Tuesday, February 7, 2017

2016/17 Hockey - KHL Day 155/NHL Day 112

It's another day with one game for the KHL, but also features eleven games in the NHL. We begin in Europe, as...

Dinamo Minsk hosts Vityaz Podolsk. Igor Saprykin and Ben Scrivens draw the starts in goal. Minsk started in the first period with an Alexander Kulakov power play goal, powered by Fredrik Pettersson. Dinamo added on with a Rob Klinkhammer power play goal, coming off of Kulakov. Podolsk got on the board in the second period with a Miro Aaltonen power play goal, with a lone assist by Jakub Jerabek. Vityaz tied it on an Alexei Kopeikin power play goal, helped along by Aaltonen and Jerabek. Minsk took the lead back with an Ilya Shinkevich goal, passed from Pettersson and Dmitry Korobov. Podolsk tied it in the third period with a Roman Horak goal, via Mario Kempe and Kopeikin on the power play. Dinamo win 4-3 in the shootout with an Aaron Palushaj tally. The three stars were Kulakov, Pettersson, and Kopeikin, while Aaltonen and Jerabek get the honorable mentions.

In the NHL, the games begin with the Buffalo Sabres welcoming the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Anders Nilsson play goal. Buffalo opened in the first period with a Matt Moulson power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Brian Gionta and Tyler Ennis. San Jose tied it on a Joel Ward goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Brent Burns and Paul Martin. The Sharks took the lead with a Logan Couture goal, his nineteenth of the season, helped along by Mikkel Boedker and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. San Jose added on in the second period with a Melker Karlsson goal, his seventh of the year, assisted by Marcus Sorensen and Micheal Haley. The Sharks extended the lead in the third period as Joe Pavelski scored a power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, with the help of Burns and Patrick Marleau. The Sabres answered with a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, his twelfth of the year, fueled by Jack Eichel and Rasmus Ristolainen. Buffalo got closer with an Evander Kane goal, his fifteenth of the season, passed from Cody Franson and Gionta. The Sabres tied it on a Kyle Okposo goal, his seventeenth of the year, made possible by Sam Reinhart and O'Reilly. Buffalo won 5-4 in overtime with a Kane goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Eichel. The three stars were Kane, O'Reilly, and Eichel, while Gionta and Burns get the honorable mentions.

In Manhattan, the New York Rangers bring in the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Henrik Lundqvist protect the nets. New York led off in the first period with an Oscar Lindberg goal, his second of the season, assisted by Pavel Buchnevich and Marc Staal. The Rangers added on in the second period with a Mats Zuccarello goal, his eleventh of the year, via Chris Kreider and Brady Skjei. Anaheim got on the board with a Jakob Silfverberg goal, his sixteenth of the season, passed from Andrew Cogliano. New York answered with a third period goal by Michael Grabner, his twenty-fourth of the year, coming off of J.T. Miller and Skjei. The Rangers iced it at 4-1 with a Grabner empty net goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the campaign, set up by Miller and Kevin Hayes. The three stars were Lundqvist (43 for 44 in saves), Grabner, and Skjei, while Miller gets an honorable mention.

West to Pittsburgh, where the Penguins host the Calgary Flames. Chad Johnson and Matt Murray man the nets. Calgary got going in the second period with an unassisted Micheal Ferland goal, his eighth of the season. The Flames added on with a Michael Frolik goal, his thirteenth of the year, courtesy of Matthew Tkachuk and Mikael Backlund. Pittsburgh got on the board in the third period with a Chris Kunitz goal, his seventh of the season, helped along by Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang. The Penguins tied it on a Jake Guentzel goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Ian Cole. The tie went to a shootout, where Kris Versteeg gave the Flames a 3-2 win. The three stars went to Ferland, Johnson (31 for 33 in saves), and Frolik.

Back in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Eddie Lack and Braden Holtby are in the blue paint. Washington began in the first period with an Alex Ovechkin power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, powered by Matt Niskanen and Nicklas Backstrom. The Capitals added on with a Brett Connolly goal, his eleventh of the year, via Andre Burakovsky and John Carlson. Washington extended the lead in the third period as Lars Eller scored his tenth of the season, thanks to Connolly and Nate Schmidt. The Capitals padded the lead with an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his twelfth of the year, made possible by Marcus Johansson and Justin Williams. Washington iced it at 5-0 with a Johansson power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Ovechkin and Niskanen. The three stars were Ovechkin, Connolly, and Holtby (23 save shutout), while Niskanen and Johansson get the honorable mentions.

Westward to Detroit, where the Red Wings bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Petr Mrazek are between the pipes. Detroit struck first in the first period with a Nick Jensen goal, his second of the season, coming off of Dylan Larkin and Riley Sheahan. Columbus tied it on a Brandon Dubinsky goal, his seventh of the year, assisted by Boone Jenner. The Blue Jackets took the lead with a Cam Atkinson goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, via Dubinsky and Jack Johnson. The Red Wings retied it in the second period on a Thomas Vanek power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Justin Abdelkader and Mike Green. Columbus won 3-2 in overtime on a Seth Jones goal, his tenth of the season, with a lone assist by Dubinsky. The three stars were Dubinsky, Jones, and Atkinson.

In Canada, the Ottawa Senators host the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Andrew Hammond play goal. St. Louis dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Magnus Paajarvi goal, his second of the season, with a lone assist by Kevin Shattenkirk. The Blues added on with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, guided in by Paul Stastny and David Perron. St. Louis extended the lead in the third period as Patrick Berglund scored his thirteenth of the season, a power play goal powered by Kenny Agostino and Perron. The Blues padded the lead on an Alexander Steen goal, his eleventh of the year, via Stastny. St. Louis continued with a Tarasenko goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the season, helped along by Steen and Colton Parayko. The Blues iced it at 6-0 with an Ivan Barbashev goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were Tarasenko, Steen, and Allen (30 save shutout), while Stastny and Perron get the honorable mentions.

Down in Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Peter Budaj and Ben Bishop are in the creases. Tampa Bay was first to score in the first period with a Jonathan Drouin goal, his sixteenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Lightning added on with a Nikita Kucherov goal in the second period, his twentieth of the year, via Vladislav Namestnikov and Andrej Sustr. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Gabriel Dumont scored, with the help of J.T. Brown and Victor Hedman. The Lightning padded the lead on a Kucherov goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the season, helped along by Namestnikov and Luke Witkowski. Tampa Bay struck again in the third period with a Braydon Coburn goal, his second of the year, with helpers from Drouin and Joel Vermin. This stood for a 5-0 win, with the three stars belonging to Kucherov, Bishop (28 save shutout), and Drouin, while Namestnikov gets an honorable mention.

Back north to Ontario, with the Toronto Maple Leafs bringing in the Dallas Stars. Antti Niemi and Curtis McElhinney receive the starting nods in goal. Toronto opened in the first period with a Jake Gardiner goal, his seventh of the season, passed from Mitchell Marner and Tyler Bozak. The Maple Leafs added on with an Auston Matthews goal in the second period, his twenty-fifth of the year, fueled by Gardiner. Dallas got on the board with a Tyler Seguin power play goal in the third period, his twentieth of the season, powered by Cody Eakin. Toronto answered with a Nikita Zaitsev power play goal, his second of the year, with assists provided by Nazem Kadri and Morgan Rielly. This produced the 3-1 final, with the three stars going to Gardiner, McElhinney (39 for 40 in saves), and Matthews.

Stateside once more, the Nashville Predators host the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Pekka Rinne are in goal. Vancouver started in the first period with a Markus Granlund goal, his thirteenth of the season, going in unassisted. Nashville tied it on a Viktor Arvidsson goal, his fourteenth of the year, assisted by Colin Wilson and Calle Jarnkrok. The Predators took the lead with a Jarnkrok goal, his ninth of the season, guided in by Arvidsson and Roman Josi. Nashville added on in the third period with a Filip Forsberg power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, powered by Ryan Johansen and Josi. The Canucks got one back with an Alexander Edler power play goal, his second of the season, via Bo Horvat and Ben Hutton. The Predators iced it at 4-2 with a Mike Fisher empty net goal, his thirteenth of the year, an unassisted goal. The three stars went to Jarnkrok, Arvidsson, and Josi.

Up in Winnipeg, the Jets welcome the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Ondrej Pavelec are the masked men. Minnesota led off in the first period with a Nino Niederreiter goal, his sixteenth of the season, assisted by Charlie Coyle and Jason Pominville. The Wild added on with a Pominville goal, his ninth of the year, with a lone assist by Coyle. Minnesota extended the lead in the second period as Pominville scored again, his second of the game and tenth of the season, with the help of Coyle, who earned a sock trick. Connor Hellebuyck replaced Pavelec in goal. Winnipeg got on the board with a Bryan Little goal, his fifteenth of the year, fueled by Jacob Trouba and Joel Armia. The Jets got closer with an Armia goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Shawn Matthias and Adam Lowry. The Wild iced it at 4-2 in the third period with a Niederreiter empty net goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, set up by Pominville and Marco Scandella. The three stars were Pominville, Niederreiter, and Coyle, while Armia gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Colorado Avalanche bring in the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price faces a lesser foe in Calvin Pickard in goal. Colorado began in the first period with a Mikko Rantanen goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche added on with an Andreas Martinsen goal, his third of the year, via Francois Beauchemin and the goalie Pickard. Colorado extended the lead in the second period as Rantanen scored his second of the game and tenth of the season, with the help of Mark Barberio and Landeskog. The Avalanche iced it at 4-0 with a Rantanen power play goal in the third period, completing his hat trick on his eleventh of the year, powered by MacKinnon and Barberio. The three stars were Rantanen, Pickard (27 save shutout), and Barberio, while Landeskog and MacKinnon get the honorable mentions.

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Monday, February 6, 2017

2016/17 Hockey - KHL Day 154/NHL Day 111

Only four games on today combined between the two leagues. The first is in...

Sochi, as the KHL's lone game sees the Leopards hosting Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Ilya Proskuryakov and Konstantin Barulin man the nets. Sochi began in the first period with a Pavel Padakin goal, assisted by Ben Maxwell and Andre Petersson. Nizhny Novgorod tied it on a Kaspars Daugavins goal, helped along by Dmitry Semin. The Leopards retook the lead in the second period with a Petersson goal, with a lone assist by Oscar Fantenberg. Sochi added on with an Eric O'Dell power play goal, powered by Andrei Kostitsyn. Torpedo got one back with a Semin power play goal, made possible by Bobby Butler and Artyom Alyayev. The Leopards iced it at 4-2 with an Ilya Krikunov empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were Petersson, O'Dell, and Padakin.

In the NHL, the New Jersey Devils welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Cory Schneider guard the cages. New Jersey got going in the second period with an Adam Henrique power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Michael Cammalleri and Pavel Zacha. Buffalo tied it on a Tyler Ennis goal in the third period, his third of the year, via Kyle Okposo and Justin Falk. The Devils retook the lead with a Zacha goal, his sixth of the season, a power play goal coming off of Cammalleri and Damon Severson. The three stars of the 2-1 game were Zacha, Cammalleri, and Schneider (22 for 23 in saves).

In Brooklyn, the New York Islanders bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Thomas Greiss are the masked men. New York led off in the first period with a Ryan Strome goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Brock Nelson and Johnny Boychuk. Toronto tied it on a Nikita Soshnikov goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Nikita Zaitsev and Morgan Rielly. The Maple Leafs took the lead with an Auston Matthews goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, with a lone assist by Rielly. The Islanders retied it on a Nikolay Kulemin goal, his ninth of the year, via Casey Cizikas and Shane Prince. Toronto gained the lead with a second period goal by Mitchell Marner, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Tyler Bozak and Matt Hunwick. The Maple Leafs added on with a shorthanded Zach Hyman goal, his eighth of the year, set up by Zaitsev. New York pulled back with a Nelson goal, his twelfth of the season, guided in by Strome and Anders Lee. The Islanders tied it in the third period with a Josh Bailey goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Lee and Dennis Seidenberg. Toronto retook the lead with a William Nylander goal, his fourteenth of the season, with helpers from Connor Carrick and Nazem Kadri. New York equalized with an Andrew Ladd goal, his twelfth of the year, courtesy of Bailey and Nick Leddy. The Islanders won 6-5 in overtime with a Nelson goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the campaign, with helpers provided by Bailey and Calvin de Haan. The three stars were handed to Nelson, Strome, and Bailey, while Lee, Zaitsev, and Rielly get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Philadelphia Flyers host the St. Louis Blues. Carter Hutton and Michal Neuvirth are the backups in goal. St. Louis dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Paul Stastny goal, his fifteenth of the season, passed from Kevin Shattenkirk and Alexander Steen. The Blues added on with a Kenny Agostino goal, assisted by David Perron and Jori Lehtera. This made it 2-0, with the three stars going to Hutton (26 save shutout), Stastny, and Agostino.

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Sunday, February 5, 2017

NHL 2016/17 - Day 110

All three of today's games are early as the NHL succumbs to the ratings monster that is the Super Bowl. We begin in...

DC, as the Washington Capitals host the Los Angeles Kings. Peter Budaj and Philipp Grubauer are given the starting nods in goal. Washington struck first in the first period with a Lars Eller goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Brett Connolly. The Capitals added on with a Marcus Johansson goal, his sixteenth of the year, coming off of Evgeny Kuznetsov and Brooks Orpik. Washington extended the lead in the second period as Connolly scored his tenth of the season, thanks to Tom Wilson and Karl Alzner. The Capitals padded the lead on a T.J. Oshie goal, his twentieth of the year, assisted by Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. Washington iced it at 5-0 with a third period goal by Justin Williams, his eighteenth of the campaign, via Johansson. The three stars were Connolly, Johansson, and Grubauer (38 save shutout).

In Canada, the Montreal Canadiens welcome the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Al Montoya draw the starts in goal. The scoreless tie lasted into the shootout, where Leon Draisaitl scored to give the Oilers the 1-0 win. The three stars were Talbot (22 save shutout), Montoya (32 save "shutout"), and Draisaitl.

Finally, the New York Rangers bring in the Calgary Flames. Brian Elliott and Henrik Lundqvist are in the blue paint. Calgary was first to score in the first period with a Dougie Hamilton power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Mikael Backlund and Matthew Tkachuk. New York tied it on a Rick Nash power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, with assists provided by Derek Stepan and Ryan McDonagh. The Rangers took the lead in the third period with a Michael Grabner goal, his twenty-third of the season, assisted by Brady Skjei and J.T. Miller. The Flames tied it again on a Troy Brouwer goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. New York retook the lead with a Chris Kreider goal, his twenty-first of the season, courtesy of Mika Zibanejad and Dan Girardi. The Rangers added on with a Jesper Fast goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Miller and Grabner. Calgary answered with a Backlund goal, his sixteenth of the season, going in unassisted. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars handed to Grabner, Backlund, and Miller.

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KHL 2016/17 - Day 153

We have four games today, beginning with...

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg hosting Jokerit Helsinki. Ryan Zapolski and Vladimir Sokhatsky are given the starts in goal. Helsinki began in the first period with a Roope Talaja goal, via Joonas Jalvanti and Marko Anttila. Yekaterinburg tied it in the second period with a Tommi Kivisto goal, helped along by Petr Koukal. Jokerit retook the lead with a Ville Lajunen goal, passed from Mika Niemi. Helsinki added on with a third period power play goal by Sakari Salminen, powered by Niemi. The final held at 3-1, with the three stars going to Lajunen, Niemi, and Zapolski (21 for 22 in saves).

Down in Kazakhstan, Barys Astana welcomes Dinamo Riga. Janis Kalnins and Henrik Karlsson draw the starts. Astana led off in the first period with a Kevin Dallman power play goal, powered by Nigel Dawes and Martin St. Pierre. This was the only goal in the game, with the 1-0 final favoring Barys. The three stars were Karlsson (17 save shutout), and Dallman, and Dawes.

Back in Russia, Ugra Khanty-Mansiysk brings in Dinamo Minsk. Ben Scrivens and Vladislav Fokin are the goalies. Khanty-Mansiysk opened in the first period with an Evgeny Lapenkov goal, going in unassisted. Minsk tied it in the second period with a Rob Klinkhammer power play goal, powered by Matt Ellison and Marc-Andre Gragnani. Dinamo took the lead with a Dmitry Korobov goal, passed from Nikita Mitskevich in the third period. Ugra retied it on a Roman Lyuduchin power play goal, with a lone assist by Vitaly Shulakov. Dinamo prevailed with goals by Aaron Palushaj and Alexander Materukhin in the shootout for a 3-2 win. The three stars were Korobov, Klinkhammer, and Materukhin.

Out in Croatia, Medvescak Zagreb hosts Vityaz Podolsk. Igor Saprykin and Michael Garnett man the nets. Podolsk started in the first period with a Miro Aaltonen goal, made possible by Alexei Kopeikin and Mario Kempe. Vityaz added on with a Nikita Vyglazov goal, passed from Stanislav Romanov. Zagreb got on the board with an Alexandre Giroux goal, via Matija Milicic and Samson Mahbod. Medvescak tied it on a Mike Glumac power play goal, powered by Mahbod and Giroux. Podolsk retook the lead with an Alexei Makeyev power play goal, assisted by Alexander Nikulin. Zagreb tied it in the third period with an Ilya Arkalov goal, with a lone assist by Mark Katic. Vityaz took the lead back with another Makeyev goal, coming off of Aaltonen. Podolsk extended the lead as Vyglazov scored his second of the game, thanks to Artyom Shvets-Rogovoi. The game ended at 5-3, with the three stars being Makeyev, Vyglazov, and Aaltonen, while Mahbod and Giroux get the honorable mentions.

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Saturday, February 4, 2017

NHL 2016/17 - Day 109

Thirteen games fill the schedule today, beginning with three matinees. The first is in...

Montreal, where the Canadiens host the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Carey Price tend the twines. Washington led off in the first period with a Jay Beagle goal, his eleventh of the season, via Daniel Winnik and Tom Wilson. Montreal tied it on an Alexander Radulov goal, his thirteenth of the year, passed from Phillip Danault and Max Pacioretty. The Capitals took the lead in the second period on an Andre Burakovsky goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Brett Connolly and Lars Eller. Washington added on in the third period with a Nicklas Backstrom power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, powered by Matt Niskanen. The Canadiens got one back with a Pacioretty goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, with a lone helper by Radulov. The final stayed at 3-2, with the three stars going to Backstrom, Pacioretty, and Radulov.

Down in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Peter Budaj and Michal Neuvirth are the goalies. Los Angeles took the game 1-0 in overtime with a Jeff Carter goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, assisted by Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty.

West to Colorado, where the Avalanche bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec and Calvin Pickard are the poor goalies. Colorado began in the first period with a Jarome Iginla power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Francois Beauchemin and Matt Duchene. Winnipeg tied it on an Adam Lowry goal, his eighth of the year, via Joel Armia. The Avalanche retook the lead with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. The Jets tied it again in the second period with Lowry's second of the game and ninth of the year, a power play goal made possible by Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien. Colorado retook the lead with a Matt Nieto goal, his third of the season, helped along by Patrick Wiercioch and Duchene. The Avalanche added on with a Carl Soderberg goal in the third period, his fifth of the year, assisted by Iginla and Blake Comeau. Colorado iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Nieto, his second of the game and fourth of the campaign, set up by Duchene, who got a sock trick, and Nikita Zadorov. The three stars were Iginla, Duchene, and Lowry, while Nieto gets an honorable mention.

At the usual time, the Boston Bruins host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Tuukka Rask draw the starts in goal. Boston opened in the first period with a David Pastrnak goal, his twenty-first of the season, coming off of Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara. Toronto tied it on a William Nylander goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Nazem Kadri and Auston Matthews. The Maple Leafs took the lead in the second period with a James van Riemsdyk goal, his eighteenth of the season, with a lone assist by Mitchell Marner. Toronto added on with a Nylander goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, going in unassisted. The Maple Leafs extended the lead as Nylander finished his hat trick with his thirteenth of the season, with the help of Connor Brown and Matthews on the power play. Zane McIntyre replaced Rask in goal. The Bruins got one back with Pastrnak's second of the game and twenty-second of the year, with helpers from Bergeron and Chara. Boston got closer with a Torey Krug power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner. The Bruins tied it in the third period with a Spooner goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Chara, who got a sock trick, and Dominic Moore. Toronto retook the lead with a Brown goal, his twelfth of the season, via Zach Hyman and Matthews, the latter earning a hat trick. Boston tied it again on a Bergeron goal, his thirteenth of the year, a power play goal made possible by Krug and Brad Marchand. The Maple Leafs won 6-5 with a van Riemsdyk goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the campaign, fueled by Tyler Bozak and Marner. The three stars were Nylander, van Riemsdyk, and Pastrnak, while Matthews, Brown, Marner, Bergeron, Chara, Spooner, and Krug receive the honorable mentions.

Down in Buffalo, the Sabres welcome the Ottawa Senators. Mike Condon and Robin Lehner are the solid goalies. Buffalo started in the first period with a Kyle Okposo goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming off of Justin Falk and Josh Gorges. The Sabres added on with a Ryan O'Reilly goal in the second period, his tenth of the year, via Rasmus Ristolainen and Tyler Ennis. Buffalo extended the lead as Sam Reinhart scored his eleventh of the season in the third period, thanks to Jack Eichel. The Sabres padded the lead as Marcus Foligno scored his ninth of the year, with the help of Eichel. This made it 4-0, the final, with the three stars being Lehner (37 save shutout), Okposo, and Eichel.

Across the state, the New York Islanders bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Jean-Francois Berube are in the blue paint. Carolina struck first in the first period with a Jaccob Slavin goal, his second of the season, made possible by Brett Pesce and Elias Lindholm. New York tied it on an Anders Lee goal, his eighteenth of the year, helped along by Dennis Seidenberg and Josh Bailey. The Islanders took the lead with a Casey Cizikas goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Ryan Strome and Shane Prince in the second period. The Hurricanes retied it on a Ron Hainsey goal, his third of the year, passed from Lindholm and Jordan Staal. Carolina took the lead with a Lee Stempniak goal, his tenth of the season, with a lone assist by Jeff Skinner. New York tied it on a Brock Nelson goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Strome and Adam Pelech. The Hurricanes retook the lead with a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his eleventh of the season, guided in by Brock McGinn. The Islanders tied it in the third period with a Bailey power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Lee. Carolina won 5-4 in overtime on Hainsey's second goal of the game and fourth of the campaign, with helpers from Justin Faulk and Staal. The three stars were handed to Hainsey, Bailey, and Lee, while Lindholm, Staal, and Strome get the honorable mentions.

Down in Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Anaheim Ducks. Jonathan Bernier is mismatched with Ben Bishop in goal. Anaheim was first to score in the first period with a Brandon Montour goal, via Jakob Silfverberg and Ryan Kesler. Tampa Bay tied it on a Jonathan Drouin goal, his fifteenth of the season, assisted by Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning took the lead in the second period with an Alex Killorn goal, his sixteenth of the year, a power play goal powered by Kucherov. The Ducks retied it in the third period with a Ryan Getzlaf goal, his eighth of the campaign, helped along by Kevin Bieksa and Kesler. The tie went to a shootout, where Brayden Point, Kucherov, and Brian Boyle topped Silfverberg and Getzlaf to give the Lightning a 3-2 win. The three stars went to Kucherov, Kesler, and Getzlaf, while Silfverberg gets an honorable mention.

Back to the north, where the Columbus Blue Jackets welcome the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Sergei Bobrovsky guard the cages. New Jersey led off in the first period with a Taylor Hall goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri. The Devils added on in the second period with a Jacob Josefson goal, with a lone assist by Andy Greene. New Jersey extended the lead as Zajac scored a power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Adam Henrique and P.A. Parenteau. Columbus got on the board in the third period with a shorthanded Matt Calvert goal, his eighth of the season, set up by William Karlsson. The Devils shot back as Hall scored an empty net goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, thanks to Ben Lovejoy. New Jersey iced it at 5-1 with a Seth Helgeson goal, with helpers from Steven Santini and Henrique. The three stars belonged to Hall, Zajac, and Henrique, while Schneider (31 for 32 in saves) gets an honorable mention.

South to Dallas, with the Stars bringing in the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Kari Lehtonen are called on to start in goal. Dallas dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Radek Faksa goal, his eighth of the season, courtesy of Devin Shore and Dan Hamhuis. Chicago tied it on a Ryan Hartman goal, his twelfth of the year, passed from Tanner Kero and Marian Hossa. The Blackhawks took the lead with a Gustav Forsling goal, his second of the season, coming off of Brent Seabrook and Marcus Kruger. The Stars retied it in the third period with a Jamie Benn goal, his sixteenth of the year, made possible by Cody Eakin and John Klingberg. Dallas took the lead with an unassisted Tyler Seguin goal, his nineteenth of the season. Chicago retied it with a Patrick Kane goal, his seventeenth of the year, assisted by Artem Anisimov. The Blackhawks regained the lead on a Trevor van Riemsdyk goal, his second of the season, fueled by Anisimov and Artemi Panarin. Chicago iced it at 5-3 with a Jonathan Toews power play goal into an empty net, his tenth of the year, set up by Hossa and Duncan Keith. The three stars went to Anisimov, Hossa, and van Riemsdyk.

Backtracking to St. Louis, where the Blues host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jake Allen are the solid goalies. Pittsburgh began in the first period with a Sidney Crosby goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, with a lone assist by Chris Kunitz. The Penguins added on in the second period with a Kris Letang goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Carter Rowney and Bryan Rust. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Justin Schultz scored his ninth of the season, thanks to Crosby and Kunitz. St. Louis got on the board with a third period goal by Patrik Berglund, his twelfth of the year, via Colton Parayko and Joel Edmundson. The Penguins finished it at 4-1 with a Crosby empty net goal, his second of the game and thirtieth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were awarded to Crosby, Kunitz, and Fleury (22 for 23 in saves).

In Nashville, the Predators welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Petr Mrazek and Pekka Rinne protect the nets. Detroit opened in the first period with a Mike Green goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Henrik Zetterberg and Anthony Mantha. This stood for a 1-0 win, with the three stars going to Mrazek (42 save shutout), Green, and Rinne (18 for 19 in saves).

Northwest to Vancouver, where the Canucks bring in the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Ryan Miller are the starting goalies. Minnesota started in the first period with a Mike Reilly goal, via Christian Folin and Jason Pominville. Vancouver tied it with a Brandon Sutter goal, his thirteenth of the season, helped along by Jannik Hansen. The Wild retook the lead with a Mikael Granlund goal, his thirteenth of the year, assisted by Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba. Minnesota added on in the second period with Granlund's second goal of the game and fourteenth of the season, a shorthanded goal set up by Dumba. The Canucks got one back with a Bo Horvat goal, his fifteenth of the year, with a lone assist by Sven Baertschi. The Wild replied with a Zach Parise goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Jared Spurgeon and Eric Staal. Minnesota extended the lead as Mikko Koivu scored his sixteenth of the year, with the help of Granlund and Spurgeon. Vancouver got one back with a Sutter power play goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, with helpers from Baertschi and Daniel Sedin. The Wild answered in the third period with Granlund completing his hat trick on his fifteenth of the year, made possible by Zucker and Koivu. The final held at 6-3, with the three stars being Granlund, Koivu, and Sutter, while Zucker, Spurgeon, and Dumba get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Arizona Coyotes. Mike Smith and Martin Jones are between the pipes. Arizona drew first blood in the second period with a Shane Doan power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Jamie McGinn and Alex Goligoski. San Jose tied it on a Brenden Dillon goal, helped along by Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture. The Sharks took the lead with a Couture goal in the third period, his eighteenth of the year, coming off of Marleau and Mikkel Boedker. The Coyotes retied it on a Ryan White goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. The tie went to a shootout, where Brendan Perlini and Radim Vrbata topped Couture to give the Coyotes a 3-2 win. The three stars were Couture, Marleau, and White.

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KHL 2016/17 - Day 152

Four games today, beginning with...

Sibir Novosibirsk hosting Amur Khabarovsk. Juha Metsola and Danny Taylor draw the starts in goal. Novosibirsk started in the first period with a Konstantin Okulov goal, passed from Maxim Ignatovich. Khabarovsk tied it on an Ilya Gorokhov goal, assisted by Alexei Byvaltsev and Tomas Zohorna. Amur took the lead with an Oleg Li goal, via Jan Kolar and Vyacheslav Ushenin. Khabarovsk iced it at 3-1 in the third period with an empty net goal by Vitaly Atyushov, going in unassisted. The three stars were Li, Metsola (42 for 43 in saves), and Gorokhov.

Over in Novokuznetsk, Metallurg welcomes Kunlun Red Star Beijing. Tomi Karhunen and Rafael Khakimov are the goalies. Novokuznetsk opened in the first period with a Kirill Semyonov power play goal, powered by Artyom Mikheyev. Beijing tied it in the second period with a Linus Videll goal, fueled by Chad Rau. Kunlun Red Star took the lead with a Tobias Viklund power play goal, powered by Tomi Sallinen. Beijing added on with a Max Warn power play goal, with a lone assist by Damien Fleury. Metallurg got one back with a Timur Fatkullin power play goal, passed from Semyonov and Mark Skutar. Kunlun Red Star answered with a Videll power play goal, his second of the game, made possible by Rau and Sean Collins. This made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars going to Videll, Semyonov, and Rau.

West to Omsk, where Avangard brings in Admiral Vladivostok. Igor Bobkov and Dominik Furch protect the nets. Vladivostok led off in the first period with a Pavel Makarenko goal, assisted by James Wright and Ivan Gavrilenko. Omsk tied it in the second period with an Ilya Mikheyev goal, coming off of Ilya Zubov. Admiral retook the lead with an unassisted Mikhail Fisenko goal. Vladivostok iced it at 3-1 with a Damir Zhafyarov empty net goal in the third period, set up by the goalie Bobkov and Anton Volchenkov. The three stars went to Fisenko, Bobkov (16 for 17 in saves), and Makarenko.

Finally, Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk hosts Lada Togliatti. Ilya Ezhov and Andrei Kareyev play goal. Nizhnekamsk began in the first period with a Pavel Poryadin goal, via Pavel Zdunov. Neftekhimik added on with a Maxim Berezin goal, passed from Nikita Kvartalnov. Togliatti got on the board in the second period with a Nikita Filatov goal, with a lone assist by Dmitry Kostromitin. Nizhnekamsk replied with a Zdunov goal, going in unassisted. Lada got one back in the third period with a Georgy Belousov power play goal, powered by Yefim Gurkin and Viktor Komarov. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Zdunov, Berezin, and Poryadin.

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Friday, February 3, 2017

NHL 2016/17 - Day 108

Five games on today, all hosted by Eastern Conference teams. We begin with...

The Pittsburgh Penguins hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Matt Murray draw the starts in goal. Pittsburgh opened in the first period with a Phil Kessel goal, his sixteenth of the season, made possible by Brian Dumoulin and Trevor Daley. The Penguins added on with a Patric Hornqvist goal, his fifteenth of the year, via Matt Cullen and Kris Letang. Columbus got on the board in the second period with a Brandon Dubinsky goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Boone Jenner and Jack Johnson. Pittsburgh replied with a Nick Bonino goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Jake Guentzel and Kessel. The Blue Jackets pulled back in the third period with an Alexander Wennberg goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Brandon Saad and Seth Jones. Columbus tied it on a Cam Atkinson goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, guided in by Dubinsky and Johnson. The Penguins won 4-3 in overtime with a Kessel power play goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the campaign, with assists provided by Letang and Justin Schultz. The three stars were Kessel, Letang, and Dubinsky, while Johnson gets an honorable mention.

In New Jersey, the Devils welcome the Calgary Flames. Brian Elliott and Cory Schneider man the nets. Calgary started in the first period with a Sean Monahan goal, his nineteenth of the season, fueled by Johnny Gaudreau and T.J. Brodie. The Flames added on in the second period with a Kris Versteeg power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Brodie and Gaudreau. New Jersey got on the board with an Adam Henrique goal, his fourteenth of the season, made possible by Miles Wood. The Devils tied it on a Pavel Zacha power play goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Michael Cammalleri and Henrique. New Jersey took the lead with a Kyle Palmieri power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, with helpers from Wood and Taylor Hall. Calgary tied it in the third period with a Matt Stajan goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Brodie, who got a sock trick, and Micheal Ferland. The Flames won 4-3 in overtime with a Mikael Backlund goal, his fifteenth of the campaign, with helpers from Brodie and Michael Frolik. The three stars were awarded to Brodie, Henrique, and Gaudreau, while Wood gets an honorable mention.

West to Detroit, where the Red Wings host the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Petr Mrazek are in the blue paint. New York led off in the first period with a Josh Bailey goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by John Tavares and Anders Lee. Detroit tied it on a Luke Glendening goal, his second of the year, passed from Jonathan Ericsson and Justin Abdelkader. The Islanders retook the lead with an Andrew Ladd goal, his eleventh of the season, via Thomas Hickey and Alan Quine. The Red Wings tied it again in the second period with a Darren Helm goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Tomas Tatar and Thomas Vanek. Detroit took the lead with an Anthony Mantha goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Tatar. New York tied it again with a Tavares power play goal, his twentieth of the year, powered by Ryan Strome and Lee. The Red Wings retook the lead with a Henrik Zetterberg goal, his eleventh of the season, fueled by Gustav Nyquist and Mantha. The Islanders tied it again with a Jason Chimera goal, his eleventh of the year, helped along by Brock Nelson. Detroit won 5-4 with a Danny DeKeyser goal, his third of the campaign, with a lone assist by Zetterberg. The three stars were Zetterberg, Mantha, and Tatar, while Tavares and Lee get the honorable mentions.

South to Raleigh, where the Carolina Hurricanes bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Cam Ward are the similarly named goalies. Carolina began in the first period with a Jordan Staal goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Elias Lindholm and Jaccob Slavin. Edmonton tied it on a Connor McDavid goal, his eighteenth of the year, assisted by Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson. The Hurricanes took the lead back in the third period with a Sebastian Aho power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Justin Faulk and Teuvo Teravainen. The game ended at 2-1, with the three stars given to Aho, Staal, and Ward (24 for 25 in saves).

Finally, the Florida Panthers host the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and James Reimer are set to start in goal. Anaheim struck first in the first period with a Hampus Lindholm goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Antoine Vermette. Florida tied it on a Reilly Smith goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Jason Demers and Keith Yandle. The Panthers took the lead in the second period with a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, guided in by Aleksander Barkov and Yandle. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars handed to Huberdeau, Reimer (22 for 23 in saves), and Smith.

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