NHL 2016/17 - Day 150

Just four games on tonight, beginning with...

The New York Rangers hosting the Florida Panthers. James Reimer and Antti Raanta man the nets. New York opened in the first period with a Mats Zuccarello power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Chris Kreider and Derek Stepan. The Rangers added on with a J.T. Miller goal, his twentieth of the year, coming off of Brendan Smith and Mika Zibanejad. Florida got on the board in the second period with a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Jaromir Jagr and Alex Petrovic. The Panthers tied it on a Jussi Jokinen power play goal, his eleventh of the year, guided in by Thomas Vanek and Jason Demers. Florida took the lead in the third period with an Aleksander Barkov goal, his nineteenth of the season, made possible by Jagr and Huberdeau. New York retied it on a Zuccarello goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the year, via Smith and Nick Holden. In the shootout, Barkov had the only tally for a 4-3 Panthers win. The three stars went to Barkov, Huberdeau, and Jagr, while Zuccarllo and Smith get the honorable mentions.

Over in Pittsburgh, the Penguins welcome the New Jersey Devils. Keith Kinkaid and Matt Murray are the alliterative goalies. New Jersey started in the first period with a Kyle Palmieri goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, coming off of Taylor Hall and John Moore. Pittsburgh tied it on a Phil Kessel goal, his twenty-second of the year, assisted by Patric Hornqvist and Matt Cullen. The Penguins took the lead with a Jake Guentzel goal, his eleventh of the season, via Brian Dumoulin and Sidney Crosby. The Devils retied it on a Stefan Noesen goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Pavel Zacha and John Quenneville. Pittsburgh retook the lead with a Sidney Crosby power play goal, his thirty-sixth of the season, powered by Mark Streit and Justin Schultz. The Penguins added on with a Nick Bonino goal in the second period, his fourteenth of the year, made possible by Carter Rowney and Tom Kuhnhackl. New Jersey pulled back with a Beau Bennett goal, his fifth of the season, fueled by Adam Henrique and Jon Merrill. Pittsburgh answered with a Rowney goal, with helpers from Kuhnhackl and Tom Sestito. The Devils countered with a Palmieri power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the year, with a lone assist by Joseph Blandisi. The Penguins iced it at 6-4 with a Crosby empty net goal, his second of the game and thirty-seventh of the campaign, set up by Conor Sheary. The three stars belonged to Rowney, Crosby, and Palmieri, while Kuhnhackl gets an honorable mention.

Out in Alberta, the Calgary Flames bring in the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Brian Elliott draw the starts in goal. Calgary led off in the first period with a Michael Frolik goal, his sixteenth of the season, guided in by Mikael Backlund and Mark Giordano. The Flames added on in the second period with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his thirteenth of the year, via Giordano and Dougie Hamilton. Calgary extended the lead as Giordano scored his eleventh of the season, thanks to Tkachuk. Dallas got on the board in the third period with a Brett Ritchie goal, his thirteenth of the year, going in unassisted. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Giordano, Tkachuk, and Frolik.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the Buffalo Sabres. Anders Nilsson and Jonathan Bernier are the backups in goal. Anaheim began in the first period with a Rickard Rakell goal, his thirty-first of the season, passed from Cam Fowler and Brandon Montour. Buffalo tied it on a Ryan O'Reilly goal, his seventeenth of the year, via Jake McCabe and Jack Eichel. The tie went to a shootout, where O'Reilly, Rasmus Ristolainen, and Zemgus Girgensons topped Ryan Getzlaf and Montour for a 2-1 Sabres win. The three stars were O'Reilly, Montour, and Nilsson (39 for 40 in saves).

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NHL 2016/17 - Day 149

Twelve games on for a busy night, beginning in...

Raleigh, where the Carolina Hurricanes host the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk faces a lesser foe in Eddie Lack in goal. Carolina began in the first period with a Derek Ryan power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Noah Hanifin and Lee Stempniak. Minnesota tied it on a shorthanded Mikael Granlund goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, set up by Mikko Koivu. The Hurricanes took the lead in the third period with a Victor Rask goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming off of Elias Lindholm and Brock McGinn. Carolina iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Teuvo Teravainen, his fourteenth of the year, set up by Jeff Skinner. The three stars went to Rask, Lack (31 for 32 in saves), and Ryan.

Up in New Jersey, the Devils welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Keith Kinkaid are in the creases. Philadelphia led off in the first period with a Michael Del Zotto goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux. New Jersey tied it on a Kyle Palmieri goal, his twenty-third of the year, helped along by Travis Zajac. The Devils took the lead in the second period with an Adam Henrique goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Beau Bennett and Dalton Prout. New Jersey added on with a Joseph Blandisi power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Damon Severson and Pavel Zacha. The Flyers replied with a Brayden Schenn goal, his twenty-first of the season, guided in by Radko Gudas and Del Zotto. The Devils replied in the third period with a Taylor Hall goal, his sixteenth of the year, passed from Zajac. Michal Neuvirth replaced Mason in goal. New Jersey extended the lead as Henrique scored his eighteenth of the season, thanks to John Moore and Palmieri. The Devils iced it at 6-2 with a Hall empty net goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Henrique, Hall, and Palmieri, while Del Zotto and Zajac get the honorable mentions.

Along to Brooklyn, where the New York Islanders bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Thomas Greiss are the average goalies. New York opened in the first period with an Adam Pelech goal, his second of the season, assisted by John Tavares and Nick Leddy. Winnipeg tied it on a Bryan Little goal, his nineteenth of the year, passed from Nikolaj Ehlers and Ben Chiarot. The Jets took the lead on another Little goal, his second of the game and twentieth of the season, a power play goal powered by Nic Petan and Ehlers. Winnipeg added on with a second period goal by Mathieu Perreault, his eighth of the year, helped along by Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele. The Jets extended the lead as Adam Lowry scored his twelfth of the season, with the help of Joel Armia and Mark Stuart. The Islanders replied in the third period with an Anders Lee goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, going in unassisted. The final held at 4-2 with the three stars being Little, Ehlers, and Perreault.

Over in DC, the Washington Capitals host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Braden Holtby guard the cages. Washington started in the first period with a Brett Connolly goal, his fifteenth of the season, courtesy of Jakub Vrana. Nashville tied it on a James Neal goal, his twenty-first of the year, via Kevin Fiala in the second period. The Predators won 2-1 in overtime with a Viktor Arvidsson goal, his twenty-fifth of the campaign, assisted by Ryan Johansen and Roman Josi. The three stars went to Arvidsson, Neal, and Rinne (22 for 23 in saves).

West to Ohio, where the Columbus Blue Jackets welcome the Florida Panthers. James Reimer and Sergei Bobrovsky are called on to start in goal. Florida struck first in the first period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his twenty-third of the season, assisted by Thomas Vanek and Alex Petrovic. Columbus tied it in the second period on a Zach Werenski goal, his eleventh of the year, via Josh Anderson and Matt Calvert. The Blue Jackets took the lead with an Anderson goal, his fifteenth of the season, made possible by Jack Johnson and William Karlsson. The game ended at 2-1, with the three stars given to Anderson, Bobrovsky (33 for 34 in saves), and Werenski.

Up in Ottawa, the Senators bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Scott Darling and Mike Condon are the backups in goal. Chicago got going in the second period with a Duncan Keith goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Artemi Panarin and Nick Schmaltz. Ottawa tied it on a Kyle Turris power play goal, his twenty-third of the year, powered by Erik Karlsson and Mike Hoffman. The Blackhawks took the lead with a Richard Panik power play goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, with assists provided by Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Panik, Keith, and Darling (33 for 34 in saves).

Back south, the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Andrei Vasilevskiy make the starts in goal. Toronto was first to score in the first period with a Roman Polak goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Tyler Bozak. The Maple Leafs added on with a Morgan Rielly goal, his fifth of the year, via Nazem Kadri and Alexey Marchenko in the second period. Toronto extended the lead as Matt Martin scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Matt Hunwick and Nikita Soshnikov. The Maple Leafs chased Vasilevskiy on a Connor Brown power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, powered by Leo Komarov and William Nylander. Toronto padded the lead against Peter Budaj with a James van Riemsdyk goal, his twenty-second of the season, helped along by Rielly and Mitchell Marner. The final stood at 5-0, with the three stars being Rielly, Andersen (33 save shutout), and Polak.

Northwest to Edmonton, where the Oilers welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Cam Talbot protect the nets. Edmonton led off in the first period with a Patrick Maroon goal, his twenty-third of the season, coming off of Jordan Eberle and Andrej Sekera on the power play. The Oilers added on with a Maroon goal, his second of the game and twenty-fourth of the year, via Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Edmonton extended the lead as Benoit Pouliot scored his seventh of the season, thanks to David Desharnais and Darnell Nurse. Boston got on the board with a David Pastrnak power play goal, his thirty-first of the year, powered by Brad Marchand and Ryan Spooner. The Bruins got closer with a Marchand goal, his thirty-seventh of the season, fueled by Patrice Bergeron and Zdeno Chara. The Oilers answered with an Anton Slepyshev goal, his fourth of the year, helped along by McDavid and Nurse. Edmonton padded the lead in the second period with a Drake Caggiula power play goal, his fifth of the season, with helpers from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Pouliot. Anton Khudobin replaced Rask in goal. Boston got one back with a Dominic Moore shorthanded goal, his tenth of the year, set up by Adam McQuaid. The Oilers answered with a Draisaitl goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, going in unassisted. Edmonton kept going with a Milan Lucic power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, with assists provided by Draisaitl and McDavid, the latter earning a sock trick. The Bruins chipped back with a David Krejci goal, his twentieth of the season, a power play goal made possible by Marchand and Torey Krug. The game ended at 7-4, with the three stars awarded to Maroon, Marchand, and Draisaitl, while McDavid, Eberle, and Nurse get the honorable mentions.

Westward to Vancouver, where the Canucks bring in the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Ryan Miller are the veteran goalies. Dallas started in the first period with an Ales Hemsky goal, assisted by Remi Elie and Patrik Nemeth. Vancouver tied it on a Sven Baertschi goal, his seventeenth of the season, coming off of Nikita Tryamkin and Reid Boucher. The Stars took the lead back on an Esa Lindell goal, his sixth of the year, passed from John Klingberg and Jason Spezza. The Canucks tied it on a Ben Hutton power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Markus Granlund and Bo Horvat in the second period. Dallas took the lead in the third period on a Tyler Seguin power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, with assists provided by Klingberg and Spezza. The Stars iced it at 4-2 with a Radek Faksa goal, his eleventh of the campaign, guided in by Devin Shore. The three stars went to Klingberg, Spezza, and Seguin.

Down in Arizona Coyotes host the Detroit Red Wings. Petr Mrazek and Mike Smith are the goalies. Detroit opened in the first period with a Dylan Larkin power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Riley Sheahan and Andreas Athanasiou. Arizona tied it in the second period on a Radim Vrbata goal, his seventeenth of the year, coming off of Christian Dvorak and Jakob Chychrun. The Coyotes took the lead with an Alex Goligoski goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Shane Doan and Josh Jooris. The Red Wings tied it again with a Tomas Tatar power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, with assists provided by Mike Green and Athanasiou. Detroit pulled ahead in the third period on a Green goal, his eleventh of the season, helped along by Henrik Zetterberg and Tatar. Arizona tied it again with a Lawson Crouse goal, his fifth of the year, coming shorthanded set up by Goligoski and Jooris. The Red Wings regained the lead with a Zetterberg goal, his fifteenth of the season, with a lone helper by Danny DeKeyser. The Coyotes tied it again with a Jakob Chychrun goal, his seventh of the year, fueled by Tobias Rieder. Detroit won 5-4 with a lone shootout tally by Gustav Nyquist. The three stars went to Zetterberg, Green, and Tatar, while Athanasiou, Jooris, and Goligoski get the honorable mentions.

In California, the Los Angeles Kings welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Jonathan Quick are in the blue paint. Los Angeles dented the scoreboard in the third period with a Jarome Iginla goal, his eleventh of the season, courtesy of Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. The Kings added on with an Adrian Kempe goal, his second of the year, helped along by Drew Doughty and Brown. This made it 2-0, with the three stars awarded to Quick (26 save shutout), Brown, and Iginla.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the St. Louis Blues. Carter Hutton and Aaron Dell received the green light to play goal. St. Louis began in the first period with a Scottie Upshall goal, his eighth of the season, going in unassisted. San Jose tied it on a Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal, his fifth of the year, via Dylan DeMelo and Logan Couture. The Blues took the lead with a Zach Sanford goal in the second period, his third of the season, helped along by Jay Bouwmeester and Ivan Barbashev. St. Louis added on in the third period with a Vladimir Tarasenko power play goal, his thirty-third of the year, powered by Alexander Steen and Alex Pietrangelo. The Blues iced it at 4-1 with a Tarasenko empty net goal, his second of the game and thirty-fourth of the campaign, set up by Jaden Schwartz and Colton Parayko. The three stars went to Hutton (19 for 20 in saves), Tarasenko, and Sanford.

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KHL Western Conference Semifinal: 2) SKA St. Petersburg VS. 3) Dynamo Moscow

The second round of the 2017 KHL playoffs is now underway. This Western Conference Semifinal features SKA St. Petersburg and Dynamo Moscow.

Game 1: Ice Palace Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia. In goal: Alexander Yeryomenko of Dynamo and Mikko Koskinen of SKA. Moscow led off with a Maxim Karpov goal in the first period, courtesy of Alexei Tereshchenko and Andrei Mironov. St. Petersburg tied it on a Nikita Gusev goal in the second period, made possible by Evgeny Dadonov and Vadim Shipachyov. Dynamo retook the lead on a Karpov goal, via Ilya Nikulin and Tereshchenko. SKA tied it on a Pavel Datsyuk goal in the third period, a power play goal powered by Maxim Chudinov and Sergei Shirokov. Moscow won 3-2 in overtime with a Karpov power play goal, with assists provided by Nikulin and Juuso Hietanen. The three stars went to Karpov, Nikulin, and Tereshchenko. Dynamo leads the series 1-0.

Game 2: Ice Palace Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia. In goal: Alexander Yeryomenko of Dynamo and Mikko Koskinen of SKA. St. Petersburg began in the first period with an Evgeny Ketov power play goal, powered by Jarno Koskiranta and Anton Belov. SKA added on with a Vadim Shipachyov power play goal, with a lone assist by Nikita Gusev. Moscow got on the board with an unassisted Andrei Kuteikin goal in the third period. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Koskinen (17 for 18 in saves), Shipachyov, and Ketov. The series is tied at 1 as it heads to the east.

Game 3: VTB Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Mikko Koskinen of SKA and Alexander Yeryomenko of Dynamo. Moscow opened in the first period with a Yakov Rylov goal, helped along by Denis Kokarev and Konstantin Gorovikov. St. Petersburg tied it on a Jarno Koskiranta goal, via Sergei Plotnikov. Dynamo took the lead with an Andrei Kuteikin goal, going in unassisted in the second period. SKA retied it in the third period with a Vadim Shipachyov power play goal, powered by Evgeny Dadonov and Nikita Gusev. St. Petersburg pulled ahead on a Dadonov power play goal, with assists provided by Anton Belov and Gusev. SKA iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Ilya Kovalchuk, set up by Yegor Yakovlev. The three stars were Dadonov, Gusev, and Shipachyov. SKA leads the series 2-1.

Game 4: VTB Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Mikko Koskinen of SKA and Alexander Yeryomenko of Dynamo. St. Petersburg started in the first period with an Anton Belov goal, coming off of Jarno Koskiranta and Sergei Shirokov. Moscow tied it on a Denis Kokarev goal, via Artyom Podshendyalov and Andrei Mironov in the second period. SKA retook the lead with a Shirokov goal, passed from Dinar Khafizullin and Alexander Barabanov. St. Petersburg added on in the third period with a Patrik Hersley power play goal, powered by Shirokov and Belov. SKA iced it at 4-1 with a shorthanded empty net goal by Evgeny Ketov, set up by Hersley. The three stars were Shirokov, Hersley, and Belov. SKA heads home with a 3-1 series lead. 

Game 5: Ice Palace Saint Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Russia. In goal: Alexander Yeryomenko of Dynamo and Mikko Koskinen of SKA. St. Petersburg got going in the second period with a Nikita Gusev goal, helped along by Patrik Hersley. SKA added on with an Ilya Kovalchuk goal, assisted by Ilya Kablukov and Artyom Zub. This made it 2-0, the final, with the three stars going to Koskinen (20 save shutout), Gusev, and Kovalchuk. SKA wins the series 4-1, advancing to the Western Conference Final.

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NHL 2016/17 - Day 148

Four games for today, beginning in...

Philadelphia, as the Flyers host cross-state rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Matt Murray and Steve Mason are the goalies. Philadelphia got going in the second period with a Sean Couturier goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Dale Weise and Brayden Schenn. The Flyers added on with a Wayne Simmonds power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, powered by Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov. Philadelphia extended the lead in the third period as Claude Giroux scored his fourteenth of the season, thanks to Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. The Flyers iced it at 4-0 with a Weise goal, his third of the year, coming off of Schenn and Couturier. The three stars were Couturier, Weise, and Mason (23 save shutout), while Schenn gets an honorable mention.

Over in Calgary, the Flames welcome the Boston Bruins. Anton Khudobin and Chad Johnson are the backups in goal. Calgary opened in the first period with an Alex Chiasson goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Lance Bouma and Matt Stajan. Boston tied it on a David Pastrnak goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, via Zdeno Chara. The Bruins took the lead in the second period with an unassisted Brad Marchand goal, his thirty-sixth of the season. The Flames retied it on a Dougie Hamilton goal, his eleventh of the year, going in unassisted. Boston took the lead again with a David Backes goal, his fifteenth of the season, with a lone assist by David Krejci. The Bruins added on in the third period with a Matt Beleskey goal, his third of the year, passed from Ryan Spooner and Drew Stafford. Boston won 5-2 with a Marchand empty net goal, his second of the game and thirty-seventh of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Marchand, Backes, and Beleskey.

Down in Colorado, the Avalanche bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Calvin Pickard are in the blue paint. Detroit started in the first period with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his sixteenth of the season, guided in by Justin Abdelkader and Dylan Larkin. Colorado tied it in the second period with a Matt Duchene goal, his seventeenth of the year, fueled by Fedor Tyutin and Rene Bourque. The Avalanche took the lead in the third period with a J.T. Compher goal, assisted by Francois Beauchemin. Colorado added on with a Carl Soderberg goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Blake Comeau and John Mitchell. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars being Compher, Pickard (27 for 28 in saves), and Soderberg.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Jonathan Bernier are between the pipes. Anaheim struck first in the first period with a Rickard Rakell goal, his twentieth of the season, via Ryan Getzlaf. The Ducks added on in the second period with a shorthanded Getzlaf goal, his fourteenth of the year, set up by Andrew Cogliano. St. Louis got on the board in the third period with an Ivan Barbashev goal, his third of the season, coming off of Magnus Paajarvi. The final held at 2-1, with the three stars awarded to Getzlaf, Bernier (26 for 27 in saves), and Rakell.

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KHL Eastern Conference Semifinal: 1) Metallurg Magnitogorsk VS. 5) Barys Astana

The second round of the 2017 KHL playoffs is now underway. This Eastern Conference Semifinal features Metallurg Magnitogorsk and Barys Astana.

Game 1: Arena Metallurg, Magnitogorsk, Russia. In goal: Henrik Karlsson of Barys and Vasily Koshechkin of Metallurg. Magnitogorsk opened in the first period with an Oskar Osala power play goal, powered by Alexander Semin. Metallurg added on in the third period with a Tomas Filippi goal, assisted by Danis Zaripov and Jan Kovar. Magnitogorsk extended the lead as Kovar scored, thanks to Evgeny Biryukov and Denis Kazionov. Metallurg padded the lead with a Zaripov power play goal, with assists provided by Filippi and Yaroslav Khabarov. This made it 4-0, the final, with the three stars being Koshechkin (30 save shutout), Filippi, and Kovar, while Zaripov gets an honorable mention. Metallurg leads the series 1-0.

Game 2: Arena Metallurg, Magnitogorsk, Russia. In goal: Henrik Karlsson of Barys and Vasily Koshechkin of Metallurg. Magnitogorsk started in the first period with a Danis Zaripov goal, assisted by Jan Kovar. Astana tied it in the second period with a Roman Starchenko power play goal, with assists provided by Cam Barker and Nikita Ivanov. Metallurg retook the lead with a Viktor Antipin goal, guided in by Sergei Mozyakin and Kovar. Barys retied it with an unassisted Nigel Dawes goal. Astana took the lead with a Martin St. Pierre goal, via Maxim Semyonov. Magnitogorsk retied it in the third period on a Zaripov power play goal, powered by Antipin and Mozyakin. Metallurg took the lead with a Zaripov power play goal, made possible by Chris Lee and Mozyakin, the latter earning a sock trick. Barys tied it again with a Dawes goal, coming off of Barker. Magnitogorsk won 5-4 in overtime with a Yaroslav Kosov goal, fueled by Lee and Evgeny Timkin. The three stars went to Zaripov, Mozyakin, and Antipin, while Kovar, Lee, Dawes, and Barker get the honorable mentions. Metallurg heads south with a 2-0 series lead.

Game 3: Barys Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan. In goal: Vasily Koshechkin of Metallurg and Henrik Karlsson of Barys. Magnitogorsk got going in the second period with a Danis Zaripov goal, assisted by Alexei Bereglazov and Sergei Mozyakin. Metallurg added on with a power play goal by Zaripov, powered by Jan Kovar. Astana got on the board with a Dustin Boyd power play goal in the third period, with assists provided by Martin St. Pierre and Brandon Bochenski. Magnitogorsk answered on a Mozyakin power play goal, made possible by Kovar. Metallurg extended the lead as Kovar scored a power play goal, thanks to Mozyakin. Magnitogorsk padded the lead on a Zaripov goal, completing his hat trick with helpers from Denis Platonov and Grigory Dronov. Barys got closer with a Boyd power play goal, coming off of Bochenski and Nigel Dawes. Astana chipped closer on another Boyd power play goal, completing his hat trick with the help of St. Pierre and Kevin Dallman. The final held at 5-3, with the three stars going to Zaripov, Boyd, and Mozyakin, while Kovar, Bochenski, and St. Pierre get the honorable mentions. Metallurg owns a 3-0 series lead now, putting them on the brink of advancing. 

Game 4: Barys Arena, Astana, Kazakhstan. In goal: Vasily Koshechkin of Metallurg and Henrik Karlsson of Barys. Astana struck first in the first period with a Nigel Dawes goal, helped along by Brandon Bochenski. Magnitogorsk tied it in the third period with a Jan Kovar goal, via Sergei Mozyakin and Chris Lee on the power play. Metallurg took the lead with an unassisted Lee power play goal. Barys retied it on a Nikita Mikhailis goal, assisted by Maxim Khudyakov and Corey Trivino. Metallurg won 3-2 in overtime with a Kovar power play goal, powered by Mozyakin and Lee. The three stars were Kovar, Lee, and Mozyakin. The sweep sends Metallurg to the Eastern Conference Final on a 4-0 series.


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NHL 2016/17 - Day 147

Eight games today, as one game was postponed due to Winter Storm Stella, with the New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets trying again in two weeks. We begin with...

The Carolina Hurricanes hosting the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Cam Ward are the goalies. Carolina opened in the first period with a Joakim Nordstrom goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Lee Stempniak and Lucas Wallmark. The Hurricanes added on in the second period with an Elias Lindholm goal, his seventh of the year, going in unassisted. New York got on the board with a Joshua Ho-Sang goal, his third of the season, passed from Nikolay Kulemin. The Islanders tied it on a Jason Chimera goal, his seventeenth of the year, coming off of Cal Clutterbuck and Calvin de Haan. New York won 3-2 in overtime with a John Tavares goal, his twenty-sixth of the campaign, helped along by Ho-Sang and Nick Leddy. The three stars were Ho-Sang, Tavares, and Greiss (30 for 32 in saves).

Up the coast, the Washington Capitals welcome the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Braden Holtby tend the twines. Washington started in the first period with a Nate Schmidt goal, his second of the season, assisted by Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie. The Capitals added on in the second period with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, guided in by John Carlson and Backstrom. Washington extended the lead as Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his sixteenth of the season, a power play goal coming off of Backstrom, who got a sock trick, and Carlson. Minnesota got on the board in the third period with a Matt Dumba goal, his eighth of the year, with a lone assist by Mikael Granlund. The Wild got closer with an Eric Staal power play goal, his twenty-third of the season, powered by Mikko Koivu and Ryan Suter. The Capitals replied with a Jay Beagle goal, his twelfth of the year, made possible by Dmitry Orlov. This made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars being Backstrom, Carlson, and Kuznetsov.

In Canada, the Montreal Canadiens host the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Carey Price are the similarly named goalies. Chicago struck first in the first period with a Patrick Kane goal, his thirty-first of the season, guided in by Artem Anisimov and Niklas Hjalmarsson. The Blackhawks added on in the second period with a Johnny Oduya goal, his second of the year, going in unassisted. Chicago extended the lead in the third period as Artemi Panarin scored his twenty-third of the season, thanks to Nick Schmaltz and Kane. Montreal got on the board with a Paul Byron goal, his nineteenth of the year, made possible by Brendan Gallagher and Brandon Davidson. The Canadiens got closer with a Shea Weber goal, his sixteenth of the season, helped along by Alex Galchenyuk and Alexander Radulov. The Blackhawks iced it at 4-2 with a Jonathan Toews empty net goal, his eighteenth of the year, set up by Kane and Duncan Keith. The three stars were handed to Kane, Panarin, and Oduya.

Over in Ontario, the Ottawa Senators bring in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Mike Condon are in goal. Tampa Bay began in the first period with a Brayden Point goal, his twelfth of the season, passed from Jake Dotchin and Braydon Coburn. Ottawa tied it on a Tommy Wingels goal in the second period, his seventh of the year, going in unassisted. The Lightning won 2-1 in overtime with a Victor Hedman goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, coming off of Ondrej Palat. The three stars were Hedman, Vasilevskiy (31 for 32 in saves), and Point.

Back south, the Florida Panthers host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and James Reimer are in the blue paint. Florida led off in the first period with an Aleksander Barkov goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Jonathan Huberdeau. The Panthers added on with a Colton Sceviour shorthanded goal, his ninth of the year, set up by Derek MacKenzie and Michael Matheson. Toronto got on the board with a Leo Komarov power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by William Nylander. Florida replied with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his twenty-first of the year, fueled by Thomas Vanek. Curtis McElhinney replaced Andersen in goal for the second period. The Panthers extended the lead in the second period as Marchessault scored his second of the game and twenty-second of the season, with the help of Barkov and Vanek. Florida padded the lead on a Reilly Smith goal, his eleventh of the year, with a lone assist by Keith Yandle. The Maple Leafs pulled back with a Nikita Soshnikov goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Matt Martin and Brian Boyle. The Panthers responded with a Jussi Jokinen power play goal, his tenth of the year, with assists provided by Vanek, who got a sock trick, and Vincent Trocheck. Florida continued in the third period with a Yandle goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Vanek and Trocheck. This produced the 7-2 final, with the three stars going to Marchessault, Vanek, and Barkov, while Trocheck and Yandle get the honorable mentions.

Way northwest to Edmonton, where the Oilers welcome the Dallas Stars. Antti Niemi and Cam Talbot are in the creases. Edmonton was first to score in the first period with a Benoit Pouliot goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Zack Kassian. The Oilers added on with an Oscar Klefbom power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by Milan Lucic and Leon Draisaitl. Edmonton extended the lead in the second period as Darnell Nurse scored his fourth of the season, an unassisted goal. Dallas got on the board with a Brett Ritchie goal, his twelfth of the year, via Curtis McKenzie and Adam Cracknell. The Oilers replied with a David Desharnais goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Anton Slepyshev and Andrej Sekera. Edmonton padded the lead with a Patrick Maroon goal, his twenty-second of the year, helped along by Draisaitl. The Oilers continued in the third period with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his fourteenth of the season, courtesy of Lucic and Jordan Eberle. Edmonton iced it at 7-1 with a Connor McDavid goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, coming off of Maroon and Kassian. The three stars went to Maroon, Lucic, and Draisaitl, while Kassian gets a honorable mention.

In California, the Los Angeles Kings host the Arizona Coyotes. Louis Domingue and Ben Bishop are called on to start in goal. Los Angeles got going in the second period with a Tyler Toffoli goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Jake Muzzin and Anze Kopitar. Arizona tied it on a Max Domi goal, his eighth of the year, via Christian Dvorak and Jakob Chychrun in the third period. The Kings retook the lead on a Toffoli power play goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, powered by Jeff Carter and Kopitar. The Coyotes tied it again with a Domi goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, passed from Shane Doan and Radim Vrbata. In the shootout, Brendan Perlini and Anthony DeAngelo lifted the Coyotes over Carter and the Kings by a 3-2 final. The three stars were Domi, Toffoli, and Kopitar.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Martin Jones protect the nets. Buffalo opened in the first period with a Jack Eichel goal, his twentieth of the season, assisted by Matt Moulson and Josh Gorges. San Jose tied it on a Joe Pavelski power play goal in the second period, his twenty-seventh of the year, powered by Logan Couture and Joe Thornton. The Sharks took the lead on an unassisted Micheal Haley goal, his second of the season. San Jose added on in the third period with a Pavelski goal, his second of the game and twenty-eighth of the year, coming off of Jannik Hansen and Dylan DeMelo. The Sharks extended the lead as Couture scored his twenty-fourth of the season, helped along by Joel Ward and Patrick Marleau. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars awarded to Pavelski, Couture, and Jones (22 for 23 in saves).

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NHL 2016/17 - Day 146

Eight games on an unusually busy Monday. We begin with...

The New York Rangers hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Peter Budaj and Antti Raanta are the backups in goal. New York opened in the first period with a Steven Kampfer goal, assisted by Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider. Tampa Bay tied it on a Brayden Point power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Jonathan Drouin. The Lightning took the lead with a Gabriel Dumont goal, his second of the year, helped along by Jason Garrison. The Rangers tied it again with a Michael Grabner goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, going in unassisted. Tampa Bay took the lead with a third period Point goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, via Ondrej Palat and Kucherov. The game ended at 3-2, with the three stars going to Point, Kucherov, and Dumont.

Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Steve Mason draw the starts in goal. Columbus started in the first period with a Sam Gagner goal, his eighteenth of the season, passed from Boone Jenner and Oliver Bjorkstrand. The Blue Jackets added on with a Cam Atkinson goal, his thirty-first of the year, via Zach Werenski. Philadelphia got on the board with a Travis Konecny goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Couturier. The Flyers tied it in the second period with a Brayden Schenn goal, his twentieth of the year, coming on the power play from Claude Giroux. Philadelphia took the lead on a Konecny goal, his second of the game and tenth of the season, assisted by Matt Read and Radko Gudas. Columbus retied it on a Werenski goal, his tenth of the year, with helpers from Seth Jones and Matt Calvert. The Blue Jackets took the lead in the third period with a Brandon Dubinsky power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Brandon Saad and Jones. Columbus iced it at 5-3 with an Atkinson goal, his second of the game and thirty-second of the year, helped along by Saad. The three stars were given to Atkinson, Werenski, and Konecny, while Jones and Saad get the honorable mentions.

Back in New York, the Islanders host the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Jean-Francois Berube are the mediocre goalies. New York began in the first period with a Ryan Strome goal, his thirteenth of the season, courtesy of Andrew Ladd and Thomas Hickey. Carolina tied it on a Jaccob Slavin goal, his third of the year, via Elias Lindholm and Victor Rask. The Hurricanes took the lead with a Joakim Nordstrom goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Lee Stempniak and Slavin. The Islanders retied it on a Stephen Gionta goal, guided in by Cal Clutterbuck and Nikolay Kulemin. New York gained the lead in the second period with a Calvin de Haan goal, his fifth of the year, fueled by Joshua Ho-Sang and Hickey. Carolina retied it on a Justin Faulk goal, his thirteenth of the season, made possible by Jordan Staal and Noah Hanifin. The Hurricanes pulled ahead with a Jeff Skinner goal, his twenty-second of the year, coming off of Lindholm and Matt Tennyson. Thomas Greiss replaced Berube in goal. Carolina added on with a Faulk goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, passed from Hanifin and Patrick Brown. The Hurricanes extended the lead with a shorthanded and unassisted Slavin goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year. The Islanders got one back with a Ho-Sang goal, his second of the season, dished from Anthony Beauvillier. Carolina responded with a Skinner penalty shot goal, his second of the game and twenty-third of the year. The Hurricanes padded the lead as Slavin scored his fifth of the season to complete his hat trick, with the help of Teuvo Teravainen and Staal. The game ended at 8-4, with the three stars going to Slavin, Skinner, and Faulk, while Staal, Lindholm, Hanifin, Ho-Sang, and Hickey get the honorable mentions.

Down in Nashville, the Predators bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Pekka Rinne are the masked men. Winnipeg led off in the first period with a Blake Wheeler power play goal, his twenty-first of the season, powered by Mark Scheifele and Adam Lowry. The Jets added on with a Dustin Byfuglien goal, his eleventh of the year, assisted by Nikolaj Ehlers and Bryan Little. Nashville got on the board with an Austin Watson goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Anthony Bitetto. The Predators tied it with a Mike Fisher goal, his seventeenth of the year, guided in by Craig Smith and Roman Josi. Nashville took the lead in the second period with a Filip Forsberg goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, courtesy of Ryan Johansen and Viktor Arvidsson.Winnipeg tied it again in the third period with a Patrik Laine goal, his thirty-third of the year, helped along by Ehlers and Little. The Jets gained the lead on a Joel Armia goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Josh Morrissey and Paul Postma. The Predators tied it in the third period with a Johansen goal, his twelfth of the year, via Forsberg and Arvidsson. Nashville won 5-4 in overtime with a James Neal goal, his twentieth of the campaign, with assists provided by Josi and P.K. Subban on the power play. The three stars went to Johansen, Forsberg, and Arvidsson, while Josi, Little, and Ehlers

Northwest to Calgary, where the Flames host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Brian Elliott are the veteran goalies. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period with a Conor Sheary goal, his twentieth of the season, coming off of Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby. Calgary tied it on a Deryk Engelland goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Alex Chiasson and Matt Stajan. The Penguins took the lead back with an Evgeni Malkin power play goal, his thirty-third of the season, powered by Chris Kunitz and Phil Kessel. The Flames tied it on a second period Dennis Wideman goal, his fourth of the year, via Kris Versteeg and Sam Bennett. Calgary took the lead with a Johnny Gaudreau power play goal in the third period, his fifteenth of the season, assisted by Versteeg. Pittsburgh tied it on a Crosby goal, his thirty-fifth of the year, passed from Sheary and Guentzel. The Flames won 4-3 in the shootout with a Versteeg tally. The three stars went to Versteeg, Crosby, and Sheary, while Guentzel gets an honorable mention.

In California, the Los Angeles Kings welcome the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Jonathan Quick are the solid goalies. St. Louis got going in the second period with a David Perron goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Alexander Steen. The Blues added on in the third period with a Magnus Paajarvi power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Patrik Berglund and Alex Pietrangelo. Los Angeles got on the board with a Dustin Brown goal, his eleventh of the season, helped along by Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar. St. Louis iced it at 3-1 with a Steen empty net goal, his fourteenth of the year, set up by Pietrangelo. The three stars were Steen, Pietrangelo, and Allen (38 for 39 in saves).

Up in Vancouver, the Canucks host the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Ryan Miller are between the pipes. Boston was first to score in the first period with a David Backes goal, his fourteenth of the season, helped along by Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. Vancouver tied it on a Markus Granlund goal, his eighteenth of the year, coming off of Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. The Canucks took the lead with another Granlund goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the season, via Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin again. The Bruins retied it in the second period with a Zdeno Chara goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Dominic Moore. Vancouver took the lead back with an Alexander Edler goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Drew Shore and Brandon Sutter. Boston tied it in the third period with a Marchand power play goal, his thirty-third of the year, powered by David Pastrnak and Torey Krug. The Bruins took the lead on another Marchand goal, his second of the game and thirty-fourth of the season, going in unassisted. Boston added on with a David Krejci goal, his nineteenth of the year, with helpers from Pastrnak and Frank Vatrano. The Bruins iced it at 6-3 with a Marchand empty net goal, his thirty-fifth of the campaign completing his hat trick, set up by Bergeron and Backes. The three stars went to Marchand, Granlund, and Backes, while Bergeron, Pastrnak, and the Sedins get the honorable mentions. 

Finally, the Arizona Coyotes bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Calvin Pickard and Mike Smith man the nets. Arizona dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Brendan Perlini goal, his thirteenth of the season, passed from Peter Holland and Tobias Rieder. This made it 1-0, the eventual final, with the three stars awarded to Smith (22 save shutout), Perlini, and Pickard (34 for 35 in saves).

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