Wednesday, December 5, 2018

NHL 2018/19 - Day 63

Three games on tonight, beginning with...

The St. Louis Blues hosting the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Jake Allen are the beleaguered goalies. St. Louis opened in the first period with an Ivan Barbashev goal, his third of the season, via Oskar Sundqvist and Jordan Nolan. The Blues added on with a Brayden Schenn goal, his sixth of the year, helped along by Chris Butler and Vince Dunn. Edmonton got on the board in the second period with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Darnell Nurse and Kris Russell. The Oilers tied it in the third period with an Oscar Klefbom goal, his third of the year, passed from Connor McDavid and Jujhar Khaira. Edmonton won 3-2 in the shootout with tallies by Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid overcoming Tyler Bozak's tally for St. Louis. The three stars were Nugent-Hopkins, McDavid, and Talbot (28 for 30 in saves).

Out in California, the San Jose Sharks welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Curtis McElhinney and Martin Jones play in goal. San Jose started in the first period with a Barclay Goodrow goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Kevin Labanc and Melker Karlsson. The Sharks added on with a Tomas Hertl power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Labanc and Logan Couture. San Jose extended the lead in the second period as Timo Meier scored his fourteenth of the season, thanks to Radim Simek and Joe Thornton. The Sharks padded the lead on a Joe Pavelski goal, his eighteenth of the year, via Meier and Thornton. Carolina got on the board with a Lucas Wallmark power play goal, his second of the season, with assists provided by Dougie Hamilton and Jaccob Slavin. San Jose replied with a Marcus Sorenson goal in the third period, his fifth of the year, guided in by Meier and Thornton, the latter earning a sock trick. The final remained at 5-1, with the three stars given to Meier, Thornton, and Jones (39 for 40 in saves), while Labanc gets an honorable mention.

Also, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and John Gibson tend the twines. Anaheim struck first in the first period with a Brandon Montour goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Pontus Aberg and Hampus Lindholm. The Ducks added on with a Daniel Sprong goal, via Adam Henrique and Nick Ritchie. Chicago got on the board in the second period with an Erik Gustafsson goal, his fifth of the year, made possible by Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane. The Blackhawks tied it on an Alex DeBrincat goal, his eleventh of the season, fueled by Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad. Anaheim took the lead in the third period with an Ondrej Kase goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Carter Rowney and Kiefer Sherwood. The Ducks iced it at 4-2 with an unassisted empty net goal by Jakob Silfverberg, his sixth of the campaign. The three stars went to Kase, Sprong, and Gibson (25 for 27 in saves).

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Tuesday, December 4, 2018

NHL 2018/19 - Day 62

Ten games on tonight, beginning in...

Brooklyn, as the New York Islanders host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Thomas Greiss are the masked men. New York dented the scoreboard in the third period with an Anders Lee goal, his tenth of the season, via Brock Nelson and Johnny Boychuk. Winnipeg tied it on a Jacob Trouba power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor. The Jets took the lead with an Adam Lowry goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Brandon Tanev and Mathieu Perreault. Winnipeg iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Nikolaj Ehlers, his ninth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Hellebuyck (27 for 28 in saves), Lowry, and Trouba.

Over in Pittsburgh, the Penguins welcome the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Casey DeSmith draw the starts in goal. Pittsburgh began in the first period with a Jake Guentzel goal, his twelfth of the season, courtesy of Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin. The Penguins added on with an Evgeni Malkin goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Tanner Pearson and Patric Hornqvist. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Derick Brassard scored his third of the season, thanks to Olli Maatta and Zach Aston-Reese. Colorado got on the board in the second period with a Tyson Barrie power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche pulled closer with a Carl Soderberg goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Matt Calvert and Ian Cole. Colorado tied it on a Matt Nieto shorthanded goal, his third of the year, set up by Gabriel Bourque. The Penguins reclaimed the lead in the third period on a Hornqvist power play goal, his tenth of the season, with helpers from Letang and Phil Kessel. Pittsburgh padded the lead with a Hornqvist goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, with a lone assist by Malkin. The Penguins kept going as Hornqvist finished his hat trick with an unassisted goal, his twelfth of the campaign. This sealed their 6-3 win, with the three stars given to Hornqvist, Malkin, and Letang.

Down south, the Florida Panthers bring in the Boston Bruins. Jaroslav Halak and Roberto Luongo are the veterans in goal. Florida got going in the second period with a Mike Hoffman goal, his thirteenth of the season, helped along by Colton Sceviour and Jonathan Huberdeau. The Panthers added on with a Mike Matheson goal, his second of the year, going in unassisted. Florida extended the lead as Huberdeau scored his seventh of the season, with the help of Keith Yandle and Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers padded the lead with a Hoffman power play goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the year, powered by Barkov and Yandle. Florida continued in the third period with an Evgenii Dadonov power play goal, his thirteenth of the campaign, with helpers from Barkov, who got a sock trick, and Huberdeau. This made it 5-0, the final, with the three stars being Luongo (33 save shutout), Hoffman, and Huberdeau, while Barkov and Yandle get the honorable mentions.

Back north, the Columbus Blue Jackets host the Calgary Flames. David Rittich is mismatched with Sergei Bobrovsky in goal. Calgary led off in the first period with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Sean Monahan and Travis Hamonic. Columbus tied it on a Zach Werenski goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Oliver Bjorkstrand and Alexander Wennberg. The Blue Jackets took the lead on a Josh Anderson power play goal, his twelfth of the season, going in unassisted. Columbus added on with a Cam Atkinson goal, his seventeenth of the year, fueled by Artemi Panarin and Seth Jones. Mike Smith replaced Rittich in goal. The Blue Jackets extended the lead in the second period as Atkinson scored his second of the game and eighteenth of the season, again from Panarin and Jones. The Flames got one back with a Monahan power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, with a lone assist by Mark Giordano. Calgary pulled closer on an Elias Lindholm goal, his thirteenth of the season, guided in by Hamonic and Monahan. The Flames tied it on a Matthew Tkachuk power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Lindholm and Gaudreau. Calgary pulled ahead with a Noah Hanifin goal, his third of the season, made possible by Tkachuk and Mark Jankowski. The Flames padded the lead as T.J. Brodie scored his third of the year, thanks to Gaudreau. Columbus answered with a Nick Foligno goal, his seventh of the season, with a lone helper from Ryan Murray. Calgary responded on a Monahan power play goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, with assists provided by Giordano and Tkachuk. The Flames chased Bobrovsky with a Gaudreau goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the season, via Giordano and the goalie Smith, the former earning a sock trick. The Blue Jackets countered with Atkinson completing his hat trick on his nineteenth of the year, courtesy of Markus Nutivaara and Murray. Calgary replied as Austin Czarnik scored his second of the campaign, with the help of Mikael Backlund. This produced the 9-6 final score, with the three stars awarded to Gaudreau, Monahan, and Atkinson, while Tkachuk, Giordano, Lindholm, Hamonic, Panarin, Jones, and Murray all get honorable mentions.

Further north, the Buffalo Sabres welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen faces a lesser foe in Linus Ullmark in goal. Toronto cracked the scoresheet in the second period with an Auston Matthews goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Ron Hainsey. Buffalo tied it on a Sam Reinhart goal, his eighth of the year, via Nathan Beaulieu and Rasmus Ristolainen. The Maple Leafs retook the lead on a Jake Gardiner goal, his second of the season, coming off of John Tavares and Mitchell Marner. The Sabres tied it in the third period with a Jack Eichel goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Ristolainen and Jeff Skinner. Buffalo took the lead on another Eichel goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, with a lone assist by Reinhart. Toronto retied it as Patrick Marleau scored his seventh of the year, thanks to Morgan Rielly and Matthews. The Maple Leafs won 4-3 in overtime with a Matthews goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the campaign, passed from Kasperi Kapanen and Gardiner. The three stars went to Matthews, Eichel, and Gardiner, while Reinhart and Ristolainen take the honorable mentions.

In Detroit, the Red Wings bring in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Edward Pasquale and Jimmy Howard man the nets. Detroit opened in the first period with a Gustav Nyquist goal, his fifth of the season, with a lone assist by Dylan Larkin. The Red Wings added on with a Frans Nielsen goal, his second of the year, guided in by Andreas Athanasiou. Tampa Bay got on the board in the second period with a Mathieu Joseph goal, his seventh of the season, via Ryan Callahan. The Lightning tied it on another Joseph goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, courtesy of Yanni Gourde. Detroit retook the lead with another Nielsen goal, his second of the game and third of the season, made possible by Luke Witkowski. Tampa Bay retied it on a Steven Stamkos goal, his tenth of the year, with a lone helper from Callahan. The Red Wings regained the lead with a Nielsen goal, completing his hat trick on his fourth of the season, coming off of Athanasiou. Detroit extended the lead in the third period as Nyquist scored his second of the game and sixth of the year, thanks to Larkin and Justin Abdelkader. The Lightning got one back on a J.T. Miller goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Mikhail Sergachev. Tampa Bay tied it on a shorthanded Cedric Paquette goal, his seventh of the year, set up by Joseph. The tie went to a shootout, where Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov carried the Lightning over Nyquist and the Red Wings for the 6-5 win. The three stars were Nielsen, Nyquist, and Joseph, while Callahan, Larkin, and Athanasiou get the honorable mentions.

In Canada, the Montreal Canadiens host the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Carey Price protect the nets. Montreal started in the first period with a Jonathan Drouin goal, his tenth of the season, via Max Domi and Matthew Peca. Ottawa tied it in the second period with a Dylan DeMelo goal, his third of the year, fueled by Mikkel Boedker and Chris Tierney. The Canadiens retook the lead with a Domi goal, his twelfth of the season, passed from Drouin. Montreal added on with another Domi goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, assisted by Drouin and Paul Byron. The Canadiens extended the lead as Artturi Lehkonen scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Andrew Shaw. Montreal padded the lead in the third period on a Brendan Gallagher goal, his twelfth of the year, helped along by Tomas Tatar. The Senators got one back on a Mark Stone goal, his thirteenth of the season, guided in by Matt Duchene. This only made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars handed to Domi, Drouin, and Price (28 for 30 in saves).

Westward to Vancouver, where the Canucks welcome the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Anders Nilsson are between the pipes. Vancouver struck first in the first period with a Josh Leivo goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser. Minnesota tied it on a Zach Parise power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Matt Dumba and Jared Spurgeon. The Canucks retook the lead in the second period on a Tyler Motte goal, his fourth of the season, via Tim Schaller and Troy Stecher. The Wild tied it again with a Jason Zucker power play goal, his ninth of the year, with assists provided by Ryan Suter and Mikael Granlund. Minnesota pulled ahead with another Zucker power play goal, his second of the game and tenth of the season, helped along by Granlund and Eric Staal. This produced the 3-2 final score, with the three stars going to Zucker, Granlund, and Dubnyk (29 for 31 in saves).

South to Nevada, where the Vegas Golden Knights bring in the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Marc-Andre Fleury tend the twines. Vegas drew first blood in the first period with a Ryan Reaves power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Cody Eakin and Oscar Lindberg. Washington tied it on a Jakub Vrana goal, his seventh of the year, with a lone assist by Brett Connolly. The Capitals took the lead in the second period with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his twentieth of the season, made possible by Connolly and Madison Bowey. The Golden Knights tied it in the third period with a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal, his fourth of the year, via Brayden McNabb and Nate Schmidt. Vegas took the lead with an Eakin goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Lindberg and Deryk Engelland. Washington retied it with a Vrana goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, guided in by Evgeny Kuznetsov and Matt Niskanen. The Golden Knights took the lead back with a Schmidt power play goal, powered by Shea Theodore. Vegas iced it at 5-3 with a Schmidt empty net goal, his second of the game, going in unassisted. The three stars were Schmidt, Eakin, and Vrana, while Connolly and Lindberg earn the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Arizona Coyotes. Adin Hill and Jonathan Quick occupy the creases. Arizona kicked off the scoring in the first period with a shorthanded Lawson Crouse goal, his fifth of the season, set up by Josh Archibald and Niklas Hjalmarsson. The Coyotes added on in the second period with a Nick Schmaltz power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Clayton Keller. Los Angeles got on the board in the third period with an Alec Martinez goal, his third of the campaign, made possible by Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars being Hill (25 for 26 in saves), Schmaltz, and Crouse.

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Monday, December 3, 2018

NHL 2018/19 - Day 61

Three games on for this Monday night, beginning in...

New Jersey, as the Devils host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Louis Domingue and Keith Kinkaid are set to start in goal. Tampa Bay started in the first period with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his twelfth of the season, via Brayden Point and Ryan McDonagh. The Lightning added on with a Point power play goal, his twentieth of the year, powered by Kucherov and Victor Hedman. Tampa Bay extended the lead in the second period as Tyler Johnson scored his eleventh of the season, thanks to McDonagh and Kucherov. New Jersey got on the board with an Egor Yakovlev goal, coming off of Sami Vatanen and Stefan Noesen. The Lightning replied with a Yanni Gourde goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat. Tampa Bay continued in the third period against Cory Schneider with a Stamkos power play goal, his ninth of the campaign, with helpers from Point and Kucherov, the latter earning a sock trick. This made it 5-1, with the three stars given to Kucherov, Point, and Stamkos, while McDonagh earned an honorable mentions.

Southwest to Nashville, as the Predators welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Carter Hutton and Pekka Rinne are the masked men. Nashville opened in the first period with a Ryan Ellis power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Roman Josi and Ryan Johansen. Buffalo tied it on a Sam Reinhart goal in the second period, his seventh of the year, going in unassisted. The Predators retook the lead with a Kevin Fiala goal, his fifth of the campaign, passed from Craig Smith and Mattias Ekholm. This held for the eventual 2-1 final score, with the three stars being Rinne (21 for 22 in saves), Fiala, and Ellis.

Finally, the Dallas Stars bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Mikko Koskinen and Anton Khudobin play in goal. Dallas struck first in the first period with a Jason Dickinson goal, his fifth of the season, fueled by Mattias Janmark and Brett Ritchie. The Stars added on with a Ritchie goal in the third period, made possible by Janmark. Dallas extended the lead as Jamie Benn scored his twelfth of the year on the power play, with the help of Gavin Bayreuther and Alexander Radulov. Edmonton got on the board with a Jujhar Khaira goal, coming off of Leon Draisaitl and Chris Wideman. The Stars iced it at 4-1 with a shorthanded empty net goal by Esa Lindell, his fourth of the campaign, going in unassisted.

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Sunday, December 2, 2018

NHL 2018/19 - Day 60

Six games on for today, including one early one from...

DC, as the Washington Capitals host the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Braden Holtby tend the twines. Washington began in the first period with a Nicklas Backstrom goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson. The Capitals added on with a Chandler Stephenson goal, his second of the year, via Nic Dowd and Dmitrij Jaskin. Anaheim got on the board with a Ryan Getzlaf goal, his eighth of the season, guided in by Rickard Rakell and Pontus Aberg. Washington replied with a Tom Wilson power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Carlson and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Ryan Miller replaced Gibson in goal. The Capitals extended the lead as Kuznetsov scored his seventh of the season in the second period, thanks to Brett Connolly. Washington padded the lead on a Dowd goal, his fourth of the year, helped along by Stephenson and Jaskin. The Ducks got one back with an Andrew Cogliano goal, his second of the season, made possible by Jacob Larsson and Getzlaf. Anaheim pulled closer with a Rakell goal, his fifth of the year, with a lone assist by Adam Henrique. The Ducks chipped closer with an Aberg power play goal in the third period, his eighth of the season, with assists provided by Hampus Lindholm and Ondrej Kase. Anaheim tied it as Lindholm scored his third of the year on the power play, with the help of Ryan Kesler and Kase. The Ducks pulled ahead on an Aberg goal, his ninth of the campaign, fueled by Getzlaf and Kiefer Sherwood. This made it 6-5, the final, with the three stars being Aberg, Getzlaf, and Lindholm, while Rakell, Kase, Kuznetsov, Stephenson, Dowd, Jaskin, and Carlson took the honorable mentions.

In New York, the Rangers welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Henrik Lundqvist guard the cages. New York led off in the first period with a Jesper Fast goal, his second of the season, coming off of Mika Zibanejad and Marc Staal. The Rangers added on in the second period with a Staal goal, his second of the year, assisted by Ryan Strome and Lias Andersson. New York extended the lead as Chris Kreider scored his fourteenth of the season, thanks to Zibanejad and Neal Pionk. Winnipeg got on the board with a Mark Scheifele power play goal in the third period, his sixteenth of the year, powered by Blake Wheeler and Josh Morrissey. The Jets got closer with a Jack Roslovic goal, his second of the season, guided in by Mathieu Perreault and Jacob Trouba. Winnipeg tied it on a Bryan Little goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Nikolaj Ehlers and Trouba. In the shootout, Patrik Laine and Scheifele lifted the Jets 4-3 over Zibanejad and the Rangers. The three stars belonged to Staal, Scheifele, and Trouba, while Zibanejad gets an honorable mention.

Westward to Chicago, where the Blackhawks bring in the Calgary Flames. Mike Smith and Corey Crawford are the veterans in goal. Calgary opened in the first period with a Sean Monahan goal, his fifteenth of the season, via Elias Lindholm and Johnny Gaudreau. Chicago tied it on a Jonathan Tows goal, his twelfth of the year, going in unassisted. The Flames retook the lead in the second period with a Lindholm power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Gaudreau and Monahan. Calgary added on with a Derek Ryan power play goal, his fourth of the year, with helpers from Noah Hanifin and James Neal. The Blackhawks got one back with a Dylan Strome goal, his fifth of the campaign, made possible by Alex DeBrincat and the goalie Crawford. This only made it 3-2, the eventual final, with the three stars going to Lindholm, Monahan, and Gaudreau.

Backtracking to Detroit, as the Red Wings host the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov faces a lesser foe in Jonathan Bernier in goal. Colorado got going in the second period with a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, powered by Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche iced it at 2-0 in the third period with a Landeskog empty net goal, his nineteenth of the year, set up by MacKinnon and Rantanen. The three stars were given to MacKinnon, Varlamov (24 save shutout), and Landeskog, while Rantanen gets an honorable mention.

In Canada, the Montreal Canadiens welcome the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Carey Price protect the nets. San Jose started in the first period with an unassisted Justin Braun goal. The Sharks added on with a Brent Burns power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Joe Pavelski and Erik Karlsson. Montreal got on the board in the second period with a Jeff Petry goal, his third of the year, guided in by Jonathan Drouin and Andrew Shaw. San Jose replied with a Pavelski goal, his seventeenth of the campaign, passed from Burns and Logan Couture. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars awarded to Jones (40 for 41 in saves), Burns, and Pavelski.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Petr Mrazek and Jonathan Quick are in the creases. Los Angeles dented the scoreboard in the third period with an Alec Martinez goal, his second of the season, passed from Jake Muzzin and Dustin Brown. The Kings iced it at 2-0 with a Kyle Clifford empty net goal, his fourth of the year, set up by Jeff Carter. The three stars were Quick (34 save shutout), Martinez, and Mrazek (33 for 34 in saves).

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Saturday, December 1, 2018

NHL 2018/19 - Day 59

Twelve games on today, beginning with two matinees. The first is in...

Ottawa, as the Senators host the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Craig Anderson are between the pipes. Ottawa got going in the second period with a Ryan Dzingel goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Mikkel Boedker and Thomas Chabot. San Jose tied it on a Joe Thornton power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns. The Senators retook the lead on a Ben Harpur goal, assisted by Zack Smith and Magnus Paajarvi. Ottawa added on with a Boedker goal, his third of the season, fueled by Christ Tierney and Bobby Ryan. The Senators extended the lead as Mark Stone scored his twelfth of the year on the power play in the third period, with the help of Boedker. Ottawa padded the lead with a Paajarvi empty net goal, his third of the season, going in unassisted. The Sharks got one back with a Barclay Goodrow goal, his third of the year, helped along by Brenden Dillon and Joakim Ryan. The Senators capped it at 6-2 with a Ryan goal, his sixth of the campaign, with helpers from Cody Ceci and Boedker, the latter earning a sock trick. The three stars were Boedker, Paajarvi, and Ryan, while Smith and Chabot earn the honorable mentions.

Westward to Vancouver, as the Canucks welcome the Dallas Stars. Ben Bishop and Anders Nilsson draw the starts in goal. Vancouver started in the first period with a Bo Horvat goal, his twelfth of the season, courtesy of Antoine Roussel and Tyler Motte. Dallas tied it with a Jamie Benn goal, his eleventh of the year, via Tyler Seguin and Miro Heiskanen in the third period. The Stars pulled ahead on an Alexander Radulov goal, his ninth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Benn. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars given to Benn, Bishop (24 for 25 in saves), and Radulov.

Back east at the regular time, the Boston Bruins bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Tuukka Rask are the veterans in goal. Boston opened in the first period with a David Backes goal, his second of the season, made possible by John Moore and Colby Cave. Detroit tied it in the second period on a Tyler Bertuzzi goal, his ninth of the year, fueled by Michael Rasmussen and Mike Green. The Red Wings took the lead with a Dylan Larkin power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Justin Abdelkader and Gustav Nyquist. The Bruins retied it in the third period with a Ryan Donato power play goal, his second of the year, with assists provided by David Pastrnak and Torey Krug. Detroit regained the lead with a Frans Nielsen goal, coming off of Danny DeKeyser and Nyquist. The Red Wings iced it at 4-2 with a Nyquist empty net goal, his fourth of the campaign, set up by DeKeyser. The three stars were given to Nyquist, Howard (38 for 40 in saves), and DeKeyser.

In Canada, the Montreal Canadiens host the New York Rangers. Alexandar Georgiev is mismatched with Carey Price in goal. Montreal led off in the first period with a Shea Weber goal, via Jonathan Drouin and Max Domi. The Canadiens added on with a Weber goal, his second of the game, guided in by Tomas Tatar and Brendan Gallagher. Montreal extended the lead in the second period as Artturi Lehkonen scored his third of the season, thanks to Paul Byron and Jordie Benn. The Canadiens padded the lead on an unassisted Lehkonen goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year. New York got on the board with a Jimmy Vesey goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Brendan Smith and Mika Zibanejad. The Rangers got closer with a Ryan Strome power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Vesey and Zibanejad. Montreal iced it at 5-2 with a third period Tatar power play goal, his eleventh of the campaign, set up by Kenny Agostino and David Schlemko. The three stars belonged to Weber, Lehkonen, and Tatar, while Vesey and Zibanejad earn the honorable mentions.

Back stateside, the New Jersey Devils welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Laurent Brossoit and Keith Kinkaid are the goalies. New Jersey began in the first period with a Marcus Johansson goal, his fifth of the season, with a lone assist from Jesper Bratt. Winnipeg tied it in the second period with a Mark Scheifele goal, his fourteenth of the year, fueled by Blake Wheeler. The Jets took the lead in the third period with a Josh Morrissey goal, his second of the season, via Jack Roslovic and Mathieu Perreault. Winnipeg added on with an Andrew Copp goal, his second of the year, helped along by Mason Appleton and Adam Lowry. The Devils got one back on a Bratt power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Damon Severson and Pavel Zacha. New Jersey tied it with a Taylor Hall goal, his eighth of the year, coming off of Nico Hischier and Kyle Palmieri. The Jets won 4-3 in overtime with an unassisted Scheifele goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the campaign. The three stars went to Scheifele, Bratt, and Brossoit (36 for 39 in saves).

Over in Brooklyn, the New York Islanders bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Thomas Greiss protect the nets. Columbus dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Markus Hannikainen goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Seth Jones. The Blue Jackets added on with a Pierre-Luc Dubois goal, his thirteenth of the year, with a lone assist by Cam Atkinson. New York got on the board with an Anders Lee goal, his ninth of the season, via Jordan Eberle and Scott Mayfield. The Islanders tied it with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Josh Bailey and Mayfield. New York went ahead in the third period with a Casey Cizikas goal, his sixth of the campaign, assisted by Ryan Pulock and Eberle. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Eberle, Mayfield, and Greiss (28 for 30 in saves).

Westward to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins host the Philadelphia Flyers in a battle for Pennsylvania. Anthony Stolarz and Casey DeSmith are the lesser-known goalies. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period with a Sidney Crosby goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Jake Guentzel and Brian Dumoulin. Philadelphia tied it on a Travis Konecny goal, his eighth of the year, via Robert Hagg and Andrew MacDonald. The Penguins retook the lead in the second period with a Riley Sheahan goal, his third of the season, passed from Bryan Rust. The Flyers tied it again on a Claude Giroux goal, his ninth of the year, guided in by Jakub Voracek and MacDonald. Philadelphia took the lead in the third period on a shorthanded Dale Weise goal, his second of the season, set up by Scott Laughton and MacDonald. The Flyers iced it at 4-2 with a Voracek empty net goal, his seventh of the year, with a lone helper by Sean Couturier. The three stars were handed to MacDonald, Voracek, and Weise.

Another regional rivalry sees the Florida Panthers welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Louis Domingue and James Reimer are the backups in goal. Florida was first to score in the first period with a Frank Vatrano goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Evgenii Dadonov and Mike Matheson. The Panthers added on with an Aleksander Barkov goal, his tenth of the year, with a lone assist by Jonathan Huberdeau. Tampa Bay got on the board with an Alex Killorn goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Mikhail Sergachev and Braydon Coburn. Florida replied in the second period with a Huberdeau goal, his sixth of the year, going in unassisted. The Panthers extended the lead as Dadonov scored his twelfth of the season on the power play, with the help of Keith Yandle and Mike Hoffman. The Lightning got one back with a Mathieu Joseph goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Nikita Kucherov and Dan Girardi. Tampa Bay got closer with a Kucherov power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos. The Lightning tied it in the third period with an unassisted Cedric Paquette goal, his sixth of the year. Tampa Bay won 5-4 in overtime with a Brayden Point power play goal, his nineteenth of the campaign, with helpers from Kucherov and Tyler Johnson. The three stars were Kucherov, Huberdeau, and Dadonov.

Northwest to Minnesota, as the Wild bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Devan Dubnyk guard the cages. Toronto drew first blood in the first period with an Auston Matthews power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Mitchell Marner and Morgan Rielly. The Maple Leafs added on with a Tyler Ennis goal, his fourth of the year, via Par Lindholm and Travis Dermott. Minnesota got on the board with an Eric Staal goal, his tenth of the season, guided in by Ryan Suter and Mikael Granlund. The Wild tied it in the second period with a Jordan Greenway goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Joel Eriksson Ek. Toronto regained the lead on a Zach Hyman goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Marner and Jake Gardiner. Minnesota retied it in the third period as Jason Zucker scored his eighth of the year, thanks to Granlund. The Maple Leafs restored their lead with a Nazem Kadri goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Connor Brown and Andreas Johnsson. Toronto iced it at 5-3 with a Hyman empty net goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Hyman, Marner, and Granlund.

Southwest to Arizona, as the Coyotes host the St. Louis Blues. Chad Johnson and Adin Hill make spot starts in goal. Arizona kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Jakob Chychrun power play goal, powered by Clayton Keller. The Coyotes added on with a Keller goal in the second period, his eighth of the season, with a lone assist by Nick Schmaltz. St. Louis got on the board with a Robert Thomas goal, his second of the year, passed from Jay Bouwmeester and Ryan O'Reilly. Arizona answered with a Christian Fischer goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Richard Panik and Derek Stepan. The Coyotes extended the lead as Nick Cousins scored his second of the year, with the help of Stepan and Josh Archibald. Arizona padded the lead on a Panik goal, his fifth of the season, fueled by Vinnie Hinostroza and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The Coyotes finished it at 6-1 in the third period with an Alex Goligoski goal, his second of the year, coming off of Keller and Schmaltz. The three stars were given to Keller, Panik, and Schmaltz, while Stepan gets an honorable mention.

Backtracking to Nashville, where the Predators welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Cam Ward and Pekka Rinne are the masked men. Nashville cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Kevin Fiala goal, his fourth of the season, fueled by Ryan Johansen and Matt Irwin. The Predators added on with an Eeli Tolvanen goal, passed from Craig Smith. Nashville extended the lead as Johansen scored his fifth of the year, with the help of Fiala and Dan Hamhuis. Chicago got on the board with a shorthanded Brandon Saad goal, his eighth of the season, set up by Brent Seabrook. The Predators replied with a Smith power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Mattias Ekholm and Tolvanen. The Blackhawks pulled back on an Artem Anisimov goal in the second period, his fifth of the season, guided in by Brandon Manning and Patrick Kane. Nashville iced it at 5-2 with an Austin Watson empty net goal in the third period, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars belonged to Tolvanen, Johansen, and Fiala, while Smith gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers bring in the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Mikko Koskinen occupy the creases. Edmonton had the first goal in the first period, Connor McDavid's fourteenth of the season being assisted by Leon Draisaitl and Oscar Klefbom. Vegas tied it in the second period with an unassisted William Karlsson goal, his ninth of the year. The Oilers took the lead back in the third period with a Ryan Spooner goal, his second of the season, via Jujhar Khaira. The final stood from here at 2-1, with the three stars being Koskinen (31 for 32 in saves), Spooner, and McDavid.

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Friday, November 30, 2018

NHL 2018/19 - Day 58

Five games on tonight, beginning with...

The Washington Capitals hosting the New Jersey Devils. Keith Kinkaid and Braden Holtby are the masked men. Washington started in the first period with a Nicklas Backstrom goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Alex Ovechkin and Michal Kempny. The Capitals added on in the second period with a Tom Wilson shorthanded goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Matt Niskanen and Lars Eller. New Jersey got on the board with a Travis Zajac shorthanded goal, his eighth of the season, set up by Blake Coleman. Washington replied in the third period with an Andre Burakovsky goal, his fourth of the year, made possible by Kempny and Backstrom. The Capitals extended the lead as Backstrom scored his second of the game and eighth of the season on the power play, powered by Evgeny Kuznetsov and John Carlson. The Devils got one back with a Nico Hischier goal, his fifth of the year, with a lone assist from Taylor Hall. New Jersey got closer with a Marcus Johansson goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Hall and Hischier. Washington answered with an Ovechkin empty net goal, his nineteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Capitals iced it at 6-3 with Backstrom scoring an empty net goal to complete a hat trick, his ninth of the campaign, helped along by Ovechkin. The three stars were Backstrom, Ovechkin, and Kempny, while Hischier and Hall get the honorable mentions.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Linus Ullmark and James Reimer are in the blue paint. Buffalo opened in the first period with a Jeff Skinner goal, his twentieth of the season, via Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel. Florida tied it on a Jared McCann power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Mike Matheson and Frank Vatrano. The Sabres took the lead back in the second period with a Reinhart power play goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Eichel and the goalie Ullmark. The Panthers tied it with an Evgenii Dadonov power play goal in the third period, his eleventh of the year, passed from Jonathan Huberdeau and Keith Yandle. Florida won 3-2 in overtime with an Aleksander Barkov goal, his ninth of the campaign, set up by Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad. The three stars were Huberdeau, Reinhart, and Eichel.

Backtracking to Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes host the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Curtis McElhinney are between the pipes. Carolina led off in the first period with an Andrei Svechnikov goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Dougie Hamilton and Sebastian Aho. Anaheim tied it on a Pontus Aberg goal in the third period, his seventh of the year, assisted by Adam Henrique and Rickard Rakell. The Ducks won 2-1 in overtime with a Ryan Getzlaf goal, his seventh of the campaign, courtesy of Hampus Lindholm and Rakell. The three stars belonged to Gibson (33 for 34 in saves), Getzlaf, and Rakell.

Northwest to Calgary, as the Flames bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Calvin Petersen and Mike Smith draw the starts in goal. Calgary began in the first period with a Mikael Backlund goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by T.J. Brodie and Sam Bennett. Los Angeles tied it in the second period with an Adrian Kempe goal, his third of the year, via Austin Wagner. The Flames retook the lead with a Johnny Gaudreau power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Elias Lindholm and Matthew Tkachuk in the third period. Calgary added on with a Backlund empty net goal, his fifth of the year, set up by Tkachuk and Lindholm. The Flames iced it at 4-1 with a Sean Monahan empty net goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Backlund. The three stars belonged to Backlund, Lindholm, and Tkachuk.

Finally, the Colorado Avalanche host the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Semyon Varlamov protect the nets. St. Louis struck first in the first period with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by Joel Edmundson and Ivan Barbashev. The Blues added on with an unassisted Alexander Steen power play goal, his sixth of the year. Colorado got on the board with a Nikita Zadorov goal in the second period, his third of the season, going in unassisted. The Avalanche tied it with a Mikko Rantanen power play goal in the third period, his eleventh of the year, an unassisted goal. St. Louis won 3-2 in overtime with a Colton Parayko goal, his fourth of the campaign, with a lone helper by Edmundson. The three stars were Edmundson, Parayko, and Allen (27 for 29 in saves).

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Thursday, November 29, 2018

NHL 2018/19 - Day 57

Eight games schedule for tonight, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the New York Islanders in a game delayed by a jersey retirement ceremony. Robin Lehner and Tuukka Rask are the goalies. New York struck first in the first period with an Anders Lee goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Mathew Barzal and Scott Mayfield. Boston tied it in the second period with a Brad Marchand power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by David Pastrnak and Torey Krug. The Bruins won 2-1 in the shootout with a lone tally by Ryan Donato. The three stars were Rask (28 for 29 in saves), Marchand, and Lehner (35 for 36 in saves).

Over in Columbus, the Blue Jackets welcome the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Sergei Bobrovsky protect the nets. Minnesota led off in the first period with a Mikael Granlund goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Eric Staal. Columbus tied it on a Markus Hannikainen goal, his third of the year, via Riley Nash and David Savard. The Blue Jackets took the lead in the second period with a Cam Atkinson power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Alexander Wennberg and Pierre-Luc Dubois. Columbus added on with a Nash goal, made possible by Zach Werenski and Seth Jones. The Blue Jackets extended the lead as Artemi Panarin scored his seventh of the year, thanks to Dubois and Scott Harrington. The Wild got one back with a Zach Parise goal, his twelfth of the season, helped along by Mikko Koivu and Nino Niederreiter. This only made it 4-2, the eventual final, with the three stars going to Nash, Dubois, and Panarin.

Up in Ottawa, the Senators host the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Craig Anderson are the veterans in goal. Ottawa began in the first period with a Drake Batherson goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Matt Duchene and Maxime Lajoie. The Senators added on with a Magnus Paajarvi goal, his second of the year, assisted by Zack Smith and Tom Pyatt. Ottawa extended the lead as Duchene scored his twelfth of the campaign in the second period, thanks to Batherson and Ryan Dzingel. This produced the eventual 3-0 final score, with the three stars awarded to Anderson (27 save shutout), Batherson, and Duchene.

Back to the south, the Tampa Bay Lightning bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Carter Hutton and Louis Domingue are set to start in goal. Tampa Bay started in the first period with a Dan Girardi goal, his second of the season, guided in by Alex Killorn and Victor Hedman. Buffalo tied it on a Zemgus Girgensons goal, his second of the year, fueled by Rasmus Ristolainen and Remi Elie. The Sabres took the lead with a Sam Reinhart goal, his fourth of the season, via Jack Eichel and Zach Bogosian. The Lightning tied it again with a Killorn goal, his fourth of the year, with a lone assist by J.T. Miller. Tampa Bay pulled ahead on a Nikita Kucherov goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Brayden Point and Erik Cernak. Buffalo tied it again in the second period with a Reinhart goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, with helpers from Eichel and Casey Nelson. The Sabres gained the lead in the third period with a Tage Thompson goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Casey Mittelstadt. The Lightning retied it on a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Hedman and Kucherov. Tampa Bay took the lead with a Cedric Paquette goal, his fifth of the campaign, coming off of Mikhail Sergachev and Ondrej Palat. This stood for a 5-4 win, with the three stars being Kucherov, Reinhart, and Killorn, while Hedman and Eichel get the honorable mentions.

Northwest to Nashville, where the Predators host the Arizona Coyotes. Adin Hill is mismatched with Pekka Rinne in goal. Arizona got going in the second period with a Clayton Keller goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Nick Schmaltz and Alex Galchenyuk. The Coyotes added on with a Schmaltz power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Arizona extended the lead in the third period as Brad Richardson scored his seventh of the season, with the help of Vinnie Hinostroza and Niklas Hjalmarsson. This produced a 3-0 final, with the three stars going to Hill (29 save shutout), Schmaltz, and Keller.

Further to the north, the Winnipeg Jets welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Connor Hellebuyck guard the cages. Winnipeg opened in the first period with a Patrik Laine goal, his twentieth of the season, fueled by Jacob Trouba and Mark Scheifele. Chicago tied it on a Marcus Kruger goal, his third of the year, passed from Andreas Martinsen and Artem Anisimov. The Jets regained the lead on a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his sixth of the season, guided in by Blake Wheeler and Scheifele. The Blackhawks tied it again with a John Hayden goal, his second of the year, via David Kampf. Winnipeg regained the lead in the second period on an Ehlers goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, made possible by Wheeler and Cameron Schilling. The Jets added on with a Trouba goal, his second of the year, with helpers from Scheifele and Wheeler, both of whom earned sock tricks. Chicago got one back with a Jan Rutta goal, his second of the season, with a lone assist by Kampf. Winnipeg replied with an unassisted Laine power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the year. The Jets extended the lead as Ehlers completed his hat trick with his eighth of the season, going in unassisted. The Blackhawks pulled back with a Dominik Kahun goal, his third of the year, assisted by Hayden. Chicago got closer with an Anisimov goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Patrick Kane and Alex DeBrincat. This made it 6-5, the final, with the three stars handed to Ehlers, Laine, and Wheeler, while Scheifele, Trouba, Hayden, Anisimov, and Kampf get the honorable mentions.

Over in Edmonton, the Oilers host the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Mikko Koskinen are between the pipes. Edmonton drew first blood in the first period with a Jesse Puljujarvi goal, his second of the season, coming off of Drake Caggiula and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers added on with an Alex Chiasson power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Leon Draisaitl and Oscar Klefbom. Los Angeles tied it with a Dustin Brown goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Anze Kopitar and Alex Iafallo. The Kings tied it on a Jeff Carter power play goal, his fifth of the year, with assists provided by Kopitar and Drew Doughty. Edmonton won 3-2 in the third period with a Klefbom power play goal, his second of the campaign, with helpers from Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid. The three stars were Klefbom, Nugent-Hopkins, and Kopitar.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks bring in the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jacob Markstrom are in the creases. Vancouver kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Brock Boeser goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Elias Pettersson. Vegas tied it on a William Carrier goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Ryan Reaves and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. The Golden Knights took the lead with a Max Pacioretty power play goal in the second period, his ninth of the season, powered by Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault. Vegas added on in the third period with another Pacioretty goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, passed from Cody Eakin and Alex Tuch. The Canucks got one back with an Alexander Edler goal, via Bo Horvat and Tim Schaller. Vancouver tied it with another Boeser goal, his second of the game and sixth of the season, fueled by Sam Gagner and Horvat. The Golden Knight reclaimed the lead with a shorthanded William Karlsson goal, his eighth of the year, set up by Smith. This made it 4-3, with the three stars being Pacioretty, Boeser, and Smith, while Horvat gets an honorable mention.

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