NHL 2023-24 - Day 150

There's 14 games on a hefty Saturday slate. First up...

The Detroit Red Wings host the Buffalo Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and James Reimer start in goal. Buffalo led off in the first period with a Tage Thompson power play goal, his twentieth of the season, powered by Rasmus Dahlin and Alex Tuch. Detroit tied it in the second period on a Christian Fischer goal, his third of the year, coming off of Andrew Copp and Moritz Seider. The Red Wings pulled ahead with a Patrick Kane goal, his fourteenth of the season, made possible by J.T. Compher and Shayne Gostisbehere. Detroit added on in the third period with a Daniel Sprong goal, his seventeenth of the year, passed from Robby Fabbri. The Red Wings iced it at 4-1 with a Lucas Raymond empty net goal, his twentieth of the campaign, set up by Michael Rasmussen and Copp. The three stars were Copp, Reimer (25 for 26 in saves), and Kane. 

Over in New York, the Islanders welcome the Ottawa Senators. Joonas Korpisalo and Semyon Varlamov are the veterans in goal. New York began in the first period with a Matt Martin goal, his third of the season, assisted by Cal Clutterbuck and Kyle MacLean. Ottawa tied it on a Brady Tkachuk goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, via Drake Batherson and Erik Brannstrom in the second period. The Islanders retook the lead with a Kyle Palmieri goal, his twenty-first of the season, made possible by Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Anders Lee. The Senators tied it in the third period with a Ridly Greig goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Tim Stutzle and Artem Zub. Ottawa pulled ahead on a Tkachuk power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-ninth of the season, powered by Stutzle and Batherson. New York retied it on a Bo Horvat power play goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, with assists provided by Noah Dobson and Mathew Barzal. The Senators won 4-3 in overtime with a Tkachuk power play goal, completing his hat trick on his thirtieth of the campaign, set up by Shane Pinto and Stutzle. The three stars were Tkachuk, Stutzle, and Batherson. 

West to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins bring in the New York Rangers. Jonathan Quick and Tristan Jarry are the masked men. Pittsburgh opened in the first period with a John Ludvig goal, his third of the season, coming off of Jeff Carter and Noel Acciari. New York tied it on a Kaapo Kakko goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Jimmy Vesey. The Rangers pulled ahead with an Adam Fox goal, his twelfth of the season, fueled by Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. The Penguins retied it on a Bryan Rust goal, his twentieth of the year, helped along by Sidney Crosby and Drew O'Connor. New York retook the lead with a Panarin goal, his thirty-seventh of the season, assisted by Trocheck and K'Andre Miller. The Penguins tied it in the second period with a Lars Eller power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, with assists provided by Michael Bunting and Rust. The Rangers answered with a Panarin power play goal, his second of the game and thirty-eighth of the season, guided in by Chris Kreider and Fox. New York added on with a Mika Zibanejad power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, made possible by Kreider and Panarin. The Rangers extended the lead in the third period as Miller scored his eighth of the season, thanks to Alexis Lafreniere and Panarin. The Penguins countered with a Valtteri Puustinen goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Reilly Smith and Eller. New York iced it at 7-4 with a Kreider empty net goal, his thirty-third of the campaign, set up by Miller. The three stars were Panarin, Kreider, and Miller, while Fox, Trocheck, Rust, and Eller get the honorable mentions. 

Out in Arizona, the Coyotes host the New Jersey Devils. Kaapo Kahkonen and Karel Vejmelka draw the starts in goal. Arizona started in the first period with a J.J. Moser goal, his fifth of the season, fueled by Sean Durzi and Nick Schmaltz. The Coyotes added on with a Dylan Guenther power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Schmaltz and Clayton Keller. Arizona extended the lead as Logan Cooley scored his thirteenth of the season, thanks to Lawson Crouse. Nico Daws replaced Kahkonen in goal for the second period. New Jersey got on the board in the second period with a Nick DeSimone goal, his second of the year, passed from Curtis Lazar and Jack Hughes. The Coyotes iced it at 4-1 in the third period with a Keller empty net goal, his twenty-seventh of the campaign, set up by Schmaltz. The three stars were Schmaltz, Keller, and Vejmelka (37 for 38 in saves).

Back east, the Florida Panthers welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky tend the twines. Tampa Bay struck first in the first period with a Steven Stamkos goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, via Erik Cernak. The Lightning added on with a Mikey Eyssimont goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Nick Paul and Nick Perbix. Tampa Bay extended the lead in the second period as Darren Raddysh scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Anthony Duclair and Stamkos. The Lightning padded the lead with a Stamkos power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-seventh of the year, powered by Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov. Florida got on the board with a Matthew Tkachuk shorthanded goal, his twenty-second of the season, set up by Josh Mahura. The Panthers got closer with a Sam Reinhart power play goal, his forty-seventh of the year, with assists provided by Sam Bennett and Tkachuk. Florida pulled closer with a Reinhart goal in the third period, his second of the game and forty-eighth of the season, going in unassisted. Tampa Bay iced it at 5-3 with a Kucherov empty net goal, his fortieth of the year, courtesy of Brandon Hagel and Stamkos. The three stars went to Stamkos, Reinhart, and Kucherov, while Tkachuk gets an honorable mention.

Up in Boston, the Bruins bring in the Philadelphia Flyers. Felix Sandstrom and Jeremy Swayman patrol the creases. Philadelphia kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Ryan Poehling goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Garnet Hathaway and Egor Zamula. Boston tied it on a Morgan Geekie goal, his sixteenth of the year, passed from Jake DeBrusk and Parker Wotherspoon. The Flyers retook the lead in the second period with a Joel Farabee power play goal, his twentieth of the season, powered by Cam York and Owen Tippett. The Bruins tied it on a Charlie Coyle power play goal, his twenty-second of the year, with assists provided by Brad Marchand and Pavel Zacha. Boston took the lead in the third period with a Coyle goal, his second of the game and twenty-third of the season, helped along by David Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm. The Bruins added on with a John Beecher goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Andrew Peeke and Jesper Boqvist. Boston extended the lead as DeBrusk goal, his seventeenth of the season, fueled by Marchand. Philadelphia got one back with a Nicolas Deslauriers goal, going in unassisted. The Flyers got closer with a Morgan Frost goal, his eleventh of the year, with helpers from Tippett and York. The Bruins countered with a Danton Heinen goal, his thirteenth of the season, made possible by Trent Frederic. Philadelphia pushed back on a Farabee goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the year, dished from Tippett and Travis Konecny. This only made it 6-5, the final, with the three stars being Coyle, DeBrusk, and Marchand, while Lindholm, Tippett, Farabee, and York get the honorable mentions.

Over in Calgary, the Flames host the Montreal Canadiens. Cayden Primeau and Dustin Wolf are the young goalies. Calgary drew first blood in the first period with a Mikael Backlund power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by MacKenzie Weegar and Andrew Mangiapane. The Flames added on in the second period with a Backlund goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, assisted by Blake Coleman and Weegar. Calgary extended the lead as Martin Pospisil scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri. Montreal got on the board with a Cole Caufield goal, his twentieth of the year, passed from Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky. The Canadiens got closer with a David Savard goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Tanner Pearson and Rafael Harvey-Pinard. The Flames fired back in the third period with a Kadri power play goal, his twenty-third of the year, with assists provided by Huberdeau and Yegor Sharangovich. Calgary padded the lead on a Daniil Miromanov goal, his second of the season, passed from Weegar and Backlund. The final stood at 5-2, with the three stars going to Backlund, Weegar, and Kadri, while Huberdeau gets an honorable mention.

East again to Columbus, as the Blue Jackets welcome the San Jose Sharks. Magnus Chrona and Daniil Tarasov are the inexperienced goalies. Columbus was first to score in the first period with a Boone Jenner goal, his twenty-first of the season, via Johnny Gaudreau and Damon Severson. The Blue Jackets added on in the second period with an Alex Nylander goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Ivan Provorov and Zach Werenski. San Jose got on the board with a Fabian Zetterlund goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Mario Ferraro and Mikael Granlund. Columbus replied with a Gaudreau goal, his eleventh of the year, coming off of Nylander and Jenner. The Sharks got one back in the third period with a Henry Thrun goal, his second of the season, fueled by Kevin Labanc. The Blue Jackets fired back with a Nylander empty net goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, set up by Gaudreau. The three stars of the 4-2 game were Nylander, Gaudreau, and Jenner.

In Toronto, the Maple Leafs bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Pyotr Kochetkov and Ilya Samsonov are between the pipes. Toronto got going in the second period with a John Tavares goal, his twenty-first of the season, courtesy of TJ Brodie. The Maple Leafs added on with a William Nylander goal, his thirty-sixth of the year, assisted by Morgan Rielly. Toronto extended the lead as Nicholas Robertson scored his ninth of the season, thanks to Tavares and Timothy Liljegren. Carolina got on the board with a Jordan Martinook goal, his twelfth of the year, passed from Brent Burns and Jesper Fast. The Hurricanes got closer with a Seth Jarvis power play goal, his twenty-second of the season, powered by Jake Guentzel and Sebastian Aho. The Maple Leafs fired back in the third period with a David Kampf goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Rielly. Carolina got one back with an Aho power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, with assists provided by Guentzel and Dmitry Orlov. The Hurricanes tied it on an Aho goal, his second of the game and twenty-seventh of the year, coming off of Burns and Evgeny Kuznetsov. The tie went to a shootout, where Guentzel had the lone tally for a 5-4 Hurricanes win. The three stars were Aho, Guentzel, and Burns, while Tavares and Rielly get the honorable mentions.

Way south to Dallas, as the Stars host the Los Angeles Kings. David Rittich and Scott Wedgewood are the backups in goal. Dallas started in the first period with a Thomas Harley goal, his fifteenth of the season, guided in by Radek Faksa. The Stars added on with a Craig Smith goal, his ninth of the year, fueled by Miro Heiskanen and Harley. Dallas extended the lead as Wyatt Johnston scored his twenty-sixth of the season, with the help of Ryan Suter and Logan Stankoven. The Stars padded the lead in the second period with a Jamie Benn power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by Joe Pavelski and Jason Robertson. Los Angeles got on the board in the third period with a Kevin Fiala goal, his twenty-second of the season, assisted by Pierre-Luc Dubois. The final held at 4-1, with the three stars being Harley, Wedgewood (27 for 28 in saves), and Smith.

Up in St. Louis, the Blues welcome the Minnesota Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Binnington protect the nets. St. Louis dented the scoreboard in the second period with a power play goal by Jordan Kyrou, his twenty-first of the season, powered by Jake Neighbours and Robert Thomas. The Blues added on in the third period with a Brayden Schenn goal, his fourteenth of the year, via Kyrou and Nick Leddy. Minnesota got on the board with a Marco Rossi goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Kirill Kaprizov. The Wild tied it with a Kaprizov goal, his thirty-fifth of the year, guided in by Mats Zuccarello and Zach Bogosian. The tie went to a shootout, where Schenn and Kyrou lifted the Blues to a 3-2 win over Matt Boldy and the Wild. The three stars were Kyrou, Schenn, and Kaprizov.

Northwest to Edmonton, as the Oilers bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Stuart Skinner guard the cages. Colorado cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a Sean Walker goal, his seventh of the season, via Artturi Lehkonen and Jack Johnson. Edmonton tied it on a Warren Foegele goal, his sixteenth of the year, courtesy of Evan Bouchard in the third period. The Oilers took the lead with a Sam Carrick goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Mattias Janmark and Corey Perry. The Avalanche tied it on another Walker goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, helped along by Casey Mittelstadt and Jonathan Drouin. Colorado won 3-2 in overtime with a Lehkonen goal, his twelfth of the campaign, made possible by Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. The three stars were Walker, Lehkonen, and Georgiev (32 for 34 in saves).

West to Vancouver, as the Canucks welcome the Washington Capitals. Charlie Lindgren and Casey DeSmith receive the green light to start in goal. Vancouver opened in the first period with a Brock Boeser goal, his thirty-sixth of the season, via Quinn Hughes and Ilya Mikheyev. Washington tied it in the second period with a Tom Wilson goal, his sixteenth of the year, courtesy of Ivan Miroshnichenko and John Carlson. The Capitals took the lead with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his nineteenth of the season, passed from Connor McMichael and Alexander Alexeyev. This stood for a 2-1 final score, with the three stars going to Lindgren (21 for 22 in saves), Ovechkin, and Wilson.

Finally, the Seattle Kraken bring in the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Philipp Grubauer are the veteran goalies. Nashville led off in the first period with a Tommy Novak goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Ryan McDonagh and Mark Jankowski. Seattle tied it in the third period with an Andre Burakovsky power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Ryker Evans and Oliver Bjorkstrand. The Predators retook the lead with a Roman Josi power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, with assists provided by Filip Forsberg and Gustav Nyquist. Nashville added on with another Josi goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, passed from McDonagh and Jankowski. The Predators iced it at 4-1 with an unassisted Forsberg empty net goal, his thirty-fifth of the campaign. The three stars were Josi, Saros (23 for 24 in saves), and Forsberg, while McDonagh and Jankowski get the honorable mentions. 

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