NHL - Pittsburgh Penguins @ Columbus Blue Jackets 1-2 OT - Friday, November 27, 2015

Columbus Blue Jackets center Brandon Dubinsky did his best to make the Pittsburgh Penguins unhappy. Dubinsky's dirty cross check of Sidney Crosby caused the Pittsburgh center to leave the game briefly late in the second period. He then set up Cam Atkinson for the overtime winner in a 2-1 victory at Nationwide Arena.
Atkinson one-timed a pass from Dubinsky past Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury for his sixth goal of the season with 2:18 remaining to give Columbus a victory in its first overtime game of the season. Atkinson started the play in the defensive end after Crosby lost the puck. He passed ahead to Jack Johnson, who found Dubinsky deep in the Pittsburgh zone. Dubinsky circled to the right side of the goal, put on the brakes and found Atkinson between the circles with his stick in shooting position. Dubinsky found the Blue Jackets' first foray into the new 3-on-3 overtime to be interesting. The Penguins lost for the first time in five overtime games.
Evgeni Malkin gave the Penguins a 1-0 lead with a power-play goal 9:15 into the third period. Ryan Johansen tied it at 11:57. Fleury made 41 saves for Pittsburgh and Sergei Bobrovsky finished with 25 saves for the Blue Jackets.
Second-year Penguins coach Mike Johnston watched the 2014 Pittsburgh-Columbus series from afar and got an understanding of what it's like when the Metropolitan Division opponents play. Pittsburgh went ahead when Malkin scored on the Penguins' fourth power play. Bobrovsky stopped Malkin's initial shot from the lower right circle and Crosby's rebound attempt was blocked. But Malkin picked up the puck and fired it past Bobrovsky as three Blue Jackets players went to the ice for his ninth goal of the season. Crosby got the assist, giving him three goals and two assists in four games.
Johansen's fifth goal with 8:03 left in third came on a rebound of Pittsburgh native Brandon Saad's shot. The goal stood after a challenge by Johnston that Columbus forward Scott Hartnell had interfered with Fleury by slashing him. It was typical of the physical nature of the game.

Sidney Crosby: "I'm OK. There's always concern when it happens. Honestly, I haven't seen it so I don't know how it looked. I know how it felt. I don't know if the official saw it or not."
Marc-Andre Fleury: "[Hartnell] hits my leg. I slipped on my push. I thought it would be enough."
Mike Johnston: "I thought at that time it was a legitimate rivalry. Every game we play them, whether it's exhibition games, they're all intense battles. It's nice to see the intensity, the passion of the rivalry."
Patric Hornqvist: "This is why you play. I like the intense games. I like the scrums after the whistle as long as they're fair. Both teams did a good job. It was a fun game. Too bad we didn't get the win."

Dubinsky sent Crosby to the ice and then the dressing room with a dirty cheap shot cross check to the back of the neck before following up with another hit that broke his stick across Crosby's back, at 18:40 of the second period. Dubinsky received a minor penalty and Crosby returned for the start of the third period. Dubinsky and Crosby have had a long-running feud and battled ferociously in the first round of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Dubinsky said battling Crosby was merely part of his job.
"There's no secret. I try to play him as hard as I can. That being said, I don't do anything dirty. I felt my stick ride up his back a little bit. He was kind of bent over in front but that's not the type of player I am. I'm going to try and play hard but play fair and between the whistles."
http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-hockey/25392118/watch-brandon-dubinsky-breaks-stick-over-sidney-crosby-with-cross-checks
It's amazing how many players, once caught doing a misdemeanour, turn around and say 'it's not the kind of thing I do' really? yet you have still done it anyway. A horrible dirty hit like that could have broken someone's neck, but that's ok because Dubinsky isn't that type of player? I am pretty sure Josef Stalin was a perfectly reasonable and well-rounded human being and his human rights policy was exemplary too wasn't it?'
The league quickly handed him a one game suspension, which should have been for longer. What he did was far worse than what Raffi Torres did in pre-season, and he got a half-season suspension for his troubles.
Columbus coach John Tortorella had a lot to say for himself post game: "I liked the way we handled ourselves when they scored. We didn't score. We had a power play, it wasn't good, but we kept on playing and got the goal."
http://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/896006
He also accused Pittsburgh of whining. By whining I assume he must mean it's totally unacceptable for Pittsburgh to be upset over their star player nearly being paralysed. I'm sorry John, should every Pittsburgh fan take turns in sucking Dubinsky's cock as way of a thank you instead?
Maybe it's that poor excuse of a beard you have on your face that looks more a kin to a vagina covered in pubic hairs, that makes you come out with twatful comments? or maybe its the fact you insist on having your teams goon it up by starting games with line-brawls (think Rangers v Devils and then Canucks v Flames, when he actually tried to gain access to the Calgary room to attack them). Either way Torts is a 'Class A' Douche Bag, who should do the Hockey World a favour by never coaching in the league again.

Tortorella above. Dude's got a face like a pussy.
Evgeni Malkin was so angered by the dirty play from Columbus even he dropped the gloves with Jack Johnson, and of course it wouldn't be a Blue Jackets game without Scott Hartnell getting into a fight would it.

There has been talk when the two teams next meet Tortorella will resort to his party trick of starting the game with a line brawl 3 seconds in. I am sure his pre-game talk will look something like this:

Penalties

1st Period
03:00 PIT	Ian Cole  Hooking against  Nick Foligno
11:48 CBJ	Justin Falk  Tripping against  Chris Kunitz
19:45 PIT	Evgeni Malkin  Slashing against  Kevin Connauton
2nd Period
06:18 PIT	Evgeni Malkin  Slashing against  Jack Johnson
13:01 CBJ	Ryan Murray  Roughing against  Patric Hornqvist
18:40 PIT	Patric Hornqvist  Unsportsmanlike conduct against  Scott Hartnell
18:40 CBJ	Scott Hartnell  Unsportsmanlike conduct against  Patric Hornqvist
18:40 CBJ	Brandon Dubinsky  Cross checking against  Sidney Crosby
19:18 CBJ	Jack Johnson  Fighting (maj) against  Evgeni Malkin
19:18 PIT	Evgeni Malkin  Fighting (maj) against  Ryan Johansen
3rd Period
06:10 PIT	Sergei Plotnikov  Roughing against  Kerby Rychel
06:10 CBJ	Kerby Rychel  Hi-sticking against  Sergei Plotnikov
08:12 CBJ	Ryan Murray  Hooking against  Pascal Dupuis
09:42 PIT	Chris Kunitz  Roughing against  Boone Jenner

KHL - Results - Friday, November 27, 2015

Avtomobilist v Dynamo Moscow 1-4
Dynamo Moscow snapped its losing streak with a 4-1 win at Avtomobilist. Two goals apiece for Maxim Pestushko and Konstantin Gorovikov led the Blue-and-Whites to victory in a game watched by a visiting delegation of KHL officials.

They saw Pestushko open the scoring on the counter attack in the 16th minute before he doubled the lead right at the start of the second stanza. Avto hit back in the 46th minute thanks to Eero Elo but Gorovikov added two more goals, both aided by deflections. For Dynamo it was the end of a two-game losing run; Avto waved goodbye to a three-game winning streak.

Barys Astana v Salavat Yulaev 1-4
Salavat Yulaev became the first visiting team to win at Barys’ new Astana Arena home as the Kazakhs’ losing run continues. Nikolai Prokhorkin was the man who stormed the fortress, scoring twice in the first eight minutes, the first after just 47 seconds, to put Salavat in control. The middle period was scoreless but things picked up again in the third as Denis Bodrov added a third for the visitor.

Barys, now winless in three, got off the mark through Roman Starchenko but there was no chance of a revival once Sami Lepisto made it 4-1.

Traktor v Vityaz 4-1
Traktor Chelyabinsk picked up a morale-boosting 4-1 win at home to Vityaz despite conceding after just 47 seconds. Mario Kempe struck that early blow, but subsequently it was all about the host’s offense. Alexander Rybakov tied it up and Semyon Kokuyov made it 2-1 in the 20th minute. Andrei Pervyshin added a third early in the middle session and Deron Quint wrapped it up in the third.

Neftekhimik v Metallurg Magnitogorsk 2-3Chris Lee’s overtime winner gave Metallurg Magnitogorsk the edge at Neftekhimik in the only game of the day that didn’t end 4-1. There were five goals here as well, though, with Magnitka leading twice before being pegged back to a 2-2 tie in regulation. Wojtek Wolski and Jan Kovar got the visitor’s goals; Pavel Zdunov and Alexander Kitarov were on the mark for Neftekhimik.

KHL - Results - Thursday, November 26, 2015

Lada v SKA 2-3 OT
SKA left it late to see off Lada, with the Eastern Conference struggler belying its lowly status to give the defending champion a real battle. When Alexander Kadeikin put SKA up midway through the first period it looked like a routine evening was in prospect, but Dmitry Vorobyov tied it up and a short-handed goal right at the start of the second period gave the home team the lead. Alexander Streltsov was the scorer, leading a two-on-one break as SKA’s power play stuttered. For a long time it looked as though that would be the winner, but Joakim Lindstrom finally tied the game in the 56th minute. Then, 16 seconds into the extras, Dmitry Kalinin snatched victory for the visitor.
Severstal v Admiral 4-5 SO
Admiral edged a thrilling victory at Severstal thanks to David Booth’s shoot-out winner following a 4-4 tie. The visitor never trailed in the game and looked to be on course for a regulation win when Yegor Dugin scored twice to open up a 4-2 lead. But Severstal hit back through Pavel Buchnevich and Ondrej Nemec to force overtime.
Ak Bars v Spartak Moscow 6-1
At times this season Ak Bars has struggled to match its usual high standards, and there was more evidence of vulnerability when Spartak snatched the lead here after just 33 seconds. Lukas Radil stunned the host, and the nerves continued to jangle during a first period that the visitor shaded. But whatever was said in the locker room did the trick. Dmitry Obukhov tied the game in the 23rd minute, Justin Azevedo made it 2-1 in the 24th and Vladimir Tkachyov got the first of his hat-trick before the midway mark. Mikhail Varnakov extended the lead in the third period before Tkachyov added two more to complete a resounding victory. Despite the one-sided scoreline, though, Spartak managed 40 shots on Emil Garipov’s net.
Jokerit v HC Sochi 2-5
Konstantin Barulin produced a game-winning display between the piping as HC Sochi downed Jokerit 5-2 in Helsinki. The sometime Russian international made 38 saves to frustrate the Finns’ offense and backstop his team’s recovery from 0-2 down. Andrei Kostitsyn’s two goals led the Sochi scoring; Denis Kazionov, Renat Mamashev and Andre Petersson also found the net.
CSKA v Amur 2-0
CSKA’s 2-0 win at home to Amur was a more demanding game than the scoreline suggests. Although the Army Men were dominant, outshooting the visitor 39-13, it took a long time to solve visiting goalie Juha Metsola. A 57th-minute power play goal from Nikita Zaitsev finally broke the deadlock; Alexander Radulov wrapped it up with an empty net effort.

Dinamo Riga v Lokomotiv 0-3
League leaders Lokomotiv shrugged off its defeat in Helsinki with a comfortable win over Dinamo Riga. One goal in each period paced the Railwaymen to victory, while goalie Alexei Murygin equalled a KHL record with his eighth shut-out of the season. Jakub Kovar achieved the same tally for Avtomobilist last season, but Murygin has matched that in far fewer games and looks set to establish a new marker that could be a long-lasting goaltending achievement.
At the other end Denis Mosalyov opened the scoring on the power play in the 11th minute; Alexander Polunin made it two in the 27th and Sergei Konkov completed the scoring. Murygin finished with 18 saves.

KHL - Results - Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Metallurg Nk v Salavat Yulaev 2-4
Salavat Yulayev downed Metallurg Novokuznetsk 4-2 in Siberia. Goals from Artyom Chernov, Andreas Engqvist and Maxim Major in the second period proved too much for the home team. Maxim Kazakov scored twice in a losing cause.
Avtomobilist v Vityaz 3-2
Alexander Pankov's power play goal in the 26th minute gave Avtomobilist a 3-2 win over Vityaz. The teams traded five goals in seven minutes either side of the first intermission before the scoring fell silent for the rest of the game.

Traktor v Metallurg Magnitogorsk 1-4
On a day when both clubs came together to celebrate the late, great Valery Belousov, Magnitka came out on top. The evening began with the unveiling of a memorial plaque to a coach who helped both these teams scale unprecedented heights. Both teams wore his portrait on their uniforms. Meanwhile, Traktor also began life without Andrei Nikolishin. The coach paid the price for his team's lack of firepower earlier in the week. The new Era did not begin well. Magnitka, a narrow winner in a controversial clash last time, was too strong here. Wojtek Wolski set the tone with a first-minute goal and Sergei Mozyakin made it two just before the first hooter. After that it was damage limitation. Bogdan Potekhin added a third, Denis Osipov made it four. Danil Gubarev got one back, but for Traktor it was a day for memories.

Neftekhimik v Dynamo Moscow 5-3
Daniil Tarasov's welcome return to goal-scoring form continues, with the forward getting two more for Dynamo after finally breaking his duck in the previous game. But he is still waiting to contribute a goal to a winning cause for the Blue-and-Whites after his double failed to retrieve the game at Neftekhimik.
Once again Dynamo made a bright start with Alexei Tereshchenko scoring in the second minute, but once again that was not an indicator of more good things to come. Instead the home team hit back: Mikhail Zhukov tied it up, and went on to add his second of the night after Pavel Zdunov gave Neftekhimik the lead.
Tarasov's double twice put Dynamo back within touching distance, but Andrei Sergeyev and finally Maxim Berezin ensured there would be no recovery.

KHL - Results - Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Lada v Spartak Moscow 1-2
Two first-period goals proved good enough to lift Spartak to victory at Lada. Sergei Shmelyov and Vyacheslav Leshchenko did the damage; Alexander Bumagin pulled one back in the middle session.
Severstal v Amur 4-1
Severstal had most of the chances, but Amur made its moments count in a 4-1 win in Cherepovets. Oleg Li and Denis Tolpeko fired a deadly double salvo early midway through the first period and Anatoly Nikontsev’s reply was as good as it got for Severstal. Evgeny Grachyov and Vladislav Ushenin wrapped up the scoring for Amur.
Ak Bars v SKA 3-2
The latest re-run of last season’s Gagarin Cup final saw Ak Bars once again come out on top against the team that mauled it so badly at the culmination of the previous campaign. When the two teams last met in Kazan a whirlwind offense from the visitor set up a decisive 6-1 victory, but this time things were very different. SKA mustered just three shots on Emil Garipov’s net in the first stanza, as well as seeing Yegor Yakovlev expelled from the game for striking out at Justin Azevedo with his stick. Ak Bars took advantage in the 16th minute, taking the lead through Dmitry Obukhov’s goal. The middle session was a mirror image of the opening. This time Ak Bars managed a miserly trio of efforts on target and SKA tied the scores through Alexei Ponikarovsky juts before the second intermission. But the third saw the home team take a crucial two-goal advantage as Mikhail Varnakov and Fyodor Malykhin scored in the first seven minutes. Dmitry Kalinin got one back, but it was too late to save SKA. 
Jokerit v Lokomotiv 3-1
An uncharacteristic fumble from Lokomotiv goalie Alexei Murygin proved costly for his team in Helsinki. What should have been a fairly straightforward block from a Brandon Kozun shot late in the first period turned into a nightmare for the in-form netminder as he failed to get a form glove on the puck and watched in horror as it dropped to the ice and bounced into the goal. That made it 2-0 for Jokerit in the big clash in the Western Conference, a lead that it did not relinquish. The prolific Kozun also had a hand in the opening goal, claiming an assist as Jesse Joensuu opened the scoring early on, but for long periods the game fire to really catch fire. A scoreless second period was wrecked by penalties and it wasn’t until the 56th minute that Loko got on the scoreboard through Sergei Konkov. That sparked Jokerit into action once again and Niko Kapanen profited with an empty-net goal to seal the win. 
Slovan v Dinamo Minsk 4-1
A strong third period led Slovan to a 4-1 win over Dinamo Minsk. Cam Barker, Michel Miklik and Lukas Kaspar scored three unanswered goals to snap a 1-1 tie in decisive fashion. Earlier Rok Ticar put Slovan ahead before Matt Ellison equalized.
CSKA v Admiral 5-1
CSKA cut the gap at the top of the table to a single point on a memorable night for rookie forward Andrei Kuzmenko. The 19-year-old got his first ever KHL goal to open the scoring and set his team on the way to a convincing win. That opened the floodgates: Dmitry Kugryshev doubled the lead on the power play in the 13th minute, Roman Lyubimov added two goals and in between Evgeny Korotkov added a short-handed effort to rub salt into Admiral’s wounds. There were few bright spots for the visitor, but a late goal from Niklas Bergfors might be a cause for genuine consolation. The Swede, so influential in his two previous seasons, had scored just twice this term and was even sent to Admiral’s farm club for a spell to recover his form. If that treatment has worked, it could make a big difference in the coming weeks.

Dinamo Riga v HC Sochi 1-2
HC Sochi picked up a 2-1 win at Dinamo Riga thanks to goals from Andrei Kostitsyn and Ziyat Paigin. Miks Indrasis pulled one back late on for the Latvians.
Medvescak v Torpedo 2-1
High-flying Torpedo saw its progress checked by Medvescak. The Croatians edged a 2-1 home win on Patrick Bjorkstrand’s 37th-minute game winner. Mark Katic put the home team ahead on the power play in the opening session but Alexander Budkin tied it up early in the second.

KHL - Results - Monday, November 23, 2015

Avtomobilist v Ugra 3-1
Avtomobilist forward Alexei Simakov played his 850th game as his team took on Ugra, and his colleagues celebrated the occasion with a convincing victory. Pavel Varfolomeyev’s early goal for Ugra was the only blip on the night but once Alexei Mikhnov equalized late in the first period the home team was rarely troubled further. Second-period domination did not produce a goal, but Alexander Pankov scored on the power play in the 49th minute to give Avto the lead and Nikita Tryamkin wrapped it up with an empty net goal.

Sibir v Avangard 2-1 OT
The race to lead the Eastern Conference has felt like a battle within the Chernyshev division for much of this season, so when divisional rivals Sibir and Avangard went head-to-head the outcome was destined to shape the progress of the title race. Would Sibir consolidate its advantage as it looks to maintain its steady improvement year-on-year and reach new heights this time? Or could Avangard claw back some lost ground? Not surprisingly, the teams proved tough to separate. For two periods the action was hard and uncompromising and the scoresheet was blank until 39:55, when Sergei Shirokov put Avangard ahead on the power play. Sibir was having a tough time solving Dominik Furch in the visitor’s goal and home hopes were looking doubtful when Oleg Gubin tied it up with barely three minutes left to play. Having earned his team a reprieve in regulation, Gubin went on to win it in overtime. Sibir stands eight points clear in the East; only Loko and CSKA have a better return in the overall KHL table.

KHL - Results - Sunday, November 22, 2015

Neftekhimik v Traktor 3-0
Traktor’s troubles in front of goal continued as Denis Sudnitsin turned away 32 shots to record a shut-out in Neftekhimik’s 3-0 win. Jeff Taffe and Maxim Rybin scored in the first period; Pavel Kulikov added a third early in the second. 
Vityaz v Dinamo Minsk 2-4
Dinamo Minsk boosted its play-off hopes with a 4-2 win at Vityaz, a team that has seen its own prospects fade in recent weeks. The home team led twice through Mario Kempe and Maxim Afinogenov but lost its way late on. Two goals for Ryan Vesce and one each from Ryan Gunderson and Paul Szczechura gave the Belarusians the verdict.

Dynamo Moscow v Torpedo 2-3 OT
Kaspars Daugavins, the powerful Latvian forward who traded Dynamo for Torpedo earlier this season, played his part in downing his former club here. He got his team’s second goal, completing Torpedo’s recovery after giving up an early goal to Alexei Tereshchenko. Another former Dynamo man, Nikita Dvurechensky, also scored in regulation for Torpedo but the teams were tied at 2-2 thanks to Daniil Tarasov’s long-awaited first KHL goal. The 24-year-old has featured in 26 games for the Blue-and-Whites after returning from North America, but only today opened his goalscoring account. That was to little avail, though: Sergei Kostitsyn scored in overtime to give Torpedo the victory and avenge a shoot-out loss earlier in the season.

KHL - Results - Saturday, November 21, 2015

Metallurg Magnitogorsk v Lada 3-2 SO
Sergei Mozyakin gave Metallurg Magnitogorsk a shoot-out win over Lada over his team was denied victory 10 seconds before the end of the game. Anton Krysanov struck late to tie the scores at 2-2 after goals from Tomas Filippi and Oskar Osala put Magnitka in front. Earlier Alexander Streltsov gave Lada a second-period lead.
Salavat Yulaev v Ak Bars Kazan 4-2
Salavat Yulaev quickly took control of its big game against old rival Ak Bars, with two goals in the first 10 minutes. Andreas Engqvist was the key man, assisting on Linus Omark’s opener before scoring himself. Anton Lazarev made it 3-0 early in the second before Ak Bars hit back to reduce the deficit through Artyom Lukoyanov and Vladimir Tkachyov. Enver Lisin’s goal midway through the third period gave Salavat breathing space on the way to a 4-2 win.
 
Severstal v Slovan 1-2
Slovan followed its win at CSKA with a success at Severstal. Michal Miklik and Tomas Starosta opened up a 2-0 lead; Andrei Shafer reduced the arrears late on.
Jokerit v Barys Astana 2-0
Jokerit fired in 42 shots on Barys goalie Pavel Poluektov but had to wait until deep into the third period before breaking the deadlock. Atte Ohtama finally solved the keeper in the 50th minute and he put a second into the empty net to complete a 2-0 win. Henrik Karlsson made 24 saves at the other end.
Lokomotiv v Ugra 3-1
Table-topping Lokomotiv proved too strong for Ugra, easing to a 3-1 victory in Yaroslavl. The win maintains the Railwaymen’s cushion at the top of the league.

But it was only in the last 10 minutes that the home team took a decisive grip on the game. The teams had longed been tied at 1-1 when Daniil Apalkov finally broke the deadlock in the 50th minute. Emil Galimov wrapped it up with an empty net goal. Earlier the teams traded first-period goals: Petri Kontiola put Loko up on the power play only for Pavel Varfolomeyev to tie the scores in the 14th minute.

Spartak Moscow v Avangard 3-1
Spartak recovered from an early goal to shoot down high-flying Avangard in Moscow. Denis Parshin put the visitor ahead in the third minute but one goal in each period from Vyacheslav Leshchenko, Evgeny Bodrov and Maxim Potapov won it for the host.

HC Sochi v Avtomobilist 5-6 OT
A third-period fight-back set Avtomobilist on the road to a thrilling win in a wild game in Sochi, but victory seemed destined for the host when Andrei Kostitsyn put Sochi 4-1 up early in the final session. Avto rallied from there with Anatoly Golyshev and Eero Elo making it a one-goal game by the 55th minute. Even then, Sochi must have felt fairly safe when Andre Petersson’s second of the game made it 5-3 a minute later. The visitor, though, would not be denied: Petr Koukal and Nikita Tryamkin scored in the last three minutes to force overtime before Nikolai Timashov grabbed the winner. Earlier Golyshev was on the mark for Avto, tying the scores in the first period after Denis Kazionov gave Sochi the lead. Then goals from Ben Maxwell and Petersson helped the home team build up a commanding, but not invincible, advantage.
CSKA Moscow v Medvescak 3-1
After two games without scoring and three without a win, CSKA got a welcome boost with a comfortable win at home to Medvescak. The talismanic Alexander Radulov ended that goal drought with a power play effort in the 18th minute, only for the Croatians to hit back through Jesse Saarinen early in the second period. Another power play saw Radulov set up Sergei Andronov to put CSKA back in front, and Jan Mursak completed the scoring early in the third. Tempers boiled over midway through the final session. On 48:45 Roman Lyubimov and Nathan Perkovich got into a fight, and 35 seconds later a bigger fracas saw penalties for Marek Kvapel and Geoffrey Kinrade of Medvescak and CSKA’s Andronov and Grigory Panin.

KHL - Results - Friday, November 20, 2015

Amur v Sibir 1-2 SO
Two wins in two days at Amur reversed Sibir’s mini slump following the international break and put the Siberians out in front in the East. But unlike yesterday’s serene 3-0 win, Friday’s clash was a hard-fought battle and Sibir’s success owed much to goalie Nikita Bespalov. He made 31 saves in the game and two more in the shoot-out as first-choice stopper Alexander Salak took a well-earned breather following yesterday’s shut-out. Sibir took the lead in the first period. Tomas Vincour, scorer of the third goal on Thursday, found the net once again. But this would be no runaway win: the Ushenin brothers combined on the power play with Vyacheslav helping Vladislav pot the equalizer midway through the second period. Neither team could break the deadlock until that shoot-out, when Vincour and Konstantin Okulov beat Juha Metsola while Bespalov denied both the Ushenins to take the points.
Admiral v Metallurg Nk 2-0
Admiral made it back-to-back wins over Metallurg Novokuznetsk with a 2-0 success. Alexander Kuznetsov and Artyom Podshendyakov got the goals; Ivan Nalimov made 16 saves.

Traktor v Neftekhimik 2-1 SO
Maxim Yakutseniya’s shoot-out winner gave Traktor the edge over Neftekhimik after a 1-1 tie. Vyacheslav Osnovin put the Chelyabinsk team ahead in the first period but Jeff Taffe tied it up for Neftekhimik in the second.Vityaz v Torpedo 3-4 SO
Vityaz and Torpedo traded six goals before Vladimir Galuzin gave Torpedo the points in a shoot-out. Galuzin and Yury Sergienko twice put Torpedo ahead in the first period but Vityaz rallied to lead 3-2 on a Nikita Vyglazov goal in the second. Kaspars Daugavins levelled it up.

Dynamo Moscow v Dinamo Minsk 4-0
These teams did not come close to matching the 2015 attendance record in the KHL that they set when they met in Minsk. But for the Muscovite branch of the Dynamo family this was a far more comfortable affair as the team cruised to a 4-0 victory with plenty to spare. The first period was fairly even, and short on clear chances, until Denis Kokarev put Dynamo up on the power play after 15 minutes. That changed the pattern of play, with the home side taking control in the second session. Martins Karsums and Vladimir Bryukvin struck either side of a second marker from Kokarev to put the outcome beyond much doubt. The third period produced no further goals as Alexander Yeryomenko finished with 20 saves and a shut-out.

KHL - Results - Thursday, November 19, 2015

Amur v Sibir 0-3
Sibir ended its stumble and exacted revenge for its 0-7 drubbing at home to Amur last week with a 3-0 win in Khabarovsk. After a goalless first period Damir Zhafyarov and Oleg Gubin put Sibir 2-0 up in the second. Tomas Vincour found the empty net late on to complete the victory.
Admiral v Metallurg Nk 2-1

Admiral won 2-1 at home to Metallurg Novokuznetsk. Artyom Poshendyalov gave the host the lead in the first period, Robert Kousal tied the scores early in the third but Dmitry Sayustov won it less than a minute later.Metallurg Magnitogorsk v Ak Bars 1-2 SO
A week ago Magnitka visited Kazan and left with a shoot-out victory. Here the roles were reversed, with Ak Bars playing the part of the highwayman snatching the points on the road. A typically close-fought game between these old rivals was scoreless until deep into the second period. That had much to do with the impressive form of Emil Garipov, who kept a menacing Metallurg offense at bay until Wojtek Wolski finally broke the deadlock. Ak Bars tied it up with a short-handed goal in the third period; Mikhail Varnakov converted a breakaway chance after Dmitry Arkhipov robbed Chris Lee on the boards. That took us to overtime and ultimately to a shoot-out, where Fyodor Malykhin settled the outcome.

Salavat Yulaev v Lada 5-1
Salavat Yulaev powered to a 5-1 win at home to Lada. The teams traded first-period goals but power play markers from Andreas Engqvist and Sami Lepisto put Salavat in control in the second. Maxim Goncharov and Sergei Soin scored late on to add emphasis to the final scoreline.

Severstal v Medvescak 4-0
Severstal handed Medvescak a heavy defeat, winning 4-0 in Cherepovets. Andrei Shefer opened the scoring early on before Pavel Buchnevich scored a hat-trick in 10 minutes either side of the second intermission. Sergei Magarilov made 22 saves.
Jokerit v Avangard 2-3 OT
Jokerit went down to an overtime loss at home to Avangard. Martin Erat got the game winner in the 63rd minute after a 2-2 tie. The Finns led through Brandon Kozun’s fifth-minute goal, but Ilya Mikheyev and Vladimir Sobotka turned the game around in the middle session. Peter Regin’s power play goal, off a Kozun assist tied it up in the third.
Lokomotiv v Avtomobilist 7-4
Lokomotiv belied its reputation for miserly, low-scoring hockey with a wild 7-4 win at home to Avtomobilist. Denis Mosalyov led the scoring with a hat-trick, but Avto will be wondering how it stalled so badly after a wonderful start to the game saw the visitor 3-0 up after barely 10 minutes. Anatoly Golyshev (2) and Petr Koukal had Loko in disarray early on, chasing Vitaly Kolesnik from goal after 10:21 as the home team seemed destined for a long night. However, a rapid reversal of fortune saw the Railwaymen tie the scores before the first intermission thanks to Alexander Polunin, Daniil Apalkov and Mosalyov’s first of the game. The second period began with Eero Elo putting Avto back in front, but that was the end of the visitor’s contribution to the game. Sergei Konkov tied it up midway through the game and when Pavel Kraskovsky made it 5-4 in the 38th minute Lokomotiv had a lead that it would not relinquish. Mosalyov added two more in the final stanza to complete the win and maintain Loko’s position on top of the KHL table. 
SKA v Barys Astana 5-1
Andrei Nazarov had an unhappy return to St. Petersburg as he saw his Barys team’s winning run come to an end. After leaving the head coach’s job at SKA and returning to Astana last month, Nazarov had masterminded a revival for Barys, leading the team to six wins in a row. But the defending champion was too good here, cruising to a 5-1 victory. The game got off to a fiery start, with SKA’s Evgeny Artyukhin and Barys’s Damir Ryspayev coming to blows after just 84 seconds of action. That was the end of Ryspayev’s evening; Artyukhin was given a 5-minute penalty. Before that was over SKA was 1-0 up thanks to Vadim Shipachyov and in the 16th minute Alexander Barabanov made it 2-0 before Maxim Khudyakov got one back for Barys. In the second period Ilya Kovalchuk took control the game, setting up Alexei Ponikarovsky for the 3-1 goal before making it four himself. Jarno Koskiranta added a fifth early in the third. 
HC Sochi v Ugra 5-1
HC Sochi rallied in the third period to overpower Ugra. The game was tied at 1-1 after 40 minutes, but goals from Ziyat Paigin, Ilya Krikunov, Mikhail Anisin and Andrei Kostitsyn gave the host team a comfortable victory.
CSKA v Slovan 0-2
After failing to find a way past Medvescak’s Danny Taylor last time out, CSKA’s forwards were hoping for better luck at home to Slovan. Once again, though, an inspirational goaltending display denied the Army Men. Michael Garnett, more popular in the blue corner of Moscow after his spell with Dynamo, produced a breath-taking display on his return to the capital. He made 45 saves to extend CSKA’s scoreless run. One clue as to the home team’s offensive problems might lie in the number of shots coming from defensemen: Nikita Zaitsev had seven efforts on goal, a tally matched only by forward Geoff Platt. Fellow blue-liners Mikhail Naumenkov, Denis Denisov and Artyom Sergeyev shared six futher efforts between them, suggesting that at times CSKA struggled to get inside Slovan’s defense. At the other end Marek Viedensky opened the scoring in the second period and Francis Pare wrapped it up with an empty net strike. Finally, as frustrations peaked, Nikita Kvartalnov and Rok Ticar were embroiled in a fight on the hooter. 

NHL - Chicago Blackhawks @ San Jose Sharks 5-2 - Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Patrick Kane extended his career-high point streak to 17 games and Andrew Desjardins scored his first goal of the season in the Chicago Blackhawks' 5-2 victory against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center.
Kane, who leads the NHL in points (34) and assists (23) and is tied for second in goals (13), moved within four games of Bobby Hull's franchise record point streak of 21 set in 1971-72. It's the longest point streak in the NHL since Pascal Dupuis' 17-game streak in 2011-12 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kane is one game behind Eddie Olczyk (Toronto Maple Leafs, 1989-90) and Phil Kessel (Boston Bruins, 2008-09), who share the record by an American-born player.
Brent Seabrook, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith and Andrew Shaw scored and Corey Crawford made 27 saves for the Blackhawks, who are 2-1-1 on their "Circus Trip" with road games against the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings remaining.
The Sharks went a franchise record 6-0-0 on their past road trip, which ended Sunday with a 5-3 victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets, but their troubles at home continued Wednesday. They lost their third straight home game and fell to 3-6-0 at SAP Center.

Brent Burns and Patrick Marleau scored and Martin Jones made 21 saves for San Jose, which trailed 2-1 after the first period and 3-1 entering the third. Chicago had the game's first eight shots. San Jose did not record its first shot until 13:08. The Sharks were without injured defenseman Justin Braun (upper body), who normally skates with Vlasic on the top pair. After some first-period miscues, Tennyson saw little ice time the rest of the way.
Goals
* The Blackhawks took a 1-0 lead at 8:39 of the first period on Seabrook's fifth goal of the season. Kane sent Seabrook a cross-ice pass and he beat Jones with a slap shot from above the left circle with traffic in front.

* San Jose pulled even at 14:56 of the first when Burns scored the Sharks' first power-play goal at home this season, ending a 0-for-21 streak. Joe Pavelski hit Burns with a cross-ice pass in the left circle, and he sent a slap shot past Crawford for his ninth goal of the season and fourth in three games.
* Toews answered with a breakaway goal at 17:03, giving Chicago a 2-1 lead. Ryan Garbutt took a hit from Matt Tennyson in the Blackhawks end but sent the puck ahead to Toews, who raced the other way and lifted a wrist shot from the left circle to the far side for his eighth goal of the season.* Keith extended Chicago's lead to 3-1 at 12:20 of the second period, sending a wrist shot from near the left boards past Jones, who appeared to be screened by Marc-Edouard Vlasic.
* San Jose made it 3-2 at 11:20 of the third period on Marleau's eighth goal of the season, but Desjardins, a former Shark, scored 67 seconds later, putting a rebound past Jones.* Desjardins made it 4-2 against his former side.
* Shaw scored an empty-net goal with 42.8 seconds remaining.

Sharks Bites

Peter DeBoer: "Turnovers were absolutely the difference in the first period. We cleaned it up after that. We were sloppy and a little soft in the in the first period and we paid for it. The story of the game was the first period and how we started."
Martin Jones: "Obviously we'd like to come out of the gate a little bit better. But they're a good team. It didn't seem like there was a lot of room out there for us to make plays, and we ended up turning a lot of pucks over. Against that team, that gets you in trouble."

Hawks Quotes

Patrick Kane: "It's something if it [his streak] ends, it ends. I just want to play my game and make sure I'm doing the right things out there for the team. If it continues, it continues. I'm not too worried about it right now. I think it was a step in the right direction, especially for the team. We knew this team was hot coming in. They played six straight games on the road where they went 6-0. It was important for us to come out. We know they're a fast-starting team at home. We start off not giving them a shot for a little while. It's a good start to the game. We were happy with our start and kind of rolled to the rest of the game."
Andrew Desjardins: "Obviously it felt good personally, but I think it felt good too, [because of] the time of the game. They were starting to pour it on a little bit. It was good. I liked it. Any time you score against your former team, it's a great feeling. That's was the first one for me. So yeah, it felt great."
Joel Quenneville: "Maybe on the road it was our best complete game. I thought we had a really good game in Vancouver (on Saturday) with nothing to show for it. I thought today we got rewarded. Good back-to-back efforts as far as playing the right way and doing a lot of good things."

NHL - St Louis Blues @ Pittsburgh Penguins 3-4 OT - Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Evgeni Malkin scored 1:03 into overtime and Sidney Crosby scored twice to lead the Penguins to a 4-3 win against the Blues at Consol Energy Center. Pittsburgh finished a four-game homestand 3-1-0. The Penguins will visit the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday. St. Louis has lost five of its past eight games since beginning the season 11-3-1.
Crosby, who tied his season-high with nine shots, gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead by scoring two goals for the first time in 47 regular-season games. The goal was Crosby's first in 11 games against the Blues. He has at least one point in each of his past three games. Wednesday marked the first time Crosby scored at least two goals in a regular-season game since Feb. 12. The Blues played their ninth game in 16 days and managed to come back from a third-period deficit for the second time in as many games. St. Louis scored two third-period goals on its way to a 2-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday.
Goals
* After Ian Cole went to the penalty box for holding the stick, Paul Stastny took seven seconds to give the Blues a 1-0 lead 9:15 into the first period. Alexander Steen sent a slap pass to Stastny left of the crease, where he redirected a shot past Fleury.
* Crosby erased a 1-0 deficit with 3:41 remaining in the first. After Pascal Dupuis forced Carl Gunnarsson to turn the puck over in his own zone, it trickled to Crosby between the faceoff circles, where he beat Allen with a slap shot.
* Crosby scored again with Dmitrij Jaskin in the penalty box for hooking. Malkin fed Crosby in the slot, where he redirected a feed through traffic from Penguins Patric Hornqvist past Allen to give Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead 9:57 into the second period.
* Robby Fabbri scored a third-period goal for the second consecutive game. Fabbri's wrist shot from the top of the far circle tied the game 2-2 at 1:12.
* A wrist shot from Ben Lovejoy at the end of a long shift gave the Penguins a 3-2 lead 6:49 into the third period.
* Alex Pietrangelo responded with 5:41 remaining by putting a wrist shot past Marc-Andre Fleury from the right faceoff circle.* Phil Kessel's pass to Malkin eluded two Blues after charging into the St. Louis zone. Malkin went in on goalie Jake Allen alone, deked to the left before going back to the right for his team-leading eighth goal, and fifth game-winner.

Pens Quotes

Mike Johnston: "That's a tough team, St. Louis. When you're playing that type of team, they make you play 60 minutes. You can't have a letdown for any time and I thought we made some mistakes, but I didn't think we had a letdown."
Sidney Crosby: "They're a big team. They're physical. They came at us pretty hard, but we handled it really well. I think I was just able to get those opportunities. When you get open ice, you have more time to read the play and to see what's open, and [Hornqvist] is always there. He's always near the net, so it's never a bad play to throw it there, and a lot of times tonight when I picked my head up, he was sitting there. So it's never a bad play to put it in an area when he's fighting for position there."

Blues Quotes

Ken Hitchcock: "We have too much slowness in our game. Too much slowness. From where we were before, we were in attack mode, and we're on our heels now. We're way too much on the heels now. We're constantly trying to slow the play down instead of trying to get the pace back up again. That's something we want to improve."
Alex Pietrangelo: "Four (points) would be better. It's not easy playing comeback hockey, though. We have to find a way to get up on teams early and bury them. Good character shown coming back here, but it'd be nice to be up once in a while. But then again, it's tough on the road to carry that momentum for a full game."

NHL - Central - Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Nashville @ Buffalo Sabres 3-2
The Predators ended a franchise-worst goal drought and a three-game losing streak with the help of a former Sabres forward. Cody Hodgson scored the decisive goal 6:29 into the second period and helped the Predators to a 3-2 win against the Sabres at First Niagara Center. Hodgson made it 3-0 with his second goal of the season. He took a pass from Gabriel Bourque, who recovered a rebound from a shot by Calle Jarnkrok, and Hodgson one-timed the pass from Bourque past Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark. It was Hodgson's first game against the Sabres since he was waived and bought out by Buffalo on June 30. He played three and a half seasons for the Sabres and signed a one-year contract with the Predators on July 1. Mike Fisher gave the Predators a 1-0 lead with 6:08 left in the first period. Fisher put a rebound of a Colin Wilson shot past Ullmark for his third goal of the season. Fisher's goal was the Predators first goal since Nov. 17 and ended their franchise-record scoreless streak which included three straight shutouts at 227:39 The Predators were outshot in the first period 11-4 and were 32-20 overall. The Sabres led the Predators in shots attempted 65-37. In the three previous games, they had 203 shot attempts.
Evander Kane made it 3-1 with his second goal of the season with 1:38 left in the second period, and Jack Eichel made it 3-2 with 1:19 left in the third period with his seventh goal of the season. Craig Smith gave the Predators a 2-0 lead with his fifth goal of the season 55 seconds into the second period. Smith took a pass from Mattias Ekholm on a 3-on-1 into the zone against Josh Gorges and took a wrist shot that went off the post past Ullmark. Ullmark was replaced by Chad Johnson after Hodgson's goal made it 3-0. Ullmark made five saves on eight shots; Johnson made 12. Predators goalie Carter Hutton made 30 saves in his third start of the season, first since Nov. 1. For Buffalo, Zemgus Girgensons returned to the lineup after he missed four games with an upper-body injury. Tyler Ennis missed the game with an upper-body injury. Sabres coach Dan Bylsma said there was no timetable for Ennis' injury and he'll be evaluated further.

Cody Hodgson: "Bourque made a great play, a really sharp pass. Just the way we play our defense, they are always in the play. He made a good play to jump the wall, and allowed the guy to cough it up to the middle. Jarnkrok made a good pass down to Bourque, who made a real good pass backdoor. I just had to tap it in."
Peter Laviolette: "I know people always want to do well in the buildings that they're in and they came from for whatever the reason. I don't think our guys were in panic to score goals. I mean, we didn't score any, but like I said, I'm a pretty honest guy; I'll tell you how the first period was tonight and I'll tell you the second period was better. But the games that we played, we did the right things and it didn't go in for us, so we move on. Our guys are confident that we're going to score goals. We weren't going to get shut out the rest of the year; that would be impossible. … At some point we're going to score a goal. I think there's just a lot of confidence in our guys that they're going to score. They do the right things, they put the puck at the net; it's going to go in. Cody played a good game tonight; his line factored in a big goal for us."
Mike Fisher: "Knew it was going to come; just a matter of time. Definitely feels good to get the first one and get a lead. Really didn't have a great first period either. We were due for bounces and we got a few. Luckily it was enough, because they were coming pretty hard at the end. We've played some great games and lost, haven't played some good games and won. I haven't seen it like this in a long time. We needed a win bad."
Carter Hutton: "The first goal I didn't like but it's one of those things; I think the more I play and get into a rhythm those things will disappear. It's hard when you don't play in three weeks and you get in there and play. Buffalo's a good hockey team, they've got a lot of speed and they're coming. I thought we did a good job though. We gave up some chances but they were a lot of perimeter stuff. ... Our offense broke out and it was just a matter of time. We put up three and were able to hold on and win the game."
Winnipeg @ Washington Capitals 3-5
The Capitals knew Evgeny Kuznetsov was talented, but this season they're finding out just how good the forward can be. Kuznetsov had a goal and two assists in a 5-3 win against the Jets at Verizon Center. The 23-year old center has five three-point games this season, two in his past three games. Kuznetsov has nine points in his past seven games and leads the Capitals with 24 points.
Dmitry Orlov scored the tiebreaking goal in the second period to help the Capitals win their third in a row. His third goal in three games gave the Capitals a 4-3 lead at 16:22 of the second period; it was a slap shot from the point that beat goalie Michael Hutchinson blocker side. Orlov previously had not scored since March 2, 2014. Justin Williams, Alex Ovechkin, Backstrom and Kuznetsov scored for Washington; Holtby made 23 saves. Hutchinson made 31 saves, while Tyler Myers, Andrew Ladd and Mathieu Perreault scored for Winnipeg. Williams scored 1:12 into the first period to give the Capitals a 1-0 lead. John Carlson's shot went wide behind the net and Williams scored on the rebound. It was his sixth of the season, fourth in his past seven games, and was the fastest goal to start a game for Washington this season. Myers scored for Winnipeg at 6:38 of the first period to tie the game 1-1. Bryan Little won the faceoff in the offensive zone and got the puck to Ladd, who passed to a wide-open Myers. With Brooks Laich tied up, Myers had plenty of space to score from the slot. The goal was Myers' second of the season and the 50th of his NHL career. Ladd gave the Jets a 2-1 lead with his goal at 13:01 of the period. Blake Wheeler fished the puck out of the corner to Ladd at the top of the left circle, where he sent a wrist shot past Holtby for his fifth of the season. Ovechkin tied it 2-2 on a power play at 18:46 of the first. Carlson gave it to Ovechkin, waiting in his usual spot by the hash marks in the left circle. Ovechkin he kicked the puck to his stick to score his 11th goal, and second power-play goal of the season. Carlson's assist was his 11th of the season. Ovechkin had seven of Washington's 15 shots on goal in the first period. Backstrom made it 3-2 at 10:03 of the second with his eighth of the season. Nate Schmidt sent a pass across the goal mouth to Backstrom for the tip-in. Backstrom has seven points in his past five games. Perreault went top corner on Holtby to tie the game 3-3 at 13:53 of the second period. Dustin Byfuglien corralled the puck at the point and fed Perreault, who scored his second of the season, breaking a streak dating to Oct. 18. Kuznetsov scored with 6:16 remaining in the third period to make it 5-3.

Michael Hutchinson: "It's just one of those games where I had to try and be aware of where everyone was on the ice, especially Ovechkin. You kind of have to be aware of where he is because [the Capitals] are able to make good plays and get pucks to the net quick."
Paul Maurice: "We're chasing games. For too many minutes of the game, chasing that game, and when you're doing that you're looking for offense that's hard to generate, and we've got some guys scoring on a big chunk that aren't, and that has as much to do with some of the offense that we're giving up. Five-on-5, the shots, [the Capitals] have a bit of an advantage, I would expect that they would, but we're talking about four or five shots. They got a lot of shots on the power play, and that's [about] staying out of the box."
Nicklas Backstrom: "I think for his age [Kuznetsov's] really matured as a player. He's really responsible all over the ice. He's got his great skill too. He can do it all, and that's great for us. He's been playing great lately."
Vancouver Canucks @ Minnesota 3-2
After losing six times on a seven-game road trip that concluded last week, the Canucks knew a better start was required. Radim Vrbata scored twice and Ryan Miller made 30 saves and the Canucks opened a four-game road trip with a 3-2 win against the Wild at Xcel Energy Center. Vancouver overcame a sluggish first period, getting a goal from Vrbata in the final minute that changed the momentum of the game. The Wild outshot the Canucks 13-9 and appeared ready to carry a 1-0 lead into the first intermission before Vrbata accepted a backhanded drop pass from Jared McCann in the high slot and beat goaltender Devan Dubnyk with a low shot, tying the game 1-1. The Canucks took control of the game in the second period, owning zone time and a 10-5 edge in shots. Vancouver finally cashed in on Vrbata's second goal midway through the period. Henrik Sedin's cross-rink pass deflected off a defenseman's skate in front of Dubnyk, who was caught out of position. Vrbata jumped on the loose puck, shooting between Dubnyk’s glove and the post for his sixth at 11:15. Minnesota lost on home ice for the second time in 10 games. Dubnyk, making his 18th start in 20 games, finished with 25 saves. Vrbata's second midway through the second and Jannik Hansen's breakaway goal early in the third gave Vancouver a two-goal lead that appeared to be safe. Minnesota pulled Dubnyk with two minutes remaining and got within one when Ryan Suter's point shot was tipped in front by Coyle with 1:20 remaining. The Wild pulled Dubnyk again with 44 seconds left and finished the game on the power play after Alexander Edler was called for hooking with 32.4 seconds left. Miller made a blocker save on Mikael Granlund, Jason Pominville hit the crossbar and Dan Hamhuis made a diving block on a shot by Mikko Koivu with Miller down-and-out in the crease. Thomas Vanek scored his team-leading ninth goal at 12:39 of the first while on the power play, giving Minnesota a 1-0 lead. Granlund made a nice play along the wall to gain control of the puck, getting it to Koivu. He found Vanek alone in the slot, who rifled a shot over Miller's glove. Clinging to a 2-1 lead in the third, Hansen gained control of a long outlet feed from Daniel Sedin early in the third and shot it over Dubnyk's blocker for his seventh at 5:31. The Canucks will spend Thanksgiving in Dallas. They continue their road trip against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Friday. Minnesota will play the third of a four-game homestand against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.

Charlie Coyle: "Our second period wasn't even close to good, and that's what killed us. We gave it to them. We weren't close to playing our game; losing battles, no sense of urgency."
Mike Yeo: "We've spent all week talking about how great of a home team we are. We tried to talk our way through that second period. We weren't good enough as a team to win tonight."
Thomas Vanek: "It was one of those nights where we expected to win but didn't put in the work. For the most part, we have been a solid home team. But after the first, we got away from it and tried long plays and were pretty sloppy for the most part."
Ottawa Senators @ Colorado 5-3
Rookie Shane Prince scored his first two NHL goals and had an assist, and the Senators held on for a 5-3 win against the Avalanche at Pepsi Center. Prince's goals came 3:07 apart in the first period to stake goalie Craig Anderson to a 2-0 lead, and the Senators stretched their winning streak to four games. Anderson made 30 of his 40 saves in the second and third periods. The Avalanche, who have lost four of their past five games, played their first home game since Nov. 6 after completing a seven-game road trip. Their 2-6-1 record at home is the NHL's worst. Zack Smith, who centered a line with Prince and Chris Neil, fed Prince for his second goal and scored at 18:13 of the second period for a 4-1 lead. The Avalanche outshot the Senators 22-4 in the third and got goals from Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon 1:36 apart to close to within 4-3.
Landeskog deflected in MacKinnon's shot at 10:50 on a 6-on-4 power play with Avalanche relief goalie Reto Berra on the bench for an extra skater. MacKinnon scored at 12:26 with a shot from the slot off a pass from Landeskog, closing the gap to a goal. Colorado went on its fifth power play of the game with 5:49 remaining when Ottawa's Marc Methot was penalized for interference, but the Senators killed it off. The Avalanche had another power play with 10.2 seconds to go when Milan Michalek tripped Tyson Barrie, but Kyle Turris won the faceoff and Mika Zibanejad scored into an empty net with 6.2 seconds left. The Senators, who are 5-0-2 in their past seven games, took a 3-1 lead at 1:48 of the second period on Turris' 11th goal, after which Avalanche coach Patrick Roy replaced starting goalie Semyon Varlamov with Berra. Turris scored on the Senators' first shot of the period, beating Varlamov from the right hash marks after accepting a centering pass from Mike Hoffman. Varlamov faced 15 shots in all. Prince, who was Ottawa's second-round pick (No. 61) in the 2011 NHL Draft, was playing in his 15th NHL game. He scored his first goal at 5:54 of the first period after taking a pass from Erik Karlsson. Prince shot from the top of the left circle, and Varlamov thought he covered the puck with his pads, but it trickled across the goal line. Karlsson extended his scoring streak to eight games with the assist, matching his NHL career high. He has five goals and seven assists in the streak. Prince scored again at 9:01. Smith skated down the right wing, moved to the bottom of the faceoff circle and slid the puck in front to Prince, who redirected it in for a 2-0 lead. Avalanche rookie center Chris Wagner followed with his first NHL goal at 10:36 when he banked the puck in off Anderson's right leg during a goal-mouth scramble. Wagner was playing in his 25th NHL game, his fifth since the Avalanche claimed him on waivers Nov. 15 from the Anaheim Ducks. Colorado's Matt Duchene had his scoring streak stopped at seven games.
Nathan MacKinnon: "We need to close it out or tie it up somehow. It's nice that we came back and had a good third, but we're down by three going into the third, so we should be desperate and should have dominated. There's no moral victories, we need points. This was a good opportunity to get them, and we didn't show up."
Patrick Roy: "That was a bad goal, the first one. Coming off a seven-game road trip ... when I saw the first one going in, I said, 'C'mon, Varly.' That can't happen. That was not a dangerous shot at all. It was coming from the board, and it really hurt us a lot. It took some momentum off of our game. He needs to be better. Period."

NHL - Results - November 24-25, 2015

Tuesday, November 24

Calgary @ Anaheim 3-5
The Ducks trailed 3-2 entering the third period, but Rakell tied it at 1:52 when he one-timed a pass from Perry behind Karri Ramo, with Getzlaf getting the second assist. Perry put the Ducks ahead for the first time at 4:00 when Getzlaf's pass sent him in alone behind the Calgary defense and he snapped a shot through Ramo's five-hole for a power-play goal. Getzlaf also assisted on Ryan Kesler's empty-net goal with less than one second remaining. Frolik, with his 100th NHL goal, and Bennett each scored on rebounds in the first 10:39 to give the Flames a quick 2-0 lead and send goaltender Anton Khudobin to the bench in favor of John Gibson, who was recalled from San Diego of the American Hockey League earlier in the day because starter Frederik Andersen was experiencing flu-like symptoms. The move appeared to invigorate the Ducks, who got a power-play goal from Perry at 12:07 and tied it at 16:31 when Rakell deked past Flames defenseman Dougie Hamilton before lifting a backhander over Ramo. The Ducks dominated the second period and were outshooting the Flames 13-2 before Frolik put Calgary back in front at 15:46. He was left alone in front, took Bennett's pass from behind the net and quickly lifted it into the top corner for his sixth goal of the season.

Wednesday, November 25

Columbus @ New Jersey 2-1
Matt Calvert gave the Blue Jackets a 2-1 lead with 1:24 left in the second period. Schneider made a save against Cam Atkinson with his pad while on the ice before Calvert knocked in his opportunity at the left post. The Devils thought they tied the game 8:28 into the third period when Henrique tipped a shot past Bobrovsky from the slot on a delayed penalty, but referee Jean Hebert disallowed the goal after it was ruled Gregory Campbell had control of the puck a few seconds earlier. The Blue Jackets denied the Devils on five power-play chances; Bobrovsky stopped seven shots when New Jersey had the man-advantage. The Devils entered having scored at least one power-play goal in five straight games. The Devils held the Blue Jackets without a shot on goal in the second period until Ryan Johansen was credited with one at 16:51. It was the first of six straight against Schneider in a span of 1:45. New Jersey gained a 1-1 tie in the second when Henrique scored his Devils-leading 10th of the season at 3:33. After taking a pass from Mike Cammalleri in the left circle, Henrique took a shot that beat Bobrovsky over his left shoulder. The assist by Cammalleri, his 15th of the season, equaled his total for 2014-15. Karlsson gave the Blue Jackets a 1-0 lead on their ninth shot 8:51 into the first. He scored his third of the season off a rebound at the left post.


Montreal @ NY Rangers 5-1
Rookie backup Mike Condon made 11 saves in relief of Price, and the Canadiens helped him by scoring three times in the third period, including twice within the first 1:29 and again at 9:06. Henrik Lundqvist was pulled after the fifth goal. He allowed five goals on 24 shots. Devante Smith-Pelly was given first crack at playing on the top line with Pacioretty and Tomas Plekanec. He had the first two-goal game of his NHL career, and that line finished with seven points, including three assists from Plekanec. Smith-Pelly scored at 2:25 of the second period off a feed from Pacioretty to give Montreal a 2-0 lead. He scored 17 seconds into the third period off a pass from Plekanec to make it 3-1. Alex Galchenyuk and Pacioretty also scored in the third period. Sven Andrighetto scored his first goal of the season in the first period. The Rangers had the game within reach and Price out of the net at the start of the third period. They had a chance until Ryan McDonagh gave away the puck in the defensive zone and Plekanec found Smith-Pelly for Montreal's third goal 17 seconds into the period.
Galchenyuk made it 4-1 at 1:29; after picking off an errant pass by Marc Staal he carried the puck into the zone, appropriately waiting for his linemates to get onside, and eventually beat Lundqvist on a short-side wrist shot from the lower part of the left circle. Pacioretty's goal that made it 5-1 came on the power play.
The Canadiens didn't have Alexander Semin for most of the third period; he did not return because of a lower-body injury after taking one shift in the third.

Edmonton @ Carolina 1-4

After giving up a power-play goal in the first period, Carolina slowly gained momentum and took control of the game. The Oilers lost Nail Yakupov to an apparent lower-body injury at 2:22 of the second period. During a faceoff at center ice, he got his legs tangled with linesman Matt MacPherson, and each went down to the ice. Yakupov did not put any weight on his left leg while being helped to the Oilers dressing room. McLellan had no update on his condition after the game. Edmonton was sharp early, and Benoit Pouliot capitalized on the power play 7:34 into the game. Yakupov held in Ron Hainsey's clearing attempt before setting up Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for a wrist shot that caught a piece of Pouliot's stick in the slot. It was Pouliot's 100th NHL goal and Yakupov's 100th assist in the League. Carolina tied the game with 16 seconds remaining in the period when Jordan Staal attempted a short centering pass from behind the net. The puck deflected off the skate of Griffin Reinhart and trickled through Nilsson.
The Hurricanes began to control the pace of play in the second period, and Lindholm's third goal put Carolina up 2-1 at 10:16. With Brett Pesce driving the net on a 2-on-1, Lindholm looked off Pesce from the left circle before firing a wrist shot between Nilsson's legs. John-Michael Liles and Eric Staal assisted.
Skinner made it 3-1 when he redirected Justin Faulk's pass from the high slot at 16:41. Faulk's pass hit Andrej Sekera before going in off Skinner's skate. With the assist, Faulk extended his point streak to seven games. Andrej Nestrasil scored into an empty net from just inside the red line with 51 seconds left.

Philadelphia @ NY Islanders 1-3
Casey Cizikas tied the game with a shorthanded goal late in the first period and Okposo put New York ahead early in the second. Jaroslav Halak made 17 saves for the Islanders, who limited Philadelphia to four shots in the third period before Nielsen hit the empty net with 1:09 remaining for his ninth of the season.

The Islanders and Flyers combined for 44 penalty minutes and 67 hits [Go Figure!]. There were two fights and numerous post-whistle scrums.

Okposo put the Islanders ahead for the first time at 5:14 of the second period with a superb individual effort. After John Tavares won an offensive-zone faceoff, Okposo controlled the puck in the left corner, worked his way into the lower left circle and surprised Mason with a shot that went through the legs of defenseman Nick Schultz and went high into the short side. It was Okposo's fifth goal and extended his point streak to six games. With Josh Bailey off for goaltender interference, Giroux stationed himself in the left circle and one-timed a pass from Shayne Gostisbehere past Halak at 3:59 for his team-high eighth goal of the season. But the Islanders penalty killers redeemed themselves by scoring a shorthanded goal with 57.7 seconds remaining. Cal Clutterbuck picked up a loose puck at his own blue line, raced into the Philadelphia zone and cut toward the net. The puck bobbled and appeared to hit Gostisbehere's skate, then came to Cizikas in front of the net. He beat a defenseless Mason for his third of the season and a 1-1 tie after one period. Mason kept the Flyers in the game in the third, when the Islanders outshot the Flyers 15-4, but Philadelphia generated little offensive pressure before Nielsen's empty-net goal.
Boston @ Detroit 3-2 OT
Frank Vatrano scored his second goal of the game with 1:28 left in overtime to give the Boston Bruins a 3-2, come-from-behind win against the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena. Miller tied it 2-2 with 1:44 left in the third period. He beat Mrazek with a slap shot from the top of the right circle. Mrazek was partially screened. The Red Wings scored twice in the second period to take a 2-1 lead. Datsyuk tied it 1-1 at 2:26 of the second period. He cut in off the right wing, flipped the puck over the stick of Torey Krug, who was diving, and beat Gustavsson under the crossbar from the slot. It was Datsyuk's second goal of the season. He is the ninth Russian-born player to score 300 goals in the NHL, and the ninth Red Wings player to do so. Tatar gave Detroit a 2-1 lead with 5:07 left in the second period. His shot from the slot deflected in off Krug's stick. Tatar had come directly off the bench to score his seventh goal. Vatrano gave Boston a 1-0 lead 7:11 into first period when his shot from the high slot beat Mrazek. Landon Ferraro played 9:51 for the Bruins less than a week after being waived by the Red Wings.
Los Angeles @ Tampa Bay 1-2 SO
After Jonathan Marchessault and Anze Kopitar scored during the first two rounds of the shootout, it came down to Valtteri Filppula in the third round. He faked right and went left with the wrist shot that went over the shoulder of Kings goalie Jonathan Quick. Bishop made saves on Jeff Carter and Tyler Toffoli in the shootout, and Quick stopped Nikita Kucherov. Lucic tied the game with 5:23 remaining in the third period on a shot from the left circle that trickled between Bishop's pads. Toffoli, who had an assist on Lucic's seventh goal, provided a screen on the shot. Johnson gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead on his fourth goal at 5:57 of the third. He took possession of the puck at the left circle, skated to the slot and put a wrist shot past Quick high on the stick side. Quick made 29 saves.
Anaheim @ Phoenix 2-4

Opening a three-game, four-night homestand wrapped around the Thanksgiving holiday, the Coyotes got off to a quick start with some early scoring chances and a goal. Kyle Chipchura won a battle for the puck with Mike Santorelli before pushing it back to Michael Stone just inside the Anaheim blue line. Using teammate Boyd Gordon as a screen in front, Stone put a low, hard shot past goalie John Gibson at 3:14 for his second goal of the season. Phoenix doubled their lead 5:25 into the second period after Anaheim's Shawn Horcoff was called for cross-checking Brad Richardson, his second penalty of the game. Domi put a pass on the stick of Mikkel Boedker, who redirected the puck to the Anaheim net. Gibson made the save, but Vermette pounced on the rebound and tucked it around Gibson's outstretched pad. The Ducks scored on the power play early in the third period after a tripping penalty on Tobias Rieder late in the second. Kesler camped in the slot and redirected a shot by Vatanen past Smith for his third goal at 00:38. Domi swiped a Patrick Maroon pass inside the Anaheim blue line and found Duclair dashing up the slot. Duclair deked Gibson to the ice and tucked the backhand behind him at 1:57 to restore the two-goal lead. Anaheim kept up the pressure after Duclair's second goal and cashed in on a Nicklas Grossmann penalty to cut the lead again. Vatanen raced around Zbynek Michalek and put a sharp-angled shot up high and past Smith at 7:47 for his fifth goal. Vermette closed the scoring with an empty-net goal with 1:06 left.