Eight games on today, beginning with...
The Philadelphia Flyers hosting the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby faces a lesser foe in Rob Zepp in goal. Philadelphia was first to score in the first period on a Claude Giroux power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, powered by Mark Streit and Jakub Voracek. The Flyers added on in the second period with a Wayne Simmonds power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, via Streit and Giroux. Washington got on the board with a Tom Wilson goal, his third of the season, with a lone assist by John Carlson. The Capitals tied it with a Joel Ward goal, his fourteenth of the year, made possible by Eric Fehr and Brooks Laich. Philadelphia regained the lead as Michael Del Zotto scored his seventh of the campaign in the third period, with the help of Voracek and Chris VandeVelde. The final stood at 3-2, with the three stars being Giroux, Voracek, and Streit.
West to Chicago, where the Blackhawks welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Corey Crawford tend the twines. Boston began in the first period on a Patrice Bergeron goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Reilly Smith and Brad Marchand. The Bruins added on with a Loui Eriksson power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton. Chicago got on the board with a Jonathan Toews power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, via Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith. Boston shot back on a second period Milan Lucic goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner. The Bruins extended the lead as Gregory Campbell scored, his sixth of the season, passed from Brian Ferlin and Dennis Seidenberg. Boston padded the lead on a Hamilton power play goal, his tenth of the year, with a lone assist by Bergeron. The Bruins struck again with a Smith goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Bergeron. The Blackhawks got one back in the third period with a Bryan Bickell goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of David Rundblad and Keith. This produced the 6-2 final, with the three stars given to Bergeron, Hamilton, and Smith, while Keith gets an honorable mention.
Back east, the Buffalo Sabres host the Nashville Predators. Carter Hutton and Michal Neuvirth are the subpar goalies. Buffalo got going in the second period on a Tyler Ennis goal, his fifteenth of the season, made possible by Zemgus Girgensons and Matt Moulson. Nashville tied it in the third period as Mike Ribeiro scored his twelfth of the year, a power play goal powered by Cody Franson and Seth Jones. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Ennis was topped by Mike Santorelli and Filip Forsberg as the Predators took the game 2-1. The three stars were handed to Neuvirth (37 for 38 in saves), Ennis, and Hutton (16 for 17 in saves).
Out on Long Island, the New York Islanders bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller and Jaroslav Halak guard the cages. Vancouver dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Zack Kassian goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Radim Vrbata and Henrik Sedin on the power play. Miller got injured shortly after this, and was replaced by Eddie Lack. The Canucks added on with a Vrbata power play goal, his twenty-second of the year, powered by Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. Vancouver extended the lead with a Bo Horvat goal, his ninth of the season, courtesy of Ronalds Kenins and Jannik Hansen. The Canucks padded the lead in the third period as Yannick Weber scored his fifth of the year, an empty net goal set up by Shawn Matthias and Derek Dorsett.
Westward to Pittsburgh Penguins host the Florida Panthers. Al Montoya is mismatched with Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. Pittsburgh led off in the first period on a Patric Hornqvist goal, his seventeenth of the season, with a lone assist by Kris Letang. The Penguins added on with an unassisted Evgeni Malkin goal in the second period, his twenty-third of the year. Pittsburgh extended the lead on a Paul Martin goal, his third of the season, coming off of Sidney Crosby and Hornqvist in the third period. The Penguins padded the lead as Hornqvist scored his second of the game and eighteenth of the year, a power play goal powered by Crosby and Malkin. Pittsburgh struck again with a Malkin goal, his second of the game and twenty-fourth of the season, helped along by Zach Sill. Florida got on the board with a Scottie Upshall goal, his sixth of the year, with a lone helper from Vincent Trocheck. This only made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars given to Malkin, Hornqvist, and Crosby.
Out west, the Colorado Avalanche welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Semyon Varlamov are the Russian goalies. Tampa Bay opened in the first period on an Ondrej Palat goal, his fifteenth of the season, fueled by Tyler Johnson. Colorado tied it on a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche took the lead in the second period as MacKinnon scored his second of the game and eleventh of the season, thanks to Ryan O'Reilly and Tyson Barrie. Colorado added on with a Matt Duchene goal, his sixteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Lightning got one back on a Johnson goal, his twenty-third of the season, passed from Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn. The Avalanche replied on a MacKinnon goal, completing his hat trick on his twelfth of the year, made possible by O'Reilly. Colorado extended the lead in the third period on an Alex Tanguay goal, his sixteenth of the season, with a lone assist by Dennis Everberg. Tampa Bay pulled back with a Brett Connolly goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Valtteri Filppula and Cedric Paquette. The Lightning chipped closer on a Kucherov goal, his twenty-third of the campaign, helped along by Johnson and Victor Hedman. This only made it 5-4, the final, with the three stars given to MacKinnon, Johnson, and Kucherov, while O'Reilly gets an honorable mention.
Eastward to New York again, as the Rangers host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Curtis McElhinney and Cam Talbot are the backups covering for injured starters. New York started in the first period on a Kevin Hayes goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Carl Hagelin. The Rangers added on with a Martin St. Louis goal, his seventeenth of the year, guided in by Derek Stepan and Marc Staal. New York extended the lead on a St. Louis goal in the second period, his second of the game and eighteenth of the season, passed from Ryan McDonagh and Stepan. Columbus got on the board with a Marko Dano goal, his second of the year, via Nick Foligno and Fedor Tyutin. The Blue Jackets pulled closer on an Artem Anisimov goal, his fourth of the season, with a lone assist by Dano. Columbus tied it in the third period as David Savard scored his ninth of the year, thanks to Anisimov and Foligno. The tie lasted to a shootout, where St. Louis and Rick Nash topped Mark Letestu for a 4-3 Rangers win. The three stars went to St. Louis, Anisimov, and Dano, while Stepan and Foligno get the honorable mentions.
Finally, the Minnesota Wild bring in the Dallas Stars. Jhonas Enroth and Devan Dubnyk are the under-the-radar goalies. Dallas struck first in the second period on a Jason Spezza goal, his thirteenth of the season, a power play goal coming off of John Klingberg and Brett Ritchie. Minnesota tied it in the third period on a Zach Parise goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, assisted by Christian Folin and Justin Fontaine. The Wild took the lead with a Mikko Koivu goal, his tenth of the season, going in unassisted. Minnesota added on with a Stephane Veilleux goal, passed from Marco Scandella and Kyle Brodziak. The Wild extended the lead with a Matt Dumba power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Mikael Granlund and Jonas Brodin. Minnesota padded the lead with a Granlund goal, his sixth of the season, guided in by Nate Prosser and Folin. The Wild kept going on a Parise goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the year, helped along by Granlund. The Stars got one back on a Spezza goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the campaign, with assists provided by Jamie Benn and Ales Hemsky. This made it 6-2, the final, with the three stars going to Parise, Spezza, and Granlund, while Folin gets an honorable mention.
Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.
The Philadelphia Flyers hosting the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby faces a lesser foe in Rob Zepp in goal. Philadelphia was first to score in the first period on a Claude Giroux power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, powered by Mark Streit and Jakub Voracek. The Flyers added on in the second period with a Wayne Simmonds power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, via Streit and Giroux. Washington got on the board with a Tom Wilson goal, his third of the season, with a lone assist by John Carlson. The Capitals tied it with a Joel Ward goal, his fourteenth of the year, made possible by Eric Fehr and Brooks Laich. Philadelphia regained the lead as Michael Del Zotto scored his seventh of the campaign in the third period, with the help of Voracek and Chris VandeVelde. The final stood at 3-2, with the three stars being Giroux, Voracek, and Streit.
West to Chicago, where the Blackhawks welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Corey Crawford tend the twines. Boston began in the first period on a Patrice Bergeron goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Reilly Smith and Brad Marchand. The Bruins added on with a Loui Eriksson power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Torey Krug and Dougie Hamilton. Chicago got on the board with a Jonathan Toews power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, via Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith. Boston shot back on a second period Milan Lucic goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner. The Bruins extended the lead as Gregory Campbell scored, his sixth of the season, passed from Brian Ferlin and Dennis Seidenberg. Boston padded the lead on a Hamilton power play goal, his tenth of the year, with a lone assist by Bergeron. The Bruins struck again with a Smith goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Bergeron. The Blackhawks got one back in the third period with a Bryan Bickell goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of David Rundblad and Keith. This produced the 6-2 final, with the three stars given to Bergeron, Hamilton, and Smith, while Keith gets an honorable mention.
Back east, the Buffalo Sabres host the Nashville Predators. Carter Hutton and Michal Neuvirth are the subpar goalies. Buffalo got going in the second period on a Tyler Ennis goal, his fifteenth of the season, made possible by Zemgus Girgensons and Matt Moulson. Nashville tied it in the third period as Mike Ribeiro scored his twelfth of the year, a power play goal powered by Cody Franson and Seth Jones. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Ennis was topped by Mike Santorelli and Filip Forsberg as the Predators took the game 2-1. The three stars were handed to Neuvirth (37 for 38 in saves), Ennis, and Hutton (16 for 17 in saves).
Out on Long Island, the New York Islanders bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller and Jaroslav Halak guard the cages. Vancouver dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Zack Kassian goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Radim Vrbata and Henrik Sedin on the power play. Miller got injured shortly after this, and was replaced by Eddie Lack. The Canucks added on with a Vrbata power play goal, his twenty-second of the year, powered by Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. Vancouver extended the lead with a Bo Horvat goal, his ninth of the season, courtesy of Ronalds Kenins and Jannik Hansen. The Canucks padded the lead in the third period as Yannick Weber scored his fifth of the year, an empty net goal set up by Shawn Matthias and Derek Dorsett.
Westward to Pittsburgh Penguins host the Florida Panthers. Al Montoya is mismatched with Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. Pittsburgh led off in the first period on a Patric Hornqvist goal, his seventeenth of the season, with a lone assist by Kris Letang. The Penguins added on with an unassisted Evgeni Malkin goal in the second period, his twenty-third of the year. Pittsburgh extended the lead on a Paul Martin goal, his third of the season, coming off of Sidney Crosby and Hornqvist in the third period. The Penguins padded the lead as Hornqvist scored his second of the game and eighteenth of the year, a power play goal powered by Crosby and Malkin. Pittsburgh struck again with a Malkin goal, his second of the game and twenty-fourth of the season, helped along by Zach Sill. Florida got on the board with a Scottie Upshall goal, his sixth of the year, with a lone helper from Vincent Trocheck. This only made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars given to Malkin, Hornqvist, and Crosby.
Out west, the Colorado Avalanche welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Semyon Varlamov are the Russian goalies. Tampa Bay opened in the first period on an Ondrej Palat goal, his fifteenth of the season, fueled by Tyler Johnson. Colorado tied it on a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche took the lead in the second period as MacKinnon scored his second of the game and eleventh of the season, thanks to Ryan O'Reilly and Tyson Barrie. Colorado added on with a Matt Duchene goal, his sixteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Lightning got one back on a Johnson goal, his twenty-third of the season, passed from Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn. The Avalanche replied on a MacKinnon goal, completing his hat trick on his twelfth of the year, made possible by O'Reilly. Colorado extended the lead in the third period on an Alex Tanguay goal, his sixteenth of the season, with a lone assist by Dennis Everberg. Tampa Bay pulled back with a Brett Connolly goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Valtteri Filppula and Cedric Paquette. The Lightning chipped closer on a Kucherov goal, his twenty-third of the campaign, helped along by Johnson and Victor Hedman. This only made it 5-4, the final, with the three stars given to MacKinnon, Johnson, and Kucherov, while O'Reilly gets an honorable mention.
Eastward to New York again, as the Rangers host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Curtis McElhinney and Cam Talbot are the backups covering for injured starters. New York started in the first period on a Kevin Hayes goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Carl Hagelin. The Rangers added on with a Martin St. Louis goal, his seventeenth of the year, guided in by Derek Stepan and Marc Staal. New York extended the lead on a St. Louis goal in the second period, his second of the game and eighteenth of the season, passed from Ryan McDonagh and Stepan. Columbus got on the board with a Marko Dano goal, his second of the year, via Nick Foligno and Fedor Tyutin. The Blue Jackets pulled closer on an Artem Anisimov goal, his fourth of the season, with a lone assist by Dano. Columbus tied it in the third period as David Savard scored his ninth of the year, thanks to Anisimov and Foligno. The tie lasted to a shootout, where St. Louis and Rick Nash topped Mark Letestu for a 4-3 Rangers win. The three stars went to St. Louis, Anisimov, and Dano, while Stepan and Foligno get the honorable mentions.
Finally, the Minnesota Wild bring in the Dallas Stars. Jhonas Enroth and Devan Dubnyk are the under-the-radar goalies. Dallas struck first in the second period on a Jason Spezza goal, his thirteenth of the season, a power play goal coming off of John Klingberg and Brett Ritchie. Minnesota tied it in the third period on a Zach Parise goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, assisted by Christian Folin and Justin Fontaine. The Wild took the lead with a Mikko Koivu goal, his tenth of the season, going in unassisted. Minnesota added on with a Stephane Veilleux goal, passed from Marco Scandella and Kyle Brodziak. The Wild extended the lead with a Matt Dumba power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Mikael Granlund and Jonas Brodin. Minnesota padded the lead with a Granlund goal, his sixth of the season, guided in by Nate Prosser and Folin. The Wild kept going on a Parise goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the year, helped along by Granlund. The Stars got one back on a Spezza goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the campaign, with assists provided by Jamie Benn and Ales Hemsky. This made it 6-2, the final, with the three stars going to Parise, Spezza, and Granlund, while Folin gets an honorable mention.
Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.