Monday, December 7, 2015

2015-16 NHL Season - Day 61

Three games tonight, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Nashville Predators. Carter Hutton and Jonas Gustavsson are the backups in goal. Boston started in the first period on a Kevan Miller goal, his second of the season, fueled by David Krejci and Matt Beleskey. Nashville tied it on a Roman Josi power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Mike Ribeiro and Shea Weber. The Bruins took the lead back on a second period Loui Eriksson power play goal, his tenth of the season, courtesy of Ryan Spooner and Patrice Bergeron. The Predators tied it again with a Josi power play goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, going in unassisted. Nashville took the lead on a Viktor Arvidsson goal in the third period, his third of the season, helped along by Cody Hodgson and Weber. The three stars of the 3-2 game went to Josi, Weber, and Arvidsson.

West to Colorado, where the Avalanche welcome the Minnesota Wild. Darcy Kuemper and Semyon Varlamov are the middling goalies. Colorado dented the scoreboard on a Tyson Barrie goal, his third of the season, coming off of Carl Soderberg and Blake Comeau. Minnesota tied it on a Zach Parise goal, his eighth of the year, via Mikael Granlund and Jason Pominville in the third period. The Avalanche won 2-1 with a John Mitchell goal, his sixth of the campaign in overtime assisted by Matt Duchene and Barrie. The three stars were Barrie, Mitchell, and Varlamov (19 for 20 in saves).

Up in Vancouver, the Canucks bring in the Buffalo Sabres for the last game of the day. Linus Ullmark faces former Sabres legend Ryan Miller in goal. Buffalo opened in the first period on a Brian Gionta goal, his third of the season, with a lone assist by Jamie McGinn. Vancouver tied it on a Radim Vrbata goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Chris Higgins and Ben Hutton. The Canucks took the lead on Vrbata's second of the game and eighth of the season, passed from Dam Hamhuis and Daniel Sedin. Vancouver added on in the second period as Brandon Prust scored, with the help of Derek Dorsett and Adam Cracknell. The Canucks extended the lead on a Henrik Sedin power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Alexander Edler and Daniel Sedin. The Sabres answered with a Sam Reinhart goal in the third period, his eighth of the season, helped along by Ryan O'Reilly. Vancouver answered on a Vrbata goal, completing his hat trick on his ninth of the year, made possible by Cracknell and Prust. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars given to Vrbata, Prust, and Cracknell, while Daniel Sedin gets an honorable mention.

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2015/16 KHL Season - Day 95

Five games on for today, beginning with...

Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hosting Salavat Yulaev Ufa. Niklas Svedberg and Alexei Murygin are in goal. Ufa got going in the second period on an Alexander Loginov goal, passed from Alexander Nesterov and Anton Lazarev. Yaroslavl tied it on a Daniil Apalkov goal in the third period, via Staffan Kronwall and Yegor Averin. Salavat Yulaev took the lead back with an Igor Grigorenko goal, courtesy of Loginov and Linus Omark on the power play. Ufa iced it at 3-1 with an Andreas Engqvist goal, assisted by Grigorenko and Lazarev. The three stars were Grigorenko, Loginov, and Lazarev.

Down in Kazan, Ak Bars welcomes Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod. Ilya Proskuryakov and Jussi Rynnas get the starting nods. Kazan began in the first period on a Mikhail Varnakov shorthanded goal, set up by Justin Azevedo. Ak Bars added on in the second period on a Vladimir Tkachyov goal, courtesy of Albert Yarullin. Nizhny Novgorod got on the board with an Artyom Alyayev goal in the third period, coming off of Carter Ashton and Nikolai Zherdev on the power play. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Rynnas (20 for 21 in saves), Tkachyov, and Varnakov.

Further south, the Sochi Leopards host Metallurg Magnitogorsk. Vasily Koshechkin and Dmitry Shikin are in the creases. Sochi led off in the first period on an Andrei Kostitsyn goal, assisted by Ilya Krikunov and Igor Ignatushkin. Magnitogorsk tied it on a Tomas Filippi goal in the second period, made possible by Oskar Osala. The Leopards regained the lead with an Evgeny Skachkov power play goal, powered by Ziyat Paigin and Andre Petersson. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Shikin (30 for 31 in saves), Skachkov, and Kostitsyn.

Up in Moscow, Dynamo brings in Severstal Cherepovets. Jakub Stepanek and Alexander Lazushin are set to start in goal. Moscow struck first in the first period on an Ilya Nikulin goal, made possible by Vladimir Bryukvin and Maxim Solovyov. Dynamo added on with an Alexander Osipov power play goal, powered by Konstantin Gorovikov and Nikulin. Cherepovets got on the board on a Maxim Trunyov power play goal in the second period, via Andrei Shefer. Moscow replied with a Denis Kokarev goal, courtesy of Daniil Tarasov. Severstal pulled back with an Ilya Khokhlov goal, passed from Sergei Monakhov in the third period. Dynamo iced it at 4-2 with an Andrei Mironov empty net goal, set up by Gorovikov. The three stars went to Nikulin, Gorovikov, and Kokarev.

Finally, Vityaz Podolsk hosts CSKA Moscow. Stanislav Galimov and Harri Sateri are the masked men. Podolsk was first to score in the first period on an unassisted and shorthanded goal by Roman Horak. Moscow tied it on a Gennady Stolyarov power play goal, powered by Denis Denisov. CSKA took the lead in the second period on a power play goal by Dmitry Kugryshev, with a lone assist by Nikita Zaitsev. The final remained at 2-1, with the three stars given to Galimov (17 for 18 in saves), Kugryshev, and Stolyarov.

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2015/16 Premier League Week 15

Another full slate of games this weekend, with a big eight on Saturday to lead it off. The first is...

Stoke City hosting Manchester City. Joe Hart and Jack Butland make the starts in goal. Stoke City began in the seventh minute with a Marko Arnautovic goal, passed from Xherdan Shaqiri. In the fifteenth minute, Arnautovic scored again for Stoke City, via Shaqiri. Manchester City had a yellow card given to Nicolas Otamendi in the fifty-first minute for a foul. The final held at 2-0 for Stoke City.

In London, Arsenal welcomes Sunderland. Costel Pantilimon and Petr Cech are in goal. Arsenal led off in the thirty-third minute with a Joel Campbell goal, via Mesut Ozil. Laurent Koscielny of Arsenal took a yellow card for his foul in the forty-fourth minute. Sunderland tied it on a forty-fifth minute own goal by Olivier Giroud. Arsenal's Giroud made up for the mistake by scoring in the sixty-third minute, thanks to Aaron Ramsey. In the eightieth minute, DeAndre Yedlin of Sunderland had a yellow card for his foul. Arsenal iced it at 3-1 with a Ramsey goal in stoppage time.

Next up, West Bromwich Albion brings in Tottenham Hotspur. Hugo Lloris and Boaz Myhill are the goalies. Tottenham Hotspur struck first in the fifteenth minute on a Dele Alli goal, assisted by Toby Alderweireld. West Bromwich Albion tied it on a thirty-ninth minute goal by James McClean, via Darren Fletcher. West Bromwich Albion had yellow cards for James Morrison in the fifty-seventh minute and Craig Gardner in the seventy-third minute. Tottenham Hotspur saw yellow cards assessed to Harry Kane in the seventy-fifth minute and Mousa Dembele in the eighty-first minute, both for fouls. In the eighty-third minute, McClean of West Bromwich Albion had a yellow card for his foul. The final stood at 1-1.

Along to Watford hosting Norwich City. Declan Rudd and Heurelho Gomes are the gloved men. In the twenty-ninth minute, Alexander Tettey of Norwich City received a yellow card for a foul. Watford opened with a thirtieth minute penalty kick goal by Troy Deeney as awarded for the yellow card a minute earlier. Watford's Deeney and Ben Watson took yellow cards for fouls in the fifty-sixth and sixtieth minutes, respectively. Norwich City saw yellow cards for Ryan Bennett in the seventy-sixth minute and Robbie Brady in the eighty-seventh minute, both for fouls. Watford iced it at 2-0 with a stoppage time goal by Odion Ighalo, set up by Deeney. Ighalo received a yellow card for excessive celebration.

Out in Wales, Swansea City welcomes Leicester City. Kasper Schmeichel and Lukasz Fabianski protect the nets. Leicester City was first to score with a Riyad Mahrez goal in the fifth minute, courtesy of Marc Albrighton. Leicester City added on with a twenty-second minute Mahrez goal, via N'Golo Kante. At the twenty-three minute mark, Kante received a yellow card for his foul. Leon Britton of Swansea City took a yellow card for his foul in the forty-seventh minute. Leicester City extended the lead as Mahrez finished his hat trick in the sixty-seventh minute, helped along by Jamie Vardy. Danny Simpson of Leicester City had a yellow card for a seventieth minute foul. Swansea City's Ki Sung-Yueng picked up a yellow card for a seventy-fourth minute foul. Leicester City's Albrighton took a yellow card for a foul in stoppage time. The final held at 3-0 Leicester City.

Back in England, Southampton brings in Aston Villa. Brad Guzan and Maarten Stekelenburg are in the six-yard boxes. In the thirtieth minute, James Ward-Prowse of Southampton took a yellow card. Aston Villa dented the scoreboard in the forty-fourth minute with a Joleon Lescott goal, made possible by Jordan Veretout. Southampton tied it in the seventy-third minute with an Oriol Romeu goal, passed from Ward-Prowse. Aston Villa's Alan Hutton took a yellow card for an eighty-ninth minute foul, as Guzan for time wasting in the ninetieth minute. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

Up north, Manchester United hosts West Ham United. Adrian and David de Gea are the keepers. Michael Carrick of Manchester United had the only yellow card of the game in the eighty-fifth minute for a foul. The game ended in a 0-0 draw.

Saturday ends with Chelsea welcoming Bournemouth. Artur Boruc and Thibaut Courtois are set to start in goal. Chelsea's Pedro took a twenty-first minute yellow card for his foul. Bournemouth had a yellow card for an Andrew Surman foul in the twenty-third minute. In the sixty-third minute, Diego Costa of Chelsea took a yellow card for a foul. Bournemouth got going in the eighty-second minute on a Glenn Murray goal. This stood for a 1-0 Bournemouth win.

On Sunday, Newcastle United brings in Liverpool. Simon Mignolet and Robert Elliot are in goal. Newcastle United had a yellow card given to Jack Colback in the thirty-fourth minute for his foul. Lucas Leiva of Liverpool had a yellow card for his forty-fifth minute foul. Newcastle United saw yellow cards for Vurnon Anita in the sixtieth minute and Papiss Demba Cisse in the sixty-third minute, both for fouls. Newcastle United drew first blood in the sixty-ninth minute as Martin Skrtel put the ball in his own new for an own goal. Newcastle United added with a Georginio Wijnaldum goal in stoppage time, via Moussa Sissoko. This made it 2-0, the final. 

Finally, on Monday, Everton hosts Crystal Palace. Wayne Hennessey and Tim Howard are the goalies. Crystal Palace's Connor Wickham had a yellow card for his fifty-third minute foul. In the seventy-sixth minute, Crystal Palace started the scoring with a Scott Dann goal, assisted by Jason Puncheon. Everton tied it on a Romelu Lukaku goal in the eighty-first minute, via Gareth Barry. In the eighty-seventh minute, James McArthur of Crystal Palace received a yellow card for a foul. Everton had a yellow card given to Ramino Funes Mori in the eighty-eighth minute for a foul. The final held at 1-1.

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Sunday, December 6, 2015

2015-16 NHL Season - Day 60

Seven games on for today, beginning with...

The Chicago Blackhawks hosting the Winnipeg Jets in one of two afternoon matinees. Michael Hutchinson and Corey Crawford get the starting nods. Chicago led off in the first period on a Marian Hossa goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews. Winnipeg tied it in the second period on a Chris Thorburn goal, his fourth of the year, via Toby Enstrom. The Blackhawks took the lead in the third period on a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Duncan Keith and Hossa. Chicago made it 3-1, the final, with an empty net goal by Artemi Panarin, his ninth of the year, set up by Patrick Kane and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Hossa, Crawford (30 for 31 in saves), and Teravainen get the three stars.

Back east, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Arizona Coyotes. Anders Lindback and Cam Ward are the weak goalies. Arizona began in the first period on a Tobias Rieder goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Stefan Elliott and Anthony Duclair. Carolina tied it on a Kris Versteeg goal, his third of the year, going in unassisted. The Coyotes retook the lead on a Nicklas Grossmann goal, his third of the season, assisted by Brad Richardson and Jordan Martinook. The Hurricanes tied it again on a Jay McClement goal, with helpers provided by Noah Hanifin and Ron Hainsey. Carolina took the lead in the second period on an Eric Staal goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Elias Lindholm and Versteeg. Arizona tied it in the third period on an Elliott goal, his second of the season, an unassisted goal. The Coyotes took the lead on an Antoine Vermette power play goal, his third of the year, powered by Mikkel Boedker and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The Hurricanes tied it again with a Hainsey goal, his third of the season, helped along by Andrej Nestrasil and Joakim Nordstrom. Carolina sealed a 5-4 win with a Justin Faulk power play goal, his ninth of the year, with assists provided by Victor Rask and Staal. The three stars went to Staal, Hainsey, and Versteeg, while Elliott gets an honorable mention.

Up in New Jersey, the Devils bring in the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Cory Schneider tend the twines. New Jersey struck first with a Lee Stempniak goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Mike Cammalleri and Adam Henrique. The Devils added on with a Kyle Palmieri goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Damon Severson. Florida got on the board with a second period goal by Aaron Ekblad, his fifth of the season, passed from Jaromir Jagr and Aleksander Barkov. New Jersey fired back on a Henrique goal, his thirteenth of the year, made possible by Adam Larsson. The Panthers got one back with a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his third of the season, fueled by Jagr and Ekblad. The Devils extended the lead again with a Cammalleri goal, his eleventh of the year, via Severson and Henrique. This made it 4-2, with the three stars awarded to Henrique, Cammalleri, and Ekblad, while Severson and Jagr get the honorable mentions.

Over to Manhattan, with the New York Rangers hosting the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Henrik Lundqvist are the masked men. New York opened in the first period on a Ryan McDonagh power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Keith Yandle and Chris Kreider. The Rangers added on with a Derick Brassard power play goal, his eighth of the year, coming off of McDonagh and Rick Nash. Ottawa got on the board with a second period goal by Marc Methot, his second of the season, guided in by Shane Prince and Dave Dziurzynski. New York replied on a third period goal from Brassard, his second of the game and ninth of the year, fueled by McDonagh and Dan Girardi. The Rangers iced it at 4-1 with a Jesper Fast empty net goal, his fourth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Brassard, McDonagh, and Lundqvist (23 for 24 in saves).

Northwest to Edmonton, with the Oilers bringing in the Buffalo Sabres. Chad Johnson and Anders Nilsson are the underrated goalies. Buffalo was first to score in the first period on a Jack Eichel goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Brian Gionta and Jamie McGinn. Edmonton tied it on a Teddy Purcell goal, his fifth of the year, via Taylor Hall and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers took the lead on a Jordan Eberle goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Edmonton added on with a Hall power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Purcell and Justin Schultz. The Sabres got one back on a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, his ninth of the season, assisted by Zach Bogosian and Carlo Colaiacovo. The Oilers replied on a Luke Gazdic goal, coming off of Oscar Klefbom and Anton Lander. This made it 4-2, the eventual final, with the three stars being Hall, Purcell, and Nilsson (32 for 34 in saves).

South to California, with the Anaheim Ducks welcoming the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and John Gibson are the goalies. Pittsburgh started in the first period on an Olli Maatta goal, his fourth of the season, fueled by Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz. Anaheim tied it in the second period on a Corey Perry goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Ryan Getzlaf and Sami Vatanen. The Ducks took the lead with a Chris Stewart goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Nate Thompson and Mike Santorelli. This made it 2-1, with the three stars going to Stewart, Perry, and Gibson (23 for 24 in saves).

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jonathan Quick are in the blue paint. Los Angeles drew first blood in the first period on an Andy Andreoff goal, his second of the season, via Nick Shore and Drew Doughty. Tampa Bay tied it on a Brian Boyle goal, his seventh of the year, fueled by Ryan Callahan. The Kings took the lead back on a Brayden McNabb goal, passed from Anze Kopitar. Ben Bishop came on for Vasilevskiy at this time. Los Angeles added on with a Milan Lucic goal, his tenth of the season, courtesy of Jeff Carter and McNabb. The final stayed at 3-1, with the three stars going to McNabb, Quick (24 for 25 in saves), and Lucic.

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MLS Cup 2015

Here's the one game to decide it all, with the Columbus Crew SC hosting the Portland Timbers for all the marbles. Adam Larsen Kwarasey and Steve Clark man the nets. Portland got off to a brilliant started with a first minute goal from Fanendo Adi. In the seventh minute, the Timbers added on with a Rodney Wallace goal, set up by Lucas Melano and Darlington Nagbe. Columbus got on the board with an eighteenth minute goal by Kei Kamara, helped along by Federico Higuain. The Crew's Harrison Afful took a yellow card for his foul in the thirty-fourth minute. In the sixty-fifth minute, Alvas Powell of Portland had a yellow card for his foul. In stoppage time, Valeri of the Timbers took a yellow card for time wasting. Mohammed Saeid of Columbus took a yellow card in the same minute for dissent. The game ended with the Timbers winning 2-1, lifting MLS Cup as playoff champions.

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2015/16 KHL Season - Day 94

Four games on a light schedule today, beginning with...

Amur Khabarovsk hosting Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk. Vladislav Fokin and Juha Metsola are given the starting nods. Khabarovsk got going in the second period on an Akim Aliu power play goal, powered by the goalie Metsola. Amur added on with an unassisted Niclas Bergfors goal in the third period. Khanty-Mansiysk got on the board with a Pavel Medvedev goal, with a lone assist by Artyom Bulyansky. Yugra tied it on a Konstantin Panov power play goal, helped along by Igor Bortnikov. Khabarovsk won 3-2 in overtime on another Bergfors goal, his second of the game, assisted by Jan Kolar and Aliu. The three stars went to Bergfors, Aliu, and Fokin (44 for 47 in saves).

Down in Vladivostok, Admiral welcomes Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Jakub Kovar and Ivan Nalimov protect the nets. Vladivostok opened in the first period on a power play goal by Dmitry Lugin, powered by Jonathon Blum and Alexander Kuznetsov. Admiral added on with an unassisted shorthanded goal from Kirill Voronin. Vladivostok extended the lead in the second period as Alexander Gorshkov scored a goal, going in unassisted. Igor Ustinsky replaced Kovar at this time. Yekaterinburg got on the board in the third period with a Petr Koukal goal, passed from Artyom Gareyev. Avtomobilist pulled closer on an Eero Elo power play goal, assisted by Alexei Simakov and Anatoly Golyshev. The final stayed at 3-2, with the three stars going to Gorshkov, Voronin, and Lugin.

Way out west, Spartak Moscow brings in Traktor Chelyabinsk. Vasily Demchenko and Evgeny Ivannikov are in the blue paint. Moscow started in the first period on a Charles Genoway power play goal, powered by Vyacheslav Belov. Chelyabinsk tied it on a Maxim Yakutsenya goal, coming off of Alexander Rybakov and Anton Glinkin in the second period. Spartak retook the lead on an unassisted Konstantin Glazachev goal. Moscow added on with a Yaroslav Dyblenko goal, passed from Glazachev and Lukas Radil. Spartak extended the lead in the third period as Vyacheslav Leshchenko scored, thanks to Casey Wellman and Alexander Vasilyev. Moscow chased Demchenko on a shorthanded Dyblenko goal, set up by Vasilyev. Pavel Francouz finished the game, a 5-1 loss for Traktor. The three stars were Dyblenko, Glazachev, and Vasilyev.

Finally, SKA St. Petersburg hosts Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Ivan Lisutin and Mikko Koskinen are the goalies. Nizhnekamsk dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Dan Sexton goal, via Alexander Yevseyenkov on the power play. St. Petersburg tied it on a Nikita Gusev goal, courtesy of Evgeny Dadonov and Dmitry Yudin. SKA won 2-1 in overtime with an Ilya Kovalchuk power play goal, powered by Vadim Shipachyov. The three stars went to Koskinen (27 for 28 in saves), Kovalchuk, and Lisutin (39 for 41 in saves).

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2015-16 NHL Season - Day 59

Ten games today, beginning with...

The Winnipeg Jets hosting the Washington Capitals in the first of two matinees. Braden Holtby and Connor Hellebuyck draw the starts. Winnipeg led off in the first period on an Andrew Ladd power play goal, his eighth of the season, powered by Bryan Little and Dustin Byfuglien. Washington tied it in the second period on a Nicklas Backstrom power play goal, his ninth of the year, via John Carlson and Andre Burakovsky. The Jets won 2-1 with a Mark Scheifele goal in overtime, his tenth of the campaign, helped along by Jacob Trouba and Blake Wheeler. The three stars were given to Hellebuyck (36 for 37 in saves), Scheifele, and Holtby (34 for 36 in saves).

Out in Los Angeles, the Kings welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jonathan Quick guard the cages. Los Angeles dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Drew Doughty goal, his fourth of the season, coming on the power play from Jake Muzzin and Jeff Carter. The Kings added on with a Christian Ehrhoff goal, via Marian Gaborik. Los Angeles extended the lead as Milan Lucic scored his eighth of the year, thanks to Muzzin. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Chris Kunitz goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Sidney Crosby and Brian Dumoulin. The Kings answered on a Muzzin goal, his second of the year, coming off of Dustin Brown and Anze Kopitar. The Penguins shot back on an Olli Maatta goal, his third of the season, assisted by Kunitz and Beau Bennett. Pittsburgh got closer in the third period on a Crosby goal, his sixth of the year, helped along by Domoulin and Kunitz. Los Angeles wrapped it up at 5-3 with a Lucic empty net goal, his second of the game and ninth of the campaign, set up by Doughty. The three stars went to Lucic, Muzzin, and Doughty, while Crosby, Kunitz, and Dumoulin get the honorable mentions.

At the regular times, the Detroit Red Wings bring in the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Petr Mrazek are the solid goalies. Detroit opened in the first period on a Brad Richards goal, made possible by Tomas Tatar and Dylan Larkin. Nashville tied it in the second period with a Shea Weber power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Roman Josi and Filip Forsberg. The Predators took the lead on a Viktor Arvidsson goal, his second of the year, via Ryan Ellis and Calle Jarnkrok. Nashville added on with another Weber goal, his second of the game and eighth of the season, going in unassisted on the power play. The Red Wings got one back on a Tatar power play goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Mike Green and Pavel Datsyuk. The Predators responded with a Weber goal, completing his hat trick with his ninth of the season, a power play goal passed from Josi and Forsberg. Detroit pulled back with a Larkin goal, his eleventh of the year, with a lone helper by Jonathan Ericsson. The Red Wings tied it on a Justin Abdelkader power play goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by Gustav Nyquist and Henrik Zetterberg. Detroit won 5-4 with a Nyquist goal in overtime, his tenth of the year, set up by Niklas Kronwall. The three stars went to Weber, Nyquist, and Larkin, while Tatar, Josi, and Forsberg get the honorable mentions.

South to Raleigh, with the Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Mike Condon and Cam Ward are the sub-par goalies. Montreal began in the first period with a David Carr goal, assisted by Christian Thomas and Brian Flynn. Carolina tied it on a Jeff Skinner goal, his sixth of the season, coming off of Jordan Staal and Andrej Nestrasil. The Canadiens took the lead back in the second period with a Sven Andrighetto goal, his third of the year, passed from Jeff Petry and Alex Galchenyuk. The Hurricanes tied it again on a Joakim Nordstrom goal, guided in by Nestrasil and Ron Hainsey. Carolina took the lead in the third period with a Skinner power play goal, his second of the game and seventh of the campaign, powered by Brett Pesce and John-Michael Liles. The final held at 3-2, with the three stars going to Skinner, Nestrasil, and Ward (36 for 38 in saves).

North to Ottawa, as the Senators welcome the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Craig Anderson are the veteran goalies. New York struck first in the first period on a Matt Martin goal, his second of the season, going in unassisted. The Islanders added on with a Josh Bailey power play goal in the third period, his sixth of the year, powered by Mikhail Grabovski and Anders Lee. Ottawa got on the board with a Mark Stone goal, his seventh of the season, passed from Erik Karlsson. The Senators tied it on a Mike Hoffman goal, his fourteenth of the year, courtesy of Mika Zibanejad and Karlsson. Ottawa won 3-2 in overtime on a Karlsson goal, his sixth of the campaign, made possible by Bobby Ryan. The three stars belonged to Karlsson, Hoffman, and Stone.

Back stateside, the St. Louis Blues bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Garret Sparks and Jake Allen are set to start in goal. St. Louis started in the first period on a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his fifteenth of the season, passed from Paul Stastny and Alexander Steen. Toronto tied it on a Nazem Kadri goal, his fourth of the year, assisted by Leo Komarov and Roman Polak. The Maple Leafs took the lead in the second period as Brad Boyes scored his second of the season, thanks to Polak and Shawn Matthias. Toronto added on with a P.A. Parenteau goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Tyler Bozak and Peter Holland. The Maple Leafs extended the lead in the third period on a Kadri goal, his second of the game and fifth of the campaign, via Morgan Rielly and Komarov. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Kadri, Komarov, and Sparks (27 for 28 in saves), while Polak gets an honorable mention.

Back east, the Philadelphia Flyers host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Sergei Bobrovsky and Steve Mason are the goalie who used to play for each other's team. Columbus was first to score in the first period on a Nick Foligno goal, his third of the season, assisted by Alexander Wennberg and Scott Hartnell. The Blue Jackets added on with an unassisted Jack Johnson goal, his third of the year. Philadelphia got on the board with a Michael Raffl goal in the second period, his second of the season, coming off of Brayden Schenn and Shayne Gostisbehere. Columbus responded on a Foligno goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, fueled by Hartnell and the goalie Bobrovsky. The Blue Jackets extended the lead as Hartnell scored a power play goal, his tenth of the campaign, powered by Wennberg and Foligno. This produced the eventual 4-1 final, with the three stars going to Foligno, Hartnell, and Bobrovsky (27 for 28 in saves), while Wennberg gets an honorable mention.

Westward to Minnesota, with the Wild welcoming the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Devan Dubnyk are the goalies, but an injury to Dubnyk midway through the game sent Darcy Kuemper to the Wild crease. Minnesota got going in the second period on a Matt Dumba goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Mikael Granlund and Zach Parise. The Wild added on in the third period on a Justin Fontaine goal, his second of the year, via Marco Scandella. Minnesota iced it at 3-0 with a Jason Pominville empty net goal, his third of the campaign, set up by Nino Niederreiter and Jonas Brodin. The three stars went to Dumba, Fontaine, and Varlamov (41 for 43 in saves).

Further to the west, the Vancouver Canucks bring in the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask faces a lesser foe in Jacob Markstrom in goal. Boston got started in the first period on a Brad Marchand goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Patrice Bergeron and Joe Morrow. The Bruins added on with a Torey Krug goal, his third of the year, via Kevan Miller and David Krejci. Boston extended the lead as Landon Ferraro scored his second of the season in the second period, thanks to Zdeno Chara. The Bruins padded the lead in the third period on a Tyler Randell goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Ferrardo and Zac Rinaldo. The three stars went to Ferraro, Marchand, and Rask (17 save shutout).

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ben Bishop and Alex Stalock are the young goalies. Tampa Bay drew first blood in the first period on a Nikita Kucherov goal, his seventh of the season, passed from Victor Hedman. The Lightning added on with an Erik Condra goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Andrej Sustr and J.T. Brown. San Jose got on the board in the second period with a Matt Tennyson power play goal, powered by Justin Braun and Tomas Hertl. Tampa Bay replied on a Kucherov power play goal, his second of the game and eighth of the season, assisted by Steven Stamkos. The Lightning extended the lead in the third period as Brian Boyle scored his sixth of the year, with the help of Brown. The Sharks got one back on a Joel Ward power play goal, his tenth of the season, coming off of Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski. Bishop got hurt about three minutes later, and was replaced by Andrei Vasilevskiy. San Jose got closer on a Burns goal, his tenth of the year, going in unassisted on the power play. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars handed to Kucherov, Burns, and Brown.

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