NHL Day 12 2011-2012

There are five games on tonight, and we begin in Toronto, with the Maple Leafs hosting the Colorado Avalanche. Jean-Sebastian Giguere and James Reimer were called on for the starts. The scoring was silent until the early second period, where Toronto took the lead on a Phil Kessel goal, the unassisted tally being his sixth of the season. Daniel Winnik tied it for Colorado with his second of the year, thanks to Ryan O'Reilly and Jan Hejda. The Avalanche gained the lead on the power play, as Milan Hejduk recorded his third of the season, with the help of Erik Johnson and Paul Stastny. The Maple Leafs got the equalizer in the third period with a Nikolai Kulemin goal, assisted by Dion Phaneuf and Clarke MacArthur. This tie was broken in overtime, as Colorado took the game 3-2 on a David Jones goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Kyle Quincey. Jones, Giguere (27 for 29 in saves), and Kessel were the three stars.

South to a team with similar jerseys as the previous team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, who hosted the Florida Panthers. Jose Theodore and Dwayne Roloson were the puckstoppers, or at least they attempted to as the following summary may explain. Florida opened with a Tomas Kopecky goal, a power play goal coming off of Ed Jovanovski and Brian Campbell. Tampa Bay replied with a Teddy Purcell power play goal, his second of the season powered by Ryan Shannon and Marc-Andre Bergeron. The Lightning took the lead on a Victor Hedman goal, assisted by Adam Hall and Nate Thompson. The Panthers retied it on a Stephen Weiss goal, another one with the man advantage, his second of the year, courtesy of Dmitry Kulikov and Campbell. Keeping with the theme of the night, Florida broke the tie in the second period on the power play, this puck going in off of Kris Versteeg's stick, his second goal of the season, with assists handed out to Weiss and Campbell, the latter completing what I officially deem the natural sock trick (assists on three consecutive goals). The next Panthers goal also came on the power play, alas, this one wasn't their own. Sean Bergenheim netted the 4-2 goal shorthanded and unassisted for the Cats. Tampa Bay made it 4-3 on Vincent Lecavalier's second of the year, with Bergeron and Matt Gilroy chipping in with the helpers. Florida got back to the script in the third period, as Versteeg netted his second of the night and third of the season, yet another power play goal, with the help of Tomas Fleischmann and Weiss being required. The Lightning cut back with Steven Stamkos' second of the year, guided along by Gilroy and Bergeron, the latter of which recorded the second sock trick in the game. Weiss replied shortly after with his second of the night and third of the season, helped along by Versteeg and Jovanovski. The Panthers put the game away 7-4 with a power play goal, fittingly, the second of the year off of Jason Garrison's tape, and Campbell and Versteeg recorded the assists there. The three stars were Weiss, Versteeg, and Bergeron, although Campbell, Gilroy, and Jovanovski all played well too.

Following that scoring spree, we have the Winnipeg Jets hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins of Western Canada. Marc-Andre Fleury and Ondrej Pavelec were in the blue paint. Winnipeg struck just eight seconds into the game, as Kyle Wellwood notched his second of the season, courtesy of Alex Burmistrov and Nik Antropov. The Jets extended their lead to 2-0 with a Tanner Glass goal, and Burmistrov picked up the lone assist. Pittsburgh got on the board late in the second period with a Zbynek Michalek goal, made possible by Kris Letang and Matt Cooke. The third period was silent, allowing Winnipeg their first win this season by a 2-1 margin. The three stars were awarded to Pavelec (28 for 29 in saves), Fleury (32 for 34 in saves), and Burmistrov.

Staying in Western Canada, the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Nikolai Khabibulin opposed each other in net. Nashville led off the scoring in the second period on a Sergei Kostitsyn goal, assisted only by Rinne the goalie. Edmonton got going in the third period with a power play goal by Taylor Hall, powered by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Shawn Horcoff. The Oilers took the lead quickly after on a Ryan Smyth goal, and Horcoff picked up another assist. Edmonton wrapped it up with an empty netter by Ryan Jones, with Horcoff getting a sock trick on the goal, as well as an assist to Smyth. The final was 3-1, and Horcoff, Hall, and Rinne (22 for 24 in saves) were the three stars.

Finally, we go with another Battle of California game, as the San Jose Sharks draw the Anaheim Ducks north. Dan Ellis and Antti Niemi are between the irons. Anaheim led off with a Teemu Selanne power play goal, powered by Saku Koivu and Lubomir Visnovsky. The Ducks added on with another Selanne goal, his second of the game, assisted by Koivu and Brandon McMillan. San Jose got on the board with an unassisted Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal in the second period. Anaheim got it back in the third period with Corey Perry recording his second of the year, thanks to Toni Lydman. The Sharks got the score to 3-2 with a Brent Burns power play goal, his second of the season powered by Joe Thornton and Dan Boyle. This was the final, with Ellis (41 for 43 in saves), Selanne, and Vlasic getting the three stars.

Fantasy Hockey All-Stars week 1

Here's our first edition of icy all-stars. This is an 11 day coverage post.

Center: John Tavares, 5 goals, 3 assists, +4, 6 penalty minutes, 2 power play points, 12 shots on goal
Left Wing: Daniel Sedin, 2 goals, 5 assists, +2, 4 penalty minutes, 4 power play points, 17 shots on goal
Right Wing: Shane Doan, 3 goals, 4 assists, -1, 4 penalty minutes, 4 power play points, 18 shots on goal
Defenseman: Kris Letang, 1 goal, 5 assists, +3, 6 penalty minutes, 3 power play points, 15 shots on goal
Utility: Phil Kessel, 5 goals, 3 assists, +7, 2 penalty minutes, 1 power play point, 11 shots on goal
Goaltender: Kari Lehtonen, 4 wins, 1.48 goals against average, 126 saves, .955 save percentage, 0 shutouts

Good luck as the season falls into place, and check back every week to find your studs.

Sunday Night Game week 6

Tonight's game features the Chicago Bears hosting the Minnesota Vikings. Chicago struck first with a Jay Cutler touchdown pass to Devin Hester, a 48 yard play iced off with a Robbie Gould extra point. The Bears got defensive on their next score, sacking Minnesota quarterback Donovan McNabb for a safety, with Stephen Paea getting credit for the hit. The Bears continued the assault with a 3 yard run by Marion Barber for a touchdown, and another Gould extra point. Minnesota got on the board in the second quarter with a Ryan Longwell field goal of 37 yards. Chicago added on again with a Cutler touchdown throw to Dane Sanzenbacher, a 13 yard play, and Gould made another extra point. Gould add on a field goal of 51 yards near the end of the quarter. This put the score at 23-6, the halftime margin. The Vikings got a touchdown from Adrian Peterson's 4 yard rush, and Longwell supplied the extra point. However, on the ensuing kickoff, Hester returned the ball 98 yards, good for a touchdown, and Gould made the extra point for a 33-10 score. Gould added on another field goal of 26 yards shortly after. He also added a FG for the Bears in the fourth quarter, a 22 yarder. The final was 39-10, moving Chicago up to 3-3, and pushing the Vikings down to 1-5.

NHL Day 11 2011-2012

Tonight we only have one game, with the Anaheim Ducks hosting the St. Louis Blues. Jaroslav Halak and Jonas Hiller make the starts. Anaheim got an early lead with a power play goal by Bobby Ryan, assisted by Francois Beauchemin and Luca Sbisa. St. Louis tied it with the second of the season by Patrik Berglund, thanks to Alex Pietrangelo and Kent Huskins. The Ducks regained the lead with Beauchemin netting a goal, courtesy of Ryan and Sbisa. Anaheim extended the lead with a Corey Perry goal, made possible by Teemu Selanne and Ryan Getzlaf on the power play. The Ducks poured a little more on with Ryan's second of the game, with help from Getzlaf and Sheldon Brookbank. The Blues got one back as Alex Steen notched his third of the year, and the assists went to Jason Arnott and Barret Jackman. This left the final score at 4-2, and the three stars were Ryan, Perry, and Lubomir Visnovsky, although the third star could have been Beauchemin.

NFL Late games week 6

There are four late games on, with the detailed scoring in this post. We begin with the...

Oakland Raiders hosting the Cleveland Browns. Oakland led off with a 4 yard touchdown run by Darren McFadden, and an extra point by Sebastian Janikowski. Cleveland tied it on a 1 yard touchdown pass from Colt McCoy to Alex Smith, and Phil Dawson took care of the extra point. However, on the ensuing kickoff, Jacoby Ford ran the ball back 101 yards for a Raiders touchdown, and Janikowski made the extra point to produce a 14-7 lead, which was the score going into the locker rooms. Janikowski extended the Oakland lead in the third quarter with a 48 yard field goal. The Raiders added some trickery to the game, faking a field goal before holder Shane Lechler threw 35 yards for the score as Kevin Boss took it in. Janikowski, who felt somewhat "Charlie Brown'd," took care of the extra point. Dawson got the Browns going again with a field goal from 47 yards. Cleveland pulled a little closer with a touchdown pass of 12 yards from McCoy to Mohamed Massaqoui, and Dawson was there with another PAT, making it 24-17. This was the final, with the Raiders going to 4-2 and the Browns falling to 2-3.

Next, we have the Baltimore Ravens hosting the Houston Texans. Baltimore drew first blood with a 1 yard touchdown run by Joe Flacco, and a Billy Cundiff extra point. Houston replied with a sloppy touchdown, as Ben Tate ran up 5 yards for a score, but fumbled, fortunately recovered by Wade Smith, and Neil Rackers covered it up with a PAT. Cundiff put the Ravens back on top with a 43 yard field goal for a 10-7 lead, the score at halftime. In the third quarter, Baltimore extended their lead on a 48 yard field goal by Cundiff. The Texans took the lead with a touchdown pass of 32 yards from Matt Schaub to Jacoby Jones, and Rackers had the go ahead point on the extra point. The Ravens regained the lead on another Cundiff field goal, from 25 yards away. Cundiff kept kicking in the fourth quarter, tacking on a 33 yard chip to make it 19-14. Baltimore extended their lead with Ricky Williams rushing 4 yards for a touchdown, and Cundiff added on the extra point, following that with yet another field goal, this time a 40 yarder. The final was 29-14 Ravens, improving them to 4-1 and dropping Houston to 3-3.

Following that, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the New Orleans Saints. Tampa Bay started the scoring with a 48 yard field goal from Connor Barth. New Orleans replied with a 38 yard connection between Drew Brees and Marques Colston, good for a touchdown which was capped off by a John Kasay extra point. The Buccaneers took the lead with a Josh Freeman pass of 65 yards to Arrelious Benn, and Barth tacked on the extra point. Barth also kicked a 42 yard field goal for Tampa Bay in the second quarter. The Buccaneers kept going with a Freeman touchdown pass to Preston Parker, a 19 yard play. Barth's extra point put the score at 20-7. Kasay made it 20-10 just before the half with a 33 yard field goal for the Saints. Kasay put New Orleans within a touchdown in the third quarter with a field goal from 24 yards. Barth replied for the Buccaneers on another 42 yard field goal. The Saints got going again with a 12 yard run by Mark Ingram, and Kasay put them within 3 on the PAT. Barth paced Tampa Bay to a 26-20 lead with his 38 yard field goal. This was the last score of the game, allowing the Buccaneers to improve to 4-2, and dropping their rivals to the same level.

Finally, our marquee matchup of the most American teams, the New England Patriots host the Dallas Cowboys. New England got first dibs on the scoring with a Stephen Gostkowski field goal from 31 yards away. Dallas tied it with a 48 yard Dan Bailey field goal. The Patriots got the lead back on a Gostkowski field goal, good from 26 yards away. New England extended their lead on a Tom Brady touchdown pass of 5 yards to Wes Welker, and Gostkowski added the PAT to make it 13-3. The Cowboys got a touchdown in response, with Tony Romo passing a yard to Jason Witten, and Bailey had the extra point to make it 13-10, which would last until halftime. Dallas tied it in the third quarter with a Bailey field goal, good from 22 yards. The Cowboys got the lead on another Bailey field goal, a 26 yard chip shot, in the fourth quarter. With twenty-two seconds remaining, New England retook the lead with Tom Brady throwing to Aaron Hernandez for 8 yards, and Gostkowski made it 20-16 on the extra point. They would hold on to this lead despite a furious late attempt, and win the game, improving to 5-1 and putting the Cowboys at 2-3.

NFL Early Games week 6

Today we have seven early games on, followed by four in the afternoon to be covered in the next post. The first game features...

The Green Bay Packers hosting the St. Louis Rams. Green Bay drew first blood as Mason Crosby kicked a 32 yard field goal. The Packers added on with a touchdown pass of 35 yards by Aaron Rodgers to James Jones, finished off with a Crosby extra point. Green Bay continued the assault with a huge 93 yard touchdown from Rodgers to Jordy Nelson, and another Crosby extra point. The Packers would not stop, as Rodgers found Donald Driver for a 7 yard touchdown reception, and Crosby made another extra point. St. Louis got on the board with a Josh Brown field goal from 36 yards, making it 24-3 at halftime. The second half was purely silent, so the halftime score was a final, moving the Packers to 6-0 and dropping the Rams to 0-5.

Next up, the New York Giants host a true New York team, the Buffalo Bills. New York was first on the board with a touchdown run of 1 yard by Ahmad Bradshaw, and Lawrence Tynes converted the extra point. Buffalo replied with a tying touchdown on an 80 yard Fred Jackson rush, and Rian Lindell would supply the extra point. The Bills scored again on a big play later in the quarter as Ryan Fitzpatrick threw 60 yards for a touchdown to Naaman Roosevelt, and Lindell kicked another extra point. The Giants got a little closer with a field goal by Tynes of 26 yards in the second quarter. Bradshaw struck again for the Giants, running 1 more yard to find a touchdown, and Tynes' extra point made it 17-14. Lindell tied the score at 17 with a 49 yard field goal, the score lasting through the half. New York got the lead again in the third quarter with another 1 yard touchdown run by Bradshaw, and Tynes kicked the extra point once more. Buffalo tied it back up again as Lindell supplied the extra point on the Fitzpatrick touchdown pass to Stevie Johnson, a 9 yard play. New York took a lead with a Tynes field goal of 23 yards, making it 27-24. This would stand as the final, moving the Giants to 4-2 and moving the Bills down to the same mark.

Also, the Cincinnati Bengals host the Indianapolis Colts. Cincinnati led off the game with a touchdown pass of 11 yards from Andy Dalton to A.J. Green, and capped it with a Mike Nugent extra point. Indianapolis tied it as Donald Brown rushed 18 yards for a touchdown and Adam Vinatieri tacked on the extra point. Nugent put the Bengals up 10-7 at halftime with a 20 yard field goal. Cincinnati got to work in the third quarter with a 1 yard Cedric Benson touchdown run, with Nugent adding the PAT, and he later kicked a 43 yard field goal to make it 20-7 Bengals. The Colts got Vinatieri to kick a 46 yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 10. Indianapolis continued the comeback with Curtis Painter finding Dallas Clark for a 1 yard touchdown pass, and Vinatieri made the extra point. Cincinnati thwarted these efforts down with a Carlos Dunlap fumble recovery of 35 yards for a touchdown, a gift from Pierre Garcon. Nugent added the extra point with ease. The final favored the Bengals 27-17, moving them to 4-2 and knocking the Colts down to a pathetic 0-6.

Heading south, the Atlanta Falcons host the Carolina Panthers. Olindo Mare put Carolina on the board with a 42 yard field goal. Atlanta got a last second touchdown as the first quarter expired on a 1 yard run by Michael Turned, and Matt Bryant would supply the extra point. The Panthers regained the lead with a 1 yard touchdown run by Jonathan Stewart, and Mare was successful on the extra point. Atlanta took the lead by as Matt Ryan passed 1 yard to Ovie Mughelli, and Bryant's extra point made it 14-10, the score going into the locker rooms. Carolina grabbed the lead back with a 14 yard Cam Newton touchdown rush, and Mae was there with the PAT. Bryant tied the game for the Falcons with a 24 yard field goal in the fourth quarter, making the score 17 all. Atlanta got the lead as Ryan rushed the ball in on his own, a 1 yard play iced off with a Bryant extra point. The Falcons put the nail in the coffin, making it 31-17 on a 2 yard rush by Michael Turner, and another Bryant extra point. This was a final, improving the Falcons to 3-3 and leaving their opponents at 1-5.

Back to the north, with the Detroit Lions hosting the San Francisco 49ers. Detroit struck first with Jason Hanson's 25 yard field goal. Detroit later scored a touchdown with Matthew Stafford passing 16 yards to Brandon Pettigrew, and Hanson made the PAT. San Francisco found the scoreboard with a 1 yard touchdown run by Frank Gore, and a David Akers extra point. The 49ers got within a point as the defense sacked Stafford, led by Ray McDonald and Aldon Smith, good for a safety. Akers kicked a 55 yard field goal for San Francisco, giving them a 12-10 halftime lead. Hanson gave the Lions the lead again with a 24 yard field goal in the third quarter. The 49ers took the lead back again with a field goal by Akers from 31 yards away. Detroit took the lead back in the close game with a touchdown from Stafford to Nate Burleson, a 5 yard play, although the two point attempt from Stafford to Calvin Johnson was unsuccessful. The 49ers took the lead on an Alex Smith touchdown pass to Delanie Walker, a 6 yard play. Akers extra point made it 22-19 San Francisco. Less than a minute later, Akers banged in a field goal of 37 yards to put the 49ers up 25-19. This was a final score, with San Francisco going to 5-1 and dropping the Lions to the same level.

Another big matchup has the Washington Redskins hoping to deflate the Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia struck early on a touchdown pass of 7 yards from Michael Vick to Brent Celek. Alex Henery took care of the extra point. The Eagles added on in the second quarter with a 1 yard touchdown run by LeSean McCoy, and Henery would tack on the extra point. Henery later made a field goal from 28 yards, and another from 24 yards. Graham Gano got Washington on the board with a field goal from 50 yards to make it 20-3 at halftime. Gano kicked a 26 yard field goal in the third quarter, putting the Redskins behind by a pair of touchdowns. Washington kept the advance going, allowing a 2 yard touchdown run by John Beck, and Gano's PAT put them within a touchdown. The Eagles managed to hang on and win 20-13, improving to 2-4 and dropping Washington to 3-2.

Lastly, the Pittsburgh Steelers welcome the Jacksonville Jaguars to Heinz Field. Pittsburgh was the first to score as Rashard Mendenhall ran 8 yards for a touchdown, and Shaun Suisham tacked on an extra point. The Steelers went aerial in the second quarter, as Ben Roethlisberger found Mike Wallace for a 28 yard touchdown connection, and Suisham kicked in another extra point. Suisham also kicked a 21 yard field goal. Jacksonville got on the board with Josh Scobee kicking a 46 yard field goal. The score was 17-3 Pittsburgh at halftime. The Jaguars pulled closer with Blaine Gabbert throwing 18 yards to Jason Hill, good for a touchdown, with Scobee's extra point making it 17-10. Scobee got Jacksonville even closer with a field goal from 45 yards away, but they were stalled at 17-13, where the would fall. The Steelers went to 4-2 and Jacksonville fell to 1-5.

NHL Day 10 2011-2012

Today we have a very heavy slate of games, and we begin with the Winnipeg Jets 1.0 (Phoenix Coyotes) against the Winnipeg Jets 2.0 (formerly Atlanta Thrashers). The desert duel features Chris Mason and Mike Smith in net. Phoenix led off with a Daymond Langkow goal, with Ray Whitney and Shane Doan grabbing the assists. The Coyotes took a 3-0 lead after Oliver Ekman-Larsson tallied two in a row, his second and third of the year, with the first going unassisted and the second from Boyd Gordon and Taylor Pyatt. Andrew Ladd put Winnipeg on the board with a late second period goal, courtesy of Tobias Enstrom and Blake Wheeler. Phoenix made it 4-1 in the third period with a Whitney goal, his second of the season, a power play tally powered by Martin Hanzal and Doan. This was the final, and the three stars went to Ekman-Larsson, Smith (18 for 19 in saves), and Doan.

Next up, the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Calgary Flames. Miikka Kiprusoff and James Reimer get the starting nods. Calgary led off with a Curtis Glencross goal, his third of the season coming off of Lee Stempniak and Olli Jokinen. The Flames extended the lead with a Scott Hannan goal, assisted by Niklas Hagman and Anton Babchuk. Toronto got going in the second period with a Joffrey Lupul goal, his second of the year, made possible by Phil Kessel. Kessel put in two pucks on his own later, spanning the second and third periods, his fourth and fifth of the season. Carl Gunnarsson and Cody Franson had the primary assists, while Tyler Bozak raked in the two secondary assists. This would be enough to win 3-2, and the three stars were Kessel, Reimer (30 for 32 in saves), and Bozak.

Down to Pittsburgh, with the Penguins hosting the Buffalo Sabres. Jhonas Enroth and Marc-Andre Fleury get the starts in goal. Buffalo led off with a Nathan Gerbe goal, assisted by Luke Adam and Christian Ehrhoff. Adam shortly added on for the Sabres with his third of the season, made possible by Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville. Pittsburgh got on the board in the second period with a James Neal goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Richard Park. Buffalo answered in the third period with a Drew Stafford goal, his third of the season, guided in by Gerbe and Ehrhoff. The Penguins made it 3-2 with a Jordan Staal goal, his second of the year coming off of Tyler Kennedy and Paul Martin, but they failed to get an equalizer and lost by that margin. The three stars were awarded to Adam, Gerbe, and Neal.

Into New York, with the Islanders hosting the Rangers with the inner-city battle. Henrik Lundqvist opposed Evgeni Nabokov in his return to the NHL. Matt Moulson put the Islanders out front with his second of the season, assisted by P.A. Parenteau and John Tavares. Marian Gaborik tied it for the Rangers on his second of the year, courtesy of Brad Richards. Tavares gave the Islanders the lead back with his third of the season, a power play goal powered by Mark Streit and Brian Rolston. The Rangers tied it at 2 with a Brandon Prust goal, guided in by Ruslan Fedotenko. The Islanders would charge it up in the third period, as Tavares unleashed another power play goal and an empty netter for the hat trick, tallying his goals up to 5 on the year. Parenteau recorded assists on both goals, giving himself a sock trick, while Streit and Moulson each picked up one helper. The Isles would win 4-2, and the three stars were Tavares, Nabokov (29 for 31 in saves), and Moulson, although Streit and Parenteau also had very good games.

Into Pennsylvania again, as the Philadelphia Flyers host the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Ilya Bryzgalov were the netminders. Philadelphia led off with a Danny Briere power play goal, powered by Jaromir Jagr and Chris Pronger. Los Angeles replied with a Justin Williams goal, also on the power play, fueled by Simon Gagne and Willie Mitchell. The scoring resumed in the third period with another Williams goal, helped along by Anze Kopitar and Jack Johnson. The Flyers tied it on a Matt Carle goal (matching his output from last year), a power play tally made possible by James van Riemsdyk and Briere. The game was decided in overtime, fittingly on the power play, as the Kings' Johnson netted his second of the season, from former Flyer Mike Richards and young King Kopitar, for a 3-2 win. The three stars went to Carle, Williams, and Quick (32 for 34 in saves), and honorable mentions to Kopitar and Briere.

Now we have a battle between the teams of capital cities, taking place in D.C., with the Washington Capitals hosting the Ottawa Senators. Alex Auld and Tomas Vokoun played between the pipes. Washington struck first with a Nicklas Backstrom power play goal, thanks to Alexander Semin and Mike Knuble. The Capitals made it 2-0 on a Marcus Johansson goal, his second of the season, fueled by Knuble and Dennis Wideman. Ottawa scored late in the period with a Peter Regin goal, set up by Nick Foligno and David Rundblad. This 2-1 score would last for the next 40 minutes, giving Washington the win. The three stars were given to Vokoun (33 for 34 in saves), Knuble, and Johansson were the three stars.

Up to Montreal, with the Canadiens hosting the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Carey Price got the starts, but they were heavily assaulted with pucks throughout the high scoring affair. Chuck Kobasew led it off for Colorado with a goal, assisted by David Jones. Montreal evened it as Max Pacioretty registered his second of the season, assisted by David Desharnais and Rafhael Diaz. Tomas Plekanec put the Canadiens in front with his second of the year in the second period, a power play goal powered by Brian Gionta and P.K. Subban. Jones put the Avalanche back into a tie with his second of the season, courtesy of Erik Johnson and Paul Stastny on the power play. Stastny would give Colorado the lead with a later goal, an unassisted marker. Travis Moen made it 3-3 with his second of the year shortly after that, helped along by Gionta and Scott Gomez. Jones came on again to bail the Avalanche out of trouble, netting his second of the game and third on the season, and the helpers were provided by Ryan Wilson and Kyle Quincey. Gionta finally put the puck in the net to retie the game for the Canadiens in the third period, as Josh Gorges and Erik Cole picked up assists. Twenty seconds later, Desharnais potted a goal to give Montreal a 5-4 lead with assistance from Pacioretty and Andrei Kostitsyn. Colorado again evened the score with a Quincey power play goal, made possible by Milan Hejduk and Johnson. The tie surprisingly lasted into a shootout, where the Avalanche overwhelmed the Canadiens with goals by Hejduk and Matt Duchene. The three stars went to Hejduk, Pacioretty, and Gionta, and blogger's honorable mentions for multiple-point nights go to Johnson, Jones, Quincey, Stastny, and Desharnais.

Down to the battle of Florida, with the Panthers hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Mathieu Garon and Jose Theodore wore the masks in this game. Ed Jovanovski put Florida up first with a power play goal, powered by Tomas Kopecky and David Booth. The scoring was stagnant until the third period, with Tampa Bay finding the mesh with a Marc-Andre Bergeron goal, courtesy of Dominic Moore. The Panthers retook the lead on a Kris Versteeg power play goal, guided in by Dmitry Kulikov and Brian Campbell. Thirty-nine seconds later, the Lightning tied it with another Bergeron goal, this time helped along by Pavel Kubina and Martin St. Louis. The tie lasted into a shootout, with Marcel Goc winning it for Florida with the lone tally. In the Panthers' 3-2 win, the three stars went to the goal scorers, Versteeg, Bergeron, and Jovanovski.

Into the Central Division arena in Nashville, with the Predators hosting the New Jersey Devils. Johan Hedberg and Pekka Rinne get the starting nods. Nashville quickly took the lead with a Coin Wilson power play goal, his second of the season, assisted by Sergei Kostitsyn and David Legwand. Jerred Smithson put the Predators up 2-0 with his goal, made possible by Jordin Tootoo and Kevin Klein. The scoring was quiet until New Jersey struck in the third period, with Ilya Kovalchuk netting a goal on the power play, his second of the year powered by Henrik Tallinder and Patrik Elias. The Devils tied it at 2 with a David Clarkson goal, thanks to efforts from Mattias Tedenby and Mark Fayne. The game would require extra time to finish, and it was in the shootout where New Jersey beat Nashville, rocketing to a 3-2 win with tallies by Kovalchuk and Zach Parise. Kovalchuk, Wilson, and Hedberg (29 for 31 in saves) were the three stars, which checks out nicely to me.

Heading north again, with the Minnesota Wild hosting the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Josh Harding played in the creases. Greg Zanon got Minnesota on the board late in the first period, with his goal being helped in by Guillaume Latendresse. The Wild struck again in the early second period on a Cal Clutterbuck goal, fueled by Colton Gillies and Kyle Brodziak. Detroit answered on the other side of the period with an Ian White goal, his second of the season coming off of Johan Franzen and Valtteri Filppula. The Red Wings tied it in the third period with a Jiri Hudler goal, his second of the year made possible by Jakub Kindl and Filppula. The game was decided in overtime on a power play goal from the Matt Cullen tripping penalty, as Franzen found twine for the second time this season, and help came from Tomas Holmstrom and White. The final was 3-2, and the three stars were Harding (38 for 41 in saves), Hudler, and Clutterbuck, although White, Franzen, and Filppula also heavily contributed.

Down to the former Minnesota team's home, Dallas, to see the Stars host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Kari Lehtonen get the starts in net. Columbus led off with a Vinny Prospal goal, his third of the season coming on the power play (yes, a CBJ PP goal) with the help of Fedor Tyutin and David Savard. Dallas evened it with a Brenden Morrow goal, his second of the season coming off of Mike Ribeiro and Michael Ryder. The Blue Jackets regained the lead on an Alexandre Giroux goal, courtesy of R.J. Umberger. The Stars tied it again with a Loui Eriksson goal, his third of the year, guided in by Steve Ott and Jamie Benn. Dallas took the lead in the third period with Sheldon Souray's goal, thanks to Ribeiro for the assist. The Stars iced it at 4-2 with a Ryder power play goal, powered by Morrow and Ribeiro, the latter finishing off a sock trick. This would be a final score, with Ribeiro, Morrow, and Eriksson getting the three stars, although Ryder would have fit in the third slot as well.

Going back up to Chicago, with the Blackhawks hosting the Boston Bruins. Tim Thomas and Corey Crawford were in the blue paint. Chicago led off with a Bryan Bickell goal, going in with no assistance. Boston replied in the second period with a shorthanded Chris Kelly marker, courtesy of Rich Peverley and Andrew Ference. Patrick Kane gave the Blackhawks another lead on his second of the season, made possible by Sean O'Donnell and Patrick Sharp. The Bruins would retie it in the third period with a Nathan Horton goal, guided along by Johnny Boychuk and Tyler Seguin. The game was decided in the shootout, favoring Boston 3-2 as the only tally was by Seguin. The three stars were awarded to Horton, Kane, and Thomas (27 for 29 in saves), although Seguin had very valuable contributions.

Out west, the San Jose Sharks host the St. Louis Blues. Brian Elliott and Thomas Greiss are in net as the backups do battle. St. Louis led off with the second of the season by Matt D'Agostini, an unassisted goal. San Jose tied it late in the first period with a power play goal by Michael Handzus, powered by Ryane Clowe and Jason Demers. The Sharks took the lead in the second period with a Brent Burns goal, assisted by Clowe and Torrey Mitchell. The Blues tied it on a Kent Huskins goal, an unassisted goal. St. Louis took the lead with an Alex Steen goal, his second of the year coming off of Kevin Shattenkirk and Jason Arnott. The Blues iced it off with David Backes' empty net goal, courtesy of Jamie Langenbrunner and Vladimir Sobotka. The final was 4-2, and the three stars were Elliott (34 for 36 in saves), Clowe, and Huskins.

Lastly, we go to Alberta for a Western Canada battle, with the Edmonton Oilers hosting the Vancouver Canucks. Roberto Luongo and Devan Dubnyk tend the twines. Vancouver took the first lead with Sami Salo scoring on the power play, powered by Cody Hodgson and Chris Higgins. Edmonton replied with a pair of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goals, his second and third of the year, with assists rewarded to Jordan Eberle twice, and Taylor Hall and Tom Gilbert once. The Canucks tied it with a Henrik Sedin goal, his second of the season coming on the power play via Salo. The Oilers regained the lead with a Nugent-Hopkins power play goal, with helpers provided by Hall and Corey Potter to help him finish up a hat trick on his fourth of the year. Vancouver tied it before the period expired, as Alexandre Burrows found twine with sixteen seconds to go, his second goal of the season gathering steam from Daniel Sedin and his twin Henrik. Salo would step up again in the third period, notching his second of night thanks to a series of passes going through Mikael Samuelsson and Higgins. This would make a 4-3 final, with the three stars going to Nugent-Hopkins, Salo, and Higgins, and honorable mentions to the Sedin twins and Hall and Eberle.