NHL October 26th, 2014

Five games for today, beginning in...

Winnipeg, as the Jets host the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Ondrej Pavelec draw the starts in goal. Winnipeg led off in the first period with an Andrew Ladd goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Zach Bogosian and Michael Frolik. Colorado tied it on a Jamie McGinn power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Tyson Barrie and Alex Tanguay. The Jets won 2-1 on an overtime goal by Bryan Little, his fifth of the campaign, assisted by Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien. The three stars went to Ladd, Pavelec (22 for 23 in saves), and Little.

Southwest to Los Angeles, where the Kings welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Jonathan Quick tend the twines. Columbus started in the first period with a Tim Erixon power play goal, powered by Scott Hartnell and Ryan Johansen. Los Angeles tied it in the second period on a power play goal by Jeff Carter, his fifth of the season, guided in by Tyler Toffoli and Drew Doughty. The Kings took the lead as Toffoli scored his fourth of the year, thanks to Carter and Robyn Regehr. Los Angeles added on with a Dwight King goal, assisted by Justin Williams and Carter. The Blue Jackets got one back on a Mark Letestu goal, his third of the season, passed from Corey Tropp and Dalton Prout. The Kings shot back on a third period Tanner Pearson goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Toffoli and Brayden McNabb. Los Angeles finished it at 5-2 with another Pearson goal, his second of the game and seventh of the campaign, made possible by Toffoli and Carter, both of whom got sock tricks. The three stars went to Toffoli, Carter, and Pearson.

Back east, the Chicago Blackhawks host the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson faces a lesser foe in Scott Darling in goal. Chicago got going in the second period with a Jonathan Toews goal, his second of the season, via Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane. Ottawa tied it on a shorthanded Milan Michalek goal, set up by Alex Chiasson. The Blackhawks took the lead back with a power play goal by Brent Seabrook, powered by Brad Richards and Marian Hossa. This was it for the scoring, and the final was 2-1. Darling (32 for 33 in saves), Seabrook, and Toews received the three stars.

To California again, as the Anaheim Ducks bring in the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Frederik Andersen are the masked men. San Jose opened in the first period with a Brent Burns goal, his third of the season, with a lone assist by Patrick Marleau. The Sharks added on with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Joe Thornton and Logan Couture. San Jose extended the lead on a Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal, his second of the season, via Marleau and Couture. The Sharks padded the lead in the third period on a Tommy Wingels power play goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Matthew Nieto and Tomas Hertl. Anaheim got on the board with a Matt Beleskey goal, his fifth of the campaign, coming on the power play from Ryan Kesler and Cam Fowler. The final stood at 4-1, and Niemi (33 for 34 in saves), Marleau, and Couture were given the three stars.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Washington Capitals. Justin Peters is mismatched with Ryan Miller in goal. Washington dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Marcus Johansson goal, his third of the season, via Andre Burakovsky and Mike Green. Vancouver tied it on a Henrik Sedin goal, his fourth of the year, a power play goal powered by Radim Vrbata and Daniel Sedin. The Canucks took the lead on a Nick Bonino goal, his third of the season, guided in by Chris Higgins and Dan Hamhuis. Vancouver added on with a Luca Sbisa goal, made possible by Bonino and Higgins. The Capitals got one back on a Liam O'Brien goal, courtesy of Green. The Canucks iced it at 4-2 in the third period with an unassisted empty net power play goal by Vrbata, his third of the year. The three stars went to Bonino, Vrbata, and Higgins, while Green gets an honorable mention.

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MLS Weekend October 24-26, 2014

Nine games on for the final weekend of the regular season in MLS. We begin with a Friday night game in...

Chicago, where the Fire host the Houston Dynamo. Tyler Deric and Sean Johnson receive the starting nods in goal. Houston struck first with an Omar Cummings goal in the eighteenth minute, helped along by Brad Davis. Chicago's Alex took a yellow card for his thirty-third minute foul. The Fire tied the game in the sixty-sixth minute on a Jeff Larentowicz penalty kick goal. Chicago saw another yellow card go to Logan Pause in the seventieth minute for a foul. The Dynamo took two yellow cards in the eighty-second minute, for a foul by Davis and a handball by Deric, followed by an eighty-fifth minute foul putting a yellow card to A.J. Cochran's name. The Fire took the lead in stoppage time with a goal by Florent Sinama-Pongolle. This made it 2-1, the final, with the man of the match being Johnson for his eight-save performance.

Saturday's first game was also the weekend's most important, as the Seattle Sounders FC welcomed the Los Angeles Galaxy to a battle for the Supporters' Shield. Jaime Penedo and Stefan Frei tend the twines. Seattle was hit with a yellow card for a foul by Clint Dempsey in the fifteenth minute. Los Angeles took a yellow card on a foul by Dan Gargan in the twenty-second minute. The Galaxy had another yellow card go to Landon Donovan in the thirty-eighth minute for his foul. The Sounders had another yellow card in the fifty-first minute for Zach Scott's foul. In the seventy-first minute, the chippy character of the game spilled over into coincidental yellow cards for arguments going to Los Angeles' Marcelo Sarvas and Seattle's Gonzalo Pineda. The Sounders opened with an eighty-fifth minute goal by Marco Pappa, set up by Obafemi Martins. Seattle iced it at 2-0 with another Pappa goal in stoppage time, where he stole the ball from Penedo and chipped it in after a short run. The man of the match was Pappa, and the Sounders claimed the Supporters' Shield.

Back east, the Montreal Impact bring in DC United. Bill Hamid and Evan Bush are in goal. Montreal started in the twenty-sixth minute with a Marco Di Vaio goal, passed from Dilly Duka. The Impact had a yellow card for a foul in the fortieth minute by Calum Mallace. DC tied it in the eighty-sixth minute on a Fabian Espindola goal, assisted by Samuel Inkoom. The final was 1-1, and the man of the match was Di Vaio for his final MLS goal, as he is retiring.

Down in the States, the New England Revolution hosts Toronto FC. Joe Bendik and Bobby Shuttleworth receive the starting nods. New England was first to score with a thirty-sixth minute goal by Lee Nguyen, courtesy of Chris Tierney. Toronto's Justin Morrow was given a yellow card in the sixty-first minute for a foul. This was it for the game, with the final favoring the Revolution 1-0. The man of the match was Nguyen.

Further south to Texas, where FC Dallas welcomes the Portland Timbers. Donovan Ricketts and Chris Seitz are called on to start. Portland led off in the forty-third minute on a Darlington Nagbe goal, set up by Diego Chara. The Timbers took a yellow card for encroachment by Gaston Fernandez in the sixty-first minute. In the sixty-third minute, Dallas' Fabian Castillo was given a yellow card for a handball. Dallas took another yellow card for a David Texeira foul in the sixty-eighth minute. Portland added on with an eighty-second minute goal by Maximiliano Urruti goal, courtesy of Fernandez. The final stood at 2-0, with the man of the match being Nagbe's game-winner.

Closing out Saturday, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC bring in the Colorado Rapids. Clint Irwin and David Ousted are the keepers. Colorado took a yellow card for unsporting behavior by Gabriel Torres in the seventeenth minute. Vancouver struck first in the seventieth minute on a Kendall Waston goal, guided in by Pedro Morales. The Whitecaps took a yellow card for a foul by Jordan Harvey in the eighty-seventh minute. This stood up for a 1-0 win, with the man of the match being Ousted for a five-save clean sheet.

Sunday's first game saw the Columbus Crew host the Philadelphia Union. Zac MacMath and Steve Clark are set to start in goal. Columbus began with a thirteenth minute goal by Jairo Arrieta, passed from Ben Speas and Wil Trapp. In the fifty-seventh minute Philadelphia Amobi Okugo received a yellow card his persistent infringement. The Union tied it in the eighty-fifth minute on a Zach Pfeffer goal, helped along by Okugo and Sebastien Le Toux. The Crew took the lead with a ninetieth minute Bernardo Anor goal, going in unassisted. This made it 2-1, and the man of the match was Anor for his timely winner.

Out west, Chivas USA welcomes the San Jose Earthquakes. Jon Busch and Dan Kennedy receive the starting nods. Chivas started in the thirty-third minute on an unassisted Felix Borja goal. Chivas took a yellow card for persistent infringement by Oswaldo Minda in the fifty-first minute. San Jose had a yellow card for a Victor Bernandez foul in the sixty-sixth minute. The final stood at 1-0, with the man of the match being Borja.

The final game of the regular season was in Kansas City, as Sporting brings in the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Eric Kronberg play in goal. New York led off with a fifteenth minute goal by Bradley Wright-Phillips, passed from Eric Alexander. The Red Bulls added on in the seventieth minute as Wright-Phillips scored again, an unassisted goal. The final was 2-0, and Wright-Phillips was the man of the match with his brace.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion and watch for the MLS Cup playoff posts in the coming weeks.

KHL October 25 and 26, 2014

Two games over the entire weekend, with the first in...

Moscow on Saturday, as CSKA hosts Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Vasily Koshechkin and Stanislav Galimov are in the creases. Moscow led off in the first period with a Jan Mursak power play goal, powered by Bogdan Kiselevich and Alexander Radulov. Magnitogorsk tied it on a second period Danis Zaripov goal, fueled by Jan Kovar on the power play. Metallurg took the lead in the third period on an Evgeny Timkin goal, made possible by Bogdan Potekhin. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Timkin, Koshechkin (24 for 25 in saves), and Zaripov.

The Sunday game has the Sochi Leopards host Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Ivan Kasutin and Tomas Popperle are the goalies. Nizhny Novgorod began in the first period with a Jarkko Immonen goal, courtesy of Sergei Demagin and Sakari Salminen on the power play. Sochi tied it on a second period goal by Alexander Shcherbina, via Alexei Krutov. Torpedo took the lead in the third period on a Petteri Nokelainen goal, with a lone assist by Vyacheslav Kulyomin. This was good for a 2-1 win, with the three stars being Kasutin (25 for 26 in saves), Nokelainen, and Immonen.

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NHL October 25th, 2014

Eleven games on today, beginning with a matinee in...

San Jose, as the Sharks host the Buffalo Sabres. Michal Neuvirth and Alex Stalock receive the starting nods. Buffalo got going in the third period with a Cody Hodgson goal, passed from Drew Stafford and Zemgus Girgensons. The Sabres added on with a Nicolas Deslauriers goal, made possible by Cody McCormick and Sam Reinhart. San Jose got on the board with an unassisted goal by Brent Burns, his second of the season. The final was 2-1, and the three stars were given to Neuvirth (29 for 30 in saves), Deslauriers, and Hodgson.

Back east, the Montreal Canadiens welcome the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Carey Price tend the twines. Montreal opened in the first period with a Tomas Plekanec goal, his fifth of the season, a shorthanded goal set up by Max Pacioretty. New York tied it on a Carl Hagelin goal, his second of the year, assisted by Dan Girardi and Anthony Duclair. The Canadiens took the lead back in the second period on a Lars Eller goal, made possible by Dale Weise and P.K. Subban. Montreal added on in the third period with a Pacioretty goal, his third of the campaign, guided in by Weise and David Desharnais. This was good for a 3-1 win, with the three stars going to Price (34 for 35 in saves), Pacioretty and Weise.

Down in New York, the Islanders bring in the Dallas Stars. Anders Lindback and Chad Johnson are the backups making spot starts. New York began in the first period with an Anders Lee goal, fueled by Thomas Hickey and Brock Nelson. Dallas tied it on a Vernon Fiddler goal, via Patrick Eaves. The Islanders took the lead back on a shorthanded and unassisted Nikolay Kulemin goal. New York added on in the second period as Nelson scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Ryan Strome and Calvin de Haan. The Stars got one back with a Tyler Seguin goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Jason Spezza and Jamie Benn. Dallas tied it on a Spezza power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Alex Goligoski and Seguin. The Stars pulled ahead on an Antoine Roussel goal, his third of the year, made possible by Goligoski and Ryan Garbutt. The Islanders retied it on a Lubomir Visnovsky goal, coming off of Kyle Okposo and Cory Conacher. New York took the lead with a Frans Nielsen goal, his second of the season, pushed through by Kulemin and Mikhail Grabovski. The Islanders extended the lead with another Nielsen goal, his second of the game and third of the year, helped along by Grabovski and Visnovsky. Dallas got one back as Shawn Horcoff scored, with the help of Erik Cole and Colton Sceviour. New York finished it at 7-5 when Nielsen put his hat trick-clinching goal into an empty net with assistance. The three stars went to Nielsen, Kulemin, and Visnovsky, while Nelson, Seguin, Spezza, Goligoski, and Grabovski get the honorable mentions.

Back in Canada, the Ottawa Senators host the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Robin Lehner are in the blue paint. Ottawa dented the scoreboard in the second period on an Alex Chiasson power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Milan Michalek and Bobby Ryan. New Jersey tied it on a Damon Severson goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The Devils took the lead on a Marek Zidlicky power play goal, made possible by Severson and Patrik Elias. The Senators tied it in the third period as Ryan scored his second of the season, a power play goal coming off of Erik Karlsson and Michalek. New Jersey won 3-2 in overtime with a Jaromir Jagr power play goal, his second of the year, assisted by Eric Gelinas and Adam Henrique. The three stars belonged to Severson, Ryan, and Michalek.

Stateside, the Philadelphia Flyers welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Backups Jonas Gustavsson and Ray Emery have the green light to play goal. Detroit led off in the first period with a Riley Sheahan goal, via Andrej Nestrasil and Tomas Jurco. Philadelphia tied it in the second period on a Nicklas Grossmann goal, guided in by Chris VandeVelde and Michael Raffl. The Flyers took the lead with a Raffl goal, his third of the season, coming in the third period from Jakub Voracek and Michael Del Zotto. The Red Wings tied it on a Pavel Datsyuk goal, with a lone assist by Darren Helm. Philadelphia retook the lead on a Brayden Schenn power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Voracek and Mark Streit. The Flyers iced it at 4-2 with a Raffl empty net goal, his second of the game and fourth of the campaign, set up by Del Zotto and Claude Giroux. The three stars were handed to Raffl, Voracek, and Del Zotto.

Back to Ontario, the Toronto Maple Leafs bring in the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Jonathan Bernier protect the nets. Boston started in the first period on a Carl Soderberg power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Patrice Bergeron and Dougie Hamilton. The Bruins added on with a David Krejci goal in the second period, his third of the year, guided in by Dennis Seidenberg and Hamilton. Boston extended the lead in the third period with a Gregory Campbell shorthanded goal, his second of the season, set up by Daniel Paille. The Bruins chased Bernier on a Hamilton goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Bergeron and Reilly Smith. James Reimer came on in relief. Toronto got on the board with a Richard Panik goal, passed from Tyler Bozak and Cody Franson. This only made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Hamilton, Rask (32 for 33 in saves), and Bergeron.

South to St. Louis, as the Blues host the Chicago Blackhawks. Antti Raanta and Brian Elliott are between the pipes. Chicago was first to score in the first period on a power play goal by Patrick Sharp, his third of the season, powered by Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa. St. Louis tied it on a Jaden Schwartz goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of T.J. Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo. The Blues took the lead in the second period with a Ryan Reaves goal, via Maxim Lapierre and Steve Ott. St. Louis added on as Dmitrij Jaskin scored, thanks to Pietrangelo and Patrik Berglund. The Blackhawks got one back in the third period with a Kris Versteeg goal, fueled by Sharp and Brad Richards. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Sharp, Pietrangelo, and Jaskin.

Down in Nashville, the Predators welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Pekka Rinne guard the cages. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period on a Sidney Crosby goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Olli Maatta and Patric Hornqvist. The Penguins added on with a power play goal in the third period by Evgeni Malkin, his third of the year, powered by Crosby and Fleury. Pittsburgh extended the lead with a power play goal by Pascal Dupuis, his third of the campaign, coming off of Steve Downie and Crosby. The final stood from here at 3-0, with the three stars being Crosby, Fleury (25 save shutout), and Malkin.

Up in Minnesota, the Wild bring in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Evgeni Nabokov faces a younger foe in Darcy Kuemper in goal. Minnesota opened in the first period with a Marco Scandella goal, guided in by Jason Pominville and Zach Parise. The Wild added on with a Mikko Koivu goal, coming off of Thomas Vanek. Tampa Bay got on the board as Anton Stralman scored, thanks to Eric Brewer and Tyler Johnson. Minnesota shot back on an Erik Haula goal, via Nino Neiderreiter. The Wild extended the lead and chased Nabokov with the third of the season by Jason Zucker, courtesy of Matt Cooke and Ryan Carter. Ben Bishop came on in relief. Minnesota padded the lead in the second period on a Parise goal, his third of the year, fueled by Pominville and Ryan Suter. The Wild struck again with a Jared Spurgeon goal, his second of the season, assisted by Vanek and Charlie Coyle. The Lightning got one back as Nikita Kucherov scored, with the help of Stralman. Minnesota iced it at 7-2 on a shorthanded Zucker goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, set up by Scandella. The three stars went to Zucker, Parise, and Scandella, while Pominville, Stralman, and Vanek get the honorable mentions.

Southwest to Arizona, where the Coyotes host the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Mike Smith are the masked men. Florida got going in the third period with Brandon Pirri's second of the season, assisted by Tomas Fleischmann and Jussi Jokinen. Arizona tied it on a Justin Hodgman power play goal, powered by Lauri Korpikoski and Keith Yandle. The Coyotes won 2-1 in overtime on a power play goal by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, his second of the year, passed from Sam Gagner and Yandle. The three stars went to Smith (23 for 24 in saves), Ekman-Larsson, and Yandle.

Finally, in Calgary, the Flames host the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby faces a lesser foe in Karri Ramo in goal. Washington started in the first period with a Joel Ward goal, his third of the season, going in unassisted on the power play. Calgary tied it on a Dennis Wideman power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Kris Russell and Jiri Hudler. The Capitals retook the lead on a Ward goal in the second period, his second of the game and fourth of the season, via Michael Latta and Brooks Orpik. Washington added on in the third period with a Nicklas Backstrom goal, his second of the year, guided in by Karl Alzner and Matt Niskanen. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Ward, Holtby (20 for 21 in saves), and Backstrom.

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NHL October 24th, 2014

Five games tonight, the first coming from...

New Jersey, as the Devils host the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Corey Schneider guard the cages. New Jersey opened with a first period Eric Gelinas goal, made possible by Jacob Josefson. Dallas tied it on a Jamie Benn goal in the second period, his fifth of the season, assisted by Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza. The Stars took the lead on a Patrick Eaves goal, passed from Alex Goligoski and Cody Eakin. The Devils retied it in the third period on a Damien Brunner goal, coming off of Patrik Elias and Ryane Clowe. In the shootout, Dallas got goals from Spezza and Benn to win 3-2. The three stars were given to Benn, Spezza, and Schneider (35 for 37 in saves).

Northwest to Winnipeg, where the Jets welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ben Bishop and Ondrej Pavelec receive the starting nods. Tampa Bay led off in the first period on a Steven Stamkos goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Jonathan Drouin and Valtteri Filppula. The Lightning added on in the second period as Drouin scored, thanks to Nikita Kucherov and Tyler Johnson. Winnipeg got on the board with a power play goal by Bryan Little, his fourth of the year, powered by Toby Enstrom and Andrew Ladd. Tampa Bay shot back with a Vladislav Namestnikov power play goal, his second of the season, coming off of Ondrej Palat and Kucherov. The Lightning extended the lead on a Palat goal, his third of the year, via Johnson and Kucherov, the latter getting a sock trick. The Jets pulled back in the third period with a Blake Wheeler goal, his third of the campaign, guided in by Mathieu Perreault and Enstrom. This made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars going to Drouin, Palat, and Kucherov, while Johnson and Enstrom get the honorable mentions.

Down in Colorado, the Avalanche host the Vancouver Canucks. Eddie Lack is mismatched with Semyon Varlamov in goal. Vancouver started in the first period with a Henrik Sedin goal, his third of the season, with a lone assist by Daniel Sedin. Colorado tied it on a Jarome Iginla goal, passed from Matt Duchene and Nick Holden. The Canucks retook the lead with an Alexandre Burrows goal, his second of the year, made possible by Nick Bonino and Chris Higgins. The Avalanche tied it in the second period on a Jamie McGinn goal, his second of the season, guided in by Duchene and Tyson Barrie. Colorado took the lead with a power play goal by Erik Johnson, powered by Barrie and Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche added on as Daniel Briere scored his second of the year, thanks to Barrie, who got a sock trick, and Marc-Andre Cliche. Colorado extended the lead with a Duchene goal, his third of the season, assisted by Iginla and Johnson. Vancouver got one back with a Daniel Sedin goal, his second of the year, with assists provided by Radim Vrbata and Alexander Edler. The Avalanche shot back on a Gabriel Landeskog goal, his third of the campaign, helped along by Ryan O'Reilly and Zach Redmond. Colorado finished it on Iginla's second of the game, fueled by Alex Tanguay and Jan Hejda. The three stars in the 7-3 game were Iginla, Duchene, and Barrie, while Daniel Sedin and Johnson get honorable mentions.

North to Edmonton, where the Oilers bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Anton Khudobin and Ben Scrivens are called on to start. Edmonton got going in the second period with a Jordan Eberle goal, via Taylor Hall. Carolina tied it on a Riley Nash goal, his second of the season, coming off of Justin Faulk and Jiri Tlusty. The Oilers took the lead back with a Jesse Joensuu goal, his second of the year, made possible by Nikita Nikitin and Boyd Gordon. The Hurricanes tied it again on a Jeff Skinner goal, courtesy of Jay Harrison and Andrej Sekera. Edmonton retook the lead in the third period on Eberle's second of the game, an unassisted power play goal. Carolina shot back with a Harrison goal, assisted by Jay McClement. The Oilers pulled ahead on a Leon Draisaitl goal, guided in by David Perron and Jeff Petry. Edmonton added on as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored his third of the season, with the help of Justin Schultz and Eberle. The Oilers iced it at 6-3 on an empty net goal by Matt Hendricks, his second of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were awarded to Eberle, Harrison, and Draisaitl.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and John Gibson are in the blue paint. Anaheim began in the first period on a Corey Perry goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Sami Vatanen and Cam Fowler on the power play. The Ducks added on as Vatanen scored his third of the year, a power play goal powered by William Karlsson. Columbus got one back with a Scott Hartnell power play goal, coming off of Ryan Johansen and Jack Johnson. Anaheim answered in the second period with a Devante Smith-Pelly goal, his second of the season, guided in by Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. The Ducks finished it at 4-1 with a Getzlaf empty net goal, his third of the year, set up by Andrew Cogliano. The three stars went to Perry, Vatanen, and Getzlaf.

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KHL October 24th, 2014

Four games on today, beginning in...

Chelyabinsk, where Traktor hosts Atlant Mytishchi. Atte Engren and Michael Garnett are the masked men. Mytishchi struck first with a first period power play goal by Artyom Chernov, powered by Matthew Gilroy. Chelyabinsk tied it in the second period on a Konstantin Panov goal, via Stanislav Chistov and Deron Quint. Traktor took the lead with an Anton Glinkin goal, assisted by Alexei Zavarukhin and Maxim Kondratyev. This held up for a 2-1 win, and the three stars were given to Garnett (24 for 25 in saves), Glinkin, and Panov.

Over in Khanty-Mansiysk, Yugra welcomes Dinamo Minsk. Lars Haugen and Mikhail Biryukov are in the blue paint. Minsk led off in the first period with a Jonathan Cheechoo goal, passed from Paul Szczechura and Alexei Kalyuzhny. Khanty-Mansiysk tied it on a Toni Rajala power play goal, guided in by Ben Maxwell and Lukas Kaspar. Dinamo took the lead back with a Sergei Drozd goal, coming off of Pavel Razvadovsky. Minsk added on as Cheechoo scored again, thanks to Szczechura and Kalyuzhny. Yugra got one back on a Nikita Gusev goal, fueled by Artyom Bulyansky and Igor Magogin. Stepan Goryachevskikh relieved Biryukov in goal. Dinamo shot back with a second period goal by Konstantin Zakharov, made possible by Razvadovsky. Minsk extended the lead when Cheechoo finished his hat trick, with the help of Kalyuzhny, who got a sock trick, and Ilya Shinkevich. Dinamo padded the lead on a Kalyuzhny goal, with assists provided by Cheechoo and Szczechura, the latter getting a sock trick. This was it for the scoring, and the final was 6-2. The three stars were awarded to Cheechoo, Kalyuzhny, and Szczechura, while Razvadovsky got an honorable mention.

West a little to Nizhnekamsk, as Neftekhimik brings in Medvescak Zagreb. Barry Brust and Ville Kolppanen are set to start in goal. Nizhnekamsk began with a first period power play goal by Nikolai Belov, powered by Stanislav Alshevsky and Pyotr Khokhryakov. Neftekhimik added on with a Teemu Eronen goal, passed from Josh Hennessy and Maxim Rybin. Nizhnekamsk extended the lead in the second period as Tim Stapleton scored, thanks to Eronen and Yegor Milovzorov. Zagreb got on the board with a Bill Thomas goal, with a lone assist by Mark Flood. Medvescak pulled closer on a Pascal Pelletier goal, via Brandon Segal and Flood. Zagreb tied it in the third period on a Mathieu Carle goal, assisted by Geoffrey Kinrade and Matt Anderson. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Stapleton's tally lifted Neftekhimik to a 4-3 win. The three stars went to Stapleton, Eronen, and Flood.

Finally, Lada Togliatti hosts Slovan Bratislava. Johan Backlund and Ilya Ezhov man the nets. Bratislava was first to score on a Michal Sersen power play goal, powered by Michal Vondrka. Togliatti tied it on a power play goal by Alexander Sharov, with a lone assist by Dmitry Stulov. Slovan took the lead back with a second period Tomas Netik goal, fueled by Vaclav Nedorost. Bratislava added on as Tomas Starosta scored, thanks to Vondrka and Netik. Slovan extended the lead with a Ladislav Nagy goal, guided in by Milan Bartovic. Jeff Glass relieved Ezhov in goal. Lada got one back in the third period on a Stanislav Bocharov goal, passed from Andrei Nikitenko. Bratislava answered on a Bartovic goal, made possible by Nagy. Slovan padded the lead when that duo struck again, as Bartovic buried another pass from Nagy for another goal. Togliatti replied with an unassisted Georgy Belousov goal. This made it 6-3, the final, and the three stars went to Bartovic, Nagy, and Netik, while Vondrka gets an honorable mention.

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NHL October 23rd, 2014

Eight games on tonight, with the first in...

Boston, as the Bruins host the New York Islanders. Chad Johnson and Niklas Svedberg are the backups making spot starts. New York led off in the first period with a Frans Nielsen goal, passed from Josh Bailey and Nikolay Kulemin. Boston tied it on a Milan Lucic goal, courtesy of Seth Griffith and David Krejci. The Islanders took the lead back on a second period Kyle Okposo goal, his third of the season, assisted by John Tavares and Brain Strait. New York added on as Cal Clutterbuck scored, thanks to Matt Martin and Nick Leddy. The Bruins got one back in the third period with a Chris Kelly goal, his second of the year, fueled by Carl Soderberg and Loui Eriksson. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Clutterbuck, Johnson (30 for 32 in saves), and Okposo.

West to Detroit, where the Red Wings welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Thomas Greiss is mismatched with Jimmy Howard in goal. Pittsburgh opened in the first period on a Pascal Dupuis goal, his third of the season, fueled by Blake Comeau. The Penguins added on as Olli Maatta scored, with the help of Comeau and Evgeni Malkin. Detroit got on the board with a Niklas Kronwall goal, via Darren Helm. Pittsburgh shot back in the second period on a Chris Kunitz goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Simon Despres. The Red Wings got one back in the third period on Henrik Zetterberg's third of the season, made possible by Danny DeKeyser and Kronwall. Detroit tied it on a Kronwall goal, his second of the game, assisted by Pavel Datsyuk and Zetterberg. The Red Wings won 4-3 in overtime on a Justin Abdelkader goal, his third of the year, passed from Zetterberg. The three stars went to Kronwall, Zetterberg, and Comeau.

Down in St. Louis, the Blues host the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller and Jake Allen man the nets. Vancouver quickly began in the first period on a Chris Higgins goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Alexandre Burrows and Nick Bonino. St. Louis tied it in the second period with a Kevin Shattenkirk power play goal, powered by David Backes and Alexander Steen. The Canucks took the lead back in the third period as Bonino scored his second of the year, thanks to Burrows and Higgins. Vancouver added on with a power play goal by Linden Vey, his second of the season, made possible by Henrik Sedin and Radim Vrbata. The Canucks finished it at 4-1 with an empty net goal by Jannik Hansen, his second of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were given to Bonino, Higgins, and Burrows.

Back east a bit to Nashville, where the Predators bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Antti Raanta and Pekka Rinne are the Finnish goalies. Chicago started in the first period on a Ben Smith goal, assisted by Marcus Kruger and Brandon Saad. Nashville tied it on a James Neal goal, his third of the season, made possible by Seth Jones and Mike Ribeiro. The Predators took the lead in the second period on a Neal goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, with a lone assist by Filip Forsberg. Nashville added on when Neal completed his natural hat trick in the third period with his fifth of the season, coming off of Ryan Ellis and Forsberg. The Blackhawks got one back as Andrew Shaw scored his third of the year, an unassisted goal. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Neal, Forsberg, and Rinne (30 for 32 in saves).

Up in Minnesota, the Wild host the Arizona Coyotes. Mike Smith and Darcy Kuemper are the masked men. Minnesota got going in the second period on a Charlie Coyle goal, his second of the season, via Jared Spurgeon and Thomas Vanek. The Wild added on with a Jason Pominville goal, his second of the year, made possible by Zach Parise and Spurgeon. This was all they needed for a 2-0 win. The three stars went to Kuemper (26 save shutout), Spurgeon, and Coyle.

Northwest to Calgary, where the Flames welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Jonas Hiller are the veteran goalies. Calgary struck first in the first period with a Dennis Wideman goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Kris Russell and Paul Byron. The Flames added on with a Matt Stajan goal, via Byron and Mark Giordano. Calgary extended the lead as Sean Monahan scored, thanks to Jiri Hudler and Joe Colborne. The Flames padded the lead in the third period on another Monahan goal, again coming off of Hudler and Colborne. Calgary finished it at 5-0 with a Lance Bouma goal, guided in by Josh Jooris and Russell. The three stars were awarded to Monahan, Hiller (16 save shutout), and Byron, while Hudler, Colborne, and Russell get the honorable mentions.

Down in Los Angeles, the Kings host the Buffalo Sabres. Jhonas Enroth and Jonathan Quick are in the blue paint. Los Angeles dented the scoreboard in the first period on a power play goal by Jeff Carter, his fourth of the season, powered by Drew Doughty and Tyler Toffoli. The Kings added on in the second period as Anze Kopitar scored his second of the year, a power play goal coming off of Carter. This was all they needed for a 2-0 win, and the three stars were handed to Quick (29 save shutout), Carter, and Kopitar.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Antti Niemi guard the cages. San Jose was first to score in the first period with an Adam Burish goal, guided in by Jason Demers. The Sharks added on with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau. Columbus got on the board in the second period with a Ryan Johansen goal, his fourth of the year, assisted by Scott Hartnell and Nick Foligno. The Blue Jackets tied it with a Mark Letestu shorthanded goal, set up by Artem Anisimov and Fedor Tyutin. Columbus took the lead as Johansen scored his second of the game and fifth of the season, with a lone assist by Hartnell. San Jose retied it in the third period on a Pavelski goal, his second of the night and fourth of the year, passed from Joe Thornton. The Sharks pulled ahead on an unassisted Couture goal, his fourth of the season. The Blue Jackets tied it again as Foligno scored a power play goal, his third of the year, made possible by Hartnell, who got a sock trick, and James Wisniewski. Columbus gained the lead with Letestu's second of the game, via Hartnell and David Savard. This gave them a 5-4 win, with the three stars going to Letestu, Hartnell, and Johansen, while Foligno, Pavelski, and Couture get the honorable mentions.

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