Saturday, February 4, 2023

2023 NHL All-Star Game

It's All-Star weekend in the NHL, with the best of the best facing off in the annual 3-on-3 tournament. First up...

The Pacific Division faces the Central Division. Connor Hellebuyck and Logan Thompson make the starts in goal. The Central began with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, via Mikko Rantanen. The Pacific answered with a Connor McDavid goal, coming off of Erik Karlsson. The Central retook the lead on a Seth Jones goal, courtesy of Vladimir Tarasenko. The Pacific tied it again with an Elias Pettersson goal, helped along by Bo Horvat and Kevin Fiala. The Central gained the lead with another MacKinnon goal, fueled by Rantanen and Cale Makar. Juuse Saros and Stuart Skinner took over in goal in the second half of the game. The Central added on with a Clayton Keller goal, coming off of Tarasenko and Jones. The Central extended the lead as Tarasenko scored, thanks to Keller and the goalie Saros. The Pacific got one back with a Pettersson goal, his second of the game, guided in by Fiala and the goalie Skinner. The Pacific pulled closer with a Karlsson goal, with a lone assist by Leon Draisaitl. The Central answered with a Keller goal, his second of the game, with helpers from Jones and Tarasenko. This made it a 6-4 win for the Central, who will face the winner of the next game in the finals. 

In the other semifinal, the Atlantic Division takes on the Metropolitan Division. Igor Shesterkin and Linus Ullmark start in goal. The Atlantic led off with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, via Aleksander Barkov and Brady Tkachuk. The Atlantic added on with a Dylan Larkin goal, courtesy of Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk. The Metropolitan got on the board with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, made possible by Artemi Panarin. The Metropolitan tied it on another Gaudreau goal, coming off of Panarin and Kevin Hayes. The Metropolitan took the lead with a Sidney Crosby goal, helped along by Alex Ovechkin. The Atlantic retied it on a Brady Tkachuk goal, assisted by Matthew Tkachuk and Barkov. The Atlantic retook the lead with a Nick Suzuki goal, fueled by Mitch Marner and the goalie Ullmark. Ilya Sorokin and Andrei Vasilevskiy took over in goal in the second half. The Metropolitan pulled even on a Gaudreau goal to complete his hat trick, with helpers from Panarin and Hayes. The Metropolitan went ahead on a Crosby goal, his second of the game passed from Ovechkin. The Metropolitan extended the lead as Ovechkin scored, thanks to Adam Fox and Crosby. The Atlantic shot back on a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his second of the game, guided in by Marner and Larkin. The Atlantic evened the score on a Nikita Kucherov goal, passed from Marner. The Atlantic took the lead again on a Suzuki goal, his second of the game, with assists from David Pastrnak and Rasmus Dahlin. The Atlantic padded the lead as Matthew Tkachuk completed his hat trick, with the help of Barkov and Brady Tkachuk. The Atlantic kept going with a Larkin empty net goal, his second of the game, going in unassisted. The Atlantic finished it at 10-6 with an unassisted Pastrnak goal. 

The finals see the Central Division meet the Atlantic Division. Linus Ullmark and Juuse Saros opened the game in goal. The Atlantic struck first with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, via Brady Tkachuk. The Atlantic added on with a Nikita Kucherov goal, passed from Mitch Marner and Matthew Tkachuk. The Atlantic extended the lead as Dylan Larkin scored, thanks to Marner. In the second half, Andrei Vasilevskiy and Connor Hellebuyck played in goal. The Atlantic padded the lead on a Larkin goal, his second of the game, made possible by Marner and Kucherov. The Central got on the board with a Mikko Rantanen goal, fueled by Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. The Atlantic replied with a David Pastrnak goal, going in unassisted. The Central shot back with a Jason Robertson goal, with a helper from Josh Morrissey. The Atlantic responded on a Larkin goal, completing his hat trick on an unassisted goal. The Central countered with a Clayton Keller goal, going in unassisted. The Atlantic fired back with a Rasmus Dahlin goal, passed from Aleksander Barkov. The Central fired back on a MacKinnon goal, dished from Makar. The Central got closer on a Makar goal, set up by Rantanen. The final stood at 7-5, with the All-Star Game MVP title going to Matthew Tkachuk. 

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Wednesday, February 1, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 111

There's two games on to wrap up the pre-All-Star Game schedule. First up...

The Buffalo Sabres welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Antti Raanta and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen are the Finnish goalies. Carolina opened in the first period with a Sebastian Aho power play goal, his twenty-third of the season, powered by Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov. The Hurricanes added on with a Stefan Noesen goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Martin Necas and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Carolina extended the lead as Brent Burns scored his tenth of the season, thanks to Kotkaniemi and Jalen Chatfield. Buffalo got on the board with an Alex Tuch goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, via Henri Jokiharju. The Hurricanes replied in the third period with a Derek Stepan goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Noesen and Chatfield. Carolina iced it at 5-1 with a Jordan Martinook shorthanded empty net goal, his eleventh of the year, set up by Jordan Staal. The three stars were Noesen, Chatfield, and Kotkaniemi.

Over in Toronto, the Maple Leafs bring in the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Ilya Samsonov are the masked men. Boston dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Derek Forbort shorthanded goal, his fourth of the season, set up by Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic. Toronto tied it on a Mitch Marner power play goal, his nineteenth of the year, powered by the goalie Samsonov and Morgan Rielly. The Bruins took the lead back with a Brandon Carlo goal, his second of the season, assisted by Hampus Lindholm and Coyle. Boston added on in the third period with an A.J. Greer goal, his fifth of the year, guided in by Jakub Lauko. The Maple Leafs got one back with a Calle Jarnkrok goal, his twelfth of the season, coming off of Mark Giordano and Justin Holl. The Bruins fired back with a Pavel Zacha goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk. Boston extended the lead as Zacha scored his second of the game and eleventh of the season, thanks to David Krejci and David Pastrnak. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars going to Zacha, Coyle, and Ullmark (33 for 35 in saves). 

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Tuesday, January 31, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 110

There's three games on today, beginning with...

The Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Los Angeles Kings. Pheonix Copley and Frederik Andersen man the nets. Carolina struck first in the first period with a Brent Burns goal, his ninth of the season, made possible by Andrei Svechnikov. Los Angeles tied it in the second period with an Adrian Kempe goal, his twenty-first of the year, courtesy of Anze Kopitar. The Kings took the lead with a Kevin Fiala goal, his eighteenth of the season, guided in by Blake Lizotte. Los Angeles added on with another Kempe goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the year, passed from Drew Doughty and Kopitar. The Kings extended the lead as Kopitar scored his sixteenth of the season on the power play, powered by Jaret Anderson-Dolan and Doughty. The Hurricanes got one back in the third period with a Paul Stastny goal, his fifth of the year, helped along by Derek Stepan and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. Carolina pulled closer with a Jordan Staal goal, his fourteenth of the season, assisted by Brett Pesce and Jesper Fast. The Hurricanes tied it on a Teuvo Teravainen power play goal, his fifth of the year, with assists provided by Brady Skjei and Svechnikov. Carolina won 5-4 in overtime with a Sebastian Aho goal, his twenty-second of the campaign, set up by Martin Necas and Burns. The three stars were Burns, Svechnikov, and Kempe, while Kopitar and Doughty get the honorable mentions.

Up in Columbus, the Blue Jackets welcome the Washington Capitals. Charlie Lindgren and Joonas Korpisalo are set to start in goal. Washington led off in the first period with a Garnet Hathaway goal, his eighth of the season, guided in by Lars Eller and Nick Jensen. The Capitals added on with a Trevor van Riemsdyk goal, his fifth of the year, via Nicolas Aube-Kubel. Columbus got on the board with an Andrew Peeke goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Patrik Laine. Washington replied in the second period with another van Riemsdyk goal, his second of the game and sixth of the year, courtesy of Evgeny Kuznetsov and Erik Gustafsson. The Blue Jackets got one back with an Eric Robinson goal, his fourth of the season, assisted by Mathieu Olivier. Columbus tied it in the third period with a Johnny Gaudreau goal, his fourteenth of the year, fueled by Gavin Bayreuther. The Capitals won 4-3 in overtime with a Kuznetsov goal, his seventh of the campaign, made possible by Marcus Johansson and Gustafsson. The three stars were van Riemsdyk, Kuznetsov, and Gustafsson.

Finally, the Montreal Canadiens bring in the Ottawa Senators. Anton Forsberg and Jake Allen protect the nets. Ottawa began in the first period with a Claude Giroux goal, his twentieth of the year, via Nikita Zaitsev and Thomas Chabot. The Senators added on with a Tim Stutzle goal, his twenty-first of the season, assisted by Mathieu Joseph and Brady Tkachuk. Montreal got on the board with a Kirby Dach power play goal, his eleventh of the year, powered by Nick Suzuki and Mike Hoffman. Ottawa answered in the second period with an Alex DeBrincat power play goal, his seventeenth of the season, with assists provided by Stutzle and Chabot. The Canadiens got one back with a Mike Hoffman power play goal, his ninth of the year, fueled by Mike Matheson. Montreal tied it in the third period with a Rafael Harvey-Pinard goal, his fourth of the season, guided in by Suzuki and Josh Anderson. The Senators retook the lead with a Stutzle goal, his second of the game and twenty-second of the year, helped along by Chabot and Drake Batherson on the power play. The Canadiens retied it with another Harvey-Pinard goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, passed from Anderson and David Savard. Ottawa gained the lead on a Tkachuk goal, his twentieth of the season, with helpers from Stutzle and Joseph. The final held at 5-4, with the three stars going to Stutzle, Tkachuk, and Chabot, while Harvey-Pinard, Hoffman, Joseph, Suzuki, and Anderson get the honorable mentions. 

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Monday, January 30, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 109

Just one game on today, as the Winnipeg Jets host the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Connor Hellebuyck protect the nets. St. Louis got going in the second period with a Jake Neighbours power play goal, his fourth of the season, powered by Torey Krug and the goalie Binnington. The Blues added on in the third period with a Nikita Alexandrov goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Josh Leivo and Neighbours. Winnipeg got on the board with a Josh Morrissey goal, his ninth of the season, helped along by Saku Maenalanen and Neal Pionk. The Jets tied it on a Mark Scheifele goal, his thirtieth of the year, coming off of Nikolaj Ehlers and Kyle Connor. Winnipeg pulled ahead with another Morrissey goal, his second of the game and tenth of the season, assisted by Morgan Barron and Maenalanen. The Jets iced it at 4-2 with a Scheifele empty net goal, his second of the game and thirty-first of the year, set up by Blake Wheeler and Connor. The three stars were Morrissey, Scheifele, and Neighbours, while Maenalanen and Connor get the honorable mentions. 

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Sunday, January 29, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 108

We've got a two-game Sunday. First up...

The Carolina Hurricanes welcome the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Frederik Andersen are the masked men. Carolina led off in the first period with a Sebastian Aho goal, his twenty-first of the season, going in unassisted. The Hurricanes added on in the second period with a Paul Stastny power play goal, his fourth of the year, powered by Martin Necas and Brent Burns. Carolina extended the lead as Seth Jarvis scored his eighth of the season, going in unassisted in the third period. Boston got on the board with a Taylor Hall goal, his fifteenth of the year, via Pavel Zacha and Charlie McAvoy. The Hurricanes replied with a shorthanded empty net goal by Jordan Staal, his thirteenth of the campaign, set up by Jordan Martinook. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Andersen (24 for 25 in saves), Stastny, and Jarvis. 

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs bring in the Washington Capitals. Darcy Kuemper and Ilya Samsonov are between the pipes. Washington began in the first period with a Nicklas Backstrom power play goal, powered by Marcus Johansson and Conor Sheary. Toronto tied it in the second period with a Michael Bunting power play goal, his fifteenth of the season, with assists provided by John Tavares and Mitch Marner. The Maple Leafs took the lead with a Morgan Rielly goal, coming off of Bunting and Tavares. Toronto added on with a William Nylander goal, his twenty-eighth of the year, guided in by Calle Jarnkrok and Rasmus Sandin. The Maple Leafs extended the lead as Pierre Engvall scored his tenth of the season, thanks to T.J. Brodie and David Kampf. Charlie Lindgren replaced Kuemper in goal. Toronto finished it at 5-1 in the third period with a Zach Aston-Reese goal, his fifth of the year, with helpers from Pontus Holmberg and Mark Giordano. The three stars were Bunting, Tavares, and Samsonov (23 for 24 in saves). 

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Saturday, January 28, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 107

There's 11 games on this Saturday, beginning with...

The Colorado Avalanche hosting the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Alexandar Georgiev protect the nets. Colorado opened in the first period with an Alex Newhook goal, his twelfth of the season, guided in by Logan O'Connor and Brad Hunt. The Avalanche added on with a J.T. Compher goal, his tenth of the year, passed from Samuel Girard and O'Connor. Colorado extended the lead in the second period as Evan Rodrigues scored his eleventh of the season, thanks to Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. St. Louis got on the board with a Brayden Schenn power play goal, his thirteenth of the year, powered by Torey Krug and Jordan Kyrou. The Blues got closer in the third period with an unassisted Ivan Barbashev goal, his ninth of the season. The Avalanche iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Matt Nieto, his ninth of the year, set up by Mikko Rantanen. The three stars were O'Connor, Rodrigues, and Compher. 

Southeast to Florida, as the Panthers welcome the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Alex Lyon are set to start in goal. Boston started in the first period with a Craig Smith goal, his third of the season, going in unassisted. Florida tied it in the second period with a Brandon Montour goal, his tenth of the year, fueled by Aleksander Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk. The Bruins took the lead with a Charlie Coyle unassisted goal, his eleventh of the season. The Panthers retied it in the third period with a Sam Bennett goal, his twelfth of the year, coming off of Radko Gudas. Boston pulled ahead on a David Pastrnak goal, his thirty-eighth of the season, via Matt Grzelcyk and David Krejci. Florida tied it on a Barkov goal, his fourteenth of the year, courtesy of Aaron Ekblad and Tkachuk. The Panthers won 4-3 in overtime with a Sam Reinhart goal, his seventeenth of the campaign, helped along by Barkov and Anton Lundell. The three stars were Barkov, Tkachuk, and Reinhart.

Up in Ottawa, the Senators bring in the Montreal Canadiens. Sam Montembeault and Anton Forsberg are in goal. Ottawa got going in the second period with an Alex DeBrincat goal, his sixteenth of the season, assisted by Claude Giroux. The Senators added on with a Giroux power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Ridly Greig and Jake Sanderson. Ottawa extended the lead as Giroux scored his second of the game and nineteenth of the season, thanks to Thomas Chabot and DeBrincat. The Senators padded the lead on a Mathieu Joseph empty net goal, his third of the year, set up by Nick Holden. Ottawa continued with a Derick Brassard goal, his eighth of the campaign, with helpers from Drake Batherson and Holden. This made it 5-0, with the three stars being Giroux, Forsberg (28 save shutout), and Holden.

Back south, the Tampa Bay Lightning host the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Andrei Vasilevskiy are in the blue paint. Tampa Bay began in the first period with a Brayden Point goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, via Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning added on with a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal, his third of the year, guided in by Nick Perbix. Los Angeles got on the board with a Jaret Anderson-Dolan goal, his sixth of the season, made possible by Kevin Fiala. Tampa Bay replied on a Corey Perry goal, his ninth of the year, assisted by Perbix and Vladislav Namestnikov. The Lightning extended the lead in the second period as Ross Colton scored his tenth of the season, thanks to Perbix and Pat Maroon. The Kings got one back with a Phillip Danault goal, his fourteenth of the year, fueled by Alex Iafallo and Drew Doughty. Tampa Bay replied in the third period with a Victor Hedman goal, his fourth of the season, helped along by Steven Stamkos and Point. The final held at 5-2, with the three stars going to Perbix, Point, and Perry.

North again to Pittsburgh, as the Penguins welcome the San Jose Sharks. Kaapo Kahkonen and Casey DeSmith man the creases. San Jose led off in the first period with a Mikey Eyssimont goal, his third of the season, via Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Pittsburgh tied it on an Evgeni Malkin power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Rickard Rakell and Sidney Crosby. The Penguins took the lead with a Crosby power play goal, his twenty-fourth of the season, with assists provided by Malkin and Jake Guentzel. The Sharks tied it on an Erik Karlsson goal, his sixteenth of the year, fueled by Alexander Barabanov and Steven Lorentz. San Jose took the lead in the second period with a Noah Gregor goal, his third of the season, helped along by Couture. Pittsburgh tied it on a Ryan Poehling shorthanded goal, his fifth of the year, set up by Brian Dumoulin. The Sharks regained the lead on a Barabanov goal, his seventh of the season, guided in by Couture and Matt Benning. The Penguins tied it again with a Malkin goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, made possible by Jeff Petry. San Jose pulled ahead on a Couture goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Barabanov and Vlasic. The Sharks iced it at 6-4 with a Couture empty net goal, his second of the game and nineteenth of the year, set up by Karlsson. The three stars were Couture, Malkin, and Barabanov, while Karlsson, Crosby, and Vlasic get the honorable mentions.

Over in Winnipeg, the Jets bring in the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Connor Hellebuyck guard the cages. Philadelphia struck first in the first period with a Noah Cates goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Morgan Frost and Owen Tippett. The Flyers added on in the second period with a Kieffer Bellows goal, guided in by Rasmus Ristolainen and Cates. Philadelphia extended the lead in the third period as Tippett scored his fourteenth of the year, thanks to Ristolainen and Cam York. The Flyers padded the lead on a Tony DeAngelo goal, his ninth of the season, helped along by Scott Laughton. David Rittich replaced Hellebuyck in goal. The final held at 4-0, with the three stars awarded to Hart (40 save shutout), Cates, and Tippett, while Ristolainen gets an honorable mention.

Back east, the New York Islanders host the Vegas Golden Knights. Logan Thompson and Semyon Varlamov have the green light to start in goal. New York dented the scoreboard in the second period with an Anders Lee goal, his nineteenth of the season, assisted by Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson. Vegas tied it with a William Carrier goal, his twelfth of the year, guided in by Chandler Stephenson and Phil Kessel. The Islanders won 2-1 in overtime with a Mathew Barzal goal, his twelfth of the campaign, made possible by Anthony Beauvillier and Adam Pelech. The three stars were Barzal, Varlamov (44 for 45 in saves), and Lee.

Westward again to Minnesota, where the Wild welcome the Buffalo Sabres. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Marc-Andre Fleury are the masked men. Buffalo kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Jack Quinn goal, his eighth of the season, going in unassisted. Minnesota tied it on a Joel Eriksson Ek power play goal, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello. The Sabres took the lead in the second period with a Zemgus Girgensons goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Kyle Okposo and Peyton Krebs. The Wild tied it on a Jared Spurgeon goal, his ninth of the year, guided in by Frederick Gaudreau and Jake Middleton. The tie went to a shootout, where Zuccarello, Kaprizov, and Gaudreau tallied to top Tage Thompson as the Wild beat the Sabres 3-2. The three stars were Guadreau, Kaprizov, and Zuccarello.

Out in Edmonton, the Oilers bring in the Chicago Blackhawks. Petr Mrazek and Jack Campbell are the veteran goalies. Edmonton drew first blood in the first period with a Tyson Barrie power play goal, his sixth of the season, powered by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid. Chicago tied it in the second period with a Jason Dickinson goal, his seventh of the year, assisted by Patrick Kane and Philipp Kurashev. The Oilers retook the lead with a Leon Draisaitl power play goal, his twenty-ninth of the season, with assists provided by McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins. Edmonton added on with a Barrie goal, his second of the game and seventh of the year, passed from Zach Hyman and Darnell Nurse. The Oilers extended the lead as McDavid scored his forty-first of the season, thanks to Draisaitl and Hyman. Edmonton padded the lead on a Hyman goal, his twenty-sixth of the year, helped along by Ryan McLeod and Nurse. The Blackhawks got one back with a Jonathan Toews power play goal in the third period, his fourteenth of the season, courtesy of Patrick Kane and Taylor Raddysh. The Oilers fired back with an Evander Kane goal, his sixth of the year, coming off of Draisaitl. Edmonton kept going with a McLeod goal, his eighth of the season, going in unassisted. Chicago pulled one back with a Raddysh goal, his fourteenth of the year, made possible by Max Domi. Emergency backup Matt Berlin made a brief relief appearance at the end of the 7-3 game. The three stars went to McDavid, Draisaitl, and Hyman, while Barrie, McLeod, Nugent-Hopkins, Nurse, Raddysh, and Kane get the honorable mentions.

In Seattle, the Kraken host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Elvis Merzlikins and Philipp Grubauer draw the starts in goal. Seattle was first to score in the first period with a Morgan Geekie goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Brandon Tanev and Carson Soucy. The Kraken added on in the second period with an Alexander Wennberg goal, his tenth of the year, courtesy of Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann. Columbus got on the board with a Kent Johnson goal, his tenth of the season, via Jack Roslovic. Seattle replied in the third period with an Eeli Tolvanen goal, his tenth of the year, coming off of Oliver Bjorkstrand. The final held at 3-1, with the three stars being Grubauer (24 for 25 in saves), Wennberg, and Tolvanen.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks host the Arizona Coyotes. Connor Ingram and John Gibson patrol the creases. Arizona cracked the scoresheet in the first period with a Nick Ritchie goal, his ninth of the season, courtesy of Christian Fischer and Travis Boyd. Anaheim tied it in the second period with a Max Jones goal, his fourth of the year, via John Klingberg and Urho Vaakanainen. The Ducks won 2-1 in overtime with a Trevor Zegras goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, assisted by Klingberg. The three stars were Gibson (32 for 33 in saves), Klingberg, and Ingram (43 for 45 in saves). 

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Friday, January 27, 2023

NHL 2022-23 - Day 106

We've got eight games on a busy Friday, beginning with...

The Carolina Hurricanes hosting the San Jose Sharks. James Reimer and Antti Raanta are the goalies. San Jose opened in the first period with an Oskar Lindblom goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Evgeny Svechnikov and Steven Lorentz. Carolina tied it on a Calvin de Haan goal, his second of the year, via Dylan Coghlan and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The Hurricanes took the lead in the third period with a Sebastian Aho power play goal, his nineteenth of the season, powered by Stefan Noesen. The Sharks tied it on a Nick Bonino goal, his ninth of the year, courtesy of Mikey Eyssimont. San Jose took the lead with an Eyssimont goal, his second of the season, passed from Nico Sturm and Mario Ferraro. The Sharks added on with a Ferraro empty net goal, his third of the year, set up by Eyssimont. Carolina replied with an Aho goal, his second of the game and twentieth of the season, assisted by Teuvo Teravainen and Jalen Chatfield. The Hurricanes tied it on a Martin Necas goal, his twentieth of the year, guided in by Andrei Svechnikov and Brent Burns. Carolina won 5-4 in overtime with another Necas goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the campaign, with a lone assist by Svechnikov. The three stars were Necas, Aho, and Eyssimont, while Ferraro and Svechnikov get the honorable mentions.

Up in New York, the Rangers welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Adin Hill and Jaroslav Halak are the backups in goal. New York started in the first period with a Chris Kreider goal, his twentieth of the season, guided in by Vincent Trocheck. The Rangers added on with a Trocheck goal, his fourteenth of the year, via Barclay Goodrow and Ryan Lindgren. Vegas got on the board in the second period with a Phil Kessel goal, his ninth of the season, guided in by William Carrier and William Karlsson. New York answered in the third period with a Filip Chytil goal, his sixteenth of the year, helped along by Braden Schneider and Ben Harpur. The Rangers iced it at 4-1 with a Jimmy Vesey empty net goal, his ninth of the campaign, set up by Schneider. The three stars were Trocheck, Halak (33 for 34 in saves), and Schneider.

Further north, the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Ottawa Senators. Anton Forsberg and Ilya Samsonov are in the blue paint. Ottawa led off in the first period with a Thomas Chabot goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Tim Stutzle and Erik Brannstrom. Toronto tied it on a Joey Anderson goal, his second of the year, fueled by Alexander Kerfoot and Justin Holl. The Senators retook the lead in the second period with a Brady Tkachuk goal, his eighteenth of the season, coming off of Travis Hamonic and Stutzle. The Maple Leafs retied it on a William Nylander power play goal, his twenty-seventh of the year, powered by John Tavares and Mitch Marner. Ottawa pulled ahead again with a Derick Brassard power play goal, his seventh of the season, with assists provided by Giroux and Jake Sanderson. The Senators added on with a Drake Batherson goal, his fifteenth of the year, helped along by Shane Pinto. Ottawa extended the lead in the third period as Tkachuk scored an unassisted goal, his nineteenth of the season. The Senators padded the lead on a Giroux goal, his seventeenth of the year, going in unassisted. The three stars of the 6-2 game were Tkachuk, Giroux, and Stutzle.

Back in New York, the Islanders bring in the Detroit Red Wings. Magnus Hellberg is mismatched with Ilya Sorokin in goal. New York got going in the second period with an Anders Lee goal, his eighteenth of the season, assisted by Kyle Palmieri and Brock Nelson. The Islanders added on in the third period with a Nelson goal, his nineteenth of the year, coming off of Palmieri and Ryan Pulock. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the three stars being Sorokin (23 save shutout), Nelson, and Palmieri.

Way south to Florida, as the Panthers host the Los Angeles Kings. Pheonix Copley and Alex Lyon man the nets. Los Angeles began in the first period with an Anze Kopitar goal, his fifteenth of the season, coming off of Quinton Byfield and Adrian Kempe. The Kings added on with a Kempe shorthanded goal, his twentieth of the year, set up by Blake Lizotte. Los Angeles extended the lead in the second period as Viktor Arvidsson scored a shorthanded goal, his thirteenth of the season, thanks to Mikey Anderson and Phillip Danault. Florida got on the board with a Ryan Lomberg goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Nick Cousins and Eric Staal. The Panthers got closer with a Brandon Montour goal, his ninth of the season, fueled by Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe. The Kings replied in the third period with an unassisted empty net goal by Matt Roy, his sixth of the year. Florida got one back with a Verhaeghe goal, his twenty-sixth of the campaign, with helpers from Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Verhaeghe, Kempe, and Tkachuk.

Over in Dallas, the Stars welcome the New Jersey Devils. Vitek Vanecek and Jake Oettinger guard the cages. Dallas struck first in the first period with a Ty Dellandrea goal, his seventh of the season, via Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston. The Stars added on with a Roope Hintz power play goal, his twentieth of the year, powered by Miro Heiskanen and Joe Pavelski. New Jersey got on the board in the second period with a Jack Hughes goal, his thirty-second of the season, helped along by Dougie Hamilton. The Devils tied it on a Miles Wood goal, his eighth of the year, passed from Nathan Bastian and Damon Severson. New Jersey won 3-2 in overtime with a Hughes goal, his second of the game and thirty-third of the campaign, with a lone assist by Jesper Bratt. The three stars were Hughes, Wood, and Vanecek (33 for 35 in saves).

Northwest to Seattle, as the Kraken host the Calgary Flames. Dan Vladar and Martin Jones are the masked men. Seattle kicked off the scoring in the first period with a John Hayden goal, via Will Borgen and Daniel Sprong. Calgary tied it on an Elias Lindholm goal, his fifteenth of the season, assisted by Tyler Toffoli and Dillon Dube. The Flames took the lead with a Toffoli goal, his eighteenth of the year, passed from Blake Coleman and Lindholm. Calgary added on with a Nikita Zadorov goal, his eighth of the season, helped along by Lindholm and MacKenzie Weegar. The Kraken got one back in the third period with an Eeli Tolvanen goal, his ninth of the year, guided in by Oliver Bjorkstrand and Adam Larsson. The Flames shot back with a Noah Hanifin goal, his fourth of the season, with helpers from Mikael Backlund and Coleman. Calgary iced it at 5-2 with a Coleman empty net goal, his tenth of the year, set up by Andrew Mangiapane and Backlund. The three stars belonged to Lindholm, Coleman, and Toffoli, while Backlund gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks bring in the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Collin Delia are in the creases. Vancouver was first to score in the first period with an Elias Pettersson shorthanded goal, his twentieth of the season, set up by Bo Horvat. Columbus tied it on a Kirill Marchenko power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by Adam Boqvist and Patrik Laine. The Canucks retook the lead with a Quinn Hughes power play goal, his fifth of the season, with assists provided by J.T. Miller and Horvat. Vancouver added on with an Ilya Mihkeyev goal, his thirteenth of the year, passed from Brock Boeser and Horvat. The Canucks extended the lead in the third period as Dakota Joshua scored his eighth of the season, thanks to Horvat and Boeser. Vancouver padded the lead on a Pettersson power play goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the year, fueled by Miller and Hughes. The Blue Jackets got one back with another Marchenko power play goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the campaign, coming off of Boone Jenner and Johnny Gaudreau. This only made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars going to Pettersson, Horvat, and Marchenko, while Hughes, Miller, and Boeser get the honorable mentions. 

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