2020 Stanley Cup Final - Tampa Bay Lightning v. Dallas Stars

This post will contain the entirety of the Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Dallas Stars. 

Game 1: Anton Khudobin and Andrei Vasilevskiy man the nets. Dallas began in the first period on a Joel Hanley goal, via Roope Hintz. Tampa Bay tied it on a Yanni Gourde goal, his sixth of the postseason, made possible by Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow. The Stars retook the lead in the second period with a Jamie Oleksiak goal, his fifth of the playoffs, guided in by Alexander Radulov and Miro Heiskanen. Dallas added on with a Joel Kiviranta goal, his fifth of the postseason, coming off of Esa Lindell and John Klingberg. The Stars iced it at 4-1 with a Jason Dickinson empty net goal, set up by Blake Comeau and Mattias Janmark. The three stars were Khudobin (35 for 36 in saves), Oleksiak, and Kiviranta. The Stars lead the series 1-0. 

Game 2: Anton Khudobin and Andrei Vasilevskiy again start in goal. Tampa Bay led off in the first period with a Brayden Point power play goal, his tenth of the postseason, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman. The Lightning added on with an Ondrej Palat power play goal, his ninth of the playoffs, with assists by Kucherov and Hedman. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Kevin Shattenkirk scored his second of the postseason, thanks to Blake Coleman and Anthony Cirelli. Dallas got on the board in the second period with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his tenth of the playoffs, assisted by John Klingberg and Alexander Radulov. The Stars got one back in the third period with a Mattias Janmark goal, guided in by Klingberg and Radulov. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars given to Kucherov, Hedman, and Klingberg, while Radulov gets an honorable mention. The series is now tied at 1. 

Game 3: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Anton Khudobin protect the nets. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his seventh of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Lightning added on with a Steven Stamkos goal, via Victor Hedman and Jan Rutta. Dallas got on the board with a shorthanded Jason Dickinson goal, his second of the playoffs, set up by Roope Hintz. Tampa Bay replied in the second period with a Hedman power play goal, his tenth of the postseason, powered by Anthony Cirelli and Ondrej Palat. The Lightning extended the lead as Brayden Point scored his eleventh of the playoffs, thanks to Kucherov and Hedman. Tampa Bay padded the lead on a Palat goal, his tenth of the postseason, made possible by Point and Kevin Shattenkirk. Jake Oettinger replaced Khudobin in goal in the third period. The Stars got one back in the third period with a Miro Heiskanen goal, his sixth of the playoffs, guided in by Joe Pavelski and Andrew Cogliano. This only made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars going to Hedman, Point, and Kucherov, while Palat gets an honorable mention. The Lightning own a 2-1 series lead. 

Game 4: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Anton Khudobin get the starting nods in goal. Dallas started in the first period with a John Klingberg goal, his fourth of the postseason, made possible by Esa Lindell. The Stars added on with a Joe Pavelski goal, his eleventh of the playoffs, guided in by Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Brayden Point goal, his twelfth of the postseason, coming off of Ondrej Palat and Kevin Shattenkirk. The Lightning tied it in the second period with a Point power play goal, his second of the game and thirteenth of the playoffs, powered by Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov. Dallas retook the lead with a Corey Perry goal, his third of the postseason, assisted by Tyler Seguin and Mattias Janmark. Tampa Bay retied it on a Gourde power play goal, his seventh of the playoffs, with helpers from Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev. The Lightning gained the lead on a Killorn goal, his fifth of the postseason, courtesy of Sergachev and Anthony Cirelli. The Stars retied it with a Pavelski goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the playoffs, with assists provided by Seguin and Miro Heiskanen. Tampa Bay won 5-4 in overtime with a Shattenkirk power play goal, his third of the postseason, set up by Victor Hedman and Pat Maroon. The three stars were Shattenkirk, Point, and Pavelski, while Killorn, Kucherov, Sergachev, and Seguin get the honorable mentions. The Lightning lead the series 3-1. 

Game 5: Anton Khudobin and Andrei Vasilevskiy play in goal. Dallas struck first in the first period on a Corey Perry goal, his fourth of the postseason, coming off of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Oleksiak. Tampa Bay tied it with an Ondrej Palat goal, his eleventh of the playoffs, via Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point in the second period. The Lightning took the lead in the third period on a Mikhail Sergachev goal, his third of the postseason, made possible by Point. The Stars tied it on a Joe Pavelski goal, his thirteenth of the playoffs, assisted by Miro Heiskanen and Seguin. Dallas won in double overtime on Perry's second goal of the game and fifth of the postseason, fueled by John Klingberg and Seguin. The three stars of the 3-2 game were Perry, Seguin, and Point. The Stars stay alive but remain behind 3-2 in the series. 

Game 6: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Anton Khudobin occupy the creases. Tampa Bay kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Brayden Point power play goal, his fourteenth of the postseason, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman. The Lightning added on with a Blake Coleman goal, his fifth of the playoffs, via Cedric Paquette and Pat Maroon. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the Conn Smythe Trophy winner being Hedman. The Lightning won the Stanley Cup with a 4-2 series win. 

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NHL 2020 Eastern Conference Finals - Tampa Bay Lightning v. New York Islanders

This post will contain the whole Eastern Conference Finals series. 

Game 1: The goalies are Thomas Greiss and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Tampa Bay began in the first period with a Brayden Point goal, his seventh of the postseason, coming off of Blake Coleman and Luke Schenn. New York tied it on a Jordan Eberle power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, powered by Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal. The Lightning retook the lead with a Victor Hedman power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, with assists provided by Point and Nikita Kucherov. Tampa Bay added on with a Ryan McDonagh goal, courtesy of Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev. Semyon Varlamov replaced Greiss in the Islanders' net. The Lightning extended the lead in the second period as Yanni Gourde goal, his fourth of the playoffs, thanks to Pat Maroon and Kevin Shattenkirk. Tampa Bay padded the lead on a Point power play goal, his second of the game and eighth of the postseason, assisted by Hedman and Kucherov. The Lightning struck again in the third period on a Kucherov goal, his fifth of the playoffs, fueled by Point and Shattenkirk. The Islanders got one back with a Nick Leddy goal, his third of the postseason, guided in by Lee and Eberle. Tampa Bay replied with an Ondrej Palat goal, his sixth of the playoffs, made possible by Point and Kucherov. The Lightning finished it at 8-2 with a Gourde power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the postseason, passed from Shattenkirk and Hedman. The three stars were Point, Kucherov, and Gourde, while Hedman, Shattenkirk, Eberle, and Lee get the honorable mentions. The Lightning staked out a 1-0 series lead. 

Game 2: Semyon Varlamov and Andrei Vasilevskiy protect the nets. New York led off in the first period with a Matt Martin goal, his fifth of the postseason, made possible by Nick Leddy. Tampa Bay tied it on a Victor Hedman goal, his seventh of the playoffs, assisted by Barclay Goodrow. The Lightning won late in the third period with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his sixth of the postseason, passed from Ryan McDonagh. The three stars of the 2-1 game were Vasilevskiy (27 for 28 in saves), Kucherov, and Hedman. The Lightning lead the series 2-0. 

Game 3: Russians Andrei Vasilevskiy and Semyon Varlamov play in goal. New York opened in the first period with a Cal Clutterbuck goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Ryan Pulock and Matt Martin. Tampa Bay tied it on a Mikhail Sergachev goal, his second of the playoffs, via Yanni Gourde. The Islanders retook the lead in the second on an Adam Pelech goal, passed from Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mathew Barzal. New York added on with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his ninth of the postseason, assisted by Brock Nelson and Devon Toews. The Lightning got one back in the third period on an Ondrej Palat power play goal, his seventh of the playoffs, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Sergachev. Tampa Bay tied it with a Tyler Johnson goal, his fourth of the postseason, guided in by Erik Cernak and Carter Verhaeghe. The Islanders reclaimed the lead on a Nelson goal, his eighth of the playoffs, helped along by Beauvillier and Josh Bailey. New York iced it at 5-3 with a Pageau empty net goal, his eighth of the postseason, set up by Bailey. The final held at 5-3, with the three stars being Nelson, Beauvillier, and Pageau, while Sergachev and Bailey get the honorable mentions. The Lightning remain ahead 2-1 in the series. 

Game 4: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Semyon Varlamov again start in goal. New York got going in the second period with a Brock Nelson goal, his ninth of the postseason, courtesy of Josh Bailey. Tampa Bay tied it on a Blake Coleman goal, his fourth of the playoffs, assisted by Yanni Gourde and the goalie Vasilevskiy. The Lightning pulled ahead with an Ondrej Palat goal, his eighth of the postseason, via Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. Tampa Bay added on in the third period with a Point goal, his ninth of the playoffs, fueled by Palat and Kucherov. The Lightning iced it at 4-1 with a Pat Maroon empty net goal, set up by Gourde and Cedric Paquette. The three stars were Vasilevskiy (26 for 27 in saves), Palat, and Point, while Kucherov and Gourde get the honorable mentions. The Lightning pushed their series lead up to 3-1. 

Game 5: Semyon Varlamov and Andrei Vasilevskiy patrol the creases. New York started in the first period with a Ryan Pulock power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Nick Leddy and Mathew Barzal. Tampa Bay tied it on a Victor Hedman goal, his eighth of the playoffs, via Blake Coleman and Luke Schenn. The Islanders won 2-1 in double overtime with a Jordan Eberle goal, his fifth of the postseason, coming off of Anders Lee. The three stars were Eberle, Pulock, and Varlamov (36 for 37 in saves). The Islanders stay alive, but trail 3-2 in the series. 

Game 6: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Semyon Varlamov are in the blue paint. New York struck first in the first period with a Devon Toews goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal. Tampa Bay tied it on a Victor Hedman goal, his ninth of the playoffs, via Erik Cernak and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning won 2-1 in overtime with an Anthony Cirelli goal, his third of the postseason, assisted by Barclay Goodrow. The three stars were Vasilevskiy (26 for 27 in saves), Varlamov (46 for 48 in saves), and Cirelli. The Lightning won the series 4-2 and will face the Dallas Stars for the Stanley Cup. 

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NHL 2020 Western Conference Finals - Vegas Golden Knights v. Dallas Stars

This post will contain the entire Western Conference Finals series. 

Game 1: The goalies are Marc-Andre Fleury and Anton Khudobin. Dallas led off in the first period with a John Klingberg goal, his third of the postseason, assisted by Jamie Benn and Radek Faksa. This stood for the 1-0 win. The three stars were Khudobin (25 save shutout), Klingberg, and Fleury (24 for 25 in saves). The Stars have a 1-0 series lead. 

Game 2: Robin Lehner and Anton Khudobin start in goal. Vegas got going in the second period with a Paul Stastny goal, his third of the postseason, via Max Pacioretty and Brayden McNabb. The Golden Knights added on with a William Karlsson power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, powered by Shea Theodore and Stastny. Vegas extended the lead as Tomas Nosek scored his second of the postseason, with the help of Chandler Stephenson and Nicolas Roy. Jake Oettinger replaced Khudobin in goal in the third period. The final stood at 3-0 with the three stars given to Lehner (24 save shutout), Stastny, and Karlsson. The series is tied at 1. 

Game 3: Anton Khudobin and Robin Lehner draw the starts in goal. Dallas dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Jamie Oleksiak goal, his fourth of the postseason, via Miro Heiskanen and Blake Comeau. Vegas tied it on a Shea Theodore power play goal, his seventh of the playoffs, powered by Mark Stone and Jonathan Marchessault in the third period. The Stars took the lead back with a Jamie Benn goal, his sixth of the postseason, helped along by Tyler Seguin and Joel Hanley. The Golden Knights tied it again on an Alex Tuch goal, his ninth of the playoffs, guided in by William Karlsson. Dallas won 3-2 in overtime with an Alexander Radulov goal, his eighth of the postseason, made possible by Joe Pavelski and Benn. The three stars were Radulov, Benn, and Khudobin (38 for 40 in saves). The Stars are up 2-1 in the series. 

Game 4: Anton Khudobin and Robin Lehner occupy the creases. Vegas drew first blood in the second period with an Alec Martinez power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Nate Schmidt and Paul Stastny. Dallas tied it on a Joe Pavelski goal, his ninth of the playoffs, via Andrew Cogliano. The Stars took the lead on a Jamie Benn power play goal, his seventh of the postseason, with assists provided by John Klingberg and Alexander Radulov. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Khudobin (32 for 33 in saves), Benn, and Pavelski. The Stars now lead the series 3-1. 

Game 5: Robin Lehner and Anton Khudobin are the goalies again. Vegas began in the first period with a Chandler Stephenson goal, his third of the postseason, made possible by Shea Theodore and Alex Tuch. The Golden Knights added on in the third period with a Reilly Smith goal, his fifth of the playoffs, guided in by Paul Stastny. Dallas got on the board with a Jamie Benn goal, his eighth of the postseason, coming off of Alexander Radulov and Esa Lindell. The Stars tied it with a Joel Kiviranta power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, powered by John Klingberg and Denis Gurianov. Dallas won 3-2 in overtime on a Gurianov power play goal, his ninth of the postseason, with assists provided by Klingberg and Roope Hintz. The three stars were Gurianov, Klingberg, and Benn. The Stars won the series 4-1 and they're headed to the Stanley Cup Finals. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 13

The final game of the second round of this year's playoffs has the Philadelphia Flyers against the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Carter Hart make the starts in goal. New York kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Scott Mayfield goal, coming off of Devon Toews and Jordan Eberle. The Islanders added on with an Andy Greene goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Derick Brassard and Brock Nelson. New York extended the lead as Nelson scored his seventh of the playoffs, thanks to Josh Bailey and Ryan Pulock in the second period. The Islanders padded the lead in the third period with an Anthony Beauvillier empty net goal, his eighth of the postseason, set up by Nelson and Bailey. This stood for a 4-0 final score, with the three stars going to Nelson, Greiss (16 save shutout), and Bailey. The Islanders won the series 4-3 and will play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 12

The Western Conference series will be decided today, beginning with...

The Colorado Avalanche versus the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Michael Hutchinson start in goal. Dallas led off in the first period with an Alexander Radulov power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, powered by Joe Pavelski and Miro Heiskanen. Colorado tied it on a Vladislav Namestnikov goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Ian Cole and Nazem Kadri. The Avalanche took the lead with an Andre Burakovsky goal, his seventh of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Stars tied it in the second period with a Joel Kiviranta goal, courtesy of Denis Gurianov and John Klingberg. Colorado took the lead back with a Kadri power play goal, his ninth of the playoffs, with helpers from Mikko Rantanen and Burakovsky. Dallas retied it as Radulov scored his second of the game and seventh of the postseason on the power play, thanks to Klingberg and Jamie Benn. The Avalanche took the lead again on a Namestnikov goal, his fourth of the playoffs and second of the day, guided in by J.T. Compher and Nikita Zadorov. The Stars evened it with Kiviranta's second goal of the game, fueled by Roope Hintz and Heiskanen. Dallas won 5-4 with a Kiviranta goal to complete his hat trick in overtime, helped along by Andrej Sekera and Jamie Oleksiak. The three stars were Kiviranta, Radulov, and Namestnikov, while Heiskanen, Klingberg, Burakovsky, and Kadri get the honorable mentions. The Stars won the series 4-3 and will meet the winner of the next series in the Western Conference Finals.

Next up, the Vegas Golden Knights take on the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Robin Lehner man the nets. Vegas dented the scoreboard in the third period with a Shea Theodore power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, powered by Reilly Smith. The Golden Knights added on with an Alex Tuch empty net goal, his eighth of the playoffs, set up by Paul Stastny. Vegas iced it at 3-0 with a Stastny empty net goal, his second of the postseason, with helpers from Nicolas Roy and Jonathan Marchessault. The three stars were Stastny, Lehner (15 save shutout), and Demko (33 for 34 in saves). The Golden Knights took the series 4-3 and are set to face the Stars in the Western Conference Finals. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 11

Two games on tonight, beginning with...

The New York Islanders versus the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Semyon Varlamov are the goalies. Philadelphia opened in the first period with a Kevin Hayes goal, his fourth of the postseason, coming off of Travis Konecny and Robert Hagg. The Flyers added on with a James van Riemsdyk goal, his second of the playoffs, via Jakub Voracek and Travis Sanheim. New York got on the board with a Derick Brassard goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Devon Toews and Brock Nelson. The Islanders tied it in the second period with a Matt Martin goal, his fourth of the playoffs, with a lone assist by Cal Clutterbuck. New York took the lead with an Anders Lee power play goal, his seventh of the postseason, powered by Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle. Philadelphia retied it on a Michael Raffl goal, his fourth of the playoffs, guided in by Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Ivan Provorov. The Islanders regained the lead on a Barzal goal, his fifth of the postseason, helped along by Brassard. The Flyers tied it again as Scott Laughton scored his fifth of the playoffs in the third period, thanks to Claude Giroux. Philadelphia won 5-4 in double overtime with a Provorov goal, his third of the postseason, with a lone helper from Hayes. The three stars were Provorov, Hayes, and Barzal, while Brassard gets an honorable mention. The series is now tied at 3, with Game 7 scheduled for Saturday.

Out west, the Vancouver Canucks take on Vegas Golden Knights. Robin Lehner and Thatcher Demko man the nets. Vancouver started in the first period with a Jake Virtanen goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Tyler Motte. The Canucks added on in the third period with a J.T. Miller goal, his sixth of the playoffs, guided in by Quinn Hughes. Vancouver extended the lead as Hughes scored his second of the postseason, with the help of Miller and Christopher Tanev. The Canucks padded the lead on a Bo Horvat empty net goal, his tenth of the playoffs, set up by Tanner Pearson and Brandon Sutter. This made it 4-0, the final, with the three stars handed to Demko (48 save shutout), Hughes, and Miller. The series is tied at 3, heading to a Game 7 tomorrow. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 10

A single game today sees the Dallas Stars face the Colorado Avalanche. Michael Hutchinson and Anton Khudobin are the goalies. Dallas struck first in the first period with a Miro Heiskanen goal, his fifth of the postseason, coming off of Mattias Janmark and Denis Gurianov. Colorado tied it on a Nikita Zadorov goal, his third of the playoffs, via Vladislav Namestnikov. The Avalanche took the lead in the second period with a Cale Makar goal, his fourth of the postseason, assisted by Mikko Rantanen and Samuel Girard. Colorado added on the third period with a Rantanen goal, his seventh of the playoffs, guided in by Nathan MacKinnon and Andre Burakovsky. The Avalanche extended the lead as MacKinnon scored an empty net goal, his ninth of the postseason, going in unassisted. The final stood at 4-1, with the three stars being Rantanen, Hutchinson (27 for 28 in saves), and MacKinnon. The series is tied at 3 and will need a Game 7 on Friday. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 9

A pair of games today begins with...

The Philadelphia Flyers versus the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Carter Hart are the goalies. New York got going in the second period with a Mathew Barzal power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Jordan Eberle and Josh Bailey. Philadelphia tied it on a Claude Giroux goal, assisted by Philippe Myers and Sean Couturier. The Flyers took the lead with a James van Riemsdyk goal, passed from Scott Laughton and Travis Konecny. Philadelphia added on in the third period with a Matt Niskanen goal, courtesy of Konecny and Kevin Hayes. The Islanders got one back with a Brock Nelson goal, his sixth of the playoffs, via Bailey and Scott Mayfield. New York tied it with a Derick Brassard goal, made possible by Cal Clutterbuck and Casey Cizikas. The Flyers won 4-3 in overtime with a Laughton goal, his fourth of the postseason, with helpers from Ivan Provorov and Giroux. The three stars were Laughton, Giroux, and Bailey, while Konecny gets an honorable mention. The Islanders' series lead is now at 3-2.

The other game sees the Vegas Golden Knights take on the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko is mismatched with Robin Lehner in goal. Vegas dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Shea Theodore goal, his fifth of the postseason, coming off of Reilly Smith and Mark Stone. Vancouver tied it on a Brock Boeser goal, his fourth of the playoffs, helped along by J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes. The Canucks took the lead in the third period with an Elias Pettersson goal, his seventh of the postseason, fueled by Boeser and Miller. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars awarded to Demko (43 for 44 in saves), Boeser, and Miller. The Canucks survived but still trail the Golden Knights 3-2 in the series. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 8

There's a pair of games on today, beginning with...

The Tampa Bay Lightning versus the Boston Bruins. Jaroslav Halak and Andrei Vasilevskiy tend the twines. Tampa Bay got going in the second period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his fifth of the postseason, via Kevin Shattenkirk and Blake Coleman. Boston tied it on a David Pastrnak power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron. The Lightning took the lead back in the third period with an Anthony Cirelli goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Victor Hedman and Brayden Point. The Bruins retied it on a Krejci goal, his fourth of the playoffs, fueled by Zdeno Chara and Connor Clifton. Tampa Bay won 3-2 in double overtime with a Pat Maroon goal, assisted by Hedman and Shattenkirk. The three stars were Hedman, Shattenkirk, and Krejci. The Lightning won the series 4-1 to earn a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Out west, the Colorado Avalanche take on the Dallas Stars. Ben Bishop faces a lesser foe in Michael Hutchinson in goal. Colorado struck first in the first period with a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal, his second of the postseason, helped along by Logan O'Connor and Matt Nieto. The Avalanche added on with an Andre Burakovsky goal, his fifth of the playoffs, courtesy of Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. Colorado extended the lead as Nathan MacKinnon scored his eighth of the postseason, thanks to J.T. Compher and Ryan Graves. The Avalanche chased Bishop with a Nazem Kadri goal, his eighth of the playoffs, guided in by Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog. Anton Khudobin entered the game in relief of Bishop. Colorado padded the lead as Rantanen scored his sixth of the postseason, with the help of Samuel Girard and Burakovsky. Dallas got on the board with a Joe Pavelski goal in the second period, his eighth of the playoffs, fueled by Mattias Janmark and Denis Gurianov. The Stars got one back with a Miro Heiskanen power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Gurianov and Roope Hintz. The Avalanche fired back with a Burakovsky goal, his second of the game and sixth of the playoffs, passed from MacKinnon. Dallas answered in the third period with a Jamie Benn goal, his fifth of the postseason, with assists provided by Gurianov and Heiskanen. This only made it 6-3, the final, with the three stars being Burakovsky, MacKinnon, and Rantanen, while Gurianov and Heiskanen get the honorable mentions. The Avalanche cut the Stars' series lead to 3-2. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 7

We're back with three games today, beginning with...

The Dallas Stars taking on the Colorado Avalanche. Pavel Francouz and Anton Khudobin are the goalies. Dallas opened in the first period with a John Klingberg goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Radek Faksa and Blake Comeau. The Stars added on with a Faksa power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen. Dallas extended the lead as Jamie Benn scored his fourth of the postseason on the power play, thanks to Alexander Radulov and Joe Pavelski. Colorado got on the board in the second period with a Valeri Nichushkin goal, helped along by Cale Makar and Andre Burakovsky. The Avalanche got closer with a Makar power play goal, his third of the playoffs, with helpers from Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Dallas responded in the third period with a Roope Hintz power play goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Klingberg and Faksa. The Stars padded the lead with a Denis Gurianov goal, his eighth of the playoffs, going in unassisted. Colorado got one back with a Nichushkin goal, his second of the game, via Burakovsky and Samuel Girard. The Avalanche pulled closer with a Vladislav Namestnikov goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by Girard and Nazem Kadri. This only made it 5-4, the final, with the three stars being Faksa, Klingberg, and Hintz, while Nichushkin, Makar, Girard, and Burakovsky get the honorable mentions. The Stars have a 3-1 series lead. 

Next up, the New York Islanders face the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Elliott and Thomas Greiss are the backups in goal. New York got going in the second period with a Brock Nelson goal, his fourth of the postseason, made possible by Josh Bailey. Philadelphia tied it on a Sean Couturier goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Justin Braun and Robert Hagg. The Islanders took the lead back in the third period with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his seventh of the postseason, assisted by Scott Mayfield and Devon Toews. New York added on with another Nelson goal, his second of the game and fifth of the playoffs, fueled by Bailey and Anthony Beauvillier. The Flyers got one back with an Ivan Provorov goal, his second of the postseason, passed from Kevin Hayes and Travis Sanheim. The Islanders held on for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Nelson, Bailey, and Pageau. The Islanders lead the series 3-1.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks meet the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jacob Markstrom protect the nets. Vegas started in the first period with a Max Pacioretty power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Mark Stone and Shea Theodore. Vancouver tied it on an Elias Pettersson power play goal, his sixth of the playoffs, with assists provided by J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes. The Golden Knights retook the lead on a Chandler Stephenson goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by Theodore and Alec Martinez. The Canucks tied it again in the second period with a Bo Horvat goal, his ninth of the playoffs, made possible by Miller and Alexander Edler. Vancouver took the lead with a Tyler Toffoli power play goal, his second of the postseason, guided in by Hughes and Miller. Vegas tied it in the third period with a Nate Schmidt goal, his second of the playoffs, via Jon Merrill. The Golden Knights pulled ahead with a Pacioretty goal, his second of the game and fifth of the postseason, helped along by Schmidt. Vegas added on with a William Karlsson goal, his third of the playoffs, with helpers from Pacioretty and Stone. This held for a 5-3 win, with the three stars awarded to Pacioretty, Stone, and Schmidt, while Theodore, Miller, and Hughes get the honorable mentions. Vegas is up 3-1 in the series. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 6

We're back with three games today, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jaroslav Halak are the goalies. Tampa Bay kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his third of the postseason, made possible by Brayden Point. The Lightning added on in the second period with another Palat goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, via Anthony Cirelli and Nikita Kucherov. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Victor Hedman scored his fourth of the postseason on the power play, powered by Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov. Boston got on the board in the third period with a Jake DeBrusk power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, with assists provided by Charlie Coyle and Matt Grzelcyk. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Palat, Kucherov, and Vasilevskiy (29 for 30 in saves). The Lightning hold a 3-1 series lead. 

Also in the east, the New York Islanders take on the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Semyon Varlamov are the masked men. Philadelphia opened in the first period with a Tyler Pitlick goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Scott Laughton and Matt Niskanen. New York tied it in the second period on a Matt Martin goal, his third of the playoffs, via Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle. The Islanders took the lead on a Leo Komarov goal, assisted by Derick Brassard. New York added on in the third period with an Anders Lee power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, powered by Eberle and Ryan Pulock. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Varlamov (26 for 27 in saves), Eberle, and Komarov. The Islanders moved ahead 2-1 in the series. 

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks face the Vegas Golden Knights. Robin Lehner and Jacob Markstrom man the nets. Vegas started in the first period with an Alex Tuch goal, his seventh of the postseason, helped along by Nicolas Roy and Alec Martinez. The Golden Knights added on with a Zach Whitecloud goal, his second of the playoffs, going in unassisted. Vegas extended the lead on a Mark Stone power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, powered by Shea Theodore and Reilly Smith. The final stood at 3-0, with the three stars awarded to Lehner (32 save shutout), Tuch, and Whitecloud. The Golden Knights gained a 2-1 series lead. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 5

There's three games on for today, beginning with...

The Philadelphia Flyers versus the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Carter Hart man the nets. Philadelphia led off in the first period with a Kevin Hayes goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Travis Konecny and Justin Braun. The Flyers added on with another Hayes goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, fueled by Joel Farabee. Philadelphia extended the lead as Sean Couturier scored, thanks to Claude Giroux and Travis Sanheim. Thomas Greiss replaced Varlamov in goal. New York got on the board in the second period with an Anders Lee power play goal, his fifth of the postseason, powered by Mathew Barzal and Nick Leddy. The Islanders got closer in the third period with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his seventh of the playoffs, guided in by Josh Bailey. New York tied it on a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his sixth of the postseason, courtesy of Adam Pelech. The Flyers won 4-3 in overtime with a Philippe Myers goal, his third of the playoffs, set up by Couturier. The three stars were Couturier, Hayes, and Myers. The series is tied at 1. 

Next up, the Boston Bruins face the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jaroslav Halak are the goalies. Tampa Bay began in the first period with an Ondrej Palat power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Mikhail Sergachev and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning added on with a Yanni Gourde goal, his third of the playoffs, via Blake Coleman and Erik Cernak. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Sergachev scored on the power play in the second period, with the help of Kucherov and Brayden Point. Boston got on the board with a Brad Marchand power play goal, his seventh of the postseason, with helpers from Torey Krug and David Pastrnak. The Lightning responded on an Alex Killorn power play goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Palat and Kucherov. Dan Vladar relieved Halak in goal. Tampa Bay padded the lead on a Point goal, his sixth of the postseason, coming off of Killorn and Sergachev. The Lightning continued with a Killorn goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, helped along by Gourde and Zach Bogosian. Tampa Bay kept going in the third period with a Kucherov goal, his fourth of the postseason, with a lone helper from Point. This made it 7-1, the final, with the three stars awarded to Kucherov, Killorn, and Point, while Sergachev, Gourde, and Palat get the honorable mentions. The Lightning retook the series lead at 2-1.

Finally, the Dallas Stars taken on the Colorado Avalanche. Pavel Francouz and Anton Khudobin patrol the creases. Dallas struck first in the first period with a Tyler Seguin goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Jamie Benn and Miro Heiskanen. Colorado tied it on a Nikita Zadorov goal, his second of the playoffs, courtesy of Nazem Kadri. The Avalanche took the lead on an Andre Burakovsky goal, his fourth of the postseason, passed from Cale Makar and Zadorov. Colorado added on with a Gabriel Landeskog goal, his second of the playoffs, coming off of Makar and Nathan MacKinnon. The Stars got one back in the third period with a Denis Gurianov goal, his seventh of the postseason, fueled by Roope Hintz and Corey Perry. Dallas tied it on a Blake Comeau goal, his second of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The Stars gained the lead with a Benn goal, his third of the postseason, with a lone helper from Esa Lindell. The Avalanche retied it on a Mikko Rantanen goal, his fifth of the playoffs, guided in by MacKinnon. Colorado pulled ahead again with a Kadri goal, his seventh of the postseason, made possible by Kevin Connauton and Makar. The Avalanche capped it at 6-4 with a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare empty net goal, set up by Rantanen. The three stars belonged to Rantanen, Kadri, and Makar, while Zadorov, Benn, and MacKinnon get the honorable mentions. The Stars' series lead is down to 2-1. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 4

We're set for another pair of games today, beginning with...

The Tampa Bay Lightning against the Boston Bruins. Jaroslav Halak and Andrei Vasilevskiy are the goalies. Boston led off in the first period with a Nick Ritchie goal, coming off of Anders Bjork. Tampa Bay tied it on a Blake Coleman goal, his second of the postseason, via Zach Bogosian and Barclay Goodrow. The Bruins took the lead with a Brad Marchand power play goal in the second period, his fifth of the playoffs, powered by David Pastrnak and Torey Krug. The Lightning tied it again with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his third of the postseason, made possible by Kevin Shattenkirk and Brayden Point. Tampa Bay took the lead in the third period with a Coleman goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, with a lone helper from Victor Hedman. Boston retied it on a Marchand goal, his second of the game and sixth of the postseason, courtesy of Sean Kuraly and Pastrnak. The Lightning won 4-3 in overtime with an Ondrej Palat goal, passed from Yanni Gourde and Pat Maroon. The three stars were Coleman, Marchand, and Pastrnak. The series is tied at 1.

Out west, the Vegas Golden Knights face the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Robin Lehner are the masked men. Vancouver began in the first period with a Tyler Toffoli goal, coming off of Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. The Canucks added on with a Bo Horvat power play goal, his seventh of the postseason, powered by Toffoli and Pettersson. Vegas got on the board in the second period with an Alex Tuch goal, his sixth of the playoffs, via Nicolas Roy and Shea Theodore. Vancouver replied on a Pettersson goal, his fifth of the postseason, assisted by Alexander Edler and Toffoli. The Canucks extended the lead in the third period as Horvat scored his second of the game and eighth of the playoffs, thanks to Brock Boeser and Edler. The Golden Knights got one back with a Max Pacioretty power play goal, his third of the postseason, with helpers from Theodore and Paul Stastny. Vancouver iced it at 5-2 with a Tanner Pearson empty-net goal, his fourth of the playoffs, set up by J.T. Miller. The three stars belonged to Pettersson, Toffoli, and Horvat, while Edler and Theodore get the honorable mentions. The series is tied at 1. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 3

Another pair of games is on today, beginning with...

The Philadelphia Flyers against the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Carter Hart are the goalies. New York opened in the first period with an Andy Greene goal, via Brock Nelson. The Islanders added on in the third period with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his fifth of the postseason, assisted by Leo Komarov and Adam Pelech. New York extended the lead as Anders Lee scored his fourth of the playoffs, thanks to Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle. The Islanders iced it at 4-0 with a Devon Toews empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were Varlamov (29 save shutout), Greene, and Komarov. The Islanders hold a 1-0 series lead. 

Out west, the Colorado Avalanche face the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Pavel Francouz are the Russian goalies. Colorado started in the first period with a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, his seventh of the postseason, powered by Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. The Avalanche added on in the second period with a Rantanen power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, with assists provided by MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. Dallas got on the board with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his seventh of the postseason, made possible by Alexander Radulov and Tyler Seguin. The Stars tied it on a Radek Faksa power play goal, his second of the playoffs, coming off of Denis Gurianov and Corey Perry. Dallas took the lead with a Radulov goal, his fifth of the postseason, passed from Jamie Benn and Miro Heiskanen. The Stars extended the lead as Esa Lindell scored, going in unassisted. Dallas iced it at 5-2 with a Jamie Oleksiak empty net goal, his third of the playoffs, set up by Jason Dickinson. The three stars were Radulov, MacKinnon, and Rantanen. The Stars have a 2-0 series lead 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 2

We're back with two games on day two of the second round. First up...

The Tampa Bay Lightning face the Boston Bruins. Jaroslav Halak and Andrei Vasilevskiy are the goalies. Boston began in the first period with a Charlie Coyle goal, his third of the postseason, assisted by Brandon Carlo and Brad Marchand. The Bruins added on with a David Pastrnak power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by David Krejci and Torey Krug. Boston extended the lead Marchand scored his fourth of the postseason in the third period, thanks to Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron. Tampa Bay got on the board with a Victor Hedman goal, his second of the playoffs, coming off of Brayden Point and Ondrej Palat. The Lightning got closer with a Hedman goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, via Kevin Shattenkirk and Tyler Johnson. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Pastrnak, Marchand, and Hedman. The Bruins have a 1-0 series lead. 

Out west, the Vegas Golden Knights take on the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Robin Lehner are the goalies. Vegas led off in the first period with a Jonathan Marchessault goal, his third of the postseason, courtesy of Reilly Smith and Shea Theodore. The Golden Knights added on in the second period with a Smith power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, powered by Alex Tuch and Alec Martinez. Vegas extended the lead as Mark Stone scored his fifth of the postseason, with the help of Nate Schmidt and William Karlsson. The Golden Knights padded the lead on a Tuch goal, his fifth of the playoffs, fueled by Nick Cousins and Theodore. Vegas chased Markstrom in the third period with a Max Pacioretty goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Stone and Chandler Stephenson. The final held at 5-0, with the three stars being Lehner (26 save shutout), Smith, and Tuch, while Stone gets an honorable mention. The Golden Knights are up 1-0 in the series. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 1

There's no time to rest in the NHL playoffs with the immediate start of the second round. We begin with...

The Colorado Avalanche versus the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Philipp Grubauer play in goal. Dallas led off in the first period with a Tyler Seguin goal, via Jamie Benn and Alexander Radulov. Colorado tied it on a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his fifth of the postseason, assisted by Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. The Stars retook the lead with a Blake Comeau goal, fueled by Jamie Oleksiak and Miro Heiskanen. Dallas added on with a Radulov goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Benn and Radek Faksa. The Avalanche pulled one back in the second period with a Landeskog goal, coming off of MacKinnon and Samuel Girard. The Stars responded on a Radulov goal, his fourth of the postseason, made possible by Seguin and Benn. Colorado chipped back on a MacKinnon goal, his second of the game and sixth of the playoffs, with helpers from Girard and Nazem Kadri. Dallas capped it at 5-3 with a Roope Hintz goal, courtesy of Jason Dickinson and John Klingberg. The three stars were Radulov, Benn, and Seguin, while MacKinnon, Landeskog, and Girard get the honorable mentions. The Stars are ahead 1-0 in the series. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - First Round Day 11

Two games again today, beginning with...

The Montreal Canadiens versus the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Carey Price are in goal. Philadelphia opened in the first period with an Ivan Provorov goal, via Kevin Hayes. The Flyers added on with a Hayes goal, courtesy of Derek Grant and Tyler Pitlick. Montreal got on the board with a Nick Suzuki power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Joel Armia and Jonathan Drouin. Philadelphia replied in the second period with a Michael Raffl goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Travis Sanheim and Jakub Voracek. The Canadiens pulled back on a Suzuki goal, his second of the game and fourth of the postseason, coming off of Drouin and Armia. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars given to Hayes, Suzuki, and Drouin, while Armia gets an honorable mention. The Flyers won the series 4-2 and will take on the New York Islanders in the second round.

Out west, the Vancouver Canucks take on the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Jacob Markstrom are the masked men. Vancouver started in the first period with an unassisted Jay Beagle goal. The Canucks added on with an Antoine Roussel goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by Brandon Sutter. Vancouver extended the lead as Troy Stecher scored his second of the playoffs, with the help of Sutter and Elias Pettersson. The Canucks padded the lead on a Brock Boeser power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Quinn Hughes and Pettersson. St. Louis got on the board in the third period with a Jaden Schwartz goal, his third of the playoffs, via Vince Dunn and Ryan O'Reilly. Vancouver replied with a Tyler Motte goal, his third of the postseason, with helpers by Beagle and Sutter. The Blues got one back with another Schwartz goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, made possible by David Perron and Alex Pietrangelo. The Canucks replied with an empty net goal by Motte, his second of the game and fourth of the postseason, going in unassisted. The final stood at 6-2 with the three stars given to Beagle, Sutter, and Motte, while Pettersson and Schwartz get the honorable mentions. The Canucks advanced on a 4-2 series win and will face the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - First Round Day 10

Just two games on as the First Round starts to wind down. First up...

The Washington Capitals take on the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Braden Holtby are the goalies. New York opened in the first period with an Anthony Beauvillier power play goal, his fifth of the postseason, powered by Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey. The Islanders added on with another Beauvillier goal, his second of the game and sixth of the playoffs, courtesy of Bailey. New York extended the lead on a Nick Leddy empty net goal, his second of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Islanders iced it at 4-0 with an unassisted empty net goal by Bailey, his second of the playoffs. The three stars were Beauvillier, Bailey, and Varlamov (21 save shutout). The Islanders won the series 4-1. 

The other game today has the Calgary Flames versus the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Cam Talbot draw the starts in goal. Calgary started in the first period with an Andrew Mangiapane goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of T.J. Brodie and Mark Giordano. The Flames added on with a Johnny Gaudreau power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, powered by Sam Bennett. Calgary extended the lead as Rasmus Andersson scored his third of the postseason, passed from Tobias Rieder and Noah Hanifin. Dallas got on the board with a Miro Heiskanen power play goal, his third of the playoffs, with assists provided by Corey Perry and Roope Hintz. The Stars got closer in the second period with a Denis Gurianov goal, his third of the postseason, courtesy of Heiskanen. Dallas tied it on a Gurianov goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, with helpers from Joe Pavelski and Esa Lindell. The Stars took the lead with a Radek Faksa power play goal, assisted by Gurianov and Heiskanen. Dallas padded the lead on a Pavelski goal, his sixth of the postseason, fueled by Heiskanen. The Stars continued with a Gurianov goal to complete his hat trick on his fifth of the playoffs, helped along by Pavelski and the goalie Khudobin. Dallas kept going in the third period with a Gurianov goal, his fourth of the game and sixth of the postseason, set up by Joel Kiviranta. The final remained at 7-3, with the three stars going to Gurianov, Heiskanen, and Pavelski. The Stars won the series 4-2 and will match up with the Colorado Avalanche in the next round. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - First Round Day 9

There's five games on today, four of which could be the last of their series. We begin with...

The Tampa Bay Lightning versus the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Andrei Vasilevskiy are the masked men. Tampa Bay began in the first period with a Tyler Johnson goal, his third of the postseason, via Erik Cernak and Anthony Cirelli. The Lightning added on with a Blake Coleman goal, coming off of Zach Bogosian. Columbus got on the board with a Nick Foligno goal, his second of the playoffs, fueled by Alexander Wennberg and Cam Atkinson. The Blue Jackets tied it with a Kevin Stenlund power play goal in the second period, powered by Seth Jones and Atkinson. Columbus took the lead on a Wennberg goal, his third of the postseason, helped along by Vladislav Gavrikov and Foligno. The Blue Jackets extended the lead as Oliver Bjorkstrand scored his third of the playoffs in the third period, thanks to Pierre-Luc Dubois and Gavrikov. Tampa Bay got one back on a Kevin Shattenkirk goal, guided in by Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning tied it as Cirelli scored, with the help of Point and Kucherov. Tampa Bay won 5-4 in overtime with a Point goal, his fifth of the postseason, with a lone helper from Kucherov. The three stars went to Point, Kucherov, and Cirelli, while Wennberg, Foligno, Atkinson, and Gavrikov get the honorable mentions. The Lightning won the series 4-1. 

Next up, the Boston Bruins take on the Carolina Hurricanes. Petr Mrazek and Jaroslav Halak are the goalies. Carolina led off in the first period with a Haydn Fleury goal, his second of the postseason, courtesy of Sebastian Aho and Jordan Martinook. Boston tied it in the second period on a David Krejci power play goal, his third of the playoffs, via David Pastrnak and Patrice Bergeron. The Bruins took the lead with a Bergeron power play goal, his second of the postseason, with assists provided by Pastrnak and Krejci. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars being Bergeron, Krejci, and Pastrnak. The Bruins won the series 4-1. 

Out west, the Colorado Avalanche face the Arizona Coyotes. Darcy Kuemper and Philipp Grubauer are set to start in goal. Colorado started in the first period with a Nazem Kadri power play goal, his fifth of the postseason, powered by Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche added on with a Samuel Girard power play goal, with helpers from Andre Burakovsky and J.T. Compher. Colorado extended the lead as Kadri scored his second of the game and sixth of the playoffs, thanks to Burakovsky and Joonas Donskoi. The Avalanche padded the lead in the second period with a MacKinnon goal, his third of the postseason, with a lone assist by Mikko Rantanen. Colorado kept going with another MacKinnon goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, guided in by Rantanen and Cale Makar. The Avalanche struck again with a Nikita Zadorov goal, made possible by MacKinnon and Landeskog. Arizona got on the board in the third period with a Clayton Keller goal, his fourth of the postseason, fueled by Jason Demers and Derek Stepan. Colorado iced it at 7-1 with a Compher goal, his third of the playoffs, via Matt Nieto. The three stars were MacKinnon, Kadri, and Compher, while Landeskog, Burakovsky, and Rantanen get the honorable mentions. The Avalanche clinched the series at 4-1. 

Back east, the Philadelphia Flyers meet the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Carter Hart tend the twines. Montreal opened in the first period with a Joel Armia shorthanded goal, his second of the postseason, set up by Xavier Ouellet and Brett Kulak. Philadelphia tied it in the second period with a Jakub Voracek power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by Claude Giroux and Ivan Provorov. The Flyers took the lead with a Voracek power play goal, his second of the game and fourth of the postseason, with assists from Giroux and Sean Couturier. The Canadiens retied it on an Armia goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, fueled by Kulak. Montreal took the lead with a Brendan Gallagher power play goal, guided in by Nick Suzuki and Jonathan Drouin. Philadelphia tied it on a Joel Farabee power play goal in the third period, his third of the postseason, made possible by Voracek and Couturier. The Canadiens took the lead back on a Suzuki goal, his second of the playoffs, via Drouin. Montreal iced it at 5-3 with a Phillip Danault empty net goal, courtesy of Artturi Lehkonen. The three stars were Suzuki, Armia, and Voracek, while Drouin, Kulak, Giroux, and Couturier get the honorable mentions. The Canadiens stay alive, cutting the Flyers' series lead to 3-2. 

Finally, the St. Louis Blues oppose the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen are set to start in goal. Vancouver struck first in the first period with a shorthanded and unassisted Tyler Motte goal. St. Louis tied it on a Brayden Schenn goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Oskar Sundqvist. The Blues took the lead with a Ryan O'Reilly goal, his fourth of the playoffs, assisted by Sammy Blais and Vince Dunn. St. Louis added on in the second period with a Zach Sanford power play goal, powered by Robert Thomas and Tyler Bozak. The Canucks got one back with a J.T. Miller goal, his fifth of the postseason, made possible by Jake Virtanen and Elias Pettersson. Vancouver tied it on a Virtanen goal, courtesy of Miller and Pettersson. The Canucks gained the lead on a Motte goal, his second of the game, via Brandon Sutter and Troy Stecher. This held for the eventual 4-3 final score, with the three stars being Motte, Miller, and Virtanen, while Pettersson gets an honorable mention. The Canucks retook the series lead at 3-2. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - First Round Day 8

Four games again today, beginning with...

The Montreal Canadiens against the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Carey Price guard the cages. Philadelphia began in the first period with a Michael Raffl goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek. The Flyers added on with a Philippe Myers goal, his second of the playoffs, courtesy of Travis Konecny and Kevin Hayes in the second period. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the three stars being Hart (29 save shutout), Raffl, and Myers. The Flyers lead the series 3-1. 

Out west, the Dallas Stars face the Calgary Flames. Cam Talbot and Anton Khudobin are in goal. Dallas led off in the first period with a Jamie Benn shorthanded goal, his second of the of the postseason, set up by Tyler Seguin. Calgary tied it on a Mikael Backlund goal, his fourth of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The Stars took the lead in the third period with a John Klingberg goal, fueled by Mattias Janmark. This stood for the 2-1 final score, with the three stars being Khudobin (28 for 29 in saves), Klingberg, and Benn. The Stars are ahead 3-2 in the series. 

In the east, the New York Islanders take on the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Semyon Varlamov man the nets. New York started in the first period with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his fourth of the postseason, assisted by Scott Mayfield and Casey Cizikas. The Islanders added on with a Mathew Barzal goal, his third of the playoffs, via Nick Leddy and Andy Greene. Washington got on the board in the second period with an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his third of the postseason, coming off of John Carlson and the goalie Holtby. The Capitals tied it on an Alex Ovechkin power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by Carlson and Kuznetsov. Washington took the lead with an Ovechkin goal in the third period, his second of the game and fourth of the postseason, courtesy of Dmitry Orlov. This held for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, and Carlson. The Capitals stay alive, but the Islanders lead the series 3-1. 

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights oppose the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner tend the twines. Chicago opened in the first period with a Jonathan Toews goal, his fifth of the postseason, coming off of Dominik Kubalik and Brandon Saad. The Blackhawks added on with an Alex DeBrincat goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Dylan Strome and Connor Murphy. Vegas got on the board with a Max Pacioretty goal, assisted by Brayden McNabb and William Karlsson. The Golden Knights tied it with a Mark Stone goal, his fourth of the postseason, via Karlsson and Pacioretty. Chicago regained the lead with a Patrick Kane goal, his second of the playoffs, fueled by Drake Caggiula. Vegas retied it with a power play goal by Alec Martinez, powered by Reilly Smith and Nate Schmidt. The Golden Knights pulled ahead in the third period with an Alex Tuch goal, his fourth of the postseason, helped along by Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars given to Pacioretty, Karlsson, and Tuch. The Golden Knights advanced on a 4-1 series win. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - First Round Day 7

There's four games on today, beginning with...

The Columbus Blue Jackets versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Joonas Korpisalo man the nets. Tampa Bay got going in the second period with a Barclay Goodrow goal, assisted by Blake Coleman and Yanni Gourde. The Lightning added on with a Gourde goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Kevin Shattenkirk and Goodrow. Columbus got on the board with a Cam Atkinson goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Pierre-Luc Dubois and Zach Werenski. The final remained at 2-1, with the three stars being Vasilevskiy (28 for 29 in saves), Gourde, and Goodrow. The Lightning are ahead 3-1 in the series. 

Next up, the Arizona Coyotes take on the Colorado Avalanche. Philipp Grubauer and Darcy Kuemper start in goal. Colorado led off in the first period with a Matt Nieto goal, assisted by Matt Calvert and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare. The Avalanche added on with a Nazem Kadri power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen. Colorado extended the lead as Kadri scored again on the power play, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, with the help of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. The Avalanche padded the lead in the second period with a Joonas Donskoi goal, his third of the postseason, helped along by Andre Burakovsky and Kadri. Arizona got on the board with a Jakob Chychrun power play goal, with assists provided by Jordan Oesterle and Vinnie Hinostroza. Antti Raanta replaced Kuemper in goal. Colorado replied in the third period with a Makar goal, his second of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The Avalanche continued with a Calvert goal, coming off of MacKinnon and Ryan Graves. Colorado capped it at 7-1 with a Rantanen power play goal, his third of the postseason, passed from Erik Johnson and Landeskog. The three stars were Kadri, Calvert, and Rantanen, while Makar, Landeskog, and MacKinnon get the honorable mentions. The Avalanche have a 3-1 series lead. 

Back east, the Carolina Hurricanes face the Boston Bruins. Jaroslav Halak and James Reimer are the goalies. Carolina began in the first period with a Justin Williams goal, assisted by Vincent Trocheck and Jake Gardiner. The Hurricanes added on with a Jordan Martinook goal, his second of the postseason, courtesy of Sebastian Aho in the second period. Boston got on the board in the third period with a Jake DeBrusk goal, his second of the playoffs, coming off of Ondrej Kase and Connor Clifton. The Bruins tied it with a Clifton goal, made possible by Joakim Nordstrom and Chris Wagner. Boston took the lead with a Brad Marchand goal, his third of the postseason, helped along by Torey Krug. The Bruins extended the lead as DeBrusk scored his second of the game and third of the playoffs, via Kase and David Krejci. Carolina got one back with a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his third of the postseason, passed from Brady Skjei and Dougie Hamilton. This only made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars given to DeBrusk, Clifton, and Kase. The Bruins moved ahead 3-1 in the series. 

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks oppose the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Jake Markstrom occupy the creases. St. Louis kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Alex Pietrangelo. Vancouver tied it in the second period with a J.T. Miller goal, his fourth of the playoffs, guided in by Alexander Edler. The Blues took the lead back on an O'Reilly goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, via David Perron. St. Louis added on with a Pietrangelo power play goal, with assists provided by O'Reilly and Perron. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars awarded to O'Reilly, Pietrangelo, and Perron. The series is tied at 2. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - First Round Day 6

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

The New York Islanders versus the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Semyon Varlamov are the goalies. New York led off in the first period with an Anders Lee goal, his third of the postseason, coming off of Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock. Washington tied it in the second period with an Evgeny Kuznetsov power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by John Carlson and Alex Ovechkin. The Islanders won 2-1 in overtime with a Mathew Barzal goal, his second of the postseason, via Jordan Eberle and Derick Brassard. The three stars were Barzal, Lee, and Varlamov (22 for 23 in saves). The Islanders are within a game of advancing with their current 3-0 series lead. 

Out west, the Calgary Flames take on the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Cam Talbot draw the starts in goal. Dallas began in the first period with a Joe Pavelski power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by John Klingberg and Tyler Seguin. Calgary tied it on a Johnny Gaudreau power play goal in the second period, his third of the playoffs, with assists provided by Sam Bennett and Sean Monahan. The Stars retook the lead on a Pavelski goal, his second of the game and fourth of the postseason, made possible by Blake Comeau and Esa Lindell. The Flames tied it again with a Bennett power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, helped along by Monahan and Gaudreau. Calgary took the lead with another Bennett goal, his second of the game and fifth of the postseason, assisted by Milan Lucic. Dallas pulled even with a Denis Gurianov power play goal, his second of the playoffs, courtesy of Miro Heiskanen and Roope Hintz. The Flames pulled ahead in the third period on a shorthanded Tobias Rieder goal, his third of the postseason, set up by Derek Ryan and Rasmus Andersson. The Stars tied it on a Pavelski goal, completing his hat trick on his fifth of the playoffs, fueled by Klingberg and Seguin. Dallas won 5-4 in overtime with an Alexander Radulov goal, his second of the postseason, passed from Klingberg and Jamie Benn. The three stars were Pavelski, Klingberg, and Bennett, while Gaudreau, Monahan, and Seguin get the honorable mentions. The series is tied at 2.

Staying in Edmonton, the Chicago Blackhawks face the Vegas Golden Knights. Robin Lehner and Corey Crawford protect the nets. Chicago opened in the first period with a Drake Caggiula goal, via Olli Maatta and Kirby Dach. The Blackhawks added on with a Matthew Highmore goal, his third of the postseason, coming off of Duncan Keith. Vegas got on the board with a Shea Theodore goal, his fourth of the playoffs, made possible by Alec Martinez and Ryan Reaves. Chicago iced it at 3-1 with an Alex DeBrincat empty net goal in the third period, set up by Connor Murphy. The three stars belonged to Crawford (46 for 47 in saves), Highmore, and Caggiula. Vegas remains ahead 3-1 in the series. 

Back east, the Montreal Canadiens oppose the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Carey Price tend the twines. Philadelphia started in the first period with a Jakub Voracek goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Claude Giroux and Robert Hagg. This held for a 1-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Hart (23 save shutout), Voracek, and Price (19 for 20 in saves). The Flyers regained the series lead at 2-1.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks play against the St. Louis Blues. Jake Allen and Jacob Markstrom receive the starting nods in goal. Vancouver got going in the second period with a J.T. Miller power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. St. Louis tied it on a Justin Faulk goal, assisted by Robert Thomas and Sammy Blais. The Blues took the lead with a David Perron goal, his fourth of the playoffs, coming off of Ryan O'Reilly and Zach Sanford. The Canucks retied it on a Pettersson goal, his fourth of the postseason, made possible by Antoine Roussel. St. Louis won 3-2 in overtime with a Brayden Schenn goal, courtesy of O'Reilly and Carl Gunnarsson. The three stars were Schenn, Pettersson, and O'Reilly. The Blues cut the Canucks' series lead to 2-1. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - First Round Day 5

We've got four games on for today, beginning with...

The Carolina Hurricanes facing the Boston Bruins. Jaroslav Halak and Petr Mrazek make the starts in goal. Boston got going in the second period with a Charlie Coyle power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Brad Marchand and David Krejci. The Bruins added on with a Sean Kuraly shorthanded goal in the third period, set up by Coyle and Charlie McAvoy. Carolina got on the board with a Nino Niederreiter power play goal, going in unassisted. Boston iced it at 3-1 with a Marchand empty net goal, his second of the playoffs, set up by Krejci. The three stars were Halak (29 for 30 in saves), Coyle, and Marchand, while Krejci gets an honorable mention. The Bruins have a 2-1 series lead. 

Out west, the Arizona Coyotes meet the Colorado Avalanche. Pavel Francouz and Darcy Kuemper are the goalies. Arizona led off in the first period with a Derek Stepan goal, assisted by Clayton Keller and Taylor Hall. Colorado tied it in the second period on an Andre Burakovsky goal, his third of the postseason, made possible by Samuel Girard. The Coyotes retook the lead with a Brad Richardson goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Conor Garland and Jason Demers. Arizona added on with an unassisted empty net goal by Hall, his second of the postseason, in the third period. The Avalanche got one back on a Mikko Rantanen goal, his second of the playoffs, fueled by Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon. The Coyotes iced it at 4-2 with a Lawson Crouse empty net goal, his second of the postseason, set up by Niklas Hjalmarsson and Demers. The three stars belonged to Kuemper (49 for 51 in saves), Hall, and Demers. The Avalanche's series lead was trimmed to 2-1.

In the east, the Columbus Blue Jackets take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Joonas Korpisalo are in the blue paint. Tampa Bay began in the first period with an Alex Killorn goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Anthony Cirelli and Zach Bogosian. Columbus tied it in the second period with a Riley Nash goal, passed from Gustav Nyquist. The Lightning retook the lead on a Brayden Point goal, his fourth of the playoffs, assisted by Ryan McDonagh and Nikita Kucherov. Tampa Bay added on with a Victor Hedman goal, coming off of Carter Verhaeghe and Cedric Paquette. The Blue Jackets got one back in the third period on an Eric Robinson goal, courtesy of Nash and Alexander Wennberg. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Hedman, Nash, and Point. The Lightning lead the series 2-1.

Closing the day, the Chicago Blackhawks oppose the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Corey Crawford tend the twines. Vegas struck first in the first period with a William Karlsson shorthanded goal, his second of the postseason, set up by Mark Stone. The Golden Knights added on with a Patrick Brown goal, via Alex Tuch and Nate Schmidt. Chicago got on the board in the third period with an Olli Maatta goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Drake Caggiula and Patrick Kane. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars being Fleury (26 for 27 in saves), Brown, and Karlsson. The Golden Knights are on the brink of advancing with a 3-0 series lead. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - First Round Day 4

A five-game day is on tap Friday, beginning in the west with...

The Colorado Avalanche versus the Arizona Coyotes. Darcy Kuemper and Philipp Grubauer start in goal. Colorado led off in the first period with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his second of the postseason, helped along by Gabriel Landeskog. Arizona tied it on a Clayton Keller goal, his third of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The Avalanche retook the lead in the second period with a Tyson Jost goal, coming off of Cale Makar and J.T. Compher. The Coyotes retied it on a Michael Grabner goal, his third of the postseason, made possible by Brad Richardson and Jordan Oesterle. Colorado pulled ahead on an Andre Burakovsky goal, his second of the playoffs, fueled by Nazem Kadri and Matt Calvert. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Burakovsky, Jost, and MacKinnon. The Avalanche are up 2-0 in the series.

In the east, the Philadelphia Flyers take on the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Carter Hart protect the nets. Montreal opened in the first period with a Tomas Tatar goal, assisted by Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki. The Canadiens added on with a Jesperi Kotkaniemi goal, his third of the postseason, guided in by Jonathan Drouin and Max Domi. Montreal extended the lead in the second period as Tatar scored again, thanks to Victor Mete and Domi on the power play. The Canadiens padded the lead with a Joel Armia goal, passed from Jake Evans and Alex Belzile. Brian Elliott relieved Hart in goal. Montreal continued in the second period with a Kotkaniemi power play goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, powered by Domi and Mete. The final remained at 5-0, with the three stars awarded to Price (30 save shutout), Kotkaniemi, and Tatar, while Domi and Mete get the honorable mentions. The series is tied at 1.

Back west, the St. Louis Blues face the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Jordan Binnington guard the cages. Vancouver started in the first period with a shorthanded Bo Horvat goal, his fifth of the postseason, set up by Christopher Tanev. The Canucks added on in the second period with a Tanner Pearson power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser. St. Louis got on the board with a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, with assists provided by David Perron and Alex Pietrangelo. Vancouver responded with an Elias Pettersson power play goal in the third period, his third of the postseason, coming off of J.T. Miller and Boeser. The Blues got one back with a Blais goal, going in unassisted. St. Louis tied with a Perron goal, his fourth of the playoffs, helped along by Pietrangelo and Vladimir Tarasenko. The Canucks won 4-3 in overtime with a Horvat goal, his second of the game and sixth of the postseason, made possible by Quinn Hughes. The three stars were Horvat, Pettersson, and Boeser, while Perron and Pietrangelo get the honorable mentions. The Canucks have a 2-0 series lead.

The east finale sees the Washington Capitals oppose the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Braden Holtby man the nets. Washington began in the first period with an Alex Ovechkin goal, assisted by Tom Wilson and John Carlson. New York tied it on a Nick Leddy power play goal, powered by Josh Bailey and Anthony Beauvillier. The Islanders took the lead with a Matt Martin goal, his second of the postseason, courtesy of Scott Mayfield. The Capitals retied it on an Ovechkin goal, his second of the game passed from Brenden Dillon and Dmitry Orlov. New York retook the lead with an unassisted Brock Nelson goal, his third of the playoffs. The Islanders added on with a Cal Clutterbuck goal in the third period, coming off of Jean-Gabriel Pageau. New York iced it at 5-2 with an Anders Lee empty net goal, his second of the postseason, set up by Pageau and Adam Pelech. The three stars went to Nelson, Ovechkin, and Pageau. The Islanders lead the series 2-0. 

Finally, the Calgary Flames clash with the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Cam Talbot draw the starts in goal. Calgary got going in the second period with a Mikael Backlund shorthanded goal, his third of the postseason, set up by Elias Lindholm. The Flames added on in the third period with a T.J. Brodie goal, coming off of Alan Quine and Mark Giordano. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Talbot (35 save shutout), Backlund, and Brodie. The Flames hold a 2-1 series lead. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - First Round Day 3

We're back for another four-game day, beginning with...

The Tampa Bay Lightning facing the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Andrei Vasilevskiy are the goalies. Tampa Bay began in the first period with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Ondrej Palat and Brayden Point. Columbus tied it on a Ryan Murray goal, via Pierre-Luc Dubois. The Blue Jackets took the lead with an Oliver Bjorkstrand power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Dubois and Alexandre Texier. Columbus added on in the third period with an Alexander Wennberg goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Liam Foudy and Nick Foligno. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars given to Dubois, Korpisalo (36 for 37 in saves), and Bjorkstrand. The series is tied at 1. 

Out west, the Vegas Golden Knights oppose the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner are the former teammates in goal. Vegas led off in the first period with a Paul Stastny goal, assisted by Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith. The Golden Knights added on with a Tomas Nosek goal, courtesy of William Carrier. Chicago got on the board with a Kirby Dach goal, via Calvin de Haan and Patrick Kane in the second period. The Blackhawks tied it with a Dominik Kubalik power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Kane and Jonathan Toews. Vegas retook the lead on a Mark Stone goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Alec Martinez and Marchessault. Chicago retied it with a Dylan Strome goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Kane and Alex DeBrincat. The Golden Knights won 4-3 in overtime with a Smith goal, his third of the playoffs, fueled by Stastny and Nick Cousins. The three stars were Smith, Stastny, and Kane, while Marchessault gets an honorable mention. Vegas is ahead 2-0 in the series.

Back east, the Boston Bruins take on the Carolina Hurricanes. James Reimer and Tuukka Rask man the nets. Boston opened in the first period with a David Krejci power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Brad Marchand and Torey Krug. Carolina tied it in the second period with a Teuvo Teravainen power play goal, his second of the playoffs, with assists provided by Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho. The Hurricanes took the lead with a Svechnikov goal, his fourth of the postseason, assisted by Martin Necas and Trevor van Riemsdyk. The Bruins tied it on a Marchand power play goal, helped along by Patrice Bergeron and Krejci. Carolina pulled ahead on a Dougie Hamilton goal, coming off of Necas. The final held at 3-2, with the three stars given to Svechnikov, Necas, and Krejci, while Marchand gets an honorable mention. The series is now tied at 1. 

Finally, the Dallas Stars meet the Calgary Flames. Cam Talbot and Ben Bishop are the masked men. Calgary started in the first period with a Dillon Dube goal, his fourth of the postseason, made possible by T.J. Brodie and Mark Giordano. Dallas tied it on an Alexander Radulov goal, assisted by Jamie Benn and John Klingberg. The Stars took the lead with a Miro Heiskanen goal, fueled by Radulov. Dallas added on in the second period with another Heiskanen goal, passed from Klingberg and the goalie Bishop. The Flames got one back with a Derek Forbort goal, going in unassisted. The Stars fired back with a Corey Perry power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Radek Faksa and Roope Hintz. Calgary got one back in the third period with a Tobias Rieder shorthanded and unassisted goal, his second of the postseason. The Flames tied it on a Sam Bennett power play goal, his third of the playoffs, with helpers from Elias Lindholm and Johnny Gaudreau. Dallas regained the lead with a Jamie Oleksiak goal, set up by Perry and Mattias Janmark. This produced the 5-4 final score, with the three stars being Heiskanen, Perry, and Radulov, while Klingberg gets an honorable mention.The series is tied at 1. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - First Round Day 2

After a marathon opening day, we'll now have five games for the follow-up. Leading off...

The Boston Bruins face the Carolina Hurricanes. Petr Mrazek and Tuukka Rask are the goalies. Carolina started in the first period with a Joel Edmundson goal, via Teuvo Teravainen and Sebastian Aho. Boston tied it on a David Pastrnak goal, courtesy of Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron. The Bruins took the lead in the second period with an unassisted Charlie Coyle goal. The Hurricanes retied it with a Brock McGinn shorthanded goal, going in unassisted. Boston pulled ahead in the third period with a David Krejci goal, helped along by Ondrej Kase and Charlie McAvoy. Carolina evened the score on a Haydn Fleury goal, coming off of Vincent Trocheck. The Bruins won 4-3 in double overtime with a Bergeron goal, made possible by Pastrnak and Marchand. The three stars were Bergeron, Pastrnak, and Marchand. The Bruins have a 1-0 series lead. 

Next up, the Washington Capitals take on the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Braden Holtby guard the cages. Washington got going in the second period with a T.J. Oshie power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Evgeny Kuznetsov and John Carlson. The Capitals added on with another Oshie goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, coming on the power play from Tom Wilson and Carlson. New York got on the board with a Jordan Eberle goal, his third of the postseason, guided in by Mathew Barzal. The Islanders tied it in the third period with an Anders Lee goal, coming off of Ryan Pulock and Brock Nelson. New York gained the lead with a Josh Bailey shorthanded goal, set up by Nelson. The Islanders iced it at 4-2 with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his fourth of the playoffs, via Bailey and Barzal. The three stars were Bailey, Oshie, and Nelson, while Barzal and Carlson get the honorable mentions. The Islanders hold a 1-0 series lead.

Out west, the Colorado Avalanche meet the Arizona Coyotes. Darcy Kuemper and Philipp Grubauer are in the blue paint. Colorado dented the scoreboard in the third period with a Nazem Kadri power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche added on with a J.T. Compher goal, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Joonas Donskoi and Erik Johnson. Colorado extended the lead as Mikko Rantanen scored, thanks to MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. The three stars of the 3-0 game were Grubauer (14 save shutout), Kadri, and MacKinnon. The Avalanche lead the series 1-0.

Today's east finale is the Philadelphia Flyers versus the Montreal Canadiens. Carey Price and Carter Hart tend the twines. Philadelphia led off in the first period with a Jakub Voracek power play goal, powered by Ivan Provorov and Claude Giroux. Montreal tied it on a Shea Weber power play goal in the second period, his third of the postseason, made possible by Jonathan Drouin and Brendan Gallagher. The Flyers retook the lead on a Joel Farabee goal, his second of the playoffs, coming off of Travis Sanheim. The final remained at 2-1, with the three stars being Hart (27 for 28 in saves), Farabee, and Price (29 for 31 in saves). The Flyers stake out a 1-0 series lead.

Finally, the St. Louis Blues oppose Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Jordan Binnington guard the cages. Vancouver began in the first period with a Bo Horvat power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Quinn Hughes and J.T. Miller. St. Louis tied it on a David Perron power play goal, his third of the playoffs, via Brayden Schenn and Alex Pietrangelo. The Canucks retook the lead with an Elias Pettersson power play goal in the second period, his second of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Blues retied it on an unassisted Jaden Schwartz goal. Vancouver reclaimed the lead with a Troy Stecher goal, made possible by Tanner Pearson and Brock Boeser. The Canucks added on in the third period with a Horvat goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, fueled by Pearson. Vancouver extended the lead as Miller scored his second of the postseason on the power play, thanks to Boeser and Christopher Tanev. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars going to Horvat, Pearson, and Boeser, while Miller gets an honorable mentions. The Canucks have a 1-0 series lead. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - First Round Day 1

The playoffs are here, originally set to begin with four games but forced to play only three for reasons to soon be read. First up...

The Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Andrei Vasilevskiy are the goalies. Columbus started in the first period with a Pierre-Luc Dubois power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Alexandre Texier and Seth Jones. Tampa Bay tied it on a Brayden Point goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Nikita Kucherov and Victor Hedman. The Blue Jackets took the lead in the second period with an Oliver Bjorkstrand goal, via Dubois and Dean Kukan. The Lightning retied it on a Yanni Gourde goal, assisted by Ryan McDonagh and Blake Coleman. Tampa Bay won 3-2 in the fifth overtime, also known as the eighth period, on a Point goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, helped along by Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev. The three stars were Korpisalo (85 for 88 in saves), Vasilevskiy (61 for 63 in saves), and Point, while Dubois and Kucherov get the honorable mentions. The Lightning lead the series 1-0.

In the west, the Dallas Stars meet the Calgary Flames. Cam Talbot and Anton Khudobin are the masked men. Calgary opened in the first period with a Dillon Dube power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Milan Lucic and Mikael Backlund. The Flames added on with another Dube goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, fueled by Erik Gustafsson and Derek Forbort. Dallas got on the board in the second period with a Denis Gurianov goal, assisted by Miro Heiskanen and Jamie Oleksiak. The Stars tied it on a James Benn goal, coming off of Esa Lindell. Calgary reclaimed the lead with a Rasmus Andersson goal, his second of the postseason, guided in by Noah Hanifin. This held for the 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Dube, Andersson, and Talbot (24 for 26 in saves). The Flames have a 1-0 series lead. 

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights face the Chicago Blackhawks. Corey Crawford and Robin Lehner play in goal. Vegas got going in the second period with a Shea Theodore goal, his third of the postseason, courtesy of Reilly Smith and Alec Martinez. The Golden Knights added on with a William Carrier goal, his second of the playoffs, coming off of Ryan Reaves and Nicolas Roy. Chicago got on the board with a David Kampf shorthanded goal, set up by Brandon Saad. Vegas replied in the third period with a Smith goal, via Jonathan Marchessault. The Golden Knights extended the lead as Smith scored again, with the help of Marchessault. This stood for a 4-1 win, with the three stars going to Smith, Marchessault, and Lehner (19 for 20 in saves). Vegas leads the series 1-0. 

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NHL 2020 Qualifying Round - Day 9

This is the last day of the qualifying round in the NHL. First up...

The Washington Capitals face the Boston Bruins. Tuukka Rask and Braden Holtby guard the cages. Washington started in the first period with a T.J. Oshie goal, going in unassisted. The Capitals added on in the third period with a Tom Wilson goal, via Ilya Kovalchuk and Michal Kempny. Boston got on the board with a Jake DeBrusk goal, assisted by Ondrej Kase and David Krejci. This only made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars being Holtby (30 for 31 in saves), Wilson, and Oshie. 

Out West, the last round-robin sees the St. Louis Blues versus the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Jake Allen are the goalies. St. Louis began in the first period with a Robert Thomas goal, assisted by Sammy Blais and Vince Dunn. Dallas tied it in the third period with a Joe Pavelski goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Miro Heiskanen and John Klingberg. In the shootout, Denis Gurianov had the lone tally for a 2-1 Stars win. The three stars were Khudobin (22 for 23 in saves), Pavelski, and Allen (37 for 38 in saves). 

Finally, the Toronto Maple Leafs host the Columbus Blue Jackets. Joonas Korpisalo and Frederik Andersen are the masked men. Columbus led off in the first period with an unassisted Zach Werenski goal. The Blue Jackets added on in the third period with a Liam Foudy goal, assisted by Gustav Nyquist and Seth Jones. Columbus iced it at 3-0 with a Nick Foligno empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars belonged to Korpisalo (33 save shutout), Werenski, and Foudy.The Blue Jackets will face the Lightning in the first round. 

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NHL 2020 Qualifying Round - Day 8

Just two games on today, both in the round-robins. First up...

The Colorado Avalanche take on the Vegas Golden Knights. Robin Lehner and Philipp Grubauer are the goalies. Vegas got going in the second period with a Jonathan Marchessault power play goal, powered by Shea Theodore and William Karlsson. Colorado tied it with a Nathan MacKinnon power play goal, with assists provided by Nazem Kadri and Mikko Rantanen. The Golden Knights took the lead back with a Nicolas Roy goal, helped along by Ryan Reaves and Theodore. The Avalanche retied it on a Joonas Donskoi goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by J.T. Compher. Vegas took the lead in the third period with a Marchessault penalty shot goal, his second of the game. Colorado evened it with a Compher goal, with helpers by Kadri and Rantanen. The Golden Knights won 4-3 with an Alex Tuch goal, his third of the playoffs, coming off of Mark Stone. The three stars were Marchessault, Theodore, and Compher, while Kadri and Rantanen get the honorable mentions. Vegas won the West's round robin and will face the Chicago Blackhawks, while Colorado is set to take on the Arizona Coyotes. 

In the east, the Tampa Bay Lightning face the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Andrei Vasilevskiy are the masked men. Philadelphia opened in the first period with a Nicolas Aube-Kubel goal, assisted by Shayne Gostisbehere and Derek Grant. The Flyers added on with another Aube-Kubel goal, his second of the game, passed from Sean Couturier and Joel Farabee. Tampa Bay got on the board in the second period with a Tyler Johnson power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Alex Killorn and Brayden Point. Philadelphia replied with a Farabee goal, coming off of Gostisbehere and Couturier. The Flyers iced it at 4-1 in the third period with a Tyler Pitlick empty net goal, set up by Scott Laughton. The three stars were Aube-Kubel, Farabee, and Gostisbehere, while Couturier gets an honorable mention. Philadelphia won the East's round-robin, allowing them to play against the Montreal Canadiens. 

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NHL 2020 Qualifying Round - Day 7

We've got a full slate of six games, all of which with elimination on the line. First up...

The Florida Panthers face the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Sergei Bobrovsky are the Russian goalies. New York led off in the first period with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Josh Bailey and Brock Nelson. The Islanders added on with another Beauvillier goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, coming off of Mathew Barzal and Ryan Pulock. Florida got on the board with a Mike Hoffman power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. New York replied in the second period with a Nelson power play goal, his second of the playoffs, with assists provided by Bailey and Devon Toews. The Islanders extended the lead in the third period as Barzal scored, with the help of Jordan Eberle. New York iced it at 5-1 with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his third of the postseason, set up by Leo Komarov. The three stars were Beauvillier, Nelson, and Barzal, while Bailey gets an honorable mention. The Islanders advanced with a 3-1 series win. 

Next up, the Arizona Coyotes take on the Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Darcy Kuemper draw the starts in goal. Arizona began in the first period with a Michael Grabner goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The Coyotes added on in the second period with a Phil Kessel goal, going in unassisted. Nashville got on the board with a Matt Duchene power play goal, powered by Roman Josi and Ryan Johansen. The Predators tied it with a Viktor Arvidsson goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Ryan Ellis and Filip Forsberg. Arizona retook the lead in the third period with a Jordan Oesterle goal, via Ekman-Larsson and Clayton Keller. Nashville tied it on a Forsberg goal, his third of the postseason, helped along by Ellis. The Coyotes won 4-3 in overtime with a Brad Richardson goal, made possible by Jason Demers and Vinnie Hinostroza. The three stars were Kuemper (49 for 52 in saves), Ekman-Larsson, and Forsberg, while Ellis gets an honorable mention. The Coyotes won the series 3-1 to get into the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

Back east, the Montreal Canadiens oppose the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry is mismatched with Carey Price in goal. Montreal got going in the third period with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, coming off of Paul Byron. The Canadiens iced it at 2-0 with a Shea Weber empty net goal, his second of the postseason, going in unassisted. The three stars were Price (22 save shutout), Lehkonen, and Jarry (20 for 21 in saves). The Canadiens won the series 3-1 to advance. 

In the west, the Chicago Blackhawks meet the Edmonton Oilers. Mikko Koskinen and Corey Crawford are the goalies. Edmonton opened in the first period on a Josh Archibald goal, assisted by Connor McDavid and Darnell Nurse. Chicago tied it on a Brandon Saad goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Connor Murphy and Jonathan Toews. The Blackhawks took the lead with a Matthew Highmore goal, his second of the playoffs, fueled by Duncan Keith and Ryan Carpenter. The Oilers tied it in the second period with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his second of the postseason, courtesy of James Neal and McDavid. Chicago took the lead in the third period with a Dominik Kubalik goal, his third of the playoffs, with a lone helper from Toews. This held for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Crawford (43 for 45 in saves), Toews, and McDavid.

Today's east finale has the Columbus Blue Jackets versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Elvis Merzlikins are between the pipes. Columbus started in the first period with a Cam Atkinson goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Pierre-Luc Dubois and the goalie Merzlikins. The Blue Jackets added on in the second period with a Vladislav Gavrikov goal, via David Savard and Alexandre Texier. Columbus extended the lead as Boone Jenner scored in the third period, thanks to Nick Foligno. Toronto got on the board with a William Nylander goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Zach Hyman and Mitchell Marner. The Maple Leafs got closer with a John Tavares goal, his second of the postseason, helped along by Auston Matthews and Marner. Toronto tied it as Hyman scored, with the help of Matthews and Nylander. The Maple Leafs won 4-3 in overtime with a Matthews power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Tavares and Marner. This tied the series at 2, setting up a decisive Game 5 on Sunday.

Finally, the Minnesota Wild play against the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Alex Stalock protect the nets. Minnesota struck first in the first period with a Luke Kunin power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Mats Zuccarello and Jonas Brodin. Vancouver tied it on a Tanner Pearson goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Bo Horvat and Christopher Tanev. The Wild retook the lead with an Eric Staal goal, coming off of Marcus Foligno and Kevin Fiala. Minnesota added on in the second period with a Joel Eriksson Ek goal, via Zach Parise and Brodin. The Canucks got one back on a Brandon Sutter goal, assisted by Quinn Hughes and Horvat. Vancouver tied it on a Hughes power play goal, with assists provided by J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. The Wild reclaimed the lead on a Nico Sturm goal, made possible by Jared Spurgeon. The Canucks tied it in the third period on a Horvat goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by Pearson and Tanev. Vancouver won 5-4 in overtime with a Tanev goal, going in unassisted. The three stars belonged to Tanev, Horvat, and Hughes, while Pearson and Brodin get the honorable mentions. The Canucks won the series 3-1 and advanced to the Western Conference Quarterfinals. 

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NHL 2020 Qualifying Round - Day 6

Just five games on today, beginning with...

The Minnesota Wild versus the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Alex Stalock are between the pipes. Vancouver got going in the second period with a Brock Boeser power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. The Canucks added on with an Antoine Roussel goal, via Hughes and Christopher Tanev in the third period. Vancouver extended the lead as Pettersson netted a power play goal, thanks to Hughes and Boeser. This held for a 3-0 win, with the three stars going to Markstrom (27 save shutout), Boeser, and Pettersson, while Hughes gets an honorable mention. The Canucks are ahead 2-1 in the series.

The east's action begins with a round-robin today between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals. Braden Holtby and Brian Elliott are the goalies. Philadelphia began in the first period with a Scott Laughton goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Travis Konecny and Kevin Hayes. The Flyers added on with a Travis Sanheim goal in the second period, passed from Hayes and Laughton. Philadelphia extended the lead in the third period as Laughton scored his second of the game and third of the playoffs, thanks to Hayes and Konecny. Washington got on the board with a Travis Boyd goal, assisted by Carl Hagelin and Radko Gudas. This stood for 3-1 final score, with the three stars awarded to Laughton, Hayes, and Konecny.

Out west, the St. Louis Blues take on the Vegas Golden Knights in the round-robin. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jordan Binnington are the masked men. St. Louis led off in the first period with a David Perron goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by Zach Sanford and Ryan O'Reilly. The Blues added on in the second period with a Colton Parayko goal, coming off of Brayden Schenn. Vegas got on the board with a Shea Theodore power play goal, powered by Mark Stone. The Golden Knights tied it on an Alex Tuch goal, via Nick Holden and Jonathan Marchessault. Vegas took the lead with a Tuch power play goal, his second of the game, with assists provided by Reilly Smith and Nick Cousins. St. Louis retied it on a Parayko goal, his second of the game, guided in by O'Reilly and Sanford. The Blues pulled ahead with a Troy Brouwer goal, helped along by Tyler Bozak. The Golden Knights evened it in the third period on a Zach Whitecloud goal, with helpers from Nicolas Roy and Tuch. Vegas gained the lead with a Stone goal, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Brayden McNabb and Nate Schmidt. The Golden Knights capped it at 6-4 with a Theodore goal, his second of the game, going in unassisted. The three stars belonged to Tuch, Parayko, and Theodore, while Stone, O'Reilly, and Sanford get the honorable mentions.

In the east, the Columbus Blue Jackets face the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen and Joonas Korpisalo are the netminders. Toronto opened in the first period with a shorthanded Cody Ceci goal, set up by Alexander Kerfoot and Kasperi Kapanen. The Maple Leafs added on in the second period with a William Nylander power play goal, powered by Mitchell Marner and Auston Matthews. Toronto extended the lead as Nicholas Robertson scored, thanks to Kapanen and Kerfoot. Elvis Merzlikins replaced Korpisalo in goal. Columbus got on the board with a Pierre-Luc Dubois goal, helped along by Zach Werenski and Cam Atkinson. The Blue Jackets got closer in the third period with a Seth Jones goal, going in unassisted. Columbus tied it as Dubois scored his second of the game, with the help of Atkinson and David Savard. The Blue Jackets won 4-3 in overtime with a Dubois goal to complete his hat trick, with a lone assist by Alexandre Texier. The three stars were awarded to Dubois, Merzlikins (21 for 21 in saves in relief), and Atkinson, while Kapanen and Kerfoot get the honorable mentions. The Blue Jackets are ahead 2-1 in the series.

Finally, the Winnipeg Jets oppose the Calgary Flames. Cam Talbot and Connor Hellebuyck protect the nets. Calgary started in the first period with a Dillon Dube goal, coming off of Erik Gustafsson and Sean Monahan. The Flames added on with a Sam Bennett goal, his second of the postseason, via Noah Hanifin and Matthew Tkachuk. Calgary extended the lead in the third period as Monahan scored his second of the playoffs into an empty net, thanks to Tobias Rieder and Derek Ryan. The Flames iced it at 4-0 with a Rasmus Andersson empty net goal, set up by Milan Lucic and Bennett. The three stars were Talbot (31 save shutout), Bennett, and Monahan. The Flames advanced to the Western Conference Quarterfinals with a 3-1 series win.

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NHL 2020 Qualifying Round - Day 5

Another six-game day is here, beginning with...

The Florida Panthers versus the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Sergei Bobrovsky are the goalies. Florida began in the first period with an Erik Haula power play goal, powered by Evgenii Dadonov and Mike Hoffman. New York tied it on a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Anthony Beauvillier. The Panthers took the lead in the third period with a Hoffman power play goal, his second of the playoffs, with assists provided by Keith Yandle and Aleksander Barkov. Florida added on with a Brian Boyle goal, going in unassisted. The Islanders got one back with a Brock Nelson goal, courtesy of Ryan Pulock and Devon Toews. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Hoffman, Boyle, and Haula. The Panthers stay alive, but the Islanders remain ahead 2-1 in the series.

Out west, the Arizona Coyotes take on Nashville Predators. Juuse Saros and Darcy Kuemper are set to start in goal. Arizona led off in the first period with a Christian Dvorak goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by Niklas Hjalmarsson and Taylor Hall. Nashville tied it in the second period with a Viktor Arvidsson goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Filip Forsberg and Ryan Johansen. The Coyotes retook the lead in the third period on a Conor Garland goal, via Derek Stepan and Clayton Keller. Arizona added on with a Hall power play goal, powered by Phil Kessel and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The Coyotes iced it at 4-1 with a Carl Soderberg empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were Hall, Kuemper (39 for 40 in saves), and Garland. The Coyotes own a 2-1 series lead.

Today's east round-robin has the Boston Bruins facing the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Tuukka Rask tend the twines. Tampa Bay started in the first period with a Brayden Point goal, assisted by Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning added on with an Alex Killorn power play goal, powered by Victor Hedman and Tyler Johnson. Boston got on the board in the second period with a Charlie McAvoy goal, coming off of Torey Krug and Patrice Bergeron. The Bruins tied it in the third period with a Chris Wagner goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Zdeno Chara. Tampa Bay took the lead with a Johnson goal, helped along by Yanni Gourde and Killorn. This made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Johnson, Killorn, and Point.

The west round-robin has the Dallas Stars against the Colorado Avalanche. Pavel Francouz and Anton Khudobin are the backups in goal. Colorado opened in the first period with a Cale Makar power play goal, powered by Gabriel Landeskog and Nazem Kadri. The Avalanche added on with a Joonas Donskoi goal, passed from Samuel Girard and Andre Burakovsky. Colorado extended the lead in the second period as Vladislav Namestnikov scored, thanks to Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. The Avalanche padded the lead in the third period with a Burakovsky power play goal, with helpers from Girard and Donskoi. This made it 4-0, with the three stars handed to Donskoi, Burakovsky. and Francouz (27 save shutout), while Girard gets an honorable mention.

The night game in the east has the Montreal Penguins opposing the Pittsburgh Penguins. Matt Murray and Carey Price are the masked men. Montreal struck first in the first period with a Shea Weber goal, via Artturi Lehkonen and Paul Byron. Pittsburgh tied it on a Patric Hornqvist power play goal, powered by Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. The Penguins took the lead on a Jason Zucker power play goal, his second of the postseason, with assists provided by Bryan Rust and John Marino. Pittsburgh added on in the second period with a Teddy Blueger goal, courtesy of Zach Aston-Reese and Brandon Tanev. The Canadiens got one back with a Jonathan Drouin goal, coming off of Ben Chiarot and Weber. Montreal tied it as Byron scored, thanks to Nick Suzuki and Weber. The Canadiens pulled ahead in the third period with a Jeff Petry goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Chiarot and Phillip Danault. This made it 4-3, the final, with the three stars going to Weber, Byron, and Chiarot. The Canadiens are up 2-1 in the series.

Finally, the Chicago Blackhawks meet the Edmonton Oilers. Mikko Koskinen and Corey Crawford are between the pipes. Chicago kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Olli Maatta goal, his second of the postseason, courtesy of Patrick Kane and Matthew Highmore. Edmonton tied it on a Leon Draisaitl goal, his second of the playoffs, fueled by Tyler Ennis. The Blackhawks retook the lead with a Jonathan Toews power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Kirby Dach and Alex DeBrincat. The Oilers retied it on a Draisaitl goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, guided in by Matt Benning. Edmonton gained the lead with a Connor McDavid power play goal, his fifth of the postseason, with assists provided by Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Chicago evened the score in the third period with a Highmore goal, assisted by Slater Koekkoek and Maatta. The Blackhawks took the lead with a Toews goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, set up by Connor Murphy and Duncan Keith. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars given to Highmore, Toews, and Draisaitl, while Maatta gets an honorable mention. The Blackhawks hold a 2-1 series lead.

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