NHL Playoffs 2023 - First Round Day 6

We've got the first Saturday of the playoffs, with four Game 3s on the slate. First up...

The Winnipeg Jets host the Vegas Golden Knights. Laurent Brossoit and Connor Hellebuyck man the nets. Vegas led off in the first period with a Chandler Stephenson goal, his second of the postseason, via Mark Stone and Shea Theodore. The Golden Knights added on with a Jack Eichel power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Stephenson and Alex Pietrangelo. Winnipeg got on the board with a Kyle Connor goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Dylan DeMelo and Brenden Dillon. Vegas replied with another Eichel power play goal in the second period, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, helped along by Pietrangelo and Reilly Smith. The Golden Knights extended the lead as Keegan Kolesar scored, thanks to Eichel and Michael Amadio. The Jets got one back in the third period with a Nino Niederreiter goal, coming off of Pierre-Luc Dubois and Neal Pionk. Winnipeg got closer with a Mark Scheifele power play goal, fueled by Pionk and Connor. The Jets tied it on an Adam Lowry goal, his fourth of the postseason, made possible by Pionk and Connor. Vegas won 5-4 in overtime with an Amadio goal, courtesy of Ivan Barbashev. The three stars were Eichel, Amadio, and Stephenson, while Connor, Pionk, and Pietrangelo get the honorable mentions. The Golden Knights lead the series 2-1. 

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning welcome the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ilya Samsonov and Andrei Vasilevskiy protect the nets. Toronto began in the first period with a Noel Acciari goal, via Matthew Knies and Ryan O'Reilly. Tampa Bay tied it on an Anthony Cirelli goal, his second of the postseason, courtesy of Alex Killorn and Brandon Hagel. The Maple Leafs took the lead with an Auston Matthews goal, guided in by Mitch Marner and Calle Jarnkrok. The Lightning tied it on a Hagel goal, passed from Corey Perry and Ross Colton. Tampa Bay pulled ahead in the second period with a Darren Raddysh goal, coming off of Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos. Toronto retied it with an O'Reilly goal in the third period, his second of the playoffs, with helpers from William Nylander and Marner. The Maple Leafs won 4-3 in overtime with a Morgan Rielly goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were O'Reilly, Marner, and Hagel. The Maple Leafs own a 2-1 series lead.

Along to New York, as the Rangers bring in the New Jersey Devils. Akira Schmid and Igor Shesterkin patrol the creases. New York got going in the second period with a Chris Kreider goal, his fifth of the postseason, fueled by Mika Zibanejad and Patrick Kane. New Jersey tied it with a Jack Hughes power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Dougie Hamilton and Jesper Bratt. The Devils won 2-1 in overtime with a Hamilton goal, assisted by Bratt and Nico Hischier. The three stars were Hamilton, Schmid (35 for 36 in saves), and Bratt. The Devils cut the Rangers' series lead to 2-1.

Finally, the Seattle Kraken host the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Philipp Grubauer are between the pipes. Seattle struck first in the first period with a Jaden Schwartz goal, guided in by Justin Schultz and Alexander Wennberg. Colorado tied it on a J.T. Compher shorthanded goal, set up by Cale Makar and Artturi Lehkonen. The Avalanche took the lead with a Nathan MacKinnon goal, via Mikko Rantanen and Devon Toews. Colorado added on in the second period with a Makar goal, fueled by Alex Newhook. The Kraken got one back with a Jamie Oleksiak goal, helped along by Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand. Seattle tied it on a Matty Beniers goal, assisted by Jared McCann and Jordan Eberle. The Avalanche took the lead with a Rantanen goal in the third period, his second of the postseason, made possible by Toews. Colorado extended the lead on a MacKinnon goal, his second of the game, courtesy of Bowen Byram and Evan Rodrigues. The Avalanche padded the lead on a Rantanen empty net goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, dished from Lehkonen. The Kraken got one back with a Schwartz power play goal, his second of the game, powered by Schultz. The three stars were Rantanen, MacKinnon, and Makar, while Lehkonen, Toews, Schwartz, and Schultz get the honorable mentions. The Avalanche lead the series 2-1. 

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NHL Playoffs 2023 - First Round Day 5

We're in the other buildings for each series in Game 3. First up...

The New York Islanders host the Carolina Hurricanes. Antti Raanta and Ilya Sorokin are the goalies. New York got going in the second period with a Casey Cizikas goal, coming off of Ryan Pulock. Carolina tied it on a Jesper Fast shorthanded goal, his second of the postseason, set up by Jordan Staal. The Islanders retook the lead with a Kyle Palmieri power play goal in the third period, his second of the playoffs, powered by Sebastian Aho and Jean-Gabriel Pageau. New York added on with a Matt Martin goal, via Palmieri and Scott Mayfield. The Islanders extended the lead on a Mayfield empty net goal, going in unassisted. New York padded the lead as Anders Lee scored, thanks to Cizikas and Pulock. The three stars of the 5-1 game were Palmieri, Mayfield, and Cizikas, while Pulock gets an honorable mention. The Hurricanes still lead the series 2-1.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Alex Lyon man the nets. Boston opened in the first period with a Taylor Hall goal, his second of the postseason, courtesy of Dmitry Orlov. The Bruins added on in the second period with a Charlie Coyle goal, guided in by Brad Marchand and Jake DeBrusk. Boston extended the lead as David Pastrnak scored his second of the playoffs in the third period, thanks to Orlov and Tyler Bertuzzi. Sergei Bobrovsky replaced Lyon in goal. The Bruins padded the lead with a Nick Foligno goal, coming off of Hall and DeBrusk. Florida got on the board with a shorthanded Gustav Forsling goal, set up by Eetu Luostarinen and Eric Staal. The Panthers got closer with a Sam Reinhart goal, helped along by Sam Bennett and Aleksander Barkov. This only made it 4-2, the final, with the three stars given to Hall, Orlov, and DeBrusk. The Bruins retook the series lead at 2-1. 

Northwest to Minnesota, as the Wild bring in the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Filip Gustavsson protect the nets. Minnesota started in the first period with a Mats Zuccarello goal, assisted by Ryan Hartman and Kirill Kaprizov. The Wild added on with a Marcus Johansson goal in the second period, his second of the postseason, fueled by Matt Boldy. Dallas got on the board with a Luke Glendening goal, passed from Joel Kiviranta and Radek Faksa. Minnesota shot back with a Marcus Foligno power play goal, powered by Gustav Nyquist and Jared Spurgeon. The Wild extended the lead in the third period as Zuccarello scored his second of the game, thanks to Hartman and Klingberg. Minnesota padded the lead on a Hartman empty net goal, his second of the playoffs, set up by Jake Middleton. The three stars of the 5-1 game were Zuccarello, Hartman, and Klingberg. The Wild took a 2-1 series lead.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings host the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Joonas Korpisalo are between the pipes. Los Angeles struck first in the first period with an Alex Iafallo goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Matt Roy and Anze Kopitar. Edmonton tied it in the second period with a Connor McDavid power play goal, powered by Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers took the lead with a McDavid power play goal, his second of the game, fueled by Bouchard and Leon Draisaitl. The Kings tied it on an Adrian Kempe power play goal, his third of the postseason, with assists provided by Viktor Arvidsson and Drew Doughty. Los Angeles won 3-2 in overtime with a Trevor Moore power play goal, helped along by Gabriel Vilardi and Quinton Byfield. The three stars were McDavid, Bouchard, and Moore. The Kings lead the series 2-1. 

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NHL Playoffs 2023 - First Round Day 4

We're back with another set of Game 2s. First up...

The Toronto Maple Leafs host the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Ilya Samsonov protect the nets. Toronto opened in the first period with a Mitch Marner power play goal, powered by Morgan Rielly and Auston Matthews. The Maple Leafs added on with a John Tavares goal, coming off of Rielly. Toronto extended the lead as William Nylander scored his second of the postseason, thanks to Rielly and Matthews. Tampa Bay got on the board in the second period with an Ian Cole goal, via Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos. The Maple Leafs shot back with a Tavares goal, his second of the game, assisted by Nylander and Rielly. Toronto padded the lead on a Zach Aston-Reese goal, made possible by David Kampf and Sam Lafferty. The Maple Leafs continued with another Marner goal, his second of the game, courtesy of T.J. Brodie. The Lightning got one back in the third period with a Corey Perry goal, guided in by Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Pat Maroon. Toronto shot back with a Tavares goal, completing his hat trick with the help of Marner and Ryan O'Reilly on the power play. The final held at 7-2, with the three stars going to Tavares, Marner, and Rielly, while Nylander and Matthews get the honorable mentions. The series heads south tied at 1-1.

Stateside, the New Jersey Devils welcome the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Vitek Vanecek man the nets. New Jersey started in the first period with an Erik Haula power play goal, powered by Michael McLeod and Ondrej Palat. New York tied it on a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by Adam Fox and Ryan Lindgren. The Rangers took the lead with a Chris Kreider power play goal, his third of the playoffs, with assists provided by Patrick Kane and Mika Zibanejad. New York added on with a Kreider power play goal, his second of the game and fourth of the postseason, via Kane and Fox. The Rangers extended the lead in the third period as Kane scored an unassisted goal. New York padded the lead on a Kaapo Kakko goal, courtesy of Filip Chytil and Niko Mikkola. This made it 5-1, the final, with the three stars going to Kreider, Kane, and Fox. The Rangers head home leading the series 2-0.

Out west, the Colorado Avalanche bring in the Seattle Kraken. Philipp Grubauer and Alexandar Georgiev are the masked men. Seattle led off in the first period with a Justin Schultz goal, via Eeli Tolvanen and Yanni Gourde. The Kraken added on with a shorthanded Brandon Tanev goal, set up by Gourde. Colorado got on the board with an Artturi Lehkonen goal in the second period, fueled by Cale Makar and Bowen Byram. The Avalanche tied it on a Valeri Nichushkin goal, coming off of Evan Rodrigues and Devon Toews. Colorado took the lead with a Toews goal, made possible by Lehkonen and Samuel Girard. This stood for a 3-2 win, with the three stars being Toews, Lehkonen, and Gourde. The series heads to Seattle tied at 1-1.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit are in the creases. Winnipeg began in the first period with an Adam Lowry power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Neal Pionk and Nate Schmidt. Vegas tied it in the second period with a William Karlsson goal, his second of the playoffs, via Phil Kessel. The Golden Knights took the lead with a Jack Eichel goal, coming off of Alex Pietrangelo and Michael Amadio. The Jets tied it on a Kevin Stenlund goal, helped along by Saku Maenalanen and Dylan DeMelo. Vegas pulled ahead with a Chandler Stephenson goal in the third period, made possible by Pietrangelo and Mark Stone. The Golden Knights added on with a Stone goal, guided in by Stephenson and Brett Howden. Vegas extended the lead as Stone scored again, with the help of Karlsson and Kessel. This held for a 5-2 win, with the three stars going to Stone, Karlsson, and Stephenson, while Pietrangelo and Kessel get the honorable mentions. The series is off to Winnipeg tied at 1-1. 

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NHL Playoffs 2023 - First Round Day 3

Series are now set to begin Game 2s. First up...

The Carolina Hurricanes host the New York Islanders. Ilya Sorokin and Antti Raanta are set to start in goal. Carolina began in the first period with a Paul Stastny goal, via Jaccob Slavin and Seth Jarvis. The Hurricanes added on in the second period with a Stefan Noesen power play goal, his second of the postseason, going in unassisted. New York got on the board with a Kyle Palmieri goal, passed from Noah Dobson and Brock Nelson. The Islanders tied it on a Mathew Barzal goal, courtesy of Adam Pelech. New York gained the lead in the third period with a Nelson goal, coming off of Palmieri and Dobson. Carolina tied it on a Slavin goal, made possible by Sebastian Aho and Brent Burns. The Hurricanes won 4-3 in overtime with a Jesper Fast goal, assisted by Jordan Staal and Burns. The three stars were Slavin, Burns, and Nelson, while Palmieri and Dobson get the honorable mentions. The Hurricanes leave home with a 2-0 series lead.

Up in Boston, the Bruins welcome the Florida Panthers. Alex Lyon and Linus Ullmark draw the starts in goal. Florida got going in the second period with a Sam Bennett goal, assisted by Matthew Tkachuk. Boston tied it with a Brad Marchand shorthanded goal, his second of the postseason, set up by Tomas Nosek. The Panthers retook the lead on an Eric Staal goal, courtesy of Nick Cousins. The Bruins tied it on a Tyler Bertuzzi goal, coming off of Pavel Zacha and Dmitry Orlov on the power play. Florida gained the lead in the third period with a Brandon Montour goal, made possible by Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers added on with a Carter Verhaeghe goal, fueled by Tkachuk. Florida extended the lead as Montour scored his second of the game, thanks to Cousins and Colin White. The Panthers padded the lead on an Eetu Luostarinen empty net goal, set up by Gustav Forsling. Boston shot back with a Taylor Hall goal, with helpers from Nick Foligno and Derek Forbort. The three stars of the 6-3 game were Montour, Tkachuk, and Cousins. The series is tied at 1-1 heading to Florida.

Down in Dallas, the Stars bring in the Minnesota Wild. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jake Oettinger tend the twines. Dallas led off in the first period with a shorthanded Roope Hintz goal, his second of the postseason, set up by Joel Kiviranta. The Stars added on with a Tyler Seguin power play goal, powered by Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen. Minnesota got on the board with an Oskar Sundqvist goal, assisted by Gustav Nyquist and Matt Dumba. Dallas replied in the second period with a Jamie Benn power play goal, with assists provided by Hintz and Heiskanen. The Stars extended the lead on an Evgenii Dadonov goal, courtesy of Wyatt Johnston and Benn. The Wild got one back with a Marcus Johansson power play goal, made possible by Matt Boldy and Mats Zuccarello. Minnesota got closer with a Frederick Gaudreau goal, helped along by Nyquist. Dallas fired back with Dadonov's second goal of the game, guided in by Heiskanen and Johnston. The Stars padded the lead on Hintz's second goal of the game and third of the playoffs, going in unassisted. Dallas kept going in the third period with a Hintz goal, completing his hat trick on his fourth of the postseason, a power play goal helped along by Robertson and Heiskanen. The final held at 7-3, with the three stars given to Hintz, Heiskanen, and Dadonov, while Benn, Robertson, Johnston, and Nyquist get the honorable mentions. The series heads north tied at 1-1.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers host the Los Angeles Kings. Joonas Korpisalo and Stuart Skinner guard the cages. Edmonton kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Derek Ryan goal, guided in by Leon Draisaitl and Darnell Nurse. The Oilers added on with a Draisaitl power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard. Los Angeles got on the board in the second period with a Phillip Danault goal, fueled by Adrian Kempe and Mikey Anderson. The Kings tied it on a Gabriel Vilardi goal, made possible by Trevor Moore and Vladislav Gavrikov. Edmonton took the lead in the third period with a Klim Kostin goal, going in unassisted. The Oilers finished it at 4-2 with an Evander Kane empty net goal, set up by Draisaitl. The three stars were given to Draisaitl, Kostin, and Skinner (23 for 25 in saves). 

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NHL 2023 Playoffs - First Round Day 2

The other four series are set to begin now. First up...

The New Jersey Devils host the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Vitek Vanecek man the nets. New York started in the first period with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, courtesy of K'Andre Miller and Artemi Panarin. The Rangers added on with a Chris Kreider power play goal, powered by Adam Fox and Panarin. New York extended the lead as Ryan Lindgren scored, thanks to Fox and Filip Chytil. The Rangers padded the lead in the third period on another Kreider goal, his second of the game, via Fox and Patrick Kane. New Jersey got on the board with a Jack Hughes penalty shot goal. New York fired back with a Chytil empty net goal, set up by Kaapo Kakko and Fox. The three stars of the 5-1 game were Fox, Kreider, and Panarin, while Chytil gets an honorable mention.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Ilya Samsonov protect the nets. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal, coming off of Corey Perry. The Lightning added on with an Anthony Cirelli goal, via Brandon Hagel. Tampa Bay extended the lead on a Nikita Kucherov power play goal, powered by Mikhail Sergachev and Alex Killorn. Toronto got on the board in the second period with a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, assisted by John Tavares and Mitch Marner. The Maple Leafs got closer with a William Nylander power play goal, fueled by Auston Matthews and Tavares. The Lightning fired back with a Brayden Point power play goal, made possible by Kucherov and Cirelli. Tampa Bay padded the lead on a Perry power play goal, with a helper from Ross Colton. The Lightning continued with another Point goal, his second of the game, guided in by Perry and Kucherov. Joseph Woll replaced Samsonov in goal for the third period. Tampa Bay kept going in the third period with a Colton goal, helped along by Nick Perbix and Ian Cole. Toronto shot back with a Calle Jarnkrok goal, passed from Matthews and Marner. The final held at 7-3, with the three stars being Point, Kucherov, and Perry, while Cirelli, Colton, Marner, and Matthews get the honorable mentions.

West to Vegas, as the Golden Knights bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit are the former teammates in goal. Winnipeg got going in the second period with a Kyle Connor goal, via Pierre-Luc Dubois and Josh Morrissey. The Jets added on with a Dubois goal, helped along by Blake Wheeler. Vegas got on the board with a William Karlsson goal, coming off of Ivan Barbashev and Jonathan Marchessault. Winnipeg shot back in the third period with a Wheeler goal, passed from Nino Niederreiter and Nate Schmidt. The Jets extended the lead with an Adam Lowry empty net goal, set up by Wheeler and Neal Pionk. Winnipeg iced it at 5-1 with another Lowry power play goal, his second of the game, powered by Niederreiter and Vladislav Namestnikov. The three stars belonged to Wheeler, Lowry, and Dubois, while Niederreiter gets an honorable mention.

Finally, the Colorado Avalanche host the Seattle Kraken. Philipp Grubauer and Alexandar Georgiev are in the blue paint. Seattle struck first in the first period with an unassisted Eeli Tolvanen goal. Colorado tied it on a Mikko Rantanen goal, via Nathan MacKinnon and Bowen Byram. The Kraken took the lead in the second period with an Alexander Wennberg goal, assisted by Jaden Schwartz and Jamie Oleksiak. Seattle added on in the third period with a Morgan Geekie goal, fueled by Wennberg and Justin Schultz. The final held at 3-1, with the three stars being Wennberg, Grubauer (34 for 35 in saves), and Geekie. 

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NHL Playoffs 2023 - First Round Day 1

The NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs begin with four games on a Monday to open round one. First up...

The Carolina Hurricanes host the New York Islanders. Ilya Sorokin and Antti Raanta are set to start in goal. Carolina began in the first period with a Sebastian Aho power play goal, powered by Brent Burns and Martin Necas. The Hurricanes added on in the second period with a Stefan Noesen power play goal, with assists provided by Burns and Necas. New York got on the board with an unassisted Ryan Pulock goal. This only made it 2-1, the eventual final, with the three stars being Raanta (25 for 26 in saves), Burns, and Necas. 

Up in Boston, the Bruins welcome the Florida Panthers. Alex Lyon and Linus Ullmark are the goalies. Boston led off in the first period with a David Pastrnak power play goal, powered by Tyler Bertuzzi and David Krejci. The Bruins added on in the second period with a Brad Marchand goal, via Charlie McAvoy and Dmitry Orlov. Florida got on the board with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, going in unassisted. Boston shot back with a Jake DeBrusk goal, coming off of Bertuzzi and Pavel Zacha. This stood for a 3-1 win, with the three stars going to Bertuzzi, Ullmark (31 for 32 in saves), and Marchand. 

Southwest to Dallas, as the Stars bring in the Minnesota Wild. Filip Gustavsson and Jake Oettinger guard the cages. Minnesota started in the first period with a Kirill Kaprizov power play goal, powered by Jared Spurgeon and Mats Zuccarello. Dallas tied it in the second period with a Roope Hintz power play goal, coming off of Jamie Benn. The Stars took the lead with a Jason Robertson power play goal, with assists provided by Miro Heiskanen and Joe Pavelski. The Wild tied it on a Sam Steel goal, guided in by Gustav Nyquist. Minnesota won 3-2 in double-overtime with a Ryan Hartman goal, fueled by Steel. The three stars were Steel, Hartman, and Gustavsson (52 for 54 in saves).

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers host the Los Angeles Kings. Joonas Korpisalo and Stuart Skinner patrol the creases. Edmonton opened in the first period with a Leon Draisiatl goal, via Mattias Janmark. The Oilers added on with an Evan Bouchard power play goal, powered by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman. Los Angeles got on the board in the third period with an Adrian Kempe goal, courtesy of Matt Roy and Anze Kopitar. Edmonton replied with another Draisaitl goal, his second of the game, going in unassisted. The Kings shot back on a Kempe goal, his second of the game, passed from Quinton Byfield and Kopitar. Los Angeles tied it with Kopitar power play goal, with assists provided Viktor Arvidsson and Phillip Danault. The Kings won 4-3 in overtime with an Alex Iafallo power play goal, helped along by Arvidsson and Kopitar. The three stars were Kopitar, Kempe, and Draisaitl, while Arvidsson gets an honorable mention. 

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