Throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs we’ll be keeping track of all the action around the league, and bringing you all of the results in one place.
Florida Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Lightning
Sunday brought us our first full day of playoff action, for those looking to park themselves on the couch and watch only hockey for the whole of it, and it sure did deliver its share of excitement.
The battle of the two Florida teams kicked things off, and as it always seems to be, it was a thriller. The Panthers grabbed the early bit of momentum, striking first on a goal from Sam Reinhart. The Lightning didn’t allow them to run away with that momentum though, as they were able to bear down and tie things up before we hit the first intermission, care of Brandon Hagel. The second period saw a fair bit of trading of chances, but no one was able to break through, break the tie, despite how threatening they may have looked at times. It wasn’t until the third period when the Panthers were able to pull back ahead, getting a little lucky on the power play, as the Lightning penalty killers were caught puck watching, and Carter Verhaeghe was able to take advantage.
It looked like the Panthers were going to skate away with this one pretty tidily, when Matthew Tkachuk put away the empty net goal with a little over two minutes remaining, but then the Lightning scored with the goalie pulled again to make things interesting — Steven Stamkos got his first of the series — but they did it with only 10 seconds remaining. And we know that this Lightning offense can be quick-strike, but that was even a bit too little time for them, so the Panthers managed to eke this one out.
Final: 3-2 Panthers
Series: 1-0 Panthers
Highlights: NHL
New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals
And now, as we turn to The Series The Flyers Might Have Played In If The Wheels Had Not Fallen Off, we see that for the Capitals, who punched their ticket to the playoffs with a win over the Flyers in Game 82, things are not going so great.
The first period very much felt like both sides were feeling things out, and credit to the Capitals, as they were able to contain the Rangers’ offense through that first frame and keep things scoreless. But things broke open for the Rangers pretty immediately when they returned for the second period. Matt Rempe opened up the scoring just past the four minute mark, and the Rangers kept pouring it on from there — they added two more goals in the next two minutes and change, care of Artemi Panarin and Jimmy Vesey — and it very much became their game from there.
A deflection goal by Martin Fehervary at the end of the period ensured that the Capitals at least weren’t going to be shut out in this one, but the offense didn’t manifest much more than this for them. They went into the third period still, in theory, in this game, but there just wasn’t much doing for them. Chris Krieder scored with just under four minutes remaining in the game to put the Rangers back up by three, and effectively ending things (though they never quite felt like they began).
Final: 4-1 Rangers
Series: 1-0 Rangers
Highlights: NHL
Winnipeg Jets vs. Colorado Avalanche
If a pair of five-goal outings wasn’t enough for you, this first matchup between the Jets and the Avalanche certainly brought the goals in droves.
Where to begin? The Avalanche struck first and struck early, as Valeri Nichushkin got them on the board with just over six minutes gone in the first period. The Avalanche would not be able to hold on to momentum for long, though, as Jets responded by putting up two goals in just under four minutes (care of Josh Morrissey and Vladislav Namestnikov) to pull into the lead. One two-goal burst is fun, but what about a second? The Avalanche had one of their own up their sleeve as, separated by just 18 seconds, Miles Wood and Nathan MacKinnon pushed them back into the lead. And if you think that’s all, you’re sorely mistaken — the period closed out tied again, as Mark Scheifele was able to put away a goal at the end of the period.
*deep breath*
After the second period saw just a paltry single goal scored (this one from Adam Lowry), we began to wonder if everyone had gotten all of the goals out of their system and things would quiet down for the final frame, but this was deeply not the case. Instead, they matched a six-goal first period with a six-goal third period, and it went as follows: Adam Lowry got his second of the game early in the first period, putting the Jets up by two, and Kyle Connor extended that lead to three goals just over two minutes later. With a chance on the power play, the Avalanche were able to stop the bleeding momentarily, as a goal from Artturi Lehkonen got them back within two, but Connor came back and restored the three-goal lead and got his second of the night.
It was looking like it might just be over for the Avalanche, but then just like that, Cale Makar put one away on the power play, they created some pressure from there, and then inside the final minute, Casey Mittelstadt pulled them within one with the goalie pulled. In some ways, it felt like that game deserved overtime, but the Jets were able to hold on for the win in regulation. Whew.
Final: 7-6 Jets
Series: 1-0 Jets
Highlights: NHL
Vancouver Canucks vs. Nashville Predators
The final game of the night allowed us to catch our breath a bit, as it was a tight and engaging one without being nearly as run and gun.
The Predators played, by all counts, a very good road period through the first frame. They kept it simple, limited the number of chances that they allowed (just four shots on goal), and what’s more, they came away with the lead, after Jason Zucker put them up by one before the first intermission.
The second period saw the Canucks get back into the game, as they came out with some serious jump, and Elias Lindholm tied things up just 47 seconds into the period. There was no panic from the Predators though, and despite that falter, they were able to reclaim the lead on the power play midway through the period thanks to a nice bit of work from Ryan O’Reilly.
The Predators had their chances to pull away in this one — three other chances on the power play, namely — but failed to do so, which made what came next feel a bit unsurprising. As the midpoint of the third period neared, the Canucks began to kick things up a gear, and after a bit of sustained offensive zone time, a Quinn Hughes shot from the point made its way into the back of the net and tied the game, and then, just 12 seconds later, Dakota Joshua scored to give the Canucks their first lead of the game. The Predators didn’t go away quietly, had a nice little push at the end of the period, but ultimately they fell short, as Joshua sealed the game with the empty net goal. And that’s another clean sweep for the home teams tonight.
Final: 4-2 Canucks
Series: 1-0 Canucks
Highlights: NHL
