NHL 2023-24 - Day 116

There's just two early games today. First up...

The Montreal Canadiens host the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Jake Allen are the former teammates in goal. St. Louis started in the first period with an Alexey Toropchenko goal, his eighth of the season, via Oskar Sundqvist and Torey Krug. The Blues added on with a Colton Parayko goal, his ninth of the year, coming off of Kasperi Kapanen. Montreal got on the board with a Nick Suzuki goal, his seventeenth of the season, helped along by Juraj Slafkovsky and Mike Matheson. St. Louis replied with a Jordan Kyrou power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, powered by Robert Thomas and Krug. The Blues extended the lead in the second period as Nathan Walker scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Schenn and Krug. St. Louis padded the lead in the third period on a Thomas power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, made possible by Leddy and Jake Neighbours. The Canadiens got one back with a Joel Armia goal, his ninth of the season, guided in by David Savard and Jayden Struble. The Blues fired back with a Neighbours power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, fueled by Thomas and Krug. St. Louis iced it at 7-2 with a Kyrou goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the campaign, set up by Thomas and Krug. The three stars were Kyrou, Krug, and Thomas, while Neighbours gets an honorable mention.

In DC, the Washington Capitals host the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Darcy Kuemper guard the cages. Washington opened in the first period with a Nic Dowd goal, his eighth of the season, via Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Rasmus Sandin. Vancouver tied it on a Conor Garland goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Noah Juulsen. The Capitals retook the lead in the second period with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his thirteenth of the season, made possible by Dylan Strome and T.J. Oshie. The Canucks tied it again with a Nils Hoglander goal, his sixteenth of the year, fueled by Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. Vancouver won 3-2 in overtime with a J.T. Miller goal, his twenty-third of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Miller, Hoglander, and Garland. 

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

NHL 2023-24 - Day 115

The NHL is back in full force with 13 games this Saturday. First up...

The Buffalo Sabres host the St. Louis Blues. Joel Hofer and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are the goalies. St. Louis began in the first period with a Jake Neighbours power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Pavel Buchnevich and Robert Thomas. Buffalo tied it on an unassisted Kyle Okposo goal, his tenth of the year. The Blues retook the lead with a Jordan Kyrou goal, his fifteenth of the season, passed from Colton Parayko and Calle Rosen. St. Louis added on with a Neighbours goal in the third period, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, set up by Brayden Schenn and Kasperi Kapanen. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars being Neighbours, Hofer (33 for 34 in saves), and Kyrou.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Casey DeSmith and Alex Lyon are in goal. Detroit led off in the first period with a Lucas Raymond goal, his fourteenth of the season, via David Perron and Jeff Petry. Vancouver tied it in the second period with a Nils Hoglander goal, his fifteenth of the year, coming off of Filip Hronek and Elias Pettersson. The Canucks took the lead with a Hronek goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Ilya Mikheyev and Pettersson. Vancouver added on with a Pettersson goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, passed from Pius Suter and Hronek. The Red Wings got one back in the third period with a Daniel Sprong power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Patrick Kane and Joe Veleno. Detroit tied it on a Michael Rasmussen goal, his eleventh of the year, guided in by Jake Walman and Christian Fischer. The Red Wings won 4-3 in overtime with a Walman goal, his eleventh of the campaign. The three stars were Walman, Pettersson, and Hronek.

Across the border in Montreal, the Canadiens bring in the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Sam Montembeault are in the creases. Montreal got going in the second period with a Nick Suzuki goal, his sixteenth of the season, made possible by Cole Caufield and Mike Matheson. Dallas tied it with a Thomas Harley goal, his thirteenth of the year, assisted by Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson. The Stars took the lead with a Tyler Seguin goal, his eighteenth of the season, guided in by Matt Duchene and Mason Marchment. Dallas added on with another Seguin goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, fueled by Duchene and Marchment. The Canadiens got one back with a Juraj Slafkovsky goal, his tenth of the season, helped along by Suzuki and Matheson. The final held from here at 3-2, with the three stars being Seguin, Suzuki, and Duchene, while Marchment and Matheson.

Back stateside, the New York Islanders host the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Semyon Varlamov are the veteran goalies. Calgary opened in the first period with a MacKenzie Weegar goal, his thirteenth of the season, with helpers by the goalie Markstrom and Blake Coleman. The Flames added on with a Jonathan Huberdeau power play goal, his eighth of the year, powered by Yegor Sharangovich and Noah Hanifin. Calgary extended the lead as Weegar scored his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, via Walker Duehr and Jakob Pelletier. New York got on the board with a Brock Nelson goal, his twenty-second of the year, passed from Noah Dobson and Kyle Palmieri in the third period. The Flames fired back with a Coleman empty net goal, his twenty-first of the season, going in unassisted. The Islanders got one back with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his seventh of the year, helped along by Mathew Barzal. Calgary iced it at 5-2 with a Weegar empty net goal to complete his hat trick on his fifteenth of the campaign, set up by Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri. The three stars were Weegar, Huberdeau, and Coleman.

Along to Boston, as the Bruins welcome the Washington Capitals. Charlie Lindgren and Jeremy Swayman protect the nets. Washington dented the scoreboard in the second period with a T.J. Oshie power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Max Pacioretty and Connor McMichael. The Capitals added on with a Dylan Strome goal in the third period, his twentieth of the year, guided in by Alex Ovechkin and Oshie. Washington iced it at 3-0 with an Ovechkin empty net goal, his twelfth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Oshie, Lindgren (18 save shutout), and Ovechkin.

Down in Florida, the Panthers bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Sergei Bobrovsky guard the cages. Florida started in the first period with a Carter Verhaeghe power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, powered by Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. The Panthers added on with a Sam Reinhart power play goal, his thirty-ninth of the year, with assists provided by Tkachuk and Barkov. Florida extended the lead as Eetu Luostarinen scored his tenth of the season, thanks to Dmitry Kulikov and Evan Rodrigues. The Panthers padded the lead in the third period with a Barkov goal, his twelfth of the year, coming off of Verhaeghe. The final held at 4-0 with the three stars awarded to Bobrovsky (34 save shutout), Verhaeghe, and Barkov, while Tkachuk gets an honorable mention.

Backtracking to Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes host the New Jersey Devils. Vitek Vanecek and Pyotr Kochetkov patrol the creases. Carolina won 1-0 in overtime with a Sebastian Aho goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Martin Necas and Jaccob Slavin. The three stars belonged to Kochetkov (34 save shutout), Aho, and Vanecek (32 for 33 in saves).

Northwest to Columbus, as the Blue Jackets welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Elvis Merzlikins draw the starts in goal. Tampa Bay drew first blood in the first period with a power play goal by Nick Paul, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Brandon Hagel and Darren Raddysh. The Lightning added on in the second period with an Anthony Cirelli goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Hagel and Paul. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Steven Stamkos scored his twenty-seventh of the season on the power play in the third period, thanks to Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov. Columbus got on the board with a Boone Jenner goal, his fourteenth of the year, made possible by Johnny Gaudreau and Zach Werenski. The Blue Jackets got closer with another Jenner goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the season, coming off of Gaudreau and Kirill Marchenko. The Lightning responded with an empty net goal by Hagel, his nineteenth of the year, set up by Kucherov and Cirelli. The three stars of the 4-2 game were Hagel, Paul, and Cirelli, while Kucherov, Jenner, and Gaudreau.

Up in Ottawa, the Senators bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Martin Jones and Joonas Korpisalo receive the starts in goal. Toronto was first to score in the first period with an Auston Matthews goal, his forty-second of the season, assisted by Mitchell Marner and Matthew Knies. Ottawa tied it on a Claude Giroux goal, his sixteenth of the year, guided in by Mathieu Joseph. The Senators took the lead in the second period with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Shane Pinto and Jakob Chychrun. The Maple Leafs tied it on a Knies goal, his ninth of the year, passed from Marner and Matthews. Ottawa retook the lead with a Pinto goal, his third of the season, fueled by Parker Kelly and Artem Zub. The Senators added on with a Josh Norris goal, his thirteenth of the year, with a lone helper by Drake Batherson. Toronto got one back with a Max Domi goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Morgan Rielly and Nicholas Robertson. Ottawa iced it at 5-3 with a Ridly Greig empty net goal, his eighth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Knies, Matthews, and Pinto, while Marner gets an honorable mention.

Next up, the Philadelphia Flyers, host the Seattle Kraken. Joey Daccord faces a lesser foe in Cal Petersen in goal. Philadelphia struck first in the first period with a Scott Laughton power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Cam York and Morgan Frost. Seattle tied it on a Tomas Tatar goal, his seventh of the year, fueled by Vince Dunn and Adam Larsson. The Flyers retook the lead with a Ryan Poehling shorthanded goal, his seventh of the season, set up by Garnet Hathaway and Nick Seeler. The Kraken tied it on a Jared McCann goal in the third period, his twenty-first of the year, passed from Alexander Wennberg and Dunn. Philadelphia took the lead with a Sean Couturier goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny. The final stood at 3-2, with the three stars being Couturier, Dunn, and Poehling.

Out west, the Winnipeg Jets welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Connor Hellebuyck tend the twines. Winnipeg kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Mark Scheifele goal, his fifteenth of the season, assisted by Nikolaj Ehlers. The Jets added on with a Nino Niederreiter goal, his thirteenth of the year, guided in by Nate Schmidt and Logan Stanley. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Bryan Rust goal, his thirteenth of the season, fueled by Erik Karlsson and Ryan Graves in the second period. The final stood at 2-1, with the three stars going to Hellebuyck (35 for 36 in saves), Niederreiter, and Scheifele.

In Nashville, the Predators bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Connor Ingram and Juuse Saros are between the pipes. Nashville opened in the first period with a Ryan O'Reilly goal, his eighteenth of the season, made possible by Filip Forsberg and Gustav Nyquist. Arizona tied it on a Travis Dermott goal, his second of the year, via Jason Zucker and Alexander Kerfoot. The Predators took the lead with a Roman Josi power play goal in the second period, his eleventh of the season, powered by Tyson Barrie. The Coyotes tied it on a Dylan Guenther power play goal, his fourth of the year, helped along by Clayton Keller and Zucker. Arizona took the lead in the third period with a Juuso Valimaki goal, his second of the season, assisted by Guenther and Barrett Hayton. The Coyotes added on with a Nick Schmaltz power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, with assists provided by Zucker and Keller. Nashville got one back with a Tommy Novak power play goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Ryan McDonagh and Luke Evangelista. The Predators tied it on a Forsberg goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, courtesy of O'Reilly and Josi. Nashville won 5-4 in overtime with a McDonagh goal, his second of the campaign, with helpers from Novak and Nyquist. The three stars were Forsberg, McDonagh, and Josi, while O'Reilly, Novak, Nyquist, Guenther, Zucker, and Keller get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and David Rittich receive the starting nods in goal. Los Angeles got going in the second period with a Pierre-Luc Dubois power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Jordan Spence and Trevor Moore. The Kings added on with a Trevor Lewis goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Quinton Byfield. Los Angeles extended the lead in the third period as Byfield scored his fifteenth of the season, thanks to Vladislav Gavrikov and Matt Roy. The Kings padded the lead on a Byfield empty net goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the year, set up by Anze Kopitar and Adrian Kempe. The final was 4-0, and the three stars were Byfield, Rittich (27 save shutout), and Dubois. 

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

NHL 2023-24 - Day 114

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

The Minnesota Wild hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Alex Nedeljkovic and Marc-Andre Fleury are in goal. Minnesota opened in the first period with a Matt Boldy power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, powered by Kirill Kaprizov and Brock Faber. Pittsburgh tied it in the second period with a Reilly Smith goal, his ninth of the year, via Evgeni Malkin. The Wild retook the lead with a Jonas Brodin goal, his second of the season, made possible by Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek. The Penguins tied it again in the third period with a Sidney Crosby power play goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, with assists provided by Erik Karlsson and Jake Guentzel. Minnesota pulled ahead on a Kaprizov goal, his twentieth of the season, coming off of Zach Bogosian and Brodin. The final held at 3-2, with the three stars going to Kaprizov, Brodin, and Boldy. 

Down in Chicago, the Blackhawks welcome the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Petr Mrazek are between the pipes. Chicago started in the first period with an unassisted Alex Vlasic goal, his second of the season. New York tied it on an Alexis Lafreniere goal, his fourteenth of the year, coming off of K'Andre Miller and Artemi Panarin. The Rangers took the lead with a Chris Kreider goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, courtesy of Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren. New York added on in the second period with a Jonny Brodzinski goal, his fourth of the year, fueled by Will Cuylle and Kaapo Kakko. The Blackhawks got one back in the third period with a Nick Foligno goal, his eleventh of the season, guided in by Philipp Kurashev and Tyler Johnson. Chicago tied it on a Jason Dickinson goal, his sixteenth of the year, helped along by Seth Jones and Kurashev. The Rangers won 4-3 in overtime with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his sixteenth of the campaign, with helpers from Kreider and Fox. The three stars were Kreider, Fox, and Kurashev. 

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Calvin Pickard and John Gibson are the masked men. Anaheim struck first in the first period with a Cam Fowler power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Frank Vatrano and Adam Henrique. Edmonton tied it on an Evander Kane goal, his sixteenth of the year, with a lone assist by Corey Perry. The Ducks took the lead with a Ryan Strome goal, his seventh of the season, helped along by Leo Carlsson and Henrique. The Oilers retied it on another Kane goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, courtesy of Leon Draisaitl and Brett Kulak. Lukas Dostal replaced an injured Gibson in the third period. Anaheim regained the lead in the third period with a Strome power play goal, his second of the game and eighth of the season, with assists provided by Vatrano and Fowler. Edmonton tied it on a Zach Hyman goal, his thirty-first of the year, assisted by Connor McDavid. The Oilers took the lead on a Draisaitl power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, passed from McDavid and Evan Bouchard. Edmonton iced it at 5-3 with a Kane empty net goal, completing his hat trick on his eighteenth of the year, set up by Derek Ryan and McDavid. The three stars were Kane, McDavid, and Strome, while Draisaitl, Fowler, Henrique, and Vatrano get the honorable mentions. 

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

NHL 2023-24 - Day 113

It's a seven-game slate on Thursday, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Linus Ullmark tend the twines. Boston opened in the first period with a shorthanded Brad Marchand goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, set up by Charlie Coyle. The Bruins added on with a Danton Heinen shorthanded goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Coyle. Boston extended the lead in the second period as Morgan Geekie scored his ninth of the season, thanks to David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha. The Bruins padded the lead on a Zacha goal, his twelfth of the year, courtesy of James van Riemsdyk and Pastrnak. The final stood at 4-0, with the three stars handed to Ullmark (17 save shutout), Coyle, and Zacha, while Pastrnak gets an honorable mention.

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Pyotr Kochetkov are the goalies. Carolina started in the first period with a Martin Necas goal, his fourteenth of the season, made possible by Brady Skjei and Jordan Staal. The Hurricanes added on with a Necas goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, courtesy of Brent Burns and Teuvo Teravainen. Carolina extended the lead as Necas completed his hat trick on his sixteenth of the season, thanks to Teravainen and Jaccob Slavin. Colorado got on the board with a Zach Parise goal, passed from Logan O'Connor and Samuel Girard on the power play. The Avalanche got closer with a Girard goal, his third of the year, via Andrew Cogliano. Antti Raanta replaced Kochetkov in goal in the second period. The Hurricanes replied with a Michael Bunting power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Teravainen and Burns. Carolina iced it at 5-2 with a Seth Jarvis empty net goal, his sixteenth of the year, set up by Teravainen and Sebastian Aho. The three stars belonged to Necas, Teravainen, and Burns, while Girard gets an honorable mention.

Further south, the Florida Panthers bring in the Washington Capitals. Darcy Kuemper and Sergei Bobrovsky are the veterans in goal. Washington began in the first period with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Rasmus Sandin and Connor McMichael on the power play. Florida tied it in the second period with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his seventeenth of the year, coming off of Gustav Forsling. The Capitals took the lead with an Anthony Mantha goal, his sixteenth of the season, courtesy of Michael Sgarbossa and Aliaksei Protas. The Panthers tied it on a Sam Reinhart power play goal, his thirty-eighth of the year, powered by Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe. Florida pulled ahead in the third period with a Ryan Lomberg goal, his third of the season, guided in by Dmitry Kulikov. The Panthers iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Eetu Luostarinen, his ninth of the year, set up by Tkachuk. The three stars were Tkachuk, Lomberg, and Reinhart.

Back north, the New Jersey Devils host the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Vitek Vanecek are in the blue paint. New Jersey struck first in the first period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his seventh of the season, via Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier. Calgary tied it on a Mikael Backlund goal, his eleventh of the year, coming off of Andrew Mangiapane and Blake Coleman. The Flames took the lead in the second period with a Connor Zary goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by courtesy of Nazem Kadri and Martin Pospisil. Calgary added on in the third period with a Kevin Rooney goal, assisted by Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev. The Devils got one back with a Hischier shorthanded goal, his fourteenth of the year, set up by Bratt. The Flames answered with an Andrei Kuzmenko goal, his tenth of the season, helped along by Hanifin and Zary. New Jersey got one back with a Palat goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, passed from Colin Miller and Bratt. Calgary iced it at 5-3 with an empty net goal by Mangiapane, his tenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Zary, Hanifin, and Bratt, while Palat, Hischier, and Mangiapane get the honorable mentions.

Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Laurent Brossoit and Samuel Ersson are between the pipes. Philadelphia led off in the first period with a Tyson Foerster goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Ryan Poehling and Noah Cates. The Flyers added on with a Travis Konecny goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, fueled by Morgan Frost and Sean Walker. Philadelphia extended the lead as Frost scored his eighth of the season, thanks to Owen Tippett and Konecny. The Flyers padded the lead on a Poehling shorthanded goal, his sixth of the year, going in unassisted. Winnipeg got on the board in the third period with a Kyle Connor goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey. The final stood from here at 4-1, with the three stars going to Konecny, Poehling, and Frost.

Along to New York, as the Islanders bring in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Jonas Johansson is mismatched with Ilya Sorokin in goal. New York kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Noah Dobson goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Jean-Gabriel Pageau. Tampa Bay tied it on a Nikita Kucherov goal, his thirty-third of the year, fueled by Darren Raddysh. The Islanders retook the lead with a Mathew Barzal goal, his fifteenth of the season, coming off of Bo Horvat. New York added on with a Kyle Palmieri goal, his fourteenth of the year, passed from Mike Reilly and Brock Nelson. The Lightning got one back with a Brandon Hagel power play goal in the second period, his eighteenth of the season, powered by Anthony Cirelli and Victor Hedman. The Islanders shot back with a Ryan Pulock power play goal, his third of the year, with an assist provided by Pierre Engvall. New York extended the lead as Horvat scored his twenty-first of the season, thanks to Barzal and Adam Pelech. The Islanders padded the lead on a Casey Cizikas goal, his sixth of the year, going in unassisted. This stood for a 6-2 final score, with the three stars going to Barzal, Horvat, and Palmieri.

Finally, the Arizona Coyotes host the Vegas Golden Knights. Adin Hill and Connor Ingram guard the cages. Vegas was first to score in the first period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, courtesy of Ivan Barbashev and Nicolas Roy. The Golden Knights added on with a Nicolas Hague goal, his second of the year, assisted by Brendan Brisson and William Karlsson. Arizona got on the board with a Jason Zucker goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Juuso Valimaki and Matias Maccelli. Vegas replied with a Chandler Stephenson goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Mark Stone and Paul Cotter. The Coyotes got one back in the third period with a Clayton Keller goal, his twenty-first of the season, via Nick Schmaltz. The final held at 3-2, with the three stars being Stephenson, Hague, and Marchessault. 

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

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.