Tonight we have a total of ten games on, coming at you in a relatively live format. We start with...
The Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the New York Islanders. In front of the nets were Al Montoya and James Reimer. Toronto opened the scoring with a Clarke MacArthur goal, his 18th of the season coming via Nikolai Kulemin. New York replied with the 27th of the year for Matt Moulson, a power play goal assisted by Andrew MacDonald. The Maple Leafs retook the lead with Phil Kessel's 23rd of the season, an unassisted goal. This was the final, giving Reimer (28 for 29 saves), Montoya (23 for 25 stops), and Kessel the three stars.
Southward a bit, the Philadelphia Flyers hosted the Phoenix Coyotes. Russian goaltenders Ilya Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky tended the twines. Philadelphia opened the scoring with a Ville Leino goal, his 14th of the season, made possible by Matt Carle and Danny Briere. Phoenix replied in the third period with the ninth of the year for Eric Belanger, with help from Mikkel Boedker and Vernon Fiddler. The Coyotes took a lead with the 16th of the season for Taylor Pyatt, courtesy of Radin Vrbata. The Flyers tied it up at two with the 21st of the year by Claude Giroux, assisted by Jeff Carter and Mike Richards. Phoenix ended up winning 3-2 in overtime with the 13th of the season by Shane Doan coming on the power play thanks to Vrbata and Keith Yandle. Doan, Bryzgalov (37 for 39 saves), and Giroux earned the three stars.
South again to Raleigh, where the Carolina Hurricanes hosted the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Cam Ward were the masked men. New York was the first to score with the ninth of the season for Brandon Prust, helped along by Sean Avery. Carolina replied with the second of the year for Jay Harrison, assisted by Brandon Sutter. The Rangers regained the lead late in the second period with a power play goal from Ryan Callahan, with helpers by Mats Zuccarello and Vinny Prospal for his 16th of the season. The Hurricanes tied it again with the 13th goal of the year for Jussi Jokinen, with help from Jamie McBain and Erik Cole. Carolina took a 3-2 lead with another Jokinen goal, his second of the game and 14th of the season, with assists provided by Harrison and Cole. New York found the equalizer with the second of the year by Mike Sauer, courtesy of Zuccarello and Ryan McDonagh. The Rangers toppled the Hurricanes in the shootout with the lone tally by Wojtek Wolski. Jokinen, Harrison, and Wolski picked up the three stars.
Into Ohio, where the Columbus Blue Jackets hosted the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Steve Mason collected the starts. Rick Nash, after two periods of mutual silence, opened the scoring for Columbus with his 28th of the season, thanks to Fedor Tyutin and Antoine Vermette. The Blue Jackets extended the lead with Matt Calvert potting his sixth of the year on the power play, made possible by Kris Russell and Tyutin. Columbus continued the third period onslaught with Vermette's 15th of the season, with helpers by Russell and Grant Clitsome. Nash wrapped up the scoring with his second of the game and 29th of the year, a power play goal going in unassisted. Nash, Mason (20 save shutout), and Vermette earned the three stars.
Up north a tad to Hockeytown, where the Detroit Red Wings hosted the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Jimmy Howard got the nods for the game. San Jose struck first late in the first period with a power play goal by Joe Thornton, his 15th of the season helped along by Joe Pavelski and Dan Boyle. Detroit tied it in the second period with a Danny Cleary marker, his 20th of the year coming from Jiri Hudler and Nicklas Lidstrom. The Sharks reclaimed the lead with the 17th of the season by Ryane Clowe, an unassisted goal. Thirty-four second later, the Red Wings tied it again with Cleary's second of the game and 21st of the year, with helpers by Hudler and Niklas Kronwall. San Jose reclaimed the lead with Devin Setoguchi's tally from Thornton and Logan Couture, registered as his 16th of the season. Setoguchi did it again in the third period for the Sharks, his second of the game and 17th of the year made possible by Thornton and Couture again. Henrik Zetterberg tried to start a rally for Detroit by netting his 18th of the season while on the mad advantage with assists by Tomas Holmstrom and Johan Franzen. The Red Wings failed to score again, leaving this as the final and giving the three stars to Thornton, Setoguchi, and Cleary.
Staying in the Midwest, the St. Louis Blues played their make-up game with the Colorado Avalanche. Peter Budaj and Ty Conklin played in the blue paint. David Jones got Colorado on the board first with his 20th of the season, with help from Paul Stastny and John-Michael Liles. Milan Hejduk extended the Avalanche lead with his 18th of the year, a power play goal fueled by Liles and Stastny. St. Louis cut the deficit back to one goal with Patrik Berglund potting his 16th of the season via T.J. Oshie and Alex Steen. The Blues tied it using Colorado's former weapon Chris Stewart with his 16th of the year on the power play, helped along by Kevin Shattenkirk and Brad Boyes. Colorado fired back with former St. Louis defenseman Erik Johnson, who netted his sixth of the season unassisted. Stastny followed that up for the Avalanche to make it 4-2 with his 18th of the year, also an unassisted goal. St. Louis didn't take kindly to this and twenty-two seconds later were only down by a goal again after Andy McDonald put his 14th of the season away with the help of Nikita Nikitin. This comeback would fall short, and the three stars went to Stastny, Liles, and Stewart.
North again, to Minnesota, where the Wild host the Edmonton Oilers. Nikolai Khabibulin and Niklas Backstrom are the designated starters. Minnesota was the first to score, with the 19th of the season by Martin Havlat, coming off of Greg Zanon and Clayton Stoner. Edmonton tied it with a Kurtis Foster tally, his fourth of the year going in thanks to Linus Omark and Sam Gagner. The Wild took a 2-1 lead with a Kyle Brodziak marker, his 13th of the season being assisted by Nick Schultz and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. Minnesota quickly extended the lead with the first of the year for Jared Spurgeon, a power play goal made possible by Marek Zidlicky and Bouchard. Bouchard tacked on his sixth of the campaign for the Wild, helped along by Cal Clutterbuck and John Madden. This would be the final, with Bouchard, Havlat, and Spurgeon.
Far south to where the Dallas Stars host the New Jersey Devils. Johan Hedberg and Kari Lethonen have the starting duties for the game. New Jersey was the first to score, late in the third period with Nick Palmieri potting his sixth of the season, with the help of Ilya Kovalchuk and Mark Fayne, on the power play. This was the game's only goal, giving Palmieri, Jamie Benn (returned from injury), and Hedberg (19 save shutout) the three stars.
Back north, crossing the border to Calgary, where the Flames host the Boston Bruins. Tim Thomas and Miikka Kiprusoff are in between the pipes. Milan Lucic opened the scoring early for Boston with his 25th of the season, with assistance from David Krejci and Adam McQuaid. The Bruins made it 2-0 with a Brad Marchand goal in the third period, his 19th of the year a product of Patrice Bergeron and Andrew Ference. Calgary attempted a comeback with a power play goal by Curtis Glencross, his 20th of the season, with the help of Jarome Iginla and Alex Tanguay. This uprising was put down by Lucic netting his second of the game and 26th of the year, with guidance to the empty twine from Krejci and Mark Recchi. The three stars were awarded to Thomas (28 for 29 saves), Glencross, and Krejci.
Finally, going west for the Vancouver Canucks hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Roberto Luongo were entrusted with guarding the twine. David Desharnais put Montreal on the board first with his sixth goal of the season, with assists from Benoit Pouliot and Hal Gill. Brian Gionta made it 2-0 Canadiens shortly thereafter with his 22nd of the year, with the help of P.K. Subban and Scott Gomez. Vancouver got on the board with a power play tally by Henrik Sedin, his 15th of the season gathering steam from Mikael Samuelsson and Ryan Kesler. Montreal replied with the 14th of the year for Andrei Kostitsyn, helped along by Lars Eller and James Wisniewski. The Canucks tried to recover with another power play goal, this time off the stick of Samuelsson, his 17th of the campaign getting helped by Christian Ehrhoff and Daniel Sedin. This wouldn't be enough, as the Canadiens held on to win 3-2, giving the three stars to Price (37 for 39 saves), Kesler, and Gionta.
That's all for Tuesday.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
President's Day Hockey
There were three total games today. Before diving into those, there is on trade, sending James Neal and Matt Niskanen to Pittsburgh for Alex Goligoski. No picks or prospects tagged along in the big deal that is rumored to have found the winger for Sidney Crosby. As for the games, the first matinee was in...
New York, where the Islanders hosted the Florida Panthers. Tomas Vokoun and Al Montoya were in front of the nets. New York jumped out to a 2-0 lead with two Matt Moulson goals in the first period, his 24th and 25th of the season seeing assistance from John Tavares and P.A. Parenteau as the primaries, and Travis Hamonic picked up both secondary assists. The Islanders extended the lead to 3-0 with Radek Martinek potting his second of the year, a power play goal from Frans Nielsen. Josh Bailey kept New York going with his ninth of the campaign, assisted by Blake Comeau and Andrew MacDonald. Mike Santorelli put Florida on the board with his 17th of the season, a power play goal made possible by Jason Garrison and Dennis Wideman. The Islanders wrapped it up with Moulson completing the hat trick with his 26th of the year, thanks to Jack Hillen and Zenon Konopka on the empty netter. Moulson, Montoya (20 for 21 saves), and Hamonic picked up the three stars.
The other midday game had the St. Louis Blues hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Ben Bishop were called on to guard the cages. Andy McDonald opened the scoring for St. Louis with his 13th of the season, a power play goal coming off of Patrik Berglund and Alex Pietrangelo. The Blues extended the lead by Brad Boyes notching his 12th of the year, via T.J. Oshie and Brad Winchester. Chicago got going in the second period with Viktor Stalberg netting his ninth of the season with the help of Tomas Kopecky and Ryan Johnson. A minute later, the Blackhawks had tied it with a Dave Bolland tally, his 13th of the year, assisted by Marian Hossa and Bryan Bickell. Chicago took the lead with the 20th of the season by Patrick Kane, helped along by Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp. Toews notched his own 20th of the year to put the Blackhawks up 4-2 on the power play from Kane and Brent Seabrook, scaring away Bishop in favor of Ty Conklin. St. Louis attempted to come back with a Pietrangelo goal, his seventh of the season coming courtesy of Oshie and Berglund. Chicago sealed the deal at 5-3 with Hossa's 13th of the year into the empty net, thanks to Seabrook and Johnson. The three stars were Toews, Kane, and Pietrangelo.
finally, the Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the Washington Capitals. Michal Neuvirth and Marc-Andre Fleury put on the masks and stood tall in the paint. The game's only goal came off of the stick of the yellow-laced Alex Ovechkin, his 24th of the season coming on the power play in the second period via Marcus Johansson and Mike Knuble. The three stars went to Neuvirth (39 save shutout), Ovechkin, and Fleury (23 for 24 stops).
That's all for Monday. Lots of games Tuesday, so we'll see if I can get them done.
New York, where the Islanders hosted the Florida Panthers. Tomas Vokoun and Al Montoya were in front of the nets. New York jumped out to a 2-0 lead with two Matt Moulson goals in the first period, his 24th and 25th of the season seeing assistance from John Tavares and P.A. Parenteau as the primaries, and Travis Hamonic picked up both secondary assists. The Islanders extended the lead to 3-0 with Radek Martinek potting his second of the year, a power play goal from Frans Nielsen. Josh Bailey kept New York going with his ninth of the campaign, assisted by Blake Comeau and Andrew MacDonald. Mike Santorelli put Florida on the board with his 17th of the season, a power play goal made possible by Jason Garrison and Dennis Wideman. The Islanders wrapped it up with Moulson completing the hat trick with his 26th of the year, thanks to Jack Hillen and Zenon Konopka on the empty netter. Moulson, Montoya (20 for 21 saves), and Hamonic picked up the three stars.
The other midday game had the St. Louis Blues hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Ben Bishop were called on to guard the cages. Andy McDonald opened the scoring for St. Louis with his 13th of the season, a power play goal coming off of Patrik Berglund and Alex Pietrangelo. The Blues extended the lead by Brad Boyes notching his 12th of the year, via T.J. Oshie and Brad Winchester. Chicago got going in the second period with Viktor Stalberg netting his ninth of the season with the help of Tomas Kopecky and Ryan Johnson. A minute later, the Blackhawks had tied it with a Dave Bolland tally, his 13th of the year, assisted by Marian Hossa and Bryan Bickell. Chicago took the lead with the 20th of the season by Patrick Kane, helped along by Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp. Toews notched his own 20th of the year to put the Blackhawks up 4-2 on the power play from Kane and Brent Seabrook, scaring away Bishop in favor of Ty Conklin. St. Louis attempted to come back with a Pietrangelo goal, his seventh of the season coming courtesy of Oshie and Berglund. Chicago sealed the deal at 5-3 with Hossa's 13th of the year into the empty net, thanks to Seabrook and Johnson. The three stars were Toews, Kane, and Pietrangelo.
finally, the Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the Washington Capitals. Michal Neuvirth and Marc-Andre Fleury put on the masks and stood tall in the paint. The game's only goal came off of the stick of the yellow-laced Alex Ovechkin, his 24th of the season coming on the power play in the second period via Marcus Johansson and Mike Knuble. The three stars went to Neuvirth (39 save shutout), Ovechkin, and Fleury (23 for 24 stops).
That's all for Monday. Lots of games Tuesday, so we'll see if I can get them done.
Song of the Week VIII
This week, we have a short track from pop-punk band Fall Out Boy, called A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me." The title itself is notorious of the band. The pronunciations also are very typical in the up-tempo song, being generally unintelligible. As for the song itself, it is very likely a representation of teenage life, as their earlier two albums tend to be. It's a decent track, as it made their greatest hits album, but not over-the-top spectacular to my ears. Check this feature again next week.
Fantasy Hockey All-Stars Week 18
The very fringes of playoff qualifying are upon us, so these players we hold in such high regard are now much more valuable if you're still in the fight for your bid to the postseason. With that, the impact players this week:
Center: Shawn Horcoff, 1 goal, 4 assists, 0+/-, 22 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 3 shots on goal
Left Wing: Alex Ovechkin, 2 goals, 3 assists, -1, 2 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 22 shots on goal
Right Wing: Ales Hemsky, 4 goals, 3 assists, +2, 0 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 10 shots on goal
Defenseman: Alex Pietrangelo, 0 goals, 6 assists, +4, 0 penalty minutes, 4 power play points, 3 shots on goal
Goaltender: Antti Niemi, 3 wins, 0.98 goals against average, 78 saves, .963 save percentage, 1 shutout
Utility: Andy McDonald, 3 goals, 3 assists, +3, 2 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 7 shots on goal
Those are the best options out there right now. Consider the names on this list for the week, and many of these players are still available. If you need a surge, these and many others will be there to help. Look for this feature next week.
Center: Shawn Horcoff, 1 goal, 4 assists, 0+/-, 22 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 3 shots on goal
Left Wing: Alex Ovechkin, 2 goals, 3 assists, -1, 2 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 22 shots on goal
Right Wing: Ales Hemsky, 4 goals, 3 assists, +2, 0 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 10 shots on goal
Defenseman: Alex Pietrangelo, 0 goals, 6 assists, +4, 0 penalty minutes, 4 power play points, 3 shots on goal
Goaltender: Antti Niemi, 3 wins, 0.98 goals against average, 78 saves, .963 save percentage, 1 shutout
Utility: Andy McDonald, 3 goals, 3 assists, +3, 2 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 7 shots on goal
Those are the best options out there right now. Consider the names on this list for the week, and many of these players are still available. If you need a surge, these and many others will be there to help. Look for this feature next week.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Sandwich Showdown February 20th
This week, we have a Spicy Italian on Roasted garlic up against an Oven Roasted Chicken Breast on Italian Herbs and Cheese. First off, the Spicy was good, as all Subway sandwiches are, but the bread was a bit sketchy. Upon reviewing with panel, it is undecided whether it was outrageously fresh or unacceptably crispy. Either way, this plays into the decision. The Chicken, on the other hand, was fairly good, although the bread may have grabbed an extra minute in the over itself. However, the Chicken had the all around better taste and was the clear cut (deli humor) champion for this week over a very tough opponent. Check this feature again next week.
Heritage Classic Day and Day 2 of Hockey Weekend in America
Today features five of everyone's favorite games, or so they would like us to think. The three early games start at 9:30 Pacific, beginning with the...
Minnesota Wild hosting the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Niklas Backstrom got the starts. The first goal was scored by Detroit in the third period off the tape of Nicklas Lidstrom, with help from Jiri Hudler and Brad Stuart for his 12th of the season. Martin Havlat answered for Minnesota with his 18th of the year, courtesy of Brent Burns.The 1-1 tie lasted into a shootout where Pavel Datsyuk and Todd Bertuzzi sealed a victory for the Red Wings over the Wild. The three stars went to Backstrom (38 for 39 saves), Howard (25 for 26 saves), and Datsyuk.
Farther east, in New York, the Rangers hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Boucher and Henrik Lundqvist stood 200 feet apart. New York struck first with a Wojtek Wolski tally, his tenth of the season seeing help from Ryan McDonagh and Mike Sauer. Jeff Carter replied for Philadelphia with his 27th of the year, assisted by Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell. The Flyers took the lead in the second period with Giroux netting his 20th of the campaign on the power play, thanks to Carter and Hartnell. Philadelphia made it 3-1 with Dan Carcillo scoring his fourth of the season, with helpers by Braydon Coburn and Darroll Powe. The Rangers attempted a comeback with Derek Stepan notching his 16th of the year, via Dan Girardi and Marc Staal, but the comeback was stopped short with an empty net goal by Kris Versteeg of the Flyers, his 15th of the campaign finding twine thanks to Coburn and James van Riemsdyk. The three stars were awarded to Carter, Giroux, and Ryan Callahan.
Staying in the same state, the Buffalo Sabres hosted the Washington Capitals. Semyon Varlamov and Ryan Miller picked up the starts. Washington draws first blood in the second period with the seventh of the season by Mathieu Perreault, with helpers by Matt Hendricks and Jason Chimera. Buffalo replied with a Jason Pominville power play goal, his 14th of the year helped along by Thomas Vanek and Tim Connolly. The Capitals took a 2-1 lead with the ninth of the campaign by Marcus Johansson, courtesy of Perreault and Alex Ovechkin on the power play. This would be the final, with Miller (37 for 39 saves), Perreault, and Varlamov (28 for 29 saves) getting the three stars.
The game of the week came next, with the Chicago Blackhawks hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Corey Crawford took their places in the blue paint. Chicago opened the scoring with Patrick Sharp registering his 31st of the season, helped along by Jonathan Toews and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Pittsburgh tied the game with a shorthanded goal by Matt Cooke, his eleventh of the year going down thanks to Max Talbot and Brooks Orpik. The Blackhawks regained the lead with a Bryan Bickell goal, his 14th of the season made possible by Dave Bolland and Duncan Keith. The Penguins tied the game with Brett Sterling scoring his third of the campaign, with help from Tyler Kennedy and Paul Martin. The tie went into a shootout, where Chicago took the game with a Patrick Kane tally. The three stars went to Sharp, Sterling, and Bickell.
Finally, the Heritage Classic at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where the Flames host the Montreal Canadiens outdoors. Carey Price and Miikka Kiprusoff are tending the twines. Calgary strikes first with Rene Bourque notching his 18th of the season, a power play goal from Alex Tanguay and Olli Jokinen. The Flames went up 2-0 with a shorthanded goal by Anton Babchuk, his ninth of the year seeing assistance from Curtis Glencross and Brendan Morrison. Bourque added on his second of the game and 19th of the season with help from Cory Sarich. Tanguay added on his 16th of the year with the man advantage, getting help from Jarome Iginla and Morrison. Kiprusoff (39 save shutout), Bourque, and Tanguay picked up the three stars for the Heritage Classic.
That's all the hockey for Sunday.
Minnesota Wild hosting the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Niklas Backstrom got the starts. The first goal was scored by Detroit in the third period off the tape of Nicklas Lidstrom, with help from Jiri Hudler and Brad Stuart for his 12th of the season. Martin Havlat answered for Minnesota with his 18th of the year, courtesy of Brent Burns.The 1-1 tie lasted into a shootout where Pavel Datsyuk and Todd Bertuzzi sealed a victory for the Red Wings over the Wild. The three stars went to Backstrom (38 for 39 saves), Howard (25 for 26 saves), and Datsyuk.
Farther east, in New York, the Rangers hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Boucher and Henrik Lundqvist stood 200 feet apart. New York struck first with a Wojtek Wolski tally, his tenth of the season seeing help from Ryan McDonagh and Mike Sauer. Jeff Carter replied for Philadelphia with his 27th of the year, assisted by Claude Giroux and Scott Hartnell. The Flyers took the lead in the second period with Giroux netting his 20th of the campaign on the power play, thanks to Carter and Hartnell. Philadelphia made it 3-1 with Dan Carcillo scoring his fourth of the season, with helpers by Braydon Coburn and Darroll Powe. The Rangers attempted a comeback with Derek Stepan notching his 16th of the year, via Dan Girardi and Marc Staal, but the comeback was stopped short with an empty net goal by Kris Versteeg of the Flyers, his 15th of the campaign finding twine thanks to Coburn and James van Riemsdyk. The three stars were awarded to Carter, Giroux, and Ryan Callahan.
Staying in the same state, the Buffalo Sabres hosted the Washington Capitals. Semyon Varlamov and Ryan Miller picked up the starts. Washington draws first blood in the second period with the seventh of the season by Mathieu Perreault, with helpers by Matt Hendricks and Jason Chimera. Buffalo replied with a Jason Pominville power play goal, his 14th of the year helped along by Thomas Vanek and Tim Connolly. The Capitals took a 2-1 lead with the ninth of the campaign by Marcus Johansson, courtesy of Perreault and Alex Ovechkin on the power play. This would be the final, with Miller (37 for 39 saves), Perreault, and Varlamov (28 for 29 saves) getting the three stars.
The game of the week came next, with the Chicago Blackhawks hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Corey Crawford took their places in the blue paint. Chicago opened the scoring with Patrick Sharp registering his 31st of the season, helped along by Jonathan Toews and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Pittsburgh tied the game with a shorthanded goal by Matt Cooke, his eleventh of the year going down thanks to Max Talbot and Brooks Orpik. The Blackhawks regained the lead with a Bryan Bickell goal, his 14th of the season made possible by Dave Bolland and Duncan Keith. The Penguins tied the game with Brett Sterling scoring his third of the campaign, with help from Tyler Kennedy and Paul Martin. The tie went into a shootout, where Chicago took the game with a Patrick Kane tally. The three stars went to Sharp, Sterling, and Bickell.
Finally, the Heritage Classic at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where the Flames host the Montreal Canadiens outdoors. Carey Price and Miikka Kiprusoff are tending the twines. Calgary strikes first with Rene Bourque notching his 18th of the season, a power play goal from Alex Tanguay and Olli Jokinen. The Flames went up 2-0 with a shorthanded goal by Anton Babchuk, his ninth of the year seeing assistance from Curtis Glencross and Brendan Morrison. Bourque added on his second of the game and 19th of the season with help from Cory Sarich. Tanguay added on his 16th of the year with the man advantage, getting help from Jarome Iginla and Morrison. Kiprusoff (39 save shutout), Bourque, and Tanguay picked up the three stars for the Heritage Classic.
That's all the hockey for Sunday.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Saturday NHL games
Today we have nine games on, starting with a matinee between...
The hosting Edmonton Oilers and visiting Atlanta Thrashers. Chris Mason and Devan Dubnyk were sent out to stop the puck. Atlanta struck first with the 18th of the season from Dustin Byfuglien, an unassisted goal. The Thrashers made it 2-0 with Andrew Ladd getting his 21st of the year, from newcomer Blake Wheeler and Tobias Enstrom. Edmonton got on the board with a Magnus Paajarvi tally, his tenth of the season going down with helpers from Linus Omark and Tom Gilbert. Atlanta restored the two goal lead with the 17th of the year for Evander Kane, assisted by Zach Bogosian and Ron Hainsey. The Oilers took the lead over a span of 12:53 with a natural hat trick of power play goals by Taylor Hall, going as his 18th, 19th, and 20th of the season, helped along by Ales Hemsky (twice), Kurtis Foster (secondary on first goal), Gilbert (secondary on second goal), Sam Gagner and Ladislav Smid. Edmonton solidified the game with an empty netter by Hemsky to make it 5-3, his 13th of the year gaining steam from Shawn Horcoff and Theo Peckham. The three stars went out to Hall, Hemsky, and Byfuglien.
An eastern Canada matchup followed, with the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson made his Ottawa debut, opposed by James Reimer. There wasn't a single puck to find twine until Jason Spezza won it for the Senators in the shootout. Anderson (47 save shutout), Reimer (22 save "shutout"), and Spezza earned the three stars.
Farther south, the Carolina Hurricanes hosted the New Jersey Devils. Johan Hedberg and Cam Ward got the starting nods. New Jersey struck first with Dainius Zubrus potting his 12th of the season with the help of Mark Fayne and Patrik Elias. The Devils extended their lead with Henrik Tallinder scoring his third of the year thanks to Ilya Kovalchuk and Nick Palmieri. New Jersey made it 3-0 with Brian Rolston putting his tenth of the campaign in the mesh, with helpers by Anton Volchenkov and Elias. The scoring was quiet in the second period, and Carolina got on the board in the third frame with Pat Dwyer's eighth of the season, helped along by Jamie McBain and Jerome Samson. The Devils made it 4-1, the eventual final, with another Zubrus tally, his 13th of the year and second of the game, courtesy of Elias, who finished up a sock trick. Zubrus, Elias, and Rolston collected the three stars.
Up on Long Island, the New York Islanders hosted the Los Angeles (traveling) Kings. Jonathan Quick and Al Montoya took to the goalmouths. New York struck first with a shorthanded goal by Frans Nielsen, his seventh of the season going with from Michael Grabner. Matt Moulson added a goal in both the second and third periods to bring the score to 3-0 Islanders with his 22nd and 23rd of the year. John Tavares and P.A. Parenteau picked up a pair of assists each. This score was the final, with Montoya (35 save shutout), Moulson, and Nielsen getting the three stars.
Later, a battle of the Florida teams ensued, with the Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the Florida Panthers. The backups Scott Clemmensen and Dan Ellis were given the starting nods. Tampa Bay opened the scoring with the second of the season by Marc-Andre Bergeron, assisted by Randy Jones and Martin St. Louis. Florida answered twenty-four seconds into the second period with a David Booth power play goal, his 17th of the year seeing the sticks of Dennis Wideman and Stephen Weiss previously. Going nearly another whole period, the Lightning reclaimed the lead fourteen seconds into the third frame, with Sean Bergenheim recording his 12th of the season thanks to Dominic Moore and Adam Hall. The Panthers tied it again with Mike Santorelli sinking his 16th of the year with the mad advantage, helped along by Cory Stillman and Bryan McCabe. This tie lasted until Santorelli's lone tally in the shootout, giving the victory to Florida by a 3-2 margin. The three stars went to Bergenheim, Clemmensen (34 for 36 saves), and Vincent Lecavalier. I've said this before, I am not responsible for who is picked as the three stars.
Up to Nashville, where the Predators hosted the Phoenix Coyotes. Ilya Bryzgalov and Pekka Rinne were in the creases. Phoenix was the first to score, with a Keith Yandle tally in the second period, his tenth of the season getting help along the way from Eric Belanger. Fifty-eight seconds later, the Coyotes took the lead to 2-0 with Taylor Pyatt's 15th of the year, coming off of Andrew Ebbett. Nashville replied with a Sergei Kostitsyn power play goal, his 16th of the campaign, with help from Mike Fisher and Martin Erat. Phoenix restored the two goal lead with a Lauri Korpikoski goal, his 13th of the season going down thanks to Vernon Fiddler and Derek Morris. The Predators attempted a comeback with Shea Weber potting his 12th of the year via Erat and Patric Hornqvist, but failed to get the equalizer, falling 3-2. The three stars were awarded to Pyatt, Yandle, and Bryzgalov (30 for 32 saves).
Heading to another game with a couple of busy trading teams, with the St. Louis Blues hosting the Anaheim Ducks. Curtis McElhinney and Ty Conklin were the starters. Anaheim opened the scoring with newbie Jarkko Ruutu potting his third of the season, with help from Brandon McMillan. The Ducks made it 2-0 with Teemu Selanne scoring his 19th of the year, an unassisted goal. St. Louis got on the board with Andy McDonald's eleventh of the season, with help from T.J. Oshie and David Backes. Seven seconds later, the Blues were in a tie after Oshie notched his fifth of the year, powered by Alex Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo. Colaiacovo put St. Louis up 3-2 with his fifth of the season, a power play goal made possible by Backes and Steen. Anaheim retied it with Ryan Getzlaf putting away his 15th of the year, with the help of Lubomir Visnovsky and Todd Marchant, leading to Ben Bishop relieving Conklin. The Blues reclaimed the lead with another McDonald tally, his 12th of the season, courtesy of Alex Pietrangelo and Barret Jackman. McElhinney came out in favor of Timo Pielmeier. St. Louis continued to drain goals in the second period, with Backes scoring his 22nd of the year, helped along by Brad Boyes. Oshie made it 6-3 Blues with his second of the game and sixth of the season, made possible by Patrik Berglund and Pietrangelo. St. Louis found two more goals from newcomer Chris Stewart, his first and second of the campaign coming on the power play, first from McDonald and the sock trick earning Pietrangelo, and later from his Avalanche teammate Kevin Shattenkirk. Steen finished off the scoring with his 17th of the year, a shorthanded and unassisted goal bringing us to the final 9-3 score. The three stars were Stewart, Oshie, and Bishop (20 for 20 saves in relief).
Up in British Columbia, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Dallas Stars. Former Canuck Andrew Raycroft opposed his mentor Roberto Luongo. Vancouver opened the scoring with Daniel Sedin potting his 31st of the season, with help from his duplicate, Henrik Sedin. James Neal replied for Dallas with his 21st of the year, via Loui Eriksson. The Canucks retook the lead with Raffi Torres netting his 12th of the season, thanks to Aaron Rome. Daniel made it 3-1 Vancouver with his second of the game and 32nd of the campaign, assisted by Henrik and Alexandre Burrows. Brenden Morrow gave the Stars another tally in the form of his 25th of the year, with helpers by Jamie Langenbrunner and Mike Ribeiro. Henrik restored the two goal lead for the Canucks with his 14th of the season, courtesy of Daniel and Burrows. Torres put the dagger in with his second of the game and 13th of the year, with help from Manny Malhotra and Jannik Hansen to bring us the 5-2 Vancouver final. The three stars were Daniel, Torres, and Ryan Kesler (I think Henrik should be on there).
Finally, the San Jose Sharks hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Peter Budaj and Antti Niemi stood between the pipes. Devin Setoguchi opened the scoring for San Jose with two goals in a row, his 13th and 14th of the season, helped along by Jason Demers and Douglas Murray on the first goal and newcomer Ian White and Demers again on the latter power play tally. Ryane Clowe's 16th of the year made it 3-0 for the Sharks, another power play marker made possible by Logan Couture and Joe Thornton. The scoring was quiet until Setoguchi finished his hat trick in the third period, giving San Jose a 4-0 lead with his 15th of the campaign, an unassisted goal producing the final score. The three stars were given to Setoguchi, Niemi (25 save shutout), and Demers.
Stay tuned for Sunday's games and a Sandwich post.
The hosting Edmonton Oilers and visiting Atlanta Thrashers. Chris Mason and Devan Dubnyk were sent out to stop the puck. Atlanta struck first with the 18th of the season from Dustin Byfuglien, an unassisted goal. The Thrashers made it 2-0 with Andrew Ladd getting his 21st of the year, from newcomer Blake Wheeler and Tobias Enstrom. Edmonton got on the board with a Magnus Paajarvi tally, his tenth of the season going down with helpers from Linus Omark and Tom Gilbert. Atlanta restored the two goal lead with the 17th of the year for Evander Kane, assisted by Zach Bogosian and Ron Hainsey. The Oilers took the lead over a span of 12:53 with a natural hat trick of power play goals by Taylor Hall, going as his 18th, 19th, and 20th of the season, helped along by Ales Hemsky (twice), Kurtis Foster (secondary on first goal), Gilbert (secondary on second goal), Sam Gagner and Ladislav Smid. Edmonton solidified the game with an empty netter by Hemsky to make it 5-3, his 13th of the year gaining steam from Shawn Horcoff and Theo Peckham. The three stars went out to Hall, Hemsky, and Byfuglien.
An eastern Canada matchup followed, with the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson made his Ottawa debut, opposed by James Reimer. There wasn't a single puck to find twine until Jason Spezza won it for the Senators in the shootout. Anderson (47 save shutout), Reimer (22 save "shutout"), and Spezza earned the three stars.
Farther south, the Carolina Hurricanes hosted the New Jersey Devils. Johan Hedberg and Cam Ward got the starting nods. New Jersey struck first with Dainius Zubrus potting his 12th of the season with the help of Mark Fayne and Patrik Elias. The Devils extended their lead with Henrik Tallinder scoring his third of the year thanks to Ilya Kovalchuk and Nick Palmieri. New Jersey made it 3-0 with Brian Rolston putting his tenth of the campaign in the mesh, with helpers by Anton Volchenkov and Elias. The scoring was quiet in the second period, and Carolina got on the board in the third frame with Pat Dwyer's eighth of the season, helped along by Jamie McBain and Jerome Samson. The Devils made it 4-1, the eventual final, with another Zubrus tally, his 13th of the year and second of the game, courtesy of Elias, who finished up a sock trick. Zubrus, Elias, and Rolston collected the three stars.
Up on Long Island, the New York Islanders hosted the Los Angeles (traveling) Kings. Jonathan Quick and Al Montoya took to the goalmouths. New York struck first with a shorthanded goal by Frans Nielsen, his seventh of the season going with from Michael Grabner. Matt Moulson added a goal in both the second and third periods to bring the score to 3-0 Islanders with his 22nd and 23rd of the year. John Tavares and P.A. Parenteau picked up a pair of assists each. This score was the final, with Montoya (35 save shutout), Moulson, and Nielsen getting the three stars.
Later, a battle of the Florida teams ensued, with the Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the Florida Panthers. The backups Scott Clemmensen and Dan Ellis were given the starting nods. Tampa Bay opened the scoring with the second of the season by Marc-Andre Bergeron, assisted by Randy Jones and Martin St. Louis. Florida answered twenty-four seconds into the second period with a David Booth power play goal, his 17th of the year seeing the sticks of Dennis Wideman and Stephen Weiss previously. Going nearly another whole period, the Lightning reclaimed the lead fourteen seconds into the third frame, with Sean Bergenheim recording his 12th of the season thanks to Dominic Moore and Adam Hall. The Panthers tied it again with Mike Santorelli sinking his 16th of the year with the mad advantage, helped along by Cory Stillman and Bryan McCabe. This tie lasted until Santorelli's lone tally in the shootout, giving the victory to Florida by a 3-2 margin. The three stars went to Bergenheim, Clemmensen (34 for 36 saves), and Vincent Lecavalier. I've said this before, I am not responsible for who is picked as the three stars.
Up to Nashville, where the Predators hosted the Phoenix Coyotes. Ilya Bryzgalov and Pekka Rinne were in the creases. Phoenix was the first to score, with a Keith Yandle tally in the second period, his tenth of the season getting help along the way from Eric Belanger. Fifty-eight seconds later, the Coyotes took the lead to 2-0 with Taylor Pyatt's 15th of the year, coming off of Andrew Ebbett. Nashville replied with a Sergei Kostitsyn power play goal, his 16th of the campaign, with help from Mike Fisher and Martin Erat. Phoenix restored the two goal lead with a Lauri Korpikoski goal, his 13th of the season going down thanks to Vernon Fiddler and Derek Morris. The Predators attempted a comeback with Shea Weber potting his 12th of the year via Erat and Patric Hornqvist, but failed to get the equalizer, falling 3-2. The three stars were awarded to Pyatt, Yandle, and Bryzgalov (30 for 32 saves).
Heading to another game with a couple of busy trading teams, with the St. Louis Blues hosting the Anaheim Ducks. Curtis McElhinney and Ty Conklin were the starters. Anaheim opened the scoring with newbie Jarkko Ruutu potting his third of the season, with help from Brandon McMillan. The Ducks made it 2-0 with Teemu Selanne scoring his 19th of the year, an unassisted goal. St. Louis got on the board with Andy McDonald's eleventh of the season, with help from T.J. Oshie and David Backes. Seven seconds later, the Blues were in a tie after Oshie notched his fifth of the year, powered by Alex Steen and Carlo Colaiacovo. Colaiacovo put St. Louis up 3-2 with his fifth of the season, a power play goal made possible by Backes and Steen. Anaheim retied it with Ryan Getzlaf putting away his 15th of the year, with the help of Lubomir Visnovsky and Todd Marchant, leading to Ben Bishop relieving Conklin. The Blues reclaimed the lead with another McDonald tally, his 12th of the season, courtesy of Alex Pietrangelo and Barret Jackman. McElhinney came out in favor of Timo Pielmeier. St. Louis continued to drain goals in the second period, with Backes scoring his 22nd of the year, helped along by Brad Boyes. Oshie made it 6-3 Blues with his second of the game and sixth of the season, made possible by Patrik Berglund and Pietrangelo. St. Louis found two more goals from newcomer Chris Stewart, his first and second of the campaign coming on the power play, first from McDonald and the sock trick earning Pietrangelo, and later from his Avalanche teammate Kevin Shattenkirk. Steen finished off the scoring with his 17th of the year, a shorthanded and unassisted goal bringing us to the final 9-3 score. The three stars were Stewart, Oshie, and Bishop (20 for 20 saves in relief).
Up in British Columbia, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Dallas Stars. Former Canuck Andrew Raycroft opposed his mentor Roberto Luongo. Vancouver opened the scoring with Daniel Sedin potting his 31st of the season, with help from his duplicate, Henrik Sedin. James Neal replied for Dallas with his 21st of the year, via Loui Eriksson. The Canucks retook the lead with Raffi Torres netting his 12th of the season, thanks to Aaron Rome. Daniel made it 3-1 Vancouver with his second of the game and 32nd of the campaign, assisted by Henrik and Alexandre Burrows. Brenden Morrow gave the Stars another tally in the form of his 25th of the year, with helpers by Jamie Langenbrunner and Mike Ribeiro. Henrik restored the two goal lead for the Canucks with his 14th of the season, courtesy of Daniel and Burrows. Torres put the dagger in with his second of the game and 13th of the year, with help from Manny Malhotra and Jannik Hansen to bring us the 5-2 Vancouver final. The three stars were Daniel, Torres, and Ryan Kesler (I think Henrik should be on there).
Finally, the San Jose Sharks hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Peter Budaj and Antti Niemi stood between the pipes. Devin Setoguchi opened the scoring for San Jose with two goals in a row, his 13th and 14th of the season, helped along by Jason Demers and Douglas Murray on the first goal and newcomer Ian White and Demers again on the latter power play tally. Ryane Clowe's 16th of the year made it 3-0 for the Sharks, another power play marker made possible by Logan Couture and Joe Thornton. The scoring was quiet until Setoguchi finished his hat trick in the third period, giving San Jose a 4-0 lead with his 15th of the campaign, an unassisted goal producing the final score. The three stars were given to Setoguchi, Niemi (25 save shutout), and Demers.
Stay tuned for Sunday's games and a Sandwich post.
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