Wednesday, March 15, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 149

There's four games on this Wednesday, beginning with...

The Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Ilya Samsonov are in goal. Toronto started in the first period with a Morgan Rielly goal, his third of the season, made possible by Mitch Marner and Calle Jarnkrok. Colorado tied it on a Mikko Rantanen power play goal, his forty-fourth of the year, powered by Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon. The tie went to a shootout, where MacKinnon had the lone tally for a 2-1 win for the Avalanche. The three stars were MacKinnon, Georgiev (18 for 19 in saves), and Samsonov (28 for 29 in saves).

Down in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Charlie Lindgren man the nets. Buffalo opened in the first period with an Ilya Lyubushkin goal, his second of the season, via Peyton Krebs and Riley Stillman. The Sabres added on with a JJ Peterka goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Jack Quinn. Washington got on the board with a T.J. Oshie power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by Dylan Strome and Alex Ovechkin. Buffalo replied with a Tyson Jost goal, his seventh of the year, going in unassisted. The Capitals fired back with an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal in the third period, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Alexander Alexeyev and Oshie. The Sabres got one back with a Zemgus Girgensons goal, his ninth of the year, coming off of Krebs and Owen Power. Washington pulled back with an Ovechkin goal, his thirty-seventh of the season, assisted by Trevor van Riemsdyk and Strome. The Capitals tied it on a Tom Wilson power play goal, his eighth of the year, helped along by Nicklas Backstrom. In the shootout, Kuznetsov and Oshie scored to give the Capitals a 5-4 win. The three stars were Oshie, Ovechkin, and Strome, while Krebs gets an honorable mention.

Out west, the St. Louis Blues bring in the Minnesota Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Binnington patrol the creases. St. Louis led off in the first period with a Pavel Buchnevich goal, his twenty-first of the season, assisted by Torey Krug and Tyler Tucker. Minnesota tied it with a Joel Eriksson Ek power play goal, his twenty-third of the year, powered by Matt Boldy and Ryan Hartman. The Blues took the lead back with a Jakub Vrana power play goal, his fourth of the season, with assists provided by Krug and the goalie Binnington. St. Louis added on with another Vrana power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, helped along by Jordan Kyrou and Brayden Schenn. The Wild got one back in the second period with a John Klingberg goal, his ninth of the season, courtesy of Marcus Johansson and Eriksson Ek. Minnesota tied it on an Oskar Sundqvist goal, his eighth of the year, with helpers from Sam Steel and Frederick Gaudreau. The Wild took the lead with a Mason Shaw goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Ryan Reaves and Eriksson Ek. The Blues tied it again with a Buchnevich power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the year, fueled by Robert Thomas and Krug. Minnesota pulled ahead again on a Hartman power play goal, his eleventh of the season, guided in by Mats Zuccarello. Thomas Greiss replaced Binnington in goal. The Wild continued with an Alex Goligoski goal, his second of the year, with helpers from Boldy and Steel. Minnesota extended the lead in the third period as Reaves scored his third of the season, thanks to Goligoski and Connor Dewar. The Wild padded the lead on another Hartman goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, going in unassisted. St. Louis got one back with a Buchnevich goal, completing his hat trick on his twenty-third of the season, set up by Justin Faulk and Thomas. The final stayed at 8-5, with the three stars going to Hartman, Buchnevich, and Eriksson Ek, while Reaves, Goligoski, Boldy, Steel, Vrana, Krug, and Thomas get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the New York Islanders. Ilya Sorokin and John Gibson are the veteran goalies. Anaheim began in the first period with a Max Jones goal, his sixth of the season, via Cam Fowler and Troy Terry. New York tied it on a Kyle Palmieri goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Pierre Engvall and Adam Pelech. The Ducks took the lead back with a Kevin Shattenkirk goal, his third of the season, made possible by Trevor Zegras and Ryan Strome. The Islanders retied it in the second period with a Hudson Fasching goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Zach Parise and Sebastian Aho. New York took the lead with a Brock Nelson goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, assisted by Pelech and Palmieri. The Islanders added on in the third period with an Engvall goal, his fifteenth of the year, guided in by Palmieri. New York extended the lead as Nelson scored his second of the game and thirtieth of the season, thanks to Palmieri and Noah Dobson. The Islanders padded the lead on a Parise goal, his seventeenth of the year, fueled by Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Anaheim replied with a Shattenkirk goal, his second of the game and fourth of the season, helped along by Frank Vatrano and Max Comtois. The final held at 6-3, with the three stars going to Palmieri, Nelson, and Shattenkirk, while Engvall, Parise, and Pelech get the honorable mentions. 

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Tuesday, March 14, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 148

There's 12 games on today, beginning with...

The Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Winnipeg Jets. David Rittich and Frederik Andersen are the goalies. Carolina began in the first period with a Jaccob Slavin goal, his sixth of the season, going in unassisted. Winnipeg tied it in the second period with a Dylan DeMelo goal, his fourth of the year, an unassisted goal. The Hurricanes took the lead back with a Brady Skjei goal, his thirteenth of the season, passed from Martin Necas and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Carolina added on with a Kotkaniemi goal, his thirteenth of the year, courtesy of Skjei and Brett Pesce. The Jets got one back in the third period with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Blake Wheeler and Brenden Dillon. The Hurricanes replied with a Jack Drury goal, via Stefan Noesen. Winnipeg shot back with a Nino Niederreiter goal, his twenty-second of the year, with helpers from Morgan Barron and Adam Lowry. Carolina iced it at 5-3 with a Kotkaniemi empty net goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the campaign, set up by Seth Jarvis. The three stars were Kotkaniemi, Skjei, and Drury.

In New York, the Rangers welcome the Washington Capitals. Darcy Kuemper and Igor Shesterkin guard the cages. New York opened in the first period with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his thirty-third of the season, passed from Vladimir Tarasenko. Washington tied it on a Nicolas Aube-Kubel goal, his fourth of the year, via Aliaksei Protas and Matt Irwin. The Rangers took the lead back on another Zibanejad goal, his second of the game and thirty-fourth of the season, assisted by Artemi Panarin and the goalie Shesterkin. New York added on with a Patrick Kane power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, powered by Adam Fox and Vincent Trocheck. The Rangers extended the lead in the second period as Jacob Trouba scored his seventh of the season, thanks to Trocheck and Kane. The Capitals got one back with an Irwin goal, his second of the year, courtesy of T.J. Oshie and Rasmus Sandin. Washington pulled closer in the third period with a Nic Dowd goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Dylan Strome and Trevor van Riemsdyk. New York iced it at 5-3 with an empty net goal by Jimmy Vesey, his tenth of the year, set up by K'Andre Miller. The three stars were Zibanejad, Kane, and Trocheck, while Irwin gets an honorable mention.

Along to New Jersey, as the Devils bring in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Vitek Vanecek protect the nets. New Jersey started in the first period with a Damon Severson goal, his sixth of the season, via Timo Meier and Jack Hughes. Tampa Bay tied it on an Anthony Cirelli shorthanded goal, his eleventh of the year, set up by Brandon Hagel and Erik Cernak. The Lightning took the lead in the second period with a Hagel goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, assisted by Mikhail Sergachev. Tampa Bay added on with an Alex Killorn goal, his twenty-first of the year, coming off of Hagel. The Lightning extended the lead as Nikita Kucherov scored his twenty-seventh of the season, thanks to Brayden Point and Ian Cole. The final was 4-1, with the three stars being Hagel, Vasilevskiy (22 for 23 in saves), and Cirelli.

Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers host the Vegas Golden Knights. Jonathan Quick and Felix Sandstrom are set to start in goal. Vegas struck first in the first period with a Pavel Dorofeyev goal, his second of the season, assisted by Reilly Smith. The Golden Knights added on in the second period with an Ivan Barbashev power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Shea Theodore and Jonathan Marchessault. The Flyers got on the board with a Travis Sanheim goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. Vegas shot back with a Teddy Blueger goal, his third of the year, coming off of Phil Kessel and Paul Cotter. The Golden Knights extended the lead in the third period as Marchessault scored his twenty-second of the season on the power play, thanks to Jack Eichel and Chandler Stephenson. The Flyers got one back with a Nick Seeler goal, his fourth of the year, an unassisted goal. Philadelphia got closer with a Morgan Frost goal, his thirteenth of the season, with helpers from Brendan Lemieux and James van Riemsdyk. Vegas iced it at 5-3 with a Barbashev empty net goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the year, set up by Marchessault. The three stars were Barbashev, Marchessault, and Blueger.

Across Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Penguins welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Sam Montembeault and Tristan Jarry are in the blue paint. Pittsburgh led off in the first period with a Jake Guentzel goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, coming off of Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby. The Penguins added on with an Evgeni Malkin power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, powered by Kris Letang and Guentzel. Montreal got on the board with a Mike Hoffman goal, his eleventh of the season, courtesy of Rem Pitlick and Justin Barron. The Canadiens tied it on a Jesse Ylonen goal, his fourth of the year, via Mike Matheson and Rafael Harvey-Pinard. Montreal took the lead with a Denis Gurianov goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Alex Belzile and Jonathan Drouin. The Canadiens extended the lead as Joel Edmundson scored his second of the year, thanks to Johnathan Kovacevic and Drouin. Casey DeSmith replaced Jarry in goal for the second period. Pittsburgh got one back with a Letang goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Marcus Pettersson and Rickard Rakell. The Penguins tied it on another Guentzel goal, his second of the game and twenty-ninth of the year, assisted by Malkin and Letang on the power play. Montreal took the lead in the third period with an Anthony Richard goal, his second of the season, with helpers from Barron and Edmundson. The Canadiens iced it at 6-4 with an empty net goal by Josh Anderson, his twenty-first of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Guentzel, Letang, and Edmundson, while Malkin, Barron, and Drouin get the honorable mentions.

Down in Nashville, the Predators bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Ville Husso and Juuse Saros are the Finnish goalies. Nashville got going in the second period with a Kiefer Sherwood goal, his third of the season, courtesy of Philip Tomasino and Colton Sissons. The Predators added on in the third period with a Thomas Novak goal, his thirteenth of the year, via Cal Foote and Sherwood. Detroit got on the board with an Alex Chiasson power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Andrew Copp and Lucas Raymond. The final held at 2-1, with the three stars going to Sherwood, Saros (28 for 29 in saves), and Novak.

North again to Chicago, where the Blackhawks host the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Petr Mrazek are the goalies. Chicago was first to score in the first period with a MacKenzie Entwistle goal, his third of the season, going in unassisted. Boston tied it in the second period with a Hampus Lindholm goal, his ninth of the year, via Dmitry Orlov and Brad Marchand. The Blackhawks retook the lead with a Joey Anderson goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Boris Katchouk and Caleb Jones. The Bruins tied it on a Trent Frederic goal, his fourteenth of the year, assisted by Tyler Bertuzzi and Lindholm. Boston pulled ahead in the third period with a Pavel Zacha goal, his seventeenth of the season, coming off of David Krejci and David Pastrnak. Chicago retied it on a Taylor Raddysh goal, his eighteenth of the year, fueled by Jujhar Khaira and Katchouk. The Blackhawks pulled ahead with a Katchouk goal, his fourth of the season, with helpers from Anderson and Ian Mitchell. Chicago added on with a Raddysh power play goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, powered by Tyler Johnson and Mitchell. The Blackhawks extended the lead on a Raddysh empty net goal, completing his hat trick on his twentieth of the campaign, set up by Khaira. The three stars of the 6-3 game were Raddysh, Katchouk, and Anderson, while Khaira, Mitchell, and Lindholm get the honorable mentions.

Out west, the Edmonton Oilers welcome the Ottawa Senators. Mads Sogaard and Stuart Skinner are the young goalies. Edmonton kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Derek Ryan goal, his twelfth of the season, via Ryan McLeod and Devin Shore. Ottawa tied it on a Brady Tkachuk power play goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, powered by Alex DeBrincat and Jake Sanderson. The Oilers took the lead back with a Leon Draisaitl goal, his forty-third of the season, guided in by Warren Foegele and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Senators tied it again with a Tim Stutzle shorthanded goal, his thirty-third of the year, set up by Dylan Gambrell and Travis Hamonic. Edmonton took the lead back in the second period with a Nugent-Hopkins power play goal, his thirty-first of the season, going in unassisted. The Oilers added on with another Draisaitl goal, his second of the game and forty-fourth of the year, made possible by Connor McDavid and Foegele. Edmonton extended the lead as Nick Bjugstad scored his fifteenth of the season, thanks to Mattias Ekholm and Klim Kostin. Ottawa got one back with a Stutzle goal, his second of the game and thirty-fourth of the year, helped along by Drake Batherson and Patrick Brown. The Oilers finished it at 6-3 with a McDavid empty net goal, his fifty-sixth of the campaign, coming off of Evander Kane and Darnell Nurse. The three stars were Draisaitl, Stutzle, and Nugent-Hopkins, while McDavid and Foegele get the honorable mentions.

South to Arizona, as the Coyotes bring in the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Connor Ingram patrol the creases. Calgary cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Mikael Backlund goal, his sixteenth of the season, via Rasmus Andersson. Arizona tied it on a Clayton Keller goal, his thirtieth of the year, courtesy of Barrett Hayton and Juuso Valimaki. The Coyotes took the lead with a Matias Maccelli goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Jack McBain and Lawson Crouse. The Flames tied it again on a Walker Duehr goal, his fourth of the year, assisted by Milan Lucic and Noah Hanifin. Arizona took the lead in the third period with a Keller shorthanded goal, his second of the game and thirty-first of the season, set up by Hayton. Calgary tied it on a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his fourteenth of the year, made possible by Troy Stecher and Dillon Dube. The Coyotes won 4-3 in overtime with a Travis Boyd goal, his twelfth of the campaign, with a helper from Valimaki. The three stars were Keller, Maccelli, and Valimaki, while Hayton gets an honorable mention.

Way up in Vancouver, the Canucks host the Dallas Stars. Matt Murray and Thatcher Demko occupy the creases. Vancouver drew first blood in the first period with a Phillip Di Giuseppe goal, his third of the season, assisted by J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser. The Canucks added on with an Andrei Kuzmenko power play goal, his thirty-third of the year, powered by Conor Garland and Boeser. Dallas got on the board with a Wyatt Johnston goal, his eighteenth of the season, coming off of Jamie Benn and Miro Heiskanen. Vancouver shot back with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his sixteenth of the year, courtesy of Christian Wolanin and Elias Pettersson. The Stars got one back with a Benn power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, with an assist from Heiskanen. The Canucks answered in the third period with a Guillaume Brisebois goal, made possible by Nils Aman and Garland. Vancouver extended the lead as Miller scored his twenty-fifth of the year, thanks to Boeser. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars being Boeser, Miller, and Benn, while Garland and Heiskanen get the honorable mentions.

South again to Los Angeles, where the Kings welcome the New York Islanders. Ilya Sorokin and Joonas Korpisalo are the masked men. New York dented the scoreboard in the first period with a Pierre Engvall goal, his fourteenth of the season, via Ryan Pulock. Los Angeles tied it in the second period with a Blake Lizotte goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Sean Walker and Gabriel Vilardi. The Kings took the lead with a power play goal by Drew Doughty, his fourth of the season, powered by Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. Los Angeles added on with an Alex Iafallo power play goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Viktor Arvidsson and Arthur Kaliyev. The Kings extended the lead as Trevor Moore scored his eighth of the season, with the help of Phillip Danault and Vladislav Gavrikov. The Islanders got one back with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his eleventh of the year, assisted by Sebastian Aho and Pulock. Los Angeles finished it at 5-2 with a Quinton Byfield empty net goal in the third period, his third of the campaign, set up by Matt Roy and Gavrikov. The three stars were Gavrikov, Pulock, and Iafallo.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Daniil Tarasov and Kaapo Kahkonen draw the starts in goal. San Jose got the first goal in the first period with an Alexander Barabanov power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl. Columbus tied it on a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his sixteenth of the year, fueled by Patrik Laine and Gavin Bayreuther. The Blue Jackets took the lead in the second period with a Kent Johnson power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Gaudreau and the goalie Tarasov. Columbus added on with a Boone Jenner goal, his twenty-first of the year, coming off of Gaudreau and Bayreuther. The Sharks got one back with a William Eklund goal, passed from Derrick Pouliot and Hertl. The Blue Jackets fired back with a Jenner goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the season, guided in by Gaudreau. San Jose got one back with a Couture goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, with helpers from Erik Karlsson and Pouliot. Columbus shot back on a Liam Foudy goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Mathieu Olivier and Nick Blankenburg. The Sharks answered on a Kevin Labanc goal, his eleventh of the year, made possible by Matt Benning and Fabian Zetterlund. San Jose tied it in the third period with a Nikolai Knyzhov goal, fueled by Couture and Barabanov. The Blue Jackets won 6-5 in overtime with a Gaudreau goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the campaign, set up by Laine. The three stars were Gaudreau, Jenner, and Couture, while Laine, Bayreuther, Hertl, and Pouliot get the honorable mentions. 

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Monday, March 13, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 147

There's just three games today, beginning with...

The Montreal Canadiens hosting the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Jake Allen man the nets. Colorado opened in the first period with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, his nineteenth of the season, guided in by Logan O'Connor and Devon Toews. The Avalanche added on with a Bowen Byram goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Samuel Girard. Colorado extended the lead as Matt Nieto scored his twelfth of the season, thanks to Lars Eller and O'Connor. The Avalanche padded the lead on a Lehkonen power play goal, his second of the game and twentieth of the year, powered by Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. Montreal got on the board with a Josh Anderson goal, his twentieth of the season, via Johnathan Kovacevic and Nick Suzuki. Colorado shot back in the second period with a Rantanen goal, his forty-third of the year, fueled by Evan Rodrigues and Toews. The Avalanche continued with a J.T. Compher goal, his fourteenth of the season, helped along by Valeri Nichushkin and Lehkonen. The Canadiens got one back with a Denis Gurianov power play goal, his fifth of the year, with assists provided by Suzuki and Jonathan Drouin. Colorado fired back in the third period on a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, with helpers from Makar and Nichushkin. Montreal responded on a Chris Wideman goal, made possible by Alex Belzile. The Canadiens got closer with a Mike Matheson goal, his sixth of the year, assisted by Anderson and David Savard. The Avalanche finished it at 8-4 with a Nichushkin power play goal, his thirteenth of the campaign, passed from Makar and MacKinnon. The three stars were Nichushkin, Rantanen, and Makar, while Lehkonen, MacKinnon, O'Connor, Toews, Anderson, and Suzuki get the honorable mentions.

Over in Toronto, the Maple Leafs welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Craig Anderson and Matt Murray are in the blue paint. Toronto got going in the second period with an Auston Matthews goal, his thirty-first of the season, coming off of Alexander Kerfoot and Mitch Marner. The Maple Leafs added on with a Calle Jarnkrok goal, his fifteenth of the year, fueled by Marner and Matthews. Buffalo got on the board with a Jack Quinn goal, his thirteenth of the season, courtesy of JJ Peterka and Owen Power. The Sabres tied it in the third period with an Alex Tuch goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, passed from Tage Thompson and Power. Buffalo took the lead with a Dylan Cozens goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, assisted by Riley Stillman and Peterka. The Sabres extended the lead as Tuch scored a power play goal, his second of the game and thirtieth of the year, powered by Jeff Skinner and Cozens. Toronto got one back with a William Nylander goal, his thirty-fifth of the campaign, with a lone assist from Matthews. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars being Tuch, Cozens, and Matthews, while Peterka, Power, and Marner get the honorable mentions. 

Finally, the Seattle Kraken bring in the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Martin Jones are set to start in goal. Dallas started in the first period with an Evgenii Dadonov goal, his seventh of the season, via Wyatt Johnston and Miro Heiskanen. The Stars added on with a Jamie Benn power play goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, powered by Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski. Seattle got on the board with a Yanni Gourde goal, his eleventh of the season, courtesy of Vince Dunn and Jesper Froden. Dallas answered in the second period with a Pavelski power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, with assists provided by Benn and Heiskanen. The Kraken got one back with an Eeli Tolvanen goal, his fourteenth of the season, made possible by Dunn. The Stars shot back on a Johnston goal, his seventeenth of the year, guided in by Dadonov and Ryan Suter. Dallas extended the lead in the third period as Robertson scored his thirty-ninth of the campaign on the power play, thanks to Heiskanen and Benn. The final held at 5-2, with the three stars given to Benn, Heiskanen, and Pavelski, while Robertson, Johnston, Dadonov, and Dunn get the honorable mentions. 

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Sunday, March 12, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 146

Eight games are set for Sunday, beginning with...

The Detroit Red Wings hosting the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Ville Husso protect the nets. Detroit led off in the first period with an Alex Chiasson power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond. The Red Wings added on in the second period with a Moritz Seider shorthanded goal, his fifth of the year, going in unassisted. Detroit extended the lead as Larkin scored his twenty-fifth of the season on the power play, thanks to Raymond and Seider. The Red Wings padded the lead on an Adam Erne goal, his eighth of the year, fueled by Jonatan Berggren and Jordan Oesterle. Boston got on the board with a Matt Grzelcyk goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha. The Bruins got closer in the third period with a Jake DeBrusk goal, his twentieth of the year, helped along by Connor Clifton. Boston pulled closer on a Pastrnak goal, his forty-sixth of the season, made possible by Zacha and Grzelcyk. Detroit iced it at 5-3 with an Andrew Copp empty net goal, his eighth of the year, set up by Pius Suter and Larkin. The three stars were Larkin, Seider, and Grzelcyk, while Pastrnak, Raymond, and Zacha get the honorable mentions. 

Over in Pittsburgh, the Penguins welcome the New York Rangers. Jaroslav Halak and Tristan Jarry are in the blue paint. Pittsburgh began in the first period with a Rickard Rakell power play goal, his twenty-third of the season, powered by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. New York tied it on a Barclay Goodrow goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Jimmy Vesey and Tyler Motte. The Penguins took the lead back in the second period with a Jason Zucker goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, guided in by Brian Dumoulin. The Rangers tied it in the third period with a Chris Kreider goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, via Vincent Trocheck. Pittsburgh won 3-2 in overtime with a Letang power play goal, his ninth of the campaign, with assists provided by Malkin and Crosby. The three stars were Crosby, Letang, and Malkin. 

Next up, the New Jersey Devils host the Carolina Hurricanes. Pyotr Kochetkov and Vitek Vanecek man the nets. New Jersey started in the first period with an unassisted Jack Hughes goal, his thirty-seventh of the season. The Devils added on with a Jesper Bratt goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, via Hughes and Dougie Hamilton. New Jersey extended the lead as Bratt scored again in the second period, his second of the game and twenty-seventh of the campaign coming off of Hughes. The three stars were Vanecek (32 save shutout), Bratt, and Hughes.

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Andrei Vasilevskiy tend the twines. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with an Alex Killorn goal, his twentieth of the season, passed from Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel. Winnipeg tied it on a Nate Schmidt goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of Logan Stanley. The Jets took the lead in the second period with a Nino Niederreiter power play goal, his twenty-first of the season, powered by Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. Winnipeg added on with a Morgan Barron goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Brenden Dillon and Mason Appleton. The Lightning got one back with a Cirelli shorthanded goal, his tenth of the campaign, set up by Hagel. This only made it 3-2, the eventual final, with the three stars going to Cirelli, Hagel, and Barron.

Out in St. Louis, the Blues host the Vegas Golden Knights. Jiri Patera and Jordan Binnington are set to start in goal. Vegas struck first in the first period with a William Karlsson goal, his thirteenth of the season, helped along by Pavel Dorofeyev and Reilly Smith. St. Louis tied it on a Jakub Vrana power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Jordan Kyrou and Brayden Schenn. The Golden Knights retook the lead in the second period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his twenty-first of the season, assisted by Alex Pietrangelo and Alec Martinez. Vegas added on with a Michael Amadio goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Brett Howden and Nicolas Hague. The Blues got one back with a Kyrou goal, his thirtieth of the season, coming off of Robert Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich. St. Louis tied it in the third period with a Tyler Pitlick goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Marco Scandella and Nathan Walker. The Golden Knights shot back with a Dorofeyev goal, made possible by Karlsson and Smith. Vegas iced it at 5-3 with a Pietrangelo empty net goal, his ninth of the campaign, set up by Ivan Barbashev. The three stars were Dorofeyev, Karlsson, and Kyrou, while Pietrangelo and Smith get the honorable mentions. 

Northwest to Calgary, where the Flames welcome the Ottawa Senators. Kevin Mandolese is mismatched with Jacob Markstrom in goal. Calgary kicked off the scoring in the first period with a shorthanded Rasmus Andersson goal, his ninth of the season, set up by Mikael Backlund and Elias Lindholm. The Flames added on with a Lindholm power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, powered by Backlund and Andersson. Ottawa got on the board in the second period with a Tim Stutzle goal, his thirty-second of the season, going in unassisted. Calgary replied with a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his thirteenth of the year, courtesy of Nazem Kadri and Tyler Toffoli. The Flames extended the lead as Noah Hanifin scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Kadri and Huberdeau. Calgary padded the lead in the third period with a Trevor Lewis goal, his ninth of the year, made possible by Milan Lucic. 

Down in Arizona, the Coyotes host the Minnesota Wild. Filip Gustavsson and Karel Vejmelka draw the starts in goal. Arizona drew first blood in the first period with a Barrett Hayton goal, his twelfth of the season, via Juuso Valimaki and Brett Ritchie. Minnesota tied it on a Mats Zuccarello goal, his twenty-second of the year, passed from Jake Middleton and Jared Spurgeon. The Coyotes retook the lead on a Hayton power play goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the season, powered by Ritchie and Travis Boyd. The Wild tied it again with a Ryan Reaves goal, his second of the year, guided in by Mason Shaw and Connor Dewar. Minnesota took the lead in the second period with a Matt Boldy goal, his nineteenth of the season, helped along by John Klingberg. The Wild added on with a Dewar goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Shaw and Reaves. Arizona got one back with a Ritchie goal, his eighth of the season, with helpers from Clayton Keller and Victor Soderstrom. The Coyotes tied it in the third period as Keller scored his twenty-eighth of the year, thanks to Jack McBain and Hayton. Arizona won 5-4 in overtime with a Keller goal, his second of the game and twenty-ninth of the campaign, made possible by Hayton and Valimaki. The three stars were Hayton, Keller, and Ritchie, while Valimaki, Reaves, Dewar, and Shaw get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and John Gibson guard the cages. Nashville was first to score in the first period with a Philip Tomasino power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Dante Fabbro and Colton Sissons. The Predators added on with a Thomas Novak goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Roman Josi. Anaheim got on the board with a Mason McTavish goal, his fifteenth of the season, coming off of Max Jones. The Ducks tied it in the second period with a Frank Vatrano goal, his sixteenth of the year, fueled by Cam Fowler and Jakob Silfverberg. Nashville regained the lead in the third period with a Kiefer Sherwood goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Novak and Josi. The Predators extended the lead as Yakov Trenin scored his tenth of the year, thanks to Cole Smith and Sissons. Anaheim pulled one back with a Troy Terry goal, his nineteenth of the season, helped along by Colton White and Fowler. The Ducks tied it as McTavish scored his second of the game and sixteenth of the year, with the help of Fowler and Trevor Zegras. Nashville won 5-4 in overtime with a Novak goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the campaign, made possible by Tomasino and the goalie Saros. The three stars were Novak, McTavish, and Tomasino, while Josi, Sissons, and Fowler get the honorable mentions. 

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Saturday, March 11, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 145

It's a massive Saturday with 15 games on the slate. First up...

The Boston Bruins host the Detroit Red Wings. Magnus Hellberg is mismatched with Linus Ullmark in goal. Detroit began in the first period with a shorthanded and unassisted Andrew Copp goal, his seventh of the season. The Red Wings added on with an Alex Chiasson power play goal, powered by David Perron and Dylan Larkin. Boston got on the board in the second period with a Hampus Lindholm goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic. The Bruins tied it on a Patrice Bergeron power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, with assists provided by Jake DeBrusk and Dmitry Orlov. Boston took the lead in the third period with a Garnet Hathaway goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of A.J. Greer and Tomas Nosek. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Hathaway, Bergeron, and Lindholm. 

Along to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins welcome their cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Casey DeSmith are the goalies. Pittsburgh led off in the first period with a Rickard Rakell goal, his twenty-second of the season, via Marcus Pettersson and Mikael Granlund. Philadelphia tied it on a Kieffer Bellows goal, his second of the year, assisted by Justin Braun. The Penguins took the lead back in the second period with a Sidney Crosby power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, powered by Jake Guentzel and Kris Letang. Pittsburgh added on in the third period with a Jason Zucker goal, his twenty-third of the year, guided in by Pettersson and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins extended the lead as Guentzel scored an empty net goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, set up by Jeff Carter and Brian Dumoulin. Pittsburgh iced it at 5-1 with a Granlund goal, his tenth of the year, fueled by Dmitry Kulikov and Jan Rutta. The three stars were Guentzel, Pettersson, and Granlund.

Next up, the Buffalo Sabres bring in the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are in the blue paint. Buffalo got going in the second period with a Jeff Skinner goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, assisted by Ilya Lyubushkin and Tage Thompson. New York tied it on a Patrick Kane goal, his eighteenth of the year, courtesy of K'Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba. The Rangers won 2-1 in overtime with an Artemi Panarin power play goal, his twentieth of the campaign, powered by Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad. The three stars were Panarin, Kane, and Shesterkin (32 for 33 in saves).

Out west, the Colorado Avalanche host the Arizona Coyotes. Connor Ingram and Alexandar Georgiev are in the blue paint. Colorado started in the first period with a Denis Malgin goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Brad Hunt and Alex Newhook. Arizona tied it on a Jack McBain goal, his eleventh of the year, via Lawson Crouse and Matias Maccelli. The Coyotes took the lead with a Clayton Keller goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, assisted by Barrett Hayton. The Avalanche tied it in the second period with a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, powered by Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen. Colorado won 3-2 in overtime with a Cale Makar goal, his fifteenth of the campaign, helped along by MacKinnon and Rantanen. The three stars were MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Makar.

Back east, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Jonathan Quick and Frederik Andersen tend the twines. Vegas opened in the first period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his twentieth of the season, via Alex Pietrangelo. The Golden Knights added on in the second period with a Reilly Smith goal, his twenty-second of the year, coming off of William Karlsson. Vegas extended the lead in the third period as Paul Cotter scored his twelfth of the season, thanks to Pietrangelo and Chandler Stephenson. The Golden Knights iced it at 4-0 with a Brett Howden empty net goal, his fourth of the year, set up by Teddy Blueger. The three stars were Quick (33 save shutout), Pietrangelo, and Marchessault.

Up in Columbus, the Blue Jackets bring in the St. Louis Blues. Thomas Greiss and Michael Hutchinson are the backups in goal. St. Louis kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Brandon Saad goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Sammy Blais and Brayden Schenn. Columbus tied it on a Patrik Laine power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, powered by Johnny Gaudreau and Nick Blankenburg. The Blues took the lead back with a Jordan Kyrou goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, coming off of Robert Thomas and Blais. St. Louis added on with a Blais goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Brandon Saad and Schenn. The Blues extended the lead in the third period as Kyrou scored his second of the game and twenty-eighth of the season, thanks to Alexey Toropchenko. The Blue Jackets got one back with a Boone Jenner goal, his twentieth of the year, with helpers from Kent Johnson and Gaudreau. St. Louis iced it at 5-2 with a Kyrou empty net goal to complete his hat trick on his twenty-ninth of the campaign, set up by Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich. The three stars were Kyrou, Blais, and Saad, while Schenn, Thomas, and Gaudreau get the honorable mentions.

Down in Florida, the Panthers host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Sergei Bobrovsky guard the cages. Winnipeg drew first blood in the first period with a Mark Scheifele power play goal, his thirty-seventh of the season, powered by Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor. The Jets added on with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Nino Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov. Florida got on the board with a Matthew Tkachuk power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, with assists provided by Brandon Montour and Carter Verhaeghe. Winnipeg replied on a Namestnikov power play goal, his seventh of the year, via Ehlers and Connor. The Panthers got one back in the second period with a Sam Reinhart power play goal, his twenty-third of the season, with helpers from Aleksander Barkov and Tkachuk. The Jets fired back with a Namestnikov goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, made possible by Ehlers and Wheeler. Florida pulled one back with a Marc Staal goal in the third period, his third of the season, coming off of Eric Staal and Reinhart. The Panthers tied it on a Tkachuk power play goal, his thirtieth of the year, assisted by Barkov and Montour. Winnipeg won 5-4 in overtime with a Scheifele goal, his second of the game and thirty-eighth of the campaign, via Connor and Nate Schmidt. The three stars belonged to Scheifele, Tkachuk, and Namestnikov, while Ehlers, Wheeler, Connor, Barkov, Reinhart, and Montour get the honorable mentions.

North to Montreal, as the Canadiens welcome the New Jersey Devils. Akira Schmid and Jake Allen draw the starts in goal. New Jersey was first to score in the first period with a Nathan Bastian goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Miles Wood. The Devils added on with a Nico Hischier goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, guided in by Damon Severson and Dawson Mercer. Montreal got on the board in the the second period with a Denis Gurianov goal, his fourth of the season, via Rem Pitlick. New Jersey iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Tomas Tatar, his fifteenth of the year, set up by Hischier and Dougie Hamilton in the third period. The three stars were Hischier, Schmid (23 for 24 in saves), and Bastian.

South again to Tampa Bay, as the Lightning bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek and Brian Elliott are set to start in goal. Tampa Bay dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Brayden Point goal, his forty-second of the season, coming off of Victor Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev. Chicago tied it in the third period on a Taylor Raddysh goal, his seventeenth of the year, via Cole Guttman and Tyler Johnson. The Lightning took the lead with another Point goal, his second of the game and forty-third of the season, thanks to Nikita Kucherov and Sergachev. Tampa Bay iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Brandon Hagel, his twenty-third of the year, set up by Killorn. The three stars were Point, Sergachev, and Elliott (22 for 23 in saves).

In Canada again, the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Matt Murray are the alliterative goalies. Toronto struck first in the first period with a Noel Acciari goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Zach Aston-Reese and David Kampf. Edmonton tied it on a Mattias Ekholm goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers took the lead with an Evander Kane goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Connor McDavid and Cody Ceci. Edmonton added on in the second period with a McDavid goal, his fifty-fifth of the year, guided in by Bouchard and Nick Bjugstad. The Maple Leafs got one back with a Mitch Marner goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, going in unassisted. Toronto tied it on a William Nylander goal, his thirty-fourth of the year, fueled by Marner. The Maple Leafs took the lead with a John Tavares goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, helped along by Auston Matthews. Toronto extended the lead on a Tavares power play goal, his second of the game and thirtieth of the year, powered by Marner and Nylander. The Maple Leafs padded the lead on a Matthews power play goal, his thirtieth of the season, with assists provided by Tavares and Marner. The Oilers got one back on a Leon Draisaitl power play goal, his forty-second of the year, with helpers from Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid. Toronto iced it at 7-4 with an Acciari empty net goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Marner, Tavares, and Acciari, while Mathews, Nylander, McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins, and Bouchard get the honorable mentions.

Stateside to New York, as the Islanders welcome the Washington Capitals. Darcy Kuemper and Semyon Varlamov patrol the creases. New York cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Pierre Engvall goal, his thirteenth of the season, going in unassisted. Washington tied it on a Dylan Strome goal, his sixteenth of the year, assisted by Rasmus Sandin and Trevor van Riemsdyk. The Capitals took the lead with a T.J. Oshie goal, his seventeenth of the season, via Sandin and van Riemsdyk. Washington added on in the third period with an Anthony Mantha goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Alex Ovechkin and Strome. The Capitals extended the lead as Nic Dowd scored his eleventh of the season, going in unassisted. Washington padded the lead on a Nicklas Backstrom goal, his fourth of the year, made possible by Sandin and Mantha. This made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars going to Sandin, Strome, and Mantha, while van Riemsdyk gets an honorable mention.

Way out west, the Seattle Kraken bring in the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Philipp Grubauer protect the nets. Dallas got going in the second period with a Roope Hintz goal, his thirty-second of the season, via Esa Lindell and Jani Hakanpaa. Seattle tied it on a Matty Beniers goal, his twentieth of the year, assisted by Vince Dunn and Jared McCann. The Stars took the lead with a Mason Marchment goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Ryan Suter and Ty Dellandrea. The Kraken tied it in the third period with a Ryan Donato goal, his thirteenth of the year, passed from Daniel Sprong and Carson Soucy. Seattle took the lead with an Oliver Bjorkstrand power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Alexander Wennberg and Dunn. Dallas retied it on a Joe Pavelski goal, his seventeenth of the year, with helpers from Hintz and Miro Heiskanen. The Stars won 4-3 in overtime with a Heiskanen goal, his tenth of the campaign, courtesy of Max Domi and Evgenii Dadonov. The three stars were Heiskanen, Hintz, and Dunn.

Up in Vancouver, the Canucks host the Ottawa Senators. Mads Sogaard is mismatched with Thatcher Demko in goal. Vancouver opened in the first period with an Andrei Kuzmenko goal, his thirty-first of the season, via J.T. Miller and Tyler Myers. The Canucks added on in the second period with a Miller shorthanded goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, set up by Nils Aman. Vancouver extended the lead as Aman scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Dakota Joshua and Conor Garland. The Canucks padded the lead on a Sheldon Dries goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Joshua and Guillaume Brisebois. Ottawa got on the board with a Claude Giroux goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, passed from Thomas Chabot and Tim Stutzle. The Senators got closer with a Nick Holden goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Stutzle. Vancouver iced it at 5-2 with a Kuzmenko power play goal into an empty net, his second of the game and thirty-second of the campaign, powered by Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson. The three stars were Miller, Aman, and Kuzmenko, while Joshua and Stutzle get the honorable mentions.

To California, as the Los Angeles Kings welcome the Nashville Predators. Kevin Lankinen and Pheonix Copley are between the pipes. Los Angeles struck first in the first period with a Mikey Anderson goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Gabriel Vilardi and Alex Iafallo. Nashville tied it on a Thomas Novak power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Cody Glass. The tie went to a shootout, where Matt Duchene had the lone tally for a 2-1 Predators win. The three stars were Lankinen (26 for 27 in saves), Copley (29 for 30 in saves), and Novak.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Minnesota Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury and James Reimer are the veterans in goal. Minnesota started in the first period with a Jared Spurgeon goal, his tenth of the season, via Mats Zuccarello and Ryan Hartman. San Jose tied it in the second period with a power play goal by Logan Couture, his twenty-third of the year, powered by Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl. The Wild took the lead back with a Frederick Gaudreau power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, with assists provided by Marcus Johansson and Marcus Foligno. Minnesota added on in the third period with a Johansson goal, his fourteenth of the year, guided in by John Klingberg and Matt Boldy. The Sharks got closer with a Hertl power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, with helpers from Couture and Alexander Barabanov. The Wild answered with a Zuccarello power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, passed from Hartman and Klingberg. Minnesota iced it at 5-2 with a Boldy empty net goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, set up by Spurgeon. The three stars were Zuccarello, Johansson, and Spurgeon, while Boldy, Hartman, Klingberg, Couture, and Hertl get the honorable mentions. 

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Friday, March 10, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 144

There's only two games tonight, beginning with...

The Florida Panthers welcoming the Chicago Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek and Sergei Bobrovsky man the nets. Chicago started in the first period with a Caleb Jones goal, his third of the season, coming off of Taylor Raddysh and Tyler Johnson. The Blackhawks added on with a Boris Katchouk goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Joey Anderson and Jujhar Khaira. Florida got on the board in the third period with a Sam Bennett goal, his sixteenth of the season, via Matthew Tkachuk and Eetu Luostarinen. The Panthers tied it on a Sam Reinhart power play goal, his twenty-second of the year, powered by Tkachuk and Brandon Montour. Florida took the lead with a Luostarinen goal, his sixteenth of the season, assisted by Tkachuk and Marc Staal. Chicago retied it on a Cole Guttman goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Khaira and Jason Dickinson. The Panthers won 4-3 in overtime with a Montour goal, his twelfth of the campaign, helped along by Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe. The three stars were Tkachuk, Montour, and Luostarinen, while Khaira gets an honorable mention.

The other game sees the Calgary Flames bring in the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Jacob Markstrom are the masked men. Calgary got going in the second period with a Mikael Backlund power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Elias Lindholm and Tyler Toffoli. Anaheim tied it on a Max Comtois goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Frank Vatrano and Cam Fowler. The Ducks took the lead with a Brett Leason goal, his fifth of the season, via Comtois and Derek Grant. Anaheim iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Grant in the third period, his fourth of the year, set up by Jakob Silfverberg and Simon Benoit. The three stars were Gibson (35 for 36 in saves), Comtois, and Grant. 

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Thursday, March 9, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 143

There's 11 games on this Thursday, beginning with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Eric Comrie are set to start in goal. Dallas struck first in the first period with a Wyatt Johnston goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming off of Jani Hakanpaa and Evgenii Dadonov. The Stars added on with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, powered by Jason Robertson and Jamie Benn. Dallas extended the lead as Benn scored his twenty-seventh of the season, thanks to Miro Heiskanen and Ryan Suter. Buffalo got on the board with a Jordan Greenway goal, his third of the year, guided in by Jeff Skinner and Tage Thompson. The Stars shot back in the second period with a Joel Kiviranta goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Robertson and Joel Hanley. The Sabres got one back with a Kyle Okposo goal, his ninth of the year, fueled by JJ Peterka and Ilya Lyubushkin. Dallas answered again with a Suter goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Mason Marchment and Ty Dellandrea. Buffalo got one back in the third period with a Skinner goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, made possible by Greenway and Thompson. The Stars replied with a Dadonov goal, his sixth of the season, helped along by Benn and Hakanpaa. Dallas padded the lead on a Radek Faksa goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Max Domi and Kiviranta. The Stars continued with another Faksa goal, his second of the game and tenth of the season, dished from Marchment. Dallas kept going on a Roope Hintz goal, his thirty-first of the year, with helpers from Robertson and Pavelski. The Sabres got one back with a Victor Olofsson goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, with assists from Peterka and Peyton Krebs. The Stars shot back on a Marchment goal, his eleventh of the year, delivered by Heiskanen and Colin Miller. This made it 10-4, the final, with the three stars going to Faksa, Benn, and Marchment, while Robertson, Pavelski, Dadonov, Kiviranta, Heiskanen, Hakanpaa, Skinner, Thompson, Greenway, and Peterka get the honorable mentions.

Down to Raleigh, where the Hurricanes welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Felix Sandstrom and Pyotr Kochetkov are the inexperienced goalies. Carolina opened in the first period with an Andrei Svechnikov power play goal, his twenty-third of the season, powered by Martin Necas and Brent Burns. This stood for a 1-0 win, with the three stars going to Kochetkov (19 save shutout), Svechnikov, and Sandstrom (28 for 29 in saves).

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens bring in the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Sam Montembeault draw the starts in goal. Montreal led off in the first period with a Kaiden Guhle goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Denis Gurianov and Rem Pitlick. New York tied it on an Alexis Lafreniere power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin. The Canadiens took the lead back with an Alex Belzile goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Guhle and Chris Wideman. The Rangers tied it in the second period with a Jacob Trouba goal, his sixth of the year, via Panarin and Patrick Kane. Montreal pulled ahead with a Josh Anderson shorthanded goal, his nineteenth of the season, set up by Chris Tierney. New York tied it on a Kane power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, with assists provided by Trouba and Panarin. The tie went to a shootout, where Mika Zibanejad had the lone tally for a 4-3 win for the Rangers. The three stars were Kane, Trouba, and Panarin, while Guhle gets an honorable mention.

Stateside again to Pittsburgh, where the Penguins host the New York Islanders. Ilya Sorokin and Tristan Jarry protect the nets. New York started in the first period with an Anders Lee power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, powered by Bo Horvat and Kyle Palmieri. Pittsburgh tied it on a Jake Guentzel goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, courtesy of Marcus Pettersson and Sidney Crosby. The Penguins took the lead with a Jason Zucker goal, his twenty-second of the season, via Evgeni Malkin and Jeff Petry. Pittsburgh added on in the second period with a Josh Archibald goal, his fifth of the year, fueled by Brian Dumoulin and Petry. The Islanders got one back with a Hudson Fasching goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Casey Cizikas and Sebastian Aho. New York tied it on another Lee goal, his second of the game and twenty-sixth of the year, assisted by Noah Dobson and Brock Nelson. The Islanders won 4-3 in overtime with a Nelson goal, his twenty-eighth of the campaign, guided in by the goalie Sorokin. The three stars were Lee, Nelson, and Petry.

South to Tampa Bay, as the Lightning welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Jonathan Quick and Andrei Vasilevskiy are the masked men. Vegas began in the first period with a Keegan Kolesar goal, his seventh of the season, fueled by Teddy Blueger and Brett Howden. Tampa Bay tied it on a Brayden Point goal, his fortieth of the year, via Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos. The Golden Knights pulled ahead in the third period with a William Karlsson shorthanded goal, his twelfth of the season, set up by Alex Pietrangelo. Vegas added on with a Chandler Stephenson power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Shea Theodore and Reilly Smith. The Lightning got one back with a Kucherov goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, assisted by Mikhail Sergachev and Point. Tampa Bay tied it again with a Point power play goal, his second of the game and forty-first of the year, with assists provided by Kucherov and Sergachev. The Golden Knights won 4-3 in overtime with an Alec Martinez goal, his second of the campaign, made possible by Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault. The three stars were Point, Kucherov, and Sergachev.

Backtracking to DC, where the Washington Capitals bring in the New Jersey Devils. Akira Schmid and Darcy Kuemper are in the creases. Washington drew first blood in the first period with a Trevor van Riemsdyk goal, his seventh of the season, going in unassisted. New Jersey tied it in the second period with an Erik Haula power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Dawson Mercer and Damon Severson. The Devils took the lead with a Mercer goal, his twenty-second of the season, coming off of Nico Hischier and Tomas Tatar. The Capitals tied it again with a Dylan Strome goal, his fifteenth of the year, courtesy of T.J. Oshie and Sonny Milano. The tie went to a shootout, where Timo Meier had the lone tally for a 3-2 Devils win. The three stars were Mercer, Haula, and Kuempre (38 for 40 in saves).

Along to Boston, as the Bruins host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Jeremy Swayman are the young goalies. Boston was first to score in the first period with a Brad Marchand goal, his twentieth of the season, coming off of David Pastrnak and Brandon Carlo.The Bruins added on with a Pastrnak goal, his forty-fifth of the year, guided in by David Krejci. Edmonton got on the board in the second period with an Evan Bouchard goal, his fourth of the season, via Mattias Janmark. The Oilers tied it on a Ryan McLeod goal, his eleventh of the year, assisted by Devin Shore. Edmonton pulled ahead in the third period with a Darnell Nurse goal, his seventh of the season, passed from Cody Ceci and Leon Draisaitl. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Pastrnak, Nurse, and McLeod.

Westward to St. Louis, as the Blues welcome the San Jose Sharks. Kaapo Kahkonen and Jordan Binnington are in the blue paint. San Jose kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Erik Karlsson goal, his twentieth of the season, via Alexander Barabanov and Andreas Johnsson. St. Louis tied it on a Torey Krug goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Robert Thomas. The Blues took the lead in the second period with a Sammy Blais goal, his third of the season, coming off of Colton Parayko. The Sharks tied it on a Tomas Hertl goal, his eighteenth of the year, passed from Barabanov. St. Louis took the lead in the third period with a Jakub Vrana goal, his second of the season, assisted by Pavel Buchnevich and Kasperi Kapanen. The Blues added on with a Thomas power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, powered by Brandon Saad and Buchnevich. The final held at 4-2, with the three stars going to Thomas, Buchnevich, and Barabanov.

Southwest to Arizona, as the Coyotes bring in the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros faces a lesser foe in Ivan Prosvetov in goal. Arizona began in the first period with a Brett Ritchie goal, his seventh of the season, via J.J. Moser and Christian Fischer. The Coyotes added on in the third period with a Barrett Hayton power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Clayton Keller and Travis Boyd. Arizona extended the lead as Jack McBain scored his tenth of the season, thanks to Lawson Crouse and Matias Maccelli. Nashville got on the board with a Cody Glass goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Luke Evangelista and Thomas Novak. The Coyotes replied with an empty net goal by Nick Schmaltz, his twenty-first of the campaign, set up by Patrik Nemeth and Keller. The three stars were Prosvetov (39 for 40 in saves), Keller, and Hayton.

North to Colorado, where the Avalanche host the Los Angeles Kings. Joonas Korpisalo and Alexandar Georgiev tend the twines. Los Angeles led off in the first period with an Adrian Kempe goal, his thirty-first of the season, coming off of Anze Kopitar and Matt Roy. The Kings added on with a Gabriel Vilardi goal, his twenty-second of the year, via Kopitar and Quinton Byfield. Colorado got on the board in the second period with an Evan Rodrigues goal, his thirteenth of the season, courtesy of Samuel Girard and Alex Newhook. Los Angeles answered in the third period with a Kempe goal, his second of the game and thirty-second of the year, passed from Vladislav Gavrikov and Kopitar. The Avalanche got one back with a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, powered by Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen. The Kings fired back with a Phillip Danault goal, his seventeenth of the year, guided in by Jordan Spence and Kevin Fiala. Los Angeles iced it at 5-2 with a Danault empty net goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the campaign, set up by Trevor Moore. The three stars were Kempe, Danault, and Kopitar.

Finally, the Seattle Kraken host the Ottawa Senators. Mads Sogaard is mismatched with Philipp Grubauer in goal. Ottawa struck first in the first period with a Shane Pinto goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Nick Holden and Jakob Chychrun. The Senators added on with a Chychrun goal, his ninth of the year, via Holden and Tim Stutzle. Ottawa extended the lead as Patrick Brown scored his third of the season, thanks to Mathieu Joseph. Seattle got on the board with a Jared McCann shorthanded goal, his thirty-second of the year, going in unassisted. The Kraken got closer in the second period with a Jaden Schwartz goal, his sixteenth of the season, guided in by Vince Dunn and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Seattle tied it as McCann scored his second of the game and thirty-third of the year, with the help of Daniel Sprong and Yanni Gourde. The Kraken took the lead in the third period on a Dunn goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Gourde. The Senators retied it on a Claude Giroux goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, passed from Stutzle. Ottawa gained the lead with an Alex DeBrincat goal, his twenty-first of the season, fueled by Jake Sanderson and Giroux. The final was 5-4, with the three stars going to Giroux, McCann, and Chychrun, while Stutzle, Dunn, Holden, and Gourde get the honorable mentions. 

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