NHL 2019-20 - Day 42

We've got nine games for today, beginning with...

The Montreal Canadiens hosting the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins is mismatched with Carey Price in goal. Columbus opened in the first period with an Eric Robinson goal, courtesy of Emil Bemstrom and Zach Werenski. Montreal tied it in the third period with a Brendan Gallagher goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Victor Mete and Shea Weber. The Blue Jackets retook the lead on a Werenski goal, his fifth of the year, made possible by Riley Nash and Cam Atkinson. The Canadiens evened it on a Tomas Tatar goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Nick Suzuki and Phillip Danault. In the shootout, Jonathan Drouin's lone tally gave the Canadiens a 3-2 win. The three stars were Tatar, Gallagher, and Price (33 for 35 in saves).

Stateside, the Boston Bruins welcome the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Tuukka Rask guard the cages. Boston got going in the second period with a David Pastrnak goal, his sixteenth of the season, with a lone assist by Patrice Bergeron. The Bruins added on with a Joakim Nordstrom goal, his second of the year, fueled by Charlie Coyle. Boston extended the lead on an Anders Bjork power play goal, his third of the season, powered by David Krejci and Brad Marchand. The Bruins padded the lead with a Zdeno Chara goal, his third of the year, via Krejci and Danton Heinen. Samuel Montembeault replaced Bobrovsky to start the third period. Florida got on the board in the third period with an Aaron Ekblad goal, his second of the season, guided in by Keith Yandle and Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers got closer with a Frank Vatrano power play goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Jonathan Huberdeau. Florida pulled closer with a Mike Hoffman power play goal, his seventh of the season, with assists provided by Yandle and Huberdeau. The Panthers tied it as Yandle scored his second of the year, thanks to Barkov and Huberdeau. The tie went to a shootout, where Vincent Trocheck and Hoffman topped Coyle as the Panthers came back to win 5-4. The three stars were Huberdeau, Yandle, and Hoffman, while Barkov, Krejci, and Coyle get the honorable mentions.

Over in New York, the Rangers bring in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Matt Murray faces a lesser foe in Alexandar Georgiev in goal. New York started in the first period with a Kaapo Kakko goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Brendan Lemieux and Tony DeAngelo. The Rangers added on with an Adam Fox goal, his third of the year, coming off of Artemi Panarin and Filip Chytil. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Justin Schultz goal, his second of the season, made possible by Evgeni Malkin and Marcus Pettersson. The Penguins tied it on a Jared McCann power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Dominik Simon. New York won 3-2 in overtime with a Kakko goal, his second of the game and sixth of the campaign, fueled by Fox. the three stars were Kakko, Fox, and Georgiev (30 for 32 in saves).

Northwest to Winnipeg, as the Jets host the Colorado Avalanche. Pavel Francouz and Connor Hellebuyck are the goalies. Adam Werner replaced Francouz due to injury in the opening minute. Colorado began in the first period with a Cale Makar goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Nathan MacKinnon and Ian Cole. The Avalanche added on in the third period with a MacKinnon goal, his tenth of the year, via Matt Calvert and Joonas Donskoi. Colorado extended the lead as MacKinnon scored his second of the game and eleventh of the season, thanks to Donskoi and Calvert. The Avalanche padded the lead on a Donskoi power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Nazem Kadri and MacKinnon. This made it 4-0, the final, with the three stars awarded to Werner (40 for 40 in saves in relief), MacKinnon, and Donskoi, while Calvert gets an honorable mention.

South to St. Louis as the Blues welcome the Arizona Coyotes. Darcy Kuemper and Jordan Binnington tend the twines. St. Louis led off in the first period with a Jaden Schwartz goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by Brayden Schenn and Alex Pietrangelo. Arizona tied it on a Clayton Keller goal in the second period, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The Blues took the lead with a Colton Parayko goal, via Oskar Sundqvist and Ivan Barbashev. The Coyotes retied it with a Conor Garland power play goal in the third period, his eighth of the season, powered by Keller and Christian Dvorak. The tie went to the shootout, where Nick Schmaltz and Garland tallied for the Coyotes to win 3-2. The three stars were Garland, Keller, and Kuemper (33 for 35 in saves).

Out in California, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Jonathan Bernier and Ryan Miller are the backups in goal. Anaheim cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a Jakob Silfverberg goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Adam Henrique. The Ducks added on with a Josh Mahura goal, guided in by Henrique and Ondrej Kase. Detroit got on the board with a Filip Hronek goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Madison Bowey and Tyler Bertuzzi. Anaheim shot back with a Cam Fowler goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Ryan Getzlaf and Kase. The Red Wings pulled one back with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his third of the year, via Valtteri Filppula and Mike Green. Detroit tied it in the third period on a power play goal by Dylan Larkin, his sixth of the season, powered by Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha. The Red Wings won 4-3 in overtime with a Dennis Cholowski goal, his second of the year, made possible by Robby Fabbri. The three stars were Bertuzzi, Henrique, and Kase.

North to Vancouver, as the Canucks host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Thatcher Demko are in the creases. Vancouver dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Tanner Pearson power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Adam Gaudette and Alexander Edler. Nashville tied it on a Calle Jarnkrok goal, his sixth of the year, via Matt Duchene and Viktor Arvidsson. The Canucks took the lead in the third period with an Elias Pettersson power play goal, his seventh of the season, going in unassisted. The Predators got one back with a Filip Forsberg goal, his ninth of the year, with a lone assist provided by Mattias Ekholm. Vancouver reclaimed the lead with a Gaudette power play goal, his second of the season, with helpers from Sven Baertschi and Pearson. The Canucks added on with a Pettersson goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, coming off of Brock Boeser and Josh Leivo. Nashville pulled back with a Forsberg goal, his second of the game and tenth of the season, helped along by Roman Josi and Ryan Johansen on the power play. Vancouver iced it at 5-3 with an empty net goal by Pearson, his second of the game and fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Pettersson, Pearson, and Forsberg, while Gaudette gets an honorable mention.

Back to the south, the San Jose Sharks welcome the Edmonton Oilers. Mike Smith and Martin Jones are the masked men. San Jose kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Brent Burns goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Marcus Sorensen and Radim Simek. The Sharks added on with an Evander Kane goal, his eleventh of the year, assisted by Logan Couture and Brenden Dillon. San Jose extended the lead as Patrick Marleau scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Tim Heed and Joe Thornton. The Sharks padded the lead in the second period with a Barclay Goodrow goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Timo Meier and Erik Karlsson. Edmonton got on the board with a Leon Draisaitl goal, his fifteenth of the season, made possible by Sam Gagner and Ethan Bear. San Jose replied with a Tomas Hertl goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Karlsson and Couture. The Oilers got one back in the third period with a Zack Kassian goal, his sixth of the season, via Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. The Sharks chipped back on a Meier goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Karlsson and Goodrow. Edmonton countered with a Gagner goal, with helpers from Patrick Russell and Joakim Nygard. The final remained at 6-3, with the three stars going to Goodrow, Karlsson, and Meier, while Draisaitl, Gagner, and Couture get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Jonathan Quick are between the pipes. Los Angeles struck first in the first period with an Anze Kopitar goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Sean Walker and Alex Iafallo. The Kings added on in the second period with a Jeff Carter goal, his fifth of the year, via Michael Amadio and Ben Hutton. Minnesota got on the board with a Matt Dumba goal, his third of the season, going in unassisted. Los Angeles iced it at 3-1 with a Walker empty net goal, his fourth of the year, set up by Kopitar. The three stars were Kopitar, Quick (27 for 28 in saves), and Walker.

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NHL 2019-20 - Day 41

Just two games on Veterans Day. First up...

The Washington Capitals welcome the Arizona Coyotes. Antti Raanta and Ilya Samsonov are the backups in goal. Arizona led off in the first period with a Clayton Keller goal, his third of the season, passed from Vinnie Hinostroza and Alex Goligoski. The Coyotes added on in the second period with a Christian Fischer goal, coming off of Brad Richardson. Arizona extended the lead as Michael Grabner scored his sixth of the year, going in unassisted. Washington got on the board with an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Jakub Vrana and Tom Wilson. The Capitals got closer in the third period with another Kuznetsov goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, with a lone assist by Michal Kempny. Washington tied it as T.J. Oshie scored his ninth of the season, thanks to Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson. The tie went to a shootout, where Nick Schmaltz and Conor Garland gave the Coyotes a 4-3 win. The three stars were Kuznetsov, Grabner, and Fischer.

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes bring in the Ottawa Senators. Anders Nilsson and Petr Mrazek are set to start in goal. Carolina began in the first period with a Warren Foegele goal, his second of the season, coming off of Ryan Dzingel and Brett Pesce. The Hurricanes added on with a Martin Necas power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Jake Gardiner and Lucas Wallmark. Carolina extended the lead in the second period as Sebastian Aho scored a shorthanded and unassisted goal, his seventh of the season. The Hurricanes padded the lead on a Haydn Fleury goal, his second of the year, made possible by Eetu Luostarinen and Andrei Svechnikov. Craig Anderson relieved Nilsson in goal. Carolina kept going with a Dougie Hamilton goal, his eighth of the season, via Teuvo Teravainen and Svechnikov. Ottawa got on the board with a Colin White goal, his second of the year, helped along by Tyler Ennis and Mark Borowiecki. The Hurricanes countered in the third period with another Aho goal, his second of the game and eighth of the season, with helpers from Joel Edmundson and Pesce. The Senators chipped back on a Brady Tkachuk goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Thomas Chabot and Chris Tierney. Carolina responded on a Dzingel goal, his fourth of the campaign, guided in by Edmundson and Foegele. The Hurricanes continued as Edmundson scored, with the help of Necas and Nino Niederreiter. The final was 8-2, with the three stars given to Aho, Edmundson, and Dzingel, while Necas, Foegele, Svechnikov and Pesce get the honorable mentions.

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NHL 2019-20 - Day 40

We're ready with seven games today, beginning with...

The New York Rangers hosting the Florida Panthers. Sam Montembeault and Henrik Lundqvist are in goal. New York began in the first period with a Ryan Lindgren goal, assisted by Ryan Strome and Artemi Panarin. Florida tied it on an Aleksander Barkov goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Evgenii Dadonov. The Panthers took the lead with a Dominic Toninato goal, via Dryden Hunt and MacKenzie Weegar. The Rangers retied it in the second period on a Filip Chytil goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Pavel Buchnevich and Chris Kreider. Florida retook the lead on a Dadonov power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. New York tied it again with an unassisted Brady Skjei goal, his second of the year. The Rangers pulled ahead on a Kaapo Kakko power play goal, his fourth of the season, with assists provided by Strome and Tony DeAngelo. The Panthers evened it on a Frank Vatrano goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Dadonov. New York snagged the lead again with a Kreider power play goal, his fourth of the season, fueled by Adam Fox and Panarin. Florida equalized in the third period as Brian Boyle scored his third of the year, thanks to Keith Yandle and Mike Hoffman. In the shootout, Vatrano and Vincent Trocheck lifted the Panthers 6-5 over Kakko and the Rangers. The three stars were Dadonov, Vatrano, and Barkov, while Kreider, Kakko, Strome, and Panarin get the honorable mentions.

Over in Winnipeg, the Jets welcome the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Connor Hellebuyck are the masked men. Winnipeg led off in the first period with a Patrik Laine power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Neal Pionk and Blake Wheeler. Dallas tied it in the second period with a Mattias Janmark goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Jason Dickinson. The Stars gained the lead with a Radek Faksa goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Esa Lindell and Denis Gurianov. The Jets tied it in the third period on an Andrew Copp goal, his third of the year, passed from Tucker Poolman and Adam Lowry. Winnipeg iced it at 3-2 in overtime with a Mark Scheifele goal, his seventh of the campaign, with a lone assist by Josh Morrissey. The three stars were Scheifele, Hellebuyck (26 for 28 in saves), and Copp.

Further west, the Vancouver Canucks bring in the New Jersey Devils. MacKenzie Blackwood and Jacob Markstrom are between the pipes. New Jersey opened in the first period with a Wayne Simmonds power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Kyle Palmieri and Taylor Hall. The Devils added on with a Jesper Bratt goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Damon Severson and Pavel Zacha. Vancouver got on the board in the second period with a Brock Boeser power play goal, his eighth of the season, with assists provided by J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes. This only made it 2-1, the eventual final, with the three stars given to Blackwood (30 for 31 in saves), Bratt, and Simmonds.

Back east, the Detroit Red Wings host the Vegas Golden Knights. Malcolm Subban and Jonathan Bernier are the backups in goal. Vegas started in the first period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Reilly Smith and Shea Theodore. Detroit tied it on an Andreas Athanasiou power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Mike Green and Filip Hronek. The Golden Knights took the lead with a Max Pacioretty goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Nicolas Roy and Ryan Reaves in the second period. The Red Wings tied it again in the third period with an unassisted Madison Bowey goal. Detroit took the lead with an Anthony Mantha goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Robby Fabbri and Dylan Larkin. The final held at 3-2, with the three stars being Mantha, Bowey, and Athanasiou.

Down in Chicago, the Blackhawks welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Michael Hutchinson and Robin Lehner are in the blue paint. Chicago struck first in the first period with a Patrick Kane goal, his seventh of the season, courtesy of Alex DeBrincat and Dylan Strome. The Blackhawks added on with a Kirby Dach goal, his second of the year, assisted by Andrew Shaw and Calvin de Haan. Chicago extended the lead as Kane scored his second of the game and eighth of the season, thanks to DeBrincat and Strome. Toronto got on the board with a William Nylander goal, his sixth of the year, helped along by Auston Matthews. The Blackhawks replied with a Jonathan Toews power play goal, his third of the season, powered by DeBrincat and Kane. The Maple Leafs got one back in the third period with another Nylander goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, with a lone assist by Matthews. Toronto pulled closer with a John Tavares power play goal, his fifth of the season, with helpers from Andreas Johnsson and Matthews. Chicago answered on a Brandon Saad goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Toews and Drake Caggiula. The Maple Leafs shot back with a Johnsson power play goal, his fifth of the campaign, guided in by Tavares and Matthews. The final stood at 5-4, with the three stars being Kane, Matthews, and DeBrincat, while Toews, Strome, Nylander, Tavares, and Johnsson all get honorable mentions.

East again to Boston, as the Bruins bring in the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Jaroslav Halak are the goalies. Philadelphia drew first blood in the first period with a Travis Konecny goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Oskar Lindblom and Sean Couturier. The Flyers added on with a Philippe Myers goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Konecny and Couturier. Boston got on the board in the third period with a Danton Heinen goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Charlie Coyle and Zdeno Chara. The Bruins tied it with a Brad Marchand goal, his eleventh of the year, assisted by Matt Grzelcyk. The tie went to a shootout, where Joel Farabee's lone tally gave the Flyers a 3-2 win. The three stars were Konecny, Couturier, and Myers.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the Edmonton Oilers. Mikko Koskinen and John Gibson draw the starts in goal. Edmonton kicked off the scoring in the first period with an unassisted Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his second of the season. Anaheim tied it on a Rickard Rakell goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Jakob Silfverberg and Adam Henrique. The Oilers retook the lead on a Connor McDavid goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Leon Draisaitl and Zack Kassian. Edmonton added on in the second period with a Nugent-Hopkins power play goal, his second of the game and third of the year, powered by Draisaitl and Oscar Klefbom. The Oilers extended the lead as Kassian scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Patrick Russell and Ethan Bear. Anaheim got one back in the third period with a Max Jones goal, with a lone assist by Sam Steel. Edmonton shot back with a McDavid goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, made possible by Kassian and Draisaitl. The Oilers iced it at 6-2 with McDavid finishing his hat trick with his eleventh of the campaign on the power play, set up by Klefbom and Draisaitl. The three stars were McDavid, Draisaitl, and Kassian, while Nugent-Hopkins and Klefbom get the honorable mentions.

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MLS CUP 2019

The grand finale of the MLS season is here, with the Seattle Sounders FC hosting Toronto FC. Quentin Westberg and Stefan Frei are the gloved men. Seattle got going in the 57th minute with a Kelvin Leerdam goal, via Raul Ruidiaz. Alejandro Pozuelo of Toronto took a yellow card for a 72nd minute foul. The Sounders added on with a Victor Rodriguez goal, set up by Nicolas Lodeiro and Gustav Svensson in  the 76th minute. Seattle extended the lead as Ruidiaz scored in the 90th minute, thanks to Svensson. He received a yellow card for celebration. The Reds got on the board in stoppage time with a Jozy Altidore goal, courtesy of Pozuelo. This only made it 3-1, with Rodriguez named MLS Cup MVP as the Sounders lifted their second championship trophy.

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NHL 2019-20 - Day 39

There's eleven games on this Saturday, beginning with...

The Tampa Bay Lightning playing host to the Buffalo Sabres in Sweden. Carter Hutton and Curtis McElhinney draw the starts in goal. Buffalo led off in the first period with a Sam Reinhart goal, his eighth of the season, courtesy of Marcus Johansson and Brandon Montour. Tampa Bay tied it on a Pat Maroon power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Yanni Gourde and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Lightning took the lead in the second period with a Victor Hedman power play goal, his third of the season, with assists provided by Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. Tampa Bay added on with another Maroon goal, his second of the game and third of the year, via Cedric Paquette and Shattenkirk. The Sabres got one back in the third period with a Victor Olofsson goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Jack Eichel and Reinhart. The Lightning responded with a Gourde goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Paquette. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Mathieu Joseph scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Alex Killorn and Anthony Cirelli. Buffalo pulled back with an Eichel goal, his eighth of the year, made possible by Rasmus Ristolainen and Rasmus Dahlin. The final stood at 5-3, with the three stars being Maroon, Gourde, and Paquette, while Shattenkirk, Eichel, and Reinhart get the honorable mentions.

Across the Atlantic, a matinee in New York sees the Islanders host the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Thomas Greiss are in the blue paint. New York began in the first period with a Mathew Barzal goal, his seventh of the season, via Brock Nelson and Derick Brassard. Florida tied it in the third period with an Aleksander Barkov power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Jonathan Huberdeau and Keith Yandle. The Islanders retook the lead with a Scott Mayfield goal, his second of the campaign, helped along by Devon Toews and Barzal. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Barzal, Greiss (37 for 38 in saves), and Mayfield.

At the regular time, the Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Elliott and Frederik Andersen are the goalies. Philadelphia opened in the first period with a Philippe Myers goal, his second of the season, made possible by James van Riemsdyk and Joel Farabee. The Flyers added on with an Oskar Lindblom power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Travis Konecny and Shayne Gostisbehere. Toronto got on the board with a Travis Dermott goal in the second period, passed from William Nylander and Auston Matthews. The Maple Leafs tied it in the third period with a Nylander goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Matthews and Justin Holl. The tie went to a shootout, where Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier lifted the Flyers 3-2 over Nylander and the Maple Leafs. The three stars were Nylander, Matthews, and Elliott (38 for 40 in saves).

Stateside, the Washington Capitals bring in the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Braden Holtby tend the twines. Washington started in the first period with an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Dmitry Orlov and Jakub Vrana. The Capitals added on with a Tom Wilson goal, his eighth of the year, with a lone assist by Vrana. Vegas got on the board with a Max Pacioretty goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. Washington shot back in the second period with a Jonas Siegenthaler goal, passed from Travis Boyd. The Golden Knights pulled back with a Reilly Smith power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Jonathan Marchessault and Cody Eakin. The Capitals countered in the third period with a Nicklas Backstrom power play goal, his third of the season, with assists provided by John Carlson and Kuznetsov. Washington iced it at 5-2 with a Backstrom empty net goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, set up by T.J. Oshie and Carlson. The three stars were Kuznetsov, Backstrom, and Vrana, while Carlson gets an honorable mention.

West to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins host the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Matt Murray are the alliterative goalies. Chicago got going in the second period with a Dominik Kubalik goal, his fourth of the season, via Brandon Saad and Slater Koekkoek. The Blackhawks added on with a Patrick Kane goal, his sixth of the year, with a lone helper by Calvin de Haan. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Jake Guentzel goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Evgeni Malkin and Jared McCann. The Penguins tied it in the third period with a Bryan Rust goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of John Marino and Malkin. Pittsburgh won 3-2 in the shootout with Guentzel and McCann overpowering Kane. The three stars were Malkin, Guentzel, and McCann, while Kane gets an honorable mention.

North again to Ottawa, where the Senators welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. James Reimer and Anders Nilsson are between the pipes. Ottawa struck first in the first period with a Filip Chlapik goal, passed from Jonathan Davidsson and J.C. Beaudin. The Senators added on with a Vladislav Namestnikov goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Tyler Ennis and Colin White. Ottawa extended the lead as Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored his eighth of the year, with the help of Nick Paul. Carolina got on the board in the second period with an Andrei Svechnikov power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Dougie Hamilton and Teuvo Teravainen. The Senators capped it at 4-1 with a Brady Tkachuk goal in the third period, his fifth of the year, with helpers from Anthony Duclair and Ron Hainsey. The three stars belonged to Nilsson (38 for 39 in saves), Namestnikov, and Pageau.

Into Quebec, as the Montreal Canadiens bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Carey Price protect the nets. Montreal drew first blood in the first period with a Shea Weber power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Max Domi and Jonathan Drouin. The Canadiens added on with a Nate Thompson goal, via Artturi Lehkonen and Tomas Tatar. Montreal extended the lead as Weber scored again on the power play, his second of the game and fifth of the year, thanks to Drouin and Nick Cousins. Los Angeles got on the board in the second period with an Anze Kopitar power play goal, his fifth of the season, with assists provided by Alex Iafallo and Blake Lizotte. The Kings got one back in the third period with a Lizotte goal, passed from Austin Wagner and Carl Grundstrom. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Weber, Drouin, and Lizotte.

Way to the southwest, the Arizona Coyotes host the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Darcy Kuemper receive the starting nods in goal. Arizona was first to score in the first period with a Michael Grabner goal, his fifth of the season, via Aaron Ness. The Coyotes added on with a Jakob Chychrun goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Nick Schmaltz and Christian Dvorak. Minnesota got on the board in the second period with a Mikko Koivu power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Suter. Arizona fired back on a Vinnie Hinostroza goal, his second of the year, guided in by Jordan Oesterle and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The Wild pulled back with a Kevin Fiala goal, his third of the season, helped along by Brad Hunt and Zach Parise. Minnesota tied it on a Matt Dumba goal his second of the year, coming off of Kevin Fiala and Jason Zucker. The Wild pulled ahead in the third period with a Ryan Hartman goal, his second of the season, assisted by Spurgeon and Suter. The final held at 4-3, with the three stars going to Spurgeon, Hartman, and Suter.

Up in Denver, the Colorado Avalanche welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Pavel Francouz are the masked men. Columbus kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Emil Bemstrom power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Seth Jones and Gustav Nyquist. Colorado tied it on a Samuel Girard power play goal, with assists provided by Vladislav Kamenev and Tyson Jost. The Blue Jackets retook the lead on a Zach Werenski goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Cam Atkinson and Nick Foligno. The Avalanche tied it in the second period on a Cale Makar goal, his third of the season, coming off of Ryan Graves and Matt Nieto. Colorado took the lead with another Makar goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, fueled by Jost and Nazem Kadri. The Avalanche iced it at 4-2 with an unassisted Kadri goal, his sixth of the campaign. The three stars went to Makar, Kadri, and Jost.

Further to the north, the Calgary Flames bring in the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and David Rittich guard the cages. St. Louis cracked the scoresheet in the first period with an Ivan Barbashev goal, his second of the season, guided in by Oskar Sundqvist and MacKenzie MacEachern. The Blues added on in the second period with a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by David Perron and Alex Pietrangelo. Calgary got on the board in the third period with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Andrew Mangiapane and Mikael Backlund. The Flames tied it on a Travis Hamonic goal, coming off of Mark Giordano. St. Louis won 3-2 in overtime with a Perron power play goal, his eighth of the year, with assists provided by O'Reilly and Pietrangelo. The three stars were Perron, O'Reilly, and Pietrangelo.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Martin Jones are the veterans in goal. Nashville dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Filip Forsberg goal, his eighth of the season, via Dante Fabbro. San Jose tied it on a Tomas Hertl goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Timo Meier and Marc-Edouard Vlasic in the third period. The Sharks won 2-1 in the shootout on a lone tally by Meier in round seven. The three stars were Jones (24 for 25 in saves), Hertl, and Meier.

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NHL 2019-20 - Day 38

A four-game Friday is on tap, starting with...

The Buffalo Sabres playing host to the Tampa Bay Lightning for the first of a pair of games in Sweden. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Linus Ullmark get the starts in goal. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Brayden Point and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Lightning added on with an Alex Killorn power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos. Buffalo got on the board in the second period with a Sam Reinhart goal, his sixth of the season, via Rasmus Ristolainen and Jake McCabe. Tampa Bay shot back in the third period with a Yanni Gourde goal, his third of the year, guided in by Pat Maroon and Cedric Paquette. The Sabres pulled back with another Reinhart goal, his second of the game and seventh of the campaign, helped along by Henri Jokiharju and Victor Olofsson. The final stood at 3-2, with the three stars going to Reinhart, Gourde, and Killorn.

Back across the ocean, the Detroit Red Wings welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask faces a lesser foe in Jonathan Bernier in goal. Boston started in the first period with a David Krejci goal, his second of the season, coming off of Peter Cehlarik. Detroit tied it on a Dylan Larkin goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Madison Bowey and the goalie Bernier. The Red Wings took the lead on a Robby Fabbri power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha. Detroit added on in the second period with another Fabbri power play goal, his second of the game and third of the year, with assists provided by Bertuzzi and Dennis Cholowski. The Bruins got one back with a Torey Krug power play goal, his third of the season, helped along by Krejci and David Pastrnak. The Red Wings iced it at 4-2 with a Mantha empty net goal, his tenth of the year, set up by the goalie Bernier. The three stars were Fabbri, Mantha, and Bernier (25 for 27 in saves with two assists), while Krejci and Bertuzzi get honorable mentions.

Up in Canada, the Winnipeg Jets bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Connor Hellebuyck are the masked men. Vancouver got going in the second period with a J.T. Miller goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Troy Stecher and Brock Boeser. Winnipeg tied it with a Jack Roslovic goal, his third of the year, via Blake Wheeler and Neal Pionk. The Jets took the lead on a Mark Scheifele goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Kyle Connor and Tucker Poolman. Winnipeg added on in the third period with a Connor goal, his sixth of the year, going in unassisted. The Jets capped it at 4-1 with an Adam Lowry empty net goal, set up by Andrew Copp and Mathieu Perreault. The three stars went to Hellebuyck (32 for 33 in saves), Connor, and Scheifele.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers host the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Mikko Koskinen draw the starts in goal. Edmonton dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Leon Draisaitl goal, his fourteenth of the season, via Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Joel Persson. The Oilers added on with a Gaetan Haas goal, his second of the year, assisted by Matt Benning and Kris Russell. Edmonton extended the lead as James Neal scored his twelfth of the season, thanks to Alex Chiasson and Persson. The Oilers padded the lead on a Chiasson power play goal in the third period, powered by Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid. This produced the 4-0 final score, with the three stars given to Koskinen (26 save shutout), Chiasson, and Nugent-Hopkins, while Persson gets an honorable mention.

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NHL 2019-20 - Day 37

Another eleven-game night is on tap, beginning with...

The Florida Panthers hosting the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Sergei Bobrovsky guard the cages. Washington led off in the first period with a John Carlson goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Michal Kempny and Alex Ovechkin. Florida tied it on an unassisted Frank Vatrano goal, his fourth of the year. The Panthers took the lead on a Brett Connolly goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Anton Stralman and Brian Boyle. Florida added on with an Aleksander Barkov goal in the second period, his third of the year, via Evgenii Dadonov. The Capitals got one back with an Ovechkin power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Evgeny Kuznetsov and Carlson. Washington tied it as Ovechkin scored his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, thanks to Dmitry Orlov and Nicklas Backstrom. The Panthers regained the lead on a Dadonov power play goal, his seventh of the season, with assists provided by Jonathan Huberdeau and Barkov. The Capitals evened it in the third period on a Tom Wilson goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Kuznetsov. Washington won 5-4 in overtime with another Wilson goal, his second of the game and seventh of the campaign, guided in by Carlson and T.J. Oshie. The three stars were Ovechkin, Wilson, and Carlson, while Barkov, Dadonov, and Kuznetsov get the honorable mentions.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Malcolm Subban is mismatched with Frederik Andersen in goal. Vegas dented the scoreboard in the third period with an unassisted Max Pacioretty goal, his fourth of the season. Toronto tied it on an Auston Matthews power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by John Tavares and Morgan Rielly. The Maple Leafs won 2-1 in overtime on a Tavares goal, his fourth of the campaign, passed from Mitchell Marner. The three stars belonged to Tavares, Andersen (37 for 38 in saves), and Matthews.

Back stateside, the Philadelphia Flyers bring in the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Carter Hart are in the creases. Philadelphia began in the first period with a Philippe Myers goal, going in unassisted. The Flyers added on with a James van Riemsdyk goal in the second period, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux. Montreal got on the board with a Ben Chiarot goal, his third of the year, via Nick Cousins and Phillip Danault. The Canadiens tied it in the third period with a Shea Weber goal, his third of the season, guided in by Jonathan Drouin. Philadelphia won 3-2 in overtime on a Sean Couturier goal, his fifth of the year, assisted by Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov. The three stars were Couturier, Myers, and Weber.

Along to Brooklyn, as the New York Islanders host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Matt Murray and Semyon Varlamov are the masked men. New York started in the first period with a Casey Cizikas goal, his second of the season, passed from Michael Dal Colle and Ryan Pulock. The Islanders added on with a Cal Clutterbuck shorthanded goal in the second period, his second of the year, set up by Cizikas and Adam Pelech. New York extended the lead as Pelech scored, thanks to Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Jared McCann goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of John Marino and Brian Dumoulin in the third period. The Penguins got closer with a Bryan Rust goal, his third of the year, guided in by McCann and Evgeni Malkin. Pittsburgh tied it on a Malkin goal, his second of the season, helped along by Juuso Riikola and McCann. The Penguins won 4-3 in overtime with an unassisted Rust goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year. The three stars went to Rust, McCann, and Malkin, while Cizikas and Pelech get the honorable mentions.

South to Raleigh, where the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Petr Mrazek are in the blue paint. New York opened in the first period with an Artemi Panarin goal, his eighth of the season, via Ryan Strome and Jesper Fast. Carolina tied it in the second period on a Dougie Hamilton goal, his seventh of the year, fueled by Jaccob Slavin and Teuvo Teravainen. The Rangers retook the lead on a Brendan Lemieux power play goal, powered by Tony DeAngelo and Pavel Buchnevich. New York added on in the third period with an unassisted Buchnevich goal, his third of the season. The Hurricanes got one back with a Sebastian Aho goal, his sixth of the year, made possible by Ryan Dzingel and Martin Necas. The Rangers iced it at 4-2 with an Adam Fox empty net goal, his second of the campaign, set up by Panarin. The three stars went to Buchnevich, Lundqvist (45 for 47 in saves), and Panarin.

Back in Canada, the Ottawa Senators bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jack Campbell and Anders Nilsson draw the starts in goal. Los Angeles got going in the second period with a Dustin Brown goal, his fourth of the season, with a lone assist by Anze Kopitar. Ottawa tied it on an Anthony Duclair goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Nikita Zaitsev and Brady Tkachuk. The Senators took the lead in the third period on an Artem Anisimov goal, his second of the season, via Tyler Ennis and Filip Chlapik. The Kings retied it with a Tyler Toffoli goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Matt Roy and Ilya Kovalchuk. Ottawa won 3-2 in overtime with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Nick Paul. The three stars were Pageau, Nilsson (26 for 28 in saves), and Anisimov.

Southwest to Chicago, as the Blackhawks host the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Corey Crawford are the veterans in goal. Chicago struck first in the first period with an Alex DeBrincat goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Dylan Strome and Patrick Kane. The Blackhawks added on with an Andrew Shaw power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Strome and Kane. Vancouver got on the board in the second period with a J.T. Miller power play goal, his seventh of the season, with assists provided by Elias Pettersson and Bo Horvat. Chicago replied in the third period with a Kane power play goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Duncan Keith and Strome. The Blackhawks extended the lead as David Kampf scored a shorthanded empty net goal, his third of the season, with a lone assist by Olli Maatta. The Canucks got one back on a Jake Virtanen goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Alexander Edler and Adam Gaudette. Chicago iced it at 5-2 with a Brandon Saad empty net goal, his fifth of the campaign, set up by Ryan Carpenter and Maatta. The three stars were Kane, Strome, and Maatta.

Further along, the Arizona Coyotes welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Darcy Kuemper are the lesser-known goalies. Columbus kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Gustav Nyquist goal, his third of the season, passed from Seth Jones and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Arizona tied it on a Carl Soderberg goal, his fifth of the year, fueled by Ilya Lyubushkin. The Coyotes took the lead in the second period with a Jakob Chychrun goal, his third of the season, coming off of Michael Grabner and Vinnie Hinostroza. The Blue Jackets retied it on an Emil Bemstrom power play goal, powered by Cam Atkinson and Nyquist. Columbus pulled ahead with a Bjorkstrand goal, his fourth of the year, via Pierre-Luc Dubois and Nyquist. The final was 3-2, with the three stars given to Nyquist, Bjorkstrand, and Korpisalo (30 for 32 in saves).

Up in Denver, the Colorado Avalanche bring in the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Pavel Francouz receive the starting nods in goal. Colorado was first to score in the first period with a Cale Makar goal, his second of the season, made possible by Matt Nieto and Ryan Graves. Nashville tied it on a Ryan Ellis goal, his third of the year, with a lone helper by Ryan Johansen. The Avalanche retook the lead with a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Makar and Andre Burakovsky. The Predators tied it again in the second period on a Filip Forsberg shorthanded goal, his seventh of the year, fueled by Viktor Arvidsson and Johansen. Nashville took the lead on a Matt Duchene power play goal, his fifth of the season, with assists provided by Arvidsson and Roman Josi. Colorado equalized with a Joonas Donskoi goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by MacKinnon and Matt Calvert. The Avalanche pulled ahead with a Graves goal, his second of the season, helped along by Nazem Kadri and Tyson Jost. Colorado added on with a Burakovsky goal, his fifth of the year, via Vladislav Kamenev and Erik Johnson. Juuse Saros relieved Rinne in goal. The Avalanche extended the lead with a shorthanded Nieto goal, his fourth of the season, set up by J.T. Compher and Graves. Colorado padded the lead as Calvert scored his fourth of the year, thanks to MacKinnon and Makar. The Avalanche continued with a Donskoi goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, with helpers from Johnson and MacKinnon. The Predators got one back in the third period on a Craig Smith goal, his second of the year, dished from Nick Bonino and Rocco Grimaldi. Colorado iced it at 9-4 with a Donskoi power play goal to complete his hat trick on his eighth of the campaign, with assists from Burakovsky and T.J. Tynan. The three stars were Donskoi, MacKinnon, and Burakovsky, while Makar, Graves, Nieto, Calvert, Johnson, Johansen, and Arvidsson all get honorable mentions.

Further north to Calgary, where the Flames host the New Jersey Devils. MacKenzie Blackwood and David Rittich are the inexperienced goalies. New Jersey drew first blood in the first period with a Jack Hughes goal, his fourth of the season, via Taylor Hall and Will Butcher. Calgary tied it on a Derek Ryan goal, his third of the year, coming off of Michael Stone and T.J. Brodie. The Devils retook the lead with a Nikita Gusev goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Hughes and Pavel Zacha. The Flames tied it again with a Sean Monahan goal, his fourth of the year, helped along by Noah Hanifin and Johnny Gaudreau. Calgary took the lead on a Mikael Backlund power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson. The Flames added on with a Hanifin power play goal, his third of the year, with assists provided by Sam Bennett and Backlund. Calgary extended the lead in the third period as Gaudreau scored his fifth of the campaign, thanks to Monahan and Elias Lindholm. This stood for a 5-2 win, with the three stars given to Hanifin, Monahan, and Backlund, while Gaudreau and Hughes get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Minnesota Wild. Alex Stalock and Martin Jones are between the pipes. San Jose cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Logan Couture goal, his second of the season, via Evander Kane and Marcus Sorensen. The Sharks added on with a Timo Meier goal, his fourth of the year, assisted by Tomas Hertl and Erik Karlsson. San Jose extended the lead as Marcus Sorensen scored his third of the season, thanks to Patrick Marleau and Couture. The Sharks padded the lead on a Radim Simek goal, passed from Hertl and Meier. Devan Dubnyk replaced Stalock in the second period. Minnesota got on the board with a Luke Kunin goal, his third of the year, guided in by Joel Eriksson Ek. San Jose shot back with a Hertl power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Couture and Brent Burns. The Wild fired back on an Eric Staal goal, his sixth of the year, with a lone helper by Ryan Hartman. The Sharks countered with an Evander Kane power play goal, his tenth of the season, with assists provided by Couture and Burns. Minnesota chipped back in the third period with a Brad Hunt goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Kunin. The Wild got closer with a Ryan Donato goal, set up by Eric Staal. Minnesota kept going with a Jason Zucker goal, his fifth of the campaign, fueled by Mats Zuccarello and Staal. This only made it 6-5, the final, with the three stars handed to Couture, Hertl, and Staal, while Kane, Sorensen, Meier, Burns, and Kunin get the honorable mentions.

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