Sunday, February 28, 2016

2015/16 Premier League Week 27

Due to interruptions from the Capital One Cup, there are only eight games for this league week, with two of them being postponed to later dates. The first of six Saturday games is...

West Ham United hosting Sunderland. Vito Mannone and Adrian get the starts in goal. West Ham United opened in the thirtieth minute with a Michail Antonio goal. West Ham United saw a yellow card go to Sam Byram in the seventy-first minute for his foul. The final favored West Ham United 1-0.

Up to Leicester City welcoming Norwich City. John Ruddy and Kasper Schmeichel are in the six-yard boxes. Norwich City had yellow cards for Steven Naismith in the forty-eighth minute and Ryan Bennett in the fifty-first minute, both for fouls. Leicester City got going in the eighty-ninth minute with a Leonardo Ulloa goal, passed from Jamie Vardy. This late tally gave them a 1-0 win.

Back south, Southampton hosts Chelsea. Thibaut Courtois and Fraser Forster are given the starts. In the nineteenth minute, Steven Davis of Southampton took a yellow card for a foul. Southampton started in the forty-second minute with a Shane Long goal. Chelsea had a yellow card given to Diego Costa for a sixty-third minute foul. Southampton had yellow cards for Ryan Bertrand's sixty-fourth minute foul and Jordy Clasie's sixty-fifth minute foul. Chelsea tied it on a seventy-fifth minute Cesc Fabregas goal, coming off of Costa. Chelsea took the lead with a Branislav Ivanovic goal in the eighty-ninth minute, made possible by Willian. This stood for a 2-1 win.

Next up, Stoke City brings in Aston Villa. Mark Bunn and Jack Butland are the goalies. Aston Villa saw yellow cards given to Idrissa Gueye in the thirty-sixth minute and Alan Hutton in the forty-fifth minute, the first for a foul and the latter for a dissent. Stoke City led off in the fifty-first minute with a Marko Arnautovic penalty kick goal. Stoke City added on with a fifty-sixth minute goal by Arnautovic, helped along by Xherdan Shaqiri. Aston Villa got on the board with a Leandro Bacuna goal in the seventy-ninth minute, set up by Rudy Gestede. Jores Okore of Aston Villa had a yellow card for his foul in stoppage time. Stoke City won 2-1.

Back to Watford hosting Bournemouth. Artur Boruc and Heurelho Gomes man the nets. Watford saw yellow cards for Ben Watson in the seventy-seventh minute, Valon Behrami in the eighty-second minute, and Craig Cathcart in the eighty-seventh minute, while Bournemouth's Andrew Surman took a yellow card at the eighty-four minute mark. All were for fouls, and it was the closest thing to action in a 0-0 draw.

Ending Saturday, West Bromwich Albion welcome Crystal Palace. Wayne Hennessey and Ben Foster are the gloved men. West Bromwich Albion began in the twelfth minute on a Craig Gardner goal. West Bromwich Albion took a yellow card for a seventeenth minute Craig Dawson foul. West Bromwich Albion added on with a twentieth minute goal by Dawson, assisted by Gardner. In the twenty-fifth minute, Crystal Palace's Emmanuel Adebayor took a yellow card. West Bromwich Albion extended the lead as Saido Berahino scored in the thirty-first minute, thanks to Stephane Sessegnon. Crystal Palace got on the board in the forty-eighth minute goal by Connor Wickham, coming off of Damien Delaney. Yohan Cabaye of Crystal Palace received a yellow card for a sixty-fourth minute foul. West Bromwich Albion had a yellow card for a foul by James Chester in the seventy-eighth minute. Crystal Palace pulled closer with an eightieth minute goal from Wickham. This only made it 3-2, the final.

On Sunday, Manchester United hosts Arsenal. Petr Cech and David de Gea are the gloved men. Manchester United saw yellow cards for Guillermo Varela in the ninth minute and Michael Carrick in the twenty-second minute, both for fouls. Manchester United struck first in the twenty-ninth minute with a Marcus Rashford goal. In the thirty-second minute, Manchester United added on with another Rashford goal, set up by Jesse Lingard. Arsenal got on the board with a fortieth minute Danny Welbeck goal, helped along by Mesut Ozil. In the sixty-fifth minute, Manchester United countered on an Ander Herrera goal, via Rashford. In the sixty-ninth minute, Arsenal got one back on an Ozil goal. In the seventy-first minute, Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey had a yellow card, as did Manchester United's Herrera seconds later. Arsenal saw a yellow card for Mohamed Elneny's foul in the seventy-third minute. In stoppage time, Ozil had a yellow card for his foul for Arsenal, as did Adnan Januzaj for Manchester United. The final was 3-2 for Manchester United. 

Finally, Tottenham Hotspur brings in Swansea City. Lukasz Fabianski and Hugo Lloris are in the six-yard boxes. Swansea City was first to score in the nineteenth minute with an Alberto Paloschi goal, via Jack Cork. Swansea City had yellow cards for Ashley Williams in the twenty-eighth minute and Paloschi in the forty-second minute, both for fouls. Danny Rose of Tottenham Hotspur had a yellow card for his foul in the fifty-sixth minute. Swansea City received a yellow card for an Andre Ayew foul in the fifty-eighth minute. Tottenham Hotspur tied it with a seventieth minute Nacer Chadli goal, assisted by Kyle Walker. Tottenham Hotspur took the lead with a seventy-seventh minute goal by Rose. In stoppage time, Walker received a yellow card for time wasting for Tottenham Hotspur, but it worked and they won 2-1.

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2015/16 KHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals: 1) Avangard Omsk VS. 8) Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk

As is standard procedure for the playoffs, this post will cover the entire series.

Game 1: Omsk Arena, Omsk, Russia. In goal: Alexander Sudnitsin for Nizhnekamsk and Dominik Furch for Omsk. Omsk got going in the second period with an Artur Lauta goal, assisted by Yury Petrov and Alexander Chernikov. Nizhnekamsk tied it on a Nikita Shchitov goal, passed from Kirill Lyamin and Evgeny Grigorenko. Avangard retook the lead with an Alexander Perezhogin goal, coming off of Ilya Zubov and Martin Erat. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Perezhogin, Furch (30 for 31 in saves), and Lauta.

Game 2: Omsk Arena, Omsk, Russia. In goal: Alexander Sudnitsin for Nizhnekamsk and Dominik Furch for Omsk. Omsk began in the first period with a Yury Petrov goal, coming off of Alexander Chernikov. Avangard added on in the second period with an Ilya Zubov goal, fueled by Yury Alexandrov and Denis Parshin. Omsk extended the lead with a power play goal by Martin Erat, powered by Zubov and Andrei Pervyshin. Nizhnekamsk got on the board with a power play goal from Andrei Sergeyev, via Evgeny Ryasensky and Mikhail Zhukov. Neftekhimik got closer in the third period with a Jeff Taffe power play goal, with a lone assist by Evgeny Grigorenko. Avangard iced it at 4-2 with a power play empty net goal by Nikolai Lemtyugov, set up by Pervyshin and Erat. The three stars went to Erat, Zubov, and Pervyshin. Avangard will travel with a 2-0 series lead to their names.

Game 3: SCC Arena, Nizhnekamsk, Russia. In goal: Dominik Furch for Omsk and Alexander Sudnitsin for Nizhnekamsk. Omsk led off in the first period with an unassisted goal by Anton Burdasov. Avangard added on with a Yury Alexandrov goal in the second period, assisted by Vladimir Sobotka and Ilya Mikheyev. Nizhnekamsk got on the board in the third period with a Bogdan Yakimov goal, going in unassisted. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars belonging to Furch (46 for 47 in saves), Alexandrov, and Burdasov. Avangard has a chance to sweep given their 3-0 series lead to this point. 

Game 4: SCC Arena, Nizhnekamsk, Russia. In goal: Dominik Furch for Omsk and Ivan Lisutin for Nizhnekamsk. Nizhnekamsk struck first in the first period with an Andrei Sergeyev goal, assisted by Bogdan Yakimov and Ryan Stoa. Neftekhimik added on with an Evgeny Grigorenko goal, passed from Igor Polygalov. Omsk got on the board in the second period with a Yury Alexandrov goal, via Vladimir Sobotka and Martin Erat. Avangard tied it in the third period as Alexander Perezhogin scored, thanks to Ilya Zubov. Omsk won it 3-2 in the third overtime on a Denis Parshin goal, with a lone assist by Ivan Lekomtsev. The three stars were Parshin, Perezhogin, and Alexandrov. Avangard gets the 4-0 series sweep to advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

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2015-16 NHL Season - Day 135

Nine games for today, including a massive five matinees. The first is...

The Philadelphia Flyers hosting the Arizona Coyotes. Louis Domingue and Michal Neuvirth are the surprising goalies. Philadelphia struck first in the first period on a Scott Laughton goal, his sixth of the season, courtesy of Nick Cousins and Mark Streit. Arizona tied it with a Brad Richardson goal, his seventh of the year, via Max Domi and Shane Doan. The Flyers took the lead back with a Claude Giroux power play goal, his seventeenth of the campaign, powered by Streit and Brayden Schenn. Philadelphia added on with a Sam Gagner goal, his fifth of the season, coming off of Sean Couturier and Streit, the latter getting a sock trick. The Coyotes got one back in the third period with an Oliver Ekman-Larsson goal, his nineteenth of the year, assisted by Mikkel Boedker and Michael Stone. The Flyers wrapped it up at 4-2 with a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal, his fifth of the campaign, helped along by Wayne Simmonds and Schenn. The three stars went to Streit, Schenn, and Gagner.

Across Pennsylvania, the Pittsburgh Penguins welcome the Winnipeg Jets. Michael Hutchinson and Marc-Andre Fleury man the nets. Pittsburgh got going in the second period with a Kris Letang goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Patric Hornqvist and Chris Kunitz. The Penguins added on with a Carl Hagelin goal, his sixth of the year, courtesy of Ian Cole and Derrick Pouliot. Winnipeg got on the board as Blake Wheeler scored his eighteenth of the season on the power play, with the help of Dustin Byfuglien and Nikolaj Ehlers. Pittsburgh replied with a Scott Wilson goal in the third period, his fourth of the year, made possible by Pouliot and Nick Bonino. The Penguins iced it at 4-1 with a Hagelin goal, his seventh of the campaign, with helpers from Phil Kessel and Cole. The three stars were Hagelin, Fleury (27 for 28 in saves), and Pouliot, while Cole gets an honorable mention.

Down in Nashville, the Predators bring in the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Pekka Rinne protect the nets. Nashville started in the first period with a Craig Smith goal, his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Mike Ribeiro and Filip Forsberg. The Predators added on in the second period with a Forsberg goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, assisted by Petter Granberg and Smith. Nashville extended the lead as Forsberg scored his second of the game and twenty-fifth of the season, thanks to Smith and Ribeiro. The Predators chased Allen with a Forsberg power play goal, completing his hat trick on his twenty-sixth of the year, powered by Ribeiro, who got a sock trick, and Roman Josi. Pheonix Copley replaced Allen in goal. Nashville capped it at 5-0 in the third period with a Colin Wilson goal, his fifth of the campaign, helped along by Viktor Arvidsson and Anthony Bitetto. The three stars went to Forsberg, Smith, and Ribeiro.

Backtracking to Columbus, where the Blue Jackets host the Florida Panthers. Roberto Luongo and Joonas Korpisalo are between the pipes. Florida was first to score in the first period with an Aleksander Barkov goal, his nineteenth of the season, made possible by Jaromir Jagr and Jussi Jokinen. The Panthers added on with a Vincent Trocheck goal in the second period, his nineteenth of the year, courtesy of Alex Petrovic and Garrett Wilson. Columbus got on the board with a Scott Hartnell goal, his twentieth of the campaign, helped along by Alexander Wennberg. The Blue Jackets tied it with a third period Seth Jones power play goal, his second of the season, powered by Brandon Dubinsky and Nick Foligno. Columbus took the lead on a Brandon Saad goal, his twenty-fourth of the year, passed from Hartnell and Wennberg. Florida retied it with a Logan Shaw power play goal, his fifth of the campaign, with assists provided by Nick Bjugstad and Dmitry Kulikov. In the shootout, Dubinsky's lone tally gave the Blue Jackets a 4-3 win. The three stars went to Hartnell, Dubinsky, and Wennberg.

Down in Dallas, the last matinee has the Stars welcoming the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Kari Lehtonen are the experienced goalies. New York dented the scoreboard on a Chris Kreider power play goal in the second period, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Keith Yandle and Derick Brassard. Dallas tied it with a Colton Sceviour goal, his seventh of the year, via Tyler Seguin and Radek Faksa. The Rangers took the lead in the third period with a Ryan McDonagh goal, his eighth of the season, assisted by Oscar Lindberg and Viktor Stalberg. The Stars tied it again on a Valeri Nichushkin goal, his eighth of the year, coming off of Sceviour and Faksa. New York pulled ahead with a Kevin Klein goal, his sixth of the campaign, helped along by Derek Stepan and Jesper Fast. The final held at 3-2, with the three stars going to Klein, Sceviour, and Faksa.

At the usual time, the Montreal Canadiens bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jonathan Bernier and Mike Condon are the goalies. Toronto opened in the first period with a Matt Hunwick goal, his second of the season, assisted by Brendan Leipsic and Brad Boyes. Montreal tied it with an Alex Galchenyuk goal, his seventeenth of the year, courtesy of Sven Andrighetto and Lars Eller. The Canadiens took the lead on a Devante Smith-Pelly goal, his sixth of the season, via Michael McCarron and Alexei Emelin in the second period. Montreal added on in the third period with a Max Pacioretty goal, his twenty-second of the year, helped along by Andrei Markov and P.K. Subban. The Canadiens extended the lead as Pacioretty scored his second of the game and twenty-third of the season, thanks to Greg Pateryn and Tomas Plekanec. This stood for a 4-1 win, with the three stars going to Pacioretty, Condon (31 for 32 in saves), and Smith-Pelly.

Now, we head west and outdoors in Denver, as the Colorado Avalanche host the Detroit Red Wings in this season's second Stadium Series game. Petr Mrazek and Semyon Varlamov guard the cages. Detroit led off in the first period with a Tomas Tatar goal, his seventeenth of the season, going in unassisted. Colorado tied it on a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his twentieth of the year, passed from Gabriel Landeskog. The Avalanche pulled ahead with a Tyson Barrie goal, his eleventh of the season, assisted by Blake Comeau and Mihkail Grigorenko. The Red Wings tied it in the third period on a Gustav Nyquist goal, his fifteenth of the year, guided in by Riley Sheahan and Tatar. Detroit took the lead with a Justin Abdelkader goal, his fifteenth of the season, fueled by Darren Helm and Luke Glendening. Colorado tied it on an Alex Tanguay goal, his fourth of the year, via Landeskog and MacKinnon. The Red Wings took the lead with a Brad Richards goal, his seventh of the season, with a lone assist from Niklas Kronwall. Detroit iced it at 5-3 with a Helm empty net goal, his eighth of the year, set up by the goalie Mrazek and Kronwall. The three stars went to Tatar, Helm, and MacKinnon, while Kronwall and Landeskog get the honorable mentions.

Up in Calgary, the Flames welcome the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Joni Ortio occupy the creases. Calgary began in the first period with a Joe Colborne power play goal, his tenth of the season, powered by Sam Bennett and Mikael Backlund. The Flames added on with a Sean Monahan goal, his nineteenth of the year, passed from Johnny Gaudreau and T.J. Brodie. Ottawa got on the board with a Zack Smith power play goal, his sixteenth of the season, courtesy of Erik Karlsson and Mark Stone. Calgary replied in the second period with a Gaudreau goal, his twenty-third of the year, helped along by Brodie. The Senators answered with a Nick Paul goal, his second of the season, fueled by Curtis Lazar and Mike Hoffman. The Flames countered on Gaudreau's second of the game and twenty-fourth of the year, guided in by Monahan and Brodie, the latter getting a sock trick. Ottawa pulled back in the third period with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his twelfth of the season, an unassisted goal. The Senators tied it on a Zibanejad goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, made possible by Alex Chiasson and Eriksson. Ottawa took the lead with a Zibanejad goal that completed his hat trick, with his fourteenth of the season, coming off of Stone and Hoffman. The Senators iced it at 6-4 with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau empty net goal, his fourteenth of the year, set up by Stone, who got a sock trick, and Cody Ceci. The three stars were Zibanejad, Gaudreau, and Stone, while Brodie, Monahan, Eriksson, and Hoffman get the honorable mentions

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Buffalo Sabres. Robin Lehner and Jhonas Enroth are the little-known goalies. Los Angeles drew first blood in the second period with a Tanner Pearson goal, his ninth of the season, via Alec Martinez and Rob Scuderi. The Kings added on with another Pearson goal in the third period, his second of the game and tenth of the year, courtesy of Jake Muzzin and Vincent Lecavalier. The three stars of the 2-0 game went to Pearson, Enroth (23 save shutout), and Lehner (33 for 35 in saves).

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Saturday, February 27, 2016

2015/16 KHL Western Conference Quarterfinals: 1) CSKA Moscow VS. 8) Slovan Bratislava

As is standard procedure for the playoffs, this post will cover the entire series.

Game 1: CSKA Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Barry Brust for Bratislava and Ilya Sorokin for Moscow. Moscow got going in the second period with a Kirill Petrov goal, with a lone assist by Gennady Stolyarov. CSKA added on with a Geoff Platt power play goal, powered by Alexander Radulov and Stephane Da Costa. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the three stars being Sorokin (24 save shutout), Petrov, and Platt.

Game 2: CSKA Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Barry Brust for Bratislava and Ilya Sorokin for Moscow. Bratislava opened in the first period with a Vaclav Nedorost goal, via Lukas Kaspar and Cam Barker on the power play. Slovan added on with a Tomas Starosta goal, fueled by Tomas Surovy in the second period. Moscow got on the board with a Kirill Petrov goal in the third period, going in unassisted. CSKA tied it with a Stephane Da Costa goal, assisted by Ivan Telegin and Alexander Radulov. Moscow won 3-2 in overtime with an Antti Pihlstrom goal, coming off of Sergei Andronov. The three stars went to Pihlstrom, Da Costa, and Petrov. CSKA leaves home for Slovakia with a 2-0 series lead.

Game 3: Ondrej Nepela Arena, Bratislava, Slovakia. In goal: Ilya Sorokin for Moscow and Barry Brust for Bratislava. Bratislava dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Marek Viedensky goal, assisted by Vaclav Nedorost and Lukas Kaspar. Moscow tied it on a third period goal by Kirill Petrov, made possible by Alexander Radulov and Bogdan Kiselevich. CSKA took the lead with a Stephane Da Costa goal, helped along by Kiselevich and Geoff Platt on the power play. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Sorokin (25 for 26 in saves), Kiselevich, and Da Costa. CSKA has a chance to sweep as they carry a 3-0 series lead.

Game 4: Ondrej Nepela Arena, Bratislava, Slovakia. In goal: Ilya Sorokin for Moscow and Barry Brust for Bratislava. Bratislava started in the first period with a Tomas Surovy goal, going in unassisted. Moscow tied it on a third period Alexander Radulov goal, fueled by Andrei Svetlakov and Bogdan Kiselevich. CSKA took the lead with a Stephane Da Costa goal, courtesy of Radulov and Simon Hjalmarsson. Moscow iced it at 3-1 with a Nikita Zaitsev empty net goal, set up by Radulov and Svetlakov. The three stars were Radulov, Sorokin (16 for 17 in saves), and Svetlakov. CSKA is through to the Western Conference Semifinals on a 4-0 series sweep, awaiting the lowest seeded remaining team for their next series.

2015/16 KHL Western Conference Quarterfinals: 4) Sochi Leopards VS. 5) Dynamo Moscow

As is standard procedure for the playoffs, this post will cover the entire series.

Game 1: Bolshoy Ice Dome, Sochi, Russia. In goal: Alexander Yeryomenko for Moscow and Konstantin Barulin for Sochi. Moscow led off in the first period with a Juuso Hietanen power play goal, powered by Denis Barantsev and Konstantin Gorovikov. Dynamo added on with a Dmitry Vishnevsky goal, going in unassisted. Moscow extended the lead in the second period as Vishnevsky scored a power play goal, with the help of Ilya Shipov and Ivan Igumnov. Dynamo padded the lead with a third period Shipov goal, assisted by Artyom Fyodorov and Maxim Karpov. Sochi got on the board with a Yegor Morozov goal, passed from Renat Mamashev and Ivan Glazkov. This only made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars going to Vishnevsky, Shipov, and Yeryomenko (31 for 32 in saves).

Game 2: Bolshoy Ice Dome, Sochi, Russia. In goal: Alexander Yeryomenko for Moscow and Konstantin Barulin for Sochi. Moscow struck first in the first period with a Daniil Tarasov goal, made possible by Alexander Osipov and Gleb Koryagin. Sochi tied it on a Denis Kazionov goal, fueled by Janne Jalasvaara and Dmitry Kazionov. Dynamo took the lead in the second period with a Vladimir Bryukvin goal, helped along by Alexei Tereshchenko. Moscow added on with an unassisted Max Karpov goal in the third period. The Leopards took one back with an Andre Petersson goal, helped along by Mikhail Anisin. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Karpov, Bryukvin, and Tarasov. Dynamo heads home with a 2-0 series lead after an impressive trip.

Game 3: VTB Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Konstantin Barulin for Sochi and Alexander Yeryomenko for Moscow. Moscow began in the first period with an Ilya Shipov goal, coming off of Maxim Karpov. Dynamo added on with a third period Ansel Galimov power play goal, powered by Alexei Tsvetkov and Artyom Fyodorov. Moscow extended the lead as Galimov scored his second of the game, thanks to Tsvetkov and Fyodorov. This stood for a 3-0 win, with the three stars going to Galimov, Yeryomenko (23 save shutout), and Tsvetkov, while Fyodorov gets an honorable mention. Dynamo is on the verge of a sweep with their 3-0 series lead. 

Game 4: VTB Ice Palace, Moscow, Russia. In goal: Konstantin Barulin for Sochi and Alexander Yeryomenko for Moscow. Moscow won 1-0 in the second overtime on an Alexei Tereshchenko power play goal, powered by Denis Kokarev and Andrei Mironov. The three stars went to Yeryomenko (44 save shutout), Tereshchenko, and Barulin (36 for 37 in saves). Dynamo gets the sweep and awaits their opponent for the Western Conference Semifinals.

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Friday, February 26, 2016

2015-16 NHL Season - Day 134

Five games on for today, beginning with the...

Carolina Hurricanes hosting the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Cam Ward are the goalies. Boston led off in the first period with a Patrice Bergeron goal, his twenty-third of the season, passed from Brett Connolly. The Bruins added on with a Matt Beleskey goal, his twelfth of the year, coming off of Torey Krug. Carolina got on the board in the third period with a Noah Hanifin power play goal, his third of the season, powered by Riley Nash and Elias Lindholm. Boston answered with a Beleskey goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the year, assisted by Ryan Spooner. The Bruins iced it at 4-1 with a Brad Marchand empty net goal, his thirty-second of the campaign, set up by Bergeron and Adam McQuaid. The three stars went to Rask (39 for 40 in saves), Beleskey, and Bergeron.

Up in New Jersey, the Devils welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Ben Bishop and Cory Schneider tend the twines. Tampa Bay began in the first period with an Alex Killorn goal, his eleventh of the season, made possible by Steven Stamkos and Ryan Callahan. The Lightning added on in the second period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his seventh of the year, courtesy of Tyler Johnson. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Stamkos scored his twenty-seventh of the season, thanks to Anton Stralman and Callahan. The Lightning padded the lead in the third period on a Matthew Carle goal, his second of the year, assisted by Palat and Andrej Sustr. The final held at 4-0, with the three stars going to Stamkos, Palat, and Bishop (21 save shutout), while Callahan gets an honorable mention.

Along to DC, where the Washington Capitals host the Minnesota Wild. Darcy Kuemper is mismatched with Braden Holtby in goal. Minnesota struck first in the first period with a Mikko Koivu power play goal, his thirteenth of the season, powered by Ryan Suter and Jason Pominville. Washington tied it on a Brooks Orpik goal in the second period, his third of the year, guided in by Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. The Wild retook the lead on a Nino Niederreiter goal, his twelfth of the season, passed from Suter and Pominville. The Capitals tied it again in the third period on an Ovechkin power play goal, his fortieth of the year, with helpers from Matt Niskanen and Backstrom. Washington pulled ahead with a Dmitry Orlov goal, his seventh of the campaign, helped along by Andre Burakovsky and Evgeny Kuznetsov. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars given to Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Holtby (30 for 32 in saves), while Suter and Pominville get the honorable mentions.

Out west, the Anaheim Ducks bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Frederik Andersen are the goalies. Anaheim dented the scoreboard in the third period with a Ryan Getzlaf goal, his ninth of the season, coming on the power play from David Perron and Cam Fowler. Edmonton tied it with a Jordan Eberle goal, his twentieth of the year, via Benoit Pouliot and the goalie Talbot. The Ducks won 2-1 in overtime with a Rickard Rakell goal, his sixteenth of the campaign, assisted by Sami Vatanen and Getzlaf. The three stars went to Andersen (17 for 18 in saves), Getzlaf, and Rakell.

Finally, the San Jose Sharks host the Buffalo Sabres. Chad Johnson and Martin Jones are in the blue paint. San Jose was first to score in the first period with a Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal, his eighth of the season, made possible by Matt Nieto. Buffalo tied it in the second period with a Johan Larsson goal, his third of the year, courtesy of Brian Gionta. The Sabres took the lead in the third period with a Zach Bogosian goal, his fourth of the season, coming off of Zemgus Girgensons and Sam Reinhart. Buffalo iced it at 3-1 with an Evander Kane empty net goal, his seventeenth of the year, set up by Bogosian. The three stars were Bogosian, Johnson (24 for 25 in saves), and Larsson.

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Thursday, February 25, 2016

2015-16 NHL Season - Day 133

Ten games make up a busy night of action, beginning in...

Philadelphia, where the Flyers host the Minnesota Wild. Devan Dubnyk and Michal Neuvirth are the goalies. Philadelphia led off in the first period with a Sam Gagner goal, his fourth of the season, via Brayden Schenn. Minnesota tied it on a power play goal by Thomas Vanek in the second period, his eighteenth of the year, powered by Jared Spurgeon and Mike Reilly. The Flyers took the lead back with a Mark Streit power play goal, his fifth of the season, helped along by Matt Read and Jakub Voracek. The Wild tied it again with a Mikael Granlund goal, his seventh of the year, fueled by Vanek and Chris Porter. Philadelphia retook the lead in the third period with a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal, his fourth of the campaign, with assists provided by Chris VandeVelde and Ryan White. This made it 3-2, with the three stars going to Vanek, Bellemare, and Streit.

Over in Columbus, the Blue Jackets welcome the New Jersey Devils. Cory Schneider and Joonas Korpisalo are between the pipes. Columbus struck first in the first period with a Nick Foligno goal, his seventh of the season, with a lone assist by Matt Calvert. The Blue Jackets added on with another Foligno goal, his second of the game and eighth of the year, passed from Calvert and William Karlsson. Columbus extended the lead as Brandon Saad scored his twenty-third of the season, with the help of Calvert, who got a natural sock trick, and Karlsson. Keith Kinkaid relieved Schneider for the second period. New Jersey got on the board with a second period Reid Boucher goal, his fifth of the year, coming off of Travis Zajac and Damon Severson. The Blue Jackets replied with a Foligno goal, completing his hat trick with his ninth of the season, made possible by David Savard and Karlsson, the latter getting a sock trick. Columbus padded the lead with a Brandon Dubinsky power play goal, his fourteenth of the year, powered by Foligno and Ryan Murray. The Blue Jackets iced it at 6-1 with a Rene Bourque goal in the third period, his third of the campaign, going in unassisted. The three stars were awarded to Foligno, Calvert, and Karlsson.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Cam Ward and Jonathan Bernier are the overrated goalies. Toronto opened in the first period with a Brad Boyes power play goal, his seventh of the season, powered by Colin Greening and Morgan Rielly. Carolina tied it on a John-Michael Liles goal, his sixth of the year, guided in by Eric Staal. The Maple Leafs retook the lead with a Josh Leivo goal in the second period, his fourth of the season, fueled by P.A. Parenteau and Viktor Loov. Toronto iced it at 3-1 in the third period with a Parenteau goal, his sixteenth of the year, via Nazem Kadri and Jake Gardiner. The three stars belonged to Parenteau, Bernier (30 for 31 in saves), and Leivo.

South to Florida, where the Panthers host the Arizona Coyotes. Louis Domingue and Roberto Luongo man the nets. Arizona was first to score in the first period with a Shane Doan goal, his twenty-third of the season, courtesy of Jordan Martinook and Connor Murphy. Florida tied it on a Vincent Trocheck goal, his eighteenth of the year, via Brian Campbell and Derek MacKenzie. The Panthers took the lead on an Aleksander Barkov goal in the second period, his seventeenth of the season, assisted by Nick Bjugstad and Dmitry Kulikov on the power play. Florida added on with a Barkov goal in the third period, his second of the game and eighteenth of the year, made possible by Jaromir Jagr and Jussi Jokinen. The Coyotes got one back with an Oliver Ekman-Larsson power play goal, his eighteenth of the campaign, powered by Antoine Vermette and Doan. This only made it 3-2, with the three stars being Barkov, Doan, and Luongo (22 for 24 in saves).

Northwest to Chicago, where the Blackhawks welcome the Nashville Predators. Pekka Rinne and Corey Crawford guard the cages. Chicago got going in the second period with a Brent Seabrook goal, his twelfth of the season, via Jiri Sekac and Erik Gustafsson. Nashville tied it on a Viktor Arvidsson goal, his seventh of the year, with a lone assist by Mike Fisher. The Predators took the lead in the third period with a Calle Jarnkrok goal, his twelfth of the season, helped along by Fisher. Nashville iced it at 3-1 with a Miikka Salomaki empty net goal, his fourth of the year, set up by Ryan Ellis. The three stars were handed to Rinne (38 for 39 in saves), Fisher, and Jarnkrok.

Backtracking to St. Louis, the Blues bring in the New York Rangers. Henrik Lundqvist and Jake Allen tend the twines. New York started in the first period with a Tanner Glass goal, his second of the season, passed from Dan Girardi. St. Louis tied it in the second period on a Troy Brouwer power play goal, his twelfth of the year, powered by Paul Stastny and Jay Bouwmeester. The Rangers won 2-1 in the third period with a Chris Kreider goal, his twelfth of the campaign, assisted by Oscar Lindberg and Kevin Hayes. The three stars were given to Lundqvist (35 for 36 in saves), Kreider, and Glass.

Down in Dallas, the Stars host the Winnipeg Jets. Michael Hutchinson and Antti Niemi draw the starts in goal. Winnipeg began with a Blake Wheeler goal in the first period, his seventeenth of the season, coming off of Mark Scheifele and Nikolaj Ehlers. The Jets added on with a Toby Enstrom goal, his second of the year, via Dustin Byfuglien and Scheifele. Winnipeg extended the lead as Joel Armia scored his third of the campaign, with the help of Jacob Trouba and Tyler Myers. Dallas got on the board in the second period with a Jason Spezza power play goal, his twentieth of the season, powered by Jamie Benn and Patrick Sharp. The Stars got closer with a Tyler Seguin goal, his thirty-second of the year, passed from Valeri Nichushkin and Sharp on the power play. Dallas tied it in the third period with a Spezza goal, his second of the game and twenty-first of the campaign, with helpers from Sharp, who got a sock trick, and John Klingberg. The Jets replied with a Scheifele goal, his fifteenth of the season, fueled by Ehlers and Enstrom. Winnipeg padded the lead with an Armia goal, his second of the game and fourth of the year, guided in by Adam Lowry and Chris Thorburn. The Jets capped it at 6-3 with a Trouba goal, his fifth of the campaign, dished from Scheifele and Armia. The three stars were named as Scheifele, Armia, and Spezza, while Ehlers, Enstrom, Trouba, and Sharp get the honorable mentions.

Way north to Calgary, where the Flames welcome the New York Islanders. Jaroslav Halak and Joni Ortio are in the blue paint. Calgary struck first in the first period with a Jiri Hudler goal, his tenth of the season, assisted by Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau. New York tied it on a third period goal by Thomas Hickey, his third of the year, courtesy of Matt Martin and Casey Cizikas. The Islanders won 2-1 in overtime with a Josh Bailey goal, his eleventh of the campaign, fueled by John Tavares and Travis Hamonic. The three stars went to Bailey, Halak (31 for 32 in saves), and Ortio (32 for 34 in saves).

Over in Vancouver, the Canucks bring in the Ottawa Senators. Craig Anderson and Ryan Miller protect the nets. Vancouver was first to score in the first period with an Emerson Etem goal, his second of the season, passed from Linden Vey and Matt Bartkowski. Ottawa tied it with a Mike Hoffman goal, his twenty-fifth of the year, coming off of Dion Phaneuf and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. The Senators took the lead with a Mark Stone shorthanded goal in the second period, his twentieth of the season, set up by Phaneuf and Pageau. The Canucks tied it on a Bartkowski goal, his fourth of the year, via Markus Granlund and Derek Dorsett. Ottawa retook the lead with a Bobby Ryan goal, his twenty-first of the season, with a lone assist by Marc Methot. Vancouver tied it with a Bartkowski goal, his second of the game and fifth of the year, assisted by Jake Virtanen and Dan Hamhuis. The Canucks took the lead on a Virtanen power play goal, his fifth of the season, powered by Bo Horvat and Jared McCann. Vancouver iced it at 5-3 with an Etem empty net goal, his second of the game and third of the year, with a lone helper by Vey. The three stars went to Bartkowski, Virtanen, and Etem, while Vey, Phaneuf, and Pageau get the honorable mentions.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Edmonton Oilers. Cam Talbot and Jonathan Quick are the masked men. Edmonton dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Zack Kassian goal, his third of the season, via Taylor Hall and Leon Draisaitl. Los Angeles tied it in the third period with a Jeff Carter goal, his fifteenth of the year, courtesy of Tyler Toffoli and Dwight King. The Kings took the lead with a King goal, his sixth of the campaign, helped along by Carter and Toffoli. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars being Quick (26 for 27 in saves), King, and Carter, while Toffoli gets an honorable mention.

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