NHL 2023-24 - Day 112

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

The New York Rangers hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jonathan Quick patrol the creases. New York got going in the second period with a Jimmy Vesey goal, his tenth of the season, via Barclay Goodrow and Tyler Pitlick. The Rangers added on with a Jonny Brodzinski goal, his third of the year, coming off of Chris Kreider and Blake Wheeler. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Brandon Hagel goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Erik Cernak and Nikita Kucherov in the third period. New York iced it at 3-1 with a Vesey empty net goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, set up by Goodrow and Vincent Trocheck. The three stars were Vesey, Quick (19 for 20 in saves), and Brodzinski.

In Toronto, the Maple Leafs welcome the Dallas Stars. Scott Wedgewood and Ilya Samsonov are in the blue paint. Toronto led off in the first period with a William Nylander power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, powered by Morgan Rielly. Dallas tied it on a Jamie Benn power play goal, his ninth of the year, with assists provided by Joe Pavelski and Jason Robertson. The Stars took the lead with an Evgenii Dadonov goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Ty Dellandrea and Ryan Suter. The Maple Leafs retied it on a John Tavares power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, courtesy of Nylander. Toronto pulled ahead with an Auston Matthews power play goal, his forty-first of the season, passed from Tavares. Dallas tied it in the third period with a Dadonov penalty shot goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year. The Maple Leafs retook the lead with a Mitchell Marner goal, his twenty-second of the season, coming off of Matthews and Matthew Knies. Toronto added on with a Nylander goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the year, guided in by Tavares. The Stars got one back with a Wyatt Johnston goal, his fifteenth of the season, helped along by Miro Heiskanen and Mason Marchment. The final held at 5-4, with the three stars going to Nylander, Matthews, and Tavares, while Dadonov gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Chicago Blackhawks bring in the Minnesota Wild. Filip Gustavsson and Petr Mrazek are the masked men. Minnesota began in the first period with a Jake Lucchini goal, via Vinni Lettieri and Brandon Duhaime. Chicago tied it in the second period with a Nick Foligno goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Philipp Kurashev and Taylor Raddysh. The Wild took the lead with a Marcus Foligno goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Lettieri and Brock Faber. The final stood at 2-1, with the three stars going to Lettieri, Gustavsson (20 for 21 in saves), and Marcus Foligno. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0 and on Bluesky @outsidersports0.bsky.social.

NHL 2023-24 - Day 111

There's eight games on this Tuesday, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Jeremy Swayman are the masked men. Calgary led off in the first period with an Andrei Kuzmenko power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri. The Flames added on with a Connor Zary goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Kadri. Boston got on the board in the third period with a Pavel Zacha power play goal, his eleventh of the season, with assists provided by David Pastrnak and Charlie Coyle. Calgary replied with a Huberdeau goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of Kadri. The Flames extended the lead as Noah Hanifin scored his ninth of the season on the power play, thanks to Huberdeau and the goalie Markstrom. This stood for a 4-1 win, with the three stars going to Huberdeau, Kadri, and Markstrom (21 for 22 in saves).

Over in Buffalo, the Sabres welcome the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are in the creases. Dallas started in the first period with a Matt Duchene power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by Tyler Seguin and Mason Marchment. Buffalo tied it in the second period with a Tage Thompson power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, with assists provided by Rasmus Dahlin and Jeff Skinner. The Stars took the lead with a Sam Steel goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Radek Faksa and Craig Smith. The eventual final was 2-1, with the three stars awarded to Oettinger (47 for 48 in saves), Steel, and Duchene.

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes host the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Pyotr Kochetkov are set to start in goal. Carolina opened in the first period with a Jordan Martinook shorthanded goal, his eighth of the season, set up by Teuvo Teravainen. Vancouver tied it on an Elias Lindholm power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson. The Canucks took the lead in the second period with a Lindholm power play goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the season, with assists provided by Hughes and Brock Boeser. The Hurricanes tied it on a Sebastian Aho goal, his eighteenth of the year, guided in by Brent Burns and Seth Jarvis. Vancouver took the lead in the third period with a J.T. Miller goal, his twenty-second of the season, assisted by Boeser and Tyler Myers. The final held from here at 3-2, with the three stars given to Lindholm, Hughes, and Boeser.

Further south, the Florida Panthers bring in the Philadelphia Flyers. Samuel Ersson and Anthony Stolarz are in the blue paint. Florida kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Carter Verhaeghe power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, going in unassisted. Philadelphia tied it in the second period with a Travis Konecny goal, his twenty-third of the year, coming off of Joel Farabee and Sean Walker. The Flyers pulled ahead in the third period with a Noah Cates goal, his second of the season, an unassisted goal. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars being Ersson (20 for 21 in saves), Cates, and Konecny.

Back north, the Pittsburgh Penguins host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Tristan Jarry guard the cages. Pittsburgh struck first in the first period with a Kris Letang goal, his fourth of the season, going in unassisted. The Penguins added on in the second period with a Jeff Carter power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Lars Eller and Erik Karlsson. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Bryan Rust scored his twelfth of the season on the power play, with the help of Jake Guentzel and Sidney Crosby. The final stood at 3-0, with the three stars awarded to Jarry (24 save shutout), Letang, and Carter.

Along to DC, as the Washington Capitals welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Sam Montembeault and Charlie Lindgren are between the pipes. Montreal began in the first period with a Nick Suzuki goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Cole Caufield. The Canadiens added on with another Suzuki goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, via Arber Xhekaj. Montreal extended the lead as Michael Pezzetta scored his third of the season, thanks to Rafael Harvey-Pinard. Darcy Kuemper replaced Lindgren in goal. Washington got on the board in the second period with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Dylan Strome and Martin Fehervary. The Canadiens answered in the third period with a Juraj Slafkovsky goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Jake Evans and Mike Matheson. the Capitals got one back with a Rasmus Sandin goal, his second of the year, with helpers from John Carlson and Strome. Montreal replied with a Slafkovsky power play goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, helped along by Matheson and Suzuki. The final remained at 5-2, with the three stars being Suzuki, Slafkovsky, and Matheson, while Strome gets an honorable mention.

Next up, the New Jersey Devils bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Justus Annunen and Vitek Vanecek receive the starting nods in goal. Colorado was first to score in the first period with a Mikko Rantanen goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, passed from Jonathan Drouin. New Jersey tied it on a Chris Tierney goal, made possible by Simon Nemec and Kevin Bahl. The Devils took the lead in the second period with a Jesper Bratt goal, his twentieth of the year, coming off of Nico Hischier and Ondrej Palat. New Jersey added on with a Dawson Mercer goal, his fourteenth of the season, via Erik Haula and Timo Meier. The Avalanche got one back in the third period with a Cale Makar goal, his thirteenth of the year, assisted by Artturi Lehkonen. Colorado tied it on a Samuel Girard goal, his second of the season, helped along by Drouin and Bowen Byram. The Devils took the lead with a John Marino goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Hischier and Bratt. New Jersey iced it at 5-3 with a Haula empty net goal, his eleventh of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Bratt, Haula, and Hischier, while Drouin gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Adin Hill tend the twines. Edmonton drew first blood in the first period with a shorthanded Connor McDavid goal, his twenty-first of the season, set up by Leon Draisaitl and Vincent Desharnais. Vegas tied it on a Nicolas Roy goal, his tenth of the year, via Alex Pietrangelo. The Golden Knights took the lead in the third period with a Chandler Stephenson goal, his ninth of the season, courtesy of Jonathan Marchessault and Paul Cotter. Vegas iced it at 3-1 with a William Karlsson empty net goal, his sixteenth of the year, assisted by Stephenson and Mark Stone. The three stars were Stephenson, Hill (31 for 32 in saves), and Roy. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0 and on Bluesky @outsidersports0.bsky.social.

NHL 2023-24 - Day 110

There's two games on as we exit the All-Star break. First up...

The New York Rangers welcome the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Jonathan Quick are the goalies. Colorado opened in the first period with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his thirty-second of the season, via Cale Makar and Josh Manson. New York tied it in the third period with an Artemi Panarin goal, his thirty-first of the year, fueled by K'Andre Miller and Braden Schneider. The Rangers won 2-1 in overtime with an Alexis Lafreniere goal, his thirteenth of the campaign, made possible by Mika Zibanejad and the goalie Quick. The three stars were Quick (32 for 33 in saves), Lafreniere, and Panarin. 

In Toronto, the Maple Leafs bring in the New York Islanders. Ilya Sorokin and Ilya Samsonov are the similarly-named goalies. New York started in the first period with a Mathew Barzal goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Mike Reilly and Anders Lee. Toronto tied it on a Mitchell Marner goal in the second period, his twenty-first of the year, guided in by John Tavares and Auston Matthews. The Islanders retook the lead on a Kyle MacLean goal, assisted by Cal Clutterbuck. The Maple Leafs tied it again in the third period with a Tavares power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Morgan Rielly and William Nylander. New York pulled ahead with a Pierre Engvall goal, his sixth of the year, helped along by Brock Nelson and Kyle Palmieri. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Tavares, Engvall, and MacLean. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0 and on Bluesky @outsidersports0.bsky.social.

NHL 2023-24 - Day 109

There's three games on for the last day before the All-Star break. First up...

The Detroit Red Wings host the Ottawa Senators. Joonas Korpisalo and Alex Lyon are in goal. Detroit led off in the first period with a Daniel Sprong goal, his thirteenth of the season, via Joe Veleno. Ottawa tied it in the second period with a Mark Kastelic goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Jacob Bernard-Docker and Parker Kelly. The Senators took the lead with a Brady Tkachuk goal, his twenty-second of the season, made possible by Shane Pinto. The Red Wings tied it on a Dylan Larkin goal in the third period, his twenty-third of the year, guided in by J.T. Compher and Olli Maatta. Ottawa won 3-2 in overtime with a Pinto goal, his second of the campaign, helped along by Thomas Chabot and Vladimir Tarasenko. The three stars were Pinto, Tkachuk, and Kastelic.

Down in Nashville, the Predators welcome the Los Angeles Kings. David Rittich and Juuse Saros are the goalies. Los Angeles began in the first period with an unassisted Carl Grundstrom goal, his eighth of the season. The Kings added on in the second period with an Alex Turcotte goal, coming off of Trevor Moore and Jordan Spence. Nashville got on the board in the third period with a Filip Forsberg goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, via Ryan McDonagh and Gustav Nyquist. Los Angeles fired back with a Trevor Lewis goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Quinton Byfield and Turcotte. The Predators pulled one back with a Philip Tomasino goal, his seventh of the year, assisted by Roman Josi and Tommy Novak. The Kings answered with a Kevin Fiala empty net goal, his thirteenth of the campaign, set up by Phillip Danault and Mikey Anderson. The three stars of the 4-2 game were Turcotte, Lewis, and Grundstrom.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the San Jose Sharks. Kaapo Kahkonen and John Gibson are in the blue paint. Anaheim struck first in the first period with an Isac Lundestrom goal, his second of the season, made possible by Mason McTavish and Jakob Silfverberg. San Jose tied it on an Anthony Duclair power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Shakir Mukhamadullin and Mike Hoffman. The Sharks took the lead in the second period with a Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Kyle Burroughs and William Eklund. The Ducks tied it on a Troy Terry goal, his fifteenth of the year, assisted by Leo Carlsson and Adam Henrique. Anaheim won 3-2 in overtime with a Frank Vatrano goal, his twenty-second of the campaign, guided in by Terry and Jackson LaCombe. The three stars were Terry, Vatrano, and Lundestrom. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0 and on Bluesky @outsidersports0.bsky.social.

NHL 2023-24 - Day 108

We've got two games on tonight, beginning with...

The St. Louis Blues welcoming the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins and Jordan Binnington are in goal. Columbus dented the scoreboard in the third period with a Dmitri Voronkov goal, his twelfth of the season, via Zach Werenski and Johnny Gaudreau. The final stood at 1-0, with the three stars going to Merzlikins (21 save shutout), Voronkov, and Binnington (21 for 22 in saves).

Out west, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Seattle Kraken. Joey Daccord and MacKenzie Blackwood are between the pipes. San Jose got going in the third period with a Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Ty Emberson and William Eklund. The Sharks iced it at 2-0 with a Jan Rutta empty net goal, his third of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Blackwood (32 save shutout), Vlasic, and Daccord (20 for 21 in saves). 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0 and on Bluesky @outsidersports0.bsky.social.

NHL 2023-24 - Day 107

There's just one game on today, with the Ottawa Senators hosting the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Mads Sogaard start in goal. Nashville kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Michael McCarron goal, his seventh of the season, via Roman Josi and Philip Tomasino. The Predators added on with a Tomasino goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Tommy Novak and Cody Glass. Nashville extended the lead as Yakov Trenin scored his eighth of the season, thanks to Dante Fabbro and Josi. Ottawa got on the board in the second period with a Drake Batherson goal, his seventeenth of the year, coming off of Brady Tkachuk. The Senators got closer with a Tim Stutzle goal, his eleventh of the season, courtesy of Mathieu Joseph. Ottawa tied it as Tkachuk scored his twenty-first of the year, with the help of Josh Norris. The Senators won 4-3 in overtime with a Claude Giroux goal, his fifteenth of the campaign, helped along by Stutzle. The three stars were Tkachuk, Stutzle, and Tomasino, while Josi gets an honorable mention. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0 and on Bluesky @outsidersports0.bsky.social.

NHL 2023-24 - Day 106

There's just two games on this Sunday. First up...

The St. Louis Blues welcome the Los Angeles Kings. David Rittich and Joel Hofer are the backups in goal. Los Angeles began in the first period with an Adrian Kempe goal, his seventeenth of the season, via Anze Kopitar and Alex Laferriere. St. Louis tied it on a Nick Leddy goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Jordan Kyrou and Colton Parayko. The Kings took the lead back in the second period with a shorthanded Jaret Anderson-Dolan goal, set up by Trevor Lewis and Vladislav Gavrikov. The Blues tied it again with a Pavel Buchnevich power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, powered by Scott Perunovich and Kyrou. St. Louis pulled ahead on a Kyrou goal, his fourteenth of the year, coming off of Perunovich and Robert Thomas. Los Angeles retied it on a Phillip Danault goal, his tenth of the season, helped along by Trevor Moore and Drew Doughty. The Blues won 4-3 in overtime with a Brayden Schenn goal, his thirteenth of the year, made possible by Buchnevich. The three stars were Buchnevich, Kyrou, and Perunovich. 

Out in Seattle, the Kraken bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Daniil Tarasov and Joey Daccord man the nets. Seattle led off in the first period with a Jordan Eberle power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Oliver Bjorkstrand and Vince Dunn. The Kraken added on with a Jared McCann goal, his twentieth of the year, assisted by Eberle and Tomas Tatar. Seattle extended the lead as Eberle scored his second of the game and ninth of the season, thanks to McCann and Bjorkstrand on the power play. Columbus got on the board with a Yegor Chinakhov goal, his thirteenth of the year, passed from Damon Severson and Johnny Gaudreau. The Blue Jackets got closer with another Chinakhov goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Kraken iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Brandon Tanev, his fifth of the year, an unassisted goal. The three stars were Eberle, McCann, and Chinakhov, while Bjorkstrand gets an honorable mention. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0 and on Bluesky @outsidersports0.bsky.social.