NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 10

There are two games on this Monday, beginning with...

The Florida Panthers welcoming the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky tend the twines. Florida got going in the second period with a Carter Verhaeghe goal, his fourth of the postseason, via Aleksander Barkov and Niko Mikkola. The Panthers added on with a Barkov shorthanded goal, set up by Aaron Ekblad and Gustav Forsling. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Victor Hedman goal, coming off of Nikita Kucherov and Brandon Hagel. Florida fired back in the third period with a Barkov goal, his second of the game, assisted by Matthew Tkachuk and Verhaeghe. The Panthers extended the lead as Evan Rodrigues scored, thanks to Kevin Stenlund and Vladimir Tarasenko. Florida padded the lead on a Verhaeghe empty net goal, his second of the game and fifth of the playoffs, with a lone assist by Tkachuk. The Panthers iced it at 6-1 with a Mikkola empty net goal, with helpers from Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen. The three stars were Verhaeghe, Barkov, and Mikkola, while Tkachuk gets an honorable mention. The Panthers won the series 4-1 and will face either the Bruins or the Maple Leafs in the second round. 

Out west, the Vegas Golden Knights bring in the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Logan Thompson guard the cages. Vegas struck first in the first period with a Michael Amadio goal, courtesy of Brayden McNabb and Brett Howden. Dallas tied it on an Evgenii Dadonov goal, via Ryan Suter. The Golden Knights took the lead back in the second period with a Jack Eichel goal, his third of the postseason, passed from Jonathan Marchessault and Ivan Barbashev. The Stars tied it on a Wyatt Johnston power play goal, his third of the playoffs powered by Matt Duchene and Tyler Seguin. Dallas took the lead with a Ty Dellandrea goal, coming off of Craig Smith and Sam Steel. The Stars iced it at 4-2 with a Roope Hintz empty net goal in the third period, going in unassisted. The three stars were Johnston, Dadonov, and Dellandrea. The series is tied at 2-2 heading back to Dallas. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0 and on Bluesky @outsidersports0.bsky.social.

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 9

There's four more games on this Sunday, beginning with...

The Colorado Avalanche hosting the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Alexandar Georgiev protect the nets. Colorado started in the first period with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, his fourth of the postseason, via Casey Mittelstadt. Winnipeg tied it on a Nate Schmidt goal, coming off of Mason Appleton and Josh Morrissey. The Avalanche took the lead with a Valeri Nichushkin power play goal in the second period, his fourth of the playoffs, powered by Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon. Colorado added on with a Makar goal, his second of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Avalanche extended the lead as Nichushkin scored another power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the playoffs, with the help of Lehkonen and MacKinnon. Colorado iced it at 5-1 with an empty net goal by Nichushkin to complete his hat trick on his sixth of the postseason, set up by Mikko Rantanen. The three stars were Nichushkin, Lehkonen, and Makar, while MacKinnon gets an honorable mention. The Avalanche leave home ahead 3-1 in the series.

East to Nashville, as the Predators welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Arturs Silovs is mismatched with Juuse Saros in goal. Vancouver opened in the first period with a Brock Boeser goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by J.T. Miller and Carson Soucy. Nashville tied it on a Mark Jankowski goal, via Jeremy Lauzon and Alexandre Carrier. The Predators took the lead in the second period with a Gustav Nyquist goal, helped along by Ryan O'Reilly. Nashville added on in the third period with a Filip Forsberg goal, his second of the playoffs, passed from Roman Josi and Ryan McDonagh. The Canucks got one back with another Boeser goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, with helpers from Elias Lindholm and Miller. Vancouver tied it as Boeser finished his hat trick with his fourth of the playoffs, thanks to Miller and Elias Pettersson. The Canucks won 4-3 in overtime on a Lindholm goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Conor Garland. The three stars were Boeser, Lindholm, and Miller. The Canucks head home leading the series 3-1.

Up in DC, the Washington Capitals bring in the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Charlie Lindgren patrol the creases. New York led off in the first period with an unassisted Kaapo Kakko goal. Washington tied it on a Martin Fehervary goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Aliaksei Protas and Dylan Strome. The Rangers took the lead back with a Vincent Trocheck power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by Mika Zibanejad and Artemi Panarin. The Capitals retied it in the second period with a Hendrix Lapierre goal, coming off of Alexander Alexeyev. New York regained the lead with a Panarin power play goal, his second of the postseason, with assists provided by Zibanejad and Adam Fox in the third period. The Rangers iced it at 4-2 with an empty net power play goal by Jack Roslovic, his second of the playoffs, set up by Alexis Lafreniere and Jacob Trouba.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner faces a lesser foe in David Rittich in goal. Edmonton got going in the second period with an Evan Bouchard power play goal, powered by Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. This held for a 1-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Skinner, Bouchard, and Rittich (12 for 13 in saves). The Oilers head home carrying a 3-1 series lead. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0 and on Bluesky @outsidersports0.bsky.social.

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 8

It's a four-game Saturday, beginning with...

The New York Islanders hosting the Carolina Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen and Semyon Varlamov protect the nets. Carolina started in the first period with a Seth Jarvis power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Jake Guentzel. New York tied it on a Mathew Barzal goal, via Adam Pelech and Bo Horvat in the second period. The Islanders pulled ahead with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau power play goal, with assists provided by Noah Dobson and Anders Lee. The Hurricanes retied it on a Stefan Noesen power play goal, his second of the playoffs, passed from Teuvo Teravainen and Martin Necas. New York won 3-2 in double overtime on a Barzal goal, his second of the game, assisted by Robert Bortuzzo and Horvat. The three stars were Barzal, Horvat, and Pageau. The Hurricanes will head home up 3-1 in the series.

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning welcome the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy tend the twines. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Brayden Point and Brandon Hagel. The Lightning added on with a Hagel shorthanded goal, his second of the playoffs, set up by Victor Hedman. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Point scored his second of the postseason, thanks to Nikita Kucherov and Hedman. Florida got on the board in the second period with a Carter Verhaeghe goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Matthew Tkachuk and Anton Lundell. The Lightning answered with a Hagel goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, via Mikhail Sergachev and Anthony Cirelli. The Panthers got one back with a Sam Reinhart goal, his third of the playoffs, courtesy of Brandon Montour and Tkachuk. Florida pulled closer with an Oliver Ekman-Larsson goal, coming off of Evan Rodrigues and Eetu Luostarinen. Tampa Bay replied with a Stamkos goal, his second of the game and fifth of the postseason, with helpers from Kucherov and Point. The Lightning padded the lead on a Nick Paul power play goal, his second of the playoffs, with assists provided by Kucherov and Hedman. The final held at 6-3, with the three stars given to Stamkos, Hagel, and Point, while Hedman, Kucherov, and Tkachuk get the honorable mentions. The Panthers are still ahead 3-1 in the series.

Back north, the Toronto Maple Leafs bring in the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Ilya Samsonov are in the blue paint. Boston led off in the first period with a James van Riemsdyk goal, via Mason Lohrei. The Bruins added on with a Brad Marchand power play goal in the second period, his third of the postseason, powered by Charlie McAvoy and Charlie Coyle. Boston extended the lead as David Pastrnak scored his second of the playoffs, thanks to Marchand and Pavel Zacha. Joseph Woll replaced Samsonov in goal. Toronto got on the board in the third period with a Mitchell Marner goal, coming off of Ilya Lyubushkin and Tyler Bertuzzi. The final stood at 3-1, with the three stars being Marchand, Swayman (25 for 26 in saves), and Pastrnak. The Bruins head home leading the series 3-1.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Logan Thompson are between the pipes. Dallas began in the first period with a Wyatt Johnston goal, courtesy of Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen. The Stars added on in the second period with a Heiskanen goal, via Tyler Seguin and Evgenii Dadonov. Vegas got on the board with a Brayden McNabb goal, his second of the postseason, passed from Chandler Stephenson. The Golden Knights tied it with a shorthanded Jack Eichel goal, his second of the playoffs, set up by McNabb. Dallas won 3-2 in overtime with another Johnston goal, coming off of Robertson and Ryan Suter. The three stars were Johnston, Heiskanen, and McNabb, while Robertson gets an honorable mention. The Golden Knights are still ahead 2-1 in the series. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0 and on Bluesky @outsidersports0.bsky.social.

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 7

We're back to four games for Friday, beginning with...

The Washington Capitals hosting the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Charlie Lindgren are the goalies. Washington led off in the first period with a John Carlson goal, assisted by T.J. Oshie and Martin Fehervary. New York tied it on a Chris Kreider goal, his second of the postseason, passed from Mika Zibanejad and Jack Roslovic. The Rangers took the lead with a Barclay Goodrow shorthanded goal, set up by Vincent Trocheck and Jacob Trouba. New York added on in the second period with a Trocheck power play goal, his second of the playoffs powered by Zibanejad and Adam Fox. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars given to Trocheck, Shesterkin (28 for 29 in saves), and Zibanejad. The Rangers are on the precipice of advancing with a 3-0 series lead.

Down in Nashville, the Predators welcome the Vancouver Canucks. Casey DeSmith and Juuse Saros man the nets. Vancouver began in the first period with a J.T. Miller power play goal, powered by Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson. The Canucks added on in the second period with a Brock Boeser power play goal, with assists provided by Miller and Hughes. Nashville got on the board in the third period with a Luke Evangelista goal, made possible by Jason Zucker and Alexandre Carrier. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Miller, Hughes, and DeSmith (29 for 30 in saves). The Canucks lead the series 2-1. 

West to Colorado, as the Avalanche bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Alexandar Georgiev tend the twines. Colorado opened in the first period with a Zach Parise goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Josh Manson and Casey Mittelstadt. Winnipeg tied it in the second period with a Tyler Toffoli goal, fueled by Dylan DeMelo and Nikolaj Ehlers. The Jets took the lead on a Josh Morrissey power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Mark Scheifele and Sean Monahan. The Avalanche tied it in the third period with a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his second of the postseason, with assists provided by Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. Colorado took the lead with a Valeri Nichushkin power play goal, his third of the playoffs, made possible by Rantanen and MacKinnon. The Avalanche added on with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, his third of the postseason, helped along by Mittelstadt and Devon Toews. Colorado extended the lead as Ross Colton scored, thanks to Mittelstadt and Samuel Girard. The Avalanche iced it at 6-2 with a shorthanded empty net goal by Toews, set up by Andrew Cogliano. The three stars were MacKinnon, Mittelstadt, and Toews, while Rantanen gets an honorable mention. The Avalanche pulled ahead 2-1 in the series.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Cam Talbot are the masked men. Edmonton started in the first period with a Zach Hyman goal, his fifth of the postseason, via Mattias Ekholm. The Oilers added on with a Leon Draisaitl goal, his second of the playoffs, passed from Evander Kane and Darnell Nurse. Edmonton extended the lead on a Connor McDavid power play goal, powered by Evan Bouchard and Draisaitl. Los Angeles got on the board in the second period with a Drew Doughty goal, his second of the postseason, guided in by Quinton Byfield and Mikey Anderson. The Oilers replied with a Kane goal, helped along by Cody Ceci and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Edmonton padded the lead in the third period with a Hyman power play goal, his second of the game and sixth of the playoffs, fueled by McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers kept going with another Draisaitl power play goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, with assists provided by McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins. The final was 6-1, with the three stars handed to Draisaitl, Hyman, and McDavid, while Nugent-Hopkins and Kane get the honorable mentions. The Oilers have a 2-1 series lead. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0 and on Bluesky @outsidersports0.bsky.social.

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 6

There's just two games on today due to travel. First up...

The Tampa Bay Lightning welcome the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy guard the cages. Florida opened in the first period with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his second of the postseason, via Anton Lundell and Carter Verhaeghe. Tampa Bay tied it in the second period with a Steven Stamkos goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Victor Hedman and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning pulled ahead with a Tyler Motte goal, helped along by Tanner Jeannot. The Panthers retied it on a Sam Reinhart goal, his second of the postseason, courtesy of Vladimir Tarasenko and Brandon Montour. Florida pulled ahead with a Montour goal, passed from Steven Lorentz and Kyle Okposo. The Panthers added on in the third period with a Lorentz goal, coming off of Nick Cousins and Gustav Forsling. Tampa Bay pulled one back with a Nick Paul goal, made possible by Anthony Ducalir and Erik Cernak. Florida iced it at 5-3 with an empty net goal by Tkachuk, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, set up by Verhaeghe and Forsling. The three stars were Tkachuk, Lorentz, and Montour, while Forsling and Verhaeghe get the honorable mentions. The Panthers are on the cusp of advancing with a 3-0 series lead.

Up in New York, the Islanders bring in the Carolina Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen and Ilya Sorokin tend the twines. Carolina started in the first period with a Brent Burns goal, made possible by Martin Necas and Teuvo Teravainen. The Hurricanes added on with a Dmitry Orlov goal, coming off of Andrei Svechnikov and Jake Guentzel. New York got on the board in the second period with a Pierre Engvall goal, guided in by Anders Lee and Adam Pelech. Carolina shot back with a Sebastian Aho goal, his second of the postseason, via Svechnikov and Jalen Chatfield. Semyon Varlamov replaced Sorokin in goal. The Islanders got one back with a Brock Nelson goal, fueled by Kyle Palmieri and Ryan Pulock. The final remained at 3-2, with the three stars going to Svechnikov, Aho, and Orlov. The Hurricanes are a step away from a series win, leading 3-0. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0 and on Bluesky @outsidersports0.bsky.social.

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 5

There's three games on this Wednesday, beginning with...

The Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Ilya Samsonov man the nets. Toronto got going in the second period with a Matthew Knies goal, via Mitchell Marner and Joel Edmundson. Boston tied it on a Trent Frederic goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Morgan Geekie and Hampus Lindholm. The Bruins took the lead in the third period with a Jake DeBrusk power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by Brad Marchand and Charlie Coyle. The Maple Leafs tied it on a Tyler Bertuzzi goal, helped along by Morgan Rielly and Max Domi. Boston retook the lead with a Marchand goal, courtesy of Danton Heinen. The Bruins iced it at 4-2 with a Marchand empty net goal, his second of the game, set up by David Pastrnak. The three stars were Marchand, DeBrusk, and Frederic. The Bruins regained the series lead at 2-1.

Out in Dallas, the Stars welcome the Vegas Golden Knights. Logan Thompson and Jake Oettinger guard the cages. Dallas led off in the first period with a Jason Robertson power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Miro Heiskanen and Jamie Benn. Vegas tied it on a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev. The Golden Knights took the lead in the second period with a Noah Hanifin goal, going in unassisted. Vegas iced it at 3-1 with an empty net goal by Eichel, set up by Marchessault. The three stars were Marchessault, Eichel, and Thompson (20 for 21 in saves). The Golden Knights head home up 2-0 in the series.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Cam Talbot and Stuart Skinner protect the nets. Los Angeles began in the first period with an Adrian Kempe goal, his second of the postseason, via Anze Kopitar. The Kings added on with another Kempe goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, guided in by Kopitar. Edmonton got on the board with a Brett Kulak goal, helped along by Leon Draisaitl and Warren Foegele. Los Angeles responded with a Drew Doughty goal, passed from Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault. The Oilers pulled one back in the second period with a Dylan Holloway goal, fueled by Sam Carrick and Mattias Janmark. Edmonton tied it on a Zach Hyman power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. The Kings retook the lead in the third period with a Kevin Fiala goal, made possible by Jordan Spence and Quinton Byfield. The Oilers retied it on a Holloway goal, his second of the game, coming off of Janmark. The Kings won 5-4 in overtime with a Kopitar goal, with helpers from Byfield and Mikey Anderson. The three stars went to Kopitar, Kempe, and Holloway, while Byfield, Draisaitl, and Janmark get the honorable mentions. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0 and on Bluesky @outsidersports0.bsky.social.

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 4

It's another four-game day, beginning with...

The New York Rangers hosting the Washington Capitals. Charlie Lindgren and Igor Shesterkin are the masked men. Washington led off in the first period with a Connor McMichael goal, going in unassisted. New York tied it on a Vincent Trocheck goal, via Erik Gustafsson. The Rangers took the lead with a Mika Zibanejad power play goal, powered by Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere. The Capitals tied it on a power play goal by Dylan Strome in the second period, with assists provided by Tom Wilson and Max Pacioretty. New York retook the lead with a Jack Roslovic power play goal, helped along by Gustafsson and Lafreniere. The Rangers added on with a K'Andre Miller shorthanded goal, set up by Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. Washington got one back in the third period with a Wilson power play goal, courtesy of Hendrix Lapierre and John Carlson. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Trocheck, Zibanejad, and Wilson, while Lafreniere and Gustafsson get the honorable mentions. The Rangers are taking a 2-0 series lead on the road.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky tend the twines. Florida began in the first period with a Sam Bennett goal, passed from Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe. The Panthers added on with a Vladimir Tarasenko power play goal, powered by Bennett and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Tampa Bay got on the board in the second period with a Brayden Point goal, assisted by Anthony Duclair and Victor Hedman. The Lightning tied it with a Steven Stamkos power play goal, his second of the postseason, with helpers from Hedman and Nikita Kucherov. Florida won 3-2 in overtime with a Verhaeghe goal, his second of the playoffs, helped along by Anton Lundell and Tkachuk. The three stars were Verhaeghe, Bennett, and Tkachuk, while Hedman gets an honorable mention. The Panthers lead the series 2-0 as they prepare to hit the road.

Way up in Winnipeg, the Jets bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Connor Hellebuyck guard the cages. Winnipeg started in the first period with a David Gustafsson goal, via Brenden Dillon and Neal Pionk. Colorado tied it in the second period on a Miles Wood goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Ross Colton. The Jets retook the lead with a Mark Scheifele goal, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Gabriel Vilardi and Kyle Connor. The Avalanche tied it again with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, his second of the postseason, passed from Cale Makar and Devon Toews. Colorado took the lead with a Zach Parise goal, helped along by Andrew Cogliano. The Avalanche added on with a Josh Manson goal, coming off of Nathan MacKinnon and Lehkonen. Colorado iced it at 5-2 in the third period with a Valeri Nichushkin empty net goal, his second of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The three stars went to Lehkonen, Parise, and Manson. The series is tied at 1-1 heading back to Denver.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks host the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Casey DeSmith receive the starts in goal. Nashville opened in the first period with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, courtesy of Filip Forsberg. The Predators added on in the second period with a Forsberg goal, coming off of Gustav Nyquist. Nashville extended the lead as Colton Sissons scored, thanks to Beauvillier and Jason Zucker. Vancouver got on the board with a Nikita Zadorov goal, passed from Ian Cole and Phillip Di Giuseppe. The Predators fired back in the third period with a Kiefer Sherwood empty net goal, going in unassisted. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars being Forsberg, Saros (17 for 18 in saves), and Beauvillier. The series heads east tied at 1-1. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0 and on Bluesky @outsidersports0.bsky.social.