NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 10

A single game today sees the Dallas Stars face the Colorado Avalanche. Michael Hutchinson and Anton Khudobin are the goalies. Dallas struck first in the first period with a Miro Heiskanen goal, his fifth of the postseason, coming off of Mattias Janmark and Denis Gurianov. Colorado tied it on a Nikita Zadorov goal, his third of the playoffs, via Vladislav Namestnikov. The Avalanche took the lead in the second period with a Cale Makar goal, his fourth of the postseason, assisted by Mikko Rantanen and Samuel Girard. Colorado added on the third period with a Rantanen goal, his seventh of the playoffs, guided in by Nathan MacKinnon and Andre Burakovsky. The Avalanche extended the lead as MacKinnon scored an empty net goal, his ninth of the postseason, going in unassisted. The final stood at 4-1, with the three stars being Rantanen, Hutchinson (27 for 28 in saves), and MacKinnon. The series is tied at 3 and will need a Game 7 on Friday. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 9

A pair of games today begins with...

The Philadelphia Flyers versus the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Carter Hart are the goalies. New York got going in the second period with a Mathew Barzal power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Jordan Eberle and Josh Bailey. Philadelphia tied it on a Claude Giroux goal, assisted by Philippe Myers and Sean Couturier. The Flyers took the lead with a James van Riemsdyk goal, passed from Scott Laughton and Travis Konecny. Philadelphia added on in the third period with a Matt Niskanen goal, courtesy of Konecny and Kevin Hayes. The Islanders got one back with a Brock Nelson goal, his sixth of the playoffs, via Bailey and Scott Mayfield. New York tied it with a Derick Brassard goal, made possible by Cal Clutterbuck and Casey Cizikas. The Flyers won 4-3 in overtime with a Laughton goal, his fourth of the postseason, with helpers from Ivan Provorov and Giroux. The three stars were Laughton, Giroux, and Bailey, while Konecny gets an honorable mention. The Islanders' series lead is now at 3-2.

The other game sees the Vegas Golden Knights take on the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko is mismatched with Robin Lehner in goal. Vegas dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Shea Theodore goal, his fifth of the postseason, coming off of Reilly Smith and Mark Stone. Vancouver tied it on a Brock Boeser goal, his fourth of the playoffs, helped along by J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes. The Canucks took the lead in the third period with an Elias Pettersson goal, his seventh of the postseason, fueled by Boeser and Miller. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars awarded to Demko (43 for 44 in saves), Boeser, and Miller. The Canucks survived but still trail the Golden Knights 3-2 in the series. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 8

There's a pair of games on today, beginning with...

The Tampa Bay Lightning versus the Boston Bruins. Jaroslav Halak and Andrei Vasilevskiy tend the twines. Tampa Bay got going in the second period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his fifth of the postseason, via Kevin Shattenkirk and Blake Coleman. Boston tied it on a David Pastrnak power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron. The Lightning took the lead back in the third period with an Anthony Cirelli goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Victor Hedman and Brayden Point. The Bruins retied it on a Krejci goal, his fourth of the playoffs, fueled by Zdeno Chara and Connor Clifton. Tampa Bay won 3-2 in double overtime with a Pat Maroon goal, assisted by Hedman and Shattenkirk. The three stars were Hedman, Shattenkirk, and Krejci. The Lightning won the series 4-1 to earn a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Out west, the Colorado Avalanche take on the Dallas Stars. Ben Bishop faces a lesser foe in Michael Hutchinson in goal. Colorado struck first in the first period with a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal, his second of the postseason, helped along by Logan O'Connor and Matt Nieto. The Avalanche added on with an Andre Burakovsky goal, his fifth of the playoffs, courtesy of Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar. Colorado extended the lead as Nathan MacKinnon scored his eighth of the postseason, thanks to J.T. Compher and Ryan Graves. The Avalanche chased Bishop with a Nazem Kadri goal, his eighth of the playoffs, guided in by Valeri Nichushkin and Gabriel Landeskog. Anton Khudobin entered the game in relief of Bishop. Colorado padded the lead as Rantanen scored his sixth of the postseason, with the help of Samuel Girard and Burakovsky. Dallas got on the board with a Joe Pavelski goal in the second period, his eighth of the playoffs, fueled by Mattias Janmark and Denis Gurianov. The Stars got one back with a Miro Heiskanen power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Gurianov and Roope Hintz. The Avalanche fired back with a Burakovsky goal, his second of the game and sixth of the playoffs, passed from MacKinnon. Dallas answered in the third period with a Jamie Benn goal, his fifth of the postseason, with assists provided by Gurianov and Heiskanen. This only made it 6-3, the final, with the three stars being Burakovsky, MacKinnon, and Rantanen, while Gurianov and Heiskanen get the honorable mentions. The Avalanche cut the Stars' series lead to 3-2. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 7

We're back with three games today, beginning with...

The Dallas Stars taking on the Colorado Avalanche. Pavel Francouz and Anton Khudobin are the goalies. Dallas opened in the first period with a John Klingberg goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Radek Faksa and Blake Comeau. The Stars added on with a Faksa power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen. Dallas extended the lead as Jamie Benn scored his fourth of the postseason on the power play, thanks to Alexander Radulov and Joe Pavelski. Colorado got on the board in the second period with a Valeri Nichushkin goal, helped along by Cale Makar and Andre Burakovsky. The Avalanche got closer with a Makar power play goal, his third of the playoffs, with helpers from Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Dallas responded in the third period with a Roope Hintz power play goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Klingberg and Faksa. The Stars padded the lead with a Denis Gurianov goal, his eighth of the playoffs, going in unassisted. Colorado got one back with a Nichushkin goal, his second of the game, via Burakovsky and Samuel Girard. The Avalanche pulled closer with a Vladislav Namestnikov goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by Girard and Nazem Kadri. This only made it 5-4, the final, with the three stars being Faksa, Klingberg, and Hintz, while Nichushkin, Makar, Girard, and Burakovsky get the honorable mentions. The Stars have a 3-1 series lead. 

Next up, the New York Islanders face the Philadelphia Flyers. Brian Elliott and Thomas Greiss are the backups in goal. New York got going in the second period with a Brock Nelson goal, his fourth of the postseason, made possible by Josh Bailey. Philadelphia tied it on a Sean Couturier goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Justin Braun and Robert Hagg. The Islanders took the lead back in the third period with a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his seventh of the postseason, assisted by Scott Mayfield and Devon Toews. New York added on with another Nelson goal, his second of the game and fifth of the playoffs, fueled by Bailey and Anthony Beauvillier. The Flyers got one back with an Ivan Provorov goal, his second of the postseason, passed from Kevin Hayes and Travis Sanheim. The Islanders held on for a 3-2 win, with the three stars going to Nelson, Bailey, and Pageau. The Islanders lead the series 3-1.

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks meet the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury and Jacob Markstrom protect the nets. Vegas started in the first period with a Max Pacioretty power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Mark Stone and Shea Theodore. Vancouver tied it on an Elias Pettersson power play goal, his sixth of the playoffs, with assists provided by J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes. The Golden Knights retook the lead on a Chandler Stephenson goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by Theodore and Alec Martinez. The Canucks tied it again in the second period with a Bo Horvat goal, his ninth of the playoffs, made possible by Miller and Alexander Edler. Vancouver took the lead with a Tyler Toffoli power play goal, his second of the postseason, guided in by Hughes and Miller. Vegas tied it in the third period with a Nate Schmidt goal, his second of the playoffs, via Jon Merrill. The Golden Knights pulled ahead with a Pacioretty goal, his second of the game and fifth of the postseason, helped along by Schmidt. Vegas added on with a William Karlsson goal, his third of the playoffs, with helpers from Pacioretty and Stone. This held for a 5-3 win, with the three stars awarded to Pacioretty, Stone, and Schmidt, while Theodore, Miller, and Hughes get the honorable mentions. Vegas is up 3-1 in the series. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 6

We're back with three games today, beginning with...

The Boston Bruins versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jaroslav Halak are the goalies. Tampa Bay kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his third of the postseason, made possible by Brayden Point. The Lightning added on in the second period with another Palat goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, via Anthony Cirelli and Nikita Kucherov. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Victor Hedman scored his fourth of the postseason on the power play, powered by Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov. Boston got on the board in the third period with a Jake DeBrusk power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, with assists provided by Charlie Coyle and Matt Grzelcyk. This only made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Palat, Kucherov, and Vasilevskiy (29 for 30 in saves). The Lightning hold a 3-1 series lead. 

Also in the east, the New York Islanders take on the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Semyon Varlamov are the masked men. Philadelphia opened in the first period with a Tyler Pitlick goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Scott Laughton and Matt Niskanen. New York tied it in the second period on a Matt Martin goal, his third of the playoffs, via Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle. The Islanders took the lead on a Leo Komarov goal, assisted by Derick Brassard. New York added on in the third period with an Anders Lee power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, powered by Eberle and Ryan Pulock. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Varlamov (26 for 27 in saves), Eberle, and Komarov. The Islanders moved ahead 2-1 in the series. 

Finally, the Vancouver Canucks face the Vegas Golden Knights. Robin Lehner and Jacob Markstrom man the nets. Vegas started in the first period with an Alex Tuch goal, his seventh of the postseason, helped along by Nicolas Roy and Alec Martinez. The Golden Knights added on with a Zach Whitecloud goal, his second of the playoffs, going in unassisted. Vegas extended the lead on a Mark Stone power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, powered by Shea Theodore and Reilly Smith. The final stood at 3-0, with the three stars awarded to Lehner (32 save shutout), Tuch, and Whitecloud. The Golden Knights gained a 2-1 series lead. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 5

There's three games on for today, beginning with...

The Philadelphia Flyers versus the New York Islanders. Semyon Varlamov and Carter Hart man the nets. Philadelphia led off in the first period with a Kevin Hayes goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Travis Konecny and Justin Braun. The Flyers added on with another Hayes goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, fueled by Joel Farabee. Philadelphia extended the lead as Sean Couturier scored, thanks to Claude Giroux and Travis Sanheim. Thomas Greiss replaced Varlamov in goal. New York got on the board in the second period with an Anders Lee power play goal, his fifth of the postseason, powered by Mathew Barzal and Nick Leddy. The Islanders got closer in the third period with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his seventh of the playoffs, guided in by Josh Bailey. New York tied it on a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal, his sixth of the postseason, courtesy of Adam Pelech. The Flyers won 4-3 in overtime with a Philippe Myers goal, his third of the playoffs, set up by Couturier. The three stars were Couturier, Hayes, and Myers. The series is tied at 1. 

Next up, the Boston Bruins face the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jaroslav Halak are the goalies. Tampa Bay began in the first period with an Ondrej Palat power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Mikhail Sergachev and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning added on with a Yanni Gourde goal, his third of the playoffs, via Blake Coleman and Erik Cernak. Tampa Bay extended the lead as Sergachev scored on the power play in the second period, with the help of Kucherov and Brayden Point. Boston got on the board with a Brad Marchand power play goal, his seventh of the postseason, with helpers from Torey Krug and David Pastrnak. The Lightning responded on an Alex Killorn power play goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Palat and Kucherov. Dan Vladar relieved Halak in goal. Tampa Bay padded the lead on a Point goal, his sixth of the postseason, coming off of Killorn and Sergachev. The Lightning continued with a Killorn goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, helped along by Gourde and Zach Bogosian. Tampa Bay kept going in the third period with a Kucherov goal, his fourth of the postseason, with a lone helper from Point. This made it 7-1, the final, with the three stars awarded to Kucherov, Killorn, and Point, while Sergachev, Gourde, and Palat get the honorable mentions. The Lightning retook the series lead at 2-1.

Finally, the Dallas Stars taken on the Colorado Avalanche. Pavel Francouz and Anton Khudobin patrol the creases. Dallas struck first in the first period with a Tyler Seguin goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Jamie Benn and Miro Heiskanen. Colorado tied it on a Nikita Zadorov goal, his second of the playoffs, courtesy of Nazem Kadri. The Avalanche took the lead on an Andre Burakovsky goal, his fourth of the postseason, passed from Cale Makar and Zadorov. Colorado added on with a Gabriel Landeskog goal, his second of the playoffs, coming off of Makar and Nathan MacKinnon. The Stars got one back in the third period with a Denis Gurianov goal, his seventh of the postseason, fueled by Roope Hintz and Corey Perry. Dallas tied it on a Blake Comeau goal, his second of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The Stars gained the lead with a Benn goal, his third of the postseason, with a lone helper from Esa Lindell. The Avalanche retied it on a Mikko Rantanen goal, his fifth of the playoffs, guided in by MacKinnon. Colorado pulled ahead again with a Kadri goal, his seventh of the postseason, made possible by Kevin Connauton and Makar. The Avalanche capped it at 6-4 with a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare empty net goal, set up by Rantanen. The three stars belonged to Rantanen, Kadri, and Makar, while Zadorov, Benn, and MacKinnon get the honorable mentions. The Stars' series lead is down to 2-1. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 4

We're set for another pair of games today, beginning with...

The Tampa Bay Lightning against the Boston Bruins. Jaroslav Halak and Andrei Vasilevskiy are the goalies. Boston led off in the first period with a Nick Ritchie goal, coming off of Anders Bjork. Tampa Bay tied it on a Blake Coleman goal, his second of the postseason, via Zach Bogosian and Barclay Goodrow. The Bruins took the lead with a Brad Marchand power play goal in the second period, his fifth of the playoffs, powered by David Pastrnak and Torey Krug. The Lightning tied it again with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his third of the postseason, made possible by Kevin Shattenkirk and Brayden Point. Tampa Bay took the lead in the third period with a Coleman goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, with a lone helper from Victor Hedman. Boston retied it on a Marchand goal, his second of the game and sixth of the postseason, courtesy of Sean Kuraly and Pastrnak. The Lightning won 4-3 in overtime with an Ondrej Palat goal, passed from Yanni Gourde and Pat Maroon. The three stars were Coleman, Marchand, and Pastrnak. The series is tied at 1.

Out west, the Vegas Golden Knights face the Vancouver Canucks. Jacob Markstrom and Robin Lehner are the masked men. Vancouver began in the first period with a Tyler Toffoli goal, coming off of Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. The Canucks added on with a Bo Horvat power play goal, his seventh of the postseason, powered by Toffoli and Pettersson. Vegas got on the board in the second period with an Alex Tuch goal, his sixth of the playoffs, via Nicolas Roy and Shea Theodore. Vancouver replied on a Pettersson goal, his fifth of the postseason, assisted by Alexander Edler and Toffoli. The Canucks extended the lead in the third period as Horvat scored his second of the game and eighth of the playoffs, thanks to Brock Boeser and Edler. The Golden Knights got one back with a Max Pacioretty power play goal, his third of the postseason, with helpers from Theodore and Paul Stastny. Vancouver iced it at 5-2 with a Tanner Pearson empty-net goal, his fourth of the playoffs, set up by J.T. Miller. The three stars belonged to Pettersson, Toffoli, and Horvat, while Edler and Theodore get the honorable mentions. The series is tied at 1. 

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