Wednesday, March 1, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 135

There's six games on for this Wednesday, beginning with...

The Philadelphia Flyers hosting the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Carter Hart man the nets. New York opened in the first period with a Mika Zibanejad power play goal, his thirty-second of the season, powered by Vladimir Tarasenko and Artemi Panarin. Philadelphia tied it on an Owen Tippett power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Flyers took the lead in the second period with a Scott Laughton goal, his fourteenth of the season, via Kevin Hayes. The Rangers tied it in the third period with a Chris Kreider goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, fueled by Tarasenko and Vincent Trocheck. New York won 3-2 in overtime with a Tarasenko goal, his thirteenth of the campaign, helped along by Filip Chytil and Braden Schneider. The three stars were Tarasenko, Kreider, and Zibanejad.

Out in Edmonton, the Oilers welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ilya Samsonov and Stuart Skinner are in the blue paint. Edmonton started in the first period with a Connor McDavid power play goal, his fifty-first of the season, powered by Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Toronto tied it on a David Kampf goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Mitch Marner. The Oilers retook the lead with a McDavid goal, his second of the game and fifty-second of the season, assisted by Klim Kostin and Zach Hyman. Edmonton added on with a Hyman goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, guided in by Mattias Ekholm and McDavid. The Oilers extended the lead in the second period as Kailer Yamamoto scored his sixth of the season, thanks to Cody Ceci and Darnell Nurse. Edmonton padded the lead on a Kostin goal, his tenth of the year, fueled by Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele. The Maple Leafs got one back with a Marner power play goal, his twenty-first of the season, helped along by Morgan Rielly and Auston Matthews. The final stayed at 5-2, with the three stars being McDavid, Hyman, and Kostin, while Marner gets an honorable mention.

Down in Dallas, the Stars bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Connor Ingram is mismatched with Jake Oettinger in goal. Arizona led off in the first period with a Barrett Hayton goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Juuso Valimaki and J.J. Moser. The Coyotes added on with a power play goal by Clayton Keller, his twenty-fifth of the year, powered by Valimaki and Nick Schmaltz. Dallas got on the board with a Roope Hintz goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, coming off of Jason Robertson. The Stars tied it on a Tyler Seguin power play goal in the second period, his sixteenth of the year, with assists provided by Evgenii Dadonov and Wyatt Johnston. Dallas pulled ahead in the third period with a Miro Heiskanen goal, his eighth of the season, guided in by Colin Miller and Seguin. The Stars extended the lead on a Seguin shorthanded goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, set up by Radek Faksa. The final was 4-2, and the three stars belonged to Seguin, Valimaki, and Heiskanen.

Backtracking to Colorado, where the Avalanche host the New Jersey Devils. Vitek Vanecek and Justus Annunen are set to start in goal. New Jersey began in the first period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Jesper Bratt. The Devils added on with a Nathan Bastian goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Michael McLeod and Damon Severson. New Jersey extended the lead as Tomas Tatar scored his fourteenth of the season, thanks to Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer. Colorado got on the board with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his twenty-third of the year, via Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen. The Devils replied in the second period on a Dougie Hamilton goal, his eighteenth of the season, with helpers from McLeod and Miles Wood. New Jersey padded the lead on a Wood power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Erik Haula and Mercer. The Avalanche pulled one back on a Mikko Rantanen goal, his forty-first of the season, helped along by Josh Manson and Alex Newhook. Colorado got closer with another MacKinnon goal, his second of the game and twenty-fourth of the year, with a helper from Bowen Byram. The Avalanche pulled closer with a J.T. Compher goal, his thirteenth of the season, going in unassisted. New Jersey countered with a Mercer goal, his twentieth of the year, guided in by Ryan Graves. Colorado pulled one back in the third period with a Nichushkin goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Lehkonen and Samuel Girard. Akira Schmid relieved Vanecek in goal. New Jersey fired back on a Hischier empty net goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, set up by Tatar and Mercer. The three stars of the 7-5 game were Mercer, Tatar, and MacKinnon, while Hischier, Wood, McLeod, Nichushkin, and Lehkonen get the honorable mentions.

Out in Anaheim, the Ducks welcome the Washington Capitals. Darcy Kuemper and John Gibson protect the nets. Washington struck first in the first period with a Martin Fehervary goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Nicklas Backstrom and Dylan McIlrath. Anaheim tied it on a Troy Terry goal, his seventeenth of the year, guided in by Trevor Zegras and Cam Fowler. The Capitals took the lead with a Tom Wilson goal in the third period, his sixth of the season, via Trevor van Riemsdyk. The Ducks tied it on a Zegras goal, his twentieth of the year, coming off of Mason McTavish and Kevin Shattenkirk. Washington won 3-2 in overtime with a Wilson goal, his second of the game and seventh of the campaign, helped along by T.J. Oshie and Alexander Alexeyev. The three stars were Wilson, Zegras, and Kuemper (21 for 23 in saves).

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen and Adin Hill patrol the creases. Vegas got going in the second period with a Jack Eichel goal, his twenty-first of the season, assisted by William Carrier and Shea Theodore. Carolina tied it on a Martin Necas goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, guided in by Teuvo Teravainen. The Golden Knights retook the lead with another Eichel goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the season, via Ivan Barbashev and Phil Kessel. The Hurricanes tied it in the third period with a Jordan Staal goal, his sixteenth of the year, courtesy of Brent Burns and Jaccob Slavin. Vegas took the lead with a Reilly Smith goal, his twentieth of the season, helped along by Michael Amadio and William Karlsson. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars awarded to Eichel, Smith, and Hill (24 for 26 in saves). 

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Tuesday, February 28, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 134

There's 10 games on today, beginning with...

The Ottawa Senators hosting the Detroit Red Wings. Ville Husso faces a lesser foe in Mads Sogaard in goal. Detroit opened in the first period with a Dominik Kubalik goal, his seventeenth of the season, via Olli Maatta. Ottawa tied it on a Tim Stutzle penalty shot goal, his twenty-eighth of the year. The Senators took the lead on a shorthanded Austin Watson goal, his sixth of the season, set up by Dylan Gambrell. Ottawa added on with a Watson goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, courtesy of Derick Brassard and Mark Kastelic. The Senators extended the lead as Alex DeBrincat scored his twentieth of the season on the power play, powered by Drake Batherson and Thomas Chabot. Ottawa padded the lead in the second period with a Claude Giroux power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, with assists provided by DeBrincat and Stutzle. The Senators continued in the third period with a Brady Tkachuk goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, helped along by Giroux and Jake Sanderson. This made it 6-1, the final, with the three stars going to Stutzle, Watson, and Giroux, while DeBrincat gets an honorable mention.

Down to Tampa Bay, where the Lightning welcome the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy are the Russian goalies. Florida started in the first period with an Eric Staal goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Josh Mahura and Nick Cousins. The Panthers added on with an Anton Lundell goal, his ninth of the year, via Matthew Tkachuk and Marc Staal. Florida extended the lead as Eetu Luostarinen scored his fourteenth of the season, an unassisted goal. Tampa Bay got on the board in the second period with a Brayden Point power play goal, his thirty-seventh of the year, powered by Steven Stamkos and Nikita Kucherov. The Panthers iced it at 4-1 with an Anthony Duclair empty net goal, set up by Eric Staal and Cousins. The three stars were Eric Staal, Cousins, and Lundell.

Back north, the Buffalo Sabres bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins and Craig Anderson start in goal. Columbus led off in the first period with a Kent Johnson power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Nick Blankenburg and the goalie Merzlikins. Buffalo tied it on a Tage Thompson goal, his forty-first of the year, coming off of Jeff Skinner and Jack Quinn. The Blue Jackets took the lead with an Eric Robinson goal, his sixth of the season, going in unassisted. Columbus added on in the second period with another Robinson goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, passed from Sean Kuraly and Patrik Laine. The Blue Jackets extended the lead as Boone Jenner scored his nineteenth of the season, thanks to Blankenburg and Andrew Peeke. The Sabres got one back with a Quinn goal in the third period, his eleventh of the year, with a lone assist by Mattias Samuelsson. Buffalo pulled closer with a JJ Peterka goal, his eighth of the season, coming on the power play from Owen Power and Peyton Krebs. Columbus iced it at 5-3 with a Robinson empty net goal, completing his hat trick on his eighth of the year, set up by Jenner. The three stars were Robinson, Jenner, and Quinn, while Blankenburg gets an honorable mention.

Along to St. Louis, as the Blues host the Seattle Kraken. Martin Jones and Jordan Binnington man the nets. Seattle began in the first period with a Morgan Geekie goal, his sixth of the season, via Daniel Sprong and Adam Larsson. St. Louis tied it on a Robert Thomas shorthanded goal in the second period, his fourteenth of the year, set up by Pavel Buchnevich. The Kraken took the lead back with a Jared McCann goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, assisted by Vince Dunn and Eeli Tolvanen. The Blues retied it on a Brandon Saad goal, his sixteenth of the year, coming off of Nick Leddy and Justin Faulk. Seattle retook the lead with a Geekie goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, helped along by Sprong and Justin Schultz. The Kraken added on in the third period with a Jamie Oleksiak goal, his eighth of the year, with helpers from Ryan Donato and Tolvanen. St. Louis got one back with a Buchnevich goal, his eighteenth of the season, fueled by Thomas. Seattle iced it at 5-3 with a Brandon Tanev empty net goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Tolvanen and Yanni Gourde. The three stars belonged to Tolvanen, Geekie, and Buchnevich, while Thomas and Sprong get the honorable mentions.

Backtracking to Nashville, as the Predators welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Juuse Saros guard the cages. Nashville dented the scoreboard in the third period with a Mark Jankowski goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. Pittsburgh tied it on a Sidney Crosby goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, courtesy of Brock McGinn and Rickard Rakell. The Penguins took the lead with a Jason Zucker goal, his seventeenth of the season, an unassisted goal. Pittsburgh iced it at 3-1 with a Bryan Rust empty net goal, his fifteenth of the year, set up by Jake Guentzel and Brian Dumoulin. The three stars were Jarry (24 for 25 in saves), Zucker, and Crosby.

Up in Minnesota, the Wild bring in the New York Islanders. Ilya Sorokin and Filip Gustavsson tend the twines. New York struck first in the first period with a Josh Bailey goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Scott Mayfield and Otto Koivula. Minnesota tied it on a Ryan Reaves goal, courtesy of Jordan Greenway. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Frederick Gaudreau had the lone tally for a 2-1 Wild win. The three stars were Gustavsson (39 for 40 in saves), Reaves, and Sorokin (30 for 31 in saves).

Further north, the Winnipeg Jets host the Los Angeles Kings. Pheonix Copley and Connor Hellebuyck are the masked men. Winnipeg kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Josh Morrissey goal, his twelfth of the season, via Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. The Jets added on with another Morrissey goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, courtesy of Dylan DeMelo. Los Angeles got on the board with an Anze Kopitar power play goal in the second period, his twenty-first of the season, powered by Kevin Fiala and Drew Doughty. Winnipeg shot back with a Kyle Connor goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, assisted by Scheifele and Morrissey. The Kings got one back on a Kopitar goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the season, helped along by Alexander Edler and Quinton Byfield. Los Angeles tied it on another Kopitar goal, completing his hat trick with his twenty-third of the year, with the help of Doughty. The Jets retook the lead with a Kevin Stenlund goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by Morrissey and DeMelo. Winnipeg extended the lead as Stenlund scored his second of the game and fifth of the year shorthanded, set up by Adam Lowry. The Kings pulled one back in the third period with another Kopitar goal, his fourth of the game and twenty-fourth of the season, made possible by Sean Durzi and Carl Grundstrom. Los Angeles tied it on a Gabriel Vilardi goal, his nineteenth of the year, coming off of Blake Lizotte and Alex Iafallo. The tie went to a shootout, where Adrian Kempe lifted the Kings to a 6-5 win. The three stars were Kopitar, Morrissey, and Stenlund, while Doughty, Scheifele, and DeMelo get the honorable mentions.

West to Calgary, where the Flames welcome the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Dan Vladar are in the creases. Boston was first to score in the first period with a Dmitry Orlov goal, his fourth of the season, via Hampus Lindholm and Tomas Nosek. The Bruins added on with another Orlov goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, assisted by Jake DeBrusk and Patrice Bergeron. Jacob Markstrom replaced Vladar in goal for the second period. Calgary got on the board with a Blake Coleman goal, his thirteenth of the season, made possible by Rasmus Andersson. The Flames tied it on a Dillon Dube goal, his seventeenth of the year, courtesy of Tyler Toffoli and Noah Hanifin. Calgary took the lead with a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Nazem Kadri and Jakob Pelletier. Boston tied it on a Pavel Zacha power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, powered by Orlov and DeBrusk. The Bruins won 4-3 in overtime with a Charlie McAvoy goal, his fifth of the campaign, with helpers from Bergeron and Brad Marchand. The three stars belonged to Orlov, Bergeron, and DeBrusk.

Way south to Arizona, as the Coyotes bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Alex Stalock and Karel Vejmelka patrol the creases. Arizona drew first blood in the first period with a Travis Boyd goal, his ninth of the season, going in unassisted. The Coyotes added on with a Barrett Hayton goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller. Arizona extended the lead as Jack McBain scored his eighth of the season, thanks to Troy Stecher and Matias Maccelli. The Coyotes padded the lead in the third period on a Schmaltz goal, his eighteenth of the year, helped along by Keller and Shayne Gostisbehere. Chicago got on the board with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, coming off of Philipp Kurashev and Isaak Phillips. This only made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars being Schmaltz, Vejmelka (23 for 24 in saves), and Keller.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Montreal Canadiens. Jake Allen and Kaapo Kahkonen are in the blue paint. San Jose got going in the first period with a Jacob MacDonald goal, going in unassisted. Montreal tied it on a Kaiden Guhle goal in the third period, his third of the season, an unassisted goal. The Canadiens took the lead with a Jesse Ylonen goal, his second of the year, coming off of Rem Pitlick and Christian Dvorak. Montreal iced it at 3-1 with a Dvorak empty net goal, his tenth of the campaign, set up by Nick Suzuki and Josh Anderson. The three stars were Allen (38 for 39 in saves), Dvorak, and Ylonen. 

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Monday, February 27, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 133

We've got five games today, beginning with...

The Ottawa Senators hosting the Detroit Red Wings. Magnus Hellberg is mismatched with Cam Talbot in goal. Detroit opened in the first period with a Tyler Bertuzzi goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Pius Suter and Oskar Sundqvist. Ottawa tied it on a Jake Sanderson power play goal in the second period, his fourth of the year, powered by Claude Giroux and Derick Brassard. The Red Wings retook the lead with a David Perron power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, with a lone assist by Filip Hronek. The Senators tied it on a Drake Batherson power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, with helpers from Thomas Chabot and Alex DeBrincat. Ottawa took the lead with a Giroux goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, made possible by Dylan Gambrell and Chabot. The Senators added on with a Brady Tkachuk goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, guided in by Giroux and Artem Zub. Ottawa extended the lead in the third period as Chabot scored his ninth of the season, thanks to Giroux and Zub. The Senators padded the lead on a Tim Stutzle goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, going in unassisted. The final was 6-2, and the three stars were Giroux, Chabot, and Zub. 

Out west, the Edmonton Oilers welcome the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Stuart Skinner are the young goalies. Edmonton started in the first period with a Connor McDavid goal, his forty-ninth of the season, fueled by Leon Draisaitl. Boston tied it on a Tomas Nosek goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Garnet Hathaway and Dmitry Orlov. The Bruins took the lead on a Nick Foligno goal, his tenth of the season, helped along by Charlie Coyle and Orlov. The Oilers retied it in the second period with another McDavid goal, his second of the game and fiftieth of the year, passed from Klim Kostin and Cody Ceci. Boston took the lead back with a Pavel Zacha goal, his fourteenth of the season, guided in by David Pastrnak and Derek Forbort. This stood as the eventual 3-2 final, with the three stars being McDavid, Orlov, and Zacha. 

Down in Dallas, the Stars host the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Jake Oettinger guard the cages. Vancouver led off in the first period with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his fourteenth of the season, via Elias Pettersson and Andrei Kuzmenko. Dallas tied it on a Jamie Benn shorthanded goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, set up by Tyler Seguin. The Canucks retook the lead with a Sheldon Dries power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Conor Garland and Christian Wolanin. Vancouver added on with a Vasily Podkolzin goal, his second of the year, fueled by Aatu Raty and Quinn Hughes. The Stars got one back in the second period with an Evgenii Dadonov goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Wyatt Johnston and Ryan Suter. The Canucks fired back with another Beauvillier goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, assisted by Hughes and Kuzmenko. Dallas pulled back with a Roope Hintz power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, with assists provided by Benn and Joe Pavelski. The Stars tied it in the third period as Nils Lundkvist scored his sixth of the year, thanks to Mason Marchment and Ty Dellandrea. Vancouver won 5-4 in overtime with a Kuzmenko goal, his twenty-eighth of the campaign, helped along by Beauvillier and Hughes. The three stars were Beauvillier, Kuzmenko, and Hughes, while Benn gets an honorable mention. 

Northwest to Colorado, as the Avalanche bring in the Vegas Golden Knights. Adin Hill and Alexandar Georgiev protect the nets. Colorado began in the first period with an unassisted Mikko Rantanen goal, his thirty-ninth of the season. The Avalanche added on in the second period with another Rantanen goal, his second of the game and fortieth of the year, coming off of J.T. Compher. Colorado iced it at 3-0 with a Nathan MacKinnon empty net goal, his twenty-second of the campaign, set up by Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen. The three stars were Rantanen, Georgiev (31 save shutout), and MacKinnon.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the Chicago Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek and Lukas Dostal occupy the creases. Chicago struck first in the first period with a Tyler Johnson power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Max Domi and Taylor Raddysh. Anaheim tied it on an Isac Lundestrom goal, his fourth of the year, via Troy Terry and Mason McTavish. The Ducks took the lead with a Jakob Silfverberg power play goal, his ninth of the season, with assists provided by John Klingberg and Frank Vatrano. The Blackhawks tied it in the second period with an Andreas Athanasiou power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Domi and Johnson. Anaheim took the lead again with a Max Jones goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of McTavish and Vatrano. The Ducks added on in the third period with a Terry goal, his sixteenth of the year, passed from McTavish. This made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars going to Terry, McTavish, and Johnson, while Vatrano and Domi get the honorable mentions. 

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Sunday, February 26, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 132

There's seven games on today, beginning with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the Washington Capitals. Darcy Kuemper and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are in goal. Buffalo started in the first period with a Dylan Cozens goal, his twenty-first of the season, assisted by Casey Mittelstadt and Ilya Lyubushkin. Washington tied it on a Dylan Strome goal, his thirteenth of the year, courtesy of Nick Jensen and T.J. Oshie. The Sabres took the lead back with a Tage Thompson goal, his fortieth of the season, going in unassisted. The Capitals retied it on an Oshie goal, his fifteenth of the year, coming off of Strome and Jensen. Buffalo pulled ahead in the second period on a Jeff Skinner goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, passed from Mattias Samuelsson and Jack Quinn. The Sabres added on with a Zemgus Girgensons goal, his eighth of the year, helped along by Kyle Okposo and Tyson Jost. Buffalo extended the lead as Vinnie Hinostroza scored, thanks to Owen Power and Cozens. The Sabres padded the lead on a Cozens goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the season, via Quinn. Washington got one back with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his thirty-third of the year, guided in by Erik Gustafsson and Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Capitals got closer on an unassisted power play goal by Sonny Milano, his tenth of the season. Buffalo shot back in the third period with a Cozens goal, completing his hat trick on his twenty-third of the year, with helpers from Hinostroza and Mittelstadt. This made it 7-4, the final, with the three stars going to Cozens, Hinostroza, and Mittelstadt, while Quinn, Oshie, Strome, and Jensen get the honorable mentions.

Over in Minnesota, the Wild welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins and Marc-Andre Fleury start in goal. Columbus opened in the first period with a Mathieu Olivier goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Eric Robinson. The Blue Jackets added on in the second period with a Liam Foudy goal, his second of the year, coming off of Erik Gudbranson and Emil Bemstrom. Minnesota got on the board with a Kirill Kaprizov goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, assisted by Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Hartman. The Wild tied it on a Kaprizov power play goal, his second of the game and thirty-sixth of the year, powered by Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek. Minnesota won 3-2 in overtime when Kaprizov completed his hat trick on his thirty-seventh of the campaign, helped along by Calen Addison and Mats Zuccarello. The three stars were Kaprizov, Fleury (22 for 24 in saves), and Merzlikins (41 for 44 in saves).

Up in Winnipeg, the Jets bring in the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and David Rittich are the backups in goal. New York led off in the first period with a Bo Horvat shorthanded goal, his thirty-sixth of the season, going in unassisted. The Islanders added on in the second period with an Alexander Romanov goal, his second of the year, via Casey Cizikas and Hudson Fasching. New York extended the lead as Brock Nelson scored his twenty-seventh of the season, thanks to Zach Parise. The Islanders iced it at 4-0 with an Adam Pelech empty net goal, his fifth of the year, set up by Scott Mayfield. The three stars were Varlamov (23 save shutout), Horvat, and Romanov. 

Back east, the New York Rangers host the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Igor Shesterkin patrol the creases. New York began in the first period with an Alexis Lafreniere goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Kaapo Kakko and Filip Chytil. The Rangers added on in the second period with a Vincent Trocheck goal, his eighteenth of the year, courtesy of Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. New York extended the lead as Trocheck scored his second of the game and nineteenth of the season, thanks to Adam Fox. Pheonix Copley replaced Quick in goal. Los Angeles got on the board with a Viktor Arvidsson power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Arthur Kaliyev and Phillip Danault. The Kings got one back in the third period with a Matt Roy goal, his ninth of the season, helped along by Danault. The Rangers shot back with an Artemi Panarin goal, his nineteenth of the year, coming off of Trocheck. New York iced it at 5-2 with a Zibanejad power play goal, his thirty-first of the campaign, with assists provided by Fox and Panarin. The three stars belonged to Trocheck, Zibanejad, and Panarin, while Fox and Danault get the honorable mentions.

Along to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Brian Elliott and Casey DeSmith man the nets. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period with a Drew O'Connor goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Marcus Pettersson and Jeff Petry. Tampa Bay tied it on an Anthony Cirelli goal, his ninth of the year, via Zach Bogosian. The Lightning took the lead with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his twenty-third of the season, assisted by Brayden Point and Ian Cole. The Penguins tied it in the second period with an Evgeni Malkin goal, his twenty-third of the year, passed from Josh Archibald and Brian Dumoulin. Pittsburgh pulled ahead on a Sidney Crosby power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, powered by Jake Guentzel and Kris Letang. The Penguins added on with a Teddy Blueger goal, his second of the year, guided in by Pettersson and Petry. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Jeff Carter scored his ninth of the season, thanks to Letang. The Penguins padded the lead on a Jason Zucker goal, his sixteenth of the year, made possible by Malkin and Danton Heinen. Pittsburgh kept going with a Dumoulin goal, helped along by Crosby. Tampa Bay got one back in the third period with a Point power play goal, his thirty-sixth of the campaign, with assists provided by Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev. This only made it 7-3, the final, with the three stars going to Malkin, Crosby, and Kucherov, while Dumoulin, Point, Petry, Letang, and Pettersson get the honorable mentions.

Out to Arizona, as the Coyotes bring in the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Connor Ingram are the former teammates in goal. Arizona kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Shayne Gostisbehere shorthanded goal, his tenth of the season, set up by Nick Schmaltz. Nashville tied it on a Yakov Trenin goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Philip Tomasino and Colton Sissons. The Predators took the lead with a Matt Duchene goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Cody Glass and Alexandre Carrier. Nashville added on in the second period with a Roman Josi goal, his sixteenth of the year, fueled by Thomas Novak and Trenin. The Coyotes got one back with a Schmaltz goal, his seventeenth of the season, coming off of Clayton Keller and Barrett Hayton. The Predators replied in the third period with a Novak goal, his ninth of the year, helped along by Mikael Granlund and Duchene. Nashville extended the lead as Josi scored his second of the game and seventeenth of the season on the power play, thanks to Novak and Duchene. The Predators padded the lead on a Glass power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Granlund and Josi. The final was 6-2, with the three stars being Josi, Novak, and Duchene, while Trenin, Schmaltz, Glass, and Granlund get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Seattle Kraken host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ilya Samsonov and Philipp Grubauer are in the blue paint. Seattle was first to score in the first period with a Vince Dunn goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann. Toronto tied it on a Mark Giordano goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Timothy Liljegren and William Nylander. The Maple Leafs took the lead with a John Tavares goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, assisted by Nylander and Justin Holl. Toronto added on with a Liljegren goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Mitch Marner and Michael Bunting. The Maple Leafs extended the lead in the second period as Auston Matthews scored his twenty-seventh of the season, thanks to Marner. Martin Jones replaced Grubauer in goal. Toronto iced it at 5-1 with another Matthews goal in the third period, his second of the game and twenty-eighth of the year, with helpers from Marner and Bunting. The three stars were Matthews, Liljegren, and Marner, while Nylander and Bunting get the honorable mentions. 

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Saturday, February 25, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 131

There's 11 games on this Saturday, including three matinees. First up...

The Columbus Blue Jackets host the Edmonton Oilers. Jack Campbell and Joonas Korpisalo are the goalies. Columbus started in the first period with a Kirill Marchenko goal, his fifteenth of the season, made possible by Johnny Gaudreau and Boone Jenner. The Blue Jackets added on with a Jenner power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Patrik Laine and Jack Roslovic. Columbus extended the lead as Marchenko scored his second of the game and sixteenth of the season, guided in by Gaudreau. The Blue Jackets padded the lead on a Laine goal, his seventeenth of the year, assisted by Adam Boqvist and Roslovic. Stuart Skinner replaced Campbell in goal. Edmonton got on the board with a Warren Foegele goal, his eleventh of the season, going in unassisted. The Oilers got closer with a Leon Draisaitl power play goal, his thirty-sixth of the year, with assists provided by Connor McDavid and Tyson Barrie. Edmonton pulled closer with a McDavid shorthanded goal, his forty-seventh of the season, set up by Brett Kulak. The Oilers tied it as McDavid scored his second of the game and forty-eighth of the year, thanks to Kulak and Barrie. Columbus retook the lead in the third period with a Roslovic goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Laine and Kent Johnson. The Blue Jackets continued with another Roslovic goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, helped along by Gavin Bayreuther. Edmonton got one back on a Zach Hyman goal, his twenty-eighth of the campaign, dished from McDavid and Darnell Nurse. This only made it 6-5, with the three stars going to McDavid, Roslovic, and Laine, while Marchenko, Jenner, Gaudreau, Barrie, and Kulak get the honorable mentions.

Over in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Darcy Kuemper guard the cages. Washington opened in the first period with a T.J. Oshie power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Erik Gustafsson and Evgeny Kuznetsov. New York tied it on a Barclay Goodrow goal, his tenth of the year, via Tyler Motte. The Capitals took the lead back in the second period with an Oshie goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, guided in by Dylan Strome and Gustafsson. Washington added on with a Tom Wilson goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Trevor van Riemsdyk and Alex Ovechkin. The Capitals extended the lead as Sonny Milano scored his ninth of the season, thanks to Kuznetsov and Oshie. Washington padded the lead on a Kuznetsov goal, his tenth of the year, helped along by Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Martin Fehervary. The Rangers got one back with a Chris Kreider power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, with assists provided by Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad. The Capitals shot back with a Kuznetsov goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, made possible by Ovechkin and Wilson. New York got one back with a Kaapo Kakko goal, his twelfth of the campaign, passed from Kreider and Zibanejad. The final was 6-3, and the three stars were Kuznetsov, Oshie, and Wilson, while Ovechkin, Kreider, Gustafsson, and Zibanejad get the honorable mentions.

Next up, the St. Louis Blues bring in the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Jordan Binnington protect the nets. St. Louis got going in the second period with a Pavel Buchnevich goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Robert Thomas and Justin Faulk. Pittsburgh tied it on an Evgeni Malkin goal, his twenty-second of the year, via Bryan Rust and Marcus Pettersson. The Penguins took the lead with a Pettersson goal, coming off of Teddy Blueger and Drew O'Connor. The Blues tied it on a Justin Faulk goal, his eighth of the season, courtesy of Alexey Toropchenko and Sammy Blais. Pittsburgh won 3-2 in overtime with a Rust goal, his fourteenth of the year, helped along by Malkin and Jeff Petry. The three stars were Rust, Pettersson, and Malkin, while Faulk gets an honorable mention.

Northeast to Montreal, as the Canadiens host the Ottawa Senators. Mads Sogaard and Sam Montembeault man the nets. Ottawa led off in the first period with a Derick Brassard goal, his ninth of the season, via Nick Holden and Mark Kastelic. Montreal tied it in the second period on a Mike Matheson goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Justin Barron. The Canadiens took the lead with a Nick Suzuki goal, his twentieth of the season, coming off of Johnathan Kovacevic. The Senators tied it on a Shane Pinto goal, his fifteenth of the year, courtesy of Alex DeBrincat and Claude Giroux. Ottawa pulled ahead in the third period with an Austin Watson goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Travis Hamonic and Brassard. The Senators added on with a Drake Batherson goal, his eighteenth of the year, guided in by Brady Tkachuk and the goalie Sogaard. Ottawa extended the lead as Julien Gauthier scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Holden. The final stayed at 5-2, with the three stars being Brassard, Holden, and Watson.

Stateside, the New Jersey Devils welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Samuel Ersson and Akira Schmid are the backups in goal. New Jersey dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Jonas Siegenthaler goal, his third of the season, coming off of Miles Wood. The Devils added on with a Jack Hughes goal, his thirty-sixth of the year, via Siegenthaler. New Jersey extended the lead as Dawson Mercer scored his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Nico Hischier. The Devils padded the lead on a Hischier goal in the third period, his twenty-fifth of the season, passed from John Marino and Ryan Graves. New Jersey continued with a Dougie Hamilton goal, his seventeenth of the year, courtesy of Siegenthaler and Michael McLeod. The Devils kept going with a Jesper Bratt goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, fueled by Hughes and Yegor Sharangovich. New Jersey struck again with a Nathan Bastian goal, his fourth of the year, with helpers from Kevin Bahl and Tomas Tatar. This made it 7-0, the final, with the three stars going to Siegenthaler, Hughes, and Hischier, while Schmid (25 save shutout) gets an honorable mention.

South again to Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes bring in the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Frederik Andersen patrol the creases. Anaheim cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a John Klingberg goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Trevor Zegras and Ryan Strome. The Ducks added on in the third period with a Jakob Silfverberg goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Strome and Zegras. Carolina got on the board with a Jesperi Kotkaniemi goal, his eleventh of the season, via Jaccob Slavin. Anaheim fired back with a Troy Terry goal, his fifteenth of the year, coming off of Isac Lundestrom and Cam Fowler. The Hurricanes fired back with a Brady Skjei goal, his twelfth of the season, passed from Brett Pesce and Jordan Staal. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Gibson (50 for 52 in saves), Zegras, and Strome.

Way out west, the Vancouver Canucks host the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark faces a lesser foe in Arturs Silovs in goal. Boston began in the first period with a Hampus Lindholm power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by David Krejci and Taylor Hall. The Bruins added on with a Brad Marchand goal, his nineteenth of the year, passed from Jake DeBrusk and Patrice Bergeron. Vancouver got on the board in the third period with a Brock Boeser goal, his eleventh of the season, fueled by Conor Garland. Boston iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by the goalie Ullmark, going in unassisted. The three stars were Ullmark (26 for 27 in saves), Marchand, and Lindholm.

Back east, the Detroit Red Wings welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Ville Husso tend the twines. Tampa Bay struck first in the first period with a Brayden Point goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, passed from Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn. The Lightning added on with a Kucherov goal in the second period, his twenty-second of the year, courtesy of Point and Nick Paul. Tampa Bay iced it at 3-0 with a Killorn empty net goal, his fifteenth of the campaign, set up by Brandon Hagel in the third period. The three stars were Vasilevskiy (45 save shutout), Point, and Kucherov, while Killorn gets an honorable mention.

West again to Colorado, as the Avalanche bring in the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Alexandar Georgiev are between the pipes. Colorado was first to score in the first period with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his twenty-first of the season, via Valeri Nichushkin. The Avalanche added on with an Alex Newhook goal, his thirteenth of the year, passed from Logan O'Connor and Andrew Cogliano. Colorado extended the lead in the second period as Mikko Rantanen scored his thirty-eighth of the season on the power play, powered by Nichushkin and Bowen Byram. Calgary got on the board with a Tyler Toffoli power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, with assists provided by Rasmus Andersson and Nazem Kadri. The Avalanche fired back on a Denis Malgin goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Josh Manson. The final held at 4-1, with the three stars given to Nichushkin, Georgiev (28 for 29 in saves), and Newhook.

To Nevada, where the Vegas Golden Knights welcome the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Laurent Brossoit draw the starts in goal. Vegas kicked off the scoring in the second period with a Michael Amadio goal, his tenth of the season, courtesy of Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore. Dallas tied it on a Wyatt Johnston goal, his fourteenth of the year, via Ty Dellandrea and Jamie Benn. The Golden Knights took the lead in the third period with a Jack Eichel goal, his twentieth of the season, assisted by Chandler Stephenson and Jonathan Marchessault. The Stars retied it on a Roope Hintz goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, passed from Jason Robertson and Benn. The tie went to a shootout, where Robertson and Hintz tallied to give the Stars a 3-2 win. The three stars were Hintz, Benn, and Robertson.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek and Kaapo Kahkonen are between the pipes. Chicago drew first blood in the first period with a David Gust goal, assisted by Colin Blackwell and Jason Dickinson. San Jose tied it on a Nick Bonino goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Jacob MacDonald and Nico Sturm. The Blackhawks took the lead on a Brett Seney goal, via Seth Jones. The Sharks tied it again with an Evgeny Svechnikov goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Sturm and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Chicago gained the lead in the third period with a Max Domi goal, his eighteenth of the season, helped along by Jake McCabe and the goalie Mrazek. San Jose tied it on an Erik Karlsson goal, his nineteenth of the year, with helpers from Vlasic and Logan Couture. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Philipp Kurashev had the lone tally to give the Blackhawks a 4-3 win. The three stars were Sturm, Vlasic, and Mrazek (45 for 48 in saves).  

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Friday, February 24, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 130

There's six games on this Friday, beginning with...

The Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Ottawa Senators. Cam Talbot and Antti Raanta man the nets. Carolina opened in the first period with a Brent Burns goal, his twelfth of the season, going in unassisted. The Hurricanes added on with a Seth Jarvis goal, his thirteenth of the year, guided in by Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. Carolina extended the lead in the third period as Martin Necas scored his twenty-third of the season, thanks to Svechnikov. The Hurricanes iced it at 4-0 with a Brady Skjei empty net goal, his eleventh of the year, set up by Aho. The three stars were Raanta (32 save shutout), Aho, and Svechnikov.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs welcome the Minnesota Wild. Filip Gustavsson and Ilya Samsonov are the masked men. Minnesota started in the first period with a Brandon Duhaime goal, his seventh of the season, via Frederick Gaudreau. Toronto tied it on a David Kampf goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of William Nylander and Mark Giordano. The Maple Leafs won 2-1 in overtime with a Nylander goal, his thirty-third of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Nylander, Samsonov (24 for 25 in saves), and Kampf.

Way south to Florida, as the Panthers bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Craig Anderson and Sergei Bobrovsky are set to start in goal. Buffalo got going in the second period with a Jeff Skinner goal, his twenty-third of the season, coming off of Tage Thompson and Henri Jokiharju. The Sabres added on with an Alex Tuch power play goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, powered by Owen Power and Thompson. Florida got on the board in the third period with a Carter Verhaeghe goal, his thirty-first of the season, made possible by Anthony Duclair and Eetu Luostarinen. Buffalo shot back with another Skinner goal, his second of the game and twenty-fourth of the year, passed from Thompson. This made it 3-1, and he three stars went to Skinner, Thompson, and Anderson (53 for 54 in saves).

Back north, the Philadelphia Flyers host the Montreal Canadiens. Jake Allen and Carter Hart are in the blue paint. Montreal led off in the first period with a David Savard goal, his third of the season, via Mike Hoffman and Jesse Ylonen. The Canadiens added on with a Chris Tierney goal, his third of the year, passed from Michael Pezzetta and Johnathan Kovacevic. Montreal extended the lead in the second period on a Nick Suzuki power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, powered by Mike Matheson and Hoffman. Philadelphia got on the board in the third period with an Owen Tippett goal, his seventeenth of the year, courtesy of Morgan Frost. The Canadiens shot back with a Ylonen goal, assisted by Justin Barron and Jonathan Drouin. Montreal padded the lead as Josh Anderson scored his seventeenth of the season, thanks to Rafael Harvey-Pinard. The Flyers got one back with an Ivan Provorov goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Tony DeAngelo and Frost. This only made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars being Ylonen, Hoffman, and Frost.

Along to New York, where the Islanders welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Ilya Sorokin protect the nets. Los Angeles dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Phillip Danault goal, his fifteenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Kings added on with an Arthur Kaliyev goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Rasmus Kupari and Jaret Anderson-Dolan. Los Angeles extended the lead as Gabriel Vilardi scored his eighteenth of the season, thanks to Alex Iafallo and Alexander Edler. New York got on the board with a Noah Dobson power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by Brock Nelson and Anders Lee. The Islanders pulled closer in the third period with an Adam Pelech goal, his fourth of the campaign, with helpers from Ryan Pulock and Matt Martin. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Vilardi, Kaliyev, and Danault.

Finally, the Winnipeg Jets bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Connor Hellebuyck tend the twines. Colorado began in the first period with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his twentieth of the season, fueled by Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen. Winnipeg tied it on a Masson Appleton power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Nate Schmidt and Blake Wheeler. The Avalanche retook the lead with a Mikko Rantanen goal, his thirty-seventh of the season, guided in by Evan Rodrigues. Colorado added on with a J.T. Compher goal, his twelfth of the year, helped along by Rantanen and MacKinnon. The Avalanche extended the lead as Bowen Byram scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Andrew Cogliano and Alex Newhook. Colorado padded the lead in the second period on a Matt Nieto goal, his eleventh of the year, made possible by Compher and Devon Toews. David Rittich replaced Hellebuyck in the third, and the final held at 5-1. The three stars were MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Compher. 

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Thursday, February 23, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 129

There's 10 games on today, beginning with...

The Detroit Red Wings hosting the New York Rangers. Jaroslav Halak and Ville Husso are in goal. Detroit was first to score in the first period with an Andrew Copp goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Michael Rasmussen and David Perron. New York tied it in the second period on a Vincent Trocheck goal, his seventeenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Red Wings pulled ahead with a Filip Zadina goal, his second of the season, passed from Dylan Larkin. Detroit added on with a Rasmussen goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Perron and Copp. The Red Wings extended the lead on a Filip Hronek power play goal in the third period, his ninth of the season, powered by Copp and Dominik Kubalik. The final held at 4-1, with the three stars being Copp, Rasmussen, and Perron.

Next up, the Columbus Blue Jackets welcome the Minnesota Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury and Joonas Korpisalo are set to start in goal. Minnesota started in the first period with a Brandon Duhaime goal, his sixth of the season, guided in by Frederick Gaudreau. The Wild added on with a Kirill Kaprizov goal, his thirty-fourth of the year, coming off of Jake Middleton and Ryan Hartman. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Fleury (30 save shutout), Duhaime, and Kaprizov.

Over in DC, the Washington Capitals bring in the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Charlie Lindgren man the nets. Washington struck first in the first period with a T.J. Oshie power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Erik Gustafsson and Nicklas Backstrom. Anaheim tied it in the second period with an Isac Lundestrom goal, his third of the year, via Cam Fowler. The Capitals took the lead with a Nick Jensen goal, his second of the season, assisted by Nic Dowd and Martin Fehervary. The Ducks tied it again with a Troy Terry goal, his fourteenth of the year, guided in by Dmitry Kulikov and Fowler. Anaheim took the lead in the third period with a Jakob Silfverberg goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Max Comtois and Colton White. The Ducks iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Derek Grant, his third of the year, set up by Kevin Shattenkirk. The three stars were Fowler, Silfverberg, and Gibson (41 for 43 in saves).

Along to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Tristan Jarry protect the nets. Pittsburgh led off in the first period with a Kris Letang goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Bryan Rust and Jason Zucker. Edmonton tied it on a Connor McDavid power play goal, his forty-fifth of the year, powered by Tyson Barrie and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers took the lead with a Leon Draisaitl power play goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, with assists provided by Barrie and McDavid. Edmonton added on in the second period with a Kailer Yamamoto goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Zach Hyman and Darnell Nurse. The Oilers extended the lead as Devin Shore scored, thanks to Jesse Puljujarvi. Edmonton padded the lead on a Warren Foegele goal, his tenth of the season, courtesy of Draisaitl and Brett Kulak. The Oilers continued on a Nugent-Hopkins goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, passed from McDavid. Casey DeSmith replaced Jarry for the third period. Edmonton struck again in the third period with a McDavid penalty shot goal, his second of the game and forty-sixth of the season. The Penguins got one back with another Letang power play goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, helped along by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. The final was 7-2, with the three stars being McDavid, Letang, and Draisaitl, while Nugent-Hopkins and Barrie get the honorable mentions.

Moving along to New Jersey, as the Devils welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Pheonix Copley and Vitek Vanecek are between the pipes. Los Angeles opened in the first period with an Anze Kopitar goal, his twentieth of the season, fueled by Sean Durzi and Adrian Kempe. The Kings added on with a Viktor Arvidsson goal, his seventeenth of the year, via Kevin Fiala and Mikey Anderson. New Jersey got on the board in the second period with a Tomas Tatar goal, his thirteenth of the season, guided in by Dawson Mercer. The Devils tied it in the third period on a Mercer goal, his seventeenth of the year, passed from Tatar and Kevin Bahl. Los Angeles pulled ahead with a Durzi goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Kopitar and Fiala. New Jersey retied it on a Nico Hischier goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, with helpers from Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton. The Devils won 4-3 in overtime with a Mercer goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, helped along by Hamilton and the goalie Vanecek. The three stars went to Mercer, Tatar, and Hamilton, while Kopitar, Durzi, and Fiala get the honorable mentions.

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Eric Comrie is mismatched with Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal. Tampa Bay began in the first period with a Steven Stamkos goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, guided in by Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. Buffalo tied it on a Zemgus Girgensons goal, his seventh of the year, fueled by Rasmus Dahlin and Tyson Jost. The Sabres took the lead with a Tage Thompson power play goal, his thirty-seventh of the season, powered by Jeff Skinner and Dahlin. Buffalo added on with another Thompson goal, his second of the game and thirty-eighth of the year, assisted by Skinner. The Lightning got one back with a Victor Hedman goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. The Sabres answered on a Jack Quinn goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Peyton Krebs and Casey Mittelstadt. Tampa Bay got one back in the third period with a Point goal, his thirty-fourth of the season, made possible by Hedman and Brandon Hagel. Buffalo shot back as Thompson finished his hat trick on his thirty-ninth of the year, an unassisted goal. The Lightning countered with an Anthony Cirelli goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Erik Cernak and Point. Tampa Bay tied it again with a Ross Colton power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, coming off of Stamkos and Point. The Sabres won 6-5 in overtime with a shorthanded Ilya Lyubushkin goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were Thompson, Point, and Stamkos, while Skinner, Dahlin, and Hedman get the honorable mentions.

Northwest to St. Louis, as the Blues host the Vancouver Canucks. Arturs Silovs and Jordan Binnington draw the starts in goal. St. Louis kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Alexey Toropchenko shorthanded goal, his fifth of the season, set up by Pavel Buchnevich. The Blues added on in the second period with a Tyler Tucker goal, assisted by Robert Bortuzzo and Ivan Barbashev. Vancouver got on the board in the third period with a shorthanded J.T. Miller goal, his twentieth of the year, via Elias Pettersson. The Canucks tied it on an Andrei Kuzmenko goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, passed from Pettersson and Miller. Vancouver won 3-2 in overtime with a Pettersson goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, guided in by Anthony Beauvillier and Ethan Bear. The three stars were Pettersson, Miller, and Kuzmenko.

Out west, the Vegas Golden Knights welcome the Calgary Flames. Dan Vladar and Laurent Brossoit are in the blue paint. Calgary drew first blood in the first period with a Jakob Pelletier power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Mikael Backlund and Noah Hanifin. The Flames added on with a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his eleventh of the year, guided in by Pelletier and Nazem Kadri. Vegas got on the board with a Jack Eichel power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, with assists provided by Shea Theodore and Michael Amadio. Calgary replied with a Backlund goal, his fourteenth of the year, assisted by Blake Coleman and MacKenzie Weegar. The Golden Knights got one back in the third period with a Zach Whitecloud goal, his second of the season, made possible by Reilly Smith. Vegas tied it on a William Carrier goal, his sixteenth of the year, via Alec Martinez and Chandler Stephenson. The Golden Knights won 4-3 in overtime with an Alex Pietrangelo goal, his eighth of the campaign, with helpers from Jonathan Marchessault and Eichel. The three stars were Eichel, Backlund, and Pelletier.

Up in Seattle, the Kraken bring in the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Philipp Grubauer protect the nets. Seattle cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a Matty Beniers goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Jared McCann and Vince Dunn. Boston tied it on a David Krejci goal, his thirteenth of the year, fueled by Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak. The Kraken retook the lead in the second period with a Dunn goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Alexander Wennberg. The Bruins retied it on a Pastrnak goal, his forty-second of the year, via Krejci and Hampus Lindholm. Boston took the lead with a Brad Marchand goal, his eighteenth of the season, courtesy of Patrice Bergeron and Charlie McAvoy. Seattle retied it on a Jamie Oleksiak goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Morgan Geekie and Jesper Froden. The Bruins regained the lead with a shorthanded Bergeron goal, his twenty-first of the season, set up by Marchand. The Kraken tied it again on a Yanni Gourde power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Beniers and Jordan Eberle. Seattle took the lead with a Jaden Schwartz goal, his thirteenth of the season, made possible by Will Borgen and Oleksiak. Boston retied it with a Brandon Carlo goal, his third of the year, passed from Lindholm and Charlie Coyle. The Bruins pulled ahead with a Jake DeBrusk goal, his nineteenth of the season, dished from McAvoy. This stood for a 6-5 win, with the three stars given to Pastrnak, Bergeron, and Krejci, while Beniers, Dunn, Oleksiak, Marchand, McAvoy, and Lindholm get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and James Reimer guard the cages. Nashville got going in the first period with a Nino Neiderreiter power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, powered by Mikael Granlund and Matt Duchene. The Predators added on with a Granlund goal in the second period, his eighth of the year, via Philip Tomasino. San Jose got on the board with a Nico Sturm shorthanded goal, his twelfth of the season, set up by Steven Lorentz. Nashville answered with a Granlund goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, helped along by Tomasino and Cody Glass. The Predators extended the lead on a Yakov Trenin shorthanded goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Cole Smith. The Sharks got one back in the third period with a Martin Kaut goal, his second of the year, assisted by Tomas Hertl and Mikey Eyssimont. Nashville shot back with a Niederreiter goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the season, coming off of Duchene and Thomas Novak. The Predators padded the lead as Novak scored his eighth of the year, thanks to Duchene and Roman Josi on the power play. The final stayed at 6-2, with the three stars being Granlund, Niederreiter, and Duchene, while Novak and Tomasino get the honorable mentions. 

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