NHL February 15th, 2015

Five games on for today, beginning with...

The Chicago Blackhawks hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Corey Crawford tend the twines. Chicago got going in the second period on a Niklas Hjalmarsson goal, his second of the season, fueled by Brandon Saad and Jonathan Toews. Pittsburgh tied it on a Nick Spaling goal, his ninth of the year, coming in the third period via Beau Bennett and Brandon Sutter. The tie lasted to a shootout, where David Perron and Sidney Crosby were topped by Toews, Patrick Kane, and Patrick Sharp for a 2-1 Blackhawks win. The three stars belonged to Crawford (36 for 37 in saves), Toews, and Fleury (31 for 32 in saves).

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the St. Louis Blues. Brian Elliott and Roberto Luongo are the veteran goalies. St. Louis dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Jaden Schwartz goal, his twentieth of the season, assisted by Jori Lehtera and Vladimir Tarasenko. Florida tied it on a third period goal by Nick Bjugstad, his twentieth of the year, passed from Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Tarasenko was matched by Brad Boyes before a winner from Lehtera to give the Blues the 2-1 win. The three stars went to Elliott (40 for 41 in saves), Luongo (32 for 33 in saves), and Lehtera.

North to Buffalo, where the Sabres host the Philadelphia Flyers. Ray Emery and Michal Neuvirth are the mediocre goalies. Philadelphia started in the first period as Matt Read scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Wayne Simmonds and Nick Schultz. Buffalo tied it on a second period power play goal by Nikita Zadorov, his third of the year, powered by Rasmus Ristolainen and Marcus Foligno. The Flyers took the lead back in the third period on a Michael Raffl goal, his thirteenth of the campaign, made possible by Ryan White and Michael Del Zotto. This held up for the 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Emery (21 for 22 in saves), Raffl, and Read.

Westward to San Jose, where the Sharks bring in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ben Bishop and Antti Niemi guard the cages. Tampa Bay led off in the first period with a Steven Stamkos goal, his thirtieth of the season, assisted by Anton Stralman and Valtteri Filppula. The Lightning added on with an Alex Killorn goal, his twelfth of the year, coming in the second period from Ryan Callahan and Stamkos. San Jose got on the board with a Logan Couture goal, his twenty-first of the season, passed from Matthew Nieto and Matt Irwin. Tampa Bay shot back in the third period on an Ondrej Palat goal, his twelfth of the year, going in unassisted. The Sharks pulled back with a Brent Burns power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton. The Lightning answered with a Cedric Paquette goal, his twelfth of the year, helped along by Filppula and Jason Garrison. Tampa Bay iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Callahan, his seventeenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Stamkos, Filppula, and Callahan.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the Washington Capitals. Justin Peters and John Gibson are the little-known goalies. Anaheim began in the first period on an Andrew Cogliano goal, his seventh of the season, via Francois Beauchemin and Hampus Lindholm. Washington tied it on an Alex Ovechkin goal, his thirty-fifth of the year, guided in by Nicklas Backstrom. The Ducks retook the lead on a Corey Perry goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, made possible by Devante Smith-Pelly and Lindholm. The Capitals retied it on an Ovechkin power play goal, his second of the game and thirty-sixth of the year, powered by Mike Green and Backstrom. Washington took the lead in the second period on a Marcus Johansson goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik. The Capitals added on with an Andre Burakovsky goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Ovechkin and Jack Hillen. Anaheim got one back on a Cogliano goal, his second of the game and eighth of the season, with assists provided by Jakob Silfverberg and Ben Lovejoy. Washington answered in the third period on a Burakovsky goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, with a lone assist by Ovechkin. This stood for a 5-3 win, with the three stars going to Ovechkin, Burakovsky, and Cogliano, while Backstrom and Lindholm get the honorable mentions.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL February 15th, 2015

This is another of those days where for me, it begins yesterday. The first two games out of eleven total are from the far east, starting late at night for me, with the first in...

Vladivostok, as Admiral hosts Avangard Omsk. Konstantin Barulin and Ilya Proskuryakov are in the creases. Vladivostok opened in the first period on an Artyom Zemchyonok goal, assisted by Ilya Zubov and Richard Gynge. Admiral added on in the second period with a Gynge goal, fueled by Jan Kolar and Shaun Heshka. Omsk got on the board with an Alexander Popov goal, courtesy of Igor Musatov and Denis Kulyash. Vladivostok shot back in the third period with a power play goal by Ivan Glazkov, powered by Konstantin Makarov and Enver Lisin. Admiral took the game 3-1, and the three stars went to Proskuryakov (28 for 29 in saves), Gynge, and Glazkov.

Up the coast, Amur Khabarovsk welcomes Barys Astana. Pavel Poluektov and Alexander Pechursky are the goalies. Khabarovsk started in the first period on a Dmitry Tarasov power play goal, powered by Michel Miklik and Tuukka Mantyla. Astana tied it in the second period as Dustin Boyd scored a power play goal, thanks to Brandon Bochenski. Amur retook the lead on an Alexander Ryazantsev goal, via Rastislav Spirko and Vyacheslav Litovchenko on the power play. Barys retied it with a Bochenski power play goal, made possible by Kevin Dallman and Mike Lundin. Astana pulled ahead on a Talgat Zhailauov goal, assisted by Roman Starchenko and Evgeny Blokhin. Khabarovsk retied it in the third period on an Evgeny Orlov goal, with a lone helper by Kirill Safronov. Barys took the lead back on a Nigel Dawes goal, helped along by Bochenski. Astana added on with a Bochenski power play goal, his second of the game, fueled by Dallman and Lundin. This made it a 5-3 win, with the three stars handed to Bochenski, Dallman, and Lundin.

West to Novokuznetsk, Metallurg brings in Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Vladimir Sokhatsky and Nikita Lozhkin are in the blue paint. Novokuznetsk struck first in the first period on a Kirill Kaprizov goal, assisted by Ansel Galimov. Metallurg added on with a Ryan Stoa goal, going in unassisted. Novokuznetsk extended the lead with an unassisted goal by Galimov. Metallurg padded the lead in the second period on an Alexander Komaristy goal, coming off of Cade Fairchild. Ufa got on the board with an Alexei Glukhov goal, passed from Andrei Zubarev. Novokuznetsk shot back in the third period as Komaristy scored on a penalty shot he received for being tripped by Alexander Kutuzov. Salavat Yulaev got one back with a Kirill Koltsov goal, courtesy of Teemu Hartikainen and Denis Bodrov. This only made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars going to Komaristy, Galimov, and Stoa.

Further west to Chelyabinsk, where Traktor hosts Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Barry Brust and Vasily Demchenko are given the starting nods. Khanty-Mansiysk was first to score in the first period on a Philip Larsen goal, guided in by Nikolai Lemtyugov and Igor Bortnikov. Chelyabinsk tied it on a second period goal by Stanislav Chistov power play goal, powered by Deron Quint. Traktor took the lead with an unassisted Martin Ruzicka goal. Chelyabinsk added on in the third period on Ruzicka's second of the game, fueled by Vyacheslav Osnovin and Konstantin Panov. Yugra pulled back on another Larsen goal, with assists provided by Pavel Valentenko and Nikita Gusev. Traktor iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Artyom Penkovsky, set up by Dmitry Pestunov. The three stars were given to Ruzicka, Larsen, and Chistov.

Backtracking to Magnitogorsk, where Metallurg welcomes Lada Togliatti. Evgeny Ivannikov and Vasily Koshechkin are the masked men. Togliatti led off in the first period on a Dmitry Ogurtsov power play goal, powered by Andrei Nikitenko and Peter Podhradsky. Magnitogorsk tied it on a second period goal by Vladislav Kaletnik, coming off of Evgeny Timkin and Rinat Ibragimov. Lada took the lead in the third period on an Alexander Streltsov goal, made possible by Stanislav Bocharov. Metallurg retied it on a Jan Kovar goal, helped along by Viktor Antipin and Danis Zaripov. Togliatti regained the lead on a Denis Barantsev unassisted goal. Magnitogorsk tied it again with another Kovar goal, assisted by Zaripov and Tim Brent. Lada won 4-3 in overtime on a Dmitry Vorobyov goal, with a lone helper by Vasily Streltsov. The three stars were handed to Kovar, Vorobyov, and Zaripov.

Next up, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod brings in Medvescak Zagreb. Calvin Heeter and Ivan Kasutin man the nets. Nizhny Novgorod began in the first period on a Jarkko Immonen goal, passed from Sakari Salminen and Artyom Alyayev. Torpedo added on in the second period on a Valery Vasilyev goal, assisted by Nikita Dvurechensky. Zagreb got on the board with a James Wright goal, coming off of Geoffrey Kinrade and Edwin Hedberg. Nizhny Novgorod shot back in the third period on a Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev power play goal, powered by Alexei Pepelyaev. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars stars given to Vasilyev, Krasnoslobodtsev, and Kasutin (18 for 19 in saves).

A little west to Cherepovets, where Severstal hosts Slovan Bratislava. Johan Backlund and Jakub Stepanek are the experienced goalies. Cherepovets got going in the second period with an unassisted goal by Dmitry Kagarlitsky. Severstal added on with a Sergei Monakhov goal, made possible by Nikolai Stasenko and Sergei Kuptsov. Bratislava got on the board in the third period with a Ladislav Nagy goal, fueled by Rok Ticar. Cherepovets shot back with a Pavel Chernov goal, guided in by Kagarlitsky and Evgeny Mons. Slovan replied on a Ticar goal, assisted by Michal Sersen and Nagy. Severstal answered on a power play goal by Evgeny Kovyrshin, going in unassisted. This produced the 4-2 final, with the three stars handed to Kagarlitsky, Nagy, and Ticar.

Down in Kazan, Ak Bars welcomes Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Ville Kolppanen and Anders Nilsson are between the pipes. Nizhnekamsk opened in the first period on a Pavel Zdunov goal, made possible by Ilshat Bilalov and Maxim Rybin. Neftekhimik added on with another Zdunov goal, coming off of Rybin. Kazan got on the board in the third period as Igor Mirnov scored a power play goal, powered by Yakov Rylov and Petr Vrana. This was as close as it got, with the final standing at 2-1. The three stars went to Zdunov, Kolppanen (40 for 41 in saves), and Rybin.

Back north, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl brings in the Sochi Leopards. Andrei Gavrilov and Vitaly Kolesnik are the backups making the starts. Sochi struck first in the first period on an unassisted goal by Igor Radulov. Yaroslavl tied it as Jonas Holos scored in the second period, thanks to Sergei Konkov and Daniil Apalkov. The Leopards won 2-1 in overtime on an unassisted Igor Ignatushkin power play goal. The three stars were Gavrilov (23 for 24 in saves), Ignatushkin, and Radulov.

Into Moscow, where CSKA hosts crosstown rivals Dynamo. Alexander Yeryomenko and Stanislav Galimov tend the twines, but Galimov was pulled for Ilya Sorokin in the early minutes of the second period. Dynamo dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Martins Karsums goal, via Denis Mosalyov and Alexei Tsvetkov. Dynamo added on in the third period as Kaspars Daugavins scored, thanks to Denis Kokarev and Alexander Osipov. The final stood at 2-0, with the three stars handed to Yeryomenko (32 save shutout), Karsums, and Daugavins.

Finally, SKA St. Petersburg hosts Jokerit Helsinki. Henrik Karlsson and Mikko Koskinen protect the nets. St. Petersburg was first to score in the first period on a Roman Rukavishnikov goal, fueled by Vadim Shipachyov. Helsinki tied it in the second period with a Ville Lajunen power play goal, powered by Steve Moses and Linus Omark. SKA won 2-1 in the shootout with goals by Ilya Kovalchuk and Pyotr Khokhryakov. The three stars were Koskinen (21 for 22 in saves), Karlsson (38 for 39 in saves), and Kovalchuk.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

Hockey Feburary 14th, 2015

To celebrate Valentine's Day, we have eleven hockey games to love. Also, Canada is showing its love for its sport by celebrating Hockey Day in Canada. We begin with a single game from Russia, as...

Atlant Mytishchi hosts Dinamo Minsk. Danny Taylor and Atte Engren draw the starts in goal. Mytishchi led off in the first period on an Artyom Chernov power play goal, powered by Maxim Potapov and Sergei Shmelyov. Minsk tied it on a Charles Linglet goal, via Matt Ellison and Paul Szczechura. Dinamo took the lead with a second period power play goal by Alexander Kulakov, assisted by Lukas Krajicek and Andrei Stepanov. Atlant tied it on a Chernov power play goal, guided in by Potapov and Shmelyov. Minsk regained the lead on an unassisted Linglet goal, his second of the game. Mytishchi tied it in the third period as Mikhail Tyulyapkin scored an unassisted goal. Atlant took the lead on an Andrei Taratukhin goal, fueled by Vyacheslav Leshchenko and Chernov. The three stars were Chernov, Linglet, and Taratukhin, while Potapov and Shmelyov are given the honorable mentions.

In the NHL, the Ottawa Senators welcome the Edmonton Oilers. Viktor Fasth and Robin Lehner are the unknown goalies. Ottawa was first to score in the first period on a Milan Michalek power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Mike Hoffman and Erik Karlsson. Edmonton tied it on a Derek Roy goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Ryan Hamilton and Nail Yakupov. The Senators took the lead back on a Cody Ceci goal, his fourth of the season, via Erik Condra and Alex Chiasson. Ottawa chased Fasth on a Kyle Turris goal, his twelfth of the year, passed from Mark Stone and Michalek. Richard Bachman came on in relief. The Oilers got one back on a Mark Fayne goal, his second of the season, assisted by Jeff Petry and Andrew Ference. The Senators shot back on a Michalek goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, guided in by Turris and Stone. Ottawa extended the lead on a Chiasson goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Condra and Karlsson. The Senators padded the lead in the third period on a Hoffman goal, his nineteenth of the year, fueled by Mika Zibanejad and Bobby Ryan. Ottawa iced it at 7-2 on a David Legwand power play goal, his eighth of the campaign, with assists provided by Patrick Wiercioch and Ryan. The three stars were Michalek, Turris, and Chiasson, while Hoffman, Stone, Condra, Karlsson, and Ryan all get honorable mentions.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Michael Hutchinson and Jimmy Howard are the masked men. Winnipeg struck first in the first period on a Chris Thorburn goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Jacob Trouba and Dustin Byfuglien. Detroit tied it on a Niklas Kronwall power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist. The Red Wings took the lead in the second period on a Darren Helm power play goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Tomas Tatar and Pavel Datsyuk. Detroit added on with a Datsyuk goal, his sixteenth of the year, passed from Helm and Tatar. The Jets pulled back on a Blake Wheeler goal, his sixteenth of the season, with helpers provided by Tyler Myers and Bryan Little. Winnipeg tied it on a Drew Stafford goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Myers and Michael Frolik on the power play. The Jets took the lead on a power play goal by Andrew Ladd in the third period, his nineteenth of the season, with assists from Little and Byfuglien. The Red Wings tied it as Datsyuk scored his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, thanks to Brendan Smith and Danny DeKeyser. Winnipeg won with a lone tally by Stafford in the shootout. The three stars went to Stafford, Datsyuk, and Byfuglien, while Little, Myers, Helm, and Tatar get the honorable mentions.

Back into Canada, where the Montreal Canadiens host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jonathan Bernier and Carey Price guard the cages. Toronto began in the first period on a Daniel Winnik goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Richard Panik and Roman Polak. Montreal tied it on a Brendan Gallagher goal, his thirteenth of the year, a power play goal powered by Tomas Plekanec and P.K. Subban. The Canadiens took the game 2-1 in the shootout with goals by Alex Galchenyuk and David Desharnais, topping a Mike Santorelli tally. The three stars went to Price (28 for 29 in saves), Bernier (31 for 32 in saves), and Desharnais.

Back stateside, the New York Islanders welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Anton Forsberg and Jaroslav Halak are called on to start in goal. New York opened in the first period with a Josh Bailey goal, his tenth of the season, fueled by Anders Lee and John Tavares. The Islanders added on as Bailey scored his second of the game and eleventh of the year, thanks to Tavares and Nick Leddy. Columbus got on the board with a Brandon Dubinsky goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Matt Calvert and Fedor Tyutin. The Blue Jackets tied it on a Cam Atkinson goal, his thirteenth of the year, going in unassisted. New York took the lead in the second period on a Ryan Strome goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Lubomir Visnovsky and Frans Nielsen. Columbus tied it again with a Nick Foligno goal, his twenty-second of the year, coming off of Scott Hartnell and James Wisniewski. The Islanders regained the lead in the third period with a Nielsen goal, his tenth of the season, helped along by Thomas Hickey and Mikhail Grabovski. New York extended the lead with a Tavares goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, with helped provided by Lee and Brian Strait. The Islanders padded the lead on another Tavares goal, his second of the game and twenty-sixth of the season, driven in by Bailey and Travis Hamonic. This made it 6-3, the final, with the three stars going to Tavares, Bailey, and Nielsen, while Lee gets an honorable mention.

Southwest to Arizona, where the Coyotes bring in the New York Rangers. Cam Talbot and Mike Smith occupy the creases. New York got going in the second period on a Chris Kreider goal, his thirteenth of the season, fueled by Derek Stepan and Kevin Klein. Arizona tied it on an Antoine Vermette goal, his thirteenth of the year, guided in by Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Lucas Lessio. The Rangers took the lead back in the third period on a Rick Nash goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, passed from Klein and Derick Brassard. New York added on with a Kevin Hayes shorthanded goal, his tenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Rangers extended the lead on a Marc Staal goal, his fourth of the season, via Stepan and Martin St. Louis. New York finished it at 5-1 with a Lee Stempniak goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Dan Girardi and Dominic Moore. The three stars went to Talbot (34 for 35 in saves), Klein, and Stepan.

Backtracking to Nashville, where the Predators host the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Pekka Rinne tend the twines. Nashville started in the first period on a Matt Cullen goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Craig Smith and Shea Weber. New Jersey tied it on a second period Steve Bernier power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Eric Gelinas and Scott Gomez. The Predators retook the lead in the third period on a Colin Wilson goal, his eighteenth of the season, guided in by Victor Bartley and Mike Ribeiro. Nashville iced it at 3-1 with a Smith goal, his fifteenth of the year, passed from Cullen and Mike Fisher. The three stars went to Rinne (21 for 22 in saves), Smith, and Cullen.

Northward to Minnesota, where the Wild welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Anton Khudobin and Devan Dubnyk are the inconsistent goalies. Minnesota led off in the first period on a Thomas Vanek goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Mikael Granlund and Justin Fontaine. The Wild added on with another Vanek goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, passed from Fontaine and Ryan Suter. Minnesota extended the lead as Jordan Schroeder scored his second of the season, with the help of Marco Scandella and Jared Spurgeon. Carolina got on the board with an Andrej Nestrasil goal, his third of the year, via Jay McClement and Justin Faulk. The Wild shot back in the second period with a Nate Prosser goal, his second of the season, made possible by Vanek and Granlund. The Hurricanes got one back with a Jeff Skinner goal, his twelfth of the year, coming off of Jordan Staal and Michal Jordan. Carolina pulled closer on an Elias Lindholm goal, his eleventh of the season, fueled by Faulk and McClement. Minnesota shot back in the third period on an Erik Haula goal, his third of the year, with assists provided by Kyle Brodziak and Stephane Veilleux. The Wild made it 6-3 with a Zach Parise empty net goal, his twenty-third of the campaign, set up by Spurgeon and Mikko Koivu. This was a final, with the three stars going to Vanek, Fontaine, and Granlund, while Spurgeon, Faulk, and McClement get the honorable mentions.

Continuing to Colorado, where the Avalanche bring in the Dallas Stars. Jhonas Enroth and Semyon Varlamov are between the pipes. Colorado began in the first period on a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his tenth of the season, guided in by Ryan O'Reilly and Nick Holden. The Avalanche added on in the second period with an Alex Tanguay goal, his fifteenth of the year, coming off of Dennis Everberg and Nate Guenin. Colorado extended the lead in the third period on a Jarome Iginla goal, his eighteenth of the season, passed from Brad Stuart and Matt Duchene. Dallas got on the board with a Jason Spezza shorthanded goal, his twelfth of the year, set up by Jamie Benn and Jyrki Jokipakka. The Avalanche ended it at 4-1 with an Everberg goal, his second of the campaign, helped along by Tanguay and John Mitchell. The three stars went to Tanguay, Varlamov (24 for 25 in saves), and Everberg.

Up in Calgary, the Flames host the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller faces a lesser foe in Karri Ramo in goal. Vancouver struck first in the first period on a Ronalds Kenins goal, his third of the season, guided in by Jannik Hansen and Bo Horvat. Calgary tied it on a Sean Monahan goal in the second period, his eighteenth of the year, assisted by Johnny Gaudreau and Jiri Hudler. The Flames gained the lead on another Monahan goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the season, passed from Hudler and Deryk Engelland. The Canucks tied it on a Linden Vey goal, his ninth of the year, with a lone assist by Chris Higgins. Calgary took the lead on a third period Lance Bouma goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of David Jones and Dennis Wideman. The final stood at 3-2, and the three stars went to Monahan, Hudler, and Bouma.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Jonathan Quick protect the nets. Los Angeles dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Dwight King goal, his tenth of the season, via Tyler Toffoli and Jeff Carter. The Kings added on in the third period on a Trevor Lewis goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Marian Gaborik and Anze Kopitar. Washington got on the board with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his thirty-fourth of the season, assisted by Evgeny Kuznetsov. Los Angeles shot back on a Jarret Stoll goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Dustin Brown and Justin Williams. This held up for a 3-1 win, with the three stars going to Quick (27 for 28 in saves), Lewis, and Stoll.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

NHL February 13th, 2015

Five games on tonight, with the first from...

Columbus, as the Blue Jackets host the Philadelphia Flyers. Ray Emery and Curtis McElhinney make the starts for injured starters. Philadelphia opened in the first period on a Wayne Simmonds goal, his twentieth of the season, courtesy of Matt Read. Columbus tied it on a second period goal by Brandon Dubinsky, his fourth of the year, made possible by Kevin Connauton. The Flyers retook the lead as Sean Couturier scored his twelfth of the season, with the help of Simmonds. Philadelphia added on in the third period with a Simmonds power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the year, powered by Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. The Blue Jackets got one back with a Jared Boll goal, helped along by Corey Tropp and Mark Letestu. Columbus tied it on a Cam Atkinson goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Scott Hartnell and Dubinsky. The Blue Jackets won 4-3 in overtime with an Artem Anisimov goal, his third of the year, set up by James Wisniewski and Connauton. The three stars were Simmonds, Dubinsky, and Connauton.

Over in Chicago, the Blackhawks welcome the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Corey Crawford protect the nets. New Jersey began in the first period on a Peter Harrold goal, his second of the season, via Scott Gomez and Jon Merrill. Chicago tied it in the third period on a Marian Hossa power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, powered by Brandon Saad and Brent Seabrook. The Blackhawks added on with a Jonathan Toews goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming off of Hossa and Seabrook. Chicago iced it at 3-1 with a Kris Versteeg empty net goal, his tenth of the year, set up by Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith. The three stars were awarded to Hossa, Crawford (25 for 26 in saves), and Seabrook.

Down in Dallas, the Stars host the Florida Panthers. Al Montoya is mismatched with Kari Lehtonen in goal. Dallas started in the first period on a Jamie Benn goal, his nineteenth of the season, a shorthanded goal set up by Vernon Fiddler. The Stars added on as Jason Spezza scored his eleventh of the year, thanks to Erik Cole and Jason Demers. This was all they needed for a 2-0 win, with the three stars given to Lehtonen (37 save shutout), Benn, and Spezza.

Westward to Arizona, where the Coyotes bring the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Mike Smith are the veteran goalies. Arizona led off in the first period with a Mark Arcobello goal, his ninth of the season, guided in by Michael Stone. The Coyotes added on with a Martin Erat power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Sam Gagner and Keith Yandle. San Jose got on the board with a Joe Pavelski goal in the second period, his twenty-ninth of the season, passed from Joe Thornton and Scott Hannan. The Sharks tied it with another Pavelski goal, his second of the game and thirtieth of the year, a power play goal made possible by Logan Couture and Thornton. San Jose took the lead on a third period goal by Barclay Goodrow, his fourth of the season, coming off of Brent Burns and the goalie Niemi. The Sharks ended it at 4-2 with a Pavelski empty net goal, securing his hat trick on his thirty-first of the year, set up by Thornton, who got a sock trick. The three stars were handed to Pavelski, Thornton, and Niemi (32 for 34 in saves).

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Ryan Miller tend the twines. Vancouver struck first in the first period with a Shawn Matthias goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Zack Kassian and Derek Dorsett. The Canucks added on with another Matthias goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, going in unassisted. Boston got on the board with a Patrice Bergeron goal, his sixteenth of the season, an unassisted goal. Vancouver shot back in the second period as Radim Vrbata scored his twenty-first of the year, thanks to Chris Higgins and Linden Vey. The Bruins got one back on a Chris Kelly goal, his seventh of the season, an unassisted goal. The Canucks replied as Matthias finished his hat trick on his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Kassian. Vancouver iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Jannik Hansen, his eleventh of the campaign, set up by Bo Horvat and Christopher Tanev. The three stars were Matthias, Kassian, and Vrbata.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL February 13th, 2015

Ten games for Friday the 13th in the Russian league. We begin in the far east as...

Admiral Vladivostok hosts Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Vladimir Sokhatsky and Ivan Nalimov are in the creases. Vladivostok opened in the first period on an Ilya Zubov goal, coming off of Niclas Bergfors. Ufa tied it on a Dmitry Semin goal, passed from Alexander Kutuzov and Andrei Zubarev. Admiral took the lead back in the second period on a goal by Jan Kolar, made possible by Zubov and Shaun Heshka. Salavat Yulaev tied it again with a power play goal by Kirill Koltsov, powered by Semin and Evgeny Skachkov. Vladivostok retook the lead in the third period on an Enver Lisin goal, assisted by Tom Wandell and Ivan Glazkov on the power play. Admiral added on with a Richard Gynge goal, with assists provided by Vyacheslav Ushenin and Vladislav Ushenin. Vladivostok extended the lead as Alexei Ugarov scored an unassisted goal. Admiral finished it at 6-2 with a Zubov goal, with a lone helper from Bergfors. The three stars were Zubov, Bergfors, and Semin.

Over to Metallurg Novokuznetsk welcoming Avangard Omsk. Konstantin Barulin faces a lesser foe in Rafael Khakimov in goal. Omsk struck first with a Vadim Khomitsky goal in the first period, courtesy of Denis Parshin. Avangard added on with an Erik Gustafsson goal, via Alexander Perezhogin. Nikita Lozhkin relieved Khakimov. Novokuznetsk got on the board with a Cade Fairchild goal, fueled by Vladimir Malinovsky. Metallurg tied it on a Ryan Stoa power play goal in the second period, powered by Malinovsky. Omsk regained the lead in the third period with a Parshin goal, with a lone assist by Sergei Shirokov. The final stood at 3-2, with the three stars going to Parshin, Malinovsky, and Gustafsson.

Nearby, Sibir Novosibirsk brings in Barys Astana. Jan Laco and Alexander Salak are the reliable goalies. Novosibirsk began in the first period on a Jarno Koskiranta goal, assisted by Dmitry Monya and Alexei Kopeikin. Sibir added on with a Sergei Shumakov goal, guided in by Oleg Gubin. Laco was pulled for Pavel Poluektov. Novosibirsk extended the lead with a third period power play goal by Kopeikin, powered by Patrik Hersley and Koskiranta. Sibir iced it at 4-0 with a Kopiekin power play goal, his second of the game, coming off of Monya and Koskiranta. The three stars were Kopeikin, Salak (40 save shutout), and Koskiranta, while Monya gets an honorable mention.

Heading west, Metallurg Magnitogorsk hosts Traktor Chelyabinsk. Michael Garnett and Vasily Koshechkin tend the twines. Magnitogorsk started in the first period with a Denis Platonov goal, coming off of Mikhail Yunkov. Chelyabinsk tied it on an unassisted Stanislav Chistov goal. The tie lasted to overtime, where Rafael Batyrshin scored with the help of Chris Lee and Danis Zaripov to give Metallurg a 2-1 win. The three stars went to Batyrshin, Koshechkin (28 for 29 in saves), and Platonov.

Up in Yekaterinburg, Avtomobilist welcomes Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Alexander Sudnitsin and Jakub Kovar are the talented goalies. Nizhnekamsk was first to score in the first period on a Yegor Milovzorov power play goal, powered by Maxim Rybin and Andrei Ivanov. Yekaterinburg tied it on an Alexander Nesterov power play goal, courtesy of Sergei Gusev and Dmitry Megalinsky. Neftekhimik took the lead in the second period on an Evgeny Grigorenko goal, passed from Stanislav Kalashnikov. Avtomobilist tied it again in the third period on a Vitaly Popov goal, with a lone assist by Pavel Zykov. Nizhnekamsk retook the lead as Mikhail Zhukov scored, thanks to Pavel Kulikov. This produced the 3-2 final, with the three stars given to Zhukov, Grigorenko, and Milovzorov.

Out in Moscow, CSKA brings in Medvescak Zagreb. Mark Owuya and Kevin Lalande are the goalies. Zagreb led off in the first period on a Pascal Pelletier goal, going in unassisted. Medvescak added on with an Edwin Hedberg goal, courtesy of Mark Flood. Ilya Sorokin relieved Lalande after the rough start. Moscow got on the board with a Stephane Da Costa power play goal in the second period, powered by Alexander Radulov and Denis Denisov. CSKA tied it on a Roman Lyubimov goal, fueled by Mikhail Naumenkov and Maxim Mamin. Moscow took the lead as Jan Mursak scored, with the help of Andreas Engqvist and Alexei Bondarev. CSKA extended their lead on an Igor Grigorenko power play goal, with a lone assist by Da Costa. Moscow secured a 5-2 win on a Da Costa power play goal in the third period, his second of the game, guided in by Grigorenko and Nikita Zaitsev. The three stars were handed to Da Costa, Grigorenko, and Mursak.

Back east, Ak Bars Kazan hosts Lada Togliatti. Evgeny Ivannikov and Emil Garipov receive the starting nods in goal. Kazan got going in the second period on a Sergei Kostitsyn goal, guided in by Yakov Rylov and Justin Azevedo. Togliatti tied it on a shorthanded goal by Denis Golubev, set up by Peter Podhradsky and Alexander Streltsov. Lada took the lead in the third period on a Vasily Streltsov goal, courtesy of Fedor Fedorov and Dmitry Ogurtsov. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Ivannikov (35 for 36 in saves), Vasily Streltsov, and Golubev.

Up in Nizhny Novgorod, Torpedo welcomes Slovan Bratislava. Johan Backlund and Mikhail Biryukov are between the pipes. Nizhny Novgorod dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Veli-Matti Savinainen goal, passed from Nikita Dvurechensky. Torpedo added on with a Nikita Filatov goal, with a lone helper by Vladimir Galuzin. Nizhny Novgorod extended the lead as Denis Kazionov scored, thanks to Gennady Stolyarov. Bratislava got on the board in the third period with a Michal Sersen goal, coming off of Rok Ticar and Tomas Netik. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars handed to Biryukov (25 for 26 in saves), Filatov, and Kazionov.

Back to the Moscow area, as Vityaz Podolsk brings in the Sochi Leopards. Andrei Gavrilov and Ivan Lisutin are called on to start. Sochi struck first in the first period on a Mikhail Anisin goal, assisted by Max Warn and Clay Wilson. The Leopards added on with an Andrei Kostitsyn goal, guided in by Ilya Krikunov and Igor Ignatushkin. Sochi extended the lead as Krikunov scored, thanks to Kostitsyn and Andre Petersson on the power play. The Leopards padded the lead in the second period on a Petersson goal, made possible by Andrei Pervyshin and Evgeny Lapenkov. Sochi got another with a Pyotr Schastlivy goal, coming off of Roman Derlyuk and Anisin. Podolsk avoided the shutout with a Maxim Afinogenov shorthaned and unassisted goal in the third period, making the final 5-1. The three stars went to Kostitsyn, Krikunov, and Petersson, while Anisin gets an honorable mention.

Finally, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hosts Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Lazushin and Vitaly Kolesnik are the backups in goal. Yaroslavl was first to score in the first period on a Jonas Holos goal, courtesy of Alexei Vasilyev and Andrei Loktionov. Lokomotiv added on with a Martin Thornberg goal, passed from Petri Kontiola. Moscow tied it on an Alexander Budkin goal in the second period, going in unassisted. Yaroslavl shot back with an Emil Galimov goal, coming off of Staffan Kronwall. Lokomotiv extended the lead in the third period on a Yegor Averin goal, assisted by Jiri Novotny and Sergei Plotnikov. Dynamo pulled back with a power play goal by Denis Kokarev, powered by Mat Robinson. Moscow chipped away with a Denis Mosalyov goal, with a lone assist by Budkin. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars being Averin, Galimov, and Budkin.

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NHL February 12th, 2015

Nine games today, beginning in...

Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes host the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Cam Ward are in the blue paint. Carolina got going in the second period on a Jeff Skinner power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by John-Michael Liles and Alexander Semin. Anaheim tied it on a Francois Beauchemin goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Matt Beleskey and Corey Perry. The Ducks took the lead on an unassisted goal by Beleskey, his twenty-first of the campaign. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Beleskey, Gibson (35 for 36 in saves), and Beauchemin.

Up to New York, where the Islanders welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jonathan Bernier and Jaroslav Halak are the reliable goalies. New York struck first in the first period on an Anders Lee goal, his seventeenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Islanders added on with a Casey Cizikas goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Colin McDonald and Matt Martin. Toronto got on the board in the second period with a Richard Panik goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Korbinian Holzer and Leo Komarov. The Maple Leafs tied it on a Trevor Smith goal, his second of the year, fueled by Panik and Tyler Bozak. New York retook the lead on Lee's second of the game and eighteenth of the campaign, made possible by Josh Bailey and Travis Hamonic. This produced the eventual 3-2 final, with the three stars given to Lee, Panik, and Cizikas.

North to Montreal, where the Canadiens bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Viktor Fasth and Dustin Tokarski are the unknown goalies. Montreal was first to score in the first period on a Christian Thomas goal, with a lone assist by Jacob De La Rose. The Canadiens added on in the second period as Alex Galchenyuk scored his sixteenth of the season, thanks to P.K. Subban and Tomas Plekanec. Edmonton got on the board with a Matt Hendricks goal, his seventh of the year, via Jeff Petry and Andrew Ference. The Oilers tied it on a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Jordan Eberle. Montreal retook the lead on a Max Pacioretty goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, fueled by Subban and Andrei Markov. Edmonton tied it again with another Nugent-Hopkins goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, made possible by Oscar Klefbom and Teddy Purcell. The Oilers won 4-3 in overtime on an Anton Lander goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Klefbom and Nail Yakupov. The three stars belonged to Nugent-Hopkins, Klefboma, nd Subban.

Over in Ontario, the Ottawa Senators host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Thomas Greiss and Robin Lehner are the backup-level goalies. Pittsburgh opened in the first period on a Kris Letang goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Beau Bennett and Brandon Sutter. The Penguins added on with a Sidney Crosby goal, his eighteenth of the year, assisted by Rob Scuderi. Pittsburgh extended the lead in the second period as Evgeni Malkin scored his twenty-first of the season, with the help of Blake Comeau and Letang. Ottawa got on the board in the third period on a power play goal by Mika Zibanejad, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Bobby Ryan and Cody Ceci. The Senators pulled closer on a Mike Hoffman goal, his eighteenth of the season, passed from Ryan and Erik Karlsson. The Penguins shot back on a Crosby goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, with a lone helper from Chris Kunitz. Ottawa answered on a Mark Stone goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Kyle Turris and Karlsson. The Senators tied it as Turris scored his eleventh of the year, thanks to Eric Gryba and Mark Borowiecki. In the shootout, Pittsburgh won with a lone tally by David Perron for a 5-4 final. The three stars went to Crosby, Letang, and Turris, while Ryan and Karlsson receive the honorable mentions.

Way to the south, the Tampa Bay Lightning welcome the St. Louis Blues. Brian Elliott and Ben Bishop are set to start in goal. St. Louis started in the first period on a T.J. Oshie goal, his fifteenth of the season, fueled by Alexander Steen. The Blues added on with a Dmitrij Jaskin power play goal, his eighth of the year, with a lone assist by Steen. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Tyler Johnson power play goal in the second period, his twentieth of the season, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Anton Stralman. St. Louis shot back on a Steen goal, his nineteenth of the year, via David Backes. The Blues extended the lead as Backes potted his nineteenth of the season, thanks to Oshie and Alex Pietrangelo. St. Louis padded the lead on a Paul Stastny goal, his eleventh of the year, coming off of Patrik Berglund and Ian Cole. The Lightning pulled back with a Brett Connolly goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Valtteri Filppula. Tampa Bay got closer on a Steven Stamkos goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, helped along by Alex Killorn and Stralman in the third period. The Blues iced it at 6-3 on an empty net goal by Vladimir Tarasenko, his twenty-ninth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Steen, Backes, and Oshie, while Stralman gets an honorable mention.

Backtracking to Nashville, where the Predators bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec is mismatched with Pekka Rinne in goal. Nashville led off in the first period on a Shea Weber goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg on the power play. Winnipeg tied it on a power play goal by Michael Frolik, his eleventh of the year, guided in by Dustin Byfuglien and Mark Scheifele. The Predators retook the lead on a power play goal by Forsberg in the second period, his nineteenth of the season, powered by Josi and Weber. Nashville wrapped it up at 3-1 in the third period on a James Neal goal, his nineteenth of the year, coming off of Mike Fisher and Weber. The three stars were awarded to Weber, Forsberg, and Rinne (32 for 33 in saves), and Josi.

Further north, the Minnesota Wild host the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Devan Dubnyk are the masked men. Minnesota dented the scoreboard in the first period on a Jason Pominville goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Mikko Koivu and Ryan Suter. The Wild added on in the second period with a Zach Parise goal, his twenty-second of the year, a power play goal powered by Thomas Vanek and Koivu. Florida got on the board with a Nick Bjugstad goal, his nineteenth of the campaign, assisted by Jussi Jokinen and Jimmy Hayes. This was as close as it got, with the final at 2-1, and the three stars went to Dubnyk (26 for 27 in saves), Parise, and Koivu.

Westward to Colorado, as the Avalanche welcome the New York Rangers. Cam Talbot and Semyon Varlamov are in the inconsistent goalies. New York began in the first period on a Dan Boyle goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Kevin Hayes and Ryan McDonagh. The Rangers added on with a Hayes goal in the second period, his ninth of the year, going in unassisted. Colorado got on the board with a Gabriel Landeskog goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from John Mitchell and Nathan MacKinnon. New York responded with a Mats Zuccarello goal, his eleventh of the year, coming off of Rick Nash and Derick Brassard. The Avalanche pulled back on a Jarome Iginla goal, his seventeenth of the season, with a lone helper by Max Talbot in the third period. Colorado tied it with a Jan Hejda goal, made possible by Iginla and Matt Duchene. The Rangers regained the lead on a Carl Hagelin goal, his twelfth of the year, courtesy of Hayes and Kevin Klein. New York extended the lead with a Nash goal, his thirty-fourth of the season, with a lone assist from J.T. Miller. The Rangers finished it at 6-3 on a McDonagh power play goal into an empty net, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Hayes, Nash, and McDonagh, while Iginla gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Calgary Flames. Jonas Hiller and Jonathan Quick are between the pipes. Los Angeles opened in the first period on a Tyler Toffoli goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming off of Jeff Carter. Calgary tied it in the second period as David Jones scored his tenth of the year, a power play goal powered by T.J. Brodie and Dennis Wideman. The Flames took the lead with a Mason Raymond goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Matt Stajan and Wideman. The Kings retied it on a Toffoli goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, courtesy of Jake Muzzin and Carter. Los Angeles took the lead in the third period on a Dwight King goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Carter, who got a sock trick, and Toffoli. The Kings added on with a Jordan Nolan goal, his third of the year, assisted by Drew Doughty. Los Angeles extended the lead as Toffoli finished his hat trick on his eighteenth of the season, thanks to King and Brayden McNabb. Calgary got one back with Raymond's second of the game and eleventh of the year, helped along by Johnny Gaudreau. The three stars of the 5-3 game were Toffoli, Carter, and Raymond, while King and Wideman get the honorable mentions.

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KHL February 12th, 2015

Two games from Russia today, beginning in...

Vladivostok, as Admiral hosts Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Vladimir Sokhatsky and Ilya Proskuryakov are in goal. Ufa led off in the first period with a power play goal by Teemy Hartikainen, powered by Ilkka Heikkinen and Andrei Zubarev. Salavat Yulaev added on in the second period with a Dmitry Makarov goal, guided in by Hartikainen and Anton Slepyshev. Vladivostok got on the board with a third period power play goal by Tom Wandell, coming off of Ivan Glazkov. Ufa iced it at 3-1 with a Stanislav Golovanov goal, passed from Andrei Ankudinov and Alexei Glukhov. The three stars went to Sokhatsky (28 for 29 in saves), Makarov, and Golovanov.

The other game is Dinamo Minsk hosting Atlant Mytishchi. Atte Engren faces a lesser foe in Dmitry Milchakov in goal. Mytischi began in the first period on an Evgeny Bodrov goal, passed from Oleg Yashin. Minsk tied it on a second period goal by Alexander Materukhin, via Artyom Demkov and Charles Linglet. Atlant took the lead with an Igor Levitsky goal, guided in by Artyom Voronin and Alexander Yunkov. Mytishchi added on in the third period as Anton Babchuk scored a power play goal, with a lone assist by Levitsky. Dinamo got one back on a Matt Ellison goal, assisted by Paul Szczechura and Linglet. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Levitsky, Linglet, and Babchuk.

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