NHL 2020 Playoffs - First Round Day 11

Two games again today, beginning with...

The Montreal Canadiens versus the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Carey Price are in goal. Philadelphia opened in the first period with an Ivan Provorov goal, via Kevin Hayes. The Flyers added on with a Hayes goal, courtesy of Derek Grant and Tyler Pitlick. Montreal got on the board with a Nick Suzuki power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Joel Armia and Jonathan Drouin. Philadelphia replied in the second period with a Michael Raffl goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Travis Sanheim and Jakub Voracek. The Canadiens pulled back on a Suzuki goal, his second of the game and fourth of the postseason, coming off of Drouin and Armia. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars given to Hayes, Suzuki, and Drouin, while Armia gets an honorable mention. The Flyers won the series 4-2 and will take on the New York Islanders in the second round.

Out west, the Vancouver Canucks take on the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Jacob Markstrom are the masked men. Vancouver started in the first period with an unassisted Jay Beagle goal. The Canucks added on with an Antoine Roussel goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by Brandon Sutter. Vancouver extended the lead as Troy Stecher scored his second of the playoffs, with the help of Sutter and Elias Pettersson. The Canucks padded the lead on a Brock Boeser power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Quinn Hughes and Pettersson. St. Louis got on the board in the third period with a Jaden Schwartz goal, his third of the playoffs, via Vince Dunn and Ryan O'Reilly. Vancouver replied with a Tyler Motte goal, his third of the postseason, with helpers by Beagle and Sutter. The Blues got one back with another Schwartz goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, made possible by David Perron and Alex Pietrangelo. The Canucks replied with an empty net goal by Motte, his second of the game and fourth of the postseason, going in unassisted. The final stood at 6-2 with the three stars given to Beagle, Sutter, and Motte, while Pettersson and Schwartz get the honorable mentions. The Canucks advanced on a 4-2 series win and will face the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - First Round Day 10

Just two games on as the First Round starts to wind down. First up...

The Washington Capitals take on the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Braden Holtby are the goalies. New York opened in the first period with an Anthony Beauvillier power play goal, his fifth of the postseason, powered by Brock Nelson and Josh Bailey. The Islanders added on with another Beauvillier goal, his second of the game and sixth of the playoffs, courtesy of Bailey. New York extended the lead on a Nick Leddy empty net goal, his second of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Islanders iced it at 4-0 with an unassisted empty net goal by Bailey, his second of the playoffs. The three stars were Beauvillier, Bailey, and Varlamov (21 save shutout). The Islanders won the series 4-1. 

The other game today has the Calgary Flames versus the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Cam Talbot draw the starts in goal. Calgary started in the first period with an Andrew Mangiapane goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of T.J. Brodie and Mark Giordano. The Flames added on with a Johnny Gaudreau power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, powered by Sam Bennett. Calgary extended the lead as Rasmus Andersson scored his third of the postseason, passed from Tobias Rieder and Noah Hanifin. Dallas got on the board with a Miro Heiskanen power play goal, his third of the playoffs, with assists provided by Corey Perry and Roope Hintz. The Stars got closer in the second period with a Denis Gurianov goal, his third of the postseason, courtesy of Heiskanen. Dallas tied it on a Gurianov goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, with helpers from Joe Pavelski and Esa Lindell. The Stars took the lead with a Radek Faksa power play goal, assisted by Gurianov and Heiskanen. Dallas padded the lead on a Pavelski goal, his sixth of the postseason, fueled by Heiskanen. The Stars continued with a Gurianov goal to complete his hat trick on his fifth of the playoffs, helped along by Pavelski and the goalie Khudobin. Dallas kept going in the third period with a Gurianov goal, his fourth of the game and sixth of the postseason, set up by Joel Kiviranta. The final remained at 7-3, with the three stars going to Gurianov, Heiskanen, and Pavelski. The Stars won the series 4-2 and will match up with the Colorado Avalanche in the next round. 

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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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