Saturday, March 26, 2016

2015-16 NHL Season - Day 163

It's one of the busiest days of the year, with fourteen games to be played. We begin with four matinees, the first from...

Buffalo, as the Sabres host the Winnipeg Jets. Michael Hutchinson and Chad Johnson make the starts in goal. Winnipeg led off in the first period with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. The Jets added on with an unassisted goal by Andrew Copp, his fourth of the year. Buffalo got on the board with a Hudson Fasching goal, made possible by Mark Pysyk and Casey Nelson. The Sabres tied it in the third period with a Sam Reinhart goal, his twenty-first of the season, helped along by Zemgus Girgensons. Buffalo took the lead with a Jack Eichel goal, his twenty-third of the year, via Reinhart. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Reinhart, Eichel, and Fasching.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Marc-Andre Fleury and Petr Mrazek guard the cages. Detroit started in the first period with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Brad Richards and Jonathan Ericsson. Pittsburgh tied it in the second period with a Chris Kunitz goal, his seventeenth of the year, passed from Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby. The Penguins took the lead on a Letang goal, his fifteenth of the season, assisted by Phil Kessel and Trevor Daley. Pittsburgh added on with a Carl Hagelin goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Kessel and Nick Bonino. The Penguins extended the lead as Kessel scored his twenty-second of the season, thanks to Ian Cole and Bonino. The Red Wings got one back in the third period with a Mike Green power play goal, his fifth of the year, powered by Pavel Datsyuk. Pittsburgh shot back with an Eric Fehr goal, his sixth of the season, helped along by Bonino, who got a sock trick. The Penguins padded the lead on a Hagelin goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, made possible by Kessel, who got a sock trick, and Bonino. Pittsburgh kept going with a Bonino power play goal, his sixth of the season, with assists provided by Kessel and Fehr. This stood for a 7-2 win, with the three stars being Kessel, Bonino, and Hagelin, while Letang and Fehr get the honorable mentions.

West to Colorado, where the Avalanche bring in the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Semyon Varlamov are the masked men. Minnesota dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Zach Parise goal, his twenty-third of the season, assisted by Mikael Granlund. The Wild added on with a Jordan Schroeder goal, his second of the year, coming off of Justin Fontaine and Marco Scandella. Minnesota extended the lead with a third period power play goal by Parise, his second of the game and twenty-fourth of the season, powered by Ryan Suter and Mikko Koivu. The Wild padded the lead as Granlund scored a shorthanded empty net goal, his eleventh of the year, set up by Erik Haula. The game ended 4-0, with the three stars handed to Parise, Dubnyk (29 save shutout), and Granlund.

Out in California, the last matinee sees the San Jose Sharks host the Dallas Stars. Antti Niemi faces his former team and Martin Jones in goal. Dallas began in the first period with a Mattias Janmark goal, his fourteenth of the season, fueled by Jordie Benn and Ales Hemsky. The Stars added on in the second period with another Janmark goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, via Jason Spezza and Stephen Johns. Dallas extended the lead as Patrick Sharp scored a power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by Spezza and John Klingberg. San Jose got on the board in the third period with a Joel Ward shorthanded goal, his twenty-first of the year, going in unassisted. The Sharks got closer with a Tomas Hertl goal, his nineteenth of the season, made possible by Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns. The Stars iced it at 4-2 with a Jamie Benn empty net goal, his thirty-seventh of the year, set up by Sharp. The three stars were handed to Janmark, Sharp, and Spezza.

At the usual time, the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the New York Islanders. Jean-Francois Berube and Eddie Lack are the backups in goal. New York opened in the first period with a Kyle Okposo goal, his twenty-first of the season, courtesy of Nikolay Kulemin. The Islanders added on with a Kulemin goal, his eighth of the year, going in unassisted. Carolina got on the board in the second period with a Victor Rask goal, his eighteenth of the season, passed from Chris Terry and Brett Pesce. The Hurricanes tied it on a Jeff Skinner goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, assisted by Ron Hainsey and Riley Nash. Carolina pulled ahead with a Jay McClement goal, his third of the season, coming off of Ryan Murphy. New York tied it in the third period with a Cal Clutterbuck goal, his fourteenth of the year, guided in by Casey Cizikas and Calvin de Haan. The Islanders won 4-3 in overtime with another Clutterbuck goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the campaign, helped along by Brock Nelson and Nick Leddy. The three stars went to Clutterbuck, Kulemin, and Okposo.

Up in Canada, the Montreal Canadiens bring in the New York Rangers. Antti Raanta and Mike Condon draw the starts in goal. New York was first to score in the first period with a J.T. Miller goal, his twenty-first of the season, helped along by Derek Stepan and Keith Yandle. Montreal tied it with a Lars Eller goal, his twelfth of the year, assisted by Greg Pateryn and Nathan Beaulieu. The Rangers retook the lead in the second period with a Derick Brassard goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, courtesy of Chris Kreider and Rick Nash. New York added on with a Kreider power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, powered by Brassard and Yandle. The Rangers extended the lead as Kreider scored his second of the game and eighteenth of the season, an unassisted goal. The Canadiens got one back with a Phillip Danault goal, his third of the year, made possible by David Desharnais and Sven Andrighetto. New York shot back as Stepan scored a power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, with assists provided by Mats Zuccarello and Brassard. This stood for a 5-2 win, with the three stars given to Kreider, Brassard, and Stepan, while Yandle gets an honorable mention.

Over in Ontario, the Ottawa Senators host the Anaheim Ducks. Frederik Andersen and Craig Anderson are the similarly named goalies. Ottawa cracked the scoresheet with a first period goal by Mike Hoffman, his twenty-seventh of the season, helped along by Bobby Ryan and Mika Zibanejad. The Senators added on in the second period with an Erik Karlsson goal, his fourteenth of the year, via Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Zack Smith. Ottawa extended the lead as Chris Neil scored his fourth of the season, with the help of Nick Paul. Anaheim got on the board with a Ryan Getzlaf goal in the third period, his twelfth of the year, with a lone assist by Jamie McGinn. The Ducks got closer with a Jakob Silfverberg goal, his sixteenth of the season, passed from Cam Fowler and Shawn Horcoff. Anaheim tied it on a Hampus Lindholm goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Corey Perry and Rickard Rakell. The Ducks won 4-3 in overtime with a Rakell power play goal, his twentieth of the campaign, powered by Getzlaf and Fowler. The three stars were handed to Rakell, Getzlaf, and Fowler.

Back south, the Tampa Bay Lightning welcome in-state rivals in the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo faces a lesser foe in Andrei Vasilevskiy in goal. Tampa Bay struck first in the first period with a Tyler Johnson power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, powered by Nikita Nesterov and Ondrej Palat. Florida tied it with a Vincent Trocheck goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, coming off of Jussi Jokinen. The Panthers took the lead with a Jaromir Jagr power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, with assists provided by Aleksander Barkov and Jonathan Huberdeau. Florida added on with a second period goal by Jiri Hudler, his fifteenth of the year, made possible by Alex Petrovic and Nick Bjugstad. The Panthers extended the lead as Huberdeau scored his fifteenth of the season in the third period, guided in by Barkov and Jagr. The Lightning got one back with a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his thirty-sixth of the year, made possible by Brian Boyle and Nesterov. Florida iced it at 5-2 with a shorthanded empty net goal by Jokinen, his seventeenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Huberdeau, Jagr, and Barkov, while Jokinen and Nesterov get the honorable mentions.

Returning to Ontario, the Toronto Maple Leafs bring in the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Jonathan Bernier are the experienced goalies. Toronto drew first blood in the first period with a Ben Smith goal, his second of the season, assisted by Colin Greening and Brooks Laich. Boston tied it in the second period with a Patrice Bergeron power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, powered by Matt Beleskey and Torey Krug. The Bruins took the lead on a Zdeno Chara goal, his ninth of the season, passed from David Krejci and Frank Vatrano. Boston added on in the third period with a Beleskey power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, with assists provided by Loui Eriksson and Krejci as it went into the empty net. The three stars in the 3-1 game were Beleskey, Krejci, and Rask (25 for 26 in saves).

Back stateside, the Washington Capitals host the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen opposes Philipp Grubauer in goal. St. Louis got going in the second period with a Kyle Brodziak goal, his fifth of the season, via David Backes and Scottie Upshall. The Blues added on with a Colton Parayko goal, his eighth of the year, going in unassisted. St. Louis extended the lead as Vladimir Tarasenko scored his thirty-fifth of the season, thanks to Jori Lehtera and Paul Stastny. The Blues padded the lead with a third period Patrik Berglund goal, his ninth of the year, assisted by Alex Pietrangelo and Stastny. This made it 4-0, the final, with the three stars awarded to Allen (32 save shutout), Stastny, and Brodziak.

Southwest to Nashville, where the Predators welcome the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Pekka Rinne are the Finnish goalies. Nashville led off in the first period with a James Neal goal, his thirtieth of the season, made possible by Ryan Johansen and Roman Josi. Columbus tied it with a Boone Jenner goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, via Brandon Saad. The Predators took the lead on a Mattias Ekholm goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Ryan Ellis and Mike Ribeiro. Nashville added on in the second period with a Craig Smith goal, his nineteenth of the year, passed from Shea Weber and Josi. The Predators extended the lead as Weber scored his eighteenth of the season on the power play, guided in by Ribeiro and Filip Forsberg. Nashville padded the lead with a Calle Jarnkrok goal in the third period, his fourteenth of the year, fueled by Josi, who got a sock trick, and Neal. This stood for a 5-1 win, with the three stars handed to Josi, Weber, and Neal, while Ribeiro gets an honorable mention.

Northwest to Calgary, as the Flames bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Scott Darling and Joni Ortio are the lesser-known goalies. Chicago got going in the second period with an Andrew Ladd goal, his twenty-first of the season, going in unassisted. Calgary tied it with a Dougie Hamilton goal, his eleventh of the year, made possible by Freddie Hamilton and Johnny Gaudreau. The Blackhawks took the lead with an Andrew Shaw goal, his fourteenth of the season, passed from Michal Rozsival and Ladd. Chicago added on in the third period with an empty net goal by Ladd, his second of the game and twenty-second of the year, an unassisted. The Blackhawks iced it at 4-1 with a Teuvo Teravainen empty net goal, his twelfth of the campaign, set up by Patrick Kane and Niklas Hjalmarsson. The three stars went to Ladd, Darling (31 for 32 in saves).

Down in Los Angeles, the Kings host the Edmonton Oilers. Laurent Brossoit is mismatched with Jonathan Quick in goal. Los Angeles began in the first period with a Tyler Toffoli goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, coming off of Brayden McNabb and Milan Lucic. Edmonton tied it with a Jordan Eberle goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, passed from Jordan Oesterle. The Oilers took the lead with a Connor McDavid goal, his fifteenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Kings tied it on a Jeff Carter goal, his nineteenth of the year, made possible by Lucic and Luke Schenn. Los Angeles took the lead in the second period with a Toffoli goal, his second of the game and twenty-ninth of the season, with a lone assist by Lucic, who got a sock trick. The Kings added on with an Andy Andreoff goal, his fifth of the year, fueled by Toffoli and Carter. Los Angeles extended the lead with a shorthanded Trevor Lewis goal, his eighth of the season, set up by McNabb and the goalie Quick. Edmonton got one back in the third period with a Patrick Maroon goal, his eighth of the year, a power play goal, guided in by Andrej Sekera and Eberle. The Oilers edged closer with another Maroon goal, his second of the game and ninth of the season, with helpers from McDavid and Adam Clendening. The Kings iced it at 6-4 with an empty net goal by Carter, his twentieth of the year, dished from Toffoli and Jake Muzzin. The three stars went to Toffoli, Carter, and Maroon, while Lucic, McNabb, McDavid, and Eberle get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Arizona Coyotes host the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Mike Smith are the overrated goalies. Arizona dented the scoreboard with a Shane Doan power play goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, powered by Antoine Vermette and Alex Tanguay. The Coyotes added on with a Michael Stone goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Anthony Duclair and Martin Hanzal. Philadelphia got on the board with a Sean Couturier power play goal in the third period, his tenth of the campaign, set up by Shayne Gostisbehere and Matt Read. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars handed to Smith (34 for 35 in saves), Stone, and Doan.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Major League Soccer 2016 - Week 4

It's a short week due to an international break that is partially observed by MLS. There are only three games, all on Saturday, with the first in...

New York, as New York City FC hosts the New England Revolution. Bobby Shuttleworth and Josh Saunders are in goal. New York City struck first in the tenth minute with a Thomas McNamara goal, In the thirty-sixth minute, Andoni Iraola of New York City took a yellow card for his foul. New England tied it on a thirty-eighth minute goal by Chris Tierney. The Revolution went down to ten men in the fifty-first minute as Gershon Koffie took a straight red card for his foul. In the fifty-fifth minute, Federico Bravo of New York City picked up a yellow card for a foul. New England's Scott Caldwell received a yellow card for a sixty-fifth minute foul. Andrea Pirlo of New York City saw a yellow card for a foul in the sixty-eighth minute. In stoppage time, McNamara took a yellow card for a foul for New York City. The final held at 1-1, with the man of the match being Shuttleworth, who went three for four in saves to preserve the tie even with the team a man down.

Along to DC, where United welcomes FC Dallas. Chris Seitz and Travis Worra man the nets. Dallas opened in the fourteenth minute with a Michael Barrios goal. Dallas added on in the twenty-eighth minute with another Barrios goal, via Mauro Diaz. Dallas' Carlos Gruezo took a yellow card for a foul in the thirtieth minute. DC saw a yellow card for a foul by Marcelo Sarvas in the thirty-seventh minute. Dallas extended the lead as Maximiliano Urruti scored in the fifty-second minute, thanks to Fabian Castillo and Diaz. Barrios of Dallas took a yellow card in the sixtieth minute for time wasting. United saw a yellow card for an argument by Chris Rolfe in the sixty-first minute. DC went down to ten men in the sixty-sixth minute as Sarvas took a straight red card for his foul in the box. Dallas won 3-0, and Barrios was the man of the match for his brace.

Finally, the Vancouver Whitecaps FC bring in the Houston Dynamo. Joe Willis and David Ousted are the gloved men. Vancouver started in the twenty-third minute with a Pedro Morales penalty kick goal. The Whitecaps saw yellow cards go to Matias Laba in the seventy-sixth minute and Pa Modou Kah in stoppage time for fouls. Vancouver won 1-0, and Ousted's five-save clean sheet made him the man of the match.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Friday, March 25, 2016

2015-16 NHL Season - Day 162

Three games tonight, beginning with...

The New Jersey Devils hosting the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby faces a lesser foe in Scott Wedgewood. Washington won 1-0 in overtime with a John Carlson goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Jason Chimera and Marcus Johansson. The three stars were awarded to Carlson, Holtby (22 save shutout), and Wedgewood (25 for 26 in saves).

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning welcome the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss is mismatched with Ben Bishop in goal. New York began in the first period with a Brock Nelson goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, assisted by Ryan Strome and Josh Bailey. Tampa Bay tied it on a Nikita Kucherov goal, his twenty-ninth of the year, courtesy of Alex Killorn and Andrej Sustr. The Lightning took the lead with a Vladislav Namestnikov goal, his fourteenth of the season, going in unassisted. Tampa Bay added on with a Steven Stamkos goal in the second period, his thirty-fifth of the year, via Jason Garrison and Kucherov. The Islanders pulled back with a Shane Prince goal, his fifth of the season, an unassisted goal. New York tied it with a Johnny Boychuk goal, his eighth of the year, passed from John Tavares and Bailey. The Lightning regained the lead in the third period with a Sustr goal, his third of the season, with a lone assist from Garrison. The Islanders tied it again on a Nikolay Kulemin goal, his seventh of the year, fueled by Frans Nielsen and Travis Hamonic. Tampa Bay took the lead again with a Tyler Johnson goal, his thirteenth of the season, guided in by Ondrej Palat and Jonathan Marchessault. The Lightning extended the lead as Garrison scored his fifth of the year, thanks to Palat and Marchessault. Tampa Bay iced it at 7-4 with an empty net goal by Victor Hedman, his seventh of the campaign, set up by Matthew Carle and Palat, the latter getting a sock trick. The three stars went to Garrison, Kucherov, and Sustr, while Palat, Bailey, and Marchessault get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the St. Louis Blues bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Brian Elliott are in the blue paint. St. Louis led off in the first period with a shorthanded Kyle Brodziak goal, his fourth of the season, made possible by Scottie Upshall. The Blues added on with a Robby Fabbri goal, his eighteenth of the year, coming off of Paul Stastny and Troy Brouwer. St. Louis extended the lead in the second period as Carl Gunnarsson scored his third of the season, thanks to Stastny and Fabbri. The Blues finished it at 4-0 in the third period with a Joel Edmundson goal, assisted by Vladimir Tarasenko and Colton Parayko. The three stars were Elliott (15 save shutout), Fabbri, and Stastny.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Thursday, March 24, 2016

2015-16 NHL Season - Day 161

Eleven games today, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins hosting the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Tuukka Rask tend the twines. Boston got going in the second period with a Ryan Spooner goal, his thirteenth of the season, guided in by Frank Vatrano and Loui Eriksson. Florida tied it on a Reilly Smith goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, via Vincent Trocheck and Jussi Jokinen. The Panthers took the lead with a Trocheck shorthanded goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, set up by Alex Petrovic. Florida added on with a Jokinen goal in the third period, his sixteenth of the year, with helpers from Dmitry Kulikov and Steven Kampfer. The Panthers iced it at 4-1 with a Jonathan Huberdeau empty net goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, made possible by Jaromir Jagr and Aleksander Barkov. The three stars were Trocheck, Luongo (34 for 35 in saves), and Jokinen.

To the west, the Pittsburgh Penguins welcome the New Jersey Devils. Scott Wedgewood is mismatched with Marc-Andre Fleury in goal. New Jersey opened in the first period with a Kyle Palmieri goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, via Travis Zajac and Reid Boucher. The Devils added on with a Palmieri power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-ninth of the year, powered by Damon Severson and Boucher. New Jersey extended the lead as Adam Henrique scored his twenty-seventh of the campaign in the third period, thanks to Severson and Devante Smith-Pelly. This stood for a 3-0 win, with the three stars going to Palmieri, Wedgewood (39 save shutout), and Boucher, while Severson gets an honorable mention.

Along to Columbus Blue Jackets bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Eddie Lack and Sergei Bobrovsky are in the blue paint. Columbus dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Matt Calvert goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Dalton Prout and Brandon Dubinsky. Carolina tied it in the third period with a Victor Rask goal, his seventeenth of the year, via Noah Hanifin and Jeff Skinner. The Hurricanes took the lead on a Chris Terry goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Jaccob Slavin. Carolina added on with an Elias Lindholm goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Jordan Staal. The Blue Jackets got one back with a Boone Jenner goal, his twenty-seventh of the campaign, helped along by Oliver Bjorkstrand and Brandon Saad. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars given to Lindholm, Terry, and Rask.

Into Detroit, where the Red Wings host the Montreal Canadiens. Ben Scrivens and Petr Mrazek make the starts. Detroit began in the first period with a Riley Sheahan goal, his tenth of the season, fueled by Brendan Smith and Mike Green. The Red Wings added on in the second period with a Luke Glendening goal, his seventh of the year, made possible by Andreas Athanasiou and Darren Helm. Detroit extended the lead as Sheahan scored his second of the game and eleventh of the campaign, with the help of Smith and Pavel Datsyuk. The Red Wings padded the lead with an Anthony Mantha goal, passed from Brad Richards and Green on the power play. Montreal got on the board with an unassisted Tomas Plekanec goal in the third period, his thirteenth of the season. The Canadiens got closer with a Paul Byron goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Darren Dietz and Joel Hanley. Montreal chipped closer with a Max Pacioretty goal, his twenty-fifth of the campaign, helped along by Alex Galchenyuk and Hanley. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Sheahan, Smith, and Green, while Hanley gets an honorable mention.

Next up, the Toronto Maple Leafs welcome the Anaheim Ducks. Frederik Andersen faces a lesser foe in Garret Sparks in goal. Anaheim led off in the first period with a Jamie McGinn goal, his twentieth of the season, passed from Brandon Pirri and Corey Perry. Toronto tied it on a Tyler Bozak goal, his eleventh of the year, going in unassisted. The Maple Leafs took the lead with a Nazem Kadri power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Milan Michalek and Connor Brown. Toronto added on with a Bozak power play goal in the second period, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, helped along by Kadri and Morgan Rielly. The Maple Leafs extended the lead as Frank Corrado scored, thanks to Brooks Laich and Ben Smith. The Ducks shot back with a McGinn power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the season, with helpers provided by Pirri and Ryan Getzlaf. Anaheim chipped closer with an Andrew Cogliano goal, his ninth of the year, guided in by Shawn Horcoff and Josh Manson. The Ducks tied it in the third period with a shorthanded and unassisted Ryan Garbutt goal, his sixth of the season. Anaheim pulled ahead on a Pirri goal, his twelfth of the year, assisted by Horcoff and Hampus Lindholm. Toronto retied it with a Brown power play goal, fueled by Michalek and Kadri. The Maple Leads won 6-5 in overtime with a Kadri goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the campaign, dished from Zach Hyman and Rielly. The three stars were awarded to Kadri, Bozak, and Brown, while McGinn, Pirri, Horcoff, Rielly, and Michalek get the honorable mentions.

Back stateside, the Nashville Predators bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Ryan Miller and Pekka Rinne are the veteran goalies. Vancouver struck first in the first period with a Bo Horvat goal, his twelfth of the season, helped along by Sven Baertschi. The Canucks added on with a Daniel Sedin power play goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, powered by Henrik Sedin and Alexandre Burrows. Nashville got on the board in the third period with a James Neal goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, passed from Colin Wilson. The Predators tied it on a Filip Forsberg goal, his thirty-first of the year, coming off of Mattias Ekholm and Ryan Ellis. The tie went to a shootout, where tallies by Ryan Johansen and Craig Smith topped Jared McCann to give the Predators a 3-2 win. The three stars were handed to Smith, Forsberg, and Neal.

In Canada again, the Winnipeg Jets host the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Ondrej Pavelec are between the pipes. Los Angeles drew first blood in the second period with an Anze Kopitar power play goal, his twenty-fifth of the season, powered by Jeff Carter and Drew Doughty. Winnipeg tied it on an Adam Lowry goal, his seventh of the year, assisted by Matt Halischuk and Jacob Trouba. The Jets took the lead in the third period with a Dustin Byfuglien goal, his seventeenth of the season, passed from Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele. Winnipeg added on with a Paul Postma goal, his second of the year, with assists by Scheifele and Wheeler. The Jets iced it at 4-1 with an unassisted empty net goal by Drew Stafford, his twentieth of the campaign. The three stars were handed to Pavelec (33 for 34 in saves), Wheeler, and Scheifele.

Down in Minnesota, the Wild welcome the Calgary Flames. Niklas Backstrom faces his old team and Devan Dubnyk in goal. Minnesota started in the first period with a Zach Parise goal, his twentieth of the season, coming off of Mike Reilly and Mikko Koivu. The Wild added on with another Parise goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the year, assisted by Charlie Coyle and Koivu. Calgary got on the board with a Johnny Gaudreau power play goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, powered by Sean Monahan and Mark Giordano. Minnesota shot back as Parise completed his hat trick on a power play goal, his twenty-second of the year, made possible by Ryan Suter and Koivu, with the latter getting a sock trick. The Flames answered in the second period with a Jakub Nakladal goal, his second of the season, via Matt Stajan and Tyler Wotherspoon. The Wild responded with a Jared Spurgeon power play goal, his ninth of the year, helped along by Coyle and Parise. Minnesota extended the lead in the third period as Spurgeon scored his second of the game and tenth of the season on the power play, an unassisted goal. The Wild iced it at 6-2 with a Nino Niederreiter goal, his nineteenth of the year, courtesy of Jason Pominville and Erik Haula. The three stars went to Parise, Koivu, and Spurgeon, while Coyle gets an honorable mention.

Southwest to Denver, with the Colorado Avalanche bringing in the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Semyon Varlamov are the steady goalies. Colorado cracked the scoresheet in the second period with a Nick Holden goal, his fifth of the season, passed from Mikhail Grigorenko and Mikkel Boedker. Philadelphia tied it on a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Shayne Gostisbehere and Andrew MacDonald. The Avalanche retook the lead in the third period with a John Mitchell goal, his tenth of the campaign, helped along by Andreas Martinsen and Francois Beauchemin. The Flyers tied it again with a Radko Gudas goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek. Philadelphia gained the lead on a Claude Giroux goal, his twenty-first of the year, assisted by Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn. The Flyers iced it at 4-2 with a Ryan White empty net goal, his eleventh of the campaign, set up by Bellemare and Gudas. The three stars were given to Mason (32 for 34 in saves), Gudas, and Bellemare.

Further south, the Arizona Coyotes welcome the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Louis Domingue are called on to start in goal. Arizona led off in the first period with a Tobias Rieder goal, his fourteenth of the season, helped along by Connor Murphy and Brad Richardson. Dallas tied it on an Ales Hemsky goal, his thirteenth of the year, courtesy of Antoine Roussel. The Coyotes took the lead back in the second period with a Martin Hanzal goal, his twelfth of the season, passed from Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Michael Stone. Arizona added on with another Hanzal goal in the third period, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, a shorthanded goal set up by Klas Dahlbeck and Max Domi. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars being Domingue (38 for 39 in saves), Hanzal, and Rieder.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and James Reimer protect the nets. San Jose began in the first period with a Tommy Wingels goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Roman Polak and Nick Spaling. The Sharks added on with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his thirty-fifth of the year, powered by Joe Thornton and Logan Couture. Edmonton got on the board in the second period with a Lauri Korpikoski goal, his tenth of the season, passed from Adam Clendening and Mark Letestu. The Oilers tied it with a Taylor Hall goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, going in unassisted. Edmonton took the lead with a Clendening goal, coming off of Patrick Maroon and Darnell Nurse. San Jose retied it with a Patrick Marleau power play goal, his twenty-first of the season, with assists provided by Thornton and Brent Burns. The Oilers pulled ahead with a Maroon goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Connor McDavid and Nail Yakupov. Edmonton extended the lead as Jordan Eberle scored his twenty-fourth of the season, thanks to Maroon and Andrej Sekera. The Oilers iced it at 6-3 with a Hall empty net goal, his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the year, set up by Sekera and Leon Draisaitl. The three stars went to Maroon, Hall, and Clendening, while Sekera and Thornton get the honorable mentions.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Wednesday, March 23, 2016

2015-16 NHL Season - Day 160

Two games tonight on a very short schedule. We begin with...

The New York Islanders welcoming the Ottawa Senators. Andrew Hammond and Jean-Francois Berube are the backups in goal. New York got going in the second period with a John Tavares goal, his twenty-seventh of the season, passed from Josh Bailey and Calvin de Haan. The Islanders added on with a Matt Martin goal, his eighth of the year, via Travis Hamonic and Nick Leddy. New York extended the lead as Brock Nelson scored his twenty-fourth of the season, thanks to Shane Prince and Anders Lee. Ottawa got on the board in the third period with a Mark Stone goal, his twenty-third of the year, assisted by Erik Karlsson and Ryan Dzingel. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Martin, Nelson, and Berube (22 for 23 in saves).

We end with the New York Rangers bringing in the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Henrik Lundqvist tend the twines. New York struck first in the first period with a Mats Zuccarello power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, powered by Keith Yandle and Derek Stepan. The Rangers added on with a Stepan power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, made possible by Yandle the goalie Lundqvist. Jonas Gustavsson relieved Rask for the second period. New York extended the lead as Derick Brassard scored his twenty-sixth of the season, with the help of Kevin Klein and Jesper Fast. Boston got on the board with a Lee Stempniak goal, his eighteenth of the year, helped along by Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. The Rangers answered in the third period with a J.T. Miller goal, his twentieth of the season, guided in by Stepan and Zuccarello. Boston shot back with a Frank Vatrano goal, his seventh of the year, with helpers provided by Loui Eriksson and Zdeno Chara. New York iced it at 5-2 on a Rick Nash empty net goal, his fourteenth of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were awarded to Stepan, Zuccarello, and Yandle.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

2015-16 NHL Season - Day 159

Ten games to fill the schedule tonight, beginning with...

The Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Buffalo Sabres. Chad Johnson and Cam Ward are in goal. Buffalo began in the first period with a Carlo Colaiacovo goal, passed from Mark Pysyk and Marcus Foligno. Carolina tied it in the second period with a Chris Terry goal, his seventh of the season, coming off of Noah Hanifin and Riley Nash. The Hurricanes took the lead in the third period with a Joakim Nordstrom goal, his tenth of the year, assisted by Jordan Staal. The Sabres retied it as Evander Kane scored his twentieth of the season, thanks to Ryan O'Reilly and Sam Reinhart. Buffalo took the lead with a Johan Larsson goal, his seventh of the year, via Brian Gionta. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Larsson, Kane, and Colaiacovo.

Along to Columbus, where the Blue Jackets welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Sergei Bobrovsky face their former teams in goal. Philadelphia led off in the first period with a Claude Giroux goal, his twentieth of the season, assisted by Brayden Schenn and Nick Schultz. The Flyers added on with a Ryan White power play goal in the third period, his tenth of the year, powered by Schenn and Sean Couturier. Columbus got on the board with a shorthanded Boone Jenner goal, his twenty-sixth of the season, set up by Seth Jones and Brandon Saad. The Blue Jackets tied it with a Cam Atkinson goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, made possible by Scott Hartnell and Brandon Dubinsky. The tie went to a shootout, where Jenner scored to give Columbus a 3-2 win. The three stars went to Jenner, Atkinson, and Schenn.

Up in Montreal, the Canadiens bring in the Anaheim Ducks. John Gibson and Mike Condon are in the blue paint. Montreal struck first in the first period with a Torrey Mitchell goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Tomas Plekanec and Joel Hanley. Anaheim tied it with a Jakob Silfverberg goal, his fourteenth of the year, guided in by Ryan Kesler and Andrew Cogliano. The Ducks took the lead in the second period with a Corey Perry goal, his thirtieth of the season, passed from Cam Fowler and Ryan Getzlaf. The Canadiens retied it with an Alex Galchenyuk goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, assisted by Max Pacioretty and Greg Pateryn. Montreal took the lead with a Mike Brown goal, his second of the season, via Hanley. Anaheim tied it again on a Silfverberg goal, his second of the game and fifteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Canadiens pulled ahead with a Lucas Lessio goal, with helpers from Brown and Darren Dietz. This held up for a 4-3 win, with the three stars going to Brown, Silfverberg, and Hanley. 

Over in Ontario, the Ottawa Senators host the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Craig Anderson man the nets. Washington opened in the first period with a Mike Richards goal, his second of the season, via Tom Wilson. The Capitals added on with an Alex Ovechkin power play goal, his forty-third of the year, powered by Marcus Johansson and Nicklas Backstrom. Washington extended the lead as Backstrom scored his nineteenth of the campaign, with the help of Jay Beagle and Jason Chimera. Ottawa got on the board in the second period with a Chris Wideman goal, his sixth of the season, helped along by Mike Hoffman and Michael Kostka. The Senators got closer in the third period on a Mika Zibanejad goal, his eighteenth of the year, assisted by Erik Karlsson and Hoffman. The Capitals iced it at 4-2 with a T.J. Oshie empty net goal, his twenty-third of the campaign, set up by Karl Alzner and Daniel Winnik. The three stars went to Backstrom, Hoffman, and Holtby (28 for 30 in saves).

South to Tampa Bay, where the Lightning welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Jimmy Howard is mismatched with Ben Bishop in goal. Tampa Bay started in the first period with an Erik Condra goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Ondrej Palat and Brian Boyle. The Lightning added on with a Vladislav Namestnikov goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by J.T. Brown. Tampa Bay extended the lead in the second period with a Steven Stamkos goal, his thirty-fourth of the season, made possible by Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman. Petr Mrazek replaced Howard in goal. Detroit got on the board with a Justin Abdelkader power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Henrik Zetterberg and Niklas Kronwall. The Red Wings got closer with a Darren Helm goal, his twelfth of the season, courtesy of Pavel Datsyuk and Anthony Mantha. The Lightning replied with a Kucherov power play goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, with helpers from Tyler Johnson and Stamkos. Tampa Bay padded the lead in the third period as Palat scored his fourteenth of the season, thanks to Johnson and Hedman. The Lightning capped it at 6-2 with a Condra goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, fueled by Boyle. The three stars went to Condra, Kucherov, and Stamkos, while Palat, Johnson, Hedman, and Boyle get the honorable mentions.

Into Canada again, where the Winnipeg Jets bring in the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Ondrej Pavelec are the mediocre goalies. Winnipeg dented the scoreboard in the third period with an Adam Lowry goal, his sixth of the season, assisted by Matt Halischuk and Chris Thorburn. The Jets iced it at 2-0 with an empty net goal by Mark Scheifele, his twenty-fourth of the year, set up by Blake Wheeler. The three stars went to Pavelec (28 save shutout), Markstrom (47 for 48 in saves), and Lowry.

Back stateside, the Chicago Blackhawks host the Dallas Stars. Kari Lehtonen and Scott Darling are in the creases. Dallas was first to score in the first period with a Colton Sceviour goal, his tenth of the season, going in unassisted. The Stars added on with a Vernon Fiddler goal, his eleventh of the year, passed from Sceviour and Brett Ritchie. Dallas extended the lead with a Patrick Eaves power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Jamie Benn and Jason Spezza. The Stars padded the lead on another Fiddler goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the year, a shorthanded and unassisted goal. Michael Leighton replaced Darling for the second period. Chicago got on the board with an Andrew Shaw goal, his thirteenth of the season, via Andrew Desjardins and Marian Hossa. Dallas replied with a Radek Faksa goal, his second of the year, assisted by Ales Hemsky and Stephen Johns. The Blackhawks shot back in the third period with a Richard Panik goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Teuvo Teravainen and Artemi Panarin. The Stars iced it at 6-2 with an empty net goal by Cody Eakin, his sixteenth of the year, set up by Benn. The three stars belonged to Fiddler, Sceviour, and Benn.

North to Minnesota, where the Wild welcome the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Devan Dubnyk guard the cages. Minnesota drew first blood in the first period with an Erik Haula goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Charlie Coyle and Marco Scandella. The Wild added on in the second period with a Mikko Koivu power play goal, his seventeenth of the year, powered by Ryan Suter and Zach Parise. Los Angeles got on the board with a Tyler Toffoli goal, his twenty-seventh of the campaign, coming off of Dwight King and Drew Doughty. This only made it 2-1, which stood as the eventual final, with the three stars awarded to Dubnyk (38 for 39 in saves), Koivu, and Haula.

Southwest to Arizona, where the Coyotes bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Mike Smith are the overrated goalies. Arizona cracked the scoresheet with an Alex Tanguay goal, his eighth of the season, passed from Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Anthony Duclair in the first period. Edmonton tied it on a Jordan Eberle power play goal, his twenty-third of the year, powered by Lauri Korpikoski and Connor McDavid. The Coyotes retook the lead in the second period with a Martin Hanzal goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Michael Stone on the power play. Arizona added on with a Tobias Rieder goal, his thirteenth of the year, with a lone assist by Brad Richardson. The Oilers got one back with a Mark Letestu power play goal, his tenth of the season, made possible by Andrej Sekera and McDavid. The Coyotes iced it at 4-2 with a Max Domi empty net goal in the third period, his eighteenth of the year, set up by Hanzal and Jiri Sekac. The three stars were handed to Hanzal, McDavid, and Smith (27 for 29 in saves).

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the St. Louis Blues. Brian Elliott and Martin Jones protect the nets. St. Louis got going in the third period with a Robby Fabbri goal, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Troy Brouwer and Jay Bouwmeester. This stood for a 1-0 final, with the three stars handed to Elliott (37 save shutout), Fabbri, and Jones (23 for 24 in saves).

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

Monday, March 21, 2016

2015-16 NHL Season - Day 158

Four games tonight, beginning with...

The New York Rangers hosting the Florida Panthers. Al Montoya is mismatched with Henrik Lundqvist in goal. New York led off in the first period with a Viktor Stalberg goal, his ninth of the season, passed from Dominic Moore. The Rangers added on in the second period with a Mats Zuccarello power play goal, his twenty-third of the year, powered by Derick Brassard and Derek Stepan. Florida got on the board in the third period with a Vincent Trocheck goal, his twenty-third of the season, passed from Jussi Jokinen and Reilly Smith. New York shot back with a Rick Nash goal, his thirteenth of the year, coming off of Kevin Klein. The Panthers pulled back with a Jiri Hudler power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, with assists provided by Teddy Purcell and Dmitry Kulikov. The Rangers iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Tanner Glass, his fourth of the year, set up by Klein. The three stars were given to Nash, Zuccarello, and Klein.

Over in Brooklyn, the New York Islanders welcome the Philadelphia Flyers. Steve Mason and Thomas Greiss are the goalies. Philadelphia got going in the second period with a Nick Cousins goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Jakub Voracek. New York tied it with a Kyle Okposo goal, his twentieth of the year, via Nikolay Kulemin and Calvin de Haan. The Flyers took the lead again with a Brandon Manning goal, assisted by Andrew MacDonald and Mark Streit. Philadelphia added on in the third period with a Sam Gagner goal, his eighth of the season, courtesy of Sean Couturier and Michael Raffl. The Flyers iced it at 4-1 with an empty net goal by Claude Giroux, his nineteenth of the year, set up by Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn. The three stars went to Mason (23 for 24 in saves), Manning, and Gagner.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs bring in the Calgary Flames. Jonas Hiller and Jonathan Bernier are the veteran goalies. Toronto began in the first period with a P.A. Parenteau goal, his eighteenth of the season, helped along by William Nylander. Calgary tied it with a shorthanded Matt Stajan goal, his sixth of the year, assisted by Garnet Hathaway. The Maple Leafs retook the lead with a Zach Hyman goal, his fourth of the season, passed from Nylander and Jake Gardiner. The Flames tied it on a Joe Colborne goal, his sixteenth of the year, made possible by Mark Giordano and Dougie Hamilton. Toronto took the lead back in the third period with a Nylander goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Gardiner and Hyman. The Maple Leafs added on with a Colin Greening empty net goal, his third of the year, set up by Ben Smith and Brooks Laich. Toronto extended the lead as Josh Leivo scored his fifth of the campaign into an empty net, with the help of Connor Brown. The final stood at 5-2, with the three stars being Nylander, Hyman, and Gardiner.

Finally, the Nashville Predators host the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Pekka Rinne tend the twines. Nashville dented the scoreboard in the second period with a James Neal goal, his twenty-eighth of the season, coming off of Ryan Johansen. The Predators added on with a Mike Fisher power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by Neal and Johansen. Nashville extended the lead as Filip Forsberg scored his thirtieth of the season, thanks to Craig Smith and Roman Josi. Jhonas Enroth relieved Quick for the third period. Los Angeles got on the board with a Tanner Pearson goal in the third period, his fourteenth of the year, via Drew Doughty and Rob Scuderi. The Kings got on the board with an Alec Martinez goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Pearson and Anze Kopitar. The Predators answered with a Johansen goal, his thirteenth of the year, helped along by Shea Weber and Calle Jarnkrok. Nashville capped it at 5-2 with an unassisted empty net goal by Josi, his twelfth of the campaign. The three stars went to Johansen, Neal, and Pearson, while Josi gets an honorable mention.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.