NHL 2022-23 - Day 116

We've got four games on this Friday, beginning with...

The New York Rangers hosting the Seattle Kraken. Martin Jones and Igor Shesterkin man the nets. New York led off in the first period with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his eleventh of the season, helped along by Artemi Panarin. The Rangers added on with a Kaapo Kakko goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Filip Chytil and Alexis Lafreniere. New York extended the lead as Vincent Trocheck scored his fifteenth of the season, thanks to Chris Kreider and Ryan Lindgren. The Rangers padded the lead in the second period on a Jacob Trouba power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Trocheck and Kakko. Seattle got on the board with an Oliver Bjorkstrand goal, his tenth of the season, helped along by Eeli Tolvanen. New York shot back in the third period with a Mika Zibanejad power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, with assists provided by Kreider and Adam Fox. The Kraken answered with a Jared McCann power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, courtesy of Vince Dunn and Bjorkstrand. Seattle pulled closer with a Brandon Tanev goal, his tenth of the year, made possible by Ryan Donato and Dunn. The Rangers iced it at 6-3 with a Lindgren shorthanded empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were Trocheck, Kakko, and Lindgren, while Bjorkstrand, Kreider, and Dunn get the honorable mentions. 

Over in Columbus, the Blue Jackets welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ilya Samsonov and Joonas Korpisalo are the veterans in goal. Toronto began in the first period with a John Tavares power play goal, his twenty-second of the season, powered by Mitch Marner and Michael Bunting. The Maple Leafs added on with a Pierre Engvall goal, his eleventh of the year, assisted by Morgan Rielly and David Kampf in the third period. Toronto extended the lead as Tavares scored his second of the game and twenty-third of the campaign, thanks to Marner. This made it 3-0, the final, with the three stars going to Samsonov (30 save shutout), Tavares, and Marner. 

West to Chicago, as the Blackhawks bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Connor Ingram and Jaxson Stauber are the backups in goal. Arizona opened in the first period with a Clayton Keller goal, his nineteenth of the season, passed from Jakob Chychrun and Nick Schmaltz. The Coyotes added on with a Schmaltz goal, his twelfth of the year, assisted by Keller and Barrett Hayton. Chicago got on the board with a Seth Jones goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Boris Katchouk and Jake McCabe. The Blackhawks tied it in the second period with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his eleventh of the year, guided in by Sam Lafferty. Chicago pulled ahead in the third period with a Colin Blackwell goal, his second of the season, made possible by Athanasiou and Connor Murphy. Arizona tied it on a Nick Bjugstad goal, his twelfth of the year, courtesy of Keller and Juuso Valimaki. The Blackhawks won 4-3 in overtime with a Caleb Jones goal, his second of the campaign, with helpers from Athanasiou and Lafferty. The three stars were Keller, Athanasiou, and Lafferty, while Schmtaltz gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Casey DeSmith and John Gibson are in the blue paint. Pittsburgh started in the first period with a Pierre-Olivier Joseph goal, his third of the season, helped along by Teddy Blueger and Josh Archibald. Anaheim tied it on a Trevor Zegras power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, powered by Adam Henrique. The Penguins retook the lead with a Kasperi Kapanen power play goal, his seventh of the season, with assists provided by Joseph and Bryan Rust. Pittsburgh added on with a Jeff Carter goal, his eighth of the year, made possible by Kapanen. The Penguins extended the lead in the second period as Joseph scored his second of the game and fourth of the season, thanks to Evgeni Malkin. Pittsburgh padded the lead in the third period with a Rust goal, his thirteenth of the year, guided in by Malkin and Chad Ruhwedel. The Penguins continued with a Jake Guentzel goal, his twenty-first of the season, assisted by Sidney Crosby. The Ducks got one back with a Mason McTavish goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Jakob Silfverberg and Henrique. Anaheim got closer on a John Klingberg goal, his seventh of the season, passed from McTavish and Silfverberg. This only made it 6-3, the final, with the three stars being Joseph, Rust, and Kapanen, while McTavish, Malkin, Henrique, and Silfverberg get the honorable mentions. 

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NHL 2022-23 - Day 115

We've got seven games on as the NHL ramps back up after the bye weeks. First up...

The Detroit Red Wings host the Calgary Flames. Dan Vladar and Ville Husso are in the blue paint. Calgary got going in the second period with a Blake Coleman goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Noah Hanifin and Mikael Backlund. Detroit tied it on a Dylan Larkin power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, powered by David Perron and Moritz Seider. The Red Wings pulled ahead in the third period with a Filip Zadina goal, assisted by Oskar Sundqvist and Robert Hagg. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars being Husso (35 for 36 in saves), Zadina, and Larkin.

Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Carter Hart are the masked men. Philadelphia started in the first period with a Kevin Hayes goal, his sixteenth of the season, guided in by Travis Sanheim and Scott Laughton. Edmonton tied it on an Evander Kane goal in the second period, his eighth of the year, coming off of Connor McDavid and Mattias Janmark. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Morgan Frost and James van Riemsdyk lifted the Flyers to a 2-1 win over Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and the Oilers. The three stars were Hart (34 for 35 in saves), Skinner (35 for 36 in saves), and Hayes.

Along to New Jersey, as the Devils bring in the Seattle Kraken. Philipp Grubauer and MacKenzie Blackwood are in the blue paint. Seattle dented the scoreboard in the second period with an Adam Larsson goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Vince Dunn and Alexander Wennberg. New Jersey tied it on a Dougie Hamilton power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Ondrej Palat and Tomas Tatar. The Devils pulled ahead in the third period with another Hamilton goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the season, coming off of Palat and Jesper Bratt. New Jersey iced it at 3-1 with a John Marino empty net goal, his fourth of the year, set up by Erik Haula and Nico Hischier. The three stars went to Hamilton, Blackwood (33 for 34 in saves), and Palat.

Down in Florida, the Panthers host the San Jose Sharks. Kaapo Kahkonen and Sergei Bobrovsky are set to start in goal. San Jose opened in the first period with an Alexander Barabanov goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Erik Karlsson. Florida tied it in the second period with a Sam Reinhart goal, his eighteenth of the year, fueled by Marc Staal. The Panthers took the lead on another Reinhart goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the season, guided in by Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell. Florida added on with a shorthanded empty net goal by Eric Staal, his ninth of the year, set up by Luostarinen. The Panthers finished it at 4-1 with Eric Staal's second shorthanded empty net goal, his tenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were given to Reinhart, Eric Staal, and Luostarinen.

Staying in the state, the Tampa Bay Lightning welcome the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Andrei Vasilevskiy tend the twines. Tampa Bay led off in the first period with a Corey Perry power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Anthony Cirelli and Alex Killorn. The Lightning added on in the second period with a Brandon Hagel goal, his twentieth of the year, via Cirelli and Killorn. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Point scored his second of the game and thirty-second of the season on the power play, thanks to Nikita Kucherov and Hagel. The Lightning padded the lead on a Hagel goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the year, helped along by Killorn. Tampa Bay continued in the third period with a Mikhail Sergachev goal, his seventh of the season, helped along by Point and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. The final held at 5-0, with the three stars being Vasilevskiy (30 save shutout), Hagel, and Killorn, while Point and Cirelli get the honorable mentions.

Back north, the New York Islanders bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Collin Delia is mismatched with Ilya Sorokin in goal. New York began in the first period with a Kyle Palmieri goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Josh Bailey and Adam Pelech. Vancouver tied it on an Oliver Ekman-Larsson goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Elias Pettersson. The Canucks took the lead on a Brock Boeser goal, his tenth of the season, passed from J.T. Miller and Riley Stillman. The Islanders retied it on a Brock Nelson goal, his twentieth of the year, going in unassisted. New York pulled ahead in the second period with a Mathew Barzal goal, his fourteenth of the season, made possible by Noah Dobson and Anders Lee. The Islanders added on with a Bo Horvat goal, his thirty-third of the year, fueled by Barzal and Ryan Pulock. Vancouver got one back with a Nils Aman goal, his second of the season, guided in by Phillip Di Giuseppe and Dakota Joshua. The Canucks tied it on a Pettersson power play goal, his twenty-third of the year, powered by Quinn Hughes and Miller. Vancouver gained the lead with another Pettersson goal, his second of the game and twenty-fourth of the season, coming off of Boeser and Ethan Bear. The Canucks extended the lead as Anthony Beauvillier scored his tenth of the year on the power play, thanks to Boeser and Hughes. New York got one back with a Dobson power play goal, his eleventh of the campaign, with assists provided by Barzal and Horvat. This only made it 6-5, the final, with the three stars handed to Pettersson, Barzal, and Boeser, while Horvat, Dobson, Miller, and Hughes get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Minnesota Wild host the Vegas Golden Knights. Logan Thompson and Marc-Andre Fleury guard the cages. Vegas struck first in the first period on a Nicolas Roy goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Keegan Kolesar and Brett Howden. The Golden Knights added on in the second period with an Alex Pietrangelo goal, his seventh of the year, going in unassisted. Minnesota got on the board with a Kirill Kaprizov power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, powered by Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy. Vegas answered on a Paul Cotter goal, his ninth of the year, made possible by Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault. The Golden Knights extended the lead on a Reilly Smith penalty shot goal, his nineteenth of the season. Vegas padded the lead as Eichel scored his sixteenth of the year, thanks to Marchessault and Zach Whitecloud. Filip Gustavsson replaced Fleury in goal. The final remained at 5-1, with the three stars going to Eichel, Marchessault, and Pietrangelo. 

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NHL 2022-23 - Day 114

Just two games on this Wednesday, beginning with...

The New York Rangers welcoming the Vancouver Canucks. Spencer Martin and Igor Shesterkin man the nets. New York led off in the first period with a Chris Kreider goal, his twenty-first of the season, via Vincent Trocheck and K'Andre Miller. The Rangers added on with a Filip Chytil goal, his nineteenth of the year, courtesy of Kaapo Kakko and Miller. Vancouver got on the board with a Conor Garland goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Quinn Hughes. New York added on with an Alexis Lafreniere goal, his eighth of the year, coming off of Jacob Trouba and Miller in the second period. The Canucks pulled one back with a Vasily Podkolzin goal, helped along by J.T. Miller. The Rangers replied in the third period with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, fueled by Trouba and Artemi Panarin. Vancouver got one back on an Elias Pettersson goal, his twenty-second of the year, guided in by Hughes and Brock Boeser. The final held at 4-3, with the three stars going to Miller, Trouba, and Hughes.

Down in Dallas, the Stars bring in the Minnesota Wild. Filip Gustavsson and Jake Oettinger are the masked men. Dallas got going in the second period with a Jamie Benn goal, his twentieth of the season, assisted by Wyatt Johnston and Esa Lindell. The Stars added on with a Radek Faksa goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment. Dallas extended the lead as Jani Hakanpaa scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson. Minnesota got on the board with a Joel Eriksson Ek power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, powered by Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. The Stars iced it at 4-1 with a Hintz empty net goal, his twenty-second of the campaign, set up by Robertson. The three stars were Hintz, Oettinger (39 for 40 in saves), and Robertson. 

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NHL 2022-23 - Day 113

There's six more games on today, beginning with...

The Pittsburgh Penguins hosting the Colorado Avalanche. Pavel Francouz and Casey DeSmith are the backups in goal. Colorado got going in the second period with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his fourteenth of the season, guided in by Bowen Byram and Samuel Girard. Pittsburgh tied it in the third period with a Bryan Rust goal, his twelfth of the year, via Evgeni Malkin and Jason Zucker. The Penguins won 2-1 in overtime with a Kris Letang goal, his fifth of the campaign, coming off of Sidney Crosby and Malkin. The three stars were DeSmith (41 for 42 in saves), Letang, and Malkin.

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning welcome the San Jose Sharks. Kaapo Kahkonen and Brian Elliott are in the creases. Tampa Bay led off in the first period with a Ross Colton goal, his eleventh of the season, via Zach Bogosian. San Jose tied it on an Erik Karlsson power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, powered by Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl. The Lightning took the lead back with a Brayden Point power play goal, his thirtieth of the season, coming off of Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman. Tampa Bay added on with another Point goal, his second of the game and thirty-first of the year, assisted by Mikhail Sergachev and Kucherov. The Sharks pulled one back with a Meier power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, with assists provided by Alexander Barabanov and Logan Couture. San Jose tied it in the third period on a Jonah Gadjovich goal, his third of the year, with helpers from Scott Harrington and Karlsson. The Sharks won 4-3 in overtime with another Meier goal, his second of the game and thirtieth of the campaign, helped along by Karlsson and Hertl. The three stars were Meier, Karlsson, and Point, while Hertl and Kucherov get the honorable mentions.

North again to Detroit, as the Red Wings bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Jack Campbell and Ville Husso are the masked men. Detroit opened in the first period with a Tyler Bertuzzi goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Lucas Raymond and Dylan Larkin. Edmonton tied it on a Ryan McLeod power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Philip Broberg and Evander Kane in the second period. The Oilers took the lead with a Warren Foegele goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Edmonton added on with another Foegele goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, fueled by Vincent Desharnais and Broberg. The Red Wings got one back with a Joe Veleno goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Moritz Seider and Jake Walman. The Oilers responded in the third period with a Nugent-Hopkins power play goal, his twenty-third of the year, with assists provided by Tyson Barrie and Connor McDavid. Edmonton iced it at 5-2 with a Kane shorthanded empty net goal, his seventh of the campaign, set up by Brett Kulak. The three stars were Foegele, Nugent-Hopkins, and Kane, while Broberg gets an honorable mention.

Over in New York, the Islanders host the Seattle Kraken. Martin Jones and Ilya Sorokin protect the nets. New York began in the first period with a Samuel Bolduc goal, via Scott Mayfield and Brock Nelson. The Islanders added on with a Simon Holmstrom goal, his third of the season, assisted by Jean-Gabriel Pageau. New York extended the lead as Zach Parise scored his fourteenth of the year in the second period, thanks to Pageau and Adam Pelech. The Islanders padded the lead on a Bo Horvat goal, his thirty-second of the season, passed from Mathew Barzal. The final stood at 4-0, with the three stars being Sorokin (31 save shutout), Bolduc, and Pageau.

Next up, the Nashville Predators welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Adin Hill and Juuse Saros are in the blue paint. Nashville started in the first period with a Matt Duchene goal, his fifteenth of the season, made possible by Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg. Vegas tied it on a Michael Amadio goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Reilly Smith and William Karlsson. The Golden Knights took the lead on a William Carrier goal, his thirteenth of the season, going in unassisted. Vegas added on with a Phil Kessel goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Carrier and Chandler Stephenson. The Golden Knights extended the lead in the second period as Stephenson scored his twelfth of the season, thanks to Shea Theodore and Kessel. Vegas iced it at 5-1 with an Alex Pietrangelo empty net goal, his sixth of the year, set up by the goalie Hill. The three stars were Carrier, Kessel, and Stephenson.

Finally, the Chicago Blackhawks bring in the Anaheim Ducks. Anthony Stolarz and Petr Mrazek are between the pipes. Chicago dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Jason Dickinson goal, his eighth of the season, fueled by Patrick Kane. Anaheim tied it with a Brett Leason goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of John Klingberg and Jayson Megna. The Blackhawks took the lead on a Seth Jones goal, his fifth of the season, via Dickinson and Tyler Johnson. The Ducks retied it on a Megna goal, made possible by Leason. Anaheim won 3-2 in overtime with a Frank Vatrano goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Isac Lundestrom and Klingberg. The three stars went to Leason, Megna, and Dickinson, while Klingberg gets an honorable mention. 

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NHL 2022-23 - Day 112

We've got six games to pull out of the All-Star break. First up...

The Philadelphia Flyers host the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Carter Hart are in goal. New York began in the first period with a Kyle Palmieri power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Josh Bailey and Sebastian Aho. The Islanders added on in the second period with a Mathew Barzal goal, his thirteenth of the year, coming off of Noah Dobson and Brock Nelson. Philadelphia got on the board with a Nicolas Deslauriers goal, his third of the campaign, via Tony DeAngelo and Nick Seeler. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Varlamov (25 for 26 in saves), Barzal, and Palmieri. 

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky are the Russian goalies. Florida led off in the first period with a Carter Verhaeghe goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, made possible by Matthew Tkachuk. The Panthers added on in the second period with a Sam Bennett goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his twentieth of the season, coming off of Mikhail Sergachev and Brayden Point. Florida shot back on a Tkachuk goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, passed from Verhaeghe and Bennett. The Panthers extended the lead as Eetu Luostarinen scored his eleventh of the season, thanks to Brandon Montour and Verhaeghe. Florida padded the lead on an unassisted Eric Staal goal in the third period, his eighth of the year. The Panthers continued on a Verhaeghe goal, his second of the game and twenty-eighth of the season, fueled by Tkachuk. Florida capped it at 7-1 with a Tkachuk power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-seventh of the year, powered by Bennett and Ekblad. The three stars were Tkachuk, Verhaeghe, and Bennett, while Ekblad gets an honorable mention. 

Back north in New Jersey, the Devils bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Collin Delia and Vitek Vanecek are set to start in goal. Vancouver opened in the first period with an Andrei Kuzmenko goal, his twenty-second of the season, passed from Luke Schenn and Elias Pettersson. New Jersey tied it on a Jack Hughes goal, his thirty-fourth of the year, coming off of Fabian Zetterlund and Dougie Hamilton. The Devils took the lead in the second period on an Ondrej Palat goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Hamilton and Jonas Siegenthaler. New Jersey added on with an unassisted Palat goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year. The Devils extended the lead as Hughes scored his second of the game and thirty-fifth of the season, thanks to Zetterlund and Damon Severson. The Canucks got one back with a Schenn goal, his third of the year, helped along by Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland. Vancouver pulled closer with a Curtis Lazar goal, his second of the season, with helpers from Riley Stillman and Garland. The Canucks tied it in the third period on a Phillip Di Giuseppe goal, made possible by J.T. Miller and Ekman-Larsson. New Jersey won 5-4 in overtime with a Jesper Bratt power play goal, his twentieth of the year, powered by Hughes and Hamilton. The three stars belonged to Hughes, Hamilton, and Palat, while Zetterlund, Schenn, Garland, and Ekman-Larsson get the honorable mentions. 

To New York, as the Rangers host the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Jaroslav Halak are the veteran goalies. New York started in the first period with a Filip Chytil goal, his seventeenth of the season, courtesy of Kaapo Kakko and Adam Fox. Calgary tied it on a Blake Coleman goal, his eleventh of the year, guided in by Andrew Mangiapane. The Rangers retook the lead in the second period with a Chytil goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Flames retied it with a Tyler Toffoli power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, powered by Rasmus Andersson and Elias Lindholm. New York pulled ahead with a Mika Zibanejad power play goal, his twenty-third of the season, with assists provided by Chris Kreider and Artemi Panarin. Calgary tied it again in the third period with a Mangiapane goal, his eleventh of the year, helped along by Noah Hanifin and Mikael Backlund. The Flames pulled ahead on a Michael Stone goal, his fifth of the season, fueled by Backlund and Coleman. The Rangers retied it on a Zibanejad goal, his second of the game and twenty-fourth of the year, assisted by Panarin and Jimmy Vesey. New York won 5-4 in overtime on an Alexis Lafreniere goal, his seventh of the campaign, with a lone helper from Zibanejad. The three stars went to Zibanejad, Chytil, and Mangiapane, while Panarin, Coleman, and Backlund get the honorable mentions. 

South to Dallas, where the Stars welcome the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Jake Oettinger protect the nets. Dallas struck first in the first period with a Nilas Lundkvist goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Radek Faksa and Mason Marchment. The Stars added on in the second period with a Roope Hintz goal, his twenty-first of the year, courtesy of Denis Gurianov and Jason Robertson. Anaheim got on the board in the third period with a Jakob Silfverberg power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Kevin Shattenkirk and Frank Vatrano. The Ducks tied it on an Adam Henrique goal, his nineteenth of the year, guided in by Trevor Zegras. The tie went to a shootout, where Robertson and Tyler Seguin lifted the Stars to a 3-2 win over Mason McTavish and the ducks. The three stars were Robertson, Hintz, and Lundkvist.

Finally, the Arizona Coyotes bring in the Minnesota Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury and Karel Vejmelka patrol the creases. Minnesota got going in the second period with a Kirill Kaprizov goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, via Mats Zuccarello and Calen Addison. Arizona tied it on a Jakob Chychrun power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Barrett Hayton and Clayton Keller. The Wild took the lead back in the third period with a Jonas Brodin goal, his second of the season, assisted by Joel Eriksson Ek and Ryan Hartman. The Coyotes tied it again on a Chychrun goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, guided in by Matias Maccelli and Juuso Valimaki. Arizona took the lead with a Jack McBain goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Christian Fischer and Patrik Nemeth. The final held at 3-2, with the three stars being Chychrun, McBain, and Vejmelka (33 for 35 in saves). 

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2023 NHL All-Star Game

It's All-Star weekend in the NHL, with the best of the best facing off in the annual 3-on-3 tournament. First up...

The Pacific Division faces the Central Division. Connor Hellebuyck and Logan Thompson make the starts in goal. The Central began with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, via Mikko Rantanen. The Pacific answered with a Connor McDavid goal, coming off of Erik Karlsson. The Central retook the lead on a Seth Jones goal, courtesy of Vladimir Tarasenko. The Pacific tied it again with an Elias Pettersson goal, helped along by Bo Horvat and Kevin Fiala. The Central gained the lead with another MacKinnon goal, fueled by Rantanen and Cale Makar. Juuse Saros and Stuart Skinner took over in goal in the second half of the game. The Central added on with a Clayton Keller goal, coming off of Tarasenko and Jones. The Central extended the lead as Tarasenko scored, thanks to Keller and the goalie Saros. The Pacific got one back with a Pettersson goal, his second of the game, guided in by Fiala and the goalie Skinner. The Pacific pulled closer with a Karlsson goal, with a lone assist by Leon Draisaitl. The Central answered with a Keller goal, his second of the game, with helpers from Jones and Tarasenko. This made it a 6-4 win for the Central, who will face the winner of the next game in the finals. 

In the other semifinal, the Atlantic Division takes on the Metropolitan Division. Igor Shesterkin and Linus Ullmark start in goal. The Atlantic led off with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, via Aleksander Barkov and Brady Tkachuk. The Atlantic added on with a Dylan Larkin goal, courtesy of Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk. The Metropolitan got on the board with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, made possible by Artemi Panarin. The Metropolitan tied it on another Gaudreau goal, coming off of Panarin and Kevin Hayes. The Metropolitan took the lead with a Sidney Crosby goal, helped along by Alex Ovechkin. The Atlantic retied it on a Brady Tkachuk goal, assisted by Matthew Tkachuk and Barkov. The Atlantic retook the lead with a Nick Suzuki goal, fueled by Mitch Marner and the goalie Ullmark. Ilya Sorokin and Andrei Vasilevskiy took over in goal in the second half. The Metropolitan pulled even on a Gaudreau goal to complete his hat trick, with helpers from Panarin and Hayes. The Metropolitan went ahead on a Crosby goal, his second of the game passed from Ovechkin. The Metropolitan extended the lead as Ovechkin scored, thanks to Adam Fox and Crosby. The Atlantic shot back on a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his second of the game, guided in by Marner and Larkin. The Atlantic evened the score on a Nikita Kucherov goal, passed from Marner. The Atlantic took the lead again on a Suzuki goal, his second of the game, with assists from David Pastrnak and Rasmus Dahlin. The Atlantic padded the lead as Matthew Tkachuk completed his hat trick, with the help of Barkov and Brady Tkachuk. The Atlantic kept going with a Larkin empty net goal, his second of the game, going in unassisted. The Atlantic finished it at 10-6 with an unassisted Pastrnak goal. 

The finals see the Central Division meet the Atlantic Division. Linus Ullmark and Juuse Saros opened the game in goal. The Atlantic struck first with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, via Brady Tkachuk. The Atlantic added on with a Nikita Kucherov goal, passed from Mitch Marner and Matthew Tkachuk. The Atlantic extended the lead as Dylan Larkin scored, thanks to Marner. In the second half, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Connor Hellebuyck played in goal. The Atlantic padded the lead on a Larkin goal, his second of the game, made possible by Marner and Kucherov. The Central got on the board with a Mikko Rantanen goal, fueled by Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. The Atlantic replied with a David Pastrnak goal, going in unassisted. The Central shot back with a Jason Robertson goal, with a helper from Josh Morrissey. The Atlantic responded on a Larkin goal, completing his hat trick on an unassisted goal. The Central countered with a Clayton Keller goal, going in unassisted. The Atlantic fired back with a Rasmus Dahlin goal, passed from Aleksander Barkov. The Central fired back on a MacKinnon goal, dished from Makar. The Central got closer on a Makar goal, set up by Rantanen. The final stood at 7-5, with the All-Star Game MVP title going to Matthew Tkachuk. 

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NHL 2022-23 - Day 111

There's two games on to wrap up the pre-All-Star Game schedule. First up...

The Buffalo Sabres welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Antti Raanta and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are the Finnish goalies. Carolina opened in the first period with a Sebastian Aho power play goal, his twenty-third of the season, powered by Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov. The Hurricanes added on with a Stefan Noesen goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Martin Necas and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Carolina extended the lead as Brent Burns scored his tenth of the season, thanks to Kotkaniemi and Jalen Chatfield. Buffalo got on the board with an Alex Tuch goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, via Henri Jokiharju. The Hurricanes replied in the third period with a Derek Stepan goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Noesen and Chatfield. Carolina iced it at 5-1 with a Jordan Martinook shorthanded empty net goal, his eleventh of the year, set up by Jordan Staal. The three stars were Noesen, Chatfield, and Kotkaniemi.

Over in Toronto, the Maple Leafs bring in the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Ilya Samsonov are the masked men. Boston dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Derek Forbort shorthanded goal, his fourth of the season, set up by Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic. Toronto tied it on a Mitch Marner power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, powered by the goalie Samsonov and Morgan Rielly. The Bruins took the lead back with a Brandon Carlo goal, his second of the season, assisted by Hampus Lindholm and Coyle. Boston added on in the third period with an A.J. Greer goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Jakub Lauko. The Maple Leafs got one back with a Calle Jarnkrok goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Mark Giordano and Justin Holl. The Bruins fired back with a Pavel Zacha goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk. Boston extended the lead as Zacha scored his second of the game and eleventh of the season, thanks to David Krejci and David Pastrnak. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars going to Zacha, Coyle, and Ullmark (33 for 35 in saves). 

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