NHL 2016/17 - Day 68

Just four games on tonight due to a postponement for the Carolina Hurricanes game against the Detroit Red Wings. The ice was unplayable, forcing the game to be rescheduled. We commence with...

The Philadelphia Flyers hosting the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Steve Mason are the veteran goalies. Philadelphia led off in the first period with an Andrew MacDonald goal, his second of the season, passed from Jakub Voracek and Ivan Provorov. Nashville tied it in the third period on a Filip Forsberg goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Matt Irwin and Mattias Ekholm. The tie went to a shootout, where Ryan Ellis had the only goal for the Predators to win the game 2-1. The three stars were Rinne (31 for 32 in saves), Forsberg, and Mason (30 for 31 in saves).

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs welcome the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson faces former teammate Frederik Andersen in goal. Toronto got going in the second period with an Auston Matthews goal, his fifteenth of the season, helped along by Nikita Zaitsev and Zach Hyman. Anaheim tied it with a Ryan Getzlaf power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Sami Vatanen and Cam Fowler. The Ducks took the lead in the third period on a Nick Ritchie goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Ondrej Kase. The Maple Leafs tied it with a Nazem Kadri goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Matt Hunwick. Anaheim regained the lead on a Fowler goal, his ninth of the season, coming on the power play from Ryan Kesler. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Fowler, Ritchie, and Getzlaf.

Down in St. Louis, the Blues bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Carter Hutton draw the starts in goal. St. Louis began in the first period with a Kyle Brodziak goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Kevin Shattenkrik. Edmonton tied it on a Tyler Pitlick goal, his eighth of the year, coming off of Leon Draisaitl. The Blues retook the lead with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his sixteenth of the season, guided in by Robby Fabbri and Colton Parayko. The Oilers tied it again in the third period with a Patrick Maroon goal, his ninth of the year, helped along by Brandon Davidson and Draisaitl. Edmonton won 3-2 in overtime with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his sixth of the campaign, passed from Connor McDavid and Andrej Sekera. The three stars were Draisaitl, Nugent-Hopkins, and Maroon.

Finally, the Arizona Coyotes host the Calgary Flames. Brian Elliott and Mike Smith are the masked men. Arizona struck first in the first period with a Christian Dvorak goal, his third of the season, via Josh Jooris. Calgary tied it on a Mikael Backlund power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Dougie Hamilton and Matthew Tkachuk in the second period. The Flames took the lead with a Troy Brouwer goal, his eighth of the season, with assists provided by Johnny Gaudreau and Kris Versteeg. The Coyotes tied it with a Ryan White goal, his second of the year, coming off of Dvorak. Calgary regained the lead with a Versteeg power play goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Sean Monahan and Brouwer. The Flames iced it at 4-2 with a T.J. Brodie empty net goal, his third of the year, set up by Tkachuk. The three stars were Versteeg, Brouwer, and Dvorak, while Tkachuk gets an honorable mention.

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KHL 2016/17 - Day 111

Seven games on for today as the league returns to full strength after a slow week. We begin in...

Khabarovsk, where Amur hosts Barys Astana. Henrik Karlsson and Juha Metsola are the masked men. Khabarovsk got going in the second period with a Tomas Zohorna goal, assisted by Jan Kolar. Astana tied it with a Nigel Dawes power play goal, powered by Brandon Bochenski and Dustin Boyd in the third period. Barys took the lead with an unassisted Roman Starchenko goal. This made it a 2-1 result for Barys, with the three stars going to Starchenko, Karlsson (25 for 26 in saves), and Dawes.

Down in Vladivostok, Admiral welcomes Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Ivan Lisutin and Ivan Nalimov draw the starts in goal. Vladivostok dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Vladimir Tkachyov goal, passed from Robert Sabolic and Artyom Zemchyonok. Yekaterinburg tied it on a Rok Ticar goal, via Pavel Turbin and Nikolai Timashov. Avtomobilit took the lead in the third period on another Ticar goal, guided in by Alexei Vasilevsky and Anatoly Golyshev. Yekaterinburg iced it at 3-1 with a shorthanded empty net goal from Petr Koukal, set up by Artyom Gareyev. The three stars went to Ticar, Lisutin (33 for 34 in saves), and Koukal.

In China, Kunlun Red Star Beijing brings in Ugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Vladislav Fokin and Tomi Karhunen play goal. Beijing opened in the first period with a Tuukka Mantyla goal, assisted by Linus Videll and Janne Jalasvaara. Khanty-Mansiysk tied it on a Konstantin Panov goal, fueled by Anton Korolyov. Ugra took the lead with an Alexander Akmaldinov power play goal, powered by Nikita Dvurechensky. Kunlun Red Star tied it in the third period on a shorthanded Tomi Sallinen goal, set up by Jalasvaara and Mantyla. Beijing won 3-2 in the shootout with a Damien Fleury tally. The three stars went to Mantyla, Sallinen, and Jalasvaara.

Back in Russia, Sibir Novosibirsk hosts Dinamo Riga. Janis Kalnins and Danny Taylor man the nets. Novosibirsk started in the first period with an unassisted goal by Sergei Shumakov. Sibir added on with a Stepan Sannikov power play, powered by Adam Polasek and Joonas Kemppainen in the second period. Riga got on the board with a Roberts Lipsbergs goal in the third period, going in unassisted. The final stood at 2-1, with the three stars given to Taylor (22 for 23 in saves), Sannikov, and Shumakov.

Nearby in Novokuznetsk, Metallurg welcomes Dinamo Minsk. Ben Scrivens and Vladislav Podyapolsky are in the creases. Minsk led off in the first period with a Rob Klinkhammer power play goal, powered by Matt Ellison. Dinamo added on in the third period with a shorthanded Evgeny Kovyrshin goal, set up by Klinkhammer. This made it 2-0, the final, with the three stars being Klinkhammer, Scrivens (19 save shutout), and Kovyrshin.

West to Omsk, where Avangard brings in Jokerit Helsinki. Ryan Zapolski and Dominik Furch protect the nets. Omsk drew first blood in the third period with a Valentin Pyanov goal, fueled by Ilya Mikheyev. Helsinki tied it on a Ville Lajunen goal, courtesy of Peter Regin and Brian O'Neill. Avangard won 2-1 in overtime with a Mikhail Yunkov goal, via David Booth and Yegor Martynov. The three stars belonged to Furch (21 for 22 in saves), Yunkov, and Pyanov.

Finally, Medvescak Zagreb hosts Traktor Chelyabinsk. Vasily Demchenko and Drew MacIntyre receive the starting nods in goal. Zagreb began in the first period with a Tomas Mertl goal, made possible by Mark Katic. Chelyabinsk tied it in the third period with a Derek Roy goal, fueled by Jiri Novotny and Maxim Yakutsenya. Traktor took the lead with an Alexei Petrov goal, via Yakutsenya and Alexei Kruchinin. Chelyabinsk added on with an Alexander Sharov shorthanded goal, set up by Roy. Medvescak got one back with a Francis Pare power play goal, powered by Bobby Butler. The game ended at 3-2, with the three stars going to Roy, Yakutsenya, and Sharov.

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NHL 2016/17 - Day 67

Six games on today, with three of them being matinees. The first is in...

Boston, where the Bruins host the Los Angeles Kings. Peter Budaj and Tuukka Rask are the goalies. Boston led off in the first period with a Jimmy Hayes goal, his second of the season, assisted by Colin Miller and Dominic Moore. This held up throughout the game for a 1-0 win, with the three stars going to Rask (18 save shutout), Hayes, and Budaj (29 for 30 in saves).

Up in Winnipeg, the Jets welcome the Colorado Avalanche. Calvin Pickard is mismatched with Connor Hellebuyck in goal. Winnipeg got going in the second period on a Patrik Laine goal, his eighteenth of the season, passed from Mark Scheifele and Paul Postma. The Jets added on in the third period with a Blake Wheeler goal, his ninth of the year, via Mathieu Perreault and Bryan Little. Winnipeg extended the lead as Nikolaj Ehlers scored his sixth of the season, thanks to Scheifele and Laine. Colorado got on the board with a Jarome Iginla power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Mikko Rantanen and Matt Duchene. The Jets iced it at 4-1 with an Ehlers empty net goal, his second of the game and seventh of the campaign, set up by Laine and Jacob Trouba. The three stars went to Laine, Ehlers, and Scheifele, while Hellebuyck (27 for 28 in saves) gets an honorable mention.

Westward to Vancouver, where the Canucks bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Ryan Miller draw the starts. Columbus dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Cam Atkinson power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Zach Werenski and Alexander Wennberg. The Blue Jackets added on with a Brandon Saad power play goal, his tenth of the year, fueled by Scott Hartnell and Brandon Dubinsky. Vancouver got on the board in the third period with a Brandon Sutter power play goal, his ninth of the season, with assists provided by Sven Baertschi and Troy Stecher. The Canucks tied it on a Daniel Sedin goal, his tenth of the year, helped along by Henrik Sedin. Columbus retook the lead with another Saad goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the season, made possible by Wennberg and Nick Foligno. Vancouver tied it on a Jannik Hansen goal, his third of the year, via Bo Horvat. The Blue Jackets won 4-3 in overtime on a Seth Jones goal, his fifth of the campaign, courtesy of Atkinson. The three stars went to Saad, Atkinson, and Wennberg.

In Chicago, the Blackhawks host the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Scott Darling man the nets. San Jose began in the second period with a Joe Pavelski goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off Brent Burns and Paul Martin. Chicago tied it on a Duncan Keith goal, made possible by Artemi Panarin. The Blackhawks took the lead in the third period with a Ryan Hartman goal, his sixth of the year, via Vinnie Hinostroza. Chicago added on with a Hinostroza goal, his third of the season, via Trevor van Riemsdyk and Hartman. The Blackhawks iced it at 4-1 with a Patrick Kane goal, his tenth of the year, an empty net goal set up by Panarin and Jonathan Toews. The three stars went to Hartman, Hinostroza, and Panarin.

East to Brooklyn, where the New York Islanders welcome the Ottawa Senators. Andrew Hammond and Jean-Francois Berube are the little-known goalies. Ottawa started in the first period with a Bobby Ryan goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Kyle Turris and Ryan Dzingel. The Senators added on with a Zack Smith goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Mark Stone and Erik Karlsson. New York got on the board in the second period with an Anders Lee goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Josh Bailey. The Islanders tied it on an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his third of the year, helped along by Travis Hamonic. Ottawa retook the lead with a Stone power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Karlsson and Dion Phaneuf. The Senators extended the lead as Derick Brassard scored in the third period, his sixth of the season, thanks to Stone and Smith. Ottawa padded the lead on a shorthanded and unassisted Smith empty net goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season. The Senators iced it at 6-2 with a Tom Pyatt empty net goal, his third of the year, set up by Chris Kelly. The three stars were given to Stone, Smith, and Karlsson.

Finally, the New York Rangers bring in the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Henrik Lundqvist guard the cages. New Jersey opened in the second period with a P.A. Parenteau power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Kyle Palmieri and Damon Severson. New York tied it in the third period with a Chris Kreider goal, his ninth of the year, via Mats Zuccarello and Brady Skjei. The Devils took the lead back with a Miles Wood goal, his third of the season, guided in by Adam Henrique and Palmieri. The Rangers tied it again with a Derek Stepan goal, his sixth of the year, helped along by Ryan McDonagh and Kevin Klein. The tie went to a shootout where Zuccarello and Kevin Hayes topped Michael Cammalleri for a 3-2 Rangers lead. The three stars went to Zuccarello, Palmieri, and Hayes.

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NHL 2016/17 - Day 66

Ten games on throughout the day today, beginning with a pair of matinees. The first is in...

Dallas, where the Stars host the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Antti Niemi are in goal. Philadelphia began with a Taylor Leier goal in the first period, passed from Nick Cousins. Dallas tied it in the second period on a Radek Faksa goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Antoine Roussel and Brett Ritchie. The Stars took the lead in the third period with an Adam Cracknell goal, his fourth of the year, via John Klingberg and Tyler Seguin. Dallas iced it at 3-1 with a Jordie Benn empty net goal, his second of the campaign, set up by Jamie Benn and Faksa. The three stars were Faksa, Niemi (31 for 32 in saves), and Cracknell.

Up in Minnesota, the Wild welcome the Arizona Coyotes. Mike Smith and Darcy Kuemper man the nets. Minnesota opened in the first period on a Ryan Suter power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Eric Staal and Zach Parise. The Wild added on with a Tyler Graovac goal in the second period, his third of the year, going in unassisted. Minnesota extended the lead in the third period as Chris Stewart scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Jared Spurgeon. Arizona got on the board with a Brendan Perlini goal, his second of the year, via Christian Dvorak and Connor Murphy. The Wild capped their win at 4-1 with a Staal empty net goal, his tenth of the campaign, set up by Charlie Coyle and Mikko Koivu. The three stars went to Staal, Kuemper (27 for 28 in saves), and Graovac.

At the regular time, the Detroit Red Wings bring in the Anaheim Ducks. Jonathan Bernier and Petr Mrazek are called on to start in goal. Anaheim led off in the first period with a Rickard Rakell power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Sami Vatanen and Hampus Lindholm. The Ducks added on with a Shea Theodore power play goal, coming off of Ryan Kesler and Ryan Getzlaf. Detroit got on the board with a Tomas Tatar goal, his fifth of the year, via Mike Green and Anthony Mantha. Anaheim shot back in the second period on a Cam Fowler goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Andrew Cogliano and Kesler. The Red Wings answered with a Tatar goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, helped along by Xavier Ouellet and Jonathan Ericsson. Detroit tied it with a Dylan Larkin goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Luke Glendening and Riley Sheahan. The Red Wings gained the lead with an Ouellet goal, fueled by Thomas Vanek and Gustav Nyquist. Detroit extended the lead in the third period against replacement goalie John Gibson as Tatar finished his hat trick on his seventh of the year, thanks to Henrik Zetterberg and Mantha. The Ducks shot back with another Rakell goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Red Wings iced it at 6-4 with a Frans Nielsen goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Ryan Sproul and Vanek. The three stars were Tatar, Ouellet, and Rakell, while Vanek, Kesler, and Mantha receive the honorable mentions.

Southeast to Raleigh, where the Carolina Hurricanes host the Buffalo Sabres. Anders Nilsson and Cam Ward are set to start in goal. Carolina started in the first period with a Joakim Nordstrom goal, his third of the season, passed from Jay McClement and Brett Pesce. Buffalo tied it in the third period on an Evander Kane goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Jake McCabe and Marcus Foligno. The tie went to a shootout, where Lee Stempniak and Sebastian Aho tallied to give the Hurricanes a 2-1 win. The three stars went to Nordstrom, Ward (23 for 24 in saves), and Nilsson (21 for 22 in saves).

Up in Ottawa, the Senators welcome the New Jersey Devils. Keith Kinkaid and Mike Condon are the backups in goal. Ottawa struck first in the first period with a Bobby Ryan goal, his fifth of the season, via Chris Kelly and Ryan Dzingel. New Jersey tied it with a John Moore goal, his fifth of the year, assisted by Michael Cammalleri and Travis Zajac. The Senators took the lead back in the second period on a Derick Brassard goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Zack Smith and Mark Stone. Ottawa added on in the third period with a Smith empty net goal, his fifth of the year, set up by Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Kelly. The three stars went to Smith, Kelly, and Condon (29 for 30 in saves).

Staying in Ontario, the Toronto Maple Leafs bring in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Frederik Andersen make the starts in goal. Fleury had an injury scare when a skate caught him in the face, but he was able to return, with Matt Murray spelling him. Pittsburgh was first to score in the first period with an Evgeni Malkin power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Justin Schultz and Sidney Crosby. Toronto tied it on a Nikita Zaitsev goal, passed from Mitchell Marner and James van Riemsdyk. The Maple Leafs won 2-1 in overtime with a Jake Gardiner goal, his sixth of the year, via Marner. The three stars went to Marner, Andersen (33 for 34 in saves), and Fleury (41 for 43 in saves).

Down in DC, the Washington Capitals host the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Braden Holtby tend the twines. Montreal led off in the first period with an unassisted Artturi Lehkonen goal, his sixth of the season. Washington tied it on a Nicklas Backstrom power play goal in the second period, his ninth of the year, powered by Justin Williams and Alex Ovechkin. The Canadiens retook the lead with a Jeff Petry goal, his sixth of the campaign, helped along by Max Pacioretty and Phillip Danault. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Price (20 for 21 in saves), Petry, and Lehkonen.

To the Midwest, where the St. Louis Blues welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Scott Darling and Jake Allen are in the blue paint. St. Louis began in the first period with a Patrik Berglund goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Joel Edmundson. Chicago tied it on a Dennis Rasmussen goal, his third of the year, via Richard Panik and Marcus Kruger. The Blues took the lead back in the second period with a Kyle Brodziak goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Ryan Reaves and Edmundson. The Blackhawks retied it on a Patrick Kane goal, his ninth of the year, guided in by Trevor van Riemsdyk. St. Louis took the lead back on another Berglund goal, his second of the game and fourth of the season, assisted by Alexander Steen and David Perron. Chicago tied it again as Brian Campbell scored his third of the year, thanks to Artemi Panarin and Kane. The Blues regained the lead with an Alex Pietrangelo goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Edmundson, who got a sock trick, and Jori Lehtera. The Blackhawks tied it once more in the third period with a Niklas Hjalmarsson goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Panarin and Kruger. Chicago took the lead on a Vinnie Hinostroza goal, his second of the season, fueled by Brent Seabrook and Marian Hossa. The Blackhawks finished it at 6-4 with an empty net goal by Panarin, his fourteenth of the year, set up by Duncan Keith. The three stars went to Panarin, Kane, and Berglund, while Edmundson and Kruger get the honorable mentions.

In Nashville, the Predators bring in the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist faces a lesser foe in Juuse Saros in goal. New York started in the first period with a Rick Nash goal, his thirteenth of the season, via Kevin Hayes and Nick Holden. Nashville tied it on an unassisted Mike Fisher goal in the second period, his ninth of the year. The tie went to a shootout, where Jimmy Vesey and Mats Zuccarello tallied for a 2-1 Rangers win. The three stars went to Lundqvist (31 for 32 in saves), Saros (26 for 27 in saves), and Nash.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ben Bishop and Cam Talbot guard the cages. Edmonton got going in the second period with a Milan Lucic power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Leon Draisaitl and Andrej Sekera. Tampa Bay tied it on a Jonathan Drouin power play goal, his seventh of the year, via Victor Hedman and Brayden Point. The Lightning took the lead with a Tyler Johnson goal in the third period, his ninth of the season, assisted by Cory Conacher and Nikita Nesterov. The Oilers retied it on a Draisaitl power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, coming off of Mark Letestu and Sekera. The tie went to a shootout, where Letestu and Connor McDavid topped Drouin for a 3-2 Oilers win. The three stars went to Draisaitl, Letestu, and Sekera, while Drouin gets the honorable mention.

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KHL 2016/17 - Days 108 through 110

As the KHL hits an unusually mild stretch of their season, we'll smash a few days together. First up is Tuesday's lone game with...

Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk hosting Ak Bars Kazan. Emil Garipov and Ville Kolppanen are in goal. Kazan got going in the second period with a Ziyat Paigin power play goal, powered by Anton Glinkin and Albert Yarullin. Ak Bars added on with an Alexander Svitov power play goal, assisted by Paigin and Stefan Elliott. Nizhnekamsk got on the board with a Geoffrey Kinrade goal, passed from Kirill Lyamin and Mikhail Zhukov. This only made it 2-1, the eventual final, with the three stars given to Paigin, Garipov (41 for 42 in saves), and Svitov.

On Thursday, Amur Khabarovsk welcomes Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Vladimir Sokhatsky and Juha Metsola are set to start in goal. Yekaterinburg opened in the first period with a Dmitry Megalinsky power play goal, powered by Nikita Shchitov and Petr Koukal. Avtomobilist added on with a Michal Cajkovsky goal, via Alexander Torchenyuk and Dmitry Monya in the second period. Yekaterinburg extended the lead as Artyom Gareyev scored, thanks to Alexei Mikhnov and Shchitov. Avtomobilist padded the lead with a Tommi Kivisto power play goal, fueled by Torchenyuk and Monya. Ilya Andryukhov replaced Metsola in goal. Yekaterinburg kept going with a power play goal by Alexei Vasilevsky, with a lone assist by Alexei Simakov. Khabarovsk got on the board in the third period with an Igor Rudenkov goal, passed from Vladimir Malevich.  Amur got closer with a Vladislav Ushenin goal, courtesy of Kristian Kuusela and Teemu Ramstedt. The final held here at 5-2, with the three stars going to Shchitov, Torchenyuk, and Monya.

Saturday's first game saw Admiral Vladivostok bring in Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Ville Kolppanen and Ivan Nalimov are the goalies. Vladivostok started in the first period with a shorthanded goal by Anton Volchenkov, set up by Dmitry Sayustov and Mikhail Grigoryev. Nizhnekamsk tied it on a Konstantin Makarov goal, passed from Gennady Stolyarov and Igor Polygalov. Admiral retook the lead on a Pavel Makarenko goal, assisted by Vladimir Tkachyov. Vladivostok added on with a Dmitry Lugin goal, coming off of Grigoryev. Neftekhimik got one back with a Richard Gynge power play goal in the second period, powered by Dan Sexton and Gilbert Brule. Admiral answered with a Robert Sabolic power play goal, made possible by Tkachyov and Oskars Bartulis. Nizhnekamsk got one back on another Gynge goal, guided in by Kirill Lyamin. Neftekhimik tied it on a Makarov goal, fueled by Stolyarov and Ivan Lekomtsev. Vladivostok pulled ahead with a Tkachyov goal, with a lone helper by Sabolic. Admiral extended the lead as James Wright scored a power play goal, thanks to Grigoryev, who earned a sock trick, and Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev. Nizhnekamsk countered with a Geoffrey Kinrade goal, dished from Sexton and Gynge. Vladivostok iced it at 7-5 with a Sayustov empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Grigoryev, Tkachyov, and Sabolic, while Sayustov, Makarov, Gynge, Sexton, and Stolyarov get the honorable mentions.

Saturday's other game had Kunlun Red Star Beijing hosting Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Vladimir Sokhatsky and Tomi Karhunen are in the creases. Beijing struck first in the first period with a Damien Fleury power play goal, powered by Tomi Sallinen and Martin Bakos. Yekaterinburg tied it on an Artyom Gareyev goal in the second period, assisted by Michal Cajkovsky and Alexei Mikhnov. Kunlun Red Star retook the lead in the third period on a Chad Rau goal, passed from Sean Collins and Linus Videll. Beijing added on with a Brett Bellemore goal, made possible by Alexei Ponikarovsky. Avtomobilist got one back on an unassisted Gareyev goal. Yekaterinburg tied it with Gareyev's third of the game, with the hat trick goal helped along by Mikhnov. Kunlun Red Star won 4-3 in overtime on a Rau goal, guided in by Collins. The three stars went to Gareyev, Rau, and Collins, while Mikhnov gets an honorable mention.

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NHL 2016/17 - Day 65

Seven games on tonight, beginning with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the New York Islanders. Jean-Francois Berube and Robin Lehner are in the creases. New York opened in the first period with a Ryan Strome goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Cal Clutterbuck and Nikolay Kulemin. Buffalo tied it in the second period on a Johan Larsson goal, his fifth of the year, via Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake McCabe. The Islanders took the lead back with an Alan Quine power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Shane Prince. The Sabres tied it with a Matt Moulson power play goal in the third period, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Evander Kane and Brian Gionta. Buffalo won 3-2 with a Ristolainen goal in overtime, his second of the campaign, helped along by Kyle Okposo. The three stars went to Ristolainen, Moulson, and Lehner (33 for 35 in saves).

Over in Pittsburgh, the Penguins welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Peter Budaj and Matt Murray are the goalies. Los Angeles won 1-0 in overtime on a Tyler Toffoli goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Alec Martinez and Tanner Pearson. The three stars were given to Budaj (39 save shutout), Toffoli, and Murray (27 for 28 in saves).

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes bring in the Washington Capitals. Philipp Grubauer and Cam Ward are given the starting nods in goal. Carolina started in the first period with a Jeff Skinner goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Derek Ryan and Victor Rask. Washington tied it in the second period with an Alex Ovechkin power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Nicklas Backstrom and John Carlson. The Capitals took the lead with a Justin Williams goal, his seventh of the season, passed from Evgeny Kuznetsov and Matt Niskanen. The Hurricanes tied it on a Justin Faulk goal, his fifth of the year, via Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. Carolina took the lead in the third period with a Teravainen power play goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Aho and Jaccob Slavin. Washington retied it on a T.J. Oshie goal, his tenth of the year, with a lone helper from Dmitry Orlov and Niskanen. The tie went to a shootout, where Oshie and Kuznetsov tallied for a 4-3 Capitals win. The three stars were Oshie, Kuznetsov, and Niskanen, while Aho and Teravainen get the honorable mentions.

In Canada, the Montreal Canadiens host the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Carey Price tend the twines. San Jose led off in the first period with a David Schlemko power play goal, powered by Mikkel Boedker and Joonas Donskoi. The Sharks added on with a Patrick Marleau power play goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Joe Thornton and Brent Burns. San Jose extended the lead as Timo Meier scored, thanks to Schlemko and Donskoi. The Sharks padded the lead in the second period on a Melker Karlsson goal, his third of the year, with a lone assist by Micheal Haley. Al Montoya replaced Price in goal. Montreal got on the board in the third period with a Brian Flynn goal, his third of the season, via Tomas Plekanec and Zach Redmond. The Canadiens got closer with a Jeff Petry goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Michael McCarron and Daniel Carr. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars being Schlemko, Donskoi, and Meier.

Westward to Calgary, where the Flames bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Chad Johnson play goal. Columbus began in the first period with a Boone Jenner goal, his fifth of the season, via William Karlsson and David Savard. The Blue Jackets added on with a Brandon Saad goal, his ninth of the year, assisted by Alexander Wennberg and Zach Werenski. Calgary got one back with a Sean Monahan power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Kris Versteeg and Johnny Gaudreau. Columbus replied in the second period with a Werenski power play goal, his seventh of the year, with assists provided by Cam Atkinson and Wennberg. The Blue Jackets extended the lead on a shorthanded goal by Matt Calvert, his fourth of the season, going in unassisted. The final held from here at 4-1, with the three stars awarded to Werenski, Wennberg, and Bobrovsky (22 for 23 in saves).

South to Denver, where the Colorado Avalanche welcome the Florida Panthers. James Reimer and Calvin Pickard are the backups in goal. Colorado got going in the second period with a Fedor Tyutin goal, assisted by Nathan MacKinnon and Matt Duchene. Florida tied it on a Jason Demers goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Seth Griffith and Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers took the lead in the third period with a shorthanded Reilly Smith goal, his sixth of the year, set up by Derek MacKenzie and Demers. Florida added on with a Michael Matheson goal, his third of the season, passed from Colton Sceviour and Mark Pysyk. The final held at 3-1, with the three stars given to Demers, Smith, and Reimer (30 for 31 in saves).

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Ryan Miller receive the starting nods. Tampa Bay was first to score in the first period with a Victor Hedman goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Valtteri Filppula and Brian Boyle. Vancouver tied it in the second period with a Brandon Sutter goal, his eighth of the year, via Markus Granlund and Loui Eriksson. The Canucks took the lead with a Luca Sbisa goal, guided in by Alexandre Burrows and Sven Baertschi. The Lightning retied it in the third period with a Cory Conacher power play goal, powered by Jonathan Drouin. Vancouver shot back with a Bo Horvat goal, his ninth of the season, a power play goal assisted by Eriksson and Granlund. The Canucks iced it at 4-2 with a Burrows empty net goal, his sixth of the year, set up by Horvat. The three stars went to Horvat, Burrows, and Granlund, while Eriksson gets an honorable mention.

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NHL 2016/17 - Day 64

Eight games on today, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Anaheim Ducks. Jonathan Bernier and Anton Khudobin are set to start in goal. Boston led off in the first period with a Zdeno Chara goal, his second of the season, passed from David Backes and Brad Marchand. The Bruins added on with an Austin Czarnik goal, his fourth of the year, via Ryan Spooner and Riley Nash. Anaheim got on the board with an unassisted Andrew Cogliano goal, his eighth of the season. The Ducks tied it on a Kevin Bieksa goal, his second of the year, helped along by Ryan Getzlaf. Anaheim took the lead with a Josh Manson goal in the second period, coming off of Jakob Silfverberg and Rickard Rakell. Boston tied it again with a David Krejci power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Backes and Torey Krug. The Ducks regained the lead on a Rakell goal, his twelfth of the year, made possible by Sami Vatanen and Cam Fowler. The final remained at 4-3, with the three stars being Rakell, Backes, and Bieksa.

Over to Brooklyn, where the New York Islanders welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Scott Darling and Thomas Greiss are the backups in goal. New York opened in the first period with an Andrew Ladd goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by Alan Quine and Jason Chimera. The Islanders added on with a Casey Cizikas goal, his fourth of the year, helped along by Nikolay Kulemin. Chicago got on the board with an Artemi Panarin power play goal, his twelfth of the season, via Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith. The Blackhawks tied it on an Artem Anisimov power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, assisted by Patrick Kane and Panarin. Chicago took the lead with a Marian Hossa goal, his sixteenth of the season, fueled by Ryan Hartman and Jonathan Toews. New York tied it on a Ryan Strome goal, his third of the year, coming off of Brock Nelson and Johnny Boychuk. The Islanders retook the lead in the second period with an Anders Lee goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Travis Hamonic and John Tavares. The Blackhawks pulled even with another Panarin power play goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, powered by Seabrook and Keith. Chicago took the lead with a Richard Panik goal, his eighth of the campaign, courtesy of Dennis Rasmussen and Marcus Kruger in the third period. This stood for a 5-4 win, with the three stars going to Panarin, Seabrook, and Keith.

Next up, the Detroit Red Wings host the Los Angeles Kings. Jeff Zatkoff and Jimmy Howard are in the blue paint. Los Angeles started in the first period with a Derek Forbort goal, his second of the season, coming off of Dwight King and Tyler Toffoli. Detroit tied it on a Mike Green goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Luke Glendening. The Kings retook the lead in the second period on a Nic Dowd goal, his third of the season, passed from Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty. Los Angeles added on in the third period with a Toffoli goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Tom Gilbert. The Kings iced it at 4-1 with another Toffoli goal, his second of the game and seventh of the campaign, an empty net goal set up by Brown and Alec Martinez. The three stars went to Toffoli, Brown, and Zatkoff (17 for 18 in saves).

In Toronto, the Maple Leafs bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Mike Smith and Frederik Andersen are the overrated goalies. Toronto began in the first period with an Auston Matthews power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by William Nylander and Jake Gardiner. Arizona tied it on a Jordan Martinook goal in the second period, his sixth of the year, via Radim Vrbata and Brendan Perlini. The Coyotes took the lead with an Oliver Ekman-Larsson power play goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Tobias Rieder and Anthony DeAngelo. The Maple Leafs tied it again with a Mitchell Marner goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Roman Polak and Matt Hunwick. The tie went to a shootout, where Peter Holland won it 3-2 for the Coyotes. The three stars were Smith (44 for 46 in saves), Ekman-Larsson, and Holland.

Back stateside, the St. Louis Blues host the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Jake Allen guard the cages. New Jersey struck first in the first period with a shorthanded Adam Henrique goal, his seventh of the season, set up by Travis Zajac. The Devils added on with a Miles Wood goal, his second of the year, helped along by Henrique and Kyle Palmieri. St. Louis got on the board with a Vladimir Tarasenko power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Jaden Schwartz and Brad Hunt. The Blues tied it in the second period on a Jori Lehtera goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Robby Fabbri and Tarasenko. St. Louis took the lead with an Alex Pietrangelo goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Tarasenko and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Blues extended the lead in the third period as Nail Yakupov scored his third of the year, thanks to Paul Stastny. St. Louis iced it at 5-2 with an unassisted empty net goal by Patrik Berglund, his second of the campaign. The three stars went to Tarasenko, Pietrangelo, and Henrique.

Down to Nashville, where the Predators welcome the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Pekka Rinne tend the twines. Minnesota was first to score in the first period with a Jonas Brodin power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Mikael Granlund and Mikko Koivu. Nashville tied it on a Ryan Ellis goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Colin Wilson and Viktor Arvidsson. The Wild took the lead back with a Charlie Coyle goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Nino Niederreiter and Erik Haula. Minnesota added on with an Eric Staal goal, his eighth of the year, fueled by Niederreiter. The Predators countered with a Mike Fisher power play goal in the second period, his eighth of the season, with assists provided by James Neal and Ryan Johansen. The Wild shot back with a Staal empty net goal in the third period, his second of the game and ninth of the year, set up by Coyle. Minnesota iced it at 5-2 with a Granlund empty net goal, his seventh of the campaign, with a lone helper by Zach Parise. The three stars were Coyle, Staal, and Niederreiter, while Granlund gets an honorable mention.

In Canada again, the Winnipeg Jets host the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Connor Hellebuyck are the masked men. Winnipeg got going in the first period with a Dustin Byfuglien goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Patrik Laine and Mathieu Perreault. Florida tied it in the second period on an Aleksander Barkov power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Nick Bjugstad and Jaromir Jagr. The Panthers took the lead on a Reilly Smith power play goal, his fifth of the campaign, helped along by Seth Griffith and Keith Yandle. The Jets retied it on an Adam Lowry goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Paul Postma and Brandon Tanev. Florida regained the lead with a Vincent Trocheck goal, his eighth of the year, via Aaron Ekblad and Smith on the power play. Winnipeg retied it again in the third period on a Bryan Little goal, his fourth of the campaign, made possible by Blake Wheeler and Byfuglien. The tie went to a shootout, where Trocheck was cancelled out by Little and topped by Perreault for a 4-3 Jets win. The three stars were Little, Byfuglien, and Perreault, while Trocheck and Smith get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Dallas Stars bring in the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Antti Niemi are given the starting nods in goal. New York dented the scoreboard in the third period with a shorthanded and unassisted Rick Nash goal, his twelfth of the season. The Rangers iced it at 2-0 with a Mats Zuccarello empty net goal, his eighth of the year, set up by Michael Grabner and Kevin Hayes. The three stars were Lundqvist (27 save shutout), Nash, and Niemi (28 for 29 in saves).

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