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. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

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. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

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. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

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. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

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. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

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. 

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.

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.

Follow me on Twitter @OutsiderSports0.