A whopping twelve games on today, beginning in...
Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes host the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Cam Ward are set to start. Chicago led off in the first period on a Patrick Sharp goal, via Michal Handzus. The Blackhawks added on as Marian Hossa scored his second of the season, with the help of Brandon Saad and Andrew Shaw. Carolina got on the board in the third period with an Alexander Semin goal, his second of the year, coming off of Eric Staal and Tuomo Ruutu. The Hurricanes tied it as Ron Hainsey scored an unassisted goal. The tie lasted into a shootout, where the Blackhawks won 3-2 with a lone tally by Sharp. The three stars were Sharp, Hossa, and Crawford (32 for 34 in saves).
Out to Long Island, as the New York Islanders welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Evgeni Nabokov are the veteran goalies. New York was first to score in the first period with a Frans Nielsen goal, his third of the season, assisted by Thomas Hickey and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. Buffalo tied it on a Tyler Ennis goal, made possible by Drew Stafford and Christian Ehrhoff in the second period. The Islanders took the lead back on a Matt Martin goal, passed from Casey Cizikas and Eric Boulton. The Sabres retied it on a Thomas Vanek power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Cody Hodgson and Ehrhoff. New York pulled ahead again in the third period as Matt Moulson scored his second of the season, courtesy of John Tavares and Lubomir Visnovsky on the power play. Buffalo tied it again on a Marcus Foligno goal, with a lone assist by Tyler Myers. The tie was broken in favor of the Sabres in the shootout with goals scored by Vanek and Ennis to topple the Islanders' single tally by Moulson. The three stars of the 4-3 game were Ennis, Vanek, and Ehrhoff, while Moulson gets an honorable mention.
Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Roberto Luongo faces a lesser foe in Steve Mason in goal. Philadelphia opened with a Tye McGinn goal, his second of the season, fueled by Nicklas Grossmann and Erik Gustafsson. Vancouver tied it on the second of the year by Ryan Kesler, passed from Jannik Hansen and Christopher Tanev. The Flyers took the lead in the second period as McGinn scored his second of the game and third of the season, set up by Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. The Canucks tied it on a Chris Higgins goal in the third period, via Henrik Sedin and Jason Garrison. Vancouver took the lead when Kesler scored his second of the game and third of the year, assisted by Higgins and Henrik Sedin. This was good for a 3-2 win, with the three stars belonging to Kesler, McGinn, and Higgins, and an honorable mention was given to Henrik Sedin.
Across Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Edmonton Oilers. Jason LaBarbera is mismatched with Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. Pittsburgh started in the first period with a Pascal Dupuis goal, his second of the season, assisted by Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz. Edmonton tied it on a second period goal by Ales Hemsky, his second of the year, guided in by David Perron and Jeff Petry. The Penguins retook the lead on a goal by Kunitz, his second of the season, via Crosby and Dupuis. The Oilers retied it as Jordan Eberle scored his second of the year, with the help of Taylor Hall and Mark Arcobello. Pittsburgh gained the lead back as Evgeni Malkin scored his second of the campaign, a power play goal, powered by Paul Martin and Crosby, the latter getting a sock trick. This held up for a 3-2 win, with the three stars awarded to Dupuis, Kunitz, and Crosby.
Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs welcome the Minnesota Wild. Darcy Kuemper and James Reimer are in the creases. Toronto began with a Tyler Bozak power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Dave Bolland and Cody Franson. The Maple Leafs added on with a Trevor Smith goal, via Morgan Rielly and Franson. Minnesota got on the board as Jason Pominville scored his third of the year, courtesy of Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise on the power play. Toronto replied in the second period on a Mason Raymond power play goal, his third of the season, set up by Nazem Kadri and Rielly. Josh Harding relieved Kuemper at this time. The Maple Leafs iced it at 4-1 in the third period as Raymond scored his second of the game and fourth of the year, an empty net goal pushed through by Phil Kessel. The three stars were handed to Raymond, Reimer (36 for 37 in saves), and Rielly, while Franson gets an honorable mention.
Way to the south, the Tampa Bay Lightning bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Ben Bishop are the masked men. Nineteen seconds into the first period, Tampa Bay struck first with a Ryan Malone goal, coming off of Sami Salo and Martin St. Louis. The Lightning added on with a Teddy Purcell goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Ondrej Palat and Matthew Carle. Tampa Bay extended the lead in the second period as St. Louis scored his third of the year, with the help of Steven Stamkos and Andrej Sustr. Ben Scrivens replaced Quick at this time. Los Angeles got on the board in the third period with a Slava Voynov goal, made possible by Matt Frattin and Jarret Stoll. The Lightning replied as St. Louis scored his second of the game and fourth of the season, with helpers provided by Malone and Stamkos. Tampa Bay iced it at 5-1 with a Palat goal, his second of the year, guided in by Purcell and Tyler Johnson. The three stars were St. Louis, Bishop (30 for 31 in saves), and Purcell, while Malone, Palat, and Stamkos get honorable mentions.
Back north, the Detroit Red Wings host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Jonas Gustavsson will occupy the blue paint. Detroit led off in the first period on a Daniel Alfredsson goal, fueled by Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Columbus got on the board as Cam Atkinson scored his second of the season, an unassisted power play goal. The Red Wings took the lead back with a power play goal by Todd Bertuzzi, his second of the year, powered by Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall. They held on from here for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Zetterberg, Gustavsson (36 for 37 in saves), and Bobrovsky (30 for 32 in saves).
A bit southwest, the St. Louis Blues welcome the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Jaroslav Halak guard the cages. San Jose started in the first period as Logan Couture scored his third of the season, with the help of Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton on the power play. The Sharks added on as Joe Pavelski scored a power play goal, powered by Jason Demers and Marleau. San Jose extended the lead with a Tommy Wingels goal in the second period, his second of the year, guided in by James Sheppard and Andrew Desjardins. The Sharks padded the lead as Scott Hannan scored, via Thornton and Brent Burns. Brian Elliott relieved Halak for the third period. San Jose kept going in the third period on a Thornton goal, with a lone assist by Tomas Hertl. St. Louis got on the board as Vladimir Tarasenko scored his fourth of the season, passed from Jaden Schwartz and Patrik Berglund. The Blues pulled closer with a Roman Polak goal, fueled by Derek Roy and Vladimir Sobotka. The Sharks answered on a Marleau power play goal, his fifth of the year, pushed through by Couture and Thornton. This made it a 6-2 final, with the three stars going to Thornton, Marleau, and Couture.
Eastward to Nashville, as the Predators bring in the Florida Panthers. Jacob Markstrom and Pekka Rinne receive the starting nods. Nashville began with a first period Shea Weber goal, via Mike Fisher and Colin Wilson. Florida tied it in the second period as Jonathan Huberdeau scored his third of the season, assisted by Scott Gomez and Mike Weaver. The Predators retook the lead on a Fisher goal, his second of the year, coming off of Craig Smith and Seth Jones. The Panthers retied it on a Marcel Goc goal, his third of the season, with assists provided by Jesse Winchester and Shawn Matthias. Nashville pulled ahead again as Smith scored, thanks to Gabriel Bourque and Weber. The Predators extended the lead with a Patric Hornqvist power play goal, his second of the year, powered by David Legwand and Filip Forsberg. Florida got one back as Matt Gilroy scored, with the help of Tomas Fleischmann and Brad Boyes. This was as close as it got, with the final being 4-3, and the three stars went to Weber, Smith, and Fisher.
Back to Canada, as the Winnipeg Jets host the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Ondrej Pavelec are between the pipes. Montreal opened with a Brandon Prust goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Francis Bouillon and Daniel Briere. The Canadiens added on as P.K. Subban scored his second of the year, thanks to David Desharnais and Josh Gorges. Montreal iced it at 3-0 in the third period as Briere scored an empty net power play goal, going in unassisted. The three stars of the game were Price (36 save shutout), Briere, and Prust.
Southwest to Colorado, as the Avalanche welcome the Dallas Stars. Dan Ellis and Semyon Varlamov will attempt to stop the puck. Dallas struck first in the first period with a Rich Peverley goal, assisted by Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. Colorado tied it with the fourth of the season by Matt Duchene, an unassisted goal. The Avalanche took the lead a Jan Hejda scored, with the help of Nathan MacKinnon and P.A. Parenteau. The Stars tied it with a Cody Eakin goal in the second period, a power play goal powered by Ray Whitney and Erik Cole. Colorado regained the lead with another Duchene goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, guided in by Parenteau and Erik Johnson. This was it for the scoring, resulting in a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Duchene, Parenteau, and Varlamov (39 for 41 in saves).
Finally, we end in Phoenix, where the Coyotes bring in the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Mike Smith are the reliable goalies. Phoenix got going in the second period as Rob Klinkhammer scored his third of the season, assisted by Antoine Vermette. The Coyotes added on with a Radim Vrbata goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Mikkel Boedker and Martin Hanzal. Ottawa got one back as Jason Spezza scored his second of the season, with helpers provided by Patrick Wiercioch and Milan Michalek. The Senators tied it in the third period as Spezza scored his second of the game and third of the year, courtesy of Colin Greening. Ottawa took the lead as Spezza finished his natural hat trick with his fourth of the season, a power play goal powered by Erik Karlsson and Michalek. Phoenix tied it with a Mike Ribeiro power play goal, via Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Vermette. The Senators won 4-3 in overtime on a Cory Conacher goal, his second of the year, with assists from Marc Methot and Greening. The three stars were Spezza, Michalek, and Greening, while Vermette gets an honorable mention.
Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.
Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes host the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Cam Ward are set to start. Chicago led off in the first period on a Patrick Sharp goal, via Michal Handzus. The Blackhawks added on as Marian Hossa scored his second of the season, with the help of Brandon Saad and Andrew Shaw. Carolina got on the board in the third period with an Alexander Semin goal, his second of the year, coming off of Eric Staal and Tuomo Ruutu. The Hurricanes tied it as Ron Hainsey scored an unassisted goal. The tie lasted into a shootout, where the Blackhawks won 3-2 with a lone tally by Sharp. The three stars were Sharp, Hossa, and Crawford (32 for 34 in saves).
Out to Long Island, as the New York Islanders welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Ryan Miller and Evgeni Nabokov are the veteran goalies. New York was first to score in the first period with a Frans Nielsen goal, his third of the season, assisted by Thomas Hickey and Pierre-Marc Bouchard. Buffalo tied it on a Tyler Ennis goal, made possible by Drew Stafford and Christian Ehrhoff in the second period. The Islanders took the lead back on a Matt Martin goal, passed from Casey Cizikas and Eric Boulton. The Sabres retied it on a Thomas Vanek power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Cody Hodgson and Ehrhoff. New York pulled ahead again in the third period as Matt Moulson scored his second of the season, courtesy of John Tavares and Lubomir Visnovsky on the power play. Buffalo tied it again on a Marcus Foligno goal, with a lone assist by Tyler Myers. The tie was broken in favor of the Sabres in the shootout with goals scored by Vanek and Ennis to topple the Islanders' single tally by Moulson. The three stars of the 4-3 game were Ennis, Vanek, and Ehrhoff, while Moulson gets an honorable mention.
Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Roberto Luongo faces a lesser foe in Steve Mason in goal. Philadelphia opened with a Tye McGinn goal, his second of the season, fueled by Nicklas Grossmann and Erik Gustafsson. Vancouver tied it on the second of the year by Ryan Kesler, passed from Jannik Hansen and Christopher Tanev. The Flyers took the lead in the second period as McGinn scored his second of the game and third of the season, set up by Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. The Canucks tied it on a Chris Higgins goal in the third period, via Henrik Sedin and Jason Garrison. Vancouver took the lead when Kesler scored his second of the game and third of the year, assisted by Higgins and Henrik Sedin. This was good for a 3-2 win, with the three stars belonging to Kesler, McGinn, and Higgins, and an honorable mention was given to Henrik Sedin.
Across Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Edmonton Oilers. Jason LaBarbera is mismatched with Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. Pittsburgh started in the first period with a Pascal Dupuis goal, his second of the season, assisted by Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz. Edmonton tied it on a second period goal by Ales Hemsky, his second of the year, guided in by David Perron and Jeff Petry. The Penguins retook the lead on a goal by Kunitz, his second of the season, via Crosby and Dupuis. The Oilers retied it as Jordan Eberle scored his second of the year, with the help of Taylor Hall and Mark Arcobello. Pittsburgh gained the lead back as Evgeni Malkin scored his second of the campaign, a power play goal, powered by Paul Martin and Crosby, the latter getting a sock trick. This held up for a 3-2 win, with the three stars awarded to Dupuis, Kunitz, and Crosby.
Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs welcome the Minnesota Wild. Darcy Kuemper and James Reimer are in the creases. Toronto began with a Tyler Bozak power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Dave Bolland and Cody Franson. The Maple Leafs added on with a Trevor Smith goal, via Morgan Rielly and Franson. Minnesota got on the board as Jason Pominville scored his third of the year, courtesy of Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise on the power play. Toronto replied in the second period on a Mason Raymond power play goal, his third of the season, set up by Nazem Kadri and Rielly. Josh Harding relieved Kuemper at this time. The Maple Leafs iced it at 4-1 in the third period as Raymond scored his second of the game and fourth of the year, an empty net goal pushed through by Phil Kessel. The three stars were handed to Raymond, Reimer (36 for 37 in saves), and Rielly, while Franson gets an honorable mention.
Way to the south, the Tampa Bay Lightning bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Ben Bishop are the masked men. Nineteen seconds into the first period, Tampa Bay struck first with a Ryan Malone goal, coming off of Sami Salo and Martin St. Louis. The Lightning added on with a Teddy Purcell goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Ondrej Palat and Matthew Carle. Tampa Bay extended the lead in the second period as St. Louis scored his third of the year, with the help of Steven Stamkos and Andrej Sustr. Ben Scrivens replaced Quick at this time. Los Angeles got on the board in the third period with a Slava Voynov goal, made possible by Matt Frattin and Jarret Stoll. The Lightning replied as St. Louis scored his second of the game and fourth of the season, with helpers provided by Malone and Stamkos. Tampa Bay iced it at 5-1 with a Palat goal, his second of the year, guided in by Purcell and Tyler Johnson. The three stars were St. Louis, Bishop (30 for 31 in saves), and Purcell, while Malone, Palat, and Stamkos get honorable mentions.
Back north, the Detroit Red Wings host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Jonas Gustavsson will occupy the blue paint. Detroit led off in the first period on a Daniel Alfredsson goal, fueled by Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Columbus got on the board as Cam Atkinson scored his second of the season, an unassisted power play goal. The Red Wings took the lead back with a power play goal by Todd Bertuzzi, his second of the year, powered by Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall. They held on from here for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Zetterberg, Gustavsson (36 for 37 in saves), and Bobrovsky (30 for 32 in saves).
A bit southwest, the St. Louis Blues welcome the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Jaroslav Halak guard the cages. San Jose started in the first period as Logan Couture scored his third of the season, with the help of Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton on the power play. The Sharks added on as Joe Pavelski scored a power play goal, powered by Jason Demers and Marleau. San Jose extended the lead with a Tommy Wingels goal in the second period, his second of the year, guided in by James Sheppard and Andrew Desjardins. The Sharks padded the lead as Scott Hannan scored, via Thornton and Brent Burns. Brian Elliott relieved Halak for the third period. San Jose kept going in the third period on a Thornton goal, with a lone assist by Tomas Hertl. St. Louis got on the board as Vladimir Tarasenko scored his fourth of the season, passed from Jaden Schwartz and Patrik Berglund. The Blues pulled closer with a Roman Polak goal, fueled by Derek Roy and Vladimir Sobotka. The Sharks answered on a Marleau power play goal, his fifth of the year, pushed through by Couture and Thornton. This made it a 6-2 final, with the three stars going to Thornton, Marleau, and Couture.
Eastward to Nashville, as the Predators bring in the Florida Panthers. Jacob Markstrom and Pekka Rinne receive the starting nods. Nashville began with a first period Shea Weber goal, via Mike Fisher and Colin Wilson. Florida tied it in the second period as Jonathan Huberdeau scored his third of the season, assisted by Scott Gomez and Mike Weaver. The Predators retook the lead on a Fisher goal, his second of the year, coming off of Craig Smith and Seth Jones. The Panthers retied it on a Marcel Goc goal, his third of the season, with assists provided by Jesse Winchester and Shawn Matthias. Nashville pulled ahead again as Smith scored, thanks to Gabriel Bourque and Weber. The Predators extended the lead with a Patric Hornqvist power play goal, his second of the year, powered by David Legwand and Filip Forsberg. Florida got one back as Matt Gilroy scored, with the help of Tomas Fleischmann and Brad Boyes. This was as close as it got, with the final being 4-3, and the three stars went to Weber, Smith, and Fisher.
Back to Canada, as the Winnipeg Jets host the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Ondrej Pavelec are between the pipes. Montreal opened with a Brandon Prust goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Francis Bouillon and Daniel Briere. The Canadiens added on as P.K. Subban scored his second of the year, thanks to David Desharnais and Josh Gorges. Montreal iced it at 3-0 in the third period as Briere scored an empty net power play goal, going in unassisted. The three stars of the game were Price (36 save shutout), Briere, and Prust.
Southwest to Colorado, as the Avalanche welcome the Dallas Stars. Dan Ellis and Semyon Varlamov will attempt to stop the puck. Dallas struck first in the first period with a Rich Peverley goal, assisted by Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. Colorado tied it with the fourth of the season by Matt Duchene, an unassisted goal. The Avalanche took the lead a Jan Hejda scored, with the help of Nathan MacKinnon and P.A. Parenteau. The Stars tied it with a Cody Eakin goal in the second period, a power play goal powered by Ray Whitney and Erik Cole. Colorado regained the lead with another Duchene goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, guided in by Parenteau and Erik Johnson. This was it for the scoring, resulting in a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Duchene, Parenteau, and Varlamov (39 for 41 in saves).
Finally, we end in Phoenix, where the Coyotes bring in the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Mike Smith are the reliable goalies. Phoenix got going in the second period as Rob Klinkhammer scored his third of the season, assisted by Antoine Vermette. The Coyotes added on with a Radim Vrbata goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Mikkel Boedker and Martin Hanzal. Ottawa got one back as Jason Spezza scored his second of the season, with helpers provided by Patrick Wiercioch and Milan Michalek. The Senators tied it in the third period as Spezza scored his second of the game and third of the year, courtesy of Colin Greening. Ottawa took the lead as Spezza finished his natural hat trick with his fourth of the season, a power play goal powered by Erik Karlsson and Michalek. Phoenix tied it with a Mike Ribeiro power play goal, via Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Vermette. The Senators won 4-3 in overtime on a Cory Conacher goal, his second of the year, with assists from Marc Methot and Greening. The three stars were Spezza, Michalek, and Greening, while Vermette gets an honorable mention.
Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.