Three games spread out quite a bit today, beginning with two matinees, the first in...
New York City, as the Rangers host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Henrik Lundqvist guard the cages. Pittsburgh began in the first period with a Patric Hornqvist goal, his eighteenth of the season, a power play goal from Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang. New York tied it on a Chris Kreider goal, his sixteenth of the year, coming off of Derek Stepan and Kevin Klein. The Penguins retook the lead with a Conor Sheary goal in the second period, his fourth of the season, via Justin Schultz. The Rangers tied it again on a Derick Brassard power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, powered by Keith Yandle and Stepan. Pittsburgh pulled ahead with a Sheary goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, helped along by Tom Kuhnhackl and Eric Fehr. New York tied it again as Ryan McDonagh scored his ninth of the year, guided in by Jesper Fast and J.T. Miller. The Penguins gained the lead with a Matt Cullen goal, his eleventh of the season, courtesy of Dominik Simon and Brian Dumoulin. Pittsburgh iced it at 5-3 with a Crosby empty net goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, set up by Kuhnhackl and Bryan Rust. The three stars went to Sheary, Crosby, and Kuhnhackl, while Stepan gets an honorable mention.
West to Columbus, where the Blue Jackets welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ben Bishop and Sergei Bobrovsky are the masked men. Tampa Bay got going in the second period with a Steven Stamkos goal, his thirtieth of the season, passed from Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning added on with a Vladislav Namestnikov goal in the third period, his twelfth of the year, coming off of Tyler Johnson. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Stamkos scored his second of the game and thirty-first of the season, a shorthanded goal set up by Ondrej Palat. The Lightning padded the lead as Palat scored a shorthanded goal, his twelfth of the year, thanks to Stamkos. This made it 4-0, the final, with the three stars going to Stamkos, Palat, and Bishop (37 save shutout).
Finally, the Detroit Red Wings bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jonathan Bernier and Petr Mrazek are in the blue paint. Toronto dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Michael Grabner goal, his seventh of the season, fueled by P.A. Parenteau. This stood for a 1-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Bernier (38 save shutout), Grabner, and Mrazek (26 for 27 in saves).
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Sunday, March 13, 2016
Major League Soccer 2016 - Week 2
It's another full week, beginning the normal pattern with a Friday game from...
Florida, as Orlando City SC hosts the Chicago Fire. Matt Lampson and Joe Bendik get the starts in goal. Orlando City struck first with a Cyle Larin goal in the fourth minute, set up by Kevin Molino. Chicago tied it on a fourteenth minute David Accam goal, via John Goossens. In the twenty-eighth minute, Matt Polster of the Fire had a yellow card for a foul. Chicago went to ten men in the thirty-second minute as Michael Harrington took a straight red card for his foul. In the sixty-second minute, Cristian Higuita of Orlando City received a yellow card for a foul. The Fire had a yellow card given to Joao Meira in the seventy-first minute for a foul. Orlando City saw Servando Carrasco get booked on a yellow card for a seventy-fifth minute foul. Chicago received a yellow card for an eighty-third minute Accam foul. Orlando City's Brek Shea had a yellow card for his foul in the ninetieth minute. The final stood at 1-1, with the man of the match being Lampson for going four for five in saves.
On Saturday, the New England Revolution welcome DC United. Travis Worra is mismatched with Bobby Shuttleworth in goal. In the twenty-sixth minute, Gershon Koffie of New England had a yellow card for a foul. DC had a yellow card for a foul by Luciano Acosta in first half stoppage time. United had yellow cards given to Sean Franklin in the fifty-sixth minute for dangerous play, Nick DeLeon in the sixty-fourth minute for a foul, and Marcelo Sarvas in the eighty-seventh minute for his foul. The game ended in a 0-0 draw.
Up in Montreal, the Impact bring in the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Evan Bush are the goalies. Dax McCarty of New York had a yellow card for his thirty-sixth minute foul. Montreal saw a yellow card for a fifty-second minute foul by Victor Cabrera. The Impact got going in the fifty-eighth minute with a Dominic Oduro goal, set up by Johan Venegas and Ignacio Piatti. Montreal added on with a Piatti goal in the seventy-first minute, helped along by Donny Toia. The Impact extended the lead in stoppage time as Anthony Jackson-Hamel scored, thanks to Harry Shipp and Eric Alexander. This made it 3-0, the final, with the man of the match being Oduro.
Out west, Real Salt Lake hosts the Seattle Sounders FC. Tyler Miller and Nick Rimando are in the six-yard boxes. Erik Friberg of Seattle had a yellow card for his thirteenth minute foul. The Sounders were first to score with an Osvaldo Alonso goal in the twenty-eighth minute. Seattle saw yellow cards for Zach Scott in the thirty-fifth minute and Joevin Jones in the thirty-eighth minute, both for fouls. Salt Lake tied it on a forty-third minute goal by Sunny, via Joao Plata. In the seventy-third minute, Kyle Beckerman took a yellow card for his foul for Real. Salt Lake took the lead in the eighty-sixth minute on a Jamison Olave goal, passed from Juan Manuel Martinez and Plata. The Sounders had a yellow card given to Clint Dempsey for an eighty-eighth minute foul. Salt Lake won 2-1, with the man of the match being Olave.
Nearby, the Colorado Rapids welcome the Los Angeles Galaxy. Brian Rowe and Zach MacMath are the unimpressive goalies. In the forty-third minute, Los Angeles took a yellow card for a Steven Gerrard foul. Colorado saw a yellow card go to Marc Burch for a forty-fifth minute foul. The Galaxy had yellow cards for fouls by Daniel Steres in the fiftieth minute, Jelle Van Damme in the seventy-second minute, and Emmanuel Boateng in the eighty-second minute. The Rapids had a pair of yellow cards for Jared Watts' eighty-ninth minute dissent and a stoppage time foul from Kevin Doyle. Colorado dented the scoreboard in the fifth minute of stoppage time with a Marco Pappa goal. This made it a 1-0 win, with the man of the match being Pappa for the timely strike.
To the east, the Columbus Crew SC brings in the Philadelphia Union. Andre Blake and Steve Clark receive the starting nods in goal. Philadelphia led off in first half stoppage time with a Chris Pontius goal. The Union took yellow cards for fouls by Fabinho in the fifty-sixth minute and Brian Carroll in the sixty-fifth minute. Philadelphia added on with a seventy-first minute Pontius goal. Columbus got on the board with a Kei Kamara goal in the eighty-seventh minute, via Mohammed Saeid. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the man of the match being Pontius for his brace.
In the south, a Texas Derby with the Houston Dynamo hosting FC Dallas is up. Jesse Gonzalez and Joe Willis man the nets. Houston began in the sixth minute with a David Horst goal, assisted by Andrew Wenger. In the thirteenth minute, Dallas' Matt Hedges put the ball in his own net to add to the Dynamo lead. Atiba Harris of Dallas took a yellow card for a twenty-first minute foul. Houston extended the lead as Ricardo Clark scored in the twenty-third minute, thanks to Wenger. The Dynamo padded the lead with a Wenger goal. In the thirty-second minute, Raul Rodriguez of Houston had a yellow card, followed by Dallas' Carlos Gruezo a minute later and the Dynamo's Wenger a minute after that, all of the bookings being for fouls. Dallas had a forty-third minute yellow card for a Maynor Figueroa foul. In the eightieth minute, Houston took a yellow card for a Boniek Garcia foul. The Dynamo capped it at 5-0 with an eighty-fifth minute Will Bruin goal, set up by Leonel Miranda.
Wrapping up the big day, Sporting Kansas City welcomes the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. David Ousted and Tim Melia are the gloved men. Kansas City opened in the fifth minute with a Dominic Dwyer goal. Vancouver had yellow cards for Octavio Rivero in the thirty-sixth minute and Kendall Waston in the thirty-eighth minute, both for fouls. Sporting added on in the forty-first minute with a Dwyer goal, set up by Chance Myers and Graham Zusi. In first half stoppage time, the Whitecaps lost a man as Jordan Smith's foul drew a straight red card. Jordi Quintilla of Kansas City took a yellow card for a fifty-first minute foul. Vancouver got on the board with a seventieth minute Pedro Morales penalty kick goal. This only made it 2-1, the final, with Dwyer named man of the match.
On Sunday, the first of two games has New York City FC bringing in Toronto FC. Clint Irwin and Josh Saunders will be between the posts. In the twenty-fourth minute, New York City's David Villa scored on a penalty kick goal to start the scoring. New York City added on with a twenty-eighth minute goal from Villa, courtesy of Mix Diskerud. Toronto got on the board with a Damien Perquis goal in first half stoppage time, via Sebastian Giovinco. Federico Bravo of New York City took a yellow card for persistent infringement in the fifty-second minute. Toronto tied it in the seventy-sixth minute with a Giovinco goal, assisted by Will Johnson. In the eighty-ninth minute, Mikey Lopez of New York City got booked on a yellow card for a foul. Ashtone Morgan of Toronto had a yellow card for his foul in the ninetieth minute. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, with Villa the man of the match for his brace.
Finally, the San Jose Earthquakes host the Portland Timbers. Adam Larsen Kwarasey and David Bingham protect the nets. San Jose drew first blood in the thirtieth minute with a Chris Wondolowski goal, via Anibal Godoy and Kip Colvey. The Earthquakes added on with a first half stoppage time goal by Quincy Amarikwa. San Jose saw a yellow card for a Victor Bernardez foul in the sixty-fourth minute. Portland got on the board with an eighty-ninth minute goal from Jack McInerney, courtesy of Nat Borchers and Jermaine Taylor. The Earthquakes' goalie Bingham took a yellow card in second half stoppage time for time wasting. The final was 2-1 for San Jose, with the man of the match being Amarikwa for the winner.
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Florida, as Orlando City SC hosts the Chicago Fire. Matt Lampson and Joe Bendik get the starts in goal. Orlando City struck first with a Cyle Larin goal in the fourth minute, set up by Kevin Molino. Chicago tied it on a fourteenth minute David Accam goal, via John Goossens. In the twenty-eighth minute, Matt Polster of the Fire had a yellow card for a foul. Chicago went to ten men in the thirty-second minute as Michael Harrington took a straight red card for his foul. In the sixty-second minute, Cristian Higuita of Orlando City received a yellow card for a foul. The Fire had a yellow card given to Joao Meira in the seventy-first minute for a foul. Orlando City saw Servando Carrasco get booked on a yellow card for a seventy-fifth minute foul. Chicago received a yellow card for an eighty-third minute Accam foul. Orlando City's Brek Shea had a yellow card for his foul in the ninetieth minute. The final stood at 1-1, with the man of the match being Lampson for going four for five in saves.
On Saturday, the New England Revolution welcome DC United. Travis Worra is mismatched with Bobby Shuttleworth in goal. In the twenty-sixth minute, Gershon Koffie of New England had a yellow card for a foul. DC had a yellow card for a foul by Luciano Acosta in first half stoppage time. United had yellow cards given to Sean Franklin in the fifty-sixth minute for dangerous play, Nick DeLeon in the sixty-fourth minute for a foul, and Marcelo Sarvas in the eighty-seventh minute for his foul. The game ended in a 0-0 draw.
Up in Montreal, the Impact bring in the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Evan Bush are the goalies. Dax McCarty of New York had a yellow card for his thirty-sixth minute foul. Montreal saw a yellow card for a fifty-second minute foul by Victor Cabrera. The Impact got going in the fifty-eighth minute with a Dominic Oduro goal, set up by Johan Venegas and Ignacio Piatti. Montreal added on with a Piatti goal in the seventy-first minute, helped along by Donny Toia. The Impact extended the lead in stoppage time as Anthony Jackson-Hamel scored, thanks to Harry Shipp and Eric Alexander. This made it 3-0, the final, with the man of the match being Oduro.
Out west, Real Salt Lake hosts the Seattle Sounders FC. Tyler Miller and Nick Rimando are in the six-yard boxes. Erik Friberg of Seattle had a yellow card for his thirteenth minute foul. The Sounders were first to score with an Osvaldo Alonso goal in the twenty-eighth minute. Seattle saw yellow cards for Zach Scott in the thirty-fifth minute and Joevin Jones in the thirty-eighth minute, both for fouls. Salt Lake tied it on a forty-third minute goal by Sunny, via Joao Plata. In the seventy-third minute, Kyle Beckerman took a yellow card for his foul for Real. Salt Lake took the lead in the eighty-sixth minute on a Jamison Olave goal, passed from Juan Manuel Martinez and Plata. The Sounders had a yellow card given to Clint Dempsey for an eighty-eighth minute foul. Salt Lake won 2-1, with the man of the match being Olave.
Nearby, the Colorado Rapids welcome the Los Angeles Galaxy. Brian Rowe and Zach MacMath are the unimpressive goalies. In the forty-third minute, Los Angeles took a yellow card for a Steven Gerrard foul. Colorado saw a yellow card go to Marc Burch for a forty-fifth minute foul. The Galaxy had yellow cards for fouls by Daniel Steres in the fiftieth minute, Jelle Van Damme in the seventy-second minute, and Emmanuel Boateng in the eighty-second minute. The Rapids had a pair of yellow cards for Jared Watts' eighty-ninth minute dissent and a stoppage time foul from Kevin Doyle. Colorado dented the scoreboard in the fifth minute of stoppage time with a Marco Pappa goal. This made it a 1-0 win, with the man of the match being Pappa for the timely strike.
To the east, the Columbus Crew SC brings in the Philadelphia Union. Andre Blake and Steve Clark receive the starting nods in goal. Philadelphia led off in first half stoppage time with a Chris Pontius goal. The Union took yellow cards for fouls by Fabinho in the fifty-sixth minute and Brian Carroll in the sixty-fifth minute. Philadelphia added on with a seventy-first minute Pontius goal. Columbus got on the board with a Kei Kamara goal in the eighty-seventh minute, via Mohammed Saeid. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the man of the match being Pontius for his brace.
In the south, a Texas Derby with the Houston Dynamo hosting FC Dallas is up. Jesse Gonzalez and Joe Willis man the nets. Houston began in the sixth minute with a David Horst goal, assisted by Andrew Wenger. In the thirteenth minute, Dallas' Matt Hedges put the ball in his own net to add to the Dynamo lead. Atiba Harris of Dallas took a yellow card for a twenty-first minute foul. Houston extended the lead as Ricardo Clark scored in the twenty-third minute, thanks to Wenger. The Dynamo padded the lead with a Wenger goal. In the thirty-second minute, Raul Rodriguez of Houston had a yellow card, followed by Dallas' Carlos Gruezo a minute later and the Dynamo's Wenger a minute after that, all of the bookings being for fouls. Dallas had a forty-third minute yellow card for a Maynor Figueroa foul. In the eightieth minute, Houston took a yellow card for a Boniek Garcia foul. The Dynamo capped it at 5-0 with an eighty-fifth minute Will Bruin goal, set up by Leonel Miranda.
Wrapping up the big day, Sporting Kansas City welcomes the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. David Ousted and Tim Melia are the gloved men. Kansas City opened in the fifth minute with a Dominic Dwyer goal. Vancouver had yellow cards for Octavio Rivero in the thirty-sixth minute and Kendall Waston in the thirty-eighth minute, both for fouls. Sporting added on in the forty-first minute with a Dwyer goal, set up by Chance Myers and Graham Zusi. In first half stoppage time, the Whitecaps lost a man as Jordan Smith's foul drew a straight red card. Jordi Quintilla of Kansas City took a yellow card for a fifty-first minute foul. Vancouver got on the board with a seventieth minute Pedro Morales penalty kick goal. This only made it 2-1, the final, with Dwyer named man of the match.
On Sunday, the first of two games has New York City FC bringing in Toronto FC. Clint Irwin and Josh Saunders will be between the posts. In the twenty-fourth minute, New York City's David Villa scored on a penalty kick goal to start the scoring. New York City added on with a twenty-eighth minute goal from Villa, courtesy of Mix Diskerud. Toronto got on the board with a Damien Perquis goal in first half stoppage time, via Sebastian Giovinco. Federico Bravo of New York City took a yellow card for persistent infringement in the fifty-second minute. Toronto tied it in the seventy-sixth minute with a Giovinco goal, assisted by Will Johnson. In the eighty-ninth minute, Mikey Lopez of New York City got booked on a yellow card for a foul. Ashtone Morgan of Toronto had a yellow card for his foul in the ninetieth minute. The game ended in a 2-2 draw, with Villa the man of the match for his brace.
Finally, the San Jose Earthquakes host the Portland Timbers. Adam Larsen Kwarasey and David Bingham protect the nets. San Jose drew first blood in the thirtieth minute with a Chris Wondolowski goal, via Anibal Godoy and Kip Colvey. The Earthquakes added on with a first half stoppage time goal by Quincy Amarikwa. San Jose saw a yellow card for a Victor Bernardez foul in the sixty-fourth minute. Portland got on the board with an eighty-ninth minute goal from Jack McInerney, courtesy of Nat Borchers and Jermaine Taylor. The Earthquakes' goalie Bingham took a yellow card in second half stoppage time for time wasting. The final was 2-1 for San Jose, with the man of the match being Amarikwa for the winner.
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Saturday, March 12, 2016
2015-16 NHL Season - Day 149
Twelve games fill the schedule today. The first of three matinees is from...
Boston, as the Bruins host the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Tuukka Rask are in goal. Boston struck first in the first period with a Loui Eriksson power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, powered by Ryan Spooner and Torey Krug. New York tied it on a second period goal by John Tavares, his twenty-sixth of the year, helped along by Kyle Okposo. The Bruins retook the lead on a David Pastrnak goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by David Krejci and Eriksson. Boston iced it at 3-1 with a Pastrnak goal in the third period, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, via Eriksson. The three stars were Pastrnak, Eriksson, and Rask (25 for 26 in saves).
Over in Buffalo, the Sabres welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Chad Johnson are in the blue paint. Carolina got going in the second period with a Phillip Di Giuseppe goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Jeff Skinner. Buffalo tied it with a Marcus Foligno goal, his ninth of the year, via Brian Gionta. The Sabres took the lead in the third period on a Jack Eichel goal, his twenty-first of the season, coming off of Sam Reinhart and Evander Kane. The Hurricanes retied it as Victor Rask scored his sixteenth of the year on the power play, thanks to Riley Nash and Elias Lindholm. Buffalo won 3-2 in overtime on an Eichel goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the campaign, made possible by Kane. The three stars belonged to Eichel, Kane, and Foligno.
Along to Detroit, where the Red Wings bring in the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Petr Mrazek tend the twines. New York was first to score in the first period with a Derek Stepan goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming off of Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello. Detroit tied it with a Darren Helm goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Luke Glendening and Danny DeKeyser in the third period. The Rangers took the lead back on a Kreider power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Keith Yandle and Zuccarello. The Red Wings tied it again with a Brad Richards power play goal, his ninth of the year, made possible by Justin Abdelkader and Henrik Zetterberg. Detroit won 3-2 in overtime with Helm's second of the game and tenth of the campaign, assisted by Pavel Datsyuk and DeKeyser. The three stars were Helm, Kreider, and DeKeyser, while Zuccarello gets an honorable mention.
At the usual times, the Montreal Canadiens host the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Mike Condon man the nets. Minnesota led off in the first period with an unassisted Nino Niederreiter goal, his fifteenth of the season. Montreal tied it with a Mark Barberio goal, his second of the year, guided in by Sven Andrighetto and Max Pacioretty. The Wild took the lead back with a Mikael Granlund goal, his ninth of the season, helped along by Thomas Vanek and Matt Dumba. Minnesota added on with a Granlund power play goal in the second period, his second of the game and tenth of the year, powered by Vanek and Niederreiter. The Wild iced it at 4-1 with a third period Erik Haula empty net goal, his tenth of the campaign, set up by Charlie Coyle. The three stars were Granlund, Niederreiter, and Vanek.
West to Ontario, as the Ottawa Senators welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Garret Sparks and Craig Anderson play goal. Ottawa began in the first period with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his fifteenth of the season, coming off of Mike Hoffman and Marc Methot. The Senators added on in the second period with a Cody Ceci goal, his eighth of the year, via Mark Stone and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Ottawa extended the lead in the third period as Zack Smith scored his twenty-first of the season, with the help of Pageau and Stone. The Senators finished it at 4-0 with a Stone goal, his twenty-second of the year, with a lone helper by Pageau, who got a sock trick. The three stars were Stone, Pageau, and Anderson (29 save shutout).
Down in Florida, the Panthers bring in the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Roberto Luongo are the veterans in goal. Florida opened in the first period with a Reilly Smith goal, his twenty-second of the season, via Vincent Trocheck and Aaron Ekblad. Philadelphia tied it on a Nick Cousins goal, his fifth of the year, with a lone assist by Sam Gagner. The Flyers took the lead in the second period with a Ryan White power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Gagner and Matt Read. The Panthers tied it again on a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Jaromir Jagr and Dmitry Kulikov. Philadelphia regained the lead in the third period with a Michael Raffl goal, his tenth of the season, with a lone helper from Evgeny Medvedev. Florida retied it on an Aleksander Barkov power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, made possible by Nick Bjugstad and Jagr. The Panthers pulled ahead as Smith scored his second of the game and twenty-third of the season, thanks to Jussi Jokinen and Jakub Kindl. The Flyers tied it again as Shayne Gostisbehere scored his fifteenth of the year, with the help of Sean Couturier and Raffl. The tie went to the shootout, where Bjugstad and Barkov scored to give the Panthers the 5-4 win. The three stars were awarded to Smith, Barkov, and Bjugstad, while Jagr, Raffl, and Gagner get the honorable mentions.
Returning to Canada, the Winnipeg Jets host the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Ondrej Pavelec are the experienced goalies. Colorado dented the scoreboard with an Erik Johnson goal, his tenth of the season, courtesy of Matt Duchene. The Avalanche added on with a Duchene goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, coming on the power play from Jarome Iginla and Blake Comeau. Winnipeg got on the board with a power play goal by Mark Scheifele, his twenty-second of the season, powered by Mathieu Perreault and Dustin Byfuglien. The Jets tied it on a Drew Stafford goal in the third period, his eighteenth of the year, via Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. Winnipeg took the lead with an Adam Lowry goal, his fifth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Scott Kosmachuk. This gave them a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Scheifele, Duchene, and Pavelec (35 for 37 in saves).
South again, as the Dallas Stars welcome the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Antti Niemi are between the pipes. St. Louis started in the first period with a Troy Brouwer goal, his fourteenth of the season, helped along by Robby Fabbri and Paul Stastny. Dallas tied it on a Cody Eakin goal, his thirteenth of the year, assisted by Jamie Benn and Kris Russell. The Blues took the lead back in the second period on a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his thirty-third of the campaign, fueled by Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo. The Stars tied it again with a Jason Spezza goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, coming off of Tyler Seguin and Russell. St. Louis pulled ahead with a Kevin Shattenkirk goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Stastny and Jaden Schwartz. The Blues added on with a Shattenkirk goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the campaign, guided in by Schwartz and Tarasenko. Dallas chipped back in the third period with a Spezza goal, his second of the game and twenty-eighth of the season, made possible by Ales Hemsky and Alex Goligoski. The Stars tied it with a Benn power play goal, his thirty-fourth of the year, with assists from Seguin and Goligoski. St. Louis won 5-4 in overtime with a Pietrangelo goal, his fifth of the campaign, set up by Stastny, who got a sock trick, and Fabbri. The three stars belonged to Shattenkirk, Spezza, and Stastny, while Fabbri, Benn, Russell, Tarasenko, Pietrangelo, Seguin, Schwartz, and Goligoski all receive honorable mentions.
Northwest to Edmonton, with the Oilers bringing in the Arizona Coyotes. Mike Smith returns from injury against Cam Talbot in goal. Arizona led off in the first period with a Viktor Tikhonov goal, his third of the season, assisted by Martin Hanzal. The Coyotes added on with a second period Antoine Vermette goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Shane Doan and Michael Stone. Arizona extended the lead on a power play goal by Alex Tanguay, his seventh of the season, powered by Stone and Vermette. The Coyotes padded the lead as Vermette scored his second of the game and fourteenth of the year in the third period, an unassisted goal. This stood for a 4-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Smith (44 save shutout), Vermette, and Stone.
Over in Vancouver, the Canucks host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Ryan Miller are the overrated goalies. Vancouver struck first in the first period with a Sven Baertschi goal, his fourteenth of the season, helped along by Ben Hutton and Radim Vrbata. The Canucks added on with a Derek Dorsett goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Bo Horvat and Alexandre Burrows. Nashville got on the board with a Mike Fisher goal, his eleventh of the campaign, made possible by Roman Josi and Shea Weber in the second period. Vancouver replied with a Horvat goal, his eleventh of the season, via Yannick Weber and Burrows. The Predators shot back on a Colton Sissons goal, his third of the year, assisted by Josi and Austin Watson. The Canucks iced it at 4-2 with a Daniel Sedin empty net goal, his twenty-sixth of the campaign, set up by Henrik Sedin and Vrbata. The three stars went to Horvat, Josi, and Burrows, while Vrbata gets an honorable mention.
Down in Los Angeles, the Kings welcome the New Jersey Devils. Keith Kinkaid and Jonathan Quick have the green light to play goal. New Jersey began in the first period with a Tyler Kennedy goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Devante Smith-Pelly. Los Angeles tied it in the second period with an Anze Koptiar goal, his twenty-first of the year, helped along by Milan Lucic and Alec Martinez. The Devils won 2-1 in overtime with a John Moore goal, his fourth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Joseph Blandisi. The three stars went to Moore, Kinkaid (22 for 23 in saves), and Kennedy.
Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Washington Capitals. Philipp Grubauer and Martin Jones are in the creases. San Jose was first to score in the first period with a Joe Thornton goal, his sixteenth of the season, via Brenden Dillon and Tomas Hertl. Washington tied it with a T.J. Oshie power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, powered by Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. The Sharks took the lead back with a shorthanded Patrick Marleau goal, his twentieth of the season, set up by Joel Ward and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The Capitals tied it again on a Justin Williams goal, his twentieth of the year, passed from Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky. San Jose regained the lead in the third period with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his thirty-second of the season, guided in by Thornton and Brent Burns. The Sharks added on with a Dillon goal, his second of the year, with assists from Chris Tierney and Roman Polak. San Jose finished it at 5-2 with a Burns empty net goal, his twenty-fifth of the campaign, fueled by Pavelski and Nick Spaling. The three stars went to Pavelski, Thornton, and Dillon, while Burns gets an honorable mention.
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Boston, as the Bruins host the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Tuukka Rask are in goal. Boston struck first in the first period with a Loui Eriksson power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, powered by Ryan Spooner and Torey Krug. New York tied it on a second period goal by John Tavares, his twenty-sixth of the year, helped along by Kyle Okposo. The Bruins retook the lead on a David Pastrnak goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by David Krejci and Eriksson. Boston iced it at 3-1 with a Pastrnak goal in the third period, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, via Eriksson. The three stars were Pastrnak, Eriksson, and Rask (25 for 26 in saves).
Over in Buffalo, the Sabres welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Chad Johnson are in the blue paint. Carolina got going in the second period with a Phillip Di Giuseppe goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Jeff Skinner. Buffalo tied it with a Marcus Foligno goal, his ninth of the year, via Brian Gionta. The Sabres took the lead in the third period on a Jack Eichel goal, his twenty-first of the season, coming off of Sam Reinhart and Evander Kane. The Hurricanes retied it as Victor Rask scored his sixteenth of the year on the power play, thanks to Riley Nash and Elias Lindholm. Buffalo won 3-2 in overtime on an Eichel goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the campaign, made possible by Kane. The three stars belonged to Eichel, Kane, and Foligno.
Along to Detroit, where the Red Wings bring in the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Petr Mrazek tend the twines. New York was first to score in the first period with a Derek Stepan goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming off of Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello. Detroit tied it with a Darren Helm goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Luke Glendening and Danny DeKeyser in the third period. The Rangers took the lead back on a Kreider power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Keith Yandle and Zuccarello. The Red Wings tied it again with a Brad Richards power play goal, his ninth of the year, made possible by Justin Abdelkader and Henrik Zetterberg. Detroit won 3-2 in overtime with Helm's second of the game and tenth of the campaign, assisted by Pavel Datsyuk and DeKeyser. The three stars were Helm, Kreider, and DeKeyser, while Zuccarello gets an honorable mention.
At the usual times, the Montreal Canadiens host the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Mike Condon man the nets. Minnesota led off in the first period with an unassisted Nino Niederreiter goal, his fifteenth of the season. Montreal tied it with a Mark Barberio goal, his second of the year, guided in by Sven Andrighetto and Max Pacioretty. The Wild took the lead back with a Mikael Granlund goal, his ninth of the season, helped along by Thomas Vanek and Matt Dumba. Minnesota added on with a Granlund power play goal in the second period, his second of the game and tenth of the year, powered by Vanek and Niederreiter. The Wild iced it at 4-1 with a third period Erik Haula empty net goal, his tenth of the campaign, set up by Charlie Coyle. The three stars were Granlund, Niederreiter, and Vanek.
West to Ontario, as the Ottawa Senators welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Garret Sparks and Craig Anderson play goal. Ottawa began in the first period with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his fifteenth of the season, coming off of Mike Hoffman and Marc Methot. The Senators added on in the second period with a Cody Ceci goal, his eighth of the year, via Mark Stone and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Ottawa extended the lead in the third period as Zack Smith scored his twenty-first of the season, with the help of Pageau and Stone. The Senators finished it at 4-0 with a Stone goal, his twenty-second of the year, with a lone helper by Pageau, who got a sock trick. The three stars were Stone, Pageau, and Anderson (29 save shutout).
Down in Florida, the Panthers bring in the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Roberto Luongo are the veterans in goal. Florida opened in the first period with a Reilly Smith goal, his twenty-second of the season, via Vincent Trocheck and Aaron Ekblad. Philadelphia tied it on a Nick Cousins goal, his fifth of the year, with a lone assist by Sam Gagner. The Flyers took the lead in the second period with a Ryan White power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Gagner and Matt Read. The Panthers tied it again on a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Jaromir Jagr and Dmitry Kulikov. Philadelphia regained the lead in the third period with a Michael Raffl goal, his tenth of the season, with a lone helper from Evgeny Medvedev. Florida retied it on an Aleksander Barkov power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, made possible by Nick Bjugstad and Jagr. The Panthers pulled ahead as Smith scored his second of the game and twenty-third of the season, thanks to Jussi Jokinen and Jakub Kindl. The Flyers tied it again as Shayne Gostisbehere scored his fifteenth of the year, with the help of Sean Couturier and Raffl. The tie went to the shootout, where Bjugstad and Barkov scored to give the Panthers the 5-4 win. The three stars were awarded to Smith, Barkov, and Bjugstad, while Jagr, Raffl, and Gagner get the honorable mentions.
Returning to Canada, the Winnipeg Jets host the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Ondrej Pavelec are the experienced goalies. Colorado dented the scoreboard with an Erik Johnson goal, his tenth of the season, courtesy of Matt Duchene. The Avalanche added on with a Duchene goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, coming on the power play from Jarome Iginla and Blake Comeau. Winnipeg got on the board with a power play goal by Mark Scheifele, his twenty-second of the season, powered by Mathieu Perreault and Dustin Byfuglien. The Jets tied it on a Drew Stafford goal in the third period, his eighteenth of the year, via Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. Winnipeg took the lead with an Adam Lowry goal, his fifth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Scott Kosmachuk. This gave them a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Scheifele, Duchene, and Pavelec (35 for 37 in saves).
South again, as the Dallas Stars welcome the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Antti Niemi are between the pipes. St. Louis started in the first period with a Troy Brouwer goal, his fourteenth of the season, helped along by Robby Fabbri and Paul Stastny. Dallas tied it on a Cody Eakin goal, his thirteenth of the year, assisted by Jamie Benn and Kris Russell. The Blues took the lead back in the second period on a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his thirty-third of the campaign, fueled by Jay Bouwmeester and Alex Pietrangelo. The Stars tied it again with a Jason Spezza goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, coming off of Tyler Seguin and Russell. St. Louis pulled ahead with a Kevin Shattenkirk goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Stastny and Jaden Schwartz. The Blues added on with a Shattenkirk goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the campaign, guided in by Schwartz and Tarasenko. Dallas chipped back in the third period with a Spezza goal, his second of the game and twenty-eighth of the season, made possible by Ales Hemsky and Alex Goligoski. The Stars tied it with a Benn power play goal, his thirty-fourth of the year, with assists from Seguin and Goligoski. St. Louis won 5-4 in overtime with a Pietrangelo goal, his fifth of the campaign, set up by Stastny, who got a sock trick, and Fabbri. The three stars belonged to Shattenkirk, Spezza, and Stastny, while Fabbri, Benn, Russell, Tarasenko, Pietrangelo, Seguin, Schwartz, and Goligoski all receive honorable mentions.
Northwest to Edmonton, with the Oilers bringing in the Arizona Coyotes. Mike Smith returns from injury against Cam Talbot in goal. Arizona led off in the first period with a Viktor Tikhonov goal, his third of the season, assisted by Martin Hanzal. The Coyotes added on with a second period Antoine Vermette goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Shane Doan and Michael Stone. Arizona extended the lead on a power play goal by Alex Tanguay, his seventh of the season, powered by Stone and Vermette. The Coyotes padded the lead as Vermette scored his second of the game and fourteenth of the year in the third period, an unassisted goal. This stood for a 4-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Smith (44 save shutout), Vermette, and Stone.
Over in Vancouver, the Canucks host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Ryan Miller are the overrated goalies. Vancouver struck first in the first period with a Sven Baertschi goal, his fourteenth of the season, helped along by Ben Hutton and Radim Vrbata. The Canucks added on with a Derek Dorsett goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Bo Horvat and Alexandre Burrows. Nashville got on the board with a Mike Fisher goal, his eleventh of the campaign, made possible by Roman Josi and Shea Weber in the second period. Vancouver replied with a Horvat goal, his eleventh of the season, via Yannick Weber and Burrows. The Predators shot back on a Colton Sissons goal, his third of the year, assisted by Josi and Austin Watson. The Canucks iced it at 4-2 with a Daniel Sedin empty net goal, his twenty-sixth of the campaign, set up by Henrik Sedin and Vrbata. The three stars went to Horvat, Josi, and Burrows, while Vrbata gets an honorable mention.
Down in Los Angeles, the Kings welcome the New Jersey Devils. Keith Kinkaid and Jonathan Quick have the green light to play goal. New Jersey began in the first period with a Tyler Kennedy goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Devante Smith-Pelly. Los Angeles tied it in the second period with an Anze Koptiar goal, his twenty-first of the year, helped along by Milan Lucic and Alec Martinez. The Devils won 2-1 in overtime with a John Moore goal, his fourth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Joseph Blandisi. The three stars went to Moore, Kinkaid (22 for 23 in saves), and Kennedy.
Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Washington Capitals. Philipp Grubauer and Martin Jones are in the creases. San Jose was first to score in the first period with a Joe Thornton goal, his sixteenth of the season, via Brenden Dillon and Tomas Hertl. Washington tied it with a T.J. Oshie power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, powered by Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. The Sharks took the lead back with a shorthanded Patrick Marleau goal, his twentieth of the season, set up by Joel Ward and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The Capitals tied it again on a Justin Williams goal, his twentieth of the year, passed from Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky. San Jose regained the lead in the third period with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his thirty-second of the season, guided in by Thornton and Brent Burns. The Sharks added on with a Dillon goal, his second of the year, with assists from Chris Tierney and Roman Polak. San Jose finished it at 5-2 with a Burns empty net goal, his twenty-fifth of the campaign, fueled by Pavelski and Nick Spaling. The three stars went to Pavelski, Thornton, and Dillon, while Burns gets an honorable mention.
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2015-16 NHL Season - Day 148
Five games tonight, beginning at...
Columbus, where the Blue Jackets host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Sergei Bobrovsky man the nets. Columbus led off in the first period with a Gregory Campbell goal, his third of the season, passed from Jared Boll and Rene Bourque. Pittsburgh tied it on a Kris Letang power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. The Penguins took the lead on a second period goal by Chris Kunitz, his thirteenth of the season, via Patric Hornqvist and Sidney Crosby. The Blue Jackets tied it on a Cam Atkinson goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, courtesy of Ryan Murray and Campbell. Pittsburgh took the lead back with a Carl Hagelin goal, his eighth of the campaign helped along by Malkin and Kessel. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Malkin, Kessel, and Campbell.
Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Ben Bishop are in the creases. Philadelphia opened in the first period with a Sam Gagner power play goal, his seventh of the season, going in unassisted. The Flyers added on with a Matt Read power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Andrew MacDonald and Sean Couturier in the second period. Philadelphia extended the lead as Brayden Schenn scored his twenty-third of the season, thanks to Wayne Simmonds and Brandon Manning. Tampa Bay got on the board with a third period goal by Brian Boyle, his tenth of the year, via Ondrej Palat and Anton Stralman. The final held from here at 3-1, with the three stars handed to Mason (18 for 19 in saves), Read, and Schenn.
Into St. Louis, where the Blues host the Anaheim Ducks. Frederik Andersen and Jake Allen are the young goalies. Anaheim got going with a Ryan Getzlaf goal in the second period, his eleventh of the season, a power play goal from Ryan Kesler and Rickard Rakell. St. Louis tied it on a Paul Stastny goal, his seventh of the year, via Carl Gunnarsson and Robby Fabbri. The Blues took the lead in the third period with a Jori Lehtera goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko. St. Louis added on with a Patrik Berglund goal, his seventh of the year, going in unassisted. The Ducks got one back with an unassisted Rakell goal, his eighteenth of the season. The Blues shot back with Tarasenko's thirty-first of the year, going in unassisted. St. Louis iced it at 5-2 with a Tarasenko unassisted empty net goal, his second of the game and thirty-second of the campaign. The three stars belonged to Tarasenko, Rakell, and Berglund.
To the south, the Dallas Stars bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Kari Lehtonen make the starts in goal. Dallas started in the first period with a Jason Spezza goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, fueled by Jamie Benn on the power play. The Stars added on in the second period with an Antoine Roussel goal, his twelfth of the year, coming off of Alex Goligoski and Ales Hemsky. Dallas extended the lead as Tyler Seguin scored his thirty-third of the season, thanks to Spezza. The Stars padded the lead with a Benn power play goal, his thirty-third of the year, powered by Patrick Eaves and Seguin. Scott Darling replaced Crawford. Chicago got on the board with a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Tomas Fleischmann and Erik Gustafsson. Dallas replied in the third period with a Hemsky empty net goal, his eleventh of the year, set up by Johnny Oduya. The Blackhawks fired back on a Fleischmann goal, his twelfth of the campaign, courtesy of Dale Weise and Niklas Hjalmarsson. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars going to Seguin, Benn, and Spezza, while Fleischmann gets an honorable mention.
Finally, the Calgary Flames host the Arizona Coyotes. Louis Domingue and Joni Ortio are the unknown goalies. Calgary dented the scoreboard in the second period on a shorthanded Mikael Backlund goal, his fifteenth of the season, set up by Michael Frolik. Arizona tied it on a Boyd Gordon shorthanded goal, his second of the year, made possible by Jordan Martinook. The Coyotes took the lead in the third period on an Antoine Vermette goal, his twelfth of the season, a power play goal via Martin Hanzal and Shane Doan. Arizona added on with a Brad Richardson goal, his eighth of the year, helped along by Doan and Max Domi. The Coyotes iced it at 4-1 with a Richardson empty net goal, his second of the game and ninth of the campaign, set up by Vermette. The three stars were Richardson, Vermette, and Doan.
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Columbus, where the Blue Jackets host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Sergei Bobrovsky man the nets. Columbus led off in the first period with a Gregory Campbell goal, his third of the season, passed from Jared Boll and Rene Bourque. Pittsburgh tied it on a Kris Letang power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. The Penguins took the lead on a second period goal by Chris Kunitz, his thirteenth of the season, via Patric Hornqvist and Sidney Crosby. The Blue Jackets tied it on a Cam Atkinson goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, courtesy of Ryan Murray and Campbell. Pittsburgh took the lead back with a Carl Hagelin goal, his eighth of the campaign helped along by Malkin and Kessel. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Malkin, Kessel, and Campbell.
Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Ben Bishop are in the creases. Philadelphia opened in the first period with a Sam Gagner power play goal, his seventh of the season, going in unassisted. The Flyers added on with a Matt Read power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Andrew MacDonald and Sean Couturier in the second period. Philadelphia extended the lead as Brayden Schenn scored his twenty-third of the season, thanks to Wayne Simmonds and Brandon Manning. Tampa Bay got on the board with a third period goal by Brian Boyle, his tenth of the year, via Ondrej Palat and Anton Stralman. The final held from here at 3-1, with the three stars handed to Mason (18 for 19 in saves), Read, and Schenn.
Into St. Louis, where the Blues host the Anaheim Ducks. Frederik Andersen and Jake Allen are the young goalies. Anaheim got going with a Ryan Getzlaf goal in the second period, his eleventh of the season, a power play goal from Ryan Kesler and Rickard Rakell. St. Louis tied it on a Paul Stastny goal, his seventh of the year, via Carl Gunnarsson and Robby Fabbri. The Blues took the lead in the third period with a Jori Lehtera goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko. St. Louis added on with a Patrik Berglund goal, his seventh of the year, going in unassisted. The Ducks got one back with an unassisted Rakell goal, his eighteenth of the season. The Blues shot back with Tarasenko's thirty-first of the year, going in unassisted. St. Louis iced it at 5-2 with a Tarasenko unassisted empty net goal, his second of the game and thirty-second of the campaign. The three stars belonged to Tarasenko, Rakell, and Berglund.
To the south, the Dallas Stars bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Kari Lehtonen make the starts in goal. Dallas started in the first period with a Jason Spezza goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, fueled by Jamie Benn on the power play. The Stars added on in the second period with an Antoine Roussel goal, his twelfth of the year, coming off of Alex Goligoski and Ales Hemsky. Dallas extended the lead as Tyler Seguin scored his thirty-third of the season, thanks to Spezza. The Stars padded the lead with a Benn power play goal, his thirty-third of the year, powered by Patrick Eaves and Seguin. Scott Darling replaced Crawford. Chicago got on the board with a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Tomas Fleischmann and Erik Gustafsson. Dallas replied in the third period with a Hemsky empty net goal, his eleventh of the year, set up by Johnny Oduya. The Blackhawks fired back on a Fleischmann goal, his twelfth of the campaign, courtesy of Dale Weise and Niklas Hjalmarsson. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars going to Seguin, Benn, and Spezza, while Fleischmann gets an honorable mention.
Finally, the Calgary Flames host the Arizona Coyotes. Louis Domingue and Joni Ortio are the unknown goalies. Calgary dented the scoreboard in the second period on a shorthanded Mikael Backlund goal, his fifteenth of the season, set up by Michael Frolik. Arizona tied it on a Boyd Gordon shorthanded goal, his second of the year, made possible by Jordan Martinook. The Coyotes took the lead in the third period on an Antoine Vermette goal, his twelfth of the season, a power play goal via Martin Hanzal and Shane Doan. Arizona added on with a Brad Richardson goal, his eighth of the year, helped along by Doan and Max Domi. The Coyotes iced it at 4-1 with a Richardson empty net goal, his second of the game and ninth of the campaign, set up by Vermette. The three stars were Richardson, Vermette, and Doan.
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Thursday, March 10, 2016
2015-16 NHL Season - Day 147
Six more games today in a quiet Thursday. We begin with...
The Boston Bruins hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Tuukka Rask make the starts in goal. Carolina started in the first period with an Elias Lindholm power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Noah Hanifin and Riley Nash. Boston tied it with a Loui Eriksson power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, assisted by Patrice Bergeron and Torey Krug in the second period. The Hurricanes took the lead back with a Nathan Garbe goal, his third of the season, via Chris Terry and Nash. The Bruins tied it in the third period as David Pastrnak scored his tenth of the year, thanks to David Krejci. Carolina won 3-2 in overtime on a Phillip Di Giuseppe goal, his fifth of the campaign, made possible by Jeff Skinner and Hanifin. The three stars went to Di Giuseppe, Hanifin, and Nash.
Over in Detroit, the Red Wings welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Michael Hutchinson and Petr Mrazek are in the blue paint. Winnipeg struck first in the first period with a Marko Dano goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Mathieu Perreault and Alex Burmistrov. The Jets added on with a Tyler Myers goal, his eighth of the year, with a lone assist by Mark Scheifele. Detroit got on the board with a Dylan Larkin goal in the second period, his twentieth of the season, via Justin Abdelkader and Henrik Zetterberg. The Red Wings tied it on a Jonathan Ericsson goal, his third of the year, coming off of Niklas Kronwall and Darren Helm. Detroit took the lead in the third period with an Abdelkader goal, his seventeenth of the campaign, assisted by Tomas Tatar. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Abdelkader, Ericsson, and Larkin.
Into Montreal, where the Canadiens bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Mike Condon are given the starting nods. Buffalo got going in the second period with a Nicolas Deslauriers goal, his fifth of the season, via Jake McCabe and Zach Bogosian. Montreal tied it on an Alex Galchenyuk goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, passed from Max Pacioretty and Mark Barberio. The Canadiens took the lead with another Galchenyuk goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the season, a power play goal powered by Sven Andrighetto and P.K. Subban. The Sabres tied it in the third period on a Brian Gionta goal, his ninth of the year, guided in by Evander Kane and Matt Moulson. Montreal regained the lead on a Torrey Mitchell goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Barberio and Stefan Matteau. The final held at 3-2, with the three stars awarded to Galchenyuk, Barberio, and Condon (36 for 38 in saves).
South to Florida, with the Panthers hosting the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Roberto Luongo are the masked men. Florida opened in the first period with a Jaromir Jagr goal, his twenty-second of the season, via Jonathan Huberdeau and Brian Campbell. Ottawa tied it on a Zack Smith goal, his twentieth of the year, passed from Bobby Ryan and Erik Karlsson. The Panthers retook the lead in the second period on a Jussi Jokinen goal, his thirteenth of the season, fueled by Erik Gudbranson and Vincent Trocheck. The Senators tied it again with a Karlsson goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Smith and Mark Stone. Florida pulled ahead with an Aaron Ekblad goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Trocheck and Jokinen. The Panthers added on with an unassisted Huberdeau goal, his twelfth of the year. Florida extended the lead in the third period as Jagr scored his second of the game and twenty-third of the season, thanks to Trocheck, who got a sock trick. The Panthers iced it at 6-2 with a Trocheck goal, his twentieth of the year, helped along by Reilly Smith. The three stars went to Trocheck, Jagr, and Jokinen, while Huberdeau, Smith, and Karlsson receive the honorable mentions.
Back in the north, the Minnesota Wild welcome the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Darcy Kuemper draw the starts. Edmonton led off in the first period with a Lauri Korpikoski goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Mark Letestu and Adam Clendening. Minnesota tied it in the second period on a Zach Parise goal, his nineteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Oilers retook the lead in the third period with a Connor McDavid goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, made possible by Zack Kassian and Andrej Sekera. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars handed to Talbot (29 for 30 in saves), McDavid, and Korpikoski.
Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the New Jersey Devils. Keith Kinkaid and Martin Jones are between the pipes. New Jersey dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Devante Smith-Pelly goal, his ninth of the season, courtesy of Stephen Gionta and Mike Sislo. The Devils added on with a Travis Zajac goal in the third period, his eleventh of the year, with a lone assist by Kyle Palmieri. New Jersey iced it at 3-0 with Zajac's second of the game and twelfth of the campaign, set up by Reid Boucher. The three stars were Kinkaid (30 save shutout), Zajac, and Smith-Pelly.
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The Boston Bruins hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Tuukka Rask make the starts in goal. Carolina started in the first period with an Elias Lindholm power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Noah Hanifin and Riley Nash. Boston tied it with a Loui Eriksson power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, assisted by Patrice Bergeron and Torey Krug in the second period. The Hurricanes took the lead back with a Nathan Garbe goal, his third of the season, via Chris Terry and Nash. The Bruins tied it in the third period as David Pastrnak scored his tenth of the year, thanks to David Krejci. Carolina won 3-2 in overtime on a Phillip Di Giuseppe goal, his fifth of the campaign, made possible by Jeff Skinner and Hanifin. The three stars went to Di Giuseppe, Hanifin, and Nash.
Over in Detroit, the Red Wings welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Michael Hutchinson and Petr Mrazek are in the blue paint. Winnipeg struck first in the first period with a Marko Dano goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Mathieu Perreault and Alex Burmistrov. The Jets added on with a Tyler Myers goal, his eighth of the year, with a lone assist by Mark Scheifele. Detroit got on the board with a Dylan Larkin goal in the second period, his twentieth of the season, via Justin Abdelkader and Henrik Zetterberg. The Red Wings tied it on a Jonathan Ericsson goal, his third of the year, coming off of Niklas Kronwall and Darren Helm. Detroit took the lead in the third period with an Abdelkader goal, his seventeenth of the campaign, assisted by Tomas Tatar. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Abdelkader, Ericsson, and Larkin.
Into Montreal, where the Canadiens bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Mike Condon are given the starting nods. Buffalo got going in the second period with a Nicolas Deslauriers goal, his fifth of the season, via Jake McCabe and Zach Bogosian. Montreal tied it on an Alex Galchenyuk goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, passed from Max Pacioretty and Mark Barberio. The Canadiens took the lead with another Galchenyuk goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the season, a power play goal powered by Sven Andrighetto and P.K. Subban. The Sabres tied it in the third period on a Brian Gionta goal, his ninth of the year, guided in by Evander Kane and Matt Moulson. Montreal regained the lead on a Torrey Mitchell goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Barberio and Stefan Matteau. The final held at 3-2, with the three stars awarded to Galchenyuk, Barberio, and Condon (36 for 38 in saves).
South to Florida, with the Panthers hosting the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Roberto Luongo are the masked men. Florida opened in the first period with a Jaromir Jagr goal, his twenty-second of the season, via Jonathan Huberdeau and Brian Campbell. Ottawa tied it on a Zack Smith goal, his twentieth of the year, passed from Bobby Ryan and Erik Karlsson. The Panthers retook the lead in the second period on a Jussi Jokinen goal, his thirteenth of the season, fueled by Erik Gudbranson and Vincent Trocheck. The Senators tied it again with a Karlsson goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Smith and Mark Stone. Florida pulled ahead with an Aaron Ekblad goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Trocheck and Jokinen. The Panthers added on with an unassisted Huberdeau goal, his twelfth of the year. Florida extended the lead in the third period as Jagr scored his second of the game and twenty-third of the season, thanks to Trocheck, who got a sock trick. The Panthers iced it at 6-2 with a Trocheck goal, his twentieth of the year, helped along by Reilly Smith. The three stars went to Trocheck, Jagr, and Jokinen, while Huberdeau, Smith, and Karlsson receive the honorable mentions.
Back in the north, the Minnesota Wild welcome the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Darcy Kuemper draw the starts. Edmonton led off in the first period with a Lauri Korpikoski goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Mark Letestu and Adam Clendening. Minnesota tied it in the second period on a Zach Parise goal, his nineteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Oilers retook the lead in the third period with a Connor McDavid goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, made possible by Zack Kassian and Andrej Sekera. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars handed to Talbot (29 for 30 in saves), McDavid, and Korpikoski.
Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the New Jersey Devils. Keith Kinkaid and Martin Jones are between the pipes. New Jersey dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Devante Smith-Pelly goal, his ninth of the season, courtesy of Stephen Gionta and Mike Sislo. The Devils added on with a Travis Zajac goal in the third period, his eleventh of the year, with a lone assist by Kyle Palmieri. New Jersey iced it at 3-0 with Zajac's second of the game and twelfth of the campaign, set up by Reid Boucher. The three stars were Kinkaid (30 save shutout), Zajac, and Smith-Pelly.
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Wednesday, March 9, 2016
2015-16 NHL Season - Day 146
Six games on today, beginning in...
Toronto, as the Maple Leafs host the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Garret Sparks are the little known goalies. New York began in the first period with an unassisted John Tavares goal, his twenty-fifth of the season. Toronto tied it on a Zach Hyman goal, his second of the year, via Colin Greening and Martin Marincin. The Maple Leafs took the lead in the second period with a Morgan Rielly power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Nazem Kadri. The Islanders tied it again on a Nick Leddy goal, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. New York took the lead with a Ryan Strome goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Johnny Boychuk and Leddy in the third period. Toronto tied it on a William Nylander power play goal, his second of the year, passed from Kadri and Jake Gardiner. In the shootout, Nikita Soshnikov scored to give the Maple Leafs a 4-3 win. The three stars went to Kadri, Leddy, and Soshnikov.
Down in St. Louis, the Blues welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Jake Allen tend the twines. Chicago got going in the second period with an Andrew Ladd power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, powered by Teuvo Teravainen and Michal Rozsival. St. Louis tied it on a David Backes power play goal in the third period, his seventeenth of the year, assisted by Kevin Shattenkirk and Vladimir Tarasenko. The Blues took the lead with a Troy Brouwer goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming on the power play from Paul Stastny and Robby Fabbri. The Blackhawks tied it on an Artemi Panarin goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, via Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith. In the shootout, Patrik Berglund, Brouwer, and Shattenkirk tallied for the Blues, giving them a 3-2 win over Panarin, Artem Anisimov, and the Blackhawks. The three stars went to Brouwer, Shattenkirk, and Panarin.
Northwest to Calgary, where the Flames bring in the Nashville Predators. Carter Hutton and Joni Ortio are the backups in goal. Calgary led off in the first period with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, passed from Mark Giordano and Sean Monahan. The Flames added on with Gaudreau's second of the game and twenty-sixth of the year, assisted by Monahan and Dougie Hamilton. Nashville got on the board with a third period Anthony Bitetto goal, fueled by Mike Fisher and Viktor Arvidsson. The Predators tied it on a Fisher goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Arvidsson and James Neal. Calgary won 3-2 in overtime with a Mikael Backlund goal, his fourteenth of the year, with helpers from Gaudreau and Giordano. The three stars went to Gaudreau, Monahan, and Giordano, while Fisher and Arvidsson get the honorable mentions.
Down in Colorado, the Avalanche host the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Semyon Varlamov are the reliable goalies. Colorado opened in the first period with a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his twenty-first of the season, coming off of Erik Johnson and Mikkel Boedker. The Avalanche added on with an Andreas Martinsen goal, his third of the year, via Matt Duchene and Francois Beauchemin. Colorado extended the lead in the third period as Shawn Matthias scored his ninth of the season, thanks to Carl Soderberg and Nick Holden. This held up for an eventual 3-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Varlamov (37 save shutout), MacKinnon, and Martinsen.
Into Canada again, with the Vancouver Canucks welcoming the Arizona Coyotes. Louis Domingue and Jacob Markstrom are in the blue paint. Arizona dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Tobias Rieder power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Alex Tanguay and Michael Stone. The Coyotes added on with a Kevin Connauton goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Anthony Duclair and Tanguay. Vancouver got on the board with a Radim Vrbata goal, his thirteenth of the season, helped along by Yannick Weber. The Canucks tied it with a Luca Sbisa goal, his second of the year, assisted by Ben Hutton and Sven Baertschi. Vancouver won 3-2 in overtime with a Markus Granlund goal, his fifth of the campaign, via Jake Virtanen. The three stars went to Tanguay, Granlund, and Sbisa.
Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Jonathan Quick guard the cages. Los Angeles started in the first period with a Vincent Lecavalier power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Tanner Pearson and Alec Martinez. The Kings added on with a Jake Muzzin goal, his eighth of the year, via Pearson and Tyler Toffoli. Los Angeles extended the lead as Milan Lucic scored his sixteenth of the season, with the help of Jeff Carter and Brayden McNabb. Washington got on the board in the third period with a T.J. Oshie power play goal, his twentieth of the year, helped along by Marcus Johansson and Matt Niskanen. The Capitals got closer with a Nicklas Backstrom goal, his eighteenth of the season, passed from Alex Ovechkin and Oshie. Washington tied it with a Dmitry Orlov goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Justin Williams and Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Kings survived to win in overtime with a Carter goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, with assists provided by Lucic and Drew Doughty. The three stars of the 4-3 game were Carter, Lucic, and Oshie, while Pearson gets an honorable mention.
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Toronto, as the Maple Leafs host the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Garret Sparks are the little known goalies. New York began in the first period with an unassisted John Tavares goal, his twenty-fifth of the season. Toronto tied it on a Zach Hyman goal, his second of the year, via Colin Greening and Martin Marincin. The Maple Leafs took the lead in the second period with a Morgan Rielly power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Nazem Kadri. The Islanders tied it again on a Nick Leddy goal, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. New York took the lead with a Ryan Strome goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Johnny Boychuk and Leddy in the third period. Toronto tied it on a William Nylander power play goal, his second of the year, passed from Kadri and Jake Gardiner. In the shootout, Nikita Soshnikov scored to give the Maple Leafs a 4-3 win. The three stars went to Kadri, Leddy, and Soshnikov.
Down in St. Louis, the Blues welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Jake Allen tend the twines. Chicago got going in the second period with an Andrew Ladd power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, powered by Teuvo Teravainen and Michal Rozsival. St. Louis tied it on a David Backes power play goal in the third period, his seventeenth of the year, assisted by Kevin Shattenkirk and Vladimir Tarasenko. The Blues took the lead with a Troy Brouwer goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming on the power play from Paul Stastny and Robby Fabbri. The Blackhawks tied it on an Artemi Panarin goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, via Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith. In the shootout, Patrik Berglund, Brouwer, and Shattenkirk tallied for the Blues, giving them a 3-2 win over Panarin, Artem Anisimov, and the Blackhawks. The three stars went to Brouwer, Shattenkirk, and Panarin.
Northwest to Calgary, where the Flames bring in the Nashville Predators. Carter Hutton and Joni Ortio are the backups in goal. Calgary led off in the first period with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, passed from Mark Giordano and Sean Monahan. The Flames added on with Gaudreau's second of the game and twenty-sixth of the year, assisted by Monahan and Dougie Hamilton. Nashville got on the board with a third period Anthony Bitetto goal, fueled by Mike Fisher and Viktor Arvidsson. The Predators tied it on a Fisher goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Arvidsson and James Neal. Calgary won 3-2 in overtime with a Mikael Backlund goal, his fourteenth of the year, with helpers from Gaudreau and Giordano. The three stars went to Gaudreau, Monahan, and Giordano, while Fisher and Arvidsson get the honorable mentions.
Down in Colorado, the Avalanche host the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Semyon Varlamov are the reliable goalies. Colorado opened in the first period with a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his twenty-first of the season, coming off of Erik Johnson and Mikkel Boedker. The Avalanche added on with an Andreas Martinsen goal, his third of the year, via Matt Duchene and Francois Beauchemin. Colorado extended the lead in the third period as Shawn Matthias scored his ninth of the season, thanks to Carl Soderberg and Nick Holden. This held up for an eventual 3-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Varlamov (37 save shutout), MacKinnon, and Martinsen.
Into Canada again, with the Vancouver Canucks welcoming the Arizona Coyotes. Louis Domingue and Jacob Markstrom are in the blue paint. Arizona dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Tobias Rieder power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Alex Tanguay and Michael Stone. The Coyotes added on with a Kevin Connauton goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Anthony Duclair and Tanguay. Vancouver got on the board with a Radim Vrbata goal, his thirteenth of the season, helped along by Yannick Weber. The Canucks tied it with a Luca Sbisa goal, his second of the year, assisted by Ben Hutton and Sven Baertschi. Vancouver won 3-2 in overtime with a Markus Granlund goal, his fifth of the campaign, via Jake Virtanen. The three stars went to Tanguay, Granlund, and Sbisa.
Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Jonathan Quick guard the cages. Los Angeles started in the first period with a Vincent Lecavalier power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Tanner Pearson and Alec Martinez. The Kings added on with a Jake Muzzin goal, his eighth of the year, via Pearson and Tyler Toffoli. Los Angeles extended the lead as Milan Lucic scored his sixteenth of the season, with the help of Jeff Carter and Brayden McNabb. Washington got on the board in the third period with a T.J. Oshie power play goal, his twentieth of the year, helped along by Marcus Johansson and Matt Niskanen. The Capitals got closer with a Nicklas Backstrom goal, his eighteenth of the season, passed from Alex Ovechkin and Oshie. Washington tied it with a Dmitry Orlov goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Justin Williams and Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Kings survived to win in overtime with a Carter goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, with assists provided by Lucic and Drew Doughty. The three stars of the 4-3 game were Carter, Lucic, and Oshie, while Pearson gets an honorable mention.
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Contenders or Pretenders? Analyzing the NHL Playoff Field
It appears that a lot of the teams currently occupying playoff spots in the NHL are probably going to make it with fairly stable leads, and many of the teams behind them are too far out of a spot at this point. This means that it's time to take a more significant look at how these teams will fare once the second season gets going.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
The top three teams in each division look pretty set at this point, and while there's a thick battle for the final wild card slot, whichever lucky team between the Avalanche and Jets are probably just a sacrifice to the top division winner. The Nashville Predators are likely taking the first wild card slot, and while the addition of Ryan Johansen has looked good and Craig Smith in particular has excelled recently, there's not a lot of reasons to like their chances of being a Cinderella story this season. The top teams in the west are just too good to topple, especially for a team backstopped by the inconsistent Pekka Rinne in goal. Nashville does have a fair amount of young talent on the team, and a good mix of veterans like James Neal and Shea Weber, so the future is near for them, but this isn't the year.
The Big Three of the Central Division, the Blackhawks, Blues, and Stars, represent three very distinct phases of success. While all are fairly close in points, wins in the regular season mean very little in the playoffs.
The Blachkawks are one of the biggest success stories in rebuilding for the last decade. They went from bottom of the heap to perennial power, and with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane still in the their primes, the Blackhawks are definitely contenders for this season and beyond. A strong supporting cast with Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov on Kane's line and trade deadline additions of Andrew Ladd and Tomas Fleischmann, among others, has this team overflowing with NHL talent. Christian Ehrhoff as an extra body on defense won't hurt either, considering the Blackhawks romped to last year's Stanley Cup win with essentially four defensemen after Michal Rozsival's injury.
The St. Louis Blues are not that dissimilar from the Blackhawks, except in one way: championships. The Blues have routinely made the playoffs in recent years, only to get trampled early on. The trade of T.J. Oshie to the Capitals represented a shakeup for the core, but new talent such as Vladimir Tarasenko and the emergence of Alex Steen have allowed a retooling on the fly for the Blues. They have some impressive rookies this year, such as Colton Parayko and Robby Fabbri, as well as a number of big name defensemen to keep their back end secure, but the injuries are worrisome. Not having both Jake Allen and Brian Elliott healthy for much of the season puts a lot of wear and tear on their crease. The fact that they can hang in the league's best division this long with so many games lost to injury is impressive, but the playoffs will truly test their depth against similar teams.
The Dallas Stars have burst onto the scene this year. Led by Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and a surprising rise for defenseman John Klingberg, the Stars are an exciting team to watch. They score goals, they have crafty players, and they are reviving Dallas as a destination for players. Still, they didn't get that much done at the deadline for reinforcements, and unless Kris Russell is the hero Texas wants and needs, the defense is highly suspect. Add in bloated goals-against numbers for the Finnish goaltending tandem of Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen, and the Stars probably aren't quite to contender status yet, but they should find their way into the second round on their pure offensive talent alone.
In the Pacific, the Anaheim Ducks finally look like what we thought they'd be all along. An insane run since around the new year has taken them to first in the division, toppling a middling Los Angeles Kings team (more on them later). The acquisition of David Perron from the Penguins has changed the forward group for the Ducks, as he has clicked exceptionally well with Ryan Getzlaf. Corey Perry has bumped up his scoring as well on what appears to be a second line with Rickard Rakell. Ryan Kesler's presence on the third line gives them scoring depth unlike virtually any team outside of Dallas and Chicago. The goaltending from both Frederik Andersen and John Gibson has been extremely solid, and the defense is as young and strong as ever. The only question here is how will Bruce Boudreau screw it up? His notorious tweaking of lines and rotation of goalies is his Achilles' heel, and the specter of his teams always flaming out spectacularly in the playoffs is not easy to ignore. They look like contenders right now, but that's been said many times.
The Los Angeles Kings have been falling a bit, playing at about a .500 points percentage in the last two months. Vincent Lecavalier has helped them find scoring depth since his trade from the Flyers, but the loss of Marian Gaborik to injury has been tough for the team to deal with. There have been glimpses of offense from younger talents on the lower lines, and Anze Kopitar is putting up strong numbers again, but Jeff Carter and his linemates have faded a bit over time. The defense is solid but unspectacular, and the Kings don't have a ton of urgency going forward since they had built up a pretty solid lead over time. The thing the Kings have that their rivals don't is recent success. Having split the last four Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks, the Kings know what it takes to win, and if recent history matters at all, this would be their year.
The San Jose Sharks represent the underdog team in the Pacific. Their big names are well known, but it's their goaltending that has served them well this year. Martin Jones has seized his chance to be a true number one goalie, and with experienced James Reimer (who kept the Maple Leafs in a number of games throughout his tenure), the net should be safe. The Sharks can also score pretty well, be it through the playmaking of Joe Thornton, the sniping of Joe Pavelski, or additional offense from Patrick Marleau and a now-healthy Logan Couture. Combine that with 24 goals from defenseman Brent Burns, and these Sharks could probably contend as well. If the Kings continue to stumble and draw the Sharks in the first round, this might just be the time for Northern California's own to move forward.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
The wild card race is a bit more compelling for the east, with three teams battling for two spots. The Pittsburgh Penguins own the high ground right now, and their system under Mike Sullivan is trending up, led by a resurgent Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin two-headed monster. Phil Kessel has disappointed a bit, and the defense is suspect outside of Kris Letang, but the Penguins could put up a fight against the beasts of the east. The Detroit Red Wings are in the mix again, trying to keep their playoff seasons streak alive, but there's not a lot to like about them if they can make it into the postseason. They don't have anything to set them apart, and it appears Petr Mrazek is losing steam, with Jimmy Howard snagging a few starts recently. Their margin for error is very small, so they need to be on their games going forward. Nipping at their heels, the Philadelphia Flyers are doing fairly well even with Jakub Voracek out of the lineup. Shayne Gostisbehere is having a record season for defensemen, and Sean Couturier has been solid when he's in the lineup. However, the Flyers don't have a lot of depth, and their goaltending is suspect at best, so even if they can overtake the Penguins or Red Wings, they won't last long against the Capitals.
Leading the entire league, the Washington Capitals are having a remarkable season. Their offense looks like it did in the Boudreau era. Alex Ovechkin has used sheer sniping to overtake the goals lead from Patrick Kane. Nicklas Backstrom is his elite setup man, and T.J. Oshie has worked well. The emergence of Russian talents Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky has helped the Capitals balance their offense. Justin Williams looks more comfortable in a free-flowing offense, and his playoff experience can't be ignored. However, rarely does the President's Trophy winner even make it to the Stanley Cup. Couple that with the main core of the Capitals lacking playoff success, and they seem prime to be upset in the second or third round. They have to be considered contenders with what they've done so far, but it wouldn't shock anyone to see them bow out early again.
Far below the Capitals, the New York Islanders and Rangers jockey for home ice in what's looking to be their impending first round series. Each team has a number of noticeable flaws. For the Rangers, consistency is one, as well as poor possession numbers. Henrik Lundqvist can't carry the team forever, and the defense isn't enough to turn a series. The Islanders have goaltending problems of their own. Jaroslav Halak is a clear number one when he's healthy, which has been the major caveat to their season. Thomas Greiss has been a good backup, and he might do enough to steal a series if necessary, but he'll fade eventually. Neither team has the scoring depth of the Capitals or even the wild card sides, and the Islanders best trait in particular, their physicality, is not a huge advantage in the playoffs. There's not much to like for either team in the city that never sleeps.
In the Atlantic, the best storyline features the Florida Panthers. Riding the backs of ageless wonders Jaromir Jagr and Roberto Luongo, as well as a bunch of fresh-faced stars in the making, the Panthers have put the NHL on notice. They're a fun and loose team off the ice who keep finding ways to win games and stay relevant despite below-average attendance. There's a quirky mix of veterans and youngsters in supporting roles. Reilly Smith has been a success this year, as has Vincent Trocheck, providing the ever-important secondary scoring. The one thing keeping the Panthers going has been luck, and it appears that luck is fading as they are now third in the Atlantic. They'll probably stay there, but elimination at the hands of the Bruins or Lightning seems likely.
The Boston Bruins are getting one last kick at the can for this season. Patrice Bergeron appears ready to take a major leadership role on the team whenever Zdeno Chara calls it quits, and if Brad Marchand continues playing like this, the Bruins will have to hand him a blank check. The defense is aged and young in all the wrong ways. Torey Krug seems to work well in overtime and on the power play, but not really anywhere else. Chara and Dennis Seidenberg are probably done in a couple of years. Kevan Miller and others are not enough to fix this. At forward, Loui Eriksson is probably going to walk, just to make space for Marchand. The depth is questionable. Rask could carry them, but there's plenty of reason to doubt the legitimacy of the Bruins.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, in some ways quietly and some quite loud, are right back in the fight. While losing Stamkos in free agency is a real concern, and potentially losing Jonathan Drouin over a big disagreement with his superiors also doesn't bode well, the Lightning are tied for the division lead as of this writing. The Triplets line, one of the big headline-grabbers in their run to a Stanley Cup loss last season, is quietly clicking again. The drama around Stamkos hasn't affected his play on the ice. The defense is solid, led by Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman. Ben Bishop is having a career year and has room to grow, only overshadowed by the likes of Holtby, Crawford, and Mrazek and the fact that he plays in Florida. The Lightning were close last year, and recent performances suggest they may have the best chance of anyone in the Atlantic to do it again.
In all, the contenders are the Sharks, Ducks, Kings, Blackhawks, Stars, Capitals, and Lightning. The rest of the field has a few too many flaws to be taken seriously this season when the games start to count more. With the way the playoffs are structured, it's realistic to see only five of these teams in the second round, which will be where their greatness for this season truly rises above the rest. Of course, there's always a chance some other team will get hot and throw everything out of balance for awhile. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
The top three teams in each division look pretty set at this point, and while there's a thick battle for the final wild card slot, whichever lucky team between the Avalanche and Jets are probably just a sacrifice to the top division winner. The Nashville Predators are likely taking the first wild card slot, and while the addition of Ryan Johansen has looked good and Craig Smith in particular has excelled recently, there's not a lot of reasons to like their chances of being a Cinderella story this season. The top teams in the west are just too good to topple, especially for a team backstopped by the inconsistent Pekka Rinne in goal. Nashville does have a fair amount of young talent on the team, and a good mix of veterans like James Neal and Shea Weber, so the future is near for them, but this isn't the year.
The Big Three of the Central Division, the Blackhawks, Blues, and Stars, represent three very distinct phases of success. While all are fairly close in points, wins in the regular season mean very little in the playoffs.
The Blachkawks are one of the biggest success stories in rebuilding for the last decade. They went from bottom of the heap to perennial power, and with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane still in the their primes, the Blackhawks are definitely contenders for this season and beyond. A strong supporting cast with Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov on Kane's line and trade deadline additions of Andrew Ladd and Tomas Fleischmann, among others, has this team overflowing with NHL talent. Christian Ehrhoff as an extra body on defense won't hurt either, considering the Blackhawks romped to last year's Stanley Cup win with essentially four defensemen after Michal Rozsival's injury.
The St. Louis Blues are not that dissimilar from the Blackhawks, except in one way: championships. The Blues have routinely made the playoffs in recent years, only to get trampled early on. The trade of T.J. Oshie to the Capitals represented a shakeup for the core, but new talent such as Vladimir Tarasenko and the emergence of Alex Steen have allowed a retooling on the fly for the Blues. They have some impressive rookies this year, such as Colton Parayko and Robby Fabbri, as well as a number of big name defensemen to keep their back end secure, but the injuries are worrisome. Not having both Jake Allen and Brian Elliott healthy for much of the season puts a lot of wear and tear on their crease. The fact that they can hang in the league's best division this long with so many games lost to injury is impressive, but the playoffs will truly test their depth against similar teams.
The Dallas Stars have burst onto the scene this year. Led by Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, and a surprising rise for defenseman John Klingberg, the Stars are an exciting team to watch. They score goals, they have crafty players, and they are reviving Dallas as a destination for players. Still, they didn't get that much done at the deadline for reinforcements, and unless Kris Russell is the hero Texas wants and needs, the defense is highly suspect. Add in bloated goals-against numbers for the Finnish goaltending tandem of Antti Niemi and Kari Lehtonen, and the Stars probably aren't quite to contender status yet, but they should find their way into the second round on their pure offensive talent alone.
In the Pacific, the Anaheim Ducks finally look like what we thought they'd be all along. An insane run since around the new year has taken them to first in the division, toppling a middling Los Angeles Kings team (more on them later). The acquisition of David Perron from the Penguins has changed the forward group for the Ducks, as he has clicked exceptionally well with Ryan Getzlaf. Corey Perry has bumped up his scoring as well on what appears to be a second line with Rickard Rakell. Ryan Kesler's presence on the third line gives them scoring depth unlike virtually any team outside of Dallas and Chicago. The goaltending from both Frederik Andersen and John Gibson has been extremely solid, and the defense is as young and strong as ever. The only question here is how will Bruce Boudreau screw it up? His notorious tweaking of lines and rotation of goalies is his Achilles' heel, and the specter of his teams always flaming out spectacularly in the playoffs is not easy to ignore. They look like contenders right now, but that's been said many times.
The Los Angeles Kings have been falling a bit, playing at about a .500 points percentage in the last two months. Vincent Lecavalier has helped them find scoring depth since his trade from the Flyers, but the loss of Marian Gaborik to injury has been tough for the team to deal with. There have been glimpses of offense from younger talents on the lower lines, and Anze Kopitar is putting up strong numbers again, but Jeff Carter and his linemates have faded a bit over time. The defense is solid but unspectacular, and the Kings don't have a ton of urgency going forward since they had built up a pretty solid lead over time. The thing the Kings have that their rivals don't is recent success. Having split the last four Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks, the Kings know what it takes to win, and if recent history matters at all, this would be their year.
The San Jose Sharks represent the underdog team in the Pacific. Their big names are well known, but it's their goaltending that has served them well this year. Martin Jones has seized his chance to be a true number one goalie, and with experienced James Reimer (who kept the Maple Leafs in a number of games throughout his tenure), the net should be safe. The Sharks can also score pretty well, be it through the playmaking of Joe Thornton, the sniping of Joe Pavelski, or additional offense from Patrick Marleau and a now-healthy Logan Couture. Combine that with 24 goals from defenseman Brent Burns, and these Sharks could probably contend as well. If the Kings continue to stumble and draw the Sharks in the first round, this might just be the time for Northern California's own to move forward.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
The wild card race is a bit more compelling for the east, with three teams battling for two spots. The Pittsburgh Penguins own the high ground right now, and their system under Mike Sullivan is trending up, led by a resurgent Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin two-headed monster. Phil Kessel has disappointed a bit, and the defense is suspect outside of Kris Letang, but the Penguins could put up a fight against the beasts of the east. The Detroit Red Wings are in the mix again, trying to keep their playoff seasons streak alive, but there's not a lot to like about them if they can make it into the postseason. They don't have anything to set them apart, and it appears Petr Mrazek is losing steam, with Jimmy Howard snagging a few starts recently. Their margin for error is very small, so they need to be on their games going forward. Nipping at their heels, the Philadelphia Flyers are doing fairly well even with Jakub Voracek out of the lineup. Shayne Gostisbehere is having a record season for defensemen, and Sean Couturier has been solid when he's in the lineup. However, the Flyers don't have a lot of depth, and their goaltending is suspect at best, so even if they can overtake the Penguins or Red Wings, they won't last long against the Capitals.
Leading the entire league, the Washington Capitals are having a remarkable season. Their offense looks like it did in the Boudreau era. Alex Ovechkin has used sheer sniping to overtake the goals lead from Patrick Kane. Nicklas Backstrom is his elite setup man, and T.J. Oshie has worked well. The emergence of Russian talents Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky has helped the Capitals balance their offense. Justin Williams looks more comfortable in a free-flowing offense, and his playoff experience can't be ignored. However, rarely does the President's Trophy winner even make it to the Stanley Cup. Couple that with the main core of the Capitals lacking playoff success, and they seem prime to be upset in the second or third round. They have to be considered contenders with what they've done so far, but it wouldn't shock anyone to see them bow out early again.
Far below the Capitals, the New York Islanders and Rangers jockey for home ice in what's looking to be their impending first round series. Each team has a number of noticeable flaws. For the Rangers, consistency is one, as well as poor possession numbers. Henrik Lundqvist can't carry the team forever, and the defense isn't enough to turn a series. The Islanders have goaltending problems of their own. Jaroslav Halak is a clear number one when he's healthy, which has been the major caveat to their season. Thomas Greiss has been a good backup, and he might do enough to steal a series if necessary, but he'll fade eventually. Neither team has the scoring depth of the Capitals or even the wild card sides, and the Islanders best trait in particular, their physicality, is not a huge advantage in the playoffs. There's not much to like for either team in the city that never sleeps.
In the Atlantic, the best storyline features the Florida Panthers. Riding the backs of ageless wonders Jaromir Jagr and Roberto Luongo, as well as a bunch of fresh-faced stars in the making, the Panthers have put the NHL on notice. They're a fun and loose team off the ice who keep finding ways to win games and stay relevant despite below-average attendance. There's a quirky mix of veterans and youngsters in supporting roles. Reilly Smith has been a success this year, as has Vincent Trocheck, providing the ever-important secondary scoring. The one thing keeping the Panthers going has been luck, and it appears that luck is fading as they are now third in the Atlantic. They'll probably stay there, but elimination at the hands of the Bruins or Lightning seems likely.
The Boston Bruins are getting one last kick at the can for this season. Patrice Bergeron appears ready to take a major leadership role on the team whenever Zdeno Chara calls it quits, and if Brad Marchand continues playing like this, the Bruins will have to hand him a blank check. The defense is aged and young in all the wrong ways. Torey Krug seems to work well in overtime and on the power play, but not really anywhere else. Chara and Dennis Seidenberg are probably done in a couple of years. Kevan Miller and others are not enough to fix this. At forward, Loui Eriksson is probably going to walk, just to make space for Marchand. The depth is questionable. Rask could carry them, but there's plenty of reason to doubt the legitimacy of the Bruins.
The Tampa Bay Lightning, in some ways quietly and some quite loud, are right back in the fight. While losing Stamkos in free agency is a real concern, and potentially losing Jonathan Drouin over a big disagreement with his superiors also doesn't bode well, the Lightning are tied for the division lead as of this writing. The Triplets line, one of the big headline-grabbers in their run to a Stanley Cup loss last season, is quietly clicking again. The drama around Stamkos hasn't affected his play on the ice. The defense is solid, led by Victor Hedman and Anton Stralman. Ben Bishop is having a career year and has room to grow, only overshadowed by the likes of Holtby, Crawford, and Mrazek and the fact that he plays in Florida. The Lightning were close last year, and recent performances suggest they may have the best chance of anyone in the Atlantic to do it again.
In all, the contenders are the Sharks, Ducks, Kings, Blackhawks, Stars, Capitals, and Lightning. The rest of the field has a few too many flaws to be taken seriously this season when the games start to count more. With the way the playoffs are structured, it's realistic to see only five of these teams in the second round, which will be where their greatness for this season truly rises above the rest. Of course, there's always a chance some other team will get hot and throw everything out of balance for awhile. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
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