NHL 2020 - Qualifying Round Day 3

The NHL is up to its full speed during the bubble restart, with six games on today. Leading off...

The Carolina Hurricanes take on the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Petr Mrazek are the veterans in goal. Carolina opened in the first period with an Andrei Svechnikov goal, coming off of Sebastian Aho and Sami Vatanen. New York tied it on an Artemi Panarin power play goal, powered by Ryan Strome and Tony DeAngelo. The Hurricanes took the lead in the second period with a Svechnikov power play goal, his second of the game with assists provided by Vatanen and Aho. Carolina added on with a Jordan Martinook goal, passed from Morgan Geekie and Brock McGinn. The Hurricanes extended the lead in the third period as Svechnikov completed his hat trick, with the help of Aho. This stood for a 4-1 win, with the three stars being Svechnikov, Aho, and Mrazek (23 for 24 in saves), while Vatanen gets an honorable mention. The Hurricanes lead the series 2-0.

Opening in the west, the Calgary Flames face the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Cam Talbot are the masked men. Winnipeg started in the first period with a Jansen Harkins goal, coming off of Adam Lowry and Jack Roslovic. The Jets added on with a Lowry goal in the second period, fueled by Roslovic and Josh Morrissey. Calgary got on the board with an Elias Lindholm goal, going in unassisted. The Flames tied it with a Sam Bennett goal, passed from Milan Lucic and Noah Hanifin. Winnipeg retook the lead in the third period with a Nikolai Ehlers power play goal, powered by Neal Pionk and Kyle Connor. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Lowry, Roslovic, and Ehlers. The series is tied at 1.

Back east, the Tampa Bay Lightning meet the Washington Capitals in a round-robin game. Braden Holtby and Andrei Vasilevskiy tend the twines. Tampa Bay led off in the first period with a Nikita Kucherov goal, assisted by Brayden Point. The Lightning added on in the second period with a Mitchell Stephens goal, courtesy of Ryan McDonagh and Pat Maroon. Washington got on the board with a Richard Panik goal, helped along by Lars Eller and Radko Gudas. The Capitals tied it with an Evgeny Kuznetsov power play goal, powered by Dmitry Orlov and Nicklas Backstrom. The tie went to a shootout, where T.J. Oshie's tally for the Capitals fell short against Point and Kucherov for the Lightning, who won 3-2. The three stars went to Kucherov, Point, and Vasilevskiy (31 for 33 in saves).

In the west round-robin, the Vegas Golden Knights oppose the Dallas Stars. Ben Bishop and Robin Lehner protect the nets. Vegas began in the first period with a Chandler Stephenson goal, via William Karlsson and Mark Stone. Dallas tied it in the second period with a Joe Pavelski goal, helped along by Mattias Janmark and Miro Heiskanen. The Stars took the lead on a Jamie Oleksiak goal, courtesy of Blake Comeau and Heiskanen. Dallas added on with a Corey Perry power play goal, powered by Heiskanen and Roope Hintz. The Golden Knights got one back in the third period with a Stone goal, assisted by Nick Cousins and Zach Whitecloud. Vegas tied it on a Nate Schmidt goal, with a lone helper by Reilly Smith. The Golden Knights pulled ahead on a William Carrier goal, guided in by Schmidt and Ryan Reaves. Vegas won 5-3 with a Karlsson goal, fueled by Nicolas Roy. The three stars were Stone, Schmidt, and Karlsson, while Heiskanen gets an honorable mention.

East once more, with the Pittsburgh Penguins versus the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Matt Murray are in the blue paint. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period with a Sidney Crosby goal, his second of the postseason, via Jake Guentzel and Conor Sheary. The Penguins added on in the third period with a Jason Zucker goal, coming off of Sheary and Brian Dumoulin. Montreal got on the board with a Jesperi Kotkaniemi goal, his second of the playoffs, fueled by Artturi Lehkonen and Jeff Petry. Pittsburgh iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Guentzel, set up Bryan Rust. The three stars were Guentzel, Sheary, and Murray (26 for 27 in saves). The series is now tied at 1.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers host the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Mikko Koskinen receive the starting nods in goal. Edmonton kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Connor McDavid goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Darnell Nurse and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers added on with another McDavid goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, passed from Nugent-Hopkins and Ethan Bear. Chicago got on the board with a Patrick Kane goal, helped along by Alex DeBrincat and Slater Koekkoek. Edmonton replied in the second period with a Tyler Ennis goal, going in unassisted. The Blackhawks countered on a Koekkoek goal, assisted by DeBrincat and Kirby Dach. Chicago tied it on an Olli Maatta goal, coming off of Dach and Kane. The Oilers retook the lead with a McDavid power play goal, finishing his hat trick on his fourth of the postseason, powered by Nugent-Hopkins and Alex Chiasson. Edmonton extended the lead as James Neal scored his second of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The Oilers padded the lead as Chiasson scored, also an unassisted goal.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2020 Qualifiying Round - Day 2

We're back for another five-game day as more teams get their first summer hockey action. Leading off...

The Nashville Predators face the Arizona Coyotes. Darcy Kuemper and Juuse Saros are the goalies. Arizona led off in the first period with an Oliver Ekman-Larsson goal, via Taylor Hall and Derek Stepan. The Coyotes added on with a Christian Dvorak goal, courtesy of Phil Kessel and Hall. Arizona extended the lead as Clayton Keller scored on the power play, with the help of Dvorak and Kessel. Nashville got on the board with an unassisted Filip Forsberg power play goal. The Coyotes replied in the second period with a shorthanded and unassisted Michael Grabner goal. The Predators pulled back in the third period with a Ryan Ellis goal, coming off of Ryan Johansen and Roman Josi. Nashville got closer with another Forsberg power play goal, powered by Josi and Matt Duchene. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Dvorak, Hall, and Forsberg, while Kessel and Josi get the honorable mentions. Arizona holds a 1-0 series lead.

In the east, the first round-robin game sees the Boston Bruins take on the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Jaroslav Halak are set to start in goal. Philadelphia got going in the second period with a Michael Raffl goal, via Travis Sanheim. The Flyers added on with a Nate Thompson goal, assisted by Raffl and Ivan Provorov. Boston got on the board with a Chris Wagner goal, fueled by Joakim Nordstrom and Charlie McAvoy. Philadelphia shot back on a Philippe Myers goal, with a lone helper from Jakub Voracek. The Flyers extended the lead in the third period as Scott Laughton scored, thanks to Kevin Hayes. This held for a 4-1 win, with the three stars belonging to Raffl, Hart (34 for 35 in saves), and Thompson.

Back west, the Colorado Avalanche meet the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Philipp Grubauer guard the cages. St. Louis began in the first period with a David Perron power play goal, powered by Brayden Schenn and Ryan O'Reilly. Colorado tied it in the third period with a Ryan Graves goal, via Mikko Rantanen. The Avalanche won 2-1 with a fraction of a second on the clock when Nazem Kadri scored a power play goal, with helpers from Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon. The three stars were Grubauer (31 for 32 in saves), Kadri, and Graves.

Last call in the east today sees the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Frederik Andersen draw the starts in goal. Columbus dented the scoreboard in the third period with a Cam Atkinson goal, guided in by David Savard. The Blue Jackets iced it at 2-0 with an Alexander Wennberg empty net goal, set up by Nick Foligno and Atkinson. The three stars were awarded to Korpisalo (28 save shutout), Atkinson, and Andersen (33 for 34 in saves). Columbus leads the series 1-0.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks battle the Minnesota Wild. Alex Stalock and Jacob Markstrom play in goal. Minnesota struck first in the first period with a Kevin Fiala power play goal, powered by Eric Staal and Jared Spurgeon. The Wild added on in the second period with a Spurgeon power play goal, coming off of Staal. Minnesota iced it at 3-0 with a Spurgeon empty net goal, his second of the game, set up by Joel Eriksson Ek and Mikko Koivu in the third period. The three stars were Spurgeon, Stalock (28 save shutout), and Staal. The Wild have a 1-0 series lead.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2020 Qualifying Round - Day 1

After four and a half months off, the NHL is back with a modified playoff system featuring 24 teams in two hub cities to accommodate the COVID-19 pandemic. No more than six games per day will be played; today, there's five. We begin with...

The Carolina Hurricanes versus the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Petr Mrazek man the nets. Carolina opened in the first period with a Jaccob Slavin goal, coming off of Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho. The Hurricanes added on in the second period with an Aho power play goal, via Andrei Svechnikov and Sami Vatanen. New York got on the board with a Mika Zibanejad goal, powered by Ryan Lindgren and Chris Kreider. Carolina replied in the third period with a Martin Necas goal, courtesy of Nino Niederreiter and Slavin. The Rangers got one back with a Marc Staal goal, helped along by Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Aho, Slavin, and Zibanejad. The Hurricanes lead the series 1-0.

In the west, the Edmonton Oilers host the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Mike Smith are the masked men. Edmonton started in the first period with a Connor McDavid power play goal, powered by Leon Draisaitl and Oscar Klefbom. Chicago tied it on an unassisted Dylan Strome goal. The Blackhawks took the lead with a Jonathan Toews power play goal, with assists provided by Dominik Kubalik and Patrick Kane. Chicago added on with a Brandon Saad goal, via Olli Maatta and Kubalik. The Blackhawks extended the lead as Toews scored his second of the game, with the help of Kubalik and Saad. The Oilers got one back in the second period with a Draisaitl power play goal, with helpers from McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Chicago countered with a Kubalik power play goal, made possible by Duncan Keith and Kirby Dach. Mikko Koskinen replaced Smith in goal. The Blackhawks padded the lead on a Kubalik power play goal, his second of the game, guided in by Keith and Toews. Edmonton pulled one back with a James Neal power play goal, assisted by Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid. The Oilers chipped closer with a Nugent-Hopkins goal, dished from Klefbom and Draisaitl. The final stood at 6-4, with the three stars awarded to Kubalik, McDavid, and Toews, while Nugent-Hopkins, Saad, Draisaitl, Keith and Klefbom get the honorable mentions. The Blackhawks lead the series 1-0.

Back east, the New York Islanders face the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Semyon Varlamov are the Russian goalies. New York led off in the first period with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, fueled by Derick Brassard. The Islanders added on in the second period with an Anthony Beauvillier power play goal, powered by Devon Toews and Josh Bailey. Florida got on the board in the third period with a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, via MacKenzie Weegar and Aleksander Barkov. They couldn't tie it, and the Islanders went on to win 2-1. The three stars belonged to Varlamov (27 for 28 in saves), Beauvillier, and Pageau. The Islanders have a 1-0 series lead.

Staying in Toronto, the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Matt Murray are in the creases. Montreal began in the first period with a Jesperi Kotkaniemi goal, assisted by Paul Byron and Brett Kulak. The Canadiens added on in the second period with an unassisted Nick Suzuki goal. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Sidney Crosby goal, passed from Jake Guentzel and Justin Schultz. The Penguins tied it with a Bryan Rust power play goal, powered by Patric Hornqvist and Jared McCann. Montreal won 3-2 in overtime with a Jeff Petry goal, courtesy of Brendan Gallagher and Phillip Danault. The three stars were Petry, Suzuki, and Kotkaniemi. The Canadiens hold a 1-0 series lead.

Finally, the Calgary Flames meet the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Cam Talbot are between the pipes. Winnipeg struck first in the first period with an Andrew Copp goal, coming off of Adam Lowry and Dmitry Kulikov. Calgary tied it in the second period with a Johnny Gaudreau power play goal, powered by Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm. The Flames took the lead with a Tobias Rieder shorthanded goal, set up by T.J. Brodie. Calgary added on with a Mikael Backlund power play goal, with helpers from Andrew Mangiapane and Milan Lucic. The Flames iced it at 4-1 with a Mangiapane empty net goal in the third period, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Mangiapane, Rieder, and Talbot (17 for 18 in saves). The Flames have a 1-0 series lead.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2019-20 - Day 155

We've got five games tonight, beginning with...

The Chicago Blackhawks hosting the San Jose Sharks. Aaron Dell and Corey Crawford make the starts in goal. San Jose opened in the first period with an Evander Kane power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, powered by Joe Thornton and Timo Meier. Chicago tied it in the second period on a Duncan Keith power play goal, his third of the year, via Jonathan Toews and Alex DeBrincat. The Blackhawks took the lead with a Patrick Kane power play goal, his thirty-second of the season, with assists provided by DeBrincat and Keith. Chicago added on with a Brandon Saad goal, his twenty-first of the year, coming off of DeBrincat and Toews. The Blackhawks extended the lead as Alex Nylander scored his tenth of the season, thanks to Dylan Strome. The Sharks got one back with a Meier goal, his twenty-second of the year, guided in by Evander Kane. Chicago shot back on a Patrick Kane goal, his second of the game and thirty-third of the season, helped along by Slater Koekkoek and Nylander. The Blackhawks padded the lead as Dominik Kubalik scored his thirtieth of the year, with the help of Kirby Dach. This made it 6-2, with the three stars being Patrick Kane, DeBrincat, and Evander Kane, while Meier, Nylander, Keith, and Toews get the honorable mentions.

Over in Edmonton, the Oilers welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Mike Smith are the masked men. Edmonton got going in the second period with a Tyler Ennis goal, his sixteenth of the season, made possible by Kailer Yamamoto. Winnipeg tied it on a Blake Wheeler goal, his twenty-second of the year, via Nikolaj Ehlers and Nathan Beaulieu. The Jets took the lead with a Patrik Laine goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, courtesy of Cody Eakin. The Oilers tied it on a Connor McDavid goal, his thirty-fourth of the year, helped along by Zack Kassian and Darnell Nurse. Winnipeg reclaimed the lead on a Kyle Connor goal, his thirty-seventh of the season, assisted by Wheeler and Neal Pionk. The Jets iced it at 4-2 with a Connor empty net goal, his second of the game and thirty-eighth of the year, set up by Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey. Thethree stars were Connor, Wheeler, and Laine.

Down in Colorado, the Avalanche host the New York Rangers. Alexandar Georgiev and Pavel Francouz are the lesser-known goalies. New York started in the first period with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his forty-first of the season, courtesy of Phillip Di Giuseppe and Adam Fox. Colorado tied it on a Tyson Jost power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Gabriel Landeskog and Cale Makar. The Avalanche took the lead in the second period with a Vladislav Naemstnikov power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, with assists provided by Makar and Landeskog. The Rangers tied it in the third period on a Pavel Buchnevich goal, his sixteenth of the year, coming off of Artemi Panarin and Fox. Colorado won 3-2 in overtime on a J.T. Compher goal, his eleventh of the campaign, passed from Makar and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. The three stars were Makar, Landeskog, and Fox. 

Out in California, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Anthony Stolarz are the backups in goal. The game began 1-1, with Anaheim's goal from Adam Henrique, his twenty-sixth of the season now assisted by Hampus Lindholm and Josh Manson. St. Louis' tally was from Ivan Barbashev, his eleventh of the year, via Jordan Kyrou. The Blues took the lead with an Alex Pietrangelo power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Brayden Schenn and Ryan O'Reilly. The Ducks tied it in the second period on a Jani Hakanpaa goal, made possible by Henrique. St. Louis reclaimed the lead on a Zach Sanford goal, his sixteenth of the year, passed from O'Reilly and Sammy Blais. The Blues iced it at 4-2 with a Pietrangelo empty net goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the campaign, set up by Justin Faulk. The final was 4-2, with the three stars given to Pietrnagelo, Henrique, and O'Reilly.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Calvin Petersen are the goalies. Ottawa led off in the first period with a Bobby Ryan goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Brady Tkachuk and Colin White. Los Angeles tied it on a Trevor Lewis goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Adrian Kempe and Ben Hutton. The Senators took the lead back in the third period on a Jayce Hawryluk goal, his third of the season, via Andreas Englund and Nick Paul. The Kings tied it again on a power play goal by Gabriel Vilardi, his third of the year, powered by Sean Walker and Matt Roy. Los Angeles gained the lead with a Martin Frk goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Vilardi and Drew Doughty. This held for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Vilardi, Frk, and Lewis.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2019-20 - Day 154

There's eight games on today, beginning with...

The Philadelphia Flyers hosting the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Carter Hart guard the cages. Boston dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Matt Grzelcyk power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by David Pastrnak and David Krejci. The Bruins added on in the third period with a Patrice Bergeron goal, his thirty-first of the year, via Brad Marchand and Zdeno Chara. The final held at 2-0, with the three stars awarded to Rask (36 save shutout), Grzelcyk, and Bergeron.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Frederik Andersen protect the nets. Toronto led off in the first period with a William Nylander power play goal, his thirty-first of the season, powered by John Tavares and Mitchell Marner. Tampa Bay tied it on an Ondrej Palat goal, his seventeenth of the year, via Nikita Kucherov in the second period. The Maple Leafs took the lead back in the third period with an Auston Matthews power play goal, his forty-seventh of the season, with assists provided Marner and Tavares. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Andersen (32 for 33 in saves), Marner, and Tavares.

Over to Quebec, as the Montreal Canadiens host the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Carey Price are in the creases. Nashville got going in the second period with a Ryan Johansen goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson. The Predators added on with a Calle Jarnkrok goal, his fifteenth of the year, fueled by Kyle Turris. Nashville extended the lead as Forsberg scored his twentieth of the season on the power play, thanks to Roman Josi and Craig Smith. The Predators padded the lead on another Forsberg goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the year, made possible by Josi and Ryan Ellis. Montreal got on the board in the third period with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Xavier Ouellet and Nick Suzuki. The Canadiens got closer with a Lukas Vejdemo goal, passed from Dale Weise and Jake Evans. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars handed to Forsberg, Josi, and Saros (32 for 34 in saves).

Back stateside, the New Jersey Devils bring in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Matt Murray and MacKenzie Blackwood draw the starts in goal. Pittsburgh began in the first period with an Evan Rodrigues goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Jared McCann. New Jersey tied it on a Nikita Gusev power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Pavel Zacha and P.K. Subban. The Penguins took the lead back in the second period on a Justin Schultz goal, his third of the season, assisted by Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust. Pittsburgh added on with a Malkin goal in the third period, his twenty-fourth of the year, courtesy of Kris Letang. The Devils got one back with a Miles Wood goal, his eleventh of the season, fueled by Nico Hischier. The Penguins responded with another Malkin goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the year, going in unassisted. Pittsburgh iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Letang, his fifteenth of the campaign, an unassisted goal. The three stars were Malkin, Letang, and Schultz.

Along to Detroit, as the Red Wings host the Carolina Hurricanes. Petr Mrazek and Jonathan Bernier are set to start in goal. Carolina opened in the first period with a Morgan Geekie goal, his third of the season, passed from Warren Foegele and Jake Gardiner. Detroit tied it on a Tyler Bertuzzi goal, his twenty-first of the year, coming off of Anthony Mantha and Filip Hronek. The Hurricanes retook the lead in the second period with a Nino Niederreiter power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Gardiner and Vincent Trocheck. The Red Wings retied it on a Christoffer Ehn goal, his second of the year, guided in by Madison Bowey and Darren Helm. Carolina took the lead in the third period with a Justin Williams power play goal, his eighth of the season, with assists provided by Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho. The Hurricanes added on with an Aho shorthanded goal, his thirty-seventh of the year, set up by Teuvo Teravainen. Carolina iced it at 5-2 with an Aho power play goal, his second of the game and thirty-eighth of the campaign, assisted by Gardiner and Teravainen. The three stars belonged to Aho, Gardiner, and Teravainen.

Down in Dallas, the Stars welcome the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Ben Bishop are between the pipes. New York started in the first period with an Adam Fox goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Artemi Panarin. The Rangers added on with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his fortieth of the year, guided in by Brendan Lemieux and Pavel Buchnevich. New York extended the lead as Kaapo Kakko scored his ninth of the season, with the help of Brett Howden and Jesper Fast. The Rangers padded the lead on another Kakko goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, via Zibanejad and Fox. Dallas got on the board with a Roope Hintz goal, his nineteenth of the season, a power play goal powered by Miro Heiskanen and Corey Perry. The Stars got one back with an Andrew Cogliano goal, his third of the year, passed from Heiskanen and Joe Pavelski. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars being Kakko, Zibanejad, and Heiskanen, while Fox gets an honorable mention.

Over to Anaheim, where the Ducks host the Ottawa Senators. Marcus Hogberg and Ryan Miller make the starts. Anaheim was first to score on a Jakob Silfverberg power play goal, his twenty-first of the season, powered by Rickard Rakell and Christian Djoos. The Ducks added on with a Nicolas Deslauriers goal, his fifth of the year, via Carter Rowney and David Backes. Anaheim extended the lead as Deslauriers scored his second of the game and sixth of the season, thanks to Rowney and Michael Del Zotto. The Ducks padded the lead on a Deslauriers goal, completing his natural hat trick with his seventh of the year, fueled by Backes. Ottawa got on the board in the second period with a Brady Tkachuk goal, his twenty-first of the season, assisted by Colin White and Connor Brown. Anaheim countered with a Rakell power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, with helpers from Max Jones and Adam Henrique. The Senators got one back in the third period with a White goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot. This only made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars being Deslauriers, Rakell, and Rowney, while Backes, Tkachuk, and White get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks bring in the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Thatcher Demko are in the creases. New York struck first in the first period with an Andrew Ladd goal, coming off of Josh Bailey and Nick Leddy. Vancouver tied it on an Adam Gaudette goal, his twelfth of the season, via Alexander Edler and Troy Stecher. The Canucks took the lead with a Tyler Toffoli goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, fueled by Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. The Islanders retied it on a Jordan Eberle goal, his sixteenth of the season, courtesy of Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee. Vancouver pulled ahead with a Zack MacEwen goal, his fifth of the year, made possible by Edler. New York tied it again on a Brock Nelson goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, helped along by Derick Brassard and Noah Dobson. The Canucks regained the lead with a Bo Horvat power play goal, his twenty-second of the year, powered by Toffoli and J.T. Miller. The Islanders evened it in the third period with a Nelson goal, his second of the game and twenty-sixth of the season, assisted by Anthony Beauvillier and Brassard. In the shootout, Miller had the lone tally to give the Canucks a 5-4 win. The three stars were Toffoli, Edler, and Miller, while Nelson and Brassard get the honorable mentions.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2019-20 - Day 153

Five games today, beginning with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Linus Ullmark are the goalies. Buffalo opened in the first period with a Victor Olofsson goal, his twentieth of the season, assisted by Marcus Johansson and Rasmus Dahlin. The Sabres added on with a Jack Eichel power play goal, his thirty-sixth of the year, powered by Dahlin and Rasmus Ristolainen. Washington got on the board in the third period with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his forty-eighth of the season, via Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Capitals tied it on a Dmitry Orlov goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Ovechkin and Tom Wilson. The tie went to a shootout, where Dahlin and Dominik Kahun lifted the Sabres 3-2 over Kuznetsov and the Capitals. The three stars were Dahlin, Ovechkin, and Kuznetsov.

Along to St. Louis, as the Blues welcome the Florida Panthers. Chris Driedger and Jordan Binnington are in the creases. St. Louis got going in the second period with a Colton Parayko goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Robert Thomas. Florida tied it with a Mike Hoffman power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, powered by Aleksi Saarela and Evgenii Dadonov. The Panthers took the lead in the third period with a Brett Connolly goal, his nineteenth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Saarela. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars given to Driedger (26 for 27 in saves), Saarela, and Connolly.

Up in Winnipeg, the Jets host the Arizona Coyotes. Darcy Kuemper and Connor Hellebuyck guard the cages. Arizona started in the first period with a Nick Schmaltz goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Phil Kessel and Carl Soderberg. The Coyotes added on with a Schmaltz goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, assisted by Kessel and Jason Demers. Winnipeg got on the board with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal in the second period, his twenty-fifth of the season, fueled by Tucker Poolman and Nathan Beaulieu. The Jets tied it on a Poolman goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Cody Eakin and Ehlers. Winnipeg gained the lead in the third period with an Eakin goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Ehlers and Patrik Laine. The Jets iced it at 4-2 with a Mark Scheifele empty net goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, set up by Blake Wheeler and Andrew Copp. The three stars went to Ehlers, Poolman, and Eakin, while Schmaltz and Kessel get the honorable mentions.

Over to Edmonton, as the Oilers bring in the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Mikko Koskinen are the masked men. Edmonton began in the first period with an Alex Chiasson goal, his eleventh of the season, courtesy of James Neal and Oscar Klefbom. Vegas tied it on a Nicolas Roy power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Nate Schmidt and Alec Martinez. The Oilers took the lead in the third period with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his twenty-second of the season, via Kailer Yamamoto. The Golden Knights retied it with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his twenty-second of the year, fueled by Reilly Smith. Vegas won 3-2 in overtime with a Shea Theodore goal, his thirteenth of the campaign, with a lone helper by Marchessault. The three stars went to Marchessault, Theodore, and Roy.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Colorado Avalanche. Pavel Francouz and Jonathan Quick draw the starts in goal. Los Angeles led off in the first period with an Austin Wagner goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Nikolai Prokhorkin and Sean Walker. The Kings added on with a Mikey Anderson goal, via Martin Frk and Gabriel Valardi. Colorado got on the board in the third period with a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Ian Cole. Los Angeles replied with an Alex Iafallo goal, his seventeenth of the season, passed from Ben Hutton and Drew Doughty. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars being Quick (21 for 22 in saves), Anderson, and Iafallo.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

NHL 2019-20 - Day 152

There's seven games on for a busy Sunday, beginning with...

The Pittsburgh Penguins hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Alex Nedeljkovic and Tristan Jarry are the goalies. Pittsburgh started in the first period with a Patrick Marleau goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Conor Sheary. Carolina tied it on a Morgan Geekie goal, via Jake Gardiner and Trevor van Riemsdyk. The Penguins retook the lead on an Evgeni Malkin power play goal, his twenty-third of the year, powered by Justin Schultz and Bryan Rust. The Hurricanes retied it in the second period with a Jaccob Slavin goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Jordan Martinook and Geekie. Carolina took the lead with a Gardiner power play goal, his fourth of the year, with assists provided by Martin Necas and Nino Niederreiter. The Hurricanes added on with a Justin Williams goal in the third period, his sixth of the season, helped along by Haydn Fleury and Jordan Staal. Carolina extended the lead as Williams scored his second of the game and seventh of the year, thanks to Staal. The Hurricanes padded the lead on Geekie's second goal of the game, guided in by Martinook and Fleury. This made it 6-2, the final, with the three stars going to Geekie, Williams, and Gardiner, while Fleury, Staal, and Martinook get the honorable mentions.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Curtis McElhinney and Jonathan Bernier are set to start in goal. Detroit opened in the first period with a Robby Fabbri goal, his fifteenth of the season, via Tyler Bertuzzi and Anthony Mantha. Tampa Bay tied it in the second period with a Brayden Point power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, powered by Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning took the lead with an unassisted Carter Verhaeghe goal, his ninth of the season. The Red Wings retied it with a Dylan Larkin goal, his nineteenth of the year, passed from Mantha and Bertuzzi. Detroit pulled ahead in the third period with a Mantha power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, with helpers from Larkin and Bertuzzi. The Red Wings added on with a Bertuzzi goal, his twentieth of the year, helped along by Mantha and Larkin. Tampa Bay answered with a Point goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the season, with a lone assist from Yanni Gourde. The Lightning tied it on a Pat Maroon goal, his ninth of the year, fueled by Luke Schenn and Gourde. The tie went to a shootout, where Larkin and Fabbri lifted the Red Wings 5-4 over Mikhail Sergachev and the Lightning. The three stars were Bertuzzi, Mantha, and Larkin, while Point, Fabbri, and Gourde get the honorable mentions.

Out west, the Calgary Flames bring in the Vegas Golden Knights. Robin Lehner and David Rittich are the masked men. Vegas led off in the first period with a Tomas Nosek goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Ryan Reaves and Nick Holden. The Golden Knights added on with a Holden goal, his sixth of the year, via Nick Cousins and Brandon Pirri. Vegas extended the lead in the second period on a Max Pacioretty power play goal, his thirty-second of the season, powered by William Karlsson and Paul Stastny. Calgary got on the board with an unassisted Milan Lucic goal, his eighth of the year. The Flames got closer with a Dillon Dube power play goal, his sixth of the season, with assists provided by Mikael Backlund and Lucic. Calgary tied it in the third period as Matthew Tkachuk scored his twenty-third of the year, thanks to Andrew Mangiapane and Erik Gustafsson. The Golden Knights retook the lead with a Shea Theodore goal, his twelfth of the season, helped along by Alec Martinez and Chandler Stephenson. Vegas iced it at 5-3 with a Jonathan Marchessault empty net goal, his twenty-first of the year, set up by Reilly Smith and Karlsson. The three stars belonged to Holden, Karlsson, and Lucic.

Back in Chicago, the Blackhawks host the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Corey Crawford protect the nets. St. Louis got going in the second period with a Robert Bortuzzo goal, his second of the season, passed from Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz. The Blues added on with an Alex Pietrangelo goal in the third period, his fourteenth of the year, via Schwartz and Sammy Blais. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Allen (29 save shutout), Schwartz, and Bortuzzo.

To California, as the Anaheim Ducks welcome the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Ryan Miller are the veteran goalies. Anaheim began in the first period with a Jakob Silfverberg goal, his nineteenth of the season, courtesy of Rickard Rakell and Jacob Larsson. Minnesota tied it with a Mats Zuccarello goal, his fifteenth of the year, coming off of Alex Galchenyuk and Marcus Foligno. The Wild took the lead with a Kevin Fiala power play goal, his twenty-second of the season, powered by Zach Parise and Jared Spurgeon. The Ducks tied it on a Danton Heinen goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Sonny Milano and Ryan Getzlaf. Anaheim pulled ahead with a Silfverberg goal, his second of the game and twentieth of the season, passed from Rakell. Minnesota tied it in the third period with a Victor Rask goal, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. The Wild pulled ahead with a Galchenyuk goal, his eighth of the season, an unassisted goal. The Ducks tied it again with a Christian Djoos goal, helped along by Silfverberg and Rakell. Minnesota won 5-4 win overtime with a Fiala power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-third of the year, with helpers from Luke Kunin and Ryan Suter. The three stars were Fiala, Galchenyuk, and Silfverberg, while Rakell gets an honorable mention.

Up in San Jose, the Sharks bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Pavel Francouz and Martin Jones are the goalies. San Jose kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Joe Thornton power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Evander Kane and Timo Meier. Colorado tied it on a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his thirty-fifth of the year, courtesy of Gabriel Landeskog and J.T. Compher. The Avalanche took the lead in the second period with a Landeskog goal, his twenty-first of the season, via MacKinnon and Vladislav Namestnikov. The Sharks retied it on a Melker Karlsson goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Marcus Sorensen. Colorado regained the lead with a Namestnikov goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming off of Landeskog and MacKinnon. The Avalanche added on in the third period with a Joonas Donskoi goal, his sixteenth of the year, assisted by Compher and Erik Johnson. San Jose pulled one back with a Noah Gregor power play goal, his third of the season, fueled by Meier and Kevin Labanc. The final held at 4-3, with the three stars going to MacKinnon, Landeskog, and Namestnikov, while Compher and Meier get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins and Thatcher Demko are the goalies with interesting names. Columbus dented the scoreboard in the second period with an Emil Bemstrom goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Pierre-Luc Dubois and Alexander Wennberg. The Blue Jackets added on with an Eric Robinson goal, his seventh of the year, via David Savard and Vladislav Gavrikov. Vancouver got on the board in the third period with an Elias Pettersson goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, going in unassisted. This stood for a 2-1 final score, with the three stars being Merzlikins (26 for 27 in saves), Robinson, and Bemstrom.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.