Monday, April 29, 2024

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 10

There are two games on this Monday, beginning with...

The Florida Panthers welcoming the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky tend the twines. Florida got going in the second period with a Carter Verhaeghe goal, his fourth of the postseason, via Aleksander Barkov and Niko Mikkola. The Panthers added on with a Barkov shorthanded goal, set up by Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Victor Hedman goal, coming off of Nikita Kucherov and Brandon Hagel. Florida fired back in the third period with a Barkov goal, his second of the game, assisted by Matthew Tkachuk and Verhaeghe. The Panthers extended the lead as Evan Rodrigues scored, thanks to Kevin Stenlund and Vladimir Tarasenko. Florida padded the lead on a Verhaeghe empty net goal, his second of the game and fifth of the playoffs, with a lone assist by Tkachuk. The Panthers iced it at 6-1 with a Mikkola empty net goal, with helpers from Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen. The three stars were Verhaeghe, Barkov, and Mikkola, while Tkachuk gets an honorable mention. The Panthers won the series 4-1 and will face either the Bruins or the Maple Leafs in the second round. 

Out west, the Vegas Golden Knights bring in the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Logan Thompson guard the cages. Vegas struck first in the first period with a Michael Amadio goal, courtesy of Brayden McNabb and Brett Howden. Dallas tied it on an Evgenii Dadonov goal, via Ryan Suter. The Golden Knights took the lead back in the second period with a Jack Eichel goal, his third of the postseason, passed from Jonathan Marchessault and Ivan Barbashev. The Stars tied it on a Wyatt Johnston power play goal, his third of the playoffs powered by Matt Duchene and Tyler Seguin. Dallas took the lead with a Ty Dellandrea goal, coming off of Craig Smith and Sam Steel. The Stars iced it at 4-2 with a Roope Hintz empty net goal in the third period, going in unassisted. The three stars were Johnston, Dadonov, and Dellandrea. The series is tied at 2-2 heading back to Dallas. 

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Sunday, April 28, 2024

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 9

There's four more games on this Sunday, beginning with...

The Colorado Avalanche hosting the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Alexandar Georgiev protect the nets. Colorado started in the first period with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, his fourth of the postseason, via Casey Mittelstadt. Winnipeg tied it on a Nate Schmidt goal, coming off of Mason Appleton and Josh Morrissey. The Avalanche took the lead with a Valeri Nichushkin power play goal in the second period, his fourth of the playoffs, powered by Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon. Colorado added on with a Makar goal, his second of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Avalanche extended the lead as Nichushkin scored another power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the playoffs, with the help of Lehkonen and MacKinnon. Colorado iced it at 5-1 with an empty net goal by Nichushkin to complete his hat trick on his sixth of the postseason, set up by Mikko Rantanen. The three stars were Nichushkin, Lehkonen, and Makar, while MacKinnon gets an honorable mention. The Avalanche leave home ahead 3-1 in the series.

East to Nashville, as the Predators welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Arturs Silovs is mismatched with Juuse Saros in goal. Vancouver opened in the first period with a Brock Boeser goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by J.T. Miller and Carson Soucy. Nashville tied it on a Mark Jankowski goal, via Jeremy Lauzon and Alexandre Carrier. The Predators took the lead in the second period with a Gustav Nyquist goal, helped along by Ryan O'Reilly. Nashville added on in the third period with a Filip Forsberg goal, his second of the playoffs, passed from Roman Josi and Ryan McDonagh. The Canucks got one back with another Boeser goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, with helpers from Elias Lindholm and Miller. Vancouver tied it as Boeser finished his hat trick with his fourth of the playoffs, thanks to Miller and Elias Pettersson. The Canucks won 4-3 in overtime on a Lindholm goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Conor Garland. The three stars were Boeser, Lindholm, and Miller. The Canucks head home leading the series 3-1.

Up in DC, the Washington Capitals bring in the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Charlie Lindgren patrol the creases. New York led off in the first period with an unassisted Kaapo Kakko goal. Washington tied it on a Martin Fehervary goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome. The Rangers took the lead back with a Vincent Trocheck power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin. The Capitals retied it in the second period with a Hendrix Lapierre goal, coming off of Alexander Alexeyev. New York regained the lead with a Panarin power play goal, his second of the postseason, with assists provided by Zibanejad and Adam Fox in the third period. The Rangers iced it at 4-2 with an empty net power play goal by Jack Roslovic, his second of the playoffs, set up by Alexis Lafreniere and Jacob Trouba.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner faces a lesser foe in David Rittich in goal. Edmonton got going in the second period with an Evan Bouchard power play goal, powered by Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. This held for a 1-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Skinner, Bouchard, and Rittich (12 for 13 in saves). The Oilers head home carrying a 3-1 series lead. 

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Saturday, April 27, 2024

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 8

It's a four-game Saturday, beginning with...

The New York Islanders hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen and Semyon Varlamov protect the nets. Carolina started in the first period with a Seth Jarvis power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Jake Guentzel. New York tied it on a Mathew Barzal goal, via Adam Pelech and Bo Horvat in the second period. The Islanders pulled ahead with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau power play goal, with assists provided by Noah Dobson and Anders Lee. The Hurricanes retied it on a Stefan Noesen power play goal, his second of the playoffs, passed from Teuvo Teravainen and Martin Necas. New York won 3-2 in double overtime on a Barzal goal, his second of the game, assisted by Robert Bortuzzo and Horvat. The three stars were Barzal, Horvat, and Pageau. The Hurricanes will head home up 3-1 in the series.

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning welcome the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy tend the twines. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Brayden Point and Brandon Hagel. The Lightning added on with a Hagel shorthanded goal, his second of the playoffs, set up by Victor Hedman. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Point scored his second of the postseason, thanks to Nikita Kucherov and Hedman. Florida got on the board in the second period with a Carter Verhaeghe goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Matthew Tkachuk and Anton Lundell. The Lightning answered with a Hagel goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, via Mikhail Sergachev and Anthony Cirelli. The Panthers got one back with a Sam Reinhart goal, his third of the playoffs, courtesy of Brandon Montour and Tkachuk. Florida pulled closer with an Oliver Ekman-Larsson goal, coming off of Evan Rodrigues and Eetu Luostarinen. Tampa Bay replied with a Stamkos goal, his second of the game and fifth of the postseason, with helpers from Kucherov and Point. The Lightning padded the lead on a Nick Paul power play goal, his second of the playoffs, with assists provided by Kucherov and Hedman. The final held at 6-3, with the three stars given to Stamkos, Hagel, and Point, while Hedman, Kucherov, and Tkachuk get the honorable mentions. The Panthers are still ahead 3-1 in the series.

Back north, the Toronto Maple Leafs bring in the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Ilya Samsonov are in the blue paint. Boston led off in the first period with a James van Riemsdyk goal, via Mason Lohrei. The Bruins added on with a Brad Marchand power play goal in the second period, his third of the postseason, powered by Charlie McAvoy and Charlie Coyle. Boston extended the lead as David Pastrnak scored his second of the playoffs, thanks to Marchand and Pavel Zacha. Joseph Woll replaced Samsonov in goal. Toronto got on the board in the third period with a Mitchell Marner goal, coming off of Ilya Lyubushkin and Tyler Bertuzzi. The final stood at 3-1, with the three stars being Marchand, Swayman (25 for 26 in saves), and Pastrnak. The Bruins head home leading the series 3-1.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Logan Thompson are between the pipes. Dallas began in the first period with a Wyatt Johnston goal, courtesy of Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen. The Stars added on in the second period with a Heiskanen goal, via Tyler Seguin and Evgenii Dadonov. Vegas got on the board with a Brayden McNabb goal, his second of the postseason, passed from Chandler Stephenson. The Golden Knights tied it with a shorthanded Jack Eichel goal, his second of the playoffs, set up by McNabb. Dallas won 3-2 in overtime with another Johnston goal, coming off of Robertson and Ryan Suter. The three stars were Johnston, Heiskanen, and McNabb, while Robertson gets an honorable mention. The Golden Knights are still ahead 2-1 in the series. 

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Friday, April 26, 2024

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 7

We're back to four games for Friday, beginning with...

The Washington Capitals hosting the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Charlie Lindgren are the goalies. Washington led off in the first period with a John Carlson goal, assisted by T.J. Oshie and Martin Fehervary. New York tied it on a Chris Kreider goal, his second of the postseason, passed from Mika Zibanejad and Jack Roslovic. The Rangers took the lead with a Barclay Goodrow shorthanded goal, set up by Vincent Trocheck and Jacob Trouba. New York added on in the second period with a Trocheck power play goal, his second of the playoffs powered by Zibanejad and Adam Fox. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars given to Trocheck, Shesterkin (28 for 29 in saves), and Zibanejad. The Rangers are on the precipice of advancing with a 3-0 series lead.

Down in Nashville, the Predators welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Casey DeSmith and Juuse Saros man the nets. Vancouver began in the first period with a J.T. Miller power play goal, powered by Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson. The Canucks added on in the second period with a Brock Boeser power play goal, with assists provided by Miller and Hughes. Nashville got on the board in the third period with a Luke Evangelista goal, made possible by Jason Zucker and Alexandre Carrier. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Miller, Hughes, and DeSmith (29 for 30 in saves). The Canucks lead the series 2-1. 

West to Colorado, as the Avalanche bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Alexandar Georgiev tend the twines. Colorado opened in the first period with a Zach Parise goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Josh Manson and Casey Mittelstadt. Winnipeg tied it in the second period with a Tyler Toffoli goal, fueled by Dylan DeMelo and Nikolaj Ehlers. The Jets took the lead on a Josh Morrissey power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Mark Scheifele and Sean Monahan. The Avalanche tied it in the third period with a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his second of the postseason, with assists provided by Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. Colorado took the lead with a Valeri Nichushkin power play goal, his third of the playoffs, made possible by Rantanen and MacKinnon. The Avalanche added on with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, his third of the postseason, helped along by Mittelstadt and Devon Toews. Colorado extended the lead as Ross Colton scored, thanks to Mittelstadt and Samuel Girard. The Avalanche iced it at 6-2 with a shorthanded empty net goal by Toews, set up by Andrew Cogliano. The three stars were MacKinnon, Mittelstadt, and Toews, while Rantanen gets an honorable mention. The Avalanche pulled ahead 2-1 in the series.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Cam Talbot are the masked men. Edmonton started in the first period with a Zach Hyman goal, his fifth of the postseason, via Mattias Ekholm. The Oilers added on with a Leon Draisaitl goal, his second of the playoffs, passed from Evander Kane and Darnell Nurse. Edmonton extended the lead on a Connor McDavid power play goal, powered by Evan Bouchard and Draisaitl. Los Angeles got on the board in the second period with a Drew Doughty goal, his second of the postseason, guided in by Quinton Byfield and Mikey Anderson. The Oilers replied with a Kane goal, helped along by Cody Ceci and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Edmonton padded the lead in the third period with a Hyman power play goal, his second of the game and sixth of the playoffs, fueled by McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers kept going with another Draisaitl power play goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, with assists provided by McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins. The final was 6-1, with the three stars handed to Draisaitl, Hyman, and McDavid, while Nugent-Hopkins and Kane get the honorable mentions. The Oilers have a 2-1 series lead. 

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Thursday, April 25, 2024

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 6

There's just two games on today due to travel. First up...

The Tampa Bay Lightning welcome the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy guard the cages. Florida opened in the first period with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his second of the postseason, via Anton Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe. Tampa Bay tied it in the second period with a Steven Stamkos goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning pulled ahead with a Tyler Motte goal, helped along by Tanner Jeannot. The Panthers retied it on a Sam Reinhart goal, his second of the postseason, courtesy of Vladimir Tarasenko and Brandon Montour. Florida pulled ahead with a Montour goal, passed from Steven Lorentz and Kyle Okposo. The Panthers added on in the third period with a Lorentz goal, coming off of Nick Cousins and Gustav Forsling. Tampa Bay pulled one back with a Nick Paul goal, made possible by Anthony Ducalir and Erik Cernak. Florida iced it at 5-3 with an empty net goal by Tkachuk, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, set up by Verhaeghe and Forsling. The three stars were Tkachuk, Lorentz, and Montour, while Forsling and Verhaeghe get the honorable mentions. The Panthers are on the cusp of advancing with a 3-0 series lead.

Up in New York, the Islanders bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen and Ilya Sorokin tend the twines. Carolina started in the first period with a Brent Burns goal, made possible by Martin Necas and Teuvo Teravainen. The Hurricanes added on with a Dmitry Orlov goal, coming off of Andrei Svechnikov and Jake Guentzel. New York got on the board in the second period with a Pierre Engvall goal, guided in by Anders Lee and Adam Pelech. Carolina shot back with a Sebastian Aho goal, his second of the postseason, via Svechnikov and Jalen Chatfield. Semyon Varlamov replaced Sorokin in goal. The Islanders got one back with a Brock Nelson goal, fueled by Kyle Palmieri and Ryan Pulock. The final remained at 3-2, with the three stars going to Svechnikov, Aho, and Orlov. The Hurricanes are a step away from a series win, leading 3-0. 

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Wednesday, April 24, 2024

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 5

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

The Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Ilya Samsonov man the nets. Toronto got going in the second period with a Matthew Knies goal, via Mitchell Marner and Joel Edmundson. Boston tied it on a Trent Frederic goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Morgan Geekie and Hampus Lindholm. The Bruins took the lead in the third period with a Jake DeBrusk power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle. The Maple Leafs tied it on a Tyler Bertuzzi goal, helped along by Morgan Rielly and Max Domi. Boston retook the lead with a Marchand goal, courtesy of Danton Heinen. The Bruins iced it at 4-2 with a Marchand empty net goal, his second of the game, set up by David Pastrnak. The three stars were Marchand, DeBrusk, and Frederic. The Bruins regained the series lead at 2-1.

Out in Dallas, the Stars welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Logan Thompson and Jake Oettinger guard the cages. Dallas led off in the first period with a Jason Robertson power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Miro Heiskanen and Jamie Benn. Vegas tied it on a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev. The Golden Knights took the lead in the second period with a Noah Hanifin goal, going in unassisted. Vegas iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Eichel, set up by Marchessault. The three stars were Marchessault, Eichel, and Thompson (20 for 21 in saves). The Golden Knights head home up 2-0 in the series.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Cam Talbot and Stuart Skinner protect the nets. Los Angeles began in the first period with an Adrian Kempe goal, his second of the postseason, via Anze Kopitar. The Kings added on with another Kempe goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, guided in by Kopitar. Edmonton got on the board with a Brett Kulak goal, helped along by Leon Draisaitl and Warren Foegele. Los Angeles responded with a Drew Doughty goal, passed from Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault. The Oilers pulled one back in the second period with a Dylan Holloway goal, fueled by Sam Carrick and Mattias Janmark. Edmonton tied it on a Zach Hyman power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. The Kings retook the lead in the third period with a Kevin Fiala goal, made possible by Jordan Spence and Quinton Byfield. The Oilers retied it on a Holloway goal, his second of the game, coming off of Janmark. The Kings won 5-4 in overtime with a Kopitar goal, with helpers from Byfield and Mikey Anderson. The three stars went to Kopitar, Kempe, and Holloway, while Byfield, Draisaitl, and Janmark get the honorable mentions. 

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Tuesday, April 23, 2024

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 4

It's another four-game day, beginning with...

The New York Rangers hosting the Washington Capitals. Charlie Lindgren and Igor Shesterkin are the masked men. Washington led off in the first period with a Connor McMichael goal, going in unassisted. New York tied it on a Vincent Trocheck goal, via Erik Gustafsson. The Rangers took the lead with a Mika Zibanejad power play goal, powered by Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere. The Capitals tied it on a power play goal by Dylan Strome in the second period, with assists provided by Tom Wilson and Max Pacioretty. New York retook the lead with a Jack Roslovic power play goal, helped along by Gustafsson and Lafreniere. The Rangers added on with a K'Andre Miller shorthanded goal, set up by Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Washington got one back in the third period with a Wilson power play goal, courtesy of Hendrix Lapierre and John Carlson. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Trocheck, Zibanejad, and Wilson, while Lafreniere and Gustafsson get the honorable mentions. The Rangers are taking a 2-0 series lead on the road.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky tend the twines. Florida began in the first period with a Sam Bennett goal, passed from Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe. The Panthers added on with a Vladimir Tarasenko power play goal, powered by Bennett and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Tampa Bay got on the board in the second period with a Brayden Point goal, assisted by Anthony Duclair and Victor Hedman. The Lightning tied it with a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his second of the postseason, with helpers from Hedman and Nikita Kucherov. Florida won 3-2 in overtime with a Verhaeghe goal, his second of the playoffs, helped along by Anton Lundell and Tkachuk. The three stars were Verhaeghe, Bennett, and Tkachuk, while Hedman gets an honorable mention. The Panthers lead the series 2-0 as they prepare to hit the road.

Way up in Winnipeg, the Jets bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Connor Hellebuyck guard the cages. Winnipeg started in the first period with a David Gustafsson goal, via Brenden Dillon and Neal Pionk. Colorado tied it in the second period on a Miles Wood goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Ross Colton. The Jets retook the lead with a Mark Scheifele goal, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor. The Avalanche tied it again with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, his second of the postseason, passed from Cale Makar and Devon Toews. Colorado took the lead with a Zach Parise goal, helped along by Andrew Cogliano. The Avalanche added on with a Josh Manson goal, coming off of Nathan MacKinnon and Lehkonen. Colorado iced it at 5-2 in the third period with a Valeri Nichushkin empty net goal, his second of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Lehkonen, Parise, and Manson. The series is tied at 1-1 heading back to Denver.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Casey DeSmith receive the starts in goal. Nashville opened in the first period with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, courtesy of Filip Forsberg. The Predators added on in the second period with a Forsberg goal, coming off of Gustav Nyquist. Nashville extended the lead as Colton Sissons scored, thanks to Beauvillier and Jason Zucker. Vancouver got on the board with a Nikita Zadorov goal, passed from Ian Cole and Phillip Di Giuseppe. The Predators fired back in the third period with a Kiefer Sherwood empty net goal, going in unassisted. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars being Forsberg, Saros (17 for 18 in saves), and Beauvillier. The series heads east tied at 1-1. 

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Monday, April 22, 2024

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 3

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

The Boston Bruins hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ilya Samsonov and Linus Ullmark are the masked men. Boston opened in the first period with a Morgan Geekie power play goal, powered by Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk. Toronto tied it on a Max Domi goal, via Auston Matthews. The Bruins pulled ahead with a David Pastrnak goal, courtesy of Pavel Zacha and Charlie McAvoy. The Maple Leafs tied it in the second period with a John Tavares power play goal, with assists provided by Matthews and Tyler Bertuzzi. Toronto took the lead in the third period with a Matthews goal, passed from Domi and Ilya Lyubushkin. This held for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Matthews, Domi, and Samsonov (27 for 29 in saves). The series heads to Toronto tied at 1.

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Frederik Andersen protect the nets. New York started in the first period with a Kyle Palmieri goal, via Mike Reilly and Brock Nelson. The Islanders added on with a Bo Horvat goal, coming off of Mathew Barzal and Casey Cizikas. New York extended the lead on an Anders Lee power play goal, powered by Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Pierre Engvall. Carolina got on the board with a Teuvo Teravainen power play goal, assisted by Jake Guentzel and Seth Jarvis. The Hurricanes got closer in the second period with a Jarvis goal, fueled by Jordan Staal and Brady Skjei. Carolina tied it as Sebastian Aho scored, thanks to Andrei Svechnikov and Jarvis. The Hurricanes pulled ahead with a Jordan Martinook goal, guided in by Jack Drury. Carolina iced it at 5-3 with an empty net goal by Guentzel, set up by Aho and Svechnikov. The three stars were Jarvis, Aho, and Guentzel, while Svechnikov gets an honorable mention. The Hurricanes leave home ahead 2-0 in the series.

Along to Dallas, as the Stars bring in the Vegas Golden Knights. Logan Thompson and Jake Oettinger are between the pipes. Vegas led off in the first period with a Mark Stone power play goal, powered by Noah Hanifin and Jack Eichel. The Golden Knights added on with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, via Ivan Barbashev. Dallas got on the board with a Jamie Benn goal, guided in by Wyatt Johnston. Vegas shot back on a Tomas Hertl power play goal, with a lone helper from Hanifin. The Stars pulled one back with a Jason Robertson goal, helped along by Logan Stankoven. The Golden Knights fired back in the second period with a Brayden McNabb goal, courtesy of Eichel. Dallas got closer with a Mason Marchment goal in the third period, helped along by Miro Heiskanen and the goalie Oettinger. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Eichel, Hanifin, and Hertl. The Golden Knights claimed a 1-0 series lead.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers host the Los Angeles Kings. Cam Talbot and Stuart Skinner guard the cages. Edmonton began in the first period with a Zach Hyman goal, coming off of Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard. The Oilers added on with an Adam Henrique goal, guided in by Hyman and Bouchard. Edmonton extended the lead in the second period as Hyman scored again, with the help of McDavid and Henrique. The Oilers padded the lead with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins power play goal, powered by Leon Draisaitl and McDavid. Los Angeles got on the board with a Mikey Anderson goal, via Drew Doughty and Viktor Arvidsson. The Kings got closer with an Adrian Kempe goal, helped along by Quinton Byfield. Edmonton replied in the third period with a Draisaitl power play goal, with helpers from McDavid and Bouchard. The Oilers continued with a Hyman power play goal, completing his hat trick with assists provided by McDavid and Bouchard. Los Angeles fired back with a Pierre-Luc Dubois goal, made possible by Kempe. The Kings got another on a Trevor Moore goal, fueled by Alex Laferriere. Edmonton iced it at 7-4 with a Warren Foegele empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were Hyman, McDavid, and Bouchard, while Draisaitl, Henrique, and Kempe get the honorable mentions. The Oilers lead the series 1-0. 

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Sunday, April 21, 2024

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 2

We're back in earnest with four more games this Sunday. First up...

The Florida Panthers host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky guard the cages. Florida led off in the first period with a Sam Reinhart goal, via Gustav Forsling and Aleksander Barkov. Tampa Bay tied it on a Brandon Hagel goal, guided in by Anthony Cirelli and Steven Stamkos. The Panthers retook the lead in the third period with a Carter Verhaeghe power play goal, powered by Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Florida added on with a Tkachuk empty net goal, set up by Aaron Ekblad. The Lightning got one back with a Stamkos power play goal, with helpers from Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Tkachuk, Barkov, and Stamkos. The Panthers have a 1-0 series lead.

Up in New York, the Rangers welcome the Washington Capitals. Charlie Lindgren and Igor Shesterkin are the masked men. New York got going in the second period with a Matt Rempe goal, assisted by Jimmy Vesey and Barclay Goodrow. The Rangers added on with an Artemi Panarin goal, guided in by Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere. New York extended the lead as Vesey scored, thanks to Goodrow. Washington got on the board with a Tom Wilson goal, fueled by Aliaksei Protas and Martin Fehervary. The Rangers countered in the third period with a Chris Kreider goal, via Mika Zibanejad and Jack Roslovic. This stood for a 4-1 win, with the three stars being Besey, Goodrow, and Shesterkin (20 for 21 in saves). The Rangers are holding a 1-0 series lead.

West to Winnipeg, as the Jets bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Connor Hellebuyck protect the nets. Colorado began in the first period with a Valeri Nichushkin goal, via Josh Manson. Winnipeg tied it on a Josh Morrissey goal, coming off of Kyle Connor and Brenden Dillon. The Jets took the lead with a Vladislav Namestnikov goal, assisted by Alex Iafallo. The Avalanche retied it on a Miles Wood goal, passed from Joel Kiviranta and Ross Colton. Colorado took the lead with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, fueled by Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. Winnipeg tied it on a Mark Scheifele goal, courtesy of Gabriel Vilardi. The Jets pulled ahead in the second period with an Adam Lowry goal, with helpers from Dillion and Nino Niederreiter. Winnipeg added on in the third period with another Lowry goal, passed from Mason Appleton and Niederreiter. The Jets extended the lead as Connor scored on the power play, with the help of Morrissey and Scheifele. The Avalanche got one back with an Artturi Lehkonen power play goal, powered by Makar and MacKinnon. Winnipeg shot back with a Connor goal, his second of the game, guided in by Vilardi and Scheifele. Colorado replied with an unassisted Makar power play goal. The Avalanche got closer on a Casey Mittelstadt goal, helped along by Lehkonen and Rantanen. This only made it 7-6, the final, with the three stars being Connor, Lowry, and Scheifele, while Morrissey, Dillon, Niederreiter, Vilardi, Makar, MacKinnon, Lehkonen, and Rantanen get the honorable mentions. The Jets are up 1-0 in the series. 

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Thatcher Demko tend the twines. Nashville struck first in the first period with a Jason Zucker goal, via Roman Josi and Mark Jankowski. Vancouver tied it in the second period with an Elias Lindholm goal, assisted by Dakota Joshua and Nikita Zadorov. The Predators took the lead back with a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, powered by Gustav Nyquist and Filip Forsberg. The Canucks tied it in the third period with a Quinn Hughes goal, fueled by Brock Boeser and Filip Hronek. Vancouver took the lead with a Joshua goal, with a lone helper from Conor Garland. The Canucks iced it at 4-2 with a Joshua empty net goal, his second of the game, set up by Teddy Blueger and J.T. Miller. The three stars were Joshua, Hughes, and Lindholm. The Canucks own a 1-0 series lead. 

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Saturday, April 20, 2024

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 1

It's the first day of the postseason, which starts with two games. First up...

The Carolina Hurricanes welcome the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Frederik Andersen patrol the creases. Carolina started in the first period with an Evgeny Kuznetsov power play goal, powered by Martin Necas and Brady Skjei. New York tied it on a Kyle MacLean goal, coming off of Anders Lee and Alexander Romanov. The Hurricanes pulled ahead with a Stefan Noesen goal, via Skjei and Kuznetsov. Carolina iced it at 3-1 with a Necas empty net goal, set up by Brett Pesce and Jack Drury. The three stars were Kuznetsov, Necas, and Skjei. The Hurricanes established a 1-0 series lead.

Up in Boston, the Bruins bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ilya Samsonov and Jeremy Swayman are the masked men. Boston opened in the first period with a John Beecher goal, coming off of Jesper Boqvist and Pat Maroon. The Bruins added on in the second period with a Brandon Carlo goal, passed from Jake DeBrusk and Hampus Lindholm. Boston extended the lead on a DeBrusk power play goal, powered by Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand. The Bruins padded the with another DeBrusk power play goal, with helpers from Marchand and McAvoy. Toronto got on the board in the third period with a David Kampf goal, fueled by Connor Dewar and Ryan Reaves. Boston iced it at 5-1 with a Trent Frederic empty net goal, with a lone assist from David Pastrnak. The three stars were DeBrusk, Marchand, and McAvoy. The Bruins begin the first round with a 1-0 series lead. 

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Thursday, April 18, 2024

NHL 2023-24 - Day 183

The regular season ends here, with six games on a Thursday. First up...

The Minnesota Wild host the Seattle Kraken. Joey Daccord and Marc-Andre Fleury patrol the creases. Minnesota opened in the first period with a Kirill Kaprizov power play goal, his forty-sixth of the season, going in unassisted. Seattle tied it in the second period with a Matty Beniers power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, powered by Justin Schultz and Oliver Bjorkstrand. The Kraken took the lead with a Yanni Gourde shorthanded goal, his tenth of the season, set up by Brandon Tanev in the third period. The Wild tied it on a Mats Zuccarello goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Matt Boldy and Jake Middleton. Seattle retook the lead with a Tye Kartye goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Bjorkstrand and Jared McCann. The Kraken added on with a Gourde shorthanded goal into an empty net, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, passed from Tanev and Jamie Oleksiak. Minnesota got one back with a Brock Faber power play goal, his eighth of the campaign, helped along by Boldy and Ryan Hartman. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Gourde, Bjorkstrand, and Tanev, while Boldy gets an honorable mention.

Up in Winnipeg, the Jets welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Laurent Brossoit are set to start in goal. Vancouver started in the first period with a Conor Garland goal, his twentieth of the season, going in unassisted. Winnipeg tied it on a Gabriel Vilardi goal, his twenty-second of the year, coming off of Alex Iafallo and Brad Lambert. The Jets took the lead in the second period with a Cole Perfetti goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Mason Appleton and Nate Schmidt. The Canucks tied it on an Elias Lindholm power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, powered by Quinn Hughes and Garland. Winnipeg took the lead in the third period with a Nikita Chibrikov goal, helped along by Nino Niederreiter. The Jets added on with a Perfetti empty net goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars of the 4-2 game were Perfetti, Garland, and Chibrikov.

Over in Calgary, the Flames bring in the San Jose Sharks. Devin Cooley and Dustin Wolf patrol the creases. Calgary led off in the first period with an Adam Klapka goal, going in unassisted. The Flames added on with a Blake Coleman goal, his thirtieth of the season, assisted by Connor Zary and Rasmus Andersson. Calgary extended the lead in the second period as Oliver Kylington scored his third of the year, thanks to Andrei Kuzmenko. The Flames padded the lead with a Kevin Rooney goal, his third of the season, made possible by Martin Pospisil and Matt Coronato. Calgary continued with a MacKenzie Weegar goal, his twentieth of the year, guided in by Daniil Miromanov and Coleman. Georgi Romanov replaced Cooley in goal. San Joe got on the board in the third period with a Fabian Zetterlund power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, powered by Mikael Granlund and Collin Graf. The final held at 5-1 with the three stars being Coleman, Wolf (16 for 17 in saves), and Klapka.

Down in Colorado, the Avalanche host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Justus Annunen are in the blue paint. Colorado began in the first period with a Valeri Nichushkin goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, passed from Artturi Lehkonen and Casey Mittelstadt. The Avalanche added on with a Mikko Rantanen goal, his forty-second of the year, via Devon Toews and Nathan MacKinnon. Colorado extended the lead on a Nichushkin power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-eighth of the season, powered by MacKinnon and Cale Makar. The Avalanche padded the lead as Josh Manson scored his eighth of the year, thanks to Sean Walker and Yakov Trenin. Edmonton got on the board with a Dylan Holloway power play goal, his sixth of the season, with assists provided by Philip Broberg and Brett Kulak. Calvin Pickard replaced Skinner in goal. Colorado fired back in the second period with a Zach Parise goal, his fifth of the year, made possible by Ross Colton and Miles Wood. The final held at 5-1, with the three stars being Nichushkin, MacKinnon, and Annunen (24 for 25 in saves).

To Nevada, as the Vegas Golden Knights welcome the Anaheim Ducks. Lukas Dostal and Adin Hill are the masked men. Anaheim got going in the second period with a Frank Vatrano power play goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, powered by Cam Fowler and Ryan Strome. Vegas tied it on a Jack Eichel power play goal, his thirty-first of the year, via Shea Theodore and William Karlsson. The Ducks took the lead back in the second period with a Jackson LaCombe goal, his second of the season, coming off of Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson. Anaheim added on with a Vatrano goal, his second of the game and thirty-sixth of the year, passed from Strome and Trevor Zegras. The Ducks iced it at 4-1 with an empty net goal by Vatrano to complete his hat trick on his thirty-seventh of the campaign, set up by LaCombe. The three stars were Vatrano, LaCombe, and Strome.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Arvid Soderblom and Cam Talbot are between the pipes. Chicago struck first in the first period with a Lukas Reichel goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. Los Angeles tied it in the second period on a Viktor Arvidsson goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore. The Kings took the lead with a Quinton Byfield power play goal, his twentieth of the season, powered by Danault and Jordan Spence. Los Angeles added on with a Moore goal, his thirty-first of the year, guided in by Arvidsson and Danault. The Blackhawks got one back in the third period with a Tyler Johnson power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, with assists provided by Kevin Korchinski and Ryan Donato. Chicago tied it on a Joey Anderson goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Landon Slaggert. The Blackhawks gained the lead with a Donato goal, his twelfth of the season, helped along by MacKenzie Entwistle. The Kings retied it on an Arvidsson power play goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, with helpers from Byfield and Adrian Kempe. Los Angeles won 5-4 in overtime on a Kempe goal, his twenty-eighth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Arvidsson, Kempe, and Moore, while Danault, Byfield, and Donato get the honorable mentions. 

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Wednesday, April 17, 2024

NHL 2023-24 - Day 182

There's four games on for this Wednesday, beginning with...

The New York Islanders hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Alex Nedeljkovic and Ilya Sorokin are the goalies. New York began in the first period with a Brock Nelson goal, his thirty-fourth of the season, fueled by Simon Holmstrom. Pittsburgh tied it on a Rickard Rakell goal, his fifteenth of the year, via Michael Bunting and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins took the lead in the second period with a Malkin power play goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, powered by Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson. The Islanders tied it on a Casey Cizikas goal, his tenth of the year, made possible by Alexander Romanov and Samuel Bolduc. Pittsburgh took the lead back with a Valtteri Puustinen goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. New York tied it on a Kyle Palmieri power play goal, his thirtieth of the year, with assists provided by Nelson and Mike Reilly. The Islanders gained the lead in the third period with a Bolduc power play goal, his second of the season, guided in by Ryan Pulock and Ruslan Iskhakov. The Penguins tied it with a Jeff Carter power play goal, his eleventh of the year, helped along by Crosby and Bunting. New York pulled ahead with a Holmstrom goal, his fifteenth of the season, assisted by Kyle MacLean. This made it 5-4, the final, with the three stars going to Holmstrom, Nelson, and Bolduc, while Malkin, Crosby, and Bunting get the honorable mentions.

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Martin Jones and Matt Tomkins are the backups in goal. Tampa Bay led off in the first period with a Nick Paul goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, fueled by Anthony Duclair and Matt Dumba. The Lightning added on with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his forty-fourth of the year, passed from Brandon Hagel and Steven Stamkos. Toronto got on the board with a Ryan Reaves goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of David Kampf and Connor Dewar. Tampa Bay replied with a Duclair goal in the second period, his twenty-fourth of the year, assisted by Paul and Stamkos. The Lightning extended the lead as Brayden Point scored his forty-sixth of the season, thanks to Kucherov and Darren Raddysh on the power play. Tampa Bay padded the lead with a Hagel goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, helped along by Calvin de Haan. The Lightning struck again in the third period with a Tanner Jeannot goal, his seventh of the season, with helpers from Michael Eyssimont and Mitchell Chaffee. The Maple Leafs got one back with a TJ Brodie goal, coming off of Dewar and Kampf. Toronto got closer with a Pontus Holmberg goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Nicholas Robertson. The Maple Leafs pulled closer with a John Tavares goal, his twenty-ninth of the campaign, dished from William Nylander and Conor Timmins. This only made it 6-4, the final, with the three stars given to Kucherov, Hagel, and Paul, while Stamkos, Dewar and Kampf get the honorable mentions.

West to Dallas, as the Stars bring in the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Jake Oettinger tend the twines. St. Louis got going in the second period with a Robert Thomas goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, assisted by Zack Bolduc and Brayden Schenn. Dallas tied it in the third period with a Mason Marchment goal, his twenty-second of the year, passed from Matt Duchene and Esa Lindell. The tie went to a shootout, where Jason Robertson had the lone tally for a 2-1 Stars win. The three stars were Oettinger (26 for 27 in saves), Marchment, and Binnington (36 for 37 in saves).

Finally, the Arizona Coyotes host the Edmonton Oilers. Calvin Pickard and Connor Ingram receive the starts in goal. Arizona opened in the first period with a Liam O'Brien goal, his fifth of the season, via Juuso Valimaki and Michael Kesselring. Edmonton tied it on a Sam Carrick goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard. The Coyotes took the lead in the second period with a Matias Maccelli goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Jack McBain and Aku Raty. Arizona added on in the third period with a Lawson Crouse goal, his twenty-third of the year, coming off of Vladislav Kolyachonok and Dylan Guenther. The Oilers got one back with a Warren Foegele goal, his twentieth of the season, passed from Philip Broberg. The Coyotes fired back with a Guenther power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Clayton Keller and Alexander Kerfoot. Arizona iced it at 5-2 with a Sean Durzi empty net goal, his ninth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Guenther, Crouse, and Ingram (28 for 30 in saves). 

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Tuesday, April 16, 2024

NHL 2023-24 - Day 181

It's the last eight-game day of the season. First up...

The Boston Bruins host the Ottawa Senators. Anton Forsberg and Linus Ullmark man the nets. Ottawa got going in the second period with a Jiri Smejkal goal, via Erik Brannstrom. The Senators added on with a Jakob Chychrun goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Drake Batherson and Brady Tkachuk. Boston got on the board with a Pavel Zacha power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, powered by Kevin Shattenkirk and David Pastrnak in the third period. Ottawa iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Artem Zub, his fifth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Chychrun, Smejkal, and Forsberg (34 for 35 in saves).

In Columbus, the Blue Jackets welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Spencer Martin faces his former team and Jet Greaves in goal. Columbus opened in the first period with a Luca Del Bel Belluz goal, via Mikael Pyyhtia and Zach Werenski. The Blue Jackets added on with a Werenski goal, his tenth of the season, courtesy of Cole Sillinger and Kirill Marchenko. Carolina got on the board with a Jesperi Kotkaniemi goal, his twelfth of the year, passed from Max Comtois and Stefan Noesen. The Hurricanes tied it on a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, assisted by Kotkaniemi and Brent Burns. Columbus regained the lead with a James Malatesta goal, his second of the year, fueled by Mathieu Olivier and Sean Kuraly. Carolina tied it in the second period with a Teravainen power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, powered by Burns and Noesen. The Blue Jackets shot back with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Justin Danforth and Werenski. Columbus extended the lead in the third period as Alex Nylander scored his eleventh of the season, thanks to Erik Gudbranson and Ivan Provorov. The Blue Jackets padded the lead with a Werenski goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, made possible by Gaudreau and Olivier. This made it a 6-3 game, with the three stars going to Werenski, Gaudreau, and Olivier, while Teravainen, Kotkaniemi, Noesen, and Burns get the honorable mentions.

To Montreal, as the Canadiens host the Detroit Red Wings. James Reimer and Cayden Primeau are set to start in goal. Montreal started in the first period with an Alex Newhook goal, his fifteenth of the season, courtesy of Brendan Gallagher and Logan Mailloux. Detroit tied it on a Moritz Seider goal, his ninth of the year, coming off of Dylan Larkin. The Canadiens took the lead back in the second period with a Gallagher goal, his sixteenth of the season, guided in by Joel Armia and Jayden Struble. Montreal added on with a Cole Caufield goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, passed from Juraj Slafkovsky and Nick Suzuki. The Red Wings pulled one back with a Joe Veleno goal, his twelfth of the season, helped along by Shayne Gostisbehere and Daniel Sprong. Detroit tied it in the third period on a Sprong goal, his eighteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Canadiens pulled ahead with a Slafkovsky goal, his twentieth of the season, made possible by Lane Hutson and David Savard. The Red Wings tied it again with a David Perron goal, his seventeenth of the year, fueled by Gostisbehere. The tie went to a shootout, where Patrick Kane's lone tally gave the Red Wings a 5-4 win. The three stars belonged to Sprong, Slafkovsky, and Gallagher, while Gostisbehere get the honorable mentions.

Stateside, the Philadelphia Flyers bring in the Washington Capitals. Charlie Lindgren and Samuel Ersson receive the starts in goal. Washington led off in the first period with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his thirty-first of the season, via Dylan McIlrath and T.J. Oshie. Philadelphia tied it on an Erik Johnson goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Egor Zamula and Sean Couturier. The Capitals took the lead with an Oshie empty net goal, his twelfth of the season, set up by Nic Dowd. The final held at 2-1, with the three stars being Oshie, Lindgren (27 for 28 in saves), and Ovechkin.

Down in Florida, the Panthers host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz are the backups in goal. Toronto began in the first period with a Mitchell Marner goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, fueled by Morgan Rielly and William Nylander on the power play. The Maple Leafs added on with a Noah Gregor goal, his sixth of the year, going in unassisted. Florida got on the board in the second period with a Carter Verhaeghe goal, his thirty-fourth of the season, via Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk. The Panthers tied it on a Bennett goal, his twentieth of the year, passed from Gustav Forsling and Tkachuk. Florida took the lead with a Sam Reinhart goal, his fifty-sixth of the season, assisted by Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers replied with a Brandon Montour goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Barkov and Vladimir Tarasenko. Florida iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Reinhart, his second of the game and fifty-seventh of the campaign, set up by Eetu Luostarinen. The three stars went to Reinhart, Bennett, and Tkachuk, while Barkov gets an honorable mention.

Way north to Winnipeg, as the Jets welcome the Seattle Kraken. Philipp Grubauer and Connor Hellebuyck are the masked men. Winnipeg struck first in the first period with a Kyle Connor goal, his thirty-third of the season, via Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey. Seattle tied it on a Tomas Tatar goal, his ninth of the year, assisted by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. The Jets retook the lead with another Connor goal, his second of the game and thirty-fourth of the season, guided in by Morrissey and Scheifele. Winnipeg added on in the second period with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, passed from Tyler Toffoli and Neal Pionk. The Kraken got one back with a Yanni Gourde goal, his ninth of the season, helped along by Ryker Evans and Brandon Tanev. Seattle tied it on a Tye Kartye goal, his tenth of the year, made possible by Gourde. The Jets regained the lead in the third period with a Toffoli power play goal, his thirty-third of the season, powered by Ehlers and Pionk. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars given to Connor, Toffoli, and Ehlers, while Scheifele, Morrissey, Pionk, Gourde, and Tanev get the honorable mentions.

Westward to Vancouver, as the Canucks host the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko guard the cages. Vancouver kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Tyler Myers shorthanded goal, his fifth of the season, set up by Teddy Blueger and Elias Lindholm. The Canucks added on with a Nils Hoglander goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, courtesy of Elias Pettersson and Ilya Mikheyev. Vancouver extended the lead in the second period as Dakota Joshua scored his eighteenth of the season, thanks to Conor Garland and Myers. Calgary got on the board in the third period with a Brayden Pachal goal, his second of the year, with helpers from Nazem Kadri and Ilya Solovyov. The Canucks responded with a J.T. Miller goal, his thirty-seventh of the season, helped along by Pius Suter. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Myers, Demko (39 for 40 in saves), and Hoglander.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek and Logan Thompson protect the nets. Vegas dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Brayden McNabb goal, his fourth of the season, via Tomas Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev. The Golden Knights added on in the third period with a Michael Amadio goal, his fourteenth of the year, going in unassisted. Chicago got on the board with a Jason Dickinson goal, his twenty-second of the season, passed from Connor Bedard and Philipp Kurashev. Vegas iced it at 3-1 with a Nicolas Roy empty net goal, his thirteenth of the year, set up by Brett Howden and Jack Eichel. The three stars belonged to Thompson (23 for 24 in saves), Amadio, and McNabb. 

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Monday, April 15, 2024

NHL 2023-24 - Day 180

There's eight games this Monday, beginning with...

The Detroit Red Wings hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Sam Montembeault and Alex Lyon are the goalies. Montreal led off in the first period with a Brendan Gallagher goal, his fourteenth of the season, via Lane Hutson and David Savard. The Canadiens added on with a Justin Barron goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Josh Anderson and Jake Evans. Detroit got on the board with a J.T. Compher goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Alex DeBrincat and Ben Chiarot. Montreal replied in the second period with a Rafael Harvey-Pinard goal, his second of the year, passed from Evans and Johnathan Kovacevic. The Canadiens extended the lead as Gallagher scored his second of the game and fifteenth of the season, helped along by Evans. The Red Wings replied with a Compher goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, with helpers from David Perron and Patrick Kane. Detroit pulled closer in the third period with a DeBrincat goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, guided in by Shayne Gostisbehere and Olli Maatta. The Red Wings tied it on a Lucas Raymond goal, his thirtieth of the year, coming off of Perron and Gostisbehere. Detroit won 5-4 in overtime with a Raymond goal, his second of the game and thirty-first of the campaign, assisted by Dylan Larkin and Gostisbehere. The three stars were Raymond, Compher, and DeBrincat, while Gostisbehere, Perron, Gallagher, and Evans get the honorable mentions.

Over in New Jersey, the Devils welcome the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Jake Allen are the veterans in goal. New York began in the first period with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Pierre Engvall and Anders Lee. The Islanders added on with a Kyle Palmieri power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, powered by Mike Reilly and Brock Nelson. New Jersey got on the board in the second period with a Timo Meier goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, fueled by Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier. New York answered with a Nelson goal, his thirty-third of the year, courtesy of Hudson Fasching and Palmieri. The Islanders extended the lead in the third period as Kyle MacLean scored his fourth of the campaign, thanks to Lee and Engvall. This made it 4-1, the final, and the three stars were Palmieri, Nelson, and Lee, while Engvall gets an honorable mention.

West to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins host the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Alex Nedeljkovic are in the creases. Pittsburgh started in the first period with a Sidney Crosby power play goal, his forty-second of the season, powered by Michael Bunting and Bryan Rust. The Penguins added on with an Erik Karlsson goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Crosby and Marcus Pettersson. Nashville got on the board in the second period with a Gustav Nyquist goal, his twenty-third of the season, via Ryan O'Reilly and Ryan McDonagh. Pittsburgh replied with a Reilly Smith goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Lars Eller and Kris Letang. The Predators got one back with a Filip Forsberg goal, his forty-eighth of the season, courtesy of McDonagh. The Penguins replied with an Emil Bemstrom goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Karlsson and Pettersson. This made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars awarded to Crosby, Karlsson, and Pettersson, while McDonagh gets an honorable mention.

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Eric Comrie and Andrei Vasilevskiy are set to start in goal. Buffalo opened in the first period with a Dylan Cozens goal, his seventeenth of the season, coming off of Jack Quinn and Bowen Byram. Tampa Bay tied it in the second period with a Steven Stamkos goal, his fortieth of the year, via Nikita Kucherov. The Sabres took the lead back with a Cozens shorthanded goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the season, set up by Jordan Greenway. Buffalo added on with a Greenway goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Zemgus Girgensons and Tyson Jost. The Lightning got one back with an Erik Cernak goal, his second of the season, helped along by Nick Paul. The Sabres fired back with a Zach Benson goal, his eleventh of the year, with helpers from Quinn and Cozens. The final held at 4-2, with the three stars going to Cozens, Greenway, and Quinn.

Back north, the Washington Capitals host the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Charlie Lindgren patrol the creases. Washington struck first in the first period with a John Carlson goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson. The Capitals iced it at 2-0 with an empty net goal by Nic Dowd, his twelfth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Lindgren (16 save shutout), Carlson, and Dowd.

To New York, as the Rangers welcome the Ottawa Senators. Joonas Korpisalo and Igor Shesterkin are the masked men. New York kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Jack Roslovic goal, his ninth of the season, via Chris Kreider. The Rangers added on in the second period with a shorthanded Adam Fox goal, his seventeenth of the year, set up by Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. New York extended the lead in the third period as Artemi Panarin scored his forty-ninth of the season, thanks to Ryan Lindgren and Fox. The Rangers padded the lead on an Alexis Lafreniere goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, courtesy of Erik Gustafsson and Panarin. The final was 4-0, and the three stars were Shesterkin (26 save shutout), Fox, and Panarin, while Kreider gets an honorable mention.

Out west, the Edmonton Oilers host the San Jose Sharks. Devin Cooley and Stuart Skinner receive the starts in goal. Edmonton drew first blood in the first period with a Connor McDavid goal, his thirty-second of the season, courtesy of Darnell Nurse. The Oilers added on with an Adam Henrique goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, via Brett Kulak. Edmonton extended the lead as Warren Foegele scored his eighteenth of the season, thanks to Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers padded the lead on a Dylan Holloway goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Henrique and Nurse. San Jose got on the board in the second period with a Danil Gushchin goal, helped along by Thomas Bordeleau. Edmonton answered with a Foegele goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the season, passed from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Draisaitl. The Oilers continued with a Corey Perry goal, his twelfth of the year, made possible by Evan Bouchard and Holloway. Edmonton kept going with a Cody Ceci goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Henrique and Zach Hyman. The Oilers struck again with a Bouchard goal, his eighteenth of the year, with helpers from Perry and Holloway. Georgi Romanov replaced Cooley in goal. Edmonton piled on with a Hyman goal, his fifty-fourth of the season, dished from McDavid and Nurse. The Sharks got closer in the third period with a Fabian Zetterlund goal, his twenty-third of the year, fueled by William Eklund and Mikael Granlund. The final stood at 9-2, with the three stars being Foegele, Holloway, and Henrique, while Hyman, McDavid, Bouchard, Perry, Nurse, and Draisaitl get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Minnesota Wild. Filip Gustavsson and Cam Talbot are between the pipes. Minnesota was first to score in the first period with a Matt Boldy power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, powered by Marco Rossi and Brock Faber. The Wild added on with a Ryan Hartman goal in the second period, his twenty-first of the year, assisted by Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek. Minnesota extended the lead in the third period as Kaprizov scored his forty-fifth of the season, thanks to Rossi and Jake Middleton. Los Angeles got on the board with a Blake Lizotte goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Kevin Fiala and the goalie Talbot. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars given to Kaprizov, Rossi, and Gustavsson (23 for 24 in saves). 

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Sunday, April 14, 2024

NHL 2023-24 - Day 179

There's four games this Sunday, beginning with...

The St. Louis Blues hosting the Seattle Kraken. Joey Daccord and Joel Hofer are in goal. Seattle led off in the first period with a Jared McCann goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, going in unassisted. St. Louis tied it on a Kasperi Kapanen goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Alexey Toropchenko. The Blues took the lead in the third period with a Jordan Kyrou goal, his thirty-first of the season, assisted by Matthew Kessel and Brandon Saad. St. Louis added on with a Brayden Schenn goal, his twentieth of the year, passed from Nick Leddy and Nathan Walker. The Blues iced it at 4-1 with a Walker empty net goal, his seventh of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Hofer (19 for 20 in saves), Walker, and Kyrou. 

Out west, the Vegas Golden Knights welcome the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Adin Hill protect the nets. Colorado began in the first period with a Ross Colton goal, his seventeenth of the season, via Miles Wood and Cale Makar. The Avalanche added on with a Makar goal, his twenty-first of the year, assisted by Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen. Colorado extended the lead in the second period as Mikko Rantanen scored his forty-first of the season, thanks to Josh Manson and Valeri Nichushkin. Vegas got on the board in the third period with an Ivan Barbashev goal, his nineteenth of the year, coming off of Keegan Kolesar and Noah Hanifin. The Golden Knights got closer with a William Karlsson power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, powered by Pavel Dorofeyev and Shea Theodore. Vegas tied it on a Karlsson goal, his second of the game and thirtieth of the year, fueled by Brett Howden and Zach Whitecloud. The Golden Knights won 4-3 in overtime with a Tomas Hertl power play goal, his seventeenth of the campaign, with assists provided by Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault. The three stars were Karlsson, Makar, and Hertl. 

Back east, the Chicago Blackhawks bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Pyotr Kochetkov and Petr Mrazek are in the blue paint. Chicago opened in the first period with a Frank Nazar goal, via Seth Jones. Carolina tied it on a Jordan Staal goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Jordan Martinook and Andrei Svechnikov. The Blackhawks took the lead back in the third period with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his second of the year, guided in by Lukas Reichel and Ryan Donato. The Hurricanes retied it on a Seth Jarvis power play goal, his thirty-second of the season, going in unassisted. Carolina took the lead with another Jarvis power play goal, his second of the game and thirty-third of the year, powered by Brent Burns and Svechnikov. The Hurricanes iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Sebastian Aho, his thirty-sixth of the campaign, set up by Jake Guentzel. The three stars were Jarvis, Staal, and Nazar.

Finally, the Calgary Flames host the Arizona Coyotes. Connor Ingram and Dustin Wolf patrol the creases. Arizona started in the first period with an Alexander Kerfoot goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Michael Kesselring and the goalie Ingram. The Coyotes added on with a Matias Maccelli goal, his sixteenth of the year, fueled by Josh Brown and Vladislav Kolyachonok. Calgary got on the board with an Andrei Kuzmenko goal, his twenty-second of the season, assisted by Nazem Kadri and Martin Pospisil. The Flames tied it on a Matt Coronato goal, his third of the year, going in unassisted. Arizona retook the lead with a Dylan Guenther power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Sean Durzi and Clayton Keller. Calgary tied it in the second period with a Connor Zary goal, his fourteenth of the year, helped along by Dryden Hunt. The Coyotes regained the lead with a Guenther goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the season, passed from Jan Jenik and Keller. Arizona extended the lead as Josh Doan scored his fifth of the year, thanks to Jack McBain. The Flames got one back with a Yegor Sharangovich goal, his thirty-first of the season, with helpers from Mikael Backlund and Rasmus Andersson. Calgary tied it in the third period with a Kadri goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, made possible by Andersson and Oliver Kylington. The Flames pulled ahead on a Kadri power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-ninth of the campaign, with assists provided by MacKenzie Weegar and Kuzmenko. This stood for a 6-5 final score, with the three stars being Kadri, Kuzmenko, and Guenther, while Andersson and Keller get the honorable mentions. 

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Saturday, April 13, 2024

NHL 2023-24 - Day 178

There's 13 games on for the last Saturday of the regular season. First up...

The New York Rangers host the New York Islanders. Ilya Sorokin and Igor Shesterkin tend the twines. The Rangers got going in the second period with a Braden Schneider shorthanded goal, his fifth of the season, set up by Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. The Islanders tied it on a Brock Nelson goal, his thirty-first of the year, courtesy of Kyle Palmieri and Hudson Fasching. The Islanders took the lead with another Nelson goal, his second of the game and thirty-second of the season, passed from Fasching and Palmieri. The Rangers tied it in the third period with an Artemi Panarin goal, his forty-eighth of the year, assisted by Vincent Trocheck. The tie went to a shootout, where Panarin and Trocheck lifted the Rangers to a 3-2 win. The three stars were Panarin, Trocheck, and Nelson, while Palmieri and Fasching get the honorable mentions. 

Down in Dallas, the Stars welcome the Seattle Kraken. Philipp Grubauer and Jake Oettinger man the nets. Dallas opened in the first period with a Craig Smith goal, his eleventh of the season, via Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen. The Stars added on in the second period with a Robertson power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, powered by Jamie Benn and Heiskanen. Dallas extended the lead in the third period as Heiskanen scored his ninth of the season, thanks to Joe Pavelski and Thomas Harley. Seattle got on the board with a Kailer Yamamoto goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Tomas Tatar. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars given to Heiskanen, Robertson, and Oettinger (26 for 27 in saves).

Along to Colorado, as the Avalanche bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Alexandar Georgiev guard the cages. Winnipeg started in the first period with a Sean Monahan goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, made possible by Nikolaj Ehlers and Neal Pionk. The Jets added on with a Gabriel Vilardi power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, powered by Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey. The Jets extended the lead as Morrissey scored his tenth of the season on the power play, thanks to Monahan. The Jets padded the lead on an Adam Lowry goal, his eleventh of the year, coming off of David Gustafsson and Dylan DeMelo. Justus Annunen replaced Georgiev in goal. Winnipeg continued in the second period with a Tyler Toffoli goal, his thirty-second of the season, guided in by Connor. The Jets kept going with a Monahan goal, his second of the game and twenty-sixth of the year, helped along by Morrissey and Ehlers. Winnipeg struck again with a Lowry goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the season, passed from Gustafsson. The final held at 7-0, with the three stars awarded to Hellebuyck (31 save shutout), Monahan, and Morrissey, while Lowry, Connor, Ehlers, and Gustafsson receive the honorable mentions.

Back east, the Philadelphia Flyers host the New Jersey Devils. Kaapo Kahkonen and Samuel Ersson are set to start in goal. Philadelphia dented the scoreboard in the second period with a shorthanded Travis Konecny goal, his thirty-third of the season, set up by Scott Laughton and Nick Seeler. The final stood at 1-0, with the three stars being Ersson (20 save shutout), Konecny, and Kahkonen (20 for 21 in saves).

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Sergei Bobrovsky are the masked men. Buffalo led off in the first period with a Rasmus Dahlin goal, his twenty-first of the season, assisted by Henri Jokiharju and Lukas Rousek. Florida tied it on an Anton Lundell goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Matthew Tkachuk and Nick Cousins. The Panthers took the lead with a shorthanded and unassisted Kevin Stenlund goal, his eleventh of the season. The Sabres retied it on a Jack Quinn power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Bowen Byram and Owen Power. Florida won 3-2 in overtime with a Sam Reinhart goal, his fifty-fifth of the campaign, helped along by Aleksander Barkov. The three stars were Reinhart, Stenlund, and Lundell.

North to DC, as the Washington Capitals bring in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Charlie Lindgren are between the pipes. Washington began in the first period with a Sonny Milano goal, his fourteenth of the season, via Max Pacioretty and Hendrix Lapierre. Tampa Bay tied it on an Anthony Duclair goal, his twenty-third of the year, guided in by Brayden Point and Darren Raddysh. The Capitals retook the lead with a Milano goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Lightning tied it on a Brandon Hagel goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, courtesy of Steven Stamkos and Anthony Cirelli. Washington gained the lead on a John Carlson power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson. The Capitals added on with a Nic Dowd goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Beck Malenstyn and Trevor van Riemsdyk. This made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars given to Milano, Carlson, and Dowd.

In Canada, the Ottawa Senators host the Montreal Canadiens. Cayden Primeau and Joonas Korpisalo are the goalies. Montreal struck first in the first period with a Mike Matheson shorthanded goal, his eleventh of the season, going in unassisted. Ottawa tied it on a Brady Tkachuk power play goal, his thirty-sixth of the year, powered by Jake Sanderson and Claude Giroux. The Canadiens took the lead in the second period with a Cole Caufield goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, assisted by Jayden Struble and David Savard. The Senators tied it again with a Shane Pinto power play goal, his ninth of the year, with assists provided by Giroux and Tkachuk. Montreal retook the lead with a Caufield power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-seventh of the season, guided in by Matheson and Alex Newhook. Ottawa tied it again with another Tkachuk goal in the third period, his second of the game and thirty-seventh of the year, with helpers from Drake Batherson and Sanderson on the power play. The Canadiens took the lead again with a Newhook goal, his fourteenth of the season, helped along by Brendan Gallagher and Savard. The Senators tied it on a Thomas Chabot goal, his ninth of the year, made possible by Batherson and Sanderson. The Senators won 5-4 in the shootout with a Batherson goal. The three stars were Tkachuk, Batherson, and Caufield, while Sanderson, Giroux, Newhook, Matheson and Savard get the honorable mentions.

To Toronto, as the Maple Leafs welcome the Detroit Red Wings. James Reimer and Ilya Samsonov start in goal. Toronto was first to score in the first period with a Mitchell Marner power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, powered by William Nylander and Morgan Rielly. Detroit tied it on an Alex DeBrincat goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, fueled by Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin. The Red Wings took the lead with a Simon Edvinsson goal, assisted by David Perron and Jeff Petry. Detroit added on with a DeBrincat goal, his second of the game and twenty-sixth of the season, courtesy of J.T. Compher and Robby Fabbri on the power play. The Red Wings extended the lead as Perron scored his sixteenth of the year, passed from Patrick Kane and Compher. The Maple Leafs got one back in the second period with a Nicholas Robertson goal, his fourteenth of the season, going in unassisted. Toronto got closer with an Auston Matthews goal, his sixty-ninth of the year, made possible by Marner and Rielly. The Maple Leafs tied it on a John Tavares goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, with helpers from Marner. Detroit won 5-4 in overtime with a Larkin goal, his thirty-third of the year, coming off of Kane and Shayne Gostisbehere on the power play. The three stars were DeBrincat, Larkin, and Perron, while Marner, Kane, and Compher get the honorable mentions.

Back stateside, the Nashville Predators bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jet Greaves and Juuse Saros are the goalies. Columbus kicked off the scoring in the first period with a James Malatesta goal, via Justin Danforth. Nashville tied it on a Tommy Novak goal, his seventeenth of the season, fueled by Luke Evangelista and Roman Josi. The Predators pulled ahead with a Josi power play goal, his twenty-second of the year, powered by Gustav Nyquist and Ryan O'Reilly. Nashville added on with a Novak goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the season, passed from Anthony Beauvillier and Ryan McDonagh. The Predators extended the lead in the second period as Cody Glass scored his sixth of the year, thanks to Alexandre Carrier and Mark Jankowski. The Blue Jackets fired back with an Alexandre Texier goal, his twelfth of the season, guided in by Damon Severson. Nashville replied with a Filip Forsberg goal, his forty-seventh of the year, assisted by Josi and Nyquist. The Predators padded the lead on a Josi goal, his second of the game and twenty-third of the season, helped along by Evangelista and Novak. Columbus got one back with a Trey Fix-Wolansky goal, courtesy of Danforth and Erik Gudbranson. The Blue Jackets got closer with a Fix-Wolanski goal, his second of the game, with helpers from Danforth and Malatesta. The final was 6-4 and the three stars were Josi, Novak, and Fix-Wolansky, while Nyquist, Evangelista, Danforth, and Malatesta get the honorable mentions.

On to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins host the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Alex Nedeljkovic have the green light to start in goal. Boston cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a Jake DeBrusk goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Andrew Peeke and Charlie Coyle. The Bruins added on with a Pavel Zacha goal, his twentieth of the year, passed from Matt Grzelcyk and Charlie McAvoy. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Bryan Rust goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, via Drew O'Connor and Sidney Crosby. Boston answered with a Kevin Shattenkirk goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of David Pastrnak and Zacha. Tristan Jarry replaced Nedeljkovic in goal. The Bruins extended the lead as Brad Marchand scored a shorthanded goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, set up by Coyle. The Penguins shot back with a Michael Bunting power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, powered by Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson. Pittsburgh pulled closer with an O'Connor shorthanded goal, his sixteenth of the season, courtesy of Lars Eller. Boston shot back with a Morgan Geekie goal, his seventeenth of the year, with helpers from Jakub Lauko and Trent Frederic. The Bruins padded the lead with a Danton Heinen empty net goal, his seventeenth of the season, dished from Pastrnak. The Penguins got one back with a Bunting goal, his second of the game and twentieth of the year, helped along by Rickard Rakell and Marcus Pettersson. The final held at 6-4, with the three stars given to Zacha, Bunting, and O'Connor, while Pastrnak and Coyle get the honorable mentions.

Out west, the Edmonton Oilers welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Casey DeSmith and Stuart Skinner are in the blue paint. Vancouver drew first blood in the first period with a Sam Lafferty goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Nikita Zadorov and J.T. Miller. The Canucks added on in the second period with a Pius Suter goal, his fourteenth of the year, via Tyler Myers. Edmonton got on the board with an Evander Kane goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, assisted by Connor Brown and Darnell Nurse. Vancouver replied with a Dakota Joshua empty net goal, his seventeenth of the year, set up by Elias Lindholm and Conor Garland. The final stood at 3-1, with the three stars going to DeSmith (32 for 33 in saves), Suter, and Lafferty.

Down in California, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Minnesota Wild. Jesper Wallstedt and MacKenzie Blackwood play in goal. Minnesota began in the first period with a Matt Boldy goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, via Kirill Kaprizov and Jake Middleton. San Jose tied it on a Jan Rutta goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Mario Ferraro and Mikael Granlund. The Wild took the lead back with a Declan Chisholm goal, his third of the season, assisted by Jon Merrill and Liam Ohgren. Minnesota added on with an Ohgren goal, with helpers from Jonas Brodin and Marat Khusnutdinov. The Sharks got one back with a Ferraro goal, his third of the year, guided in by William Eklund and Granlund. The Wild answered with a Kaprizov goal, his forty-third of the season, coming off of Brock Faber and Brodin. Minnesota extended the lead on a Kaprizov power play goal, his second of the game and forty-fourth of the year, powered by Joel Eriksson Ek and Boldy. The Wild padded the lead in the third period with a Marcus Johansson goal, his eleventh of the season, fueled by Merrill and Alex Goligoski. The final held at 6-2 with Kaprizov, Ohgren, and Boldy receiving the three stars, while Ferraro, Brodin, Merrill, and Granlund get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Anaheim Ducks. Lukas Dostal and David Rittich are the backups in goal. Los Angeles got going in the second period with a Pierre-Luc Dubois power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Viktor Arvidsson and Adrian Kempe. The Kings added on with a Matt Roy goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Blake Lizotte and Akil Thomas. Anaheim got on the board with a Trevor Zegras goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Olen Zellweger and Cam Fowler. Los Angeles replied with a Kevin Fiala goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, courtesy of Trevor Lewis and Drew Doughty. The final stood at 3-1, with the three stars handed to Rittich (28 for 29 in saves), Roy, and Fiala.

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Friday, April 12, 2024

NHL 2023-24 - Day 177

There's five games for the last Friday of the regular season. First up...

The St. Louis Blues host the Carolina Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen and Jordan Binnington guard the cages. St. Louis opened in the first period with a Zack Bolduc goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Nick Leddy and Robert Thomas. Carolina tied it on a Jordan Martinook goal, his fourteenth of the year, courtesy of Andrei Svechnikov. The Blues retook the lead in the second period with a Jordan Kyrou power play goal, his thirtieth of the season, powered by Pavel Buchnevich and Thomas. The Hurricanes tied it on a Seth Jarvis goal, his thirty-first of the year, passed from Brady Skjei and the goalie Andersen. Carolina pulled ahead in the third period with a Jaccob Slavin goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Sebastian Aho and Tony DeAngelo. The Hurricanes added on with a Jake Guentzel empty net goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, going in unassisted. Carolina iced it at 5-2 with a Guentzel empty net goal, his second of the game and thirtieth of the campaign, set up by Jarvis and Slavin. The three stars were Jarvis, Slavin, and Guentzel, while Thomas gets an honorable mention. 

Up in Chicago, the Blackhawks welcome the Nashville Predators. Kevin Lankinen and Arvid Soderblom are the backups in goal. Nashville started in the first period with a Filip Forsberg power play goal, his forty-fourth of the season, powered by Luke Evangelista and Tommy Novak. The Predators added on with a Kiefer Sherwood goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Luke Schenn and Spencer Stastney. Nashville added on in the second period with an unassisted Forsberg goal, his second of the game and forty-fifth of the season. The Predators padded the lead on a Jason Zucker power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, with assists provided by Roman Josi and the goalie Lankinen. Chicago got on the board with a Philipp Kurashev power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, helped along by Connor Bedard and Tyler Johnson. Nashville finished it at 5-1 in the third period with a Forsberg goal, completing his hat trick on his forty-sixth of the year, coming off of Ryan O'Reilly and Evangelista. The three stars were handed to Forsberg, Evangelista, and Sherwood. 

Northwest to Edmonton, as the Oilers host the Arizona Coyotes. Karel Vejmelka and Calvin Pickard are in the blue paint. Arizona led off in the first period with a Josh Doan goal, his fourth of the season, via Jack McBain and Matias Maccelli. Edmonton tied it in the second period on an Adam Henrique goal, his twenty-third of the year, coming off of Evander Kane and Troy Stecher. The Coyotes retook the lead on a Logan Cooley goal, his twentieth of the season, courtesy of Nick Schmaltz and Sean Durzi. The Oilers tied it in the third period with a Darnell Nurse goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Warren Foegele and Kane. The Coyotes won 3-2 in overtime with a Maccelli goal, his fifteenth of the campaign, with helpers from Michael Kesselring and Doan. The three stars went to Maccelli, Doan, and Kane.

Down in Anaheim, the Ducks bring in the Calgary Flames. Dustin Wolf and John Gibson are the goalies. Calgary began in the first period with a shorthanded Andrew Mangiapane goal, his fourteenth of the season, set up by Brayden Pachal and Yegor Sharangovich. The Flames added on with a Nazem Kadri goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, assisted by Martin Pospisil and Oliver Kylington. Calgary extended the lead in the second period as Andrei Kuzmenko scored his nineteenth of the season on the power play, powered by Kadri and MacKenzie Weegar. The Flames padded the lead on a Connor Zary goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Jonathan Huberdeau and Dryden Hunt. Anaheim got on the board in the third period with a Sam Colangelo goal, with helpers from Isac Lundestrom and Radko Gudas. The Ducks got closer with a Frank Vatrano goal, his thirty-fourth of the season, guided in by Trevor Zegras and Jackson LaCombe. Anaheim kept going with an Olen Zellweger goal, his second of the year, passed from Cam Fowler and Troy Terry. Calgary shot back on another Kuzmenko power play goal, his second of the game and twentieth of the season, with assists provided by Huberdeau and Kadri. The Flames continued with a Kuzmenko goal to complete his hat trick on his twenty-first of the year, made possible by Pospisil and Weegar. The final stood at 6-3, with the three stars going to Kuzmenko, Kadri, and Weegar, while Huberdeau and Pospisil get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Minnesota Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury and Logan Thompson protect the nets. Vegas struck first in the first period with a shorthanded Nicolas Roy goal, his twelfth of the season, set up by Jack Eichel. The Golden Knights added on with a Pavel Dorofeyev goal, his thirteenth of the year, made possible by Shea Theodore and Chandler Stephenson. Vegas extended the lead on an Eichel power play goal, his thirtieth of the season, powered by Noah Hanifin and Stephenson. Minnesota got on the board in the second period with a Marat Khusnutdinov power play goal, helped along by Brock Faber and Marcus Johansson. The Golden Knights replied with a Jonathan Marchessault power play goal, his forty-second of the year, guided in by Stephenson and Hanifin. Vegas padded the elad in the third period with a Tomas Hertl goal, his sixteenth of the season, with helpers from Zach Whitecloud and Stephenson. The Wild shot back with a Ryan Hartman goal, his twentieth of the year, fueled by Matt Boldy and Jonas Brodin. The Golden Knights replied with a William Karlsson goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, passed from Paul Cotter and Anthony Mantha. Vegas padded the lead on a Keegan Kolesar goal, his eighth of the year, coming off of Roy and Dorofeyev. The final stayed at 7-2, with the three stars given to Stephenson, Eichel, and Roy, while Dorofeyev and Hanifin get the honorable mentions. 

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Thursday, April 11, 2024

NHL 2023-24 - Day 176

There's 10 games on this Thursday, beginning with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the Washington Capitals. Charlie Lindgren and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are set to start in goal. Buffalo kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Zach Benson goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Jeff Skinner and Peyton Krebs. The Sabres added on with an Alex Tuch goal in the second period, his twenty-second of the year, fueled by Henri Jokiharju and Tage Thompson. Washington got on the board with a Connor McMichael goal, his eighteenth of the season, passed from Max Pacioretty and John Carlson. Buffalo replied in the third period with a Jack Quinn goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Connor Clifton and Jordan Greenway. The Sabres extended the lead on a Dylan Cozens empty net goal, his sixteenth of the season, set up by Greenway and Jokiharju. The Capitals got one back with a Tom Wilson goal, his eighteenth of the year, assisted by Carlson and Alex Ovechkin. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars given to Greenway, Jokiharju, and Carlson.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jet Greaves is mismatched with Sergei Bobrovsky in goal. Florida opened in the first period with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, assisted by Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Nick Cousins. The Panthers added on with an Evan Rodrigues goal in the second period, his twelfth of the year, passed from Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen. Florida extended the lead as Sam Reinhart scored his fifty-fourth of the season, thanks to Aleksander Barkov and Ekman-Larsson. The Panthers padded the lead on a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his twenty-third of the year, courtesy of Gustav Forsling in the third period. The final stood at 4-0, with the three stars being Bobrovsky (25 save shutout), Tkachuk, and Ekman-Larsson.

Back north, the Pittsburgh Penguins bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Alex Lyon and Alex Nedeljkovic man the nets. Pittsburgh led off in the first period with a Drew O'Connor goal, his fifteenth of the season, helped along by Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby. Detroit tied it on a Lucas Raymond goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, coming off of Alex DeBrincat. The Penguins took the lead back with a Kris Letang goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Michael Bunting and Rickard Rakell. The Red Wings tied it on a Raymond power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-eighth of the year, powered by DeBrincat and Dylan Larkin. Pittsburgh gained the lead in the second period with a Crosby goal, his forty-first of the season, guided in by Rust and Reilly Smith. The Penguins added on with a Rust goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, assisted by Smith. Detroit got one back with a Jeff Petry goal, his third of the season, made possible by Moritz Seider and Daniel Sprong. Pittsburgh answered in the third period with a Jeff Carter shorthanded goal, his tenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Red Wings pulled one back on a Larkin goal, his thirty-second of the season, coming off of Raymond and J.T. Compher. Detroit tied it as Raymond completed his hat trick on his twenty-ninth of the year, thanks to Larkin and DeBrincat. The Penguins won 6-5 in overtime with an Erik Karlsson goal, his tenth of the campaign, with helpers from Crosby and Rickard Rakell. The three stars were Crosby, Rust, and Raymond, while Rakell, Smith, Larkin, and DeBrincat get the honorable mentions.

Over in New York, the Rangers host the Philadelphia Flyers. Samuel Ersson and Jonathan Quick receive the starts in goal. Philadelphia began in the first period with a Cam York goal, his tenth of the season, via Travis Konecny. New York tied it on an Artemi Panarin power play goal, his forty-seventh of the year, powered by Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad. The Flyers took the lead in the second period with a Bobby Brink goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Ryan Poehling. Philadelphia added on with a Konecny goal, his thirty-second of the year, guided in by Poehling. The Flyers extended the lead in the third period as Noah Cates scored his sixth of the season, coming off of Sean Couturier and Travis Sanheim. The final held at 4-1, with the three stars going to Konecny, Poehling, and Ersson (24 for 25 in saves).

South to Tampa Bay, as the Lightning welcome the Ottawa Senators. Anton Forsberg and Matt Tomkins are the backups in goal. Ottawa struck first in the first period with a Brady Tkachuk goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, made possible by Jakob Chychrun. Tampa Bay tied it on a Conor Sheary goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. The Lightning took the lead on a Point goal, his forty-fifth of the season, coming off of Sheary and Kucherov. The Senators tied it in the third period with a Drake Batherson goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, passed from Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot. The tie went to a shootout, where Tkachuk's lone tally won it 3-2 for the Senators. The three stars were Tkachuk, Point, and Sheary, while Kucherov gets an honorable mention.

In Toronto, the Maple Leafs bring in the New Jersey Devils. Jake Allen and Ilya Samsonov protect the nets. Toronto started in the first period with a John Tavares goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, passed from Mitchell Marner. New Jersey tied it on an Erik Haula goal, his sixteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Maple Leafs took the lead with an Auston Matthews goal, his sixty-seventh of the season, coming off of Max Domi and TJ Brodie. The Devils tied it on an unassisted Nolan Foote goal. New Jersey gained the lead with a Timo Meier power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, powered by Jesper Bratt and Luke Hughes. Toronto tied it in the second period with a Matthews goal, his second of the game and sixty-eighth of the season, made possible by Domi and Tyler Bertuzzi. The Maple Leafs gained the lead on a David Kampf goal, his eighth of the year, helped along by Connor Dewar. The Devils tied it again with a Meier power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-seventh of the season, courtesy of Nico Hischier. New Jersey gained the lead with a Bratt power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, with assists provided by Hughes and Meier. Toronto tied it on a Tavares goal, his second of the game and twenty-sixth of the season, guided in by Morgan Rielly and Marner. The Devils took the lead back with an unassisted Bratt goal, his second of the game and twenty-seventh of the year. The final was 6-5, and the three stars were Bratt, Meier, and Matthews, while Tavares, Hughes, Marner, and Domi get the honorable mentions.

Stateside, the New York Islanders host the Montreal Canadiens. Sam Montembeault and Semyon Varlamov are in the blue paint. Montreal drew first blood in the first period with a Jordan Harris goal, his third of the season, via Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki. New York tied it on a Pierre Engvall goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Adam Pelech and Mike Reilly. The Canadiens retook the lead in the second period with a Caufield goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, assisted by Johnathan Kovacevic and Mike Matheson. The Islanders tied it with a Casey Cizikas goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Pelech and Ryan Pulock. New York won 3-2 in overtime with a Kyle Palmieri goal, his twenty-eighth of the campaign, courtesy of Brock Nelson. The three stars belonged to Pelech, Caufield, and Palmieri.

To Dallas, as the Stars welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Laurent Brossoit and Jake Oettinger are the masked men. Winnipeg was first to score in the first period Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, going in unassisted. The Jets added on in the second period with a David Gustafsson goal, his third of the year, coming off of Dylan Samberg and Mason Appleton. Winnipeg iced it at 3-0 with a Mark Scheifele empty net goal, his twenty-fifth of the campaign, set up by Kyle Connor and Appleton. The three stars were Brossoit (24 save shutout), Ehlers, and Appleton.

Up in Seattle, the Kraken bring in the San Jose Sharks. Devin Cooley and Joey Daccord are the goalies. San Jose drew first blood in the first period with a Luke Kunin goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Henry Thrun and Klim Kostin. Seattle tied it on a Brian Dumoulin goal, his sixth of the year, helped along by Jordan Eberle. The Sharks retook the lead in the second period with a Kyle Burroughs goal, his second of the season, assisted by William Eklund. San Jose added on with a Fabian Zetterlund goal, his twenty-second of the year, coming off of Mikael Granlund and Eklund. This stood for a 3-1 final score, with the three stars given to Cooley (49 for 50 in saves), Eklund, and Burroughs.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Cam Talbot guard the cages. Los Angeles cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Kevin Fiala power play goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, powered by Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. The Kings added on in the second period with a Viktor Arvidsson goal, his third of the year, assisted by Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore. Los Angeles extended the lead as Akil Thomas scored his third of the season, thanks to Matt Roy. Calgary got on the board in the third period with a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his twelfth of the year, fueled by Daniil Miromanov and Connor Zary. The Kings iced it at 4-1 with an Arvidsson empty net goal, his second of the game and fourth of the campaign, set up by Kopitar and Drew Doughty. The three stars were Arvidsson, Kopitar, and Talbot (23 for 24 in saves). 

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Wednesday, April 10, 2024

NHL 2023-24 - Day 175

There's just three games on this Wednesday. First up...

The St. Louis Blues host the Chicago Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek and Joel Hofer man the nets. St. Louis began in the first period with a Jordan Kyrou goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, via Nick Leddy and the goalie Hofer. The Blues added on with a Kyrou goal, his second of the game and twenty-ninth of the year, courtesy of Brandon Saad and Pavel Buchnevich. St. Louis extended the lead as Torey Krug scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Matthew Kessel and Nikita Alexandrov. Arvid Soderblom replaced Mrazek in goal. The Blues padded the lead on a Zack Bolduc goal, his fourth of the year, made possible by Robert Thomas and Brayden Schenn. Chicago got on the board in the second period with a Philipp Kurashev goal, his seventeenth of the season, guided in by Kevin Korchinski. St. Louis replied with a Thomas goal in the third period, his twenty-fifth of the year, fueled by Schenn and Bolduc. The Blackhawks answered with a Landon Slaggert goal, coming off of Ryan Donato and MacKenzie Entwistle. This only made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars given to Kyrou, Thomas, and Bolduc, while Schenn gets an honorable mention.

Over in Edmonton, the Oilers welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Adin Hill and Stuart Skinner protect the nets. Edmonton led off in the first period with a Cody Ceci goal, his fourth of the season, via Ryan McLeod and Darnell Nurse. The Oilers added on with a Mattias Ekholm goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from McLeod and Corey Perry in the second period. Edmonton extended the lead as Zach Hyman scored his fifty-third of the season, thanks to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers padded the lead on a Draisaitl power play goal in the third period, his forty-first of the year, powered by Nugent-Hopkins and Hyman. Vegas got on the board with a Keegan Kolesar shorthanded goal, his seventh of the season, set up by Noah Hanifin and William Karlsson. Edmonton answered with a Dylan Holloway goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The final stood at 5-1, with the three stars going to Hyman, Draisaitl, and McLeod, while Nugent-Hopkins gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Connor Ingram and Arturs Silovs are the inexperienced goalies. Arizona got going in the second period with a Josh Brown goal, his third of the season, coming off of Dylan Guenther and Vladislav Kolyachonok. Vancouver tied it on a J.T. Miller goal, his thirty-sixth of the year, via Tyler Myers and Quinn Hughes. The Coyotes pulled ahead again with a Kolyachonok goal, courtesy of Lawson Crouse and Guenther. Arizona added on in the third period with a Guenther goal, his fifteenth of the season, assisted by Logan Cooley. The Canucks got one back with a Conor Garland goal, his nineteenth of the year, guided in by Nils Hoglander and Hughes. Vancouver tied it on an Elias Pettersson power play goal, his thirty-fourth of the season, powered by Hughes. The Coyotes won 4-3 in overtime with a Cooley goal, his nineteenth of the year, with helpers from Guenther and Sean Durzi. The three stars were Guenther, Cooley, and Kolyachonok, while Hughes gets an honorable mention. 

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Tuesday, April 9, 2024

NHL 2023-24 - Day 174

There's 13 games on a big Tuesday, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Pyotr Kochetkov and Jeremy Swayman protect the nets. Carolina got going in the second period with an Andrei Svechnikov, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Jordan Martinook and Jaccob Slavin. The Hurricanes added on with a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his twenty-third of the year, guided in by Svechnikov and Slavin. Boston got on the board with a Charlie McAvoy goal, his twelfth of the season, via Jakub Lauko and Jesper Boqvist. Carolina fired back in the third period with a Jake Guentzel goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, made possible by Dmitry Orlov and Seth Jarvis. The Hurricanes extended the lead as Jarvis scored a shorthanded goal, his thirtieth of the season, set up by Brady Skjei and Jordan Staal. The final held at 4-1, with the three stars being Svechnikov, Slavin, and Jarvis.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Ottawa Senators. Joonas Korpisalo and Anthony Stolarz man the nets. Florida began in the first period with an Anton Lundell power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by the goalie Stolarz. The Panthers added on with a Nick Cousins goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of Niko Mikkola. The final stood at 2-0, with the three stars being Stolarz (24 save shutout), Lundell, and Cousins.

Back north, the Detroit Red Wings bring in the Washington Capitals. Charlie Lindgren and Alex Lyon receive the starts in goal. Washington dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Dylan Strome goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, fueled by Martin Fehervary. The Capitals added on with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his thirtieth of the year, passed from T.J. Oshie. Detroit got on the board in the third period with a Patrick Kane goal, his twentieth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars of the 2-1 game were Ovechkin, Lindgren (42 for 43 in saves), and Strome.

In Montreal, the Canadiens host the Philadelphia Flyers. Samuel Ersson and Sam Montembeault are the goalies. Montreal opened in the first period with a Juraj Slafkovsky goal, his seventeenth of the season, courtesy of Mike Matheson and Cole Caufield. The Canadiens added on in the second period with another Slafkovsky goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the year, via Nick Suzuki and Matheson. Montreal extended the lead as Brendan Gallagher scored his twelfth of the season, thanks to Johnathan Kovacevic and Jordan Harris. The Canadiens padded the lead as Slafkovsky finished his hat trick on his nineteenth of the year, with the help of David Savard. Montreal kept going with a Josh Anderson goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Harris and Tanner Pearson. Ivan Fedotov replaced Ersson in goal. The Canadiens kept going with a Christian Dvorak goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Harris. Philadelphia got on the board with a Ryan Poehling goal in the third period, his eleventh of the season, helped along by Owen Tippett and Erik Johnson. Montreal fired back with a Dvorak goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, with a helper from Rafael Harvey-Pinard. The Canadiens continued with a Hallagher goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the season, fueled by Joel Armia and Kovacevic. The Flyers got one back with a Joel Farabee goal, his twenty-second of the year, dished from Olle Lycksell and Noah Cates. Philadelphia got closer with another Poehling goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the season, guided in by Johnson and Tippett. Montreal fired back with an Armia goal, his seventeenth of the year, assisted by Gallagher and Alex Newhook. The three stars of the 9-3 game were Slafkovsky, Gallagher, and Dvorak, while Armia, Harris, Matheson, Kovacevic, Poehling, Tippett, and Johnson get the honorable mentions.

Stateside, the New Jersey Devils welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Joseph Woll and Jake Allen are set to start in goal. Toronto led off in the first period with a Nicholas Robertson goal, his thirteenth of the season, going in unassisted. New Jersey tied it on a Nico Hischier goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, passed from Dawson Mercer and Brendan Smith. The Devils took the lead in the second period with a Mercer power play goal, his twentieth of the season, powered by Hischier. The Maple Leafs tied it on a Tyler Bertuzzi goal, his twentieth of the year, coming off of Max Domi and Jake McCabe. Toronto took the lead with a Mark Giordano goal, his third of the season, fueled by Auston Matthews and Bertuzzi. The Maple Leafs added on in the third period with a Matthews goal, his sixty-sixth of the year, helped along by Domi. Toronto iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Bertuzzi, his second of the game and twenty-first of the campaign, set up by McCabe and Mitch Marner. The three stars were Matthews, Bertuzzi, and Hischier, while Mercer, Domi, and McCabe get the honorable mentions.

To New York, as the Islanders bring in the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Semyon Varlamov patrol the creases. The Islanders started in the first period with a Mike Reilly goal, his sixth of the season, via Bo Horvat. The Islanders added on with a Horvat goal, his thirty-third of the year, guided in by Horvat and Mathew Barzal. The Islanders extended the lead as Kyle Palmieri scored his twenty-seventh of the season, thanks to Brock Nelson and Dobson. The Rangers got on the board in the second period with a Chris Kreider power play goal, his thirty-ninth of the year, powered by Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. The Rangers got closer with an Adam Fox power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, fueled by Kreider and Vincent Trocheck. The Islanders iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Anders Lee, his twentieth of the year, set up by Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Pierre Engvall. The three stars were Horvat, Dobson, and Kreider.

South to Tampa Bay, as the Lightning host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Jet Greaves is mismatched with Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal. Tampa Bay struck first in the first period with a Brayden Point goal, his forty-fourth of the season, assisted by Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Duclair. Columbus tied it on a Kirill Marchenko goal, his twenty-second of the year, via Cole Sillinger and Damon Severson. The Blue Jackets took the lead in the second period with a Marchenko power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-third of the season, powered by Johnny Gaudreau and Zach Werenski. The Lightning tied it on a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his thirty-seventh of the year, with assists provided by Kucherov and Victor Hedman. Tampa Bay pulled ahead with an Anthony Cirelli goal, his twentieth of the season, made possible by Brandon Hagel and Stamkos. The Lightning added on with a Stamkos goal, his second of the game and thirty-eighth of the year, passed from Hagel and Erik Cernak. Tampa Bay iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Stamkos, completing his hat trick on his thirty-ninth of the campaign, set up by Kucherov. The three stars were awarded to Stamkos, Kucherov, and Marchenko, while Hagel gets an honorable mention.

Along to Nashville, as the Predators welcome Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Juuse Saros tend the twines. Nashville was first to score in the first period with a Tommy Novak goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming off of Kiefer Sherwood. Winnipeg tied it with a Gabriel Vilardi power play goal, his twentieth of the year, powered by Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey. The Jets took the lead with a Scheifele goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, passed from Tyler Toffoli. Winnipeg added on with a Dylan DeMelo goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Morgan Barron. The Predators got one back in the third period with a Spencer Stastney goal, his second of the season, assisted by Roman Josi and Kerfoot. Nashville tied it on a Ryan O'Reilly goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, helped along by Josi and Gustav Nyquist. The Jets won 4-3 in overtime with a Kyle Connor goal, his thirty-second of the campaign, fueled by Scheifele and Neal Pionk. The three stars were Scheifele, Josi, and Sherwood.

Further west, the Dallas Stars bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Jake Oettinger are the goalies. Buffalo kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Alex Tuch goal, his twenty-first of the season, assisted by Henri Jokiharju and Bowen Byram. Dallas tied it on a Jason Robertson goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, via Roope Hintz. The Sabres pulled ahead with a Rasmus Dahlin goal, his twentieth of the year, courtesy of Owen Power and Peyton Krebs. The Stars tied it in the second period with a Wyatt Johnston goal, his thirty-second of the year, guided in by Thomas Harley. Dallas pulled ahead with a Joe Pavelski goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, passed from Chris Tanev and Harley. The final held at 3-2, with the three stars being Harley, Pavelski, and Johnston.

Next up, the Colorado Avalanche host the Minnesota Wild. Filip Gustavsson and Alexandar Georgiev are the masked men. Colorado drew first blood in the first period with an Artturi Lehkonen power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. The Avalanche added on with a MacKinnon goal, his forty-ninth of the year, via Jonathan Drouin and Makar. Minnesota got on the board with a Kirill Kaprizov power play goal, his forty-second of the season, with assists provided by Mats Zuccarello and Matt Boldy. The Wild tied it on a Boldy power play goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, passed from Zuccarello and Declan Chisholm. Colorado retook the lead in the second period with a Makar goal, his twentieth of the season, guided in by Devon Toews and Drouin. The Avalanche extended the lead as MacKinnon scored his second of the game and fiftieth of the year, thanks to Drouin and Toews. Colorado padded the lead on another MacKinnon goal, completing his hat trick on his fifty-first of the season, helped along by Lehkonen. The final held at 5-2, with the three stars awarded to MacKinnon, Makar, and Drouin, while Lehkonen, Boldy, Toews, and Zuccarello get the honorable mentions.

Northwest to Seattle, as the Kraken welcome the Arizona Coyotes. Karel Vejmelka and Philipp Grubauer are the veterans in goal. Seattle opened in the first period with a Shane Wright goal, his fourth of the season, via Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz. The Kraken added on with an Andre Burakovsky power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Matty Beniers and Justin Schultz. Seattle extended the lead in the second period as Schultz scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Oliver Bjorkstrand and Beniers. The Kraken padded the lead on a Brandon Tanev goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Yanni Gourde and Tye Kartye. Seattle continued with a Will Borgen goal, his third of the season, assisted by Jamie Oleksiak and Bjorkstrand. This held for a 5-0 win, with the three stars given to Grubauer (39 save shutout), Schultz, and Beniers, while Bjorkstrand get the honorable mentions.

Down in Anaheim, the Ducks bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Cam Talbot and Lukas Dostal draw the starts in goal. Los Angeles started in the first period with an Akil Thomas goal, his second of the season, via Trevor Lewis and Vladislav Gavrikov. Anaheim tied it on a Frank Vatrano goal, his thirty-third of the year, passed from Radko Gudas and Ryan Strome. The Ducks took the lead in the third period with an Alex Killorn goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Cam Fowler and Strome. Anaheim added on with a Trevor Zegras goal, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars given to Dostal (36 for 37 in saves), Killorn, and Zegras.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Calgary Flames. Dustin Wolf and Mackenzie Blackwood are in the blue paint. San Jose struck first in the first period with a William Eklund goal, his sixteenth of the season, assisted by Fabian Zetterlund and Mikael Granlund. The Sharks added on with a Jacob MacDonald goal, his seventh of the year, via Mike Hoffman. Calgary got on the board with a Rasmus Andersson goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Matt Coronato and Nikita Okhotiuk. The Flames tied it on a Nazem Kadri power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, powered by Yegor Sharangovich and Andrei Kuzmenko. Calgary won 3-2 in overtime with a Kuzmenko power play goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, with assists provided by Jonathan Huberdeau and Kadri. The three stars were Kadri, Kuzmenko, and Wolf (20 for 22 in saves). 

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