NHL 2017-18 Day 94

Seven games on tonight, beginning with the...

Buffalo Sabres hosting the Winnipeg Jets. Steve Mason and Robin Lehner are the goalies. Winnipeg started with a Patrik Laine power play goal in the first period, his nineteenth of the season, powered by Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor. Buffalo tied it on a Jack Eichel goal, his sixteenth of the year, guided in by Kyle Okposo and Ryan O'Reilly. The Jets retook the lead with a Dustin Byfuglien goal, his second of the season, assisted by Mathieu Perreault and Toby Enstrom. Winnipeg added on with a second period goal by Nikolaj Ehlers, his eighteenth of the year, passed from Perreault and Josh Morrissey. The Jets extended the lead as Connor scored his fourteenth of the season, thanks to Wheeler and Jacob Trouba. Winnipeg padded the lead with a power play goal by Ehlers, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, with helpers from Tyler Myers and Bryan Little. The Sabres got one back with an O'Reilly power play goal, his eleventh of the season, helped along by Eichel and Okposo. The Jets countered on a Connor goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, with a lone assist by Trouba. Buffalo pulled back on a Jason Pominville goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by Marco Scandella and O'Reilly. The Sabres got closer with an Eichel goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, via Okposo, who got a sock trick, and Rasmus Ristolainen. Winnipeg iced it at 7-4 with a Joel Armia empty net goal, his seventh of the campaign, set up by Andrew Copp. The three stars went to Connor, Eichel, and Ehlers, while Okposo, O'Reilly, Trouba, Wheeler, and Perreault get the honorable mentions.

Down in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Philipp Grubauer are set to play in goal. Vancouver opened in the first period with a Daniel Sedin power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Alexander Edler and Henrik Sedin. Washington tied it on a John Carlson goal, his fifth of the year, via Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. The Capitals took the lead on a Lars Eller goal, his seventh of the season, with a lone assist by Madison Bowey. Washington added on in the second period with an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Matt Niskanen and Dmitry Orlov. This stood for the eventual 3-1 final, with the three stars given to Grubauer (37 for 38 in saves), Eller, and Kuznetsov.

In Canada's capital, the Ottawa Senators bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Anton Forsberg and Craig Anderson are in the blue paint. Chicago led off in the first period with a Richard Panik goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Michal Kempny and Connor Murphy. The Blackhawks added on with a Patrick Sharp goal, his sixth of the year, via Patrick Kane and David Kampf in the second period. Chicago extended the lead as Nick Schmaltz scored a power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Jordan Oesterle and Kane. The Blackhawks padded the lead on a Jonathan Toews goal, his thirteenth of the year, made possible by Oesterle and Duncan Keith. Mike Condon replaced Anderson in goal. Ottawa got on the board with an unassisted Mark Stone goal, his eighteenth of the season. The Senators got closer with a Derick Brassard goal, his twelfth of the year, passed from Stone and Cody Ceci. Chicago replied with a Schmaltz power play goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the season, with helpers from Sharp and Kane, the latter earning a sock trick. The Blackhawks continued as Jan Rutta scored his fourth of the year on the power play, with the help of Kane and the goalie Forsberg. Chicago struck again in the third period with a Toews goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, with a lone assist by Vinnie Hinostroza. The Blackhawks got another with a Kane goal, his eighteenth of the year, with helpers delivered by Keith, and Schmaltz. This stood for an 8-2 win, with the three stars awarded to Kane, Schmaltz, and Toews, while Sharp, Keith, Oesterle, and Stone get the honorable mentions.

Down in Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Andrei Vasilevskiy are between the pipes. Carolina began in the first period with a Brock McGinn power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Justin Williams and Jaccob Slavin. Tampa Bay tied it on a Victor Hedman goal, his sixth of the year, assisted by Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos. The Hurricanes retook the lead with an unassisted Sebastian Aho goal, his fourteenth of the season. The Lightning retied it on a Tyler Johnson goal, his fourteenth of the year, guided in by Anton Stralman and Brayden Point. Tampa Bay took the lead in the second period with another Johnson goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the season, made possible by Jake Dotchin and Point. Carolina pulled even with a Justin Faulk power play goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Teuvo Teravainen and Jordan Staal. The Lightning took the lead in the third period with a Dotchin goal, his third of the season, coming off of Point, who got a sock trick, and Ondrej Palat. Tampa Bay added on with a Johnson goal, completing his hat trick on his sixteenth of the year, with a lone helper by Hedman. The Hurricanes got one back with an Elias Lindholm goal, his twelfth of the campaign, courtesy of Faulk and Teravainen. This only made it 5-4, the final, with the three stars awarded to Johnson, Point, and Hedman, while Dotchin, Faulk, and Teravainen get the honorable mentions.

Northwest to St. Louis, as the Blues welcome the Florida Panthers. James Reimer and Jake Allen are the masked men. St. Louis struck first in the first period with a Paul Stastny goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Joel Edmundson and Ivan Barbashev. The Blues added on with a Colton Parayko goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Vladimir Tarasenko and Brayden Schenn. Florida got on the board with an Aaron Ekblad goal, his seventh of the season, via Keith Yandle and Denis Malgin. The Panthers tied it on an Aleksander Barkov goal, his fourteenth of the year, assisted by Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgenii Dadonov. St. Louis retook the lead with a Tarasenko goal in the second period, his nineteenth of the season, coming off of Barbashev and Stastny. Florida retied it on a Radim Vrbata goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Connor Brickley and Vincent Trocheck. The Panthers pulled ahead with a Huberdeau goal, his sixteenth of the season, passed from Barkov. Florida extended the lead as Trocheck scored his sixteenth of the year, with a lone helper by Mike Matheson. The Panthers padded the lead in the third period with a Colton Sceviour shorthanded goal, his sixth of the season, set up by Derek MacKenzie. The Blues pulled back on a Tage Thompson goal, his third of the year, dished from Vladimir Sobotka and Alex Pietrangelo. Florida iced it at 7-4 with a Trocheck empty net goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the campaign, with helpers provided by Huberdeau and Barkov. The three stars were Trocheck, Barkov, and Huberdeau, while Tarasenko and Stastny get honorable mentions.

Backtracking to Nashville, as the Predators bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Pekka Rinne protect the nets. Nashville was first to score in the first period with a Craig Smith power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Viktor Arvidsson and P.K. Subban. The Predators added on with an Arvidsson goal, his thirteenth of the year, assisted by Roman Josi and Ryan Johansen. Edmonton got on the board in the second period with a Connor McDavid goal in the second period, his fifteenth of the season, passed from Matt Benning and Leon Draisaitl. This only made it 2-1, the eventual final, with the three stars being Arvidsson, Rinne (25 for 26 in saves), and Smith.

Finally, the Minnesota Wild host the Calgary Flames. Mike Smith faces a lesser foe in Alex Stalock in goal. Calgary kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Micheal Ferland goal, his eighteenth of the season, courtesy of Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. The Flames added on with a second period Monahan goal, his twentieth of the year, coming off of Ferland and Gaudreau. Minnesota got on the board in the third period with a Mikael Granlund goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Mikko Koivu and Ryan Suter. The Wild tied it on a Jared Spurgeon goal, his fifth of the year, via Suter and Granlund. Calgary won 3-2 in overtime on a Dougie Hamilton goal, his sixth of the campaign, passed from Gaudreau, who got a sock trick, and Mark Giordano. The three stars went to Guadreau, Monahan, and Ferland, while Granlund and Suter get the honorable mentions.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 93

Just a single game on tonight, as the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Frederik Andersen protect the nets. Toronto got going in the second period on a James van Riemsdyk goal, his eighteenth of the season, passed from Roman Polak and Tyler Bozak. The Maple Leafs added on with a William Nylander power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Jake Gardiner. Columbus got on the board with a third period Nick Foligno goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Jordan Schroeder and Markus Nutivaara. The Blue Jackets tied it on a Pierre-Luc Dubois goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Seth Jones. Columbus won 3-2 in overtime with an Artemi Panarin goal, his eleventh of the campaign, guided in by Zach Werenski and Jones. The three stars were Panarin, Jones, and Bobrovsky (35 for 37 in saves).

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NHL 2017-18 Day 92

We've got ten games on today in the last truly busy day for awhile. We begin with...

The New York Islanders hosting the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Jaroslav Halak are the veterans in goal. New York led off in the first period with an Anders Lee goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, assisted by Ryan Pulock and Thomas Hickey. New Jersey tied it on a Travis Zajac goal in the second period, his fourth of the year, via Marcus Johansson and Sami Vatanen. The Islanders retook the lead with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle. The Devils retied it with a Zajac shorthanded goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, set up by Brian Gibbons. New Jersey took the lead in the third period on a Miles Wood goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Will Butcher and Taylor Hall. The Devils added on with a Hall goal, his fifteenth of the year, guided in by John Moore and Wood. New York got one back with a Sebastian Aho power play goal, powered by John Tavares and Barzal. The Islanders tied it again on a Cal Clutterbuck goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Aho and Brock Nelson. New York won 5-4 in the shootout with a lone tally by Nelson. The three stars went to Aho, Nelson, and Barzal, while Zajac, Hall, and Wood get the honorable mentions.

Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Michal Neuvirth make the starts in goal. Buffalo got going in the second period with a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Jack Eichel and Rasmus Ristolainen. Philadelphia tied it on a Shayne Gostisbehere goal, his ninth of the year, fueled by Scott Laughton and Jori Lehtera. The Flyers took the lead with a Sean Couturier power play goal, his twenty-second of the season, with assists provided by Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. Philadelphia added on in the third period with a Couturier empty net goal, his second of the game and twenty-third of the year, set up by Voracek and Michael Raffl. The Flyers iced it at 4-1 with an Ivan Provorov goal, his eighth of the campaign, with helpers from Wayne Simmonds and Andrew MacDonald for the empty net tally. The three stars were Couturier, Voracek, and Neuvirth (30 for 31 in saves).

West to Chicago, as the Blackhawks bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg are in the blue paint. Chicago began in the first period with a Nick Schmaltz goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Ryan Hartman and Jan Rutta. The Blackhawks added on with an Alex DeBrincat goal, his fourteenth of the year, passed from David Kampf. Edmonton got on the board in the second period with a Darnell Nurse goal, his third of the season, via Michael Cammalleri and Zack Kassian. Chicago replied with a Brandon Saad goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Jonathan Toews and Vinnie Hinostroza. The Blackhawks extended the lead as Jordan Oesterle scored his third of the season in the third period, an unassisted goal. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars being Forsberg (32 for 33 in saves), DeBrincat, and Saad.

Back east, the Washington Capitals host the St. Louis Blues. Carter Hutton and Braden Holtby are in the creases. Washington opened in the first period with a Brett Connolly power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson. St. Louis tied it in the second period with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his eighteenth of the year, passed from Ivan Barbashev and Joel Edmundson. The Blues took the lead with an Alexander Steen power play goal, his sixth of the season, with assists provided by Brayden Schenn and Alex Pietrangelo. The Capitals retied it on an Ovechkin power play goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, helped along by Carlson and Nicklas Backstrom. Washington pulled ahead with a Lars Eller goal, his sixth of the season, via T.J. Oshie and Madison Bowey. St. Louis retied it on a Carl Gunnarsson goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Patrik Berglund and Tage Thompson. The Capitals won 4-3 in overtime with a Backstrom goal, his ninth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Oshie. The three stars went to Backstrom, Ovechkin, and Oshie, while Carlson gets the honorable mention.

Northwest to Winnipeg, as the Jets welcome the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Connor Hellebuyck protect the nets. Winnipeg started in the first period with a Matt Hendricks goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by Joel Armia and Andrew Copp. The Jets added o with a Marko Dano goal in the second period, his second of the year, via Jacob Trouba and Copp. San Jose got on the board with a Logan Couture power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns. Winnipeg replied on a Mathieu Perreault power play goal, his eleventh of the year, with helpers from Blake Wheeler and Tyler Myers. The Jets iced it at 4-1 with a Perreault empty net goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the campaign, set up by Myers. The three stars belonged to Perreault, Hellebuyck (31 for 32 in saves), and Copp, while Myers earns an honorable mention.

The last of the early starts has the Columbus Blue Jackets bringing in the Florida Panthers. James Reimer and Sergei Bobrovsky are the masked men. Columbus struck first in the first period with a Nick Foligno power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Pierre-Luc Dubois and Seth Jones. Florida tied it on a Jonathan Huberdeau power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, with assists provided by Evgenii Dadonov and Aleksander Barkov in the second period. The Blue Jackets took the lead on a Dubois power play goal, his ninth of the season, helped along by Jones and Artemi Panarin. The Panthers retied it in the third period with a Barkov goal, his thirteenth of the year, passed from Huberdeau and Keith Yandle. The tie went to a shootout, where Panarin, Jack Johnson, and Josh Anderson lifted the Blue Jackets 3-2 over Barkov and Mike Matheson. The three stars were Dubois, Panarin, and Jones, while Huberdeau and Barkov get the honorable mentions.

In Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens host the Vancouver Canucks. Anders Nilsson and Carey Price are between the pipes. Montreal was first to score in the first period with an unassisted Karl Alzner goal. The Canadiens added on with an Alex Galchenyuk power play goal in the second period, his tenth of the season, powered by Jeff Petry and Jonathan Drouin. Vancouver got on the board with a Daniel Sedin goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Alexander Edler and Henrik Sedin. The Canucks tied it on a Michael Del Zotto goal in the third period, his second of the season, assisted by Brock Boeser and Daniel Sedin. Montreal retook the lead on a Brendan Gallagher goal, his sixteenth of the year, with a lone assist by Alzner. The Canadiens extended the lead as Paul Byron scored his eleventh of the season, thanks to Gallagher. Montreal iced it at 5-2 with a Max Pacioretty empty net goal, his tenth of the year, set up by Phillip Danault and Petry. The three stars were Gallagher, Alzner, and Daniel Sedin, while Petry gets an honorable mention.

Back stateside, the Detroit Red Wings welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Louis Domingue and Petr Mrazek are the backups in goal. Tampa Bay drew first blood in the first period with a Dan Girardi goal, his third of the season, guided in by Vladislav Namestnikov and Yanni Gourde. The Lightning added on with a Tyler Johnson goal, his thirteenth of the year, passed from Girardi and Ondrej Palat. Detroit got on the board with a Gustav Nyquist goal in the second period, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Tyler Bertuzzi and Henrik Zetterberg. Tampa Bay answered on a Gourde goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Alex Killorn and Namestnikov. The Red Wings got one back with a Justin Abdelkader goal in the third period, his seventh of the season, via Anthony Mantha. The Lightning countered on a Nikita Kucherov goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, made possible by Steven Stamkos. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Gourde scored his fourteenth of the campaign, thanks to Palat. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars being Gourde, Girardi, and Palat, while Namestnikov gets an honorable mention.

Over in Pittsburgh, the Penguins bring in the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Tristan Jarry receive the starting nods in goal. Boston kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Ryan Spooner goal, his fourth of the season, via Kevan Miller and Jake DeBrusk. Pittsburgh tied it on a Jamie Oleksiak goal, his third of the year, fueled by Matt Hunwick and Carl Hagelin. The Penguins took the lead with a Phil Kessel power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Pittsburgh added on with a Kris Letang goal, his third of the year, with a lone assist by Crosby. The Bruins got one back in the second period with a Brad Marchand goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Patrice Bergeron. Boston tied it on a Noel Acciari goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Brandon Carlo and Marchand. The Bruins pulled ahead on a David Pastrnak goal, his seventeenth of the season, going in unassisted. Boston extended the lead as David Backes scored his eighth of the year, with the help of Zdeno Chara and Danton Heinen. The Penguins got one back on a Malkin power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, with assists provided by Crosby, who got a sock trick, and Patric Hornqvist. Pittsburgh tied it in the third period with a Riley Sheahan goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The Penguins won 6-5 in overtime with another Malkin goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the campaign, with helpers from Kessel and Letang. The three stars belonged to Malkin, Crosby, and Marchand, while Letang and Kessel get honorable mentions.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights host the New York Rangers. Ondrej Pavelec and Marc-Andre Fleury are the experienced goalies. New York dented the scoreboard in the first period with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Michael Grabner and Vinni Lettieri. Vegas tied it on a James Neal goal, his eighteenth of the year, passed from David Perron. The Golden Knights took the lead with a William Karlsson goal in the third period, his twenty-second of the campaign, assisted by Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Fleury (28 for 29 in saves), Karlsson, and Neal.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 91

Nine games today, beginning with a pair of matinees. First up...

The Philadelphia Flyers host the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Brian Elliott are the former teammates in goal. Philadelphia began in the first period with an unassisted Scott Laughton goal, his seventh of the season. The Flyers added on with a Claude Giroux goal, his fourteenth of the year, passed from Ivan Provorov. Philadelphia extended the lead in the second period as Jordan Weal scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Jakub Voracek. The Flyers padded the lead on a Sean Couturier goal, his twentieth of the year, helped along by Giroux and Travis Konecny. St. Louis got on the board with an Ivan Barbashev goal, coming off of Paul Stastny and Vladimir Tarasenko. The Blues got closer in the third period with a Stastny goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Tarasenko and Barbashev. Philadelphia replied with a Wayne Simmonds power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Shayne Gostisbehere and Giroux. St. Louis countered with a Colton Parayko goal, his fourth of the season, via Joel Edmundson and Alexander Steen. The Flyers iced it at 6-3 with an empty net goal by Couturier, his second of the game and twenty-first of the year, set up by Andrew MacDonald. The three stars were Couturier, Giroux, and Barbashev, while Stastny and Tarasenko get the honorable mentions.

Down in Dallas, the Stars welcome the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Ben Bishop are the veteran goalies. Dallas led off in the first period with an Alexander Radulov goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming off of Tyler Seguin and John Klingberg. The Stars added on with a Jamie Benn goal, his seventeenth of the year, passed from Radulov. Dallas extended the lead as Seguin scored his twenty-first of the season, thanks to Radulov and Klingberg. The Stars padded the lead in the second period with a Mattias Janmark goal, his tenth of the year, going in unassisted. Edmonton got on the board in the third period with a Leon Draisaitl power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid. Dallas answered on a Klingberg goal, his sixth of the year, via Seguin and Janmark. This made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars given to Radulov, Seguin, and Klingberg, while Janmark gets an honorable mention.

Back to the northeast, the Toronto Maple Leafs bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Frederik Andersen draw the starts in goal. Vancouver got going in the second period with a Brock Boeser goal, his twenty-second of the season, assisted by Thomas Vanek. The Canucks added on with a Sam Gagner power play goal in the third period, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. Toronto got on the board with an Auston Matthews goal, his nineteenth of the season, via Zach Hyman and William Nylander. The Maple Leafs tied it on a Tyler Bozak goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Morgan Rielly and Travis Dermott. The tie went to a shootout, where Matthews and Bozak topped Gagner for a 3-2 Maple Leafs win. The three stars were Bozak, Matthews, and Gagner.

Stateside, the Boston Bruins host the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Anton Khudobin make the starts in goal. Boston started in the first period with a shorthanded Patrice Bergeron goal, his thirteenth of the season, set up by Brad Marchand. The Bruins added on with a Riley Nash goal, his fifth of the year, via Kevan Miller and David Backes. Scott Darling relieved Ward in goal. Carolina got on the board with a Jordan Staal power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Teuvo Teravainen and Noah Hanifin. Boston answered on a David Pastrnak power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, helped along by Bergeron and Danton Heinen. The Bruins extended the lead as Jake DeBrusk scored his ninth of the season, thanks to Ryan Spooner and David Krejci. Boston padded the lead on Bergeron's second of the game and fourteenth of the year, fueled by Marchand. The Bruins struck again as Bergeron completed his hat trick with his fifteenth of the season in the second period, with the help of Marchand and Pastrnak, the former earning a sock trick. Boston continued with a Bergeron goal, his fourth of the night and sixteenth of the year, made possible by Pastrnak and Marchand. This produced the eventual 7-1 final, with the three stars being Bergeron, Marchand, and Pastrnak.

In Ontario again, the Ottawa Senators welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Craig Anderson are the masked men. Ottawa opened in the first period with a Ryan Dzingel goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Mark Stone. The Senators added on with a Matt Duchene goal, his tenth of the year, via Bobby Ryan. Ottawa extended the lead as Zack Smith scored his third of the campaign, thanks to Erik Karlsson and Johnny Oduya. Tampa Bay got on the board in the second period with a Victor Hedman goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. The Lightning got closer with a Slater Koekkoek goal, his fourth of the year, helped along by Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn. Tampa Bay tied it on a Yanni Gourde power play goal, his twelfth of the campaign, powered by Mikhail Sergachev and Tyler Johnson. The Senators regained the lead with a Stone goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Derick Brassard and Thomas Chabot in the third period. Ottawa padded the lead on a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Karlsson. The Senators iced it at 6-3 with a Dzingel goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the campaign, helped along by Karlsson, who got a sock trick, and Stone. The three stars belonged to Dzingel, Stone, and Karlsson.

Southwest to Arizona, as the Coyotes bring in the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist faces his former backup Antti Raanta in goal. Arizona struck first in the first period with an Anthony Duclair power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Derek Stepan and Christian Dvorak. New York tied it on a second period Jimmy Vesey goal, his ninth of the year, going in unassisted. The Rangers won 2-1 in the shootout on a lone tally by Mika Zibanejad. The three stars went to Lundqvist (38 for 39 in saves), Raanta (24 for 25 in saves), and Vesey.

Up in Colorado, the Avalanche host the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Jonathan Bernier are in the blue paint. Colorado was first to score in the first period with a Gabriel Bourque goal, via Colin Wilson and Tyson Jost. The Avalanche added on with a Patrik Nemeth goal, his third of the season, made possible by Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Minnesota got on the board with an Eric Staal goal, his eighteenth of the year, passed from Jonas Brodin and Jason Zucker. Colorado answered with a power play goal in the second period from Carl Soderberg, his eighth of the season, powered by Alexander Kerfoot. The Avalanche extended the lead as Rantanen scored his fifteenth of the year, thanks to Gabriel Landeskog and MacKinnon. The Wild got one back on a Staal power play goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the season, with assists provided by Zucker and Ryan Suter. Colorado replied with a Soderberg power play goal in the third period, his ninth of the year, with helpers from Nail Yakupov and Kerfoot. The Avalanche padded the lead on a MacKinnon power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, coming off of Samuel Girard and Rantanen. Colorado iced it at 7-2 with a Jost goal, his third of the year, guided in by Wilson and Bourque. The three stars went to Rantanen, MacKinnon, and Staal, while Soderberg, Zucker, Bourque, Jost, Wilson, and Kerfoot get the honorable mentions.

Further to the north, the Calgary Flames welcome the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Mike Smith protect the nets. Calgary drew first blood in the first period with a Micheal Ferland goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Johnny Gaudreau. The Flames added on with a Mark Giordano goal, his eighth of the year, helped along by Mikael Backlund and Matthew Tkachuk. Anaheim got on the board in the third period with a shorthanded and unassisted Jakob Silfverberg goal, his eleventh of the season. The Ducks tied it on a Ryan Getzlaf goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson. Calgary won 3-2 with a Dougie Hamilton goal, his fifth of the campaign, via Ferland and Sean Monahan. The three stars went to Ferland, Hamilton, and Giordano.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Jonathan Quick tend the twines. Nashville kicked off the scoring with a first period power play goal by Roman Josi, his eighth of the season, powered by Kyle Turris and P.K. Subban. Los Angeles tied it on an Adrian Kempe goal in the second period, his thirteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Predators took the lead back with a Scott Hartnell goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Ryan Johansen and Alexei Emelin. Nashville added on with an Austin Watson goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Subban and Miikka Salomaki. The Kings got one back with a Trevor Lewis goal in the third period, his tenth of the season, fueled by Alex Iafallo. The Predators countered with a Watson goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, made possible by Ryan Ellis and Calle Jarnkrok. Los Angeles chipped back with a Tyler Toffoli power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, with assists provided by Tanner Pearson and Anze Kopitar. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Watson, Subban, and Hartnell.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 90

Just five games on today, beginning with...

The New York Islanders hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Jaroslav Halak are the goalies. Pittsburgh got going in the second period with a Daniel Sprong goal, assisted by Sidney Crosby and Dominik Simon. The Penguins added on with an Evgeni Malkin power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Crosby and Phil Kessel. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Crosby scored his fifteenth of the year, thanks to Sprong and Simon. The Penguins padded the lead in the third period with Sprong's second of the game, via Justin Schultz and Crosby, the latter earning a sock trick. The three stars were Sprong, Crosby, and Jarry (31 save shutout), while Simon gets an honorable mention.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings welcome the Florida Panthers. James Reimer and Jimmy Howard are in the creases. Detroit led off in the first period with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his ninth of the season, helped along by Mike Green. The Red Wings added on with a Tomas Tatar goal in the second period, his eleventh of the year, coming off of Athanasiou and Dylan Larkin. Florida got on the board with a Mike Matheson goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Jared McCann. The Panthers tied it in the third period with an Aleksander Barkov goal, his twelfth of the year, courtesy of Jonathan Huberdeau and Evgenii Dadonov. Detroit retook the lead on an Anthony Mantha power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Martin Frk and Green. The Red Wings capped it at 4-2 with a Gustav Nyquist goal, his thirteenth of the year, guided in by Henrik Zetterberg and Danny DeKeyser. The three stars went to Green, Howard (38 for 40 in saves), and Athanasiou.

Next up, the Ottawa Senators host the San Jose Sharks. Aaron Dell and Craig Anderson draw the starts in goal. San Jose began in the first period with a shorthanded Tomas Hertl goal, his eleventh of the season, set up by Logan Couture and Brent Burns. Ottawa tied it on a Ryan Dzingel goal, his eleventh of the year, made possible by Mark Stone and Derick Brassard. The Sharks retook the lead on a Melker Karlsson goal, his sixth of the season, via Joakim Ryan and Jannik Hansen. San Jose added on in the second period with a Chris Tierney power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Joonas Donskoi and Tim Heed. The Sharks extended the lead as Burns scored his seventh of the season on the power play, thanks to Couture and Joe Pavelski. The Senators got one back with a Stone power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, with assists provided by Mike Hoffman and Erik Karlsson. San Jose replied on another Hertl goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the season, fueled by Couture and Brenden Dillon, the former earning a sock trick. Ottawa got closer in the third period with a Brassard goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Stone and Erik Karlsson. The Senators pulled closer on a Matt Duchene goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Bobby Ryan and Hoffman. Ottawa tied it as Hoffman scored his tenth of the year, with the help of Duchene and Ryan. The Senators won 6-5 in overtime with a Duchene goal, his ninth of the campaign and second of the game, with a lone helper by Hoffman, who got a sock trick. The three stars belonged to Duchene, Hoffman, and Hertl, while Couture, Stone, Brassard, Burns, Erik Karlsson, and Ryan get the honorable mentions.

West to Winnipeg, as the Jets bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Chad Johnson is mismatched with Connor Hellebuyck in goal. Winnipeg started in the first period with a Dustin Byfuglien power play goal, powered by Blake Wheeler and Patrik Laine. Buffalo tied it on a Marco Scandella goal, helped along by Evan Rodrigues and Jason Pominville. The Jets took the lead back with a Jacob Trouba goal, his third of the season, coming off of Andrew Copp and Matt Hendricks. Winnipeg added on with a Wheeler power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, made possible by Tyler Myers and Nikolaj Ehlers. The Sabres got one back with a Johan Larsson goal, his second of the season, via Jacob Josefson and Rasmus Ristolainen. The Jets countered on a Bryan Little goal in the third period, his eighth of the year, guided in by Trouba and Josh Morrissey. Buffalo chipped back with a Scott Wilson goal, courtesy of Rodrigues and Pominville. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars being Wheeler, Trouba, and Rodrigues, while Pominville gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Chicago Blackhawks host the Vegas Golden Knights. Malcolm Subban and Jeff Glass are the backups in goal. Vegas opened in the first period with an Alex Tuch goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault. The Golden Knights added on with a Marchessault goal, his sixteenth of the year, via Reilly Smith and Nate Schmidt. Chicago got on the board with a Vinnie Hinostroza goal, his third of the season, made possible by Brandon Saad and Jonathan Toews. Vegas answered on with a Karlsson goal, his twenty-first of the year, guided in by Smith and Schmidt. The Blackhawks pulled back on a Patrick Sharp goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Richard Panik and Gustav Forsling.  Chicago tied it on a Nick Schmaltz goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Hinostroza and Saad. The Blackhawks pulled ahead with a Toews goal in the third period, his twelfth of the season, fueled by Hinostroza and Duncan Keith. The Golden Knights retied it on a Cody Eakin goal, his sixth of the year, with a lone assist by David Perron. Vegas took the lead with an unassisted Smith goal, his eleventh of the campaign. This stood for a 5-4 win, with the three stars given to Smith, Karlsson, and Marchessault, while Hinostroza, Schmidt, Toews, and Saad get honorable mentions.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 89

Only eleven games on tonight after the Boston Bruins game with the Florida Panthers was postponed due to a blizzard in the northeast. We begin in...

Philadelphia, as the Flyers host the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Brian Elliott are in goal. Philadelphia opened in the first period with a Sean Couturier power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, powered by Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux. New York tied it on a Cal Clutterbuck goal, his fifth of the year, via Nick Leddy and Dennis Seidenberg. The Flyers took the lead in the second period with a Michael Raffl goal, his seventh of the season, guided in by Ivan Provorov and Shayne Gostisbehere. Philadelphia added on with a Wayne Simmonds goal, his thirteenth of the year, assisted by Robert Hagg and Jordan Weal. The Flyers extended the lead as Provorov scored a power play goal, his sixth of the season, thanks to Nolan Patrick and Brandon Manning. The Islanders got one back with a Clutterbuck goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, fueled by Shane Prince and Seidenberg. Philadelphia replied with a Travis Konecny goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Couturier. New York got one back with a John Tavares power play goal, his twenty-second of the year, passed from Leddy and Mathew Barzal. The Islanders got closer with an unassisted Ryan Pulock goal, his third of the season. The Flyers iced it at 6-4 with another Provorov goal, an empty netter for his second of the game and seventh of the year, set up by Giroux and Voracek. The three stars belonged to Provorov, Clutterbuck, and Couturier, while the honorable mentions go to Voracek, Giroux, Leddy, and Seidenberg.

Across Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Penguins welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Matt Murray draw the starts in goal. Carolina got going in the second period with an unassisted Jeff Skinner goal, his thirteenth of the season. The Hurricanes added on with a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Sebastian Aho and Jaccob Slavin. Carolina extended the lead in the third period as Aho scored his twelfth of the season, thanks to Jordan Staal and Brett Pesce. The Hurricanes padded the lead with an Aho goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, via Teravainen and Pesce. The three stars of the 4-0 game were Aho, Teravainen, and Ward (21 save shutout), while Pesce gets an honorable mention.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs bring in the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Frederik Andersen are the masked men. Toronto started in the first period with an Auston Matthews goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Connor Carrick and William Nylander. San Jose tied it on a Brenden Dillon goal, passed from Brent Burns and Timo Meier and The Maple Leafs took the lead back in the second period with a Nazem Kadri power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Mitchell Marner and Morgan Rielly. The Sharks retied it on a Chris Tierney goal, his ninth of the season, going in unassisted. Toronto won 3-2 with tallies by Matthews and Tyler Bozak topping Kevin Labanc in the shootout. The three stars were Matthews, Kadri, and Andersen (33 for 35 in saves).

In Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Carey Price tend the twines. Montreal dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Max Pacioretty goal, his ninth of the season, going in unassisted. Tampa Bay tied it on a Nikita Kucherov goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, via Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman. The Canadiens won 2-1 in the shootout with a lone tally by Paul Byron. The three stars were given to Price (44 for 45 in saves), Vasilevskiy (37 for 38 in saves), and Pacioretty.

Stateside, the St. Louis Blues welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Carter Hutton are in the blue paint. St. Louis led off in the first period with an Alexander Steen goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Brayden Schenn and Colton Parayko. Vegas tied it on an Erik Haula goal, his fifteenth of the year, passed from James Neal and David Perron in the second period. The Blues took the lead back in the third period with a Paul Stastny goal, his eighth of the season, via Vladimir Sobotka and Parayko. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars given to Parayko, Hutton (32 for 33 in saves), and Fleury (37 for 39 in saves).

North to Minnesota, as the Wild bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Devan Dubnyk are in the creases. Minnesota began in the first period with a Nino Niederreiter goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Mikael Granlund and Mikko Koivu. The Wild added on with a Daniel Winnik goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Nate Prosser and Marcus Foligno. Minnesota extended the lead as Niederreiter scored his second of the game and twelfth of the season on the power play, thanks to Charlie Coyle and Jared Spurgeon. The Wild padded the lead with a Niederreiter goal in the second period, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Granlund and Koivu for the hat trick. Minnesota struck again with a Koivu goal, his sixth of the season, helped along by Granlund, who got a sock trick, and Jonas Brodin. The Wild continued with a Coyle goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Zach Parise and Joel Eriksson Ek. Chad Johnson replaced Lehner in goal. Buffalo got on the board in the third period with a Sam Reinhart goal, his seventh of the season, courtesy of Zach Bogosian and Jake McCabe. The Sabres got closer with an Evander Kane goal, his sixteenth of the year, with helpers from Marco Scandella and Jason Pominville. The three stars of the 6-2 game were Niederreiter, Granlund, and Koivu, while Coyle gets an honorable mention.

Way south to Dallas, as the Stars host the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Ben Bishop are between the pipes. New Jersey struck first in the first period with a Brian Boyle power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Taylor Hall and Travis Zajac. Dallas tied it in the second period with an unassisted Alexander Radulov goal, his fifteenth of the year. The Stars took the lead with a Brett Ritchie power play goal, his fourth of the season, with assists provided by John Klingberg and Radulov. Dallas added on with a Tyler Seguin shorthanded goal, his twentieth of the year, set up by Jamie Benn. The Devils got one back with a Hall goal, his fourteenth of the season, made possible by Nico Hischier and Andy Greene. The Stars answered with a Mattias Janmark goal in the third period, his ninth of the year, helped along by Martin Hanzal and Radulov. New Jersey answered on a Kyle Palmieri power play goal, his sixth of the campaign, made possible by Jesper Bratt and Hall. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars given to Radulov, Hall, and Janmark.

Up in Alberta, the Calgary Flames welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Mike Smith have the green light to play in goal. Los Angeles was first to score in the first period with a Derek Forbort goal, guided in by Anze Kopitar and Tanner Pearson. The Kings added on with a Pearson goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Dustin Brown. Calgary got on the board in the second period with a Micheal Ferland goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming off of Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. The Flames tied it on a Troy Brouwer goal, his third of the year, passed from Mark Giordano and Matthew Tkachuk. Calgary took the lead on an unassisted Mark Jankowski goal, his seventh of the season. The Flames extended the lead as Monahan scored his nineteenth of the year, thanks to Gaudreau and Ferland. Los Angeles pulled one back on a Pearson goal, his eighth of the campaign, courtesy of Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin. They couldn't tie it, falling 4-3, with the three stars being Monahan, Ferland, and Pearson, while Gaudreau gets an honorable mention.

Staying in the province, the Edmonton Oilers bring in the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Cam Talbot guard the cages. Edmonton cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a Kris Russell goal, his third of the season, passed from Connor McDavid and Milan Lucic. Anaheim tied it on a Ryan Kesler power play goal, powered by Jakob Silfverberg and Cam Fowler. The tie was broken in the shootout, with Michael Cammalleri and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins besting Rickard Rakell for a 2-1 Oilers win. The three stars went to Talbot (33 for 34 in saves), Gibson (33 for 34 in saves), and Russell.

South to Denver, as the Colorado Avalanche host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Jonathan Bernier play goal. Colorado kicked off the scoring the second period on a Mikko Rantanen power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Tyson Jost and Samuel Girard. The Avalanche added on with a Matt Nieto goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Nathan MacKinnon and Rantanen in the third period. The three stars of the 2-0 win were Rantanen, Bernier (34 save shutout), and Nieto.

Finally, the Arizona Coyotes host the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Antti Raanta are the Finnish goalies. Arizona drew first blood in the second period with an Anthony Duclair goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Jordan Martinook. Nashville tied it on a Ryan Ellis goal, via Scott Hartnell and Colton Sissons. The Predators retook the lead in the third period on a Craig Smith goal, his fourteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Coyotes retied it on a Nick Cousins power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Jason Demers and Alex Goligoski. Arizona won 3-2 in overtime with a Christian Fischer goal, his eleventh of the year, assists by Jakob Chychrun and Derek Stepan. The three stars went to Fischer, Cousins, and Duclair.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 88

Just two games on tonight across the league. We begin with...

The Detroit Red Wings welcoming the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Jimmy Howard are the goalies. Detroit led off in the first period with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his seventh of the season, via Anthony Mantha and Martin Frk. Ottawa tied it on an unassisted Ryan Dzingel goal in the third period, his tenth of the year. The Red Wings won 2-1 in overtime with an Athanasiou goal just six seconds in, his second of the game and eighth of the campaign, made possible by Dylan Larkin. the three stars went to Athanasiou, Howard (33 for 34 in saves), and Anderson (33 for 35 in saves).

The other game has the New York Rangers bringing in the Chicago Blackhawks. Jeff Glass and Henrik Lundqvist man the nets. Chicago began in the first period with a Vinnie Hinostroza goal, his second of the season, passed from Jonathan Toews and Jordan Oesterle. New York tied it on a Nick Holden goal, his third of the year, guided in by Paul Carey and Boo Nieves. The Blackhawks took the lead back in the second period with a Nick Schmaltz goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Patrick Kane and Ryan Hartman. The Rangers tied it again with a Mika Zibanejad power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by Pavel Buchnevich and Mats Zuccarello. Chicago took the lead back in the third period with a Patrick Sharp goal, his fourth of the season, fueled by David Kampf and Alex DeBrincat. The Blackhawks added on with a Toews empty net goal, his eleventh of the year, coming off of Brandon Saad and Tommy Wingels. Chicago iced it at 5-2 with a Kane empty net goal, his seventeenth of the campaign, set up by Hartman and Schmaltz. The three stars were Schmaltz, Kane, and Toews, and Hartman gets an honorable mention.

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