There's 15 games on the last big day of the season. First up...
The Buffalo Sabres host the Ottawa Senators. Mads Sogaard and Craig Anderson are in goal. Buffalo dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Henri Jokiharju goal, his third of the season, assisted by Casey Mittelstadt. The Sabres added on with a Victor Olofsson goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, passed from Kyle Okposo and Zemgus Girgensons. Ottawa got on the board with a Tim Stutzle power play goal, his fortieth of the season, powered by Jake Sanderson and Drake Batherson. The Senators tied it on a Dylan Gambrell goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Egor Sokolov. Ottawa pulled ahead on a Claude Giroux goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, made possible by Brady Tkachuk and Stutzle. Buffalo tied it in the third period with a Tage Thompson power play goal, his forty-seventh of the year, with assists provided by Skinner and Alex Tuch. The Sabres won 4-3 in overtime with a Mittelstadt goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, helped along by Rasmus Dahlin and Skinner. The three stars were Skinner, Mittelstadt, and Stutzle,
To Columbus, as the Blue Jackets welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Michael Hutchinson man the nets. Pittsburgh opened in the first period with a Kris Letang power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Sidney Crosby and Rickard Rakell. Columbus tied it on an Andrew Peeke goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Hunter McKown. The Penguins took the lead in the third period with a Jake Guentzel goal, his thirty-sixth of the season, assisted by Letang and Crosby on the power play. The Blue Jackets tied it on an Emil Bemstrom goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of Mikael Pyyhtia and Stanislav Svozil on the power play. Columbus won 3-2 in overtime with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his twentieth of the campaign, with helpers from Adam Boqvist and Sean Kuraly. The three stars went to Letang, Crosby, and Gaudreau.
Down in Florida, the Panthers bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen and Alex Lyon are between the pipes. Carolina struck first in the first period with a Brent Burns goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis. The Hurricanes added on in the second period with a Jesperi Kotkaniemi goal, his eighteenth of the year, going in unassisted. Florida got on the board in the third period with an Aleksander Barkov goal, his twenty-third of the season, passed from Sam Reinhart and Radko Gudas. The Panthers tied it on a Ryan Lomberg goal, his twelfth of the year, courtesy of Gudas. Carolina retook the lead with another Burns goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the season, guided in by Jack Drury. The Hurricanes extended the lead as Jesper Fast scored his tenth of the year, thanks to Jordan Staal and Shayne Gostisbehere. Carolina padded the lead on an empty net goal by Gostisbehere, his thirteenth of the season, going in unassisted. Florida got one back with an Anthony Duclair goal, his second of the year, assisted by Eric Staal and Gudas. The Panthers got closer with a Carter Verhaeghe goal, his forty-second of the season, fueled by Matthew Tkachuk. The Hurricanes iced it at 6-4 with an Aho empty net goal, his thirty-sixth of the year, set up by Jarvis. The three stars were Burns, Aho, and Gudas, while Gostisbehere and Jarvis get the honorable mentions.
North to Montreal, as the Canadiens host the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Sam Montembeault draw the starts in goal. Montreal began in the first period with a Lucas Condotta goal, via Michael Pezzetta and Joel Teasdale. Boston tied it on a Trent Frederic goal, his seventeenth of the season, courtesy of Connor Clifton and David Pastrnak. The Bruins took the lead with a Jake DeBrusk goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, guided in by Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand. The Canadiens tied it on a Nick Suzuki goal in the second period, his twenty-sixth of the season, made possible by Joel Edmundson. Montreal pulled ahead with a Pezzetta goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of Rem Pitlick and Chris Tierney. Boston tied it again with a Dmitry Orlov goal, his seventh of the season, with a lone assist by Jakub Lauko. The Canadiens regained the lead in the third period on a shorthanded Justin Barron goal, his fourth of the year, set up by Jake Evans and Pitlick. The Bruins retied it on a Charlie Coyle goal, his sixteenth of the season, going in unassisted. Boston took the lead with a Pastrnak goal, his sixty-first of the year, coming off of Orlov and Bertuzzi. The three stars of the 5-4 game were Pastrnak, Orlov, and Pezzetta, while Pitlick gets an honorable mention.
Back stateside, the New York Rangers welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Joseph Woll and Jaroslav Halak are in the creases. New York got going in the second period with a Kaapo Kakko goal, his eighteenth of the season, fueled by Vincent Trocheck. Toronto tied it in the third period with a Timothy Liljegren goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by David Kampf and Jake McCabe. The Rangers took the lead with an Artemi Panarin power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, powered by Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad in the third period. The Maple Leafs tied it again with a William Nylander goal, his fortieth of the year, courtesy of Ryan O'Reilly. Toronto took the lead with a Noel Acciari goal, his fourteenth of the season, going in unassisted. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Acciari, Nylander, and Liljegren.
South again to Tampa Bay, as the Lightning bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Ville Husso and Brian Elliott are set to start in goal. Tampa Bay started in the first period with an Alex Killorn goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, fueled by Anthony Cirelli and Ross Colton. The Lightning added on in the third period with a Brandon Hagel goal, his thirtieth of the year, assisted by Brayden Point and Killorn. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Point scored his fiftieth of the season, thanks to Nikita Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev on the power play. The Lightning padded the lead on a Point empty net goal, his second of the game and fifty-first of the year, set up by Hagel and Sergachev. Tampa Bay continued with a Mikey Eyssimont goal, his fifth of the campaign, fueled by Colton. The final was 5-0, with the three stars going to Point, Elliott (32 save shutout), and Killorn, while Hagel, Colton, and Sergachev get the honorable mentions.
Backtracking to DC, as the Washington Capitals host the New Jersey Devils. Mackenzie Blackwood and Darcy Kuemper are the masked men. Washington led off in the first period with a Joe Snively goal, his second of the season, assisted by Sonny Milano. The Capitals added on with a Rasmus Sandin goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. Washington extended the lead as Craig Smith scored his ninth of the season, going in unassisted. New Jersey got on the board with an Erik Haula goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Yegor Sharangovich and Luke Hughes. The Capitals shot back in the second period with a Tom Wilson goal, his thirteenth of the season, guided in by Nick Jensen and Dylan Strome. Akira Schmid replaced Blackwood in goal. The Devils got one back on a power play goal by Miles Wood, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Tomas Tatar and Dawson Mercer. New Jersey got closer in the third period with a Haula goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, with helpers from Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes. The Devils tied it on a Dougie Hamilton goal, his twenty-second of the year, coming off of Damon Severson and Jesper Boqvist. New Jersey won 5-4 in overtime with a Luke Hughes goal, with helpers from Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier. The three stars were Luke Hughes, Jack Hughes, and Haula.
Out west, the Colorado Avalanche welcome the Winnipeg Jets. David Rittich and Alexandar Georgiev man the creases. Colorado drew first blood in the first period with a Denis Malgin goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Lars Eller and Alex Newhook. Winnipeg tied it in the second period with an Axel Jonsson-Fjallby goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Neal Pionk and Brenden Dillon. The Jets took the lead with a shorthanded Kevin Stenlund goal, his sixth of the season, set up by Morgan Barron. The Avalanche tied it on a Mikko Rantanen power play goal, his fifty-fifth of the year, powered by Evan Rodrigues and Devon Toews. Colorado took the lead with a Rodrigues goal in the third period, his sixteenth of the season, guided in by Artturi Lehkonen and Brad Hunt in the third period. The Avalanche iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Lehkonen, his twenty-first of the year, coming off of Bowen Byram and Lars Eller. The three stars were Rodrigues, Lehkonen, and Rantanen.
Southeast to Dallas, where the Stars bring in the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Jake Oettinger guard the cages. Dallas cracked the scoresheet in the third period with a Wyatt Johnston goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, assisted by Evgenii Dadonov and Jamie Benn. This stood for a 1-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Oettinger (25 save shutout), Johnston, and Binnington (33 for 34 in saves).
Over to Nashville, where the Predators host the Minnesota Wild. Filip Gustavsson and Juuse Saros tend the twines. Nashville was first to score in the first period with a shorthanded goal by Mark Jankowski, his seventh of the season, set up by Tyson Barrie and Michael McCarron. Minnesota tied it on a Frederick Gaudreau goal, his eighteenth of the year, courtesy of Jon Merrill and Gustav Nyquist. The Predators took the lead with a Kiefer Sherwood goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Thomas Novak and Luke Evangelista. The Wild tied it again with another Gaudreau goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, passed from Marcus Foligno and Nyquist. Nashville retook the lead in the third period with a Yakov Trenin goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Juuso Parssinen and Colton Sissons. Minnesota tied it again with a Nic Petan goal, helped along by Sammy Walker and Damien Giroux. The Predators won 4-3 in overtime with a Parssinen goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Ryan McDonagh and Cody Glass. The three stars were Parssinen, Gaudreau, and Nyquist.
Up in Chicago, the Blackhawks welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Felix Sandstrom and Alex Stalock are in the creases. Philadelphia kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Travis Konecny goal, his thirtieth of the season, assisted by Morgan Frost. The Flyers added on with another Konecny goal, his second of the game and thirty-first of the year, courtesy of Frost. Chicago got on the board with a Jujhar Khaira goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Connor Murphy and Wyatt Kaiser. The Blackhawks tied it on an Anders Bjork goal, his second of the year, coming off of Andreas Athanasiou and Ian Mitchell. Philadelphia took the lead back in the second period with an Owen Tippett goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, going in unassisted. The Flyers extended the lead with a Noah Cates power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Konecny and Tippett. Chicago got one back with a Jonathan Toews power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, with assists provided by Athanasiou and Seth Jones. The Blackhawks tied it on an Athanasiou goal, his twentieth of the year, guided in by Tyler Johnson. Philadelphia won 5-4 in overtime on an Ivan Provorov goal, his sixth of the campaign, with helpers from Konecny and Travis Sanheim. The three stars were Konecny, Athanasiou, and Tippett, while Frost gets an honorable mention.
Westward to Edmonton, where the Oilers bring in the San Jose Sharks. James Reimer and Stuart Skinner are the goalies. Edmonton led off in the first period with a Mattias Janmark goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Mattias Ekholm and the goalie Skinner. The Oilers added on with a Leon Draisaitl power play goal, his fifty-second of the year, powered by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid. San Jose got on the board with a Noah Gregor goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Thomas Bordeleau and Steven Lorentz. Edmonton fired back in the second period with an Evan Bouchard goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Draisaitl and Kailer Yamamoto. The Oilers extended the lead on another Janmark goal, his second of the game and tenth of the season, set up by Derek Ryan. The Sharks answered with a Lorentz power play goal, his tenth of the year, with assists provided by Tomas Hertl and Erik Karlsson. Edmonton countered in the third period with an Evander Kane goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming off of Draisaitl and Cody Ceci. The final held at 5-2, with the three stars being Draisaitl, Janmark, and Lorentz.
In California, the Anaheim Ducks host the Los Angeles Kings. Joonas Korpisalo and John Gibson protect the nets. Anaheim started in the first period with a Troy Terry goal, his twenty-third of the season, coming off of Cam Fowler. Los Angeles tied it on an Anze Kopitar goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, via Adrian Kempe and Matt Roy. The Kings took the lead on a Kempe power play goal, his thirty-ninth of the season, powered by Drew Doughty and Viktor Arvidsson in the second period. Los Angeles added on with a Trevor Moore goal, his tenth of the year, made possible by Arvidsson. The Ducks got one back in the third period with a Max Jones goal, his ninth of the season, guided in by Kevin Shattenkirk and Ryan Strome. The Kings replied with a Kempe power play goal, his second of the game and fortieth of the year, with assists provided by Doughty and Arvidsson. Anaheim got closer with a Trevor Zegras goal, his twenty-third of the season, helped along by Adam Henrique and Terry. Los Angeles iced it at 5-3 with a Kempe empty net goal to complete his hat trick on his forty-first of the year, set up by Kopitar and Roy. The three stars were Kempe, Arvidsson, and Kopitar, while Terry, Doughty, and Roy get the honorable mentions.
East to Arizona, as the Coyotes welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Collin Delia and Karel Vejmelka are the less experienced goalies. Vancouver began in the first period with an Elias Pettersson goal, his thirty-ninth of the season, assisted by Quinn Hughes and Kyle Burroughs. Arizona tied it on a Liam O'Brien goal, his second of the year, coming off of Michael Kesselring and Jack McBain. The Canucks took the lead with a Conor Garland power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Anthony Beauvillier and Andrei Kuzmenko. Vancouver added on with a J.T. Miller power play goal, his thirty-second of the year, with assists provided by Hughes and Phillip Di Giuseppe. The Canucks extended the lead as Garland scored his second of the game and sixteenth of the season, thanks to Burroughs and Kuzmenko. The Coyotes pulled one back with a Travis Boyd goal, his fifteenth of the year, made possible by Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz. Arizona got closer in the second period with another O'Brien goal, his second of the game and third of the season, courtesy of Kesselring and McBain. The Coyotes tied it in the third period with a Schmaltz goal, his twenty-second of the year, helped along by Victor Soderstrom and Matias Maccelli. Vancouver won 5-4 in overtime with a Garland goal, completing his hat trick on his seventeenth of the campaign, with helpers from Miller and Hughes.
Finally, the Seattle Kraken bring in the Vegas Golden Knights. Laurent Brossoit and Philipp Grubauer patrol the creases. Vegas opened in the first period with a Reilly Smith goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, going in unassisted. Seattle tied it on a Jaden Schwartz goal, his twenty-first of the year, coming off of Alexander Wennberg and Morgan Geekie. The Golden Knights retook the lead with an Alec Martinez shorthanded goal, his third of the season, set up by Ivan Barbashev and Jack Eichel in the second period. Vegas finished it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Chandler Stephenson in the third period, his sixteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Martinez, Brossoit (30 for 31 in saves), and Smith.
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