NHL 2021 - Day 2

It's time for a 10-game Thursday, leading off with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the Washington Capitals. Ilya Samsonov and Carter Hutton are in goal. Washington led off in the first period with a Nicklas Backstrom goal, via Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie. Buffalo tied it on a Taylor Hall power play goal, powered by Victor Olofsson and Jack Eichel. The Capitals retook the lead on an Oshie power play goal, with assists provided by Ovechkin and John Carlson. Washington added on in the second period with a Carlson goal, via Oshie and Backstrom. The Capitals extended the lead as Brenden Dillon scored on the power play, thanks to Conor Sheary and Lars Eller. The Sabres got one back with a Tobias Rieder goal, passed from Dylan Cozens and Jake McCabe. Buffalo pulled closer with a McCabe goal, guided in by Eichel and Tage Thompson. Washington replied on a Jakub Vrana goal, going in unassisted. The Sabres pulled one back with an Olofsson goal, with helpers from Hall and Sam Reinhart. The Capitals iced it at 6-4 with an empty net goal by Garnet Hathaway, set up by Nick Jensen. The three stars were Oshie, Backstrom, and Carlson, while Ovechkin, Hall, Olofsson and Eichel get the honorable mentions.

Down in New Jersey, the Devils welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and MacKenzie Blackwood are the goalies. Boston began in the first period with a power play goal by Brad Marchand, powered by David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron. New Jersey tied it on a Miles Wood goal in the third period, set up by Jack Hughes. The Bruins retook the lead with a Nick Ritchie power play goal, with assists provided by Marchand and Matt Grzelcyk. The Devils retied it on a Ty Smith goal, helped along by Matt Tennyson and Hughes. In the shootout, Marchand tallied to give the Bruins a 3-2 win. The three stars were Marchand, Hughes and Rask (20 for 22 in saves).

Into New York, where the Rangers bring in the cross-town rival Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Igor Shesterkin are the Russian goalies. The Islanders opened in the first period with a Brock Nelson power play goal, powered by Anthony Beauvillier and Nick Leddy. The Islanders added on with an Anders Lee goal, fueled by Leddy. The Islanders extended the lead as Mathew Barzal scored, thanks to Cal Clutterbuck. The Islanders padded the lead in the second period with a Lee power play goal, his second of the game, assisted by Jordan Eberle and Noah Dobson. This stood for a 4-0 win, with the three stars being Varlamov (24 save shutout), Lee, and Leddy.

Westward to Detroit, as the Red Wings host the Carolina Hurricanes. Petr Mrazek and Thomas Greiss are set to start in goal. Carolina started in the first period with a Nino Niederreiter goal, via Sebastian Aho. The Hurricanes added on in the third period with a Ryan Dzingel power play goal, powered by Martin Necas and Jake Gardiner. Carolina iced it at 3-0 with an empty net goal by Andrei Svechnikov, going in unassisted. The three stars were Mrazek (14 save shutout), Niederreiter, and Dzingel.

Down in Nashville, the Predators welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Juuse Saros are the Finnish goalies. Columbus was first to score in the first period with a Boone Jenner goal, going in unassisted. Nashville tied it in the second period with a Luke Kunin goal, coming off of Erik Haula. The Predators took the lead with a Filip Forsberg goal in the third period, made possible by Brad Richardson. Nashville iced it at 3-1 with a Calle Jarnkrok empty net goal, set up by Rocco Grimaldi and Roman Josi. Saros (29 for 30 in saves), Forsberg, and Korpisalo (32 for 34 in saves) earned the three stars.

Into the North, as the Winnipeg Jets bring in the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Connor Hellebuyck tend the twines. Calgary struck first in the first period with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, assisted by Rasmus Andersson and Mark Giordano. Winnipeg tied it on a Patrik Laine goal, coming off of Kyle Connor and Derek Forbort. The Flames retook the lead with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, made possible by Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan on the power play. Calgary added on with an Lindholm goal, via Dillon Dube and Christopher Tanev. The Jets got one back in the second period on a Mark Scheifele goal, fueled by Nikolaj Ehlers. Winnipeg tied it with a power play goal by Connor, powered by Laine and Blake Wheeler. The Jets won 4-3 in overtime with a Laine goal, courtesy of Neal Pionk and Connor. The three stars belonged to Laine, Connor, and Lindholm.

West to Edmonton, as the Oilers host the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Mike Smith are in the blue paint. Edmonton cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins power play goal, powered by Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. The Oilers added on with a McDavid goal, assisted by Kailer Yamamoto and Draisaitl. Vancouver got on the board in the second period with a Nate Schmidt goal, courtesy of Alexander Edler. Edmonton replied with a McDavid goal, his second of the game, fueled by Draisaitl and Tyson Barrie on the power play. The Canucks pulled one back with a Tyler Motte goal, via Travis Hamonic and Quinn Hughes. The Oilers fired back with another McDavid goal, completing his hat trick with the help of Draisaitl and Nugent-Hopkins. Edmonton extended the lead in the third period as Nugent-Hopkins scored his second of the game, thanks to Yamamoto. This stood for a 5-2 win, with the three stars going to McDavid, Draisaitl, and Nugent-Hopkins, while Yamamoto gets an honorable mention.

Back stateside, the Arizona Coyotes welcome the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones faces Darcy Kuemper in goal. San Jose drew first blood in the first period with a Tomas Hertl power play goal, powered by Evander Kane and Logan Couture. The Sharks added on with another Hertl goal, his second of the game, guided in by John Leonard and Kane. Arizona got on the board in the second period with a Conor Garland power play goal, with assists provided by Christian Dvorak and Jakob Chychrun. San Jose responded in the third period with a Kane goal, via Leonard and Hertl. The Coyotes pulled one back with a Clayton Keller goal, helped along by Garland and Chychrun. Arizona tied it on a Phil Kessel goal, made possible by Alex Goligoski and Keller. The tie lasted into a shootout, where Donato and Couture lifted the Sharks 4-3 over Nick Schmaltz and the Coyotes. The three stars were Hertl, Kane, and Keller, while Leonard, Garland, and Chychrun get the honorable mentions.

In California, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Minnesota Wild. Cam Talbot and Jonathan Quick are the masked men. Minnesota got going in the first period with a Jonas Brodin goal, made possible by Kirill Kaprizov and Greg Pateryn. Los Angeles tied it with a Jeff Carter goal, guided in by Anze Kopitar. The Kings took the lead with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, via Carter and Matt Roy. Los Angeles added on with a Dustin Brown power play goal, powered by Alex Iafallo and Kopitar. The Wild responded in the third period with a Victor Rask goal, fueled by Kaprizov and Matt Dumba. Minnesota tied it as Marcus Foligno scored, thanks to Ryan Suter. The Wild won 4-3 in overtime with a Kaprizov goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were Kaprizov, Carter, and Kopitar.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Robin Lehner protect the nets. Vegas dented the scoreboard in the first period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, via Alec Martinez and Shea Theodore. The Golden Knights added on with a Tomas Nosek goal, passed from Ryan Reaves. Anaheim got on the board with a Max Comtois goal, assisted by Sam Steel. The Ducks tied it on another Comtois goal, his second of the game, fueled by Ryan Getzlaf. Vegas regained the lead in the third period with a Mark Stone goal, coming off of Chandler Stephenson and Alex Pietrangelo. The Golden Knights extended the lead as Max Pacioretty scored, thanks to Stone. Vegas iced it at 5-2 with an Alex Tuch empty net goal, set up by Nicolas Roy and Cody Glass. The three stars went to Stone, Lehner (20 for 22 in saves), and Pacioretty. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 1

It's time to start the new NHL season, which will see all 31 teams play 56 divisional games each. Leading off...

The Philadelphia Flyers host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Carter Hart man the nets. Pittsburgh led off with a Mark Jankowski goal, via Jared McCann and Brandon Tanev. Philadelphia tied it on a power play goal by James van Riemsdyk, powered by Erik Gustafsson and Joel Farabee. The Flyers took the lead with a Nolan Patrick power play goal, with helpers from Gustafsson and Farabee. The Penguins retied it on a Sidney Crosby power play goal, going in unassisted in the second period. Philadelphia retook the lead with a Farabee goal, passed from Kevin Hayes. Pittsburgh retied it again in the third period on a Tanev goal, made possible by Jankowski. The Flyers restored their lead on a Michael Raffl goal, courtesy of Scott Laughton and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. Philadelphia added on with a Oskar Lindblom goal, coming off of Travis Konecny and Sean Couturier. The Flyers extended the lead as Hayes scored, thanks to Farabee and Claude Giroux. The final stood at 6-3, with the three stars being Farabee, Hayes, and Jankowski, while Gustafsson and Tanev get the honorable mentions.

In the North, the Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Frederik Andersen tend the twines. Montreal began in the first period with a Nick Suzuki power play goal, powered by Jeff Petry and Jonathan Drouin. Toronto tied it with a William Nylander goal, assisted by Justin Holl and John Tavares. The Canadiens took the lead back with a Josh Anderson goal, guided in by Drouin and Petry. Montreal added on in the second period with a Tomas Tatar power play goal, fueled by Alexander Romanov and Shea Weber. The Maple Leafs pulled one back with a Nylander power play goal, his second of the game, helped along by Jason Spezza and Zach Hyman. Toronto tied it with a Tavares power play goal, with assists provided by Mitch Marner and the goalie Andersen. The Canadiens retook the lead in the third period with Anderson's second of the game, going in unassisted. The Maple Leafs tied it again on a Jimmy Vesey goal, made possible by Nylander. Toronto won 5-4 in overtime with a Morgan Rielly goal, courtesy of Tavares and Auston Matthews. The three stars belonged to Nylander, Tavares, and Anderson, while Petry and Drouin get the honorable mentions.

Back stateside, the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Chicago Blackhawks. Malcolm Subban is mismatched with Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with an Ondrej Palat power play goal, fueled by Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos. The Lightning added on with a Mathieu Joseph goal, passed from Anthony Cirelli and Alex Killorn. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Cirelli scored, thanks to Erik Cernak and Killorn. The Lightning padded the lead with a Stamkos power play goal, via Brayden Point and Hedman. Tampa Bay struck again with a Point goal, assisted by Stamkos and Sergachev. Chicago got on the board with a Dylan Strome power play goal, guided in by Adam Boqvist and Andrew Shaw. This made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars going to Stamkos, Hedman, and Point, while Cirelli and Killorn earn the honorable mentions.

To Canada again, as the Edmonton Oilers bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Braden Holtby and Mikko Koskinen are between the pipes. Vancouver started in the first period with a Bo Horvat goal, assisted by Tanner Pearson. Edmonton tied it in the second period with a Kailer Yamamoto goal, guided in by Leon Draisaitl. The Canucks retook the lead with a Nils Hoglander goal, made possible by Pearson and Horvat. The Oilers tied it in the third period with a Darnell Nurse goal, coming off of Zack Kassian and Ethan Bear. Vancouver reclaimed the lead on an Adam Gaudette goal, fueled by Antoine Roussel and Travis Hamonic. The Canucks added on with a Brock Boeser goal, passed from Quinn Hughes. Edmonton pulled back with an Adam Larsson goal, helped along by Caleb Jones and Dominik Kahun. Vancouver fired back on Boeser's second goal of the game, with helpers from Elias Pettersson and Hughes. This stood for a 5-3 win, with the three stars given to Boeser, Hughes, and Horvat, while Pearson gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Colorado Avalanche host the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Philipp Grubauer get the starts in goal. Colorado struck first in the first period with an Andre Burakovsky power play goal, powered by J.T. Compher and Samuel Girard. St. Louis tied it with an Oskar Sundqvist goal, coming off of Jaden Schwartz and Robert Thomas. The Blues took the lead with a Jordan Kyrou goal, via Tyler Bozak and Zach Sanford. St. Louis added on in the third period with a Kyle Clifford goal, assisted by Ivan Barbashev. The Blues extended the lead as Sundqvist scored his second of the game, thanks to Thomas. This stood for a 4-1 win, with the three stars going to Sundqvist, Binnington (26 for 27 in saves), and Thomas. 

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2020 Stanley Cup Final - Tampa Bay Lightning v. Dallas Stars

This post will contain the entirety of the Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Dallas Stars. 

Game 1: Anton Khudobin and Andrei Vasilevskiy man the nets. Dallas began in the first period on a Joel Hanley goal, via Roope Hintz. Tampa Bay tied it on a Yanni Gourde goal, his sixth of the postseason, made possible by Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. The Stars retook the lead in the second period with a Jamie Oleksiak goal, his fifth of the playoffs, guided in by Alexander Radulov and Miro Heiskanen. Dallas added on with a Joel Kiviranta goal, his fifth of the postseason, coming off of Esa Lindell and John Klingberg. The Stars iced it at 4-1 with a Jason Dickinson empty net goal, set up by Blake Comeau and Mattias Janmark. The three stars were Khudobin (35 for 36 in saves), Oleksiak, and Kiviranta. The Stars lead the series 1-0. 

Game 2: Anton Khudobin and Andrei Vasilevskiy again start in goal. Tampa Bay led off in the first period with a Brayden Point power play goal, his tenth of the postseason, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman. The Lightning added on with an Ondrej Palat power play goal, his ninth of the playoffs, with assists by Kucherov and Hedman. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Kevin Shattenkirk scored his second of the postseason, thanks to Blake Coleman and Anthony Cirelli. Dallas got on the board in the second period with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his tenth of the playoffs, assisted by John Klingberg and Alexander Radulov. The Stars got one back in the third period with a Mattias Janmark goal, guided in by Klingberg and Radulov. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars given to Kucherov, Hedman, and Klingberg, while Radulov gets an honorable mention. The series is now tied at 1. 

Game 3: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Anton Khudobin protect the nets. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his seventh of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Lightning added on with a Steven Stamkos goal, via Victor Hedman and Jan Rutta. Dallas got on the board with a shorthanded Jason Dickinson goal, his second of the playoffs, set up by Roope Hintz. Tampa Bay replied in the second period with a Hedman power play goal, his tenth of the postseason, powered by Anthony Cirelli and Ondrej Palat. The Lightning extended the lead as Brayden Point scored his eleventh of the playoffs, thanks to Kucherov and Hedman. Tampa Bay padded the lead on a Palat goal, his tenth of the postseason, made possible by Point and Kevin Shattenkirk. Jake Oettinger replaced Khudobin in goal in the third period. The Stars got one back in the third period with a Miro Heiskanen goal, his sixth of the playoffs, guided in by Joe Pavelski and Andrew Cogliano. This only made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars going to Hedman, Point, and Kucherov, while Palat gets an honorable mention. The Lightning own a 2-1 series lead. 

Game 4: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Anton Khudobin get the starting nods in goal. Dallas started in the first period with a John Klingberg goal, his fourth of the postseason, made possible by Esa Lindell. The Stars added on with a Joe Pavelski goal, his eleventh of the playoffs, guided in by Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Brayden Point goal, his twelfth of the postseason, coming off of Ondrej Palat and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Lightning tied it in the second period with a Point power play goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the playoffs, powered by Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov. Dallas retook the lead with a Corey Perry goal, his third of the postseason, assisted by Tyler Seguin and Mattias Janmark. Tampa Bay retied it on a Gourde power play goal, his seventh of the playoffs, with helpers from Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev. The Lightning gained the lead on a Killorn goal, his fifth of the postseason, courtesy of Sergachev and Anthony Cirelli. The Stars retied it with a Pavelski goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the playoffs, with assists provided by Seguin and Miro Heiskanen. Tampa Bay won 5-4 in overtime with a Shattenkirk power play goal, his third of the postseason, set up by Victor Hedman and Pat Maroon. The three stars were Shattenkirk, Point, and Pavelski, while Killorn, Kucherov, Sergachev, and Seguin get the honorable mentions. The Lightning lead the series 3-1. 

Game 5: Anton Khudobin and Andrei Vasilevskiy play in goal. Dallas struck first in the first period on a Corey Perry goal, his fourth of the postseason, coming off of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Oleksiak. Tampa Bay tied it with an Ondrej Palat goal, his eleventh of the playoffs, via Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point in the second period. The Lightning took the lead in the third period on a Mikhail Sergachev goal, his third of the postseason, made possible by Point. The Stars tied it on a Joe Pavelski goal, his thirteenth of the playoffs, assisted by Miro Heiskanen and Seguin. Dallas won in double overtime on Perry's second goal of the game and fifth of the postseason, fueled by John Klingberg and Seguin. The three stars of the 3-2 game were Perry, Seguin, and Point. The Stars stay alive but remain behind 3-2 in the series. 

Game 6: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Anton Khudobin occupy the creases. Tampa Bay kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Brayden Point power play goal, his fourteenth of the postseason, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman. The Lightning added on with a Blake Coleman goal, his fifth of the playoffs, via Cedric Paquette and Pat Maroon. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the Conn Smythe Trophy winner being Hedman. The Lightning won the Stanley Cup with a 4-2 series win. 

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NHL 2020 Eastern Conference Finals - Tampa Bay Lightning v. New York Islanders

This post will contain the whole Eastern Conference Finals series. 

Game 1: The goalies are Thomas Greiss and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Tampa Bay began in the first period with a Brayden Point goal, his seventh of the postseason, coming off of Blake Coleman and Luke Schenn. New York tied it on a Jordan Eberle power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, powered by Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal. The Lightning retook the lead with a Victor Hedman power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, with assists provided by Point and Nikita Kucherov. Tampa Bay added on with a Ryan McDonagh goal, courtesy of Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev. Semyon Varlamov replaced Greiss in the Islanders' net. The Lightning extended the lead in the second period as Yanni Gourde goal, his fourth of the playoffs, thanks to Pat Maroon and Kevin Shattenkirk. Tampa Bay padded the lead on a Point power play goal, his second of the game and eighth of the postseason, assisted by Hedman and Kucherov. The Lightning struck again in the third period on a Kucherov goal, his fifth of the playoffs, fueled by Point and Shattenkirk. The Islanders got one back with a Nick Leddy goal, his third of the postseason, guided in by Lee and Eberle. Tampa Bay replied with an Ondrej Palat goal, his sixth of the playoffs, made possible by Point and Kucherov. The Lightning finished it at 8-2 with a Gourde power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the postseason, passed from Shattenkirk and Hedman. The three stars were Point, Kucherov, and Gourde, while Hedman, Shattenkirk, Eberle, and Lee get the honorable mentions. The Lightning staked out a 1-0 series lead. 

Game 2: Semyon Varlamov and Andrei Vasilevskiy protect the nets. New York led off in the first period with a Matt Martin goal, his fifth of the postseason, made possible by Nick Leddy. Tampa Bay tied it on a Victor Hedman goal, his seventh of the playoffs, assisted by Barclay Goodrow. The Lightning won late in the third period with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his sixth of the postseason, passed from Ryan McDonagh. The three stars of the 2-1 game were Vasilevskiy (27 for 28 in saves), Kucherov, and Hedman. The Lightning lead the series 2-0. 

Game 3: Russians Andrei Vasilevskiy and Semyon Varlamov play in goal. New York opened in the first period with a Cal Clutterbuck goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Ryan Pulock and Matt Martin. Tampa Bay tied it on a Mikhail Sergachev goal, his second of the playoffs, via Yanni Gourde. The Islanders retook the lead in the second on an Adam Pelech goal, passed from Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mathew Barzal. New York added on with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his ninth of the postseason, assisted by Brock Nelson and Devon Toews. The Lightning got one back in the third period on an Ondrej Palat power play goal, his seventh of the playoffs, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Sergachev. Tampa Bay tied it with a Tyler Johnson goal, his fourth of the postseason, guided in by Erik Cernak and Carter Verhaeghe. The Islanders reclaimed the lead on a Nelson goal, his eighth of the playoffs, helped along by Beauvillier and Josh Bailey. New York iced it at 5-3 with a Pageau empty net goal, his eighth of the postseason, set up by Bailey. The final held at 5-3, with the three stars being Nelson, Beauvillier, and Pageau, while Sergachev and Bailey get the honorable mentions. The Lightning remain ahead 2-1 in the series. 

Game 4: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Semyon Varlamov again start in goal. New York got going in the second period with a Brock Nelson goal, his ninth of the postseason, courtesy of Josh Bailey. Tampa Bay tied it on a Blake Coleman goal, his fourth of the playoffs, assisted by Yanni Gourde and the goalie Vasilevskiy. The Lightning pulled ahead with an Ondrej Palat goal, his eighth of the postseason, via Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. Tampa Bay added on in the third period with a Point goal, his ninth of the playoffs, fueled by Palat and Kucherov. The Lightning iced it at 4-1 with a Pat Maroon empty net goal, set up by Gourde and Cedric Paquette. The three stars were Vasilevskiy (26 for 27 in saves), Palat, and Point, while Kucherov and Gourde get the honorable mentions. The Lightning pushed their series lead up to 3-1. 

Game 5: Semyon Varlamov and Andrei Vasilevskiy patrol the creases. New York started in the first period with a Ryan Pulock power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Nick Leddy and Mathew Barzal. Tampa Bay tied it on a Victor Hedman goal, his eighth of the playoffs, via Blake Coleman and Luke Schenn. The Islanders won 2-1 in double overtime with a Jordan Eberle goal, his fifth of the postseason, coming off of Anders Lee. The three stars were Eberle, Pulock, and Varlamov (36 for 37 in saves). The Islanders stay alive, but trail 3-2 in the series. 

Game 6: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Semyon Varlamov are in the blue paint. New York struck first in the first period with a Devon Toews goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal. Tampa Bay tied it on a Victor Hedman goal, his ninth of the playoffs, via Erik Cernak and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning won 2-1 in overtime with an Anthony Cirelli goal, his third of the postseason, assisted by Barclay Goodrow. The three stars were Vasilevskiy (26 for 27 in saves), Varlamov (46 for 48 in saves), and Cirelli. The Lightning won the series 4-2 and will face the Dallas Stars for the Stanley Cup. 

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NHL 2020 Western Conference Finals - Vegas Golden Knights v. Dallas Stars

This post will contain the entire Western Conference Finals series. 

Game 1: The goalies are Marc-Andre Fleury and Anton Khudobin. Dallas led off in the first period with a John Klingberg goal, his third of the postseason, assisted by Jamie Benn and Radek Faksa. This stood for the 1-0 win. The three stars were Khudobin (25 save shutout), Klingberg, and Fleury (24 for 25 in saves). The Stars have a 1-0 series lead. 

Game 2: Robin Lehner and Anton Khudobin start in goal. Vegas got going in the second period with a Paul Stastny goal, his third of the postseason, via Max Pacioretty and Brayden McNabb. The Golden Knights added on with a William Karlsson power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, powered by Shea Theodore and Stastny. Vegas extended the lead as Tomas Nosek scored his second of the postseason, with the help of Chandler Stephenson and Nicolas Roy. Jake Oettinger replaced Khudobin in goal in the third period. The final stood at 3-0 with the three stars given to Lehner (24 save shutout), Stastny, and Karlsson. The series is tied at 1. 

Game 3: Anton Khudobin and Robin Lehner draw the starts in goal. Dallas dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Jamie Oleksiak goal, his fourth of the postseason, via Miro Heiskanen and Blake Comeau. Vegas tied it on a Shea Theodore power play goal, his seventh of the playoffs, powered by Mark Stone and Jonathan Marchessault in the third period. The Stars took the lead back with a Jamie Benn goal, his sixth of the postseason, helped along by Tyler Seguin and Joel Hanley. The Golden Knights tied it again on an Alex Tuch goal, his ninth of the playoffs, guided in by William Karlsson. Dallas won 3-2 in overtime with an Alexander Radulov goal, his eighth of the postseason, made possible by Joe Pavelski and Benn. The three stars were Radulov, Benn, and Khudobin (38 for 40 in saves). The Stars are up 2-1 in the series. 

Game 4: Anton Khudobin and Robin Lehner occupy the creases. Vegas drew first blood in the second period with an Alec Martinez power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Nate Schmidt and Paul Stastny. Dallas tied it on a Joe Pavelski goal, his ninth of the playoffs, via Andrew Cogliano. The Stars took the lead on a Jamie Benn power play goal, his seventh of the postseason, with assists provided by John Klingberg and Alexander Radulov. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Khudobin (32 for 33 in saves), Benn, and Pavelski. The Stars now lead the series 3-1. 

Game 5: Robin Lehner and Anton Khudobin are the goalies again. Vegas began in the first period with a Chandler Stephenson goal, his third of the postseason, made possible by Shea Theodore and Alex Tuch. The Golden Knights added on in the third period with a Reilly Smith goal, his fifth of the playoffs, guided in by Paul Stastny. Dallas got on the board with a Jamie Benn goal, his eighth of the postseason, coming off of Alexander Radulov and Esa Lindell. The Stars tied it with a Joel Kiviranta power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, powered by John Klingberg and Denis Gurianov. Dallas won 3-2 in overtime on a Gurianov power play goal, his ninth of the postseason, with assists provided by Klingberg and Roope Hintz. The three stars were Gurianov, Klingberg, and Benn. The Stars won the series 4-1 and they're headed to the Stanley Cup Finals. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 13

The final game of the second round of this year's playoffs has the Philadelphia Flyers against the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Carter Hart make the starts in goal. New York kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Scott Mayfield goal, coming off of Devon Toews and Jordan Eberle. The Islanders added on with an Andy Greene goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Derick Brassard and Brock Nelson. New York extended the lead as Nelson scored his seventh of the playoffs, thanks to Josh Bailey and Ryan Pulock in the second period. The Islanders padded the lead in the third period with an Anthony Beauvillier empty net goal, his eighth of the postseason, set up by Nelson and Bailey. This stood for a 4-0 final score, with the three stars going to Nelson, Greiss (16 save shutout), and Bailey. The Islanders won the series 4-3 and will play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 12

The Western Conference series will be decided today, beginning with...

The Colorado Avalanche versus the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Michael Hutchinson start in goal. Dallas led off in the first period with an Alexander Radulov power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, powered by Joe Pavelski and Miro Heiskanen. Colorado tied it on a Vladislav Namestnikov goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Ian Cole and Nazem Kadri. The Avalanche took the lead with an Andre Burakovsky goal, his seventh of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Stars tied it in the second period with a Joel Kiviranta goal, courtesy of Denis Gurianov and John Klingberg. Colorado took the lead back with a Kadri power play goal, his ninth of the playoffs, with helpers from Mikko Rantanen and Burakovsky. Dallas retied it as Radulov scored his second of the game and seventh of the postseason on the power play, thanks to Klingberg and Jamie Benn. The Avalanche took the lead again on a Namestnikov goal, his fourth of the playoffs and second of the day, guided in by J.T. Compher and Nikita Zadorov. The Stars evened it with Kiviranta's second goal of the game, fueled by Roope Hintz and Heiskanen. Dallas won 5-4 with a Kiviranta goal to complete his hat trick in overtime, helped along by Andrej Sekera and Jamie Oleksiak. The three stars were Kiviranta, Radulov, and Namestnikov, while Heiskanen, Klingberg, Burakovsky, and Kadri get the honorable mentions. The Stars won the series 4-3 and will meet the winner of the next series in the Western Conference Finals.

Next up, the Vegas Golden Knights take on the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Robin Lehner man the nets. Vegas dented the scoreboard in the third period with a Shea Theodore power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, powered by Reilly Smith. The Golden Knights added on with an Alex Tuch empty net goal, his eighth of the playoffs, set up by Paul Stastny. Vegas iced it at 3-0 with a Stastny empty net goal, his second of the postseason, with helpers from Nicolas Roy and Jonathan Marchessault. The three stars were Stastny, Lehner (15 save shutout), and Demko (33 for 34 in saves). The Golden Knights took the series 4-3 and are set to face the Stars in the Western Conference Finals. 

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