NHL 2017-18 Day 65

Five games on for tonight, beginning in...

New Jersey, as the Devils host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Cory Schneider tend the twines. New Jersey opened in the first period with a Brian Boyle goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Jimmy Hayes and Miles wood. The Devils added on with a Marcus Johansson goal, his fourth of the year, with a lone assist by Stefan Noesen. Columbus got on the board in the second period with a Pierre-Luc Dubois goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Artemi Panarin. The Blue Jackets tied it with a Lukas Sedlak goal, his third of the year, passed from Panarin. Columbus took the lead on a Scott Harrington goal, assisted by Panarin, who got a natural sock trick, and Boone Jenner. New Jersey retied it with a Blake Coleman goal, his third of the season, fueled by Brian Gibbons and Steven Santini. The Blue Jackets regained the lead in the third period with an Alexander Wennberg power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Panarin and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Columbus extended the lead as Zach Werenski scored his ninth of the season, thanks to Panarin and Seth Jones. This made it 5-3, the final, with the three stars being Panarin, Wennberg, and Werenski.

Over in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Braden Holtby guard the cages. Washington started in the first period with a Jay Beagle goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Devante Smith-Pelly and Chandler Stephenson. The Capitals added on in the second period with a Nicklas Backstrom goal, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. New York got on the board with a Michael Grabner goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by J.T. Miller and Ryan McDonagh. The Rangers tied it on a Jesper Fast goal in the third period, his sixth of the year, coming off of Paul Carey and Marc Staal. Washington retook the lead with a Matt Niskanen goal, helped along by Tom Wilson and Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals iced it at 4-2 with a Wilson goal, his fifth of the campaign, with assists provided by Backstrom and Dmitry Orlov. The three stars were Backstrom, Wilson, and Niskanen.

Southwest to Nashville, where the Predators host the Vegas Golden Knights. Malcolm Subban and Pekka Rinne are the in the blue paint. Vegas led off in the first period with a William Karlsson power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Alex Tuch and Nate Schmidt. The Golden Knights added on with a James Neal goal, his fourteenth of the year, via Luca Sbisa and Schmidt. Nashville got on the board with a Calle Jarnkrok goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Pontus Aberg and Filip Forsberg. The Predators tied it in the third period with a Viktor Arvidsson goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Kevin Fiala and Kyle Turris. Nashville took the lead on a Nick Bonino goal, his sixth of the season, helped along by Arvidsson. Vegas tied it on an Erik Haula goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Colin Miller and David Perron. In the shootout, Reilly Smith's lone tally won it for the Golden Knights by a 4-3 score. The three stars were Schmidt, Haula, and Arvidsson.

Up in Chicago, the Blackhawks bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford are the masked men. Buffalo began in the first period with a Jason Pominville power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Jack Eichel and Evander Kane. Chicago tied it on an Alex DeBrincat power play goal in the second period, his twelfth of the year, via Patrick Sharp and Gustav Forsling. The Sabres retook the lead with a Kyle Okposo goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by Scott Wilson and Evan Rodrigues. The Blackhawks tied it in the third period with a shorthanded Tommy Wingels goal, his third of the year, set up by Forsling and Jan Rutta. Chicago won 3-2 in overtime with a Forsling goal, his third of the campaign, assisted by Brandon Saad and Jonathan Toews. The three stars were Forsling, Wingels, and Lehner (48 for 51 in saves).

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and John Gibson protect the nets. Anaheim struck first in the first period with a Kevin Roy goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Ondrej Kase and Francois Beauchemin. Minnesota tied it on a second period Jason Zucker goal, his fourteenth of the year, fueled by Mikael Granlund and Nino Niederreiter. The Wild took the lead with a Zack Mitchell goal, his third of the season, via Nate Prosser and Daniel Winnik. The Ducks retied it on an Adam Henrique goal, his seventh of the year, assisted by Corey Perry and Brandon Montour. Minnesota won 3-2 in overtime with a Matt Dumba goal, his third of the campaign, helped along by Charlie Coyle and Zucker. The three stars went to Dumba, Zucker, and Henrique.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 64

Nine games on for a fairly busy night, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Arizona Coyotes. Scott Wedgewood is mismatched with Tuukka Rask  in goal. Boston led off in the first period with a Brad Marchand goal, his tenth of the season, via David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron. Arizona tied it on a Christian Dvorak goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The Bruins retook the lead with a David Backes goal, coming off of Riley Nash and Matt Grzelcyk. Boston added on with another Backes goal, his second of the game, an unassisted goal. The Bruins extended the lead in the third period with a David Krejci power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Marchand and Bergeron. Boston padded the lead as Danton Heinen scored his fifth of the year, thanks to Nash and Kevan Miller. The Bruins capped it at 6-1 with an Anders Bjork goal, his fourth of the campaign, helped along by Krejci and Zdeno Chara. The three stars were Backes, Marchand, and Krejci, while Nash and Bergeron get the honorable mentions.

Over in Pittsburgh, the Penguins welcome the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Tristan Jarry make the starts in goal. Pittsburgh opened in the first period with a Jake Guentzel power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin. New York tied it on a Jordan Eberle goal in the second period, his twelfth of the year, assisted by Ryan Pulock and Nick Leddy. The Penguins retook the lead back in the third period with a Phil Kessel power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, passed from Letang and Sidney Crosby. Pittsburgh added on with a Riley Sheahan goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Carl Hagelin. The Islanders pilled back with a Mathew Barzal goal, his eighth of the season, fueled by Scott Mayfield and Casey Cizikas. New York tied it on a Brock Nelson goal, his eighth of the year, via Andrew Ladd and Thomas Hickey. The Penguins won 4-3 in overtime with a Matt Hunwick goal, his third of the campaign, with a lone assist by Bryan Rust. The three stars were Letang, Hunwick, and Sheahan.

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens bring in the Calgary Flames. David Rittich and Carey Price are in the blue paint. Calgary struck first in the first period with a Sean Monahan goal, his sixteenth of the season, helped along by Mark Giordano. Montreal tied it with a Daniel Carr goal, his second of the year, coming off of Byron Froese and Nicolas Deslauriers. The Canadiens took the lead in the second period with a Phillip Danault goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Max Pacioretty and Jeff Petry. The Flames retied it in the third period with a Garnet Hathaway goal, passed from Sam Bennett and Brett Kulak. Calgary won 3-2 in overtime with a Monahan goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, assisted by Johnny Gaudreau. The three stars were Monahan, Hathaway, and Rittich (35 for 37 in saves).

Back stateside, the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Peter Budaj are the experienced goalies. Colorado began in the first period with a Gabriel Landeskog goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Nathan MacKinnon. Tampa Bay tied it on a Steven Stamkos goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Vladislav Namestnikov and Tyler Johnson.The Lightning took the lead with a Chris Kunitz goal, his fifth of the season, via Dan Girardi and Cedric Paquette. The Avalanche retied it on an Erik Johnson goal, his third of the year, fueled by Sven Andrighetto. Tampa Bay retook the lead in the second period with a Namestnikov goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Johnson and Stamkos. The Lightning added on with an Alex Killorn power play goal in the third period, his third of the year, powered by Stamkos and Namestnikov. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Brayden Point scored a shorthanded empty net goal, his eleventh of the campaign, set up by Yanni Gourde and Girardi. The three stars were Namestnikov, Stamkos, and Johnson, while Girardi earns an honorable mention.

Staying in the state, the Florida Panthers welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Eric Comrie and James Reimer are the backups in goal. Florida started in the first period with a Mark Pysyk goal, his third of the season, coming off of Derek MacKenzie and Micheal Haley. The Panthers added on with an Aaron Ekblad goal, his fifth of the year, fueled by Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. Winnipeg got on the board with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Patrik Laine and Ben Chiarot. The Jets tied it on an Adam Lowry goal, his fourth of the year, assisted by Brandon Tanev. Winnipeg took the lead in the second period with a Blake Wheeler power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Laine and Mathieu Perreault. Florida retied it on a Denis Malgin goal, his third of the year, passed from Colton Sceviour and Jamie McGinn. The Panthers went ahead on a Vincent Trocheck power play goal in the third period, his eleventh of the season, with assists provided by Huberdeau and Keith Yandle. The Jets tied it on a Laine goal, his fifteenth of the year, guided in by Bryan Little and Dustin Byfuglien. Florida regained the lead with a Haley goal, his second of the season, with helpers from MacKenzie and Mike Matheson. The Panthers finished it at 6-4 with a Trocheck power play empty net goal, his twelfth of the year, set up by Huberdeau, who got a sock trick. The three stars belonged to Trocheck, Huberdeau, and Laine, while Haley and MacKenzie get the honorable mentions.

Northwest to St. Louis, as the Blues bring in the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Jake Allen are the masked men. St. Louis was first to score in the first period with a Brayden Schenn power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Dmitrij Jaskin and Alexander Steen. The Blues added on in the third period with a Colton Parayko power play goal, his third of the year, coming off of Patrik Berglund and Vladimir Sobotka. St. Louis iced it at 3-0 with a Vladimir Tarasenko empty net goal, his thirteenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars belonged to Allen (29 save shutout), Schenn, and Parayko.

Further along, the Vancouver Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Elliott and Jacob Markstrom make the starts in goal. Philadelphia led off in the first period with a Shayne Gostisbehere power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux. The Flyers added on with a Michael Raffl goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Voracek. Philadelphia extended the lead as Giroux scored his twelfth of the season on the power play, thanks to Gostisbehere and Voracek, the latter earning a sock trick. Vancouver got on the board with a Brock Boeser goal, his fourteenth of the year, passed from Sven Baertschi and Michael Del Zotto. The Flyers capped it at 4-1 with a Wayne Simmonds empty net goal in the third period, his tenth of the campaign, set up by Valtteri Filppula. The three stars were Giroux, Voracek, and Gostisbehere.

Down in California, the Los Angeles Kings welcome the Ottawa Senators. Mike Condon and Darcy Kuemper are between the pipes. Los Angeles struck first in the first period with a Tanner Pearson goal, his fifth of the season, with a lone assist by Tyler Toffoli. Ottawa tied it on a Matt Duchene power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Bobby Ryan and Erik Karlsson. The Kings retook the lead in the second period on an Alex Iafallo goal, his second of the season, via Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty. The Senators tied it again with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his third of the year, passed from Ben Harpur and Gabriel Dumont. Los Angeles took the lead in the third period with a Brown goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Christian Folin and Anze Kopitar. Ottawa retied it on a Ryan Dzingel goal, his ninth of the year, assisted by Duchene and Hoffman. The Kings won 4-3 in overtime with a Doughty goal, his fifth of the campaign, with a lone helper from Kopitar. The three stars were Doughty, Brown, and Kopitar, while Duchene gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Martin Jones play goal. Carolina began in the first period with a Sebastian Aho goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Noah Hanifin and Derek Ryan. The Hurricanes added on with a Victor Rask goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Elias Lindholm. Carolina extended the lead as Aho scored his second of the night and seventh of the season, with the help of Teuvo Teravainen and Trevor van Riemsdyk. San Jose got on the board in the second period with a shorthanded Melker Karlsson goal, his fourth of the year, set up by Chris Tierney. The Hurricanes replied with a Jeff Skinner goal, his eleventh of the season, helped along by Justin Williams and Jordan Staal. The Sharks got one back with a Joe Thornton power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Dylan DeMelo and Tomas Hertl. San Jose got closer in the third period with a Logan Couture power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, with helpers from Brent Burns and Thornton. The Sharks tied it on a shorthanded Barclay Goodrow goal, his second of the year, made possible by Jannik Hansen and Joakim Ryan. San Jose won 5-4 in overtime with a Burns goal, his second of the campaign, guided in by Joe Pavelski and Thornton. The three stars were Thornton, Aho, and Burns.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 63

Four games on for tonight, beginning in...

Toronto, as the Maple Leafs host the Calgary Flames. Mike Smith and Frederik Andersen man the nets. Calgary led off in the first period with a Mark Giordano power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Sean Monahan and Troy Brouwer. Toronto tied it in the second period with a Morgan Rielly goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. In the shootout, Auston Matthews and William Nylander lifted the Maple Leafs 2-1 over Matthew Tkachuk and the Flames. The three stars were Andersen (47 for 48 in saves), Rielly, and Nylander.

Down in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Anton Forsberg and Braden Holtby are in goal. Washington began in the first period with a Nicklas Backstrom goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson. The Capitals added on with a Wilson goal, his third of the year, via Christian Djoos and Nackstrom. Washington extended the lead as Ovechkin scored his twenty-first of the season, thanks to Wilson and Dmitry Orlov. Jean-Francois Berube replaced Forsberg in goal. Chicago got on the board with a Lance Bouma goal, his third of the year, guided in by Connor Murphy and Alex DeBrincat. The Capitals replied with a Brett Connolly power play goal in the second period, his fifth of the season, powered by Ovechkin and Backstrom. Washington padded the lead in the third period with an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his tenth of the year, helped along by Ovechkin, who got a sock trick, and John Carlson. The Blackhawks got one back with an unassisted Jonathan Toews goal, his eighth of the season. The Capitals iced it at 6-2 with a shorthanded empty net goal by Wilson, his fourth of the year, set up by Matt Niskanen. The three stars were Wilson, Ovechkin, and Backstrom.

Westward to Edmonton, as the Oilers bring in the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Elliott and Laurent Brossoit are the goalies. Edmonton got going in the second period with a shorthanded goal by Leon Draisaitl, his eighth of the season, set up by Connor McDavid. Philadelphia tied it on a Jordan Weal power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Sean Couturier and Claude Giroux. The Flyers took the lead with a Dale Weise goal, his third of the season, coming off of Giroux and Wayne Simmonds. Philadelphia added on in the third period with a Michael Raffl goal, his fourth of the year, assisted by Jakub Voracek. The Oilers got one back with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Michael Cammalleri and Patrick Maroon. The Flyers iced it at 4-2 with a Simmonds empty net goal, his ninth of the year, with helpers from Valtteri Filppula and Ivan Provorov. The three stars were Giroux, Simmonds, and Raffl.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Ryan Miller are the veteran goalies. Anaheim dented the scoreboard in the second period with an Adam Henrique goal, his fifth of the season, via Rickard Rakell and Corey Perry. The Ducks added on with an Ondrej Kase goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Nick Ritchie and Josh Manson. Anaheim finished it at 3-0 with a Henrique empty net goal in the third period, his second of the game and sixth of the campaign, set up by Antoine Vermette and Cam Fowler. The three stars were given to Henrique, Miller (29 save shutout), and Kase.

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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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