It's the last 15-game day of the season, beginning in...
Florida, as the Panthers host the Detroit Red Wings. Alex Lyon and Sergei Bobrovsky are the former teammates in goal. Detroit led off in the first period with a Robby Fabbri power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, powered by David Perron and Shayne Gostisbehere. Florida tied it in the third period with an Aleksander Barkov goal, his twentieth of the year, guided in by Aaron Ekblad and Niko Mikkola. The Panthers took the lead with another Barkov goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the season, via Sam Reinhart and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The Red Wings retied it on a Dylan Larkin power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, powered by Patrick Kane and Gostisbehere. The tie went to a shootout, where Reinhart's lone tally gave the Panthers a 3-2 win. The three stars were Barkov, Reinhart, and Gostisbehere.
Up in Minnesota, the Wild welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Logan Thompson and Filip Gustavsson patrol the creases. Minnesota got going in the second period with a Kirill Kaprizov power play goal, his thirty-seventh of the season, powered by Matt Boldy and Brock Faber. Vegas tied it in the third period with a Michael Amadio goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Chandler Stephenson and Alec Martinez. The Golden Knights won 2-1 in overtime with a Jonathan Marchessault empty net goal, his fortieth of the season, set up by William Karlsson. The three stars were Thompson (32 for 33 in saves), Marchessault, and Amadio.
Along to Edmonton, as the Oilers bring in the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Calvin Pickard receive the starts in goal. Edmonton began in the first period with an Adam Henrique goal, his twenty-second of the season, passed from Leon Draisaitl and Mattias Ekholm. The Oilers added on with a Connor McDavid goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, via Zach Hyman. Edmonton extended the lead as Ekholm scored his eighth of the season, thanks to Sam Carrick and Vincent Desharnais. The Oilers padded the lead in the second period on a McDavid power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-ninth of the year, powered by Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard. Edmonton continued with a Warren Foegele goal, his seventeenth of the season, fueled by Ekholm and Desharnais. The Oilers kept going in the third period with a Hyman goal, his fifty-second of the year, guided in by McDavid and Bouchard. Anaheim got on the board with an Alex Killorn power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, with assists provided by Cam Fowler and Frank Vatrano. The final stood at 6-1, with the three stars going to McDavid, Ekholm, and Hyman, while Draisaitl, Bouchard, and Desharnais get the honorable mentions.
Down in Arizona, the Coyotes host the New York Rangers. Jonathan Quick and Karel Vejmelka are set to start in goal. New York started in the first period with an Alexis Lafreniere goal, his twenty-third of the season, fueled by Artemi Panarin and Ryan Lindgren. The Rangers added on in the second period with a Lindgren goal, his third of the year, passed from Adam Fox and Lafreniere. Arizona got on the board with a Matias Maccelli goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Jack McBain and Josh Doan. New York fired back on a Lafreniere goal, his second of the game and twenty-fourth of the year, guided in by Vincent Trocheck and Panarin. The Coyotes got one back with a Clayton Keller goal, his thirty-second of the season, helped along by Nick Schmaltz. Arizona tied it on a Nick Bjugstad goal, his twenty-first of the year, courtesy of Schmaltz. The Rangers took the lead back with a Chris Kreider goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, with helpers from Jack Roslovic and Lindgren in the third period. New York extended the lead as Zac Jones scored his second of the year, thanks to Lafreniere and Panarin. The Rangers padded the lead on a Barclay Goodrow shorthanded goal, his second of the season, going in unassisted. The Coyotes pulled one back with a Lawson Crouse power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, assisted by Logan Cooley and Bjugstad. Arizona got closer with a Cooley goal, his seventeenth of the season, dished from Juuso Valimaki and Maccelli. New York responded with a Panarin empty net goal, his forty-fourth of the year, set up by Kaapo Kakko. The Rangers iced it at 8-5 with a Lafreniere empty net goal to complete his hat trick on his twenty-fifth of the campaign, with the help of Trocheck and Fox. The three stars were Lafreniere, Panarin, and Lindgren, while Trocheck, Fox, Bjugstad, Cooley, Maccelli, and Schmaltz get the honorable mentions.
Backtracking to Colorado, as the Avalanche welcome the Nashville Predators. Kevin Lankinen and Alexandar Georgiev are the masked men. Nashville opened in the first period with a Cole Smith goal, his ninth of the season, via Gustav Nyquist and Michael McCarron. Colorado tied it on a Jonathan Drouin goal, his fifteenth of the year, coming off of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. The Predators pulled ahead with a Mark Jankowski goal, his sixth of the season, guided in by Tommy Novak. Nashville added on with a Dante Fabbro goal, his third of the year, fueled by Jason Zucker and Kiefer Sherwood. The Avalanche got one back with a Casey Mittelstadt power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by MacKinnon and Cale Makar. The Predators replied in the second period with a Nyquist goal, his twenty-second of the year, made possible by Spencer Stastney and Filip Forsberg. Justus Annunen replaced Georgiev in goal. Colorado pulled one back with an Artturi Lehkonen power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, with assists provided by Makar and Drouin. The Avalanche tied it on a Makar power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, assisted by Rantanen and Zach Parise. Colorado took the lead with a Yakov Trenin goal, his twelfth of the season, going in unassisted. The Avalanche extended the lead as MacKinnon scored his forty-sixth of the year, thanks to Josh Manson and Devon Toews. Colorado padded the lead on an empty net goal by MacKinnon, his second of the game and forty-seventh of the campaign, set up by Rantanen. This made it 7-4, the final, with the three stars being MacKinnon, Makar, and Rantanen, while Drouin and Nyquist get the honorable mentions.
Back east, the Buffalo Sabres bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ilya Samsonov and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are between the pipes. Toronto was first to score in the first period with a John Tavares goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, coming off of William Nylander and Conor Timmins. The Maple Leafs added on in the second period with a Nicholas Robertson goal, his eleventh of the year, via Matthew Knies. Toronto extended the lead in the third period as Auston Matthews scored his sixtieth of the season, thanks to Timmins. This held for a 3-0 win, with the three stars being Samsonov (34 save shutout), Timmins, and Matthews.
To Columbus, as the Blue Jackets host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Alex Nedeljkovic and Elvis Merzlikins are the goalies. Columbus drew first blood in the first period with a Mathieu Olivier shorthanded goal, his fifth of the season, set up by Cole Sillinger. Pittsburgh tied it in the second period with a Drew O'Connor goal, his thirteenth of the year, via Bryan Rust and Marcus Pettersson. The Penguins took the lead with a Rust goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, assisted by Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang. Pittsburgh added on in the third period with a Rickard Rakell goal, his twelfth of the year, fueled by Evgeni Malkin. The Blue Jackets got one back with a Kirill Marchenko goal, his nineteenth of the season, passed from Damon Severson and Zach Werenski. Columbus tied it on a Werenski goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Johnny Gaudreau. The tie went to a shootout, where Alexandre Texier and Severson lifted the Blue Jackets to a 4-3 win over Crosby and the Penguins. The three stars were Werenski, Severson, and Rust.
Up in Montreal, the Canadiens welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Pyotr Kochetkov and Sam Montembeault will play in goal. Carolina dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Jordan Staal shorthanded goal, his ninth of the season, set up by Teuvo Teravainen. The Hurricanes added on in the third period with a Sebastian Aho power play goal, his thirty-third of the year, powered by Seth Jarvis and Jake Guentzel. Carolina iced it at 3-0 with a Jarvis empty net goal, his twenty-ninth of the campaign, set up by Guentzel and Aho. The three stars were Kochetkov (26 save shutout), Aho, and Jarvis, while Guentzel gets an honorable mention.
Stateside to Philadelphia, as the Flyers bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Arvid Soderblom and Samuel Ersson are the young goalies. Chicago struck first in the first period with a Lukas Reichel goal, his fourth of the season, via Jarred Tinordi and Andreas Athanasiou. The Blackhawks added on with a Philipp Kurashev goal, his sixteenth of the year, courtesy of Connor Bedard and Alex Vlasic. Philadelphia got on the board in the second period with a Tyson Foerster goal, his twentieth of the season, assisted by Garnet Hathaway and Travis Sanheim. Chicago added on with a Nick Foligno power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, powered by Kurashev and Tyler Johnson. The Blackhawks extended the lead in the third period as Joey Anderson scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Reichel. Chicago padded the lead on a MacKenzie Entwistle goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Anderson and Wyatt Kaiser. This made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars being Kurashev, Reichel, and Anderson.
South to Tampa Bay, as the Lightning host the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Andrei Vasilevskiy protect the nets. New York kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Kyle Palmieri goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, made possible by Ryan Pulock and Mike Reilly. Tampa Bay tied it with a Darren Raddysh power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli. The Lightning took the lead on a Cirelli goal, his seventeenth of the season, courtesy of Nick Perbix and Brandon Hagel. Tampa Bay added on in the third period with a Steven Stamkos goal, his thirtieth of the year, passed from Emil Lilleberg and Hagel. The Lightning iced it at 4-1 with a Cirelli empty net goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the campaign, set up by Kucherov and Victor Hedman. The three stars were Cirelli, Hagel, and Kucherov.
North again to DC, as the Washington Capitals welcome the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Charlie Lindgren guard the cages. Boston cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Hampus Lindholm goal, his second of the season, via Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak. Washington tied it in the second period with a Michael Sgarbossa goal, fourth of the year, assisted by Nick Jensen and Nic Dowd. The Bruins took the lead back with a John Beecher goal, his seventh of the season, going in unassisted. The Capitals retied it on a John Carlson power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Max Pacioretty and Dylan Strome. The tie went to a shootout, where Jake DeBrusk, David Pastrnak and Kevin Shattenkirk lifted the Bruins to a 3-2 win over Strome, Sonny Milano and the Capitals. The three stars were Pastrnak, Strome, and Beecher.
Northwest to Winnipeg, as the Jets bring in the Ottawa Senators. Joonas Korpisalo is mismatched with Connor Hellebuyck in goal. Winnipeg got going in the second period with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his twenty-second of the season, assisted by Sean Monahan and Dylan DeMelo. Ottawa tied it on a Boris Katchouk goal, his seventh of the year, via Erik Brannstrom and Mark Kastelic. The Senators took the lead with a Ridly Greig goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Brady Tkachuk. The Jets tied it in the third period with a Mark Scheifele power play goal, his twenty-third of the year, powered by Kyle Connor and Josh Morrissey. Ottawa pulled ahead with a Tkachuk power play goal, his thirty-third of the season, with assists provided by Tim Stutzle and Jake Sanderson. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Tkachuk, Greig, and Katchouk.
In St. Louis, the Blues host the San Jose Sharks. Mackenzie Blackwood and Joel Hofer are in the blue paint. San Jose dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Filip Zadina goal, his thirteenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Sharks added on with a Mikael Granlund goal, his twelfth of the year, assisted by Fabian Zetterlund and William Eklund. San Jose extended the lead as Luke Kunin scored his ninth of the season, an unassisted goal. The Sharks padded the lead on a Jan Rutta empty net goal, his fourth of the year, set up by Nico Sturm. The final stood at 4-0, with the three stars handed to Blackwood (37 save shutout), Zadina, and Granlund.
Next up, the Calgary Flames welcome the Los Angeles Kings. David Rittich and Jacob Markstrom are the veterans in goal. Calgary led off in the first period with a Nazem Kadri power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, powered by Andrei Kuzmenko and Yegor Sharangovich. Los Angeles tied it on an Adrian Kempe power play goal, his twenty-third of the year, with assists provided by Drew Doughty and Kevin Fiala. The Flames retook the lead with a Martin Pospisil goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Kuzmenko and Kadri. Calgary added on in the second period with a Blake Coleman power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, helped along by Rasmus Andersson and Daniil Miromanov. The Kings countered with an Anze Kopitar power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, guided in by Kempe and Fiala. The Flames answered in the third period with a MacKenzie Weegar power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, assisted by Jonathan Huberdeau and Sharangovich. The final held at 4-2, with the three stars being Kadri, Kuzmenko, and Kempe, while Fiala and Sharangovich get the honorable mentions.
Finally, the Seattle Kraken bring in the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Joey Daccord tend the twines. Dallas cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a Wyatt Johnston goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, via Nils Lundkvist and Logan Stankoven. The Stars added on with a Joe Pavelski power play goal in the third period, his twenty-sixth of the year, powered by Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen. Dallas extended the lead on a Hintz empty net goal, his twenty-eighth of the campaign, set up by Johnston and Esa Lindell. This made it 3-0, the final, with the three stars going to Oettinger (17 save shutout), Johnston, and Hintz.
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