NHL April 10th, 2015

Just two games on for the second-to-last day of the season. We begin with...

The Pittsburgh Penguins welcoming the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Marc-Andre Fleury tend the twines. New York started in the first period on a Casey Cizikas shorthanded goal, his ninth of the season, set up by Cal Clutterbuck and Nick Leddy. Pittsburgh tied it on a Rob Scuderi goal, assisted by Sidney Crosby and Paul Martin. The Islanders retook the lead in the third period as John Tavares scored his thirty-seventh of the year, coming off of Kyle Okposo and Brian Strait. New York iced it at 3-1 with a Michael Grabner goal, his eighth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Josh Bailey. The three stars went to Tavares, Grabner, and Halak (37 for 38 in saves).

The other game has the Columbus Blue Jackets bringing in the Buffalo Sabres. Anders Lindback is mismatched with Sergei Bobrovsky in goal. Columbus opened in the first period on a Nick Foligno goal, his thirty-first of the season, guided in by Brandon Dubinsky and David Savard. Buffalo tied it as Mikhail Grigorenko scored his third of the year, thanks to Brian Gionta and Marcus Foligno. The Blue Jackets retook the lead on a Matt Calvert goal, his thirteenth of the season, passed from Savard and Jack Johnson. The Sabres tied it again in the second period on a Gionta power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Tyler Ennis and Zach Bogosian. Columbus took the lead with a Cam Atkinson goal in the third period, his twenty-first of the season, fueled by Dalton Prout and Ryan Johansen. The Blue Jackets finished it at 4-2 on a Boone Jenner empty net goal, his ninth of the year, set up by Calvert and Johnson. The three stars went to Calvert, Gionta, and Savard, while Johnson got an honorable mention.

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NHL April 9th, 2015

The third-to-last night of the regular season is on tonight, and the playoff races have reached their fever pitch. We begin the first of eleven games in...

New York, as the Rangers host the Ottawa Senators. Andrew Hammond and Henrik Lundqvist draw the starts. Ottawa got going in the second period with a Clarke MacArthur goal, his sixteenth of the season, fueled by Mark Stone and Kyle Turris. The Senators added on with a Turris goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, passed from MacArthur and Eric Gryba. Ottawa extended the lead with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau empty net goal, his ninth of the campaign, set up by Curtis Lazar and Mark Borowiecki. This made it 3-0, the final, with the three stars going to Hammond (26 save shutout), MacArthur, and Turris.

Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Ray Emery are the veteran goalies. Carolina struck first in the first period with a Brett Bellemore goal, his second of the season, passed from Eric Staal and Jordan Staal. The Hurricanes added on in the third period as Ryan Murphy scored his fourth of the year, a power play goal powered by John-Michael Liles and Nathan Gerbe. Philadelphia got on the board with a Sean Couturier goal, his fifteenth of the season, guided in by Mark Streit and Claude Giroux. Carolina won 3-1 with a Jordan Staal empty net goal, his sixth of the year, set up by Ron Hainsey. The three stars belonged to Ward (27 for 28 in saves), Jordan Staal, and Murphy.

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Carey Price protect the nets. Detroit was first to score in the first period on a Tomas Tatar goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, fueled by Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. Montreal tied it with an Andrei Markov goal, his tenth of the year, passed from P.K. Subban. The Canadiens took the lead in the second period with a Jeff Petry goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Torrey Mitchell and Brandon Prust. The Red Wings tied it again as Datsyuk scored his twenty-sixth of the year, thanks to Zetterberg. Detroit regained the lead on a shorthanded and unassisted Darren Helm goal, his fifteenth of the season. Montreal tied it on a Tomas Plekanec power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, powered by Markov and Subban. The Canadiens won 4-3 in overtime on a Lars Eller goal, his fifteenth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Petry. The three stars went to Petry, Markov, and Datsyuk, while Zetterberg and Subban get the honorable mentions.

South to Tampa Bay, as the Lightning host the New Jersey Devils. Keith Kinkaid is mismatched with Ben Bishop in goal. New Jersey began in the first period on a Steve Bernier power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Adam Henrique and Scott Gomez. Tampa Bay tied it on a Tyler Johnson goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, guided in by Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat. The Lightning took the lead on a Nikita Nesterov goal, his second of the season, coming on the power play from Johnson and Kucherov. The Devils tied it again with a second period Patrik Elias goal, his thirteenth of the year, with a lone assist by Stephen Gionta. Tampa Bay regained the lead as Steven Stamkos scored his forty-third of the season, a power play goal coming off of Palat and Victor Hedman. New Jersey evened it with a Bernier goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the year, via Henrique and Gomez. The Lightning won 4-3 in overtime on a Johnson goal, his second of the game and twenty-ninth of the campaign, with helpers from Kucherov and Palat, both of whom got sock tricks. The three stars belonged to Johnson, Bernier, and Kucherov, while Palat, Henrique, and Gomez get the honorable mentions.

Staying in the state, the Florida Panthers welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Roberto Luongo guard the cages. Boston dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Patrice Bergeron power play goal, his twenty-third of the season, powered by Loui Eriksson and Torey Krug. Florida tied it on a power play goal by Aleksander Barkov, his sixteenth of the year, assisted by Jaromir Jagr and Aaron Ekblad. The Panthers took the lead in the third period on a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his fourteenth of the season, guided in by Jagr and Brian Campbell. Florida added on with a Brad Boyes goal, his fourteenth of the year, with assists provided by Dave Bolland and Willie Mitchell. The Bruins got one back as Brad Marchand scored his twenty-third of the season, with the help of Dennis Seidenberg and David Krejci. The Panthers secured a 4-2 victory on a Jimmy Hayes goal, his nineteenth of the year, with a lone helper by Jussi Jokinen. The three stars went to Jagr, Luongo (34 for 36 in saves), and Boyes.

Northwest to St. Louis, as the Blues bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Jake Allen are the masked men. St. Louis led off in the second period on a Dmitrij Jaskin goal, his twelfth of the season, coming on the power play from David Backes and Alex Pietrangelo. The Blues added on in the third period with a Paul Stastny goal, his sixteenth of the year, via Jaden Schwartz and Kevin Shattenkirk. Chicago got on the board with an Andrew Shaw goal, his fifteenth of the campaign, passed from Teuvo Teravainen and Michal Rozsival. The final stood at 2-1, with the three stars given to Allen (21 for 22 in saves), Stastny, and Jaskin.

Backtracking to Nashville, as the Predators host the Minnesota Wild. Darcy Kuemper and Pekka Rinne occupy the creases. Nashville started in the first period on a Filip Forsberg goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, going in unassisted. The Predators added on with a Seth Jones goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Mike Santorelli and Craig Smith. Minnesota got on the board with a second period goal by Jason Zucker, his twentieth of the season, coming on the power play from Justin Fontaine and Matthew Dumba. The Wild tied it with a Marco Scandella goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Matt Cooke and Jordan Schroeder. Minnesota took the lead in the third period on a Jason Pominville goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Jared Spurgeon and Mikael Granlund. The Wild iced it at 4-2 with a Zucker empty net goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the year, set up by Chris Stewart and Mikko Koivu. The three stars were handed to Zucker, Pominville, and Kuemper (32 for 34 in saves).

Way northwest to Calgary, as the Flames welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Jonas Hiller are between the pipes. Calgary opened in the first period on a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, assisted by Jiri Hudler and Dennis Wideman. The Flames added on with a Hudler goal, his thirtieth of the year, coming off of Mason Raymond and Wideman. Los Angeles got on the board in the third period with a Jordan Nolan goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Alec Martinez and Mike Richards. Calgary iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Hudler, his second of the game and thirty-first of the year, set up by Sean Monahan and Gaudreau. The three stars were awarded to Hudler, Gaudreau, and Hiller (33 for 34 in saves), while Wideman gets an honorable mention.

Down in Colorado, the Avalanche bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec and Reto Berra are the mediocre goalies. The scoreless tie went to a shootout, where Ryan O'Reilly and Matt Duchene gave Colorado the win by a 1-0 score. The three stars were Berra (41 save shutout), Pavelec (21 save "shutout"), and Duchene.

Back in Alberta, the Edmonton Oilers host the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi faces a lesser foe in Laurent Brossoit in goal. Edmonton got going in the second period with a Nail Yakupov goal, his thirteenth of the season, going in unassisted. San Jose tied it on a Patrick Marleau third period goal, his nineteenth of the year, an unassisted goal. The Sharks took the lead with a Bryan Lerg goal, passed from Logan Couture and Taylor Fedun. San Jose iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Matthew Nieto, his tenth of the campaign, set up by Tommy Wingels and Chris Tierney. The three stars were given to Lerg, Niemi (26 for 27 in saves), and Brossoit (49 for 51 in saves).

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Arizona Coyotes. Mike Smith and Eddie Lack are in the blue paint. Vancouver dented the scoreboard in the first period with a Daniel Sedin goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Henrik Sedin and Alexander Edler. The Canucks added on with a Ronalds Kenins goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Jannik Hansen and Bo Horvat. Vancouver extended the lead with a Yannick Weber power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Edler and Henrik Sedin. The Canucks padded the lead on another Weber power play goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, passed from Daniel Sedin and Edler, the latter getting a sock trick. Louis Domingue took over for Smith in net. Vancouver finished it at 5-0 in the third period with a Dan Hamhuis power play goal, with assists provided by Chris Higgins and Nick Bonino. The three stars went to Weber, Edler, and Lack (28 save shutout), while Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin get the honorable mentions.

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Vancouver Whitecaps FC VS. Columbus Crew SC Match Report

The first Wednesday game of the season in MLS saw the Vancouver Whitecaps FC host the Columbus Crew SC. Steve Clark and David Ousted made the starts in goal. Vancouver had a yellow card go to Kendall Waston in the seventeenth minute for a foul. Columbus started in the twenty-fourth minute with a Kei Kamara goal, via Ethan Finlay. The Whitecaps tied it on a thirty-first minute goal by Octavio Rivero, passed from Darren Mattocks. The Crew retook the lead in the fiftieth minute on another Kamara goal, courtesy of Justin Meram. Columbus was given a yellow card for a fifty-fourth minute Hector Jimenez foul. In the sixty-fourth minute, Mattocks tied it for Vancouver, with the help of Kekuta Manneh and Pa Modou Kah. The Crew took a yellow card for a seventy-second minute foul by Tyson Wahl. The final stood at 2-2, and the man of the match was Kamara for his road brace.

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NHL April 8th, 2015

Three games on for today, beginning with...

The Columbus Blue Jackets hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Sergei Bobrovsky are in the blue paint. Columbus began in the first period on an Artem Anisimov goal, his seventh of the season, guided in by Brandon Dubinsky and Nick Foligno. The Blue Jackets added on with a Boone Jenner goal, his eighth of the year, fueled by Ryan Johansen and Jack Johnson. Columbus extended the lead as Scott Hartnell scored his twenty-seventh of the season, with the help of Marko Dano. The Blue Jackets padded the lead with a Ryan Murray power play goal in the second period, powered by Dubinsky and Hartnell. Jonathan Bernier relieved Reimer in goal. Columbus kept going on a Jeremy Morin goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Mark Letestu and Cody Goloubef. This made it 5-0, the final, with the three stars going to Hartnell, Dubinsky, and Bobrovsky (35 save shutout).

Back east, the Washington Capitals welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Braden Holtby tend the twines. Washington led off in the first period with a John Carlson goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Nicklas Backstrom and Marcus Johansson. The Capitals added on with a Matt Niskanen goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Backstrom and Troy Brouwer. Washington extended the lead in the second period as Johansson potted his twentieth of the campaign, via Evgeny Kuznetsov and Brouwer. This held up for a 3-0 win, with the three stars handed to Holtby (27 save shutout), Johansson, and Backstrom, while Brouwer gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Dallas Stars. Jhonas Enroth and Frederik Andersen are called on to start in goal. Dallas dented the scoreboard in the second period as Vernon Fiddler scored his thirteenth of the season, with the help of Ryan Garbutt and Shawn Horcoff. The Stars added on with a Jordie Benn goal, his second of the year, made possible by Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. Dallas extended the lead with a Patrick Eaves power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza. The Stars padded the lead on a third period Eaves goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the year, assisted by Jamie Benn, who got a sock trick. The final stood at 4-0, with the three stars belonging to Eaves, Jamie Benn, and Enroth (19 save shutout).

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NHL April 7th, 2015

Nine games on today, beginning with...

The New Jersey Devils hosting the New York Rangers. Cam Talbot and Cory Schneider are in the blue paint. New York started in the first period with a Kevin Hayes goal, his sixteenth of the season, assisted by Martin St. Louis and Carl Hagelin. The Rangers added on with a Ryan McDonagh power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Keith Yandle and Hayes. New Jersey got on the board with a Patrik Elias goal, his twelfth of the season, a power play goal coming off of Steve Bernier and Scott Gomez. New York answered in the third period on a James Sheppard goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Dominic Moore and Marc Staal. The Devils pulled back on a Bernier goal, his fourteenth of the season, made possible by Travis Zajac and Michael Cammalleri. The Rangers iced it at 4-2 with a Hagelin empty net goal, his seventeenth of the year, via Hayes. The three stars went to Hayes, Bernier, and Hagelin.

Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Steve Mason are the solid goalies. Philadelphia struck first in the first period on a Claude Giroux power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, powered by Mark Streit and Jakub Voracek. The Flyers added on with another Giroux goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the year, guided in by Streit and Voracek. New York got on the board with a John Tavares power play goal in the second period, his thirty-sixth of the season, via Ryan Strome and Nick Leddy. Philadelphia shot back on a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Vincent Lecavalier and Nicklas Grossmann. The Flyers extended the lead in the third period on a Carlo Colaiacovo goal, his second of the season, with a lone helper by Zac Rinaldo. The Islanders replied with an Anders Lee goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, helped along by Josh Bailey and Lubomir Visnovsky. New York chipped closer with a Johnny Boychuk goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by Tavares. The Islanders tied it on another Lee goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the year, driven in by Tavares. Philadelphia won 5-4 with a Brayden Schenn goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, assisted by Sean Couturier and Streit, the latter getting a sock trick. The three stars went to Giroux, Lee, and Streit, while Voracek and Tavares get the honorable mentions.

West to Detroit, as the Red Wings bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Anton Khudobin is mismatched with Jimmy Howard in goal. Detroit dented the scoreboard in the second period as Henrik Zetterberg scored his seventeenth of the season, a power play goal powered by Stephen Weiss and Darren Helm. Carolina tied it on a Nathan Gerbe goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Victor Rask and Chris Terry. The Hurricanes took the lead with a Terry goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Justin Faulk and Rask. The Red Wings retied it in the third period as Gustav Nyquist netted his twenty-seventh of the year, thanks to Pavel Datsyuk and Danny DeKeyser. Detroit took the lead back with a Datsyuk goal, his twenty-fifth of the campaign, helped along by Zetterberg and Marek Zidlicky. This held up for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Datsyuk, Zetterberg, and Terry, while Rask gets an honorable mention.

Into Ontario, as the Ottawa Senators host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Andrew Hammond man the nets. Pittsburgh led off in the first period with a Sidney Crosby goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, passed from Patric Hornqvist and Paul Martin. The Penguins added on with a Beau Bennett goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Ian Cole. Pittsburgh extended the lead with a Hornqvist goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, made possible by Crosby and Rob Scuderi. Ottawa got on the board in the second period as Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored his eighth of the year, a shorthanded goal going in unassisted. The Senators pulled closer in the third period as Mark Stone scored his twenty-third of the season, thanks to Clarke MacArthur. Ottawa tied it on a Mike Hoffman goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, with helpers from Mika Zibanejad and Kyle Turris. The Senators won 4-3 in overtime on a Stone goal, his second of the game and twenty-fourth of the campaign, set up by Erik Karlsson and Turris. The three stars went to Stone, Crosby, and Hornqvist, while Turris gets an honorable mention.

Back south, the St. Louis Blues welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec and Jake Allen are set to start in goal. Winnipeg began in the first period with a Chris Thorburn goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Jim Slater and Adam Pardy. This stood for a 1-0 win, with the three stars going to Pavelec (30 save shutout), Thorburn, and Allen (30 for 31 in saves).

North a little to Chicago, as the Blackhawks bring in the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Corey Crawford are between the pipes. Minnesota got going in the third period on a Mikael Granlund goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Zach Parise and Jason Pominville. The Wild added on with a Jason Zucker goal, his nineteenth of the year, guided in by Chris Stewart and Ryan Suter. Chicago got on the board with a Bryan Bickell goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, fueled by Patrick Sharp and Niklas Hjalmarsson. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars handed to Dubnyk (32 for 33 in saves), Zucker, and Granlund.

Northwest to Calgary, as the Flames host the Arizona Coyotes. Mike Smith and Jonas Hiller protect the nets. Calgary was first to score in the first period on a Johnny Gaudreau power play goal, his twenty-third of the season, powered by Dennis Wideman and Kris Russell. Arizona tied it on a second period goal by B.J. Crombeen, his third of the year, passed from Craig Cunningham. The Flames reclaimed the lead in the third period on a David Jones goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Michael Ferland and Matt Stajan. The Coyotes tied it again with a Cunningham goal, his third of the year, with a lone assist by Kyle Chipchura. Calgary pulled ahead on a Sean Monahan goal, his thirty-first of the season, made possible by Jiri Hudler and Wideman. This was all they needed for a 3-2 win, with the three stars handed to Wideman, Cunningham, and Monahan.

Back south, the Colorado Avalanche welcome the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Semyon Varlamov tend the twines. Nashville opened in the first period with a Calle Jarnkrok goal, his seventh of the season, courtesy of Matt Cullen and Viktor Stalberg. Colorado tied it in the second period as Jarome Iginla scored his twenty-seventh of the year, thanks to Tyson Barrie and Matt Duchene. The Avalanche took the lead on a Ryan O'Reilly goal, his seventeenth of the season, fueled by Gabriel Landeskog. The Predators retied it in the third period with a Ryan Ellis power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Colin Wilson and Craig Smith. Colorado took the lead back with a Joey Hishon goal, passed from Marc-Andre Cliche. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Hishon, O'Reilly, and Iginla.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Martin Jones and Richard Bachman are the backups in goal. Edmonton got going in the second period as Matt Fraser scored his seventh of the season, with the help of Martin Marincin and Anton Lander. Los Angeles tied it on a Jake Muzzin goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty. The Oilers took the lead back as Benoit Pouliot scored his eighteenth of the season, an unassisted goal. Edmonton added on in the third period with a Tyler Pitlick goal, his second of the year, with assists provided by Oscar Klefbom and Lander. The Kings pulled back with a Doughty power play goal, his seventh of the season, with a lone assist by the goalie Jones. The Oilers iced it at 4-2 with a Fraser empty net goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, set up by Nail Yakupov. The three stars went to Fraser, Lander, and Doughty.

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Aston Villa VS. Queens Park Rangers Match Report

With the oddly scheduled game, I bring you a report for Aston Villa hosting the Queens Park Rangers. Robert Green and Brad Guzan are in the six-yard boxes. In the seventh minute, Matthew Phillips started for QPR with a header goal, set up by Bobby Zamora's cross. Aston Villa tied it in the tenth minute on a Christian Benteke goal, passed from Fabian Delph. Aston Villa took the lead in the thirty-third minute as Benteke scored again, thanks to Gabriel Agbonlahor after a fast break. QPR had yellow cards in the thirty-fourth and thirty-fifth minutes for an offense by Sandro and a foul by Niko Kranjcar, respectively. In the fifty-fifth minute, QPR tied it on a Clint Hill header goal, coming off of a Phillips cross after a corner kick. In the fifty-seventh minute, QPR's Charlie Austin had a yellow card for a foul. Austin made up for his misstep in the seventy-eighth minute when he scored to put QPR ahead, with the help of Phillips. In the eighty-second minute, Hill of QPR took a yellow card for his foul. Aston Villa retied it on a Benteke free kick goal to secure his hat trick in the eighty-third minute. The final stood at 3-3.

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KHL Western Conference Final: CSKA Moscow VS. SKA St. Petersburg

Welcome to the post for the western conference final between CSKA Moscow and SKA St. Petersburg. This post will cover the entire series.

Game 1: CSKA Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg and Stanislav Galimov for Moscow. Moscow led off in the first period on an Alexander Radulov goal, via Roman Lyubimov. CSKA added on in the second period with a Lyubimov goal, coming off of Simon Hjalmarsson and Radulov. Moscow extended the lead in the third period on a Jan Mursak goal, made possible by Hjalmarsson and Radulov on the power play. The final was 3-0, and the three stars went to Radulov, Galimov (25 save shutout), and Lyubimov, while Hjalmarsson gets an honorable mention. CSKA takes an early 1-0 series lead.

Game 2: CSKA Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg and Stanislav Galimov for Moscow. St. Petersburg began in the first period with a power play goal by Evgeny Dadonov, powered by Andrei Kuteikin and Artemy Panarin. Moscow tied it in the second period as Nikita Zaitsev scored a power play goal, thanks to Roman Lyubimov and Igor Grigorenko. SKA took the lead on an unassisted Panarin goal in the third period. CSKA retied it with a Lyubimov goal, coming off of Zaitsev and Alexander Radulov. Moscow won 3-2 in the third overtime with a Lyubimov goal, via Grigorenko and Radulov. The three stars went to Lyubimov, Zaitsev, and Panarin, while Grigorenko and Radulov get the honorable mentions. CSKA heads west with a 2-0 series lead.

Game 3: Ice Palace St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia. In goal: Stanislav Galimov for Moscow and Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg. Moscow got going in the second period with a Roman Lyubimov goal, assisted by Igor Grigorenko and Alexander Radulov. CSKA added on in the third period with a Denis Denisov power play goal, powered by Grigorenko and Radulov. St. Petersburg got on the board as Maxim Chudinov scored, thanks to Ilya Kovalchuk and Anton Belov. Moscow iced it at 3-1 on an empty net goal by Radulov, set up by Vladimir Zharkov. The three stars went to Radulov, Galimov (23 for 24 in saves), and Grigorenko. CSKA is now up 3-0 in the series, looking to seal the deal on Wednesday.

Game 4: Ice Palace St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia. In goal: Stanislav Galimov for Moscow and Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg opened in the first period on a Patrick Thoresen goal, coming off of Ilya Kovalchuk. SKA added on with an Evgeny Dadonov power play goal, powered by Vadim Shipachyov and Artemy Panarin. St. Petersburg extended the lead in the second period on a power play goal by Shipachyov, fueled by Panarin and Dadonov. SKA padded the lead as Dadonov scored another power play goal, with the help of Shipachyov and Panarin, the latter getting a sock trick. Moscow got on the board with an Igor Grigorneko power play goal, passed from Nikita Zaitsev and Alexander Radulov. This made it a 4-1 final, with the three stars going to Dadonov, Shipachyov, and Panarin. CSKA heads home with a 3-1 series lead, looking at a second chance to wrap the series up.

Game 5: CSKA Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg and Stanislav Galimov for Moscow. St. Petersburg started in the first period on an Artemy Panarin power play goal, powered by Evgeny Dadonov and Vadim Shipachyov. SKA added on with a Dadonov goal, guided in by Roman Rukavishnikov and Panarin. Kevin Lalande replaced Galimov in goal. Moscow got on the board in the second period with an Alexander Radulov power play goal, with a lone assist by Nikita Zaitsev. St. Petersburg answered on an Andrei Kuteikin goal, via Nikolai Belov and Ilya Kovalchuk. CSKA shot back with a power play goal by Stephane Da Costa, courtesy of Ondrej Nemec and Igor Grigorenko. SKA replied with a Dadonov goal, made possible by Shipachyov. St. Petersburg extended the lead in the third period as Panarin scored, thanks to Shipachyov, who got a sock trick, and Dadonov. SKA finished it at 6-2 on an empty net goal by Anton Burdasov, set up by Belov and Patrick Thoresen. The three stars were awarded to Dadonov, Panarin, and Shipachyov, while Belov gets an honorable mention. The series still favors CSKA, but only by a 3-2 margin.

Game 6: Ice Palace St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia. In goal: Kevin Lalande for Moscow and Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg struck first in the first period on an Ilya Kovalchuk power play goal, powered by Artemy Panarin and Vadim Shipachyov. Moscow tied it in the second period on a power play goal by Stephane Da Costa, coming off of Alexei Bondarev and Simon Hjalmarsson. SKA won 2-1 in overtime as Patrick Thoresen scored a power play goal, with a lone assist by Ilya Kablukov. The three stars went to Thoresen, Koskinen (27 for 28 in saves), and Kovalchuk. The series heads to its decisive game in Moscow tied at 3.

Game 7: CSKA Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg and Kevin Lalande for Moscow. St. Petersburg was first to score in the first period with an Ilya Kovalchuk goal, via Patrick Thoresen. SKA added on in the second period as Evgeny Dadonov scored, thanks to Vadim Shipachyov. Moscow got on the board with an Alexander Radulov goal, courtesy of Andrei Stas and Igor Grigorenko. CSKA tied it with a Stephane Da Costa goal, passed from Grigorenko and Evgeny Korotkov. St. Petersburg took the lead back in the third period on a Thoresen goal, made possible by Anton Belov and Maxim Chudinov. This held up for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Thoresen, Grigorenko, and Koskinen (35 for 37 in saves). SKA pulled off the improbably comeback, winning the series 4-3 to advance to the Gagarin Cup Final against Ak Bars Kazan.