Tuesday, December 21, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 69

Another one-game night, as the Vegas Golden Knights host the Tampa Bay Lightning to lead the NHL into its holiday break. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Laurent Brossoit are the goalies. Tampa Bay began in the first period with a Gabriel Fortier goal, assisted by Mikhail Sergachev. Vegas tied it on a Mark Stone goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Max Pacioretty and Shea Theodore on the power play. The Golden Knights took the lead in the second period with a Stone goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, guided in by Chandler Stephenson. Vegas added on with a Nicolas Roy goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Theodore and Zach Whitecloud. The Lightning took the lead with a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal, his third of the year, with helpers from Corey Perry and Pat Maroon. Tampa Bay tied it with an Anthony Cirelli goal, his ninth of the season, courtesy of Alex Killorn and Zach Bogosian. The Lightning pulled ahead in the third period with a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Victor Hedman and Ondrej Palat. This made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Stamkos, Stone, and Theodore. 

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Monday, December 20, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 68

Just one game left on the schedule for this Monday, as the Dallas Stars host the Minnesota Wild. Cam Talbot and Jake Oettinger are the goalies. Dallas led off in the first period with a Joe Pavelski goal, his twelfth of the season, assisted by Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen. The Stars added on with a shorthanded and unassisted Esa Lindell goal. Minnesota got on the board with a Ryan Hartman goal, his fourteenth of the year, guided in by Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. The Wild got closer with a Kevin Fiala goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Marcus Foligno. Dallas replied with a Tyler Seguin goal, his eighth of the year, fueled by Denis Gurianov and Jamie Benn. The Stars extended the lead in the second period on a Roope Hintz power play goal, his twelfth of the season, powered by John Klingberg and Robertson. Minnesota pulled one back with a Kaprizov goal, his twelfth of the year, with helpers from Zuccarello and Alex Goligoski. Dallas shot back on a Jacob Peterson goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Gurianov in the third period. The Stars padded the lead as Heiskanen scored his fourth of the year, thanks to Michael Raffl. The Wild answered on a Fiala power play goal, his sixth of the season, with assists provided by Hartman and Kaprizov. Dallas iced it at 7-4 with a Benn empty net goal, his eighth of the year, set up by Radek Faksa. The three stars were Heiskanen, Benn, and Fiala, while Kaprizov, Hartman, Robertson, Gurianov, and Zuccarello get the honorable mentions.

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Sunday, December 19, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 67

Just four games left on the schedule for Sunday, beginning with...

The New York Islanders hosting the Vegas Golden Knights. Robin Lehner and Ilya Sorokin tend the twines. Vegas opened in the first period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Zach Whitecloud and Reilly Smith. New York tied it on a Brock Nelson power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by Noah Dobson and Oliver Wahlstrom. The Golden Knights retook the lead on a Shea Theodore power play goal, his fifth of the season, with assists provided by Chandler Stephenson and Max Pacioretty. The Islanders tied it on a Kieffer Bellows goal, his second of the year, coming off of Zach Parise. New York pulled ahead with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his fifth of the season, made possible by Wahlstrom and Anders Lee. Vegas retied it on a Theodore goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, with a lone helper by Alex Pietrangelo. The tie went to a shootout, where Theodore and Nicolas Roy lifted the Golden Knights to a 4-3 win. The three stars were Theodore, Wahlstrom, and Marchessault. 

In Winnipeg, the Jets welcome the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Connor Hellebuyck guard the cages. Winnipeg got going in the second period with a Nikolaj Ehlers goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Mark Scheifele and Paul Stastny. St. Louis tied it on a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his twelfth of the year, passed from Ivan Barbashev and Pavel Buchnevich. The Jets took the lead back with a Scheifele goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Ehlers. Winnipeg added on in the third period with a Stastny goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Ehlers and Brenden Dillon. The Blues got one back with a Niko Mikkola shorthanded goal, his second of the season, set up by Buchnevich and Barbashev. The Jets countered on a Stastny power play goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, powered by Ehlers and Adam Lowry. The final held at 4-2 with the three stars being Ehlers, Stastny, and Scheifele, while Buchnevich and Barbashev get the honorable mentions. 

Back stateside, the Washington Capitals bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Garret Sparks is mismatched with Vitek Vanecek in goal. Washington struck first in the first period with a Connor McMichael goal, his fourth of the season, via Joe Snively. The Capitals added on in the second period with a Justin Schultz goal, his second of the year, assisted by Conor Sheary and Garnet Hathaway. Los Angeles got on the board with a Blake Lizotte shorthanded goal, his third of the season, set up by Alex Iafallo and Anze Kopitar. The Kings tied it in the third period with a Christian Wolanin goal, passed from Matt Roy. Los Angeles took the lead with an Adrian Kempe goal, his twelfth of the year, coming off of Roy and Dustin Brown. The final held from here at 3-2, with the three stars being Kempe, Roy, and Wolanin.

Finally, the New Jersey Devils host the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Jon Gillies are in the blue paint. Pittsburgh started in the first period with a shorthanded Teddy Blueger goal, his seventh of the season, going in unassisted. The Penguins added on in the second period with a Danton Heinen goal, his ninth of the year, via Marcus Pettersson and Jason Zucker. New Jersey got on the board with a Janne Kuokkanen goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Ty Smith and Yegor Sharangovich. Pittsburgh replied in the third period with a Mike Matheson goal, his third of the year, guided in by Dominik Simon. The Devils pulled one back with a Nathan Bastian power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Dougie Hamilton and Pavel Zacha. The Penguins held on for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Matheson, Heinen, and Blueger. 

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Saturday, December 18, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 66

We're going with five games today after postponements decimated the schedule. First up...

The Carolina Hurricanes host the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Frederik Andersen guard the cages. Carolina started in the first period with a Jesperi Kotkaniemi goal, his seventh of the season, assisted by Brady Skjei and Jesper Fast. The Hurricanes added on with a Fast power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Jaccob Slavin and Andrew Poturalski. Carolina extended the lead in the second period as Brett Pesce scored his second of the season, thanks to Josh Leivo and Skjei. The Hurricanes padded the lead on a Teuvo Teravainen power play goal, his seventh of the year, passed from Tony DeAngelo and Kotkaniemi. Los Angeles got on the board with a Blake Lizotte goal, his second of the season, courtesy of Tobias Bjornfot. Carolina answered in the third period with a Jack Drury goal, his second of the year, with helpers from Derek Stepan and Brendan Smith. The final was 5-1, with the three stars going to Kotkaniemi, Fast, and Skjei.

In Philadelphia, the Flyers welcome the Ottawa Senators. Anton Forsberg and Martin Jones are the goalies. Philadelphia opened in the first period with a Claude Giroux goal, his eleventh of the season, helped along by Oskar Lindblom. The Flyers added on with a Lindblom goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Travis Konecny and Ivan Provorov. Ottawa got on the board in the second period with a Tim Stutzle goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Alex Formenton and Connor Brown. The Senators tied it on a shorthanded Formenton goal, his sixth of the year, going in unassisted. Ottawa pulled ahead in the third period with an Artem Zub goal, his second of the season, made possible by Dylan Gambrell and Zach Sanford. Philadelphia retied it on a Joel Farabee goal, his eighth of the year, coming off of Sean Couturier and Travis Sanheim. The Flyers won 4-3 in overtime with a Sanheim goal, his second of the campaign, set up by Cam Atkinson. The three stars were Sanheim, Lindblom, and Formenton.

Over in Detroit, the Red Wings host the New Jersey Devils. Akira Schmid and Thomas Greiss are the backups in goal. Detroit began in the first period with a Dylan Larkin goal, his thirteenth of the season, fueled by Filip Hronek. New Jersey tied it on a Michael McLeod goal, his second of the year, via Jimmy Vesey and Jonas Siegenthaler. The Red Wings took the lead back in the second period with another Larkin goal, his second of the game and fourteenth of the season, assisted by Vladislav Namestnikov and Pius Suter. Detroit added on with a Tyler Bertuzzi goal, his eleventh of the year, guided in by Moritz Seider. The Red Wings extended the lead as Larkin finished his hat trick on his fifteenth of the season, with the help of Kyle Criscuolo. The Devils got one back on a Dawson Mercer shorthanded goal, his eighth of the year, set up by Damon Severson. Detroit countered on a Bertuzzi goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the season, with assists provided by Larkin and Lucas Raymond. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars being Larkin, Bertuzzi, and Greiss (32 for 34 in saves).

Down in Dallas, the Stars bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Kevin Lankinen and Jake Oettinger are the masked men. Dallas led off in the first period with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his tenth of the season, with a lone assist by John Klingberg. The Stars added on with another Pavelski power play goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, powered by Roope Hintz and Alexander Radulov. Chicago got on the board in the second period with an Alex DeBrincat power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, coming off of Patrick Kane and Erik Gustafsson. Dallas replied on a Jason Robertson goal, his tenth of the year, guided in by Hintz and Pavelski. The Blackhawks got one back on a Dylan Strome goal, his third of the season, made possible by Brandon Hagel and Caleb Jones. Chicago tied it in the third period with a Dominik Kubalik goal, his sixth of the year, via Hagel. The Stars won 4-3 in overtime with a Klingberg power play goal, with assists provided by Pavelski and Hintz. The three stars belonged to Pavelski, Klingberg, and Hintz, while Hagel gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Seattle Kraken host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Chris Driedger draw the starts in goal. Seattle struck first in the first period with a Ryan Donato goal, his eighth of the season, via Morgan Geekie and Haydn Fleury. The Kraken added on with a Jared McCann goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Jordan Eberle and Jaden Schwartz. Edmonton got on the board with an Evan Bouchard goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Cooper Marody and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers tied it on a Warren Foegele power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Kailer Yamamoto and Draisaitl. Edmonton took the lead in the second period on a Colton Sceviour goal, his second of the season, fueled by Connor McDavid and Seth Griffith. Seattle retied it on a Carson Soucy goal, his fourth of the year, assisted by Jeremy Lauzon and Eberle. The Oilers took the lead in the third period with a Foegele goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, with helpers from Bouchard and Draisaitl. Edmonton iced it at 5-3 with a McDavid empty net goal, his seventeenth of the year, set up by Zack Kassian. The three stars were Foegele, Bouchard, and Draisaitl, while McDavid and Eberle get the honorable mentions. 

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Friday, December 17, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 65

There's six games on this Friday, beginning with...

The New York Rangers hosting the Vegas Golden Knights. Laurent Brossoit and Alexandar Georgiev are in the blue paint. Vegas opened in the first period with a Brett Howden goal, his third of the season, made possible by William Carrier and Keegan Kolesar. New York tied it in the second period with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Chris Kreider and K'Andre Miller. The Rangers took the lead with a Kreider power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by Zibanejad and Ryan Strome. The Golden Knights tied it on a Dylan Coghlan goal, his third of the year, fueled by Nicolas Hague and Howden. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Jonathan Marchessault had the lone tally for a 3-2 Golden Knights win. The three stars were Howden, Kreider, and Zibanejad.

Along to Pittsburgh, where the Penguins welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Malcolm Subban is mismatched with Tristan Jarry in goal. Pittsburgh started in the first period with an Evan Rodrigues power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Kris Letang and Sidney Crosby. The Penguins added on in the second period with a Brock McGinn goal, his eighth of the year, made possible by Mike Matheson and Teddy Blueger. Buffalo got on the board with a Zemgus Girgensons goal, his sixth of the season, via Casey Fitzgerald and John Hayden. The Sabres tied it on a third period goal by Rasmus Dahlin, his sixth of the year, fueled by Rasmus Asplund and Kyle Okposo. Pittsburgh won 3-2 in overtime with a Jeff Carter goal, his ninth of the campaign, set up by Letang. The three stars were Letang, Carter, and Rodrigues.

Over in St. Louis, the Blues bring in the Dallas Stars. Braden Holtby and Charlie Lindgren are set to start in goal. St. Louis got going in the second period with a Logan Brown goal, his third of the season, assisted by Colton Parayko and Ryan O'Reilly. The Blues added on with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his tenth of the year, via Pavel Buchnevich and Ivan Barbashev. Dallas got on the board in the third period with a Jason Robertson goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of John Klingberg and Joe Pavelski. St. Louis replied on a Tarasenko power play goal, his second of the game and eleventh of the year, powered by Buchnevich and Torey Krug. St. Louis iced it at 4-1 with a Barbashev empty net goal, his eleventh of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars belonged to Tarasenko, Buchnevich, and Barbashev.

Up in Winnipeg, the Jets host the Washington Capitals. Vitek Vanecek and Connor Hellebuyck guard the cages. Washington dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Brett Leason goal, his third of the season, passed from Michael Sgarbossa and Matt Irwin. The Capitals added on with a Daniel Sprong goal, his fifth of the year, via Aliaksei Protas. Winnipeg got on the board with a Brenden Dillon goal, coming off of Nikolaj Ehlers. The Jets tied it in the third period with a Josh Morrissey power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Ehlers and Nate Schmidt. Washington retook the lead with a Conor Sheary goal, his seventh of the year, guided in by Justin Schultz and Dennis Cholowski. The Capitals extended the lead on an empty net goal by Sgarbossa, his second of the year, set up by Leason and Nick Jensen. Washington finished it at 5-2 with an Alex Ovechkin empty net goal, his twenty-second of the season, with a helper from Sprong and John Carlson. The three stars were Leason, Sgarbossa, and Sprong, while Ehlers gets an honorable mention.

Back stateside, the Chicago Blackhawks welcome the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Marc-Andre Fleury tend the twines. Nashville led off in the first period with a Thomas Novak power play goal, powered by Alexandre Carrier and Luke Kunin. Chicago tied it on a Kirby Dach goal, his fifth of the season, via MacKenzie Entwistle and Dominik Kubalik. The Predators retook the lead in the third period with a Colton Sissons power play goal, his fourth of the year, with assists provided by Filip Forsberg and Eeli Tolvanen. The Blackhawks retied it on a Jonathan Toews goal, his third of the season, coming off of Riley Stillman. Nashville won 3-2 in overtime with a Tanner Jeannot goal, his eighth of the year, courtesy of Roman Josi. The three stars were Jeannot, Sissons, and Novak.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Arizona Coyotes. Scott Wedgewood and John Gibson man the nets. Arizona began in the first period with a Travis Boyd goal, his seventh of the season, courtesy of Phil Kessel and Clayton Keller. Anaheim tied it on a Kevin Shattenkirk power play goal, his sixth of the year, powered by Cam Fowler and Troy Terry. The Ducks took the lead with a Hampus Lindholm goal, his fourth of the season, via Sam Steel and Rickard Rakell. Anaheim added on with a Derek Grant goal, his third of the year, guided in by Jakob Silfverberg and Isac Lundestrom. The Coyotes got one back with a Christian Fischer power play goal, his third of the season, with assists provided by Barrett Hayton and Nick Schmaltz. Arizona tied it on a Keller goal, his eighth of the year, fueled by Shayne Gostisbehere. The Ducks retook the lead with a Trevor Zegras goal, his eighth of the season, coming off of Jamie Drysdale and Lindholm. The Coyotes tied it on an Andrew Ladd goal, his fourth of the year, with helpers from Boyd and Ilya Lyubushkin. Arizona took the lead with a Kessel goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Boyd and Anton Stralman. Anaheim tied it again with a Lindholm power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, dished from Zegras and Ryan Getzlaf. The Coyotes won on a Keller goal in overtime, his second of the game and ninth of the campaign, helped along by Schmaltz. The three stars belonged to Keller, Boyd, and Lindholm, while Kessel, Schmaltz, and Zegras get the honorable mentions. 

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Thursday, December 16, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 64

The show goes on with ten games tonight amid a virus outbreak. First up...

The Montreal Canadiens host the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Cayden Primeau are in goal. Montreal opened in the first period with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, his fourth of the season, via Brett Kulak and Alexander Romanov. Philadelphia tied it in the second period with a Max Willman goal, his second of the year, courtesy of James van Riemsdyk and Kevin Hayes. The Flyers took the lead with a Jackson Cates goal, assisted by Patrick Brown and Travis Sanheim. The Canadiens retied it in the third period with a Laurent Dauphin goal, passed from Ben Chiarot and David Savard. The tie lasted to a shootout, where Jonathan Drouin lifted the Canadiens to a 3-2 win. The three stars were Dauphin, Lehkonen, and Primeau (37 for 39 in saves).

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning welcome the Ottawa Senators. Anton Forsberg and Andrei Vasilevskiy are in the blue paint. Ottawa struck first in the first period with a Thomas Chabot goal, going in unassisted. Tampa Bay tied it in the second period with an Alex Killorn goal, his ninth of the season, coming off of Ross Colton and Victor Hedman. The Lightning took the lead on a Hedman power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Taylor Raddysh and Steven Stamkos. The final held at 2-1, with the three stars going to Hedman, Vasilevskiy (25 for 26 in saves), and Killorn.

Also in Florida, the Panthers bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Sergei Bobrovsky guard the cages. Florida started in the first period with a Matt Kiersted goal, via Jonathan Huberdeau and Sam Reinhart. Los Angeles tied it on an Olli Maatta goal, assisted by Carl Grundstrom and Trevor Moore. The Kings took the lead in the second period with an Anze Kopitar goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by Sean Durzi and Alex Iafallo. Los Angeles added on with a Dustin Brown goal, his fourth of the year, courtesy of Matt Roy. The Kings extended the lead in the third period as Arthur Kaliyev scored his sixth of the season, thanks to Blake Lizotte. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Quick (41 for 42 in saves), Kopitar, and Brown.

Back north, the New Jersey Devils host the Vegas Golden Knights. Robin Lehner and MacKenzie Blackwood are between the pipes. New Jersey led off in the first period with a Jack Hughes goal, his fifth of the season, assisted by Dougie Hamilton and Tomas Tatar. Vegas tied it on a Dylan Coghlan power play goal, his second of the year, powered by Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault. The Golden Knights took the lead in the second period with a William Carrier goal, his fourth of the season, courtesy of Keegan Kolesar and Brett Howden. Vegas added on in the third period with a William Karlsson goal, his third of the year, guided in by Smith and Coghlan. The Golden Knights extended the lead as Nicolas Roy scored his fifth of the season, thanks to Mattias Janmark and Alex Pietrangelo. The Devils got one back on a Tatar power play goal, his sixth of the year, with assists provided by Damon Severson and Ty Smith. New Jersey got closer with a shorthanded Jimmy Vesey goal, his fifth of the season, set up by Jonas Siegenthaler. Vegas iced it at 5-3 with a Marchessault empty net goal, his thirteenth of the year, with helpers from Karlsson and Brayden McNabb. The three stars were given to Karlsson, Marchessault, and Coghlan, while Smith gets an honorable mention.

South to Raleigh, as the Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Detroit Red Wings. Alex Nedeljkovic and Frederik Andersen are the masked men. Carolina began in the first period with a Nino Niederreiter power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Jesper Fast and Andrew Poturalski. Detroit tied it on a Sam Gagner goal, his fourth of the year, going in unassisted. The Hurricanes retook the lead on a Tony DeAngelo goal, his fifth of the season, guided in by Fast and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The Red Wings tied it on a Dylan Larkin goal, his twelfth of the year, via Lucas Raymond. Carolina gained the lead on a Jack Drury goal, made possible by Kotkaniemi and Teuvo Teravainen. Detroit tied it on a Tyler Bertuzzi goal in the second period, his tenth of the season, assisted by Larkin and Raymond. The Hurricanes took the lead in the third period on a Niederreiter goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, with helpers from Martin Necas and Brett Pesce. Carolina iced it at 5-3 on a Vincent Trocheck empty net goal, his seventh of the campaign, set up by Teravainen and Necas. The three stars were Niederreiter, Kotkaniemi, and Fast, while Teravainen, Necas, Larkin, and Raymond get the honorable mentions.

In New York, the Islanders bring in the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Semyon Varlamov make the starts in goal. New York kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Cal Clutterbuck goal, his fourth of the season, going in unassisted. The Islanders added on in the second period with an Anthony Beauvillier power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Robin Salo and Josh Bailey. The Islanders extended the lead with a Clutterbuck empty net goal, his second of the game and fifth of the season, set up by Anders Lee and Zdeno Chara. Boston got on the board with a Mike Reilly goal, his third of the year, via Brandon Carlo and the goalie Ullmark. The final was 3-1, with the three stars going to Clutterbuck, Varlamov (40 for 41 in saves), and Beauvillier.

Southwest to Nashville, as the Predators host the Colorado Avalanche. Pavel Francouz and Juuse Saros tend the twines. Nashville drew first blood in the first period with a Filip Forsberg goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Alexandre Carrier and Colton Sissons. The Predators added on in the second period with a Tanner Jeannot power play goal, his seventh of the year, powered by Sissons and Forsberg. Colorado got on the board with a Mikko Rantanen power play goal, his fourteenth of the season, with assists provided by Nazem Kadri and Nathan MacKinnon. Nashville replied with another Forsberg goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, going in unassisted. The Avalanche got one back in the third period with a Valeri Nichushkin goal, his tenth of the season, via Rantanen and Samuel Girard. The Predators answered with a Roman Josi power play goal, his tenth of the year, with helpers from Sissons and Jeannot. Nashville iced it at 5-2 with a Mattias Ekholm empty net goal, set up by Carrier. The three stars were Forsberg, Sissons, and Jeannot, while Rantanen and Carrier get the honorable mentions.

Up in Minnesota, the Wild welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is mismatched with Cam Talbot in goal. Minnesota was first to score in the first period with a Jon Merrill goal, his third of the season, assisted by Dmitry Kulikov and Ryan Hartman. Buffalo tied it in the second period with a Dylan Cozens goal, his eighth of the year, via Henri Jokiharju. The Wild took the lead on a Kirill Kaprizov goal, his eleventh of the season, fueled by Alex Goligoski and Jared Spurgeon. The Sabres tied it on a Mark Pysyk goal, passed from Vinnie Hinostroza and Mark Jankowski. The tie went to a shootout, where Tage Thompson had the lone tally for a 3-2 Sabres win. The three stars were Pysyk, Cozens, and Luukkonen (30 for 32 in saves).

Over in Edmonton, the Oilers bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins and Stuart Skinner receive the starting nods in goal. Edmonton led off in the first period with a Jesse Puljujarvi power play goal, his ninth of the season, powered by Tyson Barrie and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers added on with another Puljujarvi power play goal, his second of the game and tenth of the year, via Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid. Edmonton extended the lead as Derek Ryan scored his second of the season, with the help of Brendan Perlini. The Oilers padded the lead on a Perlini goal in the second period, coming off of Zack Kassian and Evan Bouchard. Joonas Korpisalo replaced Merzlikins in goal in the third period. Columbus got on the board with a Gustav Nyquist goal, his fifth of the year, made possible by Cole Sillinger and Jake Bean. The Blue Jackets got closer with a Justin Danforth goal, his second of the season, guided in by Zach Werenski. Edmonton iced it at 5-2 with a Warren Foegele empty net goal, his third of the year, set up by Puljujarvi. The three stars were Puljujarvi, Perlini, and Skinner (36 for 38 in saves).

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Adin Hill draw the starts in goal. Vancouver dented the scoreboard in the first period with a Brock Boeser goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Tanner Pearson. The Canucks added on with a Bo Horvat power play goal, his tenth of the year, powered by J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes. San Jose got on the board with a Timo Meier goal, his twelfth of the season, made possible by Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl. Vancouver shot back in the second period on another Boeser goal, his second of the game and ninth of the year, coming off of Miller and Pearson. The Sharks got one back with an Andrew Cogliano goal, his third of the season, guided in by Lane Pederson and Brent Burns. The Canucks countered with a Miller goal, his tenth of the year, going in unassisted. Vancouver iced it at 5-2 with a Jason Dickinson goal, his second of the campaign, set up by Elias Pettersson and Kyle Burroughs. The three stars were Boeser, Miller, and Pearson. 

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Wednesday, December 15, 2021

NHL 2021-22 - Day 63

Three games on for this Wednesday, beginning with...

The Chicago Blackhawks hosting the Washington Capitals. Ilya Samsonov and Marc-Andre Fleury guard the cages. Washington got going in the second period with an Alex Ovechkin power play goal, his twenty-first of the season, powered by T.J. Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom. Chicago tied it on an Alex DeBrincat power play goal, his fifteenth of the year, via Patrick Kane and Dominik Kubalik. The Blackhawks took the lead with a Philipp Kurashev power play goal, with assists provided by Kirby Dach and Caleb Jones. Chicago added on with a MacKenzie Entwistle goal, his third of the season, coming off of Brandon Hagel and Jonathan Toews. The Capitals got one back with a Daniel Sprong goal, his fourth of the year, guided in by Lars Eller. Washington tied it in the third period with an Eller goal, his fifth of the season, courtesy of Oshie and Conor Sheary. The Blackhawks retook the lead with a DeBrincat power play goal, his second of the game and sixteenth of the year, with helpers from Hagel and Dylan Strome. The Capitals tied it on a Sheary goal, his sixth of the season, fueled by Ovechkin and John Carlson. Chicago won 5-4 in overtime with a Caleb Jones goal, set up by Dach.

Out in Arizona, the Coyotes welcome the New York Rangers. Keith Kinkaid and Scott Wedgewood are in the blue paint. Arizona led off in the first period with a Loui Eriksson shorthanded goal, set up by Clayton Keller and Ilya Lyubushkin. New York tied it on a Kaapo Kakko goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider in the second period. The Coyotes took the lead on a Keller goal, his seventh of the year, coming off of Nick Schmaltz and Anton Stralman. The Rangers tied it again with a Zibanejad power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Adam Fox and Kreider. New York pulled ahead on a Kakko power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, with assists provided by Kreider and Ryan Strome. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Kakko, Kreider and Zibanejad.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Seattle Kraken. Philipp Grubauer and Anthony Stolarz are set to start in goal. Anaheim began in the first period with a Trevor Zegras goal, his seventh of the season, made possible by Sonny Milano and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Ducks added on with a Derek Grant shorthanded goal, his second of the year, going in unassisted. Anaheim extended the lead on a Troy Terry power play goal, his eighteenth of the season, powered by Sam Steel and Jakob Silfverberg. Seattle got on the board with a Ryan Donato power play goal, his seventh of the year, with assists provided by Jordan Eberle and Vince Dunn. The Ducks shot back in the third period with a Sam Carrick goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Simon Benoit and Buddy Robinson. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Stolarz (19 for 20 in saves), Grant, and Terry. 

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