12/19
Toronto (15-10-5) @ Calgary (17-9-3)
CGY 3 – 1 TOR
Columbus (14-11-5) @ Colorado (14-13-3)
COL 3 – 2 CBJ SO
New Jersey (15-13-1) @ Philadelphia (14-13-4)
NJD 1 – 0 PHI SO
Trade Alert: FLA send D Filip Kuba to BOS for 2014 1st round pick.
12/20
New York Islanders (16-3-3) @ Detroit (22-8-1)
Detroit finally is able to clear out their IR report, with Johan Franzen returning from a broken wrist that sidelined him for almost 2 months. The odd man out will be Cory Emmerton, who will be replaced on the fourth line with Abdelkader taking center, and Samuelsson moving down with Bertuzzi joining Helm and Miller on the third line. Franzen will be centered by Datsyuk on the first line with Danny Cleary getting bumped up to join them. Zetterberg will continue to center Nyquist and his former red-hot winger Filppula.
The Islanders have been the surprise team of the year in the East, coming out red hot and slowing only slightly, it’s exactly what they expected when they have a healthy Dipietro and a stud center in Tavares.
It was a contested battle through two, but Detroit would be disadvantaged first, after a Jordan Tootoo check, NYI defenseman Mark Streit would leave the game, and Tootoo would get a 5 minute boarding penalty and be ejected from the game after only 8 minutes of play. However the Wings would be dominant on the penalty kill, only allowing 10 shots in the period.
The second period it was all Dipietro, as he faced 18 shots and blanked the Wings.
In the third however, Jimmy Howard would blink first, as Kyle Okposo (7) deflected in a goal in the crease (A: Grabner, Bailey).
Hope was dimming for the Red Wings, as Dipietro stayed solid. He put up 32 saves through the third, but on the 33rd shot, Carlo Colaiacovo (4) would beat him on a slap shot (A: Datsyuk) to tie the game.
Overtime went as the whole game had, both goaltenders refusing to blink. However a shot from Danny Cleary (11) got deflected in by one of the Islanders defenseman, ending the game with 45 seconds remaining in the OT (A: Quincey, Howard).
DET 2 – 1 NYI OT
Three Stars:
- NYI G Rick Dipietro – 1.88 GAA, .946 SV%, 37 SA
- DET D Carlo Colaiacovo – 1G, 0A, 5H
- DET RW Daniel Cleary – 1G, 0A, 1S
Notes: NYI D Mark Streit will be injured 4 weeks with a separated shoulder.
Nashville (17-12-3) @ Carolina (13-14-6)
CAR 4 – 2 NSH
Notes: NSH G Pekka Rinne will be injured for 2 weeks.
Winnipeg (18-11-0) @ Boston (15-12-5)
WPG 4 – 3 BOS OT
Anaheim (20-7-4) @ Tampa Bay (10-19-0)
ANA 3 – 2 TBL
Vancouver (15-13-4) @ Minnesota (13-15-4)
VAN 4 – 3 MIN
Buffalo (21-7-2) @ Edmonton (9-16-6)
BUF 7 – 0 EDM
Notes: BUF D Tyler Myers will be injured for 4-5 weeks.
Florida (17-10-3) @ New York Rangers (16-10-5)
NYR 4 – 3 FLA OT
Notes: NYR D Daniel Girardi will be injured for 4 weeks.
Montreal (11-19-3) @ Washington (16-14-2)
WSH 5 – 1 MON
Notes: WSH LW Wojtek Wolski will be injured for the next 8 weeks.
St. Louis (12-16-2) @ Phoenix (11-15-3)
STL 2 – 0 PHX
Notes: STL D Barret Jackman will be injured the next 3-4 weeks. PHX D Zbynek Michalek will be injured 2-3 months.
Los Angeles (22-8-3) @ San Jose (14-14-3)
SJS 4 – 3 LAK SO
12/21
Winnipeg (18-12-0) @ Pittsburgh (18-15-0)
PIT 4 – 1 WPG
Vancouver (16-13-4) @ Columbus (14-11-6)
VAN 2 – 1 CBJ SO
Florida (17-11-3) @ Ottawa (16-11-4)
OTT 3 – 2 FLA
Notes: OTT D Jared Cowen will be out 7-8 weeks.
St. Louis (12-17-2) @ Dallas (18-12-2)
DAL 2 – 1 STL
Notes: StL D Roman Polak will be out 3-4 weeks.
Philadelphia (14-14-4) @ New Jersey (16-13-1)
NJD 3 – 2 PHI
Notes: PHI D Pavel Kubina will be injured for 6-7 weeks.
12/22
Columbus () @ Detroit ()
Columbus, the team that shocked the west by going undefeated at the beginning of the year, has faltered slightly but is looking to make a statement against the NHL leading Red Wings and their division rivals.
In the first period, both Sergei Bobrovsky and Jimmy Howard looked absolutely stellar, allowing no goals off 30 total shots.
In the second however, Jimmy Howard would crack first. Nick Foligno (13) would score to give the Jackets a 1-0 lead with only 2 minutes gone (A: Umberger, Dubinsky). It wouldn’t stop there as rookie Jonathan Audy-Marchessault (5) would blow one past Howard only four minutes later (A: Foligno).
Detroit would try to make a comeback, with Johan Franzen (2) potting one past Bobrovsky (A: Datsyuk, Zettberberg) on the powerplay.
In the third however, Columbus put it away early. Jack Johnson (5) (A: Tyutin) and James Wisniewsky (5) (A: Anisimov, Foligno) would both score in the first two and a half minutes, and the Wings simply accepted their fate.
CBJ 4 – 1 DET
Three Stars:
- CBJ RW – Nick Foligno – 1G, 2A, 2H, 3S
- CBJ LW – Jonathan Audy-Marchessault – 1G, 1S
- CBJ D – James Wisniewski – 1G, 3H, 2S
Washington (17-14-2) @ Boston (15-13-5)
WSH 6 – 1 BOS
Montreal (11-20-3) @ Toronto (16-10-5)
TOR 4 – 2 MTL
Pittsburgh (18-15-1) @ New York Islanders (17-13-3)
NYI 2 – 1 PIT SO
New Jersey (16-14-1) @ New York Rangers (17-10-5)
NYR 3 – 1 NJD
Anaheim (20-8-4) @ Carolina (14-14-6)
CAR 3 – 0 ANA
Nashville (17-13-3) @ Tampa Bay (11-19-0)
TBL 2 -1 NSH
Colorado (14-14-3) @ Minnesota (14-15-4)
MIN 4 – 3 COL
Dallas (18-13-2) @ Phoenix (12-15-3)
PHX 3 – 2 DAL
Buffalo (22-7-2) @ Calgary (17-10-3)
BUF 2 – 1 CGY
San Jose (14-14-4) @ Los Angeles (23-8-3)
LAK 5 – 4 SJS OT
12/23
Philadelphia (15-14-4) @ Ottawa (16-12-4)
PHI 3 – 0 OTT
Edmonton (10-16-6) @ Calgary (17-10-4)
EDM 4 – 3 CGY SO
Vancouver (16-14-4) @ St. Louis (13-17-2)
STL 4 – 2 VAN
Anaheim (21-8-4) @ Chicago (17-12-3)
ANA 1 – 0 CHI
Carolina (15-14-6) @ Washington (17-15-2)
CAR 3 – 1 WSH
Nashville (17-14-3) @ Florida (18-11-3)
FLA 5 – 1 NSH
Buffalo (22-8-2) @ Colorado (15-14-3)
COL 5 – 2 BUF