NHL 2021-22 - Day 1

I'm back, at least to start the new season. We'll see how long I can last for the first 82-game campaign since 2018-19, but I'll give it my best shot. We begin the year with two games, the first of which is...

The Tampa Bay Lightning welcoming the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Andrei Vasilevskiy are the masked men. Pittsburgh got going in the second period with a Danton Heinen goal, via Jeff Carter. The Penguins added on with a Brian Boyle goal, assisted by Sam Lafferty and Drew O'Connor. Pittsburgh extended the lead in the third period as Dominik Simon scored, thanks to Kris Letang and Brock McGinn. Tampa Bay got on the board with an Anthony Cirelli goal, courtesy of Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos. The Penguins shot back with a Teddy Blueger empty net goal, going in unassisted. The Lightning replied with an Alex Killorn goal, fueled by Stamkos and Cirelli. Pittsburgh countered with an Evan Rodrigues empty goal, helped along by John Marino. The Penguins continued with a Bryan Rust empty net goal, an unassisted goal. The final was 6-2, and the three stars went to Stamkos, Cirelli, and Blueger.

The other game sees the Vegas Golden Knights bring in the brand new Seattle Kraken. Philipp Grubauer and Robin Lehner tend the twines. Vegas opened in the first period with a Max Pacioretty goal, assisted by Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson. The Golden Knights added on with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, coming off of William Karlsson. Vegas extended the lead in the second period as Pacioretty scored his second goal of the game, thanks to Nicolas Hague and Stone. Seattle got on the board with a Ryan Donato goal, guided in by Vince Dunn and Joonas Donskoi. The Kraken got closer with a Jared McCann goal, via Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz. Seattle tied it in the third period as Morgan Geekie scored, with the help of Jeremy Lauzon. The Golden Knights retook the lead with a Stephenson goal, fueled by Stone and Pacioretty. The final stood at 4-3, with the three stars given to Pacioretty, Stone, and Stephenson. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0, and keep checking back here daily for game recaps. While you're at it, if you're into fantasy hockey and need some analysis, check out my work at Rotowire. I'm starting a new weekly column there called Hutch's Hockey, and I work alongside some brilliant fantasy hockey minds.

2021 Stanley Cup Finals - Tampa Bay Lightning v. Montreal Canadiens

It's the final post of the hockey season, as the Stanley Cup Finals play out between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Montreal Canadiens. 

Game 1: Andrei Vasilevkiy and Carey Price tend the twines. Tampa Bay led off in the first period with an Erik Cernak goal, coming off of Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point. The Lightning added on in the second period with a Yanni Gourde goal, his sixth of the postseason, assisted by Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. Montreal got on the board with a Ben Chiarot goal, via Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Shea Weber. Tampa Bay replied in the third period with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his sixth of the playoffs, passed from Mikhail Sergachev. The Lightning extended the lead as Kucherov scored his second of the game and seventh of the postseason, thanks to Point. Tampa Bay iced it at 5-1 with a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his eighth of the playoffs, powered by Kucherov and Point. The three stars were Kucherov, Point, and Vasilevskiy (18 for 19 in saves). 

Game 2: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Carey Price are the masked men. Tampa Bay got going in the second period with an Anthony Cirelli goal, his fifth of the postseason, made possible by Tyler Johnson and Jan Rutta. Montreal tied it on a Nick Suzuki power play goal, his sixth of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The Lightning took the lead back with a Blake Coleman goal, his second of the postseason, via Barclay Goodrow and Ryan McDonagh. Tampa Bay added on in the third period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his fifth of the playoffs, an unassisted goal. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars going to Vasilevskiy (42 for 43 in saves), Coleman, and Palat. The Lightning head north leading the series 2-0. 

Game 3: Carey Price and Andrei Vasilevskiy protect the nets. Tampa Bay began in the first period with a Jan Rutta goal, his second of the postseason, via Ondrej Palat and Victor Hedman. The Lightning added on with a Hedman power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Anthony Cirelli. Montreal got on the board with a Phillip Danault goal, guided in by Shea Weber. The Lightning replied in the second period with a Kucherov goal, his eighth of the postseason, assisted by Palat and Erik Cernak. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Tyler Johnson scored his third of the playoffs, passed from Mathieu Joseph and David Savard. The Canadiens got one back with a Nick Suzuki goal, his seventh of the postseason, coming off of Jeff Petry and Cole Caufield. Tampa Bay shot back in the third period with Johnson's second goal of the game and fourth of the playoffs, going in unassisted. Montreal got one back with a Corey Perry goal, his fourth of the postseason, fueled by Brendan Gallagher and Ben Chiarot. The Lightning iced it at 6-3 with a Blake Coleman empty net goal, his third of the playoffs, set up by Barclay Goodrow. The three stars were Johnson, Kucherov, and Hedman, while Palat gets an honorable mention. The Lightning are on the verge of a second straight Stanley Cup, leading the series 3-0. 

Game 4: Carey Price and Andrei Vasilevskiy guard the cages. Montreal opened in the first period with a Josh Anderson goal, his fourth of the postseason, via Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. Tampa Bay tied it in the second period on a Barclay Goodrow goal, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Ryan McDonagh and Blake Coleman. The Canadiens retook the lead in the third period with an Alexander Romanov goal, passed from Jake Evans. The Lightning tied it again with a Pat Maroon goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Mathieu Joseph and Tyler Johnson. Montreal won 3-2 in overtime with an Anderson goal, his second of the game and fifth of the playoffs, with a lone assist by Caufield. The three stars were Anderson, Caufield, and Price (32 for 34 in saves). The Lightning still lead the series 3-1 with a chance to win on home ice ahead. 

Game 5: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Carey Price are between the pipes. Tampa Bay dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Ross Colton goal, his fourth of the postseason, coming off of David Savard and Ryan McDonagh. This was all they needed for a 1-0 win to secure the Stanley Cup with a 4-1 series win. The Conn Smythe Trophy for the playoff MVP was awarded to Vasilevskiy, who had a 22-save shutout as his fifth shutout during these playoffs. 

With that, the NHL season has come to a close. Once again, I appreciate all that have stopped by to read through a day's worth of hockey action. As time goes on, I find myself having less and less time to be able to keep up with this blog. A short offseason is ahead, and I will take some time to think about continuing on with this project. If not, it's been a great ride in the last 12 years or so. I remain involved in hockey as a fantasy writer at Rotowire, which is my primary focus now, while also working on baseball there. Enjoy the offseason and if I'm back in October, I'll be around for the whole season.

Stanley Cup Semifinals - Tampa Bay Lightning v. New York Islanders

It's that time of year where we put a whole series into one post. This is for the first Stanley Cup Semifinals series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders. 

Game 1: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Semyon Varlamov are the goalies. New York got going in the second period with a Mathew Barzal goal, his fourth of the postseason, courtesy of Josh Bailey. The Islanders added on in the third period with a Ryan Pulock goal, his fourth of the playoffs, via Jordan Eberle. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Brayden Point power play goal, his ninth of the postseason, powered by Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Varlamov (30 for 31 in saves), Pulock, and Barzal. The Islanders lead the series 1-0. 

Game 2: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Semyon Varlamov are the Russians in goal. Tampa Bay led off in the first period with a Brayden Point goal, his tenth of the postseason, coming off of Nikita Kucherov and David Savard. New York tied it on a Brock Nelson power play goal, his seventh of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The Lightning retook the lead in the second period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his third of the postseason, via Kucherov and Victor Hedman. Tampa Bay added on in the third period with a Jan Rutta goal, courtesy of Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman. The Lightning extended the lead in the third period as Hedman scored on the power play, thanks to Kucherov and Steven Stamkos. The Islanders got one back with a Mathew Barzal goal, his fifth of the playoffs, assisted by Jordan Eberle and Nick Leddy. The final stood at 4-2, with the three stars going to Kucherov, Hedman, and Rutta. The series heads north to New York tied at 1-1. 

Game 3: Semyon Varlamov and Andrei Vasilevskiy tend the twines. Tampa Bay began in the first period with a Yanni Gourde goal, his third of the postseason, assisted by Blake Coleman and Erik Cernak. New York tied it in the second period with a Cal Clutterbuck goal, his fourth of the playoffs, via Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas. The Lightning took the lead back with a Brayden Point goal, his eleventh of the postseason, made possible by Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Vasilevskiy (27 for 28 in saves), Point, and Gourde. The Lightning took a 2-1 series lead. 

Game 4: Semyon Varlamov and Andrei Vasilevskiy start again in goal. New York dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Josh Bailey goal, his sixth of the postseason, via Brock Nelson and Anthony Beauvillier. The Islanders added on with a Mathew Barzal power play goal, his sixth of the playoffs, powered by Cal Clutterbuck and Adam Pelech. New York extended the lead as Matt Martin scored, thanks to Clutterbuck and Pelech. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Brayden Point goal, his twelfth of the postseason, passed from Ondrej Palat and Erik Cernak. The Lightning pulled back with a Tyler Johnson goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Nikita Kucherov and Ryan McDonagh. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Varlamov (28 for 30 in saves), Clutterbuck, and Pelech. The series returns to Tampa Bay tied at 2-2. 

Game 5: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Semyon Varlamov man the nets. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with a Steven Stamkos goal, his sixth of the postseason, via Alex Killorn and Anthony Cirelli. The Lightning added on with a Yanni Gourde goal, his fourth of the playoffs, passed from Blake Coleman. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Killorn scored his seventh of the postseason, thanks to David Savard. Ilya Sorokin replaced Varlamov in goal. The Lightning padded the lead in the second period on a Stamkos power play goal, his second of the game and seventh of the playoffs, powered by Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov. Tampa Bay continued with an Ondrej Palat goal, his fourth of the postseason, made possible by Savard and Kucherov. The Lightning struck again with a Killorn power play goal, his second of the game and eighth of the playoffs, with assists provided by Hedman and Brayden Point. Tampa Bay kept going in the third period with a Point power play goal, his thirteenth of the postseason, with helpers from Kucherov and Stamkos. The Lightning iced it at 8-0 with a Luke Schenn goal, courtesy of Pat Maroon and Ross Colton. The three stars were Stamkos, Killorn, and Kucherov, while Point, Hedman, and Savard get the honorable mentions. The Lightning are up 3-2 in the series. 

Game 6: Semyon Varlamov and Andrei Vasilevskiy guard the cages. Tampa Bay started in the first period with a Brayden Point goal, his fourteenth of the postseason, made possible by Anthony Cirelli. The Lightning added on with a Cirelli goal in the second period, his fourth of the playoffs, via Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point. New York got on the board with a Jordan Eberle goal, his fourth of the postseason, coming off of Mathew Barzal and Andy Greene. The Islanders tied it on a Scott Mayfield goal, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Barzal and Adam Pelech. New York won 3-2 in overtime with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his fifth of the postseason, going in unassisted. The three stars were Cirelli, Barzal, and Beauvillier. The series heads back to Tampa Bay one more time, tied at 3-3. 

Game 7: Andrei Vasilevksiy and Semyon Varlamov protect the nets. Tampa Bay kicked off the scoring in the second period with a Yanni Gourde shorthanded goal, his fifth of the postseason, set up by Anthony Cirelli and Alex Killorn. This stood for a 1-0 win, with the three stars going to Vasilevskiy (18 save shutout), Gourde, and Varlamov (30 for 31 in saves). The Lightning won the series 4-3 and will again play for the Stanley Cup, this time versus the Canadiens. 

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Stanley Cup Semifinals - Vegas Golden Knights v. Montreal Canadiens

The second Stanley Cup Semifinals series will be contained in this post. The Vegas Golden Knights face the Montreal Canadiens. 

Game 1: Marc-Andre Fleury and Carey Price protect the nets. Vegas led off in the first period with a Shea Theodore goal, via Brayden McNabb and Chandler Stephenson. The Golden Knights added on with an Alec Martinez goal in the second period, his third of the postseason, passed from Theodore and Reilly Smith. Montreal got on the board with a Cole Caufield power play goal, powered by Tyler Toffoli and Corey Perry. Vegas replied with a Mattias Janmark goal, his fourth of the playoffs, assisted by Alex Tuch and Zach Whitecloud. The Golden Knights extended the lead as Nick Holden scored his second of the postseason, thanks to Smith and William Karlsson. The three stars of the 4-1 game were Theodore, Fleury (28 for 29 in saves), and Martinez. The Golden Knights lead the series 1-0. 

Game 2: Marc-Andre Fleury and Carey Price again tend the twines. Montreal began in the first period with a Joel Armia goal, his fifth of the postseason, courtesy of Joel Edmundson and Corey Perry. The Canadiens added on with a Tyler Toffoli goal, his fifth of the playoffs, assisted by Cole Caufield and Jeff Petry. Montreal extended the lead in the second period as Paul Byron scored his second of the postseason, thanks to Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Edmundson. Vegas got on the board with an Alex Pietrangelo goal, his second of the playoffs, passed from Keegan Kolesar. The Golden Knights got closer in the third period with a Pietrangelo goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, guided in by Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Byron, Edmundson, and Pietrangelo. The series is tied at 1-1 heading up to Montreal. 

Game 3: Carey Price and Marc-Andre Fleury guard the cages. Vegas got going in the second period with a Nicolas Roy goal, his third of the postseason, going in unassisted. Montreal tied it on a Cole Caufield goal, his second of the playoffs, passed from Nick Suzuki. The Golden Knights retook the lead in the third period with an Alex Pietrangelo goal, his fourth of the postseason, assisted by Max Pacioretty and Tomas Nosek. The Canadiens tied it on an unassisted Josh Anderson goal, his second of the playoffs. Montreal won 3-2 in overtime with another Anderson goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, via Paul Byron and Jepseri Kotkaniemi. The three stars were Anderson, Price (43 for 45 in saves), and Caufield. The Canadiens lead the series 2-1. 

Game 4: Carey Price and Robin Lehner are the masked men. Montreal dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Paul Byron goal, his third of the postseason, fueled by Nick Suzuki. Vegas tied it in the third period on a Brayden McNabb goal, assisted by William Karlsson and Shea Theodore. The Golden Knights won 2-1 in overtime with a Nicolas Roy goal, his fourth of the playoffs, guided in by Max Pacioretty. The three stars were Roy, Lehner (27 for 28 in saves), and McNabb. The series heads back to Nevada tied at 2-2. 

Game 5: Marc-Andre Fleury and Carey Price are between the pipes. Montreal opened in the first period with a Jesperi Kotkaniemi goal, his fifth of the postseason, assisted by Josh Anderson and Paul Byron. The Canadiens added on in the second period with an Eric Staal goal, his second of the playoffs, passed from Nick Suzuki and Tyler Toffoli. Montreal extended the lead on a Cole Caufield power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Corey Perry and Suzuki. Vegas got on the board in the third period with a Max Pacioretty goal, his fifth of the playoffs, guided in by Nicolas Roy. The Canadiens iced it at 4-1 with a Suzuki empty net goal, his fifth of the postseason, set up by Toffoli. The three stars were Suzuki, Toffoli, and Price (26 for 27 in saves). The Canadiens return home ahead 3-2 in the series. 

Game 6: Carey Price and Robin Lehner are the goalies. Montreal started in the first period with a Shea Weber power play goal, going in unassisted. Vegas tied it on a Reilly Smith goal, his third of the postseason, via Shea Theodore and William Karlsson. The Canadiens took the lead back in the second period with a Cole Caufield goal, his fourth of the playoffs, guided in by Joel Edmundson and Jeff Petry. The Golden Knights tied it in the third period with an Alec Martinez goal, his fourth of the postseason, fueled by Alex Pietrangelo and Karlsson. Montreal won 3-2 in overtime with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, his third of the playoffs, made possible by Phillip Danault and Brendan Gallagher. The three stars were Price (37 for 39 in saves), Lehkonen, and Karlsson. The Canadiens won the series 4-2 and will play for the Stanley Cup, beginning Monday.

NHL 2021 - Playoff Day 27

Another single game today, as the Vegas Golden Knights host the Colorado Avalanche. Philipp Grubauer and Marc-Andre Fleury man the nets. Colorado opened in the first period with a Devon Toews goal, courtesy of Nathan MacKinnon and Brandon Saad. Vegas tied it on a Nick Holden goal, via Reilly Smith and Nicolas Roy. The Golden Knights pulled ahead with a William Karlsson goal, his fourth of the postseason, assisted by Alec Martinez. The Avalanche tied it in the second period with a Mikko Rantanen power play goal, his fifth of the playoffs, powered by MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. Vegas pulled ahead again with a Keegan Kolesar goal, coming off of Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore. Colorado tied it on an Andre Burakovsky goal, passed from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Cale Makar. The Golden Knights reclaimed the lead with a Pietrangelo goal, helped along by Alex Tuch and Max Pacioretty. Vegas added on with a William Carrier goal, guided in by Theodore and Brayden McNabb. The Golden Knights extended the lead as Pacioretty scored an empty net goal, his fourth of the postseason, going in unassisted. The three stars of the 6-3 game were Pietrangelo, Pacioretty, and MacKinnon, while Theodore gets an honorable mention. The Golden Knights won the series 4-2 and will face the Canadiens in the Stanley Cup Semifinals. 

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NHL 2021 - Playoff Day 26

The lone game tonight has the New York Islanders hosting the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Semyon Varlamov man the nets. New York led off in the first period with a Travis Zajac goal, made possible by Noah Dobson and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Boston tied it on a Brad Marchand power play goal, his seventh of the postseason, powered by David Pastrnak and David Krejci. The Islanders took the lead back in the second period with a Brock Nelson goal, his fifth of the playoffs, passed from Josh Bailey and Nick Leddy. New York added on with another Nelson goal, his second of the game and sixth of the postseason, assisted by Bailey. The Islanders extended the lead as Kyle Palmieri scored his seventh of the playoffs, thanks to The Bruins got one back in the third period with a Marchand power play goal, his second of the game and eighth of the postseason, with assists provided by Krejci and Charlie McAvoy. New York replied with a Cal Clutterbuck empty net goal, his third of the playoffs, set up by Pageau and Casey Cizikas. The Islanders iced it at 6-2 with a Ryan Pulock empty net goal, his third of the postseason, going in unassisted. The three stars were Nelson, Marchand, and Bailey, while Pageau and Krejci get the honorable mentions. The Islanders won the series 4-2 and will face the Lightning in the Stanley Cup Semifinals. 

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NHL 2021 - Playoff Day 25

Another two-game day is on, beginning with...

The Carolina Hurricanes welcoming the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Alex Nedeljkovic man the nets. Tampa Bay got going in the second period with a Brayden Point power play goal, his eighth of the postseason, powered by Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning added on in the third period with a Ross Colton goal, his third of the playoffs, going in unassisted. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the three stars going to Vasilevskiy (29 save shutout), Point, and Colton. The Lightning won the series 4-1 and will await the winner of the Boston Bruins and New York Islanders series in the Stanley Cup Semifinals. 

Out in Colorado, the Avalanche bring in the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Philipp Grubauer tend the twines. Colorado opened in the first period with a Brandon Saad goal, his seventh of the postseason, fueled by Devon Toews and Mikko Rantanen. The Avalanche added on in the second period with a Joonas Donskoi goal, his third of the playoffs, via Alex Newhook and Patrik Nemeth. Vegas got on the board in the third period with an Alex Tuch goal, his fourth of the postseason, coming off of Nicolas Roy and Mattias Janmark. The Golden Knights tied it on a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his sixth of the playoffs, passed from William Karlsson. Vegas won 3-2 in overtime with a Mark Stone goal, his fifth of the postseason, helped along by Max Pacioretty and Alex Pietrangelo. The three stars were Stone, Marchessault, and Tuch. The Golden Knights head home with a 3-2 series lead. 

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