NHL 2022-23 - Day 172

There's 16 games on this Saturday, a first in NHL history. We begin the full schedule with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Antti Raanta and Devon Levi are set to start in goal. Buffalo led off in the first period with a Casey Mittelstadt goal, his eleventh of the season, via Jeff Skinner and Rasmus Dahlin. Carolina tied it on a Seth Jarvis goal, his fourteenth of the year, courtesy of Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The Hurricanes took the lead with a Jesper Fast goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Jordan Staal and Jordan Martinook. The Sabres tied it on a Dahlin power play goal in the second period, his fifteenth of the year, powered by Skinner and Alex Tuch. Carolina retook the lead with a Sebastian Aho goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, coming off of Teuvo Teravainen and Jesse Puljujarvi. Buffalo tied it again with another Mittelstadt goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, with helpers from Dahlin and Owen Power. Buffalo pulled ahead in the third period with a Tage Thompson goal, his forty-sixth of the campaign, guided in by Dylan Cozens. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars going to Dahlin, Mittelstadt, and Skinner.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Ville Husso are between the pipes. Pittsburgh began in the first period with an Alex Nylander goal, assisted by Mikael Granlund and Jeff Carter. The Penguins added on with a Sidney Crosby goal, his thirty-second of the season, going in unassisted. Pittsburgh extended the lead in the second period as Danton Heinen scored his seventh of the year, thanks to Crosby. Detroit got on the board with a Pius Suter goal, his fourteenth of the season, made possible by Andrew Copp and Lucas Raymond. The Penguins replied in the third period with a Crosby power play goal, his second of the game and thirty-third of the year, powered by Kris Letang and Jake Guentzel. Pittsburgh padded the lead with an Evgeni Malkin goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, fueled by Jason Zucker. The final held at 5-1, with the three stars going to Crosby, Jarry (19 for 20 in saves), and Heinen. 

Down in Dallas, the Stars bring in the Vegas Golden Knights. Jonathan Quick and Jake Oettinger patrol the creases. Vegas started in the first period with a Brett Howden goal, his sixth of the season, via Keegan Kolesar and Ben Hutton. Dallas tied it in the second period with a Joel Kiviranta goal, his eighth of the year, assisted by Radek Faksa and Thomas Harley. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Roope Hintz had the lone tally for a 2-1 Stars win. The three stars were Oettinger (19 for 20 in saves), Kiviranta, and Quick (24 for 25 in saves).

Out west, the San Jose Sharks host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and James Reimer draw the starts in goal. Edmonton opened in the first period with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his thirty-seventh of the season, passed from Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid. San Jose tied it on a Tomas Hertl goal, his twenty-second of the year, via Jacob Peterson. The Oilers retook the lead on a McDavid goal, his sixty-third of the season, assisted by Warren Foegele. Edmonton added on in the second period with a Hyman goal, his thirty-sixth of the year, fueled by Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard. The Oilers extended the lead on a Derek Ryan shorthanded goal, his thirteenth of the season, set up by Nugent-Hopkins. Edmonton padded the lead as Philip Broberg scored in the third period, with helpers from Leon Draisaitl and Ryan. The Oilers continued with another McDavid goal, his second of the game and sixty-fourth of the year, made possible by Nugent-Hopkins and Bouchard. The final held at 6-1, with the three stars handed to McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins, and Hyman, while Ryan and Bouchard get the honorable mentions.

Along to Arizona, as the Coyotes welcome the Anaheim Ducks. Olle Eriksson Ek and Ivan Prosvetov are the young goalies. Arizona struck first in the first period with a Christian Fischer goal, his thirteenth of the season, made possible by J.J. Moser and Jack McBain. Anaheim tied it on an Adam Henrique goal, his twentieth of the year, via Ryan Strome. The Coyotes took the lead in the second period with a Lawson Crouse power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, powered by Travis Boyd and Victor Soderstrom. Arizona added on with a Clayton Keller goal, his thirty-seventh of the year, fueled by Nick Schmaltz and Moser. The Ducks got one back with a Strome goal, his fifteenth of the season, coming off of Max Jones and Derek Grant. Anaheim tied it in the third period with another Henrique goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the year, with assists provided by Strome and Trevor Zegras on the power play. The Ducks took the lead with a Jones goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Grant. The Coyotes retied it on a Matias Maccelli goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Keller and Schmaltz. Arizona won 5-4 in overtime with a Barrett Hayton goal, his nineteenth of the campaign, with helpers from Maccelli and Juuso Valimaki.

Back east, the Columbus Blue Jackets bring in the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin faces a lesser foe in Michael Hutchinson in goal. New York was first to score in the first period with a Jimmy Vesey goal, his eleventh of the season, courtesy of Tyler Motte and Barclay Goodrow. The Rangers added on with a Chris Kreider goal, his thirty-sixth of the year, via Mika Zibanejad and K'Andre Miller. New York extended the lead in the third period as Niko Mikkola scored, thanks to Zibanejad and Patrick Kane. The Rangers padded the lead on a Vincent trocheck goal, his twenty-second of the campaign, passed from Vladimir Tarasenko. This made it 4-0, the final, with the three stars going to Shesterkin (20 save shutout), Zibanejad, and Vesey.

Up in Ottawa, the Senators host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Brian Elliott and Cam Talbot are playing in goal. Ottawa kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Drake Batherson goal, his twenty-second of the season, guided in by Erik Brannstrom and Alex DeBrincat. Tampa Bay tied it on an Alex Killorn power play goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, powered by Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman. The Senators took the lead with a Julien Gauthier goal, his ninth of the season, courtesy of Dylan Gambrell and Jake Sanderson. Ottawa added on in the second period with a Patrick Brown goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Mark Kastelic and Artem Zub. The Lightning got one back with a Brandon Hagel goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, via Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov on the power play. Tampa Bay tied it on a Hedman power play goal, his ninth of the year, assisted by Kucherov and Stamkos. The Senators pulled ahead with a power play goal by DeBrincat, his twenty-seventh of the season, fueled by Shane Pinto and Tim Stutzle. Ottawa extended the lead in the third period as Egor Sokolov scored, going in unassisted. The Lightning responded with a Brayden Point goal, his forty-ninth of the year, helped along by Hedman and Mikey Eyssimont. The Senators fired back on a Kastelic goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Sanderson. Ottawa iced it at 7-4 with an empty net goal by Claude Giroux, his thirty-second of the year, set up by Stutzle and Brady Tkachuk. The three stars were DeBrincat, Kastelic, and Stamkos, while Hedman, Stutzle, Sanderson, and Kucherov get the honorable mentions.

Also in Ontario, the Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Sam Montembeault and Ilya Samsonov draw the starts in goal. Toronto drew first blood in the first period with a Mitch Marner power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, powered by Auston Matthews and Erik Gustafsson. The Maple Leafs added on with a John Tavares power play goal, his thirty-fourth of the year, with assists provided by Marner and Ryan O'Reilly. Montreal got on the board in the second period with a Johnathan Kovacevic goal, his third of the season, coming off of Mike Matheson and Nick Suzuki. Toronto replied with a William Nylander goal, his thirty-eighth of the year, via O'Reilly. The Maple Leafs extended the lead as Marner scored his second of the game and thirtieth of the season, thanks to Michael Bunting and Matthews. Toronto padded the lead in the third period on a Tavares power play goal, his second of the game and thirty-fifth of the year, with helpers from O'Reilly and Gustafsson. The Maple Leafs kept going on a Matthews goal, his thirty-ninth of the season, going in unassisted. Toronto finished it at 7-1 with a Bunting goal, his twenty-third of the year, guided in by Matthews and Gustafsson. The three stars were Marner, Matthews, and Gustafsson, while Tavares, O'Reilly, and Bunting get the honorable mentions.

Stateside, the Washington Capitals bring in the Florida Panthers. Alex Lyon and Charlie Lindgren man the nets. Washington got going in the second period with a Dylan Strome goal, his twenty-first of the season, passed from Tom Wilson and Aliaksei Protas. Florida tied it on a Carter Verhaeghe goal, his forty-first of the year, assisted by Brandon Montour and Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers took the lead with an Aaron Ekblad power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk. The Capitals retied it on a Wilson goal, his tenth of the year, made possible by Conor Sheary and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Florida took the lead in the third period with a Tkachuk goal, his fortieth of the season, going in unassisted. The Panthers iced it at 4-2 with a Reinhart empty net goal, his thirty-first of the year, set up by Tkachuk and Barkov. The three stars were Tkachuk, Barkov, and Reinhart, while Wilson gets an honorable mention.

Northwest to Winnipeg, where the Jets host the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Connor Hellebuyck guard the cages. Winnipeg dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Mark Scheifele goal, his fortieth of the season, via Vladislav Namestnikov and Josh Morrissey. The Jets added on in the third period with a Neal Pionk goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Nikolaj Ehlers and Blake Wheeler. The final held at 2-0, with the three stars being Hellebuyck (28 save shutout), Scheifele, and Pionk.

East again to New York, as the Islanders welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Ilya Sorokin protect the nets. New York led off in the first period with a Scott Mayfield goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Simon Holmstrom and Bo Horvat. The Islanders added on in the second period with a Brock Nelson goal, his thirty-fourth of the year, via Noah Dobson. New York extended the lead as Bolduc scored his second of the season, thanks to Horvat and Holmstrom. Felix Sandstrom replaced Hart in goal for the third period. The Islanders padded the lead in the third period on a Hudson Fasching goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Dobson. The final held at 4-0, with the three stars going to Sorokin (27 save shutout), Horvat, and Dobson, while Holmstrom gets an honorable mention.

Up in Boston, the Bruins bring in the New Jersey Devils. Mackenzie Blackwood and Linus Ullmark are in the blue paint. Boston opened in the first period with a Pavel Zacha power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, powered by Hampus Lindholm and Tyler Bertuzzi. The Bruins added on with another Zacha goal, his second of the game and twentieth of the year, guided in by David Pastrnak and Bertuzzi. New Jersey got on the board with a Jesper Bratt goal, his thirty-second of the season, via Jack Hughes and Ondrej Palat. This only made it 2-1, the eventual final, with the three stars going to Zacha, Ullmark (29 for 30 in saves), and Bertuzzi.

Westward again to Minnesota, as the Wild host the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Filip Gustavsson patrol the creases. St. Louis began in the first period with a Sammy Blais goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Justin Faulk and Jakub Vrana. Minnesota tied it on a Ryan Hartman shorthanded goal, his fifteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Wild took the lead with a Sam Steel shorthanded goal, his tenth of the season, set up by Hartman. Minnesota added on in the second period with a Frederick Gaudreau goal, his seventeenth of the year, powered by Gustav Nyquist and John Klingberg. The Wild extended the lead as Jared Spurgeon scored his eleventh of the season, thanks to Nyquist and Steel. The Blues got one back in the third period with a Jake Neighbours goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Brayden Schenn and Faulk. St. Louis got closer with a Pavel Buchenvich goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, with helpers from Nick Leddy and Kasperi Kapanen. Minnesota iced it at 5-3 with a Jonas Brodin empty net goal, his third of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Hartman, Steel, and Nyquist, while Faulk gets an honorable mention.

Next up, the Seattle Kraken welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek and Martin Jones are the veterans in goal. Seattle started in the first period with an Eeli Tolvanen goal, his eighteenth of the season, courtesy of Jesper Froden and Jamie Oleksiak. Chicago tied it on a Seth Jones goal, his eleventh of the year, via Anders Bjork and Andreas Athanasiou. The Kraken took the lead back with a Jordan Eberle goal, his twentieth of the season, assisted by Oleksiak. Seattle added on with a Yanni Gourde power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Eberle and Daniel Sprong. The Blackhawks got one back in the second period with a Seth Jones power play goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the season, helped along by Lukas Reichel and Athanasiou. The Kraken responded with an Adam Larsson goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Jared McCann and Oleksiak. Seattle extended the lead as Sprong scored his twenty-first of the season, thanks to Justin Schultz. Chicago answered with a Reichel goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Alex Vlasic and Jason Dickinson. Philipp Grubauer replaced Jones in goal for the third period. The Kraken shot back with a McCann goal in the third period, his thirty-ninth of the season, coming off of Oliver Bjorkstrand. Seattle padded the lead as Morgan Geekie scored his ninth of the year, with the help of Sprong and Ryan Donato. The final stood at 7-3, with the three stars going to Sprong, Oleksiak, and McCann, while Eberle, Seth Jones, Reichel, and Athanasiou get the honorable mentions.

In Canada once more, the Vancouver Canucks bring in the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko play between the pipes. Vancouver struck first in the first period with a Cole McWard goal, via Dakota Joshua and Jack Studnicka. The Canucks added on with a shorthanded Elias Pettersson goal, his thirty-eighth of the season, set up by J.T. Miller. Calgary got on the board in the third period with an Elias Lindholm goal, his twenty-second of the year, guided in by Dillon Dube and Tyler Toffoli. The Flames tied it on a Nazem Kadri goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, made possible by Noah Hanifin. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Andrei Kuzmenko's lone tally lifted the Canucks to a 3-2 win. The three stars were Demko (41 for 43 in saves), Pettersson, and McWard.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Pheonix Copley are given the green light to start in goal. Colorado got going in the second period with a Denis Malgin goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from J.T. Compher and Kurtis MacDermid. The Avalanche added on with an Alex Newhook goal, his fourteenth of the year, via Devon Toews. Los Angeles got on the board with an Adrian Kempe goal, his thirty-seventh of the season, coming off of Anze Kopitar and Quinton Byfield. The Kings tied it on a Viktor Arvidsson power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, powered by Kempe and Kopitar. Colorado took the lead in the third period with a Brad Hunt goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Lars Eller. The Avalanche added on with another Malgin goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, fueled by Valeri Nichushkin. Los Angeles got one back with a Kempe goal, his second of the game and thirty-eighth of the season, with helpers from Vladislav Gavrikov and Kopitar. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Malgin, Kempe, and Kopitar. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2022-23 Day 171

We've got a big 14 games on the schedule today, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ilya Samsonov and Jeremy Swayman are the masked men. Toronto got going in the second period with a Sam Lafferty goal, his twelfth of the season, fueled by Zach Aston-Reese. Boston tied it in the third period with a Charlie Coyle goal, his fourteenth of the year, guided in by Brandon Carlo. The Bruins won 2-1 in overtime with a David Pastrnak goal, his fifty-seventh of the campaign, assisted by Dmitry Orlov and Coyle. The three stars were Coyle, Pastrnak, and Swayman (31 for 32 in saves).

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Devon Levi and Ville Husso man the nets. Buffalo led off in the first period with a Tage Thompson goal, his forty-fifth of the season, coming off of Dylan Cozens and Owen Power. Detroit tied it on an Austin Czarnik goal, his third of the year, via Jonatan Berggren and Jake Walman. The Red Wings took the lead with a Dylan Larkin power play goal, his thirty-second of the season, powered by Lucas Raymond and Moritz Seider. The Sabres retied it on a Henri Jokiharju goal, his second of the year, fueled by Alex Tuch and Casey Mittelstadt. Buffalo took the lead with a Cozens power play goal, his thirtieth of the season, with assists provided by Peyton Krebs and Power. The Sabres added on with a Zemgus Girgensons goal in the second period, his tenth of the year, guided in by Kyle Okposo and Power. Detroit got one back with an Alex Chiasson power play goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Larkin and Raymond. The Red Wings tied it on a Simon Edvinsson goal, his second of the year, going in unassisted. Buffalo regained the lead with a Jordan Greenway goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Mittelstadt and Jokiharju. The Sabres added on with a Cozens goal, his second of the game and thirty-first of the year, helped along by Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. Detroit got one back with a Berggren goal, his fifteenth of the season, passed from Matt Luff. The Red Wings tied it on a David Perron goal, his twenty-third of the year, with apples from Seider and Raymond. The tie went to a shootout, where Tuch and Jack Quinn lifted the Sabres 7-6 over Raymond and the Red Wings. The three stars belonged to Cozens, Thompson, and Power, while Jokiharju, Mittelstadt, Raymond, Larkin, Berggren, and Seider get the honorable mentions.

Down in Florida, the Panthers bring in the Ottawa Senators. Leevi Merilainen and Alex Lyon are the backups in goal. Florida started in the first period with a Brandon Montour goal, his fifteenth of the season, via Matthew Tkachuk and Marc Staal. The Panthers added on with an Aleksander Barkov power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, powered by Tkachuk and Montour. Florida extended the lead in the second period with a Barkov shorthanded goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the season, set up by Sam Reinhart and Gustav Forsling. Mads Sogaard replaced Merilainen in goal. Ottawa got on the board with a Claude Giroux goal, his thirty-first of the year, guided in by Drake Batherson. The Panthers shot back with a Reinhart power play goal, his thirtieth of the season, with assists provided by Montour and Barkov. Florida padded the lead as Eetu Luostarinen scored his seventeenth of the year, courtesy of Aaron Ekblad and Montour. The Panthers continued with a Nick Cousins goal, his ninth of the season, with helpers from Ekblad and Radko Gudas. Florida kept going with a Forsling goal, his thirteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Senators got one back with a Ridly Greig goal in the third period, his second of the campaign, made possible by Patrick Brown and Erik Brannstrom. The final held at 7-2, with the three stars handed to Montour, Barkov, and Forsling, while Reinhart, Tkachuk, and Ekblad get the honorable mentions.

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens host the Washington Capitals. Darcy Kuemper and Sam Montembeault are set to start in goal. Washington began in the first period with a Dylan Strom goal, his twentieth of the season, via Nick Jensen and Alex Ovechkin. Montreal tied it on a Nick Suzuki shorthanded goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, set up by Joel Edmundson and Mike Matheson. The Canadiens took the lead with a Joel Armia shorthanded goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Matheson and Jake Evans. Montreal added on with a Brendan Gallagher goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Jonathan Drouin. The Canadiens extended the lead as Armia scored his second of the game and sixth of the season, thanks to Matheson and Suzuki. The Capitals got closer in the third period with a Nicklas Backstrom power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Strome and John Carlson. Montreal fired back with an Armia empty net goal to finish his hat trick on his seventh of the season, with a helper from Rafael Harvey-Pinard. The Canadiens finished it at 6-2 with a Mike Hoffman goal, his fourteenth of the year, with a lone assist by Evans. The three stars were Armia, Suzuki, and Strome, while Matheson and Evans get the honorable mentions.

Back stateside, the New Jersey Devils welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Michael Hutchinson and Vitek Vanecek are in the blue paint. New Jersey opened in the first period with a Jack Hughes goal, his forty-first of the season, going in unassisted. The Devils added on in the second period with a Tomas Tatar goal, his eighteenth of the year, fueled by Nico Hischier and Ryan Graves. New Jersey extended the lead as Hughes scored his second of the game and forty-second of the season, thanks to Timo Meier and Hischier on the power play. Columbus got on the board with a Joona Luoto goal, passed from Sean Kuraly and Eric Robinson. The Devils replied with a Meier power play goal, his thirty-ninth of the year, made possible by Hughes and Jesper Bratt. New Jersey pulled ahead in the third period with an Erik Haula goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of John Marino and Jesper Boqvist. Jon Gillies replaced Hutchinson in goal. The Devils answered with another Meier goal, his second of the game and fortieth of the year, with helpers from Marino and Hughes. New Jersey kept going with a Damon Severson goal, his seventh of the season, a shorthanded tally set up by Haula. The Devils continued with a Graves goal, his eighth of the year, assisted by Michael McLeod and Marino. The final stood at 8-1, with the three stars going to Hughes, Meier, and Marino, while Haula, Graves, and Hischier get the honorable mentions.

Over in Pittsburgh, the Penguins bring in the Minnesota Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury and Tristan Jarry guard the cages. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period with a Kris Letang goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Brian Dumoulin and Jake Guentzel. The Penguins added on with a Rickard Rakell power play goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, powered by Letang and Guentzel in the second period. Pittsburgh extended the lead in the third period as Jason Zucker scored his twenty-seventh of the season, thanks to Evgeni Malkin and Rakell. Minnesota got on the board with a Marcus Johansson power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, with assists provided by Mats Zuccarello and Matt Boldy. The Penguins shot back on a Jeff Carter goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Drew O'Connor and Dumoulin. This stood for a 4-1 win, with the three stars being Rakell, Dumoulin, and Letang, while Guentzel gets an honorable mention.

East again to New York, as the Islanders host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Brian Elliott and Ilya Sorokin have the green light to start in goal. New York dented the scoreboard in the second period with an Adam Pelech goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Hudson Fasching and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. The Islanders added on with a Brock Nelson goal, his thirty-third of the year, coming off of Samuel Bolduc. New York extended the lead as Kyle Palmieri scored his sixteenth of the season, thanks to Nelson and Ryan Pulock. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his thirtieth of the year, fueled by Brayden Point. The Islanders shot back with a Pulock goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Nelson and Pierre Engvall. New York padded the lead in the third period as Simon Holmstrom scored his sixth of the year, with the help of Bo Horvat and Zach Parise. The Islanders finished it at 6-1 with a Horvat goal, his thirty-eighth of the season, with a lone helper from Noah Dobson. The three stars were Nelson, Pulock, and Horvat.

Out west, the St. Louis Blues welcome the New York Rangers. Jaroslav Halak and Jordan Binnington draw the starts in goal. St. Louis cracked the scoresheet in the second period with an Alexey Toropchenko goal, his tenth of the season, going in unassisted. New York tied it in the third period with a Vladimir Tarasenko power play goal in the third period, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox. The Blues took the lead with a Tyler Pitlick goal, his seventh of the season, fueled by Torey Krug. The Rangers tied it on a Vincent Trocheck power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, with assists provided by Tarasenko and Artemi Panarin. St. Louis won 3-2 in overtime with a Kasperi Kapanen goal, his fifteenth of the campaign, guided in by Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk. The three stars were handed to Tarasenko, Kapanen, and Pitlick.

To Nashville, where the Predators bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen and Juuse Saros tend the twines. Nashville was first to score in the first period with a Mark Jankowski shorthanded goal, his sixth of the season, set up by Spencer Stastney. The Predators added on with a Michael McCarron goal, his second of the year, via Jankowski and Ryan McDonagh. Nashville extended the lead in the third period on a Dante Fabbro empty net goal, his second of the campaign, set up by Stastney. This stood for a 3-0 win, with the three stars being Saros (32 save shutout), Stastney, and Jankowski.

Down in Dallas, the Stars host the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Jake Oettinger protect the nets. Dallas kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Jason Robertson goal, his forty-fourth of the season, assisted by Tyler Seguin and Joe Pavelski on the power play. The Stars added on with a  Pavelski power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, powered by Jamie Benn and Miro Heiskanen. Dallas extended the lead as Colin Miller scored his sixth of the season, thanks to Wyatt Johnston and Evgenii Dadonov. The Stars padded the lead on a Robertson goal, his second of the game and forty-fifth of the year, passed from Pavelski. Philadelphia got on the board with a Kevin Hayes goal, his eighteenth of the season, guided in by Owen Tippett and Rasmus Ristolainen. This only made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars being Robertson, Pavelski, and Oettinger (24 for 25 in saves).

Northwest to Vancouver, where the Canucks welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Alex Stalock and Thatcher Demko receive the starts in goal. Vancouver opened in the first period with an Andrei Kuzmenko goal, his thirty-eighth of the season, via Elias Pettersson and Akito Hirose. The Canucks added on in the second period with a Vitali Kravtsov power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Conor Garland and Hirose. Vancouver iced it at 3-0 in the third period with an empty net goal by J.T. Miller, his thirtieth of the campaign, set up by Brock Boeser and Tyler Myers. The three stars were Demko (33 save shutout), Hirose, and Kuzmenko.

South to Nevada, as the Vegas Golden Knights bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Joonas Korpisalo and Laurent Brossoit patrol the creases. Vegas started in the first period with a Phil Kessel goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Chandler Stephenson and Ivan Barbashev. The Golden Knights added on with a Barbashev goal, his sixteenth of the year, via Stephenson. Vegas extended the lead on a Stephenson goal, his fifteenth of the season, assisted by Kessel and Zach Whitecloud. The Golden Knights padded the lead on a Nicolas Roy power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Jack Eichel and Alex Pietrangelo. Vegas kept going in the second period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, going in unassisted. Pheonix Copley replaced Korpisalo in goal. Los Angeles got on the board with an Anze Kopitar power play goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, with assists provided by Drew Doughty and Adrian Kempe. The Kings got closer with a Vladislav Gavrikov shorthanded goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. The final stayed at 5-2, with the three stars going to Stephenson, Kessel, and Barbashev.

Over in San Jose, the Sharks host the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Kaapo Kahkonen are the starting goalies. San Jose led off in the first period with an Erik Karlsson goal, his twenty-third of the season, via Kevin Labanc and Jacob Peterson. Colorado tied it on a Mikko Rantanen goal, his fiftieth of the year, coming off of Nathan MacKinnon and Samuel Girard. The Avalanche took the lead with another Rantanen goal in the second period, his second of the game and fifty-first of the season, passed from Evan Rodrigues and MacKinnon. Colorado added on with a MacKinnon goal, his thirty-seventh of the year, fueled by Girard and Rantanen. The Avalanche extended the lead as Rantanen finished his hat trick on his fifty-second of the season, thanks to MacKinnon and Devon Toews. James Reimer replaced Kahkonen in goal. The Sharks got one back with a Steven Lorentz goal, his ninth of the year, guided in by Karlsson and Jacob MacDonald. Colorado shot back with a Ben Meyers goal, his second of the season, helped along by Matt Nieto. The Avalanche padded the lead on another Meyers goal, his second of the game and third of the year, made possible by Alex Newhook and Nieto. This made it 6-2, the final, with the three stars being Rantanen, MacKinnon, and Meyers, while Karlsson, Nieto, and Girard get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Seattle Kraken host the Arizona Coyotes. Karel Vejmelka and Philipp Grubauer are between the pipes. Seattle began in the first period with a Jared McCann goal, his thirty-eighth of the season, assisted by Jordan Eberle and Matty Beniers. The Kraken added on in the second period with a Vince Dunn goal, his fourteenth of the year, an unassisted goal. Seattle extended the lead as Eberle scored his nineteenth of the season, passed from McCann. Arizona got on the board with a Barrett Hayton goal, his eighteenth of the year, fueled by Matias Maccelli and Lawson Crouse. The Kraken replied with a Beniers goal, his twenty-third of the season, coming off of Eberle and McCann. The Coyotes got one back with a Laurent Dauphin goal, via Clayton Keller. The final held at 4-2, with the three stars going to Eberle, McCann, and Beniers. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2022-23 - Day 170

There's three games on this Wednesday, beginning with...

The New York Rangers hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Igor Shesterkin tend the twines. New York started in the first period with a Chris Kreider power play goal, his thirty-fourth of the season, powered by Vladimir Tarasenko and Mika Zibanejad. The Rangers added on with a Kaapo Kakko goal, his seventeenth of the year, guided in by Filip Chytil and K'Andre Miller. New York extended the lead as Tyler Motte scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Barclay Goodrow and Braden Schneider. Tampa Bay got on the board with an Alex Killorn power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, with assists provided by Mikhail Sergachev and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning got closer in the second period with a Darren Raddysh goal, made possible by Killorn and Brandon Hagel. The Rangers shot back with another Motte goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, fueled by Alexis Lafreniere and Goodrow. Tampa Bay shot back with a Hagel goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, helped along by Anthony Cirelli and Victor Hedman. New York answered with a Kreider goal, his second of the game and thirty-fifth of the year, assisted by Zibanejad and Adam Fox. The Rangers padded the lead on an Artemi Panarin power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, with helpers from Zibanejad and Fox. The final stayed at 6-3, with the three stars given to Kreider, Motte, and Zibanejad, while Goodrow, Fox, Hagel, and Killorn get the honorable mentions.

Out in Winnipeg, the Jets welcome the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Connor Hellbuyck protect the nets. Winnipeg opened in the first period with a Kyle Connor power play goal, his thirty-first of the season, powered by Nikolaj Ehlers and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Calgary tied it in the second period with an Andrew Mangiapane goal, his seventeenth of the year, guided in by Mikael Backlund. The Flames took the lead in the third period with a Walker Duehr goal, his seventh of the season, passed from Trevor Lewis and Nikita Zadorov. Calgary added on with a Zadorov goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Jonathan Huberdeau and Mangiapane. The final stayed at 3-1, with the three stars given to Zadorov, Mangiapane, and Markstrom (34 for 35 in saves).

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Jack Campbell and Lukas Dostal start in goal. Edmonton got going in the second period with a Klim Kostin goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Mattias Janmark. The Oilers added on with a Nick Bjugstad goal, his seventeenth of the year, via Kostin. Anaheim got on the board in the third period with a Troy Terry goal, his twenty-second of the season, courtesy of Simon Benoit and Adam Henrique. Edmonton iced it at 3-1 with a Zach Hyman empty net goal, his thirty-fifth of the year, set up by Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The three stars were Kostin, Campbell (27 for 28 in saves), and Bjugstad. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2022-23 - Day 169

There's 11 games on today, beginning with...

The Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Ottawa Senators. Leevi Merilainen and Antti Raanta are in goal. Carolina started in the first period with a Jesperi Kotkaniemi goal, his sixteenth of the season, via Brady Skjei and Stefan Noesen. The Hurricanes added on with a Skjei power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Kotkaniemi and Noesen. Ottawa got on the board in the second period with a Claude Giroux goal, his thirtieth of the season, coming off of Ridly Greig and Alex DeBrincat. The Senators tied it in the third period on a Brady Tkachuk power play goal, his thirty-fifth of the year, with assists provided by DeBrincat and Drake Batherson. Carolina won 3-2 in overtime with a Martin Necas goal, his twenty-eighth of the campaign, fueled by Seth Jarvis and Brent Burns. The three stars were Skjei, Kotkaniemi, and Noesen, while DeBrincat gets an honorable mention.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Devon Levi and Alex Lyon are in the creases. Buffalo struck first in the first period with a Dylan Cozens power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, powered by Rasmus Dahlin. Florida tied it on an Aaron Ekblad power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, with assists provided by Brandon Montour and Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers took the lead in the third period with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his thirty-ninth of the season, fueled by Montour and Anton Lundell. The final was 2-1, with the three stars given to Montour, Tkachuk, and Lyon (40 for 41 in saves).

Back north, the Montreal Canadiens bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Ville Husso and Cayden Primeau are in the blue paint. Detroit opened in the first period with a Lucas Raymond goal, his seventeenth of the season, guided in by David Perron. The Red Wings added on with a Perron goal, his twenty-first of the year, fueled by Jordan Oesterle and Olli Maatta. Detroit extended the lead as Matt Luff scored his second of the season, thanks to Jonatan Berggren. The Red Wings padded the lead on a Joe Veleno power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Jake Walman and Dominik Kubalik. Detroit continued in the third period with a Perron goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the season, courtesy of Maatta and Oesterle. The final held at 5-0, with the three stars going to Husso (24 save shutout), Perron, and Maatta, while Oesterle gets an honorable mention.

Back stateside, the New Jersey Devils host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Vitek Vanecek are the goalies. New Jersey began in the first period with a Dougie Hamilton goal, his twenty-first of the season, guided in by Ondrej Palat and Jesper Bratt. The Devils added on with a Dawson Mercer goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, via Nico Hischier and Tomas Tatar. New Jersey extended the lead in the second period as Meier scored a power play goal, his thirty-eighth of the season, powered by Jack Hughes and Hamilton. The Devils padded the lead on another Mercer goal, his second of the game and twenty-sixth of the year, helped along by John Marino and Ryan Graves. New Jersey kept going in the third period with a Mercer goal to finish his hat trick with his twenty-seventh of the season, coming off of Hischier and Michael McLeod. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Bryan Rust goal, his twentieth of the year, fueled by Pierre-Olivier Joseph and Jeff Petry. The final stayed at 5-1, with the three stars given to Mercer, Hischier, and Hamilton.

In Canada again, the Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jet Greaves and Joseph Woll are the backups in goal. Toronto led off in the first period with a Zach Aston-Reese goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Justin Holl and Sam Lafferty. Columbus tied it on a Jack Roslovic goal, his eleventh of the year, via Kent Johnson and Liam Foudy. The Maple Leafs retook the lead with an Alexander Kerfoot goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Nick Abruzzese and David Kampf. The Maple Leafs added on with another Aston-Reese goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, made possible by Jake McCabe and Lafferty. The Blue Jackets pulled one back with an Eric Robinson goal, his twelfth of the season, going in unassisted. The Maple Leafs iced it at 4-2 with an Auston Matthews empty net goal, his thirty-eighth of the year, set up by Calle Jarnkrok. The three stars went to Aston-Reese, Lafferty, and Kerfoot.

To Nashville, as the Predators bring in the Vegas Golden Knights. Jonathan Quick and Kevin Lankinen are between the pipes. Nashville was first to score in the first period with a Thomas Novak goal, his sixteenth of the season, fueled by Luke Evangelista. The Predators added on with another Novak power play goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, guided in by Cody Glass and Philip Tomasino.Vegas got on the board in the second period with an Alex Pietrangelo goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Chandler Stephenson and Phil Kessel. The Golden Knights tied it on a Pietrangelo goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, assisted by Jonathan Marchessault and Jack Eichel. The Predators won 3-2 in overtime with a Glass power play goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, powered by Novak and Tyson Barrie. The three stars were Novak, Pietrangelo, and Glass.

West to St. Louis, as the Blues host the Philadelphia Flyers. Samuel Ersson and Jordan Binnington man the nets. St. Louis kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Jordan Kyrou goal, his thirty-seventh of the season, courtesy of Brandon Saad. The Blues added on in the second period with a Tyler Pitlick goal, his sixth of the year, via Alexey Toropchenko and Nathan Walker. St. Louis extended the lead as Justin Faulk scored his eleventh of the season, thanks to Sammy Blais and Nick Leddy. Philadelphia got on the board in the third period with a James van Riemsdyk goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Nick Seeler and Scott Laughton. The Flyers got closer with a Morgan Frost goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Cam York. The Blues iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Toropchenko, his ninth of the year, set up by Faulk and Brayden Schenn. The three stars were Toropchenko, Faulk, and Binnington (30 for 32 in saves).

Northwest to Calgary, where the Flames welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek and Jacob Markstrom are between the pipes. Chicago drew first blood in the first period with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his seventeenth of the season, coming off of Lukas Reichel and Jonathan Toews. Calgary tied it with a Tyler Toffoli goal, his thirty-fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The Blackhawks retook the lead with a Jujhar Khaira goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Boris Katchouk. The Flames tied it in the second period on a Noah Hanifin goal, his seventh of the year, assisted by Blake Coleman and Jonathan Huberdeau. Chicago regained the lead with an Athanasiou goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the season, made possible by Reichel. The Blackhawks added on with an Austin Wagner unassisted goal. Calgary got one back with a Mikael Backlund goal, his eighteenth of the year, fueled by Hanifin and Dillon Dube. The final held at 4-3, with the three stars going to Athanasiou, Reichel, and Hanifin.

Along to Vancouver, where the Canucks bring in the Seattle Kraken. Martin Jones and Collin Delia are set to start in goal. Vancouver got going in the first period with an Elias Pettersson goal, his thirty-seventh of the season, assisted by Andrei Kuzmenko and Dakota Joshua. The Canucks added on with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his eighteenth of the year, via Conor Garland and Nils Aman. Seattle got on the board with a Yanni Gourde goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Jesper Froden. The Kraken tied it in the second period with a shorthanded Brandon Tanev goal, his sixteenth of the year, going in unassisted. Seattle gained the lead with a Jordan Eberle goal, his eighteenth of the season, an unassisted goal. The Kraken extended the lead on a Jaden Schwartz power play goal, his twentieth of the year, powered by Eberle and Daniel Sprong. Seattle padded the lead with a Matty Beniers empty net goal, his twenty-second of the campaign, set up by Jared McCann. The final was 5-2, with the three stars going to Eberle, Tanev, and Schwartz.

Down in San Jose, the Sharks host the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Kaapo Kahkonen receive the starts in goal. Colorado dented the scoreboard in the first period with a Jack Johnson goal, his second of the season, via Bowen Byram and Denis Malgin. The Avalanche added on with an Evan Rodrigues goal, his fifteenth of the year, guided in by Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. San Jose got on the board with a Kevin Labanc goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Logan Couture and Erik Karlsson in the second period. Colorado replied with a MacKinnon goal, his thirty-fifth of the year, with helpers from Rantanen and Devon Toews. The Sharks got one back with a Jacob Peterson power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Danil Gushchin and Couture. San Jose tied it on a Labanc goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, fueled by Noah Gregor and Jacob MacDonald. The Avalanche won 4-3 in overtime with a MacKinnon goal, his second of the game and thirty-sixth of the campaign, set up by Toews. The three stars were MacKinnon, Labanc, and Rantanen, while Toews and Couture get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Pheonix Copley patrol the creases. Edmonton cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins power play goal, his thirty-sixth of the season, powered by Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard. Los Angeles tied it in the third period with a Viktor Arvidsson goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, courtesy of Trevor Moore. The Oilers took the lead back with a Draisaitl power play goal, his fifty-first of the season, assisted by Connor McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins. Edmonton iced it at 3-1 with a Darnell Nurse empty net goal, his twelfth of the year, set up by Draisaitl. The three stars were Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins, and Skinner (20 for 21 in saves). 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2022-23 - Day 168

There's three games on this Monday, beginning with...

The Minnesota Wild hosting the Vegas Golden Knights. Laurent Brossoit and Filip Gustavsson are set to start in goal. Vegas led off in the first period with a Keegan Kolesar goal, his eighth of the season, via Ben Hutton and Teddy Blueger. Minnesota tied it on a Brandon Duhaime goal, his ninth of the year, coming off of Ryan Reaves and Connor Dewar in the second period. The Wild took the lead back with a John Klingberg power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Matt Boldy and Mats Zuccarello. The Golden Knights retied it on a Pavel Dorofeyev goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Reilly Smith and William Karlsson. Minnesota pulled ahead again with a Boldy goal, his thirtieth of the season, made possible by Joel Eriksson Ek and Marcus Johansson. Vegas tied it in the third period with another Dorofeyev goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, helped along by Karlsson and Jack Eichel. The tie went to a shootout, where Eichel, Dorofeyev, and Smith lifted the Golden Knights over Frederick Gaudreau, Eriksson Ek, and the Wild by a 4-3 score. The three stars were Dorofeyev, Karlsson, and Boldy. 

Down in Dallas, the Stars welcome the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Scott Wedgewood make the starts in goal. Dallas began in the first period with a Roope Hintz goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, fueled by Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski. The Stars added on in the second period with a Colin Miller goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Radek Faksa and Luke Glendening. Dallas extended the lead on a Pavelski power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, powered by Miro Heiskanen and Robertson. The Stars padded the lead in the third period with a Robertson power play goal, his forty-third of the year, with assists provided by Heiskanen and Jamie Benn. Dallas continued with a Tyler Seguin goal, his twentieth of the season, courtesy of Robertson and Ryan Suter. Nashville got on the board with a Cal Foote goal, his second of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars of the 5-1 game were Robertson, Pavelski, and Heiskanen. 

Finally, the Seattle Kraken bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Ivan Prosvetov and Philipp Grubauer draw the starts in goal. Seattle struck first in the first period with a Jordan Eberle power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Daniel Sprong and Justin Schultz. The Kraken added on with a Jared McCann shorthanded goal, his thirty-sixth of the year, set up by Matty Beniers. Arizona got on the board in the second period with a Lawson Crouse goal, his twenty-third of the season, guided in by Matias Maccelli and Connor Mackey. Seattle shot back with a Carson Soucy goal, his third of the year, passed from Sprong and Vince Dunn. The Kraken extended the lead as McCann scored his second of the game and thirty-seventh of the season, with a lone assist by Soucy. Seattle padded the lead in the third period on a Will Borgen goal, his third of the year, fueled by Alexander Wennberg and Morgan Geekie. The Kraken continued with an Oliver Bjorkstrand goal, his nineteenth of the season, made possible by Eeli Tolvanen and Dunn. Seattle kept going with a Geekie power play goal, his eighth of the year, with assists provided by Yanni Gourde and Adam Larsson. The Kraken piled on with a Ryan Donato goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, helped along by Brandon Tanev and Schultz. This made it 8-1, the final, with the three stars being McCann, Soucy, and Geekie, while Donato, Dunn, Sprong, and Schultz get the honorable mentions. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2022-23 - Day 167

There's a heavy nine-game Sunday slate here, beginning with...

The Washington Capitals hosting the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Darcy Kuemper man the nets. New York began in the first period with a K'Andre Miller goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by Vincent Trocheck and Artemi Panarin. The Rangers added on with an Alex Lafreniere goal, his sixteenth of the year, guided in by Filip Chytil. New York extended the lead as Kaapo Kakko scored his sixteenth of the season in the second period, thanks to Miller and Jacob Trouba. Washington got on the board with a Dylan Strome goal, his nineteenth of the year, passed from Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson. The Rangers shot back in the third period with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Trocheck and Panarin. The Capitals got one back with an Aliaksei Protas goal, his fourth of the year, helped along by Carlson and Nicklas Backstrom. New York replied with a Mika Zibanejad power play goal, his thirty-ninth of the campaign, powered by Patrick Kane and Panarin. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars going to Panarin, Miller, and Trocheck, while Carlson gets an honorable mention. 

Out west, the St. Louis Blues welcome the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Jordan Binnington protect the nets. Boston led off in the first period with a Jake DeBrusk goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, fueled by Trent Frederic. The Bruins added on in the second period with a Tyler Bertuzzi power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by David Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm. Boston extended the lead as Oskar Steen scored, thanks to A.J. Greer and Frederic. St. Louis got on the board with a Jordan Kyrou goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, helped along by Brayden Schenn and Brandon Saad. The Blues got closer in the third period with a Torey Krug goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Saad and Schenn. St. Louis tied it on a Kyrou goal, his second of the game and thirty-sixth of the season, assisted by Jakub Vrana and Schenn. The Bruins won 4-3 in the shootout with a Charlie Coyle tally. The three stars were Frederic, Kyrou, and Schenn, while Saad gets an honorable mention.

Back east, the Carolina Hurricanes bring in the New York Islanders. Ilya Sorokin and Frederik Andersen guard the cages. New York started in the first period with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his thirteenth of the season, via Pierre Engvall and Scott Mayfield. Carolina tied it in the second period on a Jesperi Kotkaniemi goal, his fifteenth of the year, coming off of Jesse Puljujarvi and Stefan Noesen. The Hurricanes took the lead in the third period on a Jordan Martinook goal, his twelfth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Jaccob Slavin. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars being Andersen (21 for 22 in saves), Martinook, and Kotkaniemi.

Along to Columbus, as the Blue Jackets host the Ottawa Senators. Cam Talbot and Jon Gillies start in goal. Columbus opened in the first period with a Kent Johnson power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Gavin Bayreuther and Johnny Gaudreau. Ottawa tied it on a Dylan Gambrell goal, his third of the year, coming off of Erik Brannstrom. The Blue Jackets retook the lead with an Eric Robinson goal, his eleventh of the season, guided in by Emil Bemstrom and Justin Richards. The Senators tied it again with a Mark Kastelic goal, his sixth of the year, via Tyler Kleven. Ottawa pulled ahead with an Alex DeBrincat goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, assisted by Ridly Greig. Columbus tied it with a Boone Jenner goal in the third period, his twenty-sixth of the year, courtesy of Kirill Marchenko and Billy Sweezey. The Blue Jackets won 4-3 in overtime with a Marchenko goal, his twenty-first of the campaign, set up by Gaudreau. The three stars were Marchenko, Gaudreau, and Jenner.

Over in Pittsburgh, the Penguins welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Samuel Ersson and Casey DeSmith are the backups in goal. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period with a Rickard Rakell goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, assisted by Brian Dumoulin and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins added on with a Rakell power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-seventh of the year, powered by Malkin and Sidney Crosby. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Bryan Rust scored his nineteenth of the season, thanks to Crosby and Jeff Petry. Philadelphia got on the board in the third period with a Nicolas Deslauriers goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Tony DeAngelo and James van Riemsdyk. The Flyers got closer with a Travis Konecny goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, coming off of Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee. The Penguins iced it at 4-2 with a Ryan Poehling empty net goal, his seventh of the year, set up by Mikael Granlund and Dumoulin. The three stars went to Rakell, Crosby, and Malkin, while Dumoulin earned an honorable mention.

To Toronto, as the Maple Leafs bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Alex Nedeljkovic and Matt Murray draw the starts in goal. Detroit kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Olli Maatta goal, his sixth of the season, going in unassisted. Toronto tied it on a Calle Jarnkrok power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, via Nick Abruzzese and Conor Timmins. The Red Wings retook the lead with a Jonatan Berggren goal, his fourteenth of the season, helped along by Robert Hagg and Lucas Raymond. Ilya Samsonov replaced Murray in goal. Detroit added on with a Dylan Larkin goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, fueled by Dominik Kubalik and Maatta. The Maple Leafs got one back in the third period with a John Tavares power play goal, his thirty-third of the season, powered by Morgan Rielly and Auston Matthews. The Red Wings answered with a Larkin goal, his second of the game and thirtieth of the year, made possible by Ben Chiarot and Moritz Seider. Detroit iced it at 5-2 with a Larkin empty net goal to complete his hat trick on his thirty-first of the campaign, set up by Seider. The three stars were Larkin, Maatta, and Seider.

Westward to Winnipeg, as the Jets host the New Jersey Devils. Vitek Vanecek and Connor Hellebuyck tend the twines. Winnipeg was first to score in the first period with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Blake Wheeler and Nate Schmidt. The Jets added on with a Nino Niederreiter goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, courtesy of Wheeler and Vladislav Namestnikov. Winnipeg extended the lead as Morgan Barron scored his eighth of the season on a penalty shot in the second period. The Jets padded the lead on a Kyle Connor goal, his thirtieth of the year, via Pierre-Luc Dubois. Winnipeg continued in the third period with a Dubois goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, coming off of Josh Morrissey and Dylan Demelo. The Jets kept going with an Ehlers power play goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, powered by Mark Scheifele and Morrissey. New Jersey got on the board with a Nico Hischier power play goal, his thirty-first of the campaign, with assists provided by Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. This only made it 6-1, the final, with the three stars going to Ehlers, Dubois, and Wheeler, while Morrissey gets an honorable mention.

Further west, the Calgary Flames welcome the Anaheim Ducks. Lukas Dostal is mismatched with Jacob Markstrom in goal. Anaheim drew first blood in the first period with a Frank Vatrano goal, his nineteenth of the season, passed from Trevor Zegras and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Ducks added on with a Max Comtois goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Vatrano and Shattenkirk. Calgary got on the board in the second period with an Andrew Mangiapane power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Tyler Toffoli and Rasmus Andersson. The Flames tied it on a Nikita Zadorov goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Jonathan Huberdeau and Tyler Toffoli. Calgary took the lead on a Nick Ritchie goal, his thirteenth of the season, helped along by Troy Stecher and Nazem Kadri. Anaheim retied it with another Vatrano goal, his second of the game and twentieth of the year, assisted by Sam Carrick and Cam Fowler. The Ducks pulled ahead with a Scott Harrington goal, his fourth of the season, with helpers from Carrick and Comtois. The Flames retied it in the third period with a Milan Lucic goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Blake Coleman and MacKenzie Weegar. Calgary took the lead on a Michael Stone goal, his sixth of the campaign, guided in by Ritchie and Kadri. The final held at 5-4, with the three stars being Vatrano, Ritchie, and Comtois, while Toffoli, Kadri, Carrick, and Shattenkirk get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Joonas Korpisalo and Thatcher Demko are the masked men. Vancouver got going in the first period with a Brock Boeser goal, his seventeenth of the season, guided in by J.T. Miller and Phillip Di Giuseppe. Los Angeles tied it on an Alex Iafallo goal, his thirteenth of the year, via Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. The Kings took the lead in the second period on an Iafallo power play goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, powered by Viktor Arvidsson and Kopitar. Los Angeles added on in the third period with an Arthur Kaliyev goal, his twelfth of the year, fueled by Blake Lizotte and Vladislav Gavrikov. The Kings iced it at 4-1 with a Lizotte empty net goal, his eleventh of the campaign, set up by Kaliyev. The three stars were Iafallo, Kaliyev, and Kopitar, while Lizotte gets an honorable mention. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.