NHL 2021 - Day 123/Playoff Day 1

Two games today, one regular season and one playoff. First up...

The Edmonton Oilers welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Mikko Koskinen are the goalies. Edmonton led off in the first period with an Adam Larsson goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Vancouver tied it on a Bo Horvat shorthanded goal, his eighteenth of the year, set up by Tanner Pearson in the second period. The Canucks took the lead in the third period with a Matthew Highmore goal, his second of the season, courtesy of J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes. Vancouver added on with a Travis Boyd goal, his fifth of the year, via Jimmy Vesey. The Canucks extended the lead as Highmore scored his second of the game and third of the season, thanks to Brock Boeser and Miller. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Highmore, Miller, and Demko (31 for 32 in saves). 

The playoffs begin with the Washington Capitals bringing in the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Vitek Vanecek are the masked men. Washington began in the first period with a Tom Wilson goal, assisted by T.J. Oshie and Daniel Sprong. Boston tied it on a Jake DeBrusk goal, via Curtis Lazar. Craig Anderson replaced an injured Vanecek. The Capitals took the lead back in the second period with a Brenden Dillon goal, coming off of Anthony Mantha and Alex Ovechkin. The Bruins tied it with a power play goal by Nick Ritchie, powered by David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy. Washington won 3-2 in overtime with a Nic Dowd goal, guided in by Oshie and Wilson. The three stars were Wilson, Oshie, and Anderson (21 for 22 in saves in relief). 

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NHL 2021 - Day 122

Just a single game on for the last day with only regular-season action. The Winnipeg Jets host the Toronto Maple Leafs, with Jack Campbell and Connor Hellebuyck in goal. Toronto struck first in the first period with a Pierre Engvall goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Ilya Mikheyev and Alex Galchenyuk. Winnipeg tied it in the second period with a Mason Appleton goal, his twelfth of the year, courtesy of Diminic Toninato and Adam Lowry. The Maple Leafs reclaimed the lead on a Mihkeyev goal, his seventh of the season, helped along by Jake Muzzin and Alexander Kerfoot. The Jets tied it again with a Kyle Connor goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, fueled by Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. Winnipeg pulled ahead in the third period with a Wheeler goal, his second of the game and twenty-sixth of the season, guided in by Wheeler and Scheifele. The Jets iced it at 4-2 with a Jansen Harkins empty net goal, set up by Trevor Lewis. The three stars were Connor, Scheifele, and Wheeler, while Mikheyev gets an honorable mention. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 121

Just three games on as we march closer to the end of the regular season. First up...

The St. Louis Blues host the Minnesota Wild. Kaapo Kahkonen and Jordan Binnington protect the nets. Minnesota opened in the first period with a Nico Sturm goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Nick Bonino and Nick Bjugstad. The Wild added on with a Ryan Suter goal, his third of the year, guided in by Marcus Foligno. Minnesota extended the lead as Foligno scored his eleventh of the season, thanks to Ian Cole and Jordan Greenway. St. Louis got on the board with a Zach Sanford goal, his tenth of the year, fueled by Kyle Clifford and Niko Mikkola. The Blues got closer with a Brayden Schenn power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, powered by Ryan O'Reilly and Mike Hoffman. St. Louis tied it on a David Perron goal, his eighteenth of the year, via Ivan Barbashev and Justin Faulk. The Blues pulled ahead with another Schenn power play goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the season, with assists provided by Perron and Hoffman. St. Louis padded the lead in the third period with another Perron power play goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, helped along by Hoffman and Torey Krug. The Blues continued with a Jordan Kyrou goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Klim Kostin and Marco Scandella. St. Louis kept going with a Kyrou goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the year, coming off of Robert Bortuzzo and Steven Santini. This made it 7-3, the final, with the three stars going to Perron, Schenn, and Kyrou, while Hoffman and Foligno get the honorable mentions.

Over in Colorado, the Avalanche welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Troy Grosenick and Jonas Johansson draw the starts in goal. Los Angeles kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Sean Walker goal, his fifth of the season, going in unassisted. Colorado tied it in the second period on a Tyson Jost goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche took the lead with a Jost goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, via Conor Timmins and Rantanen. Colorado added on with a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal, his ninth of the year, coming off of Jayson Megna and Andre Burakovsky. The Avalanche extended the lead as Joonas Donskoi scored his seventeenth of the season, thanks to Nazem Kadri and Timmins. Colorado padded the lead with a Burakovsky power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, powered by Devon Toews and Cale Makar. The final stood at 5-1 with the three stars being Jost, Burakovsky, and Rantanen, while Timmins gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Calgary Flames bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Jacob Markstrom guard the cages. Vancouver started in the first period with a Matthew Highmore goal, assisted by Travis Hamonic and Brock Boeser. Calgary tied it with a Rasmus Andersson goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Johnny Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm. The Flames pulled ahead with an Andrew Mangiapane goal, his fourteenth of the year, courtesy of Nikita Nesterov and Joakim Nordstrom. Calgary added on in the third period with a Lindholm goal, his eighteenth of the season, coming off of Matthew Tkachuk and Christopher Tanev. The Flames extended the lead as Tkachuk scored his twelfth of the year on the power play, thanks to Gaudreua and Mikael Backlund. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Lindholm, Gaudreau, and Tkachuk. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 120

Five games on today, beginning with...

The Montreal Canadiens hosting the Edmonton Oilers. Mike Smith and Cayden Primeau are set to start in goal. Montreal opened in the first period with a Cole Caufield goal, his fourth of the season, going in unassisted. Edmonton tied it on an Alex Chiasson goal, his ninth of the year, via James Neal and Dmitry Kulikov. The Canadiens took the lead back with a Nick Suzuki shorthanded goal, his fourteenth of the season, an unassisted goal. The Oilers tied it again with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins power play goal, his sixteenth of the year, powered by Tyson Barrie and Connor McDavid. Edmonton took the lead in the second period with a Draisaitl power play goal, his thirty-first of the season, with assists provided by Chiasson and McDavid. Montreal retied it in the third period with a Suzuki goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, fueled by Caufield. The Oilers won 4-3 in overtime with a Dominik Kahun goal, his ninth of the campaign, assisted by Draisaitl and Barrie.

Over in Ottawa, the Senators welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Filip Gustavsson start in goal. Ottawa started in the first period with a Nikita Zaitsev goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Shane Pinto. Toronto tied it in the second period with a Jake Muzzin power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Joe Thornton and Alexander Kerfoot. The Senators retook the lead with a Connor Brown shorthanded goal, his twenty-first of the season, set up by Zaitsev. Ottawa added on with a Parker Kelly goal, made possible by Erik Brannstrom and Artem Anisimov. The Maple Leafs got one back with a John Tavares goal, his nineteenth of the year, courtesy of William Nylander and Muzzin. Toronto tied it in the third period with an Auston Matthews goal, his forty-first of the season, going in unassisted. The Senators won 4-3 in overtime with a Josh Norris goal, his seventeenth of the year, helped along by Brady Tkachuk. The three stars were Zaitsev, Muzzin, and Norris.

Out in San Jose, the Sharks host the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Alexei Melnichuk are in the blue paint. Vegas led off in the first period with an Alex Pietrangelo goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault. The Golden Knights added on with a Keegan Kolesar goal, his third of the year, via William Carrier and Nicolas Roy. Vegas extended the lead as Carrier scored his sixth of the season, made possible by Alex Tuch and William Karlsson. The Golden Knights padded the lead with a Marchessault goal, his eighteenth of the year, coming off of Smith and Zach Whitecloud. Vegas continued in the third period with a Dylan Sikura goal, passed from Mattias Janmark and Brayden McNabb. The Golden Knights struck again with another Sikura goal, his second of the game, with a lone helper from Dylan Coghlan. The three stars of the 6-0 game were Sikura, Fleury (19 save shutout), and Marchessault, while Carrier and Smith get the honorable mentions.

Back east, the St. Louis Blues bring in the Minnesota Wild. Cam Talbot and Ville Husso are the masked men. St. Louis began in the first period with an Ivan Barbashev goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of David Perron and Colton Parayko. The Blues added on with a Jaden Schwartz goal, his eighth of the year, guided in by Jordan Kyrou and Brayden Schenn. St. Louis extended the lead in the second period as Torey Krug scored his second of the season, thanks to Ryan O'Reilly and Perron. The Blues padded the lead with a Perron goal, his seventeenth of the year, fueled by Krug and Justin Faulk. This held for a 4-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Perron, Krug, and Husso (31 save shutout).

Finally, the Colorado Avalanche host the Los Angeles Kings. Calvin Petersen and Philipp Grubauer tend the twines. Colorado struck first in the first period with a Joonas Donskoi power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Andre Burakovsky and Mikko Rantanen. The Avalanche added on with a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal, his eighth of the year, fueled by Jayson Megna and Kiefer Sherwood. Colorado extended the lead as J.T. Compher scored his eighth of the season, with the help of Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche padded the lead in the second period on another Compher goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, via Devon Toews and Samuel Girard. Colorado continued with a Landeskog goal, his twentieth of the season, helped along by Toews and Rantanen. The Avalanche struck again when Compher finished his hat trick on his tenth of the year, with a lone helper from Valeri Nichushkin. The final held at 6-0, with the three stars handed to Compher, Grubauer (18 save shutout), and Rantanen, while Landeskog and Toews get the honorable mentions. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 119

Just two games on for today, beginning with...

The Washington Capitals welcoming the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Vitek Vanecek are the goalies. Boston got going in the second period with a Curtis Lazar goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Jarred Tinordi and Jake DeBrusk. Washington tied it on a Carl Hagelin goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Garnet Hathaway and Zdeno Chara. The Capitals took the lead in the third period on a Michael Raffl goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Justin Schultz. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Raffl, Hagelin, and Vanecek (25 for 26 in saves).

In Winnipeg, the Jets bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Braden Holtby and Connor Hellebuyck are the masked men. Winnipeg struck first in the first period with a Kyle Connor goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, assisted by Blake Wheeler and Dylan DeMelo. The Jets added on in the second period with a Wheeler goal, his fourteenth of the year, guided in by Connor and Neal Pionk. Winnipeg extended the lead as Mark Scheifele scored his twenty-first of the season, thanks to Wheeler and Jordie Benn. The Jets padded the lead in the third period with another Wheeler goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, fueled by Connor and Scheifele. Winnipeg continued with a Mason Appleton goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Mathieu Perreault and Derek Forbort. The three stars went to Wheeler, Connor, and Hellebuyck (24 save shutout), while Scheifele gets an honorable mention. 

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NHL 2021 - Day 118

A nine-game slate of rescheduled matches begins with...

The Florida Panthers hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Chris Driedger are set to start in goal. Florida opened in the first period with a MacKenzie Weegar goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Mason Marchment and Juho Lammikko. The Panthers added on in the second period with a shorthanded Lammikko goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. Florida extended the lead as Carter Verhaeghe scored his eighteenth of the season in the third period, thanks to Anthony Duclair and Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers iced it at 4-0 with an Alex Wennberg goal, his seventeenth of the year, made possible by Radko Gudas and Keith Yandle. The three stars were Lammikko, Driedger (30 save shutout), and Weegar.

Up in Boston, the Bruins welcome the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Tuukka Rask protect the nets. Boston started in the first period with a Taylor Hall power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by David Krejci and Brad Marchand. New York tied it in the second period with an Oliver Wahlstrom power play goal, his twelfth of the year, with assists provided by Mathew Barzal and Nick Leddy. The Bruins took the lead back with a Marchand goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, assisted by Krejci and David Pastrnak. The Islanders retied it on a Barzal goal, his seventeenth of the year, passed from Ryan Pulock and Anthony Beauvillier. Boston won 3-2 in overtime with a Hall goal, his second of the game and tenth of the campaign, fueled by Krejci and Mike Reilly. The three stars went to Hall, Krejci, and Barzal, while Marchand gets an honorable mention.

To Montreal, as the Canadiens bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Mikko Koskinen and Jake Allen are in the creases. Montreal led off in the first period with a Jake Evans goal, his third of the season, coming off of Artturi Lehkonen and Paul Byron. Edmonton tied it on a James Neal goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Ryan McLeod and Alex Chiasson. The Oilers took the lead with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his fifteenth of the season, assisted by Kailer Yamamoto and Leon Draisaitl. The Canadiens tied it on a Byron goal, his fifth of the year, fueled by Lehkonen and Evans. Edmonton regained the lead with a Dominik Kahun goal, his eighth of the season, courtesy of Connor McDavid and Caleb Jones. Montreal tied it again with a Lehkonen goal, his seventh of the year, via Evans and Ben Chiarot. The Oilers won 4-3 in overtime with a McDavid goal, his thirty-third of the campaign, helped along by Draisaitl. The three stars were McDavid, Lehkonen, and Evans, while Byron and Draisaitl get the honorable mentions.

Back stateside, the Philadelphia Flyers host the New Jersey Devils. Scott Wedgewood and Brian Elliott are the goalies. New Jersey began in the first period with a Pavel Zacha goal, his seventeenth of the season, courtesy of Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt. The Devils added on with a Janne Kuokkanen goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Will Butcher and Yegor Sharangovich. Philadelphia got on the board with a Joel Farabee goal, his nineteenth of the season, made possible by Kevin Hayes and Wade Allison. The Flyers tied it in the second period with a Sean Couturier goal, his eighteenth of the year, assisted by Claude Giroux and Travis Konecny. Philadelphia took the lead with a James van Riemsdyk power play goal in the third period, his seventeenth of the season, powered by Couturier and Giroux. The Flyers finished it at 4-2 with a Farabee goal, his second of the game and twentieth of the year, fueled by Allison and Hayes. The three stars were Farabee, Couturier, and Hayes, while Allison and Giroux receive the honorable mentions.

Down in Nashville, the Predators welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Petr Mrazek and Pekka Rinne are the veterans in goal. Nashville drew first blood in the first period with a Rocco Grimaldi shorthanded goal, his tenth of the season, set up by Tanner Jeannot. The Predators added on with a Matt Duchene goal, his fifth of the year, courtesy of Yakov Trenin and Ryan Johansen. Nashville extended the lead in the second period as Duchene scored his second of the game and sixth of the season, thanks to Brad Richardson and Cousins. The Predators padded the lead on a Johansen power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Filip Forsberg and Dante Fabbro. Nashville iced it at 5-0 in the third period with a shorthanded and unassisted Jeannot goal, his fifth of the campaign. The three stars were Rinne (30 save shutout), Jeannot, and Duchene, while Johansen gets an honorable mention.

Northwest to Chicago, as the Blackhawks bring in the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Collin Delia draw the starts in goal. Chicago struck first in the first period with an Alex DeBrincat goal, his thirty-second of the season, coming off of Pius Suter. The Blackhawks added on with a Suter goal, his fourteenth of the year, via DeBrincat and Dylan Strome. Dallas got on the board with a Joe Pavelski goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, courtesy of John Klingberg and Joel Hanley. Chicago replied in the second period with a Strome goal, his ninth of the year, with helpers from Vinnie Hinostroza and Dominik Kubalik. The Stars shot back on a Miro Heiskanen power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Klingberg and Jamie Benn. The Blackhawks responded in the third period with a Vinnie Hinostroza goal, his fourth of the year, helped along by David Kampf and Mike Hardman. Dallas pulled back with a Joel Kiviranta goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Denis Gurianov and Heiskanen. The Stars tied it as Jason Dickinson scored his seventh of the year, thanks to Jason Robertson. Dallas won 5-4 in overtime with a Robertson goal, his seventeenth of the campaign, with assists provided by Benn and Klingberg. The three stars were Robertson, DeBrincat, and Klingberg, while Heiskanen, Benn, Suter, Strome, and Hinostroza get the honorable mentions.

Back in Canada, the Winnipeg Jets host the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Laurent Brossoit are the backups in goal. Vancouver kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Nils Hoglander goal, his eleventh of the season, going in unassisted. The Canucks added on with a Bo Horvat goal, his seventeenth of the year, coming off of Tanner Pearson and Matthew Highmore. Winnipeg got on the board with a Kyle Connor goal, his twenty-third of the season, assisted by Mathieu Perreault and Mark Scheifele. Vancouver replied in the third period with a Hoglander goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, courtesy of J.T. Miller and Jack Rathbone. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Hoglander, Horvat, and Demko (39 for 40 in saves). 

Down in Los Angeles, the Kings welcome the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Calvin Petersen are between the pipes. St. Louis dented the scoreboard in the third period with a Tyler Bozak goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Jaden Schwartz and Justin Faulk. Los Angeles tied it on an Alex Iafallo goal, his thirteenth of the year, guided in by Gabriel Vilardi and Olli Maatta. The Blues won 2-1 in overtime with a Faulk goal, his seventh of the campaign, assisted by David Perron and Ryan O'Reilly. The three stars went to Faulk, Binnington (26 for 27 in saves), and Bozak.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Philipp Grubauer and Robin Lehner tend the twines. Vegas was first to score in the first period with an Alex Pietrangelo goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Nicolas Hague and Mark Stone. Colorado tied it in the second period with an Andre Burakovsky goal, his eighteenth of the year, coming off of Nazem Kadri and Alex Newhook. The Avalanche took the lead in the third period with a J.T. Compher goal, his seventh of the season, via Newhook and Conor Timmins. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Newhook, Compher, and Grubauer (36 for 37 in saves). 

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NHL 2021 - Day 117

The NHL regular season entered overtime today with two games. First up...

The Chicago Blackhawks welcome the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Kevin Lankinen play in goal. Chicago began in the first period with a MacKenzie Entwistle goal, assisted by Mike Hardman and Patrick Kane. Dallas tied it on a Denis Gurianov goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Jamie Benn. The Blackhawks took the lead back with a Brandon Hagel goal, his ninth of the year, guided in by Dominik Kubalik and Philipp Kurashev. Chicago added on with an Alex DeBrincat power play goal, his thirtieth of the season, powered by Kane and Hagel. The Stars got one back with a Mark Pysyk goal, his third of the year, coming off of Radek Faksa in the third period. The Blackhawks finished it at 4-2 with a DeBrincat goal, his second of the game and thirty-first of the campaign, fueled by Pius Suter and Connor Murphy. The three stars belonged to DeBrincat, Hagel, and Kane. 

Over in Calgary, the Flames bring in the Ottawa Senators. Anton Forsberg is mismatched with Jacob Markstrom in goal. Calgary led off in the first period with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Mark Giordano and Matthew Tkachuk. The Flames added on in the second period with a Mikael Backlund goal, his ninth of the year, via Andrew Mangiapane and Joakim Nordstrom. Calgary extended the lead as Tkachuk scored his eleventh of the season, with the help of Gaudreau and Rasmus Andersson. The Flames padded the lead on a Michael Stone goal, his second of the year coming off of Glenn Gawdin and Milan Lucic. Filip Gustavsson replaced Forsberg in goal. Ottawa got on the board with a Josh Norris goal, his sixteenth of the season, helped along by Drake Batherson. Calgary shot back in the third period with a Dillon Dube goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Derek Ryan. The Flames capped it at 6-1 with a Giordano power play goal, his ninth of the campaign, powered by Tkachuk and Gaudreau. The three stars belonged to Gaudreau, Tkachuk, and Giordano. 

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