NHL January 8th, 2015

Ten games for tonight, beginning in...

Boston, as the Bruins host the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider faces a lesser foe in Niklas Svedberg. Boston began in the first period on a Milan Lucic goal, his seventh of the season, a power play goal powered by David Krejci and Torey Krug. The Bruins added on in the second period with a Carl Soderberg goal, his ninth of the year, going in unassisted. Boston iced it at 3-0 in the third period on a Lucic empty net goal, his second of the game and eighth of the campaign, set up by Patrice Bergeron and Chris Kelly. The three stars went to Lucic, Soderberg, and Svedberg (14 save shutout).

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Jhonas Enroth and Cam Ward occupy the creases. Carolina got going in the second period on a Jeff Skinner goal, his ninth of the season, courtesy of Alexander Semin and Ryan Murphy. Buffalo tied it on a Philip Varone goal, guided in by Chris Stewart. The Hurricanes took the lead back with a Jiri Tlusty power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Nathan Gerbe and Justin Faulk. Carolina added on as Eric Staal scored his twelfth of the season, thanks to Murphy and John-Michael Liles. The Hurricanes extended the lead on a Victor Rask goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Ron Hainsey. The Sabres got one back in the third period with a Varone goal, his second of the game, coming off of Tyson Strachan and Mike Weber. Carolina shot back with a Riley Nash goal, his sixth of the season, via Faulk and Tlusty. The final stood at 5-2, with the three stars given to Tlusty, Varone, and Faulk, while Murphy gets the honorable mention.

Back north, the Philadelphia Flyers bring in the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Steve Mason are the masked men. Washington struck first with an Alex Ovechkin power play goal, his twenty-first of the season, powered by Mike Green and Marcus Johansson. Philadelphia tied it on a Sean Couturier goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Matt Read and Nick Schultz. The Capitals retook the lead on a third period goal by Karl Alzner, his fourth of the season, assisted by Green and Andre Burakovsky. The Flyers tied it again as R.J. Umberger scored his sixth of the year, thanks to Schultz and Read. Philadelphia won 3-2 in overtime with a Jakub Voracek power play goal, his sixteenth of the campaign, helped along by Claude Giroux and Mark Streit. The three stars went to Schultz, Read, and Green.

Westward to St. Louis, as the Blues host the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Brian Elliott receive the starting nods. St. Louis led off in the first period on an Alexander Steen goal, his eleventh of the season, coming on the power play from Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz. The Blues added on with a Jay Bouwmeester goal, his second of the year, via Tarasenko and Jori Lehtera. San Jose got on the board with a shorthanded goal by Logan Couture, his fifteenth of the season, set up by Brenden Dillon. St. Louis answered with a Paul Stastny power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by T.J. Oshie and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Sharks got one back in the second period on a Melker Karlsson goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Couture and Brent Burns. The Blues replied with a Lehtera goal, his ninth of the year, assisted by Schwartz. St. Louis extended the lead on an Oshie goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Steen and David Backes. Alex Stalock replaced Niemi at this time. The Blues continued in the third period on a Patrik Berglund goal, his fifth of the year, with a lone assist by Stastny. St. Louis finished it at 7-2 on a Backes goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, driven in by Schwartz, who got a sock trick, and Alex Pietrangelo. The three stars went to Lehtera, Stastny, and Steen, while Schwartz, Oshie, Backes, and Tarasenko get the honorable mentions.

Back east to Nashville, where the Predators welcome the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Pekka Rinne are the Finnish goalies. Nashville was first to score in the first period on a Shea Weber goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Mike Ribeiro and Roman Josi. Dallas tied it in the second period with a Jason Spezza goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Shawn Horcoff and Jason Demers. The Predators took the lead with a Miikka Salomaki goal, made possible by Josi and Calle Jarnkrok. The Stars retied it with a Trevor Daley goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Jamie Benn and Cody Eakin. Nashville won 3-2 in overtime on a Weber goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, set up by Mike Fisher and Colin Wilson. The three stars were handed to Weber, Josi, and Salomaki.

Up in Minnesota, the Wild bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Niklas Backstrom are the experienced goalies. Chicago started in the first period on a Patrick Sharp goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by David Rundblad and Andrew Shaw. The Blackhawks added on with a Patrick Kane power play goal, his twentieth of the year, powered by Brad Richards and Jonathan Toews. Minnesota got on the board in the second period with a Jason Zucker goal, his fifteenth of the season, made possible by Jason Pominville and Mikko Koivu. Chicago replied in the third period on a Bryan Bickell goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Kane and Richards. The Wild got one back on a Pominville power play goal, his ninth of the season, pushed through by Thomas Vanek and Nino Niederreiter. The Blackhawks iced it at 4-2 with a Bickell empty net goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, set up by Kane and Richards, the latter getting a sock trick. The three stars were awarded to Bickell, Kane, and Richards, while Pominville got the honorable mention.

Southwest to Colorado, where the Avalanche host the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Semyon Varlamov are between the pipes. Colorado opened in the first period with a Jarome Iginla goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Alex Tanguay and Ryan O'Reilly. The Avalanche added on with a Brad Stuart goal, courtesy of Jan Hejda and Matt Duchene. Ottawa got on the board in the second period with a Mark Stone goal, his tenth of the year, via Erik Karlsson and David Legwand. Colorado replied with an Erik Johnson goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of O'Reilly. The Avalanche extended the lead as Iginla scored his second of the game and twelfth of the year, a power play goal powered by Tanguay and Nick Holden. The Senators pulled back on an unassisted Bobby Ryan goal, his twelfth of the season. Colorado answered on a Daniel Briere goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Tyson Barrie and Nate Guenin. The final stood at 5-2, with Iginla, Tanguay, and O'Reilly receiving the three stars.

Down to Arizona, where the Coyotes welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec and Mike Smith are the mediocre goalies. Arizona dented the scoreboard with a Mikkel Boedker power play goal, his tenth of the season, via Antoine Vermette and Shane Doan. The Coyotes added on with a power play goal by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, his eleventh of the year, powered by Doan and Boedker. Arizona extended the lead on a Doan power play goal in the second period, his ninth of the season, assisted by Michael Stone and Tobias Rieder. Winnipeg got on the board in the third period as Mathieu Perreault scored his tenth of the year, thanks to Andrew Ladd and Mark Scheifele. The Coyotes answered on a Boedker goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the season, helped along by Chris Summers and Vermette. The final was 4-1, and the three stars were Boedker, Doan, and Vermette.

Up to Vancouver, as the Canucks bring in the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Ryan Miller tend the twines. Vancouver began in the first period on a Daniel Sedin goal, his ninth of the season, via Henrik Sedin and Yannick Weber. Florida got on the board with a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. The Panthers took the lead in the second period as Aleksander Barkov netted his third of the season, thanks to Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad. Florida added on with a Huberdeau goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, helped along by Dmitry Kulikov and Willie Mitchell. This produced the 3-1 final, with the three stars given to Huberdeau, Luongo (32 for 33 in saves), and Barkov.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the New York Rangers. Cam Talbot is mismatched with Jonathan Quick in goal. Los Angeles led off in the first period on a Tanner Pearson goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli. The Kings added on with a Justin Williams goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Dustin Brown and Alec Martinez. New York got on the board with a Dan Boyle power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Rick Nash and Derick Brassard. The Rangers tied it in the second period on a Kevin Klein goal, his eighth of the year, via Kevin Hayes and John Moore. New York gained the lead with a Lee Stempniak goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by J.T. Miller and Dan Girardi. The Rangers extended the lead on a Martin St. Louis power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Boyle and Brassard. Los Angeles got one back on Williams' second of the game and eleventh of the season in the third period, helped along by Brown and Anze Kopitar. The final stood at 4-3, with the three stars being Boyle, Williams, and Brassard, while Brown gets an honorable mention.

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KHL January 8th, 2015

Five games on today, beginning in...

Omsk, as Avangard hosts Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Sharychenkov and Eduard Reizvikh are the backups making spot starts. Moscow opened in the first period with a Mat Robinson goal, via Nikolai Zherdev and Denis Mosalyov. Dynamo added on in the second period as Maxim Pestushko scored, thanks to Kaspars Daugavins. Moscow extended the lead with an Alexei Tsvetkov goal, passed from Maxim Karpov and Robinson. Omsk got on the board with an unassisted Vladimir Pervushin goal. Dynamo replied on a Zherdev goal, fueled by Alexei Tereshchenko and Robinson. Avangard got one back with an Alexander Popov goal, with a lone assist by Denis Parshin. Moscow answered on a Daugavins goal in the third period, guided in by Konstantin Volkov. Dynamo padded the lead as Daugavins scored an unassisted empty net goal. Omsk clawed back with a power play goal by Erik Gustafsson, powered by Parshin and Popov. Moscow finished it at 7-3 with a Robinson empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were Daugavins, Robinson, and Zherdev, while Popov and Parshin get honorable mentions.

Up in Khanty-Mansiysk, Yugra welcomes Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Rafael Khakimov and Barry Brust are in the blue paint. Khanty-Mansiysk struck first in the first period with an Igor Magogin goal, helped along by Nikita Gusev and Artyom Bulyansky. Yugra added on with a Ben Maxwell power play goal, powered by Philip Larsen and Alexander Korolyuk. Novokuznetsk got on the board in the second period with a Nikolai Skladnichenko power play goal, coming off of Sergei Dorofeyev. Khanty-Mansiysk iced it at 3-1 with an Andrei Chibisov goal, passed from Vitaly Sitnikov in the third period. The three stars went to Brust (28 for 29 in saves), Maxwell, and Chibisov.

Over to Chelyabinsk, where Traktor hosts Sibir Novosibirsk. Alexander Salak and Michael Garnett protect the nets. Novosibirsk got going in the second period on a Jonas Enlund goal, courtesy of Jarno Koskiranta. Sibir added on with a Sergei Shumakov, with a lone assist by Maxim Ignatovich. Chelyabinsk got on the board with an Alexei Kruchinin power play goal, powered by Oleg Piganovich and Artyom Borodkin. Traktor tied it in the third period as Anton Glinkin scored a power play goal, coming off of Dmitry Pestunov and Vitaly Atyushov. A minute and a half into overtime, Renat Mamashev hooked Francis Pare, drawing a penalty shot. A protest by Salak got him ejected, bringing in Nikita Bespalov for the shot, which Pare scored on for a 3-2 Traktor win. The three stars went to Pare, Glinkin, and Kruchinin.

West to Mytishchi, as Atlant brings in Medvescak Zagreb. Calvin Heeter and Atte Engren are in the creases. Zagreb was first to score in the first period on an unassisted Martin St. Pierre power play goal. Medvescak added on with a Kurtis McLean goal in the second period, via Brandon Segal. Mytishchi got on the board with an Albert Yarullin power play goal, going in unassisted. Zagreb replied in the third period on a Segal penalty shot goal, after he was slashed by Dmitry Korobov. Atlant got one back on an Igor Levitsky goal, passed from Mikhail Tyulyapkin. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the stars being Segal, McLean, and St. Pierre.

Finally, Dinamo Minsk hosts Slovan Bratislava. Johan Backlund and Lars Haugen are between the pipes. Minsk started with a Charles Linglet goal in the first period, coming on the power play from Ryan Vesce. Bratislava tied it in the second period on a Ladislav Nagy goal, passed from Cam Barker and Matt Murley. Dinamo pulled ahead on a Vesce power play goal, powered by Nick Bailen and Matt Ellison. Slovan tied it in the third period as Ziga Jeglic goal, via Tomas Netik. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Vesce and Andrei Stepanov scored for Dinamo, topping Jeglic's tally for a 3-2 win. The three stars were Vesce, Jeglic, and Linglet.

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NHL January 7th, 2015

Four games today, beginning in...

Toronto, as the Maple Leafs host the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Jonathan Bernier are in the blue paint. Washington began in the first period on a Marcus Johansson goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Evgeny Kuznetsov and Troy Brouwer. Toronto tied it on a second period Daniel Winnik goal, his second of the year, coming off of Cody Franson and Nazem Kadri. The Capitals retook the lead on a shorthanded goal by Eric Fehr, his twelfth of the season, set up by Jay Beagle and Matt Niskanen. Washington added on with a Brooks Laich goal, his fifth of the year, with a lone assist by Fehr. The Maple Leafs pulled back on a Trevor Smith goal, passed from Leo Komarov and Roman Polak. The Capitals shot back as Johansson scored his second of the game and twelfth of the season, with the help of John Carlson and Brouwer. Washington extended the lead with a Fehr goal in the third period, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, via Carlson and Mike Green. The Capitals padded the lead on an Alex Ovechkin empty net goal, his twentieth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The final stood at 6-2, with the three stars being Fehr, Johansson, and Brouwer, while Carlson gets an honorable mention.

Down in Pittsburgh, the Penguins welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Marc-Andre Fleury tend the twines. Pittsburgh led off in the first period on a Beau Bennett goal, his second of the season, assisted by Evgeni Malkin and Simon Despres. Boston tied it on a Zdeno Chara goal, his third of the year, via Reilly Smith and David Krejci. The Bruins took the lead in the second period on a Patrice Bergeron goal, his ninth of the season, helped along by Daniel Paille and Milan Lucic. The Penguins tied it in the third period on a Malkin goal, his eighteenth of the year, with a lone helper by Christian Ehrhoff. Boston won 3-2 in overtime as Bergeron scored his second of the game and tenth of the campaign, thanks to Lucic and Torey Krug. The three stars were Bergeron, Malkin, and Lucic.

Westward to Calgary, where the Flames bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Petr Mrazek and Karri Ramo are the backups in goal. Calgary opened in the first period on a Mason Raymond goal, his sixth of the season, guided in by David Jones and Mikael Backlund. Detroit tied it on a Riley Sheahan goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Darren Helm. Ramo was removed from the game in the second period after a collision, and replaced by Jonas Hiller. The Red Wings took the lead in the second period with a Henrik Zetterberg goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Justin Abdelkader and Gustav Nyquist. Detroit added on in the third period with an Abdelkader power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Nyquist and Zetterberg. The Flames got one back with a Backlund shorthanded goal, his second of the season, set up by Paul Byron and T.J. Brodie. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Abdelkader, Zetterberg, and Backlund, while Nyquist gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Ilya Bryzgalov receive the starting nods. New York started in the second period on a Derick Brassard goal, his eleventh of the season, via J.T. Miller and Marc Staal. The Rangers added on with a Rick Nash goal in the third period, his twenty-fifth of the year, with a lone assist by Kevin Klein. Anaheim got on the board with a Francois Beauchemin power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. New York replied with a Mats Zuccarello goal, his seventh of the year, going in unassisted. The Rangers iced it at 4-1 on an empty net goal by Dominic Moore, his third of the campaign, set up by Lee Stempniak and Miller. The three stars were Lundqvist (24 for 25 in saves), Miller, and Nash.

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KHL January 7th, 2015

Seven games for today, with the first in...

Yekaterinburg, as Avtomobilist hosts Lada Togliatti. Evgeny Ivannikov and Jakub Kovar are set to start in goal. Yekaterinburg opened in the first period on an Anton Lazarev goal, guided in by Gilbert Brule and Aaron Palushaj. Togliatti tied it on a power play goal by Stanislav Romanov, powered by Andrei Nikitenko and Alexei Mastryukov. Avtomobilist took the lead back in the second period on an Alexander Loginov goal, coming off of Brule and Lazarev. Lada tied it again with an Anton Shenfeld power play goal, passed from Dmitry Vorobyov and Martin Zatovic. Yekaterinburg won 3-2 in overtime on an Alexander Nesterov goal, via Loginov. The three stars went to Lazarev, Loginov, and Brule.

Into Ufa, where Salavat Yulaev welcomes Barys Astana. Pavel Poluektov and Vladimir Sokhatsky draw the starts. Ufa got going in the second period on a Dmitry Semin power play goal, powered by Ivan Vishnevsky and Kirill Koltsov. Astana tied it with a Roman Starchenko goal, guided in by Nikolai Antropov. Barys took the lead on a Nigel Dawes power play goal, coming off of Brandon Bochenski and Dustin Boyd. Astana iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Kevin Dallman, going in unassisted. The three stars were Poluektov (33 for 34 in saves), Dawes, and Starchenko.

Westward to Moscow, as CSKA brings in Vityaz Podolsk. Ivan Lisutin and Stanislav Galimov are the experienced goalies. Moscow dented the scoreboard with a second period goal by Damir Zhafyarov, courtesy of Evgeny Korotkov. Podolsk tied it in the third period with a Nikita Vyglazov power play goal, powered by Alexei Semenov and Dmitry Shitikov. Vityaz took the lead with a power play goal from Vyacheslav Solodukhin, via Anton Korolyov and Yakov Seleznyov. CSKA retied it on an Igor Grigorenko goal, assisted by Alexander Radulov and Nikolai Prokhorkin. Moscow won 3-2 in overtime with a Stephane Da Costa goal, fueled by Radulov and Nikita Zaitsev on the power play. The three stars were Da Costa, Radulov, and Grigorenko.

East a little to Nizhny Novgorod, as Torpedo hosts Severstal Cherepovets. Jakub Stepanek and Mikhail Biryukov are the masked men. Cherepovets was first to score in the first period on a Marek Kvapil power play goal, with a lone assist by Maxim Trunyov. Severstal added on as Zakhar Arzamastsev scored in the second period, thanks to Alexander Shinin and Trunyov. Cherepovets extended the lead in the third period on an Evgeny Mons goal, passed from Dmitry Kagarlitsky and Ignat Zemchenko. Severstal padded the lead on an empty net goal by Vadim Berdnikov, set up by Logan Pyett and Sergei Monakhov. The three stars in the 4-0 game were Stepanek (19 save shutout), Kvapil, and Trunyov.

Moving along to Kazan, as Ak Bars brings in Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Alexander Sudnitsin and Anders Nilsson protect the nets. Kazan struck first in the first period on a Kirill Petrov goal, guided in by Vladimir Denisov and Yakov Rylov. Nizhnekamsk tied it on a Dan Sexton power play goal, powered by Teemu Eronen and Evgeny Grigorenko. Neftekhimik gained the lead as Matt Anderson scored, thanks to Sexton. Ak Bars retied it on a second period goal by Sheldon Brookbank, made possible by Mikhail Varnakov and Justin Azevedo. Kazan took the lead in the third period on an Azevedo goal, guided in by Alexander Svitov and Varnakov. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars awarded to Azevedo, Sexton, and Varnakov.

Southwest to Sochi, as the Leopards welcome Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Curtis Sanford and Tomas Popperle are in the creases. Yaroslavl started in the first period on a Jonas Holos goal, guided in by Daniil Apalkov and Sergei Plotnikov. Lokomotiv added on with an Andrei Loktionov power play goal, powered by Petri Kontiola and Martin Thornberg. Yaroslavl extended the lead as Apalkov scored, thanks to Plotnikov and Yegor Averin. Dmitry Shikin replaced Popperle in goal. Lokomotiv padded the lead on a Sergei Konkov goal, with a lone assist by Jiri Novotny. Sochi got on the board with an Evgeny Lapenkov power play goal, via Cory Emmerton and Andre Petersson. The Leopards pulled closer in the second period on a Ryan Whitney goal, made possible by Petersson and Pyotr Schastlivy. This only made it 4-2, the eventual final, with the three stars given to Apalkov, Plotnikov, and Petersson.

Westward to Riga, as Dinamo hosts Jokerit Helsinki. Henrik Karlsson and Jeff Deslauriers are all padded up. Riga led off in the first period on an Oskars Cibulskis power play goal, powered by Mikelis Redlihs. Helsinki tied it on a Tommi Huhtala goal in the second period, coming off of Niklas Hagman. Dinamo took the lead with a Roberts Bukarts goal, via Martins Cipulis and Linus Videll. Jokerit tied it in the third period on a Hagman goal, courtesy of Niko Kapanen and Ryan Gunderson. Riga regained the lead on a Bukarts goal, his second of the game, helped along by Videll and Redlihs. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars awarded to Bukarts, Hagman, and Videll, while Redlihs gets an honorable mention.

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NHL January 6th, 2015

Ten games for tonight, with the first in...

New Jersey, as the Devils host the Buffalo Sabres. Jhonas Enroth and Cory Schneider are given the starting nods. New Jersey began in the first period with a Patrik Elias goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Michael Cammalleri and Adam Larsson. The Devils added on as Jordin Tootoo scored his third of the year, thanks to Marek Zidlicky and the goalie Schneider. New Jersey extended the lead on a shorthanded Travis Zajac goal, his sixth of the season, set up by Elias and Mark Fraser. Buffalo got on the board in the second period with a Mikhail Grigorenko power play goal, powered by Chris Stewart. The Devils replied on a third period empty net goal by Cammalleri, his thirteenth of the year, courtesy of Zajac and Elias. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Elias, Zajac, and Cammalleri.

Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Steve Mason are the average goalies. Ottawa dented the scoreboard in the third period on a Mike Hoffman goal, his thirteenth of the season, via Jared Cowen. Philadelphia tied it on a Wayne Simmonds power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, powered by Claude Giroux and Mark Streit. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Simmonds and Jakub Voracek led the Flyers to a 2-1 win over a lone tally by Mika Zibanejad. The three stars went to Mason (41 for 42 in saves), Anderson (33 for 34 in saves), and Simmonds.

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens bring in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ben Bishop and Carey Price protect the nets. Montreal led off in the first period on a Dale Weise goal, his fifth of the season, via Tomas Plekanec and Sergei Gonchar. Tampa Bay tied it in the second period as J.T. Brown scored his second of the year, with the help of Jonathan Drouin and Brian Boyle. The Lightning took the lead on a Tyler Johnson power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat. Tampa Bay added on with a Brett Connolly goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Valtteri Filppula and Cedric Paquette. The Lightning extended the lead on Johnson's second power play goal of the game, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Palat and Kucherov. The Canadiens got one back in the third period on a Max Pacioretty goal, his seventeenth of the year, made possible by Brendan Gallagher and Gonchar. The final stood from here at 4-2, with the three stars being Johnson, Palat, and Kucherov, while Gonchar gets an honorable mention.

Down to Nashville, where the Predators host the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Pekka Rinne are the veteran goalies. Carolina was first to score in the first period on an Eric Staal power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Elias Lindholm and Justin Faulk. Nashville tied it in the third period on a Ryan Ellis goal, his fifth of the year, with a lone assist from Viktor Stalberg. The Hurricanes retook the lead on a Faulk power play goal, his seventh of the season, passed from Victor Rask and Staal. The Predators tied it again with a Mike Fisher goal, his sixth of the year, made possible by Colin Wilson and Filip Forsberg. Nashville took the lead on a Roman Josi goal, his seventh of the campaign, via Stalberg and Eric Nystrom. This was good for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Staal, Faulk, and Stalberg.

North to Minnesota, where the Wild welcome the San Jose Sharks. Alex Stalock and Darcy Kuemper are the young goalies. Minnesota struck first in the first period on a Jason Zucker goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Jason Pominville. The Wild added on with a Jared Spurgeon goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Zucker and Pominville. San Jose got on the board in the second period with a Melker Karlsson goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski. The Sharks tied it in the third period as Pavelski scored his twenty-first of the year, with a lone assist by Logan Couture. San Jose took the lead on a Tommy Wingels goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of James Sheppard and Burns. Minnesota tied it again with another Zucker goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the year, fueled by Charlie Coyle. The Sharks won 4-3 in overtime on a Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal, his sixth of the campaign, helped along by Justin Braun. The three stars were Zucker, Pavelski, and Burns, while Pominville gets an honorable mention.

Backtracking to Chicago, where the Blackhawks bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Corey Crawford are in the blue paint. Colorado opened in the first period on a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of John Mitchell and Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche added on with a Max Talbot goal, his third of the year, passed from MacKinnon and Mitchell. This was all they needed for a 2-0 win, with the three stars given to Varlamov (54 save shutout), MacKinnon, and Mitchell.

South to Dallas, where the Stars host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky faces a lesser foe in Anders Lindback in goal. Columbus started in the first period on a James Wisniewski goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by Scott Hartnell and Nick Foligno. The Blue Jackets added on with a Ryan Johansen power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Hartnell and Foligno. Columbus extended the lead on a Kevin Connauton goal in the second period, his sixth of the season, via Johansen and Foligno, the latter getting a natural sock trick. Dallas got on the board with an Ales Hemsky goal, his fifth of the year, with a lone assist by Jamie Oleksiak. The Stars pulled closer on an Antoine Roussel goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Ryan Garbutt. The Blue Jackets finished it at 4-2 in the third period on a Mark Letestu goal, his fourth of the yea, coming off of Alexander Wennberg and Sean Collins. The three stars belonged to Johansen, Foligno, and Hartnell.

Over to Arizona, where the Coyotes welcome the St. Louis Blues. Brian Elliott and Mike Smith are between the pipes. St. Louis got going in the first period on a Paul Stastny goal, his eighth of the season, via Dmitrij Jaskin and Patrik Berglund. The Blues added on in the second period with a David Backes goal, his tenth of the year, a power play goal powered by T.J. Oshie and Stastny. St. Louis extended the lead on a Backes power play goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the season, with a lone assist by Oshie. The Blues padded the lead as Backes completed a natural hat trick on his twelfth of the year, coming off of Berglund. St. Louis kept going in the third period on another Backes goal, his fourth of the game and thirteenth of the season, assisted by Alexander Steen and Oshie, the latter getting a sock trick. The Blues won 6-0 after a Jaden Schwartz power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, with assists provided by Alex Pietrangelo and Steen. The three stars were Backes, Oshie, and Stastny, while Berglund and Steen get the honorable mentions.

Northward to Edmonton, as the Oilers bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Viktor Fasth receive the starting nods. Edmonton led off in the first period with a Jordan Eberle power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Jeff Petry and Anton Lander. Detroit tied it in the second period on a Kyle Quincey goal, his second of the year, with a lone assist by Justin Abdelkader. The Red Wings took the lead as Abdelkader scored his tenth of the season, a power play goal made possible by Niklas Kronwall and Pavel Datsyuk. The Oilers retied it in the third period on an Eberle goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, assisted by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Taylor Hall. Detroit retook the lead on a Datsyuk power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist. The Red Wings iced it at 4-2 with a Luke Glendening power play goal into an empty net, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Eberle, Datsyuk, and Abdelkader.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Eddie Lack are the goalies with rhyming names. New York began in the first period on a Matt Martin goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Travis Hamonic. Vancouver tied it with a Ryan Stanton goal, via Brad Richardson. The Canucks took the lead in the second period on a Nick Bonino goal, his ninth of the year, coming off of Kevin Bieksa. Vancouver added on with a Linden Vey goal, his seventh of the season, passed from Derek Dorsett. The Islanders got one back on a Mikhail Grabovski goal, his sixth of the year, helped along by Kyle Okposo. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Vey, Bonino, and Stanton.

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KHL January 6th, 2015

One game for today, as Admiral Vladivostok hosts Amur Khabarovsk. Sergei Borisov and Ilya Proskuryakov are the goalies. Vladivostok began in the first period on a Vladislav Ushenin goal, assisted by Alexander Gorshkov and Denis Kuzmin. Admiral added on with a Jan Kolar power play goal, powered by Ilya Zubov and Richard Gynge. Vladivostok extended the lead in the second period as Enver Lisin scored, thanks to Konstantin Makarov. Admiral padded the lead on a shorthanded and unassisted Artyom Zemchyonok goal. Khabarovsk got on the board with a Tuukka Mantyla goal, via Dmitry Lugin and Marcel Hascak on the power play. Amur pulled closer in the third period on a Lugin goal, with a lone assist by Dmitry Tarasov. Vladivostok replied with a Tom Wandell goal, passed from Lisin and Makarov. Admiral got another on a Niclas Bergfors goal, guided in by Gynge and Zubov. Khabarovsk shot back with a Mikhail Fisenko power play goal, via Tarasov and Denis Yezhov. This made it 6-3, the final, with the three stars going to Lisin, Lugin, and Makarov, while Tarasov, Gynge, and Zubov get the honorable mentions.

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NHL January 5th, 2015

One game tonight, as the Winnipeg Jets host the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Michael Hutchinson are in the creases. San Jose led off in the first period with a Brent Burns power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture. Winnipeg tied it on an Andrew Ladd power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, coming off of Bryan Little and Blake Wheeler. The Sharks retook the lead in the second period on a Melker Karlsson goal, his third of the season, via Joe Pavelski and Burns. The Jets tied it again in the third period on Jay Harrison's second of the year, passed from Adam Lowry and Michael Frolik on the power play. San Jose gained the lead with a Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal, his fifth of the campaign, made possible by Couture and Pavelski. This was good for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Burns, Couture, and Pavelski.

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