NHL 2021 - Playoff Day 6

Four games on as the playoffs are now truly unencumbered as the focus of the NHL. First up today...

The Tampa Bay Lightning host the Florida Panthers. Chris Driedger and Andrei Vasilevskiy are the masked men. Florida led off in the first period with a Sam Bennett goal, assisted by Jonathan Huberdeau and Owen Tippett. The Panthers added on with a Radko Gudas goal, via Gustav Forsling and Huberdeau. Tampa Bay got on the board in the second period with an Anthony Cirelli goal, guided in by Victor Hedman and Alex Killorn. The Lightning tied it on a Ross Colton goal, fueled by Blake Coleman. Tampa Bay took the lead with a Steven Stamkos goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Ryan McDonagh. Florida tied it with an Alex Wennberg power play goal, powered by MacKenzie Weegar and Tippett. The Lightning retook the lead with a Brayden Point power play goal, his third of the playoffs, with assists provided by Nikita Kucherov and Hedman. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Killorn scored on the power play, with the help of Hedman and Point. Sergei Bobrovsky replaced Driedger in goal for the third period. Florida got one back in the third period with a Patric Hornqvist power play goal, with helpers from Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers tied it with a Forsling goal, passed from Wennberg and Hornqvist. The Panthers won 6-5 in overtime with a Ryan Lomberg goal, made possible by Frank Vatrano and Gudas. The three stars were Gudas, Huberdeau, and Wennberg, while Hornqvist, Forsling, Tippett, Point, Killorn, and Hedman get the honorable mentions. The Panthers cut the Lightning's series lead to 2-1.

Up in New York, the Islanders welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Semyon Varlamov protect the nets. Pittsburgh began in the first period with a Kris Letang power play goal, going in unassisted. New York tied it in the second period on a Scott Mayfield goal, fueled by Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle. The Penguins retook the lead with a Jeff Carter goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Frederick Gaudreau and Marcus Pettersson. Pittsburgh added on with a Jason Zucker goal, courtesy of Evgeni Malkin and Letang. The Islanders got one back in the third period with a Cal Clutterbuck goal, coming off of Casey Cizikas and Mayfield. New York tied it on an Anthony Beauvillier power play goal, powered by Barzal and Noah Dobson. The Penguins retook the lead with a Carter power play goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, with an assist provided by Malkin. The Islanders tied it with another Clutterbuck goal, his second of the game, made possible by Mayfield. Pittsburgh regained the lead on a Brandon Tanev goal, via Letang. This stood for a 5-4 win, with the three stars handed to Letang, Carter, and Malkin, while Clutterbuck, Mayfield, and Barzal get the honorable mentions. The Penguins took the series lead at 2-1.

Further north, the Toronto Maple Leafs bring in the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Jack Campbell are in the creases. Montreal opened in the first period with a Josh Anderson goal, courtesy of Eric Staal and Tyler Toffoli. Toronto tied it in the second period with a William Nylander goal, guided in by Morgan Rielly and Justin Holl. The Canadiens took the lead in the third period with a Paul Byron shorthanded goal, set up by Joel Armia. The final held at 2-1, with the three stars being Byron, Price (35 for 36 in saves), and Anderson.

Finally, the Minnesota Wild host the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Cam Talbot guard the cages. Minnesota started in the first period with a Ryan Hartman goal, via Kirill Kaprizov and Jonas Brodin. The Wild added on with a Joel Eriksson Ek goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Marcus Foligno and Matt Dumba. Vegas got on the board in the second period with a Mark Stone goal, assisted by Chandler Stephenson and Brayden McNabb. The Golden Knights tied it on a Patrick Brown goal, courtesy of Nick Holden and William Carrier. Vegas took the lead with a Reilly Smith goal, guided in by Holden and William Karlsson. The Golden Knights extended the lead as Karlsson scored in the third period, thanks to Smith and the goalie Fleury. Vegas iced it at 5-2 with a Stone empty net goal, his second of the game, going in unassisted. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 126/Playoff Day 5

Five games are on today, beginning with the end of the regular season as...

The Calgary Flames host the Vancouver Canucks. Braden Holtby and Jacob Markstrom are the veterans in goal. Calgary led off in the first period with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his fifteenth of the season, courtesy of Johnny Gaudreau and Juuso Valimaki. The Flames added on with a Dillon Dube goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Derek Ryan and Brett Ritchie. Calgary extended the lead as Andrew Mangiapane scored his eighteenth of the season, thanks to Mikael Backlund and Joakim Nordstrom. The Flames padded the lead in the second period on a Ritchie goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Ryan and Dube. Vancouver got on the board with a Bo Horvat power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, powered by Brock Boeser and Jack Rathbone. The Canucks got closer with a J.T. Miller goal, his fifteenth of the year, helped along by Boeser and Tyler Myers. Calgary shot back with another Tkachuk goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the campaign, with helpers from Gaudreau and Christopher Tanev. The Flames continued in the third period with a Connor Mackey goal, assisted by Ritchie and Ryan. This stood for a 6-2 win, with the three stars going to Tkachuk, Ryan, and Ritchie, while Dube, Gaudreau, and Boeser get the honorable mentions. 

Back east, the Boston Bruins welcome the Washington Capitals. Ilya Samsonov and Tuukka Rask are the masked men. Washington got going in the second period with an Alex Ovechkin power play goal, powered by Anthony Mantha. Boston tied it on a Taylor Hall goal, his second of the postseason, via Craig Smith and Kevan Miller. The Capitals retook the lead with a Nic Dowd goal, his second of the playoffs, coming off of Garnet Hathaway. The Bruins tied it in the third period with a Brad Marchand power play goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by Patrice Bergeron and Charlie McAvoy. Boston won 3-2 in double overtime with a Smith goal, going in unassisted. The three stars belonged to Smith, Marchand, and Hall. The Bruins now lead the series 2-1.

Down to Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes host the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Alex Nedeljkovic are the young goalies. Carolina began in the first period with a Sebastian Aho power play goal, powered by Andrei Svechnikov and Dougie Hamilton. The Hurricanes added on in the third period with an Aho empty net goal, his second of the game, set up by Brett Pesce. Carolina iced it at 3-0 with a Warren Foegele goal, guided in by Jordan Staal and Jesper Fast. The three stars were Nedeljkovic (32 save shutout), Aho, and Foegele.

Out in Edmonton, the Oilers bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Mike Smith tend the twines. Edmonton dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Jesse Puljujarvi goal, assisted by Tyson Barrie and Darnell Nurse. Winnipeg tied on a Tucker Poolman goal, fueled by Blake Wheeler and Nate Thompson. The Jets took the lead with a Dominic Toninato goal, guided in by Logan Stanley and Thompson. Winnipeg added on with a Kyle Connor empty net goal, set up by Mark Scheifele and Neal Pionk. The Jets extended the lead as Wheeler scored an empty net goal, thanks to Connor and Scheifele. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars given to Wheeler, Thompson, and Connor, while Scheifele gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Colorado Avalanche host the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Philipp Grubauer guard the cages. Colorado struck first in the first period with a Joonas Donskoi goal, coming off of Ryan Graves and Nazem Kadri. The Avalanche added on with a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Cale Makar and Donskoi. Colorado extended the lead in the second period as Donskoi scored his second of the game, thanks to MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. St. Louis got on the board with a Sammy Blais goal, via Kyle Clifford and Torey Krug. The Blues got closer in the third period with a Brayden Schenn power play goal, with helpers from Tyler Bozak and Krug. Colorado replied with a MacKinnon goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, guided in by Devon Toews and Gabriel Landeskog. St. Louis got one back with a Mike Hoffman goal, helped along by Niko Mikkola and Robert Thomas. Colorado fired back with a Brandon Saad empty net goal, set up by Tyson Jost. The Avalanche iced it at 6-3 with a MacKinnon empty net goal, completing his hat trick on his fifth of the postseason, with helpers from Rantanen and Landeskog. The three stars were MacKinnon, Donskoi, and Landeskog, while Rantanen and Krug get the honorable mentions. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 125/Playoff Day 4

Four games on today, beginning with a regular-season clash with...

The Vancouver Canucks hosting the Calgary Flames. Louis Domingue and Thatcher Demko are the goalies. Vancouver opened in the first period with a Travis Hamonic goal, his third of the season, made possible by Tyler Graovac and Quinn Hughes. The Canucks added on with a Nils Hoglander goal, his thirteenth of the year, guided in by Tyler Myers and Bo Horvat. Vancouver extended the lead in the third period as Myers scored his sixth of the season, thanks to Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller. Calgary got on the board with an Andrew Mangiapane goal, his seventeenth of the year, fueled by Milan Lucic and Adam Ruzicka. The Flames got closer with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Giordano. The Canucks iced it at 4-2 with a Boeser empty net goal, his twenty-third of the year, set up by Hamonic. The three stars were Hamonic, Myers, and Boeser. 

In Pittsburgh, the Penguins welcome the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Tristan Jarry are in goal. Pittsburgh started in the first period with a Bryan Rust goal, going in unassisted. The Penguins added on with a Jeff Carter goal, coming off of Jared McCann and Kasperi Kapanen. New York got on the board in the second period with a Josh Bailey goal, helped along by Brock Nelson and Scott Mayfield. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Jarry (37 for 38 in saves), Carter, and Rust. The series heads to New York tied at 1-1.

Down in Florida, the Panthers bring in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Chris Driedger are the masked men. Tampa Bay led off in the first period with a Steven Stamkos goal, via Alex Killorn and David Savard. The Lightning added on with an Ondrej Palat goal, coming off of Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. Florida got on the board in the second period with a Mason Marchment goal, assisted by Carter Verhaeghe and Aleksander Barkov. Tampa Bay replied in the third period with a Yanni Gourde empty net goal, set up by Palat. The three stars of the 3-1 game were Vasilevskiy (32 for 33 in saves), Palat, and Stamkos. The Lightning lead the series 2-0 and will now head home for the next two games.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Minnesota Wild. Cam Talbot and Marc-Andre Fleury tend the twines. Minnesota got going in the second period with a Matt Dumba goal, via Jonas Brodin. Vegas tied it on a Jonathan Marchessault goal, assisted by Reilly Smith and William Karlsson. The Golden Knights took the lead with an Alex Tuch goal, courtesy of Mattias Janmark and Alex Pietrangelo. Vegas added on with a Tuch power play goal, his second of the game, powered by Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars given to Tuch, Fleury (34 for 35 in saves), and Marchessault. The series heads to Minnesota tied at 1-1. 

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NHL 2021 - Playoff Day 3

Three games on for today, beginning with...

The Washington Capitals hosting the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Craig Anderson man the nets. Boston led off in the first period with a Jake DeBrusk goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Charlie Coyle and Nick Ritchie. Washington tied it on a T.J. Oshie power play goal, powered by Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson. The Bruins took the lead back with a Patrice Bergeron goal, coming off of David Pastrnak. The Capitals retied it on a Garnet Hathaway goal, via Dmitry Orlov and Lars Eller. Washington pulled ahead with Hathaway's second goal of the game in the third period, courtesy of Orlov and Carl Hagelin. Boston tied it with a Taylor Hall goal, helped along by Craig Smith and Matt Grzelcyk. The Bruins won 4-3 in overtime on a Brad Marchand goal, passed from David Krejci and Grzelcyk. The three stars were Hathaway, Grzelcyk, and Marchand. The series heads to Boston tied at 1-1.

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Alex Nedeljkovic are in the creases. Nashville began in the first period with a Filip Forsberg goal, fueled by Ryan Johansen and Ryan Ellis. Carolina tied it on a Teuvo Teravainen goal, via Brett Pesce and Steven Lorentz. The Hurricanes took the lead in the second period with a Jordan Staal goal, made possible by Pesce. The Predators retied it with an Erik Haula goal, guided in by Matt Duchene and Alexandre Carrier. Carolina reclaimed the lead in the third period with a Nino Niederreiter goal, coming off of Martin Necas and Vincent Trocheck. The Hurricanes added on with another Staal goal, his second of the game, going in unassisted. Carolina iced it at 5-2 with an Andrei Svechnikov empty net goal, an unassisted goal. The three stars were Staal, Pesce, and Niederreiter. 

Out in Colorado, the Avalanche bring in the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Philipp Grubauer guard the cages. Colorado struck first in the first period with a Cale Makar power play goal, powered by Mikko Rantanen. St. Louis tied it in the second period with a Jordan Kyrou goal, coming off of Ivan Barbashev and Robert Thomas. The Avalanche took the lead back with a Nathan MacKinnon, via Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. Colorado added on with a Landeskog, guided in by MacKinnon and Samuel Girard. The Avalanche iced it at 4-1 with a MacKinnon empty net goal, his second of the game, set up by Landeskog. The three stars were MacKinnon, Landeskog, and Rantanen. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 124/Playoff Day 2

There's four games on today, with the first three being playoff contests. First up...

The Pittsburgh Penguins host the New York Islanders. Ilya Sorokin and Tristan Jarry are in goal. New York opened in the first period with a Kyle Palmieri goal, via Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Noah Dobson. Pittsburgh tied it on a Frederick Gaudreau goal, coming off of Evan Rodrigues. The Penguins took the lead in the second period with a Sidney Crosby goal, fueled by Brian Dumoulin and Jake Guentzel. The Islanders tied it again with a Pageau goal, courtesy of Scott Mayfield. New York took the lead with a Brock Nelson goal, guided in by Anthony Beauvillier and Ryan Pulock. Pittsburgh retied it on a Kasperi Kapanen goal, assisted by Jeff Carter and Cody Ceci. The Islanders won 4-3 in overtime with Palmieri's second goal of the game, with helpers from Pageau and Oliver Wahlstrom. The three stars were Palmieri, Pageau, and Nelson. 

Out in Nevada, the Vegas Golden Knights welcome the Minnesota Wild. Cam Talbot and Marc-Andre Fleury man the nets. Minnesota won 1-0 in overtime with a Joel Eriksson Ek goal, courtesy of Marcus Foligno and Jordan Greenway. The three stars were Eriksson Ek, Talbot (42 save shutout), and Fleury (29 for 30 in saves). 

To Florida, where the Panthers bring in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky are the Russian goalies. Tampa Bay started in the first period with a Blake Coleman shorthanded goal, set up by Yanni Gourde and Ryan McDonagh. Florida tied it on an Aleksander Barkov power play goal, powered by Jonathan Huberdeau and Keith Yandle. The Panthers took the lead with a Carter Verhaeghe goal, coming off of Barkov and Yandle. The Lightning tied it in the second period with a Nikita Kucherov power play goal, with assists provided by Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos. Tampa Bay pulled ahead with a Kucherov goal, his second of the game, fueled by Hedman. Florida retied it in the third period with a Huberdeau goal, courtesy of Sam Bennett and Owen Tippett. The Panthers gained the lead on a Tippett goal, via Huberdeau and Bennett. The Lightning evened the score again with a Brayden Point power play goal, helped along by Kucherov and Hedman. Tampa Bay went ahead with a Point goal, his second of the game, set up by McDonagh. This made it 5-4, the final, with the three stars going to Kucherov, Point, and Huberdeau, while Hedman, McDonagh, Barkov, Tippett, Bennett, and Yandle get the honorable mentions.

Finally, in regular-season action, the Vancouver Canucks host the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Braden Holtby are the masked men. Calgary struck first in the first period with an unassisted Josh Leivo goal, his sixth of the season. The Flames added on in the second period with a Milan Lucic goal, his tenth of the year, via Leivo and Michael Stone. Calgary extended the lead as Matthew Tkachuk scored his thirteenth of the season, thanks to Elias Lindholm and Johnny Gaudreau. The Flames padded the lead with an Andrew Mangiapane goal, his fifteenth of the year, courtesy of Dillon Dube and Mikael Backlund. Vancouver got on the board with a Travis Hamonic goal, his second of the season, assisted by Quinn Hughes. Calgary shot back with a Mangiapane goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the year, guided in by Connor Mackey and Backlund. The Canucks pulled one back in the third period with a Tyler Graovac power play goal, his third of the season, powered by J.T. Miller and Hughes. Vancouver got closer with a Brock Boeser power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, with a lone helper by Hughes. The Canucks pulled closer on a Miller shorthanded goal, his fourteenth of the season, set up by Jimmy Vesey. Vancouver tied it on a Boeser goal, his twenty-second of the year, fueled by Alexander Edler and Miller. Calgary won 6-5 in overtime with a Lindholm goal, his nineteenth of the campaign, made possible by Juuso Valimaki. The three stars were Mangiapane, Lindholm, and Leivo, while Boeser, Miller, Hughes, and Backlund get the honorable mentions. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 123/Playoff Day 1

Two games today, one regular season and one playoff. First up...

The Edmonton Oilers welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Mikko Koskinen are the goalies. Edmonton led off in the first period with an Adam Larsson goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Vancouver tied it on a Bo Horvat shorthanded goal, his eighteenth of the year, set up by Tanner Pearson in the second period. The Canucks took the lead in the third period with a Matthew Highmore goal, his second of the season, courtesy of J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes. Vancouver added on with a Travis Boyd goal, his fifth of the year, via Jimmy Vesey. The Canucks extended the lead as Highmore scored his second of the game and third of the season, thanks to Brock Boeser and Miller. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Highmore, Miller, and Demko (31 for 32 in saves). 

The playoffs begin with the Washington Capitals bringing in the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Vitek Vanecek are the masked men. Washington began in the first period with a Tom Wilson goal, assisted by T.J. Oshie and Daniel Sprong. Boston tied it on a Jake DeBrusk goal, via Curtis Lazar. Craig Anderson replaced an injured Vanecek. The Capitals took the lead back in the second period with a Brenden Dillon goal, coming off of Anthony Mantha and Alex Ovechkin. The Bruins tied it with a power play goal by Nick Ritchie, powered by David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy. Washington won 3-2 in overtime with a Nic Dowd goal, guided in by Oshie and Wilson. The three stars were Wilson, Oshie, and Anderson (21 for 22 in saves in relief). 

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NHL 2021 - Day 122

Just a single game on for the last day with only regular-season action. The Winnipeg Jets host the Toronto Maple Leafs, with Jack Campbell and Connor Hellebuyck in goal. Toronto struck first in the first period with a Pierre Engvall goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Ilya Mikheyev and Alex Galchenyuk. Winnipeg tied it in the second period with a Mason Appleton goal, his twelfth of the year, courtesy of Diminic Toninato and Adam Lowry. The Maple Leafs reclaimed the lead on a Mihkeyev goal, his seventh of the season, helped along by Jake Muzzin and Alexander Kerfoot. The Jets tied it again with a Kyle Connor goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, fueled by Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. Winnipeg pulled ahead in the third period with a Wheeler goal, his second of the game and twenty-sixth of the season, guided in by Wheeler and Scheifele. The Jets iced it at 4-2 with a Jansen Harkins empty net goal, set up by Trevor Lewis. The three stars were Connor, Scheifele, and Wheeler, while Mikheyev gets an honorable mention. 

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