KHL November 1st, 2014

One game on the first day of the month, as Dinamo Minsk hosts Sibir Novosibirsk. Mikko Koskinen and Lars Haugen are the masked men. Novosibirsk was first to score with a Sergei Shumakov goal, assisted by Konstantin Alexeyev and Oleg Gubin. Sibir added on with an Alexei Kopeikin goal, fueled by Dmitry Monya. Novosibirsk extended the lead in the second period on a power play goal by Igor Ozhiganov, powered by Stepan Sannikov and Shumakov. Minsk got on the board with an Alexander Kulakov goal, via Matt Ellison and Evgeny Nogachyov. Sibir shot back in the third period on a Dmitry Kugryshev goal, courtesy of Patrik Hersley and Alexeyev on the power play. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Shumakov, Koskinen (21 for 22 in saves), and Alexeyev.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

NHL October 31st, 2014

Four games for Halloween night, beginning in...

Columbus, as the Blue Jackets host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jonathan Bernier and Curtis McElhinney receive the starting nods. Toronto led off in the first period with a Phil Kessel goal, his sixth of the season, guided in by Daniel Winnik and Nazem Kadri. The Maple Leafs added on in the second period on a David Clarkson power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Dion Phaneuf and Peter Holland. Toronto extended the lead with a Kadri goal, his third of the season, coming off of Kessel and Winnik. Columbus got one back with a Cam Atkinson power play goal, his fifth of the year, assisted by Ryan Johansen and Jack Johnson. The Maple Leafs shot back on a Winnik goal, with a lone assist by Kessel. This made it 4-1, the final, and the three stars were Kessel, Kadri, and Winnik.

Up in Detroit, the Red Wings welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Jimmy Howard guard the cages. Detroit struck first in the first period with a Gustav Nyquist power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall. The Red Wings added on with an unassisted goal by Pavel Datsyuk, his third of the year. Detroit extended the lead with another Nyquist goal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, a power play goal made possible by Kronwall and Datsyuk. The Red Wings padded the lead on a Tomas Tatar goal, his second of the year, guided in by Nyquist and Riley Sheahan. Los Angeles got on the board in the second period on an Alec Martinez goal, assisted by Mike Richards and Trevor Lewis. The Kings pulled closer with a shorthanded third period goal by Tyler Toffoli, his sixth of the season, set up by Robyn Regehr and Dwight King. Detroit iced it at 5-2 with an empty net goal by Datsyuk, his second of the game and fourth of the year, with assists provided by Zetterberg and Justin Abdelkader. The three stars went to Nyquist, Datsyuk, and Kronwall, while Zetterberg gets an honorable mention.

Down in Dallas, the Stars bring in the Anaheim Ducks. Frederik Andersen and Kari Lehtonen are the masked men. Anaheim got going in the second period on a Corey Perry goal, his tenth of the season, via Francois Beauchemin. Dallas tied it in the third period on an Antoine Roussel goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Trevor Daley and Ryan Garbutt. The Ducks won 2-1 in overtime on a Nate Thompson goal, courtesy of Perry and Cam Fowler. The three stars were given to Perry, Andersen (21 for 22 in saves), and Thompson.

Finally, the Calgary Flames host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Jonas Hiller are the veteran goalies. Calgary dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Sean Monahan power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Dennis Wideman and Curtis Glencross. Nashville tied it on a Craig Smith goal, his fourth of the year, coming off of Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm. The Predators took the lead on a James Neal goal, his sixth of the season, with a lone assist by Mike Ribeiro. The Flames tied it on a Jiri Hudler goal in the third period, his third of the year, passed from Markus Granlund and Johnny Gaudreau. Calgary took the lead on a T.J. Brodie power play goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Monahan and Mark Giordano. The Flames added on as Gaudreau scored his second of the year, thanks to Deryk Engelland and Ladislav Smid. Nashville pulled back with a power play goal by Neal, his second of the game and seventh of the season, via Matt Cullen and Filip Forsberg. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars being Gaudreau, Monahan, and Neal.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL October 31st, 2014

Happy Halloween everyone. The KHL celebrates with ten games for today. We begin in...

Omsk, with Avangard hosting Lada Togliatti. Jeff Glass and Konstantin Barulin are the masked men. Omsk started in the first period with a Chad Kolarik power play goal, powered by Denis Kulyash and Alexander Perezhogin. This was all they needed for a 1-0 win. The three stars went to Barulin (24 save shutout), Kolarik, and Glass (35 for 36 in saves).

Down in Kazakhstan, Barys welcomes Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Alexander Sudnitsin and Jan Laco are between the pipes. Nizhnekamsk opened in the first period on a Dan Sexton goal, with a lone assist by Yegor Milovzorov. Astana tied it with a Kevin Dallman goal, passed from Dustin Boyd on the power play. Barys took the lead on another Dallman goal, fueled by Boyd and Brandon Bochenski. Neftekhimik retied it as Teemu Eronen scored, with the help of Tim Stapleton. Nizhnekamsk edged ahead on a Stapleton power play goal, powered by Sexton and Milovzorov. Astana pulled even in the second period on a Talgat Zhailauov goal, coming off of Andrei Gavrilin and Evgeny Blokhin. Neftekhimik took the lead back on a Gleb Klimenko goal, assisted by Pyotr Khokhryakov. Barys tied it again with a Nigel Dawes power play goal in the third period, and Bochenski had the lone helper. Astana gained the lead with a Konstantin Pushkaryov goal, guided in by Zhailauov and Gavrilin. Nizhnekamsk pulled level again as Stapleton scored a power play goal, thanks to Milovzorov, who got a sock trick, and Nikolai Belov. The tie went to a shootout, where Roman Starchenko's goal gave Barys a 6-5 win. The three stars went to Zhailauov, Dallman, and Stapleton, while Sexton, Milovzorov, Boyd, Bochenski, and Gavrilin get the honorable mentions.

Back in Russia, Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg brings in Traktor Chelyabinsk. Michael Garnett and Jakub Kovar guard the cages. Yekaterinburg dented the scoreboard in the third period on an Alexander Rybakov goal, via Alexander Bumagin and Jakub Petruzalek. They held on for a 1-0 win, with the three stars being Kovar (24 save shutout), Rybakov, and Garnett (39 for 40 in saves).

Over in Ufa, Salavat Yulaev hosts Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Mikhail Biryukov and Leland Irving receive the starting nods. Khanty-Mansiysk led off in the first period with an Alexei Pepelyaev goal, via Vitaly Sitnikov. Yugra added on with a Lukas Kaspar goal, fueled by Mikhail Mamkin and Ivan Yatsenko. Khanty-Mansiysk extended the lead in the second period with an Igor Bortnikov goal, coming off of Denis Gorbunov and Andrei Chibisov. Ufa got on the board with an Ivan Vishnevsky power play goal, powered by Denis Khlystov and Kirill Koltsov. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Biryukov (35 for 36 in saves), Kaspar, and Bortnikov.

Southwest to Sochi, where the Leopards welcome Jokerit Helsinki. Riku Helenius and Tomas Popperle are the goalies with cool names. Helsinki got going in the second period with a Juhamatti Aaltonen power play goal, powered by Jere Karalahti. Sochi tied it on an Oleg Saprykin goal, courtesy of Roman Lyuduchin and Nikita Shchitov. Jokerit took the lead on a Linus Omark third period goal, made possible by Ryan Gunderson and Ville Lajunen. The Leopards tied it as Artyom Kryukov scored, thanks to Max Warn. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Cory Emmerton and Andre Petersson lifted Sochi to a 3-2 victory, as Helsinki's only tally came from Niko Kapanen. The three stars went to Kryukov, Saprykin, and Popperle (28 for 30 in saves).

North to Yaroslavl, where Lokomotiv brings in Dinamo Riga. Edgars Masalskis and Vitaly Kolesnik are the backups making spot starts. Yaroslavl struck first in the first period with an unassisted Staffan Kronwall goal. Lokomotiv added on with a Vladislav Kartayev goal, assisted by Yegor Korshkov. Riga got on the board with a second period power play goal by Andris Dzerins, powered by Krisjanis Redlihs and Oskars Cibulskis. Yaroslavl shot back on a third period goal by Yegor Averin, courtesy of Sergei Plotnikov and Daniil Apalkov on the power play. Lokomotiv finished it at 4-1 with a Korshkov goal, via Sergei Konkov and Kartayev. The three stars went to Korshkov, Kartayev, and Kolesnik (20 for 21 in saves).

Toward Moscow, Atlant Mytishchi hosts Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Ilya Sorokin and Atte Engren occupy the creases. Novokuznetsk began in the first period on a Mikhail Plotnikov goal, passed from James O'Brien and Mark Skutar. Metallurg added on with a Ryan Stoa goal, with a lone assist by Mikhail Kuklev. Mytishchi tied it on a Vyacheslav Kozlov goal, courtesy of Artyom Chernov and Roman Rukavishnikov. Atlant tied it with a Nikita Soshnikov goal, coming off of Igor Levitsky. Mytishchi took the lead in the third period as Levitsky scored, thanks to Soshnikov. Atlant finished it at 4-2 with another Levitsky goal set up by Soshnikov. The three stars went to Levitsky, Soshnikov, and Kozlov.

Into Moscow, where Dynamo welcomes SKA St. Petersburg. Alexander Salak and Alexander Yeryomenko tend the twines. St. Petersburg was first to score on an Andrei Kuteikin goal, passed from Artemy Panarin on the power play. Moscow tied it with a Denis Mosalyov power play goal, powered by Alexei Tsvetkov and Nikolai Zherdev. SKA took the lead back in the second period with a Tony Martensson goal, guided in by Patrick Thoresen and Anton Belov. Dynamo tied it on a shorthanded goal by Mat Robinson, set up by Sergei Soin and Mosalyov. Moscow gained the lead with a third period goal by Denis Kokarev, fueled by Mosalyov and Maxim Solovyov. St. Petersburg tied it again with a Yury Alexandrov goal, with a lone assist by Thoresen. Dynamo won 4-3 in overtime on a Janne Jalasvaara goal, assisted by Kaspars Daugavins and Alexei Tereshchenko. The three stars were handed to Mosalyov, Jalasvaara, and Thoresen.

Out in Croatia, Medvescak Zagreb brings in Admiral Vladivostok. Ivan Nalimov and Mark Dekanich play goal. Zagreb opened with a Bill Thomas power play goal in the first period, powered by Mathieu Carle and Pascal Pelletier. Vladivostok tied it on a Konstantin Makarov goal, made possible by Ilya Zubov and Enver Lisin. Admiral took the lead with a Jan Kolar power play goal, via Zubov and Niclas Bergfors. Vladivostok added on with a power play goal by Denis Kuzmin, coming off of Lisin and Alexei Ugarov. Admiral extended the lead in the second period with a shorthanded and unassisted goal by Zubov. Medvescak got one back as Aaron Palushaj scored, with a lone assist by Brock Trotter. Zagreb pulled closer in the third period on another Thomas goal, guided in by Matt Anderson and Pelletier. They failed to tie it, losing 4-3, with the three stars being Zubov, Thomas, and Lisin, while Pelletier gets an honorable mention.

Finally, Slovan Bratislava hosts Amur Khabarovsk. Alexei Murygin and Johan Backlund are the veteran starters. Khabarovsk started with a Jesse Niinimaki goal, passed from Evgeny Orlov. Amur added on in the second period with a power play goal by Michel Miklik, powered by Alexander Ryazantsev and Tommi Taimi. Khabarovsk extended the lead in the third period with a Marcel Hascak goal, fueled by Mikhail Fisenko and Dmitry Lugin. Bratislava got on the board with a Mario Lunter goal, coming off of Rok Ticar. They still lost 3-1, with the three stars going to Murygin (34 for 35 in saves), Miklik, and Hascak.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

NHL October 30th, 2014

Ten games on today, beginning in...

Buffalo, as the Sabres host the Boston Bruins. Niklas Svedberg and Jhonas Enroth are set to start in goal. Buffalo got going in the second period on a Drew Stafford power play goal, powered by Tyler Ennis and Tyler Myers. Boston tied it on an Adam McQuaid goal, via Carl Soderberg and Brad Marchand. The Sabres took the lead with an Ennis goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Torrey Mitchell and Stafford. The Bruins tied it in the third period on a Marchand goal, his second of the year, guided in by Loui Eriksson and Dennis Seidenberg. Boston won 3-2 in overtime as Marchand scored his second of the game and third of the campaign, thanks to Reilly Smith and Dougie Hamilton. The three stars went to Marchand, Ennis, and Stafford.

Down in New Jersey, the Devils welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Ondrej Pavelec and Cory Schneider are the masked men. Winnipeg started with a first period goal by Blake Wheeler, his fourth of the season, coming off of Toby Enstrom and Zach Bogosian. New Jersey tied it in the third period as Michael Ryder scored his second of the year, with a lone assist by Jon Merrill. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Jacob Josefson gave the Devils a 2-1 win with the lone tally. The three stars went to Josefson, Schneider (24 for 25 in saves), and Pavelec (27 for 28 in saves).

Over in Pittsburgh, the Penguins bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Martin Jones is mismatched with Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. Pittsburgh began in the first period with a power play goal by Chris Kunitz, his fourth of the season, powered by Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist. The Penguins added on as Kris Letang scored a power play goal, with the help of Kunitz. Pittsburgh extended the lead in the third period with another Kunitz goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, courtesy of Sidney Crosby and Christian Ehrhoff. This made it 3-0, the final, with the three stars going to Kunitz, Fleury (36 save shutout), and Letang.

Up in Ottawa, the Senators host the Chicago Blackhawks. Scott Darling and Craig Anderson are in the blue paint. Ottawa led off with a first period Mark Stone goal, his second of the season, via Curtis Lazar and Cody Ceci. Chicago tied it on a Jonathan Toews goal, his third of the year, passed from Marian Hossa and Bryan Bickell. The Blackhawks took the lead on a Kris Versteeg goal, his second of the season, made possible by Brad Richards. The Senators retied it on a second period Clarke MacArthur power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by David Legwand and Patrick Wiercioch. Ottawa took the lead on a third period Bobby Ryan goal, his third of the season, going in unassisted. Chicago tied it again as Toews scored his second of the game and fourth of the year, guided in by Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith. The Blackhawks edged ahead with a Hossa goal, his second of the season, with a lone helper by Versteeg. The Senators evened it again with a Mika Zibanejad goal, fueled by Alex Chiasson and Erik Karlsson. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Patrick Sharp scored the game winner for a 5-4 Blackhawks victory. The three stars were handed to Toews, Hossa, and Versteeg.

Back south, the Tampa Bay Lightning welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Ray Emery and Ben Bishop draw the starts. Tampa Bay struck first in the first period on a Vladislav Nemestnikov goal, his third of the season, fueled by Anton Stralman and Jonathan Drouin. Philadelphia tied it on a Wayne Simmonds goal, his sixth of the year, passed from Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Brayden Schenn. The Lightning reclaimed the lead with a second period Steven Stamkos power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Jason Garrison and Valtteri Filppula. Tampa Bay added on in the third period with another Stamkos goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, assisted by Filppula and Alex Killorn. The Flyers got one back on a Jakub Voracek goal, his third of the season, coming off of Brandon Manning and Claude Giroux. The Lightning replied with a Garrison power play goal, courtesy of Stamkos and Filppula, the latter getting a sock trick. Philadelphia answered on a Michael Raffl goal, his sixth of the year, with assists provided by Voracek and Giroux. This only made it 4-3, with the three stars being Stamkos, Filppula, and Garrison, while Voracek and Giroux get the honorable mentions.

Staying in the state, the Florida Panthers bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Mike Smith and Roberto Luongo protect the nets. Arizona was first to score in the first period on a Martin Hanzal power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Keith Yandle. Florida tied it on a second period power play goal by Brandon Pirri, his third of the year, guided in by Jussi Jokinen and Erik Gudbranson. The Panthers took the lead on a Scottie Upshall goal in the third period, made possible by Tomas Kopecky and Derek MacKenzie. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars being named as Luongo (32 for 33 in saves), Upshall, and Pirri.

Northwest to St. Louis, where the Blues host the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Jake Allen are the young goalies. St. Louis dented the scoreboard in the first period on an Alexander Steen goal, his second of the season, passed from Carl Gunnarsson and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Blues added on in the third period as Ryan Reaves scored his second of the year, thanks to Maxim Lapierre. This produced the 2-0 final, with the three stars going to Allen (24 save shutout), Steen, and Reaves.

Further north, the Minnesota Wild welcome the San Jose Sharks. Antti Niemi and Darcy Kuemper are in the creases. San Jose opened in the first period with a Mirco Mueller goal, assisted by Matthew Nieto and James Sheppard. The Sharks added on with a Tommy Wingels power play goal in the second period, his fifth of the season, powered by Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns. Minnesota got on the board with a Mikko Koivu goal, his second of the year, courtesy of Jason Zucker and Ryan Suter. San Jose shot back in the third period on a Joe Thornton goal, his third of the campaign, guided in by Pavelski. The Wild answered on a Kyle Brodziak goal, fueled by Thomas Vanek and Justin Fontaine. Minnesota tied it with Brodziak's second of the game, coming off of Vanek and Nate Prosser. In the shootout, the Wild got goals from Koivu and Jason Pominville, while Logan Couture had the only Sharks goal. The final was 4-3 for the Wild, with the three stars going to Brodziak, Vanek, and Pavelski.

Westward to Colorado, as the Avalanche bring in the New York Islanders. Chad Johnson and Semyon Varlamov are between the pipes. Colorado began with a first period goal by Cody McLeod, assisted by Matt Duchene and Max Talbot. The Avalanche added on as Nathan MacKinnon scored a power play goal in the second period, powered by Erik Johnson and Gabriel Landeskog. Colorado extended the lead on a Marc-Andre Cliche goal, via Talbot and McLeod. The Avalanche padded the lead on MacKinnon's second of the game, coming off of Jarome Iginla and Jamie McGinn. Colorado iced it at 5-0 with a Johnson goal, his second of the season, passed from Duchene. The three stars went to MacKinnon, Varlamov (40 save shutout), and McLeod, while Johnson, Talbot, and Duchene get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Ryan Miller tend the twines. Vancouver got going with a second period goal by Nick Bonino, his fourth of the season, made possible by Derek Dorsett. The Canucks added on in the third period as Brad Richardson scored his third of the year, thanks to Shawn Matthias and Yannick Weber. Montreal got on the board with an Alex Galchenyuk goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of P.K. Subban and Alexei Emelin. The Canadiens tied it on a Max Pacioretty goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Dale Weise and David Desharnais. Vancouver won 3-2 in overtime on a Daniel Sedin goal, his third of the campaign, via Henrik Sedin on the power play. The three stars went to Daniel Sedin, Richardson, and Bonino.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

New York Red Bulls VS. Sporting Kansas City: MLS Eastern Conference Play-In Game

From Harrison, New Jersey. The goalies are Luis Robles for New York and Eric Kronberg for Kansas City. Kansas City struck first in the fifty-third minute on a Dominic Dwyer goal, fueled by Benny Feilhaber. New York tied it as Bradley Wright-Phillips scored in the seventy-seventh minute, thanks to Thierry Henry and Peguy Luyindula. The Red Bulls took the lead on a Wright-Phillips goal in the ninetieth minute, set up by Ambroise Oyongo Bitolo and Luyindula. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the man of the match being Wright-Phillips. The Red Bulls will advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinal against DC United.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

KHL October 30th, 2014

Two games today, beginning in...

Nizhny Novgorod, with Torpedo hosting CSKA Moscow. Kevin Lalande and Ivan Kasutin are in the blue paint. Nizhny Novgorod began in the first period with a goal by Jarkko Immonen, fueled by Vladimir Malevich and Sakari Salminen. Torpedo added on in the second period as Vadim Khomitsky scored, thanks to Immonen and Salminen. Nizhny Novgorod extended the lead on an unassisted Salminen power play goal. The final stood at 3-0, with the three stars being Salminen, Kasutin (32 save shutout), and Immonen.

The other games features Slovan Bratislava hosting Sibir Novosibirsk. Mikko Koskinen and Johan Backlund draw the starts. Novoibirsk led off with a first period goal by Sergei Shumakov, guided in by Stepan Sannikov. Bratislava tied it on a power play goal by Vaclav Nedorost, going in unassisted. Slovan took the lead with a shorthanded goal by Tomas Surovy, set up by Milan Bartovic. Sibir tied it on a Jonas Enlund goal in the second period, coming off of Dmitry Kugryshev. Novosibirsk took the lead on a Dmitry Monya power play goal, powered by Alexei Kopeikin and Renat Mamashev. This was all they needed for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Monya, Enlund, and Shumakov.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.

NHL October 29th, 2014

Two games on tonight, with the first in...

DC, as the Washington Capitals host the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard and Braden Holtby are the masked men. Detroit got going in the second period on a Gustav Nyquist goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Justin Abdelkader and Kyle Quincey. Washington tied it on a power play goal by Evgeny Kuznetsov, powered by Joel Ward and the goalie Holtby. The Capitals took the lead as Troy Brouwer scored his second of the year, thanks to John Carlson and Andre Burakovsky. The Red Wings retied it in the third period on an unassisted Abdelkader goal, his fourth of the season. Detroit edged ahead as Abdelkader scored his second of the game and fifth of the year, made possible by Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg. The Red Wings finished it at 4-2 with a power play goal by Datsyuk, his second of the campaign, coming off of Zetterberg and Brendan Smith. The three stars went to Abdelkader, Datsyuk, and Zetterberg.

Out west, the Edmonton Oilers host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne faces a lesser foe in Ben Scrivens in goal. Nashville dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Craig Smith goal, his second of the season, guided in by Derek Roy and Roman Josi. The Predators added on with a Taylor Beck goal, fueled by Colin Wilson and Matias Ekholm. Nashville extended the lead with a third period Shea Weber goal, his fourth of the year, via Mike Ribeiro. Edmonton got on the board with a Taylor Hall goal, his sixth of the season, passed from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Eberle. The Predators replied on another Smith goal, his second of the game and third of the year, coming off of Matt Cullen and Josi. This made it a 4-1 final, with the three stars going to Smith, Rinne (26 for 27 in saves), and Josi.

Follow me on Twitter @KipperScorpion.