NHL 2021 - Day 30

We're already a quarter of the way through the season. Today, there's ten games, beginning with...

The New York Islanders hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Casey DeSmith and Semyon Varlamov draw the starts in goal. New York began in the first period with a Casey Cizikas goal, his third of the season, assisted by Cal Clutterbuck and Ryan Pulock. Pittsburgh tied it on a Bryan Rust goal, his third of the year, via Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby. The Islanders took the lead back with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Nick Leddy and Josh Bailey. The Penguins tied it in the second period with a Zach Aston-Reese goal, coming off of Teddy Blueger. New York retook the lead in the third period on a Mathew Barzal goal, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. Pittsburgh tied it on an Evgeni Malkin goal, his third of the campaign, helped along by Kris Letang and Rust. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Crosby had the lone tally for a 4-3 Penguins win. The three stars were Rust, Crosby, and Aston-Reese.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky are the Russian goalies. Florida led off in the first period with a Frank Vatrano goal, his second of the season, helped along by Owen Tippett and Eetu Luostarinen. The Panthers added on in the second period with an Alex Wennberg goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Jonathan Huberdeau and Patric Hornqvist. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Brayden Point power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Ondrej Palat and Victor Hedman. Florida responded with an Aaron Ekblad power play goal, his fourth of the year, with assists provided by Keith Yandle and Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers extended the lead as Verhaeghe scored his seventh of the season, with the help of Wennberg and Ekblad. The Lightning got one back in the third period with a Point power play goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, coming off of Hedman and the goalie Vasilevskiy. Florida iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Brett Connolly, set up by MacKenzie Weegar. The three stars were Wennberg, Ekblad, and Point, while Hedman gets an honorable mention.

North to Chicago, as the Blackhawks bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Kevin Lankinen are set to start in goal. Columbus started in the first period with a shorthanded Cam Atkinson goal, his fourth of the season, set up by Nick Foligno. Chicago tied it in the second period with an Ian Mitchell goal, via David Kampf and Matthew Highmore. The Blackhawks took the lead on a Nicolas Beaudin goal, courtesy of Nikita Zadorov and Alex DeBrincat. Chicago added on with a Pius Suter goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Patrick Kane and Beaudin. The Blue Jackets got one back with a Jack Roslovic power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Max Domi and Seth Jones. The Blackhawks replied in the third period with a Kane power play goal, his seventh of the year, with an assist from DeBrincat. Columbus got one back with a Boone Jenner power play goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by Atkinson and Kevin Stenlund. The Blue Jackets tied it on a Roslovic goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, made possible by Atkinson and Patrik Laine. Chicago retook the lead on a DeBrincat goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Kane and Madison Bowey. Columbus tied it again on a Michael Del Zotto goal, passed from Atkinson and Andrew Peeke. The Blue Jackets gained the lead on a Stenlund goal, his second of the year, with a lone helper by Oliver Bjorkstrand and Del Zotto. The final held at 6-5, with the three stars given to Atkinson, Roslovic, and Kane, while DeBrincat, Stenlund, and Del Zotto get the honorable mentions.

In Montreal, the Canadiens host the Edmonton Oilers. Mike Smith and Jake Allen are the veteran goalies. Edmonton opened in the first period with a Jujhar Khaira goal, his second of the season, guided in by Josh Archibald and Tyler Ennis. The Oilers added on in the second period with a Darnell Nurse goal, his sixth of the year, going in unassisted. Edmonton extended the lead in the third period as Tyson Barrie scored a power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. This made it 3-0, the final, with the three stars handed to Smith (38 save shutout), Khaira, and Barrie.

Back stateside, the Nashville Predators welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Thomas Greiss and Pekka Rinne are in the creases. Nashville struck first in the first period with a Ryan Ellis power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi. Detroit tied it on a Robby Fabbri goal, his third of the year, fueled by Anthony Mantha and Filip Hronek. The Predators took the lead back in the second period with a Matt Duchene goal, his third of the season, via Calle Jarnkrok and Josi. The Red Wings tied it again with a Marc Staal goal, his second of the year, assisted by Bobby Ryan and Vladislav Namestnikov. Nashville took the lead on a Dante Fabbro goal, his second of the season, made possible by Luke Kunin and Forsberg. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Forsberg, Josi, and Fabbro.

In Canada again, the Winnipeg Jets bring in the Ottawa Senators. Matt Murray and Connor Hellebuyck protect the nets. Winnipeg got going in the second period with a Paul Stastny goal, his third of the season, fueled by Mason Appleton and Derek Forbort. The Jets added on with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Dylan DeMelo and Kyle Connor. Winnipeg extended the lead as Blake Wheeler scored his fourth of the year on the power play, powered by Stastny and Josh Morrissey. Marcus Hogberg replaced Murray in goal in the third period. The Jets padded the lead as Mathieu Perreault scored his second of the season, thanks to Mark Scheifele and Trevor Lewis. Ottawa got on the board with a Josh Norris goal, his third of the year, guided in by Christian Wolanin and Austin Watson. Winnipeg answered with a Neal Pionk goal, with helpers from Scheifele and Ehlers. This made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars going to Stastny, Hellebuyck (41 for 42 in saves), and Ehlers, while Scheifele gets an honorable mention.

Way south to Dallas, as the Stars host the Carolina Hurricanes. James Reimer and Anton Khudobin are the masked men. Carolina drew first blood in the first period with a Sebastian Aho power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Jordan Staal and Vincent Trocheck. Dallas tied it in the second period with a Mark Pysyk goal, fueled by Jason Robertson and Denis Gurianov. The Hurricanes took the lead back with a Jordan Staal goal, his third of the year, passed from Andrei Svechnikov and Brett Pesce. The Stars took the lead back on a Roope Hintz goal, his fourth of the season, via Gurianov and Robertson. Dallas took the lead on a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his eighth of the year, with assists provided by John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen. Carolina tied it again with a Brock McGinn goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Pesce. The Hurricanes took the lead in the third period with a Nino Niederreiter goal, his sixth of the year, made possible by Dougie Hamilton and Trocheck. Carolina iced it at 5-3 with a Warren Foegele empty net goal, his third of the campaign, set up by Aho. The three stars were Staal, Aho, and Trocheck, while Pesce, Gurianov, and Robertson get the honorable mentions.

West to Vegas, as the Golden Knights welcome the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Marc-Andre Fleury are between the pipes. Anaheim dented the scoreboard in the third period with a Max Comtois goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Rickard Rakell and Cam Fowler. This stood for a 1-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Gibson (21 save shutout), Comtois, and Fleury (27 for 28 in saves).

In California, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Jonathan Quick are given the starting nods in goal. Los Angeles kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Anze Kopitar power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Drew Doughty and Dustin Brown. The Kings added on with a Carl Grundstrom goal, his third of the year, via Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Austin Strand. Los Angeles extended the lead as Austin Wagner scored his second of the season, thanks to Tobias Bjornfot. San Jose got on the board with a Tomas Hertl goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Nikolai Knyzhov and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The Sharks got closer in the second period with a Hertl power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, guided in by Logan Couture and Brent Burns. The Kings answered with an Anderson-Dolan goal in the third period, his second of the year, coming off of Trevor Moore and Grundstrom. Los Angeles padded the lead on an Alex Iafallo power play goal, his third of the season, with assists provided by Adrian Kempe and Doughty. The Kings kept rolling with a Jeff Carter power-play goal, his second of the year, helped along by Kopitar and Doughty. The final remained at 6-2 with the three stars going to Kopitar, Anderson-Dolan, and Doughty, while Grundstrom and Hertl get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom faces his old team and Thatcher Demko in goal. Calgary was first to score in the first period with a Mark Giordano goal, his second of the season, fueled by Sean Monahan and Elias Lindholm. Vancouver tied it in the second period with a Brock Boeser goal, his tenth of the year, via Elias Pettersson. The Flames took the lead back on an Andrew Mangiapane goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Giordano and Juuso Valimaki. Calgary added on in the third period with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Monahan. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars handed to Markstrom (33 for 34 in saves), Giordano, and Monahan. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 29

Just two games are on today, beginning with...

The New York Rangers welcoming the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Alexandar Georgiev are the goalies. New York led off in the first period with a Julien Gauthier goal, courtesy of Brendan Lemieux. Boston tied it in the second period with a shorthanded goal by Chris Wagner, his second of the season, going in unassisted. The Bruins took the lead with an Anders Bjork goal in the third period, helped along by Jake DeBrusk and Kevan Miller. The Rangers retied it on a Kevin Rooney goal, his third of the year, made possible by Lemieux and Ryan Lindgren. Boston won 3-2 in overtime with a Brad Marchand goal, his eighth of the campaign, guided in by Charlie McAvoy and Patrice Bergeron. The three stars were Rask (33 for 35 in saves), Marchand, and Lemieux.

The other game sees the Montreal Canadiens bringing in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Carey Price tend the twines. Montreal began in the first period with a Josh Anderson goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Jonathan Drouin. Toronto tied it in the second period on a Travis Dermott goal, assisted by Jake Muzzin and John Tavares. The Maple Leafs took the lead in the third period with a Justin Holl goal, via Tavares and Muzzin. Toronto added on with an Ilya Mikheyev goal, fueled by Alexander Kerfoot and Zach Hyman. The Canadiens got one back with a Tomas Tatar goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Ben Chiarot and Alexander Romanov. The Maple Leafs replied with a Hyman empty net goal, his fourth of the season, set up by Auston Matthews and Muzzin. This stood for a 4-2 win, with the three stars given to Muzzin, Tavares, and Hyman. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 28

We're on for seven games today, beginning with...

The Ottawa Senators hosting the Edmonton Oilers. Mikko Koskinen and Marcus Hogberg get the starts in goal. Ottawa began in the first period with a Connor Brown goal, his second of the season, fueled by Nikita Zaitsev and Brady Tkachuk. Edmonton tied it on a Darnell Nurse goal, his fifth of the year, via Josh Archibald and Jujhar Khaira. The Oilers took the lead on an Evan Bouchard goal, made possible by Khaira. Edmonton added on in the second period with a Tyson Barrie goal, his second of the season, helped along by Alex Chiasson and Devin Shore. Matt Murray replaced Hogberg in goal. The Senators got one back in the third period with an Evgenii Dadonov goal, his third of the year, guided in by Mike Reilly and the goalie Murray. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Khaira, Barrie, and Bouchard.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Thomas Greiss and Sergei Bobrovsky are in the creases. Detroit led off in the first period with a Filip Zadina goal, coming off of Dylan Larkin. Florida tied it on an Alex Wennberg goal, his second of the season, assisted by Jonathan Huberdeau and Patric Hornqvist. The Panthers took the lead in the second period with a Hornqvist power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Aaron Ekblad and Huberdeau. This held for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Hornqvist, Huberdeau, and Bobrovsky (31 for 32 in saves).

Westward to Dallas, as the Stars bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Kevin Lankinen and Jake Oettinger are the young goalies. Dallas opened in the first period with a Roope Hintz goal, his third of the season, fueled by Jason Robertson. Chicago tied it in the second period with a Mattias Janmark power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Dominik Kubalik and Philipp Kurashev. The Blackhawks won 2-1 in overtime with a Pius Suter goal, his fifth of the campaign, coming off of Brandon Hagel and the goalie Lankinen. The three stars were Lankinen (34 for 35 in saves), Suter, and Janmark.

Backtracking to Nashville, as the Predators host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Juuse Saros are the masked men. Nashville started in the first period with a Rocco Grimaldi goal, his second of the season, guided in by Sean Malone and Calle Jarnkrok. Tampa Bay tied it with a Steven Stamkos goal, his sixth of the year, via Brayden Point and Mikhail Sergachev. The Lightning took the lead with a power play goal by Ondrej Palat, his fifth of the season, powered by Stamkos and Point. Tampa Bay added on with a Mathieu Joseph goal, his third of the year, helped along by Sergachev and Pat Maroon. The Lightning extended the lead in the third period as Yanni Gourde scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Sergachev and Victor Hedman. Tampa Bay padded the lead on a Stamkos goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, with helpers from Point and Palat on the power play. The Lightning struck again with a Joseph power play goal, his second of the game and fourth of the season, made possible by Hedman and Alexander Volkov. The final stood at 6-1, with the three stars awarded to Stamkos, Sergachev, and Joseph, while Point, Palat, and Hedman get the honorable mentions.

Into Canada again, as the Calgary Flames welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Jacob Markstrom tend the twines. Winnipeg got going in the second period with a Nikolaj Ehlers power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Neal Pionk and Andrew Copp. Calgary tied it on an Andrew Mangiapane goal, his third of the year, via Mikael Backlund and Milan Lucic. The Flames took the lead with a Byron Froese goal, assisted by Juuso Valimaki and Josh Leivo. The Jets retied it on another Ehlers goal, his second of the game and eighth of the season, guided in by Mark Scheifele and Copp. Calgary regained the lead in the third period with an Elias Lindholm power play goal, his fourth of the year, with assists provided by Rasmus Andersson and Matthew Tkachuk. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Ehlers, Lindholm, and Copp.

In California, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Calvin Petersen are the goalies. San Jose struck first in the first period with a Timo Meier goal, his second of the season, assisted by Ryan Donato and Radim Simek. The Sharks added on with a Logan Couture goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Patrick Marleau and Nikolai Knyzhov. Los Angeles got on the board in the second period with an Anze Kopitar goal, his third of the season, passed from Alex Iafallo and Dustin Brown. The Kings tied it on a Brown power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Adrian Kempe and Drew Doughty. Los Angeles took the lead in the third period with a Brown goal, his second of the game and sixth of the season, helped along by Iafallo. San Jose tied it again with an Evander Kane goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Couture and Brent Burns. The Sharks won 4-3 in the shootout with a lone tally by Couture. The three stars were Couture, Brown, and Iafallo.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Anaheim Ducks. Ryan Miller and Marc-Andre Fleury guard the cages. Vegas kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Chandler Stephenson goal, his fourth of the season, fueled by Mark Stone and Dylan Coghlan. The Golden Knights added on with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Reilly Smith and William Karlsson. Vegas extended the lead in the second period as Alex Tuch scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Cody Glass. Anaheim got on the board with an Isac Lundestrom goal, his second of the year, coming off of Max Comtois and Ben Hutton. The Golden Knights replied on a Nicolas Roy goal, via Glass and Shea Theodore. The Ducks pulled one back on a Troy Terry goal, his second of the season, guided in by Kevin Shattenkirk and Hampus Lindholm. Anaheim got closer with an Adam Henrique goal, his third of the year, helped along by Terry. The Ducks tied it on the power play with a Getzlaf goal, powered by Rickard Rakell and Shattenkirk. Vegas regained the lead with a Zach Whitecloud goal, his second of the season, passed from William Carrier and Stephenson. This stood for a 5-4 win, with the three stars being Stephenson, Glass, and Terry, while Shattenkirk gets an honorable mention. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 27

Six games go this Monday, beginning with...

The Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Vancouver Canucks. Braden Holtby and Frederik Andersen man the nets. Toronto led off in the first period with an unassisted Morgan Rielly goal, his second of the season. Vancouver tied it on an Elias Pettersson power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser. The Maple Leafs retook the lead with an Auston Matthews goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Mitchell Marner and Rasmus Sandin in the third period. Toronto added on with an Alexander Kerfoot goal, his second of the year, via Ilya Mikheyev. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars given to Matthews, Andersen (31 for 32 in saves), and Kerfoot. 

In New York, the Rangers welcome the cross-town rival Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Igor Shesterkin are the Russian goalies. The Islanders dented the scoreboard in the third period with a Casey Cizikas goal, his second of the campaign, made possible by Matt Martin and Adam Pelech. The Islanders added on with a Martin goal, fueled by Cal Clutterbuck and Mathew Barzal. This made it 2-0, the final, with the three stars awarded to Varlamov (30 save shutout), Martin, and Cizikas. 

Back in Canada, the Ottawa Senators bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Mike Smith and Matt Murray play in goal. Ottawa got going in the second period with an unassisted Evgenii Dadonov goal, his second of the season. Edmonton tied it on a Leon Draisaitl goal, his eighth of the year, via Dominik Kahun. The Oilers took the lead with a Tyler Ennis goal in the third period, coming off of William Lagesson and Draisaitl. Edmonton iced it at 3-1 with Josh Archibald empty net goal, his third of the campaign, set up by Connor McDavid. The three stars were Draisaitl, Smith (27 for 28 in saves), and Ennis. 

Stateside to Columbus, as the Blue Jackets host the Carolina Hurricanes. Alex Nedeljkovic is mismatched with Joonas Korpisalo in goal. Columbus began in the first period with a Scott Harrington goal, guided in by Kevin Stenlund and Alexandre Texier. Carolina tied it on a Nino Niederreiter goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted in the second period. The Blue Jackets retook the lead on a shorthanded penalty shot goal by Cam Atkinson, his third of the year. The Hurricanes tied it again with a Brock McGinn goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Warren Foegele and Jordan Martinook. Columbus regained the lead in the third period with a Jack Roslovic goal, his second of the year, helped along by Vladislav Gavrikov and Seth Jones. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Roslovic, Atkinson, and Harrington. 

West to St. Louis, as the Blues welcome the Arizona Coyotes. Darcy Kuemper and Jordan Binnington guard the cages. St. Louis started in the first period with a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by David Perron and Justin Faulk. Arizona tied it in the second period with a Conor Garland goal, his fifth of the year, via Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz. The Blues retook the lead on a Perron goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Ivan Barbashev and O'Reilly. The Coyotes tied it again with a Christian Dvorak power play goal, his seventh of the year, with assists provided by Schmaltz and Jakob Chychrun. St. Louis went ahead in the third period with an O'Reilly goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, with a lone helper by MacKenzie MacEachern. Arizona tied it in the final second with a Keller power play goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Dvorak and Chychrun. This forced a shootout, where Garland and Dvorak topped Perron as the Coyotes won 4-3. The three stars were Keller, Dvorak, and Garland, while O'Reilly, Perron, Chychrun, and Schmaltz get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Nashville Predators bring in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Curtis McElhinney and Pekka Rinne are in the blue paint. Tampa Bay opened in the first period on an Anthony Cirelli goal, his third of the season, assisted by Alex Killorn and Erik Cernak. The Lightning added on in the second period with a Cirelli power play goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, powered by Mikhail Sergachev and Pat Maroon. Nashville got on the board with a Dante Fabbro power play goal in the third period, helped along by Matt Duchene. Tampa Bay responded with an unassisted Blake Coleman empty net goal, his third of the season. The Lightning iced it at 4-1 with a Steven Stamkos empty net goal, his fifth of the year, set up by Brayden Point. The three stars went to Cirelli, McElhinney (23 for 24 in saves), and Fabbro. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 26

There's five games today and they're all early. First up...

The Washington Capitals host the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Vitek Vanecek draw the starts in goal. Washington opened in the first period with an Alex Ovechkin power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Tom Wilson and Lars Eller. The Capitals added on with a Wilson goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Nicklas Backstrom and Ovechkin. Florida got on the board with a Scott Laughton goal, his second of the season, assisted by Erik Gustafsson and Joel Farabee. The Flyers tied it in the second period with a Laughton goal, his second of the game and third of the year, fueled by Farabee and James van Riemsdyk. Washington retook the lead on an Ovechkin goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, guided in by Backstrom and Wilson. Philadelphia tied it again with a Robert Hagg goal, via Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Sean Couturier. The Flyers took the lead on a van Riemsdyk goal, his seventh of the year, going in unassisted. The Capitals evened it with a Backstrom goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Ovechkin and Wilson. Philadelphia reclaimed the lead in the third period on a Couturier goal, made possible by Michael Raffl and Justin Braun. The Flyers added on with a Laughton goal to complete his hat trick on his fourth of the year, with helpers from Farabee and Raffl. Philadelphia iced it at 7-4 with a Couturier empty net goal, his second of the campaign, set up by Ivan Provorov and Braun. The three stars were Laughton, Ovechkin, and Wilson, while Couturier, Farabee, van Riemsdyk, Raffl, Braun and Backstrom get the honorable mentions. 

Down in Dallas, the Stars welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Malcolm Subban and Jake Oettinger are the backups in goal. Chicago dented the scoreboard in the second period with an Alex DeBrincat power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Patrick Kane and Dylan Strome. Dallas tied it in the third period with a Jason Robertson goal, via Miro Heiskanen and Radek Faksa. The Blackhawks won 2-1 in overtime with a DeBrincat goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, assisted by Kane and Nikita Zadorov. The three stars were awarded to DeBrincat, Kane, and Subban (30 for 31 in saves).

East to Florida, as the Panthers host the Detroit Red Wings. Thomas Greiss and Chris Driedger are the goalies. Detroit got going in the second period with a Marc Staal goal, fueled by Sam Gagner and Troy Stecher. The Red Wings added on with a Givani Smith goal, courtesy of Bobby Ryan. Florida got on the board in the third period with an Alex Wennberg goal, made possible by Anton Stralman and Frank Vatrano. Detroit responded on a Robby Fabbri goal, his second of the season, assisted by Smith and Stecher. The Red Wings iced it at 4-1 with an empty net goal by Vladislav Namestnikov, his third of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars belonged to Smith, Stecher, and Greiss (36 for 37 in saves).

Back north, the Columbus Blue Jackets bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. James Reimer and Joonas Korpisalo man the nets. Columbus started in the first period with a Patrik Laine power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Seth Jones and Jack Roslovic. Carolina tied it on a Brock McGinn goal, his third of the year, via Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. The Blue Jackets took the lead back with a Riley Nash goal, assisted by Nick Foligno and David Savard. The Hurricanes tied it in the second period with a Warren Foegele goal, his second of the season, coming off of Jordan Staal and Ryan Dzingel. Columbus pulled ahead again with a Foligno goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Vladislav Gavrikov and Savard. Carolina tied it on a Brett Pesce goal, helped along by Jordan Martinook. The Hurricanes took the lead with a Vincent Trocheck goal, his sixth of the season, with helpers from Pesce and Brady Skjei. The Blue Jackets tied it again on a Max Domi goal in the third period, his second of the year, guided in by Scott Harrington and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Carolina claimed the lead with a Staal power play goal, his second of the season, with assists provided by Trocheck and Dougie Hamilton. The Hurricanes added on with a Hamilton goal, courtesy of Dzingel and Staal. Columbus pulled one back with a Laine goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, with helpers from Jones and Roslovic. This only made it 6-5, the final, with the three stars going to Staal, Hamilton, and Laine, while Trocheck, Dzingel, Pesce, Foligno, Roslovic, Jones and Savard receive the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Los Angeles Kings. Calvin Petersen and Robin Lehner are in the creases. Los Angeles struck first in the first period with an Anze Kopitar goal, his second of the season, fueled by Alex Iafallo and Mikey Anderson. Vegas tied it on a Reilly Smith goal, his third of the year, via Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore. The Kings retook the lead on an Adrian Kempe goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Gabriel Vilardi and Kale Clague. The Golden Knights retied it on a Zach Whitecloud goal, passed from Cody Glass and Alex Tuch. Vegas took the lead with a Chandler Stephenson goal, his second of the year, helped along by Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty. Los Angeles tied it again in the second period on a Jaret Anderson-Dolan goal, guided in by Trevor Moore and Austin Wagner. The Golden Knights regained the lead in the third period with a Stephenson power play goal, his second of the game and third of the season, powered by Tuch and Alec Martinez. This held for a 4-3 win, with the three stars given to Stephenson, Tuch, and Anderson-Dolan.

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NHL 2021 - Day 25

With some schedule shuffling, there's six games on today. We begin with...

The Ottawa Senators hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Jake Allen and Matt Murray draw the starts in goal. Montreal led off in the first period with a Jeff Petry power play goal, his sixth of the season, going in unassisted. Ottawa tied it on a Colin White power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Derek Stepan and Josh Norris. The Canadiens retook the lead in the third period with a Josh Anderson goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Nick Suzuki and Jonathan Drouin. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Allen (34 for 35 in saves), Anderson, and Petry. 

Southwest to St. Louis, as the Blues welcome the Arizona Coyotes. Darcy Kuemper faces a lesser foe in Ville Husso in goal. Arizona began in the first period with a Jakob Chychrun goal, his second of the season, assisted by Clayton Keller and Conor Garland. St. Louis tied it on a Robert Thomas goal, via Colton Parayko and Torey Krug. The Coyotes took the lead in the second period with a Keller power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Phil Kessel and Jordan Oesterle. Arizona iced it at 3-1 with a Chychrun power play empty net goal, his second of the game and third of the campaign, set up by Garland. The three stars were Chychrun, Keller, and Garland.

At the regular time, the New York Islanders bring in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Semyon Varlamov are set to start in goal. New York opened in the first period with a Jordan Eberle goal, his fourth of the season, via Michael Dal Colle and Noah Dobson. Pittsburgh tied it on a Pierre-Olivier Joseph goal, passed from Jake Guentzel and Kris Letang. The Islanders took the lead back with an Eberle goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, courtesy of Brock Nelson and Dal Colle. The Penguins tied it in the second period with an Evgeni Malkin goal, his second of the season, coming off of Kasperi Kapanen. Pittsburgh took the lead in the third period on a Guentzel goal, his fourth of the year, assisted by Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. New York tied it again with a Cal Clutterbuck goal, guided in by Casey Cizikas and Matt Martin. The Islanders took the lead with an Anders Lee power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Ryan Pulock and Mathew Barzal. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars going to Eberle, Dal Colle, and Guentzel.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs host the Vancouver Canucks. Braden Holtby and Frederik Andersen guard the cages. Toronto started in the first period with a Wayne Simmonds power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Mitchell Marner and Morgan Rielly. The Maple Leafs added on with an Auston Matthews goal, his ninth of the year, made possible by Marner and Zach Hyman. Toronto extended the lead in the second period as Hyman scored his third of the season, thanks to Mikko Lehtonen and Marner. The Maple Leafs padded the lead in the third period with Matthews' second of the game and tenth of the year, going in unassisted. Toronto kept going with Simmonds' second goal of the game and fifth of the season, passed from Lehtonen and John Tavares. Vancouver got on the board with a Brock Boeser power play goal, his ninth of the year, with assists provided by Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson. This only made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars given to Matthews, Simmonds, and Marner, while Hyman and Lehtonen get the honorable mentions.

Out west, the Calgary Flames welcome the Edmonton Oilers. Mikko Koskinen and Jacob Markstrom tend the twines. Calgary kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Elias Lindholm goal, his third of the season, assisted by Dillon Dube and Matthew Tkachuk. Edmonton tied it on a Jujhar Khaira goal, courtesy of William Lagesson and Adam Larsson. The Oilers took the lead on a power play goal by Connor McDavid, his ninth of the year, powered by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Tyson Barrie. The Flames tied it on a Milan Lucic goal, his third of the season, fueled by Andrew Mangiapane and Mikael Backlund. Calgary took the lead on a Backlund goal, his third of the year, via Mangiapane and Lucic. Edmonton tied it in the third period with a Jesse Puljujarvi goal, his third of the season, with a lone assist by McDavid. The Flames regained the lead on a Dube power play goal, his second of the year, with assists provided by Mark Giordano and Backlund. Calgary added on with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his seventh of the season, guided in by Sean Monahan and Giordano. The Oilers pulled back on a Darnell Nurse goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Dominik Kahun and Leon Draisaitl. The Flames responded with a Sam Bennett goal, coming off of Gaudreau and Monahan. This held for a 6-4 win, with the three stars going to Backlund, Lucic, and Gaudreau, while Dube, Mangiapane, Monahan, Giordano, and McDavid get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the San Jose Sharks. Devan Dubnyk and Ryan Miller are in the blue paint. San Jose struck first in the first period with a Logan Couture goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Mario Ferraro and Evander Kane. Anaheim tied it in the second period on an Isac Lundestrom goal, assisted by Hampus Lindholm and Kevin Shattenkirk. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Troy Terry and Max Comtois topped Ryan Donato as the Ducks won 2-1. The three stars were Miller (26 for 27 in saves), Dubnyk (32 for 33 in saves), and Lundestrom. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 24

A full slate of five games goes this Friday, beginning with...

The Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the Detroit Red Wings. Thomas Greiss and Andrei Vasilevskiy are in goal. Detroit began in the first period with a Vladislav Namestnikov goal, his second of the season, via Filip Zadina and Jon Merrill. Tampa Bay tied it on an unassisted Pat Maroon goal. The Lightning took the lead in the second period with a Barclay Goodrow goal, assisted by Jan Rutta and Brayden Point. Tampa Bay iced it at 3-1 in the third period with a Goodrow empty net goal, set up by Blake Coleman and Ryan McDonagh. The three stars belonged to Goodrow, Vasilevskiy (27 for 28 in saves), and Maroon.

Up in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Brian Elliott are the veteran goalies. Philadelphia got going in the third period with a James van Riemsdyk power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Erik Gustafsson and Claude Giroux. Boston tied it on a Brad Marchand goal, his seventh of the year, assisted by David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy. The Bruins took the lead on a Sean Kuraly goal, his second of the campaign, fueled by Anders Bjork and David Krejci. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars given to Rask (23 for 24 in saves), Kuraly, and Marchand.

Back in Florida, the Panthers host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Chris Driedger draw the starts. Nashville led off in the first period with a Colton Sissons goal, his second of the season, made possible by Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis. Florida tied it in the second period with an Aleksander Barkov goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Carter Verhaeghe and Owen Tippett. The Panthers took the lead with a Verhaeghe goal, his sixth of the campaign, coming off of Barkov and MacKenzie Weegar. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Verhaeghe, Barkov, and Driedger (24 for 25 in saves). 

Out west, the Vegas Golden Knights bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Marc-Andre Fleury are the veteran goalies. Vegas opened in the first period with a Nicolas Hague goal, assisted by Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone. The Golden Knights added on with a Stone goal, his third of the season, coming off of Pacioretty and Shea Theodore. Vegas extended the lead as Jonathan Marchessault scored his second of the year, thanks to William Karlsson and Hague. The Golden Knights chased Quick in the second period with a Karlsson goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Marchessault and Hague. Calvin Petersen replaced Quick in goal. Vegas padded the lead with a Cody Glass power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Karlsson and Pacioretty. Los Angeles got on the board in the third period with an Austin Wagner goal, with helpers from Dustin Brown and Olli Maatta. The Kings got closer on a Brown power play goal, his fourth of the campaign, with assists provided by Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. This only made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars going to Hague, Karlsson, and Stone, while Pacioretty, Marchessault, and Brown receive the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and John Gibson guard the cages. San Jose started in the first period with a Matt Nieto goal, his third of the season, assisted by Marcus Sorensen and Alexander Chmelevski. Anaheim tied it in the second period on an Adam Henrique goal, his second of the year, passed from Derek Grant and Troy Terry. The Ducks took the lead with a Terry goal, guided in by Cam Fowler and Grant. Anaheim added on with a Max Comtois goal, his fourth of the season, via Rickard Rakell. The Sharks got one back in the third period with a Logan Couture goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Evander Kane and Brent Burns. San Jose tied it on a shorthanded and unassisted Kane goal, his third of the season. The Sharks took the lead with a Burns goal, his third of the year, made possible by Ryan Donato. The Ducks retied it on a Comtois goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, with helpers from Carter Rowney and Hampus Lindholm. The Sharks won 5-4 in the shootout with goals by Donato and Kevin Labanc. The three stars were Comtois, Kane, and Burns, while Grant and Terry get the honorable mentions. 

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