NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 2

We're back in earnest with four more games this Sunday. First up...

The Florida Panthers host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky guard the cages. Florida led off in the first period with a Sam Reinhart goal, via Gustav Forsling and Aleksander Barkov. Tampa Bay tied it on a Brandon Hagel goal, guided in by Anthony Cirelli and Steven Stamkos. The Panthers retook the lead in the third period with a Carter Verhaeghe power play goal, powered by Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. Florida added on with a Tkachuk empty net goal, set up by Aaron Ekblad. The Lightning got one back with a Stamkos power play goal, with helpers from Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Tkachuk, Barkov, and Stamkos. The Panthers have a 1-0 series lead.

Up in New York, the Rangers welcome the Washington Capitals. Charlie Lindgren and Igor Shesterkin are the masked men. New York got going in the second period with a Matt Rempe goal, assisted by Jimmy Vesey and Barclay Goodrow. The Rangers added on with an Artemi Panarin goal, guided in by Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere. New York extended the lead as Vesey scored, thanks to Goodrow. Washington got on the board with a Tom Wilson goal, fueled by Aliaksei Protas and Martin Fehervary. The Rangers countered in the third period with a Chris Kreider goal, via Mika Zibanejad and Jack Roslovic. This stood for a 4-1 win, with the three stars being Besey, Goodrow, and Shesterkin (20 for 21 in saves). The Rangers are holding a 1-0 series lead.

West to Winnipeg, as the Jets bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Connor Hellebuyck protect the nets. Colorado began in the first period with a Valeri Nichushkin goal, via Josh Manson. Winnipeg tied it on a Josh Morrissey goal, coming off of Kyle Connor and Brenden Dillon. The Jets took the lead with a Vladislav Namestnikov goal, assisted by Alex Iafallo. The Avalanche retied it on a Miles Wood goal, passed from Joel Kiviranta and Ross Colton. Colorado took the lead with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, fueled by Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. Winnipeg tied it on a Mark Scheifele goal, courtesy of Gabriel Vilardi. The Jets pulled ahead in the second period with an Adam Lowry goal, with helpers from Dillion and Nino Niederreiter. Winnipeg added on in the third period with another Lowry goal, passed from Mason Appleton and Niederreiter. The Jets extended the lead as Connor scored on the power play, with the help of Morrissey and Scheifele. The Avalanche got one back with an Artturi Lehkonen power play goal, powered by Makar and MacKinnon. Winnipeg shot back with a Connor goal, his second of the game, guided in by Vilardi and Scheifele. Colorado replied with an unassisted Makar power play goal. The Avalanche got closer on a Casey Mittelstadt goal, helped along by Lehkonen and Rantanen. This only made it 7-6, the final, with the three stars being Connor, Lowry, and Scheifele, while Morrissey, Dillon, Niederreiter, Vilardi, Makar, MacKinnon, Lehkonen, and Rantanen get the honorable mentions. The Jets are up 1-0 in the series. 

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Thatcher Demko tend the twines. Nashville struck first in the first period with a Jason Zucker goal, via Roman Josi and Mark Jankowski. Vancouver tied it in the second period with an Elias Lindholm goal, assisted by Dakota Joshua and Nikita Zadorov. The Predators took the lead back with a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, powered by Gustav Nyquist and Filip Forsberg. The Canucks tied it in the third period with a Quinn Hughes goal, fueled by Brock Boeser and Filip Hronek. Vancouver took the lead with a Joshua goal, with a lone helper from Conor Garland. The Canucks iced it at 4-2 with a Joshua empty net goal, his second of the game, set up by Teddy Blueger and J.T. Miller. The three stars were Joshua, Hughes, and Lindholm. The Canucks own a 1-0 series lead. 

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NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 1

It's the first day of the postseason, which starts with two games. First up...

The Carolina Hurricanes welcome the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Frederik Andersen patrol the creases. Carolina started in the first period with an Evgeny Kuznetsov power play goal, powered by Martin Necas and Brady Skjei. New York tied it on a Kyle MacLean goal, coming off of Anders Lee and Alexander Romanov. The Hurricanes pulled ahead with a Stefan Noesen goal, via Skjei and Kuznetsov. Carolina iced it at 3-1 with a Necas empty net goal, set up by Brett Pesce and Jack Drury. The three stars were Kuznetsov, Necas, and Skjei. The Hurricanes established a 1-0 series lead.

Up in Boston, the Bruins bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ilya Samsonov and Jeremy Swayman are the masked men. Boston opened in the first period with a John Beecher goal, coming off of Jesper Boqvist and Pat Maroon. The Bruins added on in the second period with a Brandon Carlo goal, passed from Jake DeBrusk and Hampus Lindholm. Boston extended the lead on a DeBrusk power play goal, powered by Charlie McAvoy and Brad Marchand. The Bruins padded the with another DeBrusk power play goal, with helpers from Marchand and McAvoy. Toronto got on the board in the third period with a David Kampf goal, fueled by Connor Dewar and Ryan Reaves. Boston iced it at 5-1 with a Trent Frederic empty net goal, with a lone assist from David Pastrnak. The three stars were DeBrusk, Marchand, and McAvoy. The Bruins begin the first round with a 1-0 series lead. 

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NHL 2023-24 - Day 183

The regular season ends here, with six games on a Thursday. First up...

The Minnesota Wild host the Seattle Kraken. Joey Daccord and Marc-Andre Fleury patrol the creases. Minnesota opened in the first period with a Kirill Kaprizov power play goal, his forty-sixth of the season, going in unassisted. Seattle tied it in the second period with a Matty Beniers power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, powered by Justin Schultz and Oliver Bjorkstrand. The Kraken took the lead with a Yanni Gourde shorthanded goal, his tenth of the season, set up by Brandon Tanev in the third period. The Wild tied it on a Mats Zuccarello goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Matt Boldy and Jake Middleton. Seattle retook the lead with a Tye Kartye goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Bjorkstrand and Jared McCann. The Kraken added on with a Gourde shorthanded goal into an empty net, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, passed from Tanev and Jamie Oleksiak. Minnesota got one back with a Brock Faber power play goal, his eighth of the campaign, helped along by Boldy and Ryan Hartman. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Gourde, Bjorkstrand, and Tanev, while Boldy gets an honorable mention.

Up in Winnipeg, the Jets welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Laurent Brossoit are set to start in goal. Vancouver started in the first period with a Conor Garland goal, his twentieth of the season, going in unassisted. Winnipeg tied it on a Gabriel Vilardi goal, his twenty-second of the year, coming off of Alex Iafallo and Brad Lambert. The Jets took the lead in the second period with a Cole Perfetti goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Mason Appleton and Nate Schmidt. The Canucks tied it on an Elias Lindholm power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, powered by Quinn Hughes and Garland. Winnipeg took the lead in the third period with a Nikita Chibrikov goal, helped along by Nino Niederreiter. The Jets added on with a Perfetti empty net goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars of the 4-2 game were Perfetti, Garland, and Chibrikov.

Over in Calgary, the Flames bring in the San Jose Sharks. Devin Cooley and Dustin Wolf patrol the creases. Calgary led off in the first period with an Adam Klapka goal, going in unassisted. The Flames added on with a Blake Coleman goal, his thirtieth of the season, assisted by Connor Zary and Rasmus Andersson. Calgary extended the lead in the second period as Oliver Kylington scored his third of the year, thanks to Andrei Kuzmenko. The Flames padded the lead with a Kevin Rooney goal, his third of the season, made possible by Martin Pospisil and Matt Coronato. Calgary continued with a MacKenzie Weegar goal, his twentieth of the year, guided in by Daniil Miromanov and Coleman. Georgi Romanov replaced Cooley in goal. San Joe got on the board in the third period with a Fabian Zetterlund power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, powered by Mikael Granlund and Collin Graf. The final held at 5-1 with the three stars being Coleman, Wolf (16 for 17 in saves), and Klapka.

Down in Colorado, the Avalanche host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Justus Annunen are in the blue paint. Colorado began in the first period with a Valeri Nichushkin goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, passed from Artturi Lehkonen and Casey Mittelstadt. The Avalanche added on with a Mikko Rantanen goal, his forty-second of the year, via Devon Toews and Nathan MacKinnon. Colorado extended the lead on a Nichushkin power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-eighth of the season, powered by MacKinnon and Cale Makar. The Avalanche padded the lead as Josh Manson scored his eighth of the year, thanks to Sean Walker and Yakov Trenin. Edmonton got on the board with a Dylan Holloway power play goal, his sixth of the season, with assists provided by Philip Broberg and Brett Kulak. Calvin Pickard replaced Skinner in goal. Colorado fired back in the second period with a Zach Parise goal, his fifth of the year, made possible by Ross Colton and Miles Wood. The final held at 5-1, with the three stars being Nichushkin, MacKinnon, and Annunen (24 for 25 in saves).

To Nevada, as the Vegas Golden Knights welcome the Anaheim Ducks. Lukas Dostal and Adin Hill are the masked men. Anaheim got going in the second period with a Frank Vatrano power play goal, his thirty-fifth of the season, powered by Cam Fowler and Ryan Strome. Vegas tied it on a Jack Eichel power play goal, his thirty-first of the year, via Shea Theodore and William Karlsson. The Ducks took the lead back in the second period with a Jackson LaCombe goal, his second of the season, coming off of Cutter Gauthier and Leo Carlsson. Anaheim added on with a Vatrano goal, his second of the game and thirty-sixth of the year, passed from Strome and Trevor Zegras. The Ducks iced it at 4-1 with an empty net goal by Vatrano to complete his hat trick on his thirty-seventh of the campaign, set up by LaCombe. The three stars were Vatrano, LaCombe, and Strome.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Arvid Soderblom and Cam Talbot are between the pipes. Chicago struck first in the first period with a Lukas Reichel goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. Los Angeles tied it in the second period on a Viktor Arvidsson goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Phillip Danault and Trevor Moore. The Kings took the lead with a Quinton Byfield power play goal, his twentieth of the season, powered by Danault and Jordan Spence. Los Angeles added on with a Moore goal, his thirty-first of the year, guided in by Arvidsson and Danault. The Blackhawks got one back in the third period with a Tyler Johnson power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, with assists provided by Kevin Korchinski and Ryan Donato. Chicago tied it on a Joey Anderson goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Landon Slaggert. The Blackhawks gained the lead with a Donato goal, his twelfth of the season, helped along by MacKenzie Entwistle. The Kings retied it on an Arvidsson power play goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, with helpers from Byfield and Adrian Kempe. Los Angeles won 5-4 in overtime on a Kempe goal, his twenty-eighth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Arvidsson, Kempe, and Moore, while Danault, Byfield, and Donato get the honorable mentions. 

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NHL 2023-24 - Day 182

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

The New York Islanders hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Alex Nedeljkovic and Ilya Sorokin are the goalies. New York began in the first period with a Brock Nelson goal, his thirty-fourth of the season, fueled by Simon Holmstrom. Pittsburgh tied it on a Rickard Rakell goal, his fifteenth of the year, via Michael Bunting and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins took the lead in the second period with a Malkin power play goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, powered by Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson. The Islanders tied it on a Casey Cizikas goal, his tenth of the year, made possible by Alexander Romanov and Samuel Bolduc. Pittsburgh took the lead back with a Valtteri Puustinen goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. New York tied it on a Kyle Palmieri power play goal, his thirtieth of the year, with assists provided by Nelson and Mike Reilly. The Islanders gained the lead in the third period with a Bolduc power play goal, his second of the season, guided in by Ryan Pulock and Ruslan Iskhakov. The Penguins tied it with a Jeff Carter power play goal, his eleventh of the year, helped along by Crosby and Bunting. New York pulled ahead with a Holmstrom goal, his fifteenth of the season, assisted by Kyle MacLean. This made it 5-4, the final, with the three stars going to Holmstrom, Nelson, and Bolduc, while Malkin, Crosby, and Bunting get the honorable mentions.

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Martin Jones and Matt Tomkins are the backups in goal. Tampa Bay led off in the first period with a Nick Paul goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, fueled by Anthony Duclair and Matt Dumba. The Lightning added on with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his forty-fourth of the year, passed from Brandon Hagel and Steven Stamkos. Toronto got on the board with a Ryan Reaves goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of David Kampf and Connor Dewar. Tampa Bay replied with a Duclair goal in the second period, his twenty-fourth of the year, assisted by Paul and Stamkos. The Lightning extended the lead as Brayden Point scored his forty-sixth of the season, thanks to Kucherov and Darren Raddysh on the power play. Tampa Bay padded the lead with a Hagel goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, helped along by Calvin de Haan. The Lightning struck again in the third period with a Tanner Jeannot goal, his seventh of the season, with helpers from Michael Eyssimont and Mitchell Chaffee. The Maple Leafs got one back with a TJ Brodie goal, coming off of Dewar and Kampf. Toronto got closer with a Pontus Holmberg goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Nicholas Robertson. The Maple Leafs pulled closer with a John Tavares goal, his twenty-ninth of the campaign, dished from William Nylander and Conor Timmins. This only made it 6-4, the final, with the three stars given to Kucherov, Hagel, and Paul, while Stamkos, Dewar and Kampf get the honorable mentions.

West to Dallas, as the Stars bring in the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Jake Oettinger tend the twines. St. Louis got going in the second period with a Robert Thomas goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, assisted by Zack Bolduc and Brayden Schenn. Dallas tied it in the third period with a Mason Marchment goal, his twenty-second of the year, passed from Matt Duchene and Esa Lindell. The tie went to a shootout, where Jason Robertson had the lone tally for a 2-1 Stars win. The three stars were Oettinger (26 for 27 in saves), Marchment, and Binnington (36 for 37 in saves).

Finally, the Arizona Coyotes host the Edmonton Oilers. Calvin Pickard and Connor Ingram receive the starts in goal. Arizona opened in the first period with a Liam O'Brien goal, his fifth of the season, via Juuso Valimaki and Michael Kesselring. Edmonton tied it on a Sam Carrick goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard. The Coyotes took the lead in the second period with a Matias Maccelli goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Jack McBain and Aku Raty. Arizona added on in the third period with a Lawson Crouse goal, his twenty-third of the year, coming off of Vladislav Kolyachonok and Dylan Guenther. The Oilers got one back with a Warren Foegele goal, his twentieth of the season, passed from Philip Broberg. The Coyotes fired back with a Guenther power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Clayton Keller and Alexander Kerfoot. Arizona iced it at 5-2 with a Sean Durzi empty net goal, his ninth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Guenther, Crouse, and Ingram (28 for 30 in saves). 

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NHL 2023-24 - Day 181

It's the last eight-game day of the season. First up...

The Boston Bruins host the Ottawa Senators. Anton Forsberg and Linus Ullmark man the nets. Ottawa got going in the second period with a Jiri Smejkal goal, via Erik Brannstrom. The Senators added on with a Jakob Chychrun goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Drake Batherson and Brady Tkachuk. Boston got on the board with a Pavel Zacha power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, powered by Kevin Shattenkirk and David Pastrnak in the third period. Ottawa iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Artem Zub, his fifth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Chychrun, Smejkal, and Forsberg (34 for 35 in saves).

In Columbus, the Blue Jackets welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Spencer Martin faces his former team and Jet Greaves in goal. Columbus opened in the first period with a Luca Del Bel Belluz goal, via Mikael Pyyhtia and Zach Werenski. The Blue Jackets added on with a Werenski goal, his tenth of the season, courtesy of Cole Sillinger and Kirill Marchenko. Carolina got on the board with a Jesperi Kotkaniemi goal, his twelfth of the year, passed from Max Comtois and Stefan Noesen. The Hurricanes tied it on a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, assisted by Kotkaniemi and Brent Burns. Columbus regained the lead with a James Malatesta goal, his second of the year, fueled by Mathieu Olivier and Sean Kuraly. Carolina tied it in the second period with a Teravainen power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, powered by Burns and Noesen. The Blue Jackets shot back with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Justin Danforth and Werenski. Columbus extended the lead in the third period as Alex Nylander scored his eleventh of the season, thanks to Erik Gudbranson and Ivan Provorov. The Blue Jackets padded the lead with a Werenski goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, made possible by Gaudreau and Olivier. This made it a 6-3 game, with the three stars going to Werenski, Gaudreau, and Olivier, while Teravainen, Kotkaniemi, Noesen, and Burns get the honorable mentions.

To Montreal, as the Canadiens host the Detroit Red Wings. James Reimer and Cayden Primeau are set to start in goal. Montreal started in the first period with an Alex Newhook goal, his fifteenth of the season, courtesy of Brendan Gallagher and Logan Mailloux. Detroit tied it on a Moritz Seider goal, his ninth of the year, coming off of Dylan Larkin. The Canadiens took the lead back in the second period with a Gallagher goal, his sixteenth of the season, guided in by Joel Armia and Jayden Struble. Montreal added on with a Cole Caufield goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, passed from Juraj Slafkovsky and Nick Suzuki. The Red Wings pulled one back with a Joe Veleno goal, his twelfth of the season, helped along by Shayne Gostisbehere and Daniel Sprong. Detroit tied it in the third period on a Sprong goal, his eighteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Canadiens pulled ahead with a Slafkovsky goal, his twentieth of the season, made possible by Lane Hutson and David Savard. The Red Wings tied it again with a David Perron goal, his seventeenth of the year, fueled by Gostisbehere. The tie went to a shootout, where Patrick Kane's lone tally gave the Red Wings a 5-4 win. The three stars belonged to Sprong, Slafkovsky, and Gallagher, while Gostisbehere get the honorable mentions.

Stateside, the Philadelphia Flyers bring in the Washington Capitals. Charlie Lindgren and Samuel Ersson receive the starts in goal. Washington led off in the first period with an Alex Ovechkin goal, his thirty-first of the season, via Dylan McIlrath and T.J. Oshie. Philadelphia tied it on an Erik Johnson goal, his fifth of the year, passed from Egor Zamula and Sean Couturier. The Capitals took the lead with an Oshie empty net goal, his twelfth of the season, set up by Nic Dowd. The final held at 2-1, with the three stars being Oshie, Lindgren (27 for 28 in saves), and Ovechkin.

Down in Florida, the Panthers host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Joseph Woll and Anthony Stolarz are the backups in goal. Toronto began in the first period with a Mitchell Marner goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, fueled by Morgan Rielly and William Nylander on the power play. The Maple Leafs added on with a Noah Gregor goal, his sixth of the year, going in unassisted. Florida got on the board in the second period with a Carter Verhaeghe goal, his thirty-fourth of the season, via Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk. The Panthers tied it on a Bennett goal, his twentieth of the year, passed from Gustav Forsling and Tkachuk. Florida took the lead with a Sam Reinhart goal, his fifty-sixth of the season, assisted by Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers replied with a Brandon Montour goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Barkov and Vladimir Tarasenko. Florida iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Reinhart, his second of the game and fifty-seventh of the campaign, set up by Eetu Luostarinen. The three stars went to Reinhart, Bennett, and Tkachuk, while Barkov gets an honorable mention.

Way north to Winnipeg, as the Jets welcome the Seattle Kraken. Philipp Grubauer and Connor Hellebuyck are the masked men. Winnipeg struck first in the first period with a Kyle Connor goal, his thirty-third of the season, via Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey. Seattle tied it on a Tomas Tatar goal, his ninth of the year, assisted by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. The Jets retook the lead with another Connor goal, his second of the game and thirty-fourth of the season, guided in by Morrissey and Scheifele. Winnipeg added on in the second period with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, passed from Tyler Toffoli and Neal Pionk. The Kraken got one back with a Yanni Gourde goal, his ninth of the season, helped along by Ryker Evans and Brandon Tanev. Seattle tied it on a Tye Kartye goal, his tenth of the year, made possible by Gourde. The Jets regained the lead in the third period with a Toffoli power play goal, his thirty-third of the season, powered by Ehlers and Pionk. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars given to Connor, Toffoli, and Ehlers, while Scheifele, Morrissey, Pionk, Gourde, and Tanev get the honorable mentions.

Westward to Vancouver, as the Canucks host the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko guard the cages. Vancouver kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Tyler Myers shorthanded goal, his fifth of the season, set up by Teddy Blueger and Elias Lindholm. The Canucks added on with a Nils Hoglander goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, courtesy of Elias Pettersson and Ilya Mikheyev. Vancouver extended the lead in the second period as Dakota Joshua scored his eighteenth of the season, thanks to Conor Garland and Myers. Calgary got on the board in the third period with a Brayden Pachal goal, his second of the year, with helpers from Nazem Kadri and Ilya Solovyov. The Canucks responded with a J.T. Miller goal, his thirty-seventh of the season, helped along by Pius Suter. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Myers, Demko (39 for 40 in saves), and Hoglander.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek and Logan Thompson protect the nets. Vegas dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Brayden McNabb goal, his fourth of the season, via Tomas Hertl and Pavel Dorofeyev. The Golden Knights added on in the third period with a Michael Amadio goal, his fourteenth of the year, going in unassisted. Chicago got on the board with a Jason Dickinson goal, his twenty-second of the season, passed from Connor Bedard and Philipp Kurashev. Vegas iced it at 3-1 with a Nicolas Roy empty net goal, his thirteenth of the year, set up by Brett Howden and Jack Eichel. The three stars belonged to Thompson (23 for 24 in saves), Amadio, and McNabb. 

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NHL 2023-24 - Day 180

There's eight games this Monday, beginning with...

The Detroit Red Wings hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Sam Montembeault and Alex Lyon are the goalies. Montreal led off in the first period with a Brendan Gallagher goal, his fourteenth of the season, via Lane Hutson and David Savard. The Canadiens added on with a Justin Barron goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Josh Anderson and Jake Evans. Detroit got on the board with a J.T. Compher goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Alex DeBrincat and Ben Chiarot. Montreal replied in the second period with a Rafael Harvey-Pinard goal, his second of the year, passed from Evans and Johnathan Kovacevic. The Canadiens extended the lead as Gallagher scored his second of the game and fifteenth of the season, helped along by Evans. The Red Wings replied with a Compher goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, with helpers from David Perron and Patrick Kane. Detroit pulled closer in the third period with a DeBrincat goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, guided in by Shayne Gostisbehere and Olli Maatta. The Red Wings tied it on a Lucas Raymond goal, his thirtieth of the year, coming off of Perron and Gostisbehere. Detroit won 5-4 in overtime with a Raymond goal, his second of the game and thirty-first of the campaign, assisted by Dylan Larkin and Gostisbehere. The three stars were Raymond, Compher, and DeBrincat, while Gostisbehere, Perron, Gallagher, and Evans get the honorable mentions.

Over in New Jersey, the Devils welcome the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Jake Allen are the veterans in goal. New York began in the first period with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his eleventh of the season, passed from Pierre Engvall and Anders Lee. The Islanders added on with a Kyle Palmieri power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, powered by Mike Reilly and Brock Nelson. New Jersey got on the board in the second period with a Timo Meier goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, fueled by Jesper Bratt and Nico Hischier. New York answered with a Nelson goal, his thirty-third of the year, courtesy of Hudson Fasching and Palmieri. The Islanders extended the lead in the third period as Kyle MacLean scored his fourth of the campaign, thanks to Lee and Engvall. This made it 4-1, the final, and the three stars were Palmieri, Nelson, and Lee, while Engvall gets an honorable mention.

West to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins host the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Alex Nedeljkovic are in the creases. Pittsburgh started in the first period with a Sidney Crosby power play goal, his forty-second of the season, powered by Michael Bunting and Bryan Rust. The Penguins added on with an Erik Karlsson goal, his eleventh of the year, fueled by Crosby and Marcus Pettersson. Nashville got on the board in the second period with a Gustav Nyquist goal, his twenty-third of the season, via Ryan O'Reilly and Ryan McDonagh. Pittsburgh replied with a Reilly Smith goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Lars Eller and Kris Letang. The Predators got one back with a Filip Forsberg goal, his forty-eighth of the season, courtesy of McDonagh. The Penguins replied with an Emil Bemstrom goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Karlsson and Pettersson. This made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars awarded to Crosby, Karlsson, and Pettersson, while McDonagh gets an honorable mention.

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Eric Comrie and Andrei Vasilevskiy are set to start in goal. Buffalo opened in the first period with a Dylan Cozens goal, his seventeenth of the season, coming off of Jack Quinn and Bowen Byram. Tampa Bay tied it in the second period with a Steven Stamkos goal, his fortieth of the year, via Nikita Kucherov. The Sabres took the lead back with a Cozens shorthanded goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the season, set up by Jordan Greenway. Buffalo added on with a Greenway goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Zemgus Girgensons and Tyson Jost. The Lightning got one back with an Erik Cernak goal, his second of the season, helped along by Nick Paul. The Sabres fired back with a Zach Benson goal, his eleventh of the year, with helpers from Quinn and Cozens. The final held at 4-2, with the three stars going to Cozens, Greenway, and Quinn.

Back north, the Washington Capitals host the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Charlie Lindgren patrol the creases. Washington struck first in the first period with a John Carlson goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Dylan Strome and Tom Wilson. The Capitals iced it at 2-0 with an empty net goal by Nic Dowd, his twelfth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars were Lindgren (16 save shutout), Carlson, and Dowd.

To New York, as the Rangers welcome the Ottawa Senators. Joonas Korpisalo and Igor Shesterkin are the masked men. New York kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Jack Roslovic goal, his ninth of the season, via Chris Kreider. The Rangers added on in the second period with a shorthanded Adam Fox goal, his seventeenth of the year, set up by Kreider and Mika Zibanejad. New York extended the lead in the third period as Artemi Panarin scored his forty-ninth of the season, thanks to Ryan Lindgren and Fox. The Rangers padded the lead on an Alexis Lafreniere goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, courtesy of Erik Gustafsson and Panarin. The final was 4-0, and the three stars were Shesterkin (26 save shutout), Fox, and Panarin, while Kreider gets an honorable mention.

Out west, the Edmonton Oilers host the San Jose Sharks. Devin Cooley and Stuart Skinner receive the starts in goal. Edmonton drew first blood in the first period with a Connor McDavid goal, his thirty-second of the season, courtesy of Darnell Nurse. The Oilers added on with an Adam Henrique goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, via Brett Kulak. Edmonton extended the lead as Warren Foegele scored his eighteenth of the season, thanks to Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers padded the lead on a Dylan Holloway goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Henrique and Nurse. San Jose got on the board in the second period with a Danil Gushchin goal, helped along by Thomas Bordeleau. Edmonton answered with a Foegele goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the season, passed from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Draisaitl. The Oilers continued with a Corey Perry goal, his twelfth of the year, made possible by Evan Bouchard and Holloway. Edmonton kept going with a Cody Ceci goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Henrique and Zach Hyman. The Oilers struck again with a Bouchard goal, his eighteenth of the year, with helpers from Perry and Holloway. Georgi Romanov replaced Cooley in goal. Edmonton piled on with a Hyman goal, his fifty-fourth of the season, dished from McDavid and Nurse. The Sharks got closer in the third period with a Fabian Zetterlund goal, his twenty-third of the year, fueled by William Eklund and Mikael Granlund. The final stood at 9-2, with the three stars being Foegele, Holloway, and Henrique, while Hyman, McDavid, Bouchard, Perry, Nurse, and Draisaitl get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Minnesota Wild. Filip Gustavsson and Cam Talbot are between the pipes. Minnesota was first to score in the first period with a Matt Boldy power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, powered by Marco Rossi and Brock Faber. The Wild added on with a Ryan Hartman goal in the second period, his twenty-first of the year, assisted by Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek. Minnesota extended the lead in the third period as Kaprizov scored his forty-fifth of the season, thanks to Rossi and Jake Middleton. Los Angeles got on the board with a Blake Lizotte goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Kevin Fiala and the goalie Talbot. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars given to Kaprizov, Rossi, and Gustavsson (23 for 24 in saves). 

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NHL 2023-24 - Day 179

There's four games this Sunday, beginning with...

The St. Louis Blues hosting the Seattle Kraken. Joey Daccord and Joel Hofer are in goal. Seattle led off in the first period with a Jared McCann goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, going in unassisted. St. Louis tied it on a Kasperi Kapanen goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Alexey Toropchenko. The Blues took the lead in the third period with a Jordan Kyrou goal, his thirty-first of the season, assisted by Matthew Kessel and Brandon Saad. St. Louis added on with a Brayden Schenn goal, his twentieth of the year, passed from Nick Leddy and Nathan Walker. The Blues iced it at 4-1 with a Walker empty net goal, his seventh of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Hofer (19 for 20 in saves), Walker, and Kyrou. 

Out west, the Vegas Golden Knights welcome the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Adin Hill protect the nets. Colorado began in the first period with a Ross Colton goal, his seventeenth of the season, via Miles Wood and Cale Makar. The Avalanche added on with a Makar goal, his twenty-first of the year, assisted by Nathan MacKinnon and Artturi Lehkonen. Colorado extended the lead in the second period as Mikko Rantanen scored his forty-first of the season, thanks to Josh Manson and Valeri Nichushkin. Vegas got on the board in the third period with an Ivan Barbashev goal, his nineteenth of the year, coming off of Keegan Kolesar and Noah Hanifin. The Golden Knights got closer with a William Karlsson power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, powered by Pavel Dorofeyev and Shea Theodore. Vegas tied it on a Karlsson goal, his second of the game and thirtieth of the year, fueled by Brett Howden and Zach Whitecloud. The Golden Knights won 4-3 in overtime with a Tomas Hertl power play goal, his seventeenth of the campaign, with assists provided by Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault. The three stars were Karlsson, Makar, and Hertl. 

Back east, the Chicago Blackhawks bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Pyotr Kochetkov and Petr Mrazek are in the blue paint. Chicago opened in the first period with a Frank Nazar goal, via Seth Jones. Carolina tied it on a Jordan Staal goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Jordan Martinook and Andrei Svechnikov. The Blackhawks took the lead back in the third period with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his second of the year, guided in by Lukas Reichel and Ryan Donato. The Hurricanes retied it on a Seth Jarvis power play goal, his thirty-second of the season, going in unassisted. Carolina took the lead with another Jarvis power play goal, his second of the game and thirty-third of the year, powered by Brent Burns and Svechnikov. The Hurricanes iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Sebastian Aho, his thirty-sixth of the campaign, set up by Jake Guentzel. The three stars were Jarvis, Staal, and Nazar.

Finally, the Calgary Flames host the Arizona Coyotes. Connor Ingram and Dustin Wolf patrol the creases. Arizona started in the first period with an Alexander Kerfoot goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Michael Kesselring and the goalie Ingram. The Coyotes added on with a Matias Maccelli goal, his sixteenth of the year, fueled by Josh Brown and Vladislav Kolyachonok. Calgary got on the board with an Andrei Kuzmenko goal, his twenty-second of the season, assisted by Nazem Kadri and Martin Pospisil. The Flames tied it on a Matt Coronato goal, his third of the year, going in unassisted. Arizona retook the lead with a Dylan Guenther power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Sean Durzi and Clayton Keller. Calgary tied it in the second period with a Connor Zary goal, his fourteenth of the year, helped along by Dryden Hunt. The Coyotes regained the lead with a Guenther goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the season, passed from Jan Jenik and Keller. Arizona extended the lead as Josh Doan scored his fifth of the year, thanks to Jack McBain. The Flames got one back with a Yegor Sharangovich goal, his thirty-first of the season, with helpers from Mikael Backlund and Rasmus Andersson. Calgary tied it in the third period with a Kadri goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, made possible by Andersson and Oliver Kylington. The Flames pulled ahead on a Kadri power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-ninth of the campaign, with assists provided by MacKenzie Weegar and Kuzmenko. This stood for a 6-5 final score, with the three stars being Kadri, Kuzmenko, and Guenther, while Andersson and Keller get the honorable mentions. 

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