NHL 2021-22 - Day 84

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

The Florida Panthers hosting the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Sergei Bobrovsky tend the twines. Florida led off in the first period with an Aaron Ekblad goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Frank Vatrano and Anton Lundell. The Panthers added on with a Sam Reinhart goal, his tenth of the year, via Radko Gudas and Aleksander Barkov. Vancouver got on the board with a Jason Dickinson goal, his third of the season, passed from Conor Garland and Brad Hunt. Florida replied in the second period with a Reinhart power play goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, powered by Jonathan Huberdeau and Ekblad. The Panthers extended the lead as Maxim Mamin scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Lundell and Vatrano. Florida padded the lead on a Barkov shorthanded goal, his fifteenth of the year, set up by Ekblad and Reinhart. The Canucks pulled one back in the third period on a Juho Lammikko goal, his second of the season, with helpers from Hunt and Matthew Highmore. The final held at 5-2, with the three stars handed to Reinhart, Ekblad, and Barkov, while Lundell, Vatrano, and Hunt get the honorable mentions.

Up in Buffalo, the Sabres welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy faces a lesser foe in Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in goal. Tampa Bay began in the first period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his fifteenth of the season, coming off of Victor Hedman and Jan Rutta. The Lightning added on with an Anthony Cirelli goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Mikhail Sergachev and Alex Killorn. Malcolm Subban replaced Luukkonen in goal in the second period. Tampa Bay extended the lead on a Nikita Kucherov power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Steven Stamkos and Brayden Point. The Lightning padded the lead on a Kucherov goal, his second of the game and third of the year, courtesy of Corey Perry and Stamkos. Tampa Bay continued with a Stamkos goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Killorn and Cirelli. Buffalo got on the board in the third period with a Vinnie Hinostroza power play goal, his seventh of the year, with assists provided by Colin Miller and Will Butcher. The Lightning replied with a Kucherov goal to complete his hat trick on his fourth of the season, fueled by Hedman and Killorn. This made it 6-1, the final, with the three stars going to Kucherov, Stamkos, and Killorn, while Cirelli and Hedman get the honorable mentions.

Over in Columbus, the Blue Jackets bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Marc-Andre Fleury and Joonas Korpisalo are the goalies. Columbus started in the first period with a Boone Jenner goal, his fourteenth of the season, via Gustav Nyquist and Zach Werenski. Chicago tied it on an Alex DeBrincat goal, his twenty-second of the year, courtesy of Riley Stillman. The Blackhawks took the lead in the second period with a Calvin de Haan goal, coming off of Philipp Kurashev and MacKenzie Entwistle. Chicago added on in the third period with a Connor Murphy goal, his third of the season, assisted by Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. The Blue Jackets got one back with a Nyquist shorthanded goal, his eighth of the year, going in unassisted. The Blackhawks iced it at 4-2 with a DeBrincat empty net goal, his second of the game and twenty-third of the campaign, set up by Stillman. The three stars were DeBrincat, Stillman, and Nyquist.

Down in Nashville, the Predators host the Colorado Avalanche. Darcy Kuemper and Juuse Saros guard the cages. Nashville opened in the first period with a Tanner Jeannot goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Matt Luff and Matt Borowiecki. The Predators added on with a Luke Kunin goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Roman Josi. Colorado got on the board in the second period with a Nicolas Aube-Kubel goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Nazem Kadri and Cale Makar. The Avalanche tied it on an Andre Burakovsky goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Aube-Kubel and Samuel Girard. Nashville retook the lead on a Kunin goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, coming off of Nick Cousins. Colorado tied it in the third period with a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Makar and Kadri. The Predators retook the lead with a Matt Duchene power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, with assists provided by Alexandre Carrier and Josi. The Avalanche tied it again on a Makar goal, his sixteenth of the year, helped along by Valeri Nichushkin and Girard. Nashville won 5-4 in overtime with another Duchene goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the campaign, passed from Josi and Mikael Granlund. The three stars were Duchene, Makar, and Kunin, while Josi, Aube-Kubel, Kadri, and Girard get the honorable mentions.

Westward to Vegas, as the Golden Knights welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jack Campbell and Robin Lehner protect the nets. Toronto kicked off the scoring in the first period with a William Nylander goal, his sixteenth of the season, assisted by Morgan Rielly and Alexander Kerfoot. Vegas tied it on a Keegan Kolesar power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Evgenii Dadonov and Chandler Stephenson. The Maple Leafs took the lead with an Auston Matthews goal, his twenty-third of the season, via Michael Bunting and Ondrej Kase in the second period. Toronto added on with an Ilya Mikheyev goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Wayne Simmonds and Justin Holl. The Golden Knights got one back in the third period on a William Karlsson goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Reilly Smith and Mattias Janmark. Vegas tied it with an Alex Pietrangelo power play goal, his sixth of the year, with assists provided by Jonathan Marchessault and Mark Stone. The Maple Leafs won 4-3 in the shootout after a lone tally by Nylander. The three stars belonged to Nylander, Mikheyev, and Matthews.

Out in California, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Anthony Stolarz are between the pipes. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period on a Jeff Carter goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Marcus Pettersson. The Penguins added on in the second period with an Evgeni Malkin power play goal, powered by Kris Letang and Jake Guentzel. Anaheim got on the board with a Jakob Silfverberg goal, his second of the year, with a lone assist by Sonny Milano. Pittsburgh replied with another Malkin goal, his second of the game, passed from John Marino and Kasperi Kapanen. The Penguins iced it at 4-1 with a Carter empty net goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the campaign, set up by Malkin and Kapanen. The three stars were Malkin, Carter, and Kapanen.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Detroit Red Wings. Alex Nedeljkovic and Adin Hill patrol the creases. San Jose was first to score in the first period with a Timo Meier power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Jonathan Dahlen and Brent Burns. Detroit tied it in the second period with a Tyler Bertuzzi power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, with assists provided by Filip Hronek and Moritz Seider. The Red Wings took the lead in the third period with a Nick Leddy goal, assisted by Hronek and Bertuzzi. The Sharks tied it on a Jeffrey Viel goal, his second of the season, passed from Burns. San Jose won 3-2 in overtime with a Logan Couture goal, his thirteenth of the year, made possible by Burns and Dahlen. The three stars were Burns, Bertuzzi, and Dahlen, while Hronek gets an honorable mention. 

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NHL 2021-22 - Day 83

Just three games are on Monday's schedule, beginning with...

The Washington Capitals hosting the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Zach Fucale are the goalies. Washington began in the first period with a Conor Sheary goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Nic Dowd and Garnet Hathaway. The Capitals added on with a Sheary goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, going in unassisted. Boston got on the board with a David Pastrnak power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Brad Marchand and Matt Grzelcyk. The Bruins tied it on a Marchand power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, with assists provided by Grzelcyk and Pastrnak. Boston took the lead in the second period with a Grzelcyk goal, his second of the season, made possible by Anton Blidh. The Bruins extended the lead as Craig Smith scored his fourth of the year, with the help of Curtis Lazar and Blidh. Vitek Vanecek replaced Fucale in goal. Boston padded the lead on a Pastrnak goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the season, with helpers from Taylor Hall and Urho Vaakanainen. The Bruins continued with an Erik Haula goal, his third of the year, guided in by Hall and Grzelcyk. Washington got one back with a T.J. Oshie goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov. Boston finished it in the third period with a Marchand goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the year, helped along by Smith and Grlzecyk. The three stars of the 7-3 game were Grzelcyk, Pastrnak, and Marchand, while Sheary, Smith, Hall, and Blidh get the honorable mentions. 

Out in Colorado, the Avalanche welcome the Seattle Kraken. Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz are set to start in goal. Colorado led off in the first period with a Nicolas Aube-Kubel goal, his third of the season, assisted by Logan O'Connor and Alex Newhook. Seattle tied it on a Marcus Johansson power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann. The Kraken pulled ahead with a McCann goal in the second period, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Johansson and Vince Dunn. Seattle added on with a Colin Blackwell goal, his third of the year, passed from Jamie Oleksiak and Yanni Gourde. The Avalanche got one back with another Aube-Kubel goal, his second of the game and fourth of the season, fueled by Andre Burakovsky and Jack Johnson. Colorado tied it in the third period with a Devon Toews goal, his seventh of the year, helped along by Cale Makar and Nazem Kadri. The Avalanche pulled ahead with a Kadri goal, his thirteenth of the season, courtesy of Tyson Jost and Burakovsky. This made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Aube-Kubel, Kadri, and Burakovsky, while McCann and Johansson get the honorable mentions. 

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the New York Rangers. Alexandar Georgiev and Cal Petersen are between the pipes. Los Angeles got going in the second period with a Phillip Danault goal, his seventh of the season, via Trevor Moore. The Kings added on with a Blake Lizotte goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Viktor Arvidsson and Moore. New York got on the board in the third period with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Filip Chytil and Greg McKegg. Los Angeles iced it at 3-1 with an Adrian Kempe empty net goal, his sixteenth of the year, set up by Anze Kopitar. The three stars were Moore, Lizotte, and Petersen (22 for 23 in saves). 

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NHL 2021-22 - Day 82

We've got just two games today, beginning with...

The St. Louis Blues welcoming the Dallas Stars. Braden Holtby and Jordan Binnington guard the cages. Dallas got going in the second period with a Jason Robertson goal, his twelfth of the season, via Joe Pavelski and Miro Heiskanen. St. Louis tied it on a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal in the third period, his sixth of the year, powered by Torey Krug and Jordan Kyrou. The Blues won on a Kyrou goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, with a lone helper from Pavel Buchnevich on the power play. The three stars were Kyrou, Binnington (26 for 27 in saves), and O'Reilly. 

The other game sees the Anaheim Ducks bringing in the Detroit Red Wings. Thomas Greiss and Lukas Dostal are the backups in goal. Anaheim kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Trevor Zegras power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Cam Fowler and Rickard Rakell. Detroit tied it on a Filip Hronek power play goal, his fourth of the year, with assists provided by Moritz Seider and Tyler Bertuzzi in the second period. The Red Wings took the lead on a Bertuzzi goal, his sixteenth of the season, made possible by Marc Staal and Lucas Raymond. The Ducks retied it on a Troy Terry goal, his twenty-second of the year, helped along by Sonny Milano and Ryan Getzlaf. Anaheim pulled ahead in the third period with a Max Comtois goal, assisted by Rakell and Zegras. Detroit tied it again on a Vladislav Namestnikov goal, his tenth of the campaign, with helpers from Jordan Oesterle and Michael Rasmussen. The tie went to a shootout, where Zegras and Rakell lifted the Ducks to a 4-3 win. The three stars were Zegras, Rakell, and Bertuzzi. 

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NHL 2021-22 - Day 81

There's eleven games set to play today, beginning with...

The Dallas Stars hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Jake Oettinger are the goalies. Pittsburgh led off in the first period with a Brian Dumoulin goal, his second of the season, guided in by Kris Letang and Jake Guentzel. The Penguins added on with a Kasperi Kapanen goal, his eighth of the year, via Marcus Pettersson and Jeff Carter. Dallas got on the board in the second period with a Denis Gurianov goal, his sixth of the season, helped along by Jacob Peterson and Jason Robertson. The Stars tied it in the third period with a Joe Pavelski goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Robertson and John Klingberg. Dallas took the lead on a Roope Hintz goal, his thirteenth of the campaign, assisted by Miro Heiskanen and Robertson. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars given to Robertson, Hintz, and Pavelski. 

At the regular time, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Alex Lyon are in the creases. Florida began in the first period with a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his thirteenth of the season, fueled by Anthony Duclair and Gustav Forsling. Carolina tied it on a Teuvo Teravainen power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Tony DeAngelo and Sebastian Aho. The Panthers took the lead with a Carter Verhaeghe goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Aleksander Barkov. Florida added on with another Verhaeghe goal in the second period, his second of the game and tenth of the year, passed from MacKenzie Weegar. The Hurricanes got one back with a Brady Skjei goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Brett Pesce and Jordan Staal. Carolina tied it in the third period with a Seth Jarvis goal, his sixth of the year, made possible by Aho and Ian Cole. The Panthers won 4-3 in overtime with a Duclair goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, helped along by Huberdeau. The three stars were given to Verhaeghe, Duclair, and Huberdeau, while Aho gets an honorable mention.

Out west, the Colorado Avalanche bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jack Campbell and Darcy Kuemper tend the twines. Toronto struck first in the first period with an Alexander Kerfoot goal, his sixth of the season, helped along by Michael Bunting. The Maple Leafs added on with an Auston Matthews goal, his twenty-first of the year, passed from Morgan Rielly and Kerfoot. Toronto extended the lead as Matthews scored his second of the game and twenty-second of the season, thanks to Kerfoot and Jake Muzzin. Pavel Francouz replaced Kuemper in goal. Colorado got on the board with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his fifth of the year, via Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. The Maple Leafs answered in the second period with a Nick Ritchie power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Wayne Simmonds and Ilya Mikheyev. The Avalanche pulled one back with a Cale Makar goal, his fifteenth of the year, assisted by Nazem Kadri and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. Colorado got closer on a Landeskog goal, his fourteenth of the season, with a lone assist by Rantanen. The Avalanche tied it on a J.T. Compher goal, his seventh of the year, with helpers from Rantanen and Makar. Colorado won 5-4 in overtime with a Devon Toews goal, his sixth of the campaign, coming off of Kadri and Rantanen. The three stars belonged to Rantanen, Matthews, and Kerfoot, while Landeskog, Makar, and Kadri get the honorable mentions.

Back east, the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Andrei Vasilevskiy are between the pipes. Boston opened in the first period with a David Pastrnak goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Taylor Hall and Derek Forbort. The Bruins added on with another Pastrnak goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, passed from Hall and Erik Haula. Boston extended the lead in the second period as Brad Marchand scored his thirteenth of the season, thanks to Mike Reilly and Patrice Bergeron. The Bruins padded the lead on an Anton Blidh goal, his second of the year, guided in by Oskar Steen. Tampa Bay got on the board in the third period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his fourteenth of the season, helped along by Erik Cernak and Mikhail Sergachev. The Lightning got closer with a Brayden Point goal, his thirteenth of the year, courtesy of Cernak and Sergachev. Boston iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Marchand, his second of the game and fourteenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Pastrnak, Marchand, and Hall, while Cernak and Sergachev get the honorable mentions.

Up in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the San Jose Sharks. Adin Hill and Martin Jones are called on to start in goal. Philadelphia dented the scoreboard in the second period with a James van Riemsdyk goal, his eighth of the season, via Oskar Lindblom and Kevin Hayes. The Flyers added on with a van Riemsdyk power play goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, powered by Cam York and Cam Atkinson. San Jose got on the board with a Tomas Hertl goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Timo Meier and Brent Burns. The Sharks tied it on another Hertl goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, coming off of Meier and Burns. San Jose won 3-2 in overtime with a Hertl goal, completing his hat trick on his twentieth of the campaign, set up by Burns. The three stars were Hertl, Burns, and van Riemsdyk, while Meier gets an honorable mention.

Along to Columbus, as the Blue Jackets bring in the New Jersey Devils. MacKenzie Blackwood and Joonas Korpisalo are the veterans in goal. Columbus started in the first period with an Oliver Bjorkstrand power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Jakub Voracek and Patrik Laine. The Blue Jackets added on with a Boone Jenner goal, his thirteenth of the year, via Gustav Nyquist and Adam Boqvist. New Jersey got on the board with a Nico Hischier goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Damon Severson and Jimmy Vesey. The Devils tied it on a Vesey goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Dawson Mercer. Columbus retook the lead in the second period with a Yegor Chinakhov goal, his second of the season, helped along by Eric Robinson and Sean Kuraly. New Jersey tied it again with a Marian Studenic goal, assisted by Jesper Boqvist and Ryan Graves. The Blue Jackets grabbed the lead again in the third period with a Bjorkstrand goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, courtesy of Voracek and Adam Boqvist. The final stood at 4-3, with the three stars going to Bjorkstrand, Vesey, and Voracek, while Adam Boqvist gets an honorable mention.

Over in Minnesota, the Wild host the Washington Capitals. Zach Fucale and Kaapo Kahkonen man the nets. Washington got going in the second period with a Connor McMichael goal, his fifth of the season, via Nick Jensen and Conor Sheary. The Capitals added on with an Evgeny Kuznetsov power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by Alex Ovechkin and Lars Eller. Minnesota got on the board with a Marcus Foligno goal, his fourteenth of the season, going in unassisted into an empty net on a delayed penalty. The Wild tied it on a Mats Zuccarello goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Matt Dumba and Kevin Fiala. The Wild won 3-2 in the shootout with tallies from Fiala and Frederick Gaudreau. The three stars were Fiala, Zuccarello, and Kahkonen (29 for 31 in saves).

Way south to Arizona, as the Coyotes welcome the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Karel Vejmelka are in the blue paint. Nashville kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Mattias Ekholm goal, his second of the season, assisted by Luke Kunin and Ryan Johansen. The Predators added on with a Yakov Trenin goal, his ninth of the year, guided in by Matt Benning and Eeli Tolvanen. Nashville extended the lead as Tanner Jeannot scored his eleventh of the season, thanks to Matt Duchene and Roman Josi. Arizona got on the board with a Clayton Keller goal, his twelfth of the year, going in unassisted. The Predators responded with a Josi power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Johansen and Mikael Granlund. The Coyotes got one back with a Lawson Crouse goal, his ninth of the year, set up by Riley Nash and Cam Dineen. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars being Josi, Johansen, and Jeannot.

Along to Vegas, as the Golden Knights bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner are the former teammates in goal. Vegas was first to score in the first period with a Ben Hutton goal, via Nolan Patrick. Chicago tied it on a Jujhar Khaira goal, his third of the season, coming off of Ryan Carpenter. The Blackhawks took the lead with a Riley Stillman goal, courtesy of Dylan Strome and Patrick Kane. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Fleury (31 for 32 in saves), Stillman, and Khaira.

Out in Anaheim, the Ducks host the New York Rangers. Alexandar Georgiev and Anthony Stolarz are the backups in goal. Anaheim cracked the scoresheet in the second period with an Isac Lundestrom goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Troy Terry. New York tied it on a Mika Zibanejad goal, his twelfth of the year, passed from Kaapo Kakko and Jacob Trouba. The Rangers took the lead in the third period with a Jarred Tinordi goal, coming off of Kevin Rooney and Filip Chytil. New York added on with a Ryan Lindgren goal, his third of the season, helped along by Adam Fox and Morgan Barron. The Rangers iced it at 4-1 with a Lindgren empty net goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, set up by Barclay Goodrow. The three stars were Lindgren, Georgiev (13 for 14 in saves), and Tinordi.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Detroit Red Wings. Alex Nedeljkovic and Cal Petersen are the masked men. Los Angeles drew first blood in the first period with a Phillip Danault goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Arthur Kaliyev and Dustin Brown. The Kings added on with a Drew Doughty goal, his fourth of the year, via Rasmus Kupari and Brown. Los Angeles extended the lead in the second period on a shorthanded Adrian Kempe goal, his fifteenth of the season, set up by Matt Roy and Blake Lizotte. The Kings iced it at 4-0 with a Trevor Moore empty net goal, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Petersen (21 save shutout), Brown, and Kempe. 

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NHL 2021-22 - Day 80

We're on for just two games on Friday, beginning with...

The Carolina Hurricanes welcoming the Calgary Flames. Dan Vladar and Frederik Andersen are the goalies. Calgary opened in the first period with an unassisted Blake Coleman goal, his sixth of the season. Carolina tied it on a Jesper Fast goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Brett Pesce and Brady Skjei. The Hurricanes took the lead in the second period with a Derek Stepan goal, his fourth of the season, via Steven Lorentz and Ian Cole. Carolina added on with an Andrei Svechnikov goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Vincent Trocheck and Skjei. The Hurricanes extended the lead as Tony DeAngelo scored his sixth of the season, thanks to Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. The Flames got one back with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his fifteenth of the year, helped along by Elias Lindholm and Coleman. Calgary got closer with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his fifteenth of the season, coming off of Erik Gudbranson and Tkachuk in the third period. Carolina replied with a Skjei goal, his fourth of the year, with helpers from Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Lorentz. The Hurricanes iced it at 6-3 with a Svechnikov power play goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the campaign, powered by Jordan Staal. The three stars were Skjei, Svechnikov, and Lorentz, while Tkachuk and Coleman get the honorable mentions. 

Out west, the St. Louis Blues bring in the Washington Capitals. Ilya Samsonov and Ville Husso are in the creases. Washington started in the first period with a Daniel Sprong goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Aliaksei Protas and Trevor van Riemsdyk. St. Louis tied it on a Torey Krug goal, his sixth of the year, via Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou. The Blues took the lead with a Pavel Buchnevich goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Marco Scandella and Ryan O'Reilly in the second period. St. Louis added on with an Oskar Sundqvist goal, his second of the year, guided in by Justin Faulk and Brandon Saad. The Blues extended the lead as Ivan Barbashev scored his thirteenth of the season, thanks to Buchnevich and O'Reilly. St. Louis iced it at 5-1 in the third period with a Buchnevich shorthanded empty net goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, set up by Thomas. The three stars were Buchnevich, O'Reilly, and Thomas. 

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NHL 2021-22 - Day 79

The schedule shrunk today to ten games, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Minnesota Wild. Kaapo Kahkonen and Jeremy Swayman are the young goalies. Boston started in the first period with a Taylor Hall power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Mike Reilly and Erik Haula. Minnesota tied it on a Kirill Kaprizov power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, with assists provided by Mats Zuccarello and Kevin Fiala. The Wild took the lead with a Nico Sturm power play goal, his sixth of the season, helped along by Jonas Brodin and Connor Dewar. Minnesota added on with a Matt Boldy goal, courtesy of Marcus Foligno and Brodin. The Bruins got one back on a Brad Marchand power play goal, his twelfth of the year, with helpers from Patrice Bergeron and Matt Grzelcyk. The final held at 3-2, with the three stars being Brodin, Boldy, and Sturm.

Along to Buffalo, as the Sabres welcome the San Jose Sharks. Adin Hill and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are in the creases. San Jose began in the first period with a Matt Nieto goal, his third of the season, coming off of Andrew Cogliano and Nick Bonino. The Sharks added on with a Timo Meier goal, his fourteenth of the year, passed from Tomas Hertl and Mario Ferraro. San Jose extended the lead as Hertl scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Alexander Barabanov. Buffalo got on the board in the second period with a Jeff Skinner goal, his eleventh of the year, via Victor Olofsson. The Sabres got closer in the third period with a Zemgus Girgensons power play goal, his seventh of the campaign, powered by Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. The three stars of the 3-2 game were Hertl, Meier, and Nieto.

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning bring in the Calgary Flames. Dan Vladar is mismatched with Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal. Tampa Bay got going in the second period with a Corey Perry goal, his tenth of the season, via Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Victor Hedman. The Lightning added on with a Brayden Point goal in the third period, his twelfth of the year, assisted by Nikita Kucherov and Ryan McDonagh. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Ondrej Palat scored his thirteenth of the season, thanks to Kucherov. The Lightning padded the lead on an Alex Killorn goal, his eleventh of the year, guided in by Steven Stamkos and McDonagh. Calgary got on the board with a Dillon Dube goal, his fourth of the campaign, helped along by Sean Monahan and Oliver Kylington. This only made it 4-1, with the three stars being Kucherov, McDonagh, and Point.

Back north, the New Jersey Devils host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and MacKenzie Blackwood man the nets. New Jersey opened in the first period with a Tomas Tatar goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Jesper Bratt and Jack Hughes. Columbus tied it on a Max Domi goal, his eighth of the year, via Vladislav Gavrikov and Cole Sillinger. The Devils took the lead with a Bratt power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Hughes and Nathan Bastian in the third period. New Jersey iced it at 3-1 with a Hughes empty net goal, his ninth of the year, set up by Tatar and Ryan Graves. The three stars were Hughes, Bratt, and Tatar.

In Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Flyers welcome cross-state rivals in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Carter Hart protect the nets. Pittsburgh led off in the first period with a Bryan Rust power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby. The Penguins added on with another Rust goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, assisted by Evan Rodrigues and Letang. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Jake Guentzel scored his seventeenth of the season, with the help of Letang and Brian Dumoulin. Philadelphia got on the board in the second period with a Cam Atkinson goal, his fourteenth of the year, guided in by Joel Farabee and Scott Laughton. The Penguins shot back in the third period with a Rodrigues goal, his fifteenth of the season, via Kasperi Kapanen. Pittsburgh padded the lead on a Guentzel goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the year, courtesy of Crosby and Rust. The Penguins continued with a shorthanded Brian Boyle goal, his fourth of the season, set up by John Marino. The Flyers got one back with an Oskar Lindblom goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Morgan Frost and Zack MacEwen. The final stood at 6-2, with the three stars being Rust, Guentzel, and Rodrigues, while Letang and Crosby get the honorable mentions.

South to Dallas, as the Stars bring in the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Braden Holtby are the veterans in goal. Florida struck first in the first period with an Aleksander Barkov power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad. Dallas tied it on a Michael Raffl goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of John Klingberg and Radek Faksa. The Panthers retook the lead with a shorthanded Barkov goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, set up by Ekblad and Anton Lundell in the second period. The Stars retied it with a Denis Gurianov goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Jamie Benn and Miro Heiskanen on the power play. Florida pulled ahead again on a Patric Hornqvist goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Gustav Forsling and Radko Gudas. Dallas tied it on a Jason Robertson goal, his eleventh of the year, guided in by Klingberg and Joe Pavelski. The Stars took the lead with a Tyler Seguin goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Gurianov. The Panthers tied it again with a MacKenzie Weegar goal, his second of the year, fueled by Eetu Luostarinen and Hornqvist. Dallas pulled ahead with a Benn goal, his ninth of the season, helped along by Gurianov. Florida tied it once more with a Huberdeau goal, his twelfth of the year, courtesy of Ekblad and Barkov. The tie went to a shootout, where Pavelski and Robertson lifted the Stars to a 6-5 win. The three stars were given to Gurianov, Barkov, and Benn, while Ekblad, Huberdeau, Klingberg, and Hornqvist get the honorable mentions.

Next up, the Colorado Avalanche host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Darcy Kuemper guard the cages. Winnipeg kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Mark Scheifele power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Andrew Copp and Neal Pionk. Colorado tied it on a Nazem Kadri goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Erik Johnson and Andre Burakovsky. The Avalanche pulled ahead with a Gabriel Landeskog power play goal, his eleventh of the season, with assists provided by Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon. Colorado added on with a Rantanen goal, his sixteenth of the year, fueled by MacKinnon and Landeskog. The Avalanche extended the lead as Landeskog scored his second of the game and twelfth of the season, thanks to MacKinnon and Devon Toews. Colorado padded the lead in the third period on a MacKinnon goal, his fourth of the year, with helpers from Samuel Girard and Bowen Byram. The Avalanche continued with a Landeskog goal, completing his hat trick on his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Rantanen and MacKinnon on the power play. Colorado tacked on one more with a Byram power play goal, his fifth of the year, made possible by Johnson and Burakovsky. The three stars of the 7-1 game were MacKinnon, Landeskog, and Rantanen, while Byram, Johnson, and Burakovsky get the honorable mentions.

In Arizona, the Coyotes welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Marc-Andre Fleury and Karel Vejmelka receive the starting nods in goal. Arizona was first to score in the first period with a Dysin Mayo goal, his second of the season, courtesy on Shayne Gostisbehere and Alex Galchenyuk. The Coyotes added on with a Johan Larsson goal, via Janis Moser and Gostisbehere. Chicago got on the board in the second period with a Kirby Dach goal, his sixth of the year, assisted by Philipp Kurashev and Connor Murphy. The Blackhawks tied it on a MacKenzie Entwistle goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Jonathan Toews and Calvin de Haan. Arizona retook the lead with a Travis Boyd power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Phil Kessel and Moser. The Coyotes extended the lead as Clayton Keller scored his eleventh of the season, thanks to Boyd. Arizona padded the lead on a Larsson power play goal, his second of the game, with assists provided by Boyd and Kessel. Chicago pulled one back with a Toews goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Jake McCabe and Riley Stillman. The Blackhawks got closer with an Alex DeBrincat power play goal, his twenty-first of the season, guided in by Dylan Strome and Patrick Kane. The Coyotes iced it at 6-4 with a Larsson empty net goal, his third of the year completing his hat trick, set up by Lawson Crouse and Keller. The three stars were Larsson, Boyd, and Keller, while Gostisbehere, Moser, Kessel, and Toews get the honorable mentions.

Up in Nevada, the Vegas Golden Knights bring in the New York Rangers. Alexandar Georgiev and Robin Lehner patrol the creases. Vegas drew first blood in the first period with a Jonathan Marchessault power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, powered by Reilly Smith and Nicolas Roy. New York tied it on a Chris Kreider goal in the second period, his twenty-first of the year, via Mika Zibanejad and Kaapo Kakko. The Golden Knights retook the lead on a Mark Stone goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Evgenii Dadonov and Chandler Stephenson. Vegas added on with a Mattias Janmark goal, his seventh of the year, helped along by Keegan Kolesar and Ben Hutton. The Golden Knights extended the lead as Brett Howden scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Nolan Patrick and Dylan Coghlan. Vegas padded the lead on a Marchessault goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the year, fueled by Smith. The final stood at 5-1, with the three stars being Marchessault, Smith, and Lehner (18 for 19 in saves).

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Jonathan Quick are the masked men. Nashville cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Filip Forsberg power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Roman Josi and Mikael Granlund. The Predators added on with a Matt Duchene power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, courtesy of Forsberg and Josi. Nashville extended the lead as Matt Luff scored in the second period, with the help of Michael McCarron and Nick Cousins. Los Angeles got on the board with a Dustin Brown goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. The Kings got closer with a Martin Frk power play goal, with helpers from Drew Doughty and Viktor Arvidsson. The Predators shot back with a Yakov Trenin empty net goal, his eighth of the year, set up by Tanner Jeannot. The three stars went to Forsberg, Josi, and Luff. 

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NHL 2021-22 - Day 78

There's just two games on today, beginning with...

The Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Edmonton Oilers. Mike Smith and Jack Campbell protect the nets. Toronto led off in the first period with a John Tavares goal, his fourteenth of the season, made possible by William Nylander and Alexander Kerfoot. Edmonton tied it on a Brendan Perlini goal, his second of the year, via Colton Sceviour and Kyle Turris. The Oilers took the lead on a Leon Draisaitl goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, coming off of Kailer Yamamoto and Warren Foegele. The Maple Leafs tied it on a T.J. Brodie goal, his third of the year, passed from Nylander and Auston Matthews. Toronto took the lead in the third period with an Ilya Mikheyev power play goal, his third of the season, going in unassisted. The Maple Leafs iced it at 4-2 with a Kerfoot empty net goal, his fifth of the year, an unassisted goal. The three stars were Nylander, Mikheyev, and Kerfoot.

In Pittsburgh, the Penguins host the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington faces a lesser foe in Casey DeSmith in goal. St. Louis got going in the second period with a Brayden Schenn power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Torey Krug. The Blues added on with a Jordan Kyrou goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Vladimir Tarasenko and Justin Faulk. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Bryan Rust power play goal, his sixth of the season, with assists provided by Evan Rodrigues and Kris Letang. St. Louis replied with a Colton Parayko goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Schenn and Scott Perunovich. The Penguins pulled one back with another Rust goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, guided in by Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel. Pittsburgh tied it in the third period with a Crosby goal, his fifth of the year, with helpers from Guentzel and John Marino. The Penguins took the lead on a Rodrigues power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Letang and Rust. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Brock McGinn scored his ninth of the year, thanks to Teddy Blueger and Zach Aston-Reese. This made it 5-3, the final, with the three stars going to Rust, Crosby, and Rodrigues, while Schenn, Letang, and Guentzel get the honorable mentions. 

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