NHL 2017-18 Day 24

We've got six games on for today, with a slightly earlier start in...

Vegas, as the Golden Knights host the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Oscar Dansk draw the starts in goal. Vegas got going in the second period with an unassisted David Perron goal, his third of the season. The Golden Knights added on with an Oscar Lindberg goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. Vegas extended the lead as Cody Eakin scored, with the help of James Neal and Perron. The Golden Knights padded the lead with a Neal goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Colin Miller and Eakin. Vegas kept going in the third period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his third of the year, guided in by Luca Sbisa and Nate Schmidt. The Golden Knights struck again with an Erik Haula power play goal, his second of the campaign, powered by Marchessault and Schmidt. Vegas iced it at 7-0 with a William Carrier goal, made possible by Brad Hunt. The three stars went to Perron, Neal, and Dansk (32 save shutout), while Eakin, Marchessault, and Schmidt get the honorable mentions.

East to New Jersey, where the Devils welcome the Ottawa Senators. Mike Condon and Keith Kinkaid are the backups in goal. Ottawa started in the first period with a Mike Hoffman goal, his fourth of the season, via Christopher DiDomenico and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. The Senators added on with a David Johnny Oduya goal, passed from Erik Karlsson and Zack Smith. New Jersey got on the board with a Jimmy Hayes goal, his second of the year, helped along by Pavel Zacha and Steven Santini. The Devils tied it on an Adam Henrique power play goal in the second period, his third of the season, powered by Will Butcher and Jesper Bratt. New Jersey took the lead with a Brian Gibbons goal, his fourth of the year, made possible by Zacha and Hayes. The Devils extended the lead in the third period as Damon Severson scored, thanks to Taylor Hall. Ottawa got one back with a Mark Stone goal, his seventh of the campaign, assisted by Hoffman and Dion Phaneuf. The Senators tied it as DiDomenico scored, with the help of Derick Brassard and Stone. The tie went to a shootout, where Drew Stafford and Bratt lifted the Devils over Tom Pyatt and the Senators by a 5-4 final score. the three stars went to Hayes, Bratt, and DiDomenico, while Zacha, Stone, and Hoffman get the honorable mentions.

Backtracking to Columbus, where the Blue Jackets bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Steve Mason and Sergei Bobrovsky play in goal. Winnipeg led off in the first period with an unassisted Brandon Tanev goal, his second of the season. Columbus tied it in the third period with a Cam Atkinson goal, his fourth of the year, with a lone assist from Seth Jones. The Blue Jackets won 2-1 in overtime with Josh Anderson goal, his third of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Bobrovsky (29 for 30 in saves), Anderson, and Atkinson.

Down in Carolina, the Hurricanes host the St. Louis Blues. Carter Hutton and Cam Ward make spot starts in goal. St. Louis dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Dmitrij Jaskin goal, passed from Oskar Sundqvist and Magnus Paajarvi. Carolina tied it on a Jeff Skinner goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Justin Williams. The Blues took the lead back in the third period with a Brayden Schenn goal, his third of the year, guided in by Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Schenn, Hutton (26 for 27 in saves), and Jaskin.

West again to Chicago, where the Blackhawks welcome the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Corey Crawford tend the twines. Chicago opened in the first period with an Artem Anisimov shorthanded goal, his second of the season, going in unassisted. Nashville tied it on an unassisted Calle Jarnkrok goal in the second period. The Predators took the lead with a Craig Smith power play goal, his second of the year, powered by P.K. Subban and Kevin Fiala. The final held at 2-1, with the three stars being Rinne (43 for 44 in saves), Smith, and Jarnkrok.

Finally, the Calgary Flames bring in the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Mike Smith are the veterans in goal. Calgary began in the second period with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his third of the season, made possible by Micheal Ferland and Sean Monahan. Dallas tied it on an Esa Lindell power play goal, his third of the year, coming off of Jason Spezza and Mattias Janmark. The Stars took the lead in the third period with an Alexander Radulov power play goal, his third of the campaign, with assists provided by Devin Shore and John Klingberg. This held for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Lehtonen (29 for 30 in saves), Radulov, and Lindell.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

MLS Playoffs 2017: Play-In Games

Over October 25 and 26, the teams not earning byes for the MLS playoffs participated in one-game playoffs to advance. First up...

The Chicago Fire host the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Matt Lampson are the goalies. New York led off in the seventh minute with a Bradley Wright-Phillips goal, via Damien Perrinelle. The Red Bulls added on in the eleventh minute with a Sacha Kljestan goal, courtesy of Tyler Adams and Wright-Phillips. New York extended the lead in the seventieth minute as Daniel Royer scored, thanks to Sean Davis. Gonzalo Veron took a yellow card for his foul in the eighty-fifth minute. The Red Bulls padded the lead with a Veron goal in the eighty-seventh minute, set up by Kljestan. The final held at 4-0, with Wright-Phillips named man of the match.

West to Vancouver, where the Whitecaps FC welcome the San Jose Earthquakes. Andrew Tarbell and Stefan Marinovic are the backups in goal. Vancouver began in the thirty-third minute with a Fredy Montero goal, helped along by Kendall Waston and Cristian Techera. The Whitecaps added on in the fifty-seventh minute with a Techera goal. Vancouver extended the lead as Waston scored in the sixty-fourth minute, with the help of Tim Parker. Darwin Ceren of San Jose had a yellow card for a seventy-sixth minute foul. The Whitecaps padded the lead with a Nicolas Mezquida goal, assisted by Christian Bolanos and Brek Shea. Vancouver continued in the eightieth minute on a Mezquida goal, his second of the game, made possible by Shea. Anibal Godoy of the Earthquakes had a yellow card for his foul. The final held at 5-0, with the man of the match being Waston.

On Thursday, Atlanta United FC brings in the Columbus Crew SC. Zack Steffen and Brad Guzan are the gloved men. Columbus saw a yellow card for a sixty-fourth minute foul by Hector Jimenez. The Crew's Artur took a yellow card for a foul in the ninety-sixth minute. The game went into the shootout scoreless, where Federico Higuain, Niko Hansen, and Adam Jahn lifted Columbus over Hector Villalba and Atlanta 3-1 to advance to the next round.

Finally, the Houston Dynamo host Sporting Kansas City. Andrew Dykstra and Tyler Deric are between the posts. Houston saw yellow cards for Philippe Senderos in the fourteenth minute for a foul and Ricardo Clark for not retreating in the twenty-first minute. Graham Zusi of Kansas City took a yellow card for a foul in first half stoppage time. Ilie Sanchez of Sporting had a yellow card for a foul in the fifty-third minute, as did teammate Roger Espinoza in the sixty-fifth minute. Adolfo Machado of the Dynamo received a yellow card for his seventy-sixth minute foul. Diego Rubio of Kansas City took a yellow card for an eighty-ninth minute foul. Houston got going in the ninety-fourth minute with an Alberth Elis goal, set up by Vicente Sanchez. In the 109th minute, Romell Quioto of the Dynamo had a yellow card for time wasting. In stoppage time, Elis and Dykstra both had yellow cards for fouls. Houston won 1-0, with Elis named man of the match.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2017-18 Day 23

Eleven games on for tonight, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones faces a lesser foe in Anton Khudobin in goal. Boston led off in the first period with an Danton Heinen shorthanded goal, set up by David Backes and Kevan Miller. San Jose tied it in the second period with a Joe Thornton goal, his second of the season, passed from Tim Heed and Brent Burns on the power play. The Bruins took the lead back with a Heinen goal, his second of the game, guided in by Brandon Carlo and Tim Schaller. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars handed to Heinen, Khudobin (36 for 37 in saves), and Thornton.

Down in New York, the Rangers welcome the Arizona Coyotes. Adin Hill and Ondrej Pavelec are the mediocre goalies. New York opened in the first period with a Chris Kreider goal, his second of the season, coming off of Mats Zuccarello and Mika Zibanejad. The Rangers added on with a Pavel Buchnevich goal, his second of the year, via Ryan McDonagh and Boo Nieves. Arizona got on the board in the second period with an Anthony Duclair goal, his third of the season, assisted by Christian Dvorak and Alex Goligoski. New York replied with a Michael Grabner goal, his second of the year, with a lone assist by Nieves. The Rangers extended the lead as Buchnevich scored his second of the game and third of the season, thanks to Nieves, who got a sock trick. The Coyotes got one back with a Clayton Keller power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Max Domi. New York iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Grabner, his second of the game and third of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Buchnevich, Nieves, and Grabner.

West to Pittsburgh, where the Penguins bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Matt Murray guard the cages. Pittsburgh started in the first period with a Conor Sheary goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby. Winnipeg tied it on a Josh Morrissey goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Bryan Little. The Penguins won 2-1 in overtime with an unassisted Phil Kessel goal, his fourth of the campaign. The three stars were handed to Kessel, Murray (30 for 31 in saves), and Hellebuyck (34 for 36 in saves).

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs host the Carolina Hurricanes. Scott Darling and Frederik Andersen are the masked men. Carolina began in the first period with a Josh Jooris goal, assisted by Trevor van Riemsdyk and Joakim Nordstrom. The Hurricanes added on with a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his third of the season, passed from Victor Rask. Toronto got on the board with an Auston Matthews goal, his eighth of the year, with a lone assist by Patrick Marleau. Carolina replied with an Elias Lindholm goal, his second of the season, coming off of Sebastian Aho and Haydn Fleury. The Maple Leafs got one back in the second period on a Dominic Moore goal, his third of the year, made possible by Matt Martin and Morgan Rielly. Toronto tied it on a Zach Hyman goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by Jake Gardiner and Matthews. The Hurricanes reclaimed the lead with a Rask goal, his second of the year, with a lone helper from Teravainen. Carolina extended the lead in the third period as Brock McGinn scored, thanks to Fleury and Teravainen. The Hurricanes finished it at 6-3 with a Jooris goal, his second of the game, via Jeff Skinner. The three stars were handed to Teravainen, Jooris, and Rask, while Fleury and Matthews get the honorable mentions.

Over in Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Carey Price tend the twines. Los Angeles struck first in the first period with an Adrian Kempe goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Derek Forbort. The Kings added on with a Tyler Toffoli goal, his third of the year, going in unassisted. Los Angeles extended the lead in the second period as Anze Kopitar scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Jake Muzzin. The Kings padded the lead in the third period on a Kurtis MacDermid goal, via Drew Doughty and Kempe. This made it 4-0, the final, with the three stars being Quick (40 save shutout), Kempe, and Toffoli.

Back in Ontario, the Ottawa Senators bring in the Philadelphia Flyers. Michal Neuvirth and Craig Anderson are between the pipes. Ottawa was first to score in the first period with a Dion Phaneuf power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Filip Chlapik and Christopher DiDomenico. The Senators added on with a Mark Borowiecki goal, via Mike Hoffman and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Ottawa extended the lead as Pageau scored a shorthanded goal, set up by Erik Karlsson. Philadelphia got on the board in the second period with a Jakub Voracek goal, passed from Sean Couturier and Ivan Provorov. The Flyers got one back with a Travis Konecny goal, his second of the year, coming off of Radko Gudas. The Senators answered with a Mark Stone goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Ryan Dzingel and Karlsson. Ottawa padded the lead with a Tom Pyatt goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Nate Thompson and Pageau in the third period. Philadelphia responded with a Provorov goal, his second of the season, assisted by Konecny and Couturier. The Flyers got closer with a Couturier goal, his seventh of the year, with helpers from Shayne Gostisbehere and Voracek. This only made it 5-4, the final, with the three stars given to Pageau, Karlsson, and Couturier, while Voracek, Konecny, and Provorov get the honorable mentions.

Down in Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Detroit opened in the first period with a shorthanded and unassisted Frans Nielsen goal, his third of the season. Tampa Bay tied it on a Nikita Kucherov power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by Victor Hedman and Alex Killorn. The Lightning took the lead with a Steven Stamkos power play goal in the third period, his fourth of the season, via Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev. Tampa Bay added on with a Brayden Point goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Yanni Gourde and Ondrej Palat. The Red Wings got one back with a Nielsen power play goal, his fourth of the campaign, assisted by Gustav Nyquist and Justin Abdelkader. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars handed to Kucherov, Nielsen, and Point.

Staying in the state, the Florida Panthers welcome the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and James Reimer play in goal. Florida started in the first period with a Radim Vrbata goal, assisted by Connor Brickley and Vincent Trocheck. The Panthers added on with an Owen Tippett goal, passed from Jamie McGinn and Mike Matheson. Anaheim got on the board with a Kalle Kossila goal, helped along by Logan Shaw and Chris Wagner. Florida replied with a Vrbata power play goal, his second of the game, powered by Nick Bjugstag. The Panthers extended the lead in the second period as Trocheck scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Brickley and Alex Petrovic. Florida padded the lead as Evgenii Dadonov scored his third of the year, with the help of Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. The Panthers kept going with a shorthanded Barkov goal, his third of the season, set up by Derek MacKenzie. Reto Berra replaced Gibson for the third period. The Ducks got one back in the third period with an Andrew Cogliano goal, his third of the year, guided in by Jakob Silfverberg and Antoine Vermette. Florida countered with a Vrbata goal to complete his hat trick, fueled by Trocheck and Keith Yandle. Anaheim chipped back on a Shaw goal, made possible by Wagner and Derek Grant. The Panthers answered on a Dadonov goal, his second of the game and fourth of the campaign, dished from Barkov and Huberdeau. This produced the 8-3 final, with the three stars awarded to Vrbata, Dadonov, and Barkov, while Trocheck, Huberdeau, Brickley, Shaw, and Wagner get honorable mentions.

Northwest to Minnesota, as the Wild bring in the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Devan Dubnyk draw the starts in goal. Minnesota led off in the first period with a Marcus Foligno goal, his second of the season, made possible by Jared Spurgeon. The Wild added on with a Jason Zucker goal, his third of the year, with a lone assist by Mikael Granlund. Minnesota extended the lead as Eric Staal scored a shorthanded and unassisted goal, his fourth of the season. New York got on the board with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his second of the year, passed from Johnny Boychuk and Josh Bailey. The Wild replied in the second period with a Luke Kunin shorthanded goal, set up by Staal. The Islanders countered with a Nick Leddy goal, helped along by Mathew Barzal and Bailey. Minnesota answered in the third period with a Zack Mitchell goal, assisted by Daniel Winnik and Spurgeon. The Wild padded the lead on a Jonas Brodin goal, with helpers from Foligno and Joel Eriksson Ek. New York pulled one back with an Anders Lee goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Leddy and Bailey, the latter earning a sock trick. The Islanders got closer with a Barzal goal, his second of the year, fueled by Boychuk and Cal Clutterbuck. This produced the 6-4 final, with the three stars handed to Staal, Foligno, and Bailey, while Spurgeon, Barzal, Leddy, and Boychuk get the honorable mentions.

In Alberta, the Edmonton Oilers host the Dallas Stars. Ben Bishop and Cam Talbot protect the nets. Edmonton began in the first period with a Connor McDavid goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Ryan Strome and Leon Draisaitl. Dallas tied it on a Jamie Benn goal, his sixth of the year, via Alexander Radulov and Dan Hamhuis. The Oilers retook the lead with a Patrick Maroon goal, his third of the season, coming off of Darnell Nurse and Draisaitl. The Stars tied it on a second period power play goal by Radulov, his second of the year, powered by Tyler Seguin and Devin Shore. Edmonton retook the lead with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his third of the season, assisted by Kris Russell and Milan Lucic. Dallas tied it again with a Benn power play goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year,with assists provided by Radulov and John Klingberg. The Stars took the lead with a third period power play goal by Esa Lindell, his second of the season, made possible by Jason Spezza and Hamhuis. The Oilers tied it again on a Nugent-Hopkins goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, with a lone helper from Lucic. Edmonton won 5-4 with a Matt Benning goal, helped along by Draisaitl, who got a sock trick, and Nurse. The three stars were Nugent-Hopkins, Benn, and Radulov, while Draisaitl, Hamhuis, Lucic, and Nurse get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Anders Nilsson receive the starting nods in goal. Vancouver struck first in the first period with a Thomas Vanek goal, his fourth of the season, via Sam Gagner and Alex Burmistrov. The Canucks added on with a Bo Horvat power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Sven Baertschi and Brock Boeser. Vancouver extended the lead as Markus Granlund scored his second of the season, thanks to Derek Dorsett. The Canucks padded the lead with a Baertschi power play goal in the second period, his third of the year, guided in by Derrick Pouliot and Boeser. Vancouver chased Holtby with a Dorsett goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Brandon Sutter and Christopher Tanev. Philipp Grubauer took over in goal. Washington got on the board with an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, assisted by Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson. The Canucks responded with a Baertschi power play goal in the third period, his fourth of the year, with helpers from Horvat and Boeser, the latter getting a sock trick. The Capitals got one back with a Chandler Stephenson goal, passed from Jay Beagle and Madison Bowey. The final held at 6-2, with the three stars going to Baertschi, Boeser, and Horvat, while Dorsett gets an honorable mention.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2017-18 Day 22

We've got just two games on again today, beginning with...

The St. Louis Blues hosting the Calgary Flames. Eddie Lack is mismatched with Jake Allen in goal. Calgary started in the first period with a Mikael Backlund goal, his third of the season, passed from Matthew Tkachuk and Travis Hamonic. St. Louis tied it on an Alexander Steen goal, assisted by Vladimir Sobotka and Paul Stastny. The Blues took the lead with a Jaden Schwartz power play goal in the second period, his seventh of the year, powered by Vladimir Tarasenko and Steen. St. Louis added on with an Alex Pietrangelo power play goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Brayden Schenn and Steen. The Flames got one back with a Backlund goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, via Tkachuk and Michael Frolik. The Blues replied in the third period with a Stastny goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by Steen, who got a sock trick, and Colton Parayko. The Blues iced it at 5-2 with a Joel Edmundson empty net goal, his second of the year, set up by Schenn and Tarasenko. The three stars belonged to Steen, Stastny, and Backlund, while Tarasenko, Schenn, and Tkachuk get the honorable mentions.

The other game has the Columbus Blue Jackets hosting the Buffalo Sabres. Chad Johnson and Sergei Bobrovsky are in the blue paint. Columbus opened in the first period with an Oliver Bjorkstrand power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Sonny Milano and Seth Jones. The Blue Jackets added on in the second period with a Jones goal, his second of the year, guided in by Brandon Dubinsky and Cam Atkinson. Columbus extended the lead as Nick Foligno scored his third of the season, thanks to Jack Johnson. The Blue Jackets padded the lead with a Matt Calvert goal, his second of the year, helped along by Markus Nutivaara and Ryan Murray. Buffalo got on the board in the third period with a Seth Griffith goal, passed from Jordan Nolan and Johan Larsson. Columbus finished it at 5-1 with a Josh Anderson goal, his second of the campaign, fueled by Artemi Panarin and Alexander Wennberg. The three stars were Jones, Bobrovsky (34 for 35 in saves), and Foligno.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2017-18 Day 21

Eleven games on a busy night in the league tonight. First up...

The Carolina Hurricanes host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Scott Darling are in goal. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with a Tyler Johnson power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point. The Lightning added on with a Mikhail Sergachev goal, his fourth of the year, via Steven Stamkos and Johnson in the second period. Carolina got on the board with a Jaccob Slavin goal in the third period, his second of the season, passed from Brett Pesce and Josh Jooris. Tampa Bay replied with a Vladislav Namestnikov empty net goal, his fourth of the year, set up by Victor Hedman and Jake Dotchin. The Lightning extended the lead as Ryan Callahan scored an empty net goal, with the help of Chris Kunitz and J.T. Brown. Tampa Bay padded the lead with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his eleventh of the campaign, made possible by Stamkos and Braydon Coburn. This made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars given to Johnson, Stamkos, and Vasilevskiy (30 for 31 in saves).

Up in Brooklyn, the New York Islanders welcome the Arizona Coyotes. Louis Domingue and Jaroslav Halak are given the starts in goal. Arizona started in the first period with an Anthony Duclair power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Clayton Keller and Derek Stepan. New York tied it in the second period with a John Tavares goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Jordan Eberle. The Islanders took the lead with a Tavares goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, helped along by Adam Pelech and Eberle. The Coyotes retied it in the third period with a Mario Kempe goal, his second of the year, coming off of Tobias Rieder and Christian Dvorak. New York retook the lead with a Brock Nelson power play goal, his fifth of the season, with assists provided by Pelech and Josh Bailey. Arizona tied it again on a Nick Cousins goal, fueled by Keller and Adam Clendening. The Islanders regained the lead with a Tavares goal to complete his hat trick, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Pelech, who got a sock trick, and Calvin de Haan. New York iced it at 5-3 with a Scott Mayfield goal, via Tavares and Anders Lee. The three stars were Tavares, Pelech, and Eberle, while Keller gets an honorable mention.

Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers bring in the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Brian Elliott are the veterans in goal. Philadelphia led off in the first period with a Sean Couturier goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. Anaheim tied it on an Ondrej Kase goal, his second of the year, with a lone assist by Derek Grant. The Ducks took the lead in the second period on a Brandon Montour goal, his third of the season, passed from Kalle Kossila and Francois Beauchemin. Anaheim added on with a Nick Ritchie power play goal, powered by Hampus Lindholm and Kevin Bieksa. The Ducks extended the lead as Rickard Rakell scored his third of the year, thanks to Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. Anaheim padded the lead in the third period with a Getzlaf goal, made possible by Perry. The Flyers got one back with a Couturier goal, his second of the game and sixth of the season, helped along by Travis Sanheim and Voracek. The Ducks iced it at 6-2 with a Kase penalty shot goal, his second of the game and third of the year. The three stars were Getzlaf, Kase, and Couturier, while Perry and Voracek get the honorable mentions.

Across Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Matt Murray guard the cages. Pittsburgh dented the scoreboard in the third period with an Ian Cole goal, via Ryan Reaves and Riley Sheahan. Edmonton tied it on a Connor McDavid goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Patrick Maroon and Oscar Klefbom. The Penguins won 2-1 in overtime with a Phil Kessel goal, his third of the year, with a lone assist by Evgeni Malkin. The three stars were Murray (29 for 30 in saves), Kessel, and Talbot (42 for 44 in saves).

Over in New York, the Buffalo Sabres welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Robin Lehner are the masked men. Buffalo got going in the second period with a Benoit Pouliot goal, his second of the season, helped along by Victor Antipin and Taylor Fedun. This was the only goal in the 1-0 game, with the three stars awarded to Lehner (32 save shutout), Pouliot, and Howard (31 for 32 in saves).

Up in Canada, the Montreal Canadiens bring in the Florida Panthers. James Reimer and Carey Price are between the pipes. Florida drew first blood in the second period with a Keith Yandle goal, courtesy of Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. Montreal tied it on an Alex Galchenyuk goal, his second of the season, a power play goal coming off of Brendan Gallagher and Jonathan Drouin. The Canadiens took the lead on a power play goal by Shea Weber, his second of the year, powered by Drouin and Andrew Shaw. Montreal added on with an unassisted Gallagher goal, his third of the season. The Canadiens extended the lead in the third period as Weber scored his second of the game and third of the year, thanks to Artturi Lehkonen. Montreal padded the lead on a Max Pacioretty goal, his second of the season, passed from Phillip Danault and Jordie Benn. The final held at 5-1, with the three stars being Weber, Gallagher, and Drouin.

West to Ontario, as the Ottawa Senators host the Los Angeles Kings. Darcy Kuemper and Mike Condon are the backups in goal. Los Angeles began in the first period with an Alec Martinez goal, assisted by Adrian Kempe. Ottawa tied it on a Dion Phaneuf goal, his second of the season, coming off of Mike Hoffman and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. The Senators took the lead in the third period with a shorthanded Nate Thompson goal, his second of the year, set up by Tom Pyatt. The Kings tied it on a Kempe goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. In the shootout, Michael Cammalleri and Kempe scored to secure a 3-2 win for the Kings. The three stars were Kempe, Condon (41 for 43 in saves), and Cammalleri.

Back stateside, the Minnesota Wild welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Anders Nilsson is mismatched with Devan Dubnyk in goal. Vancouver cracked the scoresheet in the third period with a Jake Virtanen goal, his second of the season, going in unassisted. This stood for a 1-0 win, with the three stars being Virtanen, Nilsson (29 save shutout), and Dubnyk (24 for 25 in saves).

Down in Nashville, the Predators bring in the Calgary Flames. Mike Smith and Pekka Rinne protect the nets. Nashville struck first in the first period with a Filip Forsberg power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Roman Josi and Scott Hartnell. The Predators added on with a Josi power play goal, his second of the year, assisted by P.K. Subban and Ryan Johansen. Calgary got on the board in the third period with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his third of the season, passed from Dougie Hamilton and Mikael Backlund. The Flames tied it with a Micheal Ferland goal, his second of the year, guided in by Johnny Gaudreau and Hamilton. Calgary won 3-2 with shootout goals by Sean Monahan and Tkachuk to top Forsberg's lone tally for the Predators. The three stars were Hamilton, Tkachuk, and Josi.

Westward to Colorado, as the Avalanche host the Dallas Stars. Ben Bishop and Semyon Varlamov are in the blue paint. Dallas was first to score in the first period with a Jamie Benn goal, his fifth of the season, via John Klingberg and Tyler Seguin. Colorado tied it on a Matt Nieto goal, coming off of Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche took the lead in the second period with a Nieto goal, his second of the game, passed from Carl Soderberg and Blake Comeau. The Stars retied it on a Brett Ritchie goal, assisted by Seguin and Benn. Colorado retook the lead with a Landeskog goal, his third of the year, with a lone helper by Matt Duchene. The Avalanche added on with a Mark Barberio goal, fueled by Tyson Barrie and Comeau. Dallas got one back with a Benn goal in the third period, his second of the game and sixth of the season, going in unassisted. Colorado won 5-3 with a Nieto empty net goal to complete his hat trick, set up by Comeau, who got a sock trick, and Anton Lindholm. The three stars belonged to Nieto, Comeau, and Benn, while Landeskog and Seguin get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford faces a lesser foe in Oscar Dansk in goal. Chicago got on the board first in the first period with a shorthanded and unassisted John Hayden goal. Vegas tied it on a William Karlsson power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Colin Miller and Brad Hunt. The Golden Knights took the lead with a Tomas Nosek goal, his second of the year, via Deryk Engelland and Brayden McNabb.Vegas added on in the second period with a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal, helped along by Nosek and William Carrier. The Golden Knights extended the lead as Jonathan Marchessault scored a power play goal in the third period, his second of the season, with the help of Nate Schmidt and Luca Sbisa. The Blackhawks got one back with a Patrick Kane goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Brandon Saad and Jordan Oesterle. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars given to Nosek, Bellemare, and Dansk (29 for 31 in saves).

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2017-18 Day 20

Just two games for today, beginning with...

The New York Rangers welcoming the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Henrik Lundqvist are the masked men. San Jose opened in the first period with a Logan Couture goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Brent Burns and Mikkel Boedker. The Sharks added on with a Tim Heed goal, passed from Tomas Hertl and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. San Jose extended the lead in the second period as Joonas Donskoi scored his second of the year, thanks to Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. The Sharks padded the lead in the third period with a Melker Karlsson goal, his second of the season, coming off of Couture. New York got on the board with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his sixth of the year, via Pavel Buchnevich. This only made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars given to Couture, Jones (33 for 34 in saves), and Heed.

The other game saw the Toronto Maple Leafs bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Frederik Andersen protect the nets. Toronto started in the first period with a Matt Martin goal, fueled by Roman Polak and Mitchell Marner. The Maple Leafs added on in the second period with a Tyler Bozak power play goal, his second of the season, powered by James van Riemsdyk and Marner. Los Angeles got on the board with an Adrian Kempe goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Trevor Lewis and Drew Doughty. Toronto replied in the third period with a Patrick Marleau goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Morgan Rielly and Nazem Kadri. The Kings got one back with a shorthanded and unassisted Lewis goal, his third of the campaign. They couldn't find an equalizer, the final being 3-2, with the three stars given to Lewis, Marner, and Andersen (36 for 38 in saves).

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2017-18 Day 19

Just one game today, as the Detroit Red Wings host the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Jimmy Howard protect the nets. Vancouver struck first in the first period with a Sven Baertschi goal, assisted by Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser. Detroit tied it on an Anthony Mantha goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Gustav Nyquist and Mike Green. The Canucks retook the lead in the second period with a Derek Dorsett goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Horvat and Derrick Pouliot. Vancouver added on with a Baertschi goal, his second of the game, via Alex Burmistrov. The Canucks extended the lead as Jake Virtanen scored, thanks to Daniel Sedin. This stood for an eventual 4-1 win, with the three stars given to Baertschi, Horvat, and Markstrom (20 for 21 in saves).

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.