Saturday, January 23, 2016

2015-16 NHL Season - Day 105

Originally, there were eleven games on the schedule today, but the East Coast Blizzard has taken the New York Islanders game against the Philadelphia Flyers off the schedule, leaving us with ten. We begin with a pair of matinees, the first in...

Pittsburgh, where the Penguins host the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller and Marc-Andre Fleury are the veteran goalies. Vancouver began quickly in the first period on a Jannik Hansen goal, his thirteenth of the season, with a lone assist by Alexander Edler. The Canucks added on with Hansen's second of the game and fourteenth of the year, a shorthanded goal set up by Derek Dorsett and Christopher Tanev. Pittsburgh got on the board in the second period with an Evgeni Malkin power play goal, his twenty-first of the campaign, powered by Kris Letang. Vancouver shot back in the third period on a Bo Horvat goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Ben Hutton and Luca Sbisa. The Penguins got it back with a goal credited to Malkin as his second of the game and twenty-second of the year, but it really looked like an own goal from Linden Vey. Pittsburgh tied it as Malkin scored in the more traditional fashion to finish his hat trick on his twenty-third of the campaign, assisted by Phil Kessel and Trevor Daley. The Penguins took the lead on a Bryan Rust goal, his second of the season, helped along by Tom Kuhnhackl. Pittsburgh extended the lead as Sidney Crosby scored an empty net goal, his sixteenth of the year, with the help of Carl Hagelin and Letang. The Canucks pulled back with a Hansen goal, his fifteenth of the campaign securing him a hat trick, with helpers from Mike Zalewski and Hutton. The three stars in the 5-4 game went to Malkin, Hansen, and Letang, while Hutton gets an honorable mention.

Out west, the San Jose Sharks welcome the Minnesota Wild. Darcy Kuemper and Martin Jones are in the blue paint. San Jose struck first in the first period on a Tomas Hertl goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton. Minnesota tied it on a Chris Porter goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Marco Scandella and Erik Haula. The Wild took the lead on a Charlie Coyle power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by Nino Niederreiter and Jared Spurgeon. The Sharks tied it on a Joonas Donskoi power play goal, his seventh of the year, assisted by Joel Ward and Pavelski. San Jose took the lead on a Ward goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Logan Couture and Donskoi. Minnesota tied it in the third period as Jarret Stoll scored his third of the year, with the help of Jonas Brodin and Scandella. The Sharks retook the lead with a Pavelski goal, his twenty-third of the campaign, with a lone helper by Thornton. The final held at 4-3, with the three stars going to Pavelski, Donskoi, and Ward, while Thornton and Scandella get the honorable mentions.

Back east, the Boston Bruins bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Jonas Gustavsson are the backups in goal. Boston got going in the second period with a Brad Marchand goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by Ryan Spooner and Patrice Bergeron. The Bruins added on with a David Pastrnak goal, his fifth of the year, via David Krejci and Loui Eriksson. Columbus got on the board with a Dalton Prout goal, passed from Kerby Rychel and William Karlsson. The Blue Jackets tied it with a Rychel goal, his second of the campaign, assisted by Justin Falk. The tie went to a shootout, where Spooner and Torey Krug sealed a 3-2 Bruins win. The three stars were Spooner, Rychel, and Pastrnak.

Backtracking to Detroit, where the Red Wings host the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Jimmy Howard are given the starting nods in goal. Detroit led off in the first period with a Darren Helm goal, his fourth of the season, fueled by Brendan Smith and Mike Green. Anaheim tied it on a Ryan Kesler goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Jakob Silfverberg and Andrew Cogliano. The Ducks took the lead on a Corey Perry goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Rickard Rakell and David Perron. The Red Wings retied it in the second period on a Tomas Jurco goal, his second of the year, guided in by Gustav Nyquist and Smith. Anaheim regained the lead with a Perry third period goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the season, passed from Rakell and Patrick Maroon. The Ducks added on with a Kesler goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, via Ryan Getzlaf and Silfverberg. Detroit replied with a Danny DeKeyser goal, his fifth of the campaign, coming off of Teemu Pulkkinen and Tomas Tatar. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars handed to Kesler, Perry, and Silfverberg, while Rakell and Smith get the honorable mentions.

In Ontario, the Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the Montreal Canadiens. Mike Condon and James Reimer are in the blue paint. Montreal was first to score in the first period with a David Desharnais goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Dale Weise and Nathan Beaulieu. The Canadiens added on with a Tomas Fleischmann goal, his ninth of the year, made possible by Lars Eller and Daniel Carr. Toronto got on the board in the second period with a Nazem Kadri goal, his ninth of the season, with helpers from Morgan Rielly and Leo Komarov. The Maple Leafs tied it on a Joffrey Lupul goal in the third period, his eleventh of the year, set up by Peter Holland and Rielly. The tie went to a shootout, where Holland got topped by Max Pacioretty and Eller for a 3-2 Canadiens win. The three stars belonged to Eller, Rielly, and Holland.

Way to the south, the Florida Panthers bring in the Tampa Bay Lightning for a Battle of Florida. Ben Bishop and Roberto Luongo tend the twines. Florida dented the scoreboard in the second period on a Jonathan Huberdeau goal, his eighth of the season, fueled by Aleksander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad. The Panthers added on with a Nick Bjugstad power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by Huberdeau. Florida extended the lead on an unassisted Reilly Smith goal, his fifteenth of the season. The Panthers padded the lead as Vincent Trocheck scored his thirteenth of the year, thanks to Logan Shaw and Jussi Jokinen. Andrei Vasilevskiy took over for Bishop in the third period. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Victor Hedman goal in the third period, his fourth of the season, made possible by Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov. Florida shot back on a Brian Campbell empty net goal, his fourth of the year, set up by Bjugstad and Jaromir Jagr. The Lightning chipped back on a J.T. Brown goal, his fourth of the campaign, with a lone assist from Brian Boyle. The three stars were handed to Huberdeau, Bjugstad, and Luongo (38 for 40 in saves).

Back north, the Winnipeg Jets host the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Connor Hellebuyck protect the nets. New Jersey opened in the first period with a Lee Stempniak goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Michael Cammalleri. The Devils added on with a Jacob Josefson goal, his second of the year, via David Schlemko and Joseph Blandisi on the power play in the second period. New Jersey extended the lead as Stempniak scored his second of the game and fourteenth of the season in the third period, with the help of Eric Gelinas and Cammalleri. Winnipeg got on the board with a Dustin Byfuglien power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by Blake Wheeler and Nikolaj Ehlers. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Stempniak, Schneider (22 for 23 in saves), and Cammalleri.

South again to Dallas, with the Stars welcoming the Colorado Avalanche. Semyon Varlamov and Antti Niemi are the masked men. Colorado started with a shorthanded and unassisted Carl Soderberg goal in the first period, his tenth of the season. Dallas tied it on a Jason Demers power play goal in the second period, his fifth of the year, powered by Antoine Roussel and Ales Hemsky. The Avalanche retook the lead on a Gabriel Landeskog shorthanded goal, his eleventh of the season, set up by Tyson Barrie. Colorado added on with a third period goal by Mikhail Grigorenko, his third of the year, with a lone assist by Matt Duchene. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars awarded to Varlamov (42 for 43 in saves), Landeskog, and Soderberg.

A bit to the west, the Arizona Coyotes bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Louis Domingue occupy the creases. Arizona led off in the first period with a Shane Doan goal, his seventeenth of the season, courtesy of Michael Stone and Tobias Rieder. Los Angeles tied it in the second period with a Nick Shore goal, his third of the year, going in unassisted. The Coyotes retook the lead with an Oliver Ekman-Larsson power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Max Domi and Mikkel Boedker. The Kings fired back with a Dustin Brown goal, his fifth of the year, via Jeff Carter and Luke Schenn. Arizona retook the lead again with a third period Jordan Martinook goal, his fifth of the campaign, coming off of Doan and Brad Richardson. The three stars of the 3-2 game were Doan, Martinook, and Ekman-Larsson.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers host the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Cam Talbot are the overrated goalies. Edmonton began in the first period with a Leon Draisaitl goal, his twelfth of the season, helped along by Taylor Hall and Griffin Reinhart. Nashville tied it on an unassisted Mattias Ekholm goal, his sixth of the year. The Predators took the lead in the second period with Ekholm's second of the game and seventh of the season, made possible by Ryan Ellis and Filip Forsberg on the power play. Nashville added on with a Mike Fisher third period goal, his sixth of the year, via Shea Weber and Roman Josi. The Predators iced it at 4-1 with an empty net goal by Forsberg, his fourteenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were handed to Ekholm, Rinne (23 for 24 in saves), and Forsberg.

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The 2016 KHL All-Star Game

This year's All-Star game came from VTB Ice Palace, the home of Dynamo Moscow. Starting in goal, Alexander Salak of the East and Alexei Murygin of the west.

First period: East began with a Linus Omark goal, via Sergei Mozyakin and Vladimir Sobotka. East added on with a Mozyakin goal, with a lone assist by Omark. East extended the lead on a Kevin Dallman goal, set up by Danis Zaripov. East padded the lead with a Zaripov goal, made possible by Anatoly Golyshev and Dallman. West got on the board with a Brandon Kozun goal, assisted by Ziyat Paigin and Matt Ellison. West pulled closer with a pair of Ellison goals, coming off of Mat Robinson and Kozun at first and Alexander Radulov and the goalie Murygin for the second. East staved it off with a Zaripov goal, fueled by Golyshev and Dallman. West edged back with a Vadim Shipachyov goal, passed from Nikita Gusev. West tied it on a Dmitry Kagarlitsky goal, helped along by Kozun. West went ahead with a Stephane Da Costa goal, courtesy of Milan Jurcina and Paigin. West added on with a Kozun goal from Da Costa and Kagarlitsky. East fired back on a Mozyakin goal, helped along by Omark. West responded with a Da Costa goal, with assists from Radulov and Nikita Zaitsev. West extended the lead as Shipachyov scored, thanks to Gusev and Cam Barker. West finished the period ahead 10-6 with a Kozun goal, securing the game's first hat trick, with the help of Kagarlitsky and Paigin, who got a sock trick.

Second period: East started a comeback with a Mozyakin goal, via Omark, for a hat trick and sock trick respectively. East pulled closer on a Zaripov goal for his hat trick, helped along by Golyshev and Jan Kovar, the former with a sock trick. East edged closer with a Mikhail Varnakov goal, passed from Kirill Kaprizov. East tied it as Omark and Mozyakin teamed up again for the former's second goal. West regained the lead with an unassisted Gusev goal. West padded their lead with a Jurcina goal, with a lone assist by Kagarlitsky, who got a sock trick. East replied with a Golyshev goal, helped along by Zaripov. Radulov restored the West lead with an unassisted goal. East chipped back on a Nigel Dawes goal, going in unassisted. The goalies were switched at this point, with Ilya Sorokin coming in for Murygin, and Juha Metsola replacing Salak. The change favored East, as Kaprizov's goal tied the game, with a lone helper by Dawes. East gained an advantage with a pair of unassisted goals from Mozyakin. East added on with a Golyshev goal, guided in by Kovar. West countered with Ellison finishing his hat trick on a pass that earned Radulov a sock trick. East shot right back on a Dawes goal, made possible by Zaripov and Dallman, both of whom got sock tricks. West got it back with a Philip Larsen goal, powered by Daniil Apalkov and Shipchyov. Kaprizov scored again to protect the East lead, thanks to Varnakov. West made a bit of a rally back late in the second period, with Kozun's fourth goal followed by Ellison's fourth goal, both on assists from Kagarlitsky. East won the period 12-7, and led the game 18-17 at this point.

Third period: East boosted their lead on a Vladimir Denisov goal, helped along by Omark. West pulled back with Ellison's fifth of the game, with a lone assist by Da Costa and Radulov. West tied it with an Apalkov goal, with Shipachyov collecting the assist. East retook the lead with an unassisted Golyshev goal for his hat trick. Kozun's fifth of the game retied it for West, also an unassisted goal. West took the lead with an Ellison goal, completing a second hat trick, coming off of Da Costa, who got a sock trick. West added on with a Shipachyov goal, good for a hat trick of his own, assisted by Gusev, who got a sock trick, and Apalkov. West extended the lead as Ellison scored his seventh of the game, with the help of Kagarlitsky, who got his second sock trick, and Kozun, who had his first sock trick. West padded the lead with a hat trick goal for Da Costa on Radulov's fifth assist. East stopped the bleeding with Kaprizov scoring for his hat trick, courtesy of Varnakov. West wiped it out with a pair of Gusev goals, with the first creating a Shipachyov sock trick while the other was made possible by Apalkov, who got a sock trick, and Barker, and Gusev joined the hat trick ranks. East tried to stay in it as Mozyakin scored for his second hat trick, with helpers provided by Omark and Denisov. West countered with Da Costa's fourth of the game, on Kozun's fourth assist. A Zaripov goal brought the East back a bit, his fourth of the game going in unassisted. West finished with a last second Apalkov goal, his second of the game, coming off of Jurcina and Radulov, the latter getting a second sock trick. West took the period 11-5 and won the game 28-23.

Rankings, by points: Kozun (9); Ellison, Mozyakin (8); Kagarlitsky, Radulov, Da Costa, Omark, Zaripov (7); Shipachyov, Gusev, Golyshev (6); Apalkov (5); Dallman, Kaprizov (4); Paigin, Jurcina, Dawes, Varnakov (3), Barker, Kovar, Denisov (2); Zaitsev, Larsen, Robinson, Murygin, Sobotka (1); Kaspars Daugavins, Tobias Viklund, Alexander Loginov, Jonathon Blum, Oskars Bartulis (0). Congratulations to all the participants on being recognized for their achievements this season. Regular KHL action resumes on Monday.

Friday, January 22, 2016

2015-16 NHL Season - Day 104

Five games on today after the DC-centric blizzard postponed the Capitals game against the Ducks. We begin with...

The Buffalo Sabres hosting the Detroit Red Wings. Petr Mrazek and Robin Lehner are the young goalies. Detroit got going in the third period on a Dylan Larkin goal, his fifteenth of the season, passed from Luke Glendening and Jonathan Ericsson. The Red Wings added on with a Henrik Zetterberg goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Larkin and Justin Abdelkader. Detroit extended the lead with a Glendening empty net goal, his third of the campaign, set up by Danny DeKeyser. This made it 3-0, the final, with the three stars being Larkin, Mrazek (19 save shutout), Glendening.

Down in Raleigh, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Eddie Lack are in the creases. New York was first to score in the first period on a Ryan McDonagh goal, his sixth of the season, going in unassisted. The Rangers added on with a Keith Yandle goal, his third of the year, via Oscar Lindberg and Kevin Hayes. Carolina got on the board with a Joakim Nordstrom goal in the second period, his third of the season, coming off of Andrej Nestrasil. New York replied with a J.T. Miller goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Jesper Fast and Derek Stepan. The Rangers extended the lead as Miller scored his second of the game and twelfth of the season, an unassisted goal. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars being Miller, Lundqvist (30 for 31 in saves), and Yandle.

Back north, the Ottawa Senators host the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Andrew Hammond are between the pipes. New York struck first in the first period with a Nick Leddy power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Frans Nielsen and Kyle Okposo. Ottawa tied it in the second period with a Bobby Ryan goal, his sixteenth of the year, courtesy of Erik Karlsson and Mika Zibanejad. The Senators took the lead on a Karlsson goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Curtis Lazar and Matt Puempel. The Islanders retied it with a Cal Clutterbuck goal, his tenth of the year, an unassisted goal. New York took the lead with a third period with a Travis Hamonic goal, his third of the season, made possible by John Tavares and Mikhail Grabovski. The Islanders added on with a Tavares goal, his sixteenth of the year, with a lone assist by Hamonic. New York iced it at 5-2 with a Okposo goal, his twelfth of the campaign, helped along by Nikolay Kulemin and Nielsen. The three stars belonged to Hamonic, Tavares, and Karlsson, while Okposo and Nielsen get the honorable mentions.

South again to Florida, where the Panthers bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Scott Darling is mismatched with Roberto Luongo in goal. Florida opened in the first period with a Reilly Smith goal, his fourteenth of the season, with a lone assist by Jussi Jokinen. The Panthers added on with a Brian Campbell goal, his third of the year, via Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. Florida extended the lead with an unassisted Quinton Howden goal, his fifth of the season. The Panthers padded the lead in the second period on an Aaron Ekblad goal, his tenth of the year, going in unassisted. This made it a 4-0 win, with the three stars given to Luongo (27 save shutout), Smith, and Campbell.

Finally, the Colorado Avalanche host the St. Louis Blues. Brian Elliott and Semyon Varlamov are the masked men. St. Louis dented the scoreboard in the second period on an Alexander Steen goal, his fifteenth of the season, via Troy Brouwer. Colorado tied it in the third period with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his sixteenth of the year, assisted by Matt Duchene and Tyson Barrie. The tie went to a shootout, where Gabriel Landeskog gave the Avalanche a 2-1 win. The three stars went to Elliott (40 for 41 in saves), Varlamov (33 for 34 in saves), and Landeskog.

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Thursday, January 21, 2016

2015-16 NHL Season - Day 103

Ten games to go with today, beginning in...

Boston, with the Bruins hosting the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Tuukka Rask are in the blue paint. Vancouver led off in the first period with a Sven Baertschi goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Radim Vrbata and Bo Horvat. Boston tied it in the second period with a Jimmy Hayes goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of David Pastrnak and Ryan Spooner. The Canucks took the lead on a third period Alexandre Burrows goal, his seventh of the campaign, coming off of Linden Vey and Alexander Edler. The Bruins tied it again with a Brad Marchand goal, his eighteenth of the season, helped along by Patrice Bergeron. Vancouver took the lead on a Daniel Sedin goal, his twentieth of the year, assisted by Christopher Tanev and Jannik Hansen. The Canucks iced it at 4-2 with a Sedin empty net goal, his twenty-first of the campaign and second of the game, set up by Vey and Derek Dorsett. The three stars went to Sedin, Vey, and Markstrom (28 for 30 in saves).

Down in New Jersey, the Devils welcome the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Cory Schneider are between the pipes. New Jersey opened in the first period with a Joseph Blandisi power play goal, powered by David Schlemko and Travis Zajac. The Devils added on with a Kyle Palmieri goal, his nineteenth of the season, helped along by Blandisi and Zajac. New Jersey extended the lead as Palmieri scored his second of the game and twentieth of the year on the power play, thanks to Schlemko and Zajac, the latter getting a natural sock trick. The Devils padded the lead on a Zajac goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Blandisi and Palmieri. Andrew Hammond relieved Anderson. New Jersey proved relentless with a Lee Stempniak goal, his twelfth of the year, going in unassisted. Ottawa got on the board in the second period with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his tenth of the season, via Bobby Ryan and Erik Karlsson. The Senators got one back with a Mike Hoffman goal in the third period, his twenty-first of the year, made possible by Cody Ceci and Karlsson on the power play. Ottawa chipped closer with a Ceci goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Chris Neil and Max McCormick. The Devils iced it at 6-3 with an Adam Henrique empty net goal, his sixteenth of the year, set up by Stephen Gionta and Andy Greene. The three stars went to Palmieri, Zajac, and Blandisi, while Schlemko, Ceci, and Karlsson get the honorable mentions.

Over to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins bring in the Philadelphia Flyers for the Battle of Pennsylvania. Steve Mason and Marc-Andre Fleury are the overly criticized goalies. Philadelphia started in the first period with a Brayden Schenn power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Wayne Simmonds and Shayne Gostisbehere. The Flyers added on with a Jakub Voracek goal, his sixth of the year, a power play goal coming off of Claude Giroux and Gostisbehere. Pittsburgh got on the board with a Trevor Daley goal, his fourth of the season, a power play goal made possible by Olli Maatta and Chris Kunitz. The Penguins tied it on a Sidney Crosby goal, his fifteenth of the year, guided in by Kunitz and Patric Hornqvist. Pittsburgh took the lead with a Phil Kessel power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, assisted by Crosby and Hornqvist. The Penguins extended the lead in the third period as Kessel scored his second of the game and fourteenth of the year, thanks to Carl Hagelin and Ben Lovejoy. Philadelphia got one back on a Giroux goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, coming on the power play from Voracek and Schenn. The three stars were awarded to Kessel, Crosby, and Giroux in the 4-3 Penguins win, while Schenn, Gostisbehere, Voracek, Kunitz, and Hornqvist get the honorable mentions.

West some more to Columbus, where the Blue Jackets host the Calgary Flames. Karri Ramo and Sergei Bobrovsky are the inconsistent goalies. Calgary struck first in the first period with a Michael Frolik goal, his eighth of the season, with a lone assist by Dougie Hamilton. Columbus tied it on a second period Scott Hartnell goal, his sixteenth of the year, via Seth Jones and Brandon Saad. The Flames regained the lead on a Sam Bennett goal, his twelfth of the season, passed from Mark Giordano and Mikael Backlund. Joonas Korpisalo replaced an injured Bobrovsky midway through the second period. The Blue Jackets tied it with a Brandon Dubinsky goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Ryan Murray and Cam Atkinson. Calgary regained the lead on a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his twentieth of the season, assisted by T.J. Brodie and Giordano. The Flames added on with Bennett's second of the game and thirteenth of the year, guided in by Kris Russell and Backlund. The three stars were given to Bennett, Giordano, and Backlund.

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning welcome the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Ben Bishop guard the cages. Chicago was first to score in the first period on an Artem Anisimov goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Patrick Kane. Tampa Bay tied it on an Anton Stralman goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Victor Hedman and Valtteri Filppula. The Lightning took the lead with a Nikita Kucherov power play goal in the second period, his twentieth of the campaign, powered by Hedman and Alex Killorn. This held up for a 2-1 win, with the three stars going to Bishop (17 for 18 in saves), Hedman, and Kucherov.

Back north, the Toronto Maple Leafs bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Eddie Lack and James Reimer man the nets. Carolina won 1-0 in overtime with a Jordan Staal goal, his eleventh of the campaign, assisted by Justin Faulk. The three stars went to Staal, Lack (32 save shutout), and Reimer (40 for 41 in saves).

Westward to Winnipeg, with the Jets hosting the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Connor Hellebuyck occupy the creases. Winnipeg began in the first period with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his ninth of the season, via Joel Armia and Mathieu Perreault. Nashville tied it on a Ryan Johansen power play goal, his ninth of the year, powered by James Neal and Mike Ribeiro. The Predators took the lead with a Craig Smith goal, his tenth of the campaign, fueled by Petter Granberg and Mattias Ekholm in the second period. Nashville added on in the third period with a Neal goal, his seventeenth of the season, with a lone assist from Johansen. The Predators iced it at 4-1 with an empty net goal by Calle Jarnkrok, his seventh of the year, set up by Paul Gaustad. The three stars went to Rinne (26 for 27 in saves), Neal, and Johansen.

South to Texas, with the Dallas Stars welcoming the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Antti Niemi are set to start in goal. Dallas got going in the first period with a Jason Spezza goal, his sixteenth of the season, fueled by Johnny Oduya. The Stars added on with a Jamie Benn goal in the second period, his twenty-seventh of the year, going in unassisted. Edmonton got on the board with a Teddy Purcell power play goal, his eleventh of the season, powered by Justin Schultz and Taylor Hall. Dallas replied with a Jyrki Jokipakka goal, his second of the year, passed from Cody Eakin and Spezza. The Oilers got one back with a Nail Yakupov goal, his fourth of the campaign, with a lone assist by Benoit Pouliot. The final stayed at 3-2, with the three stars given to Spezza, Jokipakka, and Benn.

Over in Arizona, the Coyotes bring in the San Jose Sharks. Martin Jones and Louis Domingue are the young goalies. San Jose dented the scoreboard in the first period with a Tommy Wingels goal, his fourth of the season, via Justin Braun and Joonas Donskoi. The Sharks added on with a Chris Tierney goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Mike Brown and Melker Karlsson. Arizona got on the board with a Brad Richardson goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Shane Doan and Connor Murphy in the third period. San Jose iced it at 3-1 with a Patrick Marleau power play goal into the empty net, his fifteenth of the year, set up by Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. The three stars went to Jones (23 for 24 in saves), Tierney, and Wingels.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Minnesota Wild. Darcy Kuemper and Jonathan Quick are the goalies. Minnesota drew first blood in the second period with a Zach Parise power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, powered by Thomas Vanek and Jason Pominville. The Wild added on with a Charlie Coyle goal, his eleventh of the year, courtesy of Marco Scandella. Minnesota extended the lead on a shorthanded Erik Haula goal, his fourth of the campaign, set up by Mikko Koivu and Ryan Suter. The three stars of the 3-0 game went to Kuemper (32 save shutout), Parise, and Haula.

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2015/16 KHL Season - Day 129

It's the last day of games before the KHL All-Star break. For fans of the league, please check back o Saturday for the All-Star game post, and make sure to follow my NHL and Premier League coverage. The first game today is...

Barys Astana hosting Avangard Omsk. Dominik Furch and Jan Laco are in goal. Omsk began in the first period with a Vladimir Sobotka goal, going in unassisted. Avangard added on with a Yury Alexandrov goal, courtesy of Ilya Mikheyev. Pavel Poluektov replaced Laco in goal. Omsk extended the lead as Sobotka scored his second of the game, thanks to Denis Parshin and Alexander Perezhogin. Avangard padded the lead on a Nikolai Lemtyugov goal, fueled by Sobotka and Martin Erat on the power play. Omsk kept going in the second period with a Lemtyugov goal, his second of the game, helped along by Andrei Pervyshin and Alexei Glukhov. Laco returned to the net as Poluektov was pulled. Astana got on the board with a Nigel Dawes goal, coming off of Dustin Boyd and Mike Lundin on the power play. Barys got one back in the third period with a Roman Starchenko power play goal, powered by Roman Savchenko and Konstantin Rudenko. Avangard fired back with an Alexandrov goal, his second of the game, made possible by Glukhov and Mikheyev, a shorthanded empty net goal. Omsk wrapped it up at 7-2 with an unassisted Ivan Fishchenko goal. The three stars went to Sobotka, Alexandrov, and Lemtyugov, while Glukhov and Mikheyev get the honorable mentions.

Up in Khanty-Mansiysk, Yugra welcomes Lada Togliatti. Ivan Kasutin and Vladislav Fokin are the goalies. Togliatti opened in the first period on a Viktor Komarov power play goal, powered by Anton Shenfeld and Georgy Belousov. Lada added on with a Yefim Gurkin goal, helped along by Alexander Bolshakov and Belousov. Togliatti extended the lead as Vasily Streltsov scored, with the help of Tobias Viklund. Lada padded the lead with an Anton Krysanov power play goal in the second period, assisted by Dmitry Vorobyov and Belousov, the latter getting a sock trick. Khanty-Mansiysk got on the board with an unassisted Ivan Yatsenko goal. Togliatti finished it at 5-1 with a Streltsov goal in the third period, with a lone assist by Rafael Akhmetov. The three stars went to Belousov, Streltsov, and Kasutin (35 for 36 in saves).

Along to Ufa, with Salavat Yulaev bringing in the Sochi Leopards. Konstantin Barulin and Vladimir Sokhatsky are given the starting nods. Sochi dented the scoreboard in the third period on an Andrei Kostitsyn goal, guided in by Igot Ignatushkin. The Leopards added on with an Ilya Krikunov goal, passed from Clay Wilson and Andre Petersson. Sochi extended the lead with a Renat Mamashev goal, with a lone assist by Mikhail Anisin. This stood for a 3-0 win, with the three stars being Barulin (29 save shutout), Kostitsyn, and Krikunov.

Down in Magnitogorsk, Metallurg hosts Ak Bars Kazan. Stanislav Galimov and Vasily Koshechkin tend the twines. In the shootout, Fyodor Malykhin tallied for Kazan, but he was matched by Chris Lee and topped by Wojtek Wolski of Magnitogorsk for a 1-0 Metallurg win. The three stars belonged to Koshechkin (32 save shutout), Galimov (32 save "shutout"), and Wolski.

Into Moscow, where Spartak welcomes Amur Khabarovsk. Alexander Pechursky and Denis Sinyagin are the lesser-known goalies. Moscow led off in the first period on a Konstantin Glazachev power play goal, powered by Pavel Valentenko. Spartak added on in the second period with a Gleb Klimenko goal, fueled by Alexander Vasilyev and Sergei Shmelyov. Khabarovsk got on the board with a Nikolai Skladnichenko goal, via Nikita Cherepanov and Tomas Zohorna. This only made it 2-1, the eventual final, with the three stars given to Sinyagin (34 for 35 in saves), Klimenko, and Glazachev.

Northwest to St. Petersburg, with SKA bringing in Admiral Vladivostok. Igor Bobkov and Mikko Koskinen are between the pipes. Vladivostok started in the first period on a Dmitry Sayustov goal, guided in by Yaroslav Alshevsky and Kirill Voronin. Admiral added on with an Alexander Gorshkov goal, going in unassisted. St. Petersburg got on the board with a second period power play goal by Maxim Chudinov, powered by Pavel Buchnevich. Vladivostok answered with an unassisted Artyom Podshendyalov goal. SKA pulled back with an Evgeny Dadonov goal in the third period, helped along by Nikita Gusev and Vadim Shipachyov. St. Petersburg tied it on a Chudinov goal, with a lone helper from Shipachyov. In the shootout, Gorshkov got matched by Gusev, but Jonathon Blum's goal gave Admiral the 4-3 win. The three stars were Gorshkov, Chudinov, and Shipachyov.

Back to Podolsk, where Vityaz hosts Severstal Cherepovets. Sergei Magarilov and Igor Saprykin man the nets. Cherepovets got going in the second period on a Dmitry Kagarlitsky goal, via Igor Skorokhodov and Pavel Chernov. Podolsk tied it with a Viktor Drugov goal, fueled by Roman Kudinov and Nikita Vyglazov. Vityaz took the lead with a third period power play goal by Anton Korolyov, powered by Ilya Davydov and Vyacheslav Solodukhin. Severstal tied it with a Sergei Monakhov goal, helped along by Sergei Kuptsov. Podolsk won with an unassisted Alexander Kucheryavenko goal in overtime. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars handed to Kucheryavenko, Korolyov, and Drugov.

Up in Helsinki, Jokerit welcomes Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Vladislav Podyapolsky and Henrik Karlsson are in the creases. Helsinki struck first in the first period on a Philip Larsen power play goal, powered by Brandon Kozun and Peter Regin. Novokuznetsk tied it on a Fyodor Polishchuk goal, guided in by Kirill Lebedev and Nikita Lyamkin. Jokerit took the lead back in the second period with a Jere Sallinen goal, via Juhamatti Aaltonen and Tim Kennedy. Helsinki added on with a Kozun goal, passed from Regin and Jesse Joensuu. Jokerit extended the lead as Sallinen scored in the third period, his second of the game helped along by Aaltonen and Kennedy. Metallurg answered with a Daniil Yerdakov goal, assisted by Pavel Makarenko and Kirill Semyonov. Helsinki shot back with an Aaltonen goal, with assists provided by Arturs Kulda and Sallinen. Jokerit made it 6-2 with Aaltonen's second of the game, with a lone helper from Sallinen. The three stars went to Sallinen, Aaltonen, and Kozun, while Regin and Kennedy get the honorable mentions.

Finally, Dinamo Riga brings in Sibir Novosibirsk. Alexander Salak and Jakub Sedlacek are the masked men. Riga drew first blood in the second period with a Vitalijs Pavlovs goal, fueled by Miks Indrasis and Aleksandrs Jerofejevs. Dinamo added on with another Pavlovs goal, via Guntis Galvins and Gints Meija. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the three stars being Pavlovs, Sedlacek (38 save shutout), and Salak (19 for 21 in saves).

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Wednesday, January 20, 2016

2015-16 NHL Season - Day 102

Three games on today, beginning with...

The Detroit Red Wings hosting the St. Louis Blues. Brian Elliott and Petr Mrazek are the masked men. St. Louis opened in the first period on a Ty Rattie goal, his third of the season, assisted by Alex Pietrangelo and David Backes. The Blues added on in the third period on a Dmitrij Jaskin goal, his third of the year, coming off of Backes and Pietrangelo. Detroit got on the board with a Henrik Zetterberg power play goal, his eighth of the campaign, powered by Mike Green. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars given to Elliott (29 for 30 in saves), Backes, and Pietrangelo.

Over in Colorado, the Avalanche welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Semyon Varlamov are in the creases. Buffalo got going in the second period on an Evander Kane power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Jack Eichel and Ryan O'Reilly. Colorado tied it in the third period with an Alex Tanguay goal, his third of the year, fueled by Carl Soderberg and Francois Beauchemin. The Avalanche took the lead on a Beauchemin goal, his sixth of the campaign, assisted by Tanguay. The three stars were awarded to Beauchemin, Tanguay, and Varlamov (27 for 28 in saves).

Over in Anaheim, the Ducks bring in the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and John Gibson receive the starting nods. Minnesota started in the first period on a Jarret Stoll goal, his second of the season, made possible by Erik Haula. Anaheim tied it with a Chris Stewart goal, his seventh of the year, helped along by Shea Theodore and David Perron. The Ducks took the lead on a Rickard Rakell goal, his tenth of the season, via Patrick Maroon and Corey Perry. Anaheim iced it at 3-1 with a Jakob Silfverberg empty net goal, his sixth of the year, set up by Andrew Cogliano and Ryan Kesler. The three stars belonged to Rakell, Stewart, and Gibson (25 for 26 in saves).

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2015/16 KHL Season - Day 128

Four games on for today, beginning with...

Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg hosting Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk. Ivan Lisutin and Igor Ustinsky receive the starting nods. Yekaterinburg led off in the first period with an Alexander Torchenyuk goal, passed from Artyom Gareyev and Yegor Zhuravlyov. This stood for a 1-0 win eventually, with the three stars going to Ustinsky (41 save shutout), Torchenyuk, and Lisutin (11 for 12 in saves).

Over in Nizhny Novgorod, Torpedo welcomes Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. Alexei Murygin and Ilya Proskuryakov are the masked men. Nizhny Novgorod began in the first period on a Dmitry Semin power play goal, powered by Kirill Koltsov and Kaspars Daugavins. Yaroslavl tied it on a third period Yegor Korshkov goal, fueled by Alexander Polunin. Lokomotiv won 2-1 in the shootout with an Andrei Loktionov tally. The three stars went to Murygin (18 for 19 in saves), Korshkov, and Proskuryakov (20 for 21 in saves).

Into Moscow, where Dynamo brings in crosstown rivals CSKA. Ilya Sorokin and Alexander Yeryomenko protect the nets. CSKA struck first in the first period on a Stephane Da Costa goal, via Denis Denisov. Dynamo tied it in the second period with a Denis Barantsev goal, coming off of Juuso Hietanen and Alexei Tereshchenko. Dynamo took the lead with a Tereshchenko goal in the third period, courtesy of Maxim Pestushko and Vladimir Bryukvin on the power play. CSKA tied it again with an Ivan Telegin goal, helped along by Alexander Radulov and Nikita Zaitsev. In the shootout, Da Costa and Hietanen cancelled out, allowing Dmitry Kugryshev to give CSKA the 3-2 win. The three stars went to Da Costa, Tereshchenko, and Hietanen.

Finally, Slovan Bratislava hosts Medvescak Zagreb. Danny Taylor and Barry Brust are the North American goalies. Bratislava was first to score on a first period Tomas Kundratek power play goal, powered by Lukas Kaspar and Cam Barker. Zagreb tied it with a Gilbert Brule goal, guided in by Patrick Bjorkstrand. Medvescak took the lead in the third period on a Radek Smolenak goal in the third period, with a lone helper from Tomas Mertl. Slovan tied it on a Rok Ticar goal, made possible by Lubomir Visnovsky and Andrej Stastny. Bratislava won 3-2 with a late Vaclav Nedorost goal, helped along by Kaspar and Marek Viedensky. The three stars went to Nedorost, Kaspar, and Ticar.

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