2015-16 NHL Season - Day 155

Six games on the schedule today, beginning in…

Buffalo, as the Sabres host the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Chad Johnson are the goalies. Buffalo led off in the first period with a Sam Reinhart power play goal, his twentieth of the season, powered by Zemgus Girgensons and Rasmus Ristolainen. Ottawa tied it on an Alex Chiasson goal, his sixth of the year, via Mike Hoffman and Mika Zibanejad. The Sabres retook the lead with the sixth of the season by Nicolas Deslauriers, assisted by Ryan O’Reilly and Evander Kane. Buffalo added on in the second period with a Zach Bogosian goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Reinhart and Jack Eichel. This would eventually produce a 3-1 final, with the three stars being Reinhart, Johnson (24 for 25 in saves), and Deslauriers.

Over in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the Nashville Predators. Carter Hutton is mismatched with Braden Holtby in goal. Nashville got going in the second period with a Filip Forsberg power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, powered by Roman Josi and Shea Weber. Washington tied it on a Daniel Winnik goal, his fifth of the year, via Evgeny Kuznetsov and the goalie Holtby. The Capitals took the lead on a T.J. Oshie goal, his twenty-second of the season, with a lone assist by Kuznetsov. Washington added on with a Winnik goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, made possible by Dmitry Orlov. The Capitals extended the lead in the third period as Andre Burakovsky scored his fifteenth of the campaign, with a lone helper from Kuznetsov, giving him a sock trick. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Kuznetsov, Winnik, and Holtby (20 for 21 in saves).

Northwest to Winnipeg, where the Jets bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Scott Darling and Ondrej Pavelec are the mediocre goalies. Chicago dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Patrick Kane goal, his thirty-ninth of the season, assisted by Michal Rozsival. The Blackhawks added on with a Marian Hossa goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Artem Anisimov. Chicago extended the lead in the third period as Andrew Ladd scored his twentieth of the season, thanks to Jonathan Toews and Kane. The Blackhawks padded the lead with a Tomas Fleischmann goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Teuvo Teravainen. This made it a 4-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Kane, Darling (28 save shutout), and Ladd.

Into Alberta, where the Calgary Flames host the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Joni Ortio are the goalies. Calgary began in the first period with a Matt Stajan goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Jyrki Jokipakka and T.J. Brodie. Colorado tied it on an Erik Johnson goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Mikkel Boedker and Nathan MacKinnon. The Flames took the lead back in the second period with a Mark Giordano shorthanded goal, his nineteenth of the campaign, set up by Josh Jooris and Lance Bouma. Calgary added on with a shorthanded Freddie Hamilton goal, with a lone assist by Bouma. The Avalanche got one back with a Tyson Barrie goal, his twelfth of the season, helped along by Mikhail Grigorenko and Jarome Iginla. Colorado tied it in the third period with a Carl Soderberg goal, his twelfth of the year, coming off of Shawn Matthias and Chris Bigras. The tie went to a shootout, where Boedker scored the only tally for a 4-3 Avalanche win. The three stars were handed to Boedker, Bouma, and Hamilton.

Staying in the province, the Edmonton Oilers welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Cam Talbot play goal. Edmonton drew first blood in the second period with a Jordan Eberle goal, his twenty-second of the season, passed from Connor McDavid. The Oilers added on in the third period with a Matt Hendricks goal, his fourth of the year, assisted by Jordan Oesterle and Iiro Pakarinen. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the three stars going to Talbot (40 save shutout), Eberle, and Hendricks.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Boston Bruins. Jonas Gustavsson and Frederik Andersen are in the blue paint. Anaheim struck first in the first period with a Jamie McGinn goal, his eighteenth of the season, courtesy of Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. The Ducks added on with a Ryan Kesler goal, his sixteenth of the year, made possible by Andrew Cogliano and Jakob Silfverberg. Anaheim extended the lead in the third period as Hampus Lindholm scored his ninth of the season, with the help of Getzlaf. The Ducks iced it at 4-0 with a Rickard Rakell goal, his nineteenth of the year, coming off of David Perron and Lindholm. The three stars were Andersen (38 save shutout), Lindholm, and Getzlaf.

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2015-16 NHL Season - Day 154

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

New Jersey, where the Devils host the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Keith Kinkaid are the alliterative goalies. New Jersey quickly opened in the first period with a Devante Smith-Pelly goal, his eleventh of the season, helped along by Tyler Kennedy and Travis Zajac. The Devils added on with a Mike Sislo goal, going in unassisted. Minnesota got on the board with a Nino Niederreiter power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, powered by Mikael Granlund and Jared Spurgeon. New Jersey answered with a Reid Boucher goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Kyle Palmieri and Jon Merrill. The Devils extended the lead in the second period as Smith-Pelly scored his second of the game and twelfth of the year, thanks to Kennedy. The Wild pulled back on a Spurgeon power play goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Mikko Koivu and Ryan Suter. New Jersey responded with an Adam Henrique goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, via Joseph Blandisi. The Devils padded the lead with Sislo's second of the game, with helpers from Blandisi and Damon Severson. Minnesota answered with a Justin Fontaine goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by David Jones and Erik Haula. New Jersey shot back on a Henrique goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the year, passed from Smith-Pelly and Kennedy, the latter getting a sock trick. The Wild roared back on a Koivu goal, his sixteenth of the campaign, with assists provided by Charlie Coyle and Zach Parise. The final stood from here at 7-4, with the three stars going to Sislo, Smith-Pelly, and Henrique, while Koivu, Spurgeon, Blandisi, and Kennedy get the honorable mentions.

Over in Pittsburgh, the Penguins welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Eddie Lack and Matt Murray are the backups in goal. Carolina started with a first period Phillip Di Giuseppe goal, his seventh of the season, going in unassisted. The Hurricanes added on with a Riley Nash goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Jeff Skinner and Chris Terry. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Sidney Crosby goal, his thirtieth of the season, an unassisted goal. The Penguins tied it in the second period with a Phil Kessel goal, his twenty-first of the year, helped along by Carl Hagelin and Ian Cole. Pittsburgh took the lead with a Crosby goal, his second of the game and thirty-first of the season, assisted by Cole and Hagelin. The Penguins iced it at 4-2 with a third period goal by Nick Bonino, his fifth of the year, passed from Kessel and Hagelin, the latter getting a sock trick. The three stars were Crosby, Hagelin, and Kessel, while Cole gets an honorable mention.

A bit more west, the Columbus Blue Jackets host the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Sergei Bobrovsky protect the nets. Detroit began in the first period with a Luke Glendening goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Riley Sheahan and Andreas Anthansiou. The Red Wings added on in the third period with a Henrik Zetterberg goal, his thirteenth of the year, assisted by Justin Abdelkader and Dylan Larkin. Detroit extended the lead as Darren Helm scored his eleventh of the season, an unassisted goal. Columbus got on the board with an Alexander Wennberg power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Cam Atkinson and Boone Jenner. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars given to Zetterberg, Howard (27 for 28 in saves), and Helm.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs bring in the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Jonathan Bernier are in the blue paint. Florida got going in the second period with an unassisted Jussi Jokinen power play goal, his fourteenth of the season. The Panthers added on with another Jokinen goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, going in unassisted. Toronto got on the board with a Morgan Rielly goal, his eighth of the season, via Michael Grabner and Nikita Soshnikov. Florida answered in the third period with a Jaromir Jagr empty net goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, set up by Brian Campbell. The Panthers iced it at 4-1 with a Teddy Purcell empty net goal, his twelfth of the campaign, with helpers from Nick Bjgustad and Jiri Hudler. The three stars belonged to Jokinen, Luongo (32 for 33 in saves), and Jagr.

Back stateside, the Nashville Predators host the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Pekka Rinne are called on to start in goal. Nashville led off in the first period with a James Neal, his twenty-seventh of the season, assisted by Calle Jarnkrok. New York tied it in the second period with a Ryan Pulock goal, via John Tavares. The Predators retook the lead with a Ryan Ellis goal, his eighth of the year, fueled by Ryan Johansen and Mattias Ekholm on the power play. Nashville added on with a Johansen goal, his twelfth of the season, helped along by Neal and Anthony Bitetto. The Islanders got one back in the third period with a Brock Nelson goal, his twenty-third of the year, guided in by Thomas Hickey. The Predators iced it at 4-2 with an Austin Watson goal, his third of the campaign, set up by Mike Fisher and Roman Josi. The three stars went to Neal, Johansen, and Ellis.

Down in Dallas, the Stars welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ben Bishop and Kari Lehtonen are between the pipes. Tampa Bay struck first in the first period with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, made possible by Alex Killorn and Andrej Sustr. Dallas tied it with a Jason Spezza goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, coming off of Valeri Nichushkin. The Lightning retook the lead in the second period with a Steven Stamkos goal, his thirty-second of the season, a power play goal powered by Kucherov and Anton Stralman. The Stars pulled back with a Jamie Benn goal, his thirty-fifth of the year, via Cody Eakin. Tampa Bay shot back with a Stamkos goal, his second of the game and thirty-third of the season, helped along by Killorn and Victor Hedman. Dallas tied it in the third period with a Stephen Johns goal, courtesy of Eakin and Benn. The Stars gained the lead with a Benn goal, his second of the game and thirty-sixth of the year, with helpers from Eakin, who got a sock trick, and Tyler Seguin. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars being Benn, Stamkos, and Eakin, while Kucherov and Killorn get the honorable mentions.

West to Arizona, with the Coyotes hosting the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Mike Smith occupy the creases. Arizona was first to score in the first period with a Michael Stone goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Alex Tanguay. San Jose tied it in the second period with a Tomas Hertl goal, his seventeenth of the year, helped along by Paul Martin and Joe Thornton. The Coyotes took the lead in the third period with a Shane Doan goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, courtesy of Klas Dahlbeck and Max Domi. Arizona iced it at 3-1 with an Antoine Vermette empty net goal, his fifteenth of the year, set up by Stone and Kevin Connauton. The three stars went to Stone, Smith (27 for 28 in saves), and Doan.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Jonathan Quick tend the twines. New York drew first blood with an unassisted J.T. Miller goal, his nineteenth of the season. Los Angeles tied it on a Dustin Brown goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Jeff Carter and Luke Schenn. The Rangers took the lead with a Dan Boyle goal in the second period, his seventh of the season, assisted by Viktor Stalberg. New York added on with a third period goal by Kevin Hayes, his twelfth of the year, courtesy of Kevin Klein and Miller. The Kings shot back with a Kyle Clifford goal, his second of the season, made possible by Carter and Brown. Los Angeles tied it with an Anze Kopitar goal, his twenty-third of the year, via Milan Lucic and Drew Doughty. The Kings won 4-3 in overtime with a Koptiar goal, his second of the game and twenty-fourth of the campaign, with helpers from Jake Muzzin and Carter, the latter getting a sock trick. The three stars were awarded to Kopitar, Carter, and Brown, while Miller gets an honorable mention.

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2015/16 KHL Western Conference Semifinals: 5) Dynamo Moscow VS. 6) SKA St. Petersburg

As is standard procedure for the playoffs, this post will cover the entire series.

Game 1: VTB Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg and Alexander Yeryomenko for Moscow. St. Petersburg led off in the first period with an Evgeny Dadonov goal, fueled by Nikita Gusev and Andrei Kuteikin on the power play. Moscow tied it on an Andrei Mironov goal, passed from Maxim Karpov. SKA took the lead back with another Dadonov power play goal, powered by Vadim Shipachyov and Maxim Chudinov. Dynamo tied it again as Daniil Tarasov scored a power play goal, with the help of Alexander Osipov and Denis Kokarev. St. Petersburg gained the lead in the third period with a Gusev goal, helped along by Shipachyov and Dadonov. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Dadonov, Gusev, and Shipachyov. SKA owns a 1-0 series lead.

Game 2: VTB Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg and Alexander Yeryomenko for Moscow. Moscow struck first in the first period with a Maxim Karpov goal, with a lone assist by Mat Robinson. Dynamo added on with an Ilya Shipov power play goal, powered by Dmitry Vishnevsky and Ivan Igumnov. St. Petersburg got on the board in the second period with a Nikita Gusev goal, passed from Vadim Shipachyov. Moscow replied with a Vladimir Bryukvin goal, assisted by Maxim Pestushko and Alexei Tereshchenko. SKA got one back with an unassisted goal by Ilya Kablukov. St. Petersburg tied it as Shipachyov scored a power play goal, thanks to Gusev and Maxim Chudinov. Deep in the first overtime, Alexander Osipov scored a power play goal with assists from Denis Kokarev and Konstantin Gorovikov. The three stars of the 4-3 game were Osipov, Shipachyov, and Gusev. The series heads west to St. Petersburg tied at 1.

Game 3: Ice Palace Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia. In goal: Alexander Yeryomenko for Moscow and Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg. Moscow began in the first period with an Ivan Igumnov shorthanded goal, going in unassisted. Dynamo added on with a Maxim Pestushko goal, assisted by Vladimir Bryukvin and Alexei Tereshchenko in the second period. Moscow extended the lead as Konstantin Gorovikov scored a power play goal, thanks to Alexander Osipov. Dynamo padded the lead in the third period on a Daniil Tarasov goal, an unassisted goal. This stood for a 4-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Yeryomenko (34 save shutout), Igumnov, and Pestushko. Dynamo takes a 2-1 series lead.

Game 4: Ice Palace Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia. In goal: Alexander Yeryomenko for Moscow and Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg was first to score in the first period with a Vadim Shipachyov goal, assisted by Maxim Chudinov and Nikita Gusev. SKA added on with an Evgeny Dadonov goal in the second period, coming off of Gusev and Shipachyov on the power play. St. Petersburg extended the lead as Shipachyov scored his second of the game, with the help of Gusev, who got a sock trick. SKA padded the lead with a Shipachyov power play goal in the third period, powered by Chudinov and Gusev. This stood for a 4-0 win, with the three stars going to Shipachyov, Gusev, and Chudinov, while Koskinen (25 save shutout) gets an honorable mention. The series is tied at 2 when it returns to Moscow.

Game 5: VTB Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg and Alexander Yeryomenko for Moscow. St. Petersburg got going in the second period with a Dinar Khafizullin power play goal, powered by Evgeny Dadonov and Vadim Shipachyov. Moscow tied it on an unassisted goal by Konstantin Gorovikov. SKA took the lead back with a Steve Moses goal, assisted by Nikita Gusev and Shipachyov. St. Petersburg added on with a Gusev goal in the third period, helped along by Shipachyov, who got a sock trick, and Khafizullin on the power play. SKA extended the lead as Jarno Koskiranta power play goal, with a lone helper by Moses. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Moses, Khafizullin, and Gusev, while Shipachyov gets an honorable mention. SKA heads home with a 3-2 series lead now. 

Game 6: Ice Palace Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia. In goal: Alexander Yeryomenko for Moscow and Mikko Koskinen for St. Petersburg. St. Petersburg dented the scoreboard with a Nikita Gusev power play goal in the second period, powered by Vadim Shipachyov. SKA added on with an Anton Belov goal, assisted by Steve Moses and Joakim Lindstrom. This stood for a 2-0 final, with the three stars going to Koskinen (31 save shutout), Gusev, and Belov. SKA will face CSKA Moscow in the Western Conference Final after their 4-2 series win. 

2015-16 NHL Season - Day 153

Six games to be played today, beginning with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Ben Scrivens and Robin Lehner are the masked men. Buffalo led off in the first period with a Zach Bogosian power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Ryan O'Reilly and Rasmus Ristolainen. Montreal tied it with a second period goal by Greg Pateryn, assisted by Alex Galchenyuk. The Canadiens took the lead with an Andrei Markov power play goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Tomas Plekanec and Max Pacioretty. The Sabres retied it on a Marcus Foligno shorthanded goal, his tenth of the season, set up by David Legwand and Mark Pysyk in the third period. Montreal won 3-2 in overtime with a Paul Byron goal, his ninth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Byron, Markov, and Scrivens (41 for 43 in saves).

West to Chicago, where the Blackhawks welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Michal Neuvirth and Scott Darling are the backups in goal. Chicago began in the first period with a shorthanded goal by Marian Hossa, his eleventh of the season, set up by Artem Anisimov and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Philadelphia tied it with a Ryan White power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Andrew MacDonald and Sean Couturier. The Blackhawks took the lead back with a Jonathan Toews goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, with a lone assist by Patrick Kane in the second period. The Flyers retied it as Brayden Schenn scored his twenty-fourth of the year, thanks to Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds. Philadelphia took the lead in the third period with a Radko Gudas goal, his third of the campaign, helped along by Couturier and Michael Raffl. The final held at 3-2, with the three stars going to Gudas, Couturier, and Schenn.

Northwest to Edmonton, where the Oilers bring in the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Cam Talbot are the goalies. Edmonton opened in the first period with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his ninth of the season, coming on the power play from Patrick Maroon and Nail Yakupov. The Oilers added on with a Taylor Hall goal, his twenty-third of the year, via Iiro Pakarinen and Jordan Oesterle. St. Louis got on the board with a David Backes goal, his eighteenth of the season, with a lone assist by Colton Parayko. The Blues tied it in the second period with a Jaden Schwartz goal, his sixth of the year, helped along by Joel Edmundson and Jori Lehtera. Edmonton took the lead back with a power play goal by Mark Letestu, his eighth of the season, powered by Andrej Sekera and Connor McDavid. The Oilers extended the lead as Leon Draisaitl scored his eighteenth of the year on the power play, with assists provided by McDavid and Letestu. Edmonton padded the lead with a Nugent-Hopkins goal, his second of the game and tenth of the season, fueled by Maroon and Yakupov. St. Louis pulled back with a Patrik Berglund power play goal in the third period, his eighth of the year, guided in by Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko. The Blues got closer on Backes' second of the game and nineteenth of the season, with helpers from Alex Pietrangelo and Dmitrij Jaskin. The Oilers iced it at 6-4 with an empty net goal by Letestu, his second of the game and ninth of the year, set up by Matt Hendricks and Oesterle. The three stars went to Nugent-Hopkins, Letestu, and Backes, while Maroon, Yakupov, Oesterle, Schwartz, and McDavid get the honorable mentions.

Staying in Alberta, the Calgary Flames host the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec and Joni Ortio are the poor goalies. Calgary struck first in the first period with a Joe Colborne goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Michael Frolik and Mikael Backlund. The Flames added on with a Frolik goal, his fifteenth of the year, passed from Backlund and Colborne. Calgary extended the lead as Sean Monahan scored his twenty-fourth of the season, with the help of Mark Giordano and Johnny Gaudreau. Winnipeg got on the board in the second period with a Drew Stafford goal, his nineteenth of the year, made possible by Blake Wheeler. The Flames iced it at 4-1 with Giordano power play goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, powered by Frolik. The three stars went to Frolik, Colborne, and Giordano, while Backlund gets an honorable mention.

Into British Columbia, where the Vancouver Canucks welcome the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Ryan Miller are the overrated goalies. Vancouver started in the first period with a Henrik Sedin goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Daniel Sedin and Nikita Tryamkin. Colorado tied it on a Mikkel Boedker goal, his fifteenth of the year, courtesy of Jarome Iginla and Matt Duchene. The Avalanche took the lead in the third period with a Boedker goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the season, made possible by Nathan MacKinnon. Colorado added on with an Andreas Martinsen goal, his fourth of the year, via Shawn Matthias. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars awarded to Boedker, Varlamov (28 for 29 in saves), and Martinsen.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the New York Rangers. Antti Raanta and John Gibson draw the starts in goal. Anaheim was first to score in the first period with a Jamie McGinn goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Corey Perry. New York tied it with a second period goal by Kevin Klein, his seventh of the year, via Tanner Glass and Dominic Moore. The Rangers took the lead with Klein's second of the game and eighth of the campaign in the third period, coming off of J.T. Miller and Eric Staal. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars being Klein, Raanta (22 for 23 in saves), and McGinn.

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2015/16 KHL Eastern Conference Semifinals: 2) Metallurg Magnitogorsk VS 3) Sibir Novosibirsk

As is standard procedure for the playoffs, this post will cover the entire series.

Game 1: Arena Metallurg, Magnitogorsk, Russia. In goal: Alexander Salak for Novosibirsk and Vasily Koshechkin for Magnitogorsk. Magnitogorsk struck first in the first period with an Alexander Semin goal, via Wojtek Wolski and Alexei Bereglazov on the power play. Metallurg added on with a Sergei Mozyakin power play goal, powered by Chris Lee and Danis Zaripov. Novosibirsk got on the board in the second period with an Andrej Meszaros goal, coming off of Viktor Bobrov. Magnitogorsk iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Semin, his second of the game, set up by Wolski. The three stars belonged to Semin, Koshechkin (30 for 31 in saves), and Wolski. Metallurg is up 1-0 in the series.

Game 2: Arena Metallurg, Magnitogorsk, Russia. In goal: Alexander Salak for Novosibirsk and Vasily Koshechkin for Magnitogorsk. Novosibirsk started in the first period with a Sergei Shumakov goal, with a lone assist by Stepan Sannikov. Sibir added on with a David Ullstrom power play goal in the second period, powered by Andrej Meszaros and Maxim Ignatovich. Novosibirsk extended the lead as Tomas Vincour scored a power play goal, thanks to Ullstrom and Meszaros. Magnitogorsk got on the board in the third period with a Danis Zaripov power play goal, assisted by Sergei Mozyakin and Jan Kovar. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars belonging to Ullstrom, Salak (27 for 28 in saves), and Meszaros. The action heads east with the series tied at 1.

Game 3: Ice Sports Palace Sibir, Novosibirsk, Russia. In goal: Vasily Koshechkin for Magnitogorsk and Alexander Salak for Novosibirsk. Magnitogorsk opened in the first period with a Viktor Antipin power play goal, powered by Jan Kovar. Metallurg added on in the second period with a Kovar goal, via Sergei Mozyakin. Novosibirsk got on the board with a Maxim Ignatovich goal, fueled by Calle Ridderwall on the power play. Magnitogorsk replied with a Kovar power play goal, his second of the game, helped along by Antipin and Mozyakin. Metallurg extended the lead as Bogdan Potekhin scored, thanks to Alexei Kaigorodov and Yaroslav Kosov. Magnitogorsk padded the lead in the third period with a Mozyakin goal, assisted by Danis Zaripov and Kovar. The final stood at 5-1, with the three stars being Kovar, Mozyakin, and Antipin. The series now favors Metallurg 2-1.

Game 4: Ice Sports Palace Sibir, Novosibirsk, Russia. In goal: Vasily Koshechkin for Magnitogorsk and Alexander Salak for Novosibirsk. Magnitogorsk led off in the first period with a Danis Zaripov goal, courtesy of Sergei Mozyakin and Jan Kovar. Metallurg added on with a Tomas Filippi goal in the second period, helped along by Alexander Semin and Bogdan Potekhin. Novosibirsk got on the board with an Oleg Gubin goal, coming off of Sergei Shumakov. Sibir tied it on a Sergei Gimayev goal in the third period, assisted by Gubin. Magnitogorsk retook the lead with a Wojtek Wolski goal, guided in by Alexei Bereglazov and Filippi. Novosibirsk tied it again as Calle Ridderwall scored an unassisted goal with his own net empty. This forced overtime, where Metallurg won 4-3 very quickly on a Mozyakin goal that went in unassisted. The three stars went to Mozyakin, Filippi, and Gubin. Metallurg heads home with a 3-1 series lead. 

Game 5: Arena Metallurg, Magnitogorsk, Russia. In goal: Nikita Bespalov for Novosibirsk and Vasily Koshechkin for Magnitogorsk. Magnitogorsk began in the first period with a Chris Lee power play goal, powered by Viktor Antipin and Danis Zaripov. Metallurg added on with a Sergei Mozyakin goal, assisted by Jan Kovar and Evgeny Biryukov. Novosibirsk got on the board in the third period with a Maxim Shalunov goal, helped along by Sergei Shumakov and Vitaly Menshikov. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars handed to Mozyakin, Koshechkin (29 for 30 in saves), and Lee. Metallurg takes the series 4-1, and advances to the Eastern Conference Final.

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2015-16 NHL Season - Day 152

Eight games grace the schedule tonight, beginning in...

Pittsburgh, as the Penguins host the New York Islanders. Jean-Francois Berube and Marc-Andre Fleury are the masked men. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period with a Chris Kunitz goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Brian Dumoulin and Sidney Crosby. New York tied it on a Kyle Okposo power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, powered by Anders Lee and Frans Nielsen. In the shootout, the Penguins won with a lone tally from Kris Letang for the 2-1 final. The three stars were Fleury (25 for 26 in saves), Berube (33 for 34 in saves), and Letang.

Over in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Eddie Lack and Braden Holtby man the nets. Washington got going in the second period with a Justin Williams goal, his twenty-first of the season, coming off of Jason Chimera. Carolina tied it on an unassisted goal by Jordan Staal, his eighteenth of the year. The Capitals won 2-1 in overtime with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his forty-second of the campaign, set up by Evgeny Kuznetsov. The three stars belonged to Ovechkin, Holtby (25 for 26 in saves), and Williams.

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens host the Florida Panthers. Al Montoya and Mike Condon are in the blue paint. Florida led off in the first period with a Vincent Trocheck goal, his twenty-first of the season, assisted by Brian Campbell and Reilly Smith. The Panthers added on in the second period with a Nick Bjugstad power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by Aaron Ekblad and Teddy Purcell. Florida extended the lead as Jiri Hudler scored his thirteenth of the season, thanks to Trocheck. Montreal got on the board with an Alex Galchenyuk goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, via Max Pacioretty and Mark Barberio. The Panthers replied in the third period with an Aleksander Barkov goal, his twenty-third of the campaign, guided in by Jonathan Huberdeau and Jagr. This stood for a 4-1 win, with the three stars given to Trocheck, Montoya (27 for 28 in saves), and Bjugstad.

West to Ontario, where the Ottawa Senators bring in the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Craig Anderson are the average goalies. Minnesota was first to score in the first period with a Nino Niederreiter goal, his sixteenth of the season, fueled by Justin Fontaine and Erik Haula. Ottawa tied it on a Mike Hoffman goal in the second period, his twenty-sixth of the year, guided in by Erik Karlsson and Mika Zibanejad. The Wild took the lead back with a Ryan Carter goal, his seventh of the season, helped along by Mikael Granlund and Charlie Coyle in the third period. The Senators tied it again with a Zibanejad goal, his sixteenth of the year, via Mark Stone and Karlsson. Ottawa won 3-2 in overtime on a Karlsson goal, his thirteenth of the campaign, assisted by Chris Wideman and Bobby Ryan. The three stars were awarded to Karlsson, Zibanejad, and Hoffman.

Back in Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Flyers host the Detroit Red Wings. Petr Mrazek and Steve Mason are between the pipes. Philadelphia opened in the first period with a Michael Raffl goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Mark Streit and Nick Schultz. The Flyers added on with a Wayne Simmonds goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, helped along by Brayden Schenn and Claude Giroux. Detroit got on the board in the second period with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Riley Sheahan and Gustav Nyquist. Philadelphia replied with Raffl's second of the game and twelfth of the year, with assists provided by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Chris VandeVelde. The Red Wings pulled back with a Pavel Datsyuk goal, his fourteenth of the season, with a lone assist from Tomas Tatar. The Flyers shot back with a Shayne Gostisbehere goal, his sixteenth of the year, going in unassisted. Detroit chipped back in the third period with a Tatar goal, his nineteenth of the campaign, fueled by Datsyuk and Green. The final was 4-3 for the Flyers, and the three stars went to Raffl, Datsyuk, and Tatar.

In Canada again, the Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jonathan Bernier are the mediocre goalies. Toronto dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Connor Carrick goal, via Peter Holland and Colin Greening. Tampa Bay tied it on a third period Brian Boyle goal, his eleventh of the season, courtesy of Anton Stralman. The Maple Leafs retook the lead with a Ben Smith goal, made possible by Michael Grabner and Milan Michalek. Toronto added on with an empty net goal by Zach Hyman, his third of the year, set up by Smith and Martin Marincin. The Maple Leafs iced it at 4-1 with an empty net goal by P.A. Parenteau, his seventeenth of the campaign, assisted by Hyman and Marincin. The three stars went to Smith, Hyman, and Marincin.

Down in Dallas, the Stars host the Los Angeles Kings. Jhonas Enroth and Kari Lehtonen are set to start in goal. Los Angeles began in the first period with a Kris Versteeg goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Rob Scuderi and Anze Kopitar. The Kings added on with a Tyler Toffoli goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, via Nick Shore. Dallas got on the board with an unassisted Alex Goligoski goal, his fifth of the season. Los Angeles shot back with a Kopitar goal, his twenty-second of the year, made possible by Milan Lucic and Scuderi. The Kings chased Lehtonen in the second period with a Dustin Brown goal, his tenth of the season, helped along by Kyle Clifford and Jeff Carter. Antti Niemi came on in relief. The Stars got one back with a Cody Eakin power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, going in unassisted. Los Angeles extended the lead as Trevor Lewis scored his seventh of the campaign, thanks to Vincent Lecavalier. This made it 5-2, the eventual final, with the three stars handed to Kopitar, Scuderi, and Brown.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask faces a former rival in James Reimer in goal. San Jose started in the first period with a Melker Karlsson goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Joonas Donskoi and Logan Couture. Boston tied it on a David Krejci goal, his fifteenth of the year, courtesy of David Pastrnak and Torey Krug. The Bruins took the lead with a shorthanded Loui Eriksson goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, set up by Krejci. The Sharks tied it again in the second period with a Brent Burns goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, passed from Tomas Hertl and Joe Thornton. San Jose gained the lead with a third period Donskoi power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Joel Ward and Burns. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars given to Donskoi, Burns, and Krejci.

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2015/16 KHL Western Conference Semifinals: 1) CSKA Moscow VS. 7) Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod.

As is standard procedure for the playoffs, this post will cover the entire series.

Game 1: CSKA Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Ilya Proskuryakov for Nizhny Novgorod and Ilya Sorokin for Moscow. Nizhny Novgorod opened in the first period with a Linus Videll power play goal, powered by Nikolai Zherdev. Moscow tied it with an Alexander Radulov power play goal, coming off of Geoff Platt. Torpedo took the lead in the second period with a Yury Sergiyenko goal, guided in by Stanislav Yegorshev. This help up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars being Sergiyenko, Proskuryakov (28 for 29 in saves), and Videll. Torpedo has a surprising 1-0 lead in the series.

Game 2: CSKA Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Ilya Proskuryakov for Nizhny Novgorod and Ilya Sorokin for Moscow. Moscow led off in the first period with an Ivan Telegin goal, made possible by Denis Denisov and Alexander Radulov on the power play. CSKA added on with a Geoff Platt power play goal, powered by Kirill Petrov and Igor Ozhiganov. Nizhny Novgorod got on the board in the second period with a Stanislav Yegorshev power play goal, assisted by Vladimir Galuzin and Evgeny Mozer. Moscow replied with an Ozhiganov goal, with a lone assist from Platt. CSKA extended the lead as Platt scored his second of the game on the power play, with the help of Nikita Zaitsev and Roman Lyubimov. Mikhail Biryukov replaced Proskuryakov in goal. Moscow padded the lead with a Vladimir Zharkov goal, helped along by Zaitsev and Antti Pihlstrom. The three stars of the 5-1 game were Platt, Ozhiganov, and Zaitsev. The series is now tied at 1 as it heads east to Nizhny Novgorod.

Game 3: Trade Union Sport Palace, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. In goal: Ilya Sorokin for Moscow and Ilya Proskuryakov for Nizhny Novgorod. Moscow began in the first period with a Stephane Da Costa power play goal, powered by Denis Denisov and Igor Ozhiganov. CSKA added on with a third period Denisov goal, with a lone assist by Vladimir Zharkov. Nizhny Novgorod got on the board with an Alexander Budkin goal, fueled by Alexei Pepelyayev and Vladimir Galuzin. Moscow iced it on an unassisted shorthanded empty net goal by Evgeny Korotkov for a 3-1 win. The three stars belonged to Denisov, Sorokin (16 for 17 in saves), and Da Costa. CSKA now leads the series 2-1.

Game 4: Trade Union Sport Palace, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. In goal: Ilya Sorokin for Moscow and Ilya Proskuryakov for Nizhny Novgorod. Moscow started in the first period with an Antti Pihlstrom goal, via Alexander Kutuzov and Alexander Radulov. Nizhny Novgorod tied it on a Sergei Kostitsyn power play goal in the second period, powered by Vladimir Galuzin and Nikolai Zherdev. CSKA took the lead back with an Igor Ozhiganov power play goal, made possible by Kutuzov and Radulov. Moscow added on with a Kirill Petrov goal, coming off of Vladimir Zharkov and Artyom Sergeyev. CSKA extended the lead as Roman Lyubimov scored, thanks to Nikita Zaitsev. Torpedo pulled back in the third period with a Kostitsyn goal, assisted by Maxim Osipov. Nizhny Novgorod got closer with an unassisted Alexander Frolov goal. Moscow iced it at 5-3 with a Zharkov empty net goal, set up by Denis Denisov and Evgeny Korotkov. The three stars were Kutuzov, Kostitsyn, and Radulov, while Zharkov gets an honorable mention. CSKA owns a 3-1 series lead with a chance to advance at home in two days. 

Game 5: CSKA Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Mikhail Biryukov for Nizhny Novgorod and Ilya Sorokin for Moscow. Nizhny Novgorod struck first in the first period with a Vyacheslav Kulyomin goal, assisted by Yury Sergiyenko and Daniil Ilyin. Moscow tied it with a Simon Hjalmarsson goal, coming off of Mikhail Yunkov and Mikhail Naumenkov. CSKA took the lead in the third period on a Roman Lyubimov goal, passed from Kirill Petrov and Nikita Pivtsakin. Moscow added on with a shorthanded goal by Hjalmarsson, his second of the game, set up by Yunkov. Torpedo got one back with a Kaspars Daugavins power play goal, powered by Maxim Osipov and Artyom Alyayev. They failed to tie it, losing 3-2, with the three stars being Hjalmarsson, Yunkov, and Sorokin (22 for 24 in saves). CSKA advances to the Western Conference Final with their 4-1 series win.

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