There's 14 games on the last busy day before the All-Star break. First up...
The Philadelphia Flyers host the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Samuel Ersson patrol the creases. Boston started in the first period with a David Pastrnak goal, his thirty-second of the season, via Pavel Zacha and Charlie McAvoy. The Bruins added on with a McAvoy goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Zacha. Boston extended the lead as Danton Heinen scored his ninth of the season, thanks to Brandon Carlo. The Bruins padded the lead with an unassisted Pastrnak goal, his second of the game and thirty-third of the year. Cal Petersen replaced Ersson in the second period. Boston continued with a James van Riemsdyk goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Pastrnak and Hampus Lindholm. Philadelphia got on the board with a Tyson Foerster goal, his eighth of the year, fueled by Travis Sanheim. The Flyers got one back with a Foerster goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, assisted by Sean Couturier and Olle Lycksell. The Bruins shot back with a Charlie Coyle goal, his eighteenth of the year, helped along by Trent Frederic and van Riemsdyk. The final stood at 6-2, with the three stars given to Pastrnak, McAvoy, and van Riemsdyk, while Foerster and Zacha get the honorable mentions.
Down in Dallas, the Stars welcome the Washington Capitals. Charlie Lindgren and Jake Oettinger are the masked men. Washington opened in the first period with an Anthony Mantha goal, his fifteenth of the season, via Evgeny Kuznetsov and John Carlson. Dallas tied it on a Wyatt Johnston goal, his fourteenth of the year, passed from Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen. The Stars took the lead with a Thomas Harley goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Jamie Benn and Sam Steel. The Capitals tied it in the second period with a Rasmus Sandin goal, assisted by Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Trevor van Riemsdyk. Dallas reclaimed the lead on a Mason Marchment power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, powered by Tyler Seguin and Heiskanen. The Stars added on in the third period with a Matt Duchene goal, his seventeenth of the season, courtesy of Marchment and Seguin. Washington got one back with an Alex Ovechkin power play goal, his ninth of the year, with assists provided by Kuznetsov and Dylan Strome. The Capitals tied it on a Strome goal, his nineteenth of the season, helped along by Mantha and Ovechkin. Dallas won 5-4 in overtime with a Harley goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, coming off of Jason Robertson and Duchene.
Way north to Edmonton, as the Oilers bring in the Nashville Predators. Kevin Lankinen and Stuart Skinner make the starts in goal. Edmonton led off in the first period with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. The Oilers added on with a Draisaitl power play goal in the second period, his twenty-third of the year, with assists provided by McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins. Edmonton extended the lead in the third period as McDavid scored his twentieth of the season, thanks to Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard. Nashville got on the board with a Colton Sissons goal, his thirteenth of the year, courtesy of Luke Evangelista and Cole Smith. Edmonton responded with a Zach Hyman empty net goal, his thirtieth of the campaign, set up by Draisaitl and McDavid. The final was 4-1, with the three stars being McDavid, Draisaitl, and Nugent-Hopkins.
In San Jose, the Sharks host the Buffalo Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Kaapo Kahkonen man the nets. San Jose began in the first period with a Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal, his third of the season, assisted by William Eklund and Ty Emberson. The Sharks added on with a Jan Rutta goal, his second of the year, coming off of Eklund. Buffalo got on the board with a JJ Peterka goal, his seventeenth of the season, via Dylan Cozens and Owen Power. The Sabres tied it on a Jordan Greenway goal, his sixth of the year, made possible by Alex Tuch and Casey Mittelstadt. Buffalo took the lead with a Tuch goal in the second period, his fourteenth of the season, helped along by Mittelstadt. The Sabres extended the lead as Peterka scored his second of the game and eighteenth of the year, passed from Cozens and Jack Quinn. Buffalo padded the lead with a Cozens empty net goal, his tenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars given to Peterka, Cozens, and Tuch, while Mittelstadt and Eklund get the honorable mentions.
Back east, the Carolina Hurricanes host the Arizona Coyotes. Connor Ingram and Antti Raanta are in the creases. Arizona kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Logan Cooley goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Dylan Guenther and J.J. Moser. Carolina tied it in the second period with a Martin Necas power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Seth Jarvis and Brent Burns. The Hurricanes took the lead with a Dmitry Orlov goal in the third period, his third of the season, via Jack Drury. Carolina added on with a Jesper Fast goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Jarvis and Jordan Staal. The final stood at 3-1, with the three stars going to Jarvis, Orlov, and Raanta (11 for 12 in saves).
Up in Ottawa, the Senators welcome the New York Rangers. Jonathan Quick and Joonas Korpisalo are set to start in goal. Ottawa was first to score in the first period with a Brady Tkachuk goal, his twentieth of the season, via Claude Giroux. The Senators added on with a Jakob Chychrun power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Drake Batherson and Thomas Chabot in the second period. New York got on the board with an Alexis Lafreniere goal, his twelfth of the season, fueled by Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox. The Rangers tied it on a Chris Kreider goal, his twenty-third of the year, guided in by Mika Zibanejad. New York took the lead with a Zac Jones goal, helped along by Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. The Rangers extended the lead as Jonny Brodzinski goal, his second of the season, made possible by Jones and Will Cuylle. Mads Sogaard replaced Korpisalo in goal. New York padded the lead on a Blake Wheeler goal, his ninth of the year, with helpers from Zibanejad and Kreider. The Rangers continued with a Panarin empty net goal, his thirtieth of the season, set up by Lafreniere. New York finished it at 7-2 with a Kaapo Kakko goal, his fifth of the year, with assists from Brodzinski and Erik Gustafsson. The three stars were awarded to Panarin, Kreider, and Jones, while Brodzinski, Lafreniere, and Zibanejad get the honorable mentions.
Stateside again, the Pittsburgh Penguins bring in the Montreal Canadiens. Jake Allen and Tristan Jarry are the veterans in goal. Montreal drew first blood in the first period with a Kaiden Guhle goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Michael Matheson and Cole Caufield. Pittsburgh tied it in the second period with a Lars Eller goal, his ninth of the year, assisted by Valtteri Puustinen and Rickard Rakell. The Canadiens took the lead back with a Juraj Slafkovsky power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Sean Monahan and Nick Suzuki. The Penguins tied it on a Jake Guentzel goal in the third period, his twenty-second of the year, passed from Sidney Crosby and Marcus Pettersson. The Penguins won 3-2 in overtime with a Pettersson goal, his second of the campaign, helped along by Rakell and Evgeni Malkin. The three stars were Pettersson, Rakell, and Jarry (25 for 27 in saves).
Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning host the New Jersey Devils. Vitek Vanecek and Andrei Vasilevskiy receive the starts in goal. Tampa Bay got going in the second period with a Nick Paul goal, his thirteenth of the season, via Victor Hedman and Darren Raddysh. The Lightning added on with a Brandon Hagel goal, his fifteenth of the year, made possible by Hedman and Paul. New Jersey got on the board in the third period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Nico Hischier and Santeri Hatakka. Tampa Bay shot back with a Steven Stamkos goal, his twenty-first of the year, helped along by Nick Perbix and Nikita Kucherov. The Devils replied with a Jesper Bratt goal, his nineteenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Lightning answered with a Brayden Point goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, an unassisted goal. New Jersey pulled back with a Tyler Toffoli goal, his twenty-first of the season, passed from Palat and Simon Nemec. Tampa Bay responded with a Hagel empty net goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the year, set up by Anthony Cirelli and Kucherov. The Lightning iced it at 6-3 with a Point empty net goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the campaign, courtesy of Hedman. The three stars were Hagel, Point, and Hedman, while Stamkos, Paul, Kucherov, and Palat get the honorable mentions.
Way north to Winnipeg, as the Jets welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ilya Samsonov and Connor Hellebuyck are between the pipes. Winnipeg struck first in the first period with a Dylan Samberg goal, going in unassisted. Toronto tied it on a Ryan Reaves goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Noah Gregor. The Maple Leafs took the lead in the third period with a John Tavares power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Morgan Rielly and Mitchell Marner. Toronto added on with an Auston Matthews goal, his fortieth of the season, made possible by Marner and Rielly on the power play. The Maple Leafs extended the lead as Simon Benoit scored an unassisted empty net goal. The Jets got one back with a Mason Appleton goal, his ninth of the year, helped along by Alex Iafallo and Josh Morrissey. This made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars going to Marner, Rielly, and Samsonov (24 for 26 in saves).
In New York, the Islanders bring in the Florida Panthers. Anthony Stolarz and Semyon Varlamov are the backups in goal. Florida dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Sam Reinhart power play goal, his thirty-seventh of the season, powered by Matthew Tkachuk and Varter Verhaeghe. New York tied it on a Simon Holmstrom goal, his twelfth of the year, via Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Oliver Wahlstrom. The Panthers took the lead in the third period with a Tkachuk power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, with assists provided by Aleksander Barkov and Brandon Montour. The Islanders tied it on a Kyle Palmieri goal, his thirteenth of the year, guided in by Noah Dobson and Mathew Barzal. Florida won 3-2 in overtime with an Oliver Ekman-Larsson goal, his ninth of the campaign, helped along by Evan Rodrigues and Stolarz. The three stars were Tkachuk, Ekman-Larsson, and Reinhart.
Over in Detroit, the Red Wings host the Vegas Golden Knights. Logan Thompson and Alex Lyon guard the cages. Detroit opened in the first period with a Dylan Larkin goal, his twenty-first of the season, assisted by Alex DeBrincat and Lucas Raymond. The Red Wings added on with a Jake Walman goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by David Perron and Moritz Seider. Vegas got on the board with an Ivan Barbashev goal, his thirteenth of the season, via Nicolas Roy and Alec Martinez. The Golden Knights tied it on a Paul Cotter goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Martinez and Alex Pietrangelo. Detroit pulled ahead with a Joe Veleno power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Seider and Robby Fabbri. The Red Wings extended the lead in the third period as Andrew Copp scored his tenth of the year, thanks to Michael Rasmussen. Detroit iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Larkin, his second of the game and twenty-second of the campaign, set up by J.T. Compher and Raymond. The three stars were Larkin, Raymond, and Seider, while Martinez gets an honorable mention.
Along to Minnesota, as the Wild welcome the Anaheim Ducks. Lukas Dostal and Filip Gustavsson receive the starts in goal. Minnesota started in the first period with a Kirill Kaprizov goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Mats Zuccarello and Jonas Brodin. Anaheim tied it on a Troy Terry goal, his thirteenth of the year, via Frank Vatrano and Benoit-Olivier Groulx. The Wild took the lead with a Jon Merrill goal, his second of the season, passed from Zuccarello and Dakota Mermis. The Ducks tied it in the third period with a Ryan Strome goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Radko Gudas and Adam Henrique. Anaheim pulled ahead with a Terry goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, made possible by Henrique and Urho Vaakanainen. The final held from here at 3-2, with the three stars being Terry, Henrique, and Zuccarello.
Further west, the Calgary Flames bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek and Jacob Markstrom are in the blue paint. Calgary dented the scoreboard in the second period with an Elias Lindholm power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Yegor Sharangovich and Nazem Kadri. This stood for a 1-0 win, with the three stars given to Markstrom (32 save shutout), Lindholm, and Mrazek (30 for 31 in saves).
Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins and Thatcher Demko receive the green light to start in goal. Columbus got going in the second period with a shorthanded and unassisted Alexandre Texier goal, his eighth of the season. The Blue Jackets added on with a Sean Kuraly goal, his seventh of the year, via Texier and Justin Danforth. Vancouver got on the board with a Brock Boeser goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, made possible by J.T. Miller and Pius Suter. Columbus replied with a Jake Bean goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Yegor Chinakhov. The Blue Jackets extended the lead on a Kirill Marchenko power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Johnny Gaudreau and Zach Werenski. The Canucks got one back in the third period with an Elias Pettersson power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, with assists provided by Miller and Quinn Hughes. Vancouver got closer with a Boeser power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-ninth of the season, helped along by Hughes and Suter. The Canucks tied it as Boeser completed his hat trick on his thirtieth of the year on the power play, with the help of Pettersson and Miller. Vancouver won 5-4 in overtime with a Pettersson goal, his second of the game and twenty-seventh of the campaign, with helpers from Boeser and Hughes. The three stars were Boeser, Pettersson, and Hughes, while Miller, Suter, and Texier get the honorable mentions.
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