It's a massive Saturday with 15 games on the slate. First up...
The Boston Bruins host the Detroit Red Wings. Magnus Hellberg is mismatched with Linus Ullmark in goal. Detroit began in the first period with a shorthanded and unassisted Andrew Copp goal, his seventh of the season. The Red Wings added on with an Alex Chiasson power play goal, powered by David Perron and Dylan Larkin. Boston got on the board in the second period with a Hampus Lindholm goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic. The Bruins tied it on a Patrice Bergeron power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, with assists provided by Jake DeBrusk and Dmitry Orlov. Boston took the lead in the third period with a Garnet Hathaway goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of A.J. Greer and Tomas Nosek. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Hathaway, Bergeron, and Lindholm.
Along to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins welcome their cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Casey DeSmith are the goalies. Pittsburgh led off in the first period with a Rickard Rakell goal, his twenty-second of the season, via Marcus Pettersson and Mikael Granlund. Philadelphia tied it on a Kieffer Bellows goal, his second of the year, assisted by Justin Braun. The Penguins took the lead back in the second period with a Sidney Crosby power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, powered by Jake Guentzel and Kris Letang. Pittsburgh added on in the third period with a Jason Zucker goal, his twenty-third of the year, guided in by Pettersson and Evgeni Malkin. The Penguins extended the lead as Guentzel scored an empty net goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, set up by Jeff Carter and Brian Dumoulin. Pittsburgh iced it at 5-1 with a Granlund goal, his tenth of the year, fueled by Dmitry Kulikov and Jan Rutta. The three stars were Guentzel, Pettersson, and Granlund.
Next up, the Buffalo Sabres bring in the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are in the blue paint. Buffalo got going in the second period with a Jeff Skinner goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, assisted by Ilya Lyubushkin and Tage Thompson. New York tied it on a Patrick Kane goal, his eighteenth of the year, courtesy of K'Andre Miller and Jacob Trouba. The Rangers won 2-1 in overtime with an Artemi Panarin power play goal, his twentieth of the campaign, powered by Adam Fox and Mika Zibanejad. The three stars were Panarin, Kane, and Shesterkin (32 for 33 in saves).
Out west, the Colorado Avalanche host the Arizona Coyotes. Connor Ingram and Alexandar Georgiev are in the blue paint. Colorado started in the first period with a Denis Malgin goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Brad Hunt and Alex Newhook. Arizona tied it on a Jack McBain goal, his eleventh of the year, via Lawson Crouse and Matias Maccelli. The Coyotes took the lead with a Clayton Keller goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, assisted by Barrett Hayton. The Avalanche tied it in the second period with a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, powered by Mikko Rantanen and Artturi Lehkonen. Colorado won 3-2 in overtime with a Cale Makar goal, his fifteenth of the campaign, helped along by MacKinnon and Rantanen. The three stars were MacKinnon, Rantanen, and Makar.
Back east, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Jonathan Quick and Frederik Andersen tend the twines. Vegas opened in the first period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his twentieth of the season, via Alex Pietrangelo. The Golden Knights added on in the second period with a Reilly Smith goal, his twenty-second of the year, coming off of William Karlsson. Vegas extended the lead in the third period as Paul Cotter scored his twelfth of the season, thanks to Pietrangelo and Chandler Stephenson. The Golden Knights iced it at 4-0 with a Brett Howden empty net goal, his fourth of the year, set up by Teddy Blueger. The three stars were Quick (33 save shutout), Pietrangelo, and Marchessault.
Up in Columbus, the Blue Jackets bring in the St. Louis Blues. Thomas Greiss and Michael Hutchinson are the backups in goal. St. Louis kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Brandon Saad goal, his seventeenth of the season, made possible by Sammy Blais and Brayden Schenn. Columbus tied it on a Patrik Laine power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, powered by Johnny Gaudreau and Nick Blankenburg. The Blues took the lead back with a Jordan Kyrou goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, coming off of Robert Thomas and Blais. St. Louis added on with a Blais goal, his fourth of the year, passed from Brandon Saad and Schenn. The Blues extended the lead in the third period as Kyrou scored his second of the game and twenty-eighth of the season, thanks to Alexey Toropchenko. The Blue Jackets got one back with a Boone Jenner goal, his twentieth of the year, with helpers from Kent Johnson and Gaudreau. St. Louis iced it at 5-2 with a Kyrou empty net goal to complete his hat trick on his twenty-ninth of the campaign, set up by Thomas and Pavel Buchnevich. The three stars were Kyrou, Blais, and Saad, while Schenn, Thomas, and Gaudreau get the honorable mentions.
Down in Florida, the Panthers host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Sergei Bobrovsky guard the cages. Winnipeg drew first blood in the first period with a Mark Scheifele power play goal, his thirty-seventh of the season, powered by Blake Wheeler and Kyle Connor. The Jets added on with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his sixth of the year, fueled by Nino Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov. Florida got on the board with a Matthew Tkachuk power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, with assists provided by Brandon Montour and Carter Verhaeghe. Winnipeg replied on a Namestnikov power play goal, his seventh of the year, via Ehlers and Connor. The Panthers got one back in the second period with a Sam Reinhart power play goal, his twenty-third of the season, with helpers from Aleksander Barkov and Tkachuk. The Jets fired back with a Namestnikov goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, made possible by Ehlers and Wheeler. Florida pulled one back with a Marc Staal goal in the third period, his third of the season, coming off of Eric Staal and Reinhart. The Panthers tied it on a Tkachuk power play goal, his thirtieth of the year, assisted by Barkov and Montour. Winnipeg won 5-4 in overtime with a Scheifele goal, his second of the game and thirty-eighth of the campaign, via Connor and Nate Schmidt. The three stars belonged to Scheifele, Tkachuk, and Namestnikov, while Ehlers, Wheeler, Connor, Barkov, Reinhart, and Montour get the honorable mentions.
North to Montreal, as the Canadiens welcome the New Jersey Devils. Akira Schmid and Jake Allen draw the starts in goal. New Jersey was first to score in the first period with a Nathan Bastian goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Miles Wood. The Devils added on with a Nico Hischier goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, guided in by Damon Severson and Dawson Mercer. Montreal got on the board in the the second period with a Denis Gurianov goal, his fourth of the season, via Rem Pitlick. New Jersey iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Tomas Tatar, his fifteenth of the year, set up by Hischier and Dougie Hamilton in the third period. The three stars were Hischier, Schmid (23 for 24 in saves), and Bastian.
South again to Tampa Bay, as the Lightning bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek and Brian Elliott are set to start in goal. Tampa Bay dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Brayden Point goal, his forty-second of the season, coming off of Victor Hedman and Mikhail Sergachev. Chicago tied it in the third period on a Taylor Raddysh goal, his seventeenth of the year, via Cole Guttman and Tyler Johnson. The Lightning took the lead with another Point goal, his second of the game and forty-third of the season, thanks to Nikita Kucherov and Sergachev. Tampa Bay iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Brandon Hagel, his twenty-third of the year, set up by Killorn. The three stars were Point, Sergachev, and Elliott (22 for 23 in saves).
In Canada again, the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Matt Murray are the alliterative goalies. Toronto struck first in the first period with a Noel Acciari goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Zach Aston-Reese and David Kampf. Edmonton tied it on a Mattias Ekholm goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers took the lead with an Evander Kane goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Connor McDavid and Cody Ceci. Edmonton added on in the second period with a McDavid goal, his fifty-fifth of the year, guided in by Bouchard and Nick Bjugstad. The Maple Leafs got one back with a Mitch Marner goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, going in unassisted. Toronto tied it on a William Nylander goal, his thirty-fourth of the year, fueled by Marner. The Maple Leafs took the lead with a John Tavares goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, helped along by Auston Matthews. Toronto extended the lead on a Tavares power play goal, his second of the game and thirtieth of the year, powered by Marner and Nylander. The Maple Leafs padded the lead on a Matthews power play goal, his thirtieth of the season, with assists provided by Tavares and Marner. The Oilers got one back on a Leon Draisaitl power play goal, his forty-second of the year, with helpers from Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid. Toronto iced it at 7-4 with an Acciari empty net goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were Marner, Tavares, and Acciari, while Mathews, Nylander, McDavid, Nugent-Hopkins, and Bouchard get the honorable mentions.
Stateside to New York, as the Islanders welcome the Washington Capitals. Darcy Kuemper and Semyon Varlamov patrol the creases. New York cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Pierre Engvall goal, his thirteenth of the season, going in unassisted. Washington tied it on a Dylan Strome goal, his sixteenth of the year, assisted by Rasmus Sandin and Trevor van Riemsdyk. The Capitals took the lead with a T.J. Oshie goal, his seventeenth of the season, via Sandin and van Riemsdyk. Washington added on in the third period with an Anthony Mantha goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Alex Ovechkin and Strome. The Capitals extended the lead as Nic Dowd scored his eleventh of the season, going in unassisted. Washington padded the lead on a Nicklas Backstrom goal, his fourth of the year, made possible by Sandin and Mantha. This made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars going to Sandin, Strome, and Mantha, while van Riemsdyk gets an honorable mention.
Way out west, the Seattle Kraken bring in the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Philipp Grubauer protect the nets. Dallas got going in the second period with a Roope Hintz goal, his thirty-second of the season, via Esa Lindell and Jani Hakanpaa. Seattle tied it on a Matty Beniers goal, his twentieth of the year, assisted by Vince Dunn and Jared McCann. The Stars took the lead with a Mason Marchment goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Ryan Suter and Ty Dellandrea. The Kraken tied it in the third period with a Ryan Donato goal, his thirteenth of the year, passed from Daniel Sprong and Carson Soucy. Seattle took the lead with an Oliver Bjorkstrand power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Alexander Wennberg and Dunn. Dallas retied it on a Joe Pavelski goal, his seventeenth of the year, with helpers from Hintz and Miro Heiskanen. The Stars won 4-3 in overtime with a Heiskanen goal, his tenth of the campaign, courtesy of Max Domi and Evgenii Dadonov. The three stars were Heiskanen, Hintz, and Dunn.
Up in Vancouver, the Canucks host the Ottawa Senators. Mads Sogaard is mismatched with Thatcher Demko in goal. Vancouver opened in the first period with an Andrei Kuzmenko goal, his thirty-first of the season, via J.T. Miller and Tyler Myers. The Canucks added on in the second period with a Miller shorthanded goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, set up by Nils Aman. Vancouver extended the lead as Aman scored his fourth of the season, thanks to Dakota Joshua and Conor Garland. The Canucks padded the lead on a Sheldon Dries goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Joshua and Guillaume Brisebois. Ottawa got on the board with a Claude Giroux goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, passed from Thomas Chabot and Tim Stutzle. The Senators got closer with a Nick Holden goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Stutzle. Vancouver iced it at 5-2 with a Kuzmenko power play goal into an empty net, his second of the game and thirty-second of the campaign, powered by Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson. The three stars were Miller, Aman, and Kuzmenko, while Joshua and Stutzle get the honorable mentions.
To California, as the Los Angeles Kings welcome the Nashville Predators. Kevin Lankinen and Pheonix Copley are between the pipes. Los Angeles struck first in the first period with a Mikey Anderson goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Gabriel Vilardi and Alex Iafallo. Nashville tied it on a Thomas Novak power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Cody Glass. The tie went to a shootout, where Matt Duchene had the lone tally for a 2-1 Predators win. The three stars were Lankinen (26 for 27 in saves), Copley (29 for 30 in saves), and Novak.
Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Minnesota Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury and James Reimer are the veterans in goal. Minnesota started in the first period with a Jared Spurgeon goal, his tenth of the season, via Mats Zuccarello and Ryan Hartman. San Jose tied it in the second period with a power play goal by Logan Couture, his twenty-third of the year, powered by Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl. The Wild took the lead back with a Frederick Gaudreau power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, with assists provided by Marcus Johansson and Marcus Foligno. Minnesota added on in the third period with a Johansson goal, his fourteenth of the year, guided in by John Klingberg and Matt Boldy. The Sharks got closer with a Hertl power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, with helpers from Couture and Alexander Barabanov. The Wild answered with a Zuccarello power play goal, his twenty-first of the year, passed from Hartman and Klingberg. Minnesota iced it at 5-2 with a Boldy empty net goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, set up by Spurgeon. The three stars were Zuccarello, Johansson, and Spurgeon, while Boldy, Hartman, Klingberg, Couture, and Hertl get the honorable mentions.
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