Saturday, March 22, 2014

NHL Day 173 2013-2014

Eleven games on today, beginning in...

Philadelphia, as the Flyers host the St. Louis Blues. Ryan Miller and Steve Mason are set to start. St. Louis opened in the first period on a Jaden Schwartz goal, his twenty-second of the season, a shorthanded goal set up by Kevin Shattenkirk and Vladimir Sobotka. Philadelphia tied it on a power play goal in the second period from Scott Hartnell, his nineteenth of the year, powered by Jakub Voracek and Claude Giroux. The Flyers took the lead on a Brayden Schenn goal, his eighteenth of the season, via Wayne Simmonds. Philadelphia added on in the third period with a Voracek goal, his nineteenth of the year, fueled by Giroux and Hartnell. The Flyers extended the lead with a Simmonds empty net goal, his twenty-fourth of the campaign, with assists provided by Vincent Lecavalier and Brayden Schenn. This made it 4-1, a final, with the three stars going to Hartnell, Voracek, and Mason (32 for 33 in saves), while Giroux, Simmonds, and Brayden Schenn get the honorable mentions.

Across Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Penguins welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Backups Anders Lindback and Jeff Zatkoff are in goal. Pittsburgh got going in the second period with a Sidney Crosby power play goal, his thirty-fourth of the season, guided in by Evgeni Malkin and the goalie Zatkoff. Tampa Bay tied it on a Valtteri Filppula power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, powered by Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman. The Lightning took the lead on a Stamkos goal, his twentieth of the season, via Alex Killorn and Radko Gudas. The Penguins tied it on a Malkin goal, his twenty-second of the year, a power play goal made possible by Matt Niskanen and Crosby. Pittsburgh took the lead on a Malkin goal, his second of the game and twenty-third of the season, passed from Jussi Jokinen. Tampa Bay tied it again on an Ondrej Palat goal, his nineteenth of the year, coming off of Gudas and Matthew Carle. The Penguins won 4-3 in overtime as James Neal scored a power play goal, his twenty-third of the campaign, thanks to Malkin and Crosby. The three stars were Malkin, Crosby, and Stamkos, while Gudas gets an honorable mention.

Westward again to Minnesota, as the Wild bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Darcy Kuemper are given the starting nods. Minnesota led off in the first period with a Mikko Koivu power play goal, his ninth of the season, courtesy of Ryan Suter and Matt Moulson. Detroit tied it on a Brendan Smith power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by David Legwand and Jakub Kindl. The Red Wings took the lead in the second period with a Legwand power play goal, his twelfth of the season, guided in by Riley Sheahan and Kindl. The Wild retied it in the third period on a Charlie Coyle penalty shot goal, his eighth of the year. Detroit took the lead on a Gustav Nyquist goal, his twenty-first of the season, fueled by Sheahan and Smith. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Smith, Kindl, and Sheahan.

Down in Dallas, the Stars host the Ottawa Senators. Robin Lehner and Kari Lehtonen are between the pipes. Ottawa began in the first period with an Erik Karlsson goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Colin Greening. Dallas tied it in the second period as Cody Eakin notched his fourteenth of the year, thanks to Valeri Nichushkin and Jordie Benn. The Stars got the lead in the third period with a Trevor Daley goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Ray Whitney and Colton Sceviour. Dallas extended the lead with a Jamie Benn goal, his thirtieth of the year, made possible by Tyler Seguin and Jordie Benn. This was good for a 3-1 win, with the three stars going to Jordie Benn, Jamie Benn, and Daley.

Further to the west, the Los Angeles Kings welcome the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Jonathan Quick guard the cages. Los Angeles started in the first period with a Trevor Lewis goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Kyle Clifford and Willie Mitchell. The Kings added on with a Mike Richards goal, his tenth of the year, made possible by Lewis and Drew Doughty. Los Angeles extended the lead in the second period with a Dustin Brown goal, his thirteenth of the season, fueled by Jarret Stoll and Dwight King. The Kings padded the lead in the third period with an Alec Martinez power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Slava Voynov and Jeff Carter. This made it 4-0, the final, with the three stars being Quick (24 save shutout), Lewis, and Richards.

Northeast to Toronto, as the Maple Leafs bring in the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and James Reimer man the creases. Montreal struck first in the first period with a Max Pacioretty goal, his thirty-first of the season, assisted by David Desharnais. The Canadiens added on with a Rene Bourque goal, his ninth of the year, guided in by Brian Gionta and Mike Weaver. Toronto got on the board with a Joffrey Lupul goal, his twentieth of the season, passed from Mason Raymond. The Maple Leafs tied it with a Tyler Bozak goal, his sixteenth of the year, with a lone assist from Phil Kessel. Montreal retook the lead on a Gionta goal, his fifteenth of the season, coming off of Bourque. Toronto tied it again in the third period on a Nazem Kadri power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Lupul and Raymond. The Canadiens retook the lead on a Tomas Plekanec goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, via Andrei Markov and P.K. Subban. This held up for a 4-3 win, with the three stars going to Bourque, Gionta, and Lupul, while Raymond gets an honorable mention.

Back stateside, the New Jersey Devils host the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Martin Brodeur are the future Hall of Fame goalies. New York dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Rick Nash goal, his twenty-third of the season, fueled by Derek Stepan and Chris Kreider. The Rangers added on in the third period as Stepan scored a power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, powered by the goalie Lundqvist and Ryan McDonagh. This produced the 2-0 final, with the three stars being Lundqvist (21 save shutout), Stepan, and Nash.

Into Canada again, as the Winnipeg Jets welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Al Montoya are the mediocre goalies. Winnipeg was first to score in the second period on a Jim Slater goal, with a lone assist by Mark Stuart. Carolina tied it on an Eric Staal goal, his seventeenth of the season, coming off of Jiri Tlusty and Andrej Sekera. The Hurricanes took the lead with a Jordan Staal power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, powered by Sekera and John-Michael Liles. Carolina added on as Riley Nash potted his ninth of the season, thanks to Jeff Skinner and Patrick Dwyer. The Jets got one back in the third period on a Bryan Little goal, his twenty-first of the year, pushed through by Michael Frolik. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Sekera, Jordan Staal, and Eric Staal.

South to Arizona, as the Phoenix Coyotes bring in the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Mike Smith will have the green light to play goal. Boston opened in the first period with a Patrice Bergeron goal, his twenty-second of the season, made possible by Andrej Meszaros. Phoenix tied it on a Shane Doan goal, his twentieth of the year, guided in by Brandon McMillan and Mike Ribeiro. The Coyotes took the lead in the second period with a power play goal by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, his twelfth of the season, powered by Mikkel Boedker and Keith Yandle. The Bruins retied it in the third period on a Jarome Iginla goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, fueled by Zdeno Chara and Dougie Hamilton. Boston took the lead as Shawn Thornton netted his fifth of the season, thanks to Daniel Paille and Gregory Campbell. The Bruins iced it at 4-2 with an Iginla empty net goal, his second of the game and twenty-eighth of the year, set up by Milan Lucic. Iginla, Thornton, and Bergeron received the three stars.

Up in Alberta, the Edmonton Oilers host the Calgary Flames for a Battle of Alberta. Karri Ramo and Viktor Fasth are set to start. Edmonton started in the first period with a Jeff Petry power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle. Calgary tied it on a Mark Giordano goal, his twelfth of the year, via Michael Cammalleri and T.J. Brodie. The Flames took the lead in the second period on a Cammalleri goal, his twenty-third of the season, helped along by Mikael Backlund. Calgary added on with a Matt Stajan penalty shot goal for his eleventh of the year. The Flames extended the lead as Paul Byron scored his sixth of the season, thanks to Cammalleri and Brodie. Calgary padded the lead with a Curtis Glencross goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Stajan and Giordano. Ben Scrivens replaced Fasth at this time. The Flames kept going in the third period on another Glencross goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, assisted by Stajan and Jiri Hudler. Calgary struck again with a Kevin Westgarth goal, his second of the year, passed from Tyler Wotherspoon and Ladislav Smid. The Flames wrapped it up at 8-1 as Glencross finished his hat trick with his tenth of the campaign, coming off of Stajan, who got a sock trick, and Chris Butler. Glencross, Stajan, and Cammalleri were the three stars, while Brodie and Giordano got the honorable mentions.

Finally, in San Jose, the Sharks host the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Antti Niemi are the masked men. Washington led off in the first period with an unassisted Eric Fehr goal, his twelfth of the season. San Jose tied it on a Patrick Marleau goal, his thirtieth of the year, coming off of Logan Couture and Matthew Nieto. The Sharks took the lead with a James Sheppard third period goal, his third of the season, going in unassisted. The Capitals retied it on a Chris Brown goal, via Dustin Penner and Tom Wilson. Washington won 3-2 in the shootout with goals by Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom to overwhelm Marleau's lone tally. The three stars were Brown, Marleau, and Backstrom.

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KHL Eastern Conference Semifinals Day 2 2014

Two games on in the east today, beginning in...

Astana, as Barys hosts Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Andrei Vasilevsky and Vitaly Yeremeyev are in the blue paint. Ufa was first to score in the first period with an Andrei Zubarev power play goal, powered by Dmitry Makarov and Teemu Hartikainen. Salavat Yulaev added on as Yegor Dubrovsky scored an unassisted goal. Astana got on the board with a Kristian Kudroc goal, via Dustin Boyd and Brandon Bochenski. Barys tied it in the second period with an unassisted power play goal by Konstantin Rudenko. Astana took the lead with a Cam Barker goal, with a lone assist from Andrei Gavrilin. Barys extended the lead in the third period on a Gavrilin goal, guided in by Bochenski and Boyd. Astana finished it at 5-2 with a Boyd goal, made possible by Bochenski, who got a sock trick. The three stars went to Boyd, Bochenski, and Gavrilin. The series is now tied at 1.

Up in Magnitogorsk, Metallurg hosts Sibir Novosibirsk. Mikko Koskinen and Vasily Koshechkin guard the cages. Magnitogorsk struck first in the first period with a shorthanded and unassisted goal from Dmitry Kazionov. Novosibirsk took the lead in the second period on a power play goal by Dmitry Monya, powered by Vyacheslav Belov. Metallurg retook the lead as Francis Pare scored a power play goal, made possible by Chris Lee. Magnitogorsk added on as Sergei Mozyakin scored a power play goal, thanks to Danis Zaripov. Sibir shot back in the third period with another Monya goal, assisted by Konstantin Alexeyev. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Mozyakin, Monya, and Koshechkin (28 for 30 in saves). Metallurg takes a 2-0 series lead on the road.

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Friday, March 21, 2014

NHL Day 172 2013-2014

Four games are on today, beginning in...

Columbus, as the Blue Jackets host the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Sergei Bobrovsky tend the twines. Columbus got going in the third period on a Nick Foligno goal, his eighteenth of the season, an unassisted goal. New York tied it with a Derek Stepan goal, his fourteenth of the year, via Ryan McDonagh and Anton Stralman. The Rangers took the lead on a Derick Brassard goal, his sixteenth of the season, passed from Stralman and Mats Zuccarello. New York iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Carl Hagelin, his seventeenth of the year, set up by Zuccarello and Marc Staal. The three stars were handed to Lundqvist (25 for 26 in saves), Stralman, and Zuccarello.

West to Chicago, as the Blackhawks welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Anton Khudobin and Corey Crawford guard the cages. Chicago dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Patrick Sharp goal, his thirtieth of the season, assisted by Andrew Shaw and Michal Handzus. The Blackhawks added on as Kris Versteeg notched his eleventh of the year, with the help of Nick Leddy and Brent Seabrook. Carolina got on the board with an Alexander Semin goal, his twentieth of the season, guided in by Eric Staal and Andrej Sekera. The Hurricanes tied it with another Semin goal in the third period, his second of the game and twenty-first of the year coming on the power play from Eric Staal. Chicago retook the lead on a shorthanded goal by Jonathan Toews, his twenty-eighth of the season, going in unassisted. This was good for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Semin, Toews, and Eric Staal.

Further to the west, the Colorado Avalanche host the Boston Bruins. Chad Johnson is mismatched with Semyon Varlamov in goal. Boston opened in the first period on a Patrice Bergeron goal, his twenty-first of the season, guided in by Dougie Hamilton and Zdeno Chara. The Bruins added on as Carl Soderberg scored a power play goal in the second period, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Loui Eriksson and Hamilton. This was all they needed for a 2-0 win, with Johnson (31 save shutout), Hamilton, and Bergeron earning the three stars.

Up in Calgary, the Flames bring in the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Joni Ortio are the Finnish goalies. Nashville started in the first period with a Victor Bartley goal, courtesy of Craig Smith and Seth Jones. The Predators added on with a Shea Weber goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Mike Fisher and Matt Cullen. Calgary got on the board with a Kris Russell power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Mark Giordano and Michael Cammalleri. Nashville shot back in the second period on a Patric Hornqvist goal, his fourteenth of the season, via Michael Del Zotto and Cullen. The Flames got one back on a Cammalleri goal, his twenty-first of the year, with a lone helper by Russell. Calgary tied it with a Giordano goal, his twelfth of the season, helped along by Curtis Glencross and Jiri Hudler. The Predators pulled ahead again on a Viktor Stalberg goal, his eighth of the year, with assists provided by Gabriel Bourque and Calle Jarnkrok. The Flames tied it again with a Mikael Backlund goal, his eighteenth of the season, fueled by Lance Bouma and Brian McGrattan. Nashville gained the lead in the third period on a Weber goal, his second of the game and eighteenth of the year, pushed through by Cullen, who got a sock trick, and Hornqvist on the power play. The Predators struck again with a Cullen goal, his seventh of the season, from Roman Josi and Hornqvist. Calgary got one back again with a Cammalleri goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the year, guided in by Russell and Backlund. The final in the marathon game stood at 6-5, with the three stars being Weber, Hornqvist, and Cullen, while Cammalleri, Backlund, Russell, and Giordano get the honorable mentions.

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KHL Western Conference Semifinals Day 2 2014

Two more games on today, beginning with...

SKA St. Petersburg welcoming Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Curtis Sanford and Alexander Salak are set to start. Yaroslavl led off in the first period with a Sergei Konkov goal, via Emil Galimov and Vladislav Kartayev. St. Petersburg tied it on a Roman Cervenka goal, passed from Tony Martensson and Patrick Thoresen. SKA took the lead in the second period with an Ilya Kablukov goal, courtesy of Alexei Ponikarovsky and Ilya Kovalchuk. Lokomotiv retied it with a power play goal by Konkov, powered by Geoff Platt and Ilya Gorokhov. St. Petersburg retook the lead on a Kovalchuk goal, assisted by Kevin Dallman and Kablukov. SKA added on with a Cervenka goal, via Dinar Khafizullin and Thoresen. Yaroslavl got one back in the third period on a Staffan Kronwall goal, coming off of Galimov. Lokomotiv retied it on a Daniil Apalkov power play goal, with assists provided by Kronwall and Sergei Plotnikov. Yaroslavl won 5-4 in overtime as Kartayev scored, with a lone helper form Kronwall. The three stars were awarded to Kartayev, Kronwall, and Konkov, while Galimov, Cervenka, Kovalchuk, Kablukov, and Thoresen all get honorable mentions. The series heads west tied at 1.

Over in Prague, Lev brings in Donbass Donetsk. Michael Leighton and Petri Vehanen are the masked men. Donetsk began in the first period with an Evgeny Dadonov goal, assisted by Ruslan Fedotenko and Maxim Yakutsenya. Prague tied it with a Petr Vrana goal, via Nathan Oystrick and Mikko Maenpaa on the power play. Lev added on as Vrana scored another power play goal, powered by Maenpaa. Donbass tied it in the second period with a power play goal from Evgeny Belukhin, coming off of Oskars Bartulis. Prague pulled ahead with a Lukas Cingel goal, made possible by Jakub Matai. Donetsk tied it in the third period with a Yakutsenya goal, fueled by Belukhin and Dadonov. Donbass won in the fourth overtime by a 4-3 score on a Belukhin goal, guided in by Yakutsenya. The three stars were Belukhin, Yakutsenya, and Vrana, while Maenpaa and Dadonov get the honorable mentions. The series is now tied at 1.

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KHL Eastern Conference Semifinals Day 1 2014

As is normal, the semifinals have two games on today for the Eastern Conference. We begin in...

Astana, as Barys hosts Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Andrei Vasilevsky and Vitaly Yeremeyev are in goal. Astana was first to score in the first period with a Mike Lundin goal, courtesy of Brandon Bochenski and Andrei Gavrilin. Ufa tied it in the second period with a Dmitry Makarov power play goal, powered by Kirill Koltsov and Teemu Hartikainen. Salavat Yulaev took the lead in the third period on an Alexei Kaigorodov goal, assisted by Koltsov and Antti Pihlstrom. Barys retied it with a Nikolai Antropov goal, coming off of Maxim Semyonov. Ufa won 3-2 in overtime on an unassisted goal by Nikita Filatov. The three stars were Filatov, Koltsov, and Vasilevsky (35 for 37 in saves). Salavat Yulaev takes a 1-0 series lead.

Up in Magnitogorsk, Metallurg hosts Sibir Novosibirsk. Mikko Koskinen and Vasily Koshechkin tend the twines. Magnitogorsk struck first in the first period with a Jan Kovar power play goal, powered by Sergei Mozyakin. Metallurg added on in the third period with a Danis Zaripov goal, with a lone helper by Mozyakin. Novosibirsk got on the board as Konstantin Alexeyev scored an unassisted goal. Sibir tied it on an Ivan Lekomtsev goal, passed from Jonas Enlund. Magnitogorsk won 3-2 in overtime with a Mozyakin goal, fueled by Kovar on the power play. The three stars belonged to Mozyakin, Kovar, and Koshechkin (32 for 34 in saves). Metallurg leads the series 1-0.

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Thursday, March 20, 2014

NHL Day 171 2013-2014

Nine games on the schedule today, beginning with...

The New Jersey Devils hosting the Minnesota Wild. Ilya Bryzgalov and Cory Schneider draw the starts. New Jersey was first to score in the first period on a Michael Ryder goal, his seventeenth of the season, courtesy of Patrik Elias and Adam Henrique. The Devils added on in the second period with a shorthanded goal by Mark Fayne, his fourth of the year, set up by Henrique and Elias. Minnesota got on the board with a Zach Parise power play goal in the third period, his twenty-fourth of the season, powered by Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgeon. New Jersey shot back with a power play goal by Jaromir Jagr, his twenty-third of the year, assisted by Ryane Clowe and Travis Zajac. The Wild pulled back on a Mikael Granlund goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Spurgeon. Minnesota tied it on a Matt Cooke goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Marco Scandella and Jonas Brodin. The Devils won 4-3 in overtime on an Andy Greene goal, his eighth of the campaign, with assists provided by Henrique and Elias, both of whom got sock tricks. The three stars belonged to Henrique, Elias, and Spurgeon.

Over in Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the Dallas Stars. Tim Thomas and Steve Mason are the overrated goalies. Philadelphia began in the first period with a Mark Streit goal, his ninth of the season, with a lone assist by Claude Giroux. The Flyers added on with a power play goal by Wayne Simmonds, his twenty-second of the year, powered by Scott Hartnell and Jakub Voracek. Dallas got on the board in the second period with a power play goal by Jamie Benn, his twenty-eighth of the season, coming off of Tyler Seguin and Alex Goligoski. Philadelphia replied with Simmonds' second of the game and twenty-third of the year, via Vincent Lecavalier and Brayden Schenn. The Stars shot back on a Jamie Benn goal, his second of the game and twenty-ninth of the season, with a lone helper from Seguin. The Flyers answered on a Michael Raffl goal, his ninth of the year, helped along by Sean Couturier and Kimmo Timonen. This made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars going to Simmonds, Benn, and Seguin.

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Carey Price guard the cages. Montreal struck first in the first period with a Brendan Gallagher power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by Alex Galchenyuk and Tomas Plekanec. Columbus tied it with a shorthanded goal from Derek MacKenzie, his eighth of the year, set up by Mark Letestu. The Blue Jackets took the lead in the second period on a Brandon Dubinsky goal, his fourteenth of the season, courtesy of Blake Comeau and Jack Johnson. The Canadiens tied it in the third period on a Thomas Vanek goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, via Max Pacioretty and P.K. Subban. Columbus took the lead on an unassisted goal by Ryan Johansen, his twenty-seventh of the campaign. This was good for a 3-2 win, with the three stars awarded to Johansen, Dubinsky, and MacKenzie.

West to Ontario, as the Ottawa Senators host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ben Bishop faces former teammate Robin Lehner in goal. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with a Teddy Purcell goal, his eleventh of the season, coming off of Victor Hedman and Tyler Johnson. Ottawa tied it on a Clarke MacArthur goal, his twenty-first of the year, a shorthanded goal set up by Kyle Turris. The Lightning retook the lead with another Purcell goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the season, guided in by Hedman and Johnson. The Senators pulled even as Erik Karlsson netted his eighteenth of the year, a power play goal powered by Mike Hoffman and Jason Spezza. Tampa Bay pulled ahead on a second period power play goal by Valtteri Filppula, his twenty-third of the season, passed from Ondrej Palat and Sami Salo. Ottawa tied it again with an Ales Hemsky goal, his eleventh of the year, via Milan Michalek. The Lightning regained the lead with an Eric Brewer goal, made possible by J.T. Brown and Alex Killorn. Tampa Bay added on with a Ryan Callahan power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, with helpers from Palat and Salo. The Senators got one back with a Michalek goal, his thirteenth of the year, from Karlsson and Spezza. The final was 5-4, with the three stars going to Purcell, Karlsson, and Michalek, while Hedman, Johnson, Palat, and Salo get the honorable mentions.

Back stateside, the Detroit Red Wings welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jimmy Howard protect the nets. Detroit started in the first period with a Daniel Alfredsson goal, his sixteenth of the season, coming off of Johan Franzen and Danny DeKeyser. The Red Wings added on as Gustav Nyquist scored his twentieth of the year in the second period, a power play goal powered by Alfredsson and Niklas Kronwall. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Lee Stempniak goal, his tenth of the season, via Chris Kunitz and Robert Bortuzzo. The Penguins tied it on an Evgeni Malkin goal, his twentieth of the year, with a lone assist by James Neal and Jussi Jokinen. Pittsburgh took the lead with a Malkin power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the season, fueled by Neal and Jokinen. Detroit retied it in the third period with a Tomas Tatar goal, his fifteenth of the year, with assists provided by Riley Sheahan and DeKeyser. The Red Wings took the lead again on an unassisted Todd Bertuzzi goal, his ninth of the season. The Penguins tied it again on a Craig Adams goal, his fourth of the year, thanks to Brandon Sutter and Joe Vitale. Detroit won in the last second of overtime on a shorthanded Alfredsson goal, his second of the game and seventeenth of the campaign, set up by Nyquist. The three stars of the 5-4 game were Alfredsson, Nyquist, and Malkin, with the honorable mentions going to Neal, Jokinen, and DeKeyser.

Westward to Edmonton, as the Oilers bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Matt Hackett is mismatched with Ben Scrivens in goal. Edmonton led off in the first period with a Taylor Hall power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, powered by Justin Schultz and David Perron. Buffalo tied it in the second period as Cory Conacher scored his fifth of the year, a power play goal made possible by Jamie McBain. The Sabres took the lead in the third period with Conacher's second of the game and sixth of the season, fueled by Torrey Mitchell and Cody Hodgson. Buffalo added on as Drew Stafford netted his fifteenth of the year, thanks to Tyler Ennis. This made it 3-1, the final, with Conacher, Hackett (35 for 36 in saves), and Stafford getting the three stars.

Way south to Arizona, as the Phoenix Coyotes host the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Mike Smith are the Canadian Olympic goaltenders. Phoenix began in the first period with a Radim Vrbata power play goal, his twentieth of the season, powered by Martin Hanzal and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The Coyotes added on with an Antoine Vermette goal, his twenty-third of the year, thanks to Michael Stone and Mikkel Boedker. Florida got on the board with a third period goal by Scott Gomez, his second of the campaign, with a lone assist from Dmitry Kulikov. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Smith (22 for 23 in saves), Vermette, and Vrbata.

Out in Los Angeles, the Kings welcome the Washington Capitals. Jaroslav Halak and Jonathan Quick are the masked men. Los Angeles opened in the first period with an Anze Koptiar goal, his twenty-second of the season, fueled by Marian Gaborik and Justin Williams. Washington tied it on a Joel Ward goal in the third period, his twenty-second of the year, assisted by Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom. The Kings won with goals by Gaborik and Carter in the shootout, topping a lone tally by Kuznetsov. Gaborik, Quick (21 for 22 in saves), and Kuznetsov were the three stars.

Finally, in San Jose, the Sharks bring in the Anaheim Ducks. Frederik Andersen and Antti Niemi are called on for the starts. San Jose started in the first period with a Patrick Marleau power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, powered by Joe Thornton and Logan Couture. Anaheim tied it in the second period on a Mathieu Perreault power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, guided in by Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf. The Ducks took the lead in the third period on a Teemu Selanne goal, his eighth of the season, via Perry and Getzlaf. The Sharks tied it with a Thornton goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski. San Jose won 3-2 as Burns deposited his twentieth of the campaign, with the help of Thornton and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The three stars went to Burns, Thornton, and Perry, while Getzlaf gets an honorable mention.

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KHL Western Conference Semifinals Day 1 2014

The KHL has made it to the second round, and the Western Conference opens up their semifinals today. We begin in...

St. Petersburg, as SKA hosts Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Curtis Sanford and Alexander Salak tend the twines. St. Petersburg was first to score in the first period on a Patrick Thoresen goal, coming off of Alexei Semenov and Roman Cervenka. This was the only goal in the game, as SKA won 1-0. The three stars were awarded to Salak (18 save shutout), Thoresen, and Sanford (31 for 32 in saves). SKA takes a 1-0 series lead.

The other game is in Prague, as Lev hosts Donbass Donetsk. Jan Laco and Petri Vehanen are set to start. Prague struck first in the first period on a Justin Azevedo goal, from Jiri Sekac. Lev added on in the second period with a Jakub Matai goal, fueled by Calle Ridderwall. Prague extended the lead as Jiri Novotny scored, thanks to David Ullstrom and Azevedo. Michael Leighton relieved Laco at this time. Lev padded the lead on a Petr Vrana goal, assisted by Marc-Andre Gragnani and Michal Repik. Prague kept going with a Patrik Zackrisson goal, coming off of Niko Kapanen and Repik. Donetsk got on the board in the third period with an unassisted goal by Viktor Zakharov. Donbass pulled closer on a Dmitry Kagarlitsky goal, assisted by Zakharov and Jan Kolar. This made it 5-2, the final, with Azevedo, Repik, and Zakharov being the three stars. Lev leads the series 1-0.

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