NHL 2016/17 - Day 74

Just five games on for today, beginning with...

The Pittsburgh Penguins hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Matt Murray draw the starts in goal. Carolina led off in the first period with an Elias Lindholm goal, his third of the season, assisted by Noah Hanifin and Ryan Murphy. The Penguins tied it on a Sidney Crosby goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, courtesy of Justin Schultz and Conor Sheary in the second period. The Hurricanes took the lead with a Lee Stempniak goal, his seventh of the season, guided in by Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho. Marc-Andre Fleury replaced Murray at the start of the third period. The Penguins tied it in the third period on a Chris Kunitz goal, his third of the year, helped along by Phil Kessel and Nick Bonino. Pittsburgh took the lead with a Carl Hagelin goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Patric Hornqvist and Trevor Daley. The game ended 3-2, with the three stars being Hagelin, Kunitz, and Crosby.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Roberto Luongo man the nets. Toronto began in the first period with an Auston Matthews goal, his seventeenth of the season, via Connor Brown and Zach Hyman. The Maple Leafs added on with a William Nylander power play goal in the second period, his eighth of the year, powered by Matthews and Jake Gardiner. Florida got on the board in the third period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Keith Yandle and Vincent Trocheck. The Panthers tied it on a Trocheck goal, his ninth of the year, made possible by Jakub Kindl and Marchessault. Toronto won 3-2 in the shootout, where Mitchell Marner scored the only goal. The three stars went to Matthews, Marchessault, and Trocheck.

Staying in the state, the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Andrei Vasilevskiy guard the cages. Montreal opened in the first period with an Alexander Radulov goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Paul Byron. Tampa Bay tied it on a Tyler Johnson goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat. The Canadiens took the lead with a Shea Weber power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Byron and Max Pacioretty. Montreal added on with a Chris Terry goal in the second period, his second of the year, helped along by Daniel Carr and Michael McCarron. The Lightning got one back with a Victor Hedman goal in the third period, his seventh of the season, with a lone assist by Kucherov. Tampa Bay tied it with a Palat goal, his fifth of the year, with assists provided by Hedman and Brayden Point. The Lightning won 4-3 in overtime with a Johnson goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the campaign, with helpers from Jason Garrison and the goalie Vasilevskiy. The three stars went to Johnson, Palat, and Hedman, while Kucherov and Byron get the honorable mentions.

Northwest to St. Louis, where the Blues bring in the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Carter Hutton are given the starting nods in goal. Philadelphia started in the first period with a Wayne Simmonds goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Travis Konecny and Brayden Schenn. St. Louis tied it on a Kevin Shattenkirk power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Alexander Steen and Vladimir Tarasenko. The Blues took the lead with a Robby Fabbri power play goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Colton Parayko. The Flyers tied it on a second period Nick Cousins goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Ivan Provorov and Konecny. Philadelphia took the lead in the third period with a Schenn power play goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Shayne Gostisbehere and Simmonds. St. Louis retied it on a David Perron goal, his tenth of the year, with a lone assist by Parayko. The Blues took the lead with a Scottie Upshall goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Joel Edmundson and Alex Pietrangelo. St. Louis added on with a Fabbri goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, made possible by Patrik Berglund and Dmitrij Jaskin. The Blues iced it at 6-3 with a Fabbri empty net goal, his eleventh of the campaign giving him a hat trick, set up by Jaskin and Paul Stastny. The three stars were Fabbri, Schenn, and Simmonds, while Konecny, Jaskin, and Parayko get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Los Angeles Kings. Peter Budaj and Ryan Miller are between the pipes. Vancouver struck first in the first period with a Loui Eriksson power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Bo Horvat and Ben Hutton. The Canucks added on in the second period with a Henrik Sedin goal, his eighth of the year, helped along by Troy Stecher. Los Angeles got on the board in the third period with a Tanner Pearson goal, his eighth of the season, via Jeff Carter. The final stayed at 2-1, with the three stars going to Miller (36 for 37 in saves), Sedin, and Eriksson.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

KHL 2016/17 - Day 120

Four games on for today, beginning with...

Metallurg Novokuznetsk hosting Sibir Novosibirsk. Ivan Nalimov and Vladislav Podyapolsky are the goalies. Novosibirsk got going in the third period with a Konstantin Okulov goal, going in unassisted. This stood for a 1-0 win, with the three stars going to Okulov, Nalimov (15 save shutout), and Podyapolsky (34 for 35 in saves).

Out to Kazakhstan, where Barys Astana welcomes Avangard Omsk. Dominik Furch and Henrik Karlsson are the masked men. Omsk led off in the first period with an Ilya Zubov goal, assisted by Maxim Pestushko. Astana tied it on a Kirill Panyukov goal in the third period, helped along by Roman Savchenko and Brendan Shinnimin. Barys took the lead with a Martin St. Pierre goal, via Shinnimin and Savchenko. Astana iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Konstantin Pushkaryov, set up by Ivan Kuchin. The three stars were Karlsson (14 for 15 in saves), Shinnimin, and Savchenko.

In Moscow, CSKA brings in cross-town rivals Dynamo. Alexander Zalivin and Viktor Fasth man the nets. CSKA began in the first period with an Andrei Kuzmenko goal, passed from Vladimir Zharkov and Andrei Svetlakov. Dynamo tied it on a Martins Karsums power play goal, powered by Alexei Tereshchenko and Dmitry Vishnevsky. CSKA retook the lead in the second period on an Artyom Blazhiyevsky goal, via Dmitry Kugryshev and Maxim Mamin. Dynamo retied it with a Yakov Rylov goal, going in unassisted. Dynamo retook the lead in the third period on a Juuso Hietanen power play goal, with assists provided by Vishnevsky and Lukas Kaspar. CSKA tied it on a Svetlakov goal, assisted by Geoff Platt and Mamin. CSKA took the lead with another Svetlakov goal, coming off of Blazhiyevsky and Kuzmenko. CSKA iced it at 5-3 with a Bogdan Kiselevich power play goal, fueled by Ivan Telegin and Nikita Pivtsakin. The three stars went to Svetlakov, Blazhiyevsky, and Kuzmenko, while Mamin and Vishnevsky get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Sochi Leopards host Spartak Moscow. Markus Svensson and Konstantin Barulin are in the creases. Moscow dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Lukas Radil power play goal, powered by Tim Stapleton. Spartak added on with a Vsevolod Sorokin goal, assisted by Denis Tolpeko. Moscow extended the lead as Ryan Stoa scored a power play goal, thanks to Matthew Gilroy. Spartak padded the lead with an Igor Mirnov goal, helped along by Alexander Vasilyev and Maxim Potapov. Dmitry Shikin replaced Barulin in goal. Sochi got on the board with an Ivan Zakharchuk goal, via Mikhail Mamkin and Eric O'Dell. The game ended 4-1, with the three stars belonging to Svensson (40 for 41 in saves), Sorokin, and Stoa.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2016/17 - Day 73

After the three days off for Christmas, the NHL is back. We begin with...

The New York Rangers hosting the Ottawa Senators. Mike Condon and Antti Raanta are the backups in goal. Ottawa started in the first period with a Mark Borowiecki goal, assisted by Mike Hoffman and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. The Senators added on with a Zack Smith goal, his eighth of the season, courtesy of Erik Karlsson and Mark Stone. New York got on the board with a Nick Holden goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Ryan McDonagh and Kevin Hayes. Ottawa replied with a Cody Ceci goal, passed from Hoffman and Pageau. The Rangers countered with a Derek Stepan goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Chris Kreider and McDonagh in the second period. New York tied it on a Stepan power play goal, his second of the and ninth of the year, powered by Mats Zuccarello and McDonagh, who earned a sock trick. The Rangers took the lead in the third period on a Holden goal, his second of the game and sixth of the season via Brady Skjei and Matt Puempel. The game ended at 4-3, with the three stars belonging to Holden, Stepan, and McDonagh, while Hoffman and Pageau get the honorable mentions.

Across town in Brooklyn, the New York Islanders welcome the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Jaroslav Halak protect the nets. New York opened in the first period with a Cal Clutterbuck goal, his third of the season, made possible by Nikolay Kulemin and Ryan Strome. Washington tied it on a Justin Williams goal, his eighth of the year, via Alex Ovechkin and Dmitry Orlov. The Islanders took the lead in the second period with an Andrew Ladd goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Thomas Hickey and Alan Quine. The Capitals tied it again in the third period on an Ovechkin goal, his sixteenth of the year, assisted by Williams and Evgeny Kuznetsov. New York took the lead back on a Ladd goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, passed from Quine and Hickey. The Jets added on with an unassisted Anders Lee goal, his thirteenth of the year. Washington pulled back with an Andre Burakovsky goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by Jay Beagle and Matt Niskanen. The final held at 4-3, with the three stars going to Ladd, Ovechkin, and Williams, while Hickey and Quine get the honorable mentions.

Out to New Jersey, where the Devils bring in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Cory Schneider are the masked men. New Jersey led off in the first period with a P.A. Parenteau goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Taylor Hall. Pittsburgh retied it on an Evgeni Malkin power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, powered by Sidney Crosby and Phil Kessel. The Devils took the lead with an Adam Henrique power play goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac. The Penguins tied it again with a Crosby goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, with a lone assist by Conor Sheary. Pittsburgh tied it on a Justin Schultz goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Malkin and Crosby. The Penguins added on with a Carl Hagelin goal in the third period, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Chad Ruhwedel. Pittsburgh iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Bryan Rust, his tenth of the campaign, set up by Nick Bonino and Hagelin. The three stars belonged to Crosby, Malkin, and Hagelin.

West to Columbus, where the Blue Jackets host the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Sergei Bobrovsky tend the twines. Columbus began in the first period with a Scott Hartnell goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Lukas Sedlak and Sam Gagner. The Blue Jackets added on with a Seth Jones goal, his sixth of the year, via Hartnell and Brandon Saad. Columbus extended the lead as Matt Calvert scored his fifth of the season, with a lone assist by Josh Anderson. Boston got on the board with a David Backes goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of David Krejci. The Bruins got closer with an Austin Czarnik goal, his fifth of the season, fueled by Riley Nash and Torey Krug. Boston tied it on a Krejci goal in the second period, his seventh of the year, guided in by Ryan Spooner and Backes. The Blue Jackets retook the lead with a Nick Foligno power play goal in the third period, his eleventh of the season, powered by Alexander Wennberg and Zach Werenski. The game ended at 4-3, with the three stars being Hartnell, Backes, and Krejci.

In Detroit, the Red Wings welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Petr Mrazek are in the creases. Buffalo struck first in the first period with an Evander Kane goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Brian Gionta and Zach Bogosian. The Sabres added on with a Sam Reinhart power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Rasmus Ristolainen and Jack Eichel. Detroit got on the board in the second period with a Henrik Zetterberg goal, his seventh of the season, via Steve Ott and Anthony Mantha. Buffalo retook the lead with an Eichel goal, his sixth of the year, assisted by Marcus Foligno. The Red Wings pulled back on a Drew Miller goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Dylan Larkin. Detroit tied it in the third period with an unassisted Thomas Vanek power play goal, his sixth of the year. The Sabres regained the lead on a Kane goal, his second of the game and eighth of the season, courtesy of Gionta and Dmitry Kulikov. The game ended at 4-3, with the three stars going to Kane, Gionta, and Eichel.

Down to Nashville, where the Predators bring in the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Pekka Rinne are between the pipes. Minnesota was first to score in the first period with a Zach Parise power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Matt Dumba and Charlie Coyle. Nashville tied it in the second period with a Filip Forsberg goal, his sixth of the year, via Ryan Johansen and Mattias Ekholm. The Wild retook the lead with a Chris Stewart goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Eric Staal and Jordan Schroeder. The Predators tied it again on a Reid Boucher goal, coming off of Austin Watson and Calle Jarnkrok. Minnesota won 3-2 in overtime with a Jared Spurgeon goal, his third of the year, passed from Schroeder and Coyle. The three stars went to Coyle, Schroeder, and Dubnyk (28 for 30 in saves).

Northwest to Chicago, where the Blackhawks host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Corey Crawford play in the blue paint. Winnipeg opened in the first period with a Blake Wheeler goal, his eleventh of the season, helped along by Bryan Little and Jacob Trouba. The Jets added on with a Mark Scheifele goal, his fifteenth of the year, assisted by Trouba and Nikolaj Ehlers. Chicago got on the board in the second period with an Artem Anisimov goal, his fifteenth of the season, courtesy of Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin. Winnipeg answered in the third period with a Drew Stafford goal, his second of the year, coming off of Nic Petan and Marko Dano. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Scheifele, Trouba, and Hellebuyck (33 for 34 in saves).

Westward to Colorado, where the Avalanche welcome the Calgary Flames. Brian Elliott faces a lesser foe in Calvin Pickard in goal. Colorado started in the first period with a Gabriel Landeskog goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Nathan MacKinnon and Tyson Barrie. Calgary tied it on a second period Mikael Backlund goal, his eighth of the year, via Matthew Tkachuk and Dennis Wideman. The Flames took the lead with a Sam Bennett goal, his ninth of the season, courtesy of Deryk Engelland and Backlund. Calgary added on with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his eighth of the year, fueled by Wideman and T.J. Brodie. The Avalanche got one back on a Jarome Iginla goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Carl Soderberg and Cody Goloubef. The Flames countered with a Backlund goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, helped along by Dougie Hamilton and Michael Frolik. Calgary extended the lead in the third period as Gaudreau scored his second of the game and ninth of the season, thanks to Kris Versteeg and Matt Stajan. Colorado replied with a Landeskog goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, with assists provided by MacKinnon and Goloubef. The Flames responded with a Versteeg power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Brodie and Gaudreau. This made it 6-3, the final, with the three stars awarded to Gaudreau, Backlund, and Versteeg, while Landeskog, Brodie, Wideman, MacKinnon, and Goloubef get the honorable mentions.

South to Arizona, where the Coyotes bring in the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Mike Smith are the veteran goalies. Dallas got going in the second period with a shorthanded Jason Spezza goal, his seventh of the season, set up by Jordie Benn. Arizona tied it on an Anthony Duclair goal, his second of the year, helped along by Martin Hanzal and Tobias Rieder. The Stars took the lead back with a Jamie Benn power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Tyler Seguin and Spezza. Dallas added on with a John Klingberg empty net goal, his third of the year, set up by the goalie Lehtonen. The Coyotes got one back on a Radim Vrbata penalty shot goal, his ninth of the campaign. The game ended at 3-2, with the three stars being Spezza, Lehtonen (35 for 37 in saves), and Jamie Benn.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the San Jose Sharks in a Battle of California. Martin Jones and John Gibson play goal. San Jose struck first in the first period with a Paul Martin goal, his third of the season, assisted by Logan Couture and Mikkel Boedker. Anaheim tied it in the second period with an Ondrej Kase goal, his second of the year, via Nick Ritchie and Antoine Vermette. The Sharks took the lead back with a Melker Karlsson goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Joel Ward and Brent Burns. The Ducks tied it on a Jakob Silfverberg goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Ryan Kesler and Andrew Cogliano. San Jose won 3-2 in overtime with a Burns goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, guided in by Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton. The three stars were Burns, Karlsson, and Martin.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

KHL 2016/17 - Day 119

Just four games on for today, beginning with...

Lada Togliatti hosting Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Niklas Svedberg and Edgars Masalskis get the starts in goal. Togliatti opened with an unassisted Denis Zernov goal. Lada added on with a Viktor Komarov goal, passed from Nikita Filatov. Ufa got on the board with a shorthanded and unassisted Igor Grigorenko goal. Togliatti replied with a Vasily Streltsov power play goal, powered by Alexander Mokshantsev. Lada extended the lead on a shorthanded Streltsov goal, set up by Stanislav Bocharov. Andrei Gavrilov replaced Svedberg in goal. Togliatti padded the lead in the second period as Filatov scored a power play goal, thanks to Andrei Ivanov and Anton Shenfeld. Lada continued in the third period on a Maxim Rybin power play goal, with a lone assist by Georgy Belousov. Salavat Yulaev got one back with a Dmitry Maltsev goal, coming off of Stanislav Gareyev. Ufa pulled closer with an Enver Lisin power play goal, guided in by Evgeny Bodrov. Salavat Yulaev drew closer with a Dmitry Makarov goal, made possible by Konstantin Korneyev. The game ended at 6-4, with the three stars going to Streltsov, Filatov, and Rybin.

Over in Nizhnekamsk, Neftekhimik welcomes Severstal Cherepovets. Jakub Kovar and Andrei Kareyev are in the blue paint. Nizhnekamsk started in the first period with a Dmitry Ogurtsov goal, passed from Pavel Poryadin and Igor Bortnikov. Neftekhimik added on with a Bortnikov goal, assisted by Andrei Pervyshin and Igor Polygalov. Cherepovets got on the board with a Maxim Trunyov goal, fueled by Daniil Vovchenko. Severstal tied it in the second period on a Vovchenko goal, with a lone helper by Nikolai Stasenko. Nizhnekamsk retook the lead with a Richard Gynge goal, coming off of Andrei Sergeyev and Gennady Stolyarov. Cherepovets tied it in the third period with a Yury Trubachyov goal, helped along by Vovchenko. Neftekhimik took the lead with an Ogurtsov goal, his second of the game, via Sergeyev and Stolyarov. This made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Ogurtsov, Vovchenko, and Bortnikov, while Sergeyev and Stolyarov get the honorable mentions.

Up in Finland, Jokerit Helsinki brings in Dinamo Riga. Jakub Sedlacek and Ryan Zapolski are the goalies. Helsinki led off in the first period with a Pekka Jormakka power play goal, powered by Peter Regin and Brian O'Neill. Riga tied it on a Maris Bicevskis goal, assisted by Lauris Darzins. Dinamo took the lead on a Bicevskis power play goal, made possible by Darzins and Uvis Balinskis. Jokerit tied it in the second period with a Jesse Joensuu goal, via Antti Pihlstrom and Rasmus Rissanen. Riga won 3-2 in overtime with a Tim Sestito goal, coming off of Ralfs Freibergs and Mikelis Redlihs. The three stars were Bicevskis, Darzins, and Sestito.

Finally, Ak Bars Kazan hosts SKA St. Petersburg. Mikko Koskinen and Emil Garipov tend the twines. St. Petersburg began in the first period with an unassisted Evgeny Dadonov goal. Kazan tied it on a Fyodor Malykhin goal, helped along by Dmitry Obukhov and Atte Ohtamaa. Ak Bars took the lead with a Mikhail Glukhov goal, via Stepan Zakharchuk and Ziyat Paigin. SKA tied it on a Vadim Shipachyov goal, courtesy of Nikita Gusev. St. Petersburg took the lead in the second period with a Shipachyov goal, assisted by Patrik Hersley and Anton Belov. Kazan tied it on an unassisted goal by Jiri Sekac in the third period. Ak Bars won 4-3 as Malykhin scored twice to top one Gusev goal in the shootout. The three stars were Malykhin, Shipachyov, and Gusev.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

KHL 2016/17 - Day 118

Six games grace a moderate schedule today. We begin in...

Vladivostok, as Admiral hosts Amur Khabarovsk. Juha Metsola and Igor Bobkov are the goalies. Vladivostok opened in the first period with a James Wright goal, passed from Ivan Gavrilenko. Khabarovsk tied it on an Anton Krysanov goal, via Igor Rudenkov. Amur took the lead in the third period with another Krysanov goal, guided in by Oleg Li and Vladislav Ushenin. Admiral retied it on a Dmitry Sayustov goal, helped along by Oskars Bartulis. Khabarovsk pulled ahead with a Rudenkov goal, assisted by Krysanov and Dmitry Lyutov. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Krysanov, Rudenkov, and Metsola (29 for 31 in saves).

West to Khanty-Mansiysk, where Ugra welcomes Sibir Novosibirsk. Danny Taylor and Alexander Sharychenkov man the nets. Novosibirsk started in the first period with an unassisted Evgeny Artyukhin goal. Khanty-Mansiysk tied it on an Alexander Ugolnikov goal in the second period, fueled by Konstantin Panov and Nikita Khlystov on the power play. Ugra took the lead with a Roman Lyuduchin goal, with a lone assist by Panov. Sibir tied it in the third period with a Joonas Kemppainen goal, courtesy of Vadim Khlopotov and Maxim Igantovich. Khanty-Mansiysk retook the lead on a power play goal by Alexander Makarov, going in unassisted. The game remained at 3-2, with the three stars going to Panov, Makarov, and Lyuduchin.

In Moscow, CSKA brings in Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Alexander Sudnitsin and Viktor Fasth are the masked men. Yaroslavl got going in the second period with an Artyom Ilyenko goal, fueled by Alexander Kadeikin and Andrei Loktionov. Moscow tied it on an Andrei Yermakov goal passed from Bogdan Kiselevich and Kirill Petrov. Lokomotiv took the lead back with a Brandon Kozun goal, with a lone assist by Petri Kontiola. CSKA tied it again in the third period on a Maxim Mamin goal, assisted by Vyacheslav Osnovin and Mikhail Naumenkov. In the shootout, Lokomotiv won with tallies by Kozun and Loktionov for a 3-2 victory. The three stars went to Kozun, Loktionov, and Ilyenko.

Backtracking to Nizhny Novgorod, where Torpedo hosts Vityaz Podolsk. Harri Sateri and Mikhail Biryukov are in the creases. Podolsk dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Roman Horak power play goal, powered by Alexei Kopeikin and Jakub Jerabek. Nizhny Novgorod tied it on a Dmitry Semin goal, fueled by Brandon McMillan. Torpedo took the lead with a Nikolai Zherdev goal, via Kirill Rasskazov. Vityaz retook the lead on a Nikita Vyglazov goal, helped along by Horak and Artyom Chernov. Nizhny Novgorod took the lead again in the third period on a John Norman goal, via Dmitry Shulenin and Evgeny Grachyov. The game ended at 3-2, with the three stars going to Horak, Norman, and Zherdev.

Out in Slovakia, Slovan Bratislava welcomes Spartak Moscow. Nikita Bespalov and Barry Brust draw the starts in goal. Bratislava drew first blood in the second period with a Tomas Surovy goal, going in unassisted. Slovan added on with a Jeff Taffe goal, made possible by Jonathan Cheechoo. Bratislava extended the lead as Tomas Kundratek scored a power play goal, thanks to Taffe and Cheechoo. Slovan padded the lead with another Surovy goal, helped along by Andrej Stastny. Moscow got on the board in the third period with an Alexander Vasilyev goal, assisted by Igor Mirnov. Spartak pulled closer with a Yaroslav Dyblenko goal, via Lukas Radil and Tim Stapleton. Moscow chipped away at the deficit with a Ryan Stoa goal, fueled by Radil and Alexei Bondarev. Spartak tied it on an Artyom Voronin goal, passed from Sergei Shmelyov and Vyacheslav Leshchenko. In the shootout, Ziga Jeglic and Surovy scored for a 5-4 Slovan win. The three stars were Surovy, Taffe, and Cheechoo, while Radil gets an honorable mention.

Finally, in Finland, Jokerit Helsinki brings in Dinamo Riga. Janis Kalnins and Ryan Zapolski are set to start in goal. Helsinki struck first in the first period with a Sakari Salminen goal, with a lone assist by Antti Pihlstrom. Jokerit added on with a Brian O'Neill goal, coming off of Peter Regin and Tommi Huhtala. Helsinki extended the lead in the second period as Huhtala scored, thanks to Regin and Topi Jaakola. The final held from here at 3-0, with the three stars given to Huhtala, Zapolski (17 save shutout), and Regin.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

KHL 2016/17 - Day 117

Another four games are on for KHL Christmas action, beginning with...

Avangard Omsk hosting Traktor Chelyabinsk. Vasily Demchenko and Dominik Furch are given the starting nods in goal. Omsk dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Pyotr Khokhryakov goal, passed from David Booth. Avangard added on with a Maxim Pestushko goal, guided in by Mikhail Yunkov. Omsk extended the lead in the third period as Ilya Mikheyev scored, thanks to Pestushko and Yunkov. Chelyabinsk got on the board with a Nikolai Belov goal, fueled by Alexander Shinin. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Pestushko, Yunkov, and Mikheyev.

Down in Kazakhstan, Barys Astana welcomes Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Vasily Koshechkin and Kevin Poulin man the nets. Astana struck first in the first period with a Nigel Dawes goal, with a lone assist by Dustin Boyd. Barys added on with a Dawes power play goal, his second of the game, powered by Martin St. Pierre and Kevin Dallman. Astana extended the lead as Nikita Ivanov scored, with the help of Maxim Khudyakov. Artyom Zagidulin replaced Koshechkin in goal. Barys padded the lead with another Dawes power play goal, coming off of St. Pierre. Magnitogorsk got on the board in the second period with a Sergei Mozyakin power play goal, helped along by Danis Zaripov and Chris Lee. Metallurg got closer with a Tomas Filippi power play goal, with helpers from Alexei Bereglazov and Oskar Osala. Magnitogorsk pulled closer in the third period with an unassisted Evgeny Timkin goal. Astana iced it at 5-3 with a Boyd empty net goal, set up by Konstantin Pushkaryov. The three stars were Dawes, St. Pierre, and Boyd.

Back in Russia, Lada Togliatti brings in Severstal Cherepovets. Jakub Kovar and Ilya Ezhov are set to start in goal. Cherepovets started in the first period with a Maxim Trunyov goal, helped along by Daniil Vovchenko and Yury Trubachyov. Severstal added on with a Trubachyov goal, courtesy of Adam Masuhr. Cherepovets extended the lead with a shorthanded Pavel Chernov goal, set up by Nikolai Stasenko and Dmitry Kagarlitsky. Edgars Masalskis replaced Ezhov in goal at the start of the second period. Togliatti got on the board with a Stanislav Bocharov goal, coming off of Georgy Belousov. Lada got closer with a Belousov goal, passed from Yefim Gurkin and Denis Zernov. Togliatti tied it on a Dmitry Kostromitin goal in the third period, with a lone helper from Kristaps Sotnieks. Severstal retook the lead with a Vojtech Polak goal, assisted by Denis Yezhov and Chernov. This made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars being Chernov, Trubachyov, and Belousov.

Finally, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk hosts SKA St. Petersburg. Mikko Koskinen and Ivan Kasutin draw the starts. St. Petersburg was first to score in the first period on a Patrik Hersley power play goal, powered by Vadim Shipachyov and Nikita Gusev. SKA added on in the second period with a Shipachyov goal, fueled by Evgeny Dadonov and Gusev. St. Petersburg extended the lead as Vyacheslav Voynov scored in the third period on the power play, thanks to Sergei Plotnikov and Ilya Kovalchuk. SKA padded the lead with a Gusev power play goal, with a lone assist by Kovalchuk. The three stars of the 4-0 game belonged to Gusev, Shipachyov, and Kovalchuk.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

KHL 2016/17 - Day 116

Four games today, beginning with...

Kunlun Red Star Beijing hosting Amur Khabarovsk. Juha Metsola and Tomi Karhunen are the Finnish goalies. The game didn't have a goal until the shootout, where Tomas Zohorna, Vyacheslav Ushenin, and Alexei Byvaltsev lifted Amur over Kunlun Red Star's Damien Fleury for a 1-0 win. The three stars were Metsola (34 save shutout), Karhunen (30 save shutout), and Ushenin.

Way west to Moscow, where Spartak welcomes Vityaz Podolsk. Harri Sateri and Markus Svensson are in the creases. Podolsk opened in the first period with an Alexei Kopeikin power play goal, powered by Mario Kempe and Miro Aaltonen. Vityaz added on with a Roman Horak power play goal, assisted by Jakub Jerabek and Aaltonen. Podolsk extended the lead as Alexander Pankov scored, thanks to Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi. Moscow got on the board with a Yaroslav Dyblenko goal in the second period, fueled by Vadim Berdnikov and Tim Stapleton. Vityaz replied with a Nikita Vyglazov goal, passed from Artyom Chernov. Spartak countered with a Sergei Shmelyov goal in the third period, via Vyacheslav Leshchenko. Podolsk iced it at 5-2 with a Horak empty net goal, his second of the game, set up by Chernov. The three stars went to Horak, Pankov, and Chernov.

Over in Nizhny Novgorod, Torpedo brings in Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Alexander Sudnitsin is mismatched with Ilya Proskuryakov in goal. Nizhny Novgorod led off with a Carter Ashton goal in the first period, helped along by Evgeny Grachyov. Yaroslavl tied it on a Staffan Kronwall power play goal, powered by Jakub Nakladal and Andrei Loktionov. Lokomotiv took the lead with a Vladislav Kartayev goal in the second period, going in unassisted. Mikhail Biryukov replaced Proskuryakov in goal. Yaroslavl added on with a Maxime Talbot goal, assisted by Nakladal and Kronwall. This stood for a 3-1 final, with the three stars belonging to Kronwall, Nakladal, and Sudnitsin (21 for 22 in saves).

Finally, the Sochi Leopards host Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Lazushin and Konstantin Barulin are set to start in goal. Sochi began in the first period with an Evgeny Skachkov goal, assisted by Andrei Kostitsyn. The Leopards added on with an Andre Petersson power play goal, powered by Kostitsyn and Igor Ignatushkin. Moscow got on the board with an Artyom Fyodorov goal, passed from Lukas Kaspar. Dynamo tied it with a Maxim Karpov goal in the second period, guided in by Ilya Nikulin and Martins Karsums. Sochi retook the lead with a Mikhail Mamkin goal, coming off of Kostitsyn, who earned a sock trick, and Ignatushkin. The Leopards extended the lead as Renat Mamashev scored a power play goal, with the help of Eric O'Dell and Ben Maxwell. Sochi padded the lead with an unassisted Pavel Padakin goal in the third period. Moscow pulled back with a Denis Kokarev goal, via Artyom Podshendyalov. This only made it 5-3, with the three stars being Kostitsyn, Ignatushkin, and Mamkin.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.