Twelve games on Black Friday this year, beginning in...
Philadelphia, as the Flyers host the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec and Steve Mason are the below-average goalies. Philadelphia was first to score in the first period as Scott Hartnell scored his fifth of the season, an unassisted goal. The Flyers added on in the second period with a Sean Couturier goal, his second of the year, going in shorthanded and unassisted. Winnipeg got on the board in the third period with a Michael Frolik goal, his seventh of the campaign, fueled by Mark Scheifele and Mark Stuart. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars being Mason (25 for 26 in saves), Couturier, and Hartnell.
Over in Boston, the Bruins welcome the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Tuukka Rask tend the twines. Boston struck first in the first period with a Brad Marchand goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Zdeno Chara and Loui Eriksson. New York tied it with a Rick Nash goal, his third of the year, fueled by Brad Richards and Carl Hagelin. The Rangers took the lead as Ryan McDonagh scored his sixth of the season, passed from Derick Brassard and Ryan Callahan. In the second period, Chara dropped the mitts with Brian Boyle. The Bruins tied it in the third period on a Patrice Bergeron goal, his seventh of the year, assisted by Marchand and Johnny Boychuk. Boston gained the lead as Chara finished his Gordie Howe Hat Trick with a goal, his sixth of the campaign, guided in by David Krejci. This held up for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Chara, Marchand, and Bergeron.
Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning bring in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Ben Bishop are the masked men. Pittsburgh opened in the first period with a Chris Kunitz goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang. The Penguins added on in the third period as Brandon Sutter scored his fifth of the year, a power play goal powered by Crosby and Jussi Jokinen. Pittsburgh iced it at 3-0 with an empty net goal by Kunitz, his second of the game and thirteenth of the campaign, set up by Evgeni Malkin and Crosby, the latter getting a sock trick. The three stars were Fleury (21 save shutout), Kunitz, and Crosby.
Way to the west, the Anaheim Ducks host the Calgary Flames. Reto Berra and Frederik Andersen are the little-known starters. Anaheim led off in the first period with a Sami Vatanen goal, his third of the season, guided in by Andrew Cogliano and Saku Koivu. The Ducks added on as Corey Perry notched his fourteenth of the year, via Ben Lovejoy and Nolan Yonkman. Anaheim extended the lead in the second period on a Dustin Penner power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Ryan Getzlaf and Nick Bonino. Calgary got on the board with a David Jones goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Ladislav Smid and Lance Bouma. The Ducks replied as Cogliano scored his seventh of the season, with the help of Daniel Winnik and Koivu. The Flames got one back with a David Jones goal, his sixth of the year, an unassisted goal. Anaheim responded on a Penner goal in the third period his second of the game and ninth of the campaign, fueled by Getzlaf and Perry. This resulted in a 5-2 final, with the three stars being given to Penner, Jones, and Perry, while Cogliano, Getzlaf, and Koivu receive the honorable mentions.
Up in San Jose, the Sharks welcome the St. Louis Blues. Brian Elliott and Antti Niemi are the reliable goalies. San Jose quickly began in the first period with a Brent Burns goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture. The Sharks added on as Joe Thornton scored his fourth of the year, a power play goal powered by Joe Pavelski and Couture. San Jose extended the lead as Burns scored his second of the game and seventh of the season, thanks to Thornton and Tomas Hertl. The Sharks padded the lead on a Tommy Wingels goal, his eighth of the year, helped along by Couture, who got a sock trick, and Justin Braun. Jaroslav Halak relieved Elliott for the second period. St. Louis got on the board in the second period as Ian Cole scored, with assists provided by Jaden Schwartz and Roman Polak. The Blues pulled closer in the third period as David Backes scored his twelfth of the season, a power play goal pushed through by Derek Roy and Alexander Steen. St. Louis edged closer as Schwartz scored his sixth of the year, guided in by Vladimir Sobotka and Polak. San Jose answered as Burns finished his hat trick with his eighth of the season, a power play goal coming off of Pavelski and Dan Boyle. The Sharks wrapped it up at 6-3 with a Hertl empty net goal, his thirteenth of the year, set up by Burns and Thornton. The three stars were awarded to Burns, Thornton, and Couture, while Hertl, Schwartz, Polak, and Pavelski received the honorable mentions.
Crossing east again, as the New York Islanders bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard faces a lesser foe in Kevin Poulin in goal. Detroit started in the first period with a Darren Helm goal, his sixth of the season, via Daniel Alfredsson and Brendan Smith. The Red Wings added on in the second period as Helm scored his second of the game and seventh of the year, a shorthanded goal set up by Daniel Cleary and Jonathan Ericsson. Detroit extended the lead in the third period as Alfredsson scored his fifth of the season, via Smith. The Red Wings padded the lead on a Gustav Nyquist goal, his fourth of the year, thanks to Johan Franzen and Niklas Kronwall. Detroit iced it at 5-0 with another Alfredsson goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, passed from Justin Abdelkader and Kronwall. The three stars were Helm, Alfredsson, and Howard (29 save shutout), while Kronwall and Smith get the honorable mentions.
Over in Washington, the Capitals host the Montreal Canadiens. Peter Budaj and Braden Holtby are in the blue paint. Montreal struck first in the first period on a Daniel Briere goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta. Washington tied it in the second period on an Eric Fehr goal, his third of the year, made possible by Mikhail Grabovski. The Canadiens retook the lead as Plekanec scored his eighth of the season, fueled by Gionta and Alexei Emelin. The Capitals retied it in the third period on a Grabovski goal, his eighth of the year, assisted by Fehr and Troy Brouwer. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Fehr and Lars Eller traded goals, followed by Alex Ovechkin and David Desharnais doing the same before Grabovski potted the winner for the Capitals and made it a 3-2 final. The three stars were Grabovski, Fehr, and Plekanec, while Gionta gets an honorable mention.
Back west, the Minnesota Wild welcome the Colorado Avalanche. Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Josh Harding draw the starts. Colorado began in the first period with a Jan Hejda goal, his third of the season, coming off of Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche added on in the second period as MacKinnon scored his fourth of the year, via Landeskog and Erik Johnson. Minnesota got on the board as Dany Heatley netted his sixth of the season, with the help of Nino Neiderreiter and Erik Haula. Colorado iced it at 3-1 in the third period as Landeskog scored his eighth of the year, set up by Marc-Andre Cliche. The three stars were Landeskog, MacKinnon, and Giguere (27 for 28 in saves).
Southeast to Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes bring in the New Jersey Devils. Corey Schneider and Cam Ward play between the pipes. New Jersey was first to score as Mark Fayne scored, with assists provided by Dainius Zubrus and Jaromir Jagr. Carolina tied it in the second period on a Jeff Skinner goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Ryan Murphy and Riley Nash. The Hurricanes took the lead with a Jordan Staal goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Justin Faulk and Ron Hainsey. The Devils retied it in the third period when Andrei Loktionov scored his second of the season, via Damien Brunner and Michael Ryder. New Jersey gained the lead with an Adam Henrique power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Eric Gelinas and Andy Greene. The Devils added on as Zubrus scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Jon Merrill and Jagr. New Jersey finished it at 5-2 with a Jagr goal, his eleventh of the year, with a lone assist by Travis Zajac. The three stars were Jagr, Zubrus, and Henrique.
Up in Columbus, the Blue Jackets host the Edmonton Oilers. Ilya Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky are the Russian goalies. Columbus opened in the first period with a Ryan Johansen goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by Cam Atkinson and Matt Calvert. The Blue Jackets added on in the second period as Artem Anisimov scored his seventh of the year, a power play goal powered by Calvert and Fedor Tyutin. Columbus extended the lead as Nick Foligno scored his sixth of the season, a power play goal assisted by Boone Jenner and Johansen. The Blue Jackets chased Bryzgalov as Jack Skille scored his second of the year, via Corey Tropp and Dalton Prout. Devan Dubnyk came on in relief. Edmonton got on the board in the third period with a Sam Gagner goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Ales Hemsky and Denis Grebeshkov. The Oilers pulled closer with a power play goal by David Perron, his ninth of the year, thanks to Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars going to Johansen, Calvert, and Bobrovsky (25 for 27 in saves).
Further north to Buffalo, as the Sabres welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Ryan Miller protect the nets. Toronto led off in the first period with a Phil Kessel goal, his fourteenth of the season, courtesy of Tyler Bozak and Jake Gardiner. Buffalo tied it in the second period as Matt Moulson scored his tenth of the year, a power play goal powered by Ville Leino and Tyler Myers. The Maple Leafs took the lead back on a Nikolai Kulemin goal, his second of the season, fueled by Trevor Smith. The Sabres retied it as Luke Adam scored, with the help of Zemgus Girgensons and Christian Ehrhoff. Buffalo went on to win 3-2 in overtime with an Ehrhoff goal, his second of the year, passed from Myers and Leino. The three stars were Ehrhoff, Myers, and Leino.
Finally, we end in Dallas, as the Stars bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Kari Lehtonen guard the cages. Dallas started in the first period with a Rich Peverley goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Shawn Horcoff. Chicago tied it in the third period with a Patrick Sharp goal, his tenth of the year, with a lone helper by Duncan Keith. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Sharp and Peverley traded goals early before Ben Smith scored in the tenth round to win it 2-1 for the Blackhawks. The three stars were Sharp, Peverley, and Crawford (28 for 29 in saves).
Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.
Philadelphia, as the Flyers host the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec and Steve Mason are the below-average goalies. Philadelphia was first to score in the first period as Scott Hartnell scored his fifth of the season, an unassisted goal. The Flyers added on in the second period with a Sean Couturier goal, his second of the year, going in shorthanded and unassisted. Winnipeg got on the board in the third period with a Michael Frolik goal, his seventh of the campaign, fueled by Mark Scheifele and Mark Stuart. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars being Mason (25 for 26 in saves), Couturier, and Hartnell.
Over in Boston, the Bruins welcome the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Tuukka Rask tend the twines. Boston struck first in the first period with a Brad Marchand goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Zdeno Chara and Loui Eriksson. New York tied it with a Rick Nash goal, his third of the year, fueled by Brad Richards and Carl Hagelin. The Rangers took the lead as Ryan McDonagh scored his sixth of the season, passed from Derick Brassard and Ryan Callahan. In the second period, Chara dropped the mitts with Brian Boyle. The Bruins tied it in the third period on a Patrice Bergeron goal, his seventh of the year, assisted by Marchand and Johnny Boychuk. Boston gained the lead as Chara finished his Gordie Howe Hat Trick with a goal, his sixth of the campaign, guided in by David Krejci. This held up for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Chara, Marchand, and Bergeron.
Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning bring in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Ben Bishop are the masked men. Pittsburgh opened in the first period with a Chris Kunitz goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang. The Penguins added on in the third period as Brandon Sutter scored his fifth of the year, a power play goal powered by Crosby and Jussi Jokinen. Pittsburgh iced it at 3-0 with an empty net goal by Kunitz, his second of the game and thirteenth of the campaign, set up by Evgeni Malkin and Crosby, the latter getting a sock trick. The three stars were Fleury (21 save shutout), Kunitz, and Crosby.
Way to the west, the Anaheim Ducks host the Calgary Flames. Reto Berra and Frederik Andersen are the little-known starters. Anaheim led off in the first period with a Sami Vatanen goal, his third of the season, guided in by Andrew Cogliano and Saku Koivu. The Ducks added on as Corey Perry notched his fourteenth of the year, via Ben Lovejoy and Nolan Yonkman. Anaheim extended the lead in the second period on a Dustin Penner power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Ryan Getzlaf and Nick Bonino. Calgary got on the board with a David Jones goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Ladislav Smid and Lance Bouma. The Ducks replied as Cogliano scored his seventh of the season, with the help of Daniel Winnik and Koivu. The Flames got one back with a David Jones goal, his sixth of the year, an unassisted goal. Anaheim responded on a Penner goal in the third period his second of the game and ninth of the campaign, fueled by Getzlaf and Perry. This resulted in a 5-2 final, with the three stars being given to Penner, Jones, and Perry, while Cogliano, Getzlaf, and Koivu receive the honorable mentions.
Up in San Jose, the Sharks welcome the St. Louis Blues. Brian Elliott and Antti Niemi are the reliable goalies. San Jose quickly began in the first period with a Brent Burns goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture. The Sharks added on as Joe Thornton scored his fourth of the year, a power play goal powered by Joe Pavelski and Couture. San Jose extended the lead as Burns scored his second of the game and seventh of the season, thanks to Thornton and Tomas Hertl. The Sharks padded the lead on a Tommy Wingels goal, his eighth of the year, helped along by Couture, who got a sock trick, and Justin Braun. Jaroslav Halak relieved Elliott for the second period. St. Louis got on the board in the second period as Ian Cole scored, with assists provided by Jaden Schwartz and Roman Polak. The Blues pulled closer in the third period as David Backes scored his twelfth of the season, a power play goal pushed through by Derek Roy and Alexander Steen. St. Louis edged closer as Schwartz scored his sixth of the year, guided in by Vladimir Sobotka and Polak. San Jose answered as Burns finished his hat trick with his eighth of the season, a power play goal coming off of Pavelski and Dan Boyle. The Sharks wrapped it up at 6-3 with a Hertl empty net goal, his thirteenth of the year, set up by Burns and Thornton. The three stars were awarded to Burns, Thornton, and Couture, while Hertl, Schwartz, Polak, and Pavelski received the honorable mentions.
Crossing east again, as the New York Islanders bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard faces a lesser foe in Kevin Poulin in goal. Detroit started in the first period with a Darren Helm goal, his sixth of the season, via Daniel Alfredsson and Brendan Smith. The Red Wings added on in the second period as Helm scored his second of the game and seventh of the year, a shorthanded goal set up by Daniel Cleary and Jonathan Ericsson. Detroit extended the lead in the third period as Alfredsson scored his fifth of the season, via Smith. The Red Wings padded the lead on a Gustav Nyquist goal, his fourth of the year, thanks to Johan Franzen and Niklas Kronwall. Detroit iced it at 5-0 with another Alfredsson goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, passed from Justin Abdelkader and Kronwall. The three stars were Helm, Alfredsson, and Howard (29 save shutout), while Kronwall and Smith get the honorable mentions.
Over in Washington, the Capitals host the Montreal Canadiens. Peter Budaj and Braden Holtby are in the blue paint. Montreal struck first in the first period on a Daniel Briere goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Tomas Plekanec and Brian Gionta. Washington tied it in the second period on an Eric Fehr goal, his third of the year, made possible by Mikhail Grabovski. The Canadiens retook the lead as Plekanec scored his eighth of the season, fueled by Gionta and Alexei Emelin. The Capitals retied it in the third period on a Grabovski goal, his eighth of the year, assisted by Fehr and Troy Brouwer. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Fehr and Lars Eller traded goals, followed by Alex Ovechkin and David Desharnais doing the same before Grabovski potted the winner for the Capitals and made it a 3-2 final. The three stars were Grabovski, Fehr, and Plekanec, while Gionta gets an honorable mention.
Back west, the Minnesota Wild welcome the Colorado Avalanche. Jean-Sebastien Giguere and Josh Harding draw the starts. Colorado began in the first period with a Jan Hejda goal, his third of the season, coming off of Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche added on in the second period as MacKinnon scored his fourth of the year, via Landeskog and Erik Johnson. Minnesota got on the board as Dany Heatley netted his sixth of the season, with the help of Nino Neiderreiter and Erik Haula. Colorado iced it at 3-1 in the third period as Landeskog scored his eighth of the year, set up by Marc-Andre Cliche. The three stars were Landeskog, MacKinnon, and Giguere (27 for 28 in saves).
Southeast to Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes bring in the New Jersey Devils. Corey Schneider and Cam Ward play between the pipes. New Jersey was first to score as Mark Fayne scored, with assists provided by Dainius Zubrus and Jaromir Jagr. Carolina tied it in the second period on a Jeff Skinner goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Ryan Murphy and Riley Nash. The Hurricanes took the lead with a Jordan Staal goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Justin Faulk and Ron Hainsey. The Devils retied it in the third period when Andrei Loktionov scored his second of the season, via Damien Brunner and Michael Ryder. New Jersey gained the lead with an Adam Henrique power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Eric Gelinas and Andy Greene. The Devils added on as Zubrus scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Jon Merrill and Jagr. New Jersey finished it at 5-2 with a Jagr goal, his eleventh of the year, with a lone assist by Travis Zajac. The three stars were Jagr, Zubrus, and Henrique.
Up in Columbus, the Blue Jackets host the Edmonton Oilers. Ilya Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky are the Russian goalies. Columbus opened in the first period with a Ryan Johansen goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by Cam Atkinson and Matt Calvert. The Blue Jackets added on in the second period as Artem Anisimov scored his seventh of the year, a power play goal powered by Calvert and Fedor Tyutin. Columbus extended the lead as Nick Foligno scored his sixth of the season, a power play goal assisted by Boone Jenner and Johansen. The Blue Jackets chased Bryzgalov as Jack Skille scored his second of the year, via Corey Tropp and Dalton Prout. Devan Dubnyk came on in relief. Edmonton got on the board in the third period with a Sam Gagner goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Ales Hemsky and Denis Grebeshkov. The Oilers pulled closer with a power play goal by David Perron, his ninth of the year, thanks to Jordan Eberle and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars going to Johansen, Calvert, and Bobrovsky (25 for 27 in saves).
Further north to Buffalo, as the Sabres welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Ryan Miller protect the nets. Toronto led off in the first period with a Phil Kessel goal, his fourteenth of the season, courtesy of Tyler Bozak and Jake Gardiner. Buffalo tied it in the second period as Matt Moulson scored his tenth of the year, a power play goal powered by Ville Leino and Tyler Myers. The Maple Leafs took the lead back on a Nikolai Kulemin goal, his second of the season, fueled by Trevor Smith. The Sabres retied it as Luke Adam scored, with the help of Zemgus Girgensons and Christian Ehrhoff. Buffalo went on to win 3-2 in overtime with an Ehrhoff goal, his second of the year, passed from Myers and Leino. The three stars were Ehrhoff, Myers, and Leino.
Finally, we end in Dallas, as the Stars bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Kari Lehtonen guard the cages. Dallas started in the first period with a Rich Peverley goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Shawn Horcoff. Chicago tied it in the third period with a Patrick Sharp goal, his tenth of the year, with a lone helper by Duncan Keith. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Sharp and Peverley traded goals early before Ben Smith scored in the tenth round to win it 2-1 for the Blackhawks. The three stars were Sharp, Peverley, and Crawford (28 for 29 in saves).
Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.