NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 22

We're back with two games on a Saturday. First up...

The Carolina Hurricanes host the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Frederik Andersen protect the nets. Carolina opened in the first period with an unassisted Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his third of the postseason. The Hurricanes added on with a Stefan Noesen goal, his fourth of the playoffs, via Teuvo Teravainen and Tony DeAngelo. New York got on the board with a Will Cuylle goal, assisted by Kaapo Kakko and Erik Gustafsson. Carolina shot back with a Sebastian Aho goal, his third of the postseason, passed from Jake Guentzel and Brent Burns. The Rangers got one back in the second period with a Barclay Goodrow goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Braden Schneider and Jimmy Vesey. New York tied it in the third period on an Alexis Lafreniere goal, his fourth of the postseason, fueled by Mika Zibanejad and Jacob Trouba. The Hurricanes regained the lead with a Brady Skjei power play goal, powered by Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars going to Teravainen, Skjei, and Aho. The Rangers are still ahead 3-1 in the series. 

Out west, the Colorado Avalanche host the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Alexandar Georgiev man the nets. Dallas started in the first period with a Logan Stankoven goal, courtesy of Miro Heiskanen. Colorado tied it in the second period with a Mikko Rantanen goal, his third of the postseason, assisted by Nathan MacKinnon and Devon Toews. The Stars took the lead with a Tyler Seguin goal, his second of the playoffs, courtesy of Evgenii Dadonov and Sam Steel. Dallas added on with a Seguin empty net goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, set up by Matt Duchene. The Stars extended the lead as Stankoven scored an empty net goal, his second of the game, thanks to Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz. This made it 4-1, the final, with the three stars given to Seguin, Stankoven, and Oettinger (29 for 30 in saves). The Stars took a 2-1 series lead. 

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

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 21

It's another two-game day on Friday. First up...

The Boston Bruins welcome the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Jeremy Swayman protect the nets. Florida began in the first period with an Evan Rodrigues goal, his second of the postseason, via Gustav Forsling. The Panthers added on in the second period with a Vladimir Tarasenko power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Sam Bennett and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Florida extended the lead as Carter Verhaeghe scored his sixth of the postseason on the power play, thanks to Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov. The Panthers padded the lead in the third period with a Brandon Montour power play goal, his third of the playoffs, with assists provided by Tkachuk and Barkov. Boston got on the board with a Jakub Lauko goal, helped along by Jake DeBrusk and John Beecher. The Bruins got closer with a DeBrusk goal, his fifth of the postseason, made possible by Mason Lohrei and David Pastrnak. Florida shot back with a Sam Reinhart empty net goal, his fourth of the playoffs, set up by Tkachuk and Montour. The Panthers finished it at 6-2 with a power play goal by Rodrigues, his second of the game and third of the postseason, with helpers from Ekman-Larsson and Eetu Luostarinen. The three stars were Rodrigues, Tkachuk, and Montour, while Barkov, DeBrusk, and Ekman-Larsson get the honorable mentions. The Panthers are ahead 2-1 in the series. 

Out west, the Vancouver Canucks bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs patrol the creases. Vancouver led off in the first period with an Elias Pettersson power play goal, powered by J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes. Edmonton tied it on a Leon Draisaitl power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, assisted by Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Canucks took the lead back in the second period with a Brock Boeser goal, his fifth of the playoffs, coming off of Carson Soucy and Nikita Zadorov. The Oilers retied it on a Mattias Ekholm goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by McDavod and Draisaitl. Vancouver regained the lead with a Zadorov goal, his fourth of the playoffs, made possible by Miller. Edmonton tied it in the third period with a McDavid goal, his second of the postseason, guided in by Zach Hyman and Draisaitl. The Oilers won 4-3 in overtime with an Evan Bouchard goal, his second of the playoffs, courtesy of Draisaitl. The three stars were Draisaitl, McDavid, and Zadorov, while Miller gets an honorable mention. The series is tied at 1-1 heading to Edmonton. 

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

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 20

There's two games this Thursday. First up...

The Carolina Hurricanes host the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Pyotr Kochetkov receive the starts in goal. Carolina opened in the first period with a Jake Guentzel goal, his fourth of the postseason, via Dmitry Orlov and Andrei Svechnikov. New York tied it in the second period on a shorthanded Chris Kreider goal, his fourth of the playoffs, set up by Mika Zibanejad. The Rangers took the lead in the third period with an Alexis Lafreniere goal, his third of the postseason, assisted by Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck. The Hurricanes tied it on a Svechnikov goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Sebastian Aho and Brady Skjei. New York won 3-2 in overtime with a Panarin goal, his fourth of the postseason, made possible by Trocheck. The three stars were Panarin, Svechnikov, and Trocheck. The Rangers lead the series 3-0 with a chance to advance in Game 4.

The other game sees the Dallas Stars host the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Jake Oettinger tend the twines. Dallas started in the first period with a Miro Heiskanen power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Roope Hintz and Jason Robertson. The Stars added on in the second period with a Hintz goal, his second of the playoffs, coming off of Nils Lundkvist and Mason Marchment. Dallas extended the lead on a Heiskanen power play goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, with assists provided by Jamie Benn and Hintz. The Stars padded the lead with a shorthanded Tyler Seguin goal, set up by Thomas Harley. Colorado got on the board in the third period with a Joel Kiviranta goal, with helpers from Josh Manson and Ross Colton. The Avalanche got closer with a Brandon Duhaime goal, helped along by Andrew Cogliano. Colorado pulled closer on a Valeri Nichushkin goal, his ninth of the playoffs, passed from Artturi Lehkonen and Casey Mittelstadt. Dallas iced it at 5-3 with an Esa Lindell empty net goal, courtesy of Hintz. The three stars were Heiskanen, Hintz, and Seguin. The series is tied at 1-1 heading to Denver. 

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

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 19

We're back for another two-game Wednesday. First up...

The Florida Panthers welcome the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Sergei Bobrovsky are in goal. Boston opened in the first period with a Charlie Coyle goal, via Pavel Zacha and Brad Marchand. Florida tied it in the second period with a Steven Lorentz goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Brandon Montour. The Panthers pulled ahead on an Aleksander Barkov goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Sam Reinhart and Aaron Ekblad. Florida added on with a Gustav Forsling goal, fueled by Anton Lundell and Montour. The Panthers extended the lead in the third period as Eetu Luostarinen scored, thanks to Barkov and Reinhart. Florida padded the lead on a Barkov power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Reinhart. The Panthers iced it at 6-1 with a shorthanded Montour goal, his second of the playoffs, set up by Barkov and Reinhart. The three stars were Barkov, Montour, and Reinhart. The series is tied at 1-1 heading up to Boston. 

Out west, the Vancouver Canucks bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Arturs Silovs are set to start in goal. Edmonton started in the first period with a Zach Hyman power play goal, his eighth of the postseason, powered by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers added on with a Mattias Ekholm goal, coming off of Draisaitl. Vancouver got on the board in the second period with a Dakota Joshua goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Ian Cole and Elias Lindholm. Edmonton answered with a Cody Ceci goal, made possible by Derek Ryan and Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers extended the lead as Hyman scored his second of the game and ninth of the postseason, thanks to Evan Bouchard and Connor McDavid. The Canucks got one back with a Lindholm goal, his third of the playoffs, fueled by Joshua and Carson Soucy. Vancouver pulled closer with a J.T. Miller goal, his second of the postseason, helped along by Brock Boeser and Soucy. The Canucks tied it on a Nikita Zadorov goal, his third of the playoffs, passed from Teddy Blueger and Nils Hoglander. Vancouver pulled ahead on a Conor Garland goal, with helpers from Joshua and Zadorov. This stood for a 5-4 win, with the three stars being Joshua, Zadorov, and Hyman, while Lindholm, Soucy, Draisaitl, and Nugent-Hopkins get the honorable mentions. The Canucks established a 1-0 series lead. 

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

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 18

There's two games on this Tuesday, beginning with...

The New York Rangers welcoming the Carolina Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen and Igor Shesterkin patrol the creases. New York led off in the first period with an Alexis Lafreniere goal, coming off of K'Andre Miller and Alex Wennberg. Carolina tied it on a Jake Guentzel goal, his second of the postseason, via Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov. The Hurricanes took the lead back with a Dmitry Orlov goal, his second of the playoffs, courtesy of Brady Skjei and Aho. The Rangers tied it in the second period with a Lafreniere goal, his second of the game, passed from Adam Fox and Artemi Panarin. Carolina retook the lead with another Guentzel goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, helped along by Aho and Tony DeAngelo. New York tied it in the third period on a Chris Kreider power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by Vincent Trocheck and Panarin. The Rangers won 4-3 in double overtime with a Trocheck power play goal, his fifth of the postseason, with assists provided by Mika Zibanejad and Panarin. The three stars were Panarin, Trocheck, and Aho, while Lafreniere and Guentzel get the honorable mentions. The Rangers leave home with a 2-0 series lead. 

Down in Dallas, the Stars bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Jake Oettinger tend the twines. Dallas began in the first period with a Ryan Suter goal, made possible by Matt Duchene. The Stars added on with a Wyatt Johnston goal, his fifth of the postseason, via Joe Pavelski and Jamie Benn. Dallas extended the lead as Benn scored his second of the playoffs on the power play, with the help of Jason Robertson and Miro Heiskanen. Colorado got on the board in the second period with a Valeri Nichushkin power play goal, his eighth of the postseason, powered by Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon. The Avalanche pulled closer with a Makar power play goal, his third of the playoffs, with helpers from Nichushkin and Mikko Rantanen. Colorado tied it on a MacKinnon goal in the third period, his third of the postseason, fueled by Rantanen and Makar. The Avalanche won 4-3 in overtime with a Miles Wood goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Andrew Cogliano and Samuel Girard. The three stars were Makar, Nichushkin, and MacKinnon, while Benn and Rantanen get the honorable mentions. The Avalanche established a 1-0 series lead. 

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

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 17

There's one game on this Monday. The Florida Panthers host the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Sergei Bobrovsky are in goal. Florida got going in the second period with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, his fourth of the postseason, assisted by Aleksander Barkov. Boston tied it on a Morgan Geekie goal, his third of the playoffs, via Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak. The Bruins pulled ahead on a Mason Lohrei goal, guided in by Parker Wotherspoon and Zacha. Boston added on with a Brandon Carlo goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic. The Bruins extended the lead in the third period as Justin Brazeau scored, thanks to James van Riemsdyk and Lohrei. Boston iced it at 5-1 with an empty net goal by Jake DeBrusk empty net goal, his fourth of the playoffs, set up by Brad Marchand. The three stars were Lohrei, Zacha, and Swayman (38 for 39 in saves). The Bruins established a 1-0 series lead. 

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

NHL Playoffs 2024 - Day 16

The second round begins and the first round ends on this two-game day. First up...

The New York Rangers host the Carolina Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen and Igor Shesterkin guard the cages. New York opened in the first period with a Mika Zibanejad goal, his second of the postseason, via Jack Roslovic and Adam Fox. Carolina tied it on a Jaccob Slavin goal, helped along by Sebastian Aho and Jake Guentzel. The Rangers took the lead back with a Zibanejad power play goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, powered by Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck. New York added on with a Trocheck power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, with assists provided by Zibanejad and Kreider. The Hurricanes got one back in the third period with a Martin Necas goal, his second of the playoffs, passed from Jordan Martinook and Dmitry Orlov. The Rangers countered with an Artemi Panarin goal, his third of the postseason, made possible by Alexis Lafreniere. Carolina responded with a Seth Jarvis goal, his fourth of the playoffs, fueled by Aho and Brent Burns. The final held from here at 4-3, with the three stars going to Zibanejad, Trocheck, and Kreider, while Aho gets an honorable mention. The Rangers established a 1-0 series lead with the win. 

Down in Dallas, the Stars host the Vegas Golden Knights. Adin Hill and Jake Oettinger tend the twines. Dallas started in the first period with a Wyatt Johnston goal, his fourth of the postseason, going in unassisted. Vegas tied it in the second period with a Brett Howden goal, guided in by Michael Amadio and William Karlsson. The Stars retook the lead in the third period on a Radek Faksa goal, fueled by Craig Smith and Thomas Harley. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars being Oettinger (22 for 23 in saves), Faksa, and Johnston. The Stars won the series 4-3 and will face the Avalanche in the second round. 

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