NHL 2017-18 Day 103

Ten games on today as teams begin to come out of their bye weeks. We begin with...

The New Jersey Devils hosting the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby faces a lesser foe in Keith Kinkaid in goal. New Jersey began in the first period with a Drew Stafford goal, his seventh of the season, with a lone assist by Marcus Johansson. Washington tied it on a Brett Connolly goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from T.J. Oshie and Brooks Orpik. The Devils retook the lead with an Andy Greene goal in the second period, his third of the season, coming off of Taylor Hall and Sami Vatanen. New Jersey added on with a Miles Wood goal, his twelfth of the year, made possible by Vatanen and Nico Hischier. The Capitals got one back with a Dmitry Orlov goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Alex Chiasson and Jay Beagle. Washington tied it in the third period with a Connolly goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, helped along by Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Devils won 4-3 in overtime with a Hall goal, his seventeenth of the campaign, courtesy of Vatanen, who got a sock trick. The three stars went to Hall, Vatanen, and Connolly.

In Brooklyn, the New York Islanders welcome the Boston Bruins. Anton Khudobin and Jaroslav Halak are the masked men. New York led off in the first period with a Jordan Eberle goal, his fifteenth of the season, via Mathew Barzal. Boston tied it on a Patrice Bergeron goal, his seventeenth of the year, coming off of Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. The Bruins took the lead in the second period with a Ryan Spooner goal, his seventh of the season, fueled by David Krejci. Boston added on with a Bergeron power play goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the year, powered by Torey Krug and Spooner. The Bruins extended the lead in the third period as Bergeron completed the hat trick on his nineteenth of the season, guided in by Marchand and Charlie McAvoy. The Islanders got one back with a John Tavares goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, helped along by Josh Bailey. Boston iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Marchand, his twentieth of the campaign, set up by Krejci and Riley Nash. The three stars were Bergeron, Marchand, and Spooner, while Krejci gets an honorable mention.

Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Michal Neuvirth man the nets. Toronto got going in the second period with a Connor Brown goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Zach Hyman. The Maple Leafs added on with a Frederik Gauthier goal, coming off of Jake Gardiner and Matt Martin. Philadelphia got on the board in the third period with a Nolan Patrick goal, his third of the year, going in unassisted. The Flyers tied it on a shorthanded Wayne Simmonds goal, his sixteenth of the season, set up by Valtteri Filppula and Andrew MacDonald. Philadelphia won 3-2 in overtime on a Sean Couturier goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, passed from Travis Konecny and the goalie Neuvirth. The three stars were Couturier, Simmonds, and Patrick.

Further west, the Columbus Blues Jackets host the Dallas Stars. Ben Bishop and Joonas Korpisalo draw the starts in goal. Columbus struck first in the first period with a Jordan Schroeder goal, courtesy of Tyler Motte. Dallas tied it in the third period with an Alexander Radulov goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, via John Klingberg and Jamie Benn. The Blue Jackets won 2-1 in the shootout with an Artemi Panarin tally. The three stars were Korpisalo (35 for 36 in saves), Schroeder, and Bishop (25 for 26 in saves).

Back east, the New York Rangers welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Henrik Lundqvist are between the pipes. New York opened in the first period with a Rick Nash goal, his twelfth of the season, with a lone helper by Pavel Buchnevich. Buffalo tied it on a Kyle Okposo power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel. The Rangers took the lead back in the second period with a J.T. Miller goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by David Desharnais. The Sabres tied it again with a Justin Falk goal, passed from Evan Rodrigues and Reinhart. New York took the lead again in the third period with a Nash goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, guided in by Nick Holden and Buchnevich. Buffalo retied it on a Rasmus Ristolainen power play goal, his third of the season, with assists provided by Okposo and Eichel. The Rangers regained the lead on a Buchnevich goal, his twelfth of the year, fueled by Mika Zibanejad and Nash. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars awarded to Nash, Buchnevich, and Okposo, while Eichel and Reinhart get the honorable mentions.

Up in Ottawa, the Senators bring in the St. Louis Blues. Carter Hutton is mismatched with Craig Anderson in goal. St. Louis dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his twentieth of the season, made possible by Robert Bortuzzo and Paul Stastny. The Blues added on with an Alex Pietrangelo goal, his eighth of the year, going in unassisted. St. Louis extended the lead as Brayden Schenn scored his eighteenth of the season, thanks to Alexander Steen and Vince Dunn. Ottawa got on the board with a Bobby Ryan goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Matt Duchene and Cody Ceci. The Blues capped it at 4-1 with an empty net goal by Steen, his eighth of the campaign, set up by Schenn. The three stars were given to Schenn, Steen, and Pietrangelo.

South to Florida, where the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Andrei Vasilevskiy tend the twines. Vegas started in the first period with a James Neal goal, his nineteenth of the season, made possible by Deryk Engelland and David Perron. The Golden Knights added on with a Nate Schmidt goal, his third of the year, guided in by Brayden McNabb and Erik Haula. Tampa Bay got on the board with an Ondrej Palat power play goal in the second period, his eighth of the season, powered by Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. Vegas replied with a Perron goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Engelland and Shea Theodore. The Golden Knights extended the lead as William Karlsson scored his twenty-fourth of the season in the third period, thanks to Jonathan Marchessault. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars being Perron, Engelland, and Fleury (28 for 29 in saves).

Northwest to Nashville, where the Predators welcome the Arizona Coyotes. Antti Raanta and Pekka Rinne are the Finnish goalies. Nashville drew first blood in the first period with a Scott Hartnell goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Ryan Ellis and Roman Josi. Arizona tied it on an Oliver Ekman-Larsson goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Richard Panik and Derek Stepan. The Coyotes took the lead in the third period with a Brendan Perlini goal, his eleventh of the season, via Panik and Jason Demers. The Predators tied it on an Ellis goal, his second of the year, assisted by Josi and Nick Bonino. The tie went to a shootout, where Kyle Turris and Craig smith bested Nick Cousins to give Nashville the 3-2 win. The three stars were Ellis, Josi, and Panik.

Out west, the Colorado Avalanche bring in the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Jonathan Bernier are given the green light to play goal. Colorado was first to score in the first period with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his twenty-first of the season, courtesy of Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche added on with a MacKinnon power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the year, powered by Samuel Girard and Rantanen. Colorado extended the lead as Carl Soderberg scored his tenth of the season, with the help of Matt Nieto and Blake Comeau. The Avalanche padded the lead with a second period goal by Rantanen, his sixteenth of the year, helped along by Mark Barberio and Landeskog. San Jose got on the board with a Timo Meier goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Kevin Labanc and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The Sharks got closer in the third period with a Vlasic goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Tomas Hertl and Labanc. San Jose chipped closer on a Joe Thornton goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski. Colorado iced it at 5-3 with a Nieto goal, his ninth of the year, assisted by Comeau. The three stars were MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Nieto, while Comeau, Vlasic, and Labanc get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Casey DeSmith and Jonathan Quick are in the creases. Pittsburgh kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Patric Hornqvist goal, his fourteenth of the season, made possible by Carl Hagelin. Los Angeles tied it in the second period with an Adrian Kempe goal, his fourteenth of the year, via Anze Kopitar and Jake Muzzin. The Penguins took the lead back in the third period with an Evgeni Malkin goal, his twenty-first of the season, coming off of Olli Maatta and Justin Schultz. Pittsburgh added on with a Hornqvist power play goal, his fifteenth of the year and second of the game, powered by Sidney Crosby and Malkin. The three stars of the 3-1 game were Hornqvist, Malkin, and DeSmith (28 for 29 in saves).

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NHL 2017-18 Day 102

Just two games on today, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Tuukka Rask tend the twines. Montreal led off in the first period with a Jakub Jerabek goal, assisted by Charles Hudon and Paul Byron. Boston tied it on a David Pastrnak goal, his eighteenth of the season, passed from Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. The Bruins took the lead in the second period with a Ryan Spooner goal, his sixth of the year, via David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk. Boston added on in the third period with a Marchand power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, powered by Bergeron and Torey Krug. The Bruins iced it at 4-1 with an empty net goal by Krejci, his eighth of the year, set up by David Backes. The three stars were given to Marchand, Bergeron, and Krejci.

The other game has the Anaheim Ducks hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and John Gibson are in the blue paint. Pittsburgh began in the first period with an Evgeni Malkin goal, his twentieth of the season, coming off of Patric Hornqvist and Carl Hagelin. Anaheim tied it in the second period with a Rickard Rakell goal, his sixteenth of the year, courtesy of Francois Beauchemin and Cam Fowler. The Ducks took the lead with an Adam Henrique goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Ondrej Kase and Nick Ritchie. Anaheim added on with a shorthanded Chris Wagner goal, his sixth of the year, set up by Jakob Silfverberg and Fowler. The Ducks extended the lead as Kase scored his twelfth of the season, going in unassisted. The Penguins got one back in the third period with a Phil Kessel power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, powered by Sidney Crosby and Justin Schultz. Pittsburgh pulled closer with a Jake Guentzel power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, guided in by Kessel and Crosby. Anaheim iced it at 5-3 with an empty net goal by Hampus Lindholm, his seventh of the year, an unassisted goal. The three stars were Kase, Kessel, and Crosby.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 101

Six games on tonight, beginning with...

The New York Islanders hosting the New Jersey Devils. Keith Kinkaid and Jaroslav Halak are in the blue paint. New York started in the first period with an Anders Lee goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, going in unassisted. New Jersey tied it on a Kyle Palmieri power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Sami Vatanen and Marcus Johansson. The Devils took the lead in the second period with a Damon Severson goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Brian Gibbons and Stefan Noesen. New Jersey added on with another Severson goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, via Ben Lovejoy and Jesper Bratt. The Devils extended the lead as Taylor Hall scored his sixteenth of the campaign, thanks to Bratt. This stood for a 4-1 win eventually, with the three stars given to Severson, Kinkaid (25 for 26 in saves), and Bratt.

Over in Manhattan, the New York Rangers welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Elliott and Henrik Lundqvist draw the starts in goal. Philadelphia opened in the first period with a Jordan Weal goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Radko Gudas and Wayne Simmonds. New York tied it on a Rick Nash goal, his tenth of the year, helped along by Pavel Buchnevich. The Rangers took the lead with a J.T. Miller power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Ryan McDonagh and David Desharnais. New York added on with a shorthanded Paul Carey goal, his sixth of the year, set up by Peter Holland. The Rangers extended the lead in the second period as Michael Grabner scored his twentieth of the season, an unassisted goal. New York padded the lead as Nash scored his second of the game and eleventh of the year, thanks to Marc Staal. Michal Neuvirth replaced Elliott in goal for a scoreless third period, where the 5-1 final stood firm. The three stars were given to Nash, Miller, and Lundqvist (25 for 26 in saves).

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs bring in the St. Louis Blues. Carter Hutton and Frederik Andersen are between the pipes. Toronto dented the scoreboard in the third period with a shorthanded Connor Brown goal, his eleventh of the season, going in unassisted. St. Louis tied it on an Alexander Steen goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Alex Pietrangelo and Paul Stastny. The Blues won 2-1 in overtime on a Vince Dunn goal, his fourth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Stastny. The three stars were given to Hutton (30 for 31 in saves), Stastny, and Andersen (40 for 42 in saves).

In Michigan, the Detroit Red Wings host the Dallas Stars. Ben Bishop and Jimmy Howard protect the nets. Detroit led off in the first period with a Trevor Daley goal, his third of the season, coming off of Tyler Bertuzzi and Andreas Athanasiou. Dallas tied it on a Radek Faksa goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Esa Lindell and John Klingberg. The Stars took the lead with a Jason Spezza power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Klingberg and Alexander Radulov. The Red Wings tied it in the second period with an Athanasiou goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Bertuzzi and Niklas Kronwall. Dallas regained the lead with a Spezza power play goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, with assists provided by Radulov and Jamie Benn. The Stars added on with a Martin Hanzal goal in the third period, his fourth of the year, made possible by Remi Elie and Stephen Johns. The final remained 4-2, with the three stars being Spezza, Athanasiou, and Radulov, while Klingberg and Bertuzzi get the honorable mentions.

Down in Nashville, the Predators welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury faces a lesser foe in Juuse Saros in goal. Nashville got going in the third period with a Kevin Fiala goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by P.K. Subban and Colton Sissons. This was it for the scoring in the 1-0 game, with the three stars awarded to Saros (43 save shutout), Fiala, and Fleury (26 for 27 in saves).

Finally, the Arizona Coyotes bring in the San Jose Sharks. Aaron Dell and Antti Raanta man the nets. San Jose began in the first period with a Joe Thornton power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl. The Sharks added on with a Mikkel Boedker goal in the second period, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Brent Burns and Joakim Ryan. Arizona got on the board with a Jordan Martinook goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Jason Demers and Brad Richardson. The Coyotes tied it in the third period on a Richardson goal, his third of the year, passed from Nick Cousins and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. In the shootout, Joe Pavelski had the lone tally for a 3-2 Sharks win. The three stars were Richardson, Boedker, and Thornton.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 100

The 100th game day in the NHL this season falls on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day in the USA. We begin with three matinees out of four games today. The first is in...

Boston, as the Bruins host the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Anton Khudobin are the backups in goal. Dallas got going in the second period with a Stephen Johns goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Remi Elie and Brett Ritchie. The Stars added on with an Alexander Radulov goal, his seventeenth of the year, via Jamie Benn. Boston got on the board with a Zdeno Chara goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Charlie McAvoy and Riley Nash. The Bruins tied it in the third period on a Ryan Spooner goal, his fifth of the year, assisted by David Krejci and Matt Grzelcyk. Dallas won 3-2 in overtime with a Tyler Seguin goal, his twenty-second of the campaign, guided in by John Klingberg and Benn. The three stars went to Seguin, Lehtonen (30 for 32 in saves), and Benn.

West to Colorado, as the Avalanche welcome the Anaheim Ducks. Ryan Miller and Jonathan Bernier are in the creases. Colorado started in the first period with a Matt Nieto goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Blake Comeau and Carl Soderberg. The Avalanche added on in the second period with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his twentieth of the year, courtesy of Gabriel Landeskog. Anaheim got on the board with a Chris Wagner goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Josh Manson and J.T. Brown. Colorado replied with a Colin Wilson power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Alexander Kerfoot and Erik Johnson. This produced the eventual 3-1 final, with the three stars given to Bernier (33 for 34 in saves), MacKinnon, and Wilson.

Out in Los Angeles, the Kings bring in the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones faces a lesser foe in Darcy Kuemper in goal. San Jose opened in the first period with a Chris Tierney goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Joonas Donskoi and Dylan DeMelo. The Sharks added on in the second period with a Barclay Goodrow goal, his third of the year, assisted by DeMelo and Brenden Dillon. San Jose extended the lead as Mikkel Boedker scored his fourth of the season in the third period, thanks to Donskoi and Tierney. Los Angeles got on the board with a Trevor Lewis goal, his eleventh of the year, coming off of Marian Gaborik and Adrian Kempe. The Sharks iced it at 4-1 with an empty net goal by Joe Thornton, his tenth of the campaign, set up by Justin Braun and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The three stars went to Jones (35 for 36 in saves), Tierney, and Donskoi, while DeMelo gets an honorable mention.

At the usual time, the Montreal Canadiens host the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Carey Price are the rhyming goalies. New York struck first in the first period with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his eighth of the season, with a lone assist by Mathew Barzal. The Islanders added on with a Barzal goal, his sixteenth of the year, via Jordan Eberle. Montreal got on the board with a Nicolas Deslauriers goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Jakub Jerabek. The Canadiens tied it on a Paul Byron goal, his twelfth of the year, passed from David Schlemko. New York regained the lead with an Adam Pelech goal in the second period, guided in by Barzal and Eberle. The Islanders extended the lead as John Tavares scored a shorthanded goal, his twenty-third of the season, going in unassisted. Montreal pulled back with a Jonathan Drouin goal, his sixth of the year, with helpers from Alex Galchenyuk and Jerabek. The Canadiens tied it on a Max Pacioretty power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Jeff Petry and Galchenyuk in the third period. New York won 5-4 in overtime with another Tavares goal, his second of the game and twenty-fourth of the year, made possible by Thomas Hickey. The three stars belonged to Tavares, Barzal, and Eberle, while Jerabek and Galchenyuk get the honorable mentions.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 99

Four games for this Sunday, with two matinees to start, beginning in...

Chicago, as the Blackhawks host the Detroit Red Wings. Petr Mrazek and Jeff Glass are the backups in goal. Detroit opened in the first period with a Dylan Larkin goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Andreas Athanasiou and Tyler Bertuzzi. The Red Wings added on with a Mike Green goal, his fifth of the year, via Anthony Mantha and Gustav Nyquist. Detroit extended the lead as Mantha scored his fifteenth of the campaign, with the help of Henrik Zetterberg and Athanasiou. The Red Wings capped it at 4-0 with a Bertuzzi goal, made possible by Nick Jensen and Martin Frk. The three stars were Bertuzzi, Mrazek (27 save shutout), and Mantha, while Athanasiou gets an honorable mention.

East to Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Calgary Flames. Mike Smith and Scott Darling are in the creases. Calgary started in the first period with a Matt Stajan goal, coming off of Curtis Lazar. The Flames added on with a Dougie Hamilton goal, his seventh of the season, guided in by Johnny Gaudreau and Micheal Ferland. Calgary extended the lead as Hamilton scored his second of the game and eighth of the year in the third period, thanks to Matthew Tkachuk and Gaudreau. The Flames padded the lead on a Tkachuk power play goal, his thirteenth of the campaign, powered by Troy Brouwer and Mikael Backlund. Carolina got on the board with a Lee Stempniak power play goal, with assists provided by Brock McGinn and Victor Rask. The final stood at 4-1, with the three stars awarded to Hamilton, Smith (38 for 39 in saves), and Takchuk, while Gaudreau gets an honorable mention.

Up in Pittsburgh, the Penguins bring in the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Tristan Jarry make the starts in goal. Pittsburgh led off in the first period with a Patric Hornqvist goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Carl Hagelin and Kris Letang. New York tied it on an unassisted Michael Grabner goal, his nineteenth of the year. The Rangers gained the lead on a Brendan Smith goal, passed from Vinni Lettieri and Paul Carey. The Penguins retied it in the second period with a Dominik Simon goal, assisted by Daniel Sprong and Brian Dumoulin. Pittsburgh took the lead with a Phil Kessel goal, his twentieth of the season, fueled by Conor Sheary. The Penguins added on with a Sidney Crosby goal in the third period, his seventeenth of the year, made possible by Kessel and Jamie Oleksiak. Pittsburgh iced it at 5-2 with a Hagelin empty net goal, his third of the campaign, set up by Oleksiak. The three stars were Kessel, Hagelin, and Oleksiak.

Finally, the Minnesota Wild host the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Devan Dubnyk are the masked men. Minnesota began in the first period with a Jason Zucker power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, powered by Mikko Koivu and Mikael Granlund. Vancouver tied it on a Loui Eriksson goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Alexander Edler and Henrik Sedin. The Wild retook the lead in the third period on a Daniel Winnik goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Eric Staal. The Canucks retied it on a Thomas Vanek goal, his thirteenth of the year, courtesy of Sam Gagner and Christopher Tanev. Vancouver won 3-2 with a Brandon Sutter goal in overtime, his third of the campaign, guided in by Edler and Eriksson. The three stars were Eriksson, Edler, and Sutter.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 98

We've got nine games on for today, beginning with two matinees. The first is in...

Manhattan, as the New York Rangers host crosstown rivals, the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Ondrej Pavelec are the experienced goalies. The Islanders opened in the first period with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Jordan Eberle and Mathew Barzal. The Rangers tied it on a Kevin Hayes power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Rick Nash. The Islanders retook the lead on a Shane Prince goal, made possible by Scott Mayfield. The Islanders added on in the second period with a Barzal goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Eberle and Mayfield. The Islanders extended the lead as Barzal scored his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, thanks to Beauvillier and Eberle, the latter earning a sock trick. The Islanders padded the lead on another Beauvillier goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, helped along by John Tavares and Thomas Hickey. Henrik Lundqvist replaced Pavelec in goal. The Rangers got one back in the third period on a Mika Zibanejad goal, his fourteenth of the year, coming off of Mats Zuccarello and Ryan McDonagh. The Islanders countered on a Hickey goal, his second of the season, with helpers from Eberle and Barzal. The Islanders iced it at 7-2 with a Cal Clutterbuck goal, his eighth of the year, fueled by Jason Chimera and Barzal. The three stars were Barzal, Eberle, and Beauvillier, while Hickey and Mayfield get the honorable mentions.

West to Pittsburgh, where the Penguins welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Tristan Jarry make the starts in goal. Pittsburgh started in the first period with an Evgeni Malkin goal, his eighteenth of the season, via Carl Hagelin and Olli Maatta. Detroit tied it on a Justin Abdelkader power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Tomas Tatar and Henrik Zetterberg. The Penguins retook the lead on a Phil Kessel power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, guided in by Sidney Crosby and Malkin. Pittsburgh added on in the second period with a Malkin goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, with a lone assist by Kessel. The Penguins extended the lead as Crosby scored a power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, thanks to Kessel and Malkin. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars given to Malkin, Kessel, and Crosby.

In Canada, the Montreal Canadiens bring in the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Carey Price tend the twines. Montreal led off in the first period with a Max Pacioretty goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Victor Mete and Phillip Danault. Boston tied it on a Brad Marchand power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Patrice Bergeron and Danton Heinen. The Bruins took the lead with a Jake DeBrusk goal, his tenth of the season, via Charlie McAvoy and Zdeno Chara in the second period. The Canadiens retied it on a Nicolas Deslauriers goal, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. Montreal took the lead back with an Alex Galchenyuk power play goal, his eleventh of the season, with assists provided by Jonathan Drouin and Jeff Petry. Boston tied it on a David Krejci goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of McAvoy and DeBrusk. The Bruins won 4-3 in the shootout with tallies by DeBrusk and Marchand to top Paul Byron and the Canadiens. The three stars were given to DeBrusk, McAvoy, and Marchand.

Back stateside, the New Jersey Devils host the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Elliott and Cory Schneider man the nets. New Jersey began in the first period with a Jesper Bratt goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Nico Hischier and Taylor Hall. Philadelphia tied it on a Sean Couturier goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, via Jordan Weal and Andrew MacDonald. The Devils retook the lead on a second period Kyle Palmieri power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Will Butcher and Hall. The Flyers retied it on a Wayne Simmonds power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, with helpers from Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek. Philadelphia gained the lead on a Couturier power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the season, assisted by Giroux and Ivan Provorov. The Flyers added on in the third period with a Travis Konecny goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Provorov and Couturier. Philadelphia extended the lead as Michael Raffl scored his eighth of the season, thanks to Voracek and Valtteri Filppula. New Jersey got one back with a Drew Stafford power play goal, his sixth of the year, helped along by Damon Severson and John Moore. This only made it 5-3, the final, with the three stars going to Couturier, Voracek, and Giroux, while Provorov and Hall get the honorable mentions.

West to Minnesota, where the Wild welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Devan Dubnyk guard the cages. Minnesota struck first in the first period with a Mikael Granlund power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon. The Wild added on with a Jason Zucker goal in the second period, his sixteenth of the year, via Mikko Koivu and Granlund. Winnipeg got on the board in the third period with a Mathieu Perreault power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, with assists provided by Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien. Minnesota answered on a Matt Dumba goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Marcus Foligno and Charlie Coyle. The Wild extended the lead as Dumba scored his second of the game and ninth of the campaign, with the help of Coyle and Foligno. The final stood from here at 4-1, with the three stars given to Dumba, Granlund, and Dubnyk (32 for 33 in saves), while Foligno and Coyle get the honorable mentions.

Down in Dallas, the Stars bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Jonathan Bernier and Ben Bishop are in the blue paint. Colorado was first to score in the first period with an Alexander Kerfoot goal, his eleventh of the season, courtesy of A.J. Greer and Samuel Girard. Dallas tied it in the second period with a Jamie Benn goal, his eighteenth of the year, fueled by John Klingberg and Alexander Radulov. The Avalanche retook the lead in the third period with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his nineteenth of the season, made possible by Kerfoot and Nikita Zadorov. Colorado added on with a Blake Comeau goal, his eighth of the year, with a lone helper by Zadorov. The Avalanche finished it at 4-1 with a Mark Barberio shorthanded empty net goal, his third of the campaign, set up by Patrik Nemeth and the goalie Bernier. The three stars were Kerfoot, Zadorov, and Bernier (27 for 28 in saves).

Over in Vegas, the Golden Knights host the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Marc-Andre Fleury are the masked men. Edmonton got going in the second period with a Patrick Maroon goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Darnell Nurse and Connor McDavid. Vegas tied it on a Reilly Smith goal, his twelfth of the year, going in unassisted. The Golden Knights took the lead with a William Karlsson goal, his twenty-third of the season, helped along by Jonathan Marchessault. The Oilers retied it in the third period with a Drake Caggiula goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Maroon and McDavid. Edmonton won 3-2 in overtime on a Nurse goal, his sixth of the campaign, passed from Caggiula and Leon Draisaitl. The three stars belonged to Nurse, Caggiula, and Maroon, while McDavid gets an honorable mention.

In California, the Los Angeles Kings welcome the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Jonathan Quick protect the nets. Anaheim drew first blood in the first period with an Ondrej Kase goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Rickard Rakell and Ryan Getzlaf. The Ducks added on with a Ryan Kesler power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Brandon Montour and Kase. Anaheim extended the lead in the third period as Kase scored his second of the game and eleventh of the season, with the help of Nick Ritchie. Los Angeles got on the board with a Nick Shore goal, his third of the year, made possible by Christian Folin and Trevor Lewis. The Kings got closer with an Anze Kopitar goal, his eighteenth of the season, via Derek Forbort and Alex Iafallo. The Ducks iced it at 4-2 with a Corey Perry empty net goal, his seventh of the year, set up by Hampus Lindholm. The three stars went to Kase, Kesler, and Gibson (23 for 25 in saves).

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Scott Wedgewood and Martin Jones are between the pipes. San Jose kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Joe Thornton goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Joe Pavelski. Arizona tied it on a Derek Stepan goal, his ninth of the year, via Brendan Perlini and Richard Panik. The Sharks retook the lead on a Pavelski power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Brent Burns and Thornton. The Coyotes tied it again with an Alex Goligoski goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Stepan. San Jose retook the lead with a Logan Couture goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Joonas Donskoi and Burns. Arizona tied it once more with a Christian Fischer goal, his twelfth of the year, with a lone assist by Kevin Connauton. The Sharks reclaimed the lead in the second period on a Donskoi goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Mikkel Boedker and the relief goalie Aaron Dell. The Coyotes equalized in the third period on an Oliver Ekman-Larsson goal, his seventh of the year, helped along by Christian Dvorak and Clayton Keller. Arizona took the lead on a Josh Archibald goal, his third of the season, with assists from Jakob Chychrun and Dvorak. San Jose pulled even on a Donskoi goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, courtesy of Burns, who got a sock trick, and Chris Tierney. The Sharks won 6-5 in overtime on a Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal, his fifth of the campaign, fueled by Pavelski and Thornton. The three stars were Donskoi, Pavelski, and Burns, while Thornton, Stepan, and Dvorak get the honorable mentions.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 97

Five games tonight, beginning with...

The Columbus Blue Jackets hosting the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Sergei Bobrovsky man the nets. Columbus led off in the first period with a Seth Jones power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Nick Foligno and Artemi Panarin. Vancouver tied it in the second period on a Sven Baertschi power play goal, his ninth of the year, with assists provided by Thomas Vanek and Sam Gagner. The Canucks took the lead with an Erik Gudbranson goal, passed from Loui Eriksson and Henrik Sedin. Vancouver added on with a Brendan Gaunce goal, his second of the season, via Vanek and Michael Del Zotto on the power play. The Canucks extended the lead as Alexander Edler scored his second of the year, with the help of Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. The Blue Jackets got one back in the third period on a Scott Harrington goal, his second of the season, made possible by Foligno and Matt Calvert. Vancouver iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Jake Virtanen, his sixth of the year, set up by Markus Granlund. The three stars were Vanek, Henrik Sedin, and Foligno.

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Washington Capitals. Philipp Grubauer and Cam Ward are the backups in goal. Carolina began in the first period with a Jordan Staal power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Justin Williams and Sebastian Aho. Washington tied it on a Lars Eller power play goal, his ninth of the year, coming off of Jakub Vrana and Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals took the lead with an Ovechkin goal in the second period, his twenty-eighth of the season, guided in by John Carlson and Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Hurricanes retied it on an Aho power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, with helpers from Justin Faulk and Staal. Carolina took the lead in the third period on a Jeff Skinner goal, his fourteenth of the season, courtesy of Lee Stempniak and Hadyn Fleury. Washington tied it with an unassisted Brett Connolly goal, his tenth of the year. The Capitals won with less than two seconds left with a Jay Beagle goal, his fifth of the campaign, with assists provided by Nicklas Backstrom and Ovechkin. The final was 4-3, with the three stars handed to Ovechkin, Aho, and Staal.

Further south, the Florida Panthers host the Calgary Flames. David Rittich and James Reimer are in the creases. Florida got going in the second period with an Evgenii Dadonov power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Jonathan Huberdeau and Vincent Trocheck. Calgary tied it on a Sean Monahan goal, his twenty-first of the year, passed from Dougie Hamilton and Mark Giordano. The Flames took the lead with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his twelfth of the season, fueled by Travis Hamonic and Mikael Backlund. Calgary added on with a Johnny Gaudreau power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, assisted by Monahan and Backlund. The Panthers got one back in the third period with a Dadonov goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, going in unassisted. The Flames iced it at 4-2 with a Backlund empty net goal, his ninth of the year, set up by Tkachuk. The three stars belonged to Monahan, Backlund, and Tkachuk, while Rittich (41 for 43 in saves) gets an honorable mention.

Northwest to Chicago, where the Blackhawks bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Jeff Glass draw the starts in goal. Chicago dented the scoreboard in the second period with a David Kampf goal, coming off of Connor Murphy and Alex DeBrincat. The Blackhawks added on with a Jan Rutta goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Anthony Duclair and Kampf. Winnipeg got on the board in the third period with an unassisted Patrik Laine goal, his twentieth of the year. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars given to Kampf, Glass (31 for 32 in saves), and Rutta.

Finally, the Arizona Coyotes host the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Antti Raanta are in the blue paint. Arizona struck first in the first period with a Brad Richardson goal, his second of the season, made possible by Jakob Chychrun and Jordan Martinook. The Coyotes added on with a Josh Archibald goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Christian Dvorak and Clayton Keller. Al Montoya replaced Talbot in goal. Edmonton got on the board with a Darnell Nurse goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Adam Larsson and Jujhar Khaira. The Oilers tied it with a Patrick Maroon goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Oscar Klefbom and Connor McDavid. Edmonton took the lead with a Nurse goal in the third period, his second of the game and fifth of the season, via Leon Draisaitl and McDavid. The Oilers iced it at 4-2 with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins empty net goal, his sixteenth of the year, set up by Milan Lucic. The three stars went to Nurse, McDavid, and Montoya (19 for 19 in saves in relief).

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