Down the Frozen River

Category: NHL

  • Habs force Game 6 to be played at home in front of limited capacity crowd

    Habs force Game 6 to be played at home in front of limited capacity crowd

    The Montréal Canadiens struck fast and early, led by three goals, nearly blew it and struck fast and early again in their, 4-3, overtime victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday in Game 5 of their 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round matchup.

    Nick Suzuki capitalized on a 2-on-0 opportunity– scoring the game-winning goal about a minute into overtime– after the Leafs turned the puck over at the other end of the rink, sending an empty Scotiabank Arena home even quieter than they weren’t allowed to enter as the Canadiens forced a Game 6 in front of a limited capacity crowd at Bell Centre on Saturday.

    The Habs will have about 2,000 fans at their next game– marking a first for Canadian teams this season with the ongoing pandemic.

    Despite this, Toronto carries a 3-2 series lead into Montréal with the chance to eliminate the Canadiens on the road.

    Carey Price (2-3, 2.66 goals-against average, .919 save percentage in five games played) stopped 32 out of 35 shots faced in the win for the Habs.

    Leafs netminder, Jack Campbell (3-2, 1.61 goals-against average, .944 save percentage in five games played), made 26 saves on 30 shots against in the loss.

    Nick Foligno remained out of the lineup for Toronto, while Maple Leafs head coach, Sheldon Keefe, replaced Travis Dermott with Rasmus Sandin on defense.

    Toronto captain, John Tavares– sidelined by a concussion and a lower body injury– was in the building and watching his teammates from the press box.

    He also resumed skating earlier in the day, though is still considered “week-to-week” at this point.

    The Maple Leafs have not won a playoff series since 2004, and last beat Montréal in a playoff series in six games in the 1967 Stanley Cup Final (4-2).

    Joel Armia (1) gave Montréal a, 1-0, lead at 5:13 of the first period as Corey Perry’s forecheck in the attacking zone produced a turnover, leading to Armia scooping up the loose puck and elevating a shot over Campbell’s glove side for the game’s first goal.

    The Canadiens surged as a result of Wayne Simmonds ringing the crossbar about a minute prior in their own end and Armia’s first goal of the game subsequently.

    A few minutes later, Armia (2) had his second goal of the game while Campbell was lying on his back to extend the Habs’ lead to two-goals.

    Montréal worked the puck “D-to-D” along the point before sending a shot towards the slot where Eric Staal generated a rebound and Perry got a quick touch on an indirect short pass to Armia for the goal.

    Armia slid the rubber biscuit under Campbell’s leg as the Habs made it a, 2-0, game at 8:18 of the opening frame.

    Perry (2) and Staal (2) tallied the assists on the goal.

    After one period of action in Toronto, Montréal led, 2-0, on the scoreboard and, 14-8, in shots on goal.

    The Maple Leafs held the advantage in takeaways (5-3), while the Canadiens led in hits (20-15) and faceoff win percentage (62-39). Both teams had four blocked shots each and six giveaways aside.

    Neither team had seen any action on the power play entering the first intermission.

    Jesperi Kotkaniemi (2) made it, 3-0, for the Habs on an individual effort early in the middle frame after flipping the puck into the corner and taking it away from Sandin before stuffing the rubber biscuit around Campbell at 4:52 of the second period.

    Less than two minutes later, Zach Hyman (1) inadvertently tipped a shot past Price to cut Montréal’s lead from three goals to two.

    Mitchell Marner got Price to overcommit and flop out of position like a fish out of water outside the crease before banking the puck off of Tyler Toffoli before it wobbled and got a piece of Hyman for the goal as a mad scramble in front of the crease to bail out the Canadiens netminder swarmed.

    Marner (4) and Auston Matthews (3) had the assists on Hyman’s goal as the Maple Leafs trailed, 3-1, at 6:32 of the second period.

    Hyman later tripped Suzuki and presented the Habs with their first power play of the night on the first penalty of the game at 13:39.

    Montréal did not convert on the ensuing skater advantage, however.

    Through 40 minutes in Toronto, the Canadiens led, 3-1, on the scoreboard and, 23-19, in shots on goal, despite the Leafs holding an, 11-9, advantage in shots on net in the second period alone.

    The Maple Leafs also led in blocked shots (8-7), takeaways (9-4), giveaways (11-10) and faceoff win% (51-49), while the Habs held the advantage in hits (33-29).

    As Montréal had the only power play through two periods and failed to convert on the advantage, the Habs were 0/1, while the Leafs were still awaiting their first skater advantage.

    Brendan Gallagher cut a rut to the penalty box for interference at 4:41 of the third period and presented the Maple Leafs with their first power play of the night as a result.

    Though Toronto did not score on the skater advantage, they did take advantage of the vulnerable minute after special teams action as Jake Muzzin (1) sent a shot off the post and in from the point as net front traffic diminished Price’s vision of the shooter.

    Simmonds (1) and William Nylander (2) were credited with the assists on Muzzin’s first goal of the game as the Leafs pulled to within one and trailed Montréal, 3-2, at 6:52 of the third period.

    Midway through the final frame of regulation, the Maple Leafs tied it, 3-3, on another goal from Muzzin (2)– this time on a redirection through Price’s five-hole thanks to an initial shot pass from Alex Galchenyuk at 11:54.

    Galchenyuk (3) and Nylander (3) had the assists on Muzzin’s second goal of the night as Toronto answered Montréal’s three-goal lead with three unanswered goals of their own.

    After regulation, the score was tied, 3-3, and the Maple Leafs had a, 35-29, advantage in shots on goal, including a, 16-6, advantage in the third period alone.

    Toronto also held the advantage in blocked shots (12-9), takeaways (11-8) and giveaways (14-12), while Montréal led in hits (44-38) and faceoff win% (51-49).

    As there were no penalties called in overtime, both teams went 0/1 on the power play in Game 5.

    Less than a minute into the extra frame Galchenyuk turned the puck over in the attacking zone, leading to a fast breakout the other way for the Canadiens, whereby Suzuki and Cole Caufield ended up on a 2-on-0 entering Montréal’s attacking zone.

    Suzuki (2) passed the puck to Caufield for a quick give-and-go before one-timing the puck past Campbell for the game-winning goal 59 seconds into overtime.

    Caufield (1) recorded the only assist– his first career Stanley Cup Playoff point– on Suzuki’s goal as the Habs defeated the Maple Leafs, 4-3, in overtime in Game 5.

    The Canadiens finished the night with the advantage in shots on goal in overtime alone, 1-0, as well as the lead in hits (44-38) and faceoff win% (52-48), while Toronto wrapped up Thursday night leading in shots on goal (35-30), blocked shots (12-10) and giveaways (15-12).

    The Habs trail in the series 3-2 heading back home for Game 6 at Bell Centre in Montréal. Puck drop is scheduled for Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET and viewers in the United States can catch the action on NBCSN, while those in Canada can choose from CBC, SN or TVAS.

  • Bolts eliminate Panthers in Game 6 shutout at home, 4-0

    Bolts eliminate Panthers in Game 6 shutout at home, 4-0

    The defending Stanley Cup champions are on their way to the Second Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs after shutting out the Florida Panthers, 4-0, on home ice at Amalie Arena on Wednesday.

    That’s right, the Tampa Bay Lightning have emerged victorious in the “Battle of Florida” in six games (4-2) in what was Andrei Vasilevskiy’s first shutout the postseason, as well as the second of his career.

    Vasilevskiy (4-2, 2.64 goals-against average, .929 save percentage in six games) turned aside all 29 shots that he faced in the shutout win for the Lightning.

    Spencer Knight (1-1, 2.07 goals-against average, .933 save percentage in two games played) made 20 saves on 23 shots against in the loss for the Panthers.

    Knight made his second straight start in net because, well, have you seen the other options Florida has in the crease?

    Meanwhile, Barclay Goodrow returned to the lineup for Tampa– making his series debut in the process, while Luke Schenn was scratched.

    Tyler Johnson raced to the puck to beat a looming icing call before sending a quick pass to the low slot where Pat Maroon (1) tapped the rubber biscuit behind Knight to make it, 1-0, Lightning at 6:16 of the first period.

    Johnson (1) and Mikhail Sergachev (2) tallied the assists on Tampa’s first goal of the night– which, just like in Game 5, also happened to be on the first shot of the night for the Bolts.

    Late in the period, Panthers defender, Brandon Montour hooked Brayden Point and presented the Lightning with a power play at 18:55 that would spill over into the middle frame.

    After one period of action at Amalie Arena, Tampa led, 1-0, on the scoreboard– much to the pleasure of the home crowd– while both teams had eight shots on goal apiece.

    Florida led in takeaways (2-0) and faceoff win percentage (69-31), while the Bolts led in giveaways (3-2) and hits (15-13) entering the first intermission.

    Only the Lightning had seen any time on the power play and they were 0/1 heading into the middle frame.

    Ryan McDonagh caught Aleksander Barkov with a high stick at 1:53 of the second period and presented Florida with a skater advantage as a result.

    The Panthers couldn’t muster anything on the ensuing power play, however.

    Midway through the middle frame, Sam Bennett was assessed a roughing infraction at 12:53.

    This time, the Lightning made sure to capitalize on the resulting skater advantage as Steven Stamkos (3) sent a one-timer over Knight’s blocker after Nikita Kucherov worked a pass to Victor Hedman for the one touch pass to Stamkos for the power-play goal.

    Hedman (8) and Kucherov (7) notched the assists as Tampa extended their lead to, 2-0, at 13:27 of the second period.

    Less than a couple of minutes later, Sergachev cut a rut to the sin bin for cross checking Patric Hornqvist at 15:05. Florida did not score on the resulting power play.

    Through 40 minutes of action, the Lightning led, 2-0, on the scoreboard, despite trailing the Panthers in shots on goal, 19-15.

    Florida held the advantage in shots on net in the second period alone, 11-7, and led in blocked shots (8-7) as well as faceoff win% (61-39). Meanwhile, Tampa held the lead in takeaways (5-3) and hits (25-21) as both teams managed to have four giveaways each entering the second intermission.

    The Panthers were 0/2 and the Lightning were 1/2 on the power play heading into the final frame.

    Late in the third period, Point (4) was patient with the puck as he crept into the slot whereby his patience paid off with a deke and a goal as Knight overcommitted and the Lightning took a, 3-0, lead as a result.

    Kucherov (8) and Erik Cernak (3) had the assists on Point’s goal at 14:36.

    With nothing left to lose, Panthers head coach, Joel Quenneville, pulled his netminder for an extra attacker with about four minutes left in the game.

    Nevertheless, Tampa wired a shot into the back of the empty net as Alex Killorn (4) redirected a pass from Cernak for the extra insurance marker.

    Cernak (4) and Stamkos (5) each recorded their second points of the night with the primary and secondary assists, respectively, as the Bolts grabbed a, 4-0, lead at 18:18 of the third period.

    About a minute later, Frank Vatrano took out his frustration on Cernak with a slash at 19:35, presenting the Lightning with one more power play for the evening, though it would go by the wayside as the final horn sounded 25 seconds later.

    Tampa sealed the deal on a, 4-0, shutout victory to win the series 4-2– eliminating the Panthers in the process, despite finishing the night trailing in shots on goal, 29-24.

    Florida held the advantage in shots on in the third period alone (10-9) as well as faceoff win% (53-47), while the Lightning finished Wednesday night’s action leading in blocked shots (13-12) and hits (32-27).

    Both teams managed to have five giveaways each, while the Panthers finished 0/2 on the skater advantage and the Bolts went 1/3 on the power play in Game 6.

    With the series wrapped up in six games (4-2) for the Lightning on Wednesday, Tampa awaits the winner of the Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators series as their opponent in the Second Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

    The Hurricanes lead their series with the Predators 3-2 and can wrap things up on the road in Nashville on Thursday.

  • Islanders Advance as Pittsburgh Sees Another Early Exit

    Islanders Advance as Pittsburgh Sees Another Early Exit

    The New York Islanders will be shipping up to Boston as they advance to the second round, defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. It was another early exit for the Penguins who were Stanley Cup Champions favorites heading into the playoffs. The team were eliminated by the Montreal Canadiens in 2020 and the New York Islanders in a four game sweep the previous year. 

    The Penguins outshot the Isles 37-24 but still lost, 5-3. The Islanders ran away with the night scoring three unanswered goals after Jason Zucker scored the go ahead goal for Pittsburgh. . Anthony Beauvillier, Kyle Palmieri, and Ryan Pulock scored one apiece. Brock Nelson had himself a night with 2 goals and 3 on the series. 

    Trade deadline acquisition Jeff Carter had himself a wild series with 4 goals in 6 games. The forward was traded from Los Angeles and earned 9 goals in 14 regular season games. One would not assume that a 36 year old would see a rejuvenation but I guess that’s not the case for Carter. Jake Guentzel scored in the first period as well right before Palmieri answered to tie it up. Unfortunately for the Pens, they couldn’t keep it going. Jason Zucker scored to open up the third period but that was it. That was all she wrote. 

    The Islanders were 6-2-1 against the Boston Bruins. A good portion of the games were prior to the trade deadline. Both teams respectively acquired power forwards in Taylor Hall and Kyle Palmieri. Palmieri had 3 goals against Pittsburgh while Hall tied his career postseason total with 2. The teams are expected to kick off their series this weekend in Boston.

  • Canes take 3-2 series lead with win in Game 5

    Canes take 3-2 series lead with win in Game 5

    Martin Necas scored a pair of goals as Jordan Staal scored the game-winner in overtime to give the Carolina Hurricanes a, 3-2, victory in front of their home crowd at PNC Arena as the Canes took a 3-2 series lead over the Nashville Predators in Game 5 on Tuesday.

    Alex Nedeljkovic (3-2, 2.10 goals-against average, .927 save percentage in five games played) made 23 saves on 25 shots against int he win for Carolina.

    Predators netminder, Juuse Saros (2-3, 2.59 goals-against average, .928 save percentage in five games played) stopped 34 out of 37 shots faced in the loss.

    The biggest lineup change from Game 4 to Game 5 was the return of defender, Jaccob Slavin, to Carolina’s blue line. Slavin’s missed three games this postseason due to injury and brings a physical presence that the Hurricanes would be wise to utilize to combat Nashville’s big bodies.

    Dougie Hamilton cross checked Filip Forsberg as the two skaters barreled into Nedeljkovic early in the opening frame, yielding the night’s first power play to Nashville at 5:03 of the first period.

    The Predators weren’t successful on the ensuing skater advantage, but used the momentum gained from surviving the energy of the PNC Arena crowd as well as the power play opportunity to strike first moments later.

    Roman Josi sent a shot towards the net from the point that deflected off teammate, Yakov Trenin (1) and floated over Nedeljkovic’s shoulder like a “knuckle puck” would cut erratically through the air and into the twine in The Mighty Ducks.

    Josi (3) had the only assist on Trenin’s first career Stanley Cup Playoff goal as the Preds jumped out to a, 1-0, lead at 11:44 of the first period.

    About a couple minutes later, Luke Kunin hit Andrei Svechnikov hard along the boards, which sparked a response from Svechnikov as the two players exchanged pleasantries before a crowd gathered.

    In all, Kunin and Matt Benning, as well as Svechnikov picked up roughing minors, while the Hurricanes got a power play out of it at 13:10.

    About a minute later, Carolina converted on the skater advantage as Hamilton worked the puck over to Necas (1) for a snap shot over Saros’ glove to tie the game, 1-1, at 14:21.

    Hamilton (2) tallied the only assist on Necas’ first career Stanley Cup Playoff goal.

    Entering the first intermission, the Hurricanes and Predators were tied, 1-1, on the scoreboard, though Carolina led in shots on goal, 10-5.

    The Canes also held the advantage in giveaways (5-0) and faceoff win percentage (63-38), while the Preds led in blocked shots (8-7), takeaways (2-1) and hits (21-19).

    Nashville was 0/1 and Carolina was 1/1 on the power play heading into the middle frame.

    Less than a minute after returning from the first intermission, Trenin (2) scored on a catch-and-release goal on a 2-on-1 as Colton Sissons (2) provided the only assist to give the Predators a, 2-1, lead 53 seconds into the second period.

    Midway through the period, Forsberg cut a rut to the penalty box for tripping Sebastian Aho at 8:59, but the Hurricanes couldn’t muster anything on the ensuing power play.

    Moments later, Carolina thought they had tied the game on a shot by Slavin that appeared to hit Nashville forward, Ryan Johansen, and deflect past Saros, but Predators head coach, John Hynes, used a coach’s challenge to argue that there was goaltender interference on the play and the call on the ice should be reversed in that case.

    Though review confirmed to the eyes of Caniacs in the stands at PNC Arena and fans at home that Warren Foegele entered, then promptly exited the crease with his right skate with enough time for Saros to reset himself (nevertheless, he was unaffected anyway) before– what’s that? His own teammate barreled into him?

    Yes, Josi made contact with his own goaltender, pile-driving him out of position as the goal had been scored. Surely the on-ice officials would make the right call and…

    …well.

    In the eyes of the officials, Foegele had done enough to merely exist in the playing surface, despite not making any contact or direct impeding gesture to disrupt Saros’ play, but what’s a catch these days anyway?

    The call on the ice was reversed and the goal was taken off the board due to incidental goaltender interference.

    Nashville remained in command, 2-1, at 12:22 of the second period.

    And the Preds’, 2-1, lead was enough to get them into the dressing room for the second intermission unscathed as Carolina outshot the Predators, 24-16, through 40 minutes of action.

    The Hurricanes had a, 14-11, advantage in shots on net in the second period alone and led in giveaways (13-1), hits (48-30) and faceoff win% (64-36), while Nashville held the lead in blocked shots (12-7) and takeaways (6-2) after two periods.

    The Preds were still 0/1 and the Canes remained 1/2 on the power play heading into the final frame of regulation.

    Foegele was assessed a roughing minor for getting tangled up with Ben Harpur at 5:36 of the third period and presented the Predators with a power play as a result.

    Carolina’s penalty kill stood tall, however, as Foegele was released from the box two minutes later without issue.

    Midway through the period, Necas (2) raced up through the neutral zone with speed, broke into the attacking zone, cut for the trapezoid behind the net and wrapped the rubber biscuit around the goal frame and into the twine behind Saros to tie the game, 2-2, on an impressive display of athletic ability.

    Slavin (1) notched the assist on Necas’ second goal of the game as No. 88 for Carolina almost singlehandedly put the team on his back at 12:55 of the third period.

    Despite scoring a goal that was later waved off due to the magic of a coach’s challenge in the second period, the Hurricanes found themselves heading to overtime with the Predators tied, 2-2, on the scoreboard– even after outshooting Nashville, 35-25, in shots on goal, including an, 11-9, advantage in the third period alone.

    The Preds led in blocked shots (15-12) and takeaways (6-4) after regulation, while the Canes led in giveaways (20-4), hits (66-40) and faceoff win% (56-44).

    Nashville was 0/2 and Carolina was 1/2 on the power play as each team searched within themselves to find a game-winner and procure a 3-2 series lead as a result with overtime looming after the 15-minute intermission.

    Brady Skjei was sent to the box for holding 56 seconds into the extra frame, but Nashville’s ensuing power play was cut short as Alexandre Carrier interfered with Aho at 1:43.

    The two clubs would skate at 4-on-4 for 1:14 prior to Carolina yielding an abbreviated 5-on-4 power play.

    But the Hurricanes’ captain had other plans.

    Staal sent a shot on Saros that the Predators goaltender stopped while generating a rebound that he quickly batted away from the crease right to… …Staal as Staal (4) smacked the puck out of the air, got a lucky bounce and watched the vulcanized piece of rubber sneaked through Saros’ five-hole to give Carolina a, 3-2, overtime win.

    Staal’s unassisted effort at 2:03 of the overtime period secured a 3-2 series lead for the Hurricanes as the home team finished Tuesday night leading in shots on goal, 37-25, including a, 2-0, advantage in the extra frame alone.

    Carolina wrapped up the effort leading in blocked shots (21-4), hits (66-40) and faceoff win% (59-41), while Nashville exited PNC Arena with the lead in blocked shots (16-12).

    The Preds finished the night 0/3 on the skater advantage while the Canes went 1/3 on the power play in Game 5.

    The Hurricanes take a 3-2 series lead back on the road for Game 6 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Thursday. Puck drop is expected a little after 9:30 p.m. ET and viewers in the United States can tune to NBCSN for national coverage, while fans in Canada can catch the game on SN360 or TVAS.

  • First Postseason Shutout for Campbell, Where Is Montreal’s Offense?

    First Postseason Shutout for Campbell, Where Is Montreal’s Offense?

    Jack Campbell earned his first career postseason shutout with 32 saves in Toronto’s 4-0 win over Montreal. 

    The first frame was quiet but clearly the Toronto Maple Leafs were waiting to show off during the second. 

    Alex Galchenyuk had assists on goals from William Nylander and Jason Spezza. Nylander still leads his team in scoring and points through the series. Auston Matthews main appearances have only come when being taken down by a Canadiens player. It was a missed tripping call on Alex Kerfoot that led to a Jumbo Joe goal. Yes, Spezza and Thorton scored tonight. No, you have not entered a new dimension. Frustrations only built for the Habs are they could not get one behind Jack Campbell. The Leafs were outshooting Montreal 24-18 after 40. Insert your favorite quote about shooting the puck if you must. The final frame was a little less entertaining. However, there was an empty net goal provided by Alex Galchenyuk. Big night for Gally. 

    Carey Price was left out to dry once again. His team couldn’t show up and put in the slightest effort to score goals.Tyler Toffoli has not had any luck in this series. The 29 year old had 28 goals this season in Montreal. Of all the players you would expect to see more out of him.  Brendan Gallagher’s frustration boiled over after the third goal, slamming his stick on the boards. Someone mentioned Price going on to be Seattle’s Marc-Andre Fleury. That’s probably a long shot but we can always dream of a fairytale ending. 

    What is the point of making the Montreal Canadiens go out there for a game five? I’m just happy that there aren’t any Habs fans wasting money to be in the stands for this. I don’t know how you can look at this series and say they still have a chance. Nylander has more goals than the entire Canadiens team has scored. The Leafs are about to advance out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time since 2004. 2004. The Red Sox hadn’t even won their first World Series in 86 years. Some of you might not have even been born. All it took was avoiding the Boston Bruins in the beloved first round.

    Toronto looks to close out the series on Thursday. If they advance, they’ll move on to Winnipeg who could give them a real run for their money with goaltending and offense.

  • Winnipeg Sweep The Oilers With 3OT Winner

    Winnipeg Sweep The Oilers With 3OT Winner

    After a night of triple overtime, the Winnipeg Jets secured their tickets to the next round defeating the Edmonton Oilers 4-3. Kyle Connor sent the Oilers packing with his second goal of the postseason. The Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets saw overtime 3 out of 4 times this series. Two of those games being played back to back. 

    It was a late night regardless of the coast you were on. We were tired just watching from the comfort of our own homes. I can’t imagine actually playing in a 4 hour and nineteen minute hockey game. 

    Darnell Nurse broke Chris Pronger’s TOI record with a whopping 62:07. If you remember last postseason, Seth Jones of the Columbus Blue Jackets played 65:06 in that 5OT game against Tampa Bay. Nurse is now 9th all-time in TOI. Seth Jones remains number one. 

    Josh Morrisey led the Jets in TOI behind Connor Hellbuyck with 41:52 minutes. 

     The Oilers looked to avoid elimination It started with the Oilers announcing Mike Smith would start. It appeared that would wrap up the series and Winnipeg would skate away with their brooms out. Edmonton was not going down without a fight. It appeared we saw a different Oilers team through regulation. While there were plenty of missed calls on Connor McDavid, the team seemed to be playing a more physical game. This might come to a surprise to you, but your superstar cannot be the only one pulling the weight. Secondary scoring appeared to be there but it wasn’t enough to stay alive.

    The first 20 was welcomed by three goals. Unlike the other North Division game, the special teams showed up to play. Winnipeg’s Mark Scheifele, who missed last year’s postseason due to an unfortunate in-game injury in game 1 against Calgary, got the Jets on the board with a power play goal. Oilers Captain Connor McDavid looked nothing shy of dejected after last night’s loss. A new day and a new game means another chance to stay in it. McDavid found his playoff stride, earning Edmonton’s first goal of the night. The game was not knotted at one for long. Mason Appleton earned his first career playoff goal, giving the Jets the lead as they wrapped up the first period. 

    It was a two goal period for the Oilers as they earned their first lead of the night. 2011 first overall pick Ryan Nugent Hopkins tied it back up, 3 minutes into the second frame. RNH had 16 goals in 52 games. The Jets’ penalty kill could not stop Alex Chiasson from cleaning up a loose puck in front of the net. The Oilers had a one goal lead and a little bit of confidence before they were down to the final buzzer.

    Scheifele tied it up at 3 with an absolute snipe from where his first goal was scored from. The cameras panned to McDavid on the bench and his face said it all. You’ve got to feel bad for him. He’s the greatest hockey player of all time trapped on a team that can’t win. The biggest travesty in hockey history would be not seeing him lift the cup in his playing career. Amidst the frustration of a tied game in the third period, Blake Wheeler got a puck to the groin. He was doubled over in pain as he raced right to the room. He would return to the bench for overtime.

    Triple overtime. That’s what it took to settle the score. 

    You have to give both goaltenders credit. They’d both stood on their head through the series and were now trapped in another overtime game. Mike Smith is no spring chicken at the age of 39. Edmonton’s defense was playing peak a boo at times but he still held down the fort for as long as he could. Connor Hellebuyck was nothing shy of his Veznia Trophy winning self. He had a .950SV% through the series.

    The Jets can sit back and recover while they wait to see who their opponent will be. Will it be the Toronto Maple Leafs who haven’t seen the second round since 2004 or the slow and uncertain about everything Montreal Canadiens?

  • Wild hold off elimination in Game 5 win on the road

    Wild hold off elimination in Game 5 win on the road

    The Minnesota Wild only had 14 shots on goal Monday night, but they sure made the most out of them, beating the Vegas Golden Knights, 4-2, at T-Mobile Arena in Game 5 and forcing a Game 6 back in Minnesota Wednesday night.

    Vegas leads the series 3-2 and can close things out on the road or the Wild can force a Game 7 later in the week in what would be a first for the Golden Knights– hosting a Game 7 in Vegas.

    Minnesota goaltender, Cam Talbot (2-3, 2.42 goals-against average, .928 save percentage in five games played), made 38 saves on 40 shots faced for the win.

    Marc-Andre Fleury (3-2, 1.40 goals-against average, .946 save percentage in five games) had 10 saves on 13 shots against in the loss for Vegas.

    Once again, the Golden Knights were without Max Pacioretty in the lineup, while Minnesota made one change– replacing Carson Soucy with Calen Addison, who made his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in the process.

    Midway through the opening frame, Nick Holden sent the puck up through the neutral zone where Alex Tuch botched completing a pass, but instead tipped the rubber biscuit towards Mark Stone for Stone to retrieve and take into the attacking zone himself.

    Stone (4) slipped through the defense and sent a shot under Talbot’s glove to give the Golden Knights the first goal of the game and an early, 1-0, lead at 8:14 of the first period.

    Tuch (1) and Holden (3) had the assists on the effort.

    Less than a minute later, however, the Wild responded.

    Kirill Kaprizov forced a turnover in his own end, sent the puck to Mats Zuccarello, who then carried the rubber biscuit through the neutral zone, cut left and passed the puck back to Kaprizov in the slot.

    From there, Kaprizov (1) wired a shot past Fleury’s glove side to tie the game, 1-1, and score his first career Stanley Cup Playoff goal in the process.

    Zuccarello (1) had the only assist on Kaprizov’s goal at 9:06 of the first period.

    Almost three minutes later, Zach Parise (1) banked a wild carom from the endboards off of Fleury and into the twine to put Minnesota on top, 2-1.

    Jonas Brodin (3) and Matt Dumba (2) tallied the assists on Parise’s goal as the Wild took the lead at 11:57 and later completed a span of three unanswered goals in the first period after giving up the game’s first goal.

    Jordan Greenway (1) carried the puck into the attacking zone, through Vegas’ defense and followed up on his own rebound to make it, 3-1, Minnesota at 16:34.

    Addison (1) had the only assist on Greenway’s goal in the process.

    After one period in Vegas, the Wild led, 3-1, on the scoreboard despite both teams having mustered seven shots apiece.

    The Golden Knights led in blocked shots (8-6), hits (22-20) and faceoff win percentage (57-43), while Minnesota led in takeaways (5-4) and both teams had three giveaways each.

    Neither club had seen any action on the power play heading into the first intermission.

    Dumba sent the puck over the glass and out of play for an automatic delay of game infraction at 7:52 of the second period and presented the Golden Knights with the first power play of the night.

    Late in the ensuing skater advantage, Vegas defender Alex Pietrangelo setup Alec Martinez (1) for a goal from the faceoff dot over Talbot’s glove side.

    Pietrangelo (2) and Chandler Stephenson (4) had the assists on Martinez’s power-play goal as the Golden Knights pulled to within one, 3-2, at 9:43.

    Late in the period, Brodin hooked Reilly Smith and cut a rut to the sin bin at 16:33 as a result, but Vegas failed to convert on the resulting power play.

    Through 40 minutes of action, the Wild led, 3-2, on the scoreboard, but the Golden Knights dominated in shots on goal, 29-8, including an astounding, 22-1, advantage in the second period alone.

    Minnesota led in blocked shots (16-9) and takeaways (8-7), while Vegas held the advantage in giveaways (6-4), hits (34-31) and faceoff win percentage (51-49) entering the second intermission.

    The Wild had yet to see a power play through two periods and the Golden Knights were 1/2 on the skater advantage heading into the final frame.

    There were no penalties called in third period as the Golden Knights continued to dominate possession and generate shot after shot.

    As the game clock counted down, Vegas head coach, Peter DeBoer, pulled Fleury for an extra attacker with about 1:46 remaining in the action.

    Shortly thereafter, Nico Sturm (1) used the power of mathematics to angle the puck off the boards, deep into the attacking zone and into the empty net to provide an unassisted insurance marker, 4-2, at 19:21 of the third period.

    At the final horn, Minnesota had won, 4-2, on the scoreboard, despite trailing, 40-14, in shots on goal, including an, 11-6, advantage for Vegas in the third period alone.

    The Wild exited the building leading in blocked shots (23-13) and faceoff win% (52-48), while the Golden Knights led in giveways (11-6) and hits (48-44).

    Only the Golden Knights had ever seen any action on the power play on Monday– going 1/2 in the process– while the Wild hadn’t seen any action on the skater advantage in Game 5.

    Vegas leads the series 3-2 heading into Game 6 Wednesday night at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

    The Golden Knights can eliminate the Wild on the road with a win and viewers looking for national coverage in the United States can tune to NBCSN, while fans in Canada can catch the game on SN or TVAS.

    Puck drop is expected to be a little after 9 p.m. ET.

  • Panthers live for another day in Game 5 victory

    Panthers live for another day in Game 5 victory

    The Florida Panthers took the lead in the second period after giving up a goal on the first shot of the night and never looked back as they defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 4-1, on home ice at BB&T Center on Monday in Game 5 of their 2021 First Round series.

    Tampa leads the series 3-2 as Florida looks to hold off elimination in Game 6 on the road on Wednesday and force a Game 7 back on home ice Friday night as the Panthers continue their quest for their first playoff series victory since 1996.

    Panthers goaltender, Spencer Knight (1-0, 1.02 goals-against average, .973 save percentage in one game played) made 36 saves on 37 shots in his postseason debut.

    Andrei Vasilevskiy (3-2, 3.17 goals-against average, .919 save percentage in five games played) stopped 34 out of 37 shots against for the Lightning in the loss.

    Knight (20 years, 35 days) made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut in the effort on Monday and became the youngest goaltender to make his postseason debut in an elimination game, beating the previous record holder, Daniel Berthiaume, by 41 days (20 years, 76 days, 1986 Smythe Division Semifinal, Game 3 with Winnipeg) in the process.

    Less than a minute into the action, Ross Colton (2) kicked off the game’s scoring as he received a backhand pass from Blake Coleman prior to one-timing the puck past Knight to give the Bolts a, 1-0, lead.

    Coleman (2) and Ryan McDonagh (4) tallied the assists as Tampa jumped out on the scoreboard first 53 seconds into the first period.

    Two minutes later, Victor Hedman cut a rut to the penalty box for hooking Anthony Duclair at 2:53.

    Florida did not convert on their first power play of the night, however.

    Moments later, McDonagh was sent to the sin bin for roughing at 7:18, but the ensuing power play for the Panthers didn’t last long as Jonathan Huberdeau found his way to the box for hooking Mikhail Sergachev at 7:26.

    After a little more than 80 seconds of 4-on-4 action, the Bolts had an abbreviated 5-on-4 advantage, but couldn’t muster anything on the power play.

    Midway through the opening frame, Ondrej Palat received an interference infraction and presented the Panthers with yet another skater advantage at 10:36 that went untouched.

    Finally, Mason Marchment boarded Colton at 15:09, yielding another power play to the Lightning, but nothing came of the advantage as time winded down in the first period.

    Heading into the first intermission, the Lightning led, 1-0, on the scoreboard and were outshooting the Panthers, 22-15.

    Tampa dominated in blocked shots (7-4), takeaways (2-1), hits (12-11) and faceoff win percentage (52-48), while Florida led in giveaways (6-3) after one period.

    The Lightning were 0/2 and the Panthers were 0/3 on the power play heading into the middle frame.

    MacKenzie Weegar (1) hit the back of the net off of a faceoff in the attacking zone with a shot from the point over Vasilevskiy’s glove as McDonagh screened his own goaltender.

    Huberdeau (7) and Sam Bennett (4) notched the assists on Weegar’s goal as Florida tied the game, 1-1, at 6:19 of the second period.

    About ten minutes later Marchment (2) one-timed a shot from the slot off of a pass from Aleksander Barkov from the trapezoid to give the Panthers their first lead of the night, 2-1, at 16:55 of the middle frame.

    Barkov (5) and Weegar (2) had the assists on Marchment’s goal, which would go on to serve as the game-winner.

    Luke Schenn received a holding infraction to wrap up the second period at 19:01, as the Panthers and Lightning headed back to their dressing rooms for the second intermission with Florida on a power play and leading, 2-1, on the scoreboard.

    Tampa dominated in shots on goal, 31-26, despite trailing the Panthers, 11-9, in shots on net in the second period alone, however.

    As Florida’s power play spilled over into the final frame, the Panthers were sure to take the full extent of their advantage as Barkov riffled a shot that Patric Hornqvist (2) inadvertently deflected past Vasilevskiy with his shoulder.

    Barkov (6) and Huberdeau (8) tallied the assists as the Panthers extended their lead to two-goals, 3-1, 35 seconds into the third period with a power-play goal.

    With nothing left to lose, Bolts head coach, Jon Cooper, pulled his goaltender for an extra attacker, but it was to no avail as Frank Vatrano (1) floated a shot from about the attacking zone blue line into the empty goal frame.

    Hornqvist (3) had the only assist on Vatrano’s empty net goal as the Panthers led, 4-1, at 19:45.

    Tampa didn’t go away quietly, however, as Pat Maroon and Coleman got into a bit of a heated exchange with Florida defender, Brandon Montour.

    Maroon was assessed a cross checking minor for using his stick illegally against Noel Acciari in addition to a ten-minute misconduct at 19:49 of the third period.

    Coleman, meanwhile received a roughing minor as Montour picked up a cross checking infraction at 19:49, as well.

    At the final horn, Florida had won, 4-1, and finished the night leading in shots on goal, 38-37, including a, 12-6, advantage in the third period alone.

    The Bolts wrapped up Monday night’s effort leading in blocked shots (16-10) and hits (49-40) while the Panthers finished Game 5 leading in giveaways (21-13) and faceoff win% (52-48).

    Tampa went 0/2 and Florida went 1/5 on the power play on Monday.

    With the win in Game 5, the Panthers held off elimination and forced a Game 6 on the road at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Wednesday. Puck drop is expected around 8 p.m. ET and viewers in the United States can tune into the action on CNBC for national coverage, while those in Canada can choose from SN360 or TVAS.

  • Islanders can advance to the Second Round at home after, 3-2, 2OT victory in Game 5

    Islanders can advance to the Second Round at home after, 3-2, 2OT victory in Game 5

    The New York Islanders can eliminate the Pittsburgh Penguins on home ice in Game 6 of their 2021 First Round matchup thanks to an error by Tristan Jarry in double overtime that Josh Bailey capitalized on– scoring the game-winning goal 51 seconds into the fifth frame– to win Game 5 on the road, 3-2, at PPG Paints Arena on Monday night.

    On the same day that the Islanders scored in overtime to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-4, in overtime for their first of four-straight Stanley Cup titles in 1980, New York put themselves one step closer to punching their ticket to the Second Round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

    Ilya Sorokin (3-0, 1.66 goals-against average, .951 save percentage in three games played) made 48 saves on 50 shots against in the win for New York.

    He also became the first goaltender in Isles franchise history to win each of his first three career playoff games.

    Jarry (2-3, 2.85 goals-against average, .901 save percentage in five games played) stopped 25 out of 28 shots faced in the loss for Pittsburgh.

    Neither Barry Trotz, nor Mike Sullivan made any adjustments to their Islanders and Penguins lineups, respectively, for Game 5.

    At puck drop, Kris Letang took sole possession of the third-most career postseason games in Pittsburgh’s franchise history as he skated in his 141st career Stanley Cup Playoffs game, surpassing Jaromir Jagr (140 career playoff games with the Penguins) in the process.

    Almost midway into the opening frame, Bailey caught Kasperi Kapanen with a slash and presented the Pens with the night’s first power play at 7:47 of the first period.

    It didn’t take Pittsburgh long to capitalize on the skater advantage as Evgeni Malkin (1) sent a shot over Sorokin’s blocker side to make it, 1-0, for the Penguins while Scott Mayfield inadvertently screened his own goaltender.

    Letang (3) and Bryan Rust (1) tallied the assists on Malkin’s power-play goal at 8:20 of the opening frame.

    With the goal, Malkin tied Denis Potvin for most all time playoff power-play goals in league history and tied Mario Lemieux for the second-most postseason points in a Penguins uniform.

    Lemieux amassed 76-96–172 totals in 107 career postseason games, while Malkin had 64-108–172 totals in 169 playoff games at the time of the goal.

    Late in the period, Bailey sent Anthony Beauvillier into the zone with speed, whereby Beauvillier (2) managed to deke around Jake Guentzel and elevated a shot over Jarry’s blocker to tie the game, 1-1, with a short breakaway goal.

    Bailey (1) and Nick Leddy (2) notched the assists on Beauvillier’s goal at 19:05 of the first period.

    Entering the first intermission, the score was tied, 1-1, while the Penguins were leading in shots on goal, 12-10.

    New York held the advantage in blocked shots (4-0), giveaways (2-1), hits (19-17) and faceoff win percentage (60-40), while both teams had two takeaways aside through 20 minutes of action.

    Pittsburgh was 1/1 on the power play, while the Isles had yet to see any action on the skater advantage heading into the middle frame.

    Malkin hooked Leddy at 4:39 of the second period to kickoff the middle period on Monday– giving the Islanders their first power play of the night in the process.

    New York did not convert on the skater advantage, however.

    Moments later, Sidney Crosby dropped a pass back to Rust (2) for a one-timer blast from the point over Sorokin’s blocker side to make it, 2-1, Pittsburgh at 7:37 of the second period.

    Crosby (1) and Letang (4) had the assists on Rust’s goal.

    Less than a few minutes later, Andy Greene caught Guentzel with a high stick and the Isles defender cut a rut to the penalty box as a result at 10:14.

    The Penguins failed to capitalize on the resulting power play, though.

    Pittsburgh led New York, 2-1, on the scoreboard and, 32-14, in shots on goal, including a, 20-4, advantage in the second period alone through 40 minutes of action at PPG Paints Arena on Monday.

    The Isles led in blocked shots (7-3), takeaways (5-4) and hits (28-27), while the Pens led in giveaways (3-2) and faceoff win% (52-48) entering the second intermission.

    The Islanders were 0/1 and the Penguins were 1/2 on the power play heading into the final frame of regulation.

    Jordan Eberle (2) tied the game, 2-2, at 8:50 of the third period after Jean-Gabriel Pageau worked hard on the forecheck to free the puck from Penguins defender, Brian Dumoulin, as Leo Komarov pounced on the loose puck and worked it to Eberle in the slot.

    Eberle slid the puck underneath Jarry as the Pittsburgh netminder dove across the crease.

    Komarov (1) and Pageau (4), meanwhile, picked up the helpers on Eberle’s goal.

    Moments later, Oliver Wahlstrom was checked by Mike Matheson as Matheson held his stick high and caused a whiplash-esque effect while Wahlstrom’s head snapped back and forth due to the nature of the collision.

    Though Wahlstrom never made head contact with the boards, he needed assistance getting off the ice. Meanwhile, there was no penalty on the play and the game continued shortly thereafter.

    Late in the final frame of regulation, Frederick Gaudreau tripped Brock Nelson and presented the Islanders with a power play at 14:03, but New York couldn’t convert in the dying minutes of the third.

    After 60 minutes of play, the Penguins and Islanders were deadlocked, 2-2, on the scoreboard, despite Pittsburgh holding an advantage in shots on goal, 41-20, including a, 9-6, advantage in shots on goal in the third period alone.

    The Pens also held the lead in hits (40-39) and faceoff win% (51-49), while the Isles led in blocked shots (9-6) and takeaways (7-6). Both teams had six giveaways each heading into overtime.

    The Islanders finished 0/2 and the Penguins went 1/2 on the power play as there were no penalties called in the extra frames.

    There were no goals and no calls made in the first overtime, which resulted in the score still knotted, 2-2, while the Penguins led in shots on goal, 49-27, including an, 8-7, advantage in the first overtime alone.

    New York led in blocked shots (13-9), and hits (47-46), while Pittsburgh held the advantage in faceoff win% (51-49) heading into the second overtime.

    Both teams had eight takeaways and 11 giveaways entering double overtime.

    Less than a minute into the fifth period of the night, Jarry turned the puck over with a tape-to-tape pass to the other team as Bailey (3) corralled the rubber biscuit, skated further into the zone and chipped a shot past Jarry’s glove to give the Islanders a, 3-2, victory 51 seconds into double overtime.

    Bailey’s effort was unassisted and gave New York a 3-2 series lead heading home for Game 6 on Wednesday, but first the Penguins finished Monday night leading in shots on goal, 50-28, despite losing Game 5 in double overtime.

    Both teams had one shot on net in the second overtime alone, while the Isles wrapped up Monday’s effort leading in blocked shots (13-9) and hits (47-46).

    The Pens finished the night leading in giveaways (12-11) and faceoff win% (53-48).

    The Islanders lead the series 3-2 heading home for Game 6 at Nassau Live at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Long Island.

    Puck drop is expected around 6:30 p.m. ET Wednesday night and fans in the United States can catch national coverage on NBCSN, while those in Canada can feel inclined to choose from CBC, SN or TVAS.

  • Campbell, Leafs Hold off Canadiens To Take Series Lead

    Campbell, Leafs Hold off Canadiens To Take Series Lead

    Toronto commands the series lead with a 2-1 win over Montreal. The Leafs outshined the Montreal Canadiens in regulation. 

    Cole Caufield made his NHL Playoff debut in Montreal Monday night. We saw vintage Carey Price shine through with some rather impressive and “how does he do it?” type saves. Montreal struggled on the power play, though Toronto did not look much better as neither team could capitalize with a man advantage. 

    William Nylander leads the Toronto Maple Leafs in scoring. The forward earned his third goal in three games during the second period. Nylander had 42 points through 51 games this season. The 25-year-old now has 103 career playoff goals. Nick Suzuki answered with his first of the series. Scoring would not slow down there. Morgan Riley buried one behind Carey Price. 

    Carey Price has 91 saves on 98 shots faced. There’s something mystifying about the man. You could argue that he is one of the most inconsistent consistent goalies in recent years. He’s one of the best players to watch. Through three, he has a .929SV% He might garner a bit more respect if his team wanted to show up and score.  Jack Campbell has made 78 saves on 82 shots faced, earning a .951 SV%. The days of failed playoff goaltending may be a thing of the past as Campbell has taken over Fredrik Andersen’s spot. 

    Physicality was not absent in game 3. Shea Weber took down Auston Matthews but the Leafs star was nothing but smiles. Both teams racked up 10 minutes in penalties. The power plays struggled and fans were begging the teams to decline the extra man. Special teams couldn’t get it done tonight the way they had previously. 

    The teams are back at it in Montreal for game 4 at 7:30 tomorrow night. It’s early in the playoffs and I’m unsure why we’re seeing back to backs. Will the Habs tie it back up or will Toronto string together three consecutive wins?