A massive day before Thanksgiving features 15 games. First up...
The Buffalo Sabres host the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are in goal. Buffalo led off in the first period with a Jeff Skinner goal, his eighth of the season, via Alex Tuch. St. Louis tied it in the second period with a Pavel Buchnevich power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas. The Sabres took the lead back with a Dylan Cozens goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Vinnie Hinostroza and JJ Peterka. Buffalo added on with a Victor Olofsson power play goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Owen Power and Casey Mittelstadt. The Sabres extended the lead as Skinner scored his second of the game and ninth of the season on the power play, thanks to Tuch. Buffalo padded the lead on a Jack Quinn goal, his second of the year, going in unassisted. The Sabres continued with another Quinn goal, his second of the game and third of the season, an unassisted tally. The Blues got one back with a Brayden Schenn goal, his sixth of the year, helped along by Noel Acciari and Ivan Barbashev. The final was 6-2, and the three stars were Skinner, Quinn, and Tuch.
Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Spencer Knight patrol the creases. Florida opened in the first period with a Sam Reinhart power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov. Boston tied it on a Charlie McAvoy power play goal, his second of the year, with assists provided by Jake DeBrusk. The Panthers took the lead in the second period with an Anton Lundell goal, his second of the season, via Nick Cousins and Reinhart. Florida added on with a Barkov power play goal, his fifth of the year, with helpers from Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad. The Panthers extended the lead as Tkachuk scored his ninth of the season on the power play, thanks to Barkov and Ekblad. The Bruins got one back in the third period with a David Pastrnak power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, passed from Brad Marchand and David Krejci. Florida iced it at 5-2 with an Ekblad empty net goal, his third of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars belonged to Barkov, Tkachuk, and Ekblad, while Reinhart gets an honorable mention.
Back north, the New Jersey Devils bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Matt Murray and Vitek Vanecek are in the blue paint. Toronto kicked off the scoring in the first period with a John Tavares goal, his twelfth of the season, passed from Mitchell Marner. The Maple Leafs added on with a Pontus Holmberg goal, guided in by Alexander Kerfoot. New Jersey got on the board with a Dougie Hamilton goal, his sixth of the year, via Yegor Sharangovich and Fabian Zetterlund. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars being Murray (34 for 35 in saves), Holmberg, and Tavares.
Over in Pittsburgh, the Penguins host the Calgary Flames. Dan Vladar is mismatched with Tristan Jarry in goal. Pittsburgh started in the first period with a Jan Rutta goal, his third of the season, coming off of Jeff Carter and Danton Heinen. Calgary tied it in the second period with a Dillon Dube goal, his third of the year, via Chris Tanev and Dennis Gilbert. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Rickard Rakell, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin lifted the Penguins 2-1 over Jonathan Huberdeau, Rasmus Andersson and the Flames. The three stars were Jarry (33 for 34 in saves), Vladar (38 for 39 in saves), and Malkin.
Back south, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Arizona Coyotes. Karel Vejmelka and Pyotr Kochetkov are the goalies. Arizona began in the first period with a Nick Schmaltz goal, via Clayton Keller. The Coyotes added on in the third period with a Lawson Crouse goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Dylan Guenther and J.J. Moser. Arizona extended the lead as Nick Bjugstad scored his fourth of the year, thanks to Shayne Gostisbehere and Guenther. The Coyotes iced it at 4-0 with a Crouse empty net goal, his second of the game and ninth of the campaign, set up by Gostisbehere and Jakob Chychrun. The three stars were Crouse, Vejmelka (36 save shutout), and Guenther, while Gostisbehere gets an honorable mention.
To Columbus, as the Blues Jackets bring in the Montreal Canadiens. Sam Montembeault and Joonas Korpisalo are the lackluster goalies. Columbus cracked the scoresheet in the third period with a Mathieu Olivier goal, his second of the season, going in unassisted. Montreal tied it on an Arber Xhekaj goal, his third of the year, coming off of Jake Evans and Juraj Slafkovsky. The Canadiens took the lead with a David Savard goal, via Kirby Dach and Cole Caufield. Montreal iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Sean Monahan, his fifth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Montembeault (29 for 30 in saves), Savard, and Xhekaj.
Northwest to Minnesota, as the Wild host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck faces a lesser foe in Filip Gustavsson in goal. Minnesota struck first in the first period with a Mason Shaw goal, his third of the season, assisted by Matt Dumba and Nic Petan. The Wild added on in the second period with a Calen Addison goal, via Jon Merrill and Matt Boldy. Minnesota extended the lead as Marcus Foligno scored his second of the year, thanks to Dumba and Joel Eriksson Ek. Winnipeg got on the board with a Kyle Connor goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Josh Morrissey and Michael Eyssimont. The Wild shot back on a Kirill Kaprizov power play goal in the third period, his eleventh of the year, powered by Mats Zuccarello and Boldy. Minnesota padded the lead on Foligno's second goal of the game and third of the season, helped along by Eriksson Ek. The Wild continued with a Boldy power play goal, his seventh of the year, with assists provided by Kaprizov and Addison. This made it 6-1, the final, with the three stars being Kaprizov, Foligno, and Boldy, while Addison, Eriksson Ek, and Dumba get the honorable mentions.
Backtracking to Detroit, as the Red Wings welcome the Nashville Predators. Kevin Lankinen and Ville Husso are the Finnish goalies. Detroit got going in the second period with a Dylan Larkin goal, his ninth of the season, via David Perron. The Red Wings added on with a power play goal by Filip Hronek, his fifth of the year, powered by Jonatan Berggren. Detroit iced it at 3-0 with a Michael Rasmussen empty net goal, his third of the campaign, set up by Adam Erne and Hronek. The three stars were awarded to Husso (26 save shutout), Hronek, and Larkin.
East to New York, as the Islanders bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Jack Campbell and Ilya Sorokin are the masked men. New York dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau shorthanded goal, his fourth of the season, set up by Zach Parise and Adam Pelech. The Islanders added on with a Pageau power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, powered by Mathew Barzal and Anders Lee. New York extended the lead as Sebastian Aho scored his second of the season, thanks to Oliver Wahlstrom and Casey Cizikas. The final held from here at 3-0, with the three stars awarded to Sorokin (49 save shutout), Pageau, and Aho.
In DC, the Washington Capitals host the Philadelphia Flyers. Felix Sandstrom and Darcy Kuemper draw the starts in goal. Philadelphia was first to score in the first period with a Morgan Frost goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Travis Sanheim and Joel Farabee. Washington tied it on a Marcus Johansson power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Alex Ovechkin and T.J. Oshie. The Flyers retook the lead in the second period with a Patrick Brown goal, via Ivan Provorov and Nicolas Deslauriers. The Capitals tied it in the third period with a Sonny Milano goal, his third of the season, assisted by Evgeny Kuznetsov and Oshie. Washington won 3-2 in overtime with an Ovechkin goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Dylan Strome and Erik Gustafsson. The three stars were Ovechkin, Oshie, and Milano.
Southwest to Dallas, where the Stars welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek and Jake Oettinger are between the pipes. Dallas drew first blood in the first period with a Jason Robertson goal, his fifteenth of the season, going in unassisted. Chicago tied it in the second period with a Seth Jones goal, via Patrick Kane and Jack Johnson. The Blackhawks took the lead with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Max Domi and Caleb Jones. Chicago added on with a Connor Murphy goal, his second of the season, helped along by Jonathan Toews and Jarred Tinordi. The Blackhawks extended the lead in the third period as Domi scored his fifth of the year, thanks to Colin Blackwell and Jake McCabe. The Stars got one back on a Jamie Benn power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Roope Hintz and Joe Pavelski. Dallas got closer with a Mason Marchment goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of Tyler Seguin and Denis Gurianov. The Stars tied it on a Ty Dellandrea goal, his third of the season, assisted by Jani Hakanpaa and Benn. Dallas took the lead on a Radek Faksa goal, his third of the year, with helpers from Colin Miller and Suter. The Stars iced it at 6-4 with an empty net goal by Robertson, his second of the game and sixteenth of the campaign, an unassisted tally. The three stars were Robertson, Benn, and Domi.
Along to Colorado, where the Avalanche bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Spencer Martin and Pavel Francouz are the backups in goal. Vancouver started in the first period with an Ilya Mikheyev goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Elias Pettersson and Andrei Kuzmenko. Colorado tied it on a Mikko Rantanen goal, his twelfth of the year, fueled by Devon Toews and Artturi Lehkonen. The Avalanche retook the lead with another Rantanen goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the season, coming off of J.T. Compher and Lehkonen on the power play. The Canucks tied it in the second period on a Bo Horvat goal, his sixteenth of the year, via Ethan Bear and J.T. Miller. Colorado retook the lead with a Cale Makar power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Nathan MacKinnon and Compher. Vancouver tied it on a Sheldon Dries goal in the third period, his second of the year, with helpers from Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Brock Boeser. The Canucks took the lead with a Bear goal, his second of the season, made possible by Ekman-Larsson and Dries. The final held at 4-3, with the three stars being Rantanen, Dries, and Bear, while Ekman-Larsson, Lehkonen, and Compher get the honorable mentions.
Next up, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Ottawa Senators. Cam Talbot and Logan Thompson protect the nets. Vegas began in the first period with a Mark Stone power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault. Ottawa tied it on a Jake Sanderson power play goal, coming off of Alex DeBrincat and Tim Stutzle. The Golden Knights took the lead in the second period with a William Carrier goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Zach Whitecloud and Nicolas Hague. Vegas added on in the third period with a William Karlsson goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Alex Pietrangelo. The Golden Knights iced it at 4-1 with an Eichel empty net goal, his eleventh of the year, set up by Brayden McNabb. The three stars belonged to Thompson (38 for 39 in saves), Eichel, and Carrier.
Westward to Anaheim, as the Ducks welcome the New York Rangers. Jaroslav Halak and John Gibson are the veteran goalies. New York led off in the first period with a Barclay Goodrow goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. Anaheim tied it on a Mason McTavish goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Dmitry Kulikov and Max Jones. The Ducks took the lead in the second period with a Kulikov goal, his second of the season, assisted by Adam Henrique and Cam Fowler. Anaheim added on with a Troy Terry goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Trevor Zegras. The Rangers got one back with a Braden Schneider goal, his second of the season, with helpers from Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin. The final held from here at 3-2, with the three stars being Kulikov, Terry, and McTavish.
Finally, the Seattle Kraken bring in the San Jose Sharks. Kaapo Kahkonen and Martin Jones play in goal. San Jose opened in the first period with a Logan Couture goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Nick Cicek and Matt Nieto. Seattle tied it on an Andre Burakovsky power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Vince Dunn and Jared McCann. The Sharks retook the lead with a Timo Meier power play goal, his tenth of the season, with assists provided by Erik Karlsson and Couture. The Kraken tied it on a Dunn goal, his third of the year, fueled by Matty Beniers. Seattle took the lead with a Ryan Donato goal, his second of the season, via Daniel Sprong and Morgan Geekie. The Kraken added on with a Jamie Oleksiak goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Justin Schultz and Burakovsky. San Jose got one back with a Meier goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the season, coming off of Tomas Hertl. The Sharks tied it in the third period with an Alexander Barabanov goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Matt Benning and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Seattle retook the lead with an Oliver Bjorkstrand goal, his second of the season, helped along by Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev. The Kraken extended the lead as Jaden Schwartz scored his sixth of the year, with helpers from Burakovsky and Beniers. San Jose pulled closer with a Meier goal to complete his hat trick on his twelfth of the season, assisted by Kevin Labanc and Hertl. Seattle fired back with a Beniers goal, his sixth of the year, dished from McCann and Carson Soucy. The Kraken iced it at 8-5 with a Schwartz empty net goal, his second of the game and seventh of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Meier, Beniers, and Burakovsky, while Schwartz, Dunn, McCann, Hertl, and Couture get the honorable mentions.
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