NHL October 18th, 2014

Eleven games on tonight, beginning in...

Buffalo, as the Sabres host the Boston Bruins. Niklas Svedberg and Jhonas Enroth are called on to start in goal. Boston was first to score in the first period on a Dougie Hamilton goal, courtesy of Patrice Bergeron. The Bruins added on as Zdeno Chara scored his second of the year, thanks to Brad Marchand and Hamilton. Boston extended the lead in the second period on a Torey Krug goal, with a lone assist by David Krejci. The Bruins padded the lead with a Carl Soderberg goal, his second of the year, coming off of Chris Kelly and Loui Eriksson. This made it 4-0, the eventual final, and the three stars went to Hamilton, Svedberg (32 save shutout), and Chara.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jonathan Bernier and former Maple Leaf Jonas Gustavsson are in the blue paint. Detroit won 1-0 in overtime with a Henrik Zetterberg goal, courtesy of Niklas Kronwall and Jonathan Ericsson. The three stars were awarded to Gustavsson (30 save shutout), Zetterberg, and Bernier (31 for 32 in saves).

Into Canada, as the Montreal Canadiens bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Calvin Pickard and Dustin Tokarski are the relatively unknown goalies. Colorado started in the first period on an Alex Tanguay goal, his second of the season, courtesy of John Mitchell. Montreal tied it in the second period as P.K. Subban scored a power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Andrei Markov and Alex Galchenyuk. The Canadiens took the lead with a Galchenyuk goal, his second of the season, with a lone assist by Brandon Prust. Montreal added on with another Subban goal, his second of the game and third of the year, via Lars Eller. The Avalanche got one back in the third period on a Matt Duchene goal, his second of the campaign, assisted by Jarome Iginla and Tyson Barrie. This was as close as it got, with the final at 3-2, and the three stars went to Subban, Galchenyuk, and Tokarski (32 for 34 in saves).

Down in New Jersey, the Devils host the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Cory Schneider receive the starting nods. San Jose struck first in the first period with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Logan Couture and Brent Burns. The Sharks added on with a Couture power play goal in the second period, guided in by Patrick Marleau and Pavelski. San Jose extended the lead in the third period on a Marleau goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Couture and Justin Braun. New Jersey got on the board with a Michael Cammalleri goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Jaromir Jagr and Andy Greene. The Devils pulled closer with an Adam Henrique goal, his second of the year, fueled by Michael Ryder and Jon Merrill. The Sharks iced it at 4-2 with a Joe Thornton empty net goal, set up by Pavelski. The three stars went to Couture, Pavelski, and Marleau.

Back north to Ottawa, as the Senators welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Curtis McElhinney and Robin Lehner are the backups making spot starts. Ottawa opened in the first period on a David Legwand goal, his second of the season, via Mike Hoffman and Chris Neil. The Senators added on in the second period with an Erik Karlsson goal, his second of the year, with a lone assist from Clarke MacArthur. McElhinney was replaced by Sergei Bobrovsky in goal. Columbus got on the board with a Nick Foligno goal, his second of the season, fueled by Scott Hartnell and Tim Erixon. The Blue Jackets tied it on a David Savard goal, assisted by Foligno and Ryan Johansen. Ottawa took the lead in the third period on a Hoffman goal, coming off of Neil. This was good for a 3-2 win, and the three stars went to Hoffman, Foligno, and Neil.

Stateside again to Pittsburgh, where the Penguins bring in the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Marc-Andre Fleury guard the cages. New York led off in the first period with a Thomas Hickey goal, assisted by Ryan Strome and Brock Nelson. Pittsburgh tied it on a second period power play goal by Evgeni Malkin, his second of the season, fueled by Sidney Crosby and Patric Hornqvist. The Penguins gained the lead with a Hornqvist power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Malkin and Kris Letang. Pittsburgh finished it at 3-1 with an empty net Hornqvist goal in the third period, his second of the game and fourth of the campaign, set up by Chris Kunitz and Crosby. The three stars were handed to Fleury (34 for 35 in saves), Hornqvist, and Malkin, while Crosby gets an honorable mention.

East to DC, where the Washington Capitals host the Florida Panthers. Al Montoya and Justin Peters are the in the creases. Washington began in the first period with a Jason Chimera goal, fueled by Eric Fehr and Joel Ward. Florida tied it with a third period power play goal by Brad Boyes, powered by Sean Bergenheim and Dylan Olsen. The tie lasted to a shootout, with the Capitals using goals from Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, and Alex Ovechkin to overpower a Panthers goal from Jonathan Huberdeau and win the game 2-1. The three stars belonged to Peters (20 for 21 in saves), Montoya (27 for 28 in saves), and Backstrom.

Southwest to Dallas, as the Stars welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Kari Lehtonen are the veteran goalies. Dallas started in the first period with a Trevor Daley power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Tyler Seguin and Jason Spezza. Philadelphia tied it on a Sean Couturier goal, his second of the year, coming off of R.J. Umberger and Andrew MacDonald. The Flyers took the lead on a Brayden Schenn goal, fueled by Luke Schenn and the goalie Mason. The Stars retied it in the second period on an Erik Cole goal, guided in by Shawn Horcoff and Patrick Eaves. Dallas pulled ahead with a power play goal by Daley, his second of the game and third of the season, assisted by Seguin and Spezza. The Stars added on with a Jamie Benn goal, his third of the year, with helpers from Seguin and Spezza, who each got sock tricks. Philadelphia got one back in the third period as MacDonald scored a power play goal, helped along by Michael Del Zotto and Matt Read. The Flyers retied it with a Jakub Voracek goal, his second of the season, driven in by Nick Schultz and Claude Giroux. Dallas regained the lead on a Spezza goal, with assists provided by Jordie Benn and Seguin. Philadelphia tied it once again as Michael Raffl scored his second of the year, with the help of Voracek and Mark Streit. The Flyers won 6-5 in overtime on a Giroux power play goal, his second of the campaign, made possible by Streit and Voracek. The three stars went to Seguin, Voracek, and Spezza, while Daley, MacDonald, Giroux, and Streit get the honorable mentions.

Up in Chicago, the Blackhawks bring in the Nashville Predators. Carter Hutton is mismatched with Corey Crawford in goal. Chicago struck first in the first period with a Johnny Oduya goal, assisted by Niklas Hjalmarsson and Bryan Bickell. Nashville tied it on a power play goal by Shea Weber, his third of the season, powered by Mike Ribeiro and Colin Wilson. The Blackhawks won 2-1 in overtime on a shorthanded and unassisted goal by Jonathan Toews. The three stars went to Toews, Hutton (35 for 37 in saves), and Crawford (18 for 19 in saves).

Continuing to Arizona, where the Coyotes host the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Mike Smith have the green light to start in goal. St. Louis was first to score in the first period on a David Backes power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Vladimir Tarasenko and Jaden Schwartz. The Blues added on with an Alexander Steen goal in the second period, made possible by Backes and Tarasenko. St. Louis extended the lead with a Schwartz goal, his second of the year, coming on the power play from Tarasenko, who got a sock trick. The Blues padded the lead in the third period with a Schwartz goal, his second of the game and third of the season, with a lone helper by Jori Lehtera. Arizona got on the board with a power play goal by Lauri Korpikoski, courtesy of Shane Doan and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. St. Louis shot back on a Lehtera power play goal, thanks to Steen and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Blues finished it at 6-1 with a Schwartz power play goal, completing his hat trick on his fourth of the year, with helpers from Shattenkirk and Lehtera. The three stars went to Schwartz, Tarasenko, and Backes, while Lehtera, Shattenkirk, and Steen get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ben Bishop and Eddie Lack are the young goalies. Tampa Bay opened in the first period on a Steven Stamkos goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Ondrej Palat. Vancouver tied it on a Chris Higgins goal, coming off of Nick Bonino and Alexander Edler. The Lightning took the lead back as Stamkos scored his second of the game and fifth of the year, passed from Ryan Callahan and Palat. The Canucks pulled even with a power play goal by Edler in the second period, via Daniel Sedin and Kevin Bieksa. Tampa Bay took the lead back on a Callahan power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Stamkos and Jason Garrison. The Lightning added on with a third period Alex Killorn goal, his second of the year, fueled by Tyler Johnson and Anton Stralman. The final stood at 4-2, with the three stars being Stamkos, Callahan, and Edler, while Palat gets an honorable mention.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL October 18th, 2014

Four games on today, beginning in...

Chelyabinsk, as Traktor hosts Slovan Bratislava. Jaroslav Janus and Michael Garnett are the masked men. Bratislava opened in the first period with a Tomas Netik goal, via Milan Bartovic. Chelyabinsk tied it on a Jan Bulis goal, assisted by Stanislav Chistov and Konstantin Panov. Slovan took the lead back in the second period on a Ziga Jeglic goal, passed from Rok Ticar and Kurtis Foster. Traktor tied it again with an Anton Glinkin power play goal, powered by Andrei Popov. Chelyabinsk took the lead in the third period on a Semyon Kokuyov goal, courtesy of Oleg Piganovich. This was good for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Kokuyov, Glinkin, and Bulis.

Over to Khanty-Mansiysk, as Yugra welcomes Medvescak Zagreb. Barry Brust and Stepan Goryachevskikh are in the blue paint. Zagreb started in the first period on a Matt Anderson goal, assisted by Mark Flood and Aaron Polushaj. Khanty-Mansiysk tied it in the second period with a power play goal by Igor Magogin, powered by Andrei Sergeyev and Alexei Pepelyaev. Medvescak won 2-1 in overtime on a power play goal by Bill Thomas, with a lone assist by Mathieu Carle. The three stars went to Brust (30 for 31 in saves), Thomas, and Anderson.

West to Nizhnekamsk, where Neftekhimik brings in Dinamo Minsk. Dmitry Milchakov and Alexander Sudnitsin draw the starts in goal. Lars Haugen had to relieve an injured Milchakov in the first period. Nizhnekamsk promptly led off with a first period goal by Alexander Korolyuk, assisted by Alexander Yevseyenkov and Ilshat Bilalov. Neftekhimik added on with an unassisted Pyotr Khokryakov goal in the second period. Minsk got on the board with a Paul Szczechura goal, coming off of Ilya Shinkevich and Alexei Kalyuzhny. Dinamo tied it on a Charles Linglet goal, passed from Ryan Vesce and Ivan Svarny. Nizhnekamsk took the lead back with a Khokryakov penalty shot goal, after he was hooked by Nick Bailen. Minsk tied it again in the third period with another Linglet goal, made possible by Matt Ellison and Bailen. Neftekhimik pulled ahead on a Maxim Rybin goal, fueled by Korolyuk and Mikhail Zhukov. Dinamo tied it once more with an Ellison goal, with helpers provided by Linglet and Jonathan Cheechoo. Nizhnekamsk won 5-4 in overtime with a Tim Stapleton goal, guided in by Nikolai Belov and Igor Polygalov. The three stars were given to Linglet, Korolyuk, and Khokryakov.

Finally, Lada Togliatti hosts Atlant Mytishchi. Atte Engren and Ilya Ezhov receive the starting nods. Mytishchi got going in the second period on an Artyom Chernov power play goal, powered by Matthew Gilroy. Togliatti tied it in the third period as Andrei Nikitenko scored, thanks to Semyon Valuisky. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Lada got goals from Georgy Belousov, Valuisky, and a clincher from Nikitenko to top a lone tally by Maxim Mayorov from Atlant. The three stars of the 2-1 game were Ezhov (35 for 36 in saves), Engren (30 for 31 in saves), and Nikitenko.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

NHL October 17th, 2014

Six games on tonight, the first of which is in...

Buffalo, where the Sabres host the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Jhonas Enroth are in the creases. Florida got going in the second period on a Sean Bergenheim goal, made possible by Brad Boyes and Dmitry Kulikov. This was the game's only goal, for a 1-0 Panthers win. The three stars were given to Luongo (26 save shutout), Bergenheim, and Enroth (34 for 35 in saves).

Out in Columbus, the Blue Jackets welcome the Calgary Flames. Karri Ramo and Sergei Bobrovsky man the nets. Columbus led off in the first period with a Jack Skille goal, his second of the season, coming off of Mark Letestu and Matt Calvert. The Blue Jackets added on with a Ryan Johansen power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Nick Foligno and Cam Atkinson. Columbus extended the lead with a Calvert goal, via Letestu and James Wisniewski. Calgary got on the board in the third period with a Mason Raymond goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Curtis Glencross and Mikael Backlund. The Flames pulled closer on a Josh Jooris goal, fueled by Mark Giordano and T.J. Brodie. They lost 3-2, and the three stars went to Calvert, Letestu, and Bobrovsky (29 for 31 in saves).

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and James Reimer are given the starting nods. Detroit was first to score in the first period with a Johan Franzen goal, courtesy of Henrik Zetterberg. The Red Wings added on with another Franzen goal in the second period, assisted by Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader. Detroit extended the lead as Gustav Nyquist scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Zetterberg, who got a sock trick, and Jakub Kindl. Toronto got on the board in the third period as Mike Santorelli scored, thanks to Leo Komarov and David Clarkson. The Red Wings shot back on an Abdelkader goal, his second of the year, via Nyquist and Zetterberg. This made it 4-1, a final, with the three stars awarded to Zetterberg, Franzen, and Nyquist, while Abdelkader gets an honorable mention.

Westward to Winnipeg, where the Jets host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Ondrej Pavelec are the veteran goalies. Nashville struck first in the first period on a Mike Ribeiro goal, his second of the season, via Seth Jones and Anton Volchenkov. The Predators added on in the third period with a James Neal goal, courtesy of Filip Forsberg and Volchenkov. They went on for a 2-0 win, with the three stars going to Rinne (31 save shutout), Ribeiro, and Volchenkov.

Further west, the Edmonton Oilers welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller and Ben Scrivens are set to start. Vancouver dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Radim Vrbata goal, his third of the season, coming off of Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. The Canucks iced it at 2-0 with a third period empty net goal by Daniel Sedin, set up by Henrik Sedin and Vrbata. The three stars went to Miller (28 save shutout), Vrbata, and Daniel Sedin, while Henrik Sedin gets an honorable mention.

Down in Anaheim, the Ducks bring in the Minnesota Wild. Darcy Kuemper and Frederik Andersen are the inexperienced goalies. Minnesota began in the second period with a Jason Zucker goal, his second of the season, passed from Ryan Carter and Keith Ballard. Anaheim tied it in the third period on a shorthanded Andrew Cogliano goal, set up by Devante Smith-Pelly and Cam Fowler. The Ducks got the lead on a Corey Perry goal, his fifth of the year, with a lone assist by Nate Thompson. This was good for a 2-1 victory, with the three stars going to Perry, Andersen (27 for 28 in saves), and Cogliano.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL October 17th, 2014

Seven games on today, beginning in...

Amur, where Khabarovsk hosts the Sochi Leopards. Tomas Popperle and Sergei Borisov are the goalies. Sochi dented the scoreboard in the third period on an Andrei Pervyshin goal, with a lone assist by Igor Ignatushkin. The Leopards iced it at 2-0 with an empty net goal by Oleg Saprykin, set up by Max Warn. The three stars were given to Popperle (32 save shutout), Pervyshin, and Borisov (34 for 35 in saves).

Down in Vladivostok, Admiral welcomes Dynamo Moscow. Alexander Yeryomenko and Ilya Proskuryakov are in the blue paint. Moscow started with a first period Denis Mosalyov goal, fueled by Denis Kokarev and Maxim Solovyov. Vladivostok tied it on a second period goal by Richard Gynge, a power play goal made possible by Ilya Zubov and Niclas Bergfors. Dynamo took the lead back on another Mosalyov goal, assisted by Kokarev and Dmitry Vishnevsky. Moscow added on as Solovyov scored a power play goal, powered by Maxim Karpov and Janne Jalasvaara. Dynamo finished it at 4-1 with a third period Karpov goal, guided in by Martins Karsums and Alexei Tsvetkov. The three stars went to Mosalyov, Yeryomenko (20 for 21 in saves), and Kokarev, while Karpov gets an honorable mention.

A little west, Sibir Novosibirsk brings in Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Curtis Sanford and Mikko Koskinen tend the twines. Yaroslavl opened in the first period on a Yegor Averin goal, made possible by Sergei Plotnikov and Daniil Apalkov. Lokomotiv added on in the second period as Sergei Konkov scored, thanks to Apalkov. Yaroslavl extended the lead on a Staffan Kronwall power play goal, powered by Averin. Nikita Bespalov relieved Koskinen in goal at this time. Lokomotiv padded the lead on a Jiri Novotny power play goal with a lone helper by Martin Thornberg. Novosibirsk got on the board in the third period on a Viktor Bobrov goal, helped along by Alexei Kopeikin. This was as close as it got, with the final being 4-1. The three stars were handed to Sanford (48 for 49 in saves), Averin, and Apalkov.

Next up, Metallurg Novokuznetsk hosts Vityaz Podolsk. Ivan Lisutin and Ilya Sorokin are between the pipes. Podolsk began in the first period with a Roman Horak power play goal, powered by Dmitry Tsyganov and Mathias Porseland. Novokuznetsk tied it in the second period with an Ansel Galimov goal, via Vitaly Zotov and Alexander Komaristy. Vityaz took the lead back on an unassisted Alexander Kucheryavenko. Metallurg retied it as James O'Brien scored, courtesy of Sergei Sentyurin. Podolsk retook the lead with a Maxim Afinogenov goal, going in unassisted in the third period. Vityaz added on with a Robert Kousal goal, with a lone assist by Horak. Podolsk extended the lead to 5-2 with a Tsyganov goal, coming off of Porseland. This was the final, and the three stars belonged to Horak, Tsyganov, and Porseland.

Out west further, Metallurg Magnitogorsk brings in Ak Bars Kazan. Anders Nilsson and Vasily Koshechkin are the masked men. Kazan got going in the third period on an Igor Mirnov goal, passed from Justin Azevedo and Sergei Kostitsyn. Magnitogorsk tied it as Evgeny Biryukov scored, with a lone assist by Viktor Antipin. In the shootout, Metallurg won with two goals by Danis Zaripov to top a single Ak Bars goal by Alexander Burmistrov, for a 2-1 Metallurg win. The three stars were given to Koshechkin (38 for 39 in saves), Nilsson (34 for 35 in saves), and Zaripov.

Continuing to Ufa, where Salavat Yulaev welcomes Avangard Omsk. Konstantin Barulin and Vitaly Koval guard the cages. Omsk led off in the first period with an Evgeny Mozer goal, guided in by Alexander Popov and Alexander Perezhogin. Ufa tied it on a Dmitry Semin goal, via Dmitry Makarov. Avangard took the lead as Popov scored, thanks to Perezhogin. Omsk added on in the second period with a Valery Vasilyev goal, assisted by Vladimir Pervushin and Ivan Nepryayev. Salavat Yulaev got one back on a Kirill Koltsov goal, courtesy of Andrei Zubarev and Antti Pihlstrom. Avangard shot back with a Tom Wandell goal, with a lone assist by Denis Parshin. Leland Irving replaced Koval in goal. Omsk extended the lead with another Wandell goal, made possible by Vladimir Sobotka and Parshin. Avangard padded the lead on a power play goal in the third period by Mozer, powered by Denis Kulyash and Perezhogin, the latter getting a sock trick. This made it 6-2, the final, with the three stars going to Wandell, Mozer, and Perezhogin, while Popov and Parshin get the honorable mentions.

Finally, in Helsinki, Jokerit hosts Barys Astana. Jan Laco and Henrik Karlsson occupy the creases. Astana struck first in the first period with a power play goal by Kevin Dallman, powered by Mike Lundin and Dustin Boyd. Helsinki tied it on a Petr Koukal goal, fueled by Steve Moses and Linus Omark on the power play. Jokerit took the lead in the second period as Moses scored, with a lone assist by Omark. Helsinki added on in the third period with another Moses power play goal, courtesy of Omark, who got a sock trick, and Topi Jaakola. Barys got one back on an unassisted Boyd goal. Jokerit iced it at 4-2 with an Eetu Poysti empty net goal, set up by Jaakola. The three stars went to Moses, Omark, and Boyd, while Jaakola gets an honorable mention.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

NHL October 16th, 2014

Seven games on tonight, beginning in...

New York, as the Islanders host the San Jose Sharks. Alex Stalock and Jaroslav Halak draw the starts in goal. San Jose got going in the second period on a Brent Burns goal, assisted by Joe Pavelski and Mirco Mueller. New York tied it on a Nick Leddy goal, his second of the season, courtesy of John Tavares and Kyle Okposo. The Sharks took the lead on a Patrick Marleau power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Burns and Joe Thornton. The Islanders tied it as Okposo scored his second of the season, thanks to Frans Nielsen and Tavares. New York took the lead with a Josh Bailey goal, his second of the year, via Cal Clutterbuck and Casey Cizikas. San Jose retied it on a Tomas Hertl goal, his second of the season, guided in by Jason Demers and Matt Irwin. In the shootout, the Sharks got a goal from Logan Couture, but Okposo matched it and then Tavares won it for the Islanders by a 4-3 score. The three stars went to Okposo, Tavares, and Burns.

Also in New York, the Rangers welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Anton Khudobin and Henrik Lundqvist are in the blue paint. Carolina dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Chris Terry goal, his third of the season, coming off of Ryan Murphy and Tim Gleason. New York tied it on a Derrick Brassard goal, his third of the year, assisted by Mats Zuccarello and Dan Girardi. The tie lasted to a shootout, where a lone tally by Rick Nash secured a 2-1 Rangers win. The three stars went to Lundqvist (29 for 30 in saves), and Khudobin (33 for 34 in saves).

West to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins bring in the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Marc-Andre Fleury guard the cages. Pittsburgh led off with a Sidney Crosby power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz. The Penguins added on with a Kunitz power play goal, his second of the year, made possible by Kris Letang and Patric Hornqvist. Dallas got on the board in the second period as Antoine Roussel scored his second of the season, thanks to Vernon Fiddler and Alex Goligoski. The Stars tied it in the third period with a Jamie Benn goal, his second of the year, passed from Trevor Daley and Jason Spezza. Dallas took the lead with a Tyler Seguin power play goal, his fourth of the campaign, coming off of Spezza and Goligoski. This late goal gave them a 3-2 win, and the three stars were given to Kunitz, Spezza, and Goligoski.

Back east a bit, the Washington Capitals host the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Braden Holtby are the young goalies. Washington began with an Alexander Ovechkin goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Troy Brouwer. New Jersey tied it on a Damon Severson goal, his second of the year, via Michael Cammalleri and Travis Zajac. The Capitals took the lead back with a Chris Brown goal, coming off of Mike Green and Brooks Orpik. The Devils retied it as Severson scored his second of the game and third of the season, assisted by Ryane Clowe and Adam Henrique. Washington took the lead again on a second period Marcus Johansson goal, his second of the year, guided in by Brooks Laich and Green. The Capitals added on with a Nicklas Backstrom goal, made possible by Matt Niskanen and Brouwer. Washington extended the lead on a Joel Ward goal, his second of the season, going in unassisted. Scott Clemmensen relieved Schneider at this time. The Capitals padded the lead with an Andre Burakovsky goal, passed from Evgeny Kuznetsov and Niskanen. The final stood from here at 6-2, with the three stars awarded to Brouwer, Severson, and Green, while Niskanen gets an honorable mention.

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens bring in the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Carey Price tend the twines. Boston was first to score on a first period power play goal by Zdeno Chara, powered by David Krejci and Milan Lucic. Montreal tied it with a Max Pacioretty goal, his second of the season, via David Desharnais and Brendan Gallagher. The Canadiens took the lead with a Gallagher goal in the second period, his second of the year, courtesy of Pacioretty and Andrei Markov. The Bruins retied it with a Carl Soderberg goal, assisted by Chris Kelly and Loui Eriksson. Boston took the lead on an unassisted Torey Krug goal. Montreal pulled even with a Jiri Sekac goal, passed from Rene Bourque and Jarred Tinordi. The Canadiens took the lead on a P.A. Parenteau goal, with assists provided by Tomas Plekanec and Alexei Emelin. Montreal added with another Gallagher goal, his second of the game and third of the season, set up by Pacioretty and Emelin. The Bruins got one back with a Simon Gagne goal, with assists provided by Lucic and Krejci. The Canadiens finished it at 6-4 with a power play empty net goal by Parenteau, driven in by Alex Galchenyuk and Plekanec. The three stars were handed to Pacioretty, Gallagher, and Parenteau, while Krejci, Lucic, Plekanec, and Emelin get the honorable mentions.

Along to Ontario, where Ottawa welcomes the Colorado Avalanche. Reto Berra and Craig Anderson are between the pipes. Colorado struck first in the first period with an Alex Tanguay goal, made possible by Nathan MacKinnon and Daniel Briere. After a first period injury, Berra was relieved by Calvin Pickard. The Avalanche added on with a John Mitchell goal, a shorthanded and unassisted goal. Ottawa got on the board with a Zack Smith goal, via Curtis Lazar. Colorado answered with a Gabriel Landeskog power play goal, powered by MacKinnon and Ryan O'Reilly. The Senators got one back in the second period with a David Legwand power play goal, fueled by Erik Karlsson and Kyle Turris. Ottawa tied it in the third period with a Bobby Ryan goal, with a lone helper by Cody Ceci. The Senators took the lead as Clarke MacArthur scored his second of the season, thanks to Mark Stone. Ottawa iced it at 5-3 with an empty net goal by Chris Neil, set up by Legwand. The three stars went to MacKinnon, Legwand and MacArthur.

Finally, out in Los Angeles, the Kings host the St. Louis Blues. Brian Elliott and Jonathan Quick are the veteran goalies. The game was scoreless until a shootout, where the Kings won with a lone tally by Jeff Carter. The three stars in the 1-0 game were Quick (43 save shutout), Elliott (18 save "shutout"), and Carter.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion. 

KHL October 16th, 2014

Only two games today. The first comes from...

Nizhny Novgorod, as Torpedo hosts Severstal Cherepovets. Jakub Stepanek and Ivan Kasutin protect the nets. Cherepovets began with a Yury Trubachyov power play goal in the first period, powered by Andrei Shefer and Pavel Buchnevich. Nizhny Novgorod tied it on a Vladimir Galuzin power play goal in the second period, assisted by Mikhail Grigoryev and Artyom Blazhiyevsky. Torpedo tied it with a Sergei Demagin goal, with a lone assist by Vadim Krasnoslobodtsev. Severstal tied it on an unassisted Marek Kvapil goal in the third period. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Cherepovets got goals from Trubachyov and Kvapil for a 3-2 win. The three stars went to Kvapil, Trubachyov, and Demagin.

The other game comes from St. Petersburg, where SKA hosts CSKA Moscow. Stanislav Galimov and Evgeny Ivannikov are the masked men. Moscow led off in the first period as Igor Grigorenko scored, thanks to Stephane Da Costa and Grigory Panin. St. Petersburg tied it with a power play goal by Andrei Kuteikin, powered by Ilya Kovalchuk and Vadim Shipachyov. CSKA took the lead back in the second period on an Alexander Radulov goal, courtesy of Da Costa and Denis Denisov. Moscow added on with a Denisov goal, via Radulov and Grigorenko. SKA answered with a Kovalchuk power play goal, with a lone assist from Kuteikin. St. Petersburg tied it with another Kovalchuk goal, guided in by Artemy Panarin and Shipachyov on the power play. SKA took the lead with a third period goal by Panarin, with a lone helper by Alexander Kadeikin. This held up for a 4-3 win, with the three stars going to Kovalchuk, Panarin, and Radulov, while Grigorenko, Da Costa, Denisov, Kuteikin, and Shipachyov get the honorable mentions.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

NHL October 15th, 2014

Three games on this evening, beginning in...

Chicago, as the Blackhawks host the Calgary Flames. Jonas Hiller and Corey Crawford are the veteran goalies. Calgary got going in the second period as Dennis Wideman scored, thanks to Joe Colborne. Chicago tied it on a third period Andrew Shaw power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews. The Flames won 2-1 in overtime on a Mikael Backlund goal, courtesy of T.J. Brodie and Kris Russell. The three stars went to Hiller (49 for 50 in saves), Backlund, and Wideman.

Up in Detroit, the Red Wings welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Jimmy Howard tend the twines. Boston opened in the first period on a David Krejci goal, via Chris Kelly. Detroit tied it on a Tomas Tatar goal, guided in by Tomas Jurco and Riley Sheahan. The Bruins took the lead back on a second period goal by Reilly Smith, his second of the season, assisted by Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. The Red Wings tied it in the third period with a power play goal by Gustav Nyquist, his third of the year, powered by Niklas Kronwall and Darren Helm. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Krejci and Smith scored to propel Boston to a 3-2 win. The three stars belonged to Smith, Krejci, and Howard (37 for 39 in saves).

Finally, in Arizona, the Coyotes bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Ben Scrivens and Mike Smith are between the pipes. Edmonton started in the first period with a Taylor Hall goal, his second of the season, made possible by Jordan Eberle and Nikita Nikitin. Arizona tied it with a power play goal by Mikkel Boedker, his third of the year, powered by Keith Yandle and the goalie Smith. The Coyotes took the lead on a Kyle Chipchura goal, assisted by Joe Vitale and Brandon McMillan. The Oilers retied it with a Mark Fayne goal, guided in by Leon Draisaitl and Benoit Pouliot. Arizona took the lead back in the second period on a Connor Murphy goal, coming off of Shane Doan and Boedker. The Coyotes added on as Rob Klinkhammer scored, thanks to Martin Erat and Martin Hanzal. Edmonton got one back in the third period on Mark Arcobello's second of the season, fueled by Hall. Arizona shot back with a Boedker goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, helped along by Antoine Vermette and Doan. The Coyotes extended the lead on an Erat goal, via Hanzal and David Schlemko. The Oilers replied with Hall's second of the game and third of the season, with a lone assist by Eberle. Arizona iced it at 7-4 with Boedker completing his hat trick on his fifth of the year, an empty net goal going in unassisted. The three stars were awarded to Boedker, Hall, and Doan, while Eberle, Erat, and Hanzal get the honorable mentions.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.