Thursday, November 29, 2018

MLS Conference Finals 2018 - Leg 2

The second legs of the conference finals are here. Once again, we begin in the east with...

The New York Red Bulls trying to overcome a three-goal deficit as they host Atlanta United FC. Brad Guzan and Luis Robles protect the nets. New York's Tim Parker took a yellow card for a sixty-fourth minute foul. The Red Bulls got going in stoppage time on a Parker goal, set up by Daniel Royer. New York won the game 1-0, with the man of the match being Robles for his four-save clean sheet, but Atlanta took the two-game series 3-1 on aggregate.

Out west, Sporting Kansas City hosts the Portland Timbers. Jeff Attinella and Tim Melia are in the six-yard boxes. Portland's Zarek Valentin had a yellow card for a seventeenth minute foul. Kansas City opened in the twentieth minute on a Daniel Salloi goal, via Diego Rubio. David Guzman of the Timbers took a yellow card for a foul in first half stoppage time. Sporting's Rubio received a yellow card for a forty-seventh minute foul. Portland tied it on a Sebastian Blanco goal in the fifty-second minute, coming off of Jorge Villafana. The Timbers took the lead in the sixty-first minute with a Diego Valeri goal. Diego Chara of Portland took a yellow card for his seventy-seventh minute foul. Sporting retied the game in the eighty-first minute with a Gerso Fernandes goal. The Timbers saw yellow cards for Villafana's time wasting and Dairon Asprilla's foul in second half stoppage time. Portland took the lead on a Valeri goal two minutes later, set up by Chara. The Timbers won 3-2, with Valeri named man of the match.

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Wednesday, November 28, 2018

NHL 2018/19 - Day 56

We're set to go with another day of five games, beginning in...

Detroit, as the Red Wings host the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Jimmy Howard are the veterans in goal. Detroit got going in the second period with a Thomas Vanek goal, his third of the season, passed from Gustav Nyquist and Jacob de la Rose. The Red Wings added on with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his eleventh of the year, assisted by Mike Green and Vanek. Detroit extended the lead as Tyler Bertuzzi scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Luke Glendening and Green. St. Louis got on the board with a David Perron power play goal, his seventh of the year, with a lone assist by Alex Pietrangelo. The Blues got closer with a Vladimir Tarasenko power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Ryan O'Reilly and Vince Dunn. St. Louis tied it on a Perron goal in the third period, his second of the game and eighth of the year, helped along by Robby Fabbri and Brayden Schenn. The Red Wings regained the lead on a Bertuzzi goal, his second of the game and eighth of the campaign, made possible by Michael Rasmussen. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars given to Bertuzzi, Perron, and Vanek, while Green gets an honorable mention.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and James Reimer make the starts in goal. Anaheim opened in the first period with a Josh Manson goal, his third of the season, made possible by Brian Gibbons and Carter Rowney. Florida tied it in the second period with an Aaron Ekblad goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. The Panthers took the lead with an Evgenii Dadonov power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Huberdeau and Keith Yandle. The Ducks retied it on a Nick Ritchie goal, his third of the year, passed from Marcus Pettersson and Adam Henrique. Anaheim took the lead in the third period with a Ritchie goal, his second of the game and fourth of the campaign, with helpers from Ondrej Kase and Ryan Getzlaf. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Ritchie, Gibson (42 for 44 in saves), and Huberdeau.

Back north, the Toronto Maple Leafs host the San Jose Sharks. Aaron Dell and Frederik Andersen are in the blue paint. Toronto started in the first period with a John Tavares power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner. San Jose tied it on a Tomas Hertl power play goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Kevin Labanc and Logan Couture. The Maple Leafs retook the lead with a Matthews power play goal, his eleventh of the season, with assists provided by Morgan Rielly and Marner. Toronto added on with a Tavares goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, helped along by Marner, who got a sock trick, and Zach Hyman. The Maple Leafs extended the lead as Patrick Marleau scored on the power play in the second period, his sixth of the season, made possible by Andreas Johnsson and Jake Gardiner. The Sharks got one back with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, guided in by Brent Burns and Couture. Toronto shot back in the third period with Matthews' second goal of the game and twelfth of the season, via Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen. San Jose got one back on a Melker Karlsson goal, his second of the year, made possible by Joonas Donskoi and Evander Kane. The final remained at 5-3, with the three stars awarded to Matthews, Tavares, and Marner, while Couture and Johnsson get the honorable mentions.

Westward to Calgary, as the Flames bring in the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and David Rittich are the lesser-known goalies. Dallas led off in the first period with a Jason Spezza goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Radek Faksa and Miro Heiskanen. Calgary tied it with a Garnet Hathaway goal, his third of the year, passed from Mark Jankowski and Dillon Dube. The Stars retook the lead in the second period with a Jamie Benn power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Tyler Seguin and Gavin Bayreuther. The Flames tied it again in the third period with a Johnny Gaudreau power play goal, his ninth of the year, with assists provided by Elias Lindholm and Mark Giordano. Calgary took the lead with a Giordano goal, his third of the season, made possible by T.J. Brodie and Mikael Backlund. Dallas tied it again with a Bayreuter goal, his second of the year, going in unassisted. The Stars won 4-3 in overtime with a Seguin goal, his eighth of the campaign, helped along by Benn. The three stars were Seguin, Benn, and Bayreuther, while Giordano gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Colorado Avalanche host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Philipp Grubauer are the backups in goal. Colorado began in the first period with a Samuel Girard goal, his second of the season, guided in by Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche added on with an Erik Johnson goal in the second period, his second of the year, fueled by Sven Andrighetto. Colorado extended the lead as Colin Wilson scored his seventh of the season, with the help of MacKinnon and Tyson Jost. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Sidney Crosby goal, his eleventh of the year, via Jake Guentzel. The Penguins got closer with a Crosby power play goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the season, going in unassisted. Pittsburgh tied it on a Crosby goal, completing a natural hat trick on his thirteenth of the year, made possible by Dominik Simon and Juuso Riikola. The Avalanche took the lead back with a Gabriel Landeskog goal, his fifteenth of the season, helped along by MacKinnon, who got a sock trick, and Rantanen. Colorado padded the lead with a MacKinnon empty net goal, his eighteenth of the year, set up by Landeskog. The Avalanche iced it at 6-3 with a Carl Soderberg goal, his eighth of the campaign, with helpers by Matt Calvert and Matt Nieto. The three stars went to MacKinnon, Crosby, and Landeskog, while Rantanen gets an honorable mention.

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Tuesday, November 27, 2018

NHL 2018/19 - Day 55

Ten games on tonight, beginning with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Carter Hutton are the goalies. Buffalo got going in the second period with a Rasmus Ristolainen goal, his third of the season, coming off of Tage Thompson and Kyle Okposo. The Sabres added on with a Nathan Beaulieu goal in the third period, his third of the year, via Sam Reinhart and Casey Nelson. San Jose got on the board with a Joe Pavelski goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Brent Burns and Timo Meier. The Sharks tied it on a Pavelski power play goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, powered by Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc. Buffalo won 3-2 in overtime with an unassisted Jeff Skinner goal, his nineteenth of the campaign. The three stars were Skinner, Pavelski, and Hutton (36 for 38 in saves).

Down in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the Ottawa Senators. Mike McKenna and Anthony Stolarz are the backups in goal. Philadelphia started in the first period with a Travis Konecny goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Claude Giroux and Ivan Provorov. Ottawa tied it with a Thomas Chabot goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Mark Stone and Brady Tkachuk. The Flyers regained the lead in the second period on a Jakub Voracek goal, his sixth of the season, helped along by Provorov and Scott Laughton. Philadelphia added on with a Radko Gudas goal, via Laughton and Oskar Lindblom. The Senators got one back in the third period with a Tkachuk goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Stone and Colin White. Ottawa tied it as Tkachuk scored his second of the game and ninth of the season, with the help of Chabot and White. The Senators pulled ahead on an unassisted Matt Duchene goal, his eleventh of the year. This made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars given to Tkachuk, Chabot, and Stone, while White, Provorov, and Laughton get the honorable mentions.

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Curtis McElhinney and Carey Price are the masked men. Carolina opened in the first period with a Victor Rask goal, made possible by Jaccob Slavin and Brock McGinn. The Hurricanes added on with a Trevor van Riemsdyk goal in the second period, his second of the season, assisted by Calvin de Haan and Phillip Di Giuseppe. Montreal got on the board in the third period with a Phillip Danault goal, his second of the year, guided in by Artturi Lehkonen and Shea Weber. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars belonging to McElhinney (48 for 49 in saves), van Riemsdyk, and Rask.

Back south to Tampa Bay, where the Lightning host the Anaheim Ducks. Ryan Miller and Louis Domingue are the backups in goal. Anaheim dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Josh Manson goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Adam Henrique and Nick Ritchie. Tampa Bay tied it on a Brayden Point goal, his eighteenth of the year, fueled by Nikita Kucherov and Ryan McDonagh. The Ducks retook the lead with a Ritchie power play goal in the third period, his second of the season, powered by Pontus Aberg and Ondrej Kase. Anaheim added on with a Carter Rowney goal, his second of the year, via Marcus Pettersson and Aberg. This produced the 3-1 final score, with the three stars awarded to Ritchie, Miller (34 for 35 in saves), and Aberg.

Northwest to Chicago, as the Blackhawks welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Corey Crawford tend the twines. Vegas led off in the first period with a Daniel Carr goal, via Tomas Nosek and Ryan Carpenter. The Golden Knights added on with an unassisted Alex Tuch goal, his eighth of the season. Vegas extended the lead as Cody Eakin scored his ninth of the year, passed from Max Pacioretty and Tuch. Chicago got on the board in the second period with a Gustav Forsling goal, coming off of Brandon Saad and Jonathan Toews. The Golden Knights shot back with a William Karlsson power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Shea Theodore and Eakin. The Blackhawks got one back with a Dylan Strome goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. Vegas answered with a Ryan Reaves goal, his fifth of the season, with a lone assist by Deryk Engelland. The Golden Knights padded the lead on a Theodore goal, his third of the year, with helpers from Engelland and Nosek. Vegas continued against Cam Ward in the third period with another Theodore goal, his second of the game and fourth of the season, helped along by Carpenter and Nate Schmidt. The Golden Knights struck again on Eakin's second goal of the game and tenth of the year, with assists provided by Engelland and Pacioretty, the former earning a sock trick. Chicago pulled one back with an Erik Gustafsson goal, his fourth of the campaign, dished from Strome. This led to an 8-3 Vegas win, with the three stars awarded to Theodore, Eakin, and Engelland, while Tuch, Nosek, Pacioretty, Carpenter, and Strome get the honorable mentions.

Backtracking to Nashville, the Predators bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Pekka Rinne protect the nets. Nashville began in the first period with a Ryan Hartman goal, his seventh of the season, passed from Matt Irwin and Calle Jarnkrok. Colorado tied it on a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, powered by Mikko Rantanen and Samuel Girard. The Avalanche took the lead in the second period with a MacKinnon goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the season, again from Rantanen and Girard. The Predators pulled back with a Kevin Fiala goal, his third of the year, via Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi. Colorado retook the lead in the third period with a Tyson Jost power play goal, his fourth of the campaign, with assists provided by J.T. Compher and Carl Soderberg. This held for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Girard.

In Canada again, the Winnipeg Jets host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Casey DeSmith and Connor Hellebuyck are in the creases. Winnipeg struck first in the first period with a shorthanded Brandon Tanev goal, his fourth of the season, set up by Ben Chiarot and Adam Lowry. Pittsburgh tied it on a Sidney Crosby goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Dominik Simon and Jake Guentzel. The Jets retook the lead in the second period with a Mark Scheifele goal, his twelfth of the season, passed from Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers. The Penguins tied it again on a Riley Sheahan goal, his second of the year, assisted by Derek Grant and Jamie Oleksiak. Winnipeg pulled ahead with another Scheifele goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the season, courtesy of Wheeler and Ehlers. Pittsburgh retied it in the third period with a Grant goal, made possible by Garrett Wilson and Olli Maatta. The Penguins pulled ahead with a Zach Aston-Reese goal, his second of the year, with helpers from Phil Kessel and Kris Letang. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars given to Grant, Scheifele, and Wheeler, while Ehlers gets an honorable mention.

Back stateside, the Minnesota Wild welcome the Arizona Coyotes. Antti Raanta and Devan Dubnyk are the reliable goalies. Arizona was first to score in the first period with a Lawson Crouse goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Josh Archibald and Nick Cousins. Minnesota tied it on a Charlie Coyle goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Mikko Koivu and Jared Spurgeon. The Wild took the lead in the second period with a Zach Parise power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Matt Dumba and Spurgeon. Minnesota added on with a Jason Zucker goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Spurgeon, who got a sock trick, and Ryan Suter. The Coyotes got one back in the third period with an Archibald goal, made possible by Crouse. Arizona tied it with a Michael Grabner goal, his sixth of the campaign, passed from Brad Richardson and Christian Fischer. The Coyotes pulled ahead on another Archibald goal, his second of the game, coming off of Alex Goligoski and Jordan Oesterle. This made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars handed to Archibald, Crouse, and Spurgeon.

Northwest to Edmonton, where the Oilers bring in the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Mikko Koskinen are between the pipes. Edmonton won 1-0 in overtime with an Oscar Klefbom goal, with a lone assist by Leon Draisaitl. The three stars were Koskinen (28 save shutout), Klefbom, and Khudobin (30 for 31 in saves).

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Los Angeles Kings. Calvin Petersen is mismatched with Jacob Markstrom in goal. Los Angeles drew first blood in the second period with an Alex Iafallo goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar. Vancouver tied it in the third period with a Markus Granlund goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Alex Biega and Alexander Edler. The Kings won 2-1 in overtime with a Brown goal, his seventh of the campaign, assisted by Alec Martinez and Kopitar. The three stars belonged to Brown, Kopitar, and Petersen (32 for 33 in saves).

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Monday, November 26, 2018

NHL 2018/19 - Day 54

Five games on as the league returns to more normal scheduling. First up...

The New York Islanders host the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Thomas Greiss are the masked men. New York opened in the first period with a Valtteri Filppula goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Ryan Pulock and Leo Komarov. Washington tied it on a Tom Wilson goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Nicklas Backstrom and Madison Bowey. The Capitals took the lead in the second period with a Nic Dowd goal, his third of the season, made possible by Dmitrij Jaskin and John Carlson. Washington added on in the third period with a Wilson power play goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, powered by Backstrom and Lars Eller. The Capitals iced it at 4-1 with an Alex Ovechkin empty net goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, set up by Wilson and Backstrom, the latter earning a sock trick. The three stars were Wilson, Backstrom, and Holtby (32 for 33 in saves).

In Manhattan, the New York Rangers welcome the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Henrik Lundqvist are the veterans in goal. New York started in the first period with a Marc Staal goal, passed from Mika Zibanejad and Jesper Fast. Ottawa tied it on a Mark Stone goal, his tenth of the season, courtesy of Colin White and Brady Tkachuk. The Rangers retook the lead in the third period with a Lias Andersson goal, with a lone assist by Ryan Strome. New York added on with a Chris Kreider goal, his thirteenth of the year, assisted by Filip Chytil and Kevin Hayes. The Senators got one back with a Stone goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the season, via Tkachuk and Matt Duchene. The Rangers capped it at 4-2 with an unassisted Zibanejad empty net goal, his eighth of the year. The three stars were Stone, Zibanejad, and Tkachuk.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs host the Boston Bruins. Jaroslav Halak and Frederik Andersen are in the creases. Toronto began in the first period with a Travis Dermott goal, assisted by Mitchell Marner. Boston tied it on a David Pastrnak power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by Brad Marchand and Torey Krug. The Maple Leafs retook the lead on an Igor Ozhiganov goal, fueled by Marner and Frederik Gauthier. The Bruins retied it with another Pastrnak goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, helped along by Krug and Marchand. Toronto pulled ahead again with a Josh Leivo power play goal, his fourth of the season, with assists provided by Tyler Ennis and Patrick Marleau. The Maple Leafs finished with a 4-2 win on a Zach Hyman empty net goal, his fourth of the year, set up by John Tavares and Marner, the latter earning a sock trick. The three stars belonged to Marner, Pastrnak, and Krug, while Marchand gets an honorable mention.

Way to the south, the Florida Panthers bring in the New Jersey Devils. Keith Kinkaid and James Reimer are set to start in goal. New Jersey got going in the second period with a Miles Wood goal, his second of the season, coming off of Sami Vatanen and Egor Yakovlev. The Devils added on with a shorthanded and unassisted Blake Coleman goal, his eighth of the year. Florida got on the board with an Aleksander Barkov power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Evgenii Dadonov and Jonathan Huberdeau. The Panthers tied it on a Jared McCann goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by MacKenzie Weegar. New Jersey took the lead back in the third period with a Jesper Bratt goal, his second of the season, assisted by Vatanen and Taylor Hall. Florida tied it again on a Huberdeau goal, his fifth of the year, fueled by Barkov and Dadonov. The Panthers won 4-3 in overtime with a Mike Hoffman goal, his twelfth of the campaign, with helpers from Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad. The three stars were given to Huberdeau, Barkov, and Dadonov, while Vatanen gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Detroit Red Wings host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Jimmy Howard protect the nets. Columbus led off in the first period with a Pierre-Luc Dubois goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Artemi Panarin and Cam Atkinson. The Blue Jackets added on with a Josh Anderson goal, his eleventh of the year, via Boone Jenner. Columbus extended the lead as Panarin scored a power play goal, his sixth of the season, with the help of Zach Werenski and Anderson. Jonathan Bernier replaced Howard in goal for the second period. Detroit got on the board with a Gustav Nyquist goal, his third of the year, helped along by Danny DeKeyser and Anthony Mantha. The Blue Jackets replied with a Markus Nutivaara goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Ryan Murray and Markus Hannikainen. Columbus padded the lead on a Jenner goal, his fifth of the year, fueled by Murray and Brandon Dubinsky. The Red Wings got one back on an unassisted Mike Green goal, his second of the season. Detroit pulled back on a Dennis Cholowski power play goal, his fourth of the year, with assists provided by Frans Nielsen and Thomas Vanek. The Red Wings got closer on a Mantha goal, his eighth of the season, guided in by Dylan Larkin and Nielsen. The Blue Jackets responded with a Dubois goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, made possible by David Savard and Panarin. Detroit countered with another Mantha goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, dished from Trevor Daley and Cholowski. Columbus iced it at 7-5 with a Seth Jones empty net goal, his third of the year, set up by Dubois. The three stars went to Dubois, Panarin, and Mantha, while Anderson, Jenner, Murray, Nielsen, and Cholowski get the honorable mentions.

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Sunday, November 25, 2018

NHL 2018/19 - Day 53

Four games on today to wrap up the holiday weekend. The first is a matinee in...

Arizona, as the Coyotes host the Calgary Flames. Mike Smith faces his former team and Antti Raanta in goal. Calgary started in the first period with a Sean Monahan goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Giordano. The Flames added on with a shorthanded Noah Hanifin goal, going in unassisted. Calgary extended the lead on a Hanifin power play goal in the second period, his second of the game, powered by James Neal and Derek Ryan. The Flames padded the lead as Mark Jankowski scored his third of the year, thanks to T.J. Brodie and Dillon Dube. Calgary kept going in the third period with a shorthanded Brodie goal, his second of the season, set up by Mikael Backlund. The Flames continued with a Jankowski shorthanded goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, an unassisted goal. Arizona got on the board with an unassisted Clayton Keller goal, his sixth of the campaign. The final remained at 6-1, with the three stars belonging to Hanifin, Jankowski, and Brodie, while Smith (28 for 29 in saves) gets an honorable mention.

Back east, the Tampa Bay Lightning welcome the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Louis Domingue get the starts in goal. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with an Alex Killorn goal, his third of the season, with a lone assist by Mathieu Joseph. The Lightning added on with a Brayden Point power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Tyler Johnson scored his tenth of the season, thanks to Point and Kucherov. New Jersey got on the board with a Stefan Noesen goal, his second of the year, via Brett Seney. The Lightning shot back on a Cedric Paquette goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Ryan Callahan and Dan Girardi. Tampa Bay padded the lead in the second period with a Point goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Devils got one back in the third period on an unassisted Jesper Bratt goal. This only made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars going to Point, Kucherov, and Domingue (33 for 35 in saves).

Northwest to Nashville, as the Predators bring in the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Pekka Rinne tend the twines. Nashville led off in the first period with an Austin Watson goal, his second of the season, passed from Nick Bonino and Colton Sissons. Anaheim tied it in the second period with an Adam Henrique power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Rickard Rakell and Brandon Montour. The Predators took the lead back with a Bonino goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Sissons. Nashville added on with a Watson power play goal, his second of the game and third of the year, with helpers from Roman Josi and Kevin Fiala. The Ducks got one back with an Ondrej Kase goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Marcus Pettersson. The Predators replied in the third period with a Craig Smith power play goal, his sixth of the year, with assists provided by Filip Forsberg and Mattias Ekholm. Nashville iced it at 5-2 with a Watson empty net goal, his fourth of the campaign to complete his hat trick, set up by Ryan Ellis and Josi. The three stars belonged to Watson, Bonino, and Sissons, while Josi gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Calvin Petersen are in the blue paint. Los Angeles began in the first period with a Dustin Brown goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by Anze Kopitar and Derek Forbort. Edmonton tied it on an Alex Chiasson power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Connor McDavid and Oscar Klefbom. The Oilers took the lead with a Chiasson goal in the second period, his second of the game and tenth of the season, assisted by Klefbom and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Kings retied it on Brown's second goal of the game, his fifth of the year, a power play goal with a lone assist by Kopitar. Los Angeles took the lead in the third period with a Kopitar goal, his seventh of the season, fueled by Forbort and Nate Thompson. The Kings added on with a power play empty net goal by Brown, completing his hat trick with his sixth of the year, with helpers from Jeff Carter and Drew Doughty. Los Angeles iced it at 5-2 on an unassisted Matt Luff empty net goal, his fourth of the campaign. The three stars went to Brown, Kopitar, and Chiasson, while Forbort and Klefbom get the honorable mentions.

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MLS 2018 Conference Finals - Leg 1

We're back after a two-week break for the first leg of each conference final. First up...

The East has Atlanta United FC hosting the New York Red Bulls. Luis Robles and Brad Guzan are the gloved men. Atlanta opened in the thirty-second minute with a Josef Martinez goal, via Jeff Larentowicz. Leandro Gonzalez Pirez had a yellow card for a foul for the Five Stripes in the sixty-second minute. Atlanta added on in the seventy-first minute with a Franco Escobar goal, passed from Julian Gressel and Miguel Almiron. The Five Stripes extended the lead in stoppage time as Hector Villalba scored, thanks to Escobar. The final held at 3-0, with Escobar as the man of the match.

Out in Portland, the Timbers host Sporting Kansas City for the West's first leg. Tim Melia and Jeff Attinella are in goal. David Guzman of Portland took a yellow card for a thirty-sixth minute foul. Seth Sinovic of Kansas City received a yellow card for a foul in first half stoppage time. Sporting saw yellow cards for fouls by Matt Besler in the sixty-sixth minute and Daniel Salloi in the eighty-ninth minute. The final stood at 0-0, with Melia named man of the match for his six-save clean sheet.

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Saturday, November 24, 2018

NHL 2018/19 - Day 52

We're back with eleven games on this Saturday, including one matinee from...

New York, as the Rangers host the Washington Capitals. Pheonix Copley and Alexandar Georgiev are the backups in goal. New York led off in the first period with a Jimmy Vesey goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Jesper Fast and Kevin Hayes. The Rangers added on in the second period with a Brady Skjei goal, his second of the year, assisted by Brendan Smith and Hayes. Washington got on the board with a Nic Dowd goal, his second of the season, coming off of John Carlson and Brett Connolly. The Capitals tied it with a Jakub Vrana goal, his sixth of the year, going in unassisted. Washington took the lead on an Alex Ovechkin goal, his seventeenth of the season, guided in by Carlson and Dmitry Orlov. New York tied it again in the third period with a Ryan Strome goal, his second of the year, via Brett Howden and Neal Pionk. The Capitals regained the lead with a Connolly goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Carlson and Vrana. Washington iced it at 5-3 with a Tom Wilson empty net goal, his fourth of the year, set up by Michal Kempny. The three stars were Connolly, Carlson, and Vrana, while Hayes gets an honorable mention.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Linus Ullmark and Jimmy Howard are the goalies. Buffalo began in the first period with a Jeff Skinner power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by Jack Eichel and Rasmus Ristolainen. Detroit tied it in the second period on a Dylan Larkin goal, his ninth of the year, via Anthony Mantha and Justin Abdelkader. The Sabres retook the lead on a Tage Thompson power play goal, his third of the season, with assists provided by Rasmus Dahlin and Zach Bogosian in the third period. The Red Wings tied it on a Mantha goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Tyler Bertuzzi and Mike Green. The tie went to a shootout, where Thompson and Sam Reinhart lifted the Sabres to a 3-2 win over Andreas Athanasiou and the Red Wings. The three stars were Thompson, Mantha, and Skinner.

In Quebec, the Montreal Canadiens bring in the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Carey Price tend the twines. Boston started in the first period with a David Backes goal, going in unassisted. The Bruins added on with a Jake DeBrusk goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Torey Krug and David Krejci. Montreal got on the board in the third period with a Jonathan Drouin goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Karl Alzner and Victor Mete. The Canadiens tied it with a Tomas Tatar power play goal, his tenth of the campaign, powered by Andrew Shaw and Kenny Agostino. Boston retook the lead with a John Moore power play goal, with helpers from Backes and Krejci. This gave them a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Backes, Krejci, and Rask (31 for 33 in saves).

Back stateside, the New York Islanders host the Carolina Hurricanes. Scott Darling and Thomas Greiss are the former backups in goal. New York opened in the first period with a Valtteri Filppula goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Leo Komarov and Scott Mayfield. The Islanders added on with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Josh Bailey and Mathew Barzal. New York extended the lead in the second period as Bailey scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Brock Nelson and Anders Lee. The Islanders padded the lead in the third period with an Adam Pelech goal, his second of the year, via Lee and Nelson. Carolina got on the board with a Justin Williams power play goal, his fourth of the campaign, powered by Lucas Wallmark and Dougie Hamilton. This only made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Bailey, Greiss (26 for 27 in saves), and Nelson, while Lee gets an honorable mention.

West to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Casey DeSmith are the lesser-known goalies. Columbus struck first in the first period with a Scott Harrington goal, passed from Boone Jenner and Nick Foligno. Pittsburgh tied it on a Tanner Pearson goal, his third of the season, coming off of Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins pulled ahead with a Jake Guentzel goal, his ninth of the year, assisted by Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang. Pittsburgh added on with a Guentzel goal, his second of the game and tenth of the season, fueled by Crosby and Letang. The Blue Jackets got one back in the second period with a Cam Atkinson goal, his fifteenth of the year, helped along by Brandon Dubinsky. The Penguins replied with Guentzel completing his hat trick on his eleventh of the campaign, made possible by Dominik Simon and Letang, the latter earning a sock trick. This led to the eventual 4-2 final score, with the three stars given to Guentzel, Letang, and Crosby.

Out in St. Louis, the Blues bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Laurent Brossoit and Chad Johnson are called on to start in goal. St. Louis kicked off the scoring in the first period with a David Perron goal, his sixth of the season, going in unassisted. Winnipeg tied it on a Blake Wheeler goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey. The Jets took the lead with Patrik Laine's fifteenth goal of the season, assisted Bryan Little and Kyle Connor. The Blues retied it on an unassisted Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his seventh of the year. Winnipeg regained the lead in the second period with a Laine power play goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the season, powered by Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien. The Jets added on with a Brandon Tanev goal, his third of the year, guided in by Mathieu Perreault and Jacob Trouba. Winnipeg extended the lead as Laine completed his hat trick with his seventeenth of the season, with the help of Connor and Little. The Jets chased Johnson with Laine's fourth of the game and eighteenth of the year, fueled by Connor and Little, each of whom earned sock trick. Winnipeg padded the lead with Laine's fifth of the game and nineteenth of the season in the third period, helped along by Little and Connor. St. Louis pulled back with a Ryan O'Reilly goal, his twelfth of the year, with a lone assist by Zach Sanford. The Blues inched closer with a Pat Maroon power play goal, with assists provided by Perron and Alex Pietrangelo. The Jets finished it at 8-4 with a Brendan Lemieux goal, made possible by Jack Roslovic and Nic Petan. The three stars were awarded to Laine, Connor, and Little, while Wheeler and Perron earn the honorable mentions.

In Canada again, the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Philadelphia Flyers. Calvin Pickard and Garret Sparks are the unknown goalies. Toronto was first to score in the first period with an Andreas Johnsson goal, his third of the season, made possible by Connor Brown and Igor Ozhiganov. The Maple Leafs added on with another Johnsson goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, going in unassisted. Toronto extended the lead as Patrick Marleau scored an unassisted goal, his fifth of the season. The Maple Leafs chased Pickard with Johnsson's hat trick goal, his fifth of the year, an unassisted goal. Toronto padded the lead in the second period against Anthony Stolarz with a Josh Leivo goal, his third of the year, guided in by Mitchell Marner. The Maple Leafs kept going with a John Tavares goal, his fifteenth of the season, via Marner and Morgan Rielly. This produced a 6-0 final score, with the three stars handed to Johnsson, Sparks (34 save shutout), and Marner.

Way to the south, the Florida Panthers welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Cam Ward and James Reimer are the masked men. Florida drew first blood in the first period with a Mike Hoffman power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Keith Yandle and Jonathan Huberdeau. The Panthers added on with a Jared McCann goal, his third of the year, via Colton Sceviour and Bogdan Kiselevich. Chicago got on the board with a David Kampf goal in the second period, his third of the season, coming off of Dominik Kahun and Gustav Forsling. The Blackhawks tied it with a Patrick Kane goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Brandon Saad and Forsling. Florida retook the lead with an Aaron Ekblad goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov. The Panthers extended the lead as Frank Vatrano scored his seventh of the year, thanks to Huberdeau and Nick Bjugstad. Chicago chipped back on a shorthanded and unassisted Alexandre Fortin goal in the third period, his third of the season. The Blackhawks equalized as Alex DeBrincat scored his tenth of the year, with the help of Saad and Kane. In overtime, Chicago won 5-4 with an Erik Gustafsson goal, his third of the campaign, guided in by Nick Schmaltz and Kampf. The three stars were handed to Kane, Kampf, and Hoffman while Saad, Forsling, and Huberdeau earn the honorable mentions.

Northwest to Denver, as the Colorado Avalanche bring in the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Semyon Varlamov are between the pipes. Colorado got going in the second period with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his fifteenth of the season, assisted by Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. Dallas tied it on a Radek Faksa goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Alexander Radulov and Taylor Fedun in the third period. The Stars took the lead on a Jamie Benn goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Tyler Seguin and Radulov. The Avalanche tied it again with a J.T. Compher goal, his sixth of the year, via Alexander Kerfoot and Tyson Jost. Colorado pulled ahead on a Rantanen goal, his tenth of the season, fueled by Landeskog and Erik Johnson. The final held at 3-2, with the three stars going to Rantanen, Landeskog, and Radulov.

Along to Nevada, where the Vegas Golden Knights host the San Jose Sharks. Aaron Dell and Marc-Andre Fleury receive the starting nods in goal. Vegas cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a William Karlsson goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Brayden McNabb and Jonathan Marchessault. The Golden Knights added on with a Colin Miller goal, his second of the year, with a lone assist by Reilly Smith. Vegas extended the lead as Max Pacioretty scored his seventh of the season on the power play, with the help of Reilly Smith and Miller. The Golden Knights padded the lead with a Pacioretty goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, via Alex Tuch. Vegas continued in the second period with an unassisted William Carrier goal, his fourth of the season. The Golden Knights iced it at 6-0 with a Tuch goal in the third period, his seventh of the year, passed from Shea Theodore. The three stars belonged to Pacioretty, Tuch, and Miller, while Smith gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Calvin Petersen are in the creases. Vancouver dented the scoreboard in the second period with an Adam Gaudette goal, via Jake Virtanen and Nikolay Goldobin. Los Angeles tied it on a Drew Doughty power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter. The Canucks took the lead back on a Sam Gagner power play goal, with assists provided by Bo Horvat and Elias Pettersson. The Kings retied it on a Matt Luff goal, his third of the year, coming off of Carl Hagelin and Adrian Kempe. Vancouver took the lead in the third period with a Pettersson goal, his thirteenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Canucks iced it at 4-2 with a Tyler Motte shorthanded and unassisted empty net goal, his third of the year. The three stars went to Pettersson, Gagner, and Gaudette.

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