Eleven games on tonight, beginning in...
New York, as the Rangers host the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Henrik Lundqvist tend the twines. New York got going in the third period on a Mats Zuccarello goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Derick Brassard and Benoit Pouliot. This was it for the scoring, resulting in a 1-0 final, with the three stars being Lundqvist (38 save shutout), Zuccarello, and Howard (47 for 48 in saves).
Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the Nashville Predators. Carter Hutton and Steve Mason draw the starts. Philadelphia led off in the first period with a Brayden Schenn goal, his thirteenth of the season, courtesy of Wayne Simmonds and Andrej Meszaros. Nashville tied it on an Eric Nystrom goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Gabriel Bourque and Shea Weber. The Predators added on with a David Legwand power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Mike Fisher and Weber. The Flyers retied it in the second period on a Meszaros goal, his second of the year, coming off of Simmonds and Mark Streit. Nashville took the lead back in the third period with a Weber goal, his twelfth of the season, a power play goal assisted by Legwand and Roman Josi. Philadelphia retied it as Simmonds scored his sixteenth of the year on the power play, thanks to Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Schenn was matched by Matt Cullen, followed by Sean Couturier being boxed out by Ryan Ellis, and then Josi scored to give the Predators a 4-3 win. Josi, Weber, and Simmonds got the three stars, while Legwand, Meszaros, and Schenn get the honorable mentions.
Down in Florida, the Panthers bring in the San Jose Sharks. Alex Stalock and Tim Thomas are in goal. San Jose dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Joe Thornton goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski. The Sharks added on as Matthew Nieto scored his third of the year in the third period, thanks to Tyler Kennedy and Patrick Marleau. San Jose extended the lead with a Pavelski goal, his twenty-second of the campaign, via Burns and Brad Stuart. This was good for a 3-0 win, with the three stars being Stalock (24 save shutout), Pavelski, and Burns.
Back north to Ottawa, as the Senators host the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Craig Anderson are between the pipes. Montreal opened in the first period with a Tomas Plekanec goal, his fifteenth of the season, a shorthanded goal set up by Travis Moen and Josh Gorges. The Canadiens added on with a Max Pacioretty power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, powered by David Desharnais and Andrei Markov. Montreal extended the lead as Desharnais scored his seventh of the season, assisted by Brendan Gallagher and Alexei Emelin. Ottawa got on the board with a Clarke MacArthur goal, his seventeenth of the year, guided in by Erik Karlsson and Jared Cowen. The Senators got closer with a Karlsson goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Jason Spezza and Cowen. Ottawa tied it on a second period Bobby Ryan goal, his nineteenth of the year, made possible by Colin Greening. The Senators took the lead with a Kyle Turris goal, his fourteenth of the season, via MacArthur and Karlsson. The Canadiens retied it on a Plekanec goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the year, coming off of Brian Gionta and Gorges. Montreal won 5-4 in overtime with an unassisted P.K. Subban goal, his eighth of the campaign. The three stars were handed to Plekanec, Karlsson, and Desharnais, while Gorges and MacArthur get the honorable mentions.
South again to Tampa Bay, where the Lightning welcome the New York Islanders. Kevin Poulin and Ben Bishop are set to start. Tampa Bay started in the first period on a Martin St. Louis goal, his twenty-first of the season, coming on the power play via Valtteri Filppula and Tyler Johnson. New York tied it with a second period Thomas Vanek power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, powered by Frans Nielsen and John Tavares. The Islanders won with a Nielsen goal in the shootout for a 2-1 final. The three stars were Nielsen, Poulin (29 for 30 in saves), and Bishop (29 for 30 in saves).
Northwest to St. Louis, as the Blues bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Jaroslav Halak guard the cages. Los Angeles struck first in the first period on a Jake Muzzin goal, his third of the season, coming off of Colin Fraser and Jordan Nolan. St. Louis tied it in the second period on a T.J. Oshie penalty shot conversion, good for his eleventh of the year, and resulting from a Muzzin hook on the breakaway. The Kings took the lead back in the third period on a Trevor Lewis goal, guided in by Slava Voynov and the goalie Quick. Los Angeles added on with Lewis' second of the game, a shorthanded goal set up by Drew Doughty and Jarret Stoll. The Kings wrapped it up at 4-1 with an empty net goal by Jeff Carter, his seventeenth of the campaign, coming off of Anze Kopitar and Voynov. The three stars were given to Lewis, Voynov, and Quick (28 for 29 in saves).
Northward to Minnesota, where the Wild host the Edmonton Oilers. Ben Scrivens and Darcy Kuemper are the relatively unknown goalies. Minnesota began in the first period on a Jason Pominville goal, his nineteenth of the season, via Mikael Granlund and Marco Scandella. Edmonton tied it with a Jordan Eberle goal in the second period, his fifteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Wild took the lead back on a Nate Prosser goal, fueled by Pominville. Minnesota added on with a Justin Fontaine goal, his twelfth of the season, guided in by Kyle Brodziak and Matt Cooke. The Wild wrapped it up at 4-1 with a third period goal by Jason Zucker, his fourth of the year, coming off of Dany Heatley and Charlie Coyle. Pominville, Kuemper (20 for 21 in saves), and Prosser got the three stars.
South to Dallas, as the Stars welcome the Boston Bruins. Chad Johnson is mismatched with Kari Lehtonen in goal. Boston was first to score in the second period on a David Krejci goal, his tenth of the season, with a lone assist by Milan Lucic. Dallas tied it in the third period on a power play goal by Erik Cole, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Tyler Seguin and Alex Goligoski. The Bruins took the lead back with a Brad Marchand goal, his twelfth of the season, via Patrice Bergeron. Boston added on with a Lucic power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, assisted by Krejci and Torey Krug. The Stars pulled back on a Jamie Benn goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Seguin and Kevin Connauton. The Bruins iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Bergeron, his twelfth of the year, set up by Gregory Campbell and Reilly Smith. Lucic, Krejci, and Bergeron get the three stars, while Seguin gets an honorable mention.
Westward to Phoenix, as the Coyotes bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Eddie Lack and Mike Smith are in the creases. Phoenix opened in the first period with an Antoine Vermette power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Keith Yandle and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. This was the game's only goal, with Smith (29 save shutout), Vermette, and Lack (22 for 23 in saves) being the three stars.
Up to Colorado, as the Avalanche host the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Semyon Varlamov receive the starting nods. Colorado led off in the first period with a Ryan O'Reilly goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Patrick Bordeleau and Brad Malone. New Jersey tied it on a Reid Boucher goal in the third period, his second of the year, courtesy of Andrei Loktionov and Jon Merrill. The Avalanche won 2-1 in the shootout with goals from Matt Duchene and O'Reilly. The three stars were given to O'Reilly, Varlamov (33 for 34 in saves), and Schneider (37 for 38 in saves).
Finally, in Calgary, the Flames host the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec and Reto Berra are the weak goalies. Winnipeg struck first in the first period on a Bryan Little goal, his sixteenth of the season, guided in by Michael Frolik and Andrew Ladd. The Jets added on as Dustin Byfuglien scored his eleventh of the year, thanks to Olli Jokinen and Chris Thorburn. Winnipeg extended the lead with a second period Mark Scheifele goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Blake Wheeler and Thorburn. The Jets padded the lead on a power play goal by Jokinen, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Ladd and Little. Calgary got on the board in the third period with a Mark Giordano goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Paul Byron and Lee Stempniak. Winnipeg shot back with a Jacob Trouba goal, his fifth of the year, via Wheeler and Scheifele. The Flames replied on a Lance Bouma goal, his third of the campaign, with a lone helper by Dennis Wideman. This only made it 5-2, the final, and the three stars went to Scheifele, Little, and Jokinen, while Ladd, Thorburn, and Wheeler get the honorable mentions.
Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.
New York, as the Rangers host the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Henrik Lundqvist tend the twines. New York got going in the third period on a Mats Zuccarello goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Derick Brassard and Benoit Pouliot. This was it for the scoring, resulting in a 1-0 final, with the three stars being Lundqvist (38 save shutout), Zuccarello, and Howard (47 for 48 in saves).
Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the Nashville Predators. Carter Hutton and Steve Mason draw the starts. Philadelphia led off in the first period with a Brayden Schenn goal, his thirteenth of the season, courtesy of Wayne Simmonds and Andrej Meszaros. Nashville tied it on an Eric Nystrom goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Gabriel Bourque and Shea Weber. The Predators added on with a David Legwand power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Mike Fisher and Weber. The Flyers retied it in the second period on a Meszaros goal, his second of the year, coming off of Simmonds and Mark Streit. Nashville took the lead back in the third period with a Weber goal, his twelfth of the season, a power play goal assisted by Legwand and Roman Josi. Philadelphia retied it as Simmonds scored his sixteenth of the year on the power play, thanks to Scott Hartnell and Kimmo Timonen. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Schenn was matched by Matt Cullen, followed by Sean Couturier being boxed out by Ryan Ellis, and then Josi scored to give the Predators a 4-3 win. Josi, Weber, and Simmonds got the three stars, while Legwand, Meszaros, and Schenn get the honorable mentions.
Down in Florida, the Panthers bring in the San Jose Sharks. Alex Stalock and Tim Thomas are in goal. San Jose dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Joe Thornton goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski. The Sharks added on as Matthew Nieto scored his third of the year in the third period, thanks to Tyler Kennedy and Patrick Marleau. San Jose extended the lead with a Pavelski goal, his twenty-second of the campaign, via Burns and Brad Stuart. This was good for a 3-0 win, with the three stars being Stalock (24 save shutout), Pavelski, and Burns.
Back north to Ottawa, as the Senators host the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Craig Anderson are between the pipes. Montreal opened in the first period with a Tomas Plekanec goal, his fifteenth of the season, a shorthanded goal set up by Travis Moen and Josh Gorges. The Canadiens added on with a Max Pacioretty power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, powered by David Desharnais and Andrei Markov. Montreal extended the lead as Desharnais scored his seventh of the season, assisted by Brendan Gallagher and Alexei Emelin. Ottawa got on the board with a Clarke MacArthur goal, his seventeenth of the year, guided in by Erik Karlsson and Jared Cowen. The Senators got closer with a Karlsson goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Jason Spezza and Cowen. Ottawa tied it on a second period Bobby Ryan goal, his nineteenth of the year, made possible by Colin Greening. The Senators took the lead with a Kyle Turris goal, his fourteenth of the season, via MacArthur and Karlsson. The Canadiens retied it on a Plekanec goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the year, coming off of Brian Gionta and Gorges. Montreal won 5-4 in overtime with an unassisted P.K. Subban goal, his eighth of the campaign. The three stars were handed to Plekanec, Karlsson, and Desharnais, while Gorges and MacArthur get the honorable mentions.
South again to Tampa Bay, where the Lightning welcome the New York Islanders. Kevin Poulin and Ben Bishop are set to start. Tampa Bay started in the first period on a Martin St. Louis goal, his twenty-first of the season, coming on the power play via Valtteri Filppula and Tyler Johnson. New York tied it with a second period Thomas Vanek power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, powered by Frans Nielsen and John Tavares. The Islanders won with a Nielsen goal in the shootout for a 2-1 final. The three stars were Nielsen, Poulin (29 for 30 in saves), and Bishop (29 for 30 in saves).
Northwest to St. Louis, as the Blues bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Jaroslav Halak guard the cages. Los Angeles struck first in the first period on a Jake Muzzin goal, his third of the season, coming off of Colin Fraser and Jordan Nolan. St. Louis tied it in the second period on a T.J. Oshie penalty shot conversion, good for his eleventh of the year, and resulting from a Muzzin hook on the breakaway. The Kings took the lead back in the third period on a Trevor Lewis goal, guided in by Slava Voynov and the goalie Quick. Los Angeles added on with Lewis' second of the game, a shorthanded goal set up by Drew Doughty and Jarret Stoll. The Kings wrapped it up at 4-1 with an empty net goal by Jeff Carter, his seventeenth of the campaign, coming off of Anze Kopitar and Voynov. The three stars were given to Lewis, Voynov, and Quick (28 for 29 in saves).
Northward to Minnesota, where the Wild host the Edmonton Oilers. Ben Scrivens and Darcy Kuemper are the relatively unknown goalies. Minnesota began in the first period on a Jason Pominville goal, his nineteenth of the season, via Mikael Granlund and Marco Scandella. Edmonton tied it with a Jordan Eberle goal in the second period, his fifteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Wild took the lead back on a Nate Prosser goal, fueled by Pominville. Minnesota added on with a Justin Fontaine goal, his twelfth of the season, guided in by Kyle Brodziak and Matt Cooke. The Wild wrapped it up at 4-1 with a third period goal by Jason Zucker, his fourth of the year, coming off of Dany Heatley and Charlie Coyle. Pominville, Kuemper (20 for 21 in saves), and Prosser got the three stars.
South to Dallas, as the Stars welcome the Boston Bruins. Chad Johnson is mismatched with Kari Lehtonen in goal. Boston was first to score in the second period on a David Krejci goal, his tenth of the season, with a lone assist by Milan Lucic. Dallas tied it in the third period on a power play goal by Erik Cole, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Tyler Seguin and Alex Goligoski. The Bruins took the lead back with a Brad Marchand goal, his twelfth of the season, via Patrice Bergeron. Boston added on with a Lucic power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, assisted by Krejci and Torey Krug. The Stars pulled back on a Jamie Benn goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Seguin and Kevin Connauton. The Bruins iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Bergeron, his twelfth of the year, set up by Gregory Campbell and Reilly Smith. Lucic, Krejci, and Bergeron get the three stars, while Seguin gets an honorable mention.
Westward to Phoenix, as the Coyotes bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Eddie Lack and Mike Smith are in the creases. Phoenix opened in the first period with an Antoine Vermette power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Keith Yandle and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. This was the game's only goal, with Smith (29 save shutout), Vermette, and Lack (22 for 23 in saves) being the three stars.
Up to Colorado, as the Avalanche host the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Semyon Varlamov receive the starting nods. Colorado led off in the first period with a Ryan O'Reilly goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Patrick Bordeleau and Brad Malone. New Jersey tied it on a Reid Boucher goal in the third period, his second of the year, courtesy of Andrei Loktionov and Jon Merrill. The Avalanche won 2-1 in the shootout with goals from Matt Duchene and O'Reilly. The three stars were given to O'Reilly, Varlamov (33 for 34 in saves), and Schneider (37 for 38 in saves).
Finally, in Calgary, the Flames host the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec and Reto Berra are the weak goalies. Winnipeg struck first in the first period on a Bryan Little goal, his sixteenth of the season, guided in by Michael Frolik and Andrew Ladd. The Jets added on as Dustin Byfuglien scored his eleventh of the year, thanks to Olli Jokinen and Chris Thorburn. Winnipeg extended the lead with a second period Mark Scheifele goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Blake Wheeler and Thorburn. The Jets padded the lead on a power play goal by Jokinen, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Ladd and Little. Calgary got on the board in the third period with a Mark Giordano goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Paul Byron and Lee Stempniak. Winnipeg shot back with a Jacob Trouba goal, his fifth of the year, via Wheeler and Scheifele. The Flames replied on a Lance Bouma goal, his third of the campaign, with a lone helper by Dennis Wideman. This only made it 5-2, the final, and the three stars went to Scheifele, Little, and Jokinen, while Ladd, Thorburn, and Wheeler get the honorable mentions.
Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.