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
With just two games on the schedule tonight, the teams in action sure still managed to keep things interesting. Florida, already holding a 2-0 lead in the series, headed into Tampa looking to keep the ball rolling, and that they did. They got off to a pretty characteristic hot start, grabbing the lead in the first period on a goal by Matthew Tkachuk, and managing to hold that heading into the first intermission (with a bit of help, as the Lightning for a moment thought they had tied things up late in the period on the power play, but the goal was quickly called back after a successful offside challenge).
The Lightning had the jump to start the second period though, as they managed two goals (from Steven Stamkos and Tyler Motte) inside the first three minutes of play, but the Panthers managed to weather that storm, bending without breaking any more, and went on to chip away at the Lightning’s lead — Sam Reinhart picked up a goal about halfway through the period to even things up again, and then a shot by Brandon Montour from the point somehow managed to sneak through everybody, and the Panthers had their lead again.
If we thought the Panthers might just park the bus and try to hold on to that one-goal lead and coast to a win, we had another thing coming. They kept the pressure up and managed to score another goal to extend the lead to two thanks to the strength of their forecheck, this one coming from Steven Lorentz (also marking the second goal of the night by Florida’s fourth line). The Lightning made things interesting, as they managed to pull back within a goal late in the third period (a goal by Nick Paul) but they couldn’t quite get it together with the goalie pulled to fully complete the comeback. Tkachuk iced the game with the empty netter, and just like that, the Lightning are on the verge of being swept.
Final: 5-3 Panthers
Series: 3-0 Panthers
Highlights: NHL
Carolina Hurricanes vs. New York Islanders
And then up in New York for Game 3 of the Islanders’ series against the Hurricanes, the Hurricanes were looking to do a similar bit of damage and pull themselves into a 3-0 lead in the series. They started off well towards that aim, as they managed to jump out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, with Brent Burns getting them first on the board and the Dmitry Orlov extending it just a few minutes later.
The Islanders managed some pushback in the second period though, as Pierre Engvall finally got them on the board and within a goal of the Hurricanes, but this didn’t mark a complete shift of play in their favor. Just over four minutes later, Sebastian Aho chipped a shot past Igor Sorokin, restoring the Hurricanes’ two-goal lead, and Patrick Roy, desperate to spark something for his Islanders team, pulled Sorokin in favor of sending out Semyon Varlamov. And the initial returns of this move were positive — Varlamov settled in quickly and was able to stifle that Hurricanes offense, while the skaters got to work, and a late period goal by Brock Nelson from the low slot pulled them back within one.
The Islanders kept up the pressure in the final frame, managing to create a few really good looks, but Freddie Andersen had the answer, the save, each time. And in the end, the pressure that the Islanders managed to generate just wasn’t enough, the finish wasn’t there for them. The Hurricanes contained them, and the Islanders fell one goal short of the comeback, and now also find themselves in danger of being swept.
Final: 3-2 Hurricanes
Series: 3-0 Hurricanes
Highlights: NHL
