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
We’ve got a quick recap for you, folks, as we had something of a quiet evening yesterday, with only two games on the schedule. We began things down in Florida, as the Panthers looked to close things out in their series against the Lightning. They got off to a good start, too, as they kept things even through the first period, and then scored just 45 seconds into the game to jump out to a very early lead, and it was clear that the Lightning were going to have their work cut out for them again. The Panthers extended their lead in the second half of the period, on a shorthanded goal by Aleksander Barkov, but instead of letting this deflate them, they stormed right back and got themselves on the board just 59 seconds later, on a goal from Victor Hedman.
The Lightning certainly had some life in this one (they did put two more pucks into the net on goals which were ultimately disallowed), but it ended up not being enough, as the Panthers really started to pull away in that final frame. Barkov scored his second of the night just about 11 minutes into the period, and then Evan Rodrigues made it a three goal game with a huge, emphatic goal scored on the rush. And the Lightning threw everything they had at the Panthers through the end of the period, but they still couldn’t break through. It didn’t need further icing, but the Panthers still tacked on two empty net insurance goals (these from Carter Verhaeghe and Niko Mikkola) just for good measure, and successfully sent the Lightning packing.
Final: 4-3 Canucks (OT)
Series: 4-1 Panthers
Highlights: NHL
Dallas Stars vs. Vegas Golden Knights
And while there was no risk of elimination on either side of our second game, at least not yet, that doesn’t mean it was any less high-octane. We saw a fair share of trading of chances through the early goings, but we didn’t see anyone break through until the tail end of the period. And, what’s more, not just one somebody, but two — Michael Amadio got the Golden Knights on the board first, and then just three and a half minutes later, Evgenii Dadonov tied things up for the Stars.
So it was an even playing field still when we reached the second period, and again it was Vegas who found the first burst of production, this time it was Jack Eichel breaking through. The Dallas counterpunch didn’t come quite as immediately this time around, but it did come. First it was Wyatt Johnston (who’s beginning to feel inevitable at this point) putting one away on the power play, and then Ty Dellandrea pushing the Stars into the lead for the first time with a nice little tip-in play at the end of the period.
And while the Golden Knights certainly had some good looks in the third period as they pushed to pull this game even again and force overtime, Jake Oettinger came up big for the Stars once again and stifled those efforts. The only bit of scoring we got was, ultimately, the empty net goal from Roope Hintz which sealed the win for Dallas. And just like that, the streak is still alive — every win that’s come in this series has been a road win.
Final: 4-2 Stars
Series: 2-2 Tied
Highlights: NHL
