NFL Late Games week 7

The other four games at regularly scheduled times are here in this post.

First up, the Arizona Cardinals host the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh led off with a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Heath Miller for 12 yards, and Shaun Suisham applied the extra point. The Steelers added on a 95 yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Mike Wallace, with Suisham kicking in another PAT. Arizona finally scored with Alfonso Smith rushing a yard for a touchdown, and Jay Feely got the extra point. Suisham kicked a 41 yard field goal for Pittsburgh, making it 17-7 at the half. The Cardinals pulled much closer as Kevin Kolb found LaRod Stephens-Howling for a 73 yard touchdown connection, and Feely kicked another extra point. The Steelers replied with a 4 yard touchdown pass from Roethlisberger to Emmanuel Sanders, and a Suisham extra point to top it off. On the Pittsburgh kickoff, the Steelers added a safety after a penalty to Arizona. Pittsburgh kept it coming with a 33 yard Suisham field goal in the fourth quarter, followed by another from 39 yards. Kolb tried to get the Cardinals closer by throwing a 2 yard touchdown to Early Doucet, but they failed the two point attempt with an incomplete pass toward Jeff King. The final was 32-20, moving the Steelers to 5-2 and knocking the Cardinals back to 1-5.

West to Oakland, with the Raiders welcoming the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City was the first on the board with a 59 yard Kendrick Lewis interception return on an errant Kyle Boller throw. Ryan Succop added the extra point. The Chiefs tacked on another as Le'Ron McClain ran a yard for a touchdown, and Succop provided another extra point. The score was 14-0 after a silent second quarter, in favor of KC. The Chiefs kept at it in the third quarter with a Javier Arenas rush of 7 yards for a touchdown, and Succop had another PAT. Kansas City added another touchdown, this time defensively as Brandon Flowers sang Mr. Brightside to distract Carson Palmer picked Carson Palmer off and returned the ball 58 yards to the house, where succop then made it 28-0 after the extra point. This was the final, with the Chiefs going up to 3-3 and bringing Oakland down to 4-3.

Over to Dallas, with the Cowboys hosting the St. Louis Rams. Dallas struck first with a 91 yard touchdown run by DeMarco Murray, and Dan Bailey made the extra point. The Cowboys got another touchdown when Tony Romo passed a yard to Jason Witten, and Bailey kicked the extra point. St. Louis quickly replied with a 6 yard Steven Jackson touchdown rush, and a Josh Brown extra point made it a one-touchdown game. Bailey tacked on a 30 yard field goal to make the halftime score 17-7 Dallas. The Cowboys added on a Bailey field goal of 51 yards. Dallas continued in the fourth quarter with a 6 yard Phillip Tanner touchdown rush, and Bailey added another PAT. The Cowboys made it 34-7 with Romo finding Dez Bryant for a 20 yard touchdown, and Bailey had yet another extra point. This was a final, and Dallas improved to 3-3 while the Rams fell to a winless 0-6.

Up north to our last game, with the Minnesota Vikings hosting the Green Bay Packers. Minnesota wasted no time scoring, as Christian Ponder threw 2 yards to Visanthe Shiancoe for a touchdown. Ryan Longwell was called on for the extra point. Green Bay answered with Aaron Rodgers' throw to John Kuhn, also a 2 yard touchdown reception, with Mason Crosby adding the extra point. The Vikings retook the lead on an Adrian Peterson touchdown run, good from 1 yard, and Longwell added another extra point. The Packers pulled a little closer with Crosby kicking a 39 yard field goal. Minnesota made it 17-10 with a 52 yard field goal by Longwell. Crosby answered back to make it 17-13 on his 45 yard field goal, which produced the halftime score. Green Bay went ahead in epic fashion as Rodgers threw a 79 yard touchdown pass into Greg Jennings hands and legs, and Crosby had the extra point to make it 20-17. The Packers continued to attack with a Rodgers touchdown pass of 2 yards to Jermichael Finley, and Crosby would make another PAT. Crosby followed it up with a 24 yard field goal for Green Bay. The Packers extended the lead further with Crosby nailing a 58 yard field goal. The Vikings finally replied with Longwell kicking a 46 yard field goal in the fourth quarter. He also added on an extra point when Ponder threw to Michael Jenkins for 24 yards and a touchdown, putting the game at 33-27. This was the final, and Green Bay went up to an undefeated 7-0 while Minnesota fell to 1-6.

NFL Early Games week 7

This morning we have seven games on the slate. I'll try to keep these as accurate as possible, as I am a bit under the weather this weekend.

First up, the Detroit Lions hosting the Atlanta Falcons. Jason Hanson put Detroit on the board first with a 43 yard field goal. Atlanta tied it on a 23 yard field goal by Matt Bryant. The Falcons took the lead with a 1 yard Matt Ryan run, capped off with a Bryant PAT. The Lions pulled back with a 38 yard Hanson field goal. Atlanta made it 17-6 at halftime on a touchdown pass from Ryan to Roddy White, an 18 yard play, and Bryant made the extra point. Hanson got Detroit going in the third quarter with a 29 field goal, but Bryant replied for the Falcons with a 47 yard kick. The Lions finally added on a touchdown, pulling closer with a Matthew Stafford pass to Calvin Johnson, good for 57 yards. Hanson made the extra point. Bryant made it a 7 point lead for Atlanta on his 40 yard fourth quarter field goal. This held to be a 23-16 victory, improving the Falcons to 4-3 and dropping the Lions to 5-2.

Down to SoBe, with the Miami Dolphins hosting the Denver Broncos. The scoring opened in the second quarter with Dan Carpenter nailing a 38 yard field goal, and he followed that up with a later 36 yard kick. This made the score 6-0 Miami, which lasted until halftime. The Dolphins got to work again in the fourth quarter, where Matt Moore passed 16 yards for a touchdown to Anthony Fasano, but they failed on the two-point attempt, as Moore's pass to Brandon Marshall was incomplete. Miami made it 15-0 with a 43 yard Carpenter field goal. Denver finally showed up to the game in the fourth quarter on a Tim Tebow pass to Demaryius Thomas for 5 yards and a touchdown. Matt Prater supplied the extra point. With just 17 seconds on the clock, Tebow added a touchdown of 3 yards to Daniel Fells, making it 15-13. The two point attempt was converted on a Tebow run, which tied the game at 15. The Broncos won the game 18-15 in overtime on a Prater field goal of 52 yards, and improved to 2-4, leaving the Dolphins winless at 0-6.

Backing it up to Tennessee with the Titans hosting the Houston Texans. Houston led off with a Neil Rackers field goal from 32 yards out. The Texans extended the lead with Matt Schaub finding Joel Dreessen on a 10 yard touchdown pass, and Rackers added another extra point. Houston made it 17-0 on a 78 yard catch and run from Schaub to Arian Foster, good for a touchdown with Rackers making the extra point. Rackers made it 20-0 at halftime for the Texans with a 29 yard field goal. Houston got back to work in the third quarter on a 1 yard touchdown rush by Foster, and a Rackers PAT. Tennessee finally found the scoreboard with Matt Hasselbeck throwing 5 yards to Jared Cook for a touchdown, and Rob Bironas supplied the extra point. The Texans made it 34-7 on another Foster touchdown run, this time a 5 yard play, and Rackers added another extra point. Houston was defensive on the next touchdown, as Brice McCain intercepted Hasselbeck for 38 yards and a touchdown, and Rackers would succeed on another extra point. The final favored Houston 41-7, and they improved to 4-3, while dropping the Titans to 3-3.

Heading to Florida again, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers welcome the Chicago Bears to Wembley Stadium in London, England. Chicago busted out the first touchdown with a Matt Forte run of 32 yards to score, and Robbie Gould supplied the extra point. Forte was also involved in the next scoring play, running -2 yards for a safety for Tampa Bay. The Bears added on to the lead with a 25 yard touchdown pass from Jay Cutler to Roy Williams, and Gould made the extra point. The Buccaneers made it 14-5 with a Connor Barth field goal from 33 yards. Chicago added on in the third quarter with a 12 yard Marion Barber run for a TD, and a Gould extra point. Tampa Bay added on a little more in the fourth quarter with a 2 yard touchdown pass from Josh Freeman to Kellen Winslow, but left the score at 21-11 after failing on the two-point attempt from Freeman to Mike Williams. The Buccaneers kept charging with Freeman throwing a touchdown to Dezmon Briscoe for 24 yards, and Barth had the PAT. Gould added a Bears FG of 25 yards to make it 24-18. This would hold up for a Chicago win, improving them to 4-3 and bringing Tampa Bay down to the same level.

North to Ohio, where the Cleveland Browns will host the Seattle Seahawks. Cleveland opened the scoring with a Phil Dawson field goal from 52 yards in the second quarter. This would put the halftime score at 3-0. Seattle tied it in the third quarter on a Steven Hauschka field goal of 20 yards. The Browns retook the lead in the fourth quarter with a 53 yard field goal from Dawson. The final was 6-3 Cleveland, moving them to 3-3 and knocking the Seahawks to 2-4.

East to the Meadowlands, with the New York Jets welcoming the San Diego Chargers. San Diego opened with an early touchdown on a fumble return by Donald Butler, good for 37 yards. Nick Novak made the extra point. New York replied with a Nick Folk field goal, good from 35 yards. The Chargers got offensive on the next touchdown, as Philip Rivers threw 2 yards for a connection with Antonio Gates, and Novak tacked on the extra point. The Jets took those points back on a 3 yard Mark Sanchez touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress, withe Folk adding on the PAT. San Diego went ahead 21-10 with a Mike Tolbert touchdown run of 1 yard, and Novak added on the extra point. This was the score going into halftime. New York got closer once again as Sanchez and Burress met up again for a 4 yard touchdown, and Folk made the extra point once again. The Jets got the lead on a third Sanchez-Burress touchdown connection, another 3 yard play, with Folk adding another extra point. Folk made it 27-21 New York on a 30 yard field goal. They won by this score, improving to 4-3 while knocking San Diego to 4-2.

Finally, the Carolina Panthers host the Washington Redskins. Carolina struck first with an Olindo Mare field goal from 20 yards out. Graham Gano replied in the second quarter for Washington with a 31 yard field goal. The Panthers retook the lead as Mare nailed a 45 yard field goal. Gano retied it for the Redskins on a 49 yard field goal. Mare kept up with the field goal theme, making it 9-6 for Carolina with another 45 yard goal. This was the score going into the locker rooms. The Panthers were back to scoring in the third quarter, beginning with the bucking of the trend by Cam Newton, who ran 16 yards for a touchdown, and Mare only tacked on one point for the extra point. John Beck replied for Washington with his own touchdown rush, a 4 yard play, with Gano making the PAT. Keeping with square-rooting the yardage, Jonathan Stewart ran 2 yards for a touchdown for the Panthers, and Mare made the extra point once again. Carolina struck again with Newton throwing 2 yards to Brandon LaFell, and Mare added an extra point to put the score at 30-13. The Redskins got closer with a touchdown from Beck to Fred Davis, a 7 yard connection iced off by Gano's extra point. Mare put the game away at 33-20 for the Panthers with a 40 yard field goal. They improved to 2-5 and dropped Washington to 3-3.

NHL Day 17 2011-2012

Another heavy slate of Saturday games running for likely 9 hours today, with 14 games taking up the time. We begin in Western Canada for a pair of afternoon games, with...

The Calgary Flames hosting the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Miikka Kiprusoff are the pair of Finnish goaltenders. Nashville was first on the board with a second period goal by Niclas Bergfors, courtesy of Jack Hillen and Brian McGrattan. Sergei Kostitsyn added on his second of the year to make it 2-0 for the Predators, and this was the final as Craig Smith and Matt Halischuk grabbed assists. The three stars were Rinne (33 save shutout), Jarome Iginla, and Ryan Suter. Honorable mention to people who actually got a point.

Also, we have the Vancouver Canucks hosting the Minnesota Wild. Niklas Backstrom and Cory Schneider put on the masks to play goal. Minnesota struck first as Devin Setoguchi potted his third of the season, thanks to Dany Heatley and Marek Zidlicky. Vancouver tied it in the second period with a power play goal by Daniel Sedin, powered by Henrik Sedin and Alexander Edler as his fourth of the year. The Wild retook the lead with a Kyle Brodziak goal, his second of the season, coming off of Nick Johnson and Brett Bulmer. The Canucks tied it again in the third period with a Jannik Hansen goal, made possible by Manny Malhotra and Andrew Ebbett. The tie lasted late in overtime, where Sami Salo netted his third of the year on the power play (created by Heatley), with helpers provided by Daniel and Ryan Kesler. The three stars in the 3-2 Vancouver win were Salo, Hansen, and Brodziak, with honors to Daniel Sedin.

Staying in Western Canada but moving around the clock a bit, we have the Winnipeg Jets hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Brian Boucher and Ondrej Pavelec got the starts, but Pavelec was yanked early in the first period in favor of Chris Mason, for soon to be obvious reasons. Carolina opened with a Jussi Jokinen goal, his second of the season, guided in by Chad LaRose and Jeff Skinner. The Hurricanes made it 2-0 (reason for Pavelec to be given mercy) on a Skinner goal, his third of the year, fueled by LaRose and Jamie McBain. Winnipeg got on the board with an Alex Burmistrov goal, his second of the season, and Zach Bogosian and Kyle Wellwood picked up the assists. Wellwood later potted his own goal, tying it up for the Jets, the third of the year for him coming on the power play via Nik Antropov and Tobias Enstrom. Winnipeg took the lead in the second period with a Jim Slater goal, his third of the season made possible by Tanner Glass. The Jets kept soaring with an Andrew Ladd goal, his second of the year, with assists credited to Blake Wheeler and Bogosian. Winnipeg put the score at 5-2 with an Evander Kane goal, created by Antropov and Mark Stuart. Carolina got one back with Tuomo Ruutu recording his second of the season, thanks to Skinner. This left the final at 5-3, with the three stars going to Mason (18 for 18 in saves in a relief effort), Skinner, and Wellwood.

Finally, we go stateside, as the Washington Capitals welcome the Detroit Red Wings, where one of the unbeaten will fall. Hoping to prevent that for their respective teams are Ty Conklin and Tomas Vokoun. Washington led off with a Mike Green power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. Just a minute later, the Capitals made it 2-0 with a Marcus Johansson goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Alexander Semin and Mike Knuble. Green scored in the second period for Washington, another power play goal as his second of the night and third of the season, with helpers by Ovechkin and Dennis Wideman. Niklas Kronwall put Detroit on the board with his own power play goal, fueled by Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom. The Capitals made it 4-1 on a Mathieu Perreault goal, his second of the year, coming off of Matt Hendricks and Green. Washington extended the lead again with Joel Ward potting his second of the season, and Brooks Laich and Green picked up the assists. The Capitals continued the onslaught with Perreault putting his second of the game and third of the year in the net, and Jeff Halpern and Hendricks grabbed the assists. Washington allowed no mercy, making it 7-1 on Backstrom's second of the season, with help from John Carlson and Troy Brouwer. This was a final, and the three stars were awarded to Green, Vokoun (32 for 33 in saves), and Perreault, which fit nicely given the game's outcome.

Heading to Massachusetts, with the Boston Bruins welcoming an old friend back home as the San Jose Sharks come to town. Antti Niemi and Tim Thomas get the starting nods from the coach's bench. San Jose led off with a Joe Pavelski goal, his fourth of the season made possible by that old friend, Mr. Joe Thornton. The Sharks extended the lead in the second period as Logan Couture had rubber meet twine, and Martin Havlat and Ryane Clowe grabbed the helpers. Boston got on the board in the third period as Milan Lucic put away his second of the year, thanks to Chris Kelly and Patrice Bergeron. Twenty-nine seconds later, the game was tied on a Bruins goal from Tyler Seguin, his third of the season, guided in by Lucic and Kelly. San Jose retook the lead with a Benn Ferriero goal, with help from Jim Vandermeer and Michal Handzus. The Sharks made it 4-2 on an empty net goal to finalize the game, coming off of the stick of Patrick Marleau after having been previously on that of Pavelski. The three stars were Lucic, Couture, and Niemi (37 for 39 in saves), and I agree fully on those picks.

Over to the City of Brotherly Love, with the Philadelphia Flyers hosting the St. Louis Blues. Brian Elliott and Ilya Bryzgalov played in the blue paint. Kent Huskins struck first for St. Louis on his second of the season, assisted by Jason Arnott. The Blues extended the lead on a T.J. Oshie goal, with assists provided by Carlo Colaiacovo and Roman Polak. Philadelphia got on the board when Danny Briere sank the puck in the second period, off of Wayne Simmonds and Chris Pronger for his second of the year. Colaiacovo restored a two goal lead for St. Louis with a goal, courtesy of Alex Steen and Evgeny Grachev. The Flyers pulled within one as Matt Carle sank his second of the season, Jakub Voracek and Briere had the assists. Matt D'Agostini answered for the Blues with his fourth of the year, a power play goal that went down unassisted. The three stars in this 4-2 game were Colaiacovo, Briere, and Elliott (34 for 36 in saves).

Going down the Eastern Seaboard, to Tampa Bay, where the Lightning host the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Mathieu Garon will play between the pipes. Tampa Bay opened the scoring in the second period with a Pavel Kubina goal off of Steven Stamkos and Teddy Purcell. The Lightning made it 2-0 with Martin St. Louis recording his third of the season, thanks to Vincent Lecavalier and Brett Connolly. Tampa Bay iced it with a 3-0 goal, the final score coming on the second of the year by Victor Hedman, the empty netter helped along by St. Louis. The three stars here were Garon (21 save shutout), Hedman, and Connolly, with honorable mention to St. Louis.

Back into Canada, where we head to the city along the Saint Lawrence River, Montreal, with the Canadiens hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Carey Price started the game in net, but Jonas Gustavsson took over the Buds net in the second period. Montreal led off with a Travis Moen goal, his third of the season coming shorthanded via Lars Eller. Toronto made up for this mishap with a Dave Steckel power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Jake Gardiner and Luke Schenn. The Canadiens regained the lead in the second period on Andrei Kostitsyn's second of the season, fueled by Eller and Hal Gill. The Maple Leafs wasted little time tying it, as Phil Kessel sank his eighth of the year unassisted. Toronto took the lead with a Dion Phaneuf power play goal, assisted by John-Michael Liles and Joffrey Lupul as his second of the season. Montreal retied it early in the third period on a Michael Cammalleri goal, his second of the year made possible by P.K. Subban and Tomas Plekanec. The Canadiens regained the lead on a Josh Gorges goal, with helpers from Kostitsyn and Moen. The Maple Leafs quickly tied it at 4 on a Mikhail Grabovski goal, his third of the season, coming from the sticks of Phaneuf and Clark MacArthur. Grabovski also scored another goal, making it 5-4 in sudden death overtime with his second of the game and fourth of the year, and the assistance needed came from Liles and Kessel. Grabovski, Moen, and Eller got the three stars, although Kessel, Liles, and Phaneuf also could have slotted in.

Crossing the border again, with the Pittsburgh Penguins hosting the New Jersey Devils. Johan Hedberg and Marc-Andre Fleury tended the twines. Pittsburgh opened with Jordan Staal sinking his fourth of the season, via Richard Park and Matt Cooke on the power play. The scoring was quiet until the third period, with Patrik Elias striking shorthanded with his third of the year, helped out along the way by Ilya Kovalchuk and Anton Volchenkov. The Penguins retook the lead with Chris Kunitz netting his second of the season, a power play goal powered by Kris Letang and Paul Martin. Staal extended the lead for Pittsburgh with his second of the game and fifth of the year, and Arron Asham and Matt Niskanen were there with the support. The Penguins kept rolling with a James Neal goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Park and Zbynek Michalek.This made it 4-1, the final, and the three stars were Staal, Fleury (23 for 24 in saves), and Park.

Once again, we go to Canada, with the Ottawa Senators hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Craig Anderson will stand in front of the nets and watch the little disc thing fly in without making any attempt whatsoever to stop it play goal for the game. Ottawa began the scoring on a power play goal by Filip Kuba, his second of the season, powered by Jason Spezza and Sergei Gonchar. Columbus tied it with Aaron Johnson putting his second of the year in the cage, with Derick Brassard and Vinny Prospal lending a hand. The Blue Jackets took the lead in the second period with a Kris Russell goal, his second of the season via Ryan Johansen and Antoine Vermette. The Senators retied it with a Zack Smith goal assisted by Erik Condra and Chris Neil. Columbus regained the lead on Rick Nash's third of the year in the third period, a power play goal made possible by Fedor Tyutin and Prospal. Ottawa tied it with thirty-six seconds left in the game on Spezza's fourth of the season, courtesy of Milan Michalek and Erik Karlsson. With just five seconds left in regulation, the Senators struck again on the power play, as Michalek made it 4-3 with his sixth of the year, guided along by Gonchar and Spezza. The three stars in this jaw-dropping finish were Michalek, Neil, and Nash, with obvious disrespect to both Spezza and Gonchar for their heroic contributions. 

Back down to Florida with the Panthers hosting the New York Islanders. Evgeni Nabokov and Jose Theodore got the starts, but Jakob Markstrom was in the Panther net in the third period. New York started early with a power play goal by Mark Streit, powered by P.A. Parenteau and John Tavares. Florida tied it on the fourth of the season y Kris Versteeg, courtesy of Stephen Weiss. The Panthers took the lead on a Matt Bradley goal, passed off from Shawn Matthias and Mike Weaver. Tavares tied it for the Islanders with his sixth of the year, a power play goal, with the lone assist by Streit. Florida retook the lead in the third period with a Tim Kennedy goal, guided in by Matthias and Dmitry Kulikov. The Panthers secured a 4-2 win with an empty netter by Matthias, with help from Tomas Fleischmann and Weaver. The three stars were Markstrom (18 for 18 in saves in a relief role), Matthias, and Kennedy, with honorable mentions to Tavares and Streit.

Up to Chicago, with the Blackhawks bringing in the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Corey Crawford played in between the pipes. Colorado led off with a Paul Stastny goal, his second of the season made possible by Kyle Quincey and Shane O'Brien. Chicago replied in the second period with an unassisted Michael Frolik goal. The Avlanche regained the lead with a David Jones goal, his fifth of the year coming via Milan Hejduk and Stastny. The Avalanche made it 3-1 on a Gabriel Landeskog goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Ryan O'Reilly and Cody McLeod. The Blackhawks closed in with a late goal by Jonathan Toews, his fourth of the year coming on the power play from Duncan Keith and Dave Bolland. Chicago tied it in the third period with a Jamal Mayers goal, his second of the season, created by Nick Leddy. The Blackhawks made it 4-3 with a Marian Hossa goal, his fourth of the year set up by Keith and Patrick Sharp. The Avalanche got a very clutch goal to tie the game back up at 4, as Landeskog notched his second of the game and fourth of the season, assisted by O'Reilly and Daniel Winnik. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Colorado toppled Chicago on the lone tally by Joakim Lindstrom. The three stars of the 5-4 game were Stastny, Toews, and Varlamov (34 for 38 in saves), although Lindstrom, Landeskog, Keith, or O'Reilly all could have been on that list.

For the last time today, we head to Canada, with the Edmonton Oilers hosting the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Nikolai Khabibulin will get the starts. Edmonton was first on the scoreboard with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his fifth of the season, fueled by Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. The Oilers made it 2-0 on the power play, with a Corey Potter goal powered by Nugent-Hopkins and Eberle. Martin Biron came on in relief of what I assume is an injured Lundqvist.The score remained at 2-0 for the rest of the game, and the three stars were Nugent-Hopkins, Khabibulin (19 save shutout), and Hall, although Eberle was slightly better than the third star.

Lastly, we have a Los Angeles Kings games against the Dallas Stars, at the Staples Center. Andrew Raycroft and Jonathan "Shutout" Quick will wear the masks. The scoring was silent until the third period, with Jack Johnson netting his third of the season, with help from Rob Scuderi and Mike Richards. This would make it a 1-0 Los Angeles lead, and later victory, with the three stars awarded to Quick (28 save shutout, third shutout in a row), Raycroft (23 for 24 in saves), and Johnson.

NHL Day 16 2011-2012

Today we have four games on, and the first of these is in...

New Jersey, with the Devils hosting the San Jose Sharks. The goalies were Antti Niemi and Johan Hedberg. New Jersey opened with a Patrik Elias power play goal, his second of the season powered by Ilya Kovalchuk and David Clarkson. The Devils extended the lead early in the second period with Zach Parise netting his third of the year on a penalty shot, coming via a Brent Burns hooking call on a breakaway. San Jose got on the board with a Joe Thornton goal, assisted by Joe Pavelski and Dan Boyle. The Sharks tied it on a Ryane Clowe goal, his second of the season, with helpers provided by Martin Havlat and Logan Couture. New Jersey broke the tie in the third period with a Clarkson goal, his second of the year, made possible by Mattias Tedenby and Andy Greene. San Jose retied it with Pavelski potting his third of the season off of Clowe and Thornton with less than a minute in regulation. The tie lasted into regulation, where the Sharks beat the Devils as Kovalchuk was overpowered by Michal Handzus and Clowe. Pavelski, Hedberg (38 for 41 in saves), and Clarkson were the three stars, and Clowe and Thornton also posted nice stat lines.

To Detroit, with the Red Wings hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Steve Mason and Jimmy Howard are in net. Detroit got a pair of early goals by Johan Franzen, both on the power play from Valtteri Filppula, going as his third and fourth of the season. Columbus answered with a Derick Brassard goal, his second of the year fueled by Aaron Johnson and Rick Nash. The Red Wings got a two-goal lead back early in the second period with a Pavel Datsyuk goal, his second of the season coming off of Tomas Holmstrom and Henrik Zetterberg. The Blue Jackets got one back with Johnson on the power play, powered by Vinny Prospal and Antoine Vermette. Detroit replied back with a power play goal by Nicklas Lidstrom, his second of the year, guided in by Filppula and Holmstrom, the former finishing up a sock trick. Filppula added on an empty net goal, his second of the season via Franzen and Lidstrom, to make it a 5-2 final for the Red Wings. The three stars were Franzen, Filppula, and Johnson, although Lidstrom gets an honorable mention here.

Moving along to St. Louis, with the Blues hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Brian Elliott made the starts. Carolina opened with a Jay Harrison goal, assisted by Jiri Tlusty and Brandon Sutter. The Hurricanes extended their lead on Sutter's second of the season, with Pat Dwyer grabbing the lone assist. St. Louis got on the board as Jason Arnott netted his third of the year, courtesy of Jamie Langenbrunner and Barret Jackman. The Blues tied it with a David Backes goal, his second of the season, with help from T.J. Oshie. St. Louis won it in overtime on a Matt D'Agostini goal, his third of the year, powered by Vladimir Sobotka and Alex Pietrangelo. In the 3-2 win, the three stars were Elliott (27 for 29 in saves), Arnott, and Ward (40 for 43 in saves), although Sutter deserves a mention here.

Finally, we wrap up in Anaheim with the Ducks hosting the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Jonas Hiller played between the pipes. Dallas found twine in thirteen seconds, as Loui Eriksson netted his fourth of the season, courtesy of Steve Ott and Jamie Benn. The Stars extended the lead with a Mike Ribeiro goal, fueled by Alex Goligoski and Eriksson. Anaheim got on the board with a second left in the second period, with Corey Perry's third of the year coming on the power play via Cam Fowler and Lubomir Visnovsky. Dallas regained a more stable lead with Eriksson netting his second of the night and fifth of the season, assisted by Benn. They would win 3-1, and the three stars are Eriksson, Perry, and Lehtonen (35 for 36 in saves), with Benn getting the honorable mention.

NHL Day 15 2011-2012

Today we have a lot of games on the schedule. Here's the beginning.

The Pittsburgh Penguins lead us off by hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Marc-Andre Fleury were the goalies. Pittsburgh led off with a James Neal goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Steve Sullivan and Richard Park. The Penguins extended the lead on a Joe Vitale goal, with the lone assist by Deryk Engelland. Pittsburgh made it 3-0 in the third period with an Arron Asham goal, fueled by Engelland and Matt Niskanen. Montreal made it 3-1 late with the second of the year by Brian Gionta, courtesy of Yannick Weber and Mathieu Darche. The three stars were Fleury (27 for 28 in saves), Engelland, and Asham.

To Boston, with the Bruins welcoming the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jonas Gustavsson and Tim Thomas were called on for the starts. Dave Steckel led off for Toronto, scoring with help from Nazem Kadri and Dion Phaneuf. Boston tied it with a power play goal by Nathan Horton, his second of the season, courtesy of Zdeno Chara and Andrew Ference. Chara later tacked on his own goal for the Bruins, also on the power play, powered by Ference and Tyler Seguin. Boston made it 3-1 with a Chris Kelly goal, his second of the year, fueled by Milan Lucic and Ference, the latter getting a natural sock trick. The Bruins got back to work after both teams took the second period off, with Lucic netting the puck, and Seguin and Kelly providing the assistance. Boston added even more with a Patrice Bergeron goal, guided in by Horton and Chara. The Bruins continued to unleash as Seguin notched his second of the season via Lucic and Dennis Seidenberg. The Maple Leafs replied as Mikhail Grabovski sank his second of the year, and Jake Gardiner and Luke Schenn added the helpers. The final was 6-2, and the three stars were Chara, Lucic, and Ference, with honorable mentions for Seguin and Horton.

Going onward to Philadelphia, with the Flyers hosting the Washington Capitals. Tomas Vokoun and Ilya Bryzgalov were the masked men. Claude Giroux put Philadelphia up early with his fifth of the season, with help from Wayne Simmonds. Washington tied it on an unassisted Mathieu Perreault goal. With twelve seconds left in the first period, the Capitals got the lead with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his second of the year coming off of Nicklas Backstrom and Troy Brouwer. Washington got back to it in the third period with a Roman Hamrlik goal, courtesy of Matt Hendricks and Perreault. The Capitals made it 4-1 with an Ovechkin power play goal, his second of the game and third of the season, guided in by Backstrom and Dennis Wideman. Washington continued the onslaught with Joel Ward scoring, off Jeff Schultz and Karl Alzner. The Flyers struck late with a Sean Couturier goal, his second of the year, with helpers by Max Talbot and Andreas Nodl. This put the final at 5-2, with the three stars being Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Vokoun (40 for 42 in saves), and my honorable mention goes to Perreault.

Up into Canada, with the Ottawa Senators hosting the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec and Craig anderson were in the blue paint. Winnipeg opened with a Dustin Byfuglien goal, thanks to Alex Burmistrov and Tobias Enstrom. Ottawa tied it in the second period with a power play goal from Milan Michalek, his fourth of the season going down with help from Colin Greening and Jason Spezza. The trio of Senators met up again on Spezza's third of the year, with Greening and Michalek obviously getting the assists. Ottawa extended the lead further with an unassisted Daniel Alfredsson goal, his third of the season. The Senators made it 4-1, the final, on Michalek's second of the game and fifth of the year, an empty net goal from Zack Smith and Spezza. Anderson (35 of 36 in saves), Michalek, and Spezza were the three stars.

South to Tampa Bay, with the Lightning hosting the New York Islanders. Al Montoya and Mathieu Garon will be playing in net. Tampa Bay struck first with a power play goal by Ryan Malone, his second of the season, made possible by Vincent Lecavalier and Marc-Andre Bergeron. The Lightning struck again (pun intended) with a Lecavalier goal, his third of the year, with help from Martin St. Louis. Tampa Bay got another as Steven Stamkos potted his third of the season, coming via Teddy Purcell. New York got on the board with a Michael Grabner tally, his second of the year, fueled by Mark Streit and Brian Rolston. The Lightning left the final at 4-1 with a Brett Clark goal, his second of the season, with Purcell picking up another assist. The three stars went to Eric Brewer, Lecavalier, and Purcell, although any goal scorer was better than Brewer this game.

Staying in the state, the Florida Panthers host the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Jose Theodore are tending the twines. Buffalo led off in the second period with a Thomas Vanek goal, his fifth of the season going in off of Jason Pominville and Tyler Myers. The Sabres added on with a Pominville goal, his second of the year, made possible by Ville Leino. Buffalo finished it off at 3-0 with Vanek's second of the game and sixth of the season, a power play goal powered by Pominville and Marc-Andre Gragnani. Vanek, Miller (22 save shutout), and Pominville were the three stars.

Moving west to Colorado, with the Avalanche hosting the Chicago Blackhawks. Playing goal tonight will be Corey Crawford and Semyon Varlamov. Chicago led off on a Jonathan Toews goal from Dan Carcillo and Nick Leddy, his third goal of the season. Colorado tied it in the second period with a Ryan O'Byrne goal, with assists by Matt Duchene and Joakim Lindstrom. The Blackhawks regained the lead in the third period on Patrick Sharp's second of the year, helped along by Andrew Brunette and Duncan Keith. Marian Hossa made it 3-1 Chicago with an empty net goal, his third of the season, guided in by Toews. The three stars were Gabriel Landeskog (homer pick Avalanche!), Toews and Sharp, although I'd throw an honorable mention out to Leddy or Carcillo.

Northward to Calgary, with the Flames hosting the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist opposed a lesser Henrik, Mr. Karlsson, in the creases. New York opened with a Marian Gaborik goal, his fourth of the season powered by Derek Stepan and Brad Richards on the power play. Less than a minute later, Calgary tied it as Jarome Iginla sank his second of the year, courtesy of Alex Tanguay and Scott Hannan. The Rangers replied as Brandon Prust scored his second of the season, the shorthanded tally made possible by Brian Boyle. The Flames retied it on a Mark Giordano power play goal, assisted by Iginla and Tanguay. The game stayed tied until the very last second of overtime, where Ryan McDonagh won it for New York on his second of the year, via Dan Girardi and Brandon Dubinsky. Iginla, Boyle, and Giordano were the three stars, although McDonagh and Tanguay have solid cases.

Farther north in Alberta, the Edmonton Oilers oppose the Minnesota Wild. Niklas Backstrom and Nikolai Khabibulin will play goal. Edmonton scored first with a Ryan Jones goal, his second of the season, via Ryan Smyth. Minnesota tied it late in the third period with a Dany Heatley goal, his second of the year coming off of Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Devin Setoguchi. The late tie lasted into the shootout, where Matt Cullen had the only goal for a 2-1 Wild win. The three stars were Khabibulin and Backstrom (30 for 31 each in saves) and Ladislav Smid, although the honorable mentions could go to Heatley or Cullen.

Down to the desert, with the Phoenix Coyotes hosting the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Mike Smith played between the pipes. Los Angeles opened the scoring early in the second period with Dustin Brown potting his second of the season on the power play, assisted by Mike Richards and Anze Kopitar. Kyle Clifford extended the Kings lead with a Kyle Clifford goal, and the helpers were provided by Kevin Westgarth and Matt Greene. The final remained at 2-0, and the three stars were Quick (28 save shutout), Brown, and Lauri Korpikoski, although a better choice at number three is Clifford.

Back north, the Vancouver Canucks welcomed the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Roberto Luongo made the starts. Vancouver led off with Daniel Sedin recording his third of the season, off his brother Henrik Sedin. Nashville replied quickly with a Matt Halischuk goal, courtesy of Colin Wilson and Jonathon Blum, his second of the year. The Canucks just as quickly took the lead back on a Henrik power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Daniel and Alexander Edler. Vancouver extended the lead with a Dale Weise goal, made possible by Edler. The Canucks kept it coming with a Chris Higgins goal, his third of the year, an unassisted goal. Rinne was removed after the first period, and Anders Lindback was solid until a Ryan Kesler power play goal in the third period making it 5-1 for Vancouver. Daniel and Sami Salo had the assists here. This was the final, with the three stars going to Daniel, Henrik and Weise.

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.