NHL December 8th, 2014

Three games on today, beginning in...

Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes host the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Cam Ward are set to start in goal. Carolina got going in the second period with a Justin Faulk goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Andrej Nestrasil and Ron Hainsey. New Jersey tied it on a Jaromir Jagr goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Scott Gomez. The Devils took the lead as Adam Henrique scored his eighth of the campaign, a power play goal powered by Jagr and Gomez. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Jagr, Schneider (39 for 40 in saves), and Gomez.

Up in New York, the Rangers welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Henrik Lundqvist tend the twines. Pittsburgh led off in the first period on a Nick Spaling goal, his fourth of the season, fueled by Sidney Crosby and Steve Downie. New York tied it in the second period on a J.T. Miller goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Martin St. Louis and Dominic Moore. The Rangers took the lead on a Rick Nash goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Mats Zuccarello and Derick Brassard. New York added on in the third period with an unassisted Kevin Hayes goal, his fourth of the year. The Penguins got one back on an Evgeni Malkin goal, his fifteenth of the season, passed from Brandon Sutter and Blake Comeau. Pittsburgh tied it on a Downie goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Spaling and Rob Scuderi. The Rangers won 4-3 in overtime with a Kevin Klein goal, his sixth of the campaign, with helpers provided by Ryan McDonagh and Dominic Moore. The three stars went to Spaling, Downie, and Dominic Moore.

The last game has the St. Louis Blues bring in the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Martin Brodeur are the veteran starters. St. Louis began in the first period on a Maxim Lapierre goal, his second of the season, guided in by Chris Porter and Ryan Reaves. The Blues added on with an Ian Cole goal, his third of the year, made possible by Jori Lehtera and Vladimir Tarasenko. Florida got on the board in the second period with a Nick Bjugstad goal, his twelfth of the season, passed from Tomas Fleischmann and Erik Gudbranson. The Panthers tied it in the third period on an Aaron Ekblad goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Jussi Jokinen and Brian Campbell. St. Louis retook the lead on a Porter goal, coming off of Barret Jackman. The Blues iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Paul Stastny, his seventh of the campaign, set up by Jaden Schwartz. The three stars were awarded to Porter, Brodeur (32 for 34 in saves), and Cole.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL December 8th, 2014

Eight games on today, beginning in...

Khabarovsk, as Amur hosts Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Alexander Sudnitsin and Alexei Murygin are in goal. Nizhnekamsk got going in the third period on an unassisted Yegor Milovzorov power play goal. Neftekhimik added on with an unassisted Igor Makarov empty net goal. This made it 2-0, with the three stars going to Sudnitsin (30 save shutout), Milovzorov, and Murygin (28 for 29 in saves).

Down in Vladivostok, Admiral welcomes Lada Togliatti. Ilya Ezhov and Ivan Nalimov draw the starts in goal. Vladivostok began in the first period with an Oleg Li goal, assisted by Alexander Gorshkov. Admiral added on with a Niclas Bergfors power play goal in the second period, powered by Shaun Heshka. Vladivostok extended the lead as Richard Gynge scored, thanks to Bergfors and Ilya Zubov. This produced the 3-0 final, with the three stars given to Bergfors, Nalimov (24 save shutout), and Li.

Over in Novokuznetsk, Metallurg hosts Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Stepan Goryachevskikh and Rafael Khakimov are the little-known goalies. Khanty-Mansiysk dented the scoreboard in the third period on a Nikita Gusev goal, made possible by Andrei Sergeyev and Artyom Bulyansky. This was all they needed for a 1-0 win, with the three stars going to Goryachevskikh (29 save shutout), Gusev, and Khakimov (25 for 26 in saves).

Staying close by, Sibir Novosibirsk brings in Traktor Chelyabinsk. Michael Garnett and Nikita Bespalov are in the blue paint. Chelyabinsk led off in the third period with a Deron Quint goal, via Ilya Davydov and Andrei Popov. This held up for a 1-0 win, with the three stars being Garnett (35 save shutout), Quint, and Bespalov (22 for 23 in saves).

Out west, Severstal Cherepovets hosts the Sochi Leopards. Tomas Popperle and Jakub Stepanek protect the nets. Cherepovets opened in the first period with a power play goal by Andrei Shefer, powered by Pavel Lukin and Marek Kvapil. Severstal added on in the second period with a Shefer goal, courtesy of Andreas Thuresson. Sochi got on the board in the third period with a power play goal by Andre Petersson, assisted by Clay Wilson and Cory Emmerton. The Leopards tied it with a Emmerton goal, with a lone assist by Petersson. In the shootout, Sochi won 3-2 with goals by Emmerton and Andrei Kostitsyn. The three stars went to Shefer, Emmerton, and Petersson.

Further west to Minsk, where Dinamo welcomes Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Vladimir Sokhatsky and Danny Taylor are in the creases. Minsk struck first in the first period on a Nick Bailen goal, fueled by Charles Linglet and Matt Ellison. Dinamo added on in the second period with a Linglet goal, courtesy of Evgeny Nogachyov and Ellison. Minsk extended the lead as Ellison scored, with the help of Ryan Vesce and Linglet. Dinamo padded the lead with an unassisted power play goal by Alexander Materukhin in the third period. The three stars of the 4-0 game went to Ellison, Linglet, and Taylor (16 save shutout).

In Croatia, Medvescak Zagreb hosts Barys Astana. Alexei Ivanov and Calvin Heeter are given the green light to start in goal. Astana was first to score in the first period with a Nigel Dawes goal, made possible by Dustin Boyd and Mike Lundin. Barys added on with a Dawes goal, his second of the game, via Lundin on the power play. Zagreb got on the board with an Edwin Hedberg goal, passed from Sasa Martinovic and James Wright. Medvescak tied it on a second period power play goal by Pascal Pelletier, powered by Martin St. Pierre and Brock Trotter. Astana took the lead back in the third period with Dawes completing his hat trick, with a lone assist by Boyd. Zagreb retied it with a Pelletier goal, his second of the game, guided in by St. Pierre and Geoffrey Kinrade. Barys shot back on a Brandon Bochenski goal, with assists provided by Lundin, who got a sock trick, and Kevin Dallman. Astana iced it at 5-3 with a Bochenski empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars belonged to Dawes, Pelletier, and Lundin, while Boyd, Bochenski, and St. Pierre get the honorable mentions.

Finally, Slovan Bratislava brings in Avangard Omsk. Konstantin Barulin and Jaroslav Janus tend the twines. Omsk started in the first period with a Denis Kulyash goal, courtesy of Chad Kolarik. Avangard added on with a Sergei Kalinin power play goal, powered by Denis Parshin. Omsk extended the lead with a Parshin goal, assisted by Vladimir Sobotka. Bratislava got on the board in the second period with a Rok Ticar goal, passed from Michal Sersen. Avangard answered in the third period on an Alexander Perezhogin goal, coming off of Erik Gustafsson and Kolarik. Slovan pulled back with a Tomas Netik goal, guided in by Ticar and Ziga Jeglic. Omsk countered with an unassisted Perezhogin goal. Bratislava took one back with a Matt Murley goal, fueled by Michal Vondrka and Milan Bartovic. This only made it 5-3, with the three stars going to Perezhogin, Parshin, and Ticar, while Kolarik gets an honorable mention.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

Premier League Week 15

There are seven games on this Saturday. We begin with...

Newcastle United hosting Chelsea. Thibaut Courtois and Robert Elliot are the keepers. Newcastle United took the first two yellow cards for a forty-eighth minute Moussa Sissoko foul and a Steven Taylor foul in the fifty-sixth minute. Newcastle United began with a fifty-seventh minute Papiss Demba Cisse close range goal. Chelsea's Andre Schurrle took a yellow card for his sixty-fourth minute foul. Cheick Tiote of Newcastle United had a yellow card for a foul in the seventy-fourth minute. In the seventy-eighth minute, Cisse added on for Newcastle United, with his goal assisted by Sissoko. Chelsea had a pair of yellow cards in the seventy-ninth and eightieth minute to Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa. In the eighty-first minute, Newcastle United went down a man when Taylor was shown a second yellow card for a foul and ejected. Chelsea got on the board with a Didier Drogba goal header goal, passed from Fabregas after a set piece. This only made it a 2-1 final in favor of Newcastle United.

Over to Hull City welcoming West Bromwich Albion. Ben Foster and Allan McGregor are in the six-yard boxes. David Meyler of Hull City took the first yellow card of the game in the fifty-sixth minute for his foul. In the ninetieth minute, West Brom had a yellow card go to Youssuf Mulumbu for a foul. The game ended in a scoreless draw.

West to Liverpool bringing in Sunderland. Costel Pantilimon and Simon Mignolet are the gloved men. Sunderland's Santiago Vergini took a yellow card in the forty-first minute for a foul. Liverpool saw a booking on a yellow card for a fifty-first minute Lucas Leiva foul. Liam Bridcutt had a yellow card for Sunderland in the sixtieth minute on his foul, and then Sunderland took another yellow card in the eightieth minute for a William Buckley foul. The game ended in a scoreless draw.

Down to Queens Park Rangers hosting Burnley. Tom Heaton and Robert Green protect the nets. In stoppage time for the first half, Leroy Fer of QPR took a yellow card for a foul. Burnley had a yellow card go to Ashley Barnes in the forty-seventh minute for a foul. QPR led off with a fifty-first minute Fer goal, passed from Charlie Austin. Austin took a yellow card for QPR in the seventy-second minute for his foul. QPR added on as Austin made up for his transgression in the seventy-fourth minute, and his goal was made possible by Mauricio Isla. QPR went down to ten men in the seventy-sixth minute when Austin took a second yellow card and was ejected. QPR held on for a 2-0 win.

Next up, Stoke City welcomes Arsenal. Emiliano Martinez and Asmir Begovic are set to start in goal. Nineteen seconds in, Stoke City had a lead with a Peter Crouch goal, via Mame Biram Diouf. In the thirty-fifth minute, Stoke City added on with a Bojan goal, fueled by Jonathan Walters on the cross. Stoke City took a yellow card in the forty-fourth minute for a Marc Muniesa foul. Stoke City extended the lead in forty-fifth minute on a Walters goal after a corner kick. Stoke City had another yellow card in the forty-sixth minute as Crouch committed a foul. Calum Chambers of Arsenal had a yellow card in the sixty-first minute for his foul. Arsenal got on the board in the sixty-eighth minute with a Santiago Cazorla penalty kick goal. In the seventieth minute, Arsenal pulled closer as Aaron Ramsey scored, thanks to Alexis Sanchez's cross after a corner kick. Arsenal had yellow cards in the seventy-first and seventy-second minutes for Kieran Gibbs and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain fouls. Arsenal went to ten men when Chambers was given a second yellow card in the seventy-eighth minute and ejected from the game. Stoke City had a yellow card for an eighty-fourth minute Charlie Adam foul. Stoke City held on for a 3-2 win.

Back to London, where Tottenham Hotspur brings in Crystal Palace. Julian Speroni and Hugo Lloris are the goalies. Tottenham Hotspur had the only yellow card in the eighty-eighth minute for a Christian Eriksen foul. The game ended in a 0-0 draw.

Finally, Manchester City hosts Everton. Tim Howard and Joe Hart are set to start in goal. Everton's Seamus Coleman took a yellow card in the eleventh minute for a foul. Eliaquim Mangala of Manchester City had a yellow card for his foul in the eighteenth minute. Manchester City opened with a twenty-fourth minute penalty kick goal by Yaya Toure. Manchester City had another yellow card in the twenty-sixth minute as Fernando committed a foul. In the fifty-second minute, Everton's Gareth Barry took a yellow card for his foul. In the eighty-eighth minute, Manchester City's Toure took a yellow card for a foul. In the ninetieth minute, Everton saw a booking on a yellow card for a Ross Barkley dive. Manchester City managed to maintain their 1-0 lead for a win.

On Sunday, West Ham United welcomes Swansea City. Lukasz Fabianski and Adrian are in the six-yard boxes. Swansea City led off in the nineteenth minute with a Wilfried Bony goal, passed from Jefferson Montero. West Ham tied it in the forty-first minute on an Andy Carroll header, set up by a Carl Jenkinson cross. In the fiftieth minute, Swansea City's Wayne Routledge took a yellow card for his foul. West Ham took the lead in the sixty-sixth minute on another Carroll header, via Stewart Downing's cross after a corner kick. In the sixty-eighth minute, Swansea City goalie Fabianski was sent off on a straight red card. West Ham wrapped it up at 3-1 in the eighty-seventh minute with a Diafra Sakho goal, courtesy of a Carroll headed pass.

The other Sunday game has Aston Villa bringing in Leicester City. Kasper Schmeichel and Brad Guzan are given the starting nods in goal. Leicester City struck first in the thirteenth minute on a close range goal by Leonardo Ulloa. Aston Villa tied it in the seventeenth minute on a Ciaran Clark header goal, passed from Ashley Westwood after a set piece. In the thirty-fourth minute, Charles N'Zogbia of Aston Villa took a yellow card for his foul. Leicester City saw a yellow card go to Jamie Vardy in the forty-first minute. Leicester City saw a pair of yellow cards for Esteban Cambiasso in the fifty-ninth minute and Jeffrey Schlupp in the sixtieth minute, both for fouls. In the seventy-first minute, Alan Hutton of Aston Villa scored to give his team the lead, with the help of Christian Benteke. Marcin Wasilewski of Leicester City took a yellow card in the same minute. At the seventy-four minute mark, Carlos Sanchez of Aston Villa was given a yellow card. Leicester City went down to ten men in the eightieth minute when Paul Konchesky was sent off for a straight red card foul. Hutton of Aston Villa had a yellow card in the eighty-first minute, followed by a ninetieth minute foul from Gabriel Agbonlahor drawing a yellow card for Aston Villa. They went on to win 2-1.

Monday's game had Southampton host Manchester United to wrap up the week. David de Gea and Fraser Forster are the keepers. Manchester United opened in the twelfth minute on a Robin van Persie goal. Southampton tied it in the thirty-first minute with a Graziano Pelle goal. Manchester United retook the lead on a van Persie goal in the seventy-first minute, assisted by Wayne Rooney on a cross after a set piece. Southampton's Sadio Mane took a yellow card for his foul in the eighty-ninth minute, followed by a stoppage time yellow card going to Rooney of Manchester United. Another stoppage time yellow card went to Jose Fonte of Southampton. The final was 2-1 for Manchester United.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion. 

NHL November 7th, 2014

Four games on for today, beginning in...

Winnipeg, where the Jets host the Anaheim Ducks. Frederik Andersen and Ondrej Pavelec receive the starting nods. Anaheim led off in the first period with a Rene Bourque power play goal, powered by Patrick Maroon and Ryan Getzlaf. Winnipeg tied it with a power play goal by Dustin Byfuglien, his seventh of the season, assisted by Mathieu Perreault and Andrew Ladd. The Jets took the lead in the second period as Ladd scored his tenth of the year, a power play goal made possible by Blake Wheeler and Jacob Trouba. The Ducks tied it again with a Jakob Silfverberg goal, his third of the season, coming off of Clayton Stoner and Rickard Rakell. Anaheim edged ahead on a power play goal by Ryan Kesler, his ninth of the year, via Getzlaf and Cam Fowler. Winnipeg tied it in the third period with a Trouba goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Adam Lowry and Mark Stuart. The Ducks won 4-3 in overtime on a Kyle Palmieri goal, his fourth of the year, with assists provided by Getzlaf, who got a sock trick, and Hampus Lindholm. The three stars belonged to Getzlaf, Trouba, and Ladd.

Southeast to Raleigh, where the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Petr Mrazek and Cam Ward are in the blue paint. Detroit began in the first period with a Pavel Datsyuk goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Jonathan Ericsson and Darren Helm. The Red Wings added on with a Tomas Tatar goal, his eleventh of the year, guided in by Datsyuk and Kyle Quincey. Detroit extended the lead as Tatar scored his second of the game and twelfth of the season, passed from Datsyuk and Johan Franzen. Carolina got on the board with a Jay McClement goal, via Tim Gleason. This only made it 3-1, the eventual final, with the three stars going to Datsyuk, Tatar, and Mrazek (34 for 35 in saves).

Up in Ottawa, the Senators bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Eddie Lack and Craig Anderson are between the pipes. Vancouver opened in the first period with a Radim Vrbata goal, his twelfth of the season, fueled by Ryan Stanton and Daniel Sedin. The Canucks added on with a Kevin Bieksa goal, his second of the year, via Vrbata and Henrik Sedin. Vancouver extended the lead in the second period on the seventh of the season by Brad Richardson, an unassisted goal. Ottawa got on the board with a David Legwand power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Alex Chiasson and Mika Zibanejad. The Senators pulled closer on a Zibanejad goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Bobby Ryan and Eric Gryba. Ottawa tied it with another Zibanejad goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, assisted by Ryan and Mike Hoffman. The Senators won 4-3 in overtime on Erik Karlsson's seventh of the campaign, passed from Zibanejad and Ryan, the latter getting a sock trick. The three stars were awarded to Zibanejad, Ryan, and Vrbata.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers host the San Jose Sharks. Alex Stalock and Ben Scrivens are the young goalies. Edmonton started in the second period on a Nail Yakupov power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Jordan Eberle and Jeff Petry. San Jose tied it on a Tye McGinn goal, courtesy of Patrick Marleau and Brent Burns. The Oilers took the lead in the third period with a David Perron goal, his fourth of the year, via Teddy Purcell and Mark Fayne. This gave them a 2-1 lead, which was the final. The three stars went to Scrivens (20 for 21 in saves), Perron, and Yakupov.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

MLS Cup 2014

This year's MLS Cup has the Los Angeles Galaxy hosting the New England Revolution. Bobby Shuttleworth and Jaime Penedo are the keepers. In first half stoppage time, Landon Donovan took his final career yellow card for Los Angeles for a foul. In the fifty-second minute, the Galaxy began with a Gyasi Zardes goal, made possible by Stefan Ishizaki. New England's Andrew Farrell took a yellow card for his sixty-second minute foul. The Revolution tied the game with a seventy-ninth minute goal by Chris Tierney, passed from Patrick Mullins and Jose Goncalves. Los Angeles' Robbie Rogers and Robbie Keane had the next two yellow cards in the eighty-second and ninety-second minute, both for fouls. The Galaxy took the lead in the one-hundred-and-eleventh minute with a Keane goal, set up by Marcelo Sarvas. In the one-hundred-and-thirteenth minute, yellow cards went to Los Angeles' Sarvas for a foul and Alan Gordon for an argument, as well as New England's Jermaine Jones for an argument. The final was 2-1 for the Galaxy, giving them the MLS Cup championship. Keane was the man of the match.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL December 7th, 2014

Two games on today, beginning with...

Dynamo Moscow hosting SKA St. Petersburg. Mikko Koskinen and Alexander Yeryomenko tend the twines. Moscow struck first in the first period on a power play goal by Kaspars Daugavins, powered by Maxim Pestushko and Filip Novak. St. Petersburg tied it on an Andrei Kuteikin goal in the third period, helped along by Evgeny Dadonov and Yury Alexandrov. Dynamo took the lead back on a power play goal from Gleb Koryagin, assisted by Maxim Karpov and Daugavins. This produced the 2-1 final, with the three stars going to Daugavins, Yeryomenko (41 for 42 in saves), and Koryagin.

The other game has Atlant Mytishchi hosting Dinamo Riga. Jakub Sedlacek and Atte Engren man the creases. Mytishchi was first to score in the first period on an Albert Yarullin goal, via Maxim Potapov and Evgeny Bodrov on the power play. Atlant added on with an unassisted goal by Sergei Shmelyov. Riga got on the board with an Andris Dzerins goal, passed from Krisjanis Redlihs and Oskars Cibulskis. Mytishchi shot back in the second period with an Igor Levitsky goal, made possible by Vyacheslav Kozlov and Yarullin. Atlant iced it at 4-1 in the third period on a Petr Vrana goal, coming off of Nikita Soshnikov and Shmelyov. The three stars belonged to Shmelyov, Engren (21 for 22 in saves), and Yarullin.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

NHL December 6th, 2014

Twelve games throughout the day, led by three matinees. We begin in...

New York, as the Islanders host the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Jaroslav Halak make the starts. New York began in the first period on a Frans Nielsen power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Kyle Okposo and Nick Leddy. The Islanders added on with a Ryan Strome goal, his sixth of the year, going in unassisted. New York extended the lead as Michael Grabner scored, thanks to Matt Donovan and Leddy. Martin Brodeur relieved Allen for the second period. St. Louis got on the board with a Paul Stastny power play goal, his fourth of the campaign, via Kevin Shattenkirk and David Backes. The Blues pulled closer with a Patrik Berglund goal, his third of the season, fueled by Chris Butler and Alex Pietrangelo. St. Louis tied it on a Shattenkirk power play goal, his third of the year, guided in by T.J. Oshie and Joakim Lindstrom. The Islanders retook the lead with a John Tavares goal, his eleventh of the campaign, helped along by Okposo and Nielsen on the power play. The Blues tied it again in the third period with an Oshie power play goal, his third of the season, assisted by Shattenkirk and Lindstrom. St. Louis took the lead as Stastny scored his second of the game and fifth of the year, with the help of Lindstrom, who got a sock trick, and Barret Jackman. The Blues iced it at 6-4 with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his seventeenth of the campaign, made possible by Jori Lehtera and Jaden Schwartz. The three stars were given to Shattenkirk, Stastny, and Lindstrom, while Oshie, Okposo, Nielsen, and Leddy get the honorable mentions.

Over in Pittsburgh, the Penguins welcome the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Marc-Andre Fleury are the goalies. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period on an unassisted Evgeni Malkin goal, his thirteenth of the season. Ottawa got on the board in the second period with a David Legwand power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Milan Michalek and Erik Karlsson. The Senators took the lead on a Mika Zibanejad goal, his fifth of the campaign, guided in by Bobby Ryan and Marc Methot. The Penguins tied it on a Malkin goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, passed from Brandon Sutter and Olli Maatta on the power play. Pittsburgh took the lead with a Christian Ehrhoff goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Sidney Crosby and Craig Adams. This held up for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Malkin, Fleury (27 for 29 in saves), and Ehrhoff.

Way out in Los Angeles, the Kings bring in the Philadelphia Flyers for the last matinee. Steve Mason and Jonathan Quick are in the blue paint. Philadelphia was first to score in the first period with a Claude Giroux goal, his eighth of the season, guided in by Mark Streit and Nicklas Grossmann. The Flyers added on in the second period with a Wayne Simmonds power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Sean Couturier and Andrew MacDonald. Los Angeles got on the board in the third period with a Justin Williams goal, his sixth of the campaign, coming off of Jarret Stoll and Robyn Regehr. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Mason (37 for 38 in saves), Simmonds, and Giroux.

Back northeast to Detroit, where the Red Wings host the New York Rangers at a normal time. Cam Talbot is mismatched with Jimmy Howard in goal. New York lead off with a Kevin Klein goal in the first period, his fifth of the season, via Kevin Hayes and Carl Hagelin. The Rangers added on with a Rick Nash goal, his seventeenth of the year, with a lone assist by Derick Brassard. Detroit got on the board in the second period as Riley Sheahan scored his sixth of the campaign, thanks to Stephen Weiss and Johan Franzen. The Red Wings tied it on a Luke Glendening goal, his third of the season, assisted by Joakim Andersson and Drew Miller. Detroit took the lead in the third period on Darren Helm's fifth of the year, fueled by Tomas Tatar and Danny DeKeyser. They went on to win 3-2, with the three stars being Helm, Glendening, and Sheahan.

Down in Dallas, the Stars welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Kari Lehtonen guard the cages. Dallas opened in the first period with a Cody Eakin power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Tyler Seguin and Alex Goligoski. The Stars added on in the second period with Seguin's twentieth of the year, a power play goal made possible by Jamie Benn and Trevor Daley. Dallas extended the lead with Seguin's second of the game and twenty-first of the season, passed from Benn. Montreal got on the board in the third period with a Sven Andrighetto goal, courtesy of Tomas Plekanec and Jiri Sekac. The Stars finished it at 4-1 with an unassisted empty net goal by Ryan Garbutt, his fifth of the year. The three stars went to Seguin, Benn, and Lehtonen (16 for 17 in saves).

Northeast to New Jersey, where the Devils bring in the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Cory Schneider are the young goalies. Washington started in the first period with a Karl Alzner goal, passed from Tom Wilson. New Jersey tied it on a Patrik Elias goal, his third of the season, fueled by Dainius Zubrus and Andy Greene. The Capitals took the lead back in the second period on a Jay Beagle goal, his fourth of the year, made possible by John Carlson and Michael Latta. Washington added on with an Evgeny Kuznetsov power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Brooks Laich and Joel Ward. The Capitals iced it at 4-1 with a Laich empty net goal in the third period, his second of the year, set up by Ward and Eric Fehr. The three stars belonged to Holtby (33 for 34 in saves), Laich, and Ward.

South to Tampa Bay, where the Lightning host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Ben Bishop protect the nets. Columbus struck first in the first period on a Boone Jenner goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Matt Calvert. The Blue Jackets added on with the fifth of the year by David Savard, a power play goal powered by Jack Johnson and Cam Atkinson. Columbus extended the lead in the third period on a Jack Skille goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Michael Chaput and Scott Hartnell. Tampa Bay got on the board with an Ondrej Palat goal, his eighth of the year, assisted by Nikita Kucherov and Jonathan Drouin. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Bobrovsky (33 for 34 in saves), Savard, and Skille.

North to Toronto, where the Maple Leafs welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller and Jonathan Bernier receive the starting nods. Toronto was first to score in the first period on a Jake Gardiner goal, his second of the season, going in unassisted. The Maple Leafs added on with a Richard Panik goal, his fifth of the year, made possible by Trevor Smith and David Booth. Toronto extended the lead in the second period on a Peter Holland goal, his sixth of the campaign, an unassisted goal. The Maple Leafs chased Miller with a Joffrey Lupul goal, his sixth of the season, guided in by Holland and David Clarkson. Eddie Lack came on in relief. Vancouver got on the board with a Daniel Sedin goal, his seventh of the year, fueled by Henrik Sedin and Radim Vrbata. The Canucks pulled closer in the third period with a Christopher Tanev goal, with assists provided by Linden Vey and Brad Richardson. Toronto wrapped it up at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Clarkson, his eighth of the campaign, set up by Lupul. The three stars were Bernier (44 for 46 in saves), Holland, and Lupul, while Clarkson gets an honorable mention.

Back in Florida, the Panthers bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Michal Neuvirth and Roberto Luongo are in the creases. Florida led off in the first period with a Brad Boyes goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Jussi Jokinen and Aaron Ekblad. Buffalo tied it with a Drew Stafford goal in the second period, his fifth of the year, made possible by Cody Hodgson and Josh Gorges. The Panthers took the lead on a Tomas Kopecky goal, assisted by Ekblad and Nick Bjugstad. The Sabres tied it on a Brian Gionta goal, his third of the season, passed from Mike Weber and Torrey Mitchell. Florida retook the lead as Bjugstad scored his eleventh of the year, thanks to Ekblad, who got a sock trick, and Tomas Fleischmann. This held up for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Ekblad, Bjugstad, and Kopecky.

Northwest to Nashville, where the Predators host the Chicago Blackhawks. Scott Darling and Pekka Rinne are between the pipes. Chicago opened in the first period on a Brandon Saad goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Duncan Keith. The Blackhawks added on in the second period with a Marian Hossa goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Saad and Brent Seabrook. Nashville got on the board in the third period with a Colin Wilson goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Victor Bartley and Mike Fisher. Chicago iced it at 3-1 with a Hossa empty net goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Hossa, Darling (32 for 33 in saves), and Saad.

Out west, the Arizona Coyotes welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask faces a lesser foe in Devan Dubnyk in goal. Boston started in the first period with a Brad Marchand goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Reilly Smith and Dougie Hamilton. The Bruins added on with an unassisted goal by Kevan Miller. Arizona got one back with a Joe Vitale goal, his third of the year, passed from Shane Doan and Michael Stone. Boston replied in the second period on a Simon Gagne goal, his third of the season, made possible by Daniel Paille. The Bruins chased Dubnyk with Marchand's second of the game and eighth of the year, courtesy of Smith and Hamilton. Mike Smith came on in relief. Boston extended the lead as Loui Eriksson scored a power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Patrice Bergeron and Torey Krug. The Coyotes got one back in the third period with a Mikkel Boedker power play goal, his ninth of the year, fueled by Antoine Vermette and Keith Yandle. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars being Marchand, Smith, and Hamilton.

Finally, the Calgary Flames bring in the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Karri Ramo are the Finnish goalies. Calgary began in the first period with a Mark Giordano goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by David Jones and Curtis Glencross. San Jose tied it in the second period on a Justin Braun goal, via Tommy Wingels. The Sharks took the lead with a Logan Couture goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of John Scott and Braun. The Flames retied it on a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Jiri Hudler and Matt Stajan. San Jose took the lead with a third period Patrick Marleau goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of Couture and Wingels. This stood up for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Couture, Marleau, and Wingels.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.