NHL Day 14 2011-2012

Today's lone game features the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec and James Reimer are in goal. Winnipeg led off with a Tobias Enstrom power play goal, powered by Bryan Little and Dustin Byfuglien. Toronto replied with Joffrey Lupul netting his third of the season, courtesy of Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak. The Jets retook the lead in the second period on an Alex Burmistrov goal, fueled by Nik Antropov and Kyle Wellwood. Winnipeg extended the lead on a Mark Scheifele goal, with assists provided by Byfuglien and Brett MacLean. The Maple Leafs got one back as Lupul notched his second of the game and fourth of the year, coming off of John-Michael Liles and Kessel on the power play. Kessl tied it for Toronto with another power play goal, his seventh of the season, thanks to Dion Phaneuf and Liles. The tie would last to a shootout where the Maple Leafs downed the Jets with tallies by Lupul and Matt Frattin. The three stars in the 4-3 game were Lupul, Kessel, and Byfuglien, although Liles had a convincing case as well.

NHL Day 13 2011-2012

There are ten games on today, and we begin with a Boston Bruins home game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Tuukka Rask were in the creases. Carolina led off with the second goal of the season by Anthony Stewart, assisted by Brett Sutter and Joni Pitkanen. Pitkanen extended the Hurricanes lead in the second period with his second of the year, courtesy of Tuomo Ruutu and Tim Brent. Boston finally got on the board with a third period goal on the power play, Rich Peverley's third of the season, and the opportunity was created by Dennis Seidenberg and Joe Corvo. Carolina restored a two goal lead with Eric Staal's third of the year on the power play, guided in by Jussi Jokinen and Pitkanen. The Hurricanes added on another power play goal, coming from Ruutu's tape and Chad LaRose and Tomas Kaberle put the passes in place for the goal. The final was 4-1, with Ward (33 for 34 in saves), Pitkanen, and Brandon Sutter getting the three stars, although more deserving of the third slot would be Ruutu.

Next up, the Washington Capitals host the Florida Panthers. Jakob Markstrom and Tomas Vokoun are the starting goalies. Marcus Johansson scored his third of the season to put Washington up early, a power play goal powered by Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals made it 2-0 in the third period with an Alexander Semin goal, his second of the year, fueled by Mike Knuble and Dennis Wideman. Washington iced it at 3-0 with a Jason Chimera empty net goal, assisted by Semin and Brooks Laich for his fourth of the season. Vokoun (20 save shutout), Johansson, and Markstrom (29 for 31 in saves for NHL debut) were the three stars.

Over to Columbus, with the Blue Jackets hosting the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Steve Mason were given the green light to play goal. Dallas broke open the scoring in the second period with a Steve Ott goal, his second of the season coming off of Loui Eriksson and Jamie Benn. The Stars extended the lead with a Benn goal, his second of the year, made possible by Radek Dvorak and Adam Burish. Columbus got on the board with a power play goal by Derick Brassard, powered by Rick Nash and David Savard. Dallas replied with a Michael Ryder goal, his second of the season helped along by Sheldon Souray and Brenden Morrow. The Blue Jackets got the score to 3-2 with a Kris Russell goal, which went down unassisted. They failed to get an equalizer, and lost by the aforementioned score. The three stars were Lehtonen (38 for 40 in saves), Benn, and Brassard.

Up to Minnesota, with the Wild hosting the road warrior Pittsburgh Penguins. Brent Johnson and Niklas Backstrom were the masked men. Pittsburgh led off early in the second period with a Chris Kunitz goal, and Pascal Dupuis picked up the lone assist. The Penguins extended the lead with Jordan Staal netting his third of the season, a power play goal powered by Matt Cooke and Zbynek Michalek. Minnesota got on the board with a shorthanded goal by Cal Clutterbuck, his second of the year, guided in by Mikko Koivu. Pittsburgh quickly got an insurance goal in the third period by James Neal, his sixth of the season going down unassisted. The Penguins extended the lead with a shorthanded Dupuis goal, his second of the year coming from Cooke. The Wild replied with a Guillaume Latendresse goal, thanks to Matt Cullen and Brett Bulmer. The final here was 4-2 with Johnson (24 for 26 in saves), Clutterbuck, and Staal getting the three stars, although Dupuis and Cooke also could have gotten a star.

North again to Montreal, with the Canadiens hosting the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Carey Price go to battle in net. The scoring began with Montreal's Raphael Diaz in the second period, and he was helped out by Max Pacioretty and Andrei Kostitsyn. Buffalo tied it on a Jordan Leopold goal coming off of Drew Stafford and Derek Roy. With three seconds left in the period, the Sabres took the lead on the fourth of the season by Thomas Vanek, fueled by Jason Pominville and Marc-Andre Gragnani. Buffalo wrapped the game up with an empty net goal by Christian Ehrhoff, assisted by Roy. Miller (40 for 41 in saves), Pacioretty, and Diaz were the three stars, although cases can be made for Roy and Vanek.

Staying in Canada, the Ottawa Senators hosted the Philadelphia Flyers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Alex Auld started, although Craig Anderson made a relief appearance for the Senators later in the game. Philadelphia led off with the second of the season by Matt Read, assisted by Sean Couturier and Matt Carle. The Flyers pulled farther ahead on a Wayne Simmonds power play goal, his second of the year powered by Read and Claude Giroux. Giroux later struck with his own power play goal, his fourth of the season, with help from Chris Pronger and Jaromir Jagr. The Flyers kept it up by making it 4-0 on a Max Talbot goal via Read and Scott Hartnell. Ottawa got on the board late in the second period with a Jason Spezza goal, courtesy of Daniel Alfredsson and Erik Karlsson as his second of the year. Philadelphia tacked on another goal with James van Riemsdyk notching his second of the season, thanks to Jakub Voracek and Kimmo Timonen. Quickly following that was another Flyers goal, as Couturier netted the puck, with assistance from Carle and Read, the latter completing a sock trick. Philadelphia scored again near the end of the game, although the scorer is currently unknown, but the assists went to Talbot and Zac Rinaldo. Karlsson added one on for the Senators, and he got help along the way from Zenon Konopka and Zack Smith. The final was 7-2 and the three stars were Read, Giroux, and Couturier.

Moving across the country, we have our first game of the season in the battle of Alberta, as the Calgary Flames host the Edmonton Oilers. Devan Dubnyk and Miikka Kiprusoff tended the twines. Edmonton was first to score as Tom Gilbert netted the puck on the power play, and Corey Potter and Shawn Horcoff grabbed the helpers. Calgary tied it on a Jay Bouwmeester goal in the third period, assisted by Olli Jokinen and Lee Stempniak. The Flames took the lead as Alex Tanguay put the rubber in the twine, thanks to Cory Sarich and David Moss. They would hold onto this lead and win 2-1, and the three stars went to Jokinen, Bouwmeester, and Horcoff, although both goalies had fabulous games.

Finally we reach the western coast of Canada, with the Vancouver Canucks hosting the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Roberto Luongo play between the pipes. New York finally opened the scoring in the third period on a Michael Rupp goal, with assists from Michael Del Zotto and Brandon Prust. The Rangers extended their lead with a Ryan McDonagh goal, assisted by Brandon Dubinsky and Artem Anisimov. New York followed it up with Brian Boyle's goal, guided in by Prust and Ruslan Fedotenko. The Rangers put the game away 4-0 with a Marian Gaborik goal, his third of the year, made possible by McDonagh and Brad Richards. The three stars were Lundqvist (40 save shutout), McDonagh, and Prust.

Down to the desert, with the Phoenix Coyotes hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Jason LaBarbera will be in net. Chicago led off with a power play goal by Marian Hossa, his second of the season powered by Patrick Sharp and Duncan Keith. Phoenix replied in the second period with a Taylor Pyatt goal, courtesy of David Schlemko and Rostislav Klesla. The Blackhawks retook the lead with Jonathan Toews netting his second of the year, with helpers coming from Andrew Brunette and Sharp. The Coyotes retied it with a Ray Whitney goal, his third of the season, going down thanks to Daymond Langkow's pass. Chicago took the lead once again with a Jamal Mayers goal, with Keith and Viktor Stalberg providing the assistance. The Blackhawks got an insurance goal as Dave Bolland potted his fourth of the year, shorthanded and unassisted. Chicago continued the attack with a Bryan Bickell goal, his second of the season, fueled by Michael Frolik and Bolland. The final was 5-2, and the three stars were Bolland, Sharp, and Bickell.
Finishing off the games for the night, we have the Los Angeles Kings hosting the St. Louis Blues. Jaroslav Halak and Jonathan Quick play in the blue paint. Los Angeles drew first blood with a Simon Gagne goal, his second of the season made possible by Jarret Stoll and Willie Mitchell. Stoll gave the Kings a 2-0 lead in the second period with a goal assisted by Dustins Brown and Penner. Los Angeles stayed on the offensive with a Brown goal, a power play goal powered by Mike Richards and Jack Johnson. The Kings struck early in the third period with the fourth of the year by Anze Kopitar, chasing Halak in favor of Brian Elliott, and assists were provided by Gagne and Justin Williams. Gagne added on his second of the game and third of the season to make it 5-0 with help from Kopitar and Williams. This was a final, and the three stars were Gagne, Quick (27 save shutout), and Stoll, with honorable mentions to Brown, Kopitar, and Williams.

Monday Night Football week 6

This week's Monday night game is between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins. Miami led off the game with a Dan Carpenter field goal of 23 yards. New York replied with a 100 yard interception touchdown return by Darrelle Revis, and Nick Folk made the extra point. The Dolphins got back into the game with another Carpenter field goal from 21 yards. The Jets did take the game back at a 14-6 margin with a 5 yard Mark Sanchez touchdown run, and Folk added another extra point. This was the halftime score, but New York got back to scoring in the third quarter with a Folk field goal, good from 28 yards away. The Jets wrapped it up 24-6 with Sanchez throwing 38 yards to Santonio Holmes, and Folk made the PAT. This improved them to 3-3 and Miami fell to 0-5.

Fantasy Football All-Stars week 6

Here's the studs of the week.

Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers
Running Back: Ahmad Bradshaw
Wide Receiver: Devin Hester
Tight End: Jimmy Graham
Kicker: Billy Cundiff
Team Defense: New York Jets
Defensive Player: Darrelle Revis

Good luck next week.

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.