Seven games on an unusually busy Wednesday. First up...
The Philadelphia Flyers host the Washington Capitals. Charlie Lindgren and Carter Hart are the goalies. Philadelphia opened in the first period with a Kevin Hayes power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Travis Konecny and Tony DeAngelo. Washington tied it in the second period with a T.J. Oshie power play goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Dylan Strome and Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Capitals pulled ahead in the third period with a Strome goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of John Carlson and Erik Gustafsson. Washington added on with an empty net goal by Alex Ovechkin, his fourteenth of the year, set up by Anthony Mantha and Carlson. The Capitals iced it at 4-1 with another Ovechkin empty net goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Strome, Ovechkin, and Carlson.
Over in Columbus, the Blue Jackets welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Joonas Korpisalo are the Finnish goalies. Buffalo started in the first period with a Dylan Cozens power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Rasmus Dahlin and Tage Thompson. The Sabres added on with a Thompson goal, his seventeenth of the year, guided in by Alex Tuch. Buffalo extended the lead as Dahlin scored his ninth of the season, thanks to Cozens and Jack Quinn. Elvis Merzlikins replaced Korpisalo in goal. The Sabres padded the lead on another Thompson goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the year, helped along by Tuch and Jeff Skinner. Buffalo continued with Thompson completing his hat trick on his nineteenth of the season on the power play, with assists provided by Skinner and Cozens. The Sabres struck again as Thompson scored his fourth of the game and twentieth of the year, made possible by Skinner and Dahlin on the power play. Columbus got on the board in the second period with a Patrik Laine goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Jack Roslovic. The Blue Jackets got closer with a Gustav Nyquist goal, his fifth of the year, fueled by Johnny Gaudreau and Boone Jenner. Buffalo countered with Thompson's fifth of the game and twenty-first of the season, assisted by Tuch and Jacob Bryson. The Sabres kept going with a Peyton Krebs goal, going in unassisted. Buffalo piled on with a Tuch goal, his thirteenth of the year, with helpers from Skinner and Bryson. Korpisalo reentered the game in place of Merzlikins in the third period. Columbus got one back with a Laine goal, his second of the game and sixth of the season, passed from Vladislav Gavrikov and Yegor Chinakhov. The Blue Jackets chipped away with a Nyquist goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, dished from Marcus Bjork. The final held at 9-4, with the three stars awarded to Thompson, Tuch, and Skinner, while Dahlin, Cozens, Bryson, Laine, and Nyquist get the honorable mentions.
Out west, the Calgary Flames bring in the Minnesota Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury and Dan Vladar patrol the creases. Minnesota led off in the first period with a Kirill Kaprizov goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Matt Dumba and Mats Zuccarello. The Wild added on with a Mason Shaw goal, his fourth of the year, via Connor Dewar and Jon Merrill. Calgary got on the board with a Nazem Kadri power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Elias Lindholm and Rasmus Andersson. The Flames tied it on a Blake Coleman goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Adam Ruzicka and Mikael Backlund. Calgary pulled ahead with a Tyler Toffoli power play goal, his ninth of the season, with assists provided by Andersson and Lindholm. Minnesota retied it on a Merrill goal in the third period, coming off of Shaw and Dewar. The Flames fired back with an Andersson goal, his fourth of the year, made possible by Coleman and Ruzicka. Calgary iced it at 5-3 with a Toffoli empty net goal, his second of the game and tenth of the campaign, set up by Lindholm and Jonathan Huberdeau. The three stars belonged to Andersson, Toffoli, and Coleman, while Lindholm, Ruzicka, Shaw, Dewar, and Merrill get the honorable mentions.
Down in Colorado, the Avalanche host the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Alexandar Georgiev guard the cages. Boston got going in the second period with a David Pastrnak goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by David Krejci and Matt Grzelcyk. The Bruins added on with a Taylor Hall goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic. Boston extended the lead in the third period as Frederic scored his sixth of the season, thanks to Hall and Coyle. The Bruins padded the lead on a Hall goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, coming off of Jake DeBrusk. The final was 4-0, with the three stars awarded to Ullmark (23 save shutout), Hall, and Frederic, while Coyle gets an honorable mention.
Back in Alberta, the Edmonton Oilers welcome the Arizona Coyotes. Connor Ingram and Stuart Skinner are the young goalies. Edmonton began in the first period with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Tyson Barrie and Connor McDavid. The Oilers added on with a Derek Ryan goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Klim Kostin and Philip Broberg. Edmonton extended the lead in the second period as Leon Draisaitl scored his eighteenth of the season on the power play, thanks to McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins. Arizona got on the board with a Jack McBain goal, his third of the year, guided in by Christian Fischer. The Oilers fired back with a Nugent-Hopkins goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the season, assisted by Kailer Yamamoto. Edmonton padded the lead on a Brett Kulak goal, his second of the year, coming off of Yamamoto and Dylan Holloway. The Oilers kept going in the third period with a Kostin goal, his second of the season, helped along by Ryan. Edmonton struck again with a McDavid goal, his twenty-third of the year, with helpers from Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse. The Oilers continued with another McDavid goal, his second of the game and twenty-fourth of the season, fueled by Zach Hyman and Barrie. The Coyotes got one back with a Shayne Gostisbehere goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Fischer and Jakob Chychrun. The final held at 8-2, with the three stars handed to McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins, and Draisaitl, while Kostin, Ryan, Yamamoto, Barrie, and Fischer get the honorable mentions.
Stateside, the Vegas Golden Knights bring in the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Logan Thompson tend the twines. New York struck first in the first period with a Kaapo Kakko goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by K'Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba. Vegas tied it in the second period with a Jonathan Marchessault power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Chandler Stephenson and Shea Theodore. The Rangers took the lead in the third period with a Mika Zibanejad power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, with assists provided by Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox. New York added on with a Filip Chytil goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Barclay Goodrow and Panarin. The Rangers extended the lead as Alexis Lafreniere scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Zibanejad and Fox. New York padded the lead on a Zibanejad power play goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, with helpers from Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. The final stood at 5-1, with the three stars given to Zibanejad, Panarin, and Fox.
Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Vancouver Canucks. Spencer Martin and Kaapo Kahkonen are in the blue paint. San Jose kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Nick Bonino goal, his second of the season, via Matt Benning and Logan Couture. Vancouver tied it on a Dakota Joshua goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Ethan Bear. The Canucks took the lead with another Joshua power play goal, his second of the game and sixth of the season, powered by Conor Garland and Ekman-Larsson. Vancouver added on in the second period with a Nils Hoglander goal, his third of the year, made possible by Bo Horvat. The Sharks got one back with a Timo Meier power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, with assists provided by Alexander Barabanov and Tomas Hertl. San Jose tied it on a Couture shorthanded goal, his fourteenth of the year, set up by Jaycob Megna. The Canucks retook the lead with an Ilya Mikheyev goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Tyler Myers. Eetu Makiniemi replaced Kahkonen in goal for the third period. The Sharks retied it in the third period with a Jonah Gadjovich goal, going in unassisted. San Jose took the lead with a Kevin Labanc goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Hertl and Erik Karlsson. Vancouver tied it on an Andrei Kuzmenko power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, guided in by Elias Pettersson and Horvat. The Canucks won 6-5 in overtime with a Pettersson goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Kuzmenko and Quinn Hughes. The three stars went to Pettersson, Joshua, and Horvat, while Kuzmenko, Ekman-Larsson, Couture, and Hertl get the honorable mentions.
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