Song of the Week XII

This week Snow Patrol comes at us again with a newer track. Take Back the City comes from A Hundred Million Suns, their most recent non-compilation album. It is a powerful yet soft-toned song encouraging a rebellious nature. The guitars are melodic as opposed to obviously electric, and the drums add to a brisk yet peaceful tempo. The song is easily the biggest hit off of the album, and characteristic of the ever-changing style they have possessed. This feature runs again next week.

Sandwich Showdown XI and Blog news

First of all, we have the showdown. This week, a Turkey and Ham on Wheat went off against a Chicken on Herbs and Cheese. The Turkey and Ham had a very traditional deli flavor to it. The bread was of good quality and the meats blended nicely together. The Chicken opponent also had a strong flavor and bread quality. Both were easily enjoyed and happily consumed. The Turkey and Ham gets a slight edge here for the meat flavor but it was almost too close to call. Sandwich Showdown will return next week. As for the news, this post marks our 200th post in just under four months, so around 50 posts a month is what I'm putting out. We have over 1.1 thousand views so far, and are closing in on 1000 in the U.S.A. For the foreign readers, we have 50 in Denmark, 43 in Malaysia, 13 in Slovenia, 9 in Russia, 7 in Canada and Mexico, 6 in Germany, 3 in the United Arab Emirates, 3 in China, 2 in Norway and the United Kingdom, and 1 apiece for Iran and Indonesia. This means we are in 14 countries and continuing to expand as time passes. Thank you all very much for reading.

Saturday Hockey recap

Today we have ten games, including one matinee between...

The Minnesota Wild, who host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Mathieu Garon and Niklas Backstrom played in front of the goals. Columbus opened the scoring with a Rick Nash tally, his 30th of the season coming off of Derek Dorsett and Samuel Pahlsson. Minnesota replied with the first of the year from Brad Staubitz, assisted by John Madden and Clayton Stoner. The Wild took the lead in the second period with Cal Clutterbuck sinking his 19th of the season, courtesy of Mikko Koivu and Madden. The Blue Jackets retied it with the fifth of the year from Kris Russell, with help from Sami Lepisto and Rick Nash. Columbus took the lead again in the third period with the fifth of the season from Jan Hejda, aided by Nash and Lepisto. Nash extended the Blue Jackets lead on his second of the game and 31st of the year, fueled by Derick Brassard and Lepisto, the latter finishing a sock trick. Minnesota pulled within one on Antti Miettinen's 12th of the season, guided in by Nick Schultz and Koivu. Pierre-Marc Bouchard provided an equalizer for the Wild with his ninth of the year, helped along by Jared Spurgeon and Matt Cullen. The tie lasted into overtime, where Columbus defeated Minnesota with Antoine Vermette, his 17th of the campaign being the unassisted deciding factor. The three stars went to Nash, Lepisto, and Koivu.

Going to Ottawa for regularly timed games, with the Senators hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Dwayne Roloson and Curtis McElhinney were given the starting nods. Tampa Bay started the goal-scoring with Vincent Lecavalier netting his 19th of the season via Nate Thompson. The Lightning extended their lead in the second period with the sixth of the year from Dana Tyrell, with the help of Sean Bergenheim alone. Ottawa struck with Ryan Shannon in the third period, his ninth of the season coming shorthanded off of Erik Condra and Erik Karlsson. Nick Foligno supplied an equalizer for the Senators with his 12th of the year, made possible by Zack Smith and Chris Neil. Ottawa defeated Tampa Bay in the ensuing overtime with Jason Spezza notching his 16th of the campaign, thanks to Karlsson, for a 3-2 victory. Spezza, McElhinney (35 for 37 saves), and Roloson (31 for 34 saves) earned the three stars.

Down to South Florida, where the Panthers hosted the New York Islanders. Rick DiPietro and Scott Clemmensen took to the nets. The scoring started with New York in the second period with Michael Grabner notching his 30th of the season, assisted by Frans Nielsen shorthanded. Florida took the lead with a pair of Evgeny Dadonov tallies, his fifth and sixth of the campaign, with guidance from Clay Wilson and David Booth on the first goal, and Sergei Samsonov and Dmitry Kulikov on the second. P.A. Parenteau tied it for the Islanders in the third period with his 18th of the year, with help from Jack Hillen. New York reclaimed the lead with Micheal Haley netting his second of the season, powered by Grabner. The Panthers retied it with the 21st of the year by Stephen Weiss, with assistance from Samsonov and Niclas Bergfors. The tie lasted into the shootout, where the Islanders took the 4-3 lead on clinching tallies by Nielsen and Parenteau. Nielsen, Dadonov, and Grabner picked up the three stars.

Up to Buffalo, where the Sabres hosted the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Ryan Miller made the starts. Twenty-four seconds in, Buffalo had a goal on the board from Jason Pominville, his 18th of the season produced by Tim Connolly and Tyler Myers. Atlanta replied with an unassisted goal from Chris Thorburn, his ninth of the year. Mark Mancari put the Sabres back in the lead with his first of the season on the power play via Myers and Nathan Gerbe. Buffalo extended their lead with Rob Niedermayer's third of the year, courtesy of Chris Butler and Mike Weber. Ondrej Pavelec was replaced by Chris Mason for the second period. The Thrashers got a goal back with Alex Burmistrov notching his sixth of the season off of Anthony Stewart and Ron Hainsey. Gerbe replied for the Sabres with his tenth of the year, assisted by Mancari and Weber. Tyler Ennis kept Buffalo rolling with his 18th of the season, an unassisted goal. The Sabres struck again with Brad Boyes on the power play, his 17th of the year powered by Mancari and Andrej Sekera. Niedermayer potted his second of the game and fourth of the season as well for Buffalo, with guidance from Myers and Mike Grier, the former completing his sock trick. Twenty-eight seconds later, the Sabres had an 8-2 lead, the eventual final, with a power play goal off of the stick of Connolly, previously from Pominville and Thomas Vanek, for his tenth of the year. The three stars went to Mancari, Myers, and Miller (28 for 30 saves).

Into Toronto, where the Maple Leafs hosted the Boston Bruins. Tim Thomas and Tuukka Rask both caught time opposing James Reimer. Toronto entered the scoring first with the fourth of the season by Luke Schenn, coming off of Joey Crabb. Adam McQuaid used his second of the year for Boston, tying the game with the unassisted tally. The Maple Leafs replied on the first of the season by Nazem Kadri, with help from Crabb and Carl Gunnarsson. Toronto rolled on with Crabb's third of the year, helped along by Darryl Boyce and Kadri. Twenty-nine seconds later, the Maple Leafs tallied again, with the third of the campaign by Mike Brown, assisted by Tim Brent and Brett Lebda. Toronto continued to extend the lead with the second of the season by Keith Aulie, guided in by Tyler Bozak and Phil Kessel. The Bruins sent a final message in the third period with Daniel Paille sinking his third of the year, courtesy of Shawn Thornton and Gregory Campbell. The final stood at 5-2 with the three stars going to Reimer (35 for 37 saves), Crabb, and Kadri.

South to Dallas, with the Stars hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Kari Lethonen played in the creases. Philadelphia opened the scoring with a Jeff Carter tally, his 33rd of the season coming off of Andrej Meszaros and Matt Carle. The Flyers extended their lead with Mike Richards netting his 20th of they ear thanks to Meszaros and Carle again. Dallas replied with an Alex Goligoski goal, his eleventh of the season made possible by Brenden Morrow and Jamie Benn. Stephane Robidas provided the equalizer with his fifth of the year in the third period, fueled by Steve Ott. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Claude Giroux exchanged goals with Mike Ribeiro, before Philadelphia toppled Dallas 3-2 on the tally from Ville Leino. Leino, Robidas, and Meszaros collected the three stars.

To Tennessee, where the Nashville Predators hosted the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Pekka Rinne covered the goalmouths. Detroit was the first to score with Danny Cleary's 23rd of the season, assisted by Henrik Zetterberg and Todd Bertuzzi on the power play. Nashville replied in the second period with the third of the year from Blake Geoffrion, guided in by Patric Hornqvist and Matt Halischuk. The Predators took the lead with Jonathon Blum netting his third of the season, powered by Hornqvist and Sergei Kostitsyn on the power play. Nashville secured a 3-1 victory with an empty netter from David Legwand, his 13th of the year, helped along by Ryan Suter and Nick Spaling. Blum, Geoffrion, and Rinne (39 for 40 saves) got the three stars.

Into Edmonton, where the Oilers hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Brian Elliott and Nikolai Khabibulin were given the starting nods. Colorad opened the scoring with Matt Duchene notching his 23rd of the season, assisted by Daniel Winnik. Edmonton replied in the second period with Jordan Eberle, his 16th of the year coming on the power play via Andrew Cogliano and Kurtis Foster. The Avalanche took the lead again on the 13th of the season by Kevin Porter, helped in by Ryan Wilson and Duchene. Foster provided the equalizer for the Oilers in the third period with his sixth of the year, thanks to Linus Omark and Magnus Paajarvi. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Colorado defeated Edmonton 3-2 with Ryan Stoa's lone tally. The three stars went to Foster, Duchene, and Omark.

West to San Jose, where the St. Louis Blues were brought to the Sharks. Jaroslav Halak and Antti Niemi took control of the cages. San Jose opened the scoring with Torrey Mitchell notching his seventh of the season, assisted by Joe Pavelski and Ian White. The Sharks made it 3-0 with a pair of Pavelski power play goals (don't try to say that out loud, I'm not responsible for tongue damage produced by my blog), his 15th and 16th of the campaign, with assists from Patrick Marleau and Devin Setoguchi on the first and Dan Boyle and Joe Thornton on the second. St. Louis got on the board with T.J. Hensick's first of the year in the second period, with help from Matt D'Agostini and Ian Cole. San Jose added back onto the lead with Setoguchi notching his 20th of the season, assisted by Marleau and Thornton. The Sharks continued with Pavelski wrapping up his hat trick on his 17th of the year, courtesy of Boyle and Mitchell. David Backes tallied on for the Blues with his 26th of the season, thanks to Carlo Colaiacovo and Alex Pietrangelo. Andy McDonald also scored for St. Louis, the last goal of the game to make it a 5-3 loss, with the help of Backes and D'Agostini for his 18th of the year. Pavelski, Mitchell, and Boyle earned the three stars.

Down south, the Los Angeles Kings hosted the Anaheim Ducks. Ray Emery and Jonathan Quick played between the pipes. Anaheim opened the scoring with Brandon McMillan notching his tenth of the season, assisted by Dan Sexton and Francois Beauchemin. Los Angeles replied in the third period with Dustin Brown registering his 23rd of the year off of Michal Handzus and Alexei Ponikarovsky. The tie lasted into overtime, where the Ducks beat the Kings 2-1 with Corey Perry's 37th of the campaign off of Cam Fowler. Perry, Quick (23 for 25 saves), and Emery (31 for 32 saves) picked up the three stars.

Six games on Sunday, with a Sandwich Showdown also destined to get out at some point.

Friday Hockey games

Friday only had four games on. The first was held in...

Carolina, where the Hurricanes hosted the New York Islanders. Al Montoya and Cam Ward made the starts. Jeff Skinner opened the scoring for Carolina with his 25th of the season, assisted by Jussi Jokinen and Tuomo Ruutu. New York soon replied with a Frans Nielsen goal off of Michael Grabner and Radek Martinek, his tenth tally of the year. The Islanders took the lead in the second period with the 29th of the season from Grabner, courtesy of Travis Hamonic and Nielsen. The Hurricanes retied it in the third period with Erik Cole's 20th of the year, helped in by Cory Stillman. The tie allowed Carolina to defeat New York in overtime with Joni Pitkanen nailing his third of the campaign, thanks to Skinner and Eric Staal. The three stars were awarded to Ward (35 for 37 saves), Pitkanen, and Cole.

To New York City, where the Rangers hosted the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Henrik Lundqvist guarded the cages. The first action came a second into the game, with Brandon Prust fighting Travis Moen. Artem Anisimov opened the scoring for New York with his 17th of the season, an unassisted goal. P.K. Subban replied for Montreal on his eighth of the year, courtesy of Benoit Pouliot and David Desharnais. The Rangers retook the lead with Dan Girardi notching his fourth of the season, fueled by Erik Christensen and Mats Zuccarello. Ryan Callahan extended the New York lead with his 22nd of the year, coming off of Anisimov and Brandon Dubinsky. Thirty-two seconds later, the Rangers struck again, with Marian Gaborik netting his 21st of the season via Christensen and Vinny Prospal. Thirty-five seconds after that, New York made it 5-1 with Brian Boyle's 21st of the year, made possible by Marc Staal and Prust, leading to Alex Auld relieving Carey Price. The Canadiens answered back after the barrage with James Wisniewski in the second period, his ninth of the campaign produced by Roman Hamrlik and Brian Gionta. Montreal pulled closer with a Gionta power play goal in the third period, his 26th of the season powered by Wisniewski and Michael Cammalleri. Prospal sealed up a 6-3 victory with his fifth of the year, a power play goal created by Girardi and Staal. Anisimov, Callahan, and Prust earned the three stars.

Staying in the general area, the New Jersey Devils hosted the Washington Capitals. Michael Neuvirth and Martin Brodeur were in front of the nets. Washington opened the scoring with Jeff Schultz notching his first of the season, with the help of Mike Knuble and Dennis Wideman. Knuble ran the score to 3-0 by the end of the game with a second and third period goal as his 18th and 19th goals of the year. John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin each had a primary and secondary assist. The three stars went to Neuvirth (33 save shutout), Knuble, and Ovechkin.

Lastly, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Phoenix Coyotes. Jason LaBarbera opposed Roberto Luongo. The scoring didn't begin until the third period, where Radim Vrbata notched his 18th of the season for Phoenix on the power play, with help coming from Eric Belanger and Shane Doan. Doan extended the Coyotes lead with his own 18th of the year, also on the power play, powered by Vrbata and David Schlemko. Christian Ehrhoff used his eleventh of the season to put Vancouver on the board, with assistance from Mikael Samuelsson and Daniel Sedin. Lee Stempniak secured a 3-1 victory for Phoenix with his 17th of the year sailing into the empty net, courtesy of Belanger. The three stars went to LaBarbera (46 for 47 saves), Ehrhoff, and Vrbata.

Ten games on Saturday, I'll try to get them done quickly.

Thursday games

Thursday held a total of eleven games. The first of which was in...

Columbus, with the Blue Jackets hosting the Detroit Red Wings. Joey MacDonald and Steve Mason were in front of the nets. Thirty-three seconds into the first period, Drew Miller put Detroit ahead with his eighth of the season, coming off of Darren Helm. The Red Wings made it 2-0 with a power play goal by Valtteri Filppula, his 15th of the year, powered by Johan Franzen and Mike Modano. The scoring ceased after this point, clinching a victory, with MacDonald (37 save shutout), Mason (25 for 27 saves), and Miller getting the three stars.

East to Atlanta, with the Thrashers hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Boucher and Ondrej Pavelec played in the blue paint. Tim Stapleton opened the scoring for Atlanta with his fourth of the season, assisted by Evander Kane. Philaedlphia replied with the 23rd of the year from Claude Giroux, with help from Matt Carle and Danny Briere. The Thrashers retook the lead with the 15th of the season for Bryan Little, guided in by Ron Hainsey and Blake Wheeler. Briere tied it again for the Flyers by netting his 30th of the year, thanks to Jeff Carter. Atlanta took the lead again with Nik Antropov notching his 13th of the season, with the help of Chris Thorburn and Hainsey required. Briere provided another equalizer for Philadelphia with his second of the game and 31st of the year, courtesy of Ville Leino and Kimmo Timonen. The tie lasted into a shootout, where the Thrashers beat the Flyers on tallies by Rob Schremp and Wheeler. The three stars went to Hainsey, Schremp, and Briere.

Moving along to Ottawa, where the Senators hosted the New Jersey Devils. Martin Brodeur and Curtis McElhinney were called on for the starts. Ottawa was the first on the board with a Ryan Shannon power play goal, his eighth of the season coming off of Jason Spezza and Nick Foligno. The scoring was silent until Chris Neil netted his fourth of the year for the Senators in the third period, with helpers provided by Erik Karlsson and Zack Smith. New Jersey got on the board with Brian Rolston's 13th of the season, a power play goal made possible by Jacob Josefson and Patrik Elias. Neil iced the game off 3-1 for Ottawa with his second of the game and fifth of the year, an empty net goal produced by Spezza and Colin Greening. This was the final, with McElhinney (33 for 34 saves), Neil, and Shannon gathering in the three stars.

Staying in Canada, with the Montreal Canadiens hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Dwayne Roloson and Carey Price earned the starts. Tampa Bay opened the scoring in the early second period with Teddy Purcell scoring his 17th of the season on the power play from Martin St. Louis and Simon Gagne. Montreal tied it with a Andrei Kostitsyn tally, his 18th of the year gathering steam off of David Desharnais and Ryan White. The Canadiens took the lead with a shorthanded and unassisted goal by Brian Gionta, his 25th of the season. The Lightning tied it back up with Gagne notching his 12th of the year on the power play via St. Louis and Brett Clark. The tie lasted into the shootout, where Nigel Dawes and Gagne exchanged goals before Michael Cammalleri put the game away 3-2 for Montreal over Tampa Bay. Cammalleri, Price (35 for 37 saves), and Gionta grabbed the three stars.

Switching sides, the Florida Panthers hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Scott Clemmensen took to guarding the cages. Florida got on the board in the second period with a Sergei Samsonov goal, his 12th of the season, helped along by Jason Garrison and Niclas Bergfors. The Panthers extended their lead with a Stephen Weiss tally, his 20th of the year coming on the power play via Dmitry Kulikov and Michal Repik. Mike Santorelli added on for Florida with his 18th of the season, assisted by Samsonov and Weiss on the power play. The Panthers completed the 4-0 victory with Keaton Ellerby knocking his second of the year into the empty net, thanks to Ryan Carter. Samsonov, Clemmensen (24 save shutout), and Weiss got the three stars.

Heading to Nashville, where the Predators hosted the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Pekka Rinne were given control of the nets. Boston was the first to score with Tyler Seguin notching his eleventh of the season off of Rich Peverley and Tomas Kaberle. Sergei Kostitsyn replied with his 17th of the year, courtesy of Colin Wilson and Ryan Suter. Wilson put the Predators ahead in the second period with his 15th of the season, with help from Jonathon Blum and Kevin Klein. David Krejci tied it back up for the Bruins with his 12th of the year, assisted by Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic. Boston retook the lead with a Patrice Bergeron goal, his 22nd of the season fueled by Mark Recchi and Michael Ryder. David Legwand found another equalizer for Nashville by sinking his 12th of the year, thanks to Kostitsyn and Martin Erat. The tie lasted into overtime, where Shea Weber's 16th of the campaign on the power play via Suter and Legwand was enough to propel the Predators past the Bruins. Weber, Wilson, and Bergeron got the three stars.

Moving along to Dallas, with the Stars hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Kari Lethonen were given starting honors. Steve Ott put Dallas up first with his eleventh of the season, helped along by Brad Richards and the goalie Kari Lehtonen. Jamie Benn extended the lead for the Stars with his 21st of the year, assisted by Mike Ribeiro and Brenden Morrow. Morrow tacked on another goal for Dallas with his 27th of the campaign, courtesy of Benn and Ribeiro, causing Crawford to be replaced by Marty Turco. The Stars rolled on with the second of the season by Jason Williams, an unassisted goal. Dallas solidified the 5-0 win with Brandon Segal netting his fifth of the year, with the help of Richards and Tomas Vincour. This was the final, with Lehtonen (23 save shutout), Benn, and Morrow collecting the three stars.

Up to Calgary, where the Flames hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Peter Budaj and Miikka Kiprusoff played between the pipes. Calgary opened the scoring with a Jarome Iginla goal, his 31st of the season, with helpers provided by Alex Tanguay and Rene Bourque on the power play. The Flames rolled on with a Mark Giordano power play goal, his seventh of the year powered by Jay Bouwmeester and Ales Kotalik. Mark Olver put Colorado on the board with his first of the season, courtesy of Matt Duchene and Ryan Wilson. Bourque made it 3-1 Calgary with his 24th of the year, made possible by Tom Kostopolous and Mikael Backlund. The scoring was silent until Kotalik tallied for the Flames in the third period, his fourth of the season gathering steam off of Niklas Hagman and Matt Stajan. Iginla extended the Calgary lead again with his second of the game and 32nd of the campaign, with the help of Curtis Glencross and Bouwmeester. The Avalanche sent one final message with Cody McLeod making it 5-2 on the power play with his fifth of the year off of Duchene. This was the final, with Iginla, Bourque, and Kotalik gathering the three stars.

Staying in west Canada, the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Phoenix Coyotes. Ilya Bryzgalov and Nikolai Khabibulin played in front of the goals. Phoenix got on the board first with Lee Stempniak notching his 16th of the season via Lauri Korpikoski and Eric Belanger. Ray Whitney extended the Coyotes lead in the second period on his 14th of the year, courtesy of Radim Vrbata and Andrew Ebbett. Edmonton struck on the power play in the third period with the eleventh of the season by Magnus Paajarvi, powered by Linus Omark and Teemu Hartikainen. Vrbata sealed a 3-1 Phoenix victory with his own power play goal made possible by Shane Doan and Whitney, his 17th of the year. Bryzgalov (35 for 36 saves), Whitney, and Liam Reddox made the three stars list.

Moving south to Los Angeles, where the Kings hosted the St. Louis Blues. Jaroslav Halak and Jonathan Quick were called on to guard the cages. Matt D'Agostini opened the scoring for St. Louis on his 16th of the season, assisted by Adam Cracknell and Roman Polak. D'Agostini struck again for the Blues with his second of the game and 17th of the year late in the second period, with help coming from Andy McDonald and David Backes. Alex Pietrangelo kept St. Louis going, even from mid-ice, where he sank his tenth of the season unassisted. T.J. Oshie wrapped up the game at 4-0 Blues with his ninth of the year off of Chris Porter and Pietrangelo. The three stars went to D'Agostini, Polak, and Halak (17 save shutout).

Lastly, the San Jose Sharks welcomed the Minnesota Wild to the HP Pavilion. Niklas Backstrom and Antti Niemi were given the starting nods. San Jose was first on the board with Jamal Mayers netting his third of the season, assisted by Joe Pavelski and Torrey Mitchell. Minnesota replied with John Madden shorthanded, his 12th of the year going down unassisted. The Sharks retook the lead in the second period with Logan Couture notching his 27th of the season, coming off of Douglas Murray and Jason Demers. The Wild tied it again with a Kyle Brodziak goal, his 16th of the year made possible by Martin Havlat and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. San Jose made it 3-2 in the third period with Patrick Marleau on the power play, his 28th of the campaign going in thanks to Pavelski and Devin Setoguchi. This was the final, with the three stars going to Pavelski, Backstrom (47 for 50 saves), and Marleau.

That's all for Thursday. Friday has only four games, should be much more reasonable to work with.

Wednesday Hockey recap

Wednesday featured only four games of hockey to be played. The first started off in...

Raleigh, where the Carolina Hurricanes hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Cam Ward were playing the nets. Carolina got on the board first with a power play goal by Chad LaRose, his 13th of the season getting help from Brandon Sutter and Tim Gleason. Toronto answered with the sixth of the year from Dion Phaneuf, also a power play goal, powered by Tim Brent and Clarke MacArthur. Phaneuf gave the Maple Leafs the lead in the second period with his second of the game and seventh of the season, another power play tally, guided in by Phil Kessel. Twelve seconds later, Toronto took the lead 3-1 with Tyler Bozak recording his 12th of the year, assisted by Darryl Boyce and Phaneuf. After a silent third period, this proved to be the final, with Phaneuf, Reimer (36 for 37 saves), and LaRose earning the three stars.

Up to Detroit, where the Red Wings hosted the Washington Capitals. Michal Neuvirth and Jimmy Howard guarded the cages. Detroit got on the scoreboard first with Henrik Zetterberg notching his 19th of the season off of Brian Rafalski and Todd Bertuzzi. John Carlson tied it for Washington with his sixth of the year, courtesy of Jason Chimera and D.J. King. The Red Wings regained the lead with a Valtteri Filppula tally, his 14th of the season coming off of Rafalski and Mike Modano. The Capitals tied it again in the second period with the 29th of the year by Alex Ovechkin, assisted by Alexander Semin and Scott Hannan. Zetterberg put Detroit up 3-2 with his second of the game and 20th of the campaign, a power play goal made possible by Pavel Datsyuk and Rafalski, the latter of which completing a sock trick. This would be the final, with the three stars belonging to Zetterberg, Rafalski, and Ovechkin.

Out west, the Vancouver Canucks hosted the Colorado Avalanche. Brian Elliott and Cory Schneider were called on for the starts. Colorado opened the scoring with a power play goal by Erik Johnson, his eighth of the season, coming off of John-Michael Liles and David Jones. Matt Duchene extended the lead for the Avalanche with his 22nd of the year, with helpers by Mark Olver and Ryan O'Byrne. Vancouver got on the board in the second period with the sixth of the season by Maxim Lapierre, fueled by Chris Higgins and Keith Ballard. Alexandre Burrows tied it in the third period for the Canucks. with his 21st of the year, with help coming from Daniel Sedin and Dan Hamhuis. Vancouver made it 4-2, the eventual final, with a pair of Henrik Sedin goals, his 17th and 18th of the campaign, with Daniel and Burrows picking up the first pair of assists, and the latter goal going into the empty net unassisted. Henrik, Johnson, and Lapierre picked up the three stars.

Lastly, the Anaheim Ducks hosted the St. Louis Blues. Jaroslav Halak and Ray Emery got the job between the pipes. The scoring was quiet until Nathan Oystrick potted his first of the season for St. Louis, with the assistance of Matt D'Agostini and Carlo Colaiacovo on the power play. Anaheim got the lead 2-1 with Jason Blake notching a second period and third period goal, his 13th and 14th of the year, with assists credited to Cam Fowler and Teemu Selanne on the first tally and Lubomir Visnovsky and Saku Koivu on the latter. This was the final, with the three stars going to Blake, Emery (30 for 31 saves), and Koivu.

Thursday has eleven games that I will try to take care of live if possible, so keep watch.

Tuesday games

Tuesday brought us all a heavy slate of games, featuring ten matches for the league. We start with the...

New York Rangers hosting the New York Islanders. Al Montoya and Henrik Lundqvist started in front of the cages. The Rangers opened the scoring on a shorthanded goal by Brandon Prust, his eleventh of the season going down thanks to Ryan McDonagh and Brandon Dubinsky. The Rangers extended their lead with Erik Christensen tallying on the power play with his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Mats Zuccarello and Dan Girardi. The Islanders got on the board in the second period with a Matt Moulson goal, his 30th of the season, helped along by Jack Hillen and John Tavares. The Islanders tied it with P.A. Pareanteau notching his 17th of the year, guided in by Tavares and Moulson. The Rangers retook the lead with Ryan Callahan sinking his 21st of the season, with assistance from Artem Anisimov and Marc Staal. The Rangers extended the lead with Marian Gaborik on the power play, his 19th of the year gathering steam off of Bryan McCabe. McCabe continued the Rangers surge with his sixth of the season, also a power play goal, assisted by Vinny Prospal and Callahan. Nathan Lawson replaced Montoya in the Islander net for the third period. Gaborik extended the Rangers lead once more with his second of the game and 20th of the campaign, fueled by Christensen and Mike Sauer. The Islanders dealt one final blow in their 6-3 loss with Tavares sinking his 26th of the year on the power play from Moulson and Parenteau. Gaborik, Callahan, and Christensen gained the three stars.

Over to Columbus, where the Blue Jackets hosted the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Steve Mason made the starts. Columbus opened the scoring with Grant Clitsome notching his fourth of the season off of Jakub Voracek and Rick Nash. Boston answered in the second period with David Krejci scoring his eleventh of the year, guided in by Zdeno Chara and Johnny Boychuk. The Blue Jackets reclaimed the lead in the third period with the 20th of the season from Scottie Upshall, assisted by R.J. Umberger and Antoine Vermette. Rich Peverley retied it for the Bruins with his 16th of the year coming shorthanded and unassisted. The tie lasted into the shootout, where the lone tally by Tyler Seguin put Boston on top of Columbus 3-2. The three stars went to Rask (34 for 36 saves), Peverley, and Mason (27 for 29 saves).

To New Jersey, where the Devils host the Atlanta Thrashers. Ondrej Pavelec and Martin Brodeur played in between the pipes. Tim Stapleton opened the scoring for Atlanta with his third of the season, made possible by Evander Kane and Anthony Stewart. The Thrashers made it 2-0 with Chris Thorburn sinking his eighth of the year, with the help of Radek Dvorak and Alex Burmistrov being required. New Jersey got on the board with the 13th of the season by Travis Zajac, coming off of Mark Fayne and Henrik Tallinder. The Devils tied it in the second period when Patrik Elias netted his 16th of the year, with the lone assist going to Brian Rolston. New Jersey took the lead when Jacob Josefson potted his second of the season, helped along by Mattias Tedenby and Colin White. Ilya Kovalchuk secured a 4-2 Devils victory on his 26th of the year, coming from Dainius Zubrus and into the empty net. The three stars were Josefson, Elias, and Zajac.

Up to Montreal, where the Canadiens hosted the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Carey Price played in the creases. Washington opened the scoring with Marcus Johansson on the power play, his tenth of the season produced by Dennis Wideman and the goalie Holtby. Twenty seconds later, Montreal tied it with Travis Moen sinking his fifth of the year unassisted. The Capitals retook the lead on a Brooks Laich goal, his 16th of the season made possible by Karl Alzner and John Carlson. The Canadiens tied it again with Andrei Kostitsyn notching his 17th of the year, courtesy of Lars Eller and P.K. Subban. Washington retook the lead with another Johansson goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the season, with the lone assist by Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals made it 4-2, the eventual final, with Mike Knuble notching his 17th of the year on the power play from Marco Sturm. The three stars went to Johansson, Price (37 for 41 saves), and Kostitsyn.

Down to Florida, for the Panthers hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Boucher and Tomas Vokoun were called on for the starts. Philadelphia opened the scoring with Scott Hartnell potting his 20th of the season from Mike Richards and Ville Leino. Florida replied with Stephen Weiss netting his 19th of the year, helped along by Sergei Samsonov and Keaton Ellerby. The Panthers took the lead with Dmitry Kulikov recording his sixth of the season, with the lone assist going to Samsonov. The Flyers took the lead 3-2 with two Jeff Carter goals, his 31st and 32nd of the year getting help along the way from Claude Giroux on the first and Danny Briere on the second. The third period was silent, so the score was final, and the three stars went to Carter, Briere, and Samsonov.

Following that, the Buffalo Sabres hosted the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Ryan Miller were tending the twines. Brandon Sutter put Carolina on the board first with his 13th of the season, coming off of Derek Joslin and Chad LaRose. The remaining two periods were silent, giving the Hurricanes a 1-0 victory. The three stars went to Ward (40 save shutout), Jeff Skinner, and Miller (32 for 33 saves).

Moving along to Ottawa, where the Senators hosted the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brent Johnson and Craig Anderson played in the goalmouth. Tyler Kennedy notched his 16th of the season to put Pittsburgh up first, with assists from Paul Martin and Chris Kunitz. Jordan Staal kept the Penguins going with his ninth of the year, coming off of Kennedy and Kunitz. Forty-seven seconds later, Ottawa got on the board with Ryan Shannon on the power play, his seventh of the season, powered by Nick Foligno. Pittsburgh reclaimed the goal fifty-seven seconds later with a Ben Lobejoy goal, his second of the year made possible by Staal and the sock trick completing Kunitz. Matt Cooke tallied on his 12th of the season for the Penguins, with the helpers provided by Dustin Jeffrey and Martin. Pittsburgh sealed a 5-1 victory with the third of the year by Zbynek Michalek, guided in by Jeffrey and Alex Kovalev. The three stars were awarded to Kennedy, Kunitz, and Staal.

Into Nashville, where the Predators hosted the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Bernier and Pekka Rinne stood in the blue paint. Los Angeles opened the scoring with Anze Kopitar netting his 25th of the season off of Dustin Penner. Nashville replied with Jonathon Blum potting his second of the year, an unassisted goal. The Kings retook the lead with the fifth of the season by Alec Martinez, assisted by Dustin Brown and Ryan Smyth. Los Angeles extended their lead with the 13th of the year from Wayne Simmonds, coming from Kopitar and Alexei Ponikarovsky. The Predators pulled back within one with J.P. Dumont registering his tenth of the season, with the help of Cody Franson. The Kings sealed victory at 4-2 with an empty netter from Brown, his 22nd of the year going unassisted. The three stars were given to Brown, Kopitar, and Blum.

To Texas, where the Dallas Stars hosted the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Kari Lethonen collected the starts. Mike Ribeiro opened the scoring for Dallas in the second period with his 16th of the season, helped along by Jamie Benn. The Stars made it 2-0 with the second of the year by Toby Petersen, a shorthanded goal made possible by Benn and Karlis Skrastins. Joe Thornton got San Jose on the board with his 18th of the season, helped along by Dan Boyle and Patrick Marleau. The Sharks tied it on the power play when the 23rd of the year by Dany Heatley sank, thanks to Marleau and Joe Pavelski. San Jose took the lead in the third period when Ryane Clowe potted his 23rd of the season, with Pavelski grabbing the lone assist. Torrey Mitchell also tallied for the Sharks, his sixth of the year allowing Pavelski to complete his sock trick, with the other assist given to Jamal Mayers. Benn pulled Dallas back within a goal on his 20th of the campaign, a power play goal fueled by Steve Ott and Jamie Langenbrunner. San Jose tallied on the empty net as Thornton sank the second of the game and 19th of the season, an unassisted goal. Heatley sealed it at 6-3 with another empty netter, his 24th of the year, helped in by Pavelski. Pavelski, Benn, and Thornton earned the three stars.

Lastly, the Calgary Flames hosted the Phoenix Coyotes. Ilya Bryzgalov and Miikka Kiprusoff guarded the cages. Phoenix entered the scoring first with Lee Stempniak notching his 15th of the season, assisted by Vernon Fiddler and Taylor Pyatt. Calgary replied with the 15th of the year by Olli Jokinen, with helpers by Rene Bourque and the goalie Kiprusoff. The Coyotes regained the lead with the 12th of the campaign in the second period by Eric Belanger, courtesy of Lauri Korpikoski and Shane Doan. Phoenix kept going with the eleventh of the season by Keith Yandle, with assistance by Radim Vrbata and Andrew Ebbett. Nineteen seconds later, the Coyotes struck again with Michal Rozsival's fifth of the year, guided in by Fiddler. Fifty-seven seconds after that, the Flames answered back with Mikael Backlund's ninth of the season on the power play, powered by Mark Giordano and Jarome Iginla. Calgary pulled within a goal on the 19th of the year by Alex Tanguay, thanks to Bourque and Jay Bouwmeester. This wouldn't be enough, giving Phoenix the 4-3 victory with the three stars going to Yandle, Jokinen, and Tanguay.