There were a total of six games featured on Sunday to preoccupy us. The NBC game had an interesting bit of karma in it, with...
The New York Rangers (sans Olli Jokinen) facing the Philadelphia Flyers at Madison Square Garden. Brian Boucher and Henrik Lundqvist made the starts. Opening the scoring was Ryan Callahan of New York with two goals, his 17th and 18th of the season, with the first coming just fifty-one seconds into the game via Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov, and the latter coming on the power play thanks to Vinny Prospal and Bryan McCabe. In between the goals, Jody Shelley fought with Brian Boyle. Also fighting were Dubinsky and Mike Richards in the second period's opening minute. The Rangers kept going with Mats Zuccarello netting his fifth of the year, courtesy of Ruslan Fedotenko and Ryan McDonagh. Callahan made it 4-0 New York by finishing up his hat trick with his 19th of the season, an unassisted goal, scaring off Boucher in favor of Sergei Bobrovsky for the Philadelphia net. Callahan struck again on the power play for the Rangers in the third period with his 20th of the year, and fourth of the game (perspective: 20% of his goals coming in one game), with helpers from Matt Gilroy and Prospal. Anisimov also scored for New York, potting his 16th of the season with the help of Callahan and Dan Girardi. Zuccarello made it 7-0 with his second of the game and sixth of the year, assisted by Wojtek Wolski. This was the final, with Callahan, Lundqvist (24 save shutout), and Zuccarello collecting the three stars.
Out on Long Island, the New York Islanders hosted the New Jersey Devils. Martin Brodeur and Al Montoya tended the twines. The scoring opened in the second period with a power play goal by Brian Rolston, his 12th of the season gathering steam off of Ilya Kovalchuk and Travis Zajac. New York tied it with their own power play goal, with Josh Bailey's tenth of the year finding twine thanks to P.A. Parenteau and Kyle Okposo. The Devils reclaimed the lead on Kovalchuk's 24th of the season, assisted by Jacob Josefson and Anton Volchenkov. The Islanders found another equalizer with the 18th of the year for Blake Comeau, an unassisted goal. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Frans Nielsen and Kovalchuk swapped goals before Rolston netted the winner many rounds later.
Heading down south to Florida, where the Panthers hosted the Washington Capitals. Michal Neuvirth and Scott Clemmensen were given the starting nods. Florida opened the scoring with Bill Thomas potting his third of the season with the help of Michal Repik and Mike Santorelli. Washington replied with a Nicklas Backstrom tally, his 17th of the year, guided in by Alex Ovechkin and Mike Knuble. The Capitals took the lead in the second period with Boyd Gordon sinking his second of the season, with assistance from John Carlson and Matt Hendricks. The Panthers found the equalizer on the power play with a David Booth goal, his 19th of the year getting help from Stephen Weiss and Dmitry Kulikov. The tie was broken by Alexander Semin's 23rd of the campaign in overtime, helped along by Marcus Johansson and Karl Alzner, giving the Capitals the victory over the Panthers by a 3-2 margin. The three stars went to Semin, Booth, and Neuvirth (32 for 34 saves).
Going north to Minnesota, where the Wild hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Guarding the cages were Jhonas Enroth and Jose Theodore. Buffalo was the first on the board with a Jason Pominville goal, his 17th of the season made possible by Steve Montador and Thomas Vanek. The Sabres extended the lead with a Rob Niedermayer goal, his first of the year, with the help of Andrej Sekera and Cody McCormick being required. Minnesota got on the board when Warren Peters sank his first of the campaign, thanks to passes from Brad Staubitz and Brent Burns. Marek Zidlicky tied it for the Wild with his fifth of the year, a power play goal fueled by Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Martin Havlat. The only event of the third period was the McCormick-Clayton Stoner bout around the middle of the frame. The tie itself lasted into overtime, where Buffalo made quick work of Minnesota on the 26th of the season by Drew Stafford, with Sekera providing the lone assist. The three stars went to Stafford, Zidlicky, and Vanek.
Out to the west, where the Anaheim Ducks hosted the Vancouver Canucks. Cory Schneider and Dan Ellis played in the blue paint patches. Two early period goals in the first and second frames put Vancouver up 2-0, with Manny Malhotra recording his tenth and eleventh of the season. Jannik Hansen and Raffi Torres assisted on the first period goal that came forty-two seconds in, and Hansen was the lone assistant on the second period goal just seventeen seconds after the opening faceoff. The Canucks secured a 3-0 victory in the third period with Daniel Sedin potting his 34th of the year on the power play with helpers provided by Mikael Samuelsson and Henrik Sedin. Schneider (26 save shutout), Malhotra, and Ryan Getzlaf (officially, but personally Hansen or Daniel Sedin would fit well here) got the three stars.
Finally, the Calgary Flames brought the Nashville Predators to the Scotiabank Saddledome. Pekka Rinne and Miikka Kiprusoff were the Finnish goaltenders. Nashville opened the scoring with a Martin Erat goal, his eleventh of the season, with assists by Jonathon Blum and David Legwand. Calgary tied it with a Mark Giordano power play goal via Olli Jokinen, going as his sixth of the year. The Predators reclaimed the lead with Ryan Suter potting his third of the season thanks to Erat and Legwand. The Flames found an interesting equalizer with Jarome Iginla converting a penalty shot after a Sergei Kostitsyn hook, for his 30th of the campaign, marking a milestone for his resilience and scoring, as he has done this for ten season straight. Calgary took a 3-2 lead in the third period with Curtis Glencross notching his 22nd of the year, helped along by Jokinen and Jay Bouwmeester. This was the final, and the three stars went out to Iginla, Giordano, and Erat.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Fantasy Hockey All-Stars, week 20
This week marks a period between the two major deadlines of the Fantasy Hockey world; the real trade deadline and the fantasy trade deadline. The teams in the real world are set for the season in the fact that they will not be conducting any more business outside of their own resources. The default deadline for fantasy is Thursday, giving you a week to prepare and send deals out to give your team one more external push before you work internally. Here's who would have cost you a bit for this week's services:
Center: Jonathan Toews, 5 goals, 2 assists, +4, 2 penalty minutes, 0 power play points, 12 shots on goal
Left Wing: Ilya Kovalchuk, 3 goals, 2 assists, +3, 0 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 13 shots on goal
Right Wing: Jarome Iginla, 5 goals, 3 assists, +4, 0 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 15 shots on goal
Defenseman: Andrej Sekera, 1 goal, 7 assists, +5, 0 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 10 shots on goal
Goaltender: Carey Price, 3 wins, 1.00 goals against average, 113 saves, .974 save percentage, 1 shutout
It's good to see the players with the higher expectations do well, as our three forward representatives did in the past week. Additionally, congratulations would be in order for Iginla, becoming the tenth players to post 10 or more seasons of at least 30 goals, which was made possible on a penalty shot. And yes, I am supporting my favorite team by saying that, but in all honesty, that's quite an accomplishment. This feature will return next week.
Center: Jonathan Toews, 5 goals, 2 assists, +4, 2 penalty minutes, 0 power play points, 12 shots on goal
Left Wing: Ilya Kovalchuk, 3 goals, 2 assists, +3, 0 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 13 shots on goal
Right Wing: Jarome Iginla, 5 goals, 3 assists, +4, 0 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 15 shots on goal
Defenseman: Andrej Sekera, 1 goal, 7 assists, +5, 0 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 10 shots on goal
Goaltender: Carey Price, 3 wins, 1.00 goals against average, 113 saves, .974 save percentage, 1 shutout
It's good to see the players with the higher expectations do well, as our three forward representatives did in the past week. Additionally, congratulations would be in order for Iginla, becoming the tenth players to post 10 or more seasons of at least 30 goals, which was made possible on a penalty shot. And yes, I am supporting my favorite team by saying that, but in all honesty, that's quite an accomplishment. This feature will return next week.
Song of the Week X
This week, the metal band from Huntington Beach, California hits the Song of the Week with Girl I Know. This song comes off of the CD/DVD Live in the LBC and Diamonds in the Rough. While originally a B-side, this song, along with Crossroads, has gained a little notoriety among the fans. Lyrically, the song is a tad suggestive, although the language itself is clean. As for the CD itself, the songs were recorded for the self-titled album that was released earlier. These feature some tracks that didn't make the cut. Be sure to look for this feature again next week.
Sandwich Showdown IX and Blog News
As the title implies, this post serves a pair of purposes. First up, with the sandwich showdown between a Buffalo Chicken on Roasted Garlic and a Club on Italian. The Buffalo Chicken was given an extra kick with Peco's Sauce, making for quite the spicy adventure in a genuinely tasty sandwich. The Club was far more reserved, with very little spice to it at all. These sandwiches were very close despite being total opposites in the spectrum, and the win goes to the Buffalo Chicken. This is also a very important post for this blog, because as this was written, we have reached one thousand views in 180 posts. This amounts to about 5.5 reads per post. I would like to thank everyone who has stopped by for giving it a read, and would love to continue seeing people checking in here whenever they can. As for the rest of the posts this Monday, there will be Song of the Week, Fantasy Hockey All-Stars, and Sunday Hockey Recaps for your reading pleasure.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Saturday Games NHL
There were ten games to begin with on Saturday, including three in the afternoon. The first of these had...
The New York Islanders hosting the St. Louis Blues. Ben Bishop and Al Montoya were in front of the nets. John Tavares opened the scoring for New York with his 24th of the season, with assists from P.A. Parenteau and Travis Hamonic. Parenteau extended the lead with his 15th of the year, helped along by Michael Grabner and Tavares. Andrew MacDonald tallied for the Islanders in the second period by sinking his third of the season, courtesy of Matt Martin and Josh Bailey. Andy McDonald finally put St. Louis on the board with his 14th of the year, coming off of T.J. Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo. MacDonald replied for New York with his fourth of the campaign, an unassisted goal. The Blues got the goal back again, as Chris Stewart netted his 20th of the season on the power play from Patrik Berglund and McDonald. The Islanders made it 5-2, which eventually was the final, with a Grabner goal, his 26th of the year, gathering steam from Frans Nielsen and Jack Hillen. The three stars were given to MacDonald, Tavares, and Parenteau.
The second afternoon game pitted the Philadelphia Flyers against the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Sergei Bobrovsky collected the starts. Philadelphia was the first on the board with Kris Versteeg netting his 18th of the season on the power play with the help of Matt Carle and Mike Richards. The Flyers made it 2-0 with a James van Riemsdyk tally, his 16th of the year, courtesy of Claude Giroux. Buffalo got on the board with Drew Stafford notching his 25th of the season, helped on by Thomas Vanek and Tyler Ennis. Ennis tied the game for the Sabres with his 14th of the year, guided by Paul Gaustad and Andrej Sekera. Sekera put Buffalo in front with his third of the season, assisted by Brad Boyes and Jason Pominville. Philadelphia retied the game at 3 with a shorthanded goal by Kimmo Timonen, his fourth of the year, with the lone helper from Braydon Coburn. The Sabres reclaimed the lead with a Pominville goal, his 16th of the season, made possible by Vanek and Boyes. Buffalo secured a 5-3 victory with the Nathan Gerbe empty net goal from Gaustad and Patrick Kaleta, his eighth of the year. Stafford, Timonen, and Versteeg were the game's three stars.
Heading to Southern California, where the Los Angeles Kings hosted the Vancouver Canucks. Tending the twines were Roberto Luongo and Jonathan Quick. Los Angeles opened the scoring with Dustin Penner's 22nd of the season, helped along by Brad Richardson and Justin Williams. Vancouver tied it with Jannik Hansen scoring his ninth of the year thanks to Raffi Torres. The scoring stayed quiet in the second period, and it took a Daniel Sedin third period goal to give the Canucks the lead, his 33rd of the season being aided by Christian Ehrhoff and Henrik Sedin. Vancouver secured the victory at 3-1 with the empty net goal provided by Alexandre Burrows, his 18th of the year being produced by Manny Malhotra. Hansen, Willie Mitchell (?), and Ehrhoff got the three stars, with an honorable mention to Spartan goalie Luongo on his 300th victory.
Starting the regularly timed games were the Boston Bruins hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Tim Thomas played in front of the cages. Two first period fights were the highlights of the opening frame, with Michael Rupp taking on Shawn Thornton early and Craig Adams exchanging punches with Nathan Horton later in the period. The scoring began in the second with Boston's Zdeno "Bullet" Chara scoring his eleventh of the season thanks to David Krejci and Milan Lucic. Pittsburgh replied with the seventh of the year from Jordan Staal, fueled by Tyler Kennedy and Matt Cooke. The Penguins took the lead with Dustin Jeffrey's sixth of the season, with a little assistance from Max Talbot and Zbynek Michalek. With just thirty-three second remaining in the third period, the Bruins found an equalizer on Krejci's tenth of the year, and Lucic and Horton picked up the assists. The tie was broken by Pittsburgh in the overtime frame, with Jeffrey potting his second of the game and the seventh of the season, an unassisted game-winner. Fleury (29 for 31 saves), Paul Martin, and Dennis Seidenberg were the official three stars, but the bottom two should be Jeffrey and Krejci.
Moving under the microscope in Toronto, with the Maple Leafs hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and James Reimer started off in front of the goalmouths. Marian Hossa opened the scoring early for Chicago with his 18th of the season, an unassisted goal. The Blackhawks went up 2-0 with the tenth of the year by Michael Frolik, with Troy Brouwer and Jake Dowell earning the helpers. Chicago rolled on with Jonathan Toews netting his 27th of the season, courtesy of Patrick Kane and Hossa. Toronto got on the board in the second period with the eighth of the year by Joffery Lupul, going down with no assistance. The Blackhawks replied with Viktor Stalberg's tenth of the season, coming off of Tomas Kopecky and Ryan Johnson. Chicago made it 5-1 with a Bryan Bickell tally, his 16th of the year, fueled by Dave Bolland and Brent Seabrook. The Maple Leafs tried to fuel a comeback with Joey Crabb potting his second of the season in the third period with the help of Luke Schenn. Schenn got another goal to make it 5-3 late in the final frame of regulation, which went down unassisted. This went on to become the final, and the three stars were Crawford (30 for 33), Brouwer, and Schenn.
Heading south to Tampa Bay, where the Lightning hosted the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Dwayne Roloson tended the twines. Hal Gill continued his hot streak with his second goal of the season, putting Montreal on top first with the help of Brian Gionta and Tomas Plekanec. David Desharnais extended the Canadiens lead with his eighth of the year, a power play goal powered by Andrei Kostitsyn. Tampa Bay got on the board with the 12th of the season for Dominic Moore, a power play goal as well, with assistance from Pavel Kubina and Teddy Purcell. Montreal restored the two-goal lead with yet another power play goal, the 13th of the year by Max Pacioretty, gathering steam off of Plekanec and P.K. Subban. Pacioretty added a third period goal for the Canadiens as well, his 14th of the season helped out on by Scott Gomez. The Lightning tried a comeback by making it 4-2 on the 16th of the year from Vincent Lecavalier, assisted by Moore and Purcell, but it wouldn't be enough. The three stars were Pacioretty, Price (43 for 45 saves), and Gomez.
Crossing into Georgia, where the Atlanta Thrashers hosted the Florida Panthers. Tomas Vokoun and Chris Mason put on the masks. Florida was first on the board with a Sergei Samsonov goal, his eleventh of the season a product of efforts by Niclas Bergfors and Stephen Weiss. Atlanta tied it in the second period with the 13th of the year by Blake Wheeler, assisted by Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd. Ladd put the Thrashers in front in the third period with his 24th of the season, a power play goal powered by Tobias Enstrom and Bryan Little. Wheeler struck again to make it 3-1 Atlanta with his second of the game and 14th of the year, helped along by Byfuglien. Weiss got the Panthers going again with his 18th of the season, a power play goal made possible by Samsonov and Mike Santorelli. David Booth provided the equalizer for Florida with his own 18th of the year, courtesy of Dmitry Kulikov and Jason Garrison. The tie lasted until overtime, where Ladd scored his 25th of the season and second of the game for the Thrashers, as Byfuglien clinched a sock trick and Little provided another assist to take down the Panthers. Ladd, Wheeler, and Byfuglien were the three stars.
Heading out west to the desert, where the Phoenix Coyotes hosted the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Ilya Bryzgalov played between the pipes. Drew Miller put Detroit on the board first with his seventh of the season, with help from Darren Helm. The Red Wings extended the lead with Johan Franzen notching his 27th of the year, a power play goal guided in by Nicklas Lidstrom and Mike Modano. Phoenix got on the board when Kyle Turris sank his eleventh of the season with the help of Adrian Aucoin and Brett MacLean. Detroit made it 3-1 with a Valtteri Filppula goal, his 13th of the year, assisted by Lidstrom and Brad Stuart. Helm added on his ninth of the season for the Red Wings, a shorthanded goal made possible by Stuart. The Coyotes started a comeback attempt with a Mikkel Boedker goal, his second of the year going into the twine unassisted. Ray Whitney cut the score to 4-3 for Phoenix with his 13th of the season, with Kyle Turris and Shane Doan picking up the helpers. Martin Hanzal provided the equalizer for the Coyotes with his 16th of the year, coming off of Radim Vrbata and Whitney. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Phoenix beat Detroit on the lone Vrbata tally. The three stars went to Turris, Vrbata, and Whitney.
Moving north into Colorado, where the Avalanche hosted the Edmonton Oilers. Devan Dubnyk and Brian Elliott started in front of the cages. Edmonton opened the scoring with a Sam Gagner goal, his 15th of the season coming on the power play via Andrew Cogliano and Linus Omark. Ryan Jones added his 14th of the year for the Oilers, also a power play goal, with the help of Gagner and Tom Gilbert. Shawn Horcoff made it 3-0 Edmonton with his ninth of the season, assisted by Magnus Paajarvi and Jordan Eberle. The Oilers kept going with Alexandre Giroux netting his first of the year, thanks to Omark and Gagner. Colorado finally got on the board with the sixth of the season by Ryan O'Reilly, with the help of David Jones and John-Michael Liles required. Andrew Cogliano made it 5-1 Edmonton with his eleventh of the season, a shorthanded goal fueled by Liam Reddox and Gilbert. This would be the final, with the three stars going to Gagner, Dubnyk (33 for 34 saves), and Jones.
Finally, the San Jose Sharks hosted the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi got the starting nods. Dallas opened the scoring with a Jamie Benn goal shorthanded, his 16th of the season coming from Stephane Robidas. San Jose answered back with a Kyle Wellwood goal, his fourth of the year, with help from Torrey Mitchell and Joe Pavelski. The Sharks took the lead in the second period with Patrick Marleau's 26th of the campaign, assisted by Dany Heatley. The Stars retied it with Loui Eriksson getting his 23rd of the season, with the help of Mark Fistric and Benn. Dallas took the lead 3-2 with the first of the year for Jason Williams, with Steve Ott and Trevor Daley providing the helpers. This would be the final, with the three stars Benn, Marleau, and Alex Goligoski getting the three stars.
That's all there is for Saturday. Please pardon for the delay, and Sunday's games with a Sandwich post coming out later.
The New York Islanders hosting the St. Louis Blues. Ben Bishop and Al Montoya were in front of the nets. John Tavares opened the scoring for New York with his 24th of the season, with assists from P.A. Parenteau and Travis Hamonic. Parenteau extended the lead with his 15th of the year, helped along by Michael Grabner and Tavares. Andrew MacDonald tallied for the Islanders in the second period by sinking his third of the season, courtesy of Matt Martin and Josh Bailey. Andy McDonald finally put St. Louis on the board with his 14th of the year, coming off of T.J. Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo. MacDonald replied for New York with his fourth of the campaign, an unassisted goal. The Blues got the goal back again, as Chris Stewart netted his 20th of the season on the power play from Patrik Berglund and McDonald. The Islanders made it 5-2, which eventually was the final, with a Grabner goal, his 26th of the year, gathering steam from Frans Nielsen and Jack Hillen. The three stars were given to MacDonald, Tavares, and Parenteau.
The second afternoon game pitted the Philadelphia Flyers against the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Sergei Bobrovsky collected the starts. Philadelphia was the first on the board with Kris Versteeg netting his 18th of the season on the power play with the help of Matt Carle and Mike Richards. The Flyers made it 2-0 with a James van Riemsdyk tally, his 16th of the year, courtesy of Claude Giroux. Buffalo got on the board with Drew Stafford notching his 25th of the season, helped on by Thomas Vanek and Tyler Ennis. Ennis tied the game for the Sabres with his 14th of the year, guided by Paul Gaustad and Andrej Sekera. Sekera put Buffalo in front with his third of the season, assisted by Brad Boyes and Jason Pominville. Philadelphia retied the game at 3 with a shorthanded goal by Kimmo Timonen, his fourth of the year, with the lone helper from Braydon Coburn. The Sabres reclaimed the lead with a Pominville goal, his 16th of the season, made possible by Vanek and Boyes. Buffalo secured a 5-3 victory with the Nathan Gerbe empty net goal from Gaustad and Patrick Kaleta, his eighth of the year. Stafford, Timonen, and Versteeg were the game's three stars.
Heading to Southern California, where the Los Angeles Kings hosted the Vancouver Canucks. Tending the twines were Roberto Luongo and Jonathan Quick. Los Angeles opened the scoring with Dustin Penner's 22nd of the season, helped along by Brad Richardson and Justin Williams. Vancouver tied it with Jannik Hansen scoring his ninth of the year thanks to Raffi Torres. The scoring stayed quiet in the second period, and it took a Daniel Sedin third period goal to give the Canucks the lead, his 33rd of the season being aided by Christian Ehrhoff and Henrik Sedin. Vancouver secured the victory at 3-1 with the empty net goal provided by Alexandre Burrows, his 18th of the year being produced by Manny Malhotra. Hansen, Willie Mitchell (?), and Ehrhoff got the three stars, with an honorable mention to Spartan goalie Luongo on his 300th victory.
Starting the regularly timed games were the Boston Bruins hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Tim Thomas played in front of the cages. Two first period fights were the highlights of the opening frame, with Michael Rupp taking on Shawn Thornton early and Craig Adams exchanging punches with Nathan Horton later in the period. The scoring began in the second with Boston's Zdeno "Bullet" Chara scoring his eleventh of the season thanks to David Krejci and Milan Lucic. Pittsburgh replied with the seventh of the year from Jordan Staal, fueled by Tyler Kennedy and Matt Cooke. The Penguins took the lead with Dustin Jeffrey's sixth of the season, with a little assistance from Max Talbot and Zbynek Michalek. With just thirty-three second remaining in the third period, the Bruins found an equalizer on Krejci's tenth of the year, and Lucic and Horton picked up the assists. The tie was broken by Pittsburgh in the overtime frame, with Jeffrey potting his second of the game and the seventh of the season, an unassisted game-winner. Fleury (29 for 31 saves), Paul Martin, and Dennis Seidenberg were the official three stars, but the bottom two should be Jeffrey and Krejci.
Moving under the microscope in Toronto, with the Maple Leafs hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and James Reimer started off in front of the goalmouths. Marian Hossa opened the scoring early for Chicago with his 18th of the season, an unassisted goal. The Blackhawks went up 2-0 with the tenth of the year by Michael Frolik, with Troy Brouwer and Jake Dowell earning the helpers. Chicago rolled on with Jonathan Toews netting his 27th of the season, courtesy of Patrick Kane and Hossa. Toronto got on the board in the second period with the eighth of the year by Joffery Lupul, going down with no assistance. The Blackhawks replied with Viktor Stalberg's tenth of the season, coming off of Tomas Kopecky and Ryan Johnson. Chicago made it 5-1 with a Bryan Bickell tally, his 16th of the year, fueled by Dave Bolland and Brent Seabrook. The Maple Leafs tried to fuel a comeback with Joey Crabb potting his second of the season in the third period with the help of Luke Schenn. Schenn got another goal to make it 5-3 late in the final frame of regulation, which went down unassisted. This went on to become the final, and the three stars were Crawford (30 for 33), Brouwer, and Schenn.
Heading south to Tampa Bay, where the Lightning hosted the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Dwayne Roloson tended the twines. Hal Gill continued his hot streak with his second goal of the season, putting Montreal on top first with the help of Brian Gionta and Tomas Plekanec. David Desharnais extended the Canadiens lead with his eighth of the year, a power play goal powered by Andrei Kostitsyn. Tampa Bay got on the board with the 12th of the season for Dominic Moore, a power play goal as well, with assistance from Pavel Kubina and Teddy Purcell. Montreal restored the two-goal lead with yet another power play goal, the 13th of the year by Max Pacioretty, gathering steam off of Plekanec and P.K. Subban. Pacioretty added a third period goal for the Canadiens as well, his 14th of the season helped out on by Scott Gomez. The Lightning tried a comeback by making it 4-2 on the 16th of the year from Vincent Lecavalier, assisted by Moore and Purcell, but it wouldn't be enough. The three stars were Pacioretty, Price (43 for 45 saves), and Gomez.
Crossing into Georgia, where the Atlanta Thrashers hosted the Florida Panthers. Tomas Vokoun and Chris Mason put on the masks. Florida was first on the board with a Sergei Samsonov goal, his eleventh of the season a product of efforts by Niclas Bergfors and Stephen Weiss. Atlanta tied it in the second period with the 13th of the year by Blake Wheeler, assisted by Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd. Ladd put the Thrashers in front in the third period with his 24th of the season, a power play goal powered by Tobias Enstrom and Bryan Little. Wheeler struck again to make it 3-1 Atlanta with his second of the game and 14th of the year, helped along by Byfuglien. Weiss got the Panthers going again with his 18th of the season, a power play goal made possible by Samsonov and Mike Santorelli. David Booth provided the equalizer for Florida with his own 18th of the year, courtesy of Dmitry Kulikov and Jason Garrison. The tie lasted until overtime, where Ladd scored his 25th of the season and second of the game for the Thrashers, as Byfuglien clinched a sock trick and Little provided another assist to take down the Panthers. Ladd, Wheeler, and Byfuglien were the three stars.
Heading out west to the desert, where the Phoenix Coyotes hosted the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Ilya Bryzgalov played between the pipes. Drew Miller put Detroit on the board first with his seventh of the season, with help from Darren Helm. The Red Wings extended the lead with Johan Franzen notching his 27th of the year, a power play goal guided in by Nicklas Lidstrom and Mike Modano. Phoenix got on the board when Kyle Turris sank his eleventh of the season with the help of Adrian Aucoin and Brett MacLean. Detroit made it 3-1 with a Valtteri Filppula goal, his 13th of the year, assisted by Lidstrom and Brad Stuart. Helm added on his ninth of the season for the Red Wings, a shorthanded goal made possible by Stuart. The Coyotes started a comeback attempt with a Mikkel Boedker goal, his second of the year going into the twine unassisted. Ray Whitney cut the score to 4-3 for Phoenix with his 13th of the season, with Kyle Turris and Shane Doan picking up the helpers. Martin Hanzal provided the equalizer for the Coyotes with his 16th of the year, coming off of Radim Vrbata and Whitney. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Phoenix beat Detroit on the lone Vrbata tally. The three stars went to Turris, Vrbata, and Whitney.
Moving north into Colorado, where the Avalanche hosted the Edmonton Oilers. Devan Dubnyk and Brian Elliott started in front of the cages. Edmonton opened the scoring with a Sam Gagner goal, his 15th of the season coming on the power play via Andrew Cogliano and Linus Omark. Ryan Jones added his 14th of the year for the Oilers, also a power play goal, with the help of Gagner and Tom Gilbert. Shawn Horcoff made it 3-0 Edmonton with his ninth of the season, assisted by Magnus Paajarvi and Jordan Eberle. The Oilers kept going with Alexandre Giroux netting his first of the year, thanks to Omark and Gagner. Colorado finally got on the board with the sixth of the season by Ryan O'Reilly, with the help of David Jones and John-Michael Liles required. Andrew Cogliano made it 5-1 Edmonton with his eleventh of the season, a shorthanded goal fueled by Liam Reddox and Gilbert. This would be the final, with the three stars going to Gagner, Dubnyk (33 for 34 saves), and Jones.
Finally, the San Jose Sharks hosted the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi got the starting nods. Dallas opened the scoring with a Jamie Benn goal shorthanded, his 16th of the season coming from Stephane Robidas. San Jose answered back with a Kyle Wellwood goal, his fourth of the year, with help from Torrey Mitchell and Joe Pavelski. The Sharks took the lead in the second period with Patrick Marleau's 26th of the campaign, assisted by Dany Heatley. The Stars retied it with Loui Eriksson getting his 23rd of the season, with the help of Mark Fistric and Benn. Dallas took the lead 3-2 with the first of the year for Jason Williams, with Steve Ott and Trevor Daley providing the helpers. This would be the final, with the three stars Benn, Marleau, and Alex Goligoski getting the three stars.
That's all there is for Saturday. Please pardon for the delay, and Sunday's games with a Sandwich post coming out later.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Friday Hockey
Tonight brings us five games of hockey, starting off in...
New Jersey, where the Devils hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brent Johnson and Martin Brodeur collected the starts. The scoring was opened in the second period by New Jersey, specifically Travis Zajac with his tenth of the season, made possible by Nick Palmieri and Andy Greene. Pittsburgh tied it with a Tyler Kennedy snipe, his 15th of the campaign technically unassisted, although the ref did provide a beneficial block. The tie lasted throughout the third period and into the overtime, where the Devils toppled the Penguins with Ilya Kovalchuk netting his 23rd of the year on the power play from Patrik Elias and Brian Rolston. Kovalchuk, Kennedy, and Zajac earned the three stars.
Heading north into Ottawa, where the Senators hosted the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Craig Anderson were called on for the starts. New York opened the scoring with Vinny Prospal netting his fourth of the season, courtesy of Sean Avery. The Rangers extended the lead in the second period with Mats Zuccarello notching his fourth of the year, via Derek Stepan and Wojtek Wolski. Twelve second later, New York struck again, as Artem Anisimov sank his 15th of the campaign, guided in by Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi. Stepan scored his 18th of the season for the Rangers as well, with the help of Wolski and Steve Eminger. Ottawa finally got on the board with a power play goal by Sergei Gonchar, his seventh of the year fueled by Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson. The final would stand at 4-1, with Lundqvist (28 for 29 saves), Girardi, and Stepan getting the three stars.
Moving west to Chicago, where the Blackhawks hosted the Carolina Hurricanes. Justin Peters opposed Corey Crawford in the nets. Chicago opened the scoring just fifty-five seconds in with Jonathan Toews notching his 26th of the season, with the lone assist from Patrick Sharp. Carolina replied with Eric Staal netting his 29th of the year, thanks to Cory Stillman and Erik Cole. The Blackhawks reclaimed the lead with Bryan Bickell's 15th of the campaign, made possible by Brent Seabrook and Marian Hossa. Chicago, after a silent second period, extended their lead in the third frame with Ryan Johnson scoring his first of the season, with Chris Campoli and Brian Campbell providing the assistance. The Blackhawks added on with Dave Bolland getting his 15th of the year, with the help of Hossa and Bickell. Patrick Kane also tallied for Chicago, scoring his 21st of the season with the added efforts from Sharp and Campoli. The Hurricanes cut the deficit to 5-2 with Jeff Skinner nailing his 23rd of the year, courtesy of Joe Corvo and Jussi Jokinen. This would be the final, where the three stars went to Hossa, Johnson, and Toews.
Back north and a bit west, with the Calgary Flames hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Miikka Kiprusoff tended the twines. Columbus was first on the board on the second of the season by Craig Rivet, assisted by Derek MacKenzie. Calgary answered with Olli Jokinen potting his 14th of the year, with the help of Curtis Glencross and David Moss. Forty-four seconds later, the Flames took the lead with Jarome Iginla netting his 29th of the season, off of Rene Bourque and Cory Sarich. The Blue Jackets tied it in the second period with Antione Vermette scoring his 16th of the year, helped along by Kris Russell and Jakub Voracek. Calgary reclaimed the lead with a Bourque power play goal from Jokinen and Glencross, his 22nd of the season. Glencross added on his 21st of the year for the Flames, also on the power play, fueled by Anton Babchuk and Alex Tanguay. Columbus got a goal back to make it 4-3 in the third period when Jan Hejda netted his third of the campaign via Voracek and Vermette. This would be the final as the Blue Jackets produced no more offense, where Jokinen, Kiprusoff (37 for 40 stops, two penalty shots denied), and Glencross collected the three stars.
Moving along to California, where we wrap up the games in Anaheim, as the Ducks hosted the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Dan Ellis took to the creases. Anaheim opened the scoring with a Lubomir Visnovsky goal, his tenth of the season, which came from Bobby Ryan and Dan Sexton. Dallas answered in the second period with the 15th of the year by Jamie Benn, assisted by Alex Goligoski and Brendan Morrow. The Stars took the lead on the eighth of the season by Adam Burish, with the help of Jason Williams and Trevor Daley. Dallas continued to extend the lead on the power play when Loui Eriksson netted his 22nd of the year thanks to Stephane Robidas and Mike Ribeiro. Visnovsky tallied again for the Ducks, his second of the night and eleventh of the campaign coming as a power play goal in the third period via Teemu Selanne and Ryan Getzlaf. Selanne tied it for Anaheim with his 21st of the season, gathering steam off of Getzlaf and Visnovsky. The tie lasted into overtime, allowing Visnovsky to complete the hat trick with his 12th of the year, securing a 4-3 victory with the power play goal powered by Getzlaf, who converted a sock trick simultaneously. Visnovsky, Selanne, and Benn earned the three stars.
That's all there is for Friday. Saturday's games will be out early Sunday morning in their final form.
New Jersey, where the Devils hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brent Johnson and Martin Brodeur collected the starts. The scoring was opened in the second period by New Jersey, specifically Travis Zajac with his tenth of the season, made possible by Nick Palmieri and Andy Greene. Pittsburgh tied it with a Tyler Kennedy snipe, his 15th of the campaign technically unassisted, although the ref did provide a beneficial block. The tie lasted throughout the third period and into the overtime, where the Devils toppled the Penguins with Ilya Kovalchuk netting his 23rd of the year on the power play from Patrik Elias and Brian Rolston. Kovalchuk, Kennedy, and Zajac earned the three stars.
Heading north into Ottawa, where the Senators hosted the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Craig Anderson were called on for the starts. New York opened the scoring with Vinny Prospal netting his fourth of the season, courtesy of Sean Avery. The Rangers extended the lead in the second period with Mats Zuccarello notching his fourth of the year, via Derek Stepan and Wojtek Wolski. Twelve second later, New York struck again, as Artem Anisimov sank his 15th of the campaign, guided in by Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi. Stepan scored his 18th of the season for the Rangers as well, with the help of Wolski and Steve Eminger. Ottawa finally got on the board with a power play goal by Sergei Gonchar, his seventh of the year fueled by Jason Spezza and Erik Karlsson. The final would stand at 4-1, with Lundqvist (28 for 29 saves), Girardi, and Stepan getting the three stars.
Moving west to Chicago, where the Blackhawks hosted the Carolina Hurricanes. Justin Peters opposed Corey Crawford in the nets. Chicago opened the scoring just fifty-five seconds in with Jonathan Toews notching his 26th of the season, with the lone assist from Patrick Sharp. Carolina replied with Eric Staal netting his 29th of the year, thanks to Cory Stillman and Erik Cole. The Blackhawks reclaimed the lead with Bryan Bickell's 15th of the campaign, made possible by Brent Seabrook and Marian Hossa. Chicago, after a silent second period, extended their lead in the third frame with Ryan Johnson scoring his first of the season, with Chris Campoli and Brian Campbell providing the assistance. The Blackhawks added on with Dave Bolland getting his 15th of the year, with the help of Hossa and Bickell. Patrick Kane also tallied for Chicago, scoring his 21st of the season with the added efforts from Sharp and Campoli. The Hurricanes cut the deficit to 5-2 with Jeff Skinner nailing his 23rd of the year, courtesy of Joe Corvo and Jussi Jokinen. This would be the final, where the three stars went to Hossa, Johnson, and Toews.
Back north and a bit west, with the Calgary Flames hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Miikka Kiprusoff tended the twines. Columbus was first on the board on the second of the season by Craig Rivet, assisted by Derek MacKenzie. Calgary answered with Olli Jokinen potting his 14th of the year, with the help of Curtis Glencross and David Moss. Forty-four seconds later, the Flames took the lead with Jarome Iginla netting his 29th of the season, off of Rene Bourque and Cory Sarich. The Blue Jackets tied it in the second period with Antione Vermette scoring his 16th of the year, helped along by Kris Russell and Jakub Voracek. Calgary reclaimed the lead with a Bourque power play goal from Jokinen and Glencross, his 22nd of the season. Glencross added on his 21st of the year for the Flames, also on the power play, fueled by Anton Babchuk and Alex Tanguay. Columbus got a goal back to make it 4-3 in the third period when Jan Hejda netted his third of the campaign via Voracek and Vermette. This would be the final as the Blue Jackets produced no more offense, where Jokinen, Kiprusoff (37 for 40 stops, two penalty shots denied), and Glencross collected the three stars.
Moving along to California, where we wrap up the games in Anaheim, as the Ducks hosted the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Dan Ellis took to the creases. Anaheim opened the scoring with a Lubomir Visnovsky goal, his tenth of the season, which came from Bobby Ryan and Dan Sexton. Dallas answered in the second period with the 15th of the year by Jamie Benn, assisted by Alex Goligoski and Brendan Morrow. The Stars took the lead on the eighth of the season by Adam Burish, with the help of Jason Williams and Trevor Daley. Dallas continued to extend the lead on the power play when Loui Eriksson netted his 22nd of the year thanks to Stephane Robidas and Mike Ribeiro. Visnovsky tallied again for the Ducks, his second of the night and eleventh of the campaign coming as a power play goal in the third period via Teemu Selanne and Ryan Getzlaf. Selanne tied it for Anaheim with his 21st of the season, gathering steam off of Getzlaf and Visnovsky. The tie lasted into overtime, allowing Visnovsky to complete the hat trick with his 12th of the year, securing a 4-3 victory with the power play goal powered by Getzlaf, who converted a sock trick simultaneously. Visnovsky, Selanne, and Benn earned the three stars.
That's all there is for Friday. Saturday's games will be out early Sunday morning in their final form.
Thursday NHL Games
There were a total of eleven games on Thursday night. They started off with...
The Atlanta Thrashers hosting the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Chris Mason were called on for the starts. Ottawa was the first on the board with a Colin Greening goal, his first of the season, with help from Brian Lee and Chris Phillips. The scoring stayed silent until the Senators scored again in the third period with Bobby Butler potting his sixth of the year, thanks to Erik Karlsson and Ryan Shannon. Atlanta got on the board with Dustin Byfuglien sending his 19th of the season into the mesh with assistance by Tobias Enstrom and Andrew Ladd. Ottawa made it 3-1 with Nick Foligno scoring his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Derek Smith and Sergei Gonchar. The final was as mentioned, with Butler, Foligno, and Anderson (42 for 43 saves) taking the three stars.
Moving along to Philadelphia, where the Flyers hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Sergei Bobrovsky were in front of the cages. Philadelphia was the first to score with former Leaf Kris Versteeg netting his 16th of the season, helped along by Mike Richards and Chris Pronger. Twenty-one seconds later, Toronto tied it with Nikolai Kulemin registering his 24th of the year, thanks to Clarke MacArthur. Versteeg netted another goal, his second of the game and 17th of the year to retake the lead for the Flyers, with helpers provided by Richards and Matt Carle. The Maple Leafs tied it again, this time with Dion Phaneuf potting his fourth of the campaign, powered by Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski. Toronto took a 3-2 lead on Darryl "No Nose Goes" Boyce's fourth of the season, with assists from Colby Armstrong and Phaneuf. This was the final, and the three stars belonged to Versteeg, Richards, and Boyce.
Back south to Carolina, where the Hurricanes hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Cam Ward took their usual spots in front of the nets. The scoring was opened by Buffalo in the second period when Steve Montador put his fifth of the season into the twine, with the efforts of Tyler Ennis and Andrej Sekera being valued. Carolina replied on a Jiri Tlusty goal, his sixth of the year, from Jamie McBain and Brandon Sutter. The Sabres retook the lead on a Brad Boyes goal, going as his 14th of the campaign, via Montador and Sekera. The Hurricanes tied it again with Chad LaRose potting his 12th of the season, courtesy of Jeff Skinner. The tie lasted into overtime, where Carolina took Buffalo down when McBain netted his fifth of the year, fueled by Joni Pitkanen and Eric Staal. The three stars were given to McBain, Ward (27 for 29 saves), and LaRose.
Staying in the eastern regions of the country, the Washington Capitals hosted the St. Louis Blues. Ty Conklin and Michal Neuvirth were given the starting nods. St. Louis visited the scoresheet first on the 18th of the season by Alex Steen, helped along by Chris Stewart and Barret Jackman. Washington tied it in the second period with the first of the year for Scott Hannan, coming off of Alex Ovechkin and Matt Hendricks. the Blues retook the lead on B.J. Crombeen's sixth of the campaign, an unassisted. The Capitals found another equalizer, with Nicklas Backstrom scoring his 16th of the season, assisted by Mike Knuble and Ovechkin. Washington took a 3-2 lead in the third period with Jason Arnott's first as a Capital and 14th of the year, with help from Alexander Semin and Brooks Laich. This was the final, giving the three stars to Arnott, Ovechkin, and Steen.
Over to Boston, where the Bruins hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning. Mike Smith and Tim Thomas stood in the creases. The game was quiet until Tampa Bay struck on Eric Brewer's ninth of the season, coming off of Blair Jones and Steve Downie. Boston replied with Steve Kampfer netting his fifth of the campaign, with help from the newly acquired duo of Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley. The Bruins took a 2-1 lead with Milan Lucic registering his 28th of the year with guidance from David Krejci and Nathan Horton. This was the final, and the three stars went to Lucic, Johnny Boychuk, and Thomas (27 for 28 saves).
Into New York City, where the Rangers hosted the Minnesota Wild. Jose Theodore and Henrik Lundqvist answered the call to start. New York was first on the board with Sean Avery netting his third of the season, with the help of Erik Christensen and Vinny Prospal. Minnesota replied in the second period with Kyle Brodziak sending his 14th of the year home on the power play via Jared Spurgeon and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. The Wild took the lead with the first of the season by Casey Wellman, assisted by Brent Burns and Andrew Brunette. Minnesota made it 3-1 in the third period on a Bouchard goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Martin Havlat and Brodziak. This was to be the final, and the three stars belonged to Brodziak, Theodore (40 for 41 saves), and Bouchard.
Heading down to Florida, where the Panthers hosted the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Tomas Vokoun made the starts. Montreal was first on the board with the earth-shaking Hal Gill tally, his first of the season, with help from Andrei Kostitsyn and James Wisniewski. Kostitsyn also scored his 16th of the year for the Canadiens, guided by Travis Moen and Lars Eller. Scott Clemmensen was called on to relieve Vokoun from the nightmare he was producing. Montreal kept going with David Desharnais sinking his seventh of the season, thanks to Benoit Pouliot. Eller made it 4-0 with his fifth of the year, helped along by Moen and Wisniewski. This would be the final, with Price (30 save shutout), Kostitsyn, and Wisniewski picking up the three stars.
Finally breaking out west to Edmonton, where the Oilers hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Devan Dubnyk put on the goalie masks. The first noticeable event involved Derek Dorsett dropping the mitts with Jason Strudwick. The scoring was opened by Edmonton on the power play in the form of the 14th of the season for Sam Gagner, and crediting the helpers to Magnus Paajarvi and Tom Gilbert. The Oilers extended the lead with Taylor Hall netting his 22nd of the year, thanks to Shawn Horcoff and Strudwick. Jordan Eberle kept Edmonton going in the early second period, chasing Steve Mason away with his 15th of the season, helped along by Horcoff and Hall, bringing on Mathieu Garon in relief. Columbus finally got on the board with Matt Calvert netting his eleventh of the year, finding the sticks of Samuel Pahlsson and Dorsett previously. The next fight involved Dorsett once again, and Hall in his first NHL fight, completing a Gordie Howe Hat Trick simultaneously, and also spraining his ankle. The Blue Jackets pulled within a goal in the third period with Scottie Upshall notching his 18th of the season, assisted by R.J. Umberger and Kris Russell. The Oilers managed to seal victory at 4-2 with an empty netter by Andrew Cogliano, his tenth of the year going in unassisted. The three stars were awarded to Hall, Dubnyk (26 for 28 saves), and Horcoff.
Staying in Western Canada, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Roberto Luongo tended the twines. The scoring was all quiet until Blake Geoffrion potted his second of the season for Nashville in the third period, made possible by Jordin Tootoo and Kevin Klein. The Predators extended the lead with Patric Hornqvist potting his 18th of the year, an unassisted tally. Nashville secured the victory with an empty net goal by David Legwand, his eleventh of the campaign, guided in by Martin Erat and Joel Ward. Rinne (29 save shutout), Luongo (26 for 29 saves), and Tootoo earned the three stars.
Onward into California, where the San Jose Sharks hosted the Detroit Red Wings. Joey MacDonald and Antti Niemi were the masked men. San Jose was the first to score with a Dany Heatley goal, his 21st of the season coming off of Ian White and Patrick Marleau. Detroit replied with a power play goal from Tomas Holmstrom, his 14th of the year made possible by Mike Modano and Nicklas Lidstrom. Heatley put the Sharks back in front with his 22nd of the season and second of the game, a power play goal produced by Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton. San Jose made it 3-1 with Marleau netting his 25th of the year, an unassisted goal that would bring us to the final. The three stars went to Heatley, Marleau, and Niemi (26 for 27 saves).
Finally, the Los Angeles Kings hosted the Phoenix Coyotes. Ilya Bryzgalov and Jonathan Bernier were in between the pipes. Los Angeles opened the scoring over halfway through the third period on the power play, with Jarret Stoll sinking his 18th of the year with assists from Anze Kopitar and Ryan Smyth. This was the final, and Bernier (25 save shutout), Keith Yandle, and Stoll got the three stars.
That's all for Thursday, Friday will be started soon. It appears that the problem I told you all about may have resolved itself tonight, but we'll keep an eye on it. This was a difficult disruption to work with, and it appeared to have no clear-cut or easy solution.
The Atlanta Thrashers hosting the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Chris Mason were called on for the starts. Ottawa was the first on the board with a Colin Greening goal, his first of the season, with help from Brian Lee and Chris Phillips. The scoring stayed silent until the Senators scored again in the third period with Bobby Butler potting his sixth of the year, thanks to Erik Karlsson and Ryan Shannon. Atlanta got on the board with Dustin Byfuglien sending his 19th of the season into the mesh with assistance by Tobias Enstrom and Andrew Ladd. Ottawa made it 3-1 with Nick Foligno scoring his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Derek Smith and Sergei Gonchar. The final was as mentioned, with Butler, Foligno, and Anderson (42 for 43 saves) taking the three stars.
Moving along to Philadelphia, where the Flyers hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Sergei Bobrovsky were in front of the cages. Philadelphia was the first to score with former Leaf Kris Versteeg netting his 16th of the season, helped along by Mike Richards and Chris Pronger. Twenty-one seconds later, Toronto tied it with Nikolai Kulemin registering his 24th of the year, thanks to Clarke MacArthur. Versteeg netted another goal, his second of the game and 17th of the year to retake the lead for the Flyers, with helpers provided by Richards and Matt Carle. The Maple Leafs tied it again, this time with Dion Phaneuf potting his fourth of the campaign, powered by Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski. Toronto took a 3-2 lead on Darryl "No Nose Goes" Boyce's fourth of the season, with assists from Colby Armstrong and Phaneuf. This was the final, and the three stars belonged to Versteeg, Richards, and Boyce.
Back south to Carolina, where the Hurricanes hosted the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Cam Ward took their usual spots in front of the nets. The scoring was opened by Buffalo in the second period when Steve Montador put his fifth of the season into the twine, with the efforts of Tyler Ennis and Andrej Sekera being valued. Carolina replied on a Jiri Tlusty goal, his sixth of the year, from Jamie McBain and Brandon Sutter. The Sabres retook the lead on a Brad Boyes goal, going as his 14th of the campaign, via Montador and Sekera. The Hurricanes tied it again with Chad LaRose potting his 12th of the season, courtesy of Jeff Skinner. The tie lasted into overtime, where Carolina took Buffalo down when McBain netted his fifth of the year, fueled by Joni Pitkanen and Eric Staal. The three stars were given to McBain, Ward (27 for 29 saves), and LaRose.
Staying in the eastern regions of the country, the Washington Capitals hosted the St. Louis Blues. Ty Conklin and Michal Neuvirth were given the starting nods. St. Louis visited the scoresheet first on the 18th of the season by Alex Steen, helped along by Chris Stewart and Barret Jackman. Washington tied it in the second period with the first of the year for Scott Hannan, coming off of Alex Ovechkin and Matt Hendricks. the Blues retook the lead on B.J. Crombeen's sixth of the campaign, an unassisted. The Capitals found another equalizer, with Nicklas Backstrom scoring his 16th of the season, assisted by Mike Knuble and Ovechkin. Washington took a 3-2 lead in the third period with Jason Arnott's first as a Capital and 14th of the year, with help from Alexander Semin and Brooks Laich. This was the final, giving the three stars to Arnott, Ovechkin, and Steen.
Over to Boston, where the Bruins hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning. Mike Smith and Tim Thomas stood in the creases. The game was quiet until Tampa Bay struck on Eric Brewer's ninth of the season, coming off of Blair Jones and Steve Downie. Boston replied with Steve Kampfer netting his fifth of the campaign, with help from the newly acquired duo of Chris Kelly and Rich Peverley. The Bruins took a 2-1 lead with Milan Lucic registering his 28th of the year with guidance from David Krejci and Nathan Horton. This was the final, and the three stars went to Lucic, Johnny Boychuk, and Thomas (27 for 28 saves).
Into New York City, where the Rangers hosted the Minnesota Wild. Jose Theodore and Henrik Lundqvist answered the call to start. New York was first on the board with Sean Avery netting his third of the season, with the help of Erik Christensen and Vinny Prospal. Minnesota replied in the second period with Kyle Brodziak sending his 14th of the year home on the power play via Jared Spurgeon and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. The Wild took the lead with the first of the season by Casey Wellman, assisted by Brent Burns and Andrew Brunette. Minnesota made it 3-1 in the third period on a Bouchard goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Martin Havlat and Brodziak. This was to be the final, and the three stars belonged to Brodziak, Theodore (40 for 41 saves), and Bouchard.
Heading down to Florida, where the Panthers hosted the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Tomas Vokoun made the starts. Montreal was first on the board with the earth-shaking Hal Gill tally, his first of the season, with help from Andrei Kostitsyn and James Wisniewski. Kostitsyn also scored his 16th of the year for the Canadiens, guided by Travis Moen and Lars Eller. Scott Clemmensen was called on to relieve Vokoun from the nightmare he was producing. Montreal kept going with David Desharnais sinking his seventh of the season, thanks to Benoit Pouliot. Eller made it 4-0 with his fifth of the year, helped along by Moen and Wisniewski. This would be the final, with Price (30 save shutout), Kostitsyn, and Wisniewski picking up the three stars.
Finally breaking out west to Edmonton, where the Oilers hosted the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Devan Dubnyk put on the goalie masks. The first noticeable event involved Derek Dorsett dropping the mitts with Jason Strudwick. The scoring was opened by Edmonton on the power play in the form of the 14th of the season for Sam Gagner, and crediting the helpers to Magnus Paajarvi and Tom Gilbert. The Oilers extended the lead with Taylor Hall netting his 22nd of the year, thanks to Shawn Horcoff and Strudwick. Jordan Eberle kept Edmonton going in the early second period, chasing Steve Mason away with his 15th of the season, helped along by Horcoff and Hall, bringing on Mathieu Garon in relief. Columbus finally got on the board with Matt Calvert netting his eleventh of the year, finding the sticks of Samuel Pahlsson and Dorsett previously. The next fight involved Dorsett once again, and Hall in his first NHL fight, completing a Gordie Howe Hat Trick simultaneously, and also spraining his ankle. The Blue Jackets pulled within a goal in the third period with Scottie Upshall notching his 18th of the season, assisted by R.J. Umberger and Kris Russell. The Oilers managed to seal victory at 4-2 with an empty netter by Andrew Cogliano, his tenth of the year going in unassisted. The three stars were awarded to Hall, Dubnyk (26 for 28 saves), and Horcoff.
Staying in Western Canada, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Roberto Luongo tended the twines. The scoring was all quiet until Blake Geoffrion potted his second of the season for Nashville in the third period, made possible by Jordin Tootoo and Kevin Klein. The Predators extended the lead with Patric Hornqvist potting his 18th of the year, an unassisted tally. Nashville secured the victory with an empty net goal by David Legwand, his eleventh of the campaign, guided in by Martin Erat and Joel Ward. Rinne (29 save shutout), Luongo (26 for 29 saves), and Tootoo earned the three stars.
Onward into California, where the San Jose Sharks hosted the Detroit Red Wings. Joey MacDonald and Antti Niemi were the masked men. San Jose was the first to score with a Dany Heatley goal, his 21st of the season coming off of Ian White and Patrick Marleau. Detroit replied with a power play goal from Tomas Holmstrom, his 14th of the year made possible by Mike Modano and Nicklas Lidstrom. Heatley put the Sharks back in front with his 22nd of the season and second of the game, a power play goal produced by Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton. San Jose made it 3-1 with Marleau netting his 25th of the year, an unassisted goal that would bring us to the final. The three stars went to Heatley, Marleau, and Niemi (26 for 27 saves).
Finally, the Los Angeles Kings hosted the Phoenix Coyotes. Ilya Bryzgalov and Jonathan Bernier were in between the pipes. Los Angeles opened the scoring over halfway through the third period on the power play, with Jarret Stoll sinking his 18th of the year with assists from Anze Kopitar and Ryan Smyth. This was the final, and Bernier (25 save shutout), Keith Yandle, and Stoll got the three stars.
That's all for Thursday, Friday will be started soon. It appears that the problem I told you all about may have resolved itself tonight, but we'll keep an eye on it. This was a difficult disruption to work with, and it appeared to have no clear-cut or easy solution.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)