There were nine games played on Thursday. We'll jump right in with...
The Atlanta Thrashers hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Chris Mason got a start for the Thrashers, while Cam Ward was in between the pipes for the Hurricanes. After a scoreless first period, Atlanta broke open the scoring with Evander Kane's tenth of the season, a power play goal assisted by Anthony Stewart and Johnny Oduya. Stewart extended the lead to 2-0 with his ninth of the season, from Kane and Dustin Byfuglien. Carolina started to answer with Brandon Sutter's seventh of the season early in the third period, assisted by Tuomo Ruutu and Jamie McBain. They tied it with Eric Staal's 13th of the year, from Joni Pitkanen. The tie lasted into the shootout, where Nik Antropov traded a barb with Jussi Jokinen, and the Hurricanes stole the game with Sergei Samsonov's goal. Samsonov earned the first star for the winner, followed by Evander Kane, who had a goal and an assist in the Thrasher loss, and Tuomo Ruutu, who tallied an assist. Atlanta's Ben Eager also scrapped with Troy Bodie.
Moving right along into the Big Apple, where the New York Rangers hosted the Phoenix Coyotes. The backups were out in full force, with Martin Biron guarding the Rangers net, and Jason LaBarbera protecting the cage for Phoenix. The Coyotes got started early with a power play goal by Taylor Pyatt, his seventh score of the season coming from Kyle Turris and Keith Yandle. Adrian Aucoin made it 2-0 with his first of the season, assisted by Vernon Fiddler and Lauri Korpikoski. Dan Girardi trimmed the lead down, scoring his third of the year, a power play goal with help from Ruslan Fedotenko and Marc Staal. Phoenix restored the two goal lead with a Martin Hanzal goal, his eighth of the year coming with the man advantage, and assisted by Shane Doan and Ray Whitney. The Rangers cut the lead back down with a Brandon Prust goal, his fifth, coming shorthanded after LaBarbera fumbled with the puck near his net, and the other assist coming from Girardi. LaBarbera did not get an assist on that statistically, but he did make it easier for Prust to put one past him. Derek Stepan tied it at 3 in the third period, scoring his eighth of the season, from Chris Drury and Sean Avery. The tie lasted into the shootout, with New York's Erik Christensen providing the deciding factor. Girardi earned the first star with his goal and assist, followed by Prust, who had a goal. Lastly in the third star spot, Christensen, who won the game.
Going into Canada, where the Montreal Canadiens hosted bitter rivals, the Boston Bruins. Carey Price started for the host Canadiens, while Tim Thomas was in the crease for the visiting Bruins. Michael Cammalleri struck early for Montreal, converting a penalty shot after he was hooked. Maxim Lapierre extended the lead with his fifth of the year, assisted by Mathieu Darche and Alexandre Picard. Blake Wheeler answered for Boston, scoring his seventh, from Mark Recchi and Patrice Bergeron. Max Pacioretty made it 3-1 Montreal with his first of the year, thanks to Scott Gomez and Jaroslav Spacek. Marc Savard responded with his first goal since returning from a concussion, assisted by Andrew Ference and Tyler Seguin, making it 3-2. Brian Gionta restored the two goal lead again with his eleventh of the season, with the helpers coming from Pacioretty and Gomez. Milan Lucic tried to get the Bruins into it with his 16th of the season, assisted by Bergeron and Savard on the power play, but it was too late, and Montreal held on for the 4-3 win. Pacioretty earned the first star with his goal and assist, followed by goal scorers Cammalleri and Gionta in the second and third star spots. David Krejci and Michael Cammalleri also had a fight in the second period.
Heading back to New York, where the Islanders hosted the Anaheim Ducks. Rick DiPietro got the start for the Islanders, as did Curtis McElhinney for the Ducks. P.A. Parenteau got New York started with his fifth of the year, a power play goal assisted by John Tavares and James Wisniewski. Blake Comeau followed it up with his sixth of the year just twenty-eight seconds later, asssited by Rob Schremp and Jon Sim. Matt Moulson struck relatively close afterward, notching his eleventh of the year, unassisted. This goal was enough to scare Curtis McElhinney out of the net, and Jonas Hiller came on as his replacement. Joffery Lupul started Anaheim on the rebound trail with his third of the year, a power play goal from Saku Koivu and Jason Blake. Blake added his sixth of the year early in the third period, from Cam Fowler and Lupul. However, the Islanders would weather the rest of the period and win 3-2. Rick DiPietro earned the first star, going 30 for 32 in saves, followed by Andrew MacDonald, who did something, and Jason Blake, who had a goal and an assist in a losing effort. Dropping the gloves were Trevor Gillies of New York and Sheldon Brookbank of Anaheim in the first period, followed by Matt Martin and George "The Mustache" Parros in the second period.
Going along to St. Louis, where the Blues hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Ty Conklin got the nod for the Blues, while Jonathan Quick was in between the pipes for the Kings. Ryan Smyth started the scoring, giving Los Angeles a 1-0 lead with his ninth of the year, a power play goal from Jack Johnson and Dustin Brown. St. Louis tied it later in the first period with Jay McClement's fifth of the season, assisted by Brad Winchester and B.J. Crombeen. Anze Kopitar took the lead back with his 14th of the year, a power play goal made possible by Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. St. Louis took the lead up to 4-2 with three straight, beginning with Vladimir Sobotka's third of the season from David Backes and Carlo Colaiacovo. They continued with a power play goal from Winchester and assisted by Colaiacovo and Sobotka, and finished the scoring stretch with Eric Brewer's fifth of the season, from Sobotka and Backes. Wayne Simmonds got Los Angeles back on track with his sixth of the year, assisted by Kyle Clifford and Michal Handzus. Dustin Brown tied it up at 4, with his eleventh of the season helped along by Rob Scuderi and Anze Kopitar. Alex Steen retook the lead for the Blues, scoring his ninth of the season courtesy of McClement and Crombeen. Backes iced the cake with an empty netter from Brad Boyes and Colaiacovo, good for his sixth of the season. The Blues cruised to 6-4 win over the Kings, with Steen's goal being the first star, followed by Sobotka, who had a goal and two assists. Kopitar earned the third star with his goal and assist in the loss, and honorable mentions are in place for Colaiacovo's sock trick. One fight broke out in the second period, between Kyle Clifford of Los Angeles and Tyson Strachan of St. Louis.
Heading to north to Minnesota, where the Wild hosted the Ottawa Senators. Jose Theodore got the nod for the Wild, while Pascal Leclaire was in goal for the Seantors. Kyle Brodziak opened the scoring, giving Minnesota a 1-0 lead with his fifth of the year, assisted by Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Martin Havlat. Daniel Alfredsson evened it in the second period with his tenth of the year, a power play goal from Mike Fisher and Erik Karlsson. Nick Foligno gave Ottawa a lead with his third of the year, also on the power play, assisted by Karlsson and Sergei Gonchar. Chris Kelly topped it off with his seventh of the season, assisted by Karlsson and Alfredsson into an empty net. The Senators would proceed to win 3-1 over the Wild. Pascal Leclaire was the first star with his 23 for 24 saves, followed by Karlsson's sock trick, and Havlat, who had an assist in the loss.
Heading to Texas, where the former Minnesota franchise moved, which would be Dallas, with the Stars hosting the San Jose Sharks. Kari Lethonen was assigned to netminding duties for Dallas, while Antero Niittymaki got the start for San Jose. Devin Setoguchi opened the scoring for the Sharks, potting his third of the year, with assistance from Joe Pavelski and Justin Braun. Brenden Morrow evened it for the Stars late in the first period, with his tenth of the year, assisted by Loui Eriksson and Stephane Robidas on the power play. Eriksson added his own power play goal in the second period, his 13th of the year, with Brad Richards and Robidas picking up the helpers. Torrey Mitchell tied it up again for San Jose, with his fourth of the year, courtesy of Dany Heatley and Kent Huskins. Setoguchi gave San Jose the lead back with his second of the night and fourth of the year, with Pavelski and Niclas Wallin assisting this goal. Tom Wandell gave Dallas a tie game again, scoring third of the year with help from Steve Ott. The 3-3 tie lasted until overtime, where Logan Couture potted his 15th of the year on the power play, giving the Sharks a 4-3 win over the Stars. Dan Boyle had the lone assist on the winner. Setoguchi got the first star with two goals, followed by Loui Eriksson, who had one goal and one assist in his team's loss, and lastly, Pavelski, who had two assists.
Heading into Canada again, where the Calgary Flames hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. Miikka Kiprusoff tended the Flames twine, while Jean-Sebastien Giguere proceeded with goaltending duties for the Maple Leafs. Nikolai Kulemin got Toronto up first, with his tenth of the year, receiving help from Clarke MacArthur and Francois Beauchemin. Calgary evened it with the fourth goal of the year for Mikael Backlund, assisted by Brendan Morrison. Alex Tanguay gave the Flames a lead in the second period with his ninth of the year, assisted by Matt Stajan and Jarome Iginla. Extending the lead even farther was Olli Jokinen, whose power play goal from Anton Babchuk and Niklas Hagman made it 3-1. It was Jokinen's fifth of the season, coming thirty-three seconds after Tanguay's goal, and following it twenty-four seconds later was Rene Bourque's 13th of the year, with Jokinen picking up the assist. Bourque's goal was enough for Toronto to replace Giguere with Jonas Gustavsson. Hagman made it 5-1 Calgary with his eighth of the year in the third period, a power play goal assisted by Jokinen and Babchuk. Mikhail Grabovski tried to rally the Maple Leafs back with his tenth of the year from Kris Versteeg, but it was too late. The Flames downed the Maple Leafs 5-2. Jokinen got the first star with a goal and two assists, followed by Hagman, who had a goal and an assist, and Tanguay, who had one goal.
Lastly, we stay in Alberta, where the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets. Nikolai Khabibulin was again in net for the Oilers, while Steve Mason got another start for the Blue Jackets. Linus Omark struck early for Edmonton, scoring his first NHL goal, obviously his first of the season, from Ryan Whitney. Kristian Huselius answered later in the first period with his fourth of the year and first since returning from injury, assisted by Rostislav Klesla and R.J. Umberger. Jordan Eberle gave the Oilers the lead again, scoring his eighth of the season, from Taylor Hall and Sam Gagner. Huselius answered again for the Blue Jackets, tying it at 2 with his second of the night and fifth of the season, assisted this time by Umberger and Rick Nash on the power play. Edmonton took a 3-2 lead with Dustin Penner's power play goal, his tenth of the year comnig from Omark and Magnus Paajarvi. Eberle extended the lead in the second period with his second of the night and ninth of the season, thanks to contributions from Whitney and Hall. Paajarvi extended the lead farther with his fourth of the year, assisted by Ryan O'Marra and Omark. Sam Gagner made it 6-2 with his ninth of the year, assisted by Hall. Huselius completed his hat trick late in the third period, his sixth of the year, coming from Antoine Vertmette. Edmonton would hold on to defeat Columbus 6-3. Omark's goal and two assists earned him the first star, and Eberle's two goals were good for the second star, followed by third star Hall, who had a three-assist sock trick. Honorable mentions go to Paajarvi, who had a goal, an assist, and a generally awesome name, and Huselius, for his hat trick in the return from his injury.
That's all there is for now, check back tomorrow for a recap of Friday's four games.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday Night Football week 15
Sorry for being a bit late on this one. The San Diego Chargers hosted the San Francisco 49ers in the prime time game. Philip Rivers and the Chargers struck first with a pass to Vincent Jackson, good for 58 yards and the touchdown. Nate Kaeding kicked the extra point. Kaeding made it 10-0 in the second quarter with his 25 yard field goal kick, and added the extra point when Rivers found Jackson again in the end zone, this time for 11 yards. San Diego led San Francisco 17-0 at halftime. Mike Tolbert kept them going with his 1 yard touchdown run in the third quarter, followed by a Kaeding extra point. In the fourth quarter, Rivers found Jackson one more time, going 21 yards for the touchdown pass. Kaeding supplied the extra point and another field goal, from 39 yards to make it 34-0. The 49ers woke up far too late, but avoided being shut out with Brian Westbrook's 3 yard touchdown run, followed by Jeff Reed's extra point to leave the final at 34-7. The Chargers improved to 8-6, and the 49ers dropped to 5-9.
Again, sorry for the delay. I will have hockey recaps for Thursday out later today.
Again, sorry for the delay. I will have hockey recaps for Thursday out later today.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Early Wednesday NHL recap
With a total of eleven games on tonight and not enough time for me to recap them all tomorrow along with a football game, I'll take care of some of them now. All games will be recapped in this post, pending any technical difficulties, with the final game of the night being added on tomorrow morning. With that said, we start in...
Washington D.C., where the Capitals hosted the Anaheim Ducks. Semyon Varlamov played in net for the hosts, while Jonas Hiller tended the twine for the Ducks. Brooks Laich drew first blood for Washington, scoring his eighth of the season, assisted by John Carlson and Nicklas Backstrom. Anaheim answered in the second period with a power play goal from Joffery Lupul, his second of the year, assisted by Cam Fowler and Lubomir Visnovsky. Going scoreless through the third period, Ryan Getzlaf's eleventh of the year won it in overtime for the Ducks, 2-1. Assists were credited to Corey Perry and Toni Lydman. Jonas Hiller earned the first star with his 31 for 32 save outing, followed by overtime hero Getzlaf, and Brooks Laich, both of those two having a goal.
Staying with the east hosts west theme, we have the New Jersey Devils welcoming the Phoenix Coyotes. Martin Brodeur started for the Devils, while Ilya Bryzgalov was in between the pipes for Phoenix. That-Other-Ilya, Kovalchuk, scored first, giving New Jersey a 1-0 lead with his sixth of the year. Dainius Zubrus picked up the assist. Mark Fayne also scored for New Jersey in the first period, recording his first of the season, with the help coming from Patrik Elias and Travis Zajac. After leaving the second period scoreless, the Devils made it 3-0 with Kovalchuk's second of the night and seventh of the year, with Zajac and Elias both picking up assists on the power play goal. This held on to be the final, with Martin Brodeur getting the first star for his 29 save shutout. Kovalchuk's two goals were the second star, followed by Fayne's goal at the third star slot.
Onward to Pittsburgh, where the Penguins hosted the New York Rangers. Brent Johnson got the start for Pittsburgh, while Henrik Lundqvist was in the paint for the Rangers. Evgeni Malkin struck late in the first period with his eleventh of the season, from Sidney Crosby and Brooks Orpik to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. After going scoreless in the second period, the Rangers woke up in the third period, with the sixth of the year for Erik Christensen, a power play goal from Marian Gaborik. Fifteen seconds later, Alexander Frolov had his sixth of the year past Brent Johnson, assisted by Brian Boyle and Dan Girardi. Artem Anisimov made it 3-1 with his ninth of the year, helped by Michal Rozsival and Michael Del Zotto. Boyle tacked on his 12th of the season to give us the final of 4-1, with the helpers on his goal coming from Frolov and Marc Staal. Frolov and Boyle earned the first and second stars, respectively, for a goal and an assist each, followed by Henrik Lundqvist, who was 27 for 28 in saves. Sean Avery of the Rangers and Aaron Asham of the Penguins also had a dance in the early third period.
Traveling to Buffalo, where the Sabres hosted the Boston Bruins. Ryan Miller was in net for the Sabres, and Tuukka Rask was given netminding duties for Boston. David Krejci got the Bruins up first with his fifth of the year, assisted by Dennis Seidenberg. Drew Stafford answered for Buffalo with his sixth of the season, a power play goal from Derek Roy and Tyler Myers. Both teams went dry in the second period before Boston retook the lead in the third, with Michael Ryder's ninth of the year, a power play goal assisted by Steve Kampfer. Stafford added his seventh and eighth of the year to complete his hat trick, with Derek Roy picking up assists on both, and Jason Pominville nabbing the second assist on the latter power play tally. The 3-2 score held up for Buffalo, defeating the Bruins. Stafford took the first star with his hat trick, complemented perfectly by Roy's second star sock trick. Tyler Ennis managed to receive the third star for unknown reasons.
Continuing along into Florida, where the Panthers hosted the Carolina Hurricanes in a Southeast division match. Tomas Vokoun started for the Cats, while Cam Ward got the nod for Carolina. Evgeny Dadonov struck early, with his first of the year just twenty-nine seconds into the game. Marty Reasoner and Shawn Matthias picked up the assists. Michael Frolik extended the Florida lead to 2-0, chasing Cam Ward with his seventh of the year, courtesy of Chris Higgins and Stephen Weiss. Justin Peters came on in relief. Bryan McCabe followed not too long after with his third of the year, a power play goal from Dennis Wideman and Mike Santorelli. Erik Cole got Carolina on the board in the second period, with his sixth of the year, assisted by Jeff Skinner and Eric Staal. Jamie McBain made it closer in the third period, with his first of the season thanks to Joni Pitkanen and Sergei Samsonov. The Hurricanes took the lead with two goals from Tuomo Ruutu, his sixth and seventh of the season. The first was a power play goal assisted by Skinner and Samsonov, and the second was unassisted and at even strength. Carolina would hold on for the 4-3 victory. Ruutu was the first star with two goals, followed by Skinner, who had two assists. Relief goaltender Justin Peters was the third star, going 21 for 22 in saves.
Into Quebec, where the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Carey Price guarded the Habs net, while Sergei Bobrovsky returned to the crease for Philadelphia. Jeff Carter allowed the Flyers to strike first, registering his 13th of the year, assisted by Matt Carle. James van Riemsdyk extended the lead to 2-0 in the second period, with his sixth of the year coming from Carter and Andrej Meszaros. P.K. Subban got Montreal on the board late in the second period, with his second of the year coming off of Scott Gomez and Michael Cammalleri on the power play. Nikolay Zherdev gave the Flyers a 3-1 lead with his eleventh of the season, assisted by Sean O'Donnell. Restarting the Montreal rally was Tomas Plekanec, potting his tenth of the year with help from Benoit Pouliot and Cammalleri. Brian Gionta tied it at 3 with his tenth of the year, from Gomez and Subban. Van Riemsdyk retook the lead for Philadelphia, scoring his second of the night and seventh of the year, a power play goal courtesy of Zherdev and Carter. Claude Giroux ended the scoring with his 16th of the season, from Mike Richards, and the Flyers would cruise to a 5-3 victory over the Canadiens. Sergei Bobrovsky was the first star, turning away 38 of 41 shots fired at him, while Gionta followed at second star with a goal and Subban at the third star with a goal and an assist. Gionta and Subban were both part of the losing Montreal team, despite getting those stars.
Heading back stateside, where the Detroit Red Wings hosted bitter Central division rivals in the St. Louis Blues. Jimmy Howard got the start for the Red Wings, while Jaroslav Halak was sent out to guard the visiting cage. Nicklas Lidstrom broke the silence in the second period, giving Detroit a 1-0 lead with his fifth of the year. Assists go to Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Carlo Colaiacovo answered with his fourth of the year, with Dave Scatchard and Eric Brewer picking up the assists. Niklas Kronwall gave the Red Wings the lead back with his seventh of the season, from Danny Cleary and Darren Helm. Cleary later added his own goal in the late second period, his 14th of the year coming on the power play from Lidstrom and Zetterberg. Lidstrom made it 4-1 with his second of the night and sixth of the year, assisted by Zetterberg and Brian Rafalski on the power play. Brad Winchester answered to make it 4-2 with his own power play goal, his third mark of the season assisted by Alex Steen and Patrik Berglund. Lidstrom completed the hat trick into an empty net, good for his seventh of the year, from Cleary and Zetterberg. Detroit went on to beat St. Louis 5-2. Lidstrom had the first star with his hat trick and bonus assist, followed by Cleary, who had a goal and two assists, and Zetterberg, who had a four-pack of helpers.
Going back into Florida, where the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted their Southeast division rivals from Atlanta, the Thrashers. Mike Smith got the nod for the Lightning, while Ondrej Pavelec was in between the pipes for the Thrashers. Atlanta struck first with Rich Peverley's eighth of the year, a shorthanded goal helped along by Ron Hainsey. Sean Bergenheim answered for Tampa Bay in the second period, his sixth of the year assisted by Randy Jones and Pavel Kubina. The third period and overtime preserved the 1-1 tie, and it was the Lightning's Victor Hedman who broke it with the only goal in the shootout. Bergenheim did receive the first star for his goal, while Dustin Byfuglien was obviously amazing enough to earn the second star (what's in a name, anyway?), and Mike Smith's 27 for 28 save outing was nice enough to be the third star.
Getting into Tennessee, where the Nashville Predators hosted the still-traveling San Jose Sharks. Anders Lindback made another appearance for Nashville, while Antti Niemi was given goaltending duties for San Jose, who scored first, with a goal by Niclas Wallin, his third of the year coming via Benn Ferriero and Justin Braun. The Predators answered in the second period with Jordin Tootoo's fourth of the year, an unassisted goal by the fluffy-skirted man. Dany Heatley gave the Sharks the lead back with his 14th of the season, assisted by Joe Thornton on the power play. With time running down in the third period, under five minutes left, Sergei Kostitsyn tied it with his fifth of the year, courtesy of Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. Nashville took the lead less than a minute later with a Colin Wilson goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Steve Sullivan and Marcel Goc. The Predators would hold on for the 3-2 victory over San Jose. Wilson was the first star, with a game winning goal, followed by Anders Lindback, who was 25 for 27 in saves, and lastly, Kostitsyn, whose goal gave him the third star.
Heading into Chicago, to the tune of Chelsea Dagger at the United Center, the site of the Blackhawks hosting their last opponent, the Colorado Avalanche. The two teams met at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Monday, and the rematch came Wednesday. Craig Anderson started for the visiting Avalanche, while Corey Crawford got the honors for the Blackhawks. Greg Mauldin opened the scoring for Colorado, netting his fifth of the year thanks to Daniel Winnik and the ageless Adam Foote. Chicago answered early in the second period with a Bryan Bickell goal, his eighth on the campaign, from Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith. Colorado took a 3-1 lead with two power play goals fairly close together from Tomas Fleischmann, his seventh and eighth goals of the year. Picking up assists on the first one were Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene, who also assisted on the second one alongside Kevin Shattenkirk. Jonathan Toews tried to get Chicago back into it with his 14th of the year, assisted by Jassen Cullimore and Tomas Kopecky, but Fleischmann completed the hat trick with his ninth of the year, getting help from David Jones and Ryan O'Byrne. Troy Brouwer sent one last message to the Avalanche with his ninth of the year to make it 4-3, with assists coming from Bickell and Brian Campbell. Fleischmann was the first star with his hat trick, followed by Craig Anderson, who was 35 for 38 in saves. Bryan Bickell's goal and assist in the losing effort was third star worthy.
Lastly, we join the Vancouver Canucks hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets in progress. Roberto Luongo is in net for the Canucks, while Mathieu Garon earned another start for the Blue Jackets. In the first period, Ryan Kesler scored late, his 13th of the season, assisted by Alexander Edler, to give Vancouver a 1-0 lead. Derick Brassard answered with his seventh of the season in the second period, assisted by Jakub Voracek and Marc Methot. Kesler added his second of the night and 14th of the year shortly after, from Mikael Samuelsson. Tom Sestito tied it in the third period with a power play goal for Columbus, from Mike Commodore and Fedor Tyutin. It was his first score of the year. The 2-2 tie held up into overtime until Kesler completed his hat trick with his 15th of the season, assisted by the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, on the power play, and the Canucks won 3-2 over the Blue Jackets. Kesler earned the first star for his trick, followed by Tyutin, who had one assist for the losing Columbus team, and Alexander Edler had the third star with his assist.
There are eight games being played Thursday and recapped Friday. Also, keep posted for the Thursday Night Football post tonight.
Washington D.C., where the Capitals hosted the Anaheim Ducks. Semyon Varlamov played in net for the hosts, while Jonas Hiller tended the twine for the Ducks. Brooks Laich drew first blood for Washington, scoring his eighth of the season, assisted by John Carlson and Nicklas Backstrom. Anaheim answered in the second period with a power play goal from Joffery Lupul, his second of the year, assisted by Cam Fowler and Lubomir Visnovsky. Going scoreless through the third period, Ryan Getzlaf's eleventh of the year won it in overtime for the Ducks, 2-1. Assists were credited to Corey Perry and Toni Lydman. Jonas Hiller earned the first star with his 31 for 32 save outing, followed by overtime hero Getzlaf, and Brooks Laich, both of those two having a goal.
Staying with the east hosts west theme, we have the New Jersey Devils welcoming the Phoenix Coyotes. Martin Brodeur started for the Devils, while Ilya Bryzgalov was in between the pipes for Phoenix. That-Other-Ilya, Kovalchuk, scored first, giving New Jersey a 1-0 lead with his sixth of the year. Dainius Zubrus picked up the assist. Mark Fayne also scored for New Jersey in the first period, recording his first of the season, with the help coming from Patrik Elias and Travis Zajac. After leaving the second period scoreless, the Devils made it 3-0 with Kovalchuk's second of the night and seventh of the year, with Zajac and Elias both picking up assists on the power play goal. This held on to be the final, with Martin Brodeur getting the first star for his 29 save shutout. Kovalchuk's two goals were the second star, followed by Fayne's goal at the third star slot.
Onward to Pittsburgh, where the Penguins hosted the New York Rangers. Brent Johnson got the start for Pittsburgh, while Henrik Lundqvist was in the paint for the Rangers. Evgeni Malkin struck late in the first period with his eleventh of the season, from Sidney Crosby and Brooks Orpik to give the Penguins a 1-0 lead. After going scoreless in the second period, the Rangers woke up in the third period, with the sixth of the year for Erik Christensen, a power play goal from Marian Gaborik. Fifteen seconds later, Alexander Frolov had his sixth of the year past Brent Johnson, assisted by Brian Boyle and Dan Girardi. Artem Anisimov made it 3-1 with his ninth of the year, helped by Michal Rozsival and Michael Del Zotto. Boyle tacked on his 12th of the season to give us the final of 4-1, with the helpers on his goal coming from Frolov and Marc Staal. Frolov and Boyle earned the first and second stars, respectively, for a goal and an assist each, followed by Henrik Lundqvist, who was 27 for 28 in saves. Sean Avery of the Rangers and Aaron Asham of the Penguins also had a dance in the early third period.
Traveling to Buffalo, where the Sabres hosted the Boston Bruins. Ryan Miller was in net for the Sabres, and Tuukka Rask was given netminding duties for Boston. David Krejci got the Bruins up first with his fifth of the year, assisted by Dennis Seidenberg. Drew Stafford answered for Buffalo with his sixth of the season, a power play goal from Derek Roy and Tyler Myers. Both teams went dry in the second period before Boston retook the lead in the third, with Michael Ryder's ninth of the year, a power play goal assisted by Steve Kampfer. Stafford added his seventh and eighth of the year to complete his hat trick, with Derek Roy picking up assists on both, and Jason Pominville nabbing the second assist on the latter power play tally. The 3-2 score held up for Buffalo, defeating the Bruins. Stafford took the first star with his hat trick, complemented perfectly by Roy's second star sock trick. Tyler Ennis managed to receive the third star for unknown reasons.
Continuing along into Florida, where the Panthers hosted the Carolina Hurricanes in a Southeast division match. Tomas Vokoun started for the Cats, while Cam Ward got the nod for Carolina. Evgeny Dadonov struck early, with his first of the year just twenty-nine seconds into the game. Marty Reasoner and Shawn Matthias picked up the assists. Michael Frolik extended the Florida lead to 2-0, chasing Cam Ward with his seventh of the year, courtesy of Chris Higgins and Stephen Weiss. Justin Peters came on in relief. Bryan McCabe followed not too long after with his third of the year, a power play goal from Dennis Wideman and Mike Santorelli. Erik Cole got Carolina on the board in the second period, with his sixth of the year, assisted by Jeff Skinner and Eric Staal. Jamie McBain made it closer in the third period, with his first of the season thanks to Joni Pitkanen and Sergei Samsonov. The Hurricanes took the lead with two goals from Tuomo Ruutu, his sixth and seventh of the season. The first was a power play goal assisted by Skinner and Samsonov, and the second was unassisted and at even strength. Carolina would hold on for the 4-3 victory. Ruutu was the first star with two goals, followed by Skinner, who had two assists. Relief goaltender Justin Peters was the third star, going 21 for 22 in saves.
Into Quebec, where the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Carey Price guarded the Habs net, while Sergei Bobrovsky returned to the crease for Philadelphia. Jeff Carter allowed the Flyers to strike first, registering his 13th of the year, assisted by Matt Carle. James van Riemsdyk extended the lead to 2-0 in the second period, with his sixth of the year coming from Carter and Andrej Meszaros. P.K. Subban got Montreal on the board late in the second period, with his second of the year coming off of Scott Gomez and Michael Cammalleri on the power play. Nikolay Zherdev gave the Flyers a 3-1 lead with his eleventh of the season, assisted by Sean O'Donnell. Restarting the Montreal rally was Tomas Plekanec, potting his tenth of the year with help from Benoit Pouliot and Cammalleri. Brian Gionta tied it at 3 with his tenth of the year, from Gomez and Subban. Van Riemsdyk retook the lead for Philadelphia, scoring his second of the night and seventh of the year, a power play goal courtesy of Zherdev and Carter. Claude Giroux ended the scoring with his 16th of the season, from Mike Richards, and the Flyers would cruise to a 5-3 victory over the Canadiens. Sergei Bobrovsky was the first star, turning away 38 of 41 shots fired at him, while Gionta followed at second star with a goal and Subban at the third star with a goal and an assist. Gionta and Subban were both part of the losing Montreal team, despite getting those stars.
Heading back stateside, where the Detroit Red Wings hosted bitter Central division rivals in the St. Louis Blues. Jimmy Howard got the start for the Red Wings, while Jaroslav Halak was sent out to guard the visiting cage. Nicklas Lidstrom broke the silence in the second period, giving Detroit a 1-0 lead with his fifth of the year. Assists go to Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Carlo Colaiacovo answered with his fourth of the year, with Dave Scatchard and Eric Brewer picking up the assists. Niklas Kronwall gave the Red Wings the lead back with his seventh of the season, from Danny Cleary and Darren Helm. Cleary later added his own goal in the late second period, his 14th of the year coming on the power play from Lidstrom and Zetterberg. Lidstrom made it 4-1 with his second of the night and sixth of the year, assisted by Zetterberg and Brian Rafalski on the power play. Brad Winchester answered to make it 4-2 with his own power play goal, his third mark of the season assisted by Alex Steen and Patrik Berglund. Lidstrom completed the hat trick into an empty net, good for his seventh of the year, from Cleary and Zetterberg. Detroit went on to beat St. Louis 5-2. Lidstrom had the first star with his hat trick and bonus assist, followed by Cleary, who had a goal and two assists, and Zetterberg, who had a four-pack of helpers.
Going back into Florida, where the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted their Southeast division rivals from Atlanta, the Thrashers. Mike Smith got the nod for the Lightning, while Ondrej Pavelec was in between the pipes for the Thrashers. Atlanta struck first with Rich Peverley's eighth of the year, a shorthanded goal helped along by Ron Hainsey. Sean Bergenheim answered for Tampa Bay in the second period, his sixth of the year assisted by Randy Jones and Pavel Kubina. The third period and overtime preserved the 1-1 tie, and it was the Lightning's Victor Hedman who broke it with the only goal in the shootout. Bergenheim did receive the first star for his goal, while Dustin Byfuglien was obviously amazing enough to earn the second star (what's in a name, anyway?), and Mike Smith's 27 for 28 save outing was nice enough to be the third star.
Getting into Tennessee, where the Nashville Predators hosted the still-traveling San Jose Sharks. Anders Lindback made another appearance for Nashville, while Antti Niemi was given goaltending duties for San Jose, who scored first, with a goal by Niclas Wallin, his third of the year coming via Benn Ferriero and Justin Braun. The Predators answered in the second period with Jordin Tootoo's fourth of the year, an unassisted goal by the fluffy-skirted man. Dany Heatley gave the Sharks the lead back with his 14th of the season, assisted by Joe Thornton on the power play. With time running down in the third period, under five minutes left, Sergei Kostitsyn tied it with his fifth of the year, courtesy of Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. Nashville took the lead less than a minute later with a Colin Wilson goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Steve Sullivan and Marcel Goc. The Predators would hold on for the 3-2 victory over San Jose. Wilson was the first star, with a game winning goal, followed by Anders Lindback, who was 25 for 27 in saves, and lastly, Kostitsyn, whose goal gave him the third star.
Heading into Chicago, to the tune of Chelsea Dagger at the United Center, the site of the Blackhawks hosting their last opponent, the Colorado Avalanche. The two teams met at the Pepsi Center in Denver on Monday, and the rematch came Wednesday. Craig Anderson started for the visiting Avalanche, while Corey Crawford got the honors for the Blackhawks. Greg Mauldin opened the scoring for Colorado, netting his fifth of the year thanks to Daniel Winnik and the ageless Adam Foote. Chicago answered early in the second period with a Bryan Bickell goal, his eighth on the campaign, from Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith. Colorado took a 3-1 lead with two power play goals fairly close together from Tomas Fleischmann, his seventh and eighth goals of the year. Picking up assists on the first one were Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene, who also assisted on the second one alongside Kevin Shattenkirk. Jonathan Toews tried to get Chicago back into it with his 14th of the year, assisted by Jassen Cullimore and Tomas Kopecky, but Fleischmann completed the hat trick with his ninth of the year, getting help from David Jones and Ryan O'Byrne. Troy Brouwer sent one last message to the Avalanche with his ninth of the year to make it 4-3, with assists coming from Bickell and Brian Campbell. Fleischmann was the first star with his hat trick, followed by Craig Anderson, who was 35 for 38 in saves. Bryan Bickell's goal and assist in the losing effort was third star worthy.
Lastly, we join the Vancouver Canucks hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets in progress. Roberto Luongo is in net for the Canucks, while Mathieu Garon earned another start for the Blue Jackets. In the first period, Ryan Kesler scored late, his 13th of the season, assisted by Alexander Edler, to give Vancouver a 1-0 lead. Derick Brassard answered with his seventh of the season in the second period, assisted by Jakub Voracek and Marc Methot. Kesler added his second of the night and 14th of the year shortly after, from Mikael Samuelsson. Tom Sestito tied it in the third period with a power play goal for Columbus, from Mike Commodore and Fedor Tyutin. It was his first score of the year. The 2-2 tie held up into overtime until Kesler completed his hat trick with his 15th of the season, assisted by the Sedin twins, Daniel and Henrik, on the power play, and the Canucks won 3-2 over the Blue Jackets. Kesler earned the first star for his trick, followed by Tyutin, who had one assist for the losing Columbus team, and Alexander Edler had the third star with his assist.
There are eight games being played Thursday and recapped Friday. Also, keep posted for the Thursday Night Football post tonight.
Fun Size NHL recap
Tuesday had a mere pair of games. They get revenge on Wednesday with eleven on the slate, but for yesterday, we started with...
A Pennsylvania battle between the hosting Philadelphia Flyers and the future TV stars from Pittsburgh, the Penguins. Brian Boucher got the start for the Flyers, while Marc-Andre Fleury took care of the Penguins net. Claude Giroux got Philadelphia on the scoresheet first with his 15th of the season, assisted by Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell. In the second period, Evgeni Malkin tied the game with a power play goal from Alex Goligoski and Sidney Crosby. The goal was Malkin's ninth of the year. Philadelphia answered with a Nikolay Zherdev goal, his tenth of the year helped by James van Riemsdyk and Sean O'Donnell. Malkin provided the answer again for Pittsburgh with his tenth of the year and second of the night, another power play goal, coming from Crosby and Kris Letang. The Flyers recorded their own power play goal, Hartnell's eighth score of the season, assisted by Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timmonen. This was the final, with the Flyers toppling the Penguins 3-2. Hartnell's goal and assist earned him the first star, followed by Malkin's two goals in a losing effort, and Pronger's assist.
We finish up Tuesday in Edmonton, with the Oilers hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nikolai Khabibulin got the nod for Edmonton, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere tended the Maple Leafs net. Dion Phaneuf opened with his first goal of the season against his former rivals, with the assists coming from Phil Kessel and Colby Armstrong. Jordan Eberle's seventh of the season evened it up for the Oilers, with the helpers from Sam Gagner and Ryan Whitney. Mikhail Grabovski gave Toronto the lead back with his ninth goal of the season, helped along by Clarke MacArthur and Brett Lebda. Kris Versteeg extended the lead to 3-1, potting his tenth of the year from Luke Schenn and Tim Brent. Kessel poured some more on with his power play goal in the third period, a power play marker from Versteeg and Tyler Bozak. The Maple Leafs ended ahead 4-1 over the Oilers. Kessel earned the first star, for a goal and an assist, followed by Jean-Sebastien Giguere's 23 for 24 saves, and lastly, the third star went to Edmonton's Taylor Hall for any reason not regarding his appearance (I kid the rookie). Also sharing a second period fight were Edmonton's Zack Stortini and Toronto's Colton Orr.
There may be a post containing some of the earlier Wednesday hockey action following this one, and if not, it'll all come out tomorrow when I can find a second to do it. Also, Thursday Night Football is on tomorrow night, and that post should be out tomorrow as well.
A Pennsylvania battle between the hosting Philadelphia Flyers and the future TV stars from Pittsburgh, the Penguins. Brian Boucher got the start for the Flyers, while Marc-Andre Fleury took care of the Penguins net. Claude Giroux got Philadelphia on the scoresheet first with his 15th of the season, assisted by Danny Briere and Scott Hartnell. In the second period, Evgeni Malkin tied the game with a power play goal from Alex Goligoski and Sidney Crosby. The goal was Malkin's ninth of the year. Philadelphia answered with a Nikolay Zherdev goal, his tenth of the year helped by James van Riemsdyk and Sean O'Donnell. Malkin provided the answer again for Pittsburgh with his tenth of the year and second of the night, another power play goal, coming from Crosby and Kris Letang. The Flyers recorded their own power play goal, Hartnell's eighth score of the season, assisted by Chris Pronger and Kimmo Timmonen. This was the final, with the Flyers toppling the Penguins 3-2. Hartnell's goal and assist earned him the first star, followed by Malkin's two goals in a losing effort, and Pronger's assist.
We finish up Tuesday in Edmonton, with the Oilers hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nikolai Khabibulin got the nod for Edmonton, and Jean-Sebastien Giguere tended the Maple Leafs net. Dion Phaneuf opened with his first goal of the season against his former rivals, with the assists coming from Phil Kessel and Colby Armstrong. Jordan Eberle's seventh of the season evened it up for the Oilers, with the helpers from Sam Gagner and Ryan Whitney. Mikhail Grabovski gave Toronto the lead back with his ninth goal of the season, helped along by Clarke MacArthur and Brett Lebda. Kris Versteeg extended the lead to 3-1, potting his tenth of the year from Luke Schenn and Tim Brent. Kessel poured some more on with his power play goal in the third period, a power play marker from Versteeg and Tyler Bozak. The Maple Leafs ended ahead 4-1 over the Oilers. Kessel earned the first star, for a goal and an assist, followed by Jean-Sebastien Giguere's 23 for 24 saves, and lastly, the third star went to Edmonton's Taylor Hall for any reason not regarding his appearance (I kid the rookie). Also sharing a second period fight were Edmonton's Zack Stortini and Toronto's Colton Orr.
There may be a post containing some of the earlier Wednesday hockey action following this one, and if not, it'll all come out tomorrow when I can find a second to do it. Also, Thursday Night Football is on tomorrow night, and that post should be out tomorrow as well.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Monday NHL recap
There were a total of six games this past Monday, most of which being overly high scoring, so this should be a rather lengthy post. In baseball news, Cliff Lee signed a surprising deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, making them quite the potent team, considering their top four starting pitchers. Back to hockey, as we start with a game at...
The Joe Louis Arena, where the Detroit Red Wings hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Jimmy Howard got the start for the Red Wings, while Jonathan Quick was sent to guard the Kings cage. Los Angeles broke the scoring open with Wayne Simmonds, who tallied his fifth of the season in the first period, assisted by Matt Greene and Alexei Ponikarovsky. Oscar Moller extended this lead in the second period, with his first of the year helped along by Kyle Clifford and Drew Doughty. Anze Kopitar made it 4-0 with two rather quick goals in the early third period, his 12th and 13th of the season, with Dustin Brown and Justin Williams assisting the first, and Doughty picking up the helper for the second. Jack Johnson made it 5-0 with his second of the year, a power play goal from Doughty and Brown, and this ended up being the final. Jonathan Quick was the first star with a fabulous 51(!) save shutout, followed by Doughty, who recorded the infamous sock trick, and Jack Johnson got the third star for his goal.
Moving north of the border for the Ottawa Senators, who welcomed the visiting Atlanta Thrashers to Scotiabank Place. Ondrej Pavelec got the duties for the Thrashers, while Brian Elliott tended the Senators twine. Jim Slater struck first, giving Atlanta a 1-0 lead with his fifth of the year, helped by Eric Boulton and Chris Thorburn. Bryan Little extended the lead with his eighth of the season, made possible by Thorburn and Dustin Byfuglien. Over a period later, Byfuglien added his own, the eleventh on the campaign for him, from Rich Peverley and Nik Antropov. Daniel Alfredsson and Ottawa answered under a minute later, with his ninth of the year going unassisted. Chris Neil cut the Thrasher lead farther with his second of the year, assisted by Jarkko Ruutu and Chris Kelly in the third period. Jason Spezza then evened the game on a penalty shot, good for his eighth goal of the season. This was made possible by Zach Bogosian's holding penalty. The 3-3 tie lasted into overtime, where Bryan Little potted his second of the night and ninth of the season, which went unassisted and gave Atlanta a 4-3 win over the Senators. Little earned the first star for his two big goals, followed by Byfuglien, who had a goal and an assist. Nick Foligno earned the third star in his team's losing effort for reasons escaping my knowledge.
Traveling back stateside, into Nashville where the Predators hosted the lowly New York Islanders. Anders Lindback was taking care of the net for the Predators, while Dwayne Roloson was the poor sap dealt with guarding the Islanders net. Sergei Kostitsyn opened the scoring for Nashville, with his fourth of the year being a power play goal, courtesy of Cody Franson and Martin Erat. Patric Hornqvist extended the Nashville lead with his seventh of the season, from Shane O'Brien. Jerred Smithson added on with his third of the season, helped along by Kostitsyn and Ryan Suter. Hornqvist added another goal in the third period, his second of the night and eighth of the year, assisted by Franson. Topping it off was Nick Spaling, scoring his first of the year on the power play, via Shea Weber and Steve Sullivan. The Predators finished up 5-0 over New York, with Anders Lindback's 28 save shutout being first star worthy, followed by Hornqvist's two goals, and Kostitsyn's goal and assist.
Going into the Rocky Mountains, where the Colorado Avalanche hosted the Chicago Blackhawks. Craig Anderson received the starting honors for Colorado, while Marty Turco got the netminding job for Chicago. Brandon Yip started things off quickly for the Avalanche, scoring his seventh of the season, assisted by Kevin Porter and Paul Stastny. Troy Brouwer answered with his own seventh of the season, this one coming on the power play with Tomas Kopecky and Jonathan Toews picking up the helpers. Stastny retook the lead for Colorado with his 13th of the season, helped by Yip. The Blackhawks responded again, after some time, with a Jack Skille goal, his fourth of the year being assisted by Toews and Viktor Stalberg. Colorado once again retook the lead, only twenty-three seconds later thanks to the third of the season by Cody McLeod, and assists from Philippe Dupuis and Ryan O'Reilly. Bryan Bickell re-tied it for the Blackhawks late in the first period, with his seventh of the year coming from Brouwer and Jake Dowell. Matt Duchene continued the call and respond pattern in the second period, scoring his tenth early, from Greg Mauldin, good enough to yank the Chicago starter Marty Turco out, who was replaced by Corey Crawford. Jeremy Morin took his time getting it tied at 4 for Chicago, scoring his second of the year late in the second period, unassisted. Brouwer produced the first Blackhawk lead in the game with his eighth of the year and second of the night, coming on the power play from Duncan "no teeth" Keith and Patrick Sharp. Tomas Fleischmann answered later with his sixth of the year from David Jones and Duchene, the latter of which added his second of the night and eleventh of the year a minute later, assisted by Fleischmann, giving the Avalanche a 6-5 lead. Ryan O'Reilly's third of the year put it away, with the empty net goal being helped by Fleischmann and Stastny. Duchene earned the first star with his two goals and one assist, followed by Brouwer, who had the same but in a loss, and lastly by Fleischmann, who had a goal and two assists. There was also one fight between Chicago's John Scott and Colorado's David Koci.
Getting out of the shooting gallery, and going to Calgary, where the Flames hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets. Miikka Kiprusoff was allowed to start for Calgary, while Steve Mason got the nod for the Blue Jackets. Jarome Iginla opened the scoring early with his 13th of the season, assisted by Mikael Backlund and Mark Giordano. Brendan Morrison chased the Columbus starter Mason with his fifth of the year, from Niklas Hagman and Anton Babchuk. Mathieu Garon came on in relief. Antoine Vermette got Columbus on the board late in the second period with his ninth of the year, a shorthanded goal from Andrew Murray and Mike Commodore. Rick Nash tied it in the third period with his 17th of the season, from Kris Russell and Vermette on the power play. The 2-2 tie held up until Iginla broke it with his second of the night and 14th of the year in overtime. Alex Tanguay and Cory Sarich picked up the helpers on the game winner. Iginla was given the first star for his two goals, followed by Nash, who had one goal in the loss, and Jay Bouwmeester got the third star for inconceivable reasons.
We stop in San Jose, where the Sharks hosted the Dallas Stars in a division rivalry. Andrew Raycroft tended the visiting net, and Antti Niemi was in between the San Jose pipes. Jamie Benn opened the scoring, putting the Stars on top first with his seventh of the year, assisted by Mike Rebeiro and Nicklas Grossman. Derek Joslin tied it with his first of the year for the Sharks, assisted by Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Ryane Clowe gave Sane Jose the lead with his ninth of the year, helped by Benn Ferriero and Jason Demers. Dallas re-tied it with a power play goal from Rebeiro, with helpers from Stephane Robidas and Steve Ott. After the third period and overtime remained tied at 2, Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski exchanged shootout barbs before Brad Richards won it for the Stars, 3-2. Andrew Raycroft was the first star, going 31 for 33 in saves, followed by opposing and losing netminder Antti Niemi, who went 29 for 31 in saves. Rebeiro was the third star with a goal and an assist.
That's all there was to it on Monday. Tuesday's games, all two of them, will be recapped tomorrow. Also, apologies to Ryane Clowe, whose name I've been spelling wrong all this time. I'll make sure I get all those unnecessary e's in there.
The Joe Louis Arena, where the Detroit Red Wings hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Jimmy Howard got the start for the Red Wings, while Jonathan Quick was sent to guard the Kings cage. Los Angeles broke the scoring open with Wayne Simmonds, who tallied his fifth of the season in the first period, assisted by Matt Greene and Alexei Ponikarovsky. Oscar Moller extended this lead in the second period, with his first of the year helped along by Kyle Clifford and Drew Doughty. Anze Kopitar made it 4-0 with two rather quick goals in the early third period, his 12th and 13th of the season, with Dustin Brown and Justin Williams assisting the first, and Doughty picking up the helper for the second. Jack Johnson made it 5-0 with his second of the year, a power play goal from Doughty and Brown, and this ended up being the final. Jonathan Quick was the first star with a fabulous 51(!) save shutout, followed by Doughty, who recorded the infamous sock trick, and Jack Johnson got the third star for his goal.
Moving north of the border for the Ottawa Senators, who welcomed the visiting Atlanta Thrashers to Scotiabank Place. Ondrej Pavelec got the duties for the Thrashers, while Brian Elliott tended the Senators twine. Jim Slater struck first, giving Atlanta a 1-0 lead with his fifth of the year, helped by Eric Boulton and Chris Thorburn. Bryan Little extended the lead with his eighth of the season, made possible by Thorburn and Dustin Byfuglien. Over a period later, Byfuglien added his own, the eleventh on the campaign for him, from Rich Peverley and Nik Antropov. Daniel Alfredsson and Ottawa answered under a minute later, with his ninth of the year going unassisted. Chris Neil cut the Thrasher lead farther with his second of the year, assisted by Jarkko Ruutu and Chris Kelly in the third period. Jason Spezza then evened the game on a penalty shot, good for his eighth goal of the season. This was made possible by Zach Bogosian's holding penalty. The 3-3 tie lasted into overtime, where Bryan Little potted his second of the night and ninth of the season, which went unassisted and gave Atlanta a 4-3 win over the Senators. Little earned the first star for his two big goals, followed by Byfuglien, who had a goal and an assist. Nick Foligno earned the third star in his team's losing effort for reasons escaping my knowledge.
Traveling back stateside, into Nashville where the Predators hosted the lowly New York Islanders. Anders Lindback was taking care of the net for the Predators, while Dwayne Roloson was the poor sap dealt with guarding the Islanders net. Sergei Kostitsyn opened the scoring for Nashville, with his fourth of the year being a power play goal, courtesy of Cody Franson and Martin Erat. Patric Hornqvist extended the Nashville lead with his seventh of the season, from Shane O'Brien. Jerred Smithson added on with his third of the season, helped along by Kostitsyn and Ryan Suter. Hornqvist added another goal in the third period, his second of the night and eighth of the year, assisted by Franson. Topping it off was Nick Spaling, scoring his first of the year on the power play, via Shea Weber and Steve Sullivan. The Predators finished up 5-0 over New York, with Anders Lindback's 28 save shutout being first star worthy, followed by Hornqvist's two goals, and Kostitsyn's goal and assist.
Going into the Rocky Mountains, where the Colorado Avalanche hosted the Chicago Blackhawks. Craig Anderson received the starting honors for Colorado, while Marty Turco got the netminding job for Chicago. Brandon Yip started things off quickly for the Avalanche, scoring his seventh of the season, assisted by Kevin Porter and Paul Stastny. Troy Brouwer answered with his own seventh of the season, this one coming on the power play with Tomas Kopecky and Jonathan Toews picking up the helpers. Stastny retook the lead for Colorado with his 13th of the season, helped by Yip. The Blackhawks responded again, after some time, with a Jack Skille goal, his fourth of the year being assisted by Toews and Viktor Stalberg. Colorado once again retook the lead, only twenty-three seconds later thanks to the third of the season by Cody McLeod, and assists from Philippe Dupuis and Ryan O'Reilly. Bryan Bickell re-tied it for the Blackhawks late in the first period, with his seventh of the year coming from Brouwer and Jake Dowell. Matt Duchene continued the call and respond pattern in the second period, scoring his tenth early, from Greg Mauldin, good enough to yank the Chicago starter Marty Turco out, who was replaced by Corey Crawford. Jeremy Morin took his time getting it tied at 4 for Chicago, scoring his second of the year late in the second period, unassisted. Brouwer produced the first Blackhawk lead in the game with his eighth of the year and second of the night, coming on the power play from Duncan "no teeth" Keith and Patrick Sharp. Tomas Fleischmann answered later with his sixth of the year from David Jones and Duchene, the latter of which added his second of the night and eleventh of the year a minute later, assisted by Fleischmann, giving the Avalanche a 6-5 lead. Ryan O'Reilly's third of the year put it away, with the empty net goal being helped by Fleischmann and Stastny. Duchene earned the first star with his two goals and one assist, followed by Brouwer, who had the same but in a loss, and lastly by Fleischmann, who had a goal and two assists. There was also one fight between Chicago's John Scott and Colorado's David Koci.
Getting out of the shooting gallery, and going to Calgary, where the Flames hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets. Miikka Kiprusoff was allowed to start for Calgary, while Steve Mason got the nod for the Blue Jackets. Jarome Iginla opened the scoring early with his 13th of the season, assisted by Mikael Backlund and Mark Giordano. Brendan Morrison chased the Columbus starter Mason with his fifth of the year, from Niklas Hagman and Anton Babchuk. Mathieu Garon came on in relief. Antoine Vermette got Columbus on the board late in the second period with his ninth of the year, a shorthanded goal from Andrew Murray and Mike Commodore. Rick Nash tied it in the third period with his 17th of the season, from Kris Russell and Vermette on the power play. The 2-2 tie held up until Iginla broke it with his second of the night and 14th of the year in overtime. Alex Tanguay and Cory Sarich picked up the helpers on the game winner. Iginla was given the first star for his two goals, followed by Nash, who had one goal in the loss, and Jay Bouwmeester got the third star for inconceivable reasons.
We stop in San Jose, where the Sharks hosted the Dallas Stars in a division rivalry. Andrew Raycroft tended the visiting net, and Antti Niemi was in between the San Jose pipes. Jamie Benn opened the scoring, putting the Stars on top first with his seventh of the year, assisted by Mike Rebeiro and Nicklas Grossman. Derek Joslin tied it with his first of the year for the Sharks, assisted by Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. Ryane Clowe gave Sane Jose the lead with his ninth of the year, helped by Benn Ferriero and Jason Demers. Dallas re-tied it with a power play goal from Rebeiro, with helpers from Stephane Robidas and Steve Ott. After the third period and overtime remained tied at 2, Jamie Benn and Joe Pavelski exchanged shootout barbs before Brad Richards won it for the Stars, 3-2. Andrew Raycroft was the first star, going 31 for 33 in saves, followed by opposing and losing netminder Antti Niemi, who went 29 for 31 in saves. Rebeiro was the third star with a goal and an assist.
That's all there was to it on Monday. Tuesday's games, all two of them, will be recapped tomorrow. Also, apologies to Ryane Clowe, whose name I've been spelling wrong all this time. I'll make sure I get all those unnecessary e's in there.
Fantasy Football All-Stars, week 14
This week had some blowouts, some close ones, and possibly foreshadowing of the playoffs soon upon us all. Here's the best players to own this week.
Quarterback: Matt Schaub and Michael Vick
Running Back: Darren McFadden and Michael Turner
Wide Receiver: DeSean Jackson and Andre Johnson
Tight End: Jason Witten and Bo Scaife
Kicker: Jay Feely and Jeff Reed
That's all for this weeks all-stars. Good luck to any and every person in the playoffs, unless you happen to play me, in which case, game on!
Quarterback: Matt Schaub and Michael Vick
Running Back: Darren McFadden and Michael Turner
Wide Receiver: DeSean Jackson and Andre Johnson
Tight End: Jason Witten and Bo Scaife
Kicker: Jay Feely and Jeff Reed
That's all for this weeks all-stars. Good luck to any and every person in the playoffs, unless you happen to play me, in which case, game on!
Monday, December 13, 2010
Monday Night Football 2-pack!
As the title would imply, we have two Monday Night games for your reading enjoyment. First off was the two-road team game, with the Minnesota Vikings "hosting" the New York Giants at Ford Field in Detroit. Ryan Longwell started the scoring for the Vikings with a 21 yard field goal. Brandon Jacobs answered in the second quarter with a 1 yard run for a touchdown, followed by a Lawrence Tynes extra point. Eli Manning found Kevin Boss for 6 yards late in the second quarter, good for a touchdown with Tynes supplying the extra point, making it 14-3 at halftime. Ahmad Bradshaw extended the lead to 21-3 with his 48 yard touchdown run, and Tynes added the extra point. This score would hold up to be the final, with New York improving to 9-4, also dropping Minnesota to 5-8.
The second game was in Houston, featuring the host Texans and the visiting Baltimore Ravens. Willis McGahee got Baltimore going first, with a 1 yard touchdown run, followed by Billy Cundiff's extra point. Joe Flacco connected on two touchdown passes to Derrick Mason in the second quarter, from 9 and 26 yards, and after Cundiff added both extra points, the Ravens had a 21-0 lead. Houston entered the scoring scene with a Matt Schaub touchdown to Andre Johnson, for 46 yards. Neil Rackers supplied the extra point. Baltimore was receiving at the start of the second half, and return man David Reed did his job, taking it back 103 yards to the end zone, with Cundiff adding the extra point for that touchdown. Rackers then supplied two field goals to make it 28-13, from 24 and 42 yards. Schaub kept the Texans scoring with a 7 yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones, and with Rackers' extra point, it was 28-20. Schaub found Johnson again later in the fourth quarter, for a touchdown of 5 yards, before he threw to Jacoby Jones on the two point conversion, to tie it up at 28, sending it to overtime. Josh Wilson gave Baltimore the 34-28 win with his 12 yard interception of Schaub, which improved the Ravens to 9-4, and dropped the Texans down to 5-8.
That's all we've got here. Check out Fantasy Football All-Stars week 14 tomorrow, along with a hockey recap. Honorable mention to Brett Favre's ironman streak of 297 straight games, and may that streak rest in peace.
The second game was in Houston, featuring the host Texans and the visiting Baltimore Ravens. Willis McGahee got Baltimore going first, with a 1 yard touchdown run, followed by Billy Cundiff's extra point. Joe Flacco connected on two touchdown passes to Derrick Mason in the second quarter, from 9 and 26 yards, and after Cundiff added both extra points, the Ravens had a 21-0 lead. Houston entered the scoring scene with a Matt Schaub touchdown to Andre Johnson, for 46 yards. Neil Rackers supplied the extra point. Baltimore was receiving at the start of the second half, and return man David Reed did his job, taking it back 103 yards to the end zone, with Cundiff adding the extra point for that touchdown. Rackers then supplied two field goals to make it 28-13, from 24 and 42 yards. Schaub kept the Texans scoring with a 7 yard touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones, and with Rackers' extra point, it was 28-20. Schaub found Johnson again later in the fourth quarter, for a touchdown of 5 yards, before he threw to Jacoby Jones on the two point conversion, to tie it up at 28, sending it to overtime. Josh Wilson gave Baltimore the 34-28 win with his 12 yard interception of Schaub, which improved the Ravens to 9-4, and dropped the Texans down to 5-8.
That's all we've got here. Check out Fantasy Football All-Stars week 14 tomorrow, along with a hockey recap. Honorable mention to Brett Favre's ironman streak of 297 straight games, and may that streak rest in peace.
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