Friday, November 25, 2016

NHL 2016/17 - Day 44

It's eleven games for everyone to work off their turkey hangovers today. Six of them are matinees, beginning with...

The Philadelphia Flyers hosting the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Steve Mason are the veteran goalies. New York led off in the first period with a Derek Stepan goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by J.T. Miller. The Rangers added on with a Matt Puempel goal, coming off of Jimmy Vesey and Josh Jooris. New York extended the lead in the second period as Jimmy Hayes scored his tenth of the year, thanks to Nick Holden. Philadelphia got on the board in the third period with a Chris VandeVelde goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Andrew MacDonald. The Flyers got closer on a Shayne Gostisbehere goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Claude Giroux and Wayne Simmonds.

Westward to San Jose, where the Sharks welcome the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Aaron Dell are the backups in goal. New York began in the first period with an Anders Lee power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Josh Bailey and Nick Leddy. San Jose tied it in the second period on a Joe Pavelski goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Chris Tierney and Matt Nieto. The Sharks took the lead on a Brent Burns goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Kevin Labanc and Paul Martin. The Islanders retied it on a Leddy goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of John Tavares and Brock Nelson in the third period. San Jose retook the lead on a Patrick Marleau goal, his sixth of the campaign, made possible by Burns and Martin. The score held at 3-2, with the three stars given to Burns, Martin, and Leddy.

Staying in the state, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and John Gibson guard the cages. Chicago started in the first period with an Artem Anisimov goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by Patrick Kane and Brent Seabrook. The Blackhawks added on in the second period with a Kane power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Seabrook and Artemi Panarin. Chicago extended the lead as Ryan Hartman scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Marcus Kruger. Anaheim got on the board with a Nick Ritchie goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Ondrej Kase and Sami Vatanen. The Ducks got closer in the third period with a Jakob Silfverberg goal, his seventh of the campaign, assisted by Ryan Kesler and Andrew Cogliano. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Kane, Seabrook, and Hartman.

Back east, the Minnesota Wild host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Devan Dubnyk are the goalies. Minnesota opened in the first period with a Charlie Coyle goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Zach Parise. The Wild added on with a Jonas Brodin power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Mikko Koivu and Matt Dumba. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Phil Kessel goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Evgeni Malkin and Jake Guentzel. Minnesota replied with Coyle's second of the game and seventh of the year, going in unassisted. The Wild extended the lead in the second period as Parise scored his fourth of the season on the power play, with the help of Eric Staal. Minnesota padded the lead with a Mikael Granlund goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Brodin. The Penguins got one back on a Bryan Rust goal in the third period, his third of the season, coming off of Scott Wilson and Nick Bonino. The Wild replied with a Nino Niederreiter power play goal, his sixth of the year, with assists from Granlund and Brodin. The final held at 6-2, with the three stars going to Brodin, Coyle, and Parise, while Granlund gets an honorable mention.

Further east, the Washington Capitals welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Anders Nilsson and Philipp Grubauer are the lesser-known goalies. Washington struck first in the first period with a Daniel Winnik goal, his third of the season, via Brett Connolly and Lars Eller. The Capitals added on in the second period with a Marcus Johansson goal, his eighth of the year, with a lone assist by Justin Williams. Buffalo got on the board in the third period with a Sam Reinhart goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Kyle Okposo and Cody Franson. Washington replied with a Connolly power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Alex Ovechkin and Andre Burakovsky. The final held at 3-1, with the three stars going to Connolly, Grubauer (32 for 33 in saves), and Johansson.

Southwest to Nashville, where the Predators bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Pekka Rinne protect the nets. Winnipeg was first to score in the first period on a Dustin Byfuglien goal, his second of the season, via Nikolaj Ehlers and Drew Stafford. Nashville tied it in the second period on a Colin Wilson goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Mike Fisher. The Predators took the lead with a Ryan Johansen power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Fisher. Nashville added on with a James Neal power play goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Johansen and Roman Josi. The Predators extended the lead in the third period as Wilson scored his second of the game and fourth of the season on the power play, with the help of Fisher and Josi, the former receiving a sock trick. Nashville padded the lead on a Johansen goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, helped along by Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson. This made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars going to Johansen, Wilson, and Fisher, while Josi gets an honorable mention.

Northeast to Boston, as the Bruins host the Calgary Flames. Chad Johnson and Anton Khudobin are in the blue paint. Calgary opened in the first period with a Sam Bennett goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Matt Stajan and T.J. Brodie. Boston tied it in the third period on a David Pastrnak goal, his twelfth of the year, via Tim Schaller and John-Michael Liles. The Flames retook the lead with an Alex Chiasson goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Bennett and Mark Giordano. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars given to Bennett, Johnson (35 for 36 in saves), and Chiasson.

Down in New Jersey, the Devils welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Petr Mrazek and Cory Schneider guard the cages. New Jersey started in the first period with a John Moore goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri. Detroit tied it on a shorthanded Frans Nielsen goal, his fourth of the year, set up by Justin Abdelkader. The Red Wings took the lead on another Nielsen goal, his second of the game and fifth of the campaign, coming off of Riley Sheahan and Abdelkader. The Devils tied it in the second period on a Michael Cammalleri goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Zajac. New Jersey pulled ahead with a Pavel Zacha power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Beau Bennett and Cammalleri. Detroit tied it again on a Dylan Larkin goal, his sixth of the campaign, fueled by Gsutav Nyquist and Henrik Zetterberg. The Red Wings regained the lead on an Anthony Mantha goal in the third period, his second of the season, guided in by Zetterberg. Mrazek had to come out of the game, and Jimmy Howard replaced him. The Devils tied it with an Adam Henrique goal, his fourth of the year, via Kyle Quincey and Moore. Detroit won 5-4 in overtime with a Mike Green goal, his fourth of the campaign, helped along by Nielsen and Mantha. The three stars were awarded to Nielsen, Mantha, and Camalleri, while Abdelkader, Zetterberg, and Zajac get the honorable mentions.

South to Florida, where the Tampa Bay Lightning bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Ben Bishop are the starting goalies. Columbus led off in the first period with an Alexander Wennberg goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Brandon Saad and Jack Johnson. The Blue Jackets added on with a Nick Foligno power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Cam Atkinson and Zach Werenski. Tampa Bay got on the board in the second period with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. Columbus fired back with a Josh Anderson goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Scott Hartnell. The Lightning answered on a Jason Garrison goal, fueled by Valtteri Filppula and Luke Witkowski. Tampa Bay tied it in the third period with a Palat goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Kucherov and Victor Hedman. The Blue Jackets retook the lead on a Saad goal, his fifth of the year, made possible by Wennberg. Columbus iced it at 5-3 with a shorthanded and unassisted Atkinson goal, his eighth of the campaign. The three stars went to Saad, Atkinson, and Wennberg, while Kucherov and Palat get the honorable mentions.

In Texas, the Dallas Stars host the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller and Antti Niemi play goal. Vancouver began in the first period with a Jayson Megna goal, assisted by Bo Horvat. Dallas tied it in the second period on a Radek Faksa goal, his second of the season, made possible by Esa Lindell and Brett Ritchie. The Stars took the lead on a Lindell goal, coming off of Jamie Benn and John Klingberg. This produced the 2-1 final, with the three stars given to Lindell, Niemi (30 for 31 in saves), and Faksa.

Finally, the Arizona Coyotes host the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Mike Smith are between the pipes. Edmonton struck first in the first period with a Connor McDavid goal, his tenth of the season, guided in by Jesse Puljijarvi and Milan Lucic. The Oilers added on with an Adam Larsson goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Oscar Klefbom and Jordan Eberle. Arizona got on the board with a Max Domi goal, his third of the season, passed from Radim Vrbata and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The Coyotes tied it on a Shane Doan goal, his second of the year, fueled by Anthony DeAngelo and Tobias Rieder. In the shootout, Vrbata and Ekman-Larsson's goals beat Mark Letestu as the Coyotes took the win 3-2. The three stars were Ekman-Larsson, Vrbata, and Doan.

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KHL 2016/17 - Day 90

Six games for today on a busy overall hockey day. We begin with...

Traktor Chelyabinsk hosting Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Alexei Murygin and Vasily Demchenko are the masked men. Chelyabinsk started in the first period with a Dmitry Pestunov power play goal, powered by Paul Szczechura. Traktor added on with another Pestunov goal in the second period, helped along by Derek Roy. Traktor extended the lead with an unassisted Yury Petrov goal in the third period. Yaroslavl got on the board with a Yegor Korshkov goal, passed from Pavel Kraskovsky. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Demchenko (48 for 49 in saves), Pestunov, and Petrov.

East to Magnitogorsk, where Metallurg welcomes Vityaz Podolsk. Igor Saprykin and Ilya Samsonov are the goalies. Podolsk opened in the first period on an Alexei Makeyev goal, courtesy of Maxim Afinogenov. Magnitogorsk retied it on a Chris Lee goal, via Danis Zaripov and Alexei Bereglazov. Metallurg took the lead in the second period with a Sergei Mozyakin power play goal, powered by Jan Kovar. Vityaz retied it with a Roman Horak goal, coming off of Artyom Chernov and Igor Golovkov. Podolsk pulled ahead with an Alexander Nikulin goal, passed from Makeyev. Vityaz added on with an Afinogenov power play goal, with a lone assist by Nikulin. Magnitogorsk answered with a Kovar power play goal, made possible by Zaripov. Metallurg tied it on a Zaripov goal, with a lone helper from Viktor Antipin. Magnitogorsk took the lead on a Mozyakin goal, his second of the game, guided in by Evgeny Biryukov. The three stars in the 5-4 win were Mozyakin, Zaripov, and Kovar, while Afinogenov, Makeyev, and Nikulin get the honorable mentions.

Along to Ufa, where Salavat Yulaev brings in Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Yeryomenko and Andrei Gavrilov are in the creases. Moscow led off in the first period with a Martins Karsums goal, fueled by Mat Robinson and Alexei Tsvetkov. Ufa tied it in the second period on a Sami Lepisto goal, guided in by Teemu Hartikainen. Salavat Yulaev took the lead with a Maxim Mayorov goal in the third period, assisted by Hartikainen and Dmitry Makarov. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars being Mayorov, Hartikainen, and Gavrilov (24 for 25 in saves).

Down in Kazakhstan, Barys Astana hosts Admiral Vladivostok. Igor Bobkov and Henrik Karlsson are set to start in goal. Astana began in the first period with a Cam Barker goal, via Kevin Dallman and Brandon Bochenski. Vladivostok tied it on a James Wright goal, passed from Robert Sabolic. Admiral took the lead in the second period with a Maxim Kazakov goal, assisted by Pavel Makarenko. Vladivostok added on with a Wright power play goal, his second of the game, powered by Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev and Sabolic. Admiral extended the lead as Makarenko scored, thanks to Sergei Barbashev. Kevin Poulin replaced Karlsson in goal. The game closed at 4-1, with the three stars going to Wright, Makarenko, and Sabolic.

Back in Russia, Ugra Khanty-Mansiysk welcomes Amur Khabarovsk. Juha Metsola and Alexander Sharychenkov are in the blue paint. Khabarovsk got going in the second period on a Tomas Zohorna goal, passed from Teemu Ramstedt. Khanty-Mansiysk tied it on a Konstantin Panov goal, guided in by Evgeny Lapenkov and Yakov Seleznyov. Amur retook the lead in the third period with an unassisted Nikita Kamalov goal. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars awarded to Metsola (26 for 27 in saves), Kamalov, and Zohorna.

Finally, Severstal Cherepovets brings in CSKA Moscow. Ilya Sorokin and Jakub Kovar tend the twines. Moscow dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Vyacheslav Osnovin goal, courtesy of Artyom Sergeyev and Kirill Petrov. CSKA added on in the third period with another Osnovin goal, made possible by Maxim Mamin. The final held at 2-0, with the three stars given to Osnovin, Sorokin (18 save shutout), and Kovar (35 for 37 in saves).

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Thursday, November 24, 2016

NHL 2016/17 - Day 43

Just two games today as the United States celebrates Thanksgiving. We begin in...

Montreal, with the Canadiens hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Carey Price man the nets. Carolina started in the first period with an Elias Lindholm goal, his second of the season, passed from Victor Rask and Brett Pesce. Montreal tied it on an Andrew Shaw goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Charles Hudon and David Desharnais. The Canadiens took the lead in the third period on a Max Pacioretty goal, his fifth of the campaign, courtesy of Tomas Plekanec and Brendan Gallagher. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Price (31 for 32 in saves), Pacioretty, and Shaw.

The other game has the Ottawa Senators hosting the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Craig Anderson are the masked men. Boston opened in the first period with a David Pastrnak power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Matt Beleskey and Brad Marchand. Ottawa tied it in the second period with a Mark Stone goal, his fifth of the year, assisted by Mike Hoffman and Dion Phaneuf. The Senators took the lead in the third period with an unassisted goal by Chris Wideman. Ottawa added on with a Kyle Turris goal, his ninth of the campaign, made possible by Bobby Ryan. The game ended at 3-1, with the three stars being Wideman, Turris, and Anderson (19 for 20 in saves).

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KHL 2016/17 - Day 89

Seven games on today, beginning with...

Sibir Novosibirsk hosting Lada Togliatti. Ilya Ezhov and Alexei Krasikov man the nets. Novosibirsk started with a first period goal by Sergei Shumakov, guided in by Stepan Sannikov. Sibir added on with a Maxim Shalunov power play goal, powered by Shumakov and Adam Polasek. Togliatti got on the board with a Vasily Streltsov goal, assisted by Georgy Belousov and Dmitry Sinitsyn in the third period. Novosibirsk replied on an Evgeny Artyukhin goal, helped along by Joonas Kemppainen. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Shumakov, Krasikov (19 for 20 in saves), and Shalunov.

Nearby, Metallurg Novokuznetsk welcomes Ak Bars Kazan. Stanislav Galimov and Vladislav Podyapolsky are set to start in goal. Kazan got going with a second period goal from Fyodor Malykhin, passed from Mikhail Varnakov. Ak Bars added on with a Varnakov goal, assisted by Stepan Zakharchuk and Mikhail Sidorov. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the three stars given to Varnakov, Malykhin, and Galimov (16 save shutout).

Over in Omsk, Avangard brings in Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Ivan Lisutin faces a lesser foe in Oleg Shilin in goal. Nizhnekamsk opened in the first period with a Richard Gynge goal, coming off of Gilbert Brule and Dan Sexton. Neftekhimik added on with a Konstantin Makarov goal, made possible by Igor Polygalov and Gennady Stolyarov. Nizhnekamsk extended the lead as Stolyarov scored an unassisted goal. Dominik Furch replaced Shilin in goal. Omsk got on the board in the third period with a Nikita Lisov goal, via Valentin Pyanov and Ilya Mikheyev. The score held at 3-1, with the three stars handed to Stolyarov, Lisutin (25 for 26 in saves), and Makarov.

Northwest to Finland, where Jokerit Helsinki hosts SKA St. Petersburg. Igor Shestyorkin and Ryan Zapolski are the goalies. St. Petersburg led off in the first period with a Sergei Plotnikov goal, fueled by Ilya Kovalchuk and Pavel Datsyuk. Helsinki tied it in the third period on a Tommi Huhtala goal, passed from Pekka Jormakka and Tomi Maki. SKA took the lead back with a Kovalchuk goal, guided in by Yegor Yakovlev and Plotnikov. Jokerit tied it again with a Jormakka goal, with a lone assist by Topi Jaakola. SKA won 3-2 with a goal by Datsyuk in the shootout. The three stars went to Datsyuk, Plotnikov, and Kovalchuk, while Jormakka gets an honorable mention.

Down in Moscow, Spartak brings in Medvescak Zagreb. Drew MacIntyre and Nikita Bespalov are in the creases. Zagreb dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Mike Glumac goal, helped along by Alexandre Bolduc and Mark Katic. This stood for a 1-0 win, with the three stars awarded to MacIntyre (29 save shutout), Glumac, and Bespalov (35 for 36 in saves).

Over in Nizhny Novgorod, Torpedo welcomes Slovan Bratislava. Justin Pogge and Ilya Proskuryakov are the masked men. Bratislava drew first blood in the second period on a Ziga Jeglic power play goal, powered by Filip Novak and Jeff Taffe. Nizhny Novgorod tied it on a Kirill Vorobyov goal in the third period, passed from Alexander Frolov and Dmitry Semin. Slovan took the lead with an unassisted Igor Musatov goal. Bratislava added on with a Nick Plastino goal, with a lone assist by Kyle Chipchura. Slovan iced it at 4-1 with a Radek Smolenak empty net goal, set up by Musatov and Tomas Kopetsky. The three stars went to Musatov, Pogge (35 for 36 in saves), and Plastino.

Finally, Dinamo Riga hosts Dinamo Minsk. Ben Scrivens and Janis Kalnins play goal. Minsk began in the first period with an Alexander Materukhin power play goal, powered by Matt Ellison. Minsk added on with an Alexander Pavlovich goal, courtesy of Ellison and Marc-Andre Gragnani. Minsk extended the lead as Nikita Komarov scored, with the help of Dmitry Korobov and Gragnani. Jakub Sedlacek replaced Kalnins in goal. Minsk padded the lead in the second period on an Evgeny Lisovets power play goal, going in unassisted. Riga got on the board with a Maris Bicevskis power play goal, with helpers from Krisjanis Redlihs and Miks Indrasis. The three stars of the 4-1 game were Scrivens (27 for 28 in saves), Ellison, and Gragnani.

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Wednesday, November 23, 2016

NHL 2016/17 - Day 42

We've got a big twelve games on tonight before a holiday. We begin in...

Buffalo, as the Sabres host the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Robin Lehner are in the creases. Detroit got going in the second period with a Gustav Nyquist goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Thomas Vanek and Ryan Sproul. Buffalo tied it in the third period with a Brian Gionta goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The tie went to a shootout, where Nyquist and Vanek topped Sam Reinhart to lead the Red Wings to a 2-1 win. The three stars were Nyquist, Vanek, and Howard (32 for 33 in saves).

Out in New Jersey, the Devils welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jhonas Enroth is mismatched with Cory Schneider in goal. Toronto led off in the first period with an Auston Matthews goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Zach Hyman. The Maple Leafs added on with a Nazem Kadri power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Matthews and William Nylander. Toronto extended the lead in the third period as Matthews scored his second of the game and eighth of the season, with the help of Hyman and Connor Brown. New Jersey got on the board in the second period on a Travis Zajac goal, his fifth of the year, assisted by Michael Cammalleri and Kyle Quincey. The Devils got closer with a Beau Bennett power play goal, with assists provided by Devante Smith-Pelly and Cammalleri. New Jersey tied it as Cammalleri scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Zajac and Andy Greene. The Maple Leafs regained the lead on a Matt Martin goal, via Nikita Soshnikov and Nikita Zaitsev. The Devils tied it again on a third period Yohann Avitu goal, his second of the year, helped along by Zajac and Cammalleri, the latter earning a sock trick. Jacob Josefson of New Jersey had the only shootout goal for a 5-4 Devils win. The three stars were Cammalleri, Matthews, and Zajac, while Hyman gets an honorable mention.

Staying close by, the New York Rangers bring in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Matt Murray and Henrik Lundqvist are between the pipes. New York started in the first period with a Rick Nash power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello. Pittsburgh tied it in the second period on a Scott Wilson goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Phil Kessel and Nick Bonino. The Penguins took the lead with a Sidney Crosby goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Ian Cole. Pittsburgh added on with a Kessel goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Bonino. The Penguins extended the lead as Crosby scored his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, with a lone assist by Kris Letang. Antti Raanta replaced Lundqvist at this time. Pittsburgh padded the lead with a Conor Sheary goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Crosby and Carl Hagelin. The Penguins iced it at 6-1 in the third period with a Matt Cullen goal, his fourth of the campaign, guided in by Justin Schultz and Eric Fehr. The three stars went to Crosby, Kessel, and Bonino.

To DC, where the Washington Capitals host the St. Louis Blues. Carter Hutton and Braden Holtby receive the starting nods in goal. Washington began in the first period with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom on the power play. The Capitals added on with another Ovechkin goal in the second period, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, via John Carlson and Andre Burakovsky. St. Louis got on the board with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his eighth of the season, with a lone assist by Dmitrij Jaskin. Washington replied with a Kuznetsov goal in the third period, his third of the year, helped along by Dmitry Orlov and Burakovsky. The Capitals extended the lead as Ovechkin finished his hat trick on his twelfth of the season, going in unassisted. The Blues got one back with an Alex Pietrangelo power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Paul Stastny and Colton Parayko. St. Louis got closer with Tarasenko's second of the game and ninth of the campaign, assisted by David Perron and Jaden Schwartz. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars being Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, and Tarasenko, while Burakovsky gets an honorable mention.

West to Columbus, where the Blue Jackets welcome the Calgary Flames. Chad Johnson and Sergei Bobrovsky are in the blue paint. Calgary dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Troy Brouwer goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Kris Versteeg. The Flames added on in the third period with a Micheal Ferland power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Dennis Wideman. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Johnson (34 save shutout), Brouwer, and Ferland.

Northwest to Minnesota, where the Wild bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Devan Dubnyk protect the nets. Minnesota cracked the scoresheet in the second period on a Mikko Koivu goal, his third of the season, helped along by Jason Zucker and Mikael Granlund. The Wild added on with a third period Jonas Brodin power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Granlund and Matt Dumba. Winnipeg got on the board with a Blake Wheeler power play goal, his seventh of the season, via Dustin Byfuglien and Nic Petan. Minnesota iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Zach Prise, his third of the year, set up by Eric Staal and Charlie Coyle. The three stars were given to Granlund, Dubnyk (15 for 16 in saves), and Brodin.

Down in Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Andrei Vasilevskiy man the nets. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with a Victor Hedman power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point. Philadelphia tied it on a Dale Weise goal in the second period, his second of the year, coming off of Chris VandeVelde and Ivan Provorov. The Flyers took the lead with a Provorov goal, guided in by Matt Read and Mark Streit. The Lightning tied it again in the third period with an Alex Killorn goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Slater Koekkoek and Vladislav Namestnikov. Tampa Bay took the lead with a Ryan Callahan goal, his second of the year, fueled by Point and Tyler Johnson. The Lightning added on with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his tenth of the campaign, assisted by Valtteri Filppula and Palat. The three stars of the 4-2 game were Provorov, Palat, and Point.

Backtracking to Nashville, where the Predators welcome the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Pekka Rinne are the Finnish goalies. Nashville struck first in the first period with a Filip Forsberg goal, his second of the season, via P.K. Subban. The Predators added on in the second period with a Mike Fisher goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. Dallas got on the board in the third period with a shorthanded Patrick Sharp goal, set up by Lauri Korpikoski and Jamie Oleksiak. Nashville responded with a power play goal by Ryan Johansen goal, his second of the season, powered by James Neal and Viktor Arvidsson. The Predators extended the lead as Craig Smith scored his sixth of the year, thanks to Forsberg and Mike Ribeiro. The Stars got one back with a Brett Ritchie goal, his sixth of the season, helped along by Antoine Roussel and Radek Faksa. Nashville iced it at 5-2 with a Neal empty net goal, his ninth of the year, with helpers from Johansen and Roman Josi. The three stars belonged to Forsberg, Johansen, and Neal.

Out west, the Colorado Avalanche bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Semyon Varlamov draw the starts. Colorado was first to score in the first period with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Mikko Rantanen and Patrick Wiercioch. Edmonton tied it on a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his third of the year, going in unassisted. The Avalanche retook the lead with a Rene Bourque goal, his sixth of the season, passed from MacKinnon and Fedor Tyutin. The Oilers retied it on a Jordan Eberle power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Leon Draisaitl and Milan Lucic. Colorado pulled ahead in the third period with a Bourque goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, helped along by Tyson Barrie and Rantanen. Edmonton tied it in the third period on a Lucic goal, his sixth of the year, assisted by Connor McDavid and Adam Larsson. The Oilers took the lead with a McDavid goal, his ninth of the season, with a lone assist from Lucic. Edmonton added on with a Draisaitl power play goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Lucic, who got a sock trick, and McDavid. The Oilers iced it at 6-3 with an Eberle empty net goal, his second of the game and seventh of the campaign, set up by Patrick Maroon. The three stars were Lucic, McDavid, and Bourque, while Draisaitl, Eberle, Rantanen, and MacKinnon get the honorable mentions.

In California, the San Jose Sharks host the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Martin Jones tend the twines. San Jose led off in the first period with a Logan Couture power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns. The Sharks added on with a shorthanded Joel Ward goal, his second of the year, set up by Chris Tierney. Chicago got on the board in the second period with an Artemi Panarin goal, his eighth of the season, fueled by Artem Anisimov and Niklas Hjalmarsson. This only made it 2-1, the eventual final, with the three stars going to Jones (33 for 34 in saves), Ward, and Couture.

Down in Arizona, the Coyotes welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller and Mike Smith are the overrated goalies. Vancouver began in the first period with a Sven Baertschi goal, his second of the season, guided in by Bo Horvat. Arizona tied it in the second period on a Christian Dvorak goal, his second of the year, via Anthony DeAngelo and Alex Goligoski. The Canucks took the lead back with a Loui Eriksson goal, his fourth of the season, fueled by Markus Granlund and Luca Sbisa. Vancouver added on with a Horvat goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Alexandre Burrows and Baertschi. The Canucks extended the lead as Burrows scored his third of the season, thanks to Baertschi and Horvat. Louis Domingue replaced Smith in goal. The final stood at 4-1, with the three stars given to Baertschi, Horvat, and Burrows.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak faces a lesser foe in Peter Budaj in goal. Los Angeles drew first blood in the first period with an Alec Martinez goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Jake Muzzin. New York tied it in the third period on an Anders Lee goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Travis Hamonic and Alan Quine. The Kings took the lead back with a Dwight King goal, his third of the season, passed from Nick Shore and Derek Forbort. Los Angeles added on with a King goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, assisted by Trevor Lewis and Drew Doughty. The Kings extended the lead as Muzzin scored his third of the season unassisted into an empty net. The Islanders got one back with Lee's second of the game and third of the year, set up by Jason Chimera and Adam Pelech. This held for a 4-2 final, with the three stars going to King, Lee, and Muzzin.

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KHL 2016/17 - Day 88

It's another day with six games for the Russian league, beginning with...

Traktor Chelyabinsk hosting Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Yeryomenko and Pavel Francouz man the nets. Moscow got going in the second period with an Ilya Nikulin goal, via Denis Kokarev. Chelyabinsk tied it on a Maxim Yakutsenya goal, passed from Kirill Koltsov. Dynamo won 2-1 in overtime with a Yegor Dugin goal, made possible by Maxim Karpov. The three stars were Yeryomenko (21 for 22 in saves), Dugin, and Nikulin.

East to Magnitogorsk, where Metallurg welcomes Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Alexei Murygin and Ilya Samsonov are set to start in goal. Yaroslavl started in the first period with a Pavel Kraskovsky goal, assisted by Yegor Korshkov and Alexander Polunin. Magnitogorsk tied it in the second period on a Chris Lee power play goal, powered by Viktor Antipin and Jan Kovar. Metallurg took the lead on an Antipin goal, coming off of Lee and Sergei Mozyakin. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Antipin, Lee, and Samsonov (38 for 39 in saves).

Next up, Salavat Yulaev Ufa brings in Vityaz Podolsk. Harri Sateri and Niklas Svedberg protect the nets. Ufa opened in the first period with an Alexander Loginov goal, via Anton Lazarev. Podolsk tied it in the third period with a Miro Aaltonen power play goal, powered by Mario Kempe and Roman Horak. Vityaz took the lead with a Horak power play goal, fueled by Kempe and Alexei Kopeikin. The final stayed at 2-1, with the three stars awarded to Horak, Sateri (44 for 45 in saves), and Kempe.

Continuing along, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg hosts Amur Khabarovsk. Juha Metsola and Igor Ustinsky are between the pipes. Khabarovsk dented the scoreboard with a Maxim Kondratyev goal in the third period, helped along by Jan Kolar and Tomas Zohorna. Yekaterinburg tied it on a Dmitry Monya goal, assisted by Alexaner Torchenyuk and Nikita Shchitov. In the shootout, Amur saw tallies from Alexei Byvaltsev and Zohorna to win the game 2-1. The three stars went to Zohorna, Metsola (25 for 26 in saves), and Ustinsky (32 for 33 in saves).

South to Kazakhstan, where Barys Astana welcomes Kunlun Red Star Beijing. Andrei Makarov and Henrik Karlsson play goal. Astana led off in the first period with a Nikita Ivanov goal, passed from Yegor Shalapov and Dmitry Grents. Barys added on with a Cam Barker power play goal, powered by Nigel Dawes and Martin St. Pierre. Beijing got on the board with a Damien Fleury goal, courtesy of Yaroslav Alshevsky and Brett Bellemore in the second period. Astana replied with a Dawes goal in the third period, made possible by St. Pierre and Roman Savchenko. Barys extended the lead as Roman Starchenko scored, thanks to Ivan Kuchin. This produced the 4-1 final, with the three stars given to Dawes, Karlsson (42 for 43 in saves), and St. Pierre.

Finally, Ugra Khanty-Mansiysk brings in Admiral Vladivostok. Igor Bobkov and Alexander Sharychenkov receive the starting nods in goal. Vladivostok drew first blood in the third period on a Viktor Alexandrov goal, with a lone assist from Dmitry Lugin. This stood for a 1-0 Admiral win, with the three stars handed to Bobkov (25 save shutout), Alexandrov, and Sharychenkov (27 for 28 in saves).

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Tuesday, November 22, 2016

MLS Conference Finals - Leg 1

The penultimate round of the MLS playoffs commences with these two games, as the lower-ranked teams host first in their two-leg series. We begin in the east with...

The Montreal Impact hosting Toronto FC. Clint Irwin and Evan Bush are the gloved men. Montreal started in the tenth minute with a Dominic Oduro goal, via Patrice Bernier. The Impact added on with a Matteo Mancosu goal in the twelfth minute, courtesy of Ignacio Piatti and Oduro. Montreal extended the lead in the fifty-third minute with an Ambroise Oyongo goal, passed from Bernier. Toronto got on the board in the sixty-eighth minute on a Jozy Altidore goal, assisted by Sebastian Giovinco and Steven Beitashour. Toronto pulled closer with a Michael Bradley goal in the seventy-third minute, made possible by Tosaint Ricketts and Altidore. This made it 3-2, the final, with Bernier's two assists making him the man of the match.

In the West, the Seattle Sounders FC host the Colorado Rapids. Zac MacMath and Stefan Frei protect the nets. Colorado opened in the thirteenth minute with a Kevin Doyle goal, via Jermaine Jones. Seattle tied it in the nineteenth minute on a Jordan Morris goal. Marc Burch of the Rapids had a yellow card for a thirty-fourth minute foul. Colorado saw a yellow card go to Doyle for a foul in the fifty-eighth minute. The Sounders took the lead with a sixty-first minute penalty kick goal by Nicolas Lodeiro. The Rapids' Sam Cronin received a yellow card for his sixty-seventh minute foul. The final held at 2-1, with the man of the match being Lodeiro for his winner.

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