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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