NHL 2021 - Day 76

Seven games on for Monday night, beginning with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Elliott and Linus Ullmark are set to start in goal. Buffalo led off in the first period with a Henri Jokiharju goal, his second of the season, made possible by Curtis Lazar and Kyle Okposo. The Sabres added on in the second period with a Cody Eakin goal, his second of the year, via Tobias Rieder and Riley Sheahan. Buffalo extended the lead as Brandon Montour scored his second of the season, thanks to Tage Thompson and Taylor Hall. Philadelphia got on the board in the third period with a Kevin Hayes goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Travis Sanheim. The Flyers got closer with a Claude Giroux goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek. Philadelphia tied it as Couturier scored his tenth of the year, with the help of Ivan Provorov and Giroux. The Flyers won 4-3 in overtime with a Provorov goal, his fifth of the campaign, helped along by Travis Konecny. The three stars went to Provorov, Giroux, and Couturier.

Over in Pittsburgh, the Penguins welcome the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Tristan Jarry man the nets. Pittsburgh began in the first period with an Anthony Angello power play goal, his second of the season, powered by John Marino and Mike Matheson. The Penguins added on with a Jared McCann goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Marino and Matheson. Casey DeSmith relieved Jarry in goal to start the second period. New York got on the board in the second period with a Matt Martin power play goal, his sixth of the season, with assists provided by Mathew Barzal and Nick Leddy. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars given to DeSmith (19 for 20 in saves), Marino, and Matheson.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Mike Smith and Michael Hutchinson are in the blue paint. Edmonton opened in the first period with a Josh Archibald goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Kris Russell and Jujhar Khaira. Toronto tied it with a Mitchell Marner goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Zach Hyman and Justin Holl. The Maple Leafs took the lead with an Auston Matthews goal, his twenty-third of the season, assisted by Marner and Holl. The Oilers retied it in the third period with a Kyle Turris goal, his second of the year, via Adam Larsson and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Edmonton won 3-2 in overtime with a Darnell Nurse goal, his twelfth of the campaign, made possible by Connor McDavid. The three stars were Nurse, Marner, and Holl. 

Out west, the Colorado Avalanche host the Anaheim Ducks. Ryan Miller and Philipp Grubauer are in the creases. Colorado started in the first period with a Mikko Rantanen goal, his twentieth of the season, made possible by Nathan MacKinnon. Anaheim tied it on a Danton Heinen goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Max Comtois and Ben Hutton. The Avalanche retook the lead in the second period with a Tyson Jost goal, his third of the season, coming off of Ryan Graves and Valeri Nichushkin. Colorado added on with a Gabriel Landeskog power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by Cale Makar and MacKinnon. The Ducks got one back with an unassisted Troy Terry goal in the third period, his seventh of the season. The Avalanche responded with a J.T. Compher goal, his fourth of the year, helped along by Logan O'Connor and Makar. Colorado extended the lead as Nichushkin scored his eighth of the season, thanks to Makar and Joonas Donskoi. This stood for a 5-2 win, with the three stars being Nichushkin, Makar, and MacKinnon.

Down in Vegas, the Golden Knights welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Robin Lehner are the masked men. Los Angeles kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Matt Roy goal, his second of the season, via Gabriel Vilardi and Jeff Carter. Vegas tied it in the second period with a Reilly Smith power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Jonathan Marchessault and Mark Stone. The Golden Knights took the lead with a Tomas Nosek goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Zach Whitecloud and William Carrier. Vegas added on with a Nicolas Hague goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Marchessault and William Karlsson. The Golden Knights extended the lead as Alec Martinez scored his fifth of the campaign, thanks to Keegan Kolesar and Shea Theodore. The three stars of the 4-1 game were Lehner (24 for 25 in saves), Nosek, and Marchessault.

North to Calgary, as the Flames bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Jacob Markstrom tend the twines. Calgary struck first in the first period with an Elias Lindholm power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau. Winnipeg tied it on a Nate Thompson goal, his second of the year, via Dylan DeMelo and Trevor Lewis. The Jets took the lead with a Mark Scheifele goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Kyle Connor and Nikolaj Ehlers. Winnipeg added on in the second period with a Scheifele goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, passed from Ehlers and Connor. The Jets extended the lead as Andrew Copp scored his eleventh of the season, thanks to Ehlers and Scheifele. Winnipeg padded the lead in the third period with a Pierre-Luc Dubois goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Blake Wheeler and Paul Stastny. This stood for a 5-1 win, with the three stars handed to Scheifele, Ehlers, and Connor.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Minnesota Wild. Cam Talbot and Martin Jones are the veteran goalies. Minnesota was first to score in the first period with a Marcus Johansson goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Kevin Fiala and Ryan Hartman. San Jose tied it on a Radim Simek goal, his second of the year, passed from Ryan Donato and John Leonard. The Wild retook the lead on a Nick Bonino goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Joel Eriksson Ek and Jordan Greenway. The Sharks tied it in the second period with an Erik Karlsson goal, his third of the year, coming off of Evander Kane. San Jose pulled ahead with a Karlsson goal in the third period, his second of the game and fourth of the season, fueled by Donato and Dylan Gambrell. Minnesota tied it again with a Fiala goal, his tenth of the year, with helpers from Matt Dumba and Johansson. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Logan Couture, Kevin Labanc, and Karlsson lifted the Sharks to a 4-3 win over Fiala and Mats Zuccarello's Wild. The three stars were Karlsson, Donato, and Fiala, while Johansson gets an honorable mention. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 75

Six games on this Sunday, beginning with...

The Washington Capitals hosting the New York Rangers. Keith Kinkaid and Ilya Samsonov man the nets. Washington got going in the second period with a Tom Wilson goal, his eighth of the season, courtesy of Jakub Vrana. The Capitals added on with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his eighteenth of the year, passed from T.J. Oshie and Dmitry Orlov. Washington extended the lead as Wilson scored his second of the game and ninth of the season, thanks to Nicklas Backstrom and Oshie. The Capitals padded the lead in the third period with an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his sixth of the year, assisted by Carl Hagelin and Garnet Hathaway. New York got on the board with a Colin Blackwell goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Adam Fox. The Rangers got closer with another Blackwell goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, with assists provided by Kevin Rooney. Washington fired back with an Oshie goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Justin Schultz and Dmitry Orlov. New York responded with an Alexis Lafreniere goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Julien Gauthier and Rooney. The Rangers got closer with a Chris Kreider power play goal, his seventeenth of the campaign, powered by Ryan Strome and Fox. The final held at 5-4, with the three stars going to Wilson, Oshie, and Blackwell, while Orlov, Fox, and Rooney get the honorable mentions. 

Along to Detroit, as the Red Wings welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins and Calvin Pickard are in the creases. Detroit led off in the first period with an Evgeny Svechnikov goal, his third of the season, assisted by Darren Helm and Christian Djoos. Columbus tied it in the second period with a Jack Roslovic goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Oliver Bjorkstrand and Cam Atkinson. The Red Wings took the lead back in the third period on a Michael Rasmussen goal, fueled by Robby Fabbri and Danny DeKeyser. Detroit added on with a Filip Hronek empty net goal, his second of the season, going in unassisted. The Red Wings iced it at 4-1 with a Vladislav Namestnikov empty net goal, his sixth of the year, set up by Anthony Mantha and Patrik Nemeth. The three stars belonged to Pickard (16 for 17 in saves), Rasmussen, and Svechnikov. 

Over to St. Louis, as the Blues bring in the Anaheim Ducks. Anthony Stolarz is mismatched with Jordan Binnington in goal. St. Louis began in the first period with a Ryan O'Reilly goal, his twelfth of the season, fueled by Vladimir Tarasenko. The Blues added on with a Tarasenko power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Torey Krug and David Perron. Anaheim got on the board in the second period with a Cam Fowler goal, his third of the season, via Ryan Getzlaf and Max Jones. The Ducks tied it in the third period on an Adam Henrique goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Jones. Anaheim won 3-2 in overtime with a Josh Manson goal, set up by the goalie Stolarz. The three stars were Manson, Jones, and Tarasenko.

East to Boston, as the Bruins host the New Jersey Devils. MacKenzie Blackwood and Jaroslav Halak protect the nets. New Jersey started in the first period with a Kyle Palmieri goal, his seventh of the season, courtesy of Ty Smith and Jesper Bratt. This held up for a 1-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Blackwood (40 save shutout), Palmieri, and Halak (28 for 29 in saves).

Down in Dallas, the Stars welcome the Florida Panthers. Chris Driedger and Jake Oettinger are the youngsters in goal. Dallas opened in the first period with a Jason Robertson power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Roope Hintz and John Klingberg. Florida tied it on a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his twelfth of the year, going in unassisted. The Panthers took the lead with an Anthony Duclair penalty shot goal, his fourth of the season. Florida added on with a Huberdeau power play goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, assisted by Keith Yandle and Aaron Ekblad. The Panthers iced it at 4-1 in the third period with an Owen Tippett empty net goal, his fifth of the campaign, set up by Huberdeau. The three stars were Huberdeau, Driedger (33 for 34 in saves), and Duclair. 

Finally, the Chicago Blackhawks bring in the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Malcolm Subban are in the creases. Nashville kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Viktor Arvidsson goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. The Predators added on with a Calle Jarnkrok goal, his tenth of the year, via Mattias Ekholm and Luke Kunin. Chicago got on the board in the third period with an Alex DeBrincat goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Patrick Kane and Pius Suter. The Blackhawks tied it on another DeBrincat goal, his eighteenth of the year, passed from Suter. Nashville pulled ahead with a Roman Josi goal, his third of the campaign, assisted by Eeli Tolvanen and Arvidsson. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Arvidsson, DeBrincat, and Suter. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 74

Eleven games on for a Saturday, beginning with four matinees. First up...

The Boston Bruins host the Buffalo Sabres. Linus Ullmark and Dan Vladar are in the blue paint. Buffalo led off in the first period with a Sam Reinhart power play goal, his twelfth of the season, going in unassisted. Boston tied it in the second period with a Matt Grzelcyk goal, his second of the year, passed from David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron. The Sabres retook the lead on a Kyle Okposo goal, his second of the season, made possible by Henri Jokiharju and Rasmus Dahlin. The Bruins tied it again in the third period with a Nick Ritchie goal, his ninth of the year, helped along by Charlie McAvoy and Jakub Zboril. Boston took the lead on a Craig Smith goal, his sixth of the campaign, via David Krejci and Ritchie. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Ritchie, Smith, and Grzelcyk. 

Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Brian Elliott are the goalies. New York began in the first period with a Mika Zibanejad power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Ryan Strome and Adam Fox. Philadelphia tied it in the second period with a Nolan Patrick power play goal, his fourth of the year, with assists provided by Shayne Gostisbehere and Sean Couturier. The Flyers took the lead in the third period with a Samuel Morin goal, assisted by Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Michael Raffl. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars given to Morin, Elliott (24 for 25 in saves), and Patrick. 

Up to Detroit, as the Red Wings bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins and Calvin Pickard are the backups in goal. Detroit opened in the first period with an Adam Erne goal, his sixth of the season, guided in by Filip Hronek and Danny DeKeyser. The Red Wings added on with a Robby Fabbri goal, his tenth of the year, helped along by Dylan Larkin and Filip Zadina. Columbus got on the board in the second period with a Nick Foligno goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Alexandre Texier and Boone Jenner. Detroit responded in the third period with an Anthony Mantha goal, his ninth of the year, fueled by Larkin and Patrik Nemeth. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars being Larkin, Fabbri, and Pickard (21 for 22 in saves). 

Out west, the Colorado Avalanche host the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Philipp Grubauer are the masked men. Colorado started in the first period with a Joonas Donskoi goal, his twelfth of the season, helped along by Samuel Girard. Vegas tied it on an Alec Martinez power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Chandler Stephenson and Max Pacioretty. The Avalanche took the lead back with a Devon Toews goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Nathan MacKinnon. The Golden Knights tied it in the second period on a William Carrier goal, his second of the year, passed from Shea Theodore and Tomas Nosek. Vegas won 3-2 in overtime with a Pacioretty goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, assisted by Alex Tuch and Dylan Coghlan. The three stars went to Pacioretty, Carrier, and Martinez. 

At the regular time, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and James Reimer are set to start in goal. Tampa Bay struck first in the first period with a Blake Coleman goal, his seventh of the season, via Jan Rutta and Barclay Goodrow. The Lightning added on with a Pat Maroon goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Ross Colton. Carolina got on the board in the second period with a Cedric Paquette goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Martin Necas and Brett Pesce. The Hurricanes tied it on a Sebastian Aho goal, his fifteenth of the year, guided in by Nino Niederreiter and Necas. Carolina took the lead with a Necas power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. Tampa Bay tied it in the third period on a Mathieu Joesph goal, his ninth of the year, coming off of Maroon. The Hurricanes retook the lead on a Necas power play goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, with an assist provided by Dougie Hamilton. The three stars were Necas, Aho, and Maroon.

Up in Pittsburgh, the Penguins bring in the New York Islanders. Ilya Sorokin and Tristan Jarry draw the starts. Pittsburgh kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Frederick Gaudreau goal, helped along by Sam Lafferty and Colton Sceviour. The Penguins added on with an Evan Rodrigues goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Jared McCann and Cody Ceci. Pittsburgh extended the lead in the second period as Sidney Crosby scored on the power play, his fourteenth of the year, thanks to Jake Guentzel and Kris Letang. The Penguins padded the lead on a Bryan Rust power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Crosby and McCann. Semyon Varlamov replaced Sorokin in goal. Pittsburgh continued with a Rust goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, guided in by Letang and Guentzel. New York got on the board with a Mathew Barzal goal, his tenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Islanders got one back in the third period with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his sixth of the year, with helpers provided by Barzal and Nick Leddy. New York marched on with a Jordan Eberle goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey. The Penguins iced it at 6-3 with a Rust empty net goal to complete his hat trick on his fourteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Rust, Crosby, and Letang, while Barzal, Guentzel and McCann get the honorable mentions.

Further north to Toronto, as the Maple Leafs host the Edmonton Oilers. Mike Smith and Jack Campbell protect the nets. Toronto got going in the second period with a Pierre Engvall goal, his third of the season, passed from Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner. Edmonton tied it on a Darnell Nurse goal, his eleventh of the year, made possible by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers took the lead with a Draisaitl goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by McDavid and Tyson Barrie. Edmonton added on with a Barrie goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Draisaitl. The Maple Leafs got one back in the third period on a John Tavares goal, his tenth of the season, guided in by Alex Galchenyuk and William Nylander. Toronto tied it on a Nylander goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Justin Holl and Galchenyuk. The Maple Leafs won 4-3 in overtime with a Matthews goal, his twenty-second of the campaign, courtesy of Morgan Rielly. The three stars were Matthews, Nylander, and Draisaitl, while Galchenyuk, McDavid, and Barrie get the honorable mentions.

Back stateside, the Chicago Blackhawks welcome the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Kevin Lankinen make the starts in goal. Nashville drew first blood in the first period with a Ryan Johansen goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Viktor Arvidsson and Eeli Tolvanen. The Predators added on in the second period with a Rocco Grimaldi goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Luke Kunin. Chicago got on the board with a Pius Suter goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Patrick Kane and Adam Boqvist. Nashville replied in the third period with a Mikael Granlund goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Kunin. This stood for a 3-1, with the three stars going to Saros (29 for 30 in saves), Kunin, and Grimaldi.

Down in Dallas, the Stars bring in the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Anton Khudobin patrol the creases. Florida was first to score in the first period with a Carter Verhaeghe goal, his thirteenth of the season, courtesy of Noel Acciari. Dallas tied it on a Denis Gurianov goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Jamie Benn and Joel Hanley. The Stars took the lead with a John Klingberg goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Esa Lindell and Radek Faksa. The Panthers tied it again with a Verhaeghe power play goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the year, powered by Acciari and Owen Tippett. Florida took the lead with a second period Verhaeghe shorthanded goal to complete his hat trick on his fifteenth of the season, going in unassisted. Dallas retied it in the third period with a Joel L'Esperance goal, via Hanley and Andrej Sekera. The Panthers won 4-3 in overtime with an Aaron Ekblad goal, his eleventh of the year, made possible by Jonathan Huberdeau and Verhaeghe. The three stars were Verhaeghe, Acciari, and Hanley. 

Westward to Arizona, as the Coyotes host the San Jose Sharks. Devan Dubnyk and Adin Hill are between the pipes. Arizona dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Clayton Keller goal, his eleventh of the season, going in unassisted. The Coyotes added on with a Phil Kessel power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Keller. Arizona extended the lead as Kessel scored his second of the game and thirteenth of the season on the power play, with the help of Christian Dvorak and Alex Goligoski. The Coyotes iced it at 4-0 with a Kessel empty net goal, his fourteenth of the year, set up by Keller and Nick Schmaltz. The three stars belonged to Kessel, Keller, and Hill (34 save shutout).

Finally, the Calgary Flames host the Winnipeg Jets. Laurent Brossoit and David Rittich are the masked men. Calgary cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Josh Leivo goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. The Flames added on with a Mark Giordano power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm. Winnipeg got on the board in the second period with a Mason Appleton goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Andrew Copp. The Jets tied it with a Logan Stanley goal, made possible by Kyle Connor and Nate Thompson. Calgary took the lead in the third period with an Andrew Mangiapane goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Noah Hanifin and Christopher Tanev. The Flames extended the lead as Sam Bennett scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Joakim Nordstrom and Mikael Backlund. This stood for a 4-2 win, with the three stars going to Mangiapane, Bennett, and Giordano. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 73

Four games on tonight, beginning with...

The Washington Capitals hosting the New Jersey Devils. Scott Wedgewood and Ilya Samsonov draw the starts in goal. Washington opened in the first period with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his sixteenth of the season, made possible by Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Capitals added on with a Nicklas Backstrom goal, his thirteenth of the year, guided in by Tom Wilson and Conor Sheary. Washington extended the lead in the third period as Sheary scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Wilson. The Capitals padded the lead on an Ovechkin goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, assisted by Kuznetsov and T.J. Oshie. The final stood at 4-0, with the three stars going to Ovechkin, Samsonov (24 save shutout), and Sheary, while Wilson and Kuznetsov get the honorable mentions. 

Out in St. Louis, the Blues welcome the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Jordan Binnington guard the cages. Anaheim got going in the second period with a Sam Steel goal, his fourth of the season, via Jakob Silfverberg. The Ducks added on with a Max Jones goal, his fifth of the year, fueled by Ryan Getzlaf. St. Louis got on the board with a Ryan O'Reilly goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Marco Scandella and Torey Krug in the third period. Anaheim replied with a Derek Grant empty net goal, his third of the year, set up by Cam Fowler. The Ducks iced it at 4-1 with a Rickard Rakell empty net goal, his seventh of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Gibson (33 for 34 in saves), Jones, and Steel. 

Northwest to Calgary, as the Flames bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Jacob Markstrom tend the twines. Winnipeg started in the first period with a Blake Wheeler power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Paul Stastny and Kyle Connor. The Jets added on in the second period with a Connor goal, his seventeenth of the year, passed from Tucker Poolman. Calgary got on the board in the third period with a Milan Lucic power play goal, his seventh of the season, with assists provided by Mikael Backlund and Noah Hanifin. Winnipeg replied with a Stastny power play goal, his eleventh of the year, assisted by Wheeler and Mark Scheifele. The Flames got one back with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Elias Lindholm and Hanifin. The final stood at 3-2, with the three stars being Connor, Stastny, and Wheeler, while Hanifin gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Arizona Coyotes host the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Adin Hill are in the creases. Arizona kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Christian Dvorak goal, his tenth of the season, via Conor Garland and Christian Fischer. San Jose tied it in the second period with a shorthanded Tomas Hertl goal, his tenth of the year, set up by Erik Karlsson. The Coyotes retook the lead on a Nick Schmaltz goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Ilya Lyubushkin and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Arizona added on in the third period with a Dvorak goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, going in unassisted. The Coyotes extended the lead as Dryden Hunt scored his second of the season, thanks to Lawson Crouse and Derick Brassard. Arizona padded the lead on a Phil Kessel power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Clayton Keller and Ekman-Larsson. The Sharks got one back with a Patrick Marleau power play goal, his second of the season, with assists provided by Mario Ferraro and Timo Meier. The final was 5-2, with the three stars being Dvorak, Hunt, and Ekman-Larsson. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 72

Eleven games on tonight, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Tuukka Rask tend the twines. Boston struck first in the first period with a Karson Kuhlman goal, coming off of Charlie McAvoy and Anders Bjork. The Bruins added on with a Steven Kampfer power play goal, powered by McAvoy and David Krejci. Jaroslav Halak replaced an injured Rask to start the second period. New York got on the board in the second period with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his eleventh of the season, guided in by Scott Mayfield and Leo Komarov. The Islanders tied it in the third period with a Josh Bailey goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Brock Nelson and Nick Leddy. New York took the lead on an Oliver Wahlstrom goal, his ninth of the season, via Pageau and Anthony Beauvillier. Boston retied it on a Bjork goal, his second of the year, with a lone assist by Charlie Coyle. The Islanders won 4-3 in overtime with a Beauvillier goal, his fifth of the campaign, made possible by Leddy and Pageau. The three stars belonged to Beauvillier, Pageau, and Leddy, while Bjork and McAvoy get the honorable mentions.

Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Carter Hart are the masked men. New York opened in the first period with a Ryan Strome goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox. The Rangers added on with a Pavel Buchnevich goal, his twelfth of the year, via Chris Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. New York extended the lead on a Zibanejad power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Fox and Strome. The Rangers padded the lead on a Zibanejad power play goal in the second period, his second of the game and ninth of the year, guided in by Fox and Strom. New York continued when Zibanejad completed his hat trick on the power play with his tenth of the season, thanks to Strome and Fox. Brian Elliott replaced Hart in goal. The Rangers kept going with a K'Andre Miller goal, his third of the year, fueled by Brendan Lemieux and Zibanejad. Philadelphia got on the board with a Claude Giroux goal, his eighth of the season, with helpers from Kevin Hayes and Joel Farabee. The Flyers got closer on a Hayes power play goal, his tenth of the year, with assists provided by Sean Couturier and Shayne Gostisbehere. New York answered with a shorthanded goal by Buchnevich, his second of the game and thirteenth of the season, set up by Fox and Zibanejad. Philadelphia pulled back on a Couturier power play goal, his ninth of the year, dished from Travis Konecny and Gostisbehere. The Rangers countered with a Filip Chytil goal, set up by Alexis Lafreniere and Jacob Trouba. The final stood at 8-3, with the three stars awarded to Zibanejad, Fox, and Buchnevich, while Strome, Couturier, Hayes, and Gostisbehere get the honorable mentions.

Along to DC, as the Washington Capitals bring in the New Jersey Devils. MacKenzie Blackwood and Vitek Vanecek man the nets. New Jersey started in the first period with an unassisted Nicholas Merkley goal, his second of the season. Washington tied it on a Dmitry Orlov goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Justin Schultz and Daniel Sprong. The Devils took the lead in the second period with a Miles Wood goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Janne Kuokkanen and Damon Severson. The Capitals tied it on an Alex Ovechkin goal, his fifteenth of the year, helped along by Sprong and John Carlson. Washington pulled ahead with an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his fourth of the season, via Ovechkin and Brenden Dillon. New Jersey retied it on a Jesper Bratt power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Ty Smith and Pavel Zacha. The Capitals retook the lead with a Kuznetsov goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, guided in by Schultz. The final held from here at 4-3, with the three stars going to Kuznetsov, Ovechkin and Sprong, while Schultz gets an honorable mention.

West to Columbus, with the Blue Jackets hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Alex Nedeljkovic and Joonas Korpisalo start in goal. Columbus got going in the second period with a Zach Werenski goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Kevin Stenlund and Seth Jones. Carolina tied it on a Cedric Paquette goal, his third of the year, guided in by Brady Skjei and Steven Lorentz. The Hurricanes took the lead with a Martin Necas goal, his seventh of the season, via Andrei Svechnikov and Jake Bean. The Blue Jackets tied it in the third period with a Cam Atkinson power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by Patrik Laine and Jones. Carolina retook the lead on a Nino Niederreiter goal, his fourteenth of the season, passed from Jaccob Slavin and Dougie Hamilton. Columbus tied it on an Oliver Bjorkstrand goal, his twelfth of the year, fueled by Atkinson and Jones. The Hurricanes won 4-3 in overtime with a Sebastian Aho goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, set up by Necas. The three stars were Necas, Jones, and Atkinson.

Up in Ottawa, the Senators welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jack Campbell and Anton Forsberg are the backups in goal. Ottawa began in the first period with a Connor Brown shorthanded goal, his seventh of the season, set up by Chris Tierney. Toronto tied it in the second period with an Ilya Mikheyev goal, his fifth of the year, passed from T.J. Brodie and Zach Hyman. The Maple Leafs took the lead in the third period with a Jason Spezza goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Alexander Kerfoot. The Senators tied it on an Alex Formenton goal, guided in by Clark Bishop and Ryan Dzingel. Toronto won 3-2 in overtime with a Justin Holl goal, his second of the year, made possible by Mitchell Marner and Auston Matthews. The three stars were Holl, Spezza, and Mikehyev.

Back stateside, the Pittsburgh Penguins bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Dustin Tokarski and Casey DeSmith are in the blue paint. Pittsburgh led off in the first period with a Radim Zohorna goal, courtesy of Anthony Angello and Frederick Gaudreau. The Penguins added on with a Jared McCann power play goal in the second period, his sixth of the season, powered by Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby. Pittsburgh extended the lead in the third period as McCann scored on the power play again, his second of the game and seventh of the year, thanks to Letang and Crosby. The Penguins iced it at 4-0 with a Jake Guentzel empty net goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, set up by Bryan Rust and Crosby. The three stars were DeSmith (36 save shutout), McCann, and Crosby, while Letang gets an honorable mention.

Over in Chicago, the Blackhawks host the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Kevin Lankinen patrol the creases. Chicago dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Patrick Kane power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Carl Soderberg and Brandon Hagel. The Blackhawks added on with a Pius Suter goal, his tenth of the year, via Alex DeBrincat and Kane. Chicago iced it at 3-0 in the third period with a Hagel empty net goal, his fourth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars belonged to Lankinen (41 save shutout), Kane, and Hagel.

North to Minnesota, as the Wild welcome the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Cam Talbot guard the cages. Minnesota cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a Marcus Johansson goal, his third of the season, fueled by Kevin Fiala and Jonas Brodin. The Wild added on with a Kirill Kaprizov goal, his eleventh of the year, assisted by Mats Zuccarello. This made it 2-0, the final, with the three stars given to Talbot (37 save shutout), Johansson, and Kaprizov.

Back south to Nashville, as the Predators bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Thomas Greiss and Juuse Saros are set to start in goal. Nashville kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Rocco Grimaldi goal, his fourth of the season, via Erik Haula and Nick Cousins. The Predators added on with an Eeli Tolvanen power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Roman Josi. Nashville extended the lead as Grimaldi scored his second of the game and fifth of the season, going in unassisted. Calvin Pickard replaced Greiss in goal. The Predators padded the lead with a Grimaldi goal to complete his hat trick on his sixth of the year, thanks to Haula. Detroit got on the board with a Bobby Ryan power play goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Christian Djoos and Robby Fabbri. Nashville answered in the second period with a Mikael Granlund goal, his seventh of the year, helped along by Josi and Dante Fabbro. The Predators continued in the third period with a Mathieu Olivier goal, his third of the season, guided in by Ben Harpur. Nashville struck again with a Grimaldi goal, his fourth of the game and seventh of the year, an unassisted tally. The final was 7-1, with the three stars handed to Grimaldi, Josi, and Haula.

Further south to Dallas, as the Stars host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevksiy and Jake Oettinger draw the starts in goal. Tampa Bay drew first blood in the second period with a Yanni Gourde goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Cal Foote and Ondrej Palat. The Lightning added on with an Alex Killorn goal, his tenth of the year, via Mikhail Sergachev and Anthony Cirelli. Dallas got on the board with a Miro Heiskanen goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Blake Comeau. The Stars tied it in the second period with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, powered by Roope Hintz and John Klingberg. Dallas took the lead with a Jason Robertson goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Pavelski and Hintz. Tampa Bay tied it in the third period with a Palat goal, his twelfth of the year, passed from Gourde and Victor Hedman. The Stars reclaimed the lead with a Hintz goal, his tenth of the season, courtesy of Robertson and Pavelski. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars being Hintz, Pavelski, and Robertson, while Palat and Gourde get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Colorado Avalanche host the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Philipp Grubauer protect the nets. Vegas was first to score in the first period with a Max Pacioretty goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Mark Stone and Alec Martinez. Colorado tied it in the second period with a Joonas Donskoi power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Samuel Girard and Devon Toews. The Avalanche took the lead with a J.T. Compher goal, his third of the season, going in unassisted. Colorado added on with a Cale Makar goal, his third of the year, passed from Logan O'Connor and Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche extended the lead as Landeskog scored his eleventh of the season, helped along by Mikko Rantanen and Makar. Colorado padded the lead in the third period as Pierre-Edouard Bellemare scored his fourth of the year, thanks to Compher. This made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars being Compher, Makar, and Landeskog. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 71

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

The Ottawa Senators hosting the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom faces a lesser foe in Filip Gustavsson in goal. Calgary got going in the second period with a Mark Giordano goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Sean Monahan and Dillon Dube. Ottawa tied it in the third period with a Josh Norris goal, his eighth of the year, via Evgenii Dadonov. The Senators took the lead on a Chris Tierney goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Thomas Chabot and Mike Reilly. Ottawa iced it at 3-1 with a Nikita Zaitsev empty net goal, set up by Artem Zub and Nick Paul. The three stars were Tierney, Norris, and Gustavsson (28 for 29 in saves).

Stateside, the Minnesota Wild welcome the Anaheim Ducks. Ryan Miller and Cam Talbot are the veterans in goal. Minnesota opened in the first period with a Jared Spurgeon goal, his second of the season, coming off of Ryan Suter and Kirill Kaprizov. Anaheim tied it on a Derek Grant goal, his second of the year, via Josh Manson and Ryan Getzlaf. The Wild retook the lead with a Spurgeon power play goal, his second of the game and third of the season, powered by Suter. The Ducks tied it in the second period with a Max Comtois goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Isac Lundestrom. Minnesota reclaimed the lead on a Nico Sturm goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Nick Bjugstad and Carson Soucy. The final remained at 3-2, with the three stars going to Spurgeon, Suter, and Sturm.

Back east, the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Buffalo Sabres. Dustin Tokarski is mismatched with Tristan Jarry in goal. Pittsburgh started in the first period with an Evan Rodrigues goal, his third of the season, passed from Sam Lafferty and Mark Jankowski. The Penguins added on with a Kris Letang goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust. Buffalo got on the board with a Rasmus Dahlin goal, his second of the season, assisted by Brandon Montour and Taylor Hall. Pittsburgh replied in the second period with a John Marino goal, his second of the year, coming off of Jared McCann and Zach Aston-Reese. The Penguins extended the lead on an Aston-Reese shorthanded goal, his seventh of the season, set up by Frederick Gaudreau. Pittsburgh padded the lead in the third period on a Crosby goal, his thirteenth of the year, thanks to Jake Guentzel and Mike Matheson. The Sabres got one back with a Victor Olofsson penalty shot goal, his ninth of the season. This only made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars given to Crosby, Aston-Reese, and Marino.

Over in Vancouver, the Canucks bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Thatcher Demko guard the cages. Winnipeg cracked the scoresheet in the second period with an Andrew Copp power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Neal Pionk and Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Jets added on with another Copp power play goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, with helpers from Nikolaj Ehlers. Winnipeg extended the lead as Mark Scheifele scored his thirteenth of the season, thanks to Blake Wheeler and Paul Stastny. The Jets padded the lead in the third period with a Copp empty net goal to complete his hat trick on his ninth of the year, going in unassisted. Winnipeg continued with another Copp goal, his fourth of the game and tenth of the season, helped along by Mason Appleton and Adam Lowry. Vancouver got on the board with a Nils Hoglander goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Bo Horvat and Brock Boeser. This only made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars awarded to Copp, Dubois, and Hellebuyck (38 for 39 in saves).

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Los Angeles Kings. Calvin Petersen and Martin Jones are the masked men. San Jose dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Rudolfs Balcers goal, his third of the season, via Marcus Sorensen and Dylan Gambrell. The Sharks added on with an Evander Kane goal, his thirteenth of the year, assisted by Brent Burns and Kevin Labanc. Los Angeles got on the board with an Alex Iafallo goal, his eighth of the season, fueled by Dustin Brown and Drew Doughty. San Jose replied in the third period with a Kane goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the year, guided in by Mario Ferraro and Burns. The Sharks extended the lead as Tomas Hertl scored his ninth of the season, thanks to Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Radim Simek. The Kings got one back with an Adrian Kempe goal, his twelfth of the year, passed from Doughty and Gabriel Vilardi. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars being Kane, Burns, and Doughty. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 70

Just five games on today, beginning with...

The Philadelphia Flyers hosting the New Jersey Devils. MacKenzie Blackwood and Carter Hart are the young goalies. New Jersey opened in the first period with a Michael McLeod goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Ty Smith and Andreas Johnsson. Philadelphia tied it on a Joel Farabee power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Jakub Voracek and Ivan Provorov. The Devils retook the lead with a Kyle Palmieri power play goal, his sixth of the season, with assists provided by Jesper Bratt and Janne Kuokkanen. New Jersey added on in the second period with a Yegor Sharangovich goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Travis Zajav and Kuokkanen. The Devils extended the lead as Zajac scored his fourth of the season, with the help of Smith and Sharangovich. The Flyers got one back in the third period with a Sean Couturier goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Travis Konecny and James van Riemsdyk. Philadelphia got closer with a Couturier goal, his second of the game and eighth of the campaign, helped along by Voracek and van Riemsdyk. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars given to Sharangovich, Zajac, and Couturier, while Voracek, Kuokkanen, Smith and van Riemsdyk get the honorable mentions.

Over in Chicago, the Blackhawks welcome the Florida Panthers. Chris Driedger and Kevin Lankinen are in the creases. Chicago started in the first period with a Dominik Kubalik goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Brandon Hagel and Connor Murphy. The Blackhawks added on with a Pius Suter goal, his ninth of the year, via Nikita Zadorov and Patrick Kane. Chicago extended the lead in the second period as Carl Soderberg scored his sixth of the season on the power play, thanks to Kane and Alex DeBrincat. Florida got on the board with an Anton Stralman goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Noel Acciari and Owen Tippett. The Panthers got closer with an Alex Wennberg power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Acciari and Jonathan Huberdeau. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Kane, Lankinen (33 for 35 in saves), and Acciari.

Down in Nashville, the Predators host the Detroit Red Wings. Thomas Greiss and Juuse Saros are the backups in goal. Nashville led off in the first period with a Mikael Granlund power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Roman Josi and Eeli Tolvanen. The Predators added on in the second period with a Mathieu Olivier goal, his second of the year, passed from Yakov Trenin and Colton Sissons. The final stood at 2-0, with the three stars going to Saros (31 save shutout), Granlund, and Olivier.

Further south, the Dallas Stars bring in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Anton Khudobin guard the cages. Dallas began in the first period with a Roope Hintz power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski. Tampa Bay tied it in the second period with a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, with assists provided by Victor Hedman and Ondrej Palat. The Lightning took the lead with a Yanni Gourde goal, his twelfth of the season, going in unassisted. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars being Vasilevskiy (16 for 17 in saves), Gourde, and Stamkos.

Finally, the Arizona Coyotes host the Colorado Avalanche. Jonas Johansson and Adin Hill are the unknown goalies. Arizona struck first in the first period with a Jakob Chychrun goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Lawson Crouse and Derick Brassard. The Coyotes added on with an Alex Goligoski goal, made possible by Phil Kessel and Johan Larsson. Colorado got on the board with a Gabriel Landeskog power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. The Avalanche tied it on a Mikko Rantanen goal, his nineteenth of the season, guided in by MacKinnon and Landeskog. Colorado took the lead in the second period with a MacKinnon goal, his tenth of the year, helped along by Samuel Girard and Rantanen. The Avalanche extended the lead in the third period as Valeri Nichushkin scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Ryan Graves and Girard. Arizona got one back with a Crouse goal, his second of the year, coming off of John Hayden and Goligoski. The Coyotes tied it as Kessel scored his tenth of the season, with the help of Clayton Keller. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Nick Schmaltz, Conor Garland and Christian Dvorak lifted the Coyotes 5-4 over Joonas Donskoi and the Avalanche. The three stars were Goligoski, MacKinnon, and Crouse, while Kessel, Landeskog, Rantanen and Girard get the honorable mentions. 

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