KHL February 7th, 2015

Four games today, beginning in...

Mytishchi, where Atlant hosts Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Jakub Kovar and Artyom Artemyev are set to start in goal. Mytishchi was first to score in the first period on a Vyacheslav Leshchenko goal, coming off of Albert Yarullin and Vyacheslav Kozlov. Yekaterinburg tied it on an unassisted power play goal by Sami Lepisto. Avotmobilist took the lead on a second period goal by Alexander Nesterov, with a lone assist by Eduard Lewandowski. Atlant tied it on an Anton Babchuk power play goal in the third period, powered by Maxim Potapov and Artyom Chernov. Avtomobilist won 3-2 in the shootout with a pair of goals by Aaron Palushaj to top an Alexander Yunkov.

South to Podolsk, where Vityaz welcomes Admiral Vladivostok. Ilya Proskuryakov and Harri Sateri are the masked men. Podolsk got going in the second period on an Alexander Kucheryavenko goal, via Anton Korolyov and Georgy Berdyukov. Vityaz added on with a Nikita Vyglazov goal in the third period, passed from Mario Kempe. Vladivostok got on the board with a Konstantin Makarov power play goal, powered by Fyodor Belyakov and Ilya Zubov. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Sateri (30 for 31 in saves), Vyglazov, and Kucheryavenko.

Westward to Minsk, as Dinamo brings in Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Barry Brust and Lars Haugen are the solid goalies. Minsk dented the scoreboard in the second period on an unassisted Charles Linglet goal. Khanty-Mansiysk tied it on a Nikita Gusev goal, going in unassisted. Dinamo retook the lead on a Linglet goal in the third period, his second of the game, via Matt Ellison and Ryan Vesce. Minsk iced it at 3-1 on an Ellison empty net goal, set up by Linglet. The three stars were Linglet, Haugen (30 for 31 in saves), and Ellison.

Finally, Dinamo Riga hosts Traktor Chelyabinsk. Vasily Demchenko and Jeff Deslauriers are in the creases. Riga struck first in the first period on a Ginta Meija goal, assisted by Aleksandrs Jerofejevs. Chelyabinsk tied it in the second period on an unassisted Francis Pare. Traktor took the lead on a Konstantin Panov goal, fueled by Oleg Piganovich and Martin Ruzicka. Chelyabinsk added on with a Maxim Kondratyev goal, with a lone assist by Ruzicka. Dinamo pulled back with a Kristaps Sotnieks goal, helped along by Rodrigo Abols and Meija. Traktor finished it at 4-2 in the third period with a Ruzicka empty net goal, set up by Panov and Deron Quint. The three stars were given to Ruzicka, Panov, and Meija.

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NHL February 6th, 2015

Five games tonight. I would like to inform everyone that tomorrow's posts will be late. I am volunteering at the local Special Olympics all day and will not be back to begin working on these until the evening. Today's games begin in...

New Jersey, as the Devils host the Toronto Maple Leafs. James Reimer and Cory Schneider are in the blue paint. New Jersey began in the first period on a Tuomo Ruutu goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Mark Fraser and Jordin Tootoo. The Devils added on with a Patrik Elias goal in the second period, his seventh of the year, assisted by Travis Zajac and Jon Merrill. New Jersey extended the lead on a Steve Bernier goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Adam Larsson and Scott Gomez. Toronto got on the board with a third period Tyler Bozak power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, powered by Phil Kessel and Jake Gardiner. The Devils shot back on a Jaromir Jagr goal, his eleventh of the campaign, coming off of Larsson. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars given to Schneider (33 for 34 in saves), Larsson, and Elias.

Over in DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the Anaheim Ducks. Ilya Bryzgalov and Philipp Grubauer are the backups making spot starts. Anaheim was first to score in the first period on a Ryan Kesler power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Jakob Silfverberg and Hampus Lindholm. Washington tied it in the second period on a Jason Chimera goal, his fifth of the year, via Evgeny Kuznetsov and Troy Brouwer. The Capitals took the lead in the third period on a John Carlson goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Kuznetsov and Chimera. The Ducks retied it with a Corey Perry goal, his twenty-third of the year, with a lone assist by Kesler. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom topped Silfverberg for a 3-2 Capitals win. The three stars went to Kuznetsov, Chimera, and Kesler.

West to Columbus, as the Blue Jackets host the St. Louis Blues. Brian Elliott and Curtis McElhinney are between the pipes. Columbus struck first in the first period on a Nick Foligno goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Brandon Dubinsky and Corey Tropp. The Blue Jackets added on with a Cam Atkinson goal, his tenth of the year, via Scott Hartnell and Ryan Johansen. Columbus extended the lead as Johansen scored his twentieth of the season, a shorthanded goal set up by Artem Anisimov. The Blue Jackets chased Elliott with a Tropp goal, his first of the year, coming off of Fedor Tyutin and Foligno. Jake Allen came on in relief. St. Louis got on the board with a Paul Stastny power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Jay Bouwmeester and Carl Gunnarsson. Columbus answered on a Foligno goal, his second of the game and twentieth of the year, fueled by James Wisniewski and Dubinsky. The Blue Jackets padded the lead in the third period on a Matt Calvert goal, his seventh of the season, helped along by Jack Johnson and Jared Boll. Columbus finished it at 7-1 with a Hartnell goal, his eleventh of the year, with a lone helper from Johansen. The three stars belonged to Foligno, Johansen, and Tropp, while Dubinsky and Hartnell get the honorable mentions.

Up in Winnipeg, the Jets bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Michael Hutchinson protect the nets. Winnipeg led off in the first period on a Mark Scheifele goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Mathieu Perreault. Chicago tied it on a second period goal by Patrick Kane, his twenty-sixth of the year, made possible by Brad Richards and Patrick Sharp. The Blackhawks won 2-1 in overtime with a Brandon Saad goal, his sixteenth of the campaign, assisted by Kane and Michal Rozsival. The three stars were handed to Kane, Crawford (20 for 21 in saves), and Saad.

Finally, the Calgary Flames host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonas Hiller are the veteran goalies. Pittsburgh got going in the first period on a David Perron goal, his thirteenth of the season, courtesy of Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz. The Penguins added on with a Brandon Sutter goal, his eleventh of the year, via Simon Despres and Rob Scuderi. Pittsburgh extended the lead in the second period on a Crosby goal, his sixteenth of the season, made possible by Kunitz and Perron. The Penguins wrapped it up at 4-0 on a Crosby goal in the third period, his second of the game and seventeenth of the year, coming off of Kunitz, who got a sock trick, and Kris Letang. The three stars were given to Fleury (21 save shutout), Crosby, and Kunitz, while Perron gets an honorable mention.

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KHL February 6th, 2015

Four games today, beginning in...

Omsk, with Avangard hosting Jokerit Helsinki. Henrik Karlsson and Konstantin Barulin are given the starting nods. Omsk opened in the first period on a Sergei Kalinin power play goal, powered by Alexander Perezhogin. Helsinki tied it on a Ryan Gunderson power play goal, with a lone assist by Daine Todd. Avangard took the lead on a second period power play goal by Sergei Shirokov, coming off of Denis Parshin. Omsk added on with a Sergei Goncharov goal, fueled by Kirill Lyamin and Ivan Nepryayev. Jokerit got one back in the third period as Steve Moses scored, thanks to Gunderson. Avangard shot back on a Shirokov goal, his second of the game, assisted by Parshin and Anton Kuryanov. Helsinki pulled back with a Moses goal, his second of the game, via Todd. This produced a 4-3 final, with the three stars going to Shirokov, Moses, and Gunderson, while Todd and Parshin get honorable mentions.

Southwest to Sochi, where the Leopards welcome Sibir Novosibirsk. Nikita Bespalov and Andrei Gavrilov are in the blue paint. Sochi got going in the second period on an Ilya Krikunov goal, passed from Igor Ignatushkin and Nikita Shchitov. Novosibirsk tied it on a Renat Mamashev goal, assisted by Oleg Gubin and Sergei Shumakov. The Leopards took the lead on a Krikunov shorthanded goal, set up by Ignatushkin. Sochi added on with a Max Warn goal, via Mikhail Anisin and Pyotr Schastlivy. The Leopards extended the lead as Schastlivy scored, thanks to Anisin. Sochi padded the lead in the third period on an Evgeny Lapenkov goal, coming off of Shchitov and Igor Radulov. The Leopards continued on an Ignatushkin goal, made possible by Andrei Kostitsyn and Krikunov. Sochi kept going with a Shchitov goal, fueled by Krikunov and Kostitsyn. Sibir got one back with a Maxim Shalunov, a power play goal powered by Vladimir Butuzov. Novosibirsk pulled closer with an Artyom Voroshilo goal, with assists provided by Jarno Koskiranta and Viktor Bobrov. The three stars in the 7-3 game were Krikunov, Ignatushkin, and Shchitov, while Schastlivy, Anisin, and Kostitsyn get the honorable mentions.

Up in Cherepovets, Severstal brings in Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Rafael Khakimov and Jakub Stepanek are the masked men. Cherepovets started in the first period on an Evgeny Mons goal, guided in by Dmitry Kagarlitsky. Severstal added on in the second period as Anatoly Nikontsev scored, with the help of Nikolai Stasenko and Vadim Berdnikov. Cherepovets extended the lead in the third period on a Sergei Monakhov goal, coming off of Nikontsev. This was good for a 3-0 win, with the three stars given to Nikontsev, Stepanek (18 save shutout), and Mons.

Finally, Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod hosts Barys Astana. Jan Laco and Ivan Kasutin draw the starts. Astana dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Konstantin Pushkaryov goal, fueled by Oskars Bartulis and Andrei Gavrilin. Nizhny Novgorod tied it on a Jarkko Immonen power play goal in the third period, powered by Wojtek Wolski and Gennady Stolyarov. Torpedo took the lead on a Sakari Salminen goal, via Wolski and Immonen. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars handed to Immonen, Kasutin (19 for 20 in saves), and Wolski.

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NHL February 5th, 2015

Nine games on tonight, beginning in...

Buffalo, as the Sabres host the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Jhonas Enroth are the young goalies. St. Louis dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Dmitrij Jaskin goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Chris Butler and Ty Rattie. The Blues added on with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal in the third period, his twenty-seventh of the year, passed from David Backes and Alexander Steen. St. Louis iced it at 3-0 with an empty net goal by Jaden Schwartz, his nineteenth of the campaign, set up by Paul Stastny and Allen. The three stars went to Allen (23 save shutout), Jaskin, and Tarasenko.

Down in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Steve Mason are the veteran goalies. Philadelphia led off in the first period on a Nick Schultz goal, his second of the season, with a lone assist by Vincent Lecavalier. The Flyers added on in the second period as Chris VandeVelde goal, his eighth of the year, thanks to Lecavalier and Andrew MacDonald. New York got on the board with a Mikhail Grabovski goal, his eighth of the season, going in unassisted. The Islanders tied it on a Cal Clutterbuck goal, his fifth of the year, assisted by Brock Nelson and Thomas Hickey. In the shootout, Frans Nielsen and Wayne Simmonds traded goals, and then Clutterbuck gave New York a 3-2 win, and the three stars were Clutterbuck, Lecavalier, and Grabovski.

Into Ontario, as the Ottawa Senators bring in the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Robin Lehner are set to start in goal. Ottawa got going in the second period on a Kyle Turris goal, his tenth of the season, guided in by Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman. Washington tied it on an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Brooks Orpik and Tom Wilson. The Capitals took the lead on an Alex Ovechkin goal, his thirty-second of the campaign, fueled by Jay Beagle and Marcus Johansson. This held up for a 2-1 win, and the three stars belonged to Holtby (25 for 26 in saves), Ovechkin, and Kuznetsov.

Way south to Florida, where the Panthers host the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Roberto Luongo protect the nets. Florida began in the first period on an Aleksander Barkov goal, his seventh of the season, via Brad Boyes and Jonathan Huberdeau. Los Angeles tied it as Jamie McBain scored, his third of the year, courtesy of Dustin Brown and Marian Gaborik. The Kings took the lead in the third period on a Gaborik power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Anze Kopitar and Brown. The Panthers tied it on a Nick Bjugstad goal, his seventeenth of the year, going in unassisted. Florida took the lead with a Brandon Pirri goal, his ninth of the campaign, passed from Tomas Fleischmann and Dmitry Kulikov. This was good for a 3-2 win, with the three stars given to Gaborik, Pirri, and Brown.

Northwest to Nashville, as the Predators welcome the Anaheim Ducks. Frederik Andersen and Pekka Rinne are the reliable goalies. Anaheim struck first in the first period on a Jakob Silfverberg shorthanded and unassisted goal, his seventh of the season. The Ducks added on with a Sami Vatanen goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Clayton Stoner and Rickard Rakell. Anaheim extended the lead as Matt Beleksey scored in the second period, his twentieth of the season, coming off of Rakell and Francois Beauchemin. The Ducks padded the lead as Silfverberg scored his second of the game and eighth of the year, thanks to Cam Fowler and Eric Brewer. Nashville got on the board in the third period on a Colin Wilson goal, his seventeenth of the season, fueled by Victor Bartley and Seth Jones. The Predators got closer on a power play goal by James Neal, his seventeenth of the year, powered by Filip Forsberg and Roman Josi. Anaheim iced it at 5-2 on a Corey Perry empty net goal, his twenty-second of the campaign, set up by Ryan Kesler and Andrew Cogliano. The three stars went to Silfverberg, Andersen (44 for 46 in saves), and Rakell.

Southwest to Dallas, as the Stars bring in the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Kari Lehtonen receive the starting nods. Tampa Bay started in the first period on a Steven Stamkos goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, courtesy of Ryan Callahan and Mark Barberio. The Lightning added on with a Victor Hedman goal, his sixth of the year, with a lone assist by Stamkos. Dallas got on the board in the second period on a John Klingberg goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Tyler Seguin and Alex Goligoski. The Stars tied it on a Goligoski goal, his second of the year, assisted by Vernon Fiddler and Shawn Horcoff. Tampa Bay took the lead back on a Tyler Johnson goal, his eighteenth of the season, a power play goal powered by Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn. Dallas tied it again on a Trevor Daley goal, his thirteenth of the year, via Jamie Benn and Jason Demers. The Lightning pulled ahead on Johnson's second of the game and nineteenth of the season, with assists provided by Brian Boyle and Ondrej Palat. Tampa Bay finished it on an empty net goal by Kucherov, his eighteenth of the year, set up by Palat. The final was 5-3, and the three stars went to Johnson, Stamkos, and Goligoski, while Kucherov and Palat get the honorable mentions.

Continuing to Colorado, where the Avalanche host the Detroit Red Wings. Petr Mrazek and Semyon Varlamov make the starts in goal. Detroit got going in the second period on a Justin Abdelkader power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Henrik Zetterberg and Gustav Nyquist. The Red Wings added on with a third period empty net goal by Darren Helm, his tenth of the year, set up by Tomas Tatar and Pavel Datsyuk. Detroit extended the lead as Luke Glendening scored his seventh of the campaign, an empty net goal coming off of Kyle Quincey. This made it a 3-0 final, with the three stars going to Mrazek (28 save shutout), Abdelkader, and Varlamov (26 for 27 in saves).

Down in Arizona, the Coyotes welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Mike Smith are the mediocre goalies. Carolina struck first in the first period on a Victor Rask goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Ron Hainsey and John-Michael Liles. Arizona tied it on a David Moss goal, via Keith Yandle and Kyle Chipchura. The tie lasted to a shootout, where the Hurricanes won 2-1 with a lone tally by Elias Lindholm. The three stars were Ward (28 for 29 in saves), Smith (40 for 41 in saves), and Lindholm.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks bring in the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Ryan Miller guard the cages. San Jose was first to score in the first period on a Matt Irwin goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Matt Tennyson and Logan Couture. The Sharks added on in the second period as Melker Karlsson scored his ninth of the year, thanks to Brent Burns. San Jose extended the lead with a power play goal by Joe Pavelski, his twenty-eighth of the season, powered by Couture and Patrick Marleau. The Sharks padded the lead with a Chris Tierney goal in the third period, assisted by Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Vancouver got on the board with a Radim Vrbata goal, his twentieth of the year, guided in by Ryan Stanton. San Jose iced it at 5-1 on an Andrew Desjardins goal, his third of the campaign, set up by Tierney and Daniil Tarasov. The three stars went to Tierney, Couture, and Burns.

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KHL February 5th, 2015

Three games today, beginning in...

Khanty-Mansiysk, with Yugra hosting Lada Togliatti. Evgeny Ivannikov and Barry Brust are in the blue paint. Khanty-Mansiysk was first to score in the first period on an Ivan Yatsenko goal, coming off of Nikita Gusev. Togliatti tied it second period on a Fedor Fedorov goal, passed from Dmitry Vorobyov and Alexander Streltsov. Yugra won 2-1 in the shootout with a Nikolai Lemtyugov goal. The three stars were Brust (33 for 34 in saves), Ivannikov (26 for 27 in saves), and Yatsenko.

Over to Nizhnekamsk, where Neftekhimik welcomes Admiral Vladivostok. Ivan Nalimov and Ville Kolppanen are between the pipes. Nizhnekamsk got going in the second period on an Igor Polygalov goal, assisted by Maxim Berezin and Evgeny Ryasensky. Vladivostok tied it in the third period on a Vladislav Ushenin goal, coming off of Vyacheslav Ushenin. Neftekhimik took the lead back on a Dan Sexton goal, with a lone assist by Yegor Milovzorov. Nizhnekamsk added on with a power play goal by Evgeny Grigorenko, powered by Sexton and Alexander Yevseyenkov. Admiral got one back on a Konstantin Makarov goal, via Ilya Zubov and Ivan Glazkov. This produced a 3-2 final, with the three stars going to Sexton, Grigorenko, and Polygalov.

Finally, Dinamo Riga brings in Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Jakubs Kovar and Sedlacek are the goalies. Yekaterinburg struck first in the first period on an Artyom Gareyev goal, guided in by Dmitry Megalinsky. Riga tied it on a Mikelis Redlihs penalty shot goal, after he was hooked by Vitaly Popov. Avtomobilist took the lead back with a power play goal by Sergei Gusev, powered by Megalinsky. Yekaterinburg added on with a third period goal by Alexander Rybakov, via Alexander Loginov. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Kovar (21 for 22 in saves), Megalinsky, and Gusev.

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NHL February 4th, 2015

Three games on for a slow night, beginning in...

Edmonton, as the Oilers host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Viktor Fasth are in the blue paint. Pittsburgh got going in the second period on an Evgeni Malkin goal, his twentieth of the season, assisted by Mark Arcobello and Patric Hornqvist. The Penguins added on with a David Perron goal, his twelfth of the year, coming off of Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby. This held up for a 2-0 win, with the three stars going to Fleury (22 save shutout), Malkin, and Perron.

East to New York, as the Rangers welcome the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Cam Talbot are set to start. New York opened in the first period on a Rick Nash goal, his thirty-second of the season, courtesy of Martin St. Louis and Kevin Klein. Boston tied it on a Milan Lucic goal, his eleventh of the year, guided in by Reilly Smith and David Krejci. The Bruins took the lead with a Patrice Bergeron goal, his thirteenth of the season, coming off of Loui Eriksson. The Rangers tied it in the second period as Derick Brassard scored his thirteenth of the year, thanks to Chris Kreider and Mats Zuccarello. New York took the lead again on a Derek Stepan goal, his ninth of the season, via Nash and Dan Girardi. This was it for the scoring, with the final at 3-2, and the three stars were Nash, Stepan, and Brassard.

Back in Alberta, the Calgary Flames bring in the San Jose Sharks. Alex Stalock is mismatched with Jonas Hiller in goal. Calgary dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Kris Russell goal, fueled by Paul Byron and Josh Jooris. The Flames added on with a Jiri Hudler power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. Calgary extended the lead as Mason Raymond scored his eighth of the year, with the help of Joe Colborne and T.J. Brodie. San Jose got on the board with a John Scott goal, his second of the campaign, coming in the third period via Scott Hannan and Tyler Kennedy. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars being Hiller (28 for 29 in saves), Hudler, and Raymond.

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KHL February 4th, 2015

Just two games today, beginning in...

Ufa, as Salavat Yulaev hosts Jokerit Helsinki. Riku Helenius and Leland Irving draw the starts. Helsinki was first to score in the first period on a Tommi Huhtala goal, courtesy of Ryan Gunderson and Niko Kapanen on the power play. Jokerit iced it at 2-0 with a third period empty net goal by Petteri Wirtanen, set up by Atte Ohtamaa and Kapanen. The three stars went to Helenius (26 save shutout), Huhtala, and Kapanen.

The other game features the Sochi Leopards hosting Barys Astana. Pavel Poluektov and Andrei Gavrilov are the backups in goal. Sochi struck first in the first period on a Max Warn power play goal, powered by Mikhail Anisin. Astana tied it on a Kevin Dallman power play goal, coming off of Roman Starchenko and Mike Lundin. Barys took the lead in the second period with a Maxim Semyonov power play goal, via Starchenko and Konstantin Rudenko. Astana added on with a Starchenko goal, going in unassisted. Barys extended the lead as Nigel Dawes scored, with the help of Brandon Bochenski. The Leopards got one back with an Anisin power play goal in the third period, helped along by Andrei Pervyshin. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars going to Starchenko, Anisin, and Dawes.

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