere power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Jonny Brodzinski and Erik Gustafsson. The Maple Leafs tied it with another Matthews goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the year, guided in by Matthew Knies and William Nylander. New York pulled ahead on a Braden Schneider goal, his second of the season, made possible by Gustafsson and Wheeler. The Rangers added on with an Artemi Panarin power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, with assists provided by Gustafsson and Vincent Trocheck. New York iced it at 5-2 with a Zibanejad empty net goal, is second of the game and eleventh of the campaign, set up by Wheeler and Ryan Lindgren. The three stars were Zibanejad, Wheeler, and Gustafsson, while Matthews gets an honorable mention.

Back stateside, the New York Islanders host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Ilya Sorokin are the masked men. Edmonton kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Leon Draisaitl goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Warren Foegele and Mattias Ekholm. New York tied it in the second period with an Anders Lee power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Kyle Palmieri and Mathew Barzal. The Islanders took the lead with a Bo Horvat power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, with assists provided by Brock Nelson and Noah Dobson. New York added on with a Simon Holmstrom shorthanded goal, his tenth of the year, set up by Jean-Gabriel Pageau. This held for a 3-1 win, with the three stars given to Sorokin (31 for 32 in saves), Horvat, and Holmstrom.

Along to Nashville, where the Predators welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Casey DeSmith and Juuse Saros are in the creases. Vancouver drew first blood in the first period with an Elias Pettersson goal, his thirteenth of the season, via Ilya Mikheyev and Pius Suter. The Canucks added on with a Nils Aman goal, going in unassisted. Nashville got on the board in the second period with a Jeremy Lauzon goal, his third of the year, guided in by Luke Evangelista and Tommy Novak. Vancouver shot back on a Nils Hoglander goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek. The Canucks extended the lead as Suter scored his fifth of the year, fueled by Mikheyev and Pettersson. Vancouver padded the lead in the third period on a Teddy Blueger goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Hughes. Kevin Lankinen replaced Saros in goal. The Predators got one back with a Cody Glass goal, helped along by Cole Smith. This only made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars going to Pettersson, Suter, and Hughes, while Mikheyev gets an honorable mention.

Next up, the Chicago Blackhawks bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Petr Mrazek are the veterans in goal. Chicago was first to score in the first period with a Ryan Donato goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Nikita Zaitsev and Connor Bedard. Colorado tied it on a Valeri Nichushkin power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Jonathan Drouin and Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche took the lead with a Nichushkin power play goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the season, with assists provided by Mikko Rantanen and Sam Malinski. The Blackhawks tied it on a Lukas Reichel goal, his third of the year, guided in by Bedard and Donato. Chicago pulled ahead in the third period with a Tyler Johnson power play goal, his seventh of the season, helped along by Nick Foligno and Zaitsev. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Donato, Nichushkin, and Bedard, while Zaitsev gets an honorable mention.

To Arizona, as the Coyotes host the Ottawa Senators. Joonas Korpisalo and Connor Ingram are between the pipes. Ottawa dented the scoreboard in the first period with an Angus Crookshank goal, assisted by Artem Zub and Jake Sanderson. The Senators added on with a Josh Norris power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Sanderson and Tim Stutzle. Ottawa extended the lead as Dominik Kubalik scored his seventh of the year, fueled by Erik Brannstrom. Karel Vejmelka replaced Ingram in goal. Arizona got on the board in the second period with a Jack McBain goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Logan Cooley and Michael Carcone. The Coyotes got closer in the third period with a J.J. Moser goal, his third of the year, via Matias Maccelli and Matt Dumba. Arizona tied it on a Clayon Keller goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Troy Stecher and Alexander Kerfoot. The Coyotes pulled ahead with a Michael Kesselring goal, his second of the year, passed from Zach Sanford and McBain. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars going to McBain, Carcone, and Sanderson.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Los Angeles Kings. David Rittich and Kaapo Kahkonen are the backups in goal. Los Angeles cracked the scoresheet in the first period with an Anze Kopitar power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Arthur Kaliyev and Kevin Fiala. The Kings added on in the second period with a Trevor Moore goal, his fifteenth of the year, via Fiala and Phillip Danault. Los Angeles extended the lead as Alex Laferriere scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Jordan Spencer and Kopitar. The Kings padded the lead on a Trevor Lewis shorthanded empty net goal, his fourth of the year, set up by Blake Lizotte. San Jose got on the board with a Jacob MacDonald power play goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Kevin Labanc and Filip Zadina. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars being Kopitar, Fiala, and Rittich (14 for 15 in saves). 

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