NHL 2017-18 Day 176

Just three games on in hockey today, beginning with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson faces a lesser foe in Chad Johnson in goal. Buffalo started in the first period with a Ryan O'Reilly goal, his twenty-third of the season, coming off of Scott Wilson and Sam Reinhart. Ottawa tied it on a Max McCormick goal, his third of the year, helped along by Mark Borowiecki and Alexandre Burrows. The Senators took the lead with a Matt Duchene goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, going in unassisted. Ottawa added on in the second period with a Ryan Dzingel goal, his twenty-first of the year, assisted by Filip Chlapik and Christian Wolanin. The Sabres got one back on a Kyle Okposo goal, his fourteenth of the season, made possible by Casey Mittelstadt and Evan Rodrigues. The Senators iced it at 4-2 with a Burrows empty net goal in the third period, his sixth of the year, set up by Dzingel. The three stars were Dzingel, Burrows, and Anderson (32 for 34 in saves).

Southwest to St. Louis, as the Blues welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Jean-Francois Berube and Jake Allen are in the blue paint. St. Louis opened in the first period with a Robert Bortuzzo goal, his fourth of the season, via Kyle Brodziak. Chicago tied it on an Andreas Martinesen goal, passed from Artem Anisimov and Dylan Sikura. The Blues took the lead back in the second period with a Brayden Schenn goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, guided in by Vince Dunn and Vladimir Tarasenko. St. Louis added on with a Tarasenko goal, his thirty-third of the season, with a lone helper by Brayden Schenn. The Blackhawks got one back on a shorthanded Blake Hillman goal, set up by Nick Schmaltz. Chicago tied it on an unassisted Alex DeBrincat goal in the third period, his twenty-eighth of the year. The Blackhawks won 4-3 with a Duncan Keith power play goal, his second of the campaign, powered by DeBrincat and Brent Seabrook. The three stars went to DeBrincat, Tarasenko, and Hillman.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Ryan Miller are the masked men. Minnesota got going in the second period with a Matt Dumba power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Jonas Brodin and Jason Zucker. Anaheim tied it on a Nick Ritchie goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Francois Beauchemin and Josh Manson. The Ducks took the lead in the third period with an Ondrej Kase goal, his twentieth of the season, fueled by Manson and Adam Henrique. Anaheim iced it at 3-1 with an Andrew Cogliano empty net goal, his eleventh of the year, set up by Jakob Silfverberg and Beauchemin. The three stars were Manson, Beauchemin, and Miller (26 for 27 in saves).

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NHL 2017-18 Day 175

Nine games on tonight, beginning with...

The New Jersey Devils hosting the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Keith Kinkaid are the goalies. New Jersey opened in the first period with a Travis Zajac goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Blake Coleman. The Devils added on with a Taylor Hall power play goal, his thirty-eighth of the year, going in unassisted. New Jersey extended the lead as Will Butcher scored his fourth of the season on the power play, thanks to Kyle Palmieri and Hall. New York got on the board with a Ryan Spooner goal, his thirteenth of the year, via Jimmy Vesey and Filip Chytil. The Devils replied in the second period on a Butcher power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, powered by Hall and Zajac. New Jersey padded the lead on a Hall penalty shot goal, his second of the game and thirty-ninth of the year. The Rangers took one back in the third period on a Kevin Hayes goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, going in unassisted. The Devils won 5-2, with the three stars going to Hall, Butcher, and Zajac.

In Brooklyn, the New York Islanders welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Petr Mrazek and Thomas Greiss are in the blue paint. New York started in the first period with a John Tavares power play goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, powered by Mathew Barzal. Philadelphia tied it on a Wayne Simmonds goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, guided in by Nolan Patrick and Oskar Lindblom. The Islanders took the lead back with an Anthony Beauvillier goal in the second period, his twentieth of the season, coming off of Thomas Hickey and Ryan Pulock. New York added on with a Tavares goal, his second of the game and thirty-sixth of the year, with a lone assist by Josh Bailey. The Islanders extended the lead as Barzal scored his twenty-first of the season, thanks to Beauvillier and Jordan Eberle. The Flyers pulled back in the second period with a Nolan Patrick power play goal, his twelfth of the year, with assists provided by Shayne Gostisbehere and Claude Giroux. Philadelphia got closer with another Patrick power play goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the season, fueled by Jakub Voracek and Gostisbehere. The Flyers evened it on a Giroux goal, his thirtieth of the year, helped along by Sean Couturier and Andrew MacDonald. New York reclaimed the lead on another Barzal goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the season, passed from Beauvillier and Eberle. The final stood at 5-4, with the three stars given to Barzal, Tavares, and Patrick, while Beauvillier, Eberle, and Giroux get the honorable mentions.

West to Columbus, as the Blue Jackets bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Sergei Bobrovsky are the masked men. Detroit led off in the first period with a Tyler Bertuzzi goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist. Columbus tied it on a Cam Atkinson power play goal, his twenty-second of the year, powered by Seth Jones and Artemi Panarin. The Red Wings took the lead back on a Darren Helm goal, his twelfth of the season, via Dylan Larkin and Anthony Mantha. Detroit added on with another Bertuzzi goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, courtesy of Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall on the power play. The Red Wings extended the lead in the second period as Nyquist scored his twenty-first of the season on the power play, thanks to Zetterberg, who got a sock trick, and Justin Abdelkader. The Blue Jackets pulled one back on another Atkinson power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-third of the year, with assists provided by Jones and Panarin. Columbus edged closer in the third period on a Sonny Milano goal, his fourteenth of the season, guided in by Zach Werenski and Oliver Bjorkstrand. The Blue Jackets tied it on a Panarin power play goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, with a lone helper by Jones, who earned a sock trick, and the goalie Bobrovsky. Columbus won 5-4 in overtime with a Pierre-Luc Dubois goal, his twentieth of the campaign, helped along by Ryan Murray and Bjorkstrand. The three stars were handed to Atkinson, Panarin, and Jones, while Bjorkstrand, Bertuzzi, Zetterberg, and Nyquist get the honorable mentions.

In Montreal, the Canadiens host the Winnipeg Jets. Steve Mason and Carey Price are the veteran goalies. Winnipeg began in the first period with a Patrik Laine power play goal, his forty-fourth of the season, powered by Dustin Byfuglien and Kyle Connor. The Jets added on with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, coming off of Paul Stastny. Winnipeg extended the lead in the second period as Jack Roslovic scored his fifth of the season, with the help of Tucker Poolman. Montreal got on the board with an Arturri Lehkonen goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Alex Galchenyuk. The Canadiens got closer in the third period Paul Byron goal, his twentieth of the season, via Brendan Gallagher and Jonathan Drouin. Montreal tied it on a Kerby Rychel goal, with a lone assist by Jeff Petry. The Jets took the lead back with a Sami Niku goal, courtesy of Connor and Andrew Copp. The Canadiens tied it again with a Galchenyuk power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, with helpers from David Schlemko and Petry. Winnipeg won 5-4 in overtime on a shorthanded Connor goal, his thirtieth of the campaign, set up by Roslovic and Tyler Myers. The three stars went to Connor, Roslovic, and Petry, while Galchenyuk gets an honorable mention.

Down in Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Andrei Vasilevskiy tend the twines. Tampa Bay got going in the second period with a Brayden Point goal, his thirty-first of the season, made possible by Nikita Kucherov and Braydon Coburn. The Lightning added on with a Victor Hedman goal, his sixteenth of the year, passed from Coburn and Ryan Callahan. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Chris Kunitz scored his thirteenth of the season, courtesy of Callahan and Dan Girardi. The Lightning padded the lead in the third period with an unassisted J.T. Miller goal, his twenty-third of the year. This stood for a 4-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Vasilevskiy (33 save shutout), Coburn, and Callahan.

Staying in the state, the Florida Panthers bring in the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Roberto Luongo guard the cages. Florida struck first in the first period with a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, assisted by Jamie McGinn and Vincent Trocheck. The Panthers added on in the third period with a Colton Sceviour goal, his tenth of the year, fueled by Evgenii Dadonov and Aaron Ekblad. Nashville got on the board with a Roman Josi goal, his thirteenth of the season, guided in by Ryan Ellis. The final held at 2-1, with the three stars belonging to Luongo (45 for 46 in saves), Sceviour, and Huberdeau.

Way to the northwest, the Calgary Flames host the Arizona Coyotes. Antti Raanta faces a lesser foe in Jon Gillies in goal. Calgary was first to score in the first period with a Richard Panik goal, his fourteenth of the season, made possible by Kevin Connauton and Clayton Keller. The Coyotes added on with a Connauton goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Max Domi and Trevor Murphy. Arizona extended the lead in the second period as Christian Fischer scored his fourteenth of the season, with the help of Josh Archiblad and Brendan Perlini. Calgary got on the board with a Nick Shore goal, his fifth of the year, via Curtis Lazar and Matt Bartkowski. The Coyotes answered in the third period with a Dylan Strome goal, his third of the season, helped along by Domi and Fischer. The final remained at 4-1, with the three stars given to Connauton, Domi, and Raanta (42 for 43 in saves).

Over in British Columbia, the Vancouver Canucks welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Malcolm Subban and Jacob Markstrom are between the pipes. Vegas drew first blood in the first period with a Brandon Pirri goal, helped along by Colin Miller. Vancouver tied it with a Nikolay Goldobin goal, his seventh of the season, passed from Brandon Sutter. The Golden Knights took the lead in the second period with a Pirri goal, via Alex Tuch and William Karlsson. Vegas added on with a Tomas Tatar goal, his twentieth of the year, guided in by Shea Theodore and Karlsson. The Golden Knights extended the lead on a Karlsson power play goal, his forty-third of the year, powered by Tuch and Miller. The Canucks got one back on a Bo Horvat power play goal, his twenty-second of the season, with assists provided by Alexander Edler and Daniel Sedin. Vancouver pulled closer with a Sutter goal, his eleventh of the year, coming off of Brendan Gaunce and Jussi Jokinen. The Canucks tied it on a Goldobin goal, his second of the game and eighth of the season, courtesy of Alex Biega and Ashton Sautner. In the shootout, Theodore had the only goal to give the Golden Knights a 5-4 win. The three stars were Karlsson, Pirri, and Tuch, while Theodore, Miller, Goldobin, and Sutter get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Martin Jones occupy the creases. San Jose kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Logan Couture power play goal, his thirty-third of the season, powered by Brent Burns and Tomas Hertl. The Sharks added on with a Timo Meier goal, his twentieth of the year, via Burns and Joe Pavelski. Dallas got on the board with a Jamie Benn goal, his thirtieth of the season, courtesy of John Klingberg and Tyler Seguin in the second period. The Stars tied it on a Gemel Smith goal in the third period, his sixth of the year, coming off of Devin Shore. Dallas took the lead with an unassisted Benn goal, his thirty-first of the season and second of the night. The Stars iced it at 4-2 with a Benn empty net goal, his thirty-second of the year completing his hat trick, going in unassisted. The three stars were Benn, Burns, and Smith.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 174

Six games on as the last week of the regular season gets going. We begin with...

The Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Buffalo Sabres. Chad Johnson and Curtis McElhinney are the backups in goal. Toronto led off in the first period with an Andreas Johnsson goal, his second of the season, coming off of Tomas Plekanec and Roman Polak. Buffalo tied it in the second period with a Sam Reinhart power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, powered by Rasmus Ristolainen and Ryan O'Reilly. The Maple Leafs took the lead back with an Auston Matthews power play goal, his thirty-second of the season, with assists provided by Morgan Rielly and Johnsson. Toronto added on with a William Nylander goal, his eighteenth of the year, passed from Matthews. The Maple Leafs extended the lead as Nylander scored his second of the game and nineteenth of the season, thanks to Zach Hyman. The Sabres got one back in the third period with a Jason Pominville power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, assisted by Nicholas Baptiste and Marco Scandella. Toronto answered on a Matthews power play goal, his second of the game and thirty-third of the campaign, with helpers from Nylander and Jake Gardiner. This stood for a 5-2 win, with the three stars being Nylander, Matthews, and Johnsson.

Also in Ontario, the Ottawa Senators welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Craig Anderson are the goalies. Winnipeg began in the first period with an Andrew Copp goal, his seventh of the season, fueled by Jacob Trouba and Brandon Tanev. The Jets added on with a Josh Morrissey goal, his seventh of the year, via Adam Lowry and Copp. Winnipeg extended the lead as Blake Wheeler scored his twenty-first of the season, thanks to Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor. Ottawa got on the board with a Thomas Chabot goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Matt Duchene and Erik Karlsson. The Senators got one back with a Duchene power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, powered by Karlsson and Mike Hoffman in the second period. The Jets replied with a shorthanded goal by Tanev, his eighth of the year, going in unassisted. Ottawa pulled one back with a Chabot goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, made possible by Colin White and Hoffman. Winnipeg countered with a Wheeler goal, his second of the game twenty-second of the year, with a lone assist by Scheifele. The Senators answered in the third period with a Christian Wolanin goal, with helpers from Ryan Dzingel and Hoffman, the latter earning a sock trick. The Jets replied with a Mathieu Perreault power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, dished from Nikolaj Ehlers and Tyler Myers. Ottawa chipped back on a Duchene power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-sixth of the year, assisted by Chabot and Karlsson, the latter earning a sock trick. The final stood at 6-5 Jets, with the three stars given to Wheeler, Duchene, and Copp, while Hoffman, Karlsson, Scheifele, Lowry, and Chabot get the honorable mentions.

Down in Florida, the Panthers bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Scott Darling and Roberto Luongo are the masked men. Carolina opened in the first period with a Trevor van Riemsdyk goal, his third of the season, assisted by Brock McGinn and Justin Williams. Florida tied it on a MacKenzie Weegar goal, his second of the year, helped along by Jared McCann and Denis Malgin. The Panthers took the lead with an Evgenii Dadonov power play goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, powered by Vincent Trocheck and Aleksander Barkov. The Hurricanes retied it in the second period with a Derek Ryan goal, his fifteenth of the year, via Lee Stempniak and Klas Dahlbeck. Florida took the lead again in the third period on an Alexander Petrovic goal, his second of the campaign, made possible by Barkov and Colton Sceviour. Florida won 3-2, with the three stars going to Barkov, Petrovic, and Luongo (27 for 29 in saves).

Northwest to Missouri, as the St. Louis Blues host the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Jake Allen guard the cages. St. Louis started in the first period with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his thirty-second of the season, coming off of Kyle Brodziak and Alex Pietrangelo. Washington tied it in the second period with a Nicklas Backstrom goal, his twentieth of the year, via Brett Connolly. The Capitals took the lead on an Alex Chiasson goal, his ninth of the season, with a lone assist by Jakub Jerabek. Washington added on with an Andre Burakovsky goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Nackstrom and Brooks Orpik. The Blues got one back with a Patrik Berglund goal, his fourteenth of the season, courtesy of Brodziak and Robert Bortuzzo. The Capitals iced it at 4-2 with an Alex Ovechkin power play empty net goal, his forty-sixth of the year, set up by Evgeny Kuznetsov. The three stars were Backstrom, Brodziak, and Holtby (34 for 36 in saves).

Up in Minnesota, the Wild welcome the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Devan Dubnyk protect the nets. Minnesota struck first in the first period with a Zach Parise goal, his fourteenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Wild added on in the second period with a Parise goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, via Jonas Brodin and Mikko Koivu. Minnesota iced it at 3-0 with a Joel Eriksson Ek empty net goal in the third period, his sixth of the campaign, set up by Charlie Coyle and Daniel Winnik. The three stars were awarded to Parise, Dubnyk (22 save shutout), and Eriksson Ek.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Jonathan Bernier and Jonathan Quick are the similarly-named goalies. Los Angeles kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Torrey Mitchell goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Nate Thompson and Drew Doughty. The Kings added on with a shorthanded Dustin Brown goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, set up by Anze Kopitar and Alec Martinez. Colorado got on the board with an Alexander Kerfoot power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, powered by Sven Andrighetto and Colin Wilson. Los Angeles replied in the third period with a Kyle Clifford goal, his sixth of the year, via Trevor Lewis and Adrian Kempe. The final held at 3-1, with the three stars given to Quick (27 for 28 in saves), Brown, and Clifford.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 173

Five games on a calmer day today, beginning with one early match in...

Philadelphia, with the Flyers hosting the Boston Bruins. Anton Khudobin and Petr Mrazek are in the creases. Philadelphia opened with a Claude Giroux goal in the first period, his twenty-eighth of the season, made possible by Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov. The Flyers added on in the second period with a Konecny goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, courtesy of Provorov. Boston got on the board with a Noel Acciari goal, his ninth of the season, via David Backes and Danton Heinen. Philadelphia answered with a Nolan Patrick goal, his eleventh of the year, assisted by Oskar Lindblom and Jakub Voracek in the third period. The Bruins got one back with an unassisted power play goal by David Pastrnak, his thirty-third of the season. Boston tied it on a Patrice Bergeron goal, his thirtieth of the year, with a lone assist by Backes. The Flyers won 4-3 in overtime with a Giroux goal, his second of the game and twenty-ninth of the campaign, guided in by Voracek. The three stars were Giroux, Konecny, and Voracek, while Provorov and Backes get the honorable mentions.

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning welcome the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Andrei Vasilevskiy make the starts in goal. Nashville started in the first period with a Ryan Johansen goal, his fourteenth of the season, via Filip Forsberg. The Predators added on in the second period with a Forsberg power play goal, his twenty-second of the year, powered by P.K. Subban and the goalie Saros. Tampa Bay got on the board with an Ondrej Palat goal, his tenth of the season, guided in by Anton Stralman. Nashville shot back in the third period with an unassisted goal by Forsberg, his second of the game and twenty-third of the year. The Predators extended the lead as Craig Smith scored his twenty-third of the campaign, thanks to Mattias Ekholm and Subban. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Forsberg, Saros (29 for 30 in saves), Subban.

Back north, the Montreal Canadiens host the New Jersey Devils. Keith Kinkaid and Carey Price man the nets. Montreal led off in the first period with a Daniel Carr power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Artturi Lehkonen and Mike Reilly. New Jersey tied it on a Nico Hischier goal, his nineteenth of the year, coming off of Sami Vatanen and Kyle Palmieri in the second period. The Devils took the lead with a Taylor Hall shorthanded goal, his thirty-seventh of the campaign, set up by Travis Zajac. This produced the eventual 2-1 final, with the three stars handed to Hall, Kinkaid (25 for 26 in saves), and Hischier.

Stateside, the Pittsburgh Penguins bring in the Washington Capitals. Philipp Grubauer and Matt Murray are the masked men. Washington began in the first period with a T.J. Oshie goal, his eighteenth of the season, courtesy of Andre Burakovsky and John Carlson. The Capitals added on in the second period with a Dmitry Orlov goal, his tenth of the year, helped along by Evgeny Kuznetsov. Washington extended the lead as Tom Wilson scored his fourteenth of the season in the third period, thanks to Matt Niskanen. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Patric Hornqvist goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, made possible by Evgeni Malkin and Carl Hagelin. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars belonging to Grubauer (36 for 37 in saves), Orlov, and Wilson.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the Colorado Avalanche. Jonathan Bernier and John Gibson make the starts in goal. Colorado struck first in the first period with an unassisted Alexander Kerfoot goal, his eighteenth of the season. Anaheim tied it on an Andrew Cogliano goal, his tenth of the year, via Jakob Silfverberg. Ryan Miller replaced Gibson in goal to start the second period. The Avalanche retook the lead in the second period with a Tyson Jost power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon. Colorado added on with a Jost goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, with a lone assist by Kerfoot. The Ducks got one back with an Adam Henrique goal, his twenty-third of the season, assisted by Corey Perry and Brandon Montour. Anaheim tied it on a Ryan Kesler goal, his eighth of the year, coming off of Cogliano and Silfverberg. The Ducks won 4-3 in overtime with an Ondrej Kase goal, his nineteenth of the campaign, made possible by Ryan Getzlaf. The three stars went to Cogliano, Jost, and Silfverberg, while Kerfoot gets an honorable mention.

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NHL 2017-18 Day 172

Twelve games on a massive Saturday schedule. We begin with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Florida Panthers. James Reimer and Tuukka Rask are in the creases. Florida began in the first period with a Jamie McGinn goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Keith Yandle and Vincent Trocheck. Boston tied it on a Nick Holden goal, his fourth of the year, via David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk. The Bruins took the lead with a DeBrusk goal, his fifteenth of the season, courtesy of Ryan Donato and Krejci. Boston added on in the second period with a Donato goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Krejci, who earned a sock trick. The Bruins extended the lead as Patrice Bergeron scored his twenty-ninth of the season on the power play, thanks to David Backes and David Pastrnak. Boston padded the lead on a DeBrusk goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the year, assisted by Kevan Miller and Matt Grzelcyk. This led to the eventual 5-1 final, with the three stars being DeBrusk, Krejci, and Donato, while Rask (30 for 31 in saves gets an honorable mention.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings welcome the Ottawa Senators. Mike Condon and Jimmy Howard draw the starts in goal. Detroit got going in the second period with a Dylan Larkin goal, his fourteenth of the season, helped along by Anthony Mantha and Nick Jensen. The Red Wings added on with an Andreas Athanasiou goal in the third period, his sixteenth of the year, coming off of Evgeny Svechnikov and Niklas Kronwall. The game stayed at 2-0, with the three stars given to Howard (31 save shutout), Larkin, and Athanasiou.

Out west, the last matinee of the day has the Vancouver Canucks bringing in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Thatcher Demko are in the blue paint. Columbus led off in the first period with a Seth Jones power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Cam Atkinson and Artemi Panarin. Vancouver tied it in the second period with a Darren Archibald goal, his fourth of the year, helped along by Ashton Sautner. The Canucks took the lead with a Nikolay Goldobin goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Jussi Jokinen. Vancouver added on in the third period with a Jokinen goal, his fourth of the year, assisted by Jake Virtanen and Bo Horvat. The Canucks extended the lead as Horvat scored his twenty-first of the season, thanks to Jokinen and Derrick Pouliot. The Blue Jackets got one back with a Pierre-Luc Dubois power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, with assists provided by Panarin and Jones. Columbus got closer with a Zach Werenski goal, his fifteenth of the season, made possible by Panarin, who got a sock trick, and Jones. The Blue Jackets tied it as Cam Atkinson scored his twenty-first of the year, with the help of Jones, who got a sock trick, and Panarin. Vancouver won 5-4 in overtime with an Alexander Edler goal, his sixth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Brandon Sutter. The three stars belonged to Jones, Panarin, and Jokinen, while Atkinson and Horvat get the honorable mentions.

Back east at the usual time, the Carolina Hurricanes host the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Cam Ward are the veterans in goal. New York dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Ryan Sproul goal, assisted by Paul Carey and Vladislav Namestnikov. The Rangers added on with a Kevin Hayes shorthanded goal, his twenty-third of the season, set up by Jesper Fast. Carolina got on the board in the third period with a Jeff Skinner goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, passed from Derek Ryan and Klas Dahlbeck. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars given to Lundqvist (40 for 41 in saves), Hayes, and Sproul.

Up in New Jersey, the Devils welcome the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Keith Kinkaid are the average goalies. New York opened in the first period on a Tanner Fritz goal, his third of the season, coming off of Brandon Davidson and John Tavares. New Jersey tied it on a Stefan Noesen goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Blake Coleman and Will Butcher. The Devils took the lead with a Taylor Hall power play goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, powered by Butcher and Kyle Palmieri. New Jersey added on with another Hall goal, his second of the game and thirty-sixth of the year, via Noesen. The Islanders got one back with an Anthony Beauvillier power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Mathew Barzal and Brock Nelson. The Devils countered with a shorthanded Coleman goal, his thirteenth of the year, set up by Mirco Mueller and Michael Grabner. New York pulled back in the third period with a Chris Wagner goal, his seventh of the campaign, made possible by Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy. They couldn't equalize, falling 4-3, with the three stars being Hall, Coleman, and Noesen, while Butcher gets an honorable mention.

A little to the west, the Pittsburgh Penguins bring in the Montreal Canadiens. Antti Niemi and Matt Murray receive the starting nods in goal. Montreal started in the first period with a Jeff Petry goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Brendan Gallagher and Paul Byron. Pittsburgh tied it on a Conor Sheary goal, his seventeenth of the year, via Riley Sheahan and Matt Hunwick. The Penguins took the lead with a Patric Hornqvist power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, powered by Justin Schultz and Phil Kessel. Pittsburgh added on with a Carl Hagelin goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Evgeni Malkin. The Canadiens got one back with a Jonathan Drouin power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, with assists provided by Alex Galchenyuk and Gallagher. The Penguins countered with a Kessel power play goal in the third period, his thirty-first of the year, guided in by Sidney Crosby and Malkin. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Sheahan scored his eleventh of the campaign on the power play, with the help of Olli Maatta and Kris Letang. This gave them a 5-2 win, with the three stars belonging to Kessel, Sheahan, and Malkin, while Gallagher receives an honorable mention.

In Ontario, the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck meets a lesser foe in Curtis McElhinney in goal. Toronto cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a Patrick Marleau power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, powered by Auston Matthews and Jake Gardiner. Winnipeg tied it on a Josh Morrissey goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Nikolaj Ehlers and Jacob Trouba. The Jets took the lead on a Dustin Byfuglien power play goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Blake Wheeler and Paul Stastny. Winnipeg added on with an Andrew Copp goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Adam Lowry and Brandon Tanev. This held up for the eventual 3-1 win, with the three stars given to Hellebuyck (28 for 29 in saves), Byfuglien, and Copp.

Way to the south, the Dallas Stars welcome the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Kari Lehtonen are in the blue paint. Dallas struck first in the first period with a Jason Spezza goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Alexander Radulov and John Klingberg. The Stars added on in the second period with a Klingberg goal, his eighth of the year, via Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. Dallas extended the lead as Radek Faksa scored a shorthanded goal in the third period, his sixteenth of the season, set up by Tyler Pitlick. Minnesota got on the board with a Zach Parise power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Mikael Granlund and Jonas Brodin. The Stars iced it at 4-1 with a Seguin empty net goal, his fortieth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Klingberg, Lehtonen (33 for 34 in saves), and Seguin.

Backtracking to Nashville, as the Predators bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Chad Johnson is mismatched with Pekka Rinne in goal. Buffalo was first to score in the first period with a Jason Pominville goal, his thirteenth of the season, guided in by Zemgus Girgensons and Jack Eichel. Nashville tied it on a P.K. Subban power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, powered by Roman Josi and Ryan Johansen. The Predators took the lead with an Austin Watson goal, his thirteenth of the season, via Mattias Ekholm and Nick Bonino. Nashville added on in the second period with a Kyle Turris goal, his sixteenth of the year, fueled by Craig Smith and Kevin Fiala. The Sabres got one back with a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, his twenty-second of the season, with helpers from Eichel and Rasmus Ristolainen. Buffalo tied it on a Kyle Okposo goal, his twelfth of the year, helped along by Evan Rodrigues and Casey Mittelstadt. The Predators regained the lead on a Bonino goal, his twelfth of the season, passed from Ryan Ellis and Watson. The Sabres tied it again with a Sam Reinhart power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, assisted by Ristolainen and Eichel, the latter earning a sock trick. Buffalo took the lead with another Reinhart power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the season, with assists provided by O'Reilly and Eichel. The Sabres extended the lead as Okposo scored his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, a power play goal made possible by Ristolainen, who got a sock trick, and Eichel. Buffalo capped it at 7-4 against Juuse Saros in the third period with a Reinhart goal to complete his hat trick on his twenty-third of the campaign, with a lone assist from O'Reilly. The three stars were awarded to Reinhart, Eichel, and Okposo, while O'Reilly, Ristolainen, Bonino, and Watson get the honorable mentions.

Southwest to Arizona, where the Coyotes host the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Antti Raanta are the masked men. Arizona drew first blood in the first period with a Luke Schenn goal, via Dylan Strome and Max Domi. The Coyotes chased Allen in the second period on a Richard Panik goal, his thirteenth of the season, made possible by Clayton Keller and Derek Stepan. Arizona added on against Carter Hutton with an Oliver Ekman-Larsson power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Panik and Stepan. The Coyotes extended the lead as Jakob Chychrun scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Brad Richardson and Ekman-Larsson. Arizona padded the lead in the third period with an Alex Goligoski goal, his twelfth of the year, helped along by Domi and Strome. The Coyotes iced it at 6-0 with a Zac Rinaldo goal, his fifth of the campaign, with helpers from Domi and Strome, both of whom earned sock tricks. The three stars belonged to Raanta (34 save shutout), Domi, and Strome, while Panik, Ekman-Larsson, and Stepan get the honorable mentions.

North to Alberta, as the Calgary Flames welcome provincial rivals in the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Mike Smith protect the nets. Edmonton kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Anton Slepyshev goal, his sixth of the season, with a lone assist by Zack Kassian. Calgary tied it on a Dougie Hamilton goal, his seventeenth of the year, assisted by Mikael Backlund and Michael Frolik. The Flames took the lead with a Garnet Hathaway shorthanded goal, his third of the season, going in unassisted. Calgary added on with a Backlund goal, his fourteenth of the year, passed from Michael Stone and Frolik. Al Montoya relieved Talbot. The Oilers got one back in the secon d period with a Michael Cammalleri goal, his sixth of the campaign, coming off of Andrej Sekera and Kassian. This was as close as it got, with the 3-2 final lending the three stars to Backlund, Frolik, and Kassian.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights bring in the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Marc-Andre Fleury guard the cages. Vegas potted the first goal in the first period, Shea Theodore scoring his sixth of the season with the help of William Karlsson and Deryk Engelland. San Jose tied it on a Joe Pavelski goal, his twenty-first of the year, via Timo Meier and Joonas Donskoi. The Golden Knights took the lead with an Oscar Lindberg goal in the second period, his eighth of the season, assisted by Theodore. The Sharks tied it again with a Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Pavelski and Justin Braun. Vegas took the lead again in the third period with a shorthanded Karlsson goal, his forty-second of the season, going in unassisted. The three stars were Karlsson, Pavelski, and Theodore in the 3-2 game.

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MLS 2018 Week 5

A new weekend of soccer awaits, with one game on Friday leading it off. We begin with...

Toronto FC hosting Real Salt Lake. Nick Rimando and Clint Irwin protect the nets. Toronto led off in the twenty-third minute with a Jozy Altidore penalty kick goal. Toronto saw yellow cards for Sebastian Giovinco and Altidore in the thirty-fifth minute, both for fouls. Kyle Beckerman of Salt Lake had a yellow card for his fortieth minute foul. Toronto added on in the forty-fifth minute with an Altidore goal, set up by Ashtone Morgan and Giovinco. Jonathan Osorio of Toronto took a yellow card for time wasting in the sixty-second minute. Demar Phillips of Real received a yellow card for a seventy-seventh minute foul. Salt Lake got on the board in the eighty-second minute on a Corey Baird goal, coming off of Jefferson Savarino. Morgan of Toronto took a yellow card for persistent infringement in the eighty-sixth minute. Toronto iced it at 3-1 with a Tosaint Ricketts goal in stoppage time. The man of the match was Altidore for his brace.

Ten more games begin on Saturday, with Orlando City SC hosting the New York Red Bulls in the first one. Luis Robles and Joe Bendik are the keepers. New York began in the seventh minute with a Florian Valot goal, via Alejandro Romero Gamarra and Marc Rzatkowski. Orlando City tied it on a Will Johnson goal in the fifteenth minute, coming off of Justin Meram and Sacha Kljestan. The Red Bulls regained the lead on a Derrick Etienne goal in the twenty-fourth minute, passed from Valot. Orlando City evened it again with a Dominic Dwyer goal in the twenty-sixth minute, assisted by Yoshimar Yotun. Aurelien Collin of New York received a yellow card in the thirty-eighth minute for persistent infringement. Orlando City pulled ahead with a Dwyer goal in the forty-eighth minute, his second of the game, made possible by Mohamed El-Munir. Romero Gamarra of the Red Bulls had a yellow card for a fifty-fourth minute foul. Lamine Sane of Orlando City took a yellow card for his sixtieth minute foul. New York tied it again in the eighty-second minute with an Aaron Long goal, guided in by Rzatkowski. Orlando City pulled ahead with a Josue Colman goal, set up by Scott Sutter. Yotun of Orlando City received a yellow card for dissent in stoppage time. The final held at 4-3, with the man of the match being Dwyer for his brace.

In Ohio, the Columbus Crew SC welcomes the Vancouver Whitecaps FC. Stefan Marinovic and Zack Steffen are the gloved men. Marcel de Jong of Vancouver had a yellow card for his tenth minute foul. Columbus opened in the twenty-ninth minute on a Gyasi Zardes goal. Brek Shea of the Whitecaps tied it with his fifty-first minute goal. Milton Valenzuela of the Crew had a yellow card for a foul in the seventy-sixth minute. Vancouver took the lead with a seventy-eighth minute Kei Kamara goal, made possible by Felipe and Alphonso Davies. Felipe of the Whitecaps had a yellow card for an eighty-second minute foul. The final held at 2-1, with the man of the match being Kamara.

Out in California, the Los Angeles Galaxy bring in Los Angeles FC. Tyler Miller and David Bingham play in goal. LAFC started in the fifth minute with a Carlos Vela goal, via Steven Beitashour. LAFC added on with a twenty-sixth minute Vela goal, assisted by Diego Rossi and Marco Urena. LAFC extended the lead as Daniel Steres of the Galaxy committed an own goal in the forty-eighth minute. The Galaxy got on the board with a Sebastian Lletget goal, coming off of Servando Carrasco. The Galaxy pulled closer with a Chris Pontius goal, helped along by Emmanuel Boateng in the seventy-third minute. The Galaxy tied it with a Zlatan Ibrahimovic goal in the seventy-seventh minute, set up by Steres. Ibrahimovic took a yellow card for excessive celebration after his goal. The Galaxy won 4-3 in stoppage time on another Ibrahimovic goal, made possible by Ashley Cole and Baggio Husidic. Ibrahimovic was the man of the match for his game-winning brace.

Back east, the Chicago Fire host the Portland Timbers to begin an MLS/NWSL doubleheader. Jake Gleeson and Richard Sanchez man the nets for the mens' sides. Portland struck first in the sixth minute with a Diego Valeri goal, via Sebastian Blanco. Chicago's Aleksandar Katai took a yellow card for a twelfth minute foul. The Fire tied it on a fiftieth minute Nemanja Nikolic goal, coming off of Brandon Vincent and Bastian Schweinsteiger. The Timbers' Valeri had a yellow card for a fifty-second minute foul. Portland gained the lead with a Blanco goal in the fifty-fifth minute, set up by Andres Flores. Chicago retied it on a Vincent goal in the eighty-fourth minute, courtesy of Schweinsteiger. The final stayed at 2-2, with the man of the match being Blanco.

Next up, Minnesota United FC welcomes Atlanta United FC. Brad Guzan and Matthew Lampson are in the six-yard boxes. Atlanta saw a yellow card for Leandro Gonzalez Pirez in the first minute for a foul. Atlanta was first to score when Minnesota's Francisco Calvo committed an own goal in the third minute. Atlanta went down to ten men when Gonzalez Pirez took a second yellow card for a foul in the thirty-eighth minute, sealing his ejection. Guzan took a yellow card for time wasting in stoppage time for Atlanta. Minnesota's Calvo saw his night get worse with a yellow card for a foul two minutes later. Atlanta won 1-0, with Guzan the man of the match for a three-save clean sheet.

In California, the San Jose Earthquakes bring in New York City FC. Sean Johnson and Andrew Tarbell are between the posts. San Jose began in the third minute with a Yefferson Quintana goal, via Magnus Eriksson. Anibal Godoy of the Earthquakes had a yellow card for a twenty-ninth minute foul. New York City saw a yellow card given to Ebenezer Orofi in the forty-first minute. New York City tied it on an Anton Tinnerholm goal, passed from Maximiliano Moralez in the forty-ninth minute. New York City took the lead with a Moralez goal, helped along by Ismael Tajouri in the sixtieth minute. New York City racked up yellow cards for fouls by Alexander Callens in the sixty-seventh minute, Yangel Herrera in the seventy-fourth minute, Tinnerholm in the eighty-ninth minute, and Moralez's time wasting in stoppage time. The man of the 2-1 match was Moralez.

Southeast to Texas, where the Houston Dynamo host the New England Revolution. Matt Turner and Chris Seitz are the goalies. New England led off in the fifteenth minute with a Teal Bunbury goal, via Cristian Penilla and Luis Caicedo. Houston went down to ten men in the thirty-fifth minute when DaMarcus Beasley denied an obvious goal scoring opportunity, earning a red card. The Revolution had yellow cards for a Gabriel Somi foul in the fifty-second minute and time wasting by Diego Fagundez in the sixty-fourth minute. The Dynamo saw Adolfo Machado receive a yellow card for his sixty-ninth minute foul. New England added on in the seventy-first minute with a Penilla goal, set up by Somi. Houston's Alejandro Fuenmayor had a yellow card for an eighty-sixth minute foul. The final stood at 2-0, with Penilla earning man of the match honors.

Up in Missouri, Sporting Kansas City welcomes DC United. David Ousted and Tim Melia tend the nets. Kansas City opened in the third minute with a Felipe Gutierrez goal, assisted by Khiry Shelton. This held up for the entire game for a 1-0 win, with Gutierrez named man of the match.

Westward again to Colorado, as the Rapids bring in the Philadelphia Union. Andre Blake and Tim Howard guard the woodwork. Colorado had a yellow card for a forty-eighth minute foul by Jack Price. The Rapids got going in the fifty-third minute with a Dominique Badji goal, assisted by Tommy Smith and Price. Colorado added on with another Badji goal in the sixty-first minute. The Rapids had yellow cards for a Joham Blomberg handball in the sixty-third minute and time wasting by Dillon Serna in the sixty-ninth minute. Colorado's Badji completed his hat trick in the eighty-seventh minute to produce the 3-0 final score. Badji was the clear-cut man of the match.

Finally, the Seattle Sounders FC host the Montreal Impact. Evan Bush and Stefan Frei are the above-average keepers. Seattle went down to ten men in the fortieth minute when Kelvin Leerdam received a straight red card for violent conduct. Montreal's Daniel Lovitz took a yellow card on the same play. Ken Krolicki of the Impact had a yellow card for his forty-seventh minute foul. Montreal dented the scoreboard in the sixtieth minute with a Jeisson Vargas goal, via Ignacio Piatti. Roman Torres of the Sounders had a yellow card for a seventy-first minute foul. Samuel Piette of the Impact took a yellow card for persistent infringement in the eighty-third minute. Montreal held on to win 1-0, with Vargas the man of the match.

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NWSL 2018 Week 2

Another four games on this weekend before the season's first International Break. We begin on Friday with...

The Houston Dash hosting the Utah Royals FC. Abby Smith and Jane Campbell are the young goalies. While chances were hard to come by at times, there were a few, but nothing went in. The game ended in a 0-0 draw, with the woman of the match being Campbell for a clean sheet with five saves. Also starring for Houston were Rachel Daly and Kristie Mewis, while the best for Utah were Rachel Corsie, Becky Sauerbrunn, Diana Matheson, and Gunnhildur Jonsdottir.

On Saturday, the North Carolina Courage welcome Sky Blue FC. Kailen Sheridan and Sabrina D'Angelo protect the nets. In the sixty-fifth minute, Christina Gibbons of Sky Blue took a yellow card for a foul. Sky Blue's Rebekah Stott received a yellow card for a foul in the eighty-sixth minute. North Carolina won it 1-0 in stoppage time with a Jess McDonald goal, set up by Jaelene Hinkle. The Courage's best were Hinkle, Abby Erceg, Merritt Mathias, Denise O'Sullivan, Lynn Williams, Crystal Dunn, and McDonald, while Sky Blue got good games from Sheridan, Erica Skroski, Sarah Killion, and Carli Lloyd. 

Also, the Washington Spirit bring in the Orlando Pride. Ashlyn Harris faces her former backup Aubrey Bledsoe in goal. Washington's Whitney Church had a yellow card for a foul in the forty-fourth minute. The Spirit got going in the eightieth minute on a Mallory Pugh goal, via Ashley Hatch. Washington added on with a Hatch goal in the eighty-eighth minute, coming off of Pugh and Mallory Eubanks. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the woman of the match being Pugh. Other strong performers for the Spirit were Hatch, Andi Sullivan, and Bledsoe (four-save clean sheet), while Orlando's best were Carson Pickett, Shelina Zadorsky, Rachel Hill, and Sydney Leroux.

Finally, the Chicago Red Stars host the Portland Thorns FC in the second half of the MLS/NWSL doubleheader between the cities. Adrianna Franch and Alyssa Naeher are the strong keepers. Portland struck first in the ninth minute with a Lindsey Horan goal on a second chance after a Meghan Klingenberg corner kick. Chicago tied it in the thirty-first minute with an Alyssa Mautz goal, set up by Sofia Huerta and Summer Green. The Thorns retook the lead in the fortieth minute on a Christine Sinclair goal after Naeher missed clearing the through ball. Portland's Celeste Boureille took a yellow card for a fifty-eighth minute foul. The Red Stars' Danielle Colaprico saw a yellow card in the sixty-fourth minute for a handball in the box. The ensuing penalty kick was converted by Sinclair to add to the Thorns lead. Chicago got one back in the sixty-seventh minute with another Mautz goal, made possible by Huerta. The final stayed at 3-2, with the woman of the match being Sinclair. Other strong Thorns were Emily Sonnett, Horan, and Midge Purce, while the Red Stars got good games from Nikki Stanton, Mautz, and Huerta.

NWSL Week 2 Team of the Week
GK Jane Campbell
LB Kristie Mewis
CB Rachel Corsie
CB Abby Erceg
RB Merritt Mathias
DM Sarah Killion
DM Lindsey Horan
LW Sofia Huerta
ACM Christine Sinclair
RW Alyssa Mautz
FW Mallory Pugh