Sunday, October 6, 2013

NHL Day 6 2013-2014

Three games of hockey on this afternoon, beginning in...

Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes host the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Anton Khudobin are the replacement-level goalies. Carolina began in the first period with a Jay Harrison goal, assisted by Ryan Murphy and Jeff Skinner. Philadelphia tied it in the second period on a Luke Schenn goal, coming off of Kris Newbury. The Hurricanes took the lead back on a Radek Dvorak goal, his second of the season, guided in by Skinner. This was it for the scoring, with the final being 2-1, and the three stars were handed to Khudobin (17 for 18 in saves), Skinner, and Mason (32 for 34 in saves).

Way to the northwest, the Calgary Flames welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Eddie Lack and Joey MacDonald are in the blue paint. Vancouver started in the first period with a David Booth goal, coming off of Jason Garrison and Alexander Edler. Calgary tied it on a Mark Giordano goal, courtesy of David Jones and Curtis Glencross. The Flames took the lead in the second period when Mikael Backlund scored, thanks to T.J. Galiardi and Jiri Hudler. Calgary added on in the third period with a Sean Monahan goal, his second of the season, assisted by Lee Stempniak and Shane O'Brien. The Canucks answered with a Jannik Hansen goal, his second of the year, made possible by Daniel Sedin. Vancouver tied it on a Mike Santorelli goal, with assists provided by Henrik Sedin and Chris Higgins. The Canucks took the lead as Dale Weise scored, with the help of Brad Richardson and Dan Hamhuis. The Flames retied the game with a Jones goal, guided in by Hudler and T.J. Brodie. Vancouver won 5-4 in overtime as Santorelli scored his second of the game, with helpers from Kevin Bieksa and Ryan Stanton. The three stars were given to Santorelli, Jones, and Hudler.

Finally, in Winnipeg, the Jets bring in the Anaheim Ducks. Viktor Fasth and Ondrej Pavelec are the overrated goalies. Winnipeg was first to score in the first period as Andrew Ladd scored a power play goal, powered by Blake Wheeler and Tobias Enstrom. Anaheim tied it on a Mathieu Perreault goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Jakob Silfverberg and Ben Lovejoy. The Jets took the lead back on another Ladd goal, his second of the game, coming off of Wheeler and Bryan Little. The Ducks retied the game in the second period on an Andrew Cogliano goal, assisted by Daniel Winnik and Saku Koivu. Anaheim gained the lead in the third period with a Corey Perry goal, going in unassisted. This was good for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Ladd, Wheeler, and Perry.

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KHL Day 33 2013-2014

This is the last day of one game only specials, and we are playing in...

Yekaterinburg, as Avtomobilist hosts Donbass Donetsk. Michael Leighton and Jakub Kovar are set to start. Donetsk opened in the first period as Vaclav Nedorost scored, thanks to Clay Wilson and Maxim Yakutsenya on the power play. Donbass added on with a Peter Podhradsky goal, via Ruslan Fedotenko and Teemu Laine. Donetsk extended the lead on a Laine goal, coming off of Petteri Wirtanen and Fedotenko. They ended up winning 3-0, and the three stars were Leighton (25 save shutout), Laine, and Fedotenko.

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Saturday, October 5, 2013

NHL Day 5 2013-2014

The first really big day for the NHL is today, with eleven games on, starting in...

Boston, as the Bruins host the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Tuukka Rask guard the cages. Boston began in the first period on a Torey Krug power play goal, made possible by Milan Lucic and David Krejci. Detroit tied it as Henrik Zetterberg scored his second of the season, fueled by Justin Abdelkader and Pavel Datsyuk. The Bruins retook the lead in the second period as Brad Marchand scored, thanks to Johnny Boychuk. Boston added on with a Jordan Caron goal, coming off of Reilly Smith and Adam McQuaid. The Bruins extended the lead with a third period power play goal by Zdeno Chara, powered by Krug and Lucic. This was good for a 4-1 win, with the three stars given to Krug, Rask (25 for 26 in saves), and Lucic.

Crossing into Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Ray Emery is mismatched with Carey Price in goal. Montreal led off in the first period with a Brian Gionta goal, via Rene Bourque and Tomas Plekanec. The Canadiens added on in the third period with Lars Eller's third of the season, guided in by Brendan Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk. Montreal extended the lead with a Gallagher goal, coming on the power play with helpers from Galchenyuk and P.K. Subban. Philadelphia got on the board as Vincent Lecavalier scored a power play goal, powered by Brayden Schenn and Mark Streit. The Canadiens answered on a Bourque goal, coming on a power play from Gionta and Eller. They would go on to win 4-1, with the three stars being Eller, Bourque, and Gallagher, while Galchenyuk, Gionta, and Price (22 for 23 in saves) were given the honorable mentions.

Back stateside, the New York Islanders bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Evgeni Nabokov are the Russian goalies. New York got going in the second period with a Lubomir Visnovsky power play goal, powered by Frans Nielsen and John Tavares. The Islanders added on as Matt Moulson scored, with helpers from Tavares and Visnovsky. Columbus got on the board in the third period with a Mark Letestu power play goal, assisted by Cam Atkinson and Brandon Dubinsky. The Blue Jackets tied the game on a Nick Foligno goal, fueled by R.J. Umberger and Nikita Nikitin. The game went into a shootout, where Moulson and Letestu traded tallies before Atkinson sealed the deal with his shootout goal, leading Columbus to a 3-2 victory. Visnovsky, Atkinson, and Tavares are named the three stars.

West to Pittsburgh, with the Penguins hosting the Buffalo Sabres. Jhonas Enroth and Marc-Andre Fleury are called on to start. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period with a Sidney Crosby goal, his second of the season, assisted by Pascal Dupuis and Matt Niskanen. The Penguins added on with a Chuck Kobasew goal, his second of the year, coming off of Brandon Sutter and Niskanen. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Chris Kunitz converted a penalty shot. Buffalo got on the board as Thomas Vanek scored, with the help of Cody Hodgson. The Penguins iced it at 4-1 with a Craig Adams goal, his second of the campaign, sailing into the empty net after being passed from Paul Martin. The three stars were Fleury (20 for 21 in saves), Niskanen, and Kobasew.

Back in Canada again, the Toronto Maple Leafs host their Ontario rivals, the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and James Reimer are between the pipes. Toronto was first to score in the first period with a Mason Raymond goal, his second of the season, guided in by Dave Bolland and Troy Bodie. Ottawa tied it as Kyle Turris scored, thanks to Jared Cowen and Patrick Wiercioch. The Senators took the lead on a Cory Conacher goal, fueled by Turris and Wiercioch. The Maple Leafs tied the game again on a Nazem Kadri power play goal, powered by Raymond and Joffrey Lupul. Ottawa took the lead back as Cowen scored in the second period, via Turris and Clarke MacArthur. The Senators extended the lead on a Jason Spezza goal, set up by Milan Michalek and Bobby Ryan. Jonathan Bernier replaced Reimer at this time. Toronto got one back as Lupul scored a power play goal, with assists provided by Raymond and Kadri. The Maple Leafs tied it in the third period on a James van Riemsdyk goal, his second of the year, passed from Phil Kessel and Tyler Bozak. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Raymond and Bozak scored to lift Toronto to a 5-4 win. The three stars were awarded to Raymond, Turris, and Bozak, while Kadri, Lupul, Cowen, and Wiercioch get the honorable mentions.

Crossing over to Chicago, where the Blackhawks welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ben Bishop and Corey Crawford show alliteration in the goalie matchup. Chicago opened in the second period on a Patrick Kane goal, his second of the season, assisted by Bryan Bickell and Niklas Hjalmarsson. The Blackhawks added on with a Brandon Saad power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Nick Leddy and goalie Crawford. Tampa Bay got on the board in the third period with a Martin St. Louis goal, made possible by Steven Stamkos and Matthew Carle. The Lightning tied it on a Teddy Purcell power play goal, pushed through by St. Louis and Stamkos. Tampa Bay ended up completing the comeback in the shootout with a lone tally by Valtteri Filppula. In the 3-2 game, the three stars were St. Louis, Stamkos, and Bishop (37 for 39 in saves).

Down in Dallas, the Stars bring in the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Kari Lehtonen receive the starting nods. Washington started in the first period as Alex Ovechkin scored his fourth goal of the season, a power play goal powered by Mike Green and Marcus Johansson. Dallas tied it on an Erik Cole goal, coming off of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. The Stars took the lead in the second period as Alex Chiasson scored his second of the year, courtesy of Cody Eakin and Jordie Benn. They would cruise from here to a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Lehtonen (25 for 26 in saves), Chiasson, and Ovechkin.

Back north a bit, the St. Louis Blues host the Florida Panthers. Tim Thomas and Jaroslav Halak protect the nets. St. Louis led off in the first period as Brenden Morrow scored a power play goal, powered by Derek Roy and Chris Stewart. The Blues added on in the second period with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, passed from Jaden Schwartz and Alex Pietrangelo. St. Louis extended the lead on a Schwartz goal, via Vladimir Sobotka. The Blues padded the lead with a Roy goal, coming off of Stewart and Morrow. St. Louis got another as Alexander Steen scored his second of the season, coming on a penalty shot. The Blues kept going with a Ryan Reaves goal, courtesy of Sobotka. St. Louis iced it on a Patrik Beglund goal, assisted by Tarasenko and Schwartz. Later, Schwartz dropped the gloves with Kris Versteeg to complete his Gordie Howe Hat Trick. This was enough for a 7-0 win, with the three stars being Halak (19 save shutout), Schwartz, and Morrow, while Tarasenko, Roy, Stewart, and Sobotka all get honorable mentions.

Further to the north, the Minnesota Wild host the Anaheim Ducks. Jonas Hiller and Niklas Backstrom are the veteran goalies. Anaheim began in the first period with a Saku Koivu goal, courtesy of Francois Beauchemin and Andrew Cogliano. The Ducks added on when Nick Bonino scored a power play goal, with the help of Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. Minnesota got on the board with a Zach Parise goal, made possible by Mikko Koivu and Ryan Suter on the power play. Anaheim replied in the second period as Jakob Silfverberg scored his second of the season, via Mathieu Perreault and Dustin Penner. The Wild answered on a Jason Pominville power play goal, going in unassisted. Minnesota tied it on a third period Parise goal, his second of the game, thanks to Keith Ballard and Jonas Brodin. The game went to overtime, where the Ducks won 4-3 on a Perreault goal, guided in by Beauchemin and Cam Fowler. The three stars were awarded to Perreault, Parise, and Beauchemin.

Northwest to Vancouver, where the Canucks welcome the Edmonton Oilers. Devan Dubnyk and Roberto Luongo are the masked men. Edmonton opened in the first period as Jeff Petry scored, with the help of David Perron and Ladislav Smid. Vancouver tied it as Brad Richardson scored a shorthanded goal, set up by Jason Garrison. The Canucks took the lead as Dan Hamhuis scored, with a lone assist by Henrik Sedin. Vancouver extended the lead on a Jannik Hansen goal, fueled by Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. The Canucks padded the lead in the second period as Daniel Sedin scored a power play goal, powered by Henrik Sedin, who got a sock trick, and Alexander Edler. Vancouver added on with an unassisted Ryan Kesler goal. Jason LaBarbera relieved Dubnyk at this time. The Oilers took one back on a Boyd Gordon, his second of the season, via Ales Hemsky. The Canucks iced it in the third period on Garrison's second of the year, a shorthanded empty net goal that went in without assistance. The three stars in the 6-2 game were Henrik Sedin, Garrison, and Daniel Sedin.

Finally, down in San Jose, the Sharks host the Phoenix Coyotes. Mike Smith and Antti Niemi tend the twines. San Jose started in the first period as Tomas Hertl scored, thanks to Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The Sharks added on with Hertl's second of the game, courtesy of Matt Irwin and Brent Burns on the power play. San Jose extended the lead as Patrick Marleau scored a power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Vlasic and Joe Pavelski. Phoenix got on the board in the second period on an Oliver Ekman-Larsson goal, fueled by Zbynek Michalek. The Sharks iced it at 4-1 in the third period with an empty net goal by Logan Couture, set up by Pavelski. The three stars went to Hertl, Niemi (22 for 23 in saves), and Vlasic, while Pavelski gets an honorable mention.

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KHL Day 32 2013-2014

Today is the second day where there is only one game on, coming from...

Moscow, as Dynamo hosts their cross-town rivals, Spartak. Jeff Glass and Alexander Lazushin are the goalies. Dynamo began in the first period with a Yury Babenko power play goal, made possible by Maxim Karpov. Spartak tied it on a second period Viktor Bobrov goal, guided in by Nikolai Zherdev and Rastislav Spirko. Dynamo retook the lead in the third period as Konstantin Glazachev scored, with the help of Maxim Solovyov and the goalie Lazushin. They held on for a 2-1 win, with the three stars being Glazachev, Lazushin (17 for 18 in saves), and Glass (30 for 32 in saves).

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Friday, October 4, 2013

NHL Day 4 2013-2014

Today we have six games to work with, beginning in...

Buffalo, as the Sabres host the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Ryan Miller are set to start. Ottawa got going in the third period with an Erik Karlsson goal, assisted by Clarke MacArthur and Kyle Turris. This was it for the scoring, resulting in a 1-0 final score, with the three stars being Anderson (35 save shutout), Karlsson, and Miller (45 for 46 in saves). 

Down in Carolina, the Hurricanes welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Cam Ward will be in the creases. Carolina started in the first period as Radek Dvorak scored, with the help of Jeff Skinner and Justin Faulk. The Hurricanes added on in the second period as Nathan Gerbe scored a power play goal, powered by Faulk and Jay Harrison. Detroit got on the board in the third period with a Justin Abdelkader goal, via Henrik Zetterberg and Jonathan Ericsson. The Red Wings tied it on a Zetterberg goal, fueled by Daniel Alfredsson and Johan Franzen. Detroit ended up winning 3-2 with a Stephen Weiss goal, guided in by Franzen and Niklas Kronwall. The three stars of the game were Zetterberg, Franzen, and Faulk.

Back north, the New Jersey Devils bring in the New York Islanders. Evgeni Nabokov and Martin Brodeur are the veteran goalies. New Jersey was first to score in the first period with a Damien Brunner goal, coming off of Dainius Zubrus and Alexei Loktionov. New York tied it with a Michael Grabner goal with a lone assist from Travis Hamonic. The Devils took the lead in the second period with a Michael Ryder goal, assisted by Bryce Salvador and Marek Zidlicky. The Islanders pulled even as Grabner scored his second of the game, thanks to Josh Bailey. New York gained the lead in the third period as Frans Nielsen scored, via Grabner and Matt Donovan. New Jersey pulled even on Brunner's second of the game, passed from Ryane Clowe and Anton Volchenkov. The tie lasted into a shootout, where the lone tally from Matt Moulson gave the Islanders a 4-3 win. The three stars belonged to Grabner, Brunner, and Moulson. 

West to Columbus, with the Blue Jackets hosting the Calgary Flames. Joey MacDonald and Sergei Bobrovsky are called on to start. Calgary struck first in the first period with a Sean Monahan goal, assisted by Lee Stempniak and Sven Baertschi. Columbus tied it on a Jack Johnson power play goal, powered by Marian Gaborik and James Wisniewski. The Flames took the lead back as T.J. Galiardi scored an unassisted goal. The Blue Jackets retied it on a Gaborik goal, guided in by Brandon Dubinsky and Blake Comeau. Calgary retook the lead in the third period as Jiri Hudler notched his second of the season, thanks to Galiardi and Mikael Backlund. The Flames added on with a Curtis Glencross goal, with assists provided by David Jones and Mark Giordano. Columbus got one back as Artem Anisimov scored, set up by David Savard and Johnson. They failed to get an equalizer, with the final reading 4-3, and the three stars went to Galiardi, Gaborik, and Johnson.

Crossing into Canada, the Winnipeg Jets welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Ondrej Pavelec are in the blue paint. Los Angeles opened in the first period with an unassisted goal by Matt Greene. Winnipeg tied it on an Evander Kane goal, helped along by Devin Setoguchi and Mark Scheifele. The Jets took the lead on an Olli Jokinen goal, passed from Michael Frolik and Tobias Enstrom. Winnipeg added on as Devin Setoguchi scored a power play goal, powered by Kane and Dustin Byfuglien. The Jets extended the lead as Setoguchi scored his second of the game, made possible by Kane and Jokinen. The Kings took one back on a Jeff Carter power play goal, his second of the season, pushed through by Jake Muzzin and Anze Kopitar. Los Angeles pulled closer as Justin Williams scored a power play goal, with helpers provided by Matt Frattin and Willie Mitchell. Winnipeg iced it at 5-3 with the second of the year by Bryan Little coming from Andrew Ladd. The three stars were given to Setoguchi, Kane, and Jokinen. 

Finally, in Colorado, the Avalanche bring in the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Semyon Varlamov guard the cages. Colorado led off in the first period with a P.A. Parenteau goal, via Jamie McGinn and Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche added on in the second period when Patrick Bordeleau scored, thanks to Nate Guenin and Marc-Andre Cliche. Nashville got one back as Paul Gaustad scored, with the help of Mike Fisher and Craig Smith. Colorado iced it at 3-1 as Parenteau scored an empty net goal, set up by Paul Stastny and John Mitchell. The three stars were Parenteau, Varloamov (26 for 27 in saves), and Rinne (33 for 35 in saves). 

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KHL Day 31 2013-2014

Only one game today, coming from...

Minsk, as Dinamo hosts Avangard Omsk. Teemu Lassila and Kevin Lalande are in goal. Omsk began in the first period with a Tomas Zaborsky goal, assisted by Kirill Lyamin and Alexander Perezhogin. Minsk tied it with an Alexei Yefimenko goal, via Andrei Stas. Dinamo took the lead on a power play goal by Geoff Platt, powered by Zbynek Irgl and Tomas Surovy. Avangard retied it with a Dmitry Semin power play goal, set up by Sergei Kostitsyn and Alexander Frolov. Minsk took the lead back on a Stas goal, coming off of Dmitry Meleshko. Omsk tied the game again in the second period on a Dmitry Vorobyov goal, with a lone assist from Alexei Badyukov. Dinamo retook the lead with an Ilya Kaznadei goal, with assists provided by Stas and Meleshko. This held up for a 4-3 win, with the three stars going to Stas, Meleshko, and Kaznadei.

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Thursday, October 3, 2013

Thursday Night Football Week 5 2013

Tonight's Thursday Night game comes from Cleveland, where the Browns host the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo opened in the first quarter on a 1 yard touchdown run by Fred Jackson, and Dan Carpenter made the extra point. The Bills added on as Carpenter made a 52 yard field goal. Cleveland got on the board in the second quarter with a Billy Cundiff field goal of 30 yards. The Browns tied it as Willis McGahee ran in a 1 yard touchdown, and Cundiff was there with the extra point. Cleveland took the lead on a 79 yard punt return for a touchdown by Travis Benjamin, allowing Cundiff to make another extra point. Buffalo tied it again in the third quarter as C.J. Spiller ran 54 yards for a touchdown, and Carpenter knocked in the PAT. The Bills gained the lead again as Jackson rushed for 1 yard and a touchdown, and Carpenter supplied the extra point. The Browns countered with a 37 yard touchdown pass from Brandon Weeden to Josh Gordon, and Cundiff was true with the extra point. Cleveland took the lead again with a fourth quarter field goal of 24 yards by Cundiff. The Browns added on as Cundiff made a 44 yard field goal. Cleveland extended the lead when T.J. Ward returned an interception of Jeff Tuel for 44 yards and a touchdown, and Cundiff booted the extra point. They would win 37-24, and the Browns are now 3-2 while dropping the Bills to 2-3.

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