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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