NHL 2017-18 Day 62

Ten games on tonight, beginning in...

Columbus, as the Blue Jackets host the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Sergei Bobrovsky protect the nets. New Jersey opened in the first period with a Travis Zajac goal, passed from Stefan Noesen and Marcus Johansson. Columbus tied it on a Nick Foligno goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Oliver Bjorkstrand and Seth Jones. The Devils retook the lead in the second period with a Taylor Hall goal, his ninth of the year, assisted by Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt. New Jersey added on with a Noesen goal, his second of the season, coming off of Miles Wood and Hischier. The Devils extended the lead as Bratt scored his ninth of the year, thanks to Hall. The final held at 4-1, with the three stars being Hall, Noesen, and Bratt, while Hischier and Schneider (41 for 42 in saves) get the honorable mentions.

Up in Detroit, the Red Wings welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Jimmy Howard are in the creases. Detroit started in the first period with a Justin Abdelkader goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Gustav Nyquist and Henrik Zetterberg. The Red Wings added on with a Nyquist goal, his seventh of the year, via Tomas Tatar and Niklas Kronwall. Winnipeg got on the board in the second period with a Patrik Laine power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien. Detroit answered on a Jonathan Ericsson goal, his second of the year, made possible by Nick Jensen and Nyquist. The Red Wings extended the lead as Darren Helm scored his fourth of the season, an unassisted goal. Detroit padded the lead as David Booth scored his third of the year, thanks to Andreas Athanasiou and Martin Frk. This made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars handed to Nyquist, Howard (25 for 26 in saves), and Ericsson.

In Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens bring in the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Carey Price tend the twines. St. Louis led off in the first period with a Brayden Schenn goal, his eleventh of the season, with a lone assist by Jaden Schwartz. Montreal tied it on a Jordie Benn goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Tomas Plekanec and Daniel Carr. The Blues took the lead in the second period with a Scottie Upshall goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Dmitrij Jaskin. St. Louis added on with a Schenn goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, assisted by Alex Pietrangelo. The Canadiens got one back with a Shea Weber goal, his fifth of the season, fueled by Andrew Shaw. Montreal tied it on another Weber goal in the third period, his second of the game and sixth of the year, again made possible by Shaw. The Blues took the lead with a Schenn goal, completing his hat trick on his thirteenth of the campaign, with helpers from Schwartz and Colton Parayko. This made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars given to Schenn, Weber, and Schwartz, while Shaw gets an honorable mention.

Back stateside, the Pittsburgh Penguins host the New York Rangers. Ondrej Pavelec and Tristan Jarry are the backups in goal. Pittsburgh began in the first period with a Conor Sheary goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Patric Hornqvist and Kris Letang. New York tied it on a Boo Nieves goal, guided in by Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Penguins took the lead back in the second period with a Phil Kessel goal, his thirteenth of the season, helped along by Jake Guentzel and Olli Maatta. The Rangers tied it on a Jesper Fast goal, his fifth of the year, via Brady Skjei and Paul Carey. New York took the lead with a Zuccarello goal, his fifth of the season, fueled by J.T. Miller and Brendan Smith. Pittsburgh retied it in the third period with a Hornqvist power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Evgeni Malkin and Ian Cole. The Rangers took the lead back with a Pavel Buchnevich goal, his tenth of the season, passed from David Desharnais and Chris Kreider. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars given to Zuccarello, Hornqvist, and Buchnevich.

Down in Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning welcome the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss is mismatched with Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal. Tampa Bay struck first in the first period with a Brayden Point goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning added on with an Andrej Sustr goal, his second of the year, guided in by Chris Kunitz and Ryan Callahan. New York got on the board in the second period with a Mathew Barzal power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by John Tavares and Nick Leddy. The Islanders tied it on a Jordan Eberle goal, his eleventh of the year, assisted by Barzal and Adam Pelech. Tampa Bay retook the lead with a Yanni Gourde power play goal, his seventh of the season, with assists provided by Mikhail Sergachev and Tyler Johnson. The Lightning extended the lead as Gourde scored his second of the game and eighth of the year, with the help of Slater Koekkoek and Cory Conacher. Tampa Bay padded the lead with a Vladislav Namestnikov power play goal, his eleventh of the season, with helpers from Kucherov and Steven Stamkos. The Lightning continued in the third period with a Kunitz goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The score held at 6-2, with the three stars being Gourde, Kunitz, and Kucherov, while Barzal gets an honorable mention.

West to Dallas, as the Stars bring in the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Ben Bishop are in the creases. Nashville was first to score in the first period with a Kevin Fiala power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Kyle Turris and Mattias Ekholm. The Predators added on in the second period with a Cody McLeod goal, passed from Alexei Emelin and Frederick Gaudreau. Nashville extended the lead as Pontus Aberg scored, thanks to Calle Jarnkrok. Kari Lehtonen replaced Bishop in goal. The Predators padded the lead on aTurris power play goal, his sixth of the year, with assists provided by Ekholm and Roman Josi. Nashville struck again with a Jarnkrok shorthanded goal, his fifth of the season, set up by Austin Watson. Dallas got on the board in the third period with a Stephen Johns goal, his third of the year, helped along by Jamie Oleksiak and Jamie Benn. The Stars got closer with an Oleksiak goal, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Turris, Jarnkrok, and Oleksiak, while Ekholm gets an honorable mention.

Up in Colorado, the Avalanche host the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Semyon Varlamov are the underrated goalies. Buffalo got going in the second period with a shorthanded Benoit Pouliot goal, his seventh of the season, set up by Ryan O'Reilly. Colorado tied it on a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Alexander Kerfoot and Mikko Rantanen. The Sabres retook the lead with a Jake McCabe goal, passed from Pouliot and Johan Larsson. The Avalanche retied it on another MacKinnon power play goal in the third period, his second of the game and tenth of the season, with assists provided by Tyson Barrie and Kerfoot. Buffalo regained the lead on an Evander Kane goal, his thirteenth of the year, coming off of Jack Eichel and McCabe. The Sabres finished it at 4-2 with an Eichel empty net goal, his eighth of the campaign, with a lone assist by O'Reilly. The three stars went to McCabe, Pouliot, and MacKinnon, while O'Reilly, Kerfoot, and Eichel get the honorable mentions.

Further north, the Vancouver Canucks welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Scott Darling and Jacob Markstrom are between the pipes. Vancouver dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Derrick Pouliot goal, his second of the season, helped along by Henrik Sedin. The Canucks added on with a Thomas Vanek power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Sam Gagner and Pouliot. Vancouver extended the lead in the third period as Nikolay Goldobin scored, thanks to Bo Horvat and Pouliot. This stood for a 3-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Markstrom (30 save shutout), Pouliot, and Goldobin.

Down in California, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Jonathan Quick guard the cages. Minnesota cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a Charlie Coyle goal, his second of the season, via Chris Stewart and Daniel Winnik. Los Angeles tied it on a Jake Muzzin goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Drew Doughty and Nick Shore. The Wild retook the lead with a Tyler Ennis goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Zack Mitchell and Matt Cullen. The Kings tied it in the third period with a Marian Gaborik goal, his third of the year, coming off of Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. Los Angeles took the lead with an Adrian Kempe goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Muzzin and Doughty. The Kings added on with a Gaborik goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, made possible by Kopitar. Los Angeles iced it at 5-2 with a Kopitar power play empty net goal, his fifteenth of the campaign, set up by Alec Martinez and Doughty, the latter earning a sock trick. The three stars belonged to Gaborik, Kopitar, and Doughty, while Muzzin gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Malcolm Subban are in the blue paint. Vegas drew first blood in the first period with a James Neal goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Erik Haula and Luca Sbisa. The Golden Knights added on with an Oscar Lindberg goal, his sixth of the year, via Deryk Engelland and Haula. Anaheim got on the board in the second period with a Francois Beauchemin goal, his second of the season, made possible by Brandon Montour and Ondrej Kase. The Ducks tied it with an Antoine Vermette power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Kevin Bieksa and Beauchemin. Anaheim took the lead with a Corey Perry goal, his sixth of the season, with a lone assist from Adam Henrique. Vegas retied it in the third period on a Haula goal, his ninth of the year, helped along by Neal and Alex Tuch. The Golden Knights won 4-3 with a lone shootout tally by Tuch. The three stars were given to Haula, Neal, and Tuch, while Beauchemin receives an honorable mention.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 61

A new week of hockey is off and running with four games tonight. We begin with...

The Washington Capitals hosting the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones faces a lesser foe in Philipp Grubauer in goal. Washington began in the first period with a Devante Smith-Pelly goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by John Carlson and Jay Beagle. The Capitals added on in the second period with an unassisted Alex Ovechkin goal, his twentieth of the year. San Jose got on the board with a Timo Meier goal, his third of the season, passed from Justin Braun. Washington replied with a Brett Connolly power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Capitals extended the lead in the third period as Jakub Vrana scored his eighth of the season on the power play, thanks to Tom Wilson and Dmitry Orlov. This made it 4-1, the final, with three stars given to Ovechkin, Grubauer (24 for 25 in saves), and Connolly.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Roberto Luongo are the veteran goalies. Florida led off in the first period with a Nick Bjugstad goal, his seventh of the season, with a lone assist by Keith Yandle. New York tied it on an Anders Lee goal, his sixteenth of the year, via Calvin de Haan and Adam Pelech. James Reimer replaced an injured Luongo early in the second period. The Islanders took the lead in the second period with a Thomas Hickey goal, fueled by Joshua Ho-Sang. The Panthers retied it on an Aaron Ekblad power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Yandle and Vincent Trocheck. Florida took the lead with an Aleksander Barkov power play goal, his tenth of the year, with assists provided by Yandle, who got a sock trick, and Trocheck. New York pulled even on a Brock Nelson goal, his seventh of the season, helped along by Ho-Sang and Jason Chimera. The Islanders regained the lead on a John Tavares goal, his seventeenth of the year, guided in by Josh Bailey and Nick Leddy. The Panthers tied it again with a Denis Malgin goal, his second of the campaign, with helpers from Trocheck, who got a sock trick, and Jamie McGinn. In the shootout, Mathew Barzal had the lone tally to win it 5-4 for the Islanders. The three stars were Trocheck, Yandle, and Ho-Sang.

Northwest to Nashville, where the Predators bring in the Boston Bruins. Anton Khudobin and Pekka Rinne draw the starts in goal. Nashville opened in the first period with a Craig Smith goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Alexei Emelin and Kyle Turris. The Predators added on with another Smith goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, made possible by Mattias Ekholm and Kevin Fiala. Nashville extended the lead as Nick Bonino scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Colton Sissons and Viktor Arvidsson. The Predators padded the lead on a Fiala goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Turris and Smith. Boston got on the board with a Charlie McAvoy power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Danton Heinen and David Krejci. The Bruins got closer in the third period with a Zdeno Chara goal, his third of the year, coming off of David Backes and Riley Nash. Boston got closer with a David Pastrnak goal, his fourteenth of the season, helped along by Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Nashville replied on a Filip Forsberg goal, his fourteenth of the year, passed from Roman Josi. This stood for a 5-3 win, with the three stars given to Smith, Fiala, and Turris.

Finally, the Calgary Flames host the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Elliott faces his old team and Mike Smith in goal. Calgary started in the first period with a Troy Brouwer goal, via Curtis Lazar and Mark Giordano. Philadelphia tied it on a Valtteri Filppula goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Jakub Voracek and Andrew MacDonald. The Flyers took the lead with a Scott Laughton goal in the second period, his third of the year, courtesy of Shayne Gostisbehere and Michael Raffl. Philadelphia added on with a Raffl goal, his third of the season, made possible by Voracek and Filppula. The Flyers extended the lead as Wayne Simmonds scored a power play goal, his eighth of the year, with the help of Sean Couturier and Voracek, who got a sock trick. The Flames got one back with a Sean Monahan goal, his fifteenth of the season, guided in by Garnet Hathaway and Sam Bennett. Philadelphia answered in the third period with a Laughton goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, helped along by Jordan Weal and Taylor Leier. The final held at 5-2, with the three stars going to Laughton, Voracek, and Raffl, while Filppula gets an honorable mention.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 60

Four games on for a light Sunday, beginning in...

Chicago, as the Blackhawks host the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick faces a lesser foe in Anton Forsberg in goal. Los Angeles dented the scoreboard in the third period with a Christian Folin goal, his second of the season, passed from Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar. The Kings added on with a Brown empty net goal, his eleventh of the year, set up by Tanner Pearson and Derek Forbort. Chicago got one back with a Jonathan Toews goal, his seventh of the season, with a lone assist by Brent Seabrook. Los Angeles iced it at 3-1 with an unassisted empty net goal by Kopitar, his fourteenth of the year. The three stars were Quick (24 for 25 in saves), Brown, and Kopitar.

Up in Winnipeg, the Jets welcome the Ottawa Senators. Mike Condon and Connor Hellebuyck man the nets. Winnipeg opened in the first period with a Mark Scheifele power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien. The Jets added on with a Mathieu Perreault goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of Jacob Trouba and Wheeler. Winnipeg extended the lead in the second period as Wheeler scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Scheifele and Perreault. The Jets padded the lead with a Patrik Laine power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, made possible by Wheeler, who got a sock trick, and Byfuglien. Winnipeg chased Condon with a Tyler Myers power play goal, his fifth of the campaign, with assists provided by Bryan Little and Perreault. Craig Anderson was perfect in relief, little consolation in the 5-0 loss his team took. The three stars were Wheeler, Perreault, and Hellebuyck (21 save shutout), while Scheifele and Byfuglien get the honorable mentions.

Back stateside, the Colorado Avalanche bring in the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Jonathan Bernier are the backups in goal. Dallas started in the first period with an unassisted Tyler Seguin goal, his thirteenth of the season. The Stars added on with another Seguin goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the year, helped along by Alexander Radulov and John Klingberg. Colorado got on the board in the second period with a Mikko Rantanen goal, his eighth of the season, with a lone assist by Nathan MacKinnon. Dallas answered on a Jason Spezza goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Devin Shore and Klingberg. The Stars extended the lead as Greg Pateryn scored, thanks to Radulov and Jamie Benn. Semyon Varlamov replaced Bernier in goal. The Avalanche got one back with a Blake Comeau goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Matt Nieto and Tyson Barrie. Dallas countered with a Brett Ritchie goal in the third period, his second of the year, via Curtis McKenzie. The Stars padded the lead with a shorthanded empty net goal by Shore, his third of the season, going in unassisted. Dallas capped it at 7-2 with a Ritchie goal, his second of the game and third of the year, assisted by Radek Faksa and Esa Lindell. The three stars were Seguin, Ritchie, and Shore, while Radulov and Klingberg get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Arizona Coyotes. Scott Wedgewood and Malcolm Subban are the little known goalies. Vegas got going in the second period with an Alex Tuch goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Colin Miller and Cody Eakin. Arizona tied it on a Jakob Chychrun goal, via Max Domi and Christian Fischer. The Golden Knights retook the lead in the third period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Nate Schmidt and William Karlsson. The Coyotes retied it on a Derek Stepan goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Domi and Clayton Keller. Vegas won 3-2 in overtime with a Reilly Smith goal, his seventh of the year, with a lone helper from Marchessault. The three stars were Marchessault, Domi, and Smith.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 59

Twelve games on for today, beginning with...

The Philadelphia Flyers hosting the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Brian Elliott are the veteran goalies. Boston began in the first period with a Ryan Spooner goal, via Noel Acciari. The Bruins added on in the second period with a David Pastrnak goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. Boston extended the lead as Marchand scored his ninth of the year, thanks to Charlie McAvoy and Pastrnak. This made it 3-0, the eventual final, with the three stars awarded to Rask (28 save shutout), Pastrnak, and Marchand.

Next up, the Minnesota Wild welcome the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Devan Dubnyk guard the cages. Minnesota led off in the first period with a Ryan Suter goal, his fourth of the season, via Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba. St. Louis tied it in the second period with a Patrik Berglund power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Vladimir Tarasenko and Vladimir Sobotka. The Wild won 2-1 in overtime with a Dumba goal, his second of the campaign, with a lone assist by Charlie Coyle. The three stars were Dumba, Dubnyk (41 for 42 in saves), and Suter.

To the east, the Carolina Hurricanes bring in the Florida Panthers. James Reimer and Cam Ward are the veterans in goal. Carolina opened in the first period with an Elias Lindholm power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. Florida tied it on a Nick Bjugstad goal in the third period, his sixth of the year, coming off of Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. The Hurricanes retook the lead with a Jeff Skinner goal, his tenth of the season, a power play goal made possible by Derek Ryan. The Panthers tied it on a Barkov goal, his ninth of the year, guided in by Vincent Trocheck and Aaron Ekblad. Carolina won 3-2 in overtime with a Noah Hanifin goal, his fifth of the campaign, passed from Lindholm. The three stars went to Lindholm, Barkov, and Hanifin.

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens host the Detroit Red Wings. Petr Mrazek and Carey Price are in the blue paint. Montreal started in the first period with a Paul Byron goal, his seventh of the season, via Alex Galchenyuk and Jacob De La Rose. The Canadiens added on with a Nicolas Deslauriers goal, passed from Byron Froese and Daniel Carr. Montreal extended the lead in the second period as Byron scored his second of the game and eighth of the year, thanks to Galchenyuk and Victor Mete. The Canadiens padded the lead on a shorthanded De La Rose goal, set up by Deslauriers. Montreal kept going with a Charles Hudon power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Galchenyuk, who got a sock trick, and Shea Weber. Jimmy Howard replaced Mrazek in goal. The Canadiens continued with a Byron goal to complete his hat trick on his ninth of the year, assisted by Galchenyuk and De La Rose. Montreal struck again in the third period with a Brendan Gallagher goal, his thirteenth of the season, fueled by Tomas Plekanec and Hudon. The Canadiens persisted with a Jordie Benn goal, his third of the year, helped along by Deslauriers and Carr. Detroit got on the board with a Luke Glendening goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Andreas Athanasiou and Dylan Larkin. Montreal replied on a Carr goal, with a lone assist by Froese. The Canadiens capped it at 10-1 with an Andrew Shaw goal, his seventh of the year, with a lone helper from Phillip Danault. The three stars were awarded to Byron, Galchenyuk, and De La Rose, while Deslauriers, Carr, Hudon, and Froese get the honorable mentions.

Back stateside, the Pittsburgh Penguins welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Chad Johnson and Tristan Jarry are the backups in goal. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period with an Evgeni Malkin goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Jake Guentzel and Olli Maatta. The Penguins added on in the second period with a Carl Hagelin goal, his second of the year, fueled by Bryan Rust and Riley Sheahan. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Patric Hornqvist scored his tenth of the season on the power play, with the help of Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang. Buffalo got on the board in the third period with a Jason Pominville goal, his seventh of the year, helped along by Jack Eichel and Evander Kane. The Penguins replied with a Phil Kessel goal, his twelfth of the season, passed from Malkin. Pittsburgh iced it at 5-1 with a Crosby empty net goal, his twelfth of the year, set up by Hornqvist and Letang. The three stars went to Malkin, Hornqvist, and Crosby, while Letang gets an honorable mention.

South to Tampa Bay, as the Lightning bring in the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Andrei Vasilevskiy tend the twines. San Jose was first to score in the first period with a Barclay Goodrow goal, made possible by Daniel O'Regan and Ryan Carpenter. Tampa Bay tied it on a Nikita Kucherov goal in the second period, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point. The Lightning took the lead with a Tyler Johnson power play goal in the third period, his fifth of the year, powered by Palat and Mikhail Sergachev. Tampa Bay added on with an unassisted Johnson goal, his second of the game and sixth of the season. The Lightning extended the lead as Cory Conacher scored his second of the year, thanks to Alex Killorn and Yanni Gourde. The Sharks got one back on a Justin Braun goal, with a lone assist by O'Regan. Tampa Bay countered on a Kucherov goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. This made it 5-2, with the three stars being Johnson, Kucherov, and Palat, while O'Regan gets an honorable mention.

Back north to DC, as the Washington Capitals host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Braden Holtby protect the nets. Washington led off in the first period with a Brett Connolly goal, his third of the season, coming off of Lars Eller and Brooks Orpik. The Capitals added on with an Alex Chiasson goal, his fourth of the year, via Matt Niskanen and Devante Smith-Pelly. Columbus got on the board in the second period with an Artemi Panarin goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Blue Jackets tied it on a Matt Calvert shorthanded goal, his fourth of the year, set up by Brandon Dubinsky. Washington took the lead back with an Alex Ovechkin power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, powered by John Carlson and Nicklas Backstrom. The Capitals extended the lead in the third period as Evgeny Kuznetsov scored his ninth of the year, thanks to Carlson and T.J. Oshie. Columbus got one back with a Zach Werenski goal, his eighth of the campaign, with helpers by Dubois and Seth Jones. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars being Carlson, Dubois, and Kuznetsov.

Out west, the Vancouver Canucks welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Jacob Markstrom are the average goalies. Vancouver began in the first period with a Markus Granlund goal, his fourth of the season, going in unassisted. The Canucks added on with an Alexander Edler goal, guided in by Henrik Sedin and Daniel Sedin. Toronto got on the board in the third period with a James van Riemsdyk goal, his thirteenth of the year, passed from Morgan Rielly and Andreas Borgman. The final held at 2-1, with the three stars being Markstrom (35 for 36 in saves), Edler, and Granlund.

Down in Arizona, the Coyotes bring in the New Jersey Devils. Keith Kinkaid and Scott Wedgewood are the backups in the creases. Arizona opened in the first period with a Jason Demers goal, his third of the season, passed from Derek Stepan. The Coyotes added on with a Stepan goal, his fourth of the year, via Tobias Rieder and Kevin Connauton. Arizona extended the lead in the second period as Jordan Martinook scored his second of the season, with the help of Zac Rinaldo and Connauton. The Coyotes padded the lead in the third period with an Alex Goligoski goal, his third of the year, helped along by Anthony Duclair and Christian Fischer. Arizona iced it at 5-0 with a Dylan Strome goal, assisted by Fischer and Clayton Keller. The three stars went to Stepan, Connauton, and Wedgewood (27 save shutout), while Fischer gets an honorable mention.

Back east, the Nashville Predators host the Anaheim Ducks. Ryan Miller and Pekka Rinne are the masked men. Nashville got going in the second period with a Kevin Fiala power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Colton Sissons and Kyle Turris. Anaheim tied it on an Adam Henrique power play goal, his fifth of the year, via Brandon Montour and Cam Fowler. The Ducks took the lead in the third period with a Fowler goal, his third of the season, coming off of Corey Perry and Hampus Lindholm. The Predators retied it on a Calle Jarnkrok power play goal, his fourth of the year, with assists provided by Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson. The tie went to a shootout, where Fiala and Turris won the game 3-2 for the Predators. The three stars were Turris, Fiala, and Fowler.

In Texas, the Dallas Stars welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Anton Forsberg is mismatched with Ben Bishop in goal. Dallas started in the first period with an Alexander Radulov power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. Chicago tied it on a Cody Franson goal, via Ryan Hartman and Duncan Keith. The Stars retook the lead in the second period with a Radek Faksa goal, his tenth of the year, fueled by Remi Elie and Tyler Pitlick. The Blackhawks tied it again with a Brandon Saad goal, his tenth of the campaign, made possible by Connor Murphy and Jonathan Toews. The tie went to a shootout, where Radulov and Seguin lifted the Stars to the 3-2 win. The three stars were Seguin, Radulov, and Bishop (32 for 34 in saves).

Finally, a Battle of Alberta with the Calgary Flames bringing in the Edmonton Oilers ends the day. Laurent Brossoit and Mike Smith are between the pipes. Edmonton struck first in the first period with a Jesse Puljujarvi goal, his third of the season, coming off of Drake Caggiula and Connor McDavid. The Oilers added on with another Puljujarvi goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, via Eric Gryba and Milan Lucic. Calgary got on the board with a Michael Frolik shorthanded goal, his fifth of the season, set up by Mikael Backlund. Edmonton replied with a Jujhar Khaira goal, his third of the year, guided in by Kris Russell and Darnell Nurse. The Oilers extended the lead in the second period as Mark Letestu scored his sixth of the season shorthanded, with the help of Zack Kassian. Edmonton padded the lead on a Lucic goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Gryba and Oscar Klefbom. David Rittich replaced Smith in goal. The Oilers continued in the third period with a Patrick Maroon goal, his eighth of the season, going in unassisted. The Flames got one back on a Sam Bennett goal, his second of the year, made possible by Mark Jankowski and Dougie Hamilton. Calgary chipped closer on a Micheal Ferland power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Johnny Gaudreau and T.J. Brodie. The Flames edged closer with another Bennett goal, his second of the game and third of the year, going in unassisted. Calgary shrunk the deficit again on a Gaudreau goal, his twelfth of the season, with helpers from Hamilton and Brodie. Edmonton won 7-5 with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins unassisted goal, his tenth of the year. The three stars were Puljujarvi, Bennett, and Lucic, while Gaudreau, Gryba, Hamilton, and Brodie get the honorable mentions.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 58

Eight games on tonight, beginning with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Robin Lehner man the nets. Pittsburgh opened in the first period with a Tom Kuhnhackl penalty shot goal. The Penguins added on with a Sidney Crosby goal, his eleventh of the season, going in unassisted. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Jake Guentzel scored his twelfth of the year, thanks to Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins padded the lead in the second period with a Patric Hornqvist goal, his ninth of the campaign, helped along by Conor Sheary and Crosby. This stood for the 4-0 final score, with the three stars going to Jarry (34 save shutout), Crosby, and Kuhnhackl.

Down in Brooklyn, the New York Islanders welcome the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Thomas Greiss make the starts in goal. Ottawa started in the first period with a Ryan Dzingel goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Nate Thompson. The Senators added on with a Zack Smith goal, helped along by Matt Duchene. New York got on the board with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his third of the year, via Jason Chimera and Cal Clutterbuck. The Islanders tied it on an Anders Lee power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Josh Bailey and Nick Leddy. Ottawa retook the lead with a Bobby Ryan goal, with a lone assist by Dion Phaneuf. New York tied it in the second period on another Lee goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, guided in by John Tavares and Bailey. The Islanders took the lead with an Andrew Ladd goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Jordan Eberle. The Senators tied it again with a Thomas Chabot goal, fueled by Ryan and Mark Stone. New York regained the lead with an unassisted Chimera goal. Mike Condon replaced Anderson in goal. Ottawa tied it as Mike Hoffman scored his ninth of the year on the power play, thanks to Chabot and Cody Ceci. Jaroslav Halak took over for Greiss in goal. The Senators took the lead again in the third period with a Dzingel power play goal, his second of the game and eighth of the campaign, with assists provided by Chabot and Phaneuf. This made it a 6-5 win, with the three stars given to Dzingel, Chabot, and Lee, while Ryan, Phaneuf, Chimera, and Bailey get the honorable mentions.

On Broadway, the New York Rangers host the Carolina Hurricanes. Scott Darling and Henrik Lundqvist are in the creases. Carolina led off in the first period with an unassisted Justin Williams goal, his fifth of the season. New York tied it on an unassisted power play goal by David Desharnais in the second period, his third of the year. The Rangers took the lead with a Michael Grabner goal, his eleventh of the season, via Kevin Shattenkirk and J.T. Miller. New York added on in the third period with a Grabner empty net goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, set up by Ryan McDonagh. The Rangers extended the lead as Grabner completed the natural hat trick with another empty net goal, his thirteenth of the season, with the help of Boo Nieves and Marc Staal. New York iced it at 5-1 with a Paul Carey power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Jimmy Vesey and Brendan Smith. The three stars were Grabner, Lundqvist (32 for 33 in saves), and Desharnais.

West to Columbus, as the Blue Jackets bring in the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Joonas Korpisalo occupy the blue paint. Columbus began in the first period with a Brandon Dubinsky goal, his third of the season, passed from Artemi Panarin and Josh Anderson. Anaheim tied it on a Cam Fowler goal, his second of the year, via Derek Grant and Dennis Rasmussen. The Ducks took the lead in the second period on a Kevin Roy goal, his third of the season, with a lone assist by Adam Henrique. The Blue Jackets retied it on a Panarin power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Pierre-Luc Dubois and Anderson. Columbus took the lead in the third period with an Anderson goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Panarin and Dubois. The Blue Jackets finished it at 4-2 with a Nick Foligno empty net goal, his fifth of the year, set up by Dubinsky and Jack Johnson. The three stars were Anderson, Panarin, and Dubois, while Dubinsky gets an honorable mention.

Down in Florida, the Panthers host the San Jose Sharks. Aaron Dell and Roberto Luongo are set to start in goal. Florida struck first in the first period with a Colton Sceviour goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Alex Petrovic and Micheal Haley. San Jose tied it on a Joe Pavelski goal in the second period, his fifth of the year, guided in by Joe Thornton and Timo Meier. The Sharks took the lead in the third period with a Chris Tierney goal, his seventh of the campaign, fueled by Melker Karlsson and Brent Burns. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars awarded to Dell (39 for 40 in saves), Tierney, and Pavelski.

Northwest to St. Louis, where the Blues welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Darcy Kuemper and Carter Hutton are the backups in goal. Los Angeles was first to score in the first period with a Tyler Toffoli goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Nick Shore and Tanner Pearson. The Kings added on with an Anze Kopitar goal, his thirteenth of the year, via Alex Iafallo and Jake Muzzin. St. Louis got on the board in the second period with a Patrik Berglund power play goal, powered by Colton Parayko and Vince Dunn. Los Angeles replied with an Adrian Kempe goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Alec Martinez and Drew Doughty. The Kings extended the lead in the third period as Toffoli scored his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, thanks to Pearson. The final held at 4-1, with the three stars being Toffoli, Kuemper (39 for 40 in saves), and Pearson.

Further to the north, the Winnipeg Jets host the Vegas Golden Knights. Maxime Lagace and Connor Hellebuyck are the young goalies. Winnipeg drew first blood in the first period with a Tyler Myers power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Nikolaj Ehlers and Bryan Little. Vegas tied it on a Cody Eakin goal, his fourth of the year, via Brendan Leipsic and Colin Miller. The Golden Knights took the lead on a William Karlsson goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Nate Schmidt and Reilly Smith. The Jets retied it in the second period with a Matt Hendricks goal, his third of the year, guided in by Mathieu Perreault and Myers. Winnipeg took the lead in the third period with a Kyle Connor power play goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Patrik Laine and Mark Scheifele. The Jets added on with a Laine power play goal, his twelfth of the year, fueled by Blake Wheeler. Winnipeg extended the lead as Ehlers scored his eleventh of the season, thanks to Laine and Josh Morrissey. Vegas got one back with an Erik Haula goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Alex Tuch and Brayden McNabb. The Jets answered with a Scheifele goal, his thirteenth of the season, with helpers from Morrissey and Wheeler. The Golden Knights chipped back on a Miller goal, his fourth of the year, made possible by Jon Merrill and Jonathan Marchessault. Winnipeg iced it at 7-4 with a Connor empty net goal, his second of the game and ninth of the campaign, set up by Scheifele and Wheeler, the latter earning a sock trick. The three stars went to Laine, Scheifele, and Wheeler, while Connor, Ehlers, Morrissey, and Miller get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Colorado Avalanche bring in the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Semyon Varlamov are the masked men. New Jersey got going in the second period with an unassisted Jesper Bratt goal, his eighth of the season. Colorado tied it on a J.T. Compher power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Alexander Kerfoot and Tyson Barrie. The Devils took the lead in the third period with a Brian Boyle power play goal, his fourth of the campaign, assisted by Taylor Hall and Bratt. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars given to Bratt, Boyle, and Schneider (22 for 23 in saves).

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NHL 2017-18 Day 57

Seven games on today, beginning with the...

Washington Capitals hosting the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Braden Holtby tend the twines. Washington led off in the first period with an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his seventh of the season, with a lone assist by Dmitry Orlov. Los Angeles tied it on a Marian Gaborik goal, passed from Trevor Lewis and Adrian Kempe. The Capitals retook the lead in the second period with an unassisted Kuznetsov goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year. The Kings tied it on a Jonny Brodzinski goal, his second of the season, assisted by Kurtis MacDermid. Los Angeles took the lead with a Jussi Jokinen goal, via Lewis and MacDermid. The Kings added on in the third period with a Gaborik empty net goal, his second of the game, going in unassisted. Los Angeles iced it at 5-2 with a Tyler Toffoli empty net goal, his eleventh of the year, set up by Tanner Pearson and Nick Shore. The three stars were given to Gaborik, Kuznetsov, and Lewis, while MacDermid gets an honorable mention.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Jimmy Howard are the veterans in goal. Montreal began in the first period with a Brendan Gallagher power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Max Pacioretty and Daniel Carr. Detroit tied it on an Anthony Mantha goal, his twelfth of the year, courtesy of Xavier Ouellet. The Red Wings took the lead with a Tomas Tatar power play goal, his eighth of the campaign, helped along by Gustav Nyquist and Niklas Kronwall. The Canadiens tied it in the second period with a Charles Hudon goal, his third of the season, passed from Tomas Plekanec and Gallagher. Montreal took the lead with an Andrew Shaw goal, his sixth of the year, with a lone helper from Phillip Danault. The Canadiens added on with an Alex Galchenyuk goal, his sixth of the campaign, made possible by Paul Byron and Jacob De La Rose. Montreal extended the lead in the third period as Gallagher scored his second of the game and twelfth of the season, with the help of Jeff Petry and Plekanec. The Canadiens padded the lead on a Pacioretty power play goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Petry and Danault. Detroit got one back with a Frans Nielsen power play goal, his seventh of the campaign, fueled by Mantha and Dylan Larkin. This only made it 6-3, the final, with the three stars being Gallagher, Pacioretty, and Mantha, while Danault, Plekanec, and Petry get the honorable mentions.

Down in Nashville, the Predators bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Anders Nilsson and Pekka Rinne make the starts in goal. Nashville got going in the second period with a Craig Smith goal, his ninth of the season, with a lone assist by Matt Irwin. Vancouver tied it on a Brock Boeser goal, his twelfth of the year, via Bo Horvat and Alexander Edler. The Predators retook the lead with a Filip Forsberg power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, with a lone helper from Smith. The Canucks tied it on a Loui Eriksson goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. Nashville pulled ahead again with a Nick Bonino goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Calle Jarnkrok. Vancouver equalized in the third period on a Daniel Sedin power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Boeser and Henrik Sedin. The Canucks took the lead with a Boeser goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the season, guided in by Nikolay Goldobin and Ben Hutton. Vancouver iced it at 5-3 with an empty net goal by Eriksson, his second of the game and fifth of the year, set up by Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. The three stars were Daniel Sedin, Boeser, and Eriksson, while Henrik Sedin and Smith get the honorable mentions.

North to Minnesota, as the Wild host the Vegas Golden Knights. Malcolm Subban and Devan Dubnyk are in the creases. Minnesota dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Mikael Granlund goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Mike Reilly and Jason Zucker. Vegas tied it in the third period with a Brayden McNabb goal, passed from Stefan Matteau. The Golden Knights took the lead with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his ninth of the year, made possible by William Karlsson. The Wild retied it on a Jonas Brodin goal, his second of the season, coming off of Daniel Winnik and Charlie Coyle. Minnesota took the lead with an Eric Staal goal, his ninth of the year, with a lone helper from Matt Dumba. The Wild finished it at 4-2 with an unassisted empty net goal by Staal, his second of the game and tenth of the campaign. The three stars were Staal, Brodin, and Dubnyk (29 for 31 in saves).

Backtracking to Chicago, as the Blackhawks welcome the Dallas Stars. Ben Bishop and Corey Crawford guard the cages. Dallas opened in the first period with a Mattias Janmark goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Gemel Smith. Chicago tied it on an Alex DeBrincat goal, his eleventh of the year, via Ryan Hartman and Connor Murphy. The Stars retook the lead with a shorthanded penalty shot goal by Radek Faksa, his ninth of the season. The Blackhawks tied it on an Artem Anisimov power play goal in the second period, his twelfth of the year, powered by Patrick Kane and Nick Schmaltz. Dallas took the lead back on a Remi Elie goal, his third of the season, assisted by Faksa and Tyler Pitlick. Chicago tied it on a Kane goal in the third period, his tenth of the year, fueled by Gustav Forsling and Schmaltz. The Stars won 4-3 in overtime with a Janmark goal, his second of the game and sixth of the campaign, made possible by Tyler Seguin and John Klingberg. The three stars were handed to Janmark, Faksa, and Kane, while Schmaltz gets an honorable mention.

Up in Alberta, the Calgary Flames bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Scott Wedgewood is mismatched with Mike Smith in goal. Calgary struck first in the second period with a Mark Jankowski goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Jaromir Jagr and Sam Bennett. The Flames added on with a Mikael Backlund goal in the third period, his seventh of the year, via Matthew Tkachuk. Calgary extended the lead as Jankowski scored his second of the game and fifth of the campaign, assisted by Bennett. This stood for a 3-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Jankowski, Smith (28 save shutout), and Bennett.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen faces a lesser foe in Laurent Brossoit in goal. Toronto started in the first period with an Auston Matthews power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by William Nylander and Jake Gardiner. The Maple Leafs added on with a Dominic Moore goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. Edmonton got on the board with a Mark Letestu goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Jujhar Khaira and Zack Kassian. Toronto replied with a Matt Martin goal, his second of the year, assisted by Moore and Nylander. The Oilers got one back in the second period on a Kassian goal, his second of the season, via Khaira and Letestu. Edmonton tied it as Connor McDavid scored his eleventh of the year, thanks to Kris Russell and Darnell Nurse. The Maple Leafs regained the lead with a Nylander power play goal, his fifth of the season, with assists provided by Gardiner and Matthews. The Oilers tied it again in the third period with a Russell goal, his second of the year, coming off of Nurse and Letestu. Toronto pulled ahead with an unassisted Patrick Marleau goal, his tenth of the season. The Maple Leafs capped it at 6-4 with a Nazem Kadri empty net goal, his thirteenth of the year, an unassisted goal. The three stars belonged to Nylander, Matthews, and Moore, while Letestu, Gardiner, Khaira, Kassian, Russell, and Nurse get the honorable mentions.

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MLS 2017 Conference Championships - Leg 2

These games will determine which teams earn a place in MLS Cup. First up on Wednesday...

Toronto FC hosts the Columbus Crew SC. Zack Steffen and Alexander Bono are the goalies. Toronto got going in the sixtieth minute with a Jozy Altidore goal, passed from Victor Vazquez. Toronto's Michael Bradley took a yellow card for a seventy-eighth minute foul. Columbus saw a yellow card for an eighty-sixth minute foul by Jonathan Mensah. The game and series ended 1-0 Toronto, with Altidore the man of the match.

On Thursday, the Seattle Sounders FC host the Houston Dynamo. Joe Willis and Stefan Frei are the gloved men. Seattle opened in the twenty-second minute with a Victor Rodriguez goal, passed from Will Bruin. Eric Alexander of Houston had a yellow card for his twenty-ninth minute foul. The Sounders saw a yellow card for time wasting in the thirty-sixth minute by Nouhou. Seattle added on in the fifty-seventh minute with a Clint Dempsey goal, assisted by Joevin Jones and Rodriguez. Oscar Boniek Garcia of the Dynamo had a yellow card for a sixtieth minute foul. Houston went down to ten men in the sixty-sixth minute as Tomas Martinez received a straight red card for violent conduct. The Sounders' Jones received a yellow card for a foul in the sixty-seventh minute. Seattle extended the lead as Bruin scored in the seventy-third minute, thanks to Harry Shipp. Erick Torres of the Dynamo had a yellow card for an eightieth minute foul. The final was 3-0, with Bruin named man of the match as the Sounders join Toronto FC in MLS Cup after a 5-0 series win.

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