Sunday, November 23, 2014

NHL November 23rd, 2014

Four games today, beginning in...

Winnipeg, as the Jets host the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Ondrej Pavelec draw the starts. Winnipeg was first to score in the first period on a Bryan Little goal, his sixth of the season, guided in by Andrew Ladd and Blake Wheeler. St. Louis tied it on a second period with a Jaden Schwartz power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Alexander Steen and Jori Lehtera. The Jets took the lead back on a Jim Slater goal, going in unassisted. The Blues retied it on a David Backes power play goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Steen and the goalie Allen. St. Louis took the lead in the third period with a Ryan Reaves goal, his third of the year, fueled by Steve Ott and Alex Pietrangelo. The Blues iced it at 4-2 on a Paul Stastny empty net goal, his third of the campaign, set up by Pietrangelo. The three stars went to Reaves, Steen, and Pietrangelo.

Back east, the New York Rangers welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Dustin Tokarski is mismatched with Henrik Lundqvist in goal. New York struck first in the first period on a Dominic Moore goal, passed from Tanner Glass and Jesper Fast. The Rangers added on in the second period as Derek Stepan scored his second of the season, via Martin St. Louis and Chris Kreider. New York extended the lead with a St. Louis goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Kreider and John Moore. The Rangers padded the lead in the third period on a Carl Hagelin goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Anthony Duclair and Kevin Hayes. New York iced it on a Rick Nash goal, his fourteenth of the year, made possible by Derick Brassard and Mats Zuccarello. This produced the 5-0 final, with the three stars going to St. Louis, Lundqvist (21 save shutout), and Kreider.

Way out west, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Mike Smith and Frederik Andersen are in the blue paint. Anaheim got going in the second period on a Kyle Palmieri goal, his second of the season, coming off of Ryan Kesler and Patrick Maroon. The Ducks added on with a Maroon goal, guided in by Sami Vatanen and Kesler. Arizona got on the board in the third period as Keith Yandle scored his third of the year, with the help of Martin Erat and Zbynek Michalek. This was as close as it got, as the final was 2-1. The three stars went to Maroon, Andersen (26 for 27 in saves), and Kesler.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Ryan Miller tend the twines. Vancouver dented the scoreboard in the first period with a Jannik Hansen goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Bo Horvat and Derek Dorsett. Chicago tied it on a Kris Versteeg power play goal in the second period, his seventh of the year, powered by Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook. The Canucks retook the lead on a third period Hansen goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, with assists provided by Dorsett and Horvat. Vancouver added on with a Radim Vrbata goal, his tenth of the year, made possible by Christopher Tanev and Henrik Sedin. The Canucks iced it at 4-1 with a Hansen empty net goal to finish his hat trick on his eighth of the campaign, set up by Chris Higgins and Horvat. The three stars went to Hansen, Horvat, and Miller (24 for 25 in saves), while Dorsett gets an honorable mention.

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KHL November 23rd, 2014

One game today, as local rivals Sibir Novosibirsk host Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Nikita Lozhkin is mismatched with Mikko Koskinen in goal. Novosibirsk opened in the first period on a Sergei Shumakov goal, guided in by Stepan Sannikov. Sibir added on with a Jonas Enlund goal, passed from Jarno Koskiranta and Igor Ozhiganov. Novokuznetsk got on the board in the second period with a power play goal by Cade Fairchild, powered by James O'Brien and Ryan Stoa. Novosibirsk shot back with another Enlund goal, assisted by Dmitry Kugryshev and Koskiranta. Sibir extended the lead with a third period penalty shot conversion from Sannikov, after he was tripped by Mark Skutar. Metallurg got one back as Ansel Galimov scored a power play goal, with the help of Vladimir Malinovsky and Sergei Dorofeyev. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars going to Enlund, Sannikov, and Koskiranta.

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NHL November 22nd, 2014

Thirteen games on a busy day today, with one matinee leading the pack. This game has...

The Ottawa Senators hosting the St. Louis Blues. Brian Elliott and Robin Lehner are in the creases. St. Louis struck first in the first period on a Maxim Lapierre goal, assisted by Alex Pietrangelo and Steve Ott. Ottawa tied it on a Mika Zibanejad goal, his third of the season, a power play goal powered by Bobby Ryan and Mark Stone. The Blues took the lead with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Jori Lehtera and Jaden Schwartz. St. Louis added on in the second period with an Alexander Steen goal, his fourth of the season, via Jay Bouwmeester and Pietrangelo. The Senators took one back with an Erik Karlsson power play goal, his fifth of the year, fueled by Kyle Turris. The final stood from here at 3-2, with the three stars being Pietrangelo, Steen, and Tarasenko.

Southeast to Boston, where the Bruins welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Tuukka Rask tend the twines. Montreal opened in the first period on an Andrei Markov power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Brendan Gallagher and Tomas Plekanec. The Canadiens added on with a Plekanec goal in the second period, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Gallagher and Alex Galchenyuk. This held up for a 2-0 win, with the three stats going to Price (33 save shutout), Plekanec, and Gallagher.

Out on Long Island, the New York Islanders bring in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Thomas Greiss is mismatched with Jaroslav Halak in goal. Pittsburgh led off in the first period with an Evgeni Malkin goal, his eighth of the season, via Patric Hornqvist and Nick Spaling. New York tied it in the second period as Matt Martin scored his second of the year, thanks to Cal Clutterbuck and Casey Cizikas. The Islanders took the lead in the third period on an Anders Lee goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Lubomir Visnovsky and Thomas Hickey. New York added on as Brock Nelson netted a power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Kyle Okposo and John Tavares. The Islanders extended the lead on a Tavares goal, his eighth of the campaign, coming off of Johnny Boychuk and Nikolay Kulemin. This produced the 4-1 final, with the three stars being named as Tavares, Halak (27 for 28 in saves), and Lee.

Over to Philadelphia, where the Flyers host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Steve Mason are the goalies who oppose their former teams. Philadelphia started in the first period with a Brayden Schenn goal, his seventh of the season, fueled by Jakub Voracek and Braydon Coburn. Columbus tied it with a Boone Jenner power play goal, powered by James Wisniewski and Jack Johnson. The Flyers answered on a Mark Streit goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Claude Giroux and Nicklas Grossmann. Philadelphia added on with a power play goal by Wayne Simmonds in the second period, his eighth of the season, assisted by Voracek and Giroux. The Blue Jackets got one back with a Matt Calvert goal, his second of the year, passed from Jack Skille and Alexander Wennberg. The Flyers shot back on a Coburn goal, made possible by Matt Read and Nick Schultz. This made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars going to Giroux, Coburn, and Voracek.

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning welcome the Minnesota Wild. Darcy Kuemper and Ben Bishop are in the blue paint. Minnesota got going in the second period on a Zach Parise goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Thomas Vanek. Tampa Bay tied it on a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Anton Stralman and Jason Garrison. The Lightning took the lead on an Alex Killorn goal, his sixth of the campaign, with assists provided by Stralman and Ryan Callahan. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Bishop (30 for 31 in saves), Killorn, and Stralman.

North to Toronto, where the Maple Leafs bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Jonathan Bernier protect the nets. Toronto began in the first period on a Leo Komarov goal, his second of the season, via Mike Santorelli. Detroit tied it in the second period as Tomas Tatar potted his ninth of the year, with the help of Xavier Ouellet and Brian Lashoff. The Maple Leafs retook the lead in the third period on a shorthanded and unassisted Tyler Bozak goal, his seventh of the season. Toronto added on with a Peter Holland goal, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. The Maple Leafs iced it at 4-1 with an empty net goal by Bozak, his second of the game and eighth of the campaign, set up by Daniel Winnik and Komarov. The three stars went to Bozak, Bernier (26 for 27 in saves), and Komarov.

Back stateside, the Washington Capitals host the Buffalo Sabres. Jhonas Enroth and Braden Holtby are called on to start in goal. Buffalo dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Matt Moulson goal, his third of the season, coming off of Tyler Ennis and Zemgus Girgensons. Washington tied it in the third period with a Matt Niskanen power play goal, powered by Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson. The Sabres took the lead back with a Torrey Mitchell goal, his third of the year, guided in by Brian Gionta and Mike Weber. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars handed to Enroth (39 for 40 in saves), Mitchell, and Moulson.

Southwest to Dallas, where the Stars welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Kari Lehtonen are the reliable goalies. Dallas was first to score with a first period Jamie Benn goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Tyler Seguin and Cody Eakin. The Stars added on with a John Klingberg goal, his second of the year, made possible by Benn and Eakin. Dallas extended the lead as Benn scored his second of the game and eighth of the season, thanks to Klingberg and Antoine Roussel on the power play. The Stars padded the lead in the second period on a Seguin goal, his fifteenth of the year, fueled by the goalie Lehtonen. Los Angeles got on the board with a Tanner Pearson goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Jake Muzzin and Kyle Clifford. The Kings pulled closer with a Justin Williams power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Jarret Stoll and Brayden McNabb. Dallas answered on a Jason Demers goal, helped along by Ales Hemsky and Patrick Eaves on the power play. Los Angeles countered with a Mike Richards goal, his third of the season, via Clifford and Drew Doughty. The Kings chipped closer in the third period on a Williams goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, passed from Dustin Brown and Stoll. They failed to tie it, losing 5-4, with the three stars named as Benn, Williams, and Seguin, while Eakin, Klingberg, Clifford, and Stoll get the honorable mentions.

Up in Nashville, the Predators bring in the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Pekka Rinne are the good goalies. Nashville got going in the second period on a Colin Wilson goal, his third of the season, coming off of Calle Jarnkrok and Craig Smith. The Predators added on in the third period with a Matt Cullen goal, his third of the year, passed from Derek Roy. Florida got on the board with a Rocco Grimaldi goal, made possible by Brian Campbell and Aaron Ekblad. The Panthers tied it on a Nick Bjgustad goal, his seventh of the campaign, with a lone assist by Jimmy Hayes. In the shootout, Filip Forsberg gave the Predators a win with the lone tally for a 3-2 final. The three stars went to Luongo (48 for 50 in saves), Rinne (28 for 30 in saves), and Forsberg.

Out to Colorado, where the Avalanche host the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Reto Berra are the unimpressive goalies. Carolina began in the first period on a John-Michael Liles goal, made possible by Jeff Skinner and Eric Staal. The Hurricanes added on with a Nathan Gerbe goal, his second of the season, guided in by Riley Nash and Skinner. Colorado got on the board as Zach Redmond scored his second of the year, thanks to Tomas Vincour and Andrew Agozzino. Carolina shot back with an Andrej Nestrasil goal, via Nash and Tim Gleason. The Avalanche pulled back in the second period on an Erik Johnson goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. Colorado tied it in the third period on a Jarome Iginla goal, his third of the year, passed from Landeskog and MacKinnon. The Avalanche took the lead as Redmond scored his second of the game and third of the campaign, with assists provided by Iginla and MacKinnon. This was all they needed for a 4-3 win, with the three stars going to Redmond, Iginla, and MacKinnon, while Landeskog, Skinner, and Nash get the honorable mentions.

Up in Edmonton, the Oilers welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Ben Scrivens have the green light to start. Chicago led off in the first period with a Jonathan Toews goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Brandon Saad and Marian Hossa. The Blackhawks added on as Marcus Kruger potted his third of the year, with the help of Ben Smith and Joakim Nordstrom. Chicago extended the lead on another Toews goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, via Brent Seabrook and Hossa. The Blackhawks padded the lead in the second period on a Kris Versteeg power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Patrick Kane and Hossa, the latter getting a sock trick. Chicago chased Scrivens in favor of Viktor Fasth with a Hossa goal, his third of the season, coming on the power play from Bryan Bickell and Adam Clendening. The Blackhawks kept going with a Duncan Keith goal, his fifth of the year, made possible by Dan Carcillo and Saad. Edmonton got on the board in the third period with a David Perron goal, his second of the season, fueled by Justin Schultz and Jordan Eberle. Chicago responded with a Kane goal, his eighth of the year, with helpers from Versteeg and Niklas Hjalmarsson. This made it 7-1, the final, and the three stars went to Toews, Hossa, and Versteeg, while Kane and Saad get the honorable mentions.

Staying in Alberta, the Calgary Flames bring in the New Jersey Devils. Scott Clemmensen and Karri Ramo are the sub-par goalies. New Jersey opened in the first period on an Adam Henrique goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Patrik Elias and Martin Havlat. The Devils added on with a Michael Cammalleri goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Jaromir Jagr and Marek Zidlicky. Calgary got on the board in the second period with an unassisted Curtis Glencross goal, his third of the season. New Jersey shot back on a Travis Zajac power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Henrique and Zidlicky. The Flames pulled back in the third period with a Josh Jooris power play goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Michael Ferland and Kris Russell. The Devils answered on a Tuomo Ruutu goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Michael Ryder and Adam Larsson. Calgary replied with a Jiri Hudler goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Lance Bouma and Mark Giordano. The Flames tied it on a Glencross goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, coming off of Johnny Gaudreau and Hudler. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Sean Monahan matched Cammalleri before a deciding goal from Hudler led the Flames to a 5-4 win. The three stars went to Glencross, Hudler, and Henrique, while Zidlicky and Cammalleri get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Arizona Coyotes. Devan Dubnyk and Antti Niemi will stop the pucks. Phoenix started in the first period on an Antoine Vermette goal, his fifth of the season, a power play goal powered by Shane Doan and Mikkel Boedker. The Coyotes added on with a David Schlemko goal, via Boedker and Lauri Korpikoski. San Jose got one back in the second period with a Tommy Wingels shorthanded goal, his sixth of the year, set up by Barclay Goodrow. The Sharks tied it on an Andrew Desjardins goal, passed from Tyler Kennedy and Matthew Nieto. Arizona retook the lead in the third period on a Doan goal, his seventh of the season, guided in by Sam Gagner and Tobias Rieder. San Jose retied it on a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his ninth of the year, assisted by Brent Burns and Logan Couture. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Vermette's goal gave the Coyotes a 4-3 win. The three stars were Vermette, Doan, and Boedker.

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Saturday, November 22, 2014

KHL November 22nd, 2014

Eight games on today, beginning with...

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg hosting Barys Astana. Jan Laco and Jakub Kovar are in the blue paint. Astana opened in the first period on a Roman Savchenko goal, assisted by Evgeny Blokhin on the power play. Yekaterinburg tied it in the third period as Alexei Simakov scored, thanks to Alexander Rybakov and Filipp Metlyuk. Avtomobilist won 2-1 in overtime on a Tobias Viklund goal, coming off of Eduard Lewandowski and Alexei Mikhnov. The three stars went to Viklund, Kovar (19 for 20 in saves), and Simakov.

Down in Magnitogorsk, Metallurg welcomes Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Vladimir Sokhatsky and Alexander Pechursky are set to start in goal. Ufa began in the first period with a power play goal by Kirill Koltsov, powered by Alexei Kaigorodov. Salavat Yulaev added on as Koltsov scored again, thanks to Andrei Zubarev and Antti Pihlstrom. Magnitogorsk got on the board with a power play goal by Francis Pare, passed from Viktor Antipin and Oskar Osala. Ufa shot back in the second period on an Ilkka Heikkinen goal, via Koltsov on the power play. Salavat Yulaev extended the lead in the third period on a Dmitry Semin goal, courtesy of Dmitry Makarov. Ufa padded the lead with an Evgeny Skachkov goal, with a lone assist by Koltsov. Metallurg took one back on a Sergei Mozyakin goal, guided in by Jan Kovar. Salavat Yulaev iced it at 6-2 on an empty net goal by Yegor Dubrovsky, set up by Denis Tolpeko. The three stars went to Koltsov, Heikkinen, and Semin.

Northwest to Yaroslavl, where Lokomotiv hosts Lada Togliatti. Ilya Ezhov and Curtis Sanford are the veteran goalies. Togliatti led off in the first period on an Alexander Chernikov goal, passed from Yury Petrov and Dmitry Stulov. Yaroslavl tied it with a Sergei Plotnikov goal in the second period, helped along by Sergei Konkov and Daniil Apalkov. Lada took the lead back with another Chernikov power play goal in the third period, powered by Denis Barantsev and Jiri Hunkes. Togliatti added on with an Alexander Streltsov goal, coming off of Fedor Fedorov and Stanislav Romanov. Lada extended the lead with another Alexander Streltsov goal, assisted by Vitaly Shulakov and Vasily Streltsov. Lokomotiv shot back as Jiri Novotny scored a power play goal, thanks to Jonas Holos and Geoff Platt. This made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars being Alexander Streltsov, Chernikov, and Ezhov (38 for 40 in saves).

Over in Cherepovets, Severstal brings in Atlant Mytishchi. Atte Engren and Jakub Stepanek protect the nets. Mytishchi started in the first period on an Andreas Engqvist goal, passed from Dmitry Vorobyov. Atlant added on with an unassisted Igor Radulov goal. Cherepovets got on the board with a second period power play goal by Dmitry Kagarlitsky, powered by David Ullstrom and Alexander Urbom. Severstal tied it in the third period with an Ilya Nekolenko goal, courtesy of Anatoly Nikontsev and Marek Kvapil. Cherepovets retook the lead as Pavel Buchnevich scored, thanks to Gennady Stolyarov and Yury Trubachyov. Mytishchi tied it again on another Engqvist goal, a power play goal coming off of Sergei Shmelyov and Matthew Gilroy. Atlant won 4-3 in overtime on a Petr Vrana goal, set up by Gilroy. The three stars were given to Engqvist, Gilroy, and Vrana.

Down in Podolsk, Vityaz hosts Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Ville Kolppanen and Harri Sateri are the masked men. Podolsk struck first in the first period on a Vyacheslav Solodukhin goal, made possible by Anton Korolyov and Mikhail Yakubov. Vityaz added on in the third period with a shorthanded goal by Dmitry Tsyganov, set up by Mario Kempe. Nizhnekamsk got one back with an Igor Polygalov, with a lone assist by Gleb Klimenko. Neftekhimik tied it with a Tim Stapleton power play goal, powered by Stanislav Kalashnikov and Dan Sexton. Vityaz won 3-2 in the shootout on Solodukhin and Kempe goals, topping a Stapleton tally. The three stars went to Solodukhin, Kempe, and Stapleton.

Backtracking to Kazan, Ak Bars welcomes Avangard Omsk. Konstantin Barulin and Emil Garipov tend the twines. Omsk was first to score in the first period with a Denis Parshin goal, guided in by Sergei Kalinin. Kazan tied it on a Fyodor Malykhin goal, assisted by Stepan Zakharchuk and Konstantin Korneyev. Ak Bars took the lead on a Mikhail Varnakov goal, passed from Sergei Kostitsyn and Justin Azevedo. Avangard retied it in the third period on a Parshin goal, fueled by Vladimir Sobotka and Kalinin. Kazan took the lead back with a power play goal by Alexander Svitov, powered by Alexander Burmistrov and Damir Musin. Ak Bars iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Artyom Lukoyanov, set up by Azevedo. The three stars went to Parshin, Azevedo, and Kalinin.

Out in Latvia, Dinamo Riga hosts SKA St. Petersburg. Alexander Salak and Jakub Sedlacek guard the cages. St. Petersburg dented the scoreboard in the first period on an Anton Burdasov. Riga tied it in the second period on a Mikelis Redlihs goal, via Lauris Darzins. Dinamo took the lead with another Redlihs goal, courtesy of Darzins and Linus Videll. Riga added on with an Andris Dzerins goal, assisted by Oskars Cibulskis and Gunars Skvorcovs. SKA took one back in the third period with an Andrei Kuteikin goal, passed from Artemy Panarin. Dinamo finished it at 4-2 with a Kyle Wilson empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Redlihs, Darzins, and Dzerins.

Finally, in Zagreb, Medvescak brings in Jokerit Helsinki. Henrik Karlsson and Mark Owuya are the goalies. Helsinki got going in the second period with a Johan Harju goal, fueled by Niko Kapanen. Zagreb tied it as Mark Flood scored, thanks to Ville Leino. Jokerit took the lead back on a Petteri Wirtanen goal, coming off of Linus Omark and Petr Koukal. Helsinki added on in the third period as Steve Moses scored, with the help of Koukal and Omark. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars being Karlsson (29 for 30 in saves), Koukal, and Omark.

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NHL November 21st, 2014

Three games on yesterday, as the Buffalo Sabres game against the New York Rangers was postponed. We begin in...

Columbus, where the Blue Jackets host the Boston Bruins. Niklas Svedberg is mismatched with Sergei Bobrovsky in goal. Columbus opened in the first period on a Ryan Johansen goal, his seventh of the season, going in unassisted. The Blue Jackets added on as Nick Foligno potted his tenth of the year, with the help of Jordan Leopold and Johansen. Boston got on the board in the third period on a Dennis Seidenberg goal, his third of the season, coming off of Matt Bartkowski and Chris Kelly. The Bruins tied it with a Matt Fraser goal, his third of the year, passed from Bartkowski and Patrice Bergeron. Boston took the lead on a Daniel Paille goal, courtesy of Carl Soderberg. Columbus tied it again with a Jack Johnson goal, assisted by Johansen and Foligno. The tie lasted to a shootout, where an Alexander Khokhlachev goal gave the Bruins a 4-3 win. The three stars belonged to Johansen, Foligno, and Bartkowski.

East to Pittsburgh, where the Penguins welcome the New York Islanders. Chad Johnson and Marc-Andre Fleury draw the starts. Pittsburgh started in the first period on a Brandon Sutter goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Paul Martin and Steve Downie. New York tied it on a Matt Martin goal, passed from Travis Hamonic and Ryan Strome. The Islanders took the lead with a Nikolay Kulemin goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. New York added on as Strome scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Travis Hickey and Josh Bailey. The Penguins got one back on Blake Comeau's fifth of the year, guided in by Chris Kunitz and Olli Maatta. The Islanders extended the lead on a Nick Leddy goal in the second period, his fifth of the season, made possible by Strome and Anders Lee. Pittsburgh chipped back on a Nick Spaling goal, his third of the year, fueled by Patric Hornqvist and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins tied it in the third period on a Hornqvist goal, with helpers provided by Malkin and Christian Ehrhoff for his tenth of the campaign. The tie lasted to a shootout, where the Islanders won with goals by Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo to top a tally by Sidney Crosby. The three stars in the 5-4 game were Strome, Hornqvist, and Malkin.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers bring in the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider faces a lesser foe in Viktor Fasth in goal. New Jersey got going in the second period on an Adam Henrique goal, his fifth of the season, via Steve Bernier and Eric Gelinas. The Devils added on with a Tuomo Ruutu goal, his fourth of the year, helped along by Gelinas. This made it a 2-0 win, with the three stars going to Schneider (29 save shutout), Henrique, and Gelinas.

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KHL November 21st, 2014

Four games today, beginning in...

Vladivostok, with Admiral hosting Amur Khabarovsk. Alexei Murygin and Ilya Proskuryakov are in the blue paint. Vladivostok was first to score in the first period on an Andrei Sigaryov goal, guided in by Denis Osipov and Konstantin Makarov. Admiral added on with a Niclas Bergfors goal, coming off of Richard Gynge. Vladivostok extended the lead on an Enver Lisin power play goal, powered by Felix Schutz and Shaun Heshka. Khabarovsk got on the board in the second period with an unassisted Tommi Taimi goal. Amur pulled closer with a Dmitry Lugin goal in the third period, passed from Mikhail Fisenko and Alexander Loginov. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Lisin, Bergfors, and Sigaryov.

West to Novokuznetsk, as Metallurg hosts Sibir Novosibirsk. Mikko Koskinen and Ilya Sorokin are the masked men. Novosibirsk struck first in the first period on a Sergei Shumakov goal, with a lone assist by Stepan Sannikov. Sibir added on in the second period with a Dmitry Kugryshev power play goal, powered by Vyacheslav Belov and Jonas Enlund. Novosibirsk extended the lead in the third period on a Patrik Hersley goal, via Kugryshev and Jarno Koskiranta. Sibir padded the lead on a Koskiranta power play goal, assisted by Enlund and Kugryshev. Novokuznetsk got on the board with a Ryan Stoa goal, made possible by Sergei Dorofeyev and Mikhail Kuklev. This only made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars being Kugryshev, Koskiranta, and Koskinen (29 for 30 in saves), while Enlund gets an honorable mention.

Further west to Sochi, where the Leopards welcome Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Stepan Goryachevskikh and Tomas Popperle receive the starting nods. Sochi began in the first period on a Ryan Whitney goal, coming off of Alexei Krutov. The Leopards added on in the second period with a power play goal by Andre Petersson, powered by Evgeny Lapenkov. Sochi extended the lead as Whitney scored, thanks to Andrei Kostitsyn and Igor Ignatushkin. Khanty-Mansiysk got on the board in the third period with an Igor Magogin goal, fueled by Artyom Bulyansky and Nikita Gusev. The Leopards iced it at 4-1 with a Lapenkov goal, passed from Artyom Kryukov and Petersson. The three stars were given to Whitney, Petersson, and Lapenkov.

Finally, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod bring in CSKA Moscow. Stanislav Galimov and Ivan Kasutin are in the blue paint. Nizhny Novgorod led off in the first period with a Wojtek Wolski power play goal, with a lone assist by Jarkko Immonen. Moscow tied it on an Igor Grigorenko goal, passed from Alexander Radulov. CSKA took the lead on a Jan Mursak power play goal, powered by Denis Denisov and Bogdan Kiselevich. Torpedo retied it in the second period as Immonen scored, thanks to Wolski and Sakari Salminen. Moscow took the lead back in the third period on an Andrei Stas goal, guided in by Vladimir Zharkov. Nizhny Novgorod pulled level on a power play goal by Artyom Blazhiyevsky, made possible by Wolski and Salminen. In the shootout, CSKA won with two goals by Roman Lyubimov to top a single tally by Immonen. The three stars of the 4-3 game were Wojski, Immonen, and Salminen.

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Friday, November 21, 2014

NHL November 20th, 2014

Eleven games on yesterday, which are being covered today because I had college-related obligations to attend to. The first occurred in...

Toronto, with the Maple Leafs hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ben Bishop and Jonathan Bernier are in the blue paint. Toronto began in the first period on a David Clarkson goal, his sixth of the season, via Daniel Winnik and Roman Polak. Tampa Bay tied it on a shorthanded and unassisted Alex Killorn goal, his fifth of the year. The Maple Leafs took the lead back as Richard Panik scored his fourth of the season, going in unassisted. Toronto added on with a James van Riemsdyk goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Tyler Bozak and Cody Franson. The Maple Leafs extended the lead on a van Riemsdyk power play goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, powered by Phil Kessel and Dion Phaneuf. The Lightning got one back with a Steven Stamkos goal, his thirteenth of the year, passed from Nikita Kucherov. Toronto won 5-2 on a Polak empty net goal, his third of the campaign, set up by Bozak. The three stars went to van Riemsdyk, Polak, and Bozak.

Over in Montreal, the Canadiens welcome the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Carey Price draw the starts. St. Louis opened on a first period goal by Vladimir Tarasenko, his eleventh of the season, passed from Jori Lehtera and Jaden Schwartz. Montreal tied it in the second period with a Dale Weise goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The Canadiens took the lead on a Max Pacioretty goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by P.A. Parenteau and P.K. Subban. Montreal added on in the third period on a Pacioretty goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, fueled by David Desharnais and Mike Weaver. The Canadiens extended the lead on a Lars Eller goal, his sixth of the campaign, made possible by Brandon Prust and Jiri Sekac. This was good for a 4-1 win, with the three stars being Pacioretty, Price (31 for 32 in saves), and Eller.

Down in Philadelphia, the Flyers bring in the Minnesota Wild. Darcy Kuemper and Ray Emery are in the creases. Minnesota got going in the second period with a Nino Niederreiter goal, his ninth of the season, a power play goal powered by Matt Dumba and Marco Scandella. Philadelphia tied it on a Mark Streit goal, his third of the year, coming off of Vincent Lecavalier and Wayne Simmonds. The Wild took the lead as Scandella scored his fourth of the season in the third period, thanks to Niederreiter and Mikael Granlund. The Flyers tied it again with a Claude Giroux power play goal, his sixth of the year, via Brayden Schenn and Jakub Voracek. Minnesota gained the lead on a Jason Zucker goal, his sixth of the campaign, passed from Ryan Suter and Charlie Coyle. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Scandella, Niederreiter, and Zucker.

North to Winnipeg, where the Jets host the Detroit Red Wings. Petr Mrazek and Ondrej Pavelec are the weak goalies. Winnipeg dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Dustin Byfuglien goal, his third of the season, guided in by Evander Kane and Mathieu Perreault. The Jets added on with an Adam Lowry goal, his second of the year, passed from Mark Scheifele and Michael Frolik. Detroit got on the board with an unassisted Tomas Tatar goal, his seventh of the season. The Red Wings tied it as Johan Franzen scored his sixth of the year, a power play goal powered by Tomas Jurco and Danny DeKeyser. Winnipeg took the lead back with a Perreault goal, his second of the season, coming off of Jacob Trouba. Detroit retied it in the third period when Justin Abdelkader scored his sixth of the year, with the help of Riley Sheahan and Brian Lashoff. The Red Wings took the lead with a Tatar goal, his second of the game and eighth of the campaign, pushed through by Abdelkader and Jonathan Ericsson. This made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars awarded to Tatar, Perreault, and Abdelkader.

East to Ottawa, where the Senators welcome the Nashville Predators. Backups Carter Hutton and Robin Lehner make the starts. Nashville struck first in the first period with a Shea Weber power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Roman Josi and Mike Ribeiro. Ottawa tied it on a Bobby Ryan goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Erik Karlsson and Mika Zibanejad on the power play. The Senators took the lead with an Alex Chiasson goal, his fifth of the campaign, via Cody Ceci and Clarke MacArthur. Ottawa added on as Jared Cowen scored, with a lone assist by Milan Michalek. The Predators answered in the third period on an Olli Jokinen goal, courtesy of Derek Roy. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being named as Chiasson, Ryan, and Cowen.

Out west, the Calgary Flames bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Jonas Hiller are the veteran goalies. Chicago led off in the first period with an Adam Clendening power play goal, powered by Marian Hossa and Kris Versteeg. The Blackhawks added on with a Daniel Carcillo goal, his second of the season, with a lone assist by Marcus Kruger. Calgary got on the board with a Paul Byron power play goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Josh Jooris and Mark Giordano. The Flames tied it on a Dennis Wideman power play goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Johnny Gaudreau and Markus Granlund. Chicago took the lead back in the second period with a Brent Seabrook goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Patrick Kane and Brad Richards. Calgary retied it on a Sean Monahan goal, his eighth of the season, with helpers from Curtis Glencross and Byron. The Blackhawks reclaimed the lead with an unassisted third period Kane goal, his seventh of the year. This made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Kane, Byron, and Clendening.

Southeast to Dallas, where the Stars host the Arizona Coyotes. Mike Smith and Kari Lehtonen are the masked men. Arizona started in the first period on a Lauri Korpikoski power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Sam Gagner and David Schlemko. Dallas tied it in the third period on a John Klingberg goal, courtesy of Ales Hemsky. The Stars took the lead on a Cody Eakin goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Trevor Daley and Jamie Benn. Dallas won it 3-1 with a Jason Spezza goal, his fourth of the campaign, assisted by Antoine Roussel and Hemsky. The three stars went to Lehtonen (26 for 27 in saves), Eakin, and Hemsky.

Backtracking to Denver, as the Colorado Avalanche welcome the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby faces a lesser foe in Reto Berra in goal. Washington got going in the second period with a Nicklas Backstrom goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Alex Ovechkin. Colorado tied it on a Daniel Briere goal, his third of the year, via Nathan MacKinnon and Dennis Everberg. The Capitals retook the lead on a Jason Chimera goal, his second of the season, coming off of Jay Beagle and Joel Ward. The Avalanche retied it in the third period as Tyson Barrie scored his second of the year, thanks to Gabriel Landeskog and MacKinnon. Washington pulled ahead again with an Ovechkin goal, his ninth of the campaign, made possible by Brooks Orpik and Backstrom. This held up for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Ovechkin, Backstrom, and MacKinnon.

Out in Los Angeles, the Kings bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Jonathan Quick protect the nets. Los Angeles was first to score in the first period on a Jarret Stoll power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Dustin Brown and Justin Williams. Carolina tied it on a Jeff Skinner goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Nathan Gerbe and Brett Bellemore. The Kings retook the lead in the second period on a Trevor Lewis goal, his third of the season, passed from Marian Gaborik and Drew Doughty. The Hurricanes tied it again with an Eric Staal power play goal, his sixth of the year, assisted by Skinner and Andrej Sekera. Los Angeles took the lead again with a Tanner Pearson goal, his eighth of the campaign, guided in by Mike Richards and Jake Muzzin. This eventually led to a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Pearson, Skinner, and Lewis.

Up in San Jose, the Sharks host the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Antti Niemi guard the cages. Florida led off in the first period with a Nick Bjugstad goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Dmitry Kulikov and Jonathan Huberdeau. San Jose tied it on a second period power play goal by Logan Couture, his eighth of the year, powered by Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau. The Panthers took the lead back with another Bjugstad goal, his second of the game and sixth of the season, a power play goal made possible by Erik Gudbranson and Huberdeau. The Sharks tied it in the third period as Marleau netted his sixth of the year, with the help of Joe Thornton and Tomas Hertl. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Couture was overwhelmed by Jussi Jokinen and Bjugstad for a 3-2 Panthers win. The three stars went to Bjugstad, Marleau, and Huberdeau.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Anaheim Ducks. Frederik Andersen and Eddie Lack are the young goalies. Anaheim began in the first period on an Andrew Cogliano goal, his third of the season, via Jakob Silfverberg and Nate Thompson. The Ducks added on with a Ryan Getzlaf goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Patrick Maroon and Corey Perry. Vancouver got on the board in the second period as Bo Horvat scored, thanks to Derek Dorsett and Zack Kassian. The Canucks tied it on a Jannik Hansen goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Alexander Edler and Christopher Tanev. Vancouver took the lead on a Radim Vrbata goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. Anaheim retied it in the third period on Matt Beleskey's ninth of the campaign, made possible by Getzlaf and Sami Vatanen. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Perry and Silfverberg lifted the Ducks to a 4-3 win. The three stars were Getzlaf, Silfverberg, and Perry.

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