Saturday, April 5, 2014

NHL Day 186 2013-2014

Seven games on this evening, beginning in...

Ottawa, as the Senators host the Montreal Canadiens. Peter Budaj and Craig Anderson are the mediocre goalies. Ottawa led off in the first period with a Zack Smith goal, his twelfth of the season, via Chris Phillips. The Senators added on with an Ales Hemsky goal, his twelfth of the year, coming off of Patrick Wiercioch. Ottawa extended the lead on another Smith goal, his second of the game game and thirteenth of the season, made possible by Mika Zibanejad and Chris Neil. Montreal got on the board with an Andrei Markov goal, his seventh of the year, assisted by Alex Galchenyuk and Alexei Emelin. The Canadiens pulled closer with a Mike Weaver goal, passed from Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty. Montreal tied it as Pacioretty potted his thirty-sixth of the season, thanks to Thomas Vanek and Weaver. The Canadiens took the lead with a second period Lars Eller goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Brian Gionta. Montreal padded their lead with an unassisted goal by Pacioretty goal, his second of the game and thirty-seventh of the season. The Canadiens got another in the third period as Pacioretty completed his hat trick on his thirty-eighth of the year, with assists provided by David Desharnais. Montreal struck again as Desharnais potted his sixteenth of the season, fueled by Pacioretty and Vanek, the latter getting a sock trick. The Senators finally answered with a Zibanejad goal, his fifteenth of the year, with a lone helper from Kyle Turris. This only made it 7-4, with the three stars going to Pacioretty, Vanek, and Smith, while Zibanejad, Weaver, and Desharnais get the honorable mentions.

Down in Columbus, the Blue Jackets welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Antti Raanta is mismatched with Sergei Bobrovsky in goal. Columbus was first to score in the first period with a Derek MacKenzie goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by R.J. Umberger and Jared Boll. Chicago tied it on a Jeremy Morin goal, his second of the year, made possible by Michal Rozsival and Patrick Sharp. The Blue Jackets took the lead back in the second period on a Ryan Johansen goal, his thirty-first of the season, courtesy of Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson. The Blackhawks tied it on a Sharp power play goal, his thirty-second of the year, powered by Duncan Keith. Chicago took the lead with a Marian Hossa goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, fueled by Kris Versteeg and Keith. Columbus tied it again on a power play goal by Artem Anisimov, his twenty-first of the year, guided in by James Wisniewski and Jack Johnson. The Blackhawks won it late in the third period as Ben Smith scored his twelfth of the campaign with just four seconds left, coming off of Keith, who got a sock trick and Brent Seabrook. The final was 4-3, and the three stars were Keith, Smith, and Sharp.

East to New Jersey, where Devils bring in the Washington Capitals. Jaroslav Halak and Cory Schneider are the masked men. Washington started in the first period with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his forty-ninth of the season, via Mikhail Grabovski and Nicklas Backstrom. New Jersey tied it in the second period on a Tuomo Ruutu goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Eric Gelinas and Travis Zajac. The Devils took the lead in the third period on a Ryan Carter goal, his sixth of the campaign, helped along by Marek Zidlicky and Peter Harrold. This was good for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Carter, Schneider (24 for 25 in saves), and Ruutu.

Back west to Detroit, as the Red Wings host the Buffalo Sabres. Matt Hackett and Jimmy Howard draw the starts. Detroit struck first in the first period with a Darren Helm goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Luke Glendening and Danny DeKeyser. The Red Wings added on as Tomas Jurco goal, his seventh of the year, a power play goal powered by DeKeyser and Daniel Alfredsson. Detroit extended the lead as Alfredsson scored his eighteenth of the season, fueled by Jakub Kindl and Justin Abdelkader. Buffalo got on the board in the second period with a Jamie McBain power play goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Chad Ruhwedel and Ville Leino. The Sabres pulled closer in the third period with a Nicolas Deslauriers goal, via Johan Larsson. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars belonging to Alfredsson, DeKeyser, and Howard (21 for 23 in saves).

South to Florida, where the Panthers bring in the Calgary Flames. Joey MacDonald and Roberto Luongo are in the blue paint. Calgary got going in the second period on a Ken Agostino goal, fueled by Brad McGrattan and Chad Billins. Florida tied it on a Vincent Trocheck goal, his fourth of the season, a power play goal powered by Jimmy Hayes and Brandon Pirri. The Flames took the lead back as Michael Cammalleri netted his twenty-sixth of the year, thanks to Jiri Hudler. This was all they needed to win 2-1, with the three stars going to Agostino, MacDonald (34 for 35 in saves), Cammalleri.

Out west, the Phoenix Coyotes welcome the Edmonton Oilers. Ben Scrivens and Thomas Greiss receive the green light to start. Edmonton began in the first period with a Justin Schultz goal, his tenth of the season, fueled by Jordan Eberle and Taylor Hall. Phoenix tied it on a second period power play goal by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Keith Yandle and Mikkel Boedker. The Coyotes took the lead in the third period as Kyle Chipchura scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Martin Erat and Ekman-Larsson. The Oilers retied it on a Sam Gagner goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Eberle. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Gagner's lone tally sealed a 3-2 Edmonton win. The three stars were Gagner, Ekman-Larsson, and Eberle.

Finally, in Anaheim, the Ducks host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Jonas Hiller protect the nets. Nashville opened in the first period on a Colin Wilson goal, his ninth of the season, guided in by Roman Josi. The Predators added on with another Wilson, his second of the game and tenth of the year, via Patric Hornqvist and Ryan Ellis. Nashville extended the lead as Mike Fisher scored his nineteenth of the season, thanks to Hornqvist and Matt Cullen. Anaheim got on the board with a Kyle Palmieri goal, his thirteenth of the year, passed from Pat Maroon and Mathieu Perreault. The Predators shot back with a Hornqvist goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Cullen and Fisher. Hiller was pulled for Frederik Andersen at this time. The Ducks answered in the second period with a Daniel Winnik goal, his fifth of the year, made possible by Rickard Rakell. Nashville replied on another Fisher goal, his twentieth of the season, fueled by Shea Weber and Cullen, the latter getting a sock trick. This was it for the scoring, resulting in a 5-2 final. Hornqvist, Wilson, and Fisher were awarded the three stars, while Cullen gets an honorable mention.

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Friday, April 4, 2014

KHL WCF: Lev Prague VS. Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Game 2

This is the second game of the Western Conference Final from Prague. In goal are Curtis Sanford for Yaroslavl and Petri Vehanen for Prague. Prague led off in the first period with a Nathan Oystrick power play goal, powered by Petr Vrana and Mikko Maenpaa. Lev added on in the second period with a Patrik Zackrisson goal, with a lone assist by Jiri Sekac. Yaroslavl got on the board in the third period with a power play goal by Yegor Averin, coming off of Sergei Plotnikov and Yegor Averin. They failed to tie it, losing 2-1, with the three stars going to Zackrisson, Vehanen (34 for 35 in saves), and Oystrick. Lev takes a commanding 2-0 series lead.

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Thursday, April 3, 2014

NHL Day 185 2013-2014

Nine games on today as the playoff races enters single digits for days left. We begin in...

Philadelphia, as the Flyers host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Steve Mason are the goalies appearing against their former teams. Columbus dented the scoreboard in the second period with a James Wisniewski power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Mark Letestu and Fedor Tyutin. The Blue Jackets added on with a third period goal by Brandon Dubinsky, his sixteenth of the year, made possible by Cam Atkinson and Wisniewski. This held up for a 2-0 win, with the three stars going to Bobrovsky (37 save shutout), Wisniewski, and Dubinsky.

South to Raleigh, where the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Anton Khudobin guard the cages. Carolina got going in the second period with an Eric Staal goal, his nineteenth of the season, fueled by John-Michael Liles and Patrick Dwyer. The Hurricanes added on with a Justin Faulk power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Liles and Chris Terry. Carolina extended the lead on a Liles power play goal, his second of the season, assisted by Terry and Faulk. Dallas got on the board with a Tyler Seguin goal, his thirty-fourth of the year, guided in by Valeri Nichushkin and Trevor Daley. The Hurricanes iced it at 4-1 in the third period with a Riley Nash goal, his tenth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Brett Bellemore. The three stars belonged to Liles, Khudobin (33 for 34 in saves), and Faulk, while Terry gets an honorable mention.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs bring in the Boston Bruins. Chad Johnson is mismatched with Jonathan Bernier in goal. Toronto began in the first period with a Paul Ranger goal, his fifth of the season, via Jerry D'Amigo and Morgan Rielly. Boston tied it on a Brad Marchand goal, his twenty-third of the year, with a lone helper by Patrice Bergeron. The Maple Leafs took the lead on a Tyler Bozak goal, his eighteenth of the season, passed from Phil Kessel and Cody Franson. Toronto added on in the second period as James van Riemsdyk scored his thirtieth of the year, thanks to Kessel. The Bruins shot back in the third period with a Milan Lucic goal, his twenty-second of the season, made possible by David Krejci and Matt Bartkowski. Bernier left with an injury about midway through the period, replaced by James Reimer in goal. Boston tied it on a Bergeron goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, assisted by Marchand and Kevan Miller. The Maple Leafs won with a power play goal in overtime from Nazem Kadri, his nineteenth of the campaign, powered by Franson and Jake Gardiner. The three stars were Franson, Marchand, and Kessel, while Bergeron gets an honorable mention.

Way to the south, the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Calgary Flames. Karri Ramo and Ben Bishop are the masked men. Calgary opened in the first period with a Michael Cammalleri goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, going in unassisted. The Flames added on with a Kevin Westgarth goal, his fourth of the year, with a lone assist by Chris Breen. Tampa Bay got on the board in the second period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his twentieth of the season, passed from Matthew Carle and Ryan Callahan. Calgary shot back as Curtis Glencross put away his eleventh of the year in the third period, a power play goal powered by Cammalleri and Kris Russell. The Flames extended the lead with another Glencross goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the campaign, an unassisted empty net goal. This stood for a 4-1 win, with the three stars being named as Cammalleri, Ramo (31 for 32 in saves), and Glencross.

Northwest to Chicago, where the Blackhawks welcome the Minnesota Wild. Ilya Bryzgalov and Corey Crawford are between the pipes. Minnesota was first to score in the first period with a Charlie Coyle goal, his eleventh of the season, via Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Suter. Chicago tied it in the second period with a Ben Smith goal, his eleventh of the year, made possible by Brandon Saad and Nick Leddy. The Blackhawks took the lead in the third period on a Bryan Bickell goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Jeremy Morin. The Wild retied it with an Erik Haula goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Justin Fontaine. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Marian Hossa had the only goal for a 3-2 Chicago win. The three stars went to Smith, Bickell, and Hossa.

Backtracking to St. Louis, where the Blues bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Nathan Lieuwen and Brian Elliott are the backups of varying quality in goal. St. Louis started in the second period with a Maxim Lapierre goal, his eighth of the season, guided in by Ryan Reaves. The Blues added on in the third period with a Brenden Morrow goal, his thirteenth of the year, courtesy of Vladimir Sobotka and Jaden Schwartz. Buffalo got on the board with a Cody Hodgson goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, coming on the power play from Tyler Ennis and Ville Leino. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Elliott (24 for 25 in saves), Morrow, and Lapierre.

Into Canada, where the Winnipeg Jets host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Ondrej Pavelec are set to start. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period on a Beau Bennett goal, his third of the season, guided in by Sidney Crosby and Jussi Jokinen. Winnipeg tied it on a second period Olli Jokinen goal, his seventeenth of the year, made possible by Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien. The Jets took the lead with a Zach Redmond goal, coming off of Evander Kane and Matt Halischuk. The Penguins retied it on a Craig Adams goal, his fifth of the season, via Lee Stempniak. Pittsburgh took the lead on a third period goal from Paul Martin, his third of the year, a power play goal powered by James Neal and Crosby. The Penguins added on with an unassisted goal by Brian Gibbons, his fifth of the campaign. The three stars were Crosby, Martin, and Adams.

Southwest to Denver, as the Colorado Avalanche welcome the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Semyon Varlamov protect the nets. New York led off in the first period with a John Moore goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by Mats Zuccarello and Benoit Pouliot. Colorado tied it on an Andre Benoit goal in the second period, his seventh of the year, assisted by John Mitchell and Ryan O'Reilly. The Rangers retook the lead on a Derek Stepan goal, his sixteenth of the season, via Kevin Klein and Dan Girardi. The Avalanche tied it again late in the third period with a Tyson Barrie goal, his eleventh of the year, made possible by Paul Stastny and Erik Johnson. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Barrie continued his heroics with the only tally for a 3-2 Colorado win. The three stars were given to Barrie, Lundqvist (35 for 37 in saves), and Benoit.

Finally, in California, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Martin Jones is mismatched with Antti Niemi in goal. Los Angeles began in the first period with a Jordan Nolan goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Jarret Stoll and Alec Martinez. San Jose tied it in the second period with a Brent Burns power play goal, his twenty-third of the year, powered by Dan Boyle and Joe Thornton. The Sharks took the lead with a Logan Couture goal, his twenty-first of the season, via Patrick Marleau and Tommy Wingels. This was all they needed to win 2-1, with the three stars awarded to Couture, Niemi (26 for 27 in saves), and Burns.

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KHL ECF: Metallurg Magnitogorsk VS. Salavat Yulaev Ufa Game 1

This first game of the Eastern Conference Final comes from Magnitogorsk. In goal are Andrei Vasilevsky for Ufa and Vasily Koshechkin for Metallurg. Ufa was first to score in the first period with a Denis Khlystov goal, fueled by Anton Slepyshev. Magnitogorsk tied it on a Francis Pare power play goal, powered by Yaroslav Khabarov. Salavat Yulev retook the lead when Teemu Hartikainen scored on a delayed penalty call, with the help of Dmitry Makarov. Metallurg tied it again as Bogdan Potekhin scored, thanks to Vladimir Malenkikh. Magnitogorsk gained the lead in the second period with a Sergei Mozyakin goal, via Danis Zaripov and Jan Kovar. This was good for a 3-2 win, with the three stars bring Mozyakin, Potekhin, and Pare. Metallurg establishes the early 1-0 series lead.

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Wednesday, April 2, 2014

NHL Day 184 2013-2014

Four games on tonight, beginning in...

Ottawa, as the Senators host the New York Islanders. Anders Nilsson and Craig Anderson draw the starts. New York led off in the first period with a Josh Bailey power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Ryan Strome and Matt Donovan. Ottawa tied it in the third period on a Milan Michalek goal, his seventeenth of the year, fueled by Chris Neil and Patrick Wiercioch. The Islanders took the lead back with a Casey Cizikas power play goal, his sixth of the campaign, passed from Bailey and Strome. This made it 2-1, a final, with Bailey, Nilsson (35 for 36 in saves), and Strome.

South to Detroit, as the Red Wings welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Jimmy Howard guard the cages. Boston opened in the first period with a Johnny Boychuk goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Chris Kelly and Brad Marchand. Detroit tied it in the second period on a Tomas Tatar goal, his nineteenth of the year, guided in by Danny DeKeyser and Jakub Kindl. The Bruins took the lead again in the third period on a Carl Soderberg power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Patrice Bergeron and Dougie Hamilton. The Red Wings retied it with a Tomas Jurco goal, his sixth of the year, made possible by Tatar. Detroit took the lead on a Gustav Nyquist goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, an unassisted goal. This made it 3-2, with Tatar, Howard (33 for 35 in saves), and Nyquist getting the three stars.

Out in Anaheim, the Ducks bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Viktor Fasth faces former teammate Frederik Andersen in goal. Edmonton got going in the second period on a Philip Larsen power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Martin Marincin and David Perron. The Oilers added on in the third period with a Jordan Eberle goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, assisted by Taylor Hall and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Anaheim got on the board with a Corey Perry goal, his fortieth of the season, passed from Matt Beleskey and the goalie Andersen. The Ducks tied it on another Perry goal, his second of the game and forty-first of the year, made possible by Stephane Robidas. Anaheim won 3-2 with a Francois Beauchemin goal, his fourth of the campaign, coming off of Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. Perry, Beauchemin, and Andersen (30 for 32 in saves) receive the three stars.

Finally, in Los Angeles, the Kings host the Phoenix Coyotes. Thomas Greiss is mismatched with Jonathan Quick in goal. Los Angeles began in the first period with a Tanner Pearson goal, his third of the season, coming off of Jeff Carter. The Kings added on in the second period as Drew Doughty scored his tenth of the year, a power play goal powered by Alec Martinez and Anze Kopitar. Los Angeles extended the lead in the third period on a Carter goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, going in unassisted. The Kings padded the lead with a Kopitar power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, with assists provided by Marian Gaborik and Martinez. This was it for the scoring, resulting in a 4-0 final, with the three stars being Quick (17 save shutout), Carter, and Kopitar, while Martinez gets an honorable mention.

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KHL WCF: Lev Prague VS. Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Game 1

The first game of the Western Conference Final comes from Prague. In goal are Curtis Sanford for Yaroslavl and Petri Vehanen for Prague. Prague opened in the first period with an Ondrej Nemec power play goal, powered by Niko Kapanen and Marc-Andre Gragnani. Lev added on with a Jakub Klepis goal, made possible by Martin Sevc. Prague finished it at 3-0 in the third period on a Kapanen goal, going in unassisted. The three stars belonged to Vehanen (32 save shutout), Kapanen, Nemec. Lev leads the series 1-0.

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Tuesday, April 1, 2014

NHL Day 183 2013-2014

Eleven games on a busy night tonight, beginning in...

Buffalo, as the Sabres host the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider faces a lesser foe in Nathan Lieuwen in goal. New Jersey dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Dainius Zubrus goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Michael Ryder and Damien Brunner. Buffalo tied it on a Tyler Ennis goal in the third period, his twentieth of the year, guided in by Ville Leino and Drew Stafford. The Sabres took the lead with an Ennis power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the season, powered by Cody Hodgson and Stafford. The Devils tied it on a Tuomo Ruutu power play goal, his seventh of the year, helped along by Andy Greene and Marek Zidlicky. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Ennis was matched by Jacob Josefson, followed by Jaromir Jagr doing the same to Stafford before Leino gave Buffalo a 3-2 win. Ennis, Stafford, and Leino were named the three stars.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs welcome the Calgary Flames. Karri Ramo and Jonathan Bernier are the goalies. Toronto got going in the second period on a Jay McClement goal, his fourth of the season, fueled by Cody Franson. Calgary tied it with a Matt Stajan goal, his thirteenth of the year, via T.J. Brodie and Mark Giordano. The Maple Leafs took the lead back in the third period on an unassisted goal by Dave Bolland, his eighth of the season. Toronto added on with a David Clarkson goal, his fifth of the year, made possible by Mason Raymond. The Flames got one back with a Kris Russell goal, his sixth of the campaign, guided in by Joe Colborne and Chris Butler. They failed to tie it, losing 3-2, with the three stars being Clarkson, Bolland, and McClement.

Back in the States, the New York Islanders bring in the Florida Panthers. Scott Clemmensen and Evgeni Nabokov are called on to start. Florida led off with a shorthanded and unassisted goal by Quinton Howden, his fourth of the season. New York tied it on a power play goal by Travis Hamonic, his third of the year, powered by Josh Bailey. The Islanders took the lead as Bailey scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Colin McDonald and Ryan Strome. New York added on with a Matt Martin goal, his eighth of the year, made possible by McDonald. The Islanders extended the lead in the third period with a Mike Halmo goal, coming off of Casey Cizikas. The Panthers got one back with a Brandon Pirri power play goal, his eleventh of the campaign, assisted by Brian Campbell and Dmitry Kulikov. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars being Bailey, McDonald, and Halmo.

West a bit to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins host the Carolina Hurricanes. Anton Khudobin and Marc-Andre Fleury protect the nets. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period with a Chris Kunitz goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, assisted by Lee Stempniak and Sidney Crosby. Carolina tied it with a Justin Faulk goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The Hurricanes took the lead in the second period with an Elias Lindholm power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Jeff Skinner and Andrei Loktionov. Carolina added on with another Lindholm goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, passed from Skinner. The Hurricanes extended the lead on an Eric Staal goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, via Loktionov. This was good enough for a 4-1 final, with the three stars going to Lindholm, Skinner, and Loktionov.

Over in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Jaroslav Halak are the masked men. Dallas opened in the first period with a Tyler Seguin goal, his thirty-third of the season, via Jamie Benn. The Stars added on in the second period with a Ray Whitney goal, his ninth of the year, with the help of Alex Chiasson and Alex Goligoski. Dallas extended the lead as Dustin Jeffrey scored, thanks to Chiasson and Trevor Daley. Braden Holtby came on in relief halfway throuh the game. The Stars padded the lead in the third period on another Jeffrey goal, his second of the game, made possible by Whitney and Chiasson, the latter getting a sock trick. Dallas iced it at 5-0 with a shorthanded goal by Ryan Garbutt, his sixteenth of the campaign, set up by Vernon Fiddler. The three stars were Jeffrey, Lehtonen (35 save shutout), and Chiasson, while Whitney gets an honorable mention.

West again to Columbus, as the Blue Jackets bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Sergei Bobrovsky are the Russian goalies. Columbus was first to score in the second period on a Cam Atkinson goal, his twentieth of the season, with a lone assist by Brandon Dubinsky. The Blue Jackets added on as Blake Comeau scored his fourth of the year, thanks to Nick Foligno and Fedor Tyutin. Colorado got on the board in the third period with a Brad Malone goal, his second of the season, assisted by Marc-Andre Cliche and Nick Holden. The Avalanche tied it with a Gabriel Landeskog goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, fueled by Nathan MacKinnon and Paul Stastny. Colorado won 3-2 in overtime as Landeskog scored his second of the game and twenty-sixth of the campaign, a power play goal powered by Tyson Barrie and MacKinnon. The three stars were Landeskog, MacKinnon, and Malone.

South to Tampa Bay, as the Lightning host the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Ben Bishop guard the cages. Montreal started in the first period with a Brendan Gallagher goal, his nineteenth of the season, coming off of Alex Galchenyuk and Mike Weaver. Tampa Bay tied it in the second period with a Ryan Callahan power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, powered by Ondrej Palat and Victor Hedman. The Lightning took the lead on a shorthanded and unassisted Tyler Johnson goal, his twenty-third of the season. Tampa Bay iced it at 3-1 with an Alex Killorn power play goal into an empty net, his seventeenth of the year, set up by Palat and J.T. Brown.

Northwest to St. Louis, where the Blues welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Ray Emery and Ryan Miller are the veteran goalies. There was no scoring in 65 minutes of hockey, so the scoreless tie went to the shootout. Tallies by T.J. Oshie and Kevin Shattenkirk sealed a 1-0 victory for St. Louis. Miller (31 save shutout), Emery (28 save "shutout"), and Oshie.

Continuing along to Vancouver, as the Canucks bring in the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Eddie Lack are in the creases. New York began in the first period with a Daniel Carcillo goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Derek Dorsett and Brian Boyle. The Rangers added on with a power play goal by Benoit Pouliot, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello. Vancouver got on the board in the second period with a Ryan Kesler goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, with a lone assist by Daniel Sedin. New York finished it with a shorthanded goal by Martin St. Louis, his thirtieth of the year, set up by Rick Nash. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars being St. Louis, Pouliot, and Lundqvist (34 for 35 in saves).

Way south to Phoenix, where the Coyotes host the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec and Thomas Greiss are the underwhelming goalies. Winnipeg was first to score in the first period on an Andrew Ladd goal, his twenty-third of the season, fueled by Bryan Little. Phoenix tied it in the second period on a Zbynek Michalek goal, his second of the year, guided in by Antoine Vermette and Mikkel Boedker. The Jets won 2-1 with a shootout goal by Ladd. The three stars went to Ladd, Pavelec (28 for 29 in saves), and Greiss (21 for 22 in saves).

Finally, in San Jose, the Sharks host the Edmonton Oilers. Ben Scrivens is mismatched with Antti Niemi in goal. San Jose struck first in the first period with an Andrew Desjardins goal, his third of the season, passed from Tyler Kennedy and Jason Demers. Edmonton tied it on a Taylor Hall goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, a power play goal powered by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle. The Sharks shot back with a Dan Boyle goal, his eleventh of the season, fueled by Joe Thornton. San Jose added on in the second period as Tommy Wingels scored his sixteenth of the year, thanks to Brad Stuart and Justin Braun. The Oilers answered in the second period on a Nugent-Hopkins goal, his seventeenth of the season, via Anton Belov and Hall. Edmonton tied it with an Eberle goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, assisted by Oscar Klefbom and Hall. The Oilers gained the lead in the third period on Nugent-Hopkins' second of the game and eighteenth of the season, made possible by Eberle and Hall, the latter getting a sock trick. The Sharks retied it with a Brent Burns goal, his twenty-second of the year, helped along by Thornton and Joe Pavelski. San Jose took the lead on a Patrick Marleau power play goal, his thirty-second of the campaign, with assists from Burns and Boyle. This held up for a 5-4 win, with the three stars being Burns, Hall, and Nugent-Hopkins, while Boyle, Eberle, and Thornton get the honorable mentions.

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