Friday, December 2, 2011

NHL Day 58 2011-2012

Six games coming one every half an hour from 4:30 to 7:00 Pacific tonight. We begin in...

Buffalo, where the Sabres host the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Jhonas Enroth are the starting goaltenders. Detroit opened with Jakub Kindl scoring, assisted by Tomas Holmstrom and Justin Abdelkader. The Red Wings added on with a Johan Franzen goal, his eleventh of the season, a power play goal powered by Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk. Detroit extended the lead with a Valtteri Filppula goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Henrik Zetterberg. Buffalo got on the board in the third period with Jochen Hecht recording his third of the season, via Jason Pominville and Ville Leino. The Red Wings wrapped it up 4-1 with Datsyuk scoring his eighth of the year into an empty net with no assistance. The three stars were Franzen, Howard (27 for 28 in saves), and Filppula, while Datsyuk earns honorable mention.

Across the way, the Minnesota Wild host the New Jersey Devils. Martin Brodeur and Niklas Backstrom will make the starts. New Jersey opened with a Zach Parise goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Andy Greene and Adam Henrique. Minnesota quickly replied with the seventh of the year for Dany Heatley, coming off of Jared Spurgeon and the goalie Backstrom. The Wild took the lead with an unassisted Kyle Brodziak goal, his seventh of the season. Casey Wellman chased Brodeur away with a goal, coming first from Matt Cullen and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. Johan Hedberg took over in the Devils net. The Devils got one back as Ilya Kovalchuk deposited his sixth of the year, and Parise had the lone assist. Josh Harding played goal for the Wild in the second period onward. The Wild gained separation in the third period with Brodziak's second of the game and eighth of the campaign, and Nick Johnson and Marco Scandella helped to make it happen. The final was 4-2, and Brodziak, Harding (22 for 22 relieving Backstrom in saves), and Wellman earned the three stars.

Down to Chicago, where the Blackhawks host the New York Islanders. Al Montoya and Corey Crawford earned the starting nods. New York was first to score with the third of the season by Kyle Okposo, a power play goal powered by Travis Hamonic and Milan Jurcina. Chicago tied it on an Andrew Brunette goal, his sixth of the year, coming about thanks to Sean O'Donnell and Dan Carcillo. The Islanders retook the lead with the ninth of the season by Matt Moulson, helped along by P.A. Parenteau and John Tavares. The Blackhawks tied it in the second period on a Ben Smith goal, pushed through by Patrick Kane and Michael Frolik. Chicago took the lead with Jonathan Toews registering his fourteenth of the year, a shorthanded goal passed through Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith. New York retied it in the third period on Parenteau's power play goal, putting his fourth of the season between the pipes with the help of Moulson and Tavares. The Blackhawks regained the lead on a Patrick Sharp power play goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Kane and Toews. The Islanders tied it up again with a Nino Niederreiter goal, via Matt Martin and Marty Reasoner. The game lasted to a shootout, where Chicago took it 5-4 on a lone tally from Toews. This earned him the top star, alongside Moulson and Sharp, while Kane, Tavares, and Parenteau take the honorable mentions.

Westward again, this time stopping in Denver, as the Colorado Avalanche host the St. Louis Blues. Guarding the cages are Jaroslav Halak and Semyon Varlamov. St. Louis led off with a Kevin Shattenkirk power play goal, his third of the season, set up by Jason Arnott and Alex Steen. Colorado tied it with Milan Hejduk notching his ninth of the year, thanks to Ryan O'Reilly and Ryan Wilson. Patrik Berglund took the lead back for the Blues in the second period with his fifth of the season, assisted by Chris Stewart and Ian Cole. The Avalnche tied it in the third period on an O'Reilly goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Ryan O'Bynre and Jan Hejda. The game went into the shootout, where Colorado beat St. Louis on a tally by none other than O'Reilly. The three stars were awarded to O'Reilly, Varlamov (35 for 37 in saves), and Shattenkirk.

North into Alberta, where the Edmonton Oilers play host to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Curtis Sanford and Devan Dubnyk put on the goalie masks. Edmonton got the game started with a power play goal by Jordan Eberle, his tenth of the season, made possible by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Tom Gilbert. Columbus tied it on the fourth of the year for Mark Letestu, also a power play goal, guided in by Rick Nash and James Wisniewski. The Blue Jackets got the lead in the second period with the fourth of the season by Derek Dorsett, a shorthanded and unassisted goal. The Oilers tied it in the third period on a Ryan Jones goal, his seventh of the year, with Ryan Smyth and Ryan Whitney getting credited with the helpers. Edmonton took the lead on a Ladislav Smid goal, his second of the season, via Gilbert and Smyth. The Oilers surged onward with Jones' second goal of the game and eighth of the year, assisted by Eric Belanger and Magnus Paajarvi. Dorsett got Columbus back within striking distance with his second of the game and fifth of the season, coming off of Marc Methot and Derek MacKenzie. Edmonton made it 5-3 with Ales Hemsky scoring his third of the year, thanks to Shawn Horcoff and Sam Gagner. Jones added on with an empty net goal to make it 6-3, giving him a hat trick, with assists provided by Horcoff and Hemsky. This was a final, and the three stars were Jones, Smyth, and Dorsett, while Hemsky, Horcoff, and Gilbert earn the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the Philadelphia Flyers. Ilya Bryzgalov hopes to get one of his old teams med, while Jonas Hiller opposes him in goal. Anaheim struck first with a power play goal by Andrew Cogliano, his sixth of the season, powered by Devante Smith-Pelly and Saku Koivu. Teemu Selanne extended the lead for the Ducks with his ninth of the year, assisted by Koivu and Matt Beleskey. Anaheim added on again in the second period with Andrew Gordon scoring, helped along by Ben Maxwell and Maxime Macenauer. Philadelphia got on the board when Jaromir Jagr netted his seventh of the season, a power play goal made possible by Kimmo Timonen and Claude Giroux. The Flyers pulled closer with a third period goal from Jagr, another power play goal, his eighth of the year, set up by Timonen and Danny Briere. Philadelphia tied it up with Scott Hartnell notching his tenth of the season, and it was from Timonen, who gets a sock trick and Jagr. The Flyers completed the unlikely comeback with an overtime goal from Giroux, his fourteenth of the year, on the power play from Briere and Hartnell. The three stars were Giroux, Koivu, and Jagr, while Briere, Hartnell, and Timonen get the honorable mentions.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

NHL Day 57 2011-2012

Another day with eight games to be played. First off, the rivalry of the decade continues with the Washington Capitals hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Tomas Vokoun will be in goal. Pittsburgh opened on a Craig Adams goal, his second of the season, thanks to Arron Asham and Richard Park. Washington tied it on a Jason Chimera goal, his tenth of the year, made possible by Joel Ward and Brooks Laich. The Penguins grabbed the lead back in the third period with Chris Kunitz netting his ninth of the season, via Tyler Kennedy and Simon Despres. This held up for a 2-1 final, and the three stars were Paul Martin, Chimera, and Alex Ovechkin, although anyone who got a point would have fit too.

Down to Carolina, where the Hurricanes will host the New York Rangers. Carolina struck early with Jiri Tlusty's fifth of the season, while Brandon Sutter had the lone assist. New York replied with a power play goal by Ryan Callahan, his tenth of the year, powered by Brad Richards and Michael Del Zotto. The Hurricanes took the lead again late in the period on a Jeff Skinner goal, his eleventh of the season, fueled by Joni Pitkanen and Eric Staal. The Rangers retied it on the fourth of the year from Ryan McDonagh, coming off of Brandon Dubinsky and Dan Girardi. New York grabbed the lead with the twelfth of the season for Marian Gaborik, assisted by Artem Anisimov and Jeff Woywitka. Sean Avery extended the lead for the Rangers on his third of the year, and the helpers were handed out to Gaborik and Derek Stepan. Carolina cut into the deficit with a Derek Joslin goal, via Staal and Tuomo Ruutu. New York took it back in the third period with a Mike Sauer goal, courtesy of Brian Boyle and Carl Hagelin. This was good for a 5-3 final, and the three stars were awarded to Gaborik, Skinner, and McDonagh. Staal gets honorable mention.

Next up, the new Winnipeg Jets host the old Winnipeg Jets, the Phoenix Coyotes, in the homecoming of Shane Doan. Mike Smith and Ondrej Pavelec have the goaltending honors. Winnipeg was first to score with a Bryan Little goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Evander Kane and Blake Wheeler. This held up as the only goal for a 1-0 Jets win. The three stars were Pavelec (33 save shutout), Little, and Smith (30 for 31 in saves).

Down deep in the south, the Dallas Stars host the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Andrew Raycroft take their places in the creases. Ottawa was first to score with the third of the season by Erik Condra, and the lone assist went to Jared Cowen. Dallas tied it with a power play goal off Steve Ott's tape, his fifth of the year, powered by Toby Petersen and Stephane Robidas. The Senators took the lead in the third period on a Milan Michalek goal, his fifteenth of the season, assisted by Daniel Alfredsson and Nick Foligno. The Stars retied it with a Radek Dvorak tally, his third of the year, thanks to Mike Ribeiro and Tomas Vincour. Dallas took the game 3-2 with an Eric Nystrom goal, his ninth of the campaign, guided in by Vernon Fiddler and Dvorak. The three stars were Nystrom, Ribeiro, and Michalek, although Dvorak has a good case.

To the north again, as the Calgary Flames host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Curtis Sanford and Miikka Kiprusoff will be in front of the cages. Columbus led off with an Antoine Vermette goal, his third of the season, with help from Nikita Nikitin and Samuel Pahlsson. Calgary tied it with a Lee Stempniak goal, his sixth of the year, assisted by Jay Bouwmeester and Blake Comeau. The Flames took a late second period lead with the seventh of the season for Rene Bourque, courtesy of Alex Tanguay and Chris Butler. Calgary extended the lead in the third period with Comeau's unassisted goal. The Blue Jackets got one back as Nikitin netted the puck, with the help of Vinny Prospal and Derek MacKenzie. Columbus tied it with the eighth of the year by Rick Nash, guided in by Nikitin and James Wisniewski. The Blue Jackets finished the comeback in the shootout with the lone tally by Nash to beat the Flames 4-3. The three stars go to Comeau, Bourque, and Nikitin, while Nash gets honorable mention.

Westward to Vancouver, where the Canucks host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne will oppose Cory Schneider in the nets. Nashville opened with a power play goal by David Legwand, his sixth of the season, powered by Colin Wilson and Craig Smith. The Predators extended their lead with a Mike Fisher goal, his fourth of the year, assisted by Martin Erat and Shea Weber. Vancouver got on the board when Cody Hodgson recorded his fifth of the season, a power play goal set up by Chris Higgins and Kevin Bieksa. Nashville got it back with Weber striking on the power play, his fifth of the year, fueled by Wilson and Smith. Roberto Luongo took over for Schneider in the second period onward. The Canucks got one back in the second period when the eighth of the season by Daniel Sedin found twine, and helpers on this power play goal went to Henrik Sedin and Alexander Edler. Aaron Volpatti tied it for the Canucks with a goal, via Maxim Lapierre and Andrew Alberts. Vancouver took the lead on the ninth of the year for Alexandre Burrows, and helping him along were Henrik and Daniel. Vancouver extended the lead with the sixth of the season by Jannik Hansen, with passes going through Dan Hamhuis and Bieksa. Anders Lindback relieved Rinne after this goal. The Predators struck back with the third of the year for Jordin Tootoo, pushed through by Matt Halischuk and Nick Spaling. Nashville tied it on a Wilson power play goal, his sixth of the season, received from David Legwand and Smith, the latter wrapping up a sock trick. The Predators took it 6-5 with a third period goal by Fisher, his second of the game and fifth of the year, coming off the tape of Erat and Ryan Suter. The three stars were Fisher, Henrik, and Daniel. Honorable mentions include Wilson, Legwand, Weber, Erat, Bieksa, and Smith.

Down to San Jose with the Sharks hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Antti Niemi were given the starting nods. Montreal struck first with a Michael Cammalleri goal, his sixth of the season, via David Desharnais and P.K. Subban. San Jose replied quickly with a Jamie McGinn goal, his third of the year, made possible by Michal Handzus and Jason Demers. The Canadiens grabbed the lead with Desharnais registering his fourth of the season, assisted by Erik Cole. The Sharks retied the score on the eighth of the year for Logan Couture, thanks to Ryane Clowe and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Montreal edged ahead with Cole sinking his eighth of the season, courtesy of Desharnais and Cammalleri. Clowe saved the game for San Jose late in the third period with his fifth of the year, fueled by Couture and Martin Havlat. In the shootout, it took Havlat, Handzus, and Joe Pavelski of the Sharks to defeat Brian Gionta and Desharnais of the Canadiens by a 4-3 score. The three stars were Clowe, Desharnais, and Couture, while Cole and Cammalleri earn the honorable mention.

Southward farther to Los Angeles, with the Kings hosting the Florida Panthers. In goal we have Jose Theodore and Jonathan Quick. Los Angeles led off with the fifth of the season by Jack Johnson, coming off of Matt Greene and Anze Kopitar. The Kings extended the lead with the fifth of the year by Dustin Brown, a power play goal powered by Slava Voynov and the goalie Quick. Florida answered with a Sean Bergenheim goal, his third of the season, thanks to Erik Gudbranson and Tomas Kopecky. The third period was silent, resulting in a 2-1 game. The three stars were awarded to Quick (41 for 42 in saves), Rob Scuderi, and Bergenheim. Other point earners are welcome to make a case.

Thursday Night Game week 13

This week, the Seattle Seahawks host the Philadelphia Eagles. Seattle led off with a 15 yard touchdown rush for Marshawn Lynch, and Steven Hauschka made the extra point. The Seahawks added on with a 40 yard rush for a touchdown by Lynch in the second quarter, and Hauschka again handled the extra point. Philadelphia got on the board with a 1 yard LeSean McCoy touchdown rush, and Alex Henery was there on the extra point. Seattle made it 17-7 before the half with Hauschka kicking a field goal of 49 yards. The Seahawks kept going in the third quarter with a Tavaris Jackson touchdown pass to Golden Tate, an 11 yard play, capped off with a Hauschka PAT. The Eagles got a few back when Vince Young tossed a 2 yard touchdown pass to McCoy, and Henery made the extra point, all in the fourth quarter. Seattle replied with David Hawthorne intercepting Young and returning it 77 yards for a touchdown, allowing another extra point for Hauschka. This made it 31-14, the final, and the Seahawks go to 5-7 while Philadelphia falls to 4-8.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

NHL Day 56 2011-2012

Only five games tonight. The first is a big rivalry game, as the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Boston Bruins. Tim Thomas and Jonas Gustavsson will start. Toronto led off with a Mikhail Grabovski power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Clarke MacArthur and Carl Gunnarsson. Boston answered with the ninth of the year from Milan Lucic, assisted by Tyler Seguin and Zdeno Chara on the power play. The Bruins added on in the second period with David Krejci netting his fourth of the season, with the help of Nathan Horton and Dennis Seidenberg. The Maple Leafs retied it with the twelfth of the year by Joffrey Lupul, courtesy of Phil Kessel and Luke Schenn. Boston took the lead back with Chara notching his fifth of the season, coming off of Krejci and Horton. The Bruins added on in the third period with a Benoit Pouliot goal, his third of the year, with assists provided by Joe Corvo and Gregory Campbell. Toronto got one back as the second of the season by Matt Frattin found twine, guided in by Joey Crabb and Schenn. Boston extended the lead as Lucic struck again with his second of the game and tenth of the campaign, with Krejci getting the lone assist. The final was 6-3 Bruins on an empty net Brad Marchand goal, his ninth of the year, set up by Rich Peverley. Krejci, Lucic, and Schenn were the three stars, and honorable mentions were Horton and Chara.

Southwest to Detroit, where the Red Wings host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Dwayne Roloson and Jimmy Howard man the nets. Detroit opened with a Pavel Datsyuk goal, his seventh of the season, thanks to Todd Bertuzzi and Johan Franzen. The Red Wings continued with Jonathan Ericsson scoring via Valtteri Filppula. Tampa Bay got on the board in the second period with a Martin St. Louis goal, his seventh of the year, assisted by Teddy Purcell and Marc-Andre Bergeron on the power play. The Lightning tied it late in the second with the sixteenth of the season for Steven Stamkos, fueled by Matt Gilroy and Vincent Lecavalier. Detroit went back ahead with the fourth of the year by Tomas Holmstrom, a power play goal made possible by Nicklas Lidstrom and Datsyuk. The Red Wings got some space with the third of the campaign for Darren Helm, pushed through by Jakub Kindl and Ericsson. The final was 4-2, and the three stars went to Datsyuk, St. Louis, and Helm, while Ericsson gets honorable mention.

Back up to Canada, with the Edmonton Oilers hosting the Minnesota Wild. Niklas Backstrom and Nikolai Khabibulin play in goal. Edmonton got on the board with the eleventh of the season for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, with Andy Sutton and Jordan Eberle picking up the assists. The Oilers added on as Eberle scored on the power play in the second period, his ninth of the year powered by Shawn Horcoff and Nugent-Hopkins. Minnesota got on the board with a Devin Setoguchi goal, his eighth of the season, fueled by Mikko Koivu and Dany Heatley. The Wild tied it with a power play goal by Kyle Brodziak, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Nick Johnson and Marco Scandella. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Eberle, Sam Gagner, and Horcoff were toppled by Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Koivu, Heatley, and Brodziak. Nugent-Hopkins, Brodziak, and Eberle were the three stars in the Minnesota victory, while Heatley and Koivu get honorable mention.

Following the course of the Rockies to Colorado, where the Avalanche host the New Jersey Devils. Martin Brodeur and Semyon Varlamov tend the twines. Colorado opened with the eighth of the season by Milan Hejduk, assisted by Ryan O'Reilly and Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche added on with a T.J. Galiardi goal, his second of the year going down unassisted. Colorado struck again with Jan Hejda potting his third of the season, via Matt Duchene and Ryan Wilson. New Jersey got on the board with an Ilya Kovalchuk goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Adam Henrique and Zach Parise. The Avalanche replied in the third period with the third of the season by O'Reilly, and Hejduk had the lone helper. Colorado rolled on with a shorthanded Jay McClement goal, his fourth of the year, with passes coming from Kyle Quincey and Daniel Winnik. The Avalanche wrapped it up with the second of the campaign by Stefan Elliott, and he was helped out by Quincey and O'Reilly, good for a 6-1 win. The three stars went to Hejduk, O'Reilly, and Hejda, while Quincey earns honorable mention.

Lastly, the Anaheim Ducks host the Montreal Canadiens. Peter Budaj and Jonas Hiller will have the goalie masks on. Montreal struck first with Andrei Kostitsyn netting his sixth of the season, off of Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta. Anaheim tied it with Ryan Getzlaf recording his fifth of the year, thanks to Corey Perry. The Ducks got the lead on a Devante Smith-Pelly goal, a power play goal powered by Bobby Ryan as his second of the season. Anaheim extended the lead with a third period Perry power play goal as his eleventh of the year, pushed to the pine of Perry by Francois Beauchemin and Getzlaf (alliteration is a great thing). The Ducks finished 4-1 on an empty net goal by Niklas Hagman, guided in by Perry and Getzlaf. Perry, Getzlaf, and Smith-Pelly were the three stars.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

NHL Day 55 2011-2012

There will be eight games played tonight, and we begin with an intrastate game over in...

New York, as the Buffalo Sabres host the New York Islanders. Taking their places in front of the goalmouths were Al Montoya and Jhonas Enroth. New York was first to score on a Matt Moulson power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Mark Streit and P.A. Parenteau. Buffalo tied it in the third period with Joche Hecht notching his second of the year, with the help of Jason Pominville and Thomas Vanek. The Islanders took the lead back with Brian Rolston scoring his third of the season, thanks to David Ullstrom and Josh Bailey. This would hold for a 2-1 final, and the three stars went to Montoya (30 for 31 in saves), Rolston, and Hecht.

Down to Washington, where the Capitals welcome the St. Louis Blues. Jaroslav Halak and Tomas Vokoun answer the call to start. Washington led off with a Nicklas Backstrom goal, his eighth of the season, fueled by Alex Ovechkin and the goalie Vokoun. St. Louis replied with T.J. Oshie scoring his seventh of the year, assisted by Alex Steen and David Backes. The Blues took the lead in the second period with the sixth of the season by Matt D'Agostini, with helpers provided by Patrik Berglund and Chris Stewart. This made it 2-1, the eventual final, and the three stars were D'Agostini, Backes, and Backstrom.

Farther south, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Florida Panthers. Jose Theodore and Cam Ward got the starting nods. The scoring began with Florida in the second period on a Tomas Fleischmann goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Brian Campbell and Stephen Weiss on the power play. Carolina quickly replied with a Jeff Skinner goal, his tenth of the year, thanks to Eric Staal and Joni Pitkanen. The Panthers took the lead in the third period with the fourth and fifth of the campaign by Shawn Matthias, assisted by Tomas Kopecky on the first and no one on the last empty net goal. This was good for a 3-1 final, and the three stars went to Matthias, Theodore (26 for 27 in saves), and Skinner.

Back up to New York, as the Rangers host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Henrik Lundqvist will tend the twines. Pittsburgh drew first blood with James Neal potting his fourteenth of the season on the power play, powered by Sidney Crosby and Paul Martin. New York answered in the second period with a power play goal by Ryan Callahan, his ninth of the year, made possible by Marian Gaborik and Brad Richards. The Rangers added on with John Mitchell scoring via Carl Hagelin and Brian Boyle. New York extended the lead with Richards putting his ninth of the season in the net, and he was helped by Ruslan Fedotenko and Callahan. The Rangers kept rolling with the eleventh of the campaign by Gaborik, a power play goal set up by Michael Del Zotto and Richards. The Penguins cut it to 4-2 after Evgeni Malkin scored his ninth of the year, from Neal and Steve Sullivan. Pittsburgh pulled closer with the seventh of the season by Pascal Dupuis, guided in by Crosby and Deryk Engelland. New York managed to hold on for a 4-3 win, and the three stars were awarded to Gaborik, Richards, and Malkin, while Neal, Crosby, and Callahan had worthy efforts.

Northwest to Winnipeg, where the Jets host the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Ondrej Pavelec put on the goalie masks. Ottawa was first to score, with a Milan Michalek goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Daniel Alfresson and Nick Foligno. Winnipeg tied it with a Blake Wheeler goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Bryan Little and Dustin Byfuglien. The Jets grabbed the lead with the fifth of the season from Alex Burmistrov, with the help of Tanner Glass and Eric Fehr. The Senators quickly retied it on Zack Smith's fifth of the year, set up by Erik Condra. Ottawa regained the lead with another Michalek goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, via Chris Phillips and Condra. Winnipeg took the lead back with two Evander Kane goals, his eleventh and twelfth of the year, and the assists went out to Zach Bogosian on the first, and Mark Flood and Little on the second, power play goal. The Senators tied it up again with Jason Spezza netting his ninth of the season, guided in by Erik Karlsson and Phillips. Ottawa took the lead yet again in the back and forth game with the second on the night by Smith, pushed through by Sergei Gonchar and Kaspars Daugavins on the power play. The Senators made it 6-4, a final, with a Foligno empty net goal, his seventh of the year, finding twine with assistance from Jesse Winchester and Colin Greening.

Down in the states, the Chicago Blackhawks host the Phoenix Coyotes. The goalies are Mike Smith and Corey Crawford. Phoenix opened with Daymond Langkow registering his fourth of the season, with the help of Ray Whitney and Shane Doan. The Coyotes added on in the second period with a Doan goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Langkow and Mikkel Boedker. Phoenix extended the lead in the third period with Radim Vrbata notching his twelfth of the season, coming off of Whitney. Whitney made it 4-0 Coyotes with his eighth of the year, assisted by Martin Hanzal and Vrbata. Crawford was pulled in favor of Ray Emery at this time. Chicago got on the board late with the eleventh of the campaign by Patrick Sharp, making it 4-1 with the help of Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa. The three stars go to Vrbata, Langkow, and Doan, while Whitney earns honorable mention.

Back into Canada and a bit west to Calgary, with the Flames set to host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Miikka Kiprusoff play between the pipes. Derek Smith got Calgary going, and his goal was helped in by T.J. Brodie and Jarome Iginla. This goal held up as the only one in the game, for a Flames victory, and Kiprusoff (26 save shutout), Rinne (28 for 29 in saves), and Smith got the three stars.

Lastly, the Vancouver Canucks will host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Curtis Sanford and Cory Schneider will stop the puck tonight. Vancouver led off with the seventh of the season by Daniel Sedin, assisted by Alexander Edler and Sami Salo. The Canucks added on with the fourth of the year by David Booth, coming off of Chris Higgins and Dan Hamhuis. Columbus got on the board with a shorthanded Samuel Pahlsson goal from Fedor Tyutin and Antoine Vermette. Vancouver replied with a Ryan Kesler goal, his fifth of the season, via Alexandre Burrows and Daniel. The Canucks wrapped it up at 4-1 with Burrows recording an empty net goal, his eighth of the year, made possible by Kesler and Kevin Bieksa. The three stars were Schneider (47 for 48 in saves), Kesler, and Ryan Johansen, although Daniel and Burrows also played well.

Fantasy Football All-Stars week 12

Quarterback: Drew Brees
Running Back: Beanie Wells and Roy Helu
Wide Receiver: Victor Cruz and Wes Welker
Tight End: Jimmy Graham
Kicker: Sebastian Janikowski
Team Defense: Baltimore
Defensive Player: Connor Barwin

Monday, November 28, 2011

NHL Day 54 2011-2012

Another four games being played tonight. We begin in...

Minnesota, with the Wild hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Mathieu Garon and Niklas Backstrom get the starting nods. Tampa Bay struck first in the second period with the fifteenth of the season by Steven Stamkos, an unassisted goal. Minnesota replied with Cal Clutterbuck netting a shorthanded goal, and Mikko Koivu aided him in getting the seventh of his year. The Wild gained the lead with Pierre-Marc Bouchard potting his third of the season, thanks to Nick Johnson. Minnesota won 3-1 with Koivu scoring an empty net goal, his fourth of the year from Jared Spurgeon and Clutterbuck. Backstrom (32 for 33 in saves), Clutterbuck, and Mike Lundin were the three stars, although Koivu was reasonably good.

Westward to Colorado, where the Avalanche host the Dallas Stars. Andrew Raycroft and Semyon Varlamov will play goal. Dallas got on the board with Eric Nystrom depositing his eighth of the season, assisted by Vernon Fiddler and Stephane Robidas. The Stars added on in the third period with Michael Ryder scoring his eighth of the campaign, with help from Loui Eriksson and Philip Larsen. Colorado got on the board with a Kevin Porter goal, via David Jones and Ryan Wilson. Ryder made it 3-1 Dallas with his second of the game and ninth of the year, courtesy of Eriksson and Adam Pardy, an empty net goal. This was a final and the three stars were Raycroft (35 for 36 in saves), Varlamov (32 for 34 in saves), and Ryder.

Up to Edmonton, as the Oilers host the Nashville Predators. Anders Lindback and Nikolai Khabibulin put on the goalie masks. Edmonton scored first on a Jordan Eberle goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Nashville tied it in the second period with the fourth of the year by Shea Weber, a power play goal powered by Ryan Suter and the goalie Lindback. The Predators got the lead in the third period with a Nick Spaling goal, his third of the season, with help from Jordin Tootoo and Craig Smith. This made it 2-1, the eventual final, and the three stars were Suter, Khabibulin (29 for 31 in saves), and Tootoo.

Lastly, the Battle of California continues with the Los Angeles Kings hosting the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Jonathan Quick tend the twines. Los Angeles was first to score with an Ethan Moreau goal, going down unassisted. The Kings added on in the second period with the eleventh of the season by Mike Richards, helped along by Simon Gagne and Willie Mitchell. There would be no more scoring, resulting in a 2-0 win for Los Angeles. The three stars were Quick (33 save shutout), Mitchell, and Moreau.