Wednesday, April 24, 2024

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 5

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

The Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Ilya Samsonov man the nets. Toronto got going in the second period with a Matthew Knies goal, via Mitchell Marner and Joel Edmundson. Boston tied it on a Trent Frederic goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Morgan Geekie and Hampus Lindholm. The Bruins took the lead in the third period with a Jake DeBrusk power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle. The Maple Leafs tied it on a Tyler Bertuzzi goal, helped along by Morgan Rielly and Max Domi. Boston retook the lead with a Marchand goal, courtesy of Danton Heinen. The Bruins iced it at 4-2 with a Marchand empty net goal, his second of the game, set up by David Pastrnak. The three stars were Marchand, DeBrusk, and Frederic. The Bruins regained the series lead at 2-1.

Out in Dallas, the Stars welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Logan Thompson and Jake Oettinger guard the cages. Dallas led off in the first period with a Jason Robertson power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Miro Heiskanen and Jamie Benn. Vegas tied it on a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev. The Golden Knights took the lead in the second period with a Noah Hanifin goal, going in unassisted. Vegas iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Eichel, set up by Marchessault. The three stars were Marchessault, Eichel, and Thompson (20 for 21 in saves). The Golden Knights head home up 2-0 in the series.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Cam Talbot and Stuart Skinner protect the nets. Los Angeles began in the first period with an Adrian Kempe goal, his second of the postseason, via Anze Kopitar. The Kings added on with another Kempe goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, guided in by Kopitar. Edmonton got on the board with a Brett Kulak goal, helped along by Leon Draisaitl and Warren Foegele. Los Angeles responded with a Drew Doughty goal, passed from Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault. The Oilers pulled one back in the second period with a Dylan Holloway goal, fueled by Sam Carrick and Mattias Janmark. Edmonton tied it on a Zach Hyman power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. The Kings retook the lead in the third period with a Kevin Fiala goal, made possible by Jordan Spence and Quinton Byfield. The Oilers retied it on a Holloway goal, his second of the game, coming off of Janmark. The Kings won 5-4 in overtime with a Kopitar goal, with helpers from Byfield and Mikey Anderson. The three stars went to Kopitar, Kempe, and Holloway, while Byfield, Draisaitl, and Janmark get the honorable mentions. 

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

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 4

It's another four-game day, beginning with...

The New York Rangers hosting the Washington Capitals. Charlie Lindgren and Igor Shesterkin are the masked men. Washington led off in the first period with a Connor McMichael goal, going in unassisted. New York tied it on a Vincent Trocheck goal, via Erik Gustafsson. The Rangers took the lead with a Mika Zibanejad power play goal, powered by Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere. The Capitals tied it on a power play goal by Dylan Strome in the second period, with assists provided by Tom Wilson and Max Pacioretty. New York retook the lead with a Jack Roslovic power play goal, helped along by Gustafsson and Lafreniere. The Rangers added on with a K'Andre Miller shorthanded goal, set up by Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Washington got one back in the third period with a Wilson power play goal, courtesy of Hendrix Lapierre and John Carlson. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Trocheck, Zibanejad, and Wilson, while Lafreniere and Gustafsson get the honorable mentions. The Rangers are taking a 2-0 series lead on the road.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky tend the twines. Florida began in the first period with a Sam Bennett goal, passed from Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe. The Panthers added on with a Vladimir Tarasenko power play goal, powered by Bennett and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Tampa Bay got on the board in the second period with a Brayden Point goal, assisted by Anthony Duclair and Victor Hedman. The Lightning tied it with a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his second of the postseason, with helpers from Hedman and Nikita Kucherov. Florida won 3-2 in overtime with a Verhaeghe goal, his second of the playoffs, helped along by Anton Lundell and Tkachuk. The three stars were Verhaeghe, Bennett, and Tkachuk, while Hedman gets an honorable mention. The Panthers lead the series 2-0 as they prepare to hit the road.

Way up in Winnipeg, the Jets bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Connor Hellebuyck guard the cages. Winnipeg started in the first period with a David Gustafsson goal, via Brenden Dillon and Neal Pionk. Colorado tied it in the second period on a Miles Wood goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Ross Colton. The Jets retook the lead with a Mark Scheifele goal, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor. The Avalanche tied it again with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, his second of the postseason, passed from Cale Makar and Devon Toews. Colorado took the lead with a Zach Parise goal, helped along by Andrew Cogliano. The Avalanche added on with a Josh Manson goal, coming off of Nathan MacKinnon and Lehkonen. Colorado iced it at 5-2 in the third period with a Valeri Nichushkin empty net goal, his second of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Lehkonen, Parise, and Manson. The series is tied at 1-1 heading back to Denver.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Casey DeSmith receive the starts in goal. Nashville opened in the first period with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, courtesy of Filip Forsberg. The Predators added on in the second period with a Forsberg goal, coming off of Gustav Nyquist. Nashville extended the lead as Colton Sissons scored, thanks to Beauvillier and Jason Zucker. Vancouver got on the board with a Nikita Zadorov goal, passed from Ian Cole and Phillip Di Giuseppe. The Predators fired back in the third period with a Kiefer Sherwood empty net goal, going in unassisted. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars being Forsberg, Saros (17 for 18 in saves), and Beauvillier. The series heads east tied at 1-1. 

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

Monday, April 22, 2024

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 3

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

The Boston Bruins hosting the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ilya Samsonov and Linus Ullmark are the masked men. Boston opened in the first period with a Morgan Geekie power play goal, powered by Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk. Toronto tied it on a Max Domi goal, via Auston Matthews. The Bruins pulled ahead with a David Pastrnak goal, courtesy of Pavel Zacha and Charlie McAvoy. The Maple Leafs tied it in the second period with a John Tavares power play goal, with assists provided by Matthews and Tyler Bertuzzi. Toronto took the lead in the third period with a Matthews goal, passed from Domi and Ilya Lyubushkin. This held for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Matthews, Domi, and Samsonov (27 for 29 in saves). The series heads to Toronto tied at 1.

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Frederik Andersen protect the nets. New York started in the first period with a Kyle Palmieri goal, via Mike Reilly and Brock Nelson. The Islanders added on with a Bo Horvat goal, coming off of Mathew Barzal and Casey Cizikas. New York extended the lead on an Anders Lee power play goal, powered by Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Pierre Engvall. Carolina got on the board with a Teuvo Teravainen power play goal, assisted by Jake Guentzel and Seth Jarvis. The Hurricanes got closer in the second period with a Jarvis goal, fueled by Jordan Staal and Brady Skjei. Carolina tied it as Sebastian Aho scored, thanks to Andrei Svechnikov and Jarvis. The Hurricanes pulled ahead with a Jordan Martinook goal, guided in by Jack Drury. Carolina iced it at 5-3 with an empty net goal by Guentzel, set up by Aho and Svechnikov. The three stars were Jarvis, Aho, and Guentzel, while Svechnikov gets an honorable mention. The Hurricanes leave home ahead 2-0 in the series.

Along to Dallas, as the Stars bring in the Vegas Golden Knights. Logan Thompson and Jake Oettinger are between the pipes. Vegas led off in the first period with a Mark Stone power play goal, powered by Noah Hanifin and Jack Eichel. The Golden Knights added on with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, via Ivan Barbashev. Dallas got on the board with a Jamie Benn goal, guided in by Wyatt Johnston. Vegas shot back on a Tomas Hertl power play goal, with a lone helper from Hanifin. The Stars pulled one back with a Jason Robertson goal, helped along by Logan Stankoven. The Golden Knights fired back in the second period with a Brayden McNabb goal, courtesy of Eichel. Dallas got closer with a Mason Marchment goal in the third period, helped along by Miro Heiskanen and the goalie Oettinger. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Eichel, Hanifin, and Hertl. The Golden Knights claimed a 1-0 series lead.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers host the Los Angeles Kings. Cam Talbot and Stuart Skinner guard the cages. Edmonton began in the first period with a Zach Hyman goal, coming off of Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard. The Oilers added on with an Adam Henrique goal, guided in by Hyman and Bouchard. Edmonton extended the lead in the second period as Hyman scored again, with the help of McDavid and Henrique. The Oilers padded the lead with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins power play goal, powered by Leon Draisaitl and McDavid. Los Angeles got on the board with a Mikey Anderson goal, via Drew Doughty and Viktor Arvidsson. The Kings got closer with an Adrian Kempe goal, helped along by Quinton Byfield. Edmonton replied in the third period with a Draisaitl power play goal, with helpers from McDavid and Bouchard. The Oilers continued with a Hyman power play goal, completing his hat trick with assists provided by McDavid and Bouchard. Los Angeles fired back with a Pierre-Luc Dubois goal, made possible by Kempe. The Kings got another on a Trevor Moore goal, fueled by Alex Laferriere. Edmonton iced it at 7-4 with a Warren Foegele empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were Hyman, McDavid, and Bouchard, while Draisaitl, Henrique, and Kempe get the honorable mentions. The Oilers lead the series 1-0. 

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

Sunday, April 21, 2024

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. 

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

Saturday, April 20, 2024

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. 

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

Thursday, April 18, 2024

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. 

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

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

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). 

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