Tonight, there are seven games being played. However, before we dive in, the Toronto Maple Leafs have traded Kris Versteeg to the Philadelphia Flyers for their 1st and 3rd round picks in the next draft. As for the Maple Leafs...
They were hosted by Boston tonight. The goalies are James Reimer and Tim Thomas. Boston struck first, with Daniel Paille registering his second of the season, with help from Mark Stuart and Gregory Campbell. Toronto tied the game with Phil Kessel potting his 20th of the year on the power play with the help of Dion Phaneuf, and the newest Leaf, Joffery Lupul. The Maple Leafs went up 2-1 with Mikhail Grabovski scoring his 23rd of the season, thanks to Mike Komisarek and Carl Gunnarsson. Campbell retied the game for the Bruins with a power play goal of his own, his eighth of the year going in via Brad Marchand and Michael Ryder. Boston took a 3-2 lead with Patrice Bergeron sinking his 20th of the season, courtesy of Adam McQuaid and Mark Recchi. Kessel replied with his second of the game and 21st of the campaign, another power play goal gaining steam from Lupul and Tomas Kaberle. The Maple Leafs took a 4-3 lead on Grabovski's second of the game and 24th of the year, helped along by Clarke MacArthur and Phaneuf. This was the final, and the three stars went to Grabovski, Kessel, and Campbell.
Heading north of the border, the Ottawa Senators hosted the New York Islanders. Nathan Lawson and Brian Elliott were given the starting duties. Bobby Butler put Ottawa out front first with his second of the season, assisted by Jason Spezza and Milan Michalek on the power play. New York replied with a Blake Comeau tally, his 15th of the year going in via Ty Wishart and Jesse Joensuu. Ryan Shannon put the Senators back in front with his fifth of the season, also a power play goal, with helpers by Butler and Michalek. The Islanders tied the game on the 25th of the year by Michael Grabner, a shorthanded and unassisted goal. Josh Bailey put New York in front with his seventh of the season, made possible by Grabner and Okposo. Ottawa retied the game on a Erik Karlsson goal from Erik Condra and Zack Smith, good as his ninth of the year. The Islanders took the game in the shootout on Frans Nielsen's goal, which came after Alex Kovalev and Rob Schremp exchanged tallies. The three stars were Shannon, Grabner, and Butler.
Staying in Canada, the Montreal Canadiens host the Buffalo Sabres. Jhonas Enroth and Carey Price tended the twines. Montreal struck first with a Max Pacioretty power play goal, his tenth of the season going down with help from Tomas Plekanec and Roman Hamrlik. Benoit Pouliot made it 2-0 Canadiens with his 13th of the year, assisted by David Desharnais and James Wisniewski. Buffalo got on the board with a Drew Stafford marker, his 24th of the season going in thanks to Thomas Vanek and Tim Connolly on the power play. The Sabres tied it with Jason Pominville getting his 13th of the year in the third period, with assists by Jochen Hecht and Nathan Gerbe. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Montreal scored with Desharnais, Plekanec, and Pacioretty, and Buffalo got tallies from Vanek, Tyler Ennis, and Gerbe before winning it with Hecht. The three stars were Hecht, Pouliot, and Pacioretty.
Moving along to the Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Boucher and Dwayne Roloson were in the creases.Opening the game was a fight between Randy Jones and James van Riemsdyk. Philadelphia opened the scoring with a van Riemsdyk tally, his 13th of the season coming from Claude Giroux and Jeff Carter. Tampa Bay answered back with Dominic Moore netting his tenth of the year in the second period with the help of Adam Hall. The Flyers regained the lead on a power play goal by Scott Hartnell, his 18th of the season made possible by van Riemsdyk, who earned himself a Gordie Howe hat trick, and Andrej Meszaros. Darroll Powe made it 3-1 Philadelphia with his conversion of a penalty shot after a Steven Stamkos hooking call, his fifth goal of the year. The Lightning got back within a goal on the tally from Vincent Lecavalier, a power play goal good as his 13th of the season coming off of Marc-Andre Bergeron and Martin St. Louis. Teddy Purcell tied the game for Tampa Bay with his 12th of the year, thanks to Pavel Kubina and Michael Vernace. The tie went through the third period and overtime to a shootout where goals were exchanged by Moore and Mike Richards before the Flyers defeated the Lightning with Kimmo Timonen's goal. The three stars went to Moore, van Riemsdyk, and Victor Hedman.
Playing out west were the Nashville Predators, who hosted the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Pekka Rinne put on the masks for the game. Nashville struck first with Cody Franson scoring his eighth of the campaign on the power play with the help of Steve Sullivan and David Legwand. San Jose answered with a tying goal in the second period from Devin Setoguchi, his 12th of the season going down thanks to Kent Huskins and Patrick Marleau. The tie lasted throughout the third period until the Sharks won the game 2-1 in overtime on Marleau's 22nd of the year, courtesy of Huskins and Joe Thornton. The three stars were awarded to Marleau, Niemi (30 for 31 saves), and Rinne (48 for 50 saves).
Up in Minnesota, the Wild hosted the Vancouver Canucks. Cory Schneider and Niklas Backstrom took to guarding the cages. Vancouver struck first with Manny Malhotra sinking his seventh of the season on the power play from Sami Salo. Cal Clutterbuck replied for Minnesota with his 18th of the year, also a power play goal, from Kyle Brodziak and Jared Spurgeon. Jannik Hansen gave the lead back to the Canucks with his eighth of the campaign, assisted on by Malhotra. Mikael Samuelsson put Vancouver up 3-1 with his 16th of the season, made possible by Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond. Icing the game off for the Canucks was Kesler with his 33rd of the year into the empty net to make it 4-1 from Christian Ehrhoff. Schneider (28 for 29 saves), Malhotra, and Clutterbuck were the three stars.
Lastly, the Dallas Stars visited the Edmonton Oilers. The goalies were Kari Lethonen and Nikolai Khabibulin. Edmonton was the first to score with Jordan Eberle getting his 12th of the season from Sam Gagner and Jim Vandermeer. Taylor Chorney added on his first of the year for the Oilers in the second period, a power play goal made possible by Shawn Horcoff and Tom Gilbert. Dallas answered with the 19th of the campaign by Loui Eriksson, also on the power play, courtesy of the newly acquired Jason Williams and the goalie Kari Lethonen. Horcoff responded for Edmonton with his eighth of the season, coming on the man advantage via Ales Hemsky and Chorney. Twenty-eight seconds into the third period, Hemsky scored his tenth of the year for the Oilers, making it 4-1 with the help of Horcoff and Gilbert. This was the final, and the three stars went to Horcoff, Chorney, and Khabibulin (24 for 25 saves).
That's all for the hockey world. There may not be any posts tomorrow, as I should be fairly busy.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Song of the Week VII
This week, we hear from O.A.R., who provides us with the song On My Way from their album All Sides. The song is a slower tempo and rather soft. It would be appropriate for the most recently passed holiday, as it is somewhat a love song. The acoustic sounding tone and limited drumming adds to the ambiance in the song. That's the song of the week, and the feature will be back next week.
Monday, February 14, 2011
For the Love of Hockey (V-Day 2011)
Hockey's not giving the fans much love tonight, with only three games for the viewing purposes. It starts (surprisingly) at the...
Jobing.com Arena in Phoenix, where the Coyotes host the Washington Capitals. Michal Neuvirth and Ilya Bryzgalov put on the masks to guard the cages. Marcus Johansson opened the scoring for Washington with his eighth of the season, assisted by Brooks Laich and Alexander Semin. Forty-nine seconds later, Phoenix tied the game with a Martin Hanzal marker, his 12th of the year going down with help from Ray Whitney and Radim Vrbata. Ray Whitney put the Coyotes ahead with his eleventh of the season, a power play goal from Vrbata and Shane Doan. Vernon Fiddler extended the lead once more for Phoenix on his sixth of the campaign, helped along by Scottie Upshall and Keith Yandle. The Capitals tried to get back in the game with Matt Bradley sinking his fourth of the year, thanks to Dave Steckel and Jeff Schultz, but they couldn't get the equalizer and lost 3-2. The three stars were Bryzgalov (29 for 31 saves), Whitney, and Vrbata.
Teeing off at the same time, the St. Louis Blues hosted the Vancouver Canucks. In between the pipes were Roberto Luongo and Jaroslav Halak. St. Louis got on the board first with Andy McDonald notching his tenth of the season on the power play, with help from Nikita Nikitin and Alex Pietrangelo. Vancouver replied with Henrik Sedin scoring his 13th of the year via Sami Salo and Alexandre Burrows. The Blues took the lead back with Alex Steen notching his 16th of the campaign, unassisted. In the second period, St. Louis went up 3-1 on a power play goal by Patrik Berglund, his 15th of the season seeing the sticks of Pietrangelo and McDonald previously. The Canucks attempted to get back in the game with Jannik Hansen putting his seventh of the year away thanks to Raffi Torres and Christian Ehrhoff, but they failed to score again and fell 3-2. Pietrangelo, McDonald, and Henrik Sedin earned the three stars.
Finally, we stop in Colorado, where the Avalanche host the Calgary Flames. Miikka Kiprusoff and Peter Budaj got the starting honors. Calgary struck first just eighteen seconds into the game with David Moss nailing his 13th of the season into the twine with help from Robyn Regehr and Olli Jokinen. Anton Babchuk made it 2-0 Flames on the power play for his eighth of the year coming off of Jay Bouwmeester and Jokinen, prompting Colorado to switch goalies, putting Craig Anderson into action. Jarome Iginla kept Calgary going with his 24th of the season, assisted by Rene Bourque and Brendan Morrison. Curtis Glencross later added on another for the Flames, his 18th of the year finding the back of the net thanks to Jokinen, who wrapped up a sock trick in just 12:41 minutes of play, and Moss. Jokinen added his own goal for Calgary, his 12th of the season, courtesy of Glencross and Moss. The Avalanche reinstated Budaj for the second period and beyond. Colorado got on the board in the second period with Daniel Winnik potting his eighth of the year, a power play goal made possible by Kevin Porter and Matt Hunwick. The Flames made it 6-1 in the third period with an Alex Tanguay goal from Regehr and Morrison, good as his 15th of the season. Glencross put Calgary ahead 7-1 with his second of the game and 19th of the year, with Tom Kostopoulos and Moss picking up the assists, the latter earning his own sock trick. Iginla kept the Flames going with his second of the night and 25th of the season, with the help of Mikael Backlund and Steve Staios. Kiprusoff had to come out of the game, with Henrik Karlsson coming in to clean up. Calgary would add on one more goal, making it 9-1 with Matt Stajan potting his fifth of the year shorthanded from Bourque. This was the final, with Jokinen, Glencross, and Moss earning the three stars for the massacre.
That's all for Valentine's Day. A special bit of love to all of you who keep reading, it is much appreciated.
Jobing.com Arena in Phoenix, where the Coyotes host the Washington Capitals. Michal Neuvirth and Ilya Bryzgalov put on the masks to guard the cages. Marcus Johansson opened the scoring for Washington with his eighth of the season, assisted by Brooks Laich and Alexander Semin. Forty-nine seconds later, Phoenix tied the game with a Martin Hanzal marker, his 12th of the year going down with help from Ray Whitney and Radim Vrbata. Ray Whitney put the Coyotes ahead with his eleventh of the season, a power play goal from Vrbata and Shane Doan. Vernon Fiddler extended the lead once more for Phoenix on his sixth of the campaign, helped along by Scottie Upshall and Keith Yandle. The Capitals tried to get back in the game with Matt Bradley sinking his fourth of the year, thanks to Dave Steckel and Jeff Schultz, but they couldn't get the equalizer and lost 3-2. The three stars were Bryzgalov (29 for 31 saves), Whitney, and Vrbata.
Teeing off at the same time, the St. Louis Blues hosted the Vancouver Canucks. In between the pipes were Roberto Luongo and Jaroslav Halak. St. Louis got on the board first with Andy McDonald notching his tenth of the season on the power play, with help from Nikita Nikitin and Alex Pietrangelo. Vancouver replied with Henrik Sedin scoring his 13th of the year via Sami Salo and Alexandre Burrows. The Blues took the lead back with Alex Steen notching his 16th of the campaign, unassisted. In the second period, St. Louis went up 3-1 on a power play goal by Patrik Berglund, his 15th of the season seeing the sticks of Pietrangelo and McDonald previously. The Canucks attempted to get back in the game with Jannik Hansen putting his seventh of the year away thanks to Raffi Torres and Christian Ehrhoff, but they failed to score again and fell 3-2. Pietrangelo, McDonald, and Henrik Sedin earned the three stars.
Finally, we stop in Colorado, where the Avalanche host the Calgary Flames. Miikka Kiprusoff and Peter Budaj got the starting honors. Calgary struck first just eighteen seconds into the game with David Moss nailing his 13th of the season into the twine with help from Robyn Regehr and Olli Jokinen. Anton Babchuk made it 2-0 Flames on the power play for his eighth of the year coming off of Jay Bouwmeester and Jokinen, prompting Colorado to switch goalies, putting Craig Anderson into action. Jarome Iginla kept Calgary going with his 24th of the season, assisted by Rene Bourque and Brendan Morrison. Curtis Glencross later added on another for the Flames, his 18th of the year finding the back of the net thanks to Jokinen, who wrapped up a sock trick in just 12:41 minutes of play, and Moss. Jokinen added his own goal for Calgary, his 12th of the season, courtesy of Glencross and Moss. The Avalanche reinstated Budaj for the second period and beyond. Colorado got on the board in the second period with Daniel Winnik potting his eighth of the year, a power play goal made possible by Kevin Porter and Matt Hunwick. The Flames made it 6-1 in the third period with an Alex Tanguay goal from Regehr and Morrison, good as his 15th of the season. Glencross put Calgary ahead 7-1 with his second of the game and 19th of the year, with Tom Kostopoulos and Moss picking up the assists, the latter earning his own sock trick. Iginla kept the Flames going with his second of the night and 25th of the season, with the help of Mikael Backlund and Steve Staios. Kiprusoff had to come out of the game, with Henrik Karlsson coming in to clean up. Calgary would add on one more goal, making it 9-1 with Matt Stajan potting his fifth of the year shorthanded from Bourque. This was the final, with Jokinen, Glencross, and Moss earning the three stars for the massacre.
That's all for Valentine's Day. A special bit of love to all of you who keep reading, it is much appreciated.
Fantasy Hockey All-Stars, week 17
This week featured a variety of different forms of value, with high scoring games also being accompanied by slugfests. Therefore, these were the best players in terms of fantasy value only.
Center: John Tavares, 3 goals, 5 assists, -1, 4 penalty minutes, 4 power play points, 12 shots on goal
Left Wing: Rick Nash, 3 goals, 2 assists, +4, 2 penalty minutes, 0 power play points, 18 shots on goal
Right Wing: Michael Grabner, 8 goals, 1 assist, +7, 0 penalty minutes, 0 power play points, 23 shots on goal
Defenseman: Travis Hamonic, 1 goal, 3 assists, +1, 29 penalty minutes, 1 power play points, 8 shots on goal
Goaltender: Ilya Bryzgalov, 3 wins, 1.29 goals against average, 73 saves, .948 save percentage, 1 shutout
As evidenced by the three Islanders present this week, increase in teammates (Hamonic, others) penalty minutes can lead to amazing offensive production (Tavares, Grabner). Here's to a less violent week.
Center: John Tavares, 3 goals, 5 assists, -1, 4 penalty minutes, 4 power play points, 12 shots on goal
Left Wing: Rick Nash, 3 goals, 2 assists, +4, 2 penalty minutes, 0 power play points, 18 shots on goal
Right Wing: Michael Grabner, 8 goals, 1 assist, +7, 0 penalty minutes, 0 power play points, 23 shots on goal
Defenseman: Travis Hamonic, 1 goal, 3 assists, +1, 29 penalty minutes, 1 power play points, 8 shots on goal
Goaltender: Ilya Bryzgalov, 3 wins, 1.29 goals against average, 73 saves, .948 save percentage, 1 shutout
As evidenced by the three Islanders present this week, increase in teammates (Hamonic, others) penalty minutes can lead to amazing offensive production (Tavares, Grabner). Here's to a less violent week.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Sunday Hockey action
Today's slate of eight games are all relatively early games.They started with NBC's game, which was at...
The Joe Louis Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings, who hosted the Boston Bruins. Tim Thomas and Jimmy Howard took care of the nets. Boston scored first with Tyler Seguin notching his ninth of the season with the help of Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder. Todd Bertuzzi answered for Detroit with his eleventh of the year, an unassisted goal. Brad Marchand restored the lead for the Bruins with his 16th of the season, a power play goal going in thanks to Ryder and Mark Recchi. The Red Wings got the game tied again with Pavel Datsyuk registering his 14th of the year, courtesy of Brian Rafalski and Jiri Hudler. Kris Draper gave Detroit a 3-2 lead with his sixth of the season, assisted by Patrick Eaves and Darren Helm. Bertuzzi locked up the game with his second of the afternoon and 12th of the year, with help from Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg, making it 4-2 Red Wings, the final. The three stars went to Bertuzzi, Draper, and Zdeno Chara.
Next up, the New York Rangers hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Henrik Lundqvist were in the blue paint. Pittsburgh opened the scoring with a Deryk Engelland goal, his third of the season helped along by Chris Conner and Michael Rupp. Nick Johnson put the Penguins up 2-0 with his first of the year, courtesy of Jordan Staal and Pascal Dupuis. Thirty-seven seconds later, New York entered the scoring with Brian Boyle potting his 19th of the season, thanks to Marc Staal. The Rangers tied the game with Ryan Callahan getting his 13th of the year on the power play from Dan Girardi and Wojtek Wolski. New York obtained the lead in the second period with the second goal of the season by Vinny Prospal, assisted by Brandon Dubinsky and Marian Gaborik. Callahan added his second of the night for the Rangers, also his 14th of the year, with helpers from Marc Staal and Derek Stepan on the power play. Artem Anisimov put New York up 5-2 with his 12th of the season, also on the power play, helped along by Mats Zuccarello and Callahan. Pittsburgh tries to make a comeback in the third period with the second of the year by Brett Sterling, a power play marker made possible by Alex Goligoski and Kris Letang. The Rangers were able to hold on throughout the rest of the third period and defeated the Penguins 5-3. Callahan, Marc Staal, and Boyle earned the three stars.
Staying in the east, the Philadelphia Flyers hosted the road-weary Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Sergei Bobrovsky tended the twines. Los Angeles got the first goal seventeen seconds into the second period with Drew Doughty notching his seventh of the season with the help of Anze Kopitar and Wayne Simmonds. This was the only goal in the game, giving the Kings a 1-0 victory over the Flyers, with Quick (40 save shutout), Doughty, and Claude Giroux getting the three stars.
Following that, the Buffalo Sabres hosted the New York Islanders. Mikko Koskinen and Ryan Miller picked up the starts. Forty seconds into the game, New York struck with a Michael Grabner goal, with help from Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo for his 22nd of the season. Buffalo responded with a Jochen Hecht tally, his ninth of the year going in unassisted. Drew Stafford made it 2-1 for the Sabres on his 21st of the season, courtesy of Tyler Ennis and Tim Connolly. John Tavares retied the game for the Islanders with his 21st of the year, with Travis Hamonic and Matt Moulson picking up the helpers. Stafford restored the lead for Buffalo with his second of the game and 22nd of season, via Ennis and Connolly again. The Sabres extended their lead and chased away Koskinen with Nathan Gerbe potting his seventh of the year, with the help of Shaone Morrison. Al Montoya came on in relief. New York got back within a goal later in the second period, a Blake Comeau tally for his 14th of the season, with assistance from Nielsen and Okposo. The Islanders tied it with the second goal of the game and 23rd of the year by Grabner in the third period, an unassisted goal. Buffalo made it 5-4 with a Tyler Myers goal, his eighth of the campaign finding twine with guidance from Jason Pominville. Milan Jurcina retied it yet again for New York with his fourth of the season coming on the power play from Nielsen, who wrapped up his sock trick, and Tavares. Ty Wishart gave the Islanders a lead with his first of the year, also a power play goal, made possible by Jurcina and Josh Bailey. Thirty-one second later, the Sabres retied the game at 6 with Stafford completing his hat trick on his 23rd goal of the season, assisted by Jordan Leopold and Tyler Ennis, who finished a sock trick. The tie lasted until Grabner gave New York the 7-6 victory in overtime, completing a hat trick of his own on his 24th of the year, thanks to Okposo, who also earned a sock trick, and Andrew MacDonald. Grabner, Stafford, and Ennis all earned the three stars.
Heading southwest, the Dallas Stars hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets. Kari Lethonen and Steve Mason put on the masks. Dallas struck first with a Brad Richards goal, his 24th of the season coming on the power play via Trevor Daley and Steve Ott. Columbus answered forty-six seconds later with Matt Calvert notching his fourth of the campaign with the help of Anton Stralman and Jan Hejda. Rick Nash put the Blue Jackets up 2-1 in the second period on his 26th of the year, seeing the sticks of Jakub Voracek and Stralman previously. The scoring dried up after this point, and Columbus held on for the 2-1 victory over the Stars. The three stars went out to Mason (29 for 30 saves), Lethonen (37 for 39 saves), Stralman.
Continuing along, the Atlanta Thrashers hosted the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Ondrej Pavelec stood tall in the paint. Carolina was the first to strike with a Jiri Tlusty marker, his fifth of the season getting steam from Joni Pitkanen and Sergei Samsonov. Atlanta replied in the second period with Andrew Ladd sinking his 18th of the year unassisted. Joe Corvo put the Hurricanes back out front with his ninth of the campaign, courtesy of Brandon Sutter and Jeff Skinner. Ladd again provided the equalizer for the Thrashers with his second of the game and 19th of the season, again needing no help. Carolina managed to retake the lead again at 3-2 with Erik Cole sinking his 16th of the year with the help of Samsonov and Ian White, which would be the final. The three stars went out to Cole, Ladd, and Ward (41 for 43 saves).
Staying on the east coast, the Florida Panthers hosted the San Jose Sharks. Tending the twines were Antti Niemi and Tomas Vokoun. San Jose opened the scoring with Kent Huskins netting his second of the season, courtesy of Joe Pavelski and Torrey Mitchell. Florida responded late in the second period with Mike Santorelli nailing his 15th of the year with help from Cory Stillman and Keaton Ellerby. Pavelski gave the Sharks the lead back on his 12th of the campaign, assisted by Dany Heatley and Mitchell. The Panthers tied it again with Chris Higgins notching his tenth of the season thanks to Marty Reasoner and Dennis Wideman. Jason Garrison gave the Panthers a 3-2 lead with his third of the year, coming off of Reasoner and Higgins. This would be the final, with the three stars going to Garrison, Higgins, and Santorelli.
Finally, the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Anaheim Ducks. Jonas Hiller and Devan Dubnyk were between the pipes. Thirty-four seconds into the game Teemu Selanne potted his 17th of the season, allowing Jason Blake and Andreas Lilja to pick up the helpers. Brandon McMillan made it 2-0 Ducks in the second period with his eighth of the year, via Dan Sexton and Maxim Lapierre. Bobby Ryan added on his 26th of the season for Anaheim shortly after, thanks to Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. The troublesome trio made it 4-0 Ducks in the third period when Ryan nailed his 27th of the year and second of the game, with Perry and Getzlaf helping out again. Nikolai Khabibulin closed out the game for Edmonton, who still lost 4-0. The three stars went to Ryan, Perry, and Selanne, and Hiller was noted to have an easy night, making a mere 12 saves for the shutout.
Monday brings three games, hopefully I have the time for them.
The Joe Louis Arena, home of the Detroit Red Wings, who hosted the Boston Bruins. Tim Thomas and Jimmy Howard took care of the nets. Boston scored first with Tyler Seguin notching his ninth of the season with the help of Blake Wheeler and Michael Ryder. Todd Bertuzzi answered for Detroit with his eleventh of the year, an unassisted goal. Brad Marchand restored the lead for the Bruins with his 16th of the season, a power play goal going in thanks to Ryder and Mark Recchi. The Red Wings got the game tied again with Pavel Datsyuk registering his 14th of the year, courtesy of Brian Rafalski and Jiri Hudler. Kris Draper gave Detroit a 3-2 lead with his sixth of the season, assisted by Patrick Eaves and Darren Helm. Bertuzzi locked up the game with his second of the afternoon and 12th of the year, with help from Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg, making it 4-2 Red Wings, the final. The three stars went to Bertuzzi, Draper, and Zdeno Chara.
Next up, the New York Rangers hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Henrik Lundqvist were in the blue paint. Pittsburgh opened the scoring with a Deryk Engelland goal, his third of the season helped along by Chris Conner and Michael Rupp. Nick Johnson put the Penguins up 2-0 with his first of the year, courtesy of Jordan Staal and Pascal Dupuis. Thirty-seven seconds later, New York entered the scoring with Brian Boyle potting his 19th of the season, thanks to Marc Staal. The Rangers tied the game with Ryan Callahan getting his 13th of the year on the power play from Dan Girardi and Wojtek Wolski. New York obtained the lead in the second period with the second goal of the season by Vinny Prospal, assisted by Brandon Dubinsky and Marian Gaborik. Callahan added his second of the night for the Rangers, also his 14th of the year, with helpers from Marc Staal and Derek Stepan on the power play. Artem Anisimov put New York up 5-2 with his 12th of the season, also on the power play, helped along by Mats Zuccarello and Callahan. Pittsburgh tries to make a comeback in the third period with the second of the year by Brett Sterling, a power play marker made possible by Alex Goligoski and Kris Letang. The Rangers were able to hold on throughout the rest of the third period and defeated the Penguins 5-3. Callahan, Marc Staal, and Boyle earned the three stars.
Staying in the east, the Philadelphia Flyers hosted the road-weary Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Sergei Bobrovsky tended the twines. Los Angeles got the first goal seventeen seconds into the second period with Drew Doughty notching his seventh of the season with the help of Anze Kopitar and Wayne Simmonds. This was the only goal in the game, giving the Kings a 1-0 victory over the Flyers, with Quick (40 save shutout), Doughty, and Claude Giroux getting the three stars.
Following that, the Buffalo Sabres hosted the New York Islanders. Mikko Koskinen and Ryan Miller picked up the starts. Forty seconds into the game, New York struck with a Michael Grabner goal, with help from Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo for his 22nd of the season. Buffalo responded with a Jochen Hecht tally, his ninth of the year going in unassisted. Drew Stafford made it 2-1 for the Sabres on his 21st of the season, courtesy of Tyler Ennis and Tim Connolly. John Tavares retied the game for the Islanders with his 21st of the year, with Travis Hamonic and Matt Moulson picking up the helpers. Stafford restored the lead for Buffalo with his second of the game and 22nd of season, via Ennis and Connolly again. The Sabres extended their lead and chased away Koskinen with Nathan Gerbe potting his seventh of the year, with the help of Shaone Morrison. Al Montoya came on in relief. New York got back within a goal later in the second period, a Blake Comeau tally for his 14th of the season, with assistance from Nielsen and Okposo. The Islanders tied it with the second goal of the game and 23rd of the year by Grabner in the third period, an unassisted goal. Buffalo made it 5-4 with a Tyler Myers goal, his eighth of the campaign finding twine with guidance from Jason Pominville. Milan Jurcina retied it yet again for New York with his fourth of the season coming on the power play from Nielsen, who wrapped up his sock trick, and Tavares. Ty Wishart gave the Islanders a lead with his first of the year, also a power play goal, made possible by Jurcina and Josh Bailey. Thirty-one second later, the Sabres retied the game at 6 with Stafford completing his hat trick on his 23rd goal of the season, assisted by Jordan Leopold and Tyler Ennis, who finished a sock trick. The tie lasted until Grabner gave New York the 7-6 victory in overtime, completing a hat trick of his own on his 24th of the year, thanks to Okposo, who also earned a sock trick, and Andrew MacDonald. Grabner, Stafford, and Ennis all earned the three stars.
Heading southwest, the Dallas Stars hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets. Kari Lethonen and Steve Mason put on the masks. Dallas struck first with a Brad Richards goal, his 24th of the season coming on the power play via Trevor Daley and Steve Ott. Columbus answered forty-six seconds later with Matt Calvert notching his fourth of the campaign with the help of Anton Stralman and Jan Hejda. Rick Nash put the Blue Jackets up 2-1 in the second period on his 26th of the year, seeing the sticks of Jakub Voracek and Stralman previously. The scoring dried up after this point, and Columbus held on for the 2-1 victory over the Stars. The three stars went out to Mason (29 for 30 saves), Lethonen (37 for 39 saves), Stralman.
Continuing along, the Atlanta Thrashers hosted the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Ondrej Pavelec stood tall in the paint. Carolina was the first to strike with a Jiri Tlusty marker, his fifth of the season getting steam from Joni Pitkanen and Sergei Samsonov. Atlanta replied in the second period with Andrew Ladd sinking his 18th of the year unassisted. Joe Corvo put the Hurricanes back out front with his ninth of the campaign, courtesy of Brandon Sutter and Jeff Skinner. Ladd again provided the equalizer for the Thrashers with his second of the game and 19th of the season, again needing no help. Carolina managed to retake the lead again at 3-2 with Erik Cole sinking his 16th of the year with the help of Samsonov and Ian White, which would be the final. The three stars went out to Cole, Ladd, and Ward (41 for 43 saves).
Staying on the east coast, the Florida Panthers hosted the San Jose Sharks. Tending the twines were Antti Niemi and Tomas Vokoun. San Jose opened the scoring with Kent Huskins netting his second of the season, courtesy of Joe Pavelski and Torrey Mitchell. Florida responded late in the second period with Mike Santorelli nailing his 15th of the year with help from Cory Stillman and Keaton Ellerby. Pavelski gave the Sharks the lead back on his 12th of the campaign, assisted by Dany Heatley and Mitchell. The Panthers tied it again with Chris Higgins notching his tenth of the season thanks to Marty Reasoner and Dennis Wideman. Jason Garrison gave the Panthers a 3-2 lead with his third of the year, coming off of Reasoner and Higgins. This would be the final, with the three stars going to Garrison, Higgins, and Santorelli.
Finally, the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Anaheim Ducks. Jonas Hiller and Devan Dubnyk were between the pipes. Thirty-four seconds into the game Teemu Selanne potted his 17th of the season, allowing Jason Blake and Andreas Lilja to pick up the helpers. Brandon McMillan made it 2-0 Ducks in the second period with his eighth of the year, via Dan Sexton and Maxim Lapierre. Bobby Ryan added on his 26th of the season for Anaheim shortly after, thanks to Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. The troublesome trio made it 4-0 Ducks in the third period when Ryan nailed his 27th of the year and second of the game, with Perry and Getzlaf helping out again. Nikolai Khabibulin closed out the game for Edmonton, who still lost 4-0. The three stars went to Ryan, Perry, and Selanne, and Hiller was noted to have an easy night, making a mere 12 saves for the shutout.
Monday brings three games, hopefully I have the time for them.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
NHL Saturday - Hockey Day in Canada
Today we have a light schedule for a Saturday, with only eight games, three of which being all-Canada games. We start early with the...
Washington Capitals hosting the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Bernier and Semyon Varlamov were given the starts. Opening the scoring was Washington when Alex Ovechkin put his 21st of the season away unassisted. Los Angeles tied it with an Anze Kopitar tally, his 17th of the year coming from Wayne Simmonds and Michal Handzus. The Kings took the lead with an Andrei Loktionov marker, his third of the campaign made possible by Kyle Clifford and Matt Greene. Handzus made it 3-1 Los Angeles with his eighth of the season, coming from Kopitar and Simmonds. Jarret Stoll extended the Kings lead farther with his 16th of the year, assisted by Justin Williams and Ryan Smyth. This was the final tally, and the three stars went to Kopitar, Simmonds, and Willie Mitchell.
In the first of the Canada matches, the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Ottawa Senators during the afternoon. Nikolai Khabibulin opposed Brian Elliott. Ottawa drew first blood on Bobby Butler's first goal of the season, an unassisted goal. Andrew Cogliano replied for Edmonton with his ninth of the year, thanks to Jordan Eberle and Kurtis Foster. Alex Kovalev retook the lead for the Senators on his 12th of the season, with help from Nick Foligno. The Oilers tied it again in the second period with Dustin Penner scoring his 19th of the year via Ales Hemsky. Ottawa made it 3-2 when Milan Michalek scored on the power play with his 14th of the season, courtesy of Butler and Jason Spezza. The Senators extended the lead again with a Peter Regin tally, his third of the year, with help from Kovalev and Foligno. Edmonton got back within a goal on Penner's second of the game and 20th of the season, assisted by Hemsky and Linus Omark. However, Ottawa sealed the deal with Kovalev notching his second of the game and 13th of the year into the open cage, with Spezza and Erik Karlsson picking up the helpers. Butler, Penner, and Kovalev were the three stars.
Staying Canadian (or should we say Canadien), the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Carey Price got the starts (and name association to team loyalties would be misleading in this scenario) in front of the cages. Benoit Pouliot got Montreal out front in the second period with his 12th of the season, a goal from David Desharnais and Roman Hamrlik. Shortly thereafter, Brian Gionta added on his 21st of the year for the Canadiens, with help from Max Pacioretty. Montreal got it out to 3-0 with a Desharnais power play marker, his fifth of the campaign going in with assistance from Scott Gomez and Hamrlik. This would be the final, giving Desharnais, Price (27 save shutout), and Pouliot the three stars.
Heading south, where the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Dwayne Roloson were given the responsibility in front of the nets. Tampa Bay struck first in the second period on a Steve Downie goal, his seventh of the season from Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos. The Lightning made it 2-0 with a Vincent Lecavalier marker, his 12th of the year being assisted by Teddy Purcell and Simon Gagne on the power play. Carolina answered with an Eric Staal tally, his 27th of the season also coming on the power play with the help of Joni Pitkanen and Erik Cole. Sean Bergenheim extended the Tampa Bay lead to 3-1 with his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Dana Tyrell. Jeff Skinner got the Hurricanes back within a goal on his 21st of the season, thanks to Staal and Tuomo Ruutu. Nineteen seconds later, Cole potted his 15th of the year to tie the game with a mere thirty-three seconds left in regulation. Pitkanen and Joe Corvo grabbed the assists. This was just an extension of the loss though, as Marc-Andre Bergeron nailed his first of the season in overtime to win it for the Lightning, with the help of Bergenheim. Earning the three stars were Bergeron, Lecavalier, and Pitkanen.
Out west, the Phoenix Coyotes hosted the Chicago Blackhawks. Earning the chance to start were Corey Crawford and Ilya Bryzgalov. Phoenix drew first blood with a Radim Vrbata goal, his 15th of the season getting help from Ray Whitney. The Coyotes made it 2-0 early in the second period on a Taylor Pyatt marker, his 14th of the year coming off of Shane Doan and Sami Lepisto. Chicago got a goal back with Troy Brouwer putting his 16th of the season away on the power play with the help of Marian Hossa and Dave Bolland. Duncan Keith tied it for the Blackhawks in the third period with his own power play goal, helped along by Brian Campbell and Bolland as his fifth of the year. The tie was preserved into a shootout, where Vrbata scored the only tally and gave Phoenix the 3-2 victory. Vrbata, Pyatt, and Bryzgalov (31 for 33 saves) were the three stars.
Back east, the Nashville Predators hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Peter Budaj and Pekka Rinne were in front of the cages. Colorado opened the scoring with Kevin Porter notching his tenth of the season courtesy of Paul Stastny and Matt Hunwick. Eleven seconds later, Shea Weber potted his eleventh of the year for Nashville to tie the game, with help from Martin Erat and Ryan Suter. Erat made it 2-1 for the Predators in the second period with his ninth of the season, a power play goal made possible by Patric Hornqvist and Sergei Kostitsyn. The Avalanche retied the game with David Jones scoring his 19th of the year, thanks to Daniel Winnik and Ryan O'Reilly. Colorado took a 3-2 lead early in the third period with Matt Duchene sinking his 21st of the season, with assists from Brandon Yip and Porter. Hornqvist retied the game for Nashville on his 17th of the year, with help from David Legwand and Steve Sullivan. Cody Franson gave the Predators a 4-3 lead with his seventh of the year, unassisted. Icing the game off for Nashville was Legwand, providing his ninth of the season into the empty net with assistance from Erat and new Predator Mike Fisher. Earning the three stars were Hornqvist, Franson, and Erat.
North for the Minnesota Wild hosting the St. Louis Blues. Jaroslav Halak and Niklas Backstrom put on the masks for the game. Two fights opened the action in the mid first period, with Matt D'Agostini taking on Cam Barker, and the sequel between Cam Janssen and Brad Staubitz. Minnesota ended up drawing the first goal with Cal Clutterbuck taking his 17th of the season to the twine with help from Jared Spurgeon and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. The Wild made it 2-0 with the eleventh of the year by Antti Miettinen, a power play goal coming off of Andrew Brunette. Minnesota rolled along with Kyle Brodziak notching his eleventh of the season, with Brent Burns picking up the assist. St. Louis got on the board with Patrik Berglund scoring his 14th of the year on the power play, courtesy of T.J. Oshie and Brad Boyes. With no scoring in the third period, 3-1 Wild over Blues was the final, but there was a mini-brawl at the end with Alex Steen and Greg Zanon exchanging minors as Colin Stoner fought with David Backes, earning them 15 minutes apiece. The three stars went out to Burns, Backstrom (24 for 25 saves), and Staubitz.
Finally, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Calgary Flames to wrap up the Canadian-themed day. Miikka Kiprusoff and Roberto Luongo were between the pipes. Vancouver opened the scoring with Alexandre Burrows potting his 16th of the season on the power play with assists provided by Mason Raymond and Manny Malhotra. Calgary tied the game in the second period with Tim Jackman sinking his tenth of the year with the help of Matt Stajan and Anton Babchuk. Curtis Glencross soon made it 2-1 Flames with his 17th of the season, helped along by Brendan Morrison and Jarome Iginla. Mikael Samuelsson put the Canucks back in front with two goals in a row, his 14th and 15th of the campaign. Picking up assists were first Raymond and Kevin Bieksa at even strength and then Christian Ehrhoff and Daniel Sedin on the power play. Burrows sealed the deal 4-2 for Vancouver over Calgary with his second of the game and 17th of the year into an empty net, with the set up made by Aaron Rome and Malhotra. Samuelsson, Glencross, and Bieksa earned the three stars.
That's all for Saturday. Happy Hockey Day.
Washington Capitals hosting the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Bernier and Semyon Varlamov were given the starts. Opening the scoring was Washington when Alex Ovechkin put his 21st of the season away unassisted. Los Angeles tied it with an Anze Kopitar tally, his 17th of the year coming from Wayne Simmonds and Michal Handzus. The Kings took the lead with an Andrei Loktionov marker, his third of the campaign made possible by Kyle Clifford and Matt Greene. Handzus made it 3-1 Los Angeles with his eighth of the season, coming from Kopitar and Simmonds. Jarret Stoll extended the Kings lead farther with his 16th of the year, assisted by Justin Williams and Ryan Smyth. This was the final tally, and the three stars went to Kopitar, Simmonds, and Willie Mitchell.
In the first of the Canada matches, the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Ottawa Senators during the afternoon. Nikolai Khabibulin opposed Brian Elliott. Ottawa drew first blood on Bobby Butler's first goal of the season, an unassisted goal. Andrew Cogliano replied for Edmonton with his ninth of the year, thanks to Jordan Eberle and Kurtis Foster. Alex Kovalev retook the lead for the Senators on his 12th of the season, with help from Nick Foligno. The Oilers tied it again in the second period with Dustin Penner scoring his 19th of the year via Ales Hemsky. Ottawa made it 3-2 when Milan Michalek scored on the power play with his 14th of the season, courtesy of Butler and Jason Spezza. The Senators extended the lead again with a Peter Regin tally, his third of the year, with help from Kovalev and Foligno. Edmonton got back within a goal on Penner's second of the game and 20th of the season, assisted by Hemsky and Linus Omark. However, Ottawa sealed the deal with Kovalev notching his second of the game and 13th of the year into the open cage, with Spezza and Erik Karlsson picking up the helpers. Butler, Penner, and Kovalev were the three stars.
Staying Canadian (or should we say Canadien), the Montreal Canadiens hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Carey Price got the starts (and name association to team loyalties would be misleading in this scenario) in front of the cages. Benoit Pouliot got Montreal out front in the second period with his 12th of the season, a goal from David Desharnais and Roman Hamrlik. Shortly thereafter, Brian Gionta added on his 21st of the year for the Canadiens, with help from Max Pacioretty. Montreal got it out to 3-0 with a Desharnais power play marker, his fifth of the campaign going in with assistance from Scott Gomez and Hamrlik. This would be the final, giving Desharnais, Price (27 save shutout), and Pouliot the three stars.
Heading south, where the Tampa Bay Lightning hosted the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Dwayne Roloson were given the responsibility in front of the nets. Tampa Bay struck first in the second period on a Steve Downie goal, his seventh of the season from Martin St. Louis and Steven Stamkos. The Lightning made it 2-0 with a Vincent Lecavalier marker, his 12th of the year being assisted by Teddy Purcell and Simon Gagne on the power play. Carolina answered with an Eric Staal tally, his 27th of the season also coming on the power play with the help of Joni Pitkanen and Erik Cole. Sean Bergenheim extended the Tampa Bay lead to 3-1 with his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Dana Tyrell. Jeff Skinner got the Hurricanes back within a goal on his 21st of the season, thanks to Staal and Tuomo Ruutu. Nineteen seconds later, Cole potted his 15th of the year to tie the game with a mere thirty-three seconds left in regulation. Pitkanen and Joe Corvo grabbed the assists. This was just an extension of the loss though, as Marc-Andre Bergeron nailed his first of the season in overtime to win it for the Lightning, with the help of Bergenheim. Earning the three stars were Bergeron, Lecavalier, and Pitkanen.
Out west, the Phoenix Coyotes hosted the Chicago Blackhawks. Earning the chance to start were Corey Crawford and Ilya Bryzgalov. Phoenix drew first blood with a Radim Vrbata goal, his 15th of the season getting help from Ray Whitney. The Coyotes made it 2-0 early in the second period on a Taylor Pyatt marker, his 14th of the year coming off of Shane Doan and Sami Lepisto. Chicago got a goal back with Troy Brouwer putting his 16th of the season away on the power play with the help of Marian Hossa and Dave Bolland. Duncan Keith tied it for the Blackhawks in the third period with his own power play goal, helped along by Brian Campbell and Bolland as his fifth of the year. The tie was preserved into a shootout, where Vrbata scored the only tally and gave Phoenix the 3-2 victory. Vrbata, Pyatt, and Bryzgalov (31 for 33 saves) were the three stars.
Back east, the Nashville Predators hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Peter Budaj and Pekka Rinne were in front of the cages. Colorado opened the scoring with Kevin Porter notching his tenth of the season courtesy of Paul Stastny and Matt Hunwick. Eleven seconds later, Shea Weber potted his eleventh of the year for Nashville to tie the game, with help from Martin Erat and Ryan Suter. Erat made it 2-1 for the Predators in the second period with his ninth of the season, a power play goal made possible by Patric Hornqvist and Sergei Kostitsyn. The Avalanche retied the game with David Jones scoring his 19th of the year, thanks to Daniel Winnik and Ryan O'Reilly. Colorado took a 3-2 lead early in the third period with Matt Duchene sinking his 21st of the season, with assists from Brandon Yip and Porter. Hornqvist retied the game for Nashville on his 17th of the year, with help from David Legwand and Steve Sullivan. Cody Franson gave the Predators a 4-3 lead with his seventh of the year, unassisted. Icing the game off for Nashville was Legwand, providing his ninth of the season into the empty net with assistance from Erat and new Predator Mike Fisher. Earning the three stars were Hornqvist, Franson, and Erat.
North for the Minnesota Wild hosting the St. Louis Blues. Jaroslav Halak and Niklas Backstrom put on the masks for the game. Two fights opened the action in the mid first period, with Matt D'Agostini taking on Cam Barker, and the sequel between Cam Janssen and Brad Staubitz. Minnesota ended up drawing the first goal with Cal Clutterbuck taking his 17th of the season to the twine with help from Jared Spurgeon and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. The Wild made it 2-0 with the eleventh of the year by Antti Miettinen, a power play goal coming off of Andrew Brunette. Minnesota rolled along with Kyle Brodziak notching his eleventh of the season, with Brent Burns picking up the assist. St. Louis got on the board with Patrik Berglund scoring his 14th of the year on the power play, courtesy of T.J. Oshie and Brad Boyes. With no scoring in the third period, 3-1 Wild over Blues was the final, but there was a mini-brawl at the end with Alex Steen and Greg Zanon exchanging minors as Colin Stoner fought with David Backes, earning them 15 minutes apiece. The three stars went out to Burns, Backstrom (24 for 25 saves), and Staubitz.
Finally, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Calgary Flames to wrap up the Canadian-themed day. Miikka Kiprusoff and Roberto Luongo were between the pipes. Vancouver opened the scoring with Alexandre Burrows potting his 16th of the season on the power play with assists provided by Mason Raymond and Manny Malhotra. Calgary tied the game in the second period with Tim Jackman sinking his tenth of the year with the help of Matt Stajan and Anton Babchuk. Curtis Glencross soon made it 2-1 Flames with his 17th of the season, helped along by Brendan Morrison and Jarome Iginla. Mikael Samuelsson put the Canucks back in front with two goals in a row, his 14th and 15th of the campaign. Picking up assists were first Raymond and Kevin Bieksa at even strength and then Christian Ehrhoff and Daniel Sedin on the power play. Burrows sealed the deal 4-2 for Vancouver over Calgary with his second of the game and 17th of the year into an empty net, with the set up made by Aaron Rome and Malhotra. Samuelsson, Glencross, and Bieksa earned the three stars.
That's all for Saturday. Happy Hockey Day.
NHL Friday
The NHL had eight games on Friday, and *spoiler alert* there was a lot happening in a majority of the games. We start, however, in a relatively calm environment known as...
Columbus, where the Blue Jackets welcomed Peter Forsberg and the Colorado Avalanche. Peter Budaj and Mathieu Garon got the spot starts. Colorado opened the scoring with Philippe Dupuis notching his fourth of the season, an unassisted goal. Rick Nash answered for Columbus in the second period with his 25th of the year, from Jakub Voracek and Fedor Tyutin. Derick Brassard put the Blue Jackets in front with his 14th of the season, courtesy of Nash. Sealing the deal late in the third period was Derek MacKenzie with his third of the year, an empty netter gathering steam from Samuel Pahlsson. The three stars were given out to Nash, Garon (31 for 32 saves), and Brassard.
Heading to the site of an earlier brawl, the Detroit Red Wings visited the Boston Bruins and the TD Garden. Jimmy Howard and Tuukka Rask started the game. Detroit struck early with a Todd Bertuzzi goal from Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg, good for his ninth of the season. Danny Cleary put the Red Wings up 2-0 with his 17th of the year, courtesy of Jiri Hudler and Niklas Kronwall. David Krejci put Boston on the board in the late first period on the power play goal from Milan Lucic and Zdeno Chara, going down as his eighth of the campaign. Hudler got Detroit going again in the second period, with his sixth of the season seeing help from Zetterberg and Brian Rafalski. Zetterberg made it 4-1 Red Wings later with a power play goal from Tomas Holmstrom, who returned from injury, and Cleary for his 17th of the year. Twenty-four seconds later Detroit got another with Bertuzzi potting his second of the night and tenth of the season with Pavel Datsyuk picking up the helper. Rask came out of the came after the second period, and Tim Thomas took over the reigns in front of the Bruins net. Holmstrom tacked on a goal for the Red Wings later in the form of his 12th of the year, a power play marker made possible by Hudler and Datsyuk. The final stood at 6-1, a different form of carnage from earlier in the week, with the three stars going to Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Bertuzzi.
Moving along to the Prudential Center, where the New Jersey Devils hosted the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Johan Hedberg got the starting nods. The scoring was opened by San Jose in the third period with Patrick Marleau sending his 21st of the season into the mesh thanks to the help from Niclas Wallin and Joe Pavelski. New Jersey answered with Brian Rolston marker, his eighth of the year coming with the man advantage from Ilya Kovalchuk and Patrik Elias. Kovalchuk also netted the eventual game winner in the form of his 19th of the season, with Travis Zajac adding on the lone helper for the Devils. Earning the three stars were Kovalchuk, Hedberg (31 for 32 saves), and Rolston.
Heading over to the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, where the New York Islanders hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brent Johnson was out in net, as was Mikko Koskinen, but Marc-Andre Fleury also saw some pucks. Opening the scoring for New York was Travis Hamonic with his second of the season, assisted by Michael Grabner and Frans Nielsen. A traditional fight later occurred between Micheal Haley and Craig Adams. The Islanders made it 2-0 with a Jesse Joensuu marker, his fourth of the year coming off of Josh Bailey and Matt Martin. P.A. Parenteau made it 3-0 New York with his 14th of the season with the help of Hamonic and John Tavares on the power play. Dropping the mitts eight seconds later were Eric Godard and Trevor Gillies. Michael Grabner extended the Islanders lead out to 4-0 with his 20th of the year, courtesy of Bruno Gervais and Radek Martinek. Tavares kept New York going in the second period with his 20th of the season, helped along by Hamonic and Matt Moulson. Thirty seconds later, the Islanders got the first of the year by Haley, with an assist from Jack Hillen. There was a brawl at 5:21 in the second, featuring a notable moment between Matt Martin and the Pittsburgh goalie Brent Johnson, who took a twirl before Deryk Engelland came off the Pittsburgh bench to play linesman between his goalie and his opponent, earning him a ten game suspension. After cleaning up the mess, Pittsburgh came out an scored a goal off the stick of Kris Letang, who appeared to be better after a rough slash from Tavares at the end of the first period, sinking his eighth of the season on the power play from Alex Goligoski and Brett Sterling. Jordan Staal added on his fifth of the year, also coming on the power play, with the help of Tyler Kennedy. Moulson regained those two goals for New York by potting two of his own, 20th and 21st on the campaign, with Parenteau and Tavares grabbing assists on the earlier goal and Tavares finishing a sock trick alongside Milan Jurcina on the latter power play marker. Another brawl occured in the early third period at 4:47, depleting the benches of further players. The Penguins made it 8-3 with a Tyler Kennedy power play goal, his eleventh of the season, thanks to Letang and Joe Vitale. More multiple penalties were called at 12:12, 12:40, 16:04, 16:12, and 17:43 before Grabner was able to pot his second of the game and 21st of the year, both shorthanded and unassisted. Another penalty set at 17:58 concluded the sinning for the 346 minutes of misbehavior. Getting the three stars were Tavares, Moulson, and Grabner, who did a decent job of staying out of the box. Since so many players were involved in the brawls, it will be easier to honor the Penguins (Goligoski, Nick Johnson, Kennedy, Paul Martin, Zbynek Michalek, Brooks Orpik, Staal, and Eric Tangradi) and the Islanders (Gervais, Grabner, Joensuu, Jurcina, Martinek, Moulson, Nielsen, Parenteau, and Tavares) who only earned minor penalties or no penalties throughout the game. May you all have a good time competing for the Lady Byng.
Getting away from the bloodbath, we travel to Atlanta, where the Thrashers hosted the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Ondrej Pavelec were selected to guard the cages. Keeping with the theme of Friday night fights, Eric Boulton and Brandon Prust took a twirl. This was not the theme of the game, as Atlanta soon registered a goal from Anthony Stewart, good as his 14th of the season with the help of Alex Burmistrov and Evander Kane. New York evened the score early in the second period with a power play goal by Marc Staal, his seventh of the year going in with the help of Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal. The Rangers took the lead with a Brandon Dubinsky marker in the third period, his 19th of the season seeing help from Gaborik and Ryan McDonagh. Kane gave the Thrashers the lead back with two in a row later in that period, good for his 15th and 16th of the year, with helpers coming first from Stewart and Ron Hainsey and later on the power play from Dustin Byfuglien and a healthy Tobias Enstrom. Picking up the three stars were Kane, Pavelec (27 for 29 stops), and Stewart.
Out west a bit farther, the St. Louis Blues hosted the Minnesota Wild. Jose Theodore and Jaroslav Halak played in between the pipes. St. Louis opened the scoring early with a Patrik Berglund marker, his 13th of the season going in thanks to T.J. Oshie and Carlo Colaiacovo, who got his first point since coming back from injury. Trying to change pace, Brad Staubitz took on his namesake, Brad Winchester in a fight. Minnesota tied the game shortly after with an Andrew Brunette goal, his 15th of the year, with the help of Brent Burns and Mikko Koivu. The Blues retook the lead when the ninth of the season by Andy McDonald found twine, with helpers from Brad Boyes and Roman Polak. Cal Clutterbuck retied it for the Wild in the second period with his 15th of the year, courtesy of Martin Havlat. Nineteen seconds into the third period, St. Louis took the lead back with David Backes scoring his 19th of the season, thanks to Boyes and Barret Jackman. Twenty-two seconds later, Minnesota had gotten another equalizer off of Clutterbuck again, going as his 16th of the year via Kyle Brodziak. The Blues did take the lead back once more when Backes potted his second of the game and 20th of the season, made possible by Alex Pietrangelo and McDonald. The Wild, with only fifty-eight seconds left got a well-timed goal out of Havlat to tie it at 4, with his 16th of the year getting help from Koivu and Brunette. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Oshie and Pierre-Marc Bouchard exchanged goals, followed by another canceling pair by Boyes and Koivu, and equal scoring in the fourth round by Brent Burns and Alex Steen. John Madden finally wrapped it up for Minnesota several rounds later. The three stars were given out to Clutterbuck, Backes, and Brunette.
In Texas, the Dallas Stars hosted their old goalie who now plays for the Chicago Blackhawks. Marty Turco, a former Stars hero, opposed Kari Lethonen in the creases. Chicago was the first to score with Patrick Kane netting his 18th of the season with no assistance. Thirty-one seconds later, the Blackhawks sported a 2-0 lead after Brent Seabrook nailed his fourth of the year in with the help of Jonathan Toews and Kane. Patrick Sharp later extended the Chicago lead out to 3-0 with his 28th of the season, a power play goal made possible by Toews and Kane. Dallas got on the board in the second period when Stephane Robidas put his fourth of the year in the twine unassisted. Brad Richards added on a power play goal for the Stars, his 23rd of the season also going unassisted. Dallas found the equalizer early in the third period with Brenden Morrow notching his 24th of the year thanks to Jamie Langenbrunner and Robidas. The tie lasted throughout the rest of the game into the shootout, where the Stars sealed victory after Morrow, Richards, and Ribeiro converted, and only Toews got a tally for the Blackhawks. Given the three stars were Richards, Kane, and Robidas.
Finally, the Calgary Flames host the Anaheim Ducks. Curtis McElhinney got the start against his former team, taking the crease across from Miikka Kiprusoff. Anaheim struck first with a Saku Koivu marker, his 12th of the season going in with the help of Jason Blake and Teemu Selanne. Calgary replied with a Rene Bourque goal, his 17th of the year, in the second period, coming from Robyn Regehr and Jarome Iginla. The Flames took the lead with Olli Jokinen's eleventh of the season forty-one seconds later, assisted by Curtis Glencross and David Moss. Koivu retied it for the Ducks on his second of the game and 13th of the year, thanks to Selanne and Blake. Brandon McMillan put Anaheim back out in front with his seventh of the season, a shorthanded goal from Corry Perry and Andy Sutton. Calgary tied it again in the third period, as Iginla notched his 23rd of the year, courtesy of Regehr and Brendan Morrison. Glencross put the Flames up 4-3 with his 16th of the season, helped along by Moss and Jokinen. The Ducks would not give up though, and evened the score with Selanne scoring on the power play for his 16th of the year, made possible by Ryan Getzlaf and Perry. This forced an overtime, and the pattern of scoring prevailed, when Cam Fowler sealed a 5-4 victory with his seventh of the campaign, coming from Koivu and Selanne, the latter of which completed a sock trick. Glencross, Jokinen, and Selanne got the three stars.
That's all for a busy Friday. Eight games are featured Saturday, the Hockey Day in Canada. Hoping to get that post out later.
Columbus, where the Blue Jackets welcomed Peter Forsberg and the Colorado Avalanche. Peter Budaj and Mathieu Garon got the spot starts. Colorado opened the scoring with Philippe Dupuis notching his fourth of the season, an unassisted goal. Rick Nash answered for Columbus in the second period with his 25th of the year, from Jakub Voracek and Fedor Tyutin. Derick Brassard put the Blue Jackets in front with his 14th of the season, courtesy of Nash. Sealing the deal late in the third period was Derek MacKenzie with his third of the year, an empty netter gathering steam from Samuel Pahlsson. The three stars were given out to Nash, Garon (31 for 32 saves), and Brassard.
Heading to the site of an earlier brawl, the Detroit Red Wings visited the Boston Bruins and the TD Garden. Jimmy Howard and Tuukka Rask started the game. Detroit struck early with a Todd Bertuzzi goal from Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg, good for his ninth of the season. Danny Cleary put the Red Wings up 2-0 with his 17th of the year, courtesy of Jiri Hudler and Niklas Kronwall. David Krejci put Boston on the board in the late first period on the power play goal from Milan Lucic and Zdeno Chara, going down as his eighth of the campaign. Hudler got Detroit going again in the second period, with his sixth of the season seeing help from Zetterberg and Brian Rafalski. Zetterberg made it 4-1 Red Wings later with a power play goal from Tomas Holmstrom, who returned from injury, and Cleary for his 17th of the year. Twenty-four seconds later Detroit got another with Bertuzzi potting his second of the night and tenth of the season with Pavel Datsyuk picking up the helper. Rask came out of the came after the second period, and Tim Thomas took over the reigns in front of the Bruins net. Holmstrom tacked on a goal for the Red Wings later in the form of his 12th of the year, a power play marker made possible by Hudler and Datsyuk. The final stood at 6-1, a different form of carnage from earlier in the week, with the three stars going to Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Bertuzzi.
Moving along to the Prudential Center, where the New Jersey Devils hosted the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Johan Hedberg got the starting nods. The scoring was opened by San Jose in the third period with Patrick Marleau sending his 21st of the season into the mesh thanks to the help from Niclas Wallin and Joe Pavelski. New Jersey answered with Brian Rolston marker, his eighth of the year coming with the man advantage from Ilya Kovalchuk and Patrik Elias. Kovalchuk also netted the eventual game winner in the form of his 19th of the season, with Travis Zajac adding on the lone helper for the Devils. Earning the three stars were Kovalchuk, Hedberg (31 for 32 saves), and Rolston.
Heading over to the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, where the New York Islanders hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brent Johnson was out in net, as was Mikko Koskinen, but Marc-Andre Fleury also saw some pucks. Opening the scoring for New York was Travis Hamonic with his second of the season, assisted by Michael Grabner and Frans Nielsen. A traditional fight later occurred between Micheal Haley and Craig Adams. The Islanders made it 2-0 with a Jesse Joensuu marker, his fourth of the year coming off of Josh Bailey and Matt Martin. P.A. Parenteau made it 3-0 New York with his 14th of the season with the help of Hamonic and John Tavares on the power play. Dropping the mitts eight seconds later were Eric Godard and Trevor Gillies. Michael Grabner extended the Islanders lead out to 4-0 with his 20th of the year, courtesy of Bruno Gervais and Radek Martinek. Tavares kept New York going in the second period with his 20th of the season, helped along by Hamonic and Matt Moulson. Thirty seconds later, the Islanders got the first of the year by Haley, with an assist from Jack Hillen. There was a brawl at 5:21 in the second, featuring a notable moment between Matt Martin and the Pittsburgh goalie Brent Johnson, who took a twirl before Deryk Engelland came off the Pittsburgh bench to play linesman between his goalie and his opponent, earning him a ten game suspension. After cleaning up the mess, Pittsburgh came out an scored a goal off the stick of Kris Letang, who appeared to be better after a rough slash from Tavares at the end of the first period, sinking his eighth of the season on the power play from Alex Goligoski and Brett Sterling. Jordan Staal added on his fifth of the year, also coming on the power play, with the help of Tyler Kennedy. Moulson regained those two goals for New York by potting two of his own, 20th and 21st on the campaign, with Parenteau and Tavares grabbing assists on the earlier goal and Tavares finishing a sock trick alongside Milan Jurcina on the latter power play marker. Another brawl occured in the early third period at 4:47, depleting the benches of further players. The Penguins made it 8-3 with a Tyler Kennedy power play goal, his eleventh of the season, thanks to Letang and Joe Vitale. More multiple penalties were called at 12:12, 12:40, 16:04, 16:12, and 17:43 before Grabner was able to pot his second of the game and 21st of the year, both shorthanded and unassisted. Another penalty set at 17:58 concluded the sinning for the 346 minutes of misbehavior. Getting the three stars were Tavares, Moulson, and Grabner, who did a decent job of staying out of the box. Since so many players were involved in the brawls, it will be easier to honor the Penguins (Goligoski, Nick Johnson, Kennedy, Paul Martin, Zbynek Michalek, Brooks Orpik, Staal, and Eric Tangradi) and the Islanders (Gervais, Grabner, Joensuu, Jurcina, Martinek, Moulson, Nielsen, Parenteau, and Tavares) who only earned minor penalties or no penalties throughout the game. May you all have a good time competing for the Lady Byng.
Getting away from the bloodbath, we travel to Atlanta, where the Thrashers hosted the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Ondrej Pavelec were selected to guard the cages. Keeping with the theme of Friday night fights, Eric Boulton and Brandon Prust took a twirl. This was not the theme of the game, as Atlanta soon registered a goal from Anthony Stewart, good as his 14th of the season with the help of Alex Burmistrov and Evander Kane. New York evened the score early in the second period with a power play goal by Marc Staal, his seventh of the year going in with the help of Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal. The Rangers took the lead with a Brandon Dubinsky marker in the third period, his 19th of the season seeing help from Gaborik and Ryan McDonagh. Kane gave the Thrashers the lead back with two in a row later in that period, good for his 15th and 16th of the year, with helpers coming first from Stewart and Ron Hainsey and later on the power play from Dustin Byfuglien and a healthy Tobias Enstrom. Picking up the three stars were Kane, Pavelec (27 for 29 stops), and Stewart.
Out west a bit farther, the St. Louis Blues hosted the Minnesota Wild. Jose Theodore and Jaroslav Halak played in between the pipes. St. Louis opened the scoring early with a Patrik Berglund marker, his 13th of the season going in thanks to T.J. Oshie and Carlo Colaiacovo, who got his first point since coming back from injury. Trying to change pace, Brad Staubitz took on his namesake, Brad Winchester in a fight. Minnesota tied the game shortly after with an Andrew Brunette goal, his 15th of the year, with the help of Brent Burns and Mikko Koivu. The Blues retook the lead when the ninth of the season by Andy McDonald found twine, with helpers from Brad Boyes and Roman Polak. Cal Clutterbuck retied it for the Wild in the second period with his 15th of the year, courtesy of Martin Havlat. Nineteen seconds into the third period, St. Louis took the lead back with David Backes scoring his 19th of the season, thanks to Boyes and Barret Jackman. Twenty-two seconds later, Minnesota had gotten another equalizer off of Clutterbuck again, going as his 16th of the year via Kyle Brodziak. The Blues did take the lead back once more when Backes potted his second of the game and 20th of the season, made possible by Alex Pietrangelo and McDonald. The Wild, with only fifty-eight seconds left got a well-timed goal out of Havlat to tie it at 4, with his 16th of the year getting help from Koivu and Brunette. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Oshie and Pierre-Marc Bouchard exchanged goals, followed by another canceling pair by Boyes and Koivu, and equal scoring in the fourth round by Brent Burns and Alex Steen. John Madden finally wrapped it up for Minnesota several rounds later. The three stars were given out to Clutterbuck, Backes, and Brunette.
In Texas, the Dallas Stars hosted their old goalie who now plays for the Chicago Blackhawks. Marty Turco, a former Stars hero, opposed Kari Lethonen in the creases. Chicago was the first to score with Patrick Kane netting his 18th of the season with no assistance. Thirty-one seconds later, the Blackhawks sported a 2-0 lead after Brent Seabrook nailed his fourth of the year in with the help of Jonathan Toews and Kane. Patrick Sharp later extended the Chicago lead out to 3-0 with his 28th of the season, a power play goal made possible by Toews and Kane. Dallas got on the board in the second period when Stephane Robidas put his fourth of the year in the twine unassisted. Brad Richards added on a power play goal for the Stars, his 23rd of the season also going unassisted. Dallas found the equalizer early in the third period with Brenden Morrow notching his 24th of the year thanks to Jamie Langenbrunner and Robidas. The tie lasted throughout the rest of the game into the shootout, where the Stars sealed victory after Morrow, Richards, and Ribeiro converted, and only Toews got a tally for the Blackhawks. Given the three stars were Richards, Kane, and Robidas.
Finally, the Calgary Flames host the Anaheim Ducks. Curtis McElhinney got the start against his former team, taking the crease across from Miikka Kiprusoff. Anaheim struck first with a Saku Koivu marker, his 12th of the season going in with the help of Jason Blake and Teemu Selanne. Calgary replied with a Rene Bourque goal, his 17th of the year, in the second period, coming from Robyn Regehr and Jarome Iginla. The Flames took the lead with Olli Jokinen's eleventh of the season forty-one seconds later, assisted by Curtis Glencross and David Moss. Koivu retied it for the Ducks on his second of the game and 13th of the year, thanks to Selanne and Blake. Brandon McMillan put Anaheim back out in front with his seventh of the season, a shorthanded goal from Corry Perry and Andy Sutton. Calgary tied it again in the third period, as Iginla notched his 23rd of the year, courtesy of Regehr and Brendan Morrison. Glencross put the Flames up 4-3 with his 16th of the season, helped along by Moss and Jokinen. The Ducks would not give up though, and evened the score with Selanne scoring on the power play for his 16th of the year, made possible by Ryan Getzlaf and Perry. This forced an overtime, and the pattern of scoring prevailed, when Cam Fowler sealed a 5-4 victory with his seventh of the campaign, coming from Koivu and Selanne, the latter of which completed a sock trick. Glencross, Jokinen, and Selanne got the three stars.
That's all for a busy Friday. Eight games are featured Saturday, the Hockey Day in Canada. Hoping to get that post out later.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)