Pulling out another blog of hockey semi-live. There are seven games today, highlighted by the Winter Classic (see the fifth game paragraph). It starts off in...
Carolina, where the Hurricanes host the New Jersey Devils. Martin Brodeur and Cam Ward started in net for the game. Carolina opened the scoring with Tuomo Ruutu's ninth of the year, assisted by by Joe Corvo on the power play. Jeff Skinner made it 2-0 for the Hurricanes with his tenth of the season, with help from Tim Gleason and Chad LaRose. Extending the lead farther was Sergei Samsonov potting his seventh of the year, from Corvo and Jamie McBain on the power play, chasing away New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur in favor of Johan Hedberg. Zac Dalpe made it 4-0 for the 'Canes with his first of the season, assisted by Ruutu and McBain. Rod Pelley got the Devils on the board finally with his second of the campaign, assisted by Matthew Corrente and Anssi Salmela. New Jersey made it 4-2 with Travis Zajac striking early in the second period, with help from Patrik Elias and Anton Volchenkov. Samsonov answered with his eighth of the year and second of the night, helped along by Ruutu and Eric Staal on the power play. The Devils cut the lead to two goals again at 5-3 with Elias netting his eighth of the season, from Corrente. Skinner answered with his second of the night and eleventh of the campaign, with help from LaRose and Ruutu, the latter finishing up a sock trick. The 6-3 score favoring Carolina over New Jersey was the final, with Ruutu, Samsonov, and Skinner grabbing the three stars.
Heading north for an All-Canada match, with the Ottawa Senators hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Brian Elliott played in goal. Toronto opened the scoring with Clarke MacArthur scoring his tenth of the year, assisted by Tomas Kaberle. Tyler Bozak netted two in a row for the Maple Leafs, his sixth and seventh of the season, both from Joey Crabb and Phil Kessel. Brian Elliott was lifted for Mike Brodeur in the Ottawa goal. Matt Carkner tried to change the pace for Ottawa by dropping the gloves with Colton Orr while down 3-0. It did little good, as it became 4-0 in the second period with Darryl Boyce scoring his first of the year, assisted by Kris Versteeg and Colby Armstrong. Luke Schenn extended the lead farther with his second of the season, helped along by Kaberla and Nikolai Kulemin. The Senators finally got on the board with a power play goal from Sergei Gonchar, his fifth tally of the year made possible by Erik Karlsson and Daniel Alfredsson. Toronto held on through the scoreless third period to beat their rivals from Ottawa 5-1. Bozak, Crabb, and Schenn picked up the three stars.
Back into the states, with the Buffalo Sabres hosting the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Ryan Miller got the starting nods. The scoring started early on with Andrew Ference potting his second of the year for Boston, with Adam McQuaid and Marc Savard picking up the helpers. Thirty-seven seconds later, the game was tied after Jason Pominville sank his seventh of the season, from Thomas Vanek and Mike Weber. The Bruins retook the lead forty-three seconds after that with Dennis Seidenberg netting his second of the campaign, unassisted. They took a 3-1 lead with a goal by Brad Marchand, his sixth, with help from Johnny Boychuk and Mark Recchi. Cody McCormick and Adam McQuaid dropped the gloves mid-period to set a tone. It inspired Buffalo, specifically Vanek, who notched his 14th of the year, thanks to Tim Connolly and Pominville. Thirty second later, the Bruins had an answer in a shorthanded goal by Zdeno Chara, his fifth of the year coming from Patrice Bergeron and Recchi. Drew Stafford added two in a row, with his eleventh of the year in the first period going unassisted, enough to chase away Tuukka Rask in favor of Tim Thomas, and his 12th of the season coming in the second period thanks to Paul Gaustad. This tied the game at 4, and the Sabres took the lead on Pominville's second of the night and eighth of the year, assisted by Andrej Sekera and Jochen Hecht on the power play. Boston rookie Tyler Seguin tied the game at 5 with his early third period goal, the sixth for him this season, with help from Daniel Paille. Boston retook the lead with Steve Kampfer notching his second of the season, assisted by Seguin and Chara. Stafford completed his hat trick for Buffalo to send it to overtime with twenty-eight seconds left in regulation, his 13th of the year coming from Connolly and Pominville at an opportune time for the Sabres. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Stafford scored, was answered by Michael Ryder, followed up by Vanek netting a goal, answered again with Seguin scoring, and once more the Sabres took the lead with Tyler Ennis, and winning 7-6 on the miss by Chara. Picking up the three stars in the Sabres victory over the Bruins were Stafford, Pominville, and Seguin.
Next on the list, the Tampa Bay Lightning host the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Cedrick Desjardins were in the paint. Tampa Bay struck first with Dana Tyrell netting his fourth of the season, courtesy of Nate Thompson. It was 1-0 Lightning until late in the third period, with a timely goal by New York's Marian Gaborik, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Dan Girardi. The Rangers would fall in the ensuing overtime, however, as Thompson netted his sixth of the year for the Bolts, from Tyrell and Mike Lundin to win it 2-1. Earning the three stars were winning goalie Cedrick Desjardins (34 of 35 saves), losing goalie Henrik Lundqvist (31 of 33 saves), and Nate Thompson.
The Main Event of New Year's Day will go here, in full neon green color, as the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Washington Capitals on the Heinz Field rink outside at the home of the Steelers. Semyon Varlamov and Marc-Andre Fleury earned the starts in this prestigious game. The first period was uneventful, save for a John Erskine of Washington and Michael Rupp of Pittsburgh fight. The second period featured more of what we like to see, scoring, opened up by the Penguins' Evgeni Malkin, who scored his 14th of the year thanks to Kris Letang and the goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. Mike Knuble answered for the Capitals with his ninth of the season, a power play goal from Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green. Eric Fehr extended the Washington lead with his sixth of the season, helped along by Marcus Johansson. Fehr extended the lead with his seventh of the season, also his second of the night, from Jason Chimera and John Erskine, which led to the Capitals 3-1 win over the Penguins outdoors. Varlamov (32 for 33 saves), Fehr, and Malkin earned the three stars.
Heading out west for the Los Angeles Kings hosting the San Jose Sharks at Staples Center. Your goalies for this game are Antti Niemi and Jonathan Quick. After going nearly two periods scoreless, Devin Setoguchi got San Jose on the board with his seventh of the season, from Kent Huskins and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. This would prove to be the final, and the three stars went to winning goalie Antti Niemi (29 save shutout), Setoguchi, and losing goalie Jonathan Quick (18 of 19 saves).
Lastly, in the battle of Alberta, the Edmonton Oilers host the Calgary Flames. Miikka Kiprusoff and Nikolai Khabibulin are in between the pipes. Tim Jackman put Calgary up first, his fifth of the season being helped along by David Moss and Jay Bouwmeester. Edmonton evened the score with Ryan Jones' ninth of the year, assisted by Tom Gilbert and Dustin Penner. The Flames retook the lead on Mark Giordano's fourth of the season, with Alex Tanguay and Olli Jokinen getting the helpers. Calgary would hold onto the 2-1 win and defeat their vicious rivals at the enemy rink. Giordano, losing goalie Khabibulin (28 for 30 saves), and Bouwmeester were the three stars.
Busy day on Sunday, with all football being played today. That will be spread over three posts. I'll try to put out the hockey post as well. Also, last minute hockey news, as the New York Islanders have traded ageless Dwayne Roloson to the Tampa Bay Lightning for minor league defenseman Ty Wishart.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
New Year's Eve hockey
This post will sound a little different, as the scores should come in as they happen. There are nine games tonight, the last day of 2010. Someone getting a new address to start the new year is Maxim Lapierre, who was traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Anaheim Ducks for AHL defenseman Brett Festerling and a 2012 fifth round pick, obviously showing what the Canadiens thought of their resident pest. Meanwhile, with game action, we start off with...
The New Jersey Devils hosting the Atlanta Thrashers. Chris Mason and Johan Hedberg get the starts in a backup battle. Opening the scoring early for New Jersey was Mark Fayne, potting his second of the year thanks to Jason Arnott. Jamie Langenbrunner made it 2-0 for the Devils in the early second period, with Arnott picking up the helper again. Chris Thorburn of the Thrashers and Fayne of the Devils dropped the gloves in the second period. Dustin Byfuglien got Atlanta back into the game with his 15th of the season, from Alex Burmistrov and Anthony Stewart, but was answered by Ilya Kovalchuk netting his ninth of the year, unassisted. The Devils cruised to a 3-1 victory. Hedberg (28 for 29 saves), Langenbrunner, and Arnott earned the three stars.
Next up was the Montreal Canadiens continuing their travels to the Florida Panthers. In net were Alex Auld and Tomas Vokoun. The teams went scoreless through the first, and Florida came out strong in the second period. Stephen Weiss scored his eleventh of the year twenty-eight seconds in, assisted by Chris Higgins and Dennis Wideman. Following it up for the Panthers was Dmitry Kulikov potting his third of the season, from Mike Santorelli and David Booth. Montreal responded with James Wisniewski scoring his fourth of the year, and his first since coming over from the New York Islanders, with assists provided by Roman Hamrlik and Scott Gomez on the power play. The Canadiens converted another power play with a goal by Brian Gionta, his 13 marker of the season, assisted by Gomez and Wisniewski. Wisniewski ended things in overtime after the scoreless third period, notching his second of the night and fifth of the year with help from Michael Cammalleri and Tomas Plekanec, giving the Canadiens a 3-2 victory over Florida. Wisniewski, losing goalie Vokoun (45 for 48 saves), and Gomez earned the three stars honors.
Third on the list, the Minnesota Wild host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Niklas Backstrom started in front of the cages. Nashville struck first as Cody Franson netted his fifth of the year from Shane O'Brien and David Legwand. Patric Hornqvist extended the Predator lead with his ninth of the season, assisted by Shea Weber and J.P. Dumont. Minnesota got on the board late in the third period with a goal by Chuck Kobasew, his sixth of the year, from Martin Havlat and Matt Cullen. Joel Ward made it 3-1 Nashville with his empty net goal, unassisted as his fourth of the season. Sergei Kostitsyn topped it off with another empty netter, giving the Predators a 4-1 win over the Wild with his seventh of the year, from Legwand and Weber. Franson, Rinne (22 of 23 saves), and Mikko Koivu earned the three stars.
Heading to Hockeytown, where the Detroit Red Wings hosted the New York Islanders. Dwayne Roloson and Jimmy Howard tended the twine in the game. Johan Franzen opened the scoring with his 17th of the year, giving the Red Wings a 1-0 lead, with Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom earning the assists. Matt Moulson evened it up for the Islanders with his 12th of the season, assisted by Andrew MacDonald and John Tavares on the power play. Tavares later picked up his eleventh of the season, courtesy of Bruno Gervais and Zenon Konopka, with three seconds left in the first period. Jesse Joensuu made it 3-1 for New York with his third of the season, assisted by Milan Jurcina and Matt Martin. Valtteri Filppula cut the lead down for Detroit with his ninth of the campaign, with help from Darren Helm and Nicklas Lidstrom. In the third period, Tomas Tatar recorded his first of the season, with help from Helm and Rafalski to even the score at 3 for the Red Wings. The tie lasted into overtime, where P.A. Parenteau won it for the Islanders on his ninth of the year, a power play goal from Tavares and MacDonald. Roloson (38 of 41 saves), Tavares, and Helm picked up the three stars.
A little farther south, the Columbus Blue Jackets hosted the Ottawa Senators. Brian Elliott and Steve Mason got the starting nods. R.J. Umberger put Columbus up first, netting his 12th of the year, courtesy of Fedor Tyutin and Jakub Voracek. The Blue Jackets extended their lead with Samuel Pahlsson's third of the year, helped along by Chris Clark. Rick Nash extended the lead to 3-0 with his 18th of the season, thanks to Kristian Huselius and Antoine Vermette. Mike Fisher got Ottawa on the board with his eleventh of the season late in the second period, an unassisted goal. Nick Foligno cut the lead to 3-2 for the Senators with his fifth of the season, from Jesse Winchester and Chris Neil. Daniel Alfredsson tied it late in the third period with his 12th of the year, made possible by Milan Michalek and Alex Kovalev. The tie was broken in overtime by Voracek, who potted his seventh of the year, requiring no assistance. Voracek, Nash, and Umberger were the three stars.
Heading well out west, the Anaheim Ducks hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Jonas Hiller were in net for the game. Jason Blake opened the scoring for Anaheim with his seventh of the year, from Toni Lydman and goalie Jonas Hiller. Fighting in the first period was the Ducks' Kyle Chipchura and the Flyers' Dan Carcillo. Lubomir Visnovsky extended the Ducks lead to 2-0 with his sixth of the season in the second period, assisted by Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu. Blake added another goal, his eighth of the campaign and second of the game, with help from Joffery Lupul and Koivu on the power play. Philadelphia got on the board with Andreas Nodl's ninth of the season, from Matt Carle and Jeff Carter, who made it 3-2 for the Flyers with his unassisted 16th of the year. Bobby Ryan registered his 15th of the year for the Ducks to take the score to 4-2, with help from Lydman and Corey Perry. Visnovsky struck again with his second of the night and seventh of the season, helped along by Selanne and Brandon McMillan to make it 5-2 for Anaheim. This was the final, with Blake, Visnovsky, and Koivu earning three stars status.
Back east into Texas, where the Dallas Stars hosted the Vancouver Canucks. In goal were Cory Schneider and Kari Lethonen. Daniel Sedin drew first blood for Vancouver, potting his 20th of the year with help from Henrik Sedin and Christian Ehrhoff on the power play. Raffi Torres made it 2-0 for the Canucks with his eleventh of the season, from Jannik Hansen and Kevin Bieksa. Henrik Sedin extended the lead farther in the second period with his power play goal, the ninth tally for his season, from Alexander Edler and Daniel Sedin. Bieksa added his fourth of the year into the mix as well, another power play goal made possible by Dan Hamhuis and Manny Malhotra. This chased away Kari Lethonen in favor of Andrew Raycroft. Brenden Morrow got Dallas on the board by netting his 14th of the year, a power play goal assisted by Mike Ribeiro and Loui Eriksson. The Canucks cruised to a 4-1 victory over the Stars, with Cory Schneider (44 for 45 saves), Henrik Sedin, and Daniel Sedin grabbing the three stars.
Moving north a bit to St. Louis, where the Blues hosted the Phoenix Coyotes. Ilya Bryzgalov and Jaroslav Halak were in between the pipes for their respective teams. St. Louis struck first on the stick of Brad Boyes, who scored his ninth of the year in the first period, with help from Alex Steen and Barret Jackman. The Blues made it 2-0 with Erik Johnson's shorthanded goal, his third tally of the year, from David Backes and Jackman. Alex Pietrangelo extended the lead to 3-0 with his fifth of the year, courtesy of Carlo Colaiacovo and Patrik Berglund on the power play. Steen made it 4-0 for the Blues in the third period with his 12th of the year, unassisted. Shane Down finally got Phoenix on the board with his eighth of the season, made possible by Eric Belanger and Scottie Upshall. The Coyotes struck again with Lauri Korpikoski potting his ninth of the campaign, with help from Keith Yandle and Derek Morris. Doan made it a one goal game with his second of the night and ninth of the season, from Adrian Aucoin with twenty-one seconds left in the game. Phoenix could not get the equalizer, and fell 4-3 to St. Louis. Halak (30 for 33 saves), Steen, and Jackman were the three stars.
Lastly, the Calgary Flames hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Craig Anderson and Miikka Kiprusoff guarded the cages. The first period went by soundlessly, and the Calgary drew the first blood with Tom Kostopoulos notching his fourth of the year, thanks to Tim Jackman and Mark Giordano. Jarome Iginla made it 2-0 for the Flames with his 16th of the season, from Alex Tanguay and Olli Jokinen. Jackman netted his fourth of the year to make it 3-0, with Kostopoulos and Anton Babchuk picking up the helpers. Daniel Winnik got Colorado on the board in the third period with his sixth of the year, a shorthanded goal assisted on by Ryan O'Reilly. Tomas Fleischmann made it a one goal game for the Avalanche with his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Matt Duchene. Calgary hung on for the 3-2 victory over Colorado, with Jackman, Kostopoulos, and Winnik getting the three stars.
That's all the hockey we have for this year, we'll see you next year on the blog.
The New Jersey Devils hosting the Atlanta Thrashers. Chris Mason and Johan Hedberg get the starts in a backup battle. Opening the scoring early for New Jersey was Mark Fayne, potting his second of the year thanks to Jason Arnott. Jamie Langenbrunner made it 2-0 for the Devils in the early second period, with Arnott picking up the helper again. Chris Thorburn of the Thrashers and Fayne of the Devils dropped the gloves in the second period. Dustin Byfuglien got Atlanta back into the game with his 15th of the season, from Alex Burmistrov and Anthony Stewart, but was answered by Ilya Kovalchuk netting his ninth of the year, unassisted. The Devils cruised to a 3-1 victory. Hedberg (28 for 29 saves), Langenbrunner, and Arnott earned the three stars.
Next up was the Montreal Canadiens continuing their travels to the Florida Panthers. In net were Alex Auld and Tomas Vokoun. The teams went scoreless through the first, and Florida came out strong in the second period. Stephen Weiss scored his eleventh of the year twenty-eight seconds in, assisted by Chris Higgins and Dennis Wideman. Following it up for the Panthers was Dmitry Kulikov potting his third of the season, from Mike Santorelli and David Booth. Montreal responded with James Wisniewski scoring his fourth of the year, and his first since coming over from the New York Islanders, with assists provided by Roman Hamrlik and Scott Gomez on the power play. The Canadiens converted another power play with a goal by Brian Gionta, his 13 marker of the season, assisted by Gomez and Wisniewski. Wisniewski ended things in overtime after the scoreless third period, notching his second of the night and fifth of the year with help from Michael Cammalleri and Tomas Plekanec, giving the Canadiens a 3-2 victory over Florida. Wisniewski, losing goalie Vokoun (45 for 48 saves), and Gomez earned the three stars honors.
Third on the list, the Minnesota Wild host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Niklas Backstrom started in front of the cages. Nashville struck first as Cody Franson netted his fifth of the year from Shane O'Brien and David Legwand. Patric Hornqvist extended the Predator lead with his ninth of the season, assisted by Shea Weber and J.P. Dumont. Minnesota got on the board late in the third period with a goal by Chuck Kobasew, his sixth of the year, from Martin Havlat and Matt Cullen. Joel Ward made it 3-1 Nashville with his empty net goal, unassisted as his fourth of the season. Sergei Kostitsyn topped it off with another empty netter, giving the Predators a 4-1 win over the Wild with his seventh of the year, from Legwand and Weber. Franson, Rinne (22 of 23 saves), and Mikko Koivu earned the three stars.
Heading to Hockeytown, where the Detroit Red Wings hosted the New York Islanders. Dwayne Roloson and Jimmy Howard tended the twine in the game. Johan Franzen opened the scoring with his 17th of the year, giving the Red Wings a 1-0 lead, with Henrik Zetterberg and Tomas Holmstrom earning the assists. Matt Moulson evened it up for the Islanders with his 12th of the season, assisted by Andrew MacDonald and John Tavares on the power play. Tavares later picked up his eleventh of the season, courtesy of Bruno Gervais and Zenon Konopka, with three seconds left in the first period. Jesse Joensuu made it 3-1 for New York with his third of the season, assisted by Milan Jurcina and Matt Martin. Valtteri Filppula cut the lead down for Detroit with his ninth of the campaign, with help from Darren Helm and Nicklas Lidstrom. In the third period, Tomas Tatar recorded his first of the season, with help from Helm and Rafalski to even the score at 3 for the Red Wings. The tie lasted into overtime, where P.A. Parenteau won it for the Islanders on his ninth of the year, a power play goal from Tavares and MacDonald. Roloson (38 of 41 saves), Tavares, and Helm picked up the three stars.
A little farther south, the Columbus Blue Jackets hosted the Ottawa Senators. Brian Elliott and Steve Mason got the starting nods. R.J. Umberger put Columbus up first, netting his 12th of the year, courtesy of Fedor Tyutin and Jakub Voracek. The Blue Jackets extended their lead with Samuel Pahlsson's third of the year, helped along by Chris Clark. Rick Nash extended the lead to 3-0 with his 18th of the season, thanks to Kristian Huselius and Antoine Vermette. Mike Fisher got Ottawa on the board with his eleventh of the season late in the second period, an unassisted goal. Nick Foligno cut the lead to 3-2 for the Senators with his fifth of the season, from Jesse Winchester and Chris Neil. Daniel Alfredsson tied it late in the third period with his 12th of the year, made possible by Milan Michalek and Alex Kovalev. The tie was broken in overtime by Voracek, who potted his seventh of the year, requiring no assistance. Voracek, Nash, and Umberger were the three stars.
Heading well out west, the Anaheim Ducks hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Jonas Hiller were in net for the game. Jason Blake opened the scoring for Anaheim with his seventh of the year, from Toni Lydman and goalie Jonas Hiller. Fighting in the first period was the Ducks' Kyle Chipchura and the Flyers' Dan Carcillo. Lubomir Visnovsky extended the Ducks lead to 2-0 with his sixth of the season in the second period, assisted by Teemu Selanne and Saku Koivu. Blake added another goal, his eighth of the campaign and second of the game, with help from Joffery Lupul and Koivu on the power play. Philadelphia got on the board with Andreas Nodl's ninth of the season, from Matt Carle and Jeff Carter, who made it 3-2 for the Flyers with his unassisted 16th of the year. Bobby Ryan registered his 15th of the year for the Ducks to take the score to 4-2, with help from Lydman and Corey Perry. Visnovsky struck again with his second of the night and seventh of the season, helped along by Selanne and Brandon McMillan to make it 5-2 for Anaheim. This was the final, with Blake, Visnovsky, and Koivu earning three stars status.
Back east into Texas, where the Dallas Stars hosted the Vancouver Canucks. In goal were Cory Schneider and Kari Lethonen. Daniel Sedin drew first blood for Vancouver, potting his 20th of the year with help from Henrik Sedin and Christian Ehrhoff on the power play. Raffi Torres made it 2-0 for the Canucks with his eleventh of the season, from Jannik Hansen and Kevin Bieksa. Henrik Sedin extended the lead farther in the second period with his power play goal, the ninth tally for his season, from Alexander Edler and Daniel Sedin. Bieksa added his fourth of the year into the mix as well, another power play goal made possible by Dan Hamhuis and Manny Malhotra. This chased away Kari Lethonen in favor of Andrew Raycroft. Brenden Morrow got Dallas on the board by netting his 14th of the year, a power play goal assisted by Mike Ribeiro and Loui Eriksson. The Canucks cruised to a 4-1 victory over the Stars, with Cory Schneider (44 for 45 saves), Henrik Sedin, and Daniel Sedin grabbing the three stars.
Moving north a bit to St. Louis, where the Blues hosted the Phoenix Coyotes. Ilya Bryzgalov and Jaroslav Halak were in between the pipes for their respective teams. St. Louis struck first on the stick of Brad Boyes, who scored his ninth of the year in the first period, with help from Alex Steen and Barret Jackman. The Blues made it 2-0 with Erik Johnson's shorthanded goal, his third tally of the year, from David Backes and Jackman. Alex Pietrangelo extended the lead to 3-0 with his fifth of the year, courtesy of Carlo Colaiacovo and Patrik Berglund on the power play. Steen made it 4-0 for the Blues in the third period with his 12th of the year, unassisted. Shane Down finally got Phoenix on the board with his eighth of the season, made possible by Eric Belanger and Scottie Upshall. The Coyotes struck again with Lauri Korpikoski potting his ninth of the campaign, with help from Keith Yandle and Derek Morris. Doan made it a one goal game with his second of the night and ninth of the season, from Adrian Aucoin with twenty-one seconds left in the game. Phoenix could not get the equalizer, and fell 4-3 to St. Louis. Halak (30 for 33 saves), Steen, and Jackman were the three stars.
Lastly, the Calgary Flames hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Craig Anderson and Miikka Kiprusoff guarded the cages. The first period went by soundlessly, and the Calgary drew the first blood with Tom Kostopoulos notching his fourth of the year, thanks to Tim Jackman and Mark Giordano. Jarome Iginla made it 2-0 for the Flames with his 16th of the season, from Alex Tanguay and Olli Jokinen. Jackman netted his fourth of the year to make it 3-0, with Kostopoulos and Anton Babchuk picking up the helpers. Daniel Winnik got Colorado on the board in the third period with his sixth of the year, a shorthanded goal assisted on by Ryan O'Reilly. Tomas Fleischmann made it a one goal game for the Avalanche with his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Matt Duchene. Calgary hung on for the 3-2 victory over Colorado, with Jackman, Kostopoulos, and Winnik getting the three stars.
That's all the hockey we have for this year, we'll see you next year on the blog.
Thursday NHL recap
Once again, there were six games of hockey being played. However, I will take the time here to go to college football and congratulate the University of Washington Huskies on their Holiday Bowl win over Nebraska. Bringing pride to the locals. As for hockey, it started off in...
Toronto, with the Maple Leafs hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Jonas Gustavsson were in net for the game. The Maple Leafs struck first with Nikolai Kulemin scoring his 13th of the year, assisted by Clarke MacArthur and Darryl Boyce. Kristian Huselius tied it for the Blue Jackets with his seventh of the year, from Jan Hejda and Antoine Vermette. Tyler Bozak gave Toronto the lead back with a power play goal late in the first period, assisted by Phil Kessel as his fifth of the season. Huselius retied it in the second period with his second of the night and eighth of the campaign, from Rick Nash and Vermette. Columbus took the lead in the third period with R.J. Umberger scoring his eleventh of the year, a power play goal from Nash and Kris Russell. The Blue Jackets would hold on to defeat the Maple Leafs 3-2. Huselius, Nash, and Kulemin picked up the three stars.
Heading far south, to Atlanta, where the Thrashers hosted the Boston Bruins. Tim Thomas and Ondrej Pavelec were in between the pipes. Tobias Enstrom got Atlanta up first with a power play goal, his sixth tally of the season, assisted by Dustin Byfuglien and Niclas Bergfors. Patrice Bergeron tied the game for Boston with his eighth of the season, which was unassisted. The Bruins took the lead in the second period on a goal by Blake Wheeler, his ninth of the season, from David Krejci. Enstrom put the Thrashers back into a tie with his seventh of the year and second of the night, another power play goal this time going unassisted. The tie would last through until the shootout, where goals by Atlanta's Bryan Little and Tim Stapleton and misses by Boston's Blake Wheeler and Tyler Seguin clinched a Thrasher victory of 3-2. Enstrom, Pavelec (42 of 44 saves), and Little earned the three stars.
Next up was the Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Cedrick Desjardins played in goal, with the latter making his first NHL start. Max Pacioretty opened the scoring for Montreal with his second of the year, helped along by Scott Gomez. Tampa Bay tied it in the second period with a goal by Martin St. Louis, his 16th of the season made possible by Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos on the power play. The Lightning took the lead on Pavel Kubina's second of the season, from St. Louis and Stamkos. Stamkos added two goals of his own in the third period, his 30th and 31st of the year, with the first coming on a penalty shot thanks to Roman Hamrlik's hooking penalty, and the second from Ryan Malone and Victor Hedman. Tampa Bay would cruise to a 4-1 victory over the Canadiens.
Heading to Chicago next, with the Blackhawks hosting the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Marty Turco got the starts. Patrick Sharp scored first for the Blackhawks, his 21st of the year coming on the power play from Tomas Kopecky and Brent Seabrook. The Sharks tied it with Scott Nichol notching his fourth of the season, assisted by Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Benn Ferriero gave San Jose the lead with his fourth of the year, a power play goal courtesy of Logan Couture and Dan Boyle. They extended the lead with another power play goal, this time from the stick of Dany Heatley, his 15th tally of the season made possible by Jason Demers and Boyle. Troy Brouwer sent Chicago back in the right direction with his tenth of the year, assisted by Patrick Kane and Sharp on the power play. Twenty-two seconds later, the game was tied at 3 with a goal by Brian Campbell, his second of the campaign, with help from Dave Bolland and Bryan Bickell with just one second left in the second period. San Jose came back in the third period with a Joe Thornton goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Vlasic and Heatley to give them a 4-3 lead. Ryane Clowe finished it for the Sharks with his empty net goal, the tenth of his season, unassisted. Thornton, Sharp, and Boyle picked up the three stars honors.
Following that was the Edmonton Oilers hosting the Colorado Avalanche. Craig Anderson and Devan Dubnyk were the starters. T.J. Galiardi opened things up for Colorado early, registering his seventh of the year, from Paul Stastny and Ryan Wilson. Stastny scored the next one for the Avalanche, his 14th of the season, assisted by David Jones and Galiardi. Making it 3-0 was Tomas Fleischmann, who potted his tenth of the year, thanks to Matt Duchene. Edmonton got their crap together and started scoring in the second period, with Taylor Hall's 12th of the year leading the way, assisted by Sam Gagner and Kurtis Foster. Ales Hemsky scored in the third period to make it a one goal deficit for the Oilers, his eighth of the year finding mesh with help from Andrew Cogliano and Dustin Penner. Cogliano tied it with his fourth of the season, from Hemsky and Penner. The tie lasted into a shootout, where the Avalanche won on the lone goal by Milan Hejduk. Stastny, Hemsky, and Galiardi were the recipients of the three stars.
Finally, the Los Angeles Kings hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Michael Leighton and Jonathan Bernier were in the paint for the start. Ryan Smyth started the scoring, giving Los Angeles a 1-0 lead with his 13th of the year, helped along by Rob Scuderi and Jarret Stoll. Philadelphia tied it on Danny Briere's 18th of the season, assisted by Mike Richards and Matt Carle. Justin Williams took the lead back for the Kings, notching his 15th of the year thanks to Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar. The Flyers tied it again with Richards netting his 12th on the year, courtesy of Claude Giroux and Sean O'Donnell. Scott Hartnell gave the black and orange the 3-2 lead with his ninth of the campaign, assisted by Giroux and Darroll Powe. Richards extended the lead with his 13th of the season and second of the night, from James van Riemsdyk and Briere. Jack Johnson tried to start another rally with his fourth of the year for the Kings, an unassisted power play goal. Philadelphia got back to scoring with Jeff Carter's 15th of the season, a power play goal from Richards and Giroux, the latter completing a sock trick. Van Riemsdyk made it 6-3 with his eighth of the year, also a power play goal, and unassisted. Los Angeles made it 6-4 with Smyth's 14th of the season and second of the night, assisted by Stoll and Doughty. Ville Leino capped it off for the Flyers in the third period with his ninth of the year, assisted by Carter and Andreas Nodl. Philadelphia cruised from there to a 7-4 victory over Los Angeles. Richards, Giroux, and Smyth were the three stars.
There are nine New Year's Eve hockey games on, and I'll try to have that post out tonight. I am going to attempt to do it as scores come. Also, for those planning on watching tomorrow's Winter Classic, it has been postponed to 8 P.M. Eastern, 5 Pacific.
Toronto, with the Maple Leafs hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Jonas Gustavsson were in net for the game. The Maple Leafs struck first with Nikolai Kulemin scoring his 13th of the year, assisted by Clarke MacArthur and Darryl Boyce. Kristian Huselius tied it for the Blue Jackets with his seventh of the year, from Jan Hejda and Antoine Vermette. Tyler Bozak gave Toronto the lead back with a power play goal late in the first period, assisted by Phil Kessel as his fifth of the season. Huselius retied it in the second period with his second of the night and eighth of the campaign, from Rick Nash and Vermette. Columbus took the lead in the third period with R.J. Umberger scoring his eleventh of the year, a power play goal from Nash and Kris Russell. The Blue Jackets would hold on to defeat the Maple Leafs 3-2. Huselius, Nash, and Kulemin picked up the three stars.
Heading far south, to Atlanta, where the Thrashers hosted the Boston Bruins. Tim Thomas and Ondrej Pavelec were in between the pipes. Tobias Enstrom got Atlanta up first with a power play goal, his sixth tally of the season, assisted by Dustin Byfuglien and Niclas Bergfors. Patrice Bergeron tied the game for Boston with his eighth of the season, which was unassisted. The Bruins took the lead in the second period on a goal by Blake Wheeler, his ninth of the season, from David Krejci. Enstrom put the Thrashers back into a tie with his seventh of the year and second of the night, another power play goal this time going unassisted. The tie would last through until the shootout, where goals by Atlanta's Bryan Little and Tim Stapleton and misses by Boston's Blake Wheeler and Tyler Seguin clinched a Thrasher victory of 3-2. Enstrom, Pavelec (42 of 44 saves), and Little earned the three stars.
Next up was the Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Cedrick Desjardins played in goal, with the latter making his first NHL start. Max Pacioretty opened the scoring for Montreal with his second of the year, helped along by Scott Gomez. Tampa Bay tied it in the second period with a goal by Martin St. Louis, his 16th of the season made possible by Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos on the power play. The Lightning took the lead on Pavel Kubina's second of the season, from St. Louis and Stamkos. Stamkos added two goals of his own in the third period, his 30th and 31st of the year, with the first coming on a penalty shot thanks to Roman Hamrlik's hooking penalty, and the second from Ryan Malone and Victor Hedman. Tampa Bay would cruise to a 4-1 victory over the Canadiens.
Heading to Chicago next, with the Blackhawks hosting the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Marty Turco got the starts. Patrick Sharp scored first for the Blackhawks, his 21st of the year coming on the power play from Tomas Kopecky and Brent Seabrook. The Sharks tied it with Scott Nichol notching his fourth of the season, assisted by Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Benn Ferriero gave San Jose the lead with his fourth of the year, a power play goal courtesy of Logan Couture and Dan Boyle. They extended the lead with another power play goal, this time from the stick of Dany Heatley, his 15th tally of the season made possible by Jason Demers and Boyle. Troy Brouwer sent Chicago back in the right direction with his tenth of the year, assisted by Patrick Kane and Sharp on the power play. Twenty-two seconds later, the game was tied at 3 with a goal by Brian Campbell, his second of the campaign, with help from Dave Bolland and Bryan Bickell with just one second left in the second period. San Jose came back in the third period with a Joe Thornton goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Vlasic and Heatley to give them a 4-3 lead. Ryane Clowe finished it for the Sharks with his empty net goal, the tenth of his season, unassisted. Thornton, Sharp, and Boyle picked up the three stars honors.
Following that was the Edmonton Oilers hosting the Colorado Avalanche. Craig Anderson and Devan Dubnyk were the starters. T.J. Galiardi opened things up for Colorado early, registering his seventh of the year, from Paul Stastny and Ryan Wilson. Stastny scored the next one for the Avalanche, his 14th of the season, assisted by David Jones and Galiardi. Making it 3-0 was Tomas Fleischmann, who potted his tenth of the year, thanks to Matt Duchene. Edmonton got their crap together and started scoring in the second period, with Taylor Hall's 12th of the year leading the way, assisted by Sam Gagner and Kurtis Foster. Ales Hemsky scored in the third period to make it a one goal deficit for the Oilers, his eighth of the year finding mesh with help from Andrew Cogliano and Dustin Penner. Cogliano tied it with his fourth of the season, from Hemsky and Penner. The tie lasted into a shootout, where the Avalanche won on the lone goal by Milan Hejduk. Stastny, Hemsky, and Galiardi were the recipients of the three stars.
Finally, the Los Angeles Kings hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Michael Leighton and Jonathan Bernier were in the paint for the start. Ryan Smyth started the scoring, giving Los Angeles a 1-0 lead with his 13th of the year, helped along by Rob Scuderi and Jarret Stoll. Philadelphia tied it on Danny Briere's 18th of the season, assisted by Mike Richards and Matt Carle. Justin Williams took the lead back for the Kings, notching his 15th of the year thanks to Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar. The Flyers tied it again with Richards netting his 12th on the year, courtesy of Claude Giroux and Sean O'Donnell. Scott Hartnell gave the black and orange the 3-2 lead with his ninth of the campaign, assisted by Giroux and Darroll Powe. Richards extended the lead with his 13th of the season and second of the night, from James van Riemsdyk and Briere. Jack Johnson tried to start another rally with his fourth of the year for the Kings, an unassisted power play goal. Philadelphia got back to scoring with Jeff Carter's 15th of the season, a power play goal from Richards and Giroux, the latter completing a sock trick. Van Riemsdyk made it 6-3 with his eighth of the year, also a power play goal, and unassisted. Los Angeles made it 6-4 with Smyth's 14th of the season and second of the night, assisted by Stoll and Doughty. Ville Leino capped it off for the Flyers in the third period with his ninth of the year, assisted by Carter and Andreas Nodl. Philadelphia cruised from there to a 7-4 victory over Los Angeles. Richards, Giroux, and Smyth were the three stars.
There are nine New Year's Eve hockey games on, and I'll try to have that post out tonight. I am going to attempt to do it as scores come. Also, for those planning on watching tomorrow's Winter Classic, it has been postponed to 8 P.M. Eastern, 5 Pacific.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
NHL recap 12/29
Wednesday brought us six games as we close down on 2010 and get ready for 2011. They started in...
New Jersey, with the Devils hosting the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Brodeur were in between the pipes. Travis Zajac got the Devils on the board first with his fifth of the year, assisted by Mattias Tedenby and Ilya Kovalchuk. Forty-seven seconds later, Brian Boyle put the Rangers in a tie with his 14th of the year, from Ruslan Fedotenko and Brandon Prust. Michal Rozsival gave New York the lead with his third of the year, helped along by Brandon Dubinsky and Derek Stepan. Dubinsky put the game away with six seconds left in the third, potting his 16th of the season, with help from Artem Anisimov on the empty netter to give the Rangers a 3-1 win over New Jersey. Lundqvist (43 for 44 saves), Rozsival, and Brodeur (23 for 25 saves) were the three stars recipients. Dropping the gloves in the second period were Dainius Zubrus and Brian Boyle.
Staying in the Tri-State area, the New York Islanders hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Rick DiPietro picked up the starts. After going scoreless in the first period, Josh Bailey scored his sixth of the year to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead early in the second period. Travis Hamonic picked up the lone assist. The Penguins tied it on Chris Connor's fourth of the year, from Tyler Kennedy. The tie would be preserved until a shootout. Rob Schremp and Kris Letang traded barbs in the first round, Frans Nielsen put New York ahead in round two, but was answered by Evgeni Malkin in the third. P.A. Parenteau ended up saving the Islanders with his goal and the subsequent miss from Mark Letestu, giving the Islanders the 2-1 win over Pittsburgh. DiPietro (37 of 38 saves), Bailey, and Fleury (25 of 26 saves) earned the three stars.
Next up, the Ottawa Senators hosted the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Brian Elliott were the starters. Carolina got out hot in the first period, with Zach Boychuk scoring his first and second of the season, with help from Pat Dwyer and Joe Corvo on the first, and Tuomo Ruutu on the latter power play goal. The Hurricanes extended their lead with Erik Cole's eighth of the year in the second period, which was unassisted, as was Dwyer's seventh of the campaign in the third period. Carolina took down the Senators 4-0. Ward (37 save shutout), Boychuk, and Jesse Winchester of the Senators earned the three stars.
Heading into the state of hockey, where the Minnesota Wild hosted the San Jose Sharks. Antero Niittymaki and Niklas Backstrom were the masked men. Minnesota opened the scoring as Kyle Brodziak scored his seventh of the year, a power play goal from Martin Havlat and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. San Jose answered with Joe Thornton potting his ninth of the season, also a power play goal, courtesy of Ryane Clowe and Dan Boyle. The Sharks took the lead in the second period on Devin Setoguchi's sixth of the season, assisted by Clowe and Logan Couture. Mikko Koivu retied the game for the Wild with his ninth of the year, made possible by Andrew Brunette and Antti Miettinen. San Jose took the lead back with Patrick Marleau's 14th of the season, a power play goal helped along by Thornton and Dany Heatley. Minnesota put themselves into a 3-3 tie with Chuck Kobasew potting his fifth of the season, assisted by Nick Schultz and John Madden. Brent Burns gave them the lead with his eleventh of the year, an unassisted goal. Brodziak made it 5-3 with his eighth of the year and second of the night, from Havlat and Burns, and that margin proved to be the final later. Brodziak, Koivu, and Burns were the night's three stars.
Moving along to Dallas, where the Stars hosted the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Kari Lethonen were in the paint for the game. Jiri Hudler opened the scoring with his third of the year for Detroit, a power play goal from Todd Bertuzzi and Nicklas Lidstrom. Brad Richards evened it for Dallas with his 17th of the year, from Loui Eriksson and Trevor Daley. They took the lead on Mark Fistric's second of the season, assisted by Brenden Morrow and Jamie Benn. The Stars led 3-1 with Benn potting his ninth of the year, thanks to Mike Ribeiro. The Dallas goals came within 1:14 of each other. Detroit finally answered back, as Lidstrom netted his eleventh of the season, assisted by Valtteri Filppula and Betuzzi. Patrick Eaves put the Red Wings back into a tie with his ninth of the campaign, with help from Johan Franzen and Brian Rafalski on the power play. Detroit continued the scoring trend in the third period, with Brad Stuart registering his third of the season, thanks to Hudler and Drew Miller. Giving the Wings a 5-3 lead was Kris Draper, netting his second of the year with help from Eaves and Darren Helm. Eaves scored his second of the night and tenth of the year with assistance from Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg. Eaves then completed the hat trick with a long range shot into an empty net for his eleventh of the season, made possible by Jonathan Ericsson and the goalie Jimmy Howard. The Red Wings would topple the Stars 7-3, with Eaves, Benn, and Lidstrom earning the three stars in a scoring fest.
Finally, the Phoenix Coyotes hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Ilya Bryzgalov played in front of the nets, with Bryzgalov returning from injury. The Coyotes scored first, as Shane Doan scored his sixth of the year, from Scottie Upshall and Ed Jovanovski. The Kings answered with Brad Richardson scoring his sixth as well, with help from Anze Kopitar and Kevin Westgarth. Phoenix took the lead back on Ray Whitney's sixth of the season, from Keith Yandle and Lauri Korpikoski. Ryan Smyth tied it again for Los Angeles with his 12th of the campaign, a power play goal from Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. Upshall took the lead back for the Coyotes with his ninth of the year, from Doan and Yandle. Brett MacLean extended the Phoenix lead to 4-2 with his first of the year, assisted by Upshall and Adrian Aucoin on the power play. Marco Sturm capped off the seven goal first period with his second of the year, assisted by Kopitar to keep the Kings within striking distance. Doan potted his second of the night and seventh of the year in the second period, a power play goal requiring assistance from Whitney and Yandle, who completed a sock trick. Kyle Turris made it 6-3 for Phoenix, notching his sixth of the year, unassisted. This would prove to be the final through the quiet third period, with the Coyotes toppling their division rivals. Earning the three stars were Upshall, Yandle, and Doan. Fighting in the second period were Kevin Westgarth of Los Angeles and Paul Bissonnette of Phoenix.
New Jersey, with the Devils hosting the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Brodeur were in between the pipes. Travis Zajac got the Devils on the board first with his fifth of the year, assisted by Mattias Tedenby and Ilya Kovalchuk. Forty-seven seconds later, Brian Boyle put the Rangers in a tie with his 14th of the year, from Ruslan Fedotenko and Brandon Prust. Michal Rozsival gave New York the lead with his third of the year, helped along by Brandon Dubinsky and Derek Stepan. Dubinsky put the game away with six seconds left in the third, potting his 16th of the season, with help from Artem Anisimov on the empty netter to give the Rangers a 3-1 win over New Jersey. Lundqvist (43 for 44 saves), Rozsival, and Brodeur (23 for 25 saves) were the three stars recipients. Dropping the gloves in the second period were Dainius Zubrus and Brian Boyle.
Staying in the Tri-State area, the New York Islanders hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Rick DiPietro picked up the starts. After going scoreless in the first period, Josh Bailey scored his sixth of the year to give the Islanders a 1-0 lead early in the second period. Travis Hamonic picked up the lone assist. The Penguins tied it on Chris Connor's fourth of the year, from Tyler Kennedy. The tie would be preserved until a shootout. Rob Schremp and Kris Letang traded barbs in the first round, Frans Nielsen put New York ahead in round two, but was answered by Evgeni Malkin in the third. P.A. Parenteau ended up saving the Islanders with his goal and the subsequent miss from Mark Letestu, giving the Islanders the 2-1 win over Pittsburgh. DiPietro (37 of 38 saves), Bailey, and Fleury (25 of 26 saves) earned the three stars.
Next up, the Ottawa Senators hosted the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Brian Elliott were the starters. Carolina got out hot in the first period, with Zach Boychuk scoring his first and second of the season, with help from Pat Dwyer and Joe Corvo on the first, and Tuomo Ruutu on the latter power play goal. The Hurricanes extended their lead with Erik Cole's eighth of the year in the second period, which was unassisted, as was Dwyer's seventh of the campaign in the third period. Carolina took down the Senators 4-0. Ward (37 save shutout), Boychuk, and Jesse Winchester of the Senators earned the three stars.
Heading into the state of hockey, where the Minnesota Wild hosted the San Jose Sharks. Antero Niittymaki and Niklas Backstrom were the masked men. Minnesota opened the scoring as Kyle Brodziak scored his seventh of the year, a power play goal from Martin Havlat and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. San Jose answered with Joe Thornton potting his ninth of the season, also a power play goal, courtesy of Ryane Clowe and Dan Boyle. The Sharks took the lead in the second period on Devin Setoguchi's sixth of the season, assisted by Clowe and Logan Couture. Mikko Koivu retied the game for the Wild with his ninth of the year, made possible by Andrew Brunette and Antti Miettinen. San Jose took the lead back with Patrick Marleau's 14th of the season, a power play goal helped along by Thornton and Dany Heatley. Minnesota put themselves into a 3-3 tie with Chuck Kobasew potting his fifth of the season, assisted by Nick Schultz and John Madden. Brent Burns gave them the lead with his eleventh of the year, an unassisted goal. Brodziak made it 5-3 with his eighth of the year and second of the night, from Havlat and Burns, and that margin proved to be the final later. Brodziak, Koivu, and Burns were the night's three stars.
Moving along to Dallas, where the Stars hosted the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Kari Lethonen were in the paint for the game. Jiri Hudler opened the scoring with his third of the year for Detroit, a power play goal from Todd Bertuzzi and Nicklas Lidstrom. Brad Richards evened it for Dallas with his 17th of the year, from Loui Eriksson and Trevor Daley. They took the lead on Mark Fistric's second of the season, assisted by Brenden Morrow and Jamie Benn. The Stars led 3-1 with Benn potting his ninth of the year, thanks to Mike Ribeiro. The Dallas goals came within 1:14 of each other. Detroit finally answered back, as Lidstrom netted his eleventh of the season, assisted by Valtteri Filppula and Betuzzi. Patrick Eaves put the Red Wings back into a tie with his ninth of the campaign, with help from Johan Franzen and Brian Rafalski on the power play. Detroit continued the scoring trend in the third period, with Brad Stuart registering his third of the season, thanks to Hudler and Drew Miller. Giving the Wings a 5-3 lead was Kris Draper, netting his second of the year with help from Eaves and Darren Helm. Eaves scored his second of the night and tenth of the year with assistance from Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg. Eaves then completed the hat trick with a long range shot into an empty net for his eleventh of the season, made possible by Jonathan Ericsson and the goalie Jimmy Howard. The Red Wings would topple the Stars 7-3, with Eaves, Benn, and Lidstrom earning the three stars in a scoring fest.
Finally, the Phoenix Coyotes hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Ilya Bryzgalov played in front of the nets, with Bryzgalov returning from injury. The Coyotes scored first, as Shane Doan scored his sixth of the year, from Scottie Upshall and Ed Jovanovski. The Kings answered with Brad Richardson scoring his sixth as well, with help from Anze Kopitar and Kevin Westgarth. Phoenix took the lead back on Ray Whitney's sixth of the season, from Keith Yandle and Lauri Korpikoski. Ryan Smyth tied it again for Los Angeles with his 12th of the campaign, a power play goal from Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson. Upshall took the lead back for the Coyotes with his ninth of the year, from Doan and Yandle. Brett MacLean extended the Phoenix lead to 4-2 with his first of the year, assisted by Upshall and Adrian Aucoin on the power play. Marco Sturm capped off the seven goal first period with his second of the year, assisted by Kopitar to keep the Kings within striking distance. Doan potted his second of the night and seventh of the year in the second period, a power play goal requiring assistance from Whitney and Yandle, who completed a sock trick. Kyle Turris made it 6-3 for Phoenix, notching his sixth of the year, unassisted. This would prove to be the final through the quiet third period, with the Coyotes toppling their division rivals. Earning the three stars were Upshall, Yandle, and Doan. Fighting in the second period were Kevin Westgarth of Los Angeles and Paul Bissonnette of Phoenix.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Tuesday NHL coverage
There were nine games of hockey played on Tuesday. The first was up north...
With the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Jonas Gustavsson were given the starting nods. Jeff Skinner score first for the Hurricanes, his ninth of the year made possible by Jussi Jokinen and Tuomo Ruutu. Phil Kessel tied it up for the Maple Leafs with his 13th of the year, a power play goal from Tomas Kaberle and Dion Phaneuf. Eric Staal gave Carolina the lead back with his 17th of the year, which was unassisted. Kessel again did the work to tie the game, with his second of the night and 14th of the season coming from Joey Crabb and Tyler Bozak. Staal, not wanting to be outdone, put in his second of the night and 18th of the year, a power play marker from Sergei Samsonov and Pat Dwyer. Mikhail Grabovski took it into his hands to relieve Kessel from the tie-it-up role, netting his 13th of the year with help from Kris Versteeg and Kaberle on the power play. Carolina did have a third period hero though, with Dwyer coming in to score his sixth of the year off of Tim Gleason and Zach Boychuk. The Hurricanes would hold strong to win 4-3 over the Maple Leafs. Ward (34 for 37 saves), Grabovski and Staal earned the three stars in the game.
Next on the slate was the Pittsburgh Penguins hosting the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Marc-Andre Fleury played the role of cage guards. Evander Kane drew first blood, giving the Thrashers a 1-0 lead on his 12th of the year, from Bryan Little and Alex Burmistrov. Sidney Crosby extended his point streak to 25 games with his 31st of the year, a power play goal from Kris Letang. Dustin Byfuglien made it 2-1 for Atlanta by registering his 14th of the season, assisted by Tobias Enstrom and Little. Crosby struck again, putting Pittsburgh in a 2-2 tie with his 32nd of the year and second of the night, assisted by Alex Goligoski. The Penguins took the lead on a shorthanded goal by Craig Adams, his second marker of the year, with help coming from Matt Cooke. Chris Kunitz gave the Penguins a 4-2 lead with his tenth of the season early in the third period, assisted by Crosby and Pascal Dupuis. Mark Letestu extended the lead farther with his eighth of the year, which found mesh unassisted. Cooke also scored for Pittsburgh, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Crosby and Zbynek Michalek. Atlanta gave a heartwarming goodbye from the game as Eric Boulton buried his fifth of the year, assisted by Jim Slater and Chris Thorburn. Picking up stars in the Penguins 6-3 win were Crosby, Cooke, and Adams.
Heading along to Washington, where the Capitals hosted the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Semyon Varlamov played in goal. Jay Beagle opened the scoring for Washington, netting his second of the season, with Eric Fehr and Matt Hendricks getting the helpers. Mike Green recorded his seventh of the year in the last minute of the first period, assisted by Nicklas Backstrom. After going scoreless throughout the second period, Alex Ovechkin put the game away with his 14th of the season, the empty net goal assisted by Karl Alzner. The Capitals defeated the Canadiens 3-0, with Varlamov (25 save shutout), Beagle, and Green getting the three stars.
Following that, the Boston Bruins visited the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tim Thomas and Den Ellis played in the creases. Michael Ryder scored early, with his eleventh of the year, a power play goal putting Boston up 1-0 from Mark Recchi and Dennis Seidenberg. Steven Stamkos tied it for the Lightning with his 29th of the year, also a power play goal, assisted by Brett Clark and Ryan Malone. The Bruins retook the lead in the second period on Steve Kampfer's first of the year, assisted by Marc Savard and Nathan Horton. Vincent Lecavalier tied it again for Tampa Bay, his seventh of the year coming from Sean Bergenheim and Pavel Kubina. Brad Marchand gave the Bruins the lead back with his fifth of the season, assisted by Shawn Thornton and Gregory Campbell. Martin St. Louis kept the pattern up with his 15th of the year, tying the game again, with help from Stamkos and Kubina. Recchi gave the Bruins what would be the winner with just twenty seconds left in the game, scoring his seventh of the year, courtesy of Patrice Bergeron and Seidenberg on the power play. Earning the three stars in the 4-3 Bruins win were Recchi, Lecavalier, and Seidenberg.
Continuing along to the west, where the St. Louis Blues hosted the Chicago Blackhawks. Marty Turco and Ty Conklin were the starters. Jake Dowell opened the scoring for Chicago late in the first period, notching his fifth of the year, assisted by Viktor Stalberg. St. Louis answered in the second period with another player scoring his fifth of the season, Vladimir Sobotka, who needed no help. Brad Boyes gave the Blues the lead with his eighth of the year, from Erik Johnson and Matt D'Agostini. Brad Winchester added an insurance goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Barret Jackman and Jay McClement. The Blues would cruise to a 3-1 victory over the Blackhawks, with Sobotka, D'Agostini, and Turco (40 of 43 saves) earning the stars.
Along to Nashville, where the Predators hosted the Dallas Stars. Andrew Raycroft and Pekka Rinne were the goaltenders. The first period went soundlessly, and Steve Ott got the Stars up in the second period with his eighth of the year, assisted by Loui Eriksson and Brad Richards. Colin Wilson tied it late in the second period for Nashville, scoring his own eighth of the campaign, assisted by J.P. Dumont and Sergei Kostitsyn on the power play. Wilson struck again early in the third period, his second of the night and ninth of the season coming from Joel Ward and Jerred Smithson. Eriksson retied it for Dallas, netting his 16th of the year thanks to Jamie Benn and Karlis Skrastins. The Predators fell behind on Mark Fistric's first of the season, unassisted. Krys Barch put Nashville down 4-2 with his first of the year, with help from Brian Sutherby and Matt Niskanen. Earning the Stars in the Dallas win were Eriksson, Wilson, and Raycroft (44 for 46 saves).
Going into Canada again, where the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Dustin Penner put the Oilers up early in the first period with his eleventh of the year, assisted by Ales Hemsky. Luke Adam tied it for the Sabres later that same period with his second of the year, helped along by Patrick Kaleta and Steve Montador. Buffalo took the lead in the second period with a goal by Mike Weber, his first of the season, assisted by Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville. Hecht made it 3-1 with his fourth of the season in the third period, thanks to Nathan Gerbe and Weber. Edmonton cut the lead to a goal with Ryan Jones potting his eighth of the season, assisted by Tom Gilbert and Jeff Petry. Weber put the game in Buffalo's favor, notching his second of the season and of the night, an empty net goal that went unassisted. Picking up the three stars in the Sabres win were Weber, Gilbert, and Hecht.
Heading down south to the desert, where the Phoenix Coyotes hosted the Anaheim Ducks. Jonas Hiller and Ilya Bryzgalov were your goalies for the game. The Ducks opened the scoring with Luca Sbisa potting his first of the season, from Saku Koivu. Joffery Lupul extended the Anaheim lead to 2-0 with his fourth of the year, courtesy of Brandon McMillan and Andreas Lilja. Corey Perry made it 3-0 with his 20th of the year, which was unassisted. Phoenix got on the board with a power play goal by Shane Doan in the second period, his fifth of the year being helped by Ray Whitney and Keith Yandle, but the Coyotes couldn't manage additional offense and fell 3-1 to Anaheim. Picking up the three stars were Jonas Hiller (31 for 32 saves), Lee Stempniak, and Doan, officially from Phoenix. More obvious choices in the second and third spots would be Perry and Sbisa, but my opinion does not matter to the Coyotes three stars selectors. Also, in the first period, the best of fights occurred in a new chapter with Paul Bissonnette and George Parros dropping the gloves once again.
Lastly, the Philadelphia Flyers go a comfortable place for them, visiting the Vancouver Canucks. Brian Boucher and Roberto Luongo were the goalies of choice in the game. Manny Malhotra opened the scoring with his sixth of the year for Vancouver, from Christian Ehrhoff and Raffi Torres. Ryan Kesler made it 2-0 for the Canucks with his 18th of the year, thanks to Kevin Bieksa. Daniel Sedin exteneded the lead farther with his 19th of the year, from Alexandre Burrows and Henrik Sedin. Philadelphia got on the board with Danny Briere's 17th of the season, assisted by Ville Leino. Kesler got Vancouver back into scoring with a power play goal, his second marker of the night and 19th of the year, assisted by Henrik Sedin and Ehrhoff, good enough for the Flyers to replace Brian Boucher with Sergei Bobrovsky. Making it 5-1 for B.C. was Jannik Hansen, scoring his fourth of the year, courtesy of Daniel Sedin and his sock trick brother Henrik. Jeff Tambellini made it 6-1 Vancouver with his ninth of the year, assisted by Kesler. Jeff Carter gave the Flyers one last kick with his 14th of the year, a power play goal assisted by Briere and Claude Giroux to bring the game to its 6-2 Vancouver final. Kesler, Henrik Sedin, and Luongo (35 for 37 saves) earned the stars.
That's finally all, I'm all caught up after pacing myself today. Tonight, there were six hockey games, and those will be covered tomorrow as quickly as possible.
With the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Jonas Gustavsson were given the starting nods. Jeff Skinner score first for the Hurricanes, his ninth of the year made possible by Jussi Jokinen and Tuomo Ruutu. Phil Kessel tied it up for the Maple Leafs with his 13th of the year, a power play goal from Tomas Kaberle and Dion Phaneuf. Eric Staal gave Carolina the lead back with his 17th of the year, which was unassisted. Kessel again did the work to tie the game, with his second of the night and 14th of the season coming from Joey Crabb and Tyler Bozak. Staal, not wanting to be outdone, put in his second of the night and 18th of the year, a power play marker from Sergei Samsonov and Pat Dwyer. Mikhail Grabovski took it into his hands to relieve Kessel from the tie-it-up role, netting his 13th of the year with help from Kris Versteeg and Kaberle on the power play. Carolina did have a third period hero though, with Dwyer coming in to score his sixth of the year off of Tim Gleason and Zach Boychuk. The Hurricanes would hold strong to win 4-3 over the Maple Leafs. Ward (34 for 37 saves), Grabovski and Staal earned the three stars in the game.
Next on the slate was the Pittsburgh Penguins hosting the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Marc-Andre Fleury played the role of cage guards. Evander Kane drew first blood, giving the Thrashers a 1-0 lead on his 12th of the year, from Bryan Little and Alex Burmistrov. Sidney Crosby extended his point streak to 25 games with his 31st of the year, a power play goal from Kris Letang. Dustin Byfuglien made it 2-1 for Atlanta by registering his 14th of the season, assisted by Tobias Enstrom and Little. Crosby struck again, putting Pittsburgh in a 2-2 tie with his 32nd of the year and second of the night, assisted by Alex Goligoski. The Penguins took the lead on a shorthanded goal by Craig Adams, his second marker of the year, with help coming from Matt Cooke. Chris Kunitz gave the Penguins a 4-2 lead with his tenth of the season early in the third period, assisted by Crosby and Pascal Dupuis. Mark Letestu extended the lead farther with his eighth of the year, which found mesh unassisted. Cooke also scored for Pittsburgh, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Crosby and Zbynek Michalek. Atlanta gave a heartwarming goodbye from the game as Eric Boulton buried his fifth of the year, assisted by Jim Slater and Chris Thorburn. Picking up stars in the Penguins 6-3 win were Crosby, Cooke, and Adams.
Heading along to Washington, where the Capitals hosted the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Semyon Varlamov played in goal. Jay Beagle opened the scoring for Washington, netting his second of the season, with Eric Fehr and Matt Hendricks getting the helpers. Mike Green recorded his seventh of the year in the last minute of the first period, assisted by Nicklas Backstrom. After going scoreless throughout the second period, Alex Ovechkin put the game away with his 14th of the season, the empty net goal assisted by Karl Alzner. The Capitals defeated the Canadiens 3-0, with Varlamov (25 save shutout), Beagle, and Green getting the three stars.
Following that, the Boston Bruins visited the Tampa Bay Lightning. Tim Thomas and Den Ellis played in the creases. Michael Ryder scored early, with his eleventh of the year, a power play goal putting Boston up 1-0 from Mark Recchi and Dennis Seidenberg. Steven Stamkos tied it for the Lightning with his 29th of the year, also a power play goal, assisted by Brett Clark and Ryan Malone. The Bruins retook the lead in the second period on Steve Kampfer's first of the year, assisted by Marc Savard and Nathan Horton. Vincent Lecavalier tied it again for Tampa Bay, his seventh of the year coming from Sean Bergenheim and Pavel Kubina. Brad Marchand gave the Bruins the lead back with his fifth of the season, assisted by Shawn Thornton and Gregory Campbell. Martin St. Louis kept the pattern up with his 15th of the year, tying the game again, with help from Stamkos and Kubina. Recchi gave the Bruins what would be the winner with just twenty seconds left in the game, scoring his seventh of the year, courtesy of Patrice Bergeron and Seidenberg on the power play. Earning the three stars in the 4-3 Bruins win were Recchi, Lecavalier, and Seidenberg.
Continuing along to the west, where the St. Louis Blues hosted the Chicago Blackhawks. Marty Turco and Ty Conklin were the starters. Jake Dowell opened the scoring for Chicago late in the first period, notching his fifth of the year, assisted by Viktor Stalberg. St. Louis answered in the second period with another player scoring his fifth of the season, Vladimir Sobotka, who needed no help. Brad Boyes gave the Blues the lead with his eighth of the year, from Erik Johnson and Matt D'Agostini. Brad Winchester added an insurance goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Barret Jackman and Jay McClement. The Blues would cruise to a 3-1 victory over the Blackhawks, with Sobotka, D'Agostini, and Turco (40 of 43 saves) earning the stars.
Along to Nashville, where the Predators hosted the Dallas Stars. Andrew Raycroft and Pekka Rinne were the goaltenders. The first period went soundlessly, and Steve Ott got the Stars up in the second period with his eighth of the year, assisted by Loui Eriksson and Brad Richards. Colin Wilson tied it late in the second period for Nashville, scoring his own eighth of the campaign, assisted by J.P. Dumont and Sergei Kostitsyn on the power play. Wilson struck again early in the third period, his second of the night and ninth of the season coming from Joel Ward and Jerred Smithson. Eriksson retied it for Dallas, netting his 16th of the year thanks to Jamie Benn and Karlis Skrastins. The Predators fell behind on Mark Fistric's first of the season, unassisted. Krys Barch put Nashville down 4-2 with his first of the year, with help from Brian Sutherby and Matt Niskanen. Earning the Stars in the Dallas win were Eriksson, Wilson, and Raycroft (44 for 46 saves).
Going into Canada again, where the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Dustin Penner put the Oilers up early in the first period with his eleventh of the year, assisted by Ales Hemsky. Luke Adam tied it for the Sabres later that same period with his second of the year, helped along by Patrick Kaleta and Steve Montador. Buffalo took the lead in the second period with a goal by Mike Weber, his first of the season, assisted by Jochen Hecht and Jason Pominville. Hecht made it 3-1 with his fourth of the season in the third period, thanks to Nathan Gerbe and Weber. Edmonton cut the lead to a goal with Ryan Jones potting his eighth of the season, assisted by Tom Gilbert and Jeff Petry. Weber put the game in Buffalo's favor, notching his second of the season and of the night, an empty net goal that went unassisted. Picking up the three stars in the Sabres win were Weber, Gilbert, and Hecht.
Heading down south to the desert, where the Phoenix Coyotes hosted the Anaheim Ducks. Jonas Hiller and Ilya Bryzgalov were your goalies for the game. The Ducks opened the scoring with Luca Sbisa potting his first of the season, from Saku Koivu. Joffery Lupul extended the Anaheim lead to 2-0 with his fourth of the year, courtesy of Brandon McMillan and Andreas Lilja. Corey Perry made it 3-0 with his 20th of the year, which was unassisted. Phoenix got on the board with a power play goal by Shane Doan in the second period, his fifth of the year being helped by Ray Whitney and Keith Yandle, but the Coyotes couldn't manage additional offense and fell 3-1 to Anaheim. Picking up the three stars were Jonas Hiller (31 for 32 saves), Lee Stempniak, and Doan, officially from Phoenix. More obvious choices in the second and third spots would be Perry and Sbisa, but my opinion does not matter to the Coyotes three stars selectors. Also, in the first period, the best of fights occurred in a new chapter with Paul Bissonnette and George Parros dropping the gloves once again.
Lastly, the Philadelphia Flyers go a comfortable place for them, visiting the Vancouver Canucks. Brian Boucher and Roberto Luongo were the goalies of choice in the game. Manny Malhotra opened the scoring with his sixth of the year for Vancouver, from Christian Ehrhoff and Raffi Torres. Ryan Kesler made it 2-0 for the Canucks with his 18th of the year, thanks to Kevin Bieksa. Daniel Sedin exteneded the lead farther with his 19th of the year, from Alexandre Burrows and Henrik Sedin. Philadelphia got on the board with Danny Briere's 17th of the season, assisted by Ville Leino. Kesler got Vancouver back into scoring with a power play goal, his second marker of the night and 19th of the year, assisted by Henrik Sedin and Ehrhoff, good enough for the Flyers to replace Brian Boucher with Sergei Bobrovsky. Making it 5-1 for B.C. was Jannik Hansen, scoring his fourth of the year, courtesy of Daniel Sedin and his sock trick brother Henrik. Jeff Tambellini made it 6-1 Vancouver with his ninth of the year, assisted by Kesler. Jeff Carter gave the Flyers one last kick with his 14th of the year, a power play goal assisted by Briere and Claude Giroux to bring the game to its 6-2 Vancouver final. Kesler, Henrik Sedin, and Luongo (35 for 37 saves) earned the stars.
That's finally all, I'm all caught up after pacing myself today. Tonight, there were six hockey games, and those will be covered tomorrow as quickly as possible.
Fantasy Football Championship All-Stars
As the games were played, many fantasy owners competing in this week's general consensus grand finale were meticulously watching the games affecting their glorious hopes. The week had games on 5 different days, including the extension of drama to Tuesday night where fantasy powerhouse Michael Vick tried to give his owners their final push. Here's whose most likely to have helped you win your league.
Quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers and Josh Freeman
Running Backs: Jamaal Charles and Matt Forte
Wide Receivers: Jerome Simpson (0% owned in Yahoo! formats) and Dwayne Bowe.
Tight Ends: Kellen Winslow and Rob Gronkowski
Kickers: Sebastian Janikowski and the Bionic Foot and Neil Rackers
I personally, out of 18 teams managed alone eligible for glory this week had three winners, four second place, and two third place with two teams next week going, one for all the glory and another for third place. Look for the last edition of this post for the season to come out next week.
Quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers and Josh Freeman
Running Backs: Jamaal Charles and Matt Forte
Wide Receivers: Jerome Simpson (0% owned in Yahoo! formats) and Dwayne Bowe.
Tight Ends: Kellen Winslow and Rob Gronkowski
Kickers: Sebastian Janikowski and the Bionic Foot and Neil Rackers
I personally, out of 18 teams managed alone eligible for glory this week had three winners, four second place, and two third place with two teams next week going, one for all the glory and another for third place. Look for the last edition of this post for the season to come out next week.
Tuesday Football make-up (Tuesday say what?)
Making up the originally scheduled Sunday Night game that was postponed due to suspected heavy snowfall in Philadelphia, the Eagles hosted the Minnesota Mother Nature's Wrath, or as they are more commonly known, the Vikings. Michael Vick got Philadelphia up first in the opening quarter with a 3 yard touchdown pass to Clay Harbor, and David Akers kicked the extra point. Losing his grip on the ball, a Vick fumble recovered by Viking Antoine Winfield was taken back 45 yards for the touchdown, with Ryan Longwell providing the tying extra point. Longwell added a 30 yard field goal and an extra point on the Joe Webb 9 yard touchdown rush in the third quarter, giving Minnesota a 17-7 lead. Vick attempted to rally the troops by running into the end zone from 10 yards out, and Akers made it a 3 point game with his point after. However, the Vikings had a different plan, letting Adrian Peterson put the nail in the Eagles' hopes of winning the game with his 1 yard touchdown run capped off with Longwell's extra point. The 24-14 Vikings win improved them to 6-9, and dropped Philadelphia to 10-5.
This concludes this post. In just a few minutes, the Fantasy Football Championship Week All-Stars will be out.
This concludes this post. In just a few minutes, the Fantasy Football Championship Week All-Stars will be out.
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