NHL Playoffs 2022 - Day 14

The first round ends here, with two Game 7s. First up...

The New York Rangers welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins. Tristan Jarry and Igor Shesterkin guard the cages. New York opened in the first period with a Chris Kreider goal, his fifth of the postseason, assisted by Mika Zibanejad and Braden Schneider. Pittsburgh tied it on a Danton Heinen power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by Jeff Carter and Evan Rodrigues. The Penguins took the lead with a Jake Guentzel power play goal in the second period, his eighth of the postseason, with assists provided by Bryan Rust and Sidney Crosby. The Rangers retied it on a K'Andre Miller goal, via Andrew Copp and Ryan Strome. Pittsburgh retook the lead with a shorthanded and unassisted Rodrigues goal, his third of the playoffs. New York tied it again in the third period with a Zibanejad goal, his third of the postseason, fueled by Copp. The Rangers won 4-3 in overtime with an Artemi Panarin power play goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Adam Fox and Zibanejad. The three stars were Zibanejad, Rodrigues, and Copp. The Rangers advanced on a 4-3 series win, and they'll face the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round.

Out in Calgary, the Flames bring in the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Jacob Markstrom tend the twines. Dallas started in the first period with a Jamie Benn goal, via Tyler Seguin and Ryan Suter. Calgary tied it on a Tyler Toffoli goal, assisted by Oliver Kylington and Michael Stone in the second period. The Stars retook the lead with a Vladislav Namestnikov goal, coming off of Joe Pavelski and Jason Robertson. The Flames tied it again with a Matthew Tkachuk goal, helped along by Johnny Gaudreau and the goalie Markstrom. Calgary won 3-2 in overtime with a Gaudreau goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Elias Lindholm and Tkachuk. The three stars were Gaudreau, Tkachuk, and Oettinger (64 for 67 in saves). The Flames won the series 4-3 and will face the Edmonton Oilers in the second round. 

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NHL Playoffs 2022 - Day 13

It's all or nothing time with three elimination games on today. First up...

The Carolina Hurricanes host the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Antti Raanta are the goalies. Carolina opened in the first period with a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Max Domi and Jaccob Slavin. The Hurricanes added on in the second period with a Domi goal, via Jordan Staal and Brady Skjei. Boston got on the board with a Jake DeBrusk goal, his second of the playoffs, courtesy of Charlie McAvoy and Patrice Bergeron. Carolina replied with a Domi goal, his second of the game, made possible by Teravainen and Slavin. The Bruins got one back in the third period with a David Pastrnak goal, his third of the postseason, guided in by McAvoy and Taylor Hall. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars going to Domi, Teravainen, and Slavin, while McAvoy gets an honorable mention. The Hurricanes won the series 4-3, but they'll have to wait a day to learn their next playoff opponent.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jack Campbell guard the cages. Tampa Bay started in the first period with a Nick Paul goal, assisted by Ross Colton and Cal Foote. Toronto tied it in the second period with a Morgan Rielly goal, his third of the postseason, via Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner. The Lightning retook the lead with another Paul goal, his second of the game, going in unassisted. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars being Paul, Vasilevskiy (30 for 31 in saves), and Rielly. The Lightning won the series 4-3 and will face the Florida Panthers in the second round.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Mike Smith are the veterans in goal. Edmonton got going in the second period with a Cody Ceci goal, via Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Oilers added on in the third period with a McDavid goal, his fourth of the postseason, going in unassisted. The final was 2-0, with the three stars handed to McDavid, Smith (29 save shutout), and Quick (39 for 41 in saves). The Oilers won the series 4-3 and will head to the second round. 

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NHL Playoffs 2022 - Day 12

More potential eliminations are on the line Friday with three games on. First up...

The Pittsburgh Penguins host the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Louis Domingue are in goal. Pittsburgh began in the first period with a Jeff Carter goal, his fourth of the postseason, via Kasperi Kapanen and Marcus Pettersson. The Penguins added on with a Bryan Rust goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Jake Guentzel. New York got on the board with a Mika Zibanejad power play goal in the second period, powered by Ryan Strome and Adam Fox. The Rangers tied it on a Zibanejad goal, his second of the game, passed from Fox and Ryan Lindgren. New York pulled ahead on a Chris Kreider power play goal, his third of the postseason, with assists provided by Zibanejad and the goalie Shesterkin. Pittsburgh retied it on an unassisted Evgeni Malkin goal, his third of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The Rangers pulled ahead in the third period with a Kreider goal, his second of the game and fourth of the postseason, made possible by Zibanejad and Fox. New York iced it at 5-3 with an Andrew Copp empty net goal, his fourth of the playoffs, set up by Kevin Rooney and Fox. The three stars were Zibanejad, Kreider, and Fox. The series is tied heading back to New York for Game 7 on Sunday. 

In DC, the Washington Capitals welcome the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Ilya Samsonov man the nets. Washington got going in the second period with a Nic Dowd goal, via Garnet Hathaway and Johan Larsson. Florida tied it on a Ryan Lomberg goal, courtesy of Patric Hornqvist and Eetu Luostarinen. The Capitals retook the lead in the third period with a Nicklas Backstrom goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Justin Schultz and Trevor van Riemsdyk. The Panthers tied it again with a Claude Giroux goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Aaron Ekblad and Carter Verhaeghe. Florida took the lead with an Aleksander Barkov goal, his second of the postseason, helped along by Giroux and MacKenzie Weegar. Washington tied it again with a T.J. Oshie power play goal, his sixth of the playoffs, powered by Anthony Mantha and Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Panthers won 4-3 in overtime with a Verhaeghe goal, his sixth of the postseason, courtesy of Giroux and Ben Chiarot. The three stars were Giroux, Verhaeghe, and Barkov. The Panthers took the series 4-2 and will play in the second round.

Down in Dallas, the Stars bring in the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Jake Oettinger tend the twines. Dallas led off in the first period with a Roope Hintz goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by Joe Pavelski and Jason Robertson. The Stars added on with a Michael Raffl goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Joel Kiviranta. Calgary got on the board with a Michael Stone goal, assisted by Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk. The Flames tied it on a Mikael Backlund goal, his third of the playoffs, made possible by Stone and Rasmus Andersson. Dallas retook the lead with a Miro Heiskanen goal, coming off of Radek Faksa and Ryan Suter. The Stars iced it at 4-2 with a Tyler Seguin empty net goal, his second of the postseason, set up by Hintz and Raffl. The three stars were Hintz, Raffl, and Stone. The series heads to Calgary once more tied at 3-3. 

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NHL Playoffs 2022 - Day 11

We're set for four possible elimination games today. First up...

The Boston Bruins welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Antti Raanta and Jeremy Swayman start in goal. Boston got going in the second period with a Brad Marchand goal, his fourth of the postseason, assisted by Connor Clifton and Charlie Coyle. The Bruins added on with a Coyle power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by David Pastrnak and Marchand. Carolina got on the board with an Andrei Svechnikov goal in the third period, his second of the postseason, via Seth Jarvis. Boston replied with an Erik Haula goal, fueled by Charlie McAvoy. The Bruins extended the lead as Derek Forbort scored, thanks to Tomas Nosek. Boston padded the lead with an empty net goal by Curtis Lazar, set up by Nick Foligno and Nosek. The Hurricanes got one back with a power play goal Svechnikov, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, with helpers from Martin Necas and Jaccob Slavin. This made it 5-2, the final, with the three stars going to Marchand, Coyle, and Svechnikov, while Nosek gets an honorable mention. There will be one more game with the series tied at 3-3.

Down in Tampa Bay, the Lightning bring in the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jack Campbell and Andrei Vasilevskiy protect the nets. Tampa Bay led off in the first period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his third of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Lightning added on with an Anthony Cirelli shorthanded goal in the second period, an unassisted goal. Toronto got on the board with an Auston Matthews goal, his fourth of the playoffs, made possible by Mark Giordano and William Nylander. The Maple Leafs tied it on a John Tavares goal, his second of the postseason, via Jason Spezza and Ondrej Kase. Toronto took the lead with a Tavares goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs helped along by Nylander and Alexander Kerfoot. Tampa Bay tied it on a Nikita Kucherov power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos. The Lightning won 4-3 in overtime with a Point goal, his second of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The three stars were Point, Tavares, and Nylander. The series will head to a game 7 tied at 3-3.

Northwest to St. Louis, as the Blues welcome the Minnesota Wild. Cam Talbot and Jordan Binnington are the veterans in goal. St. Louis began in the first period with a Nick Leddy goal, assisted by Colton Parayko. The Blues added on in the second period with a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, his fifth of the postseason, powered by Brayden Schenn and David Perron. St. Louis extended the lead as Tyler Bozak scored, thanks to Alexei Toropchenko and Brandon Saad. The Blues padded the lead on a Vladimir Tarasenko power play goal, his fifth of the playoffs, with assists provided by Perron and Scott Perunovich. Minnesota got on the board in the third period with a Matt Dumba goal, with helpers from Jon Merrill and Dmitry Kulikov. St. Louis iced it at 5-1 with a Parayko empty net goal, going in unassisted. The three stars were Parayko, Perron, and Binnington (25 for 26 in saves). The Blues advanced to face the Colorado Avalanche in the second round after this 4-2 series win.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Mike Smith and Jonathan Quick are between the pipes. Edmonton kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Connor McDavid goal, his third of the postseason, coming off of Evander Kane and Cody Ceci. The Oilers added on in the second period with a Kane goal, his sixth of the playoffs, guided in by Brett Kulak and Ceci. Los Angeles got on the board with a Sean Durzi power play goal, powered by Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar. The Kings tied it in the third period with a Carl Grundstrom goal, his third of the postseason, via Matt Roy and Mikey Anderson. Edmonton retook the lead with a Tyson Barrie goal, made possible by Leon Draisaitl and McDavid. The Oilers iced it at 4-2 with a Kane empty net goal, his second of the game and seventh of the playoffs, set up by McDavid. The three stars were Kane, McDavid, and Ceci. The series is tied at 3-3, heading to Edmonton one more time for game 7. 

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NHL Playoffs 2022 - Day 10

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

The New York Rangers hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins. Louis Domigue and Igor Shesterkin are the goalies. Pittsburgh led off in the first period with a Jake Guentzel goal, his sixth of the postseason, made possible by Bryan Rust and Mike Matheson. The Penguins added on in the second period with a Kris Letang goal, via Evgeni Malkin and Jason Zucker. New York got on the board with an Adam Fox goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Andrew Copp and Ryan Strome. The Rangers tied it on an Alexis Lafreniere goal, his second of the postseason, passed from Kaapo Kakko and Jacob Trouba. New York took the lead with a Trouba goal, helped along by Artemi Panarin and K'Andre Miller. Pittsburgh retied it on a Guentzel goal, his second of the game and seventh of the playoffs, courtesy of Evgeni Malkin. The Rangers took the lead back in the third period with a Filip Chytil power play goal, powered by Frank Vatrano and Lafreniere. New York iced it at 5-3 with an empty net goal by Ryan Lindgren, going in unassisted. The three stars were Lafreniere, Trouba, and Guentzel, while Malkin gets an honorable mention. The Rangers stay alive, but the Penguins still lead the series 3-2.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Washington Capitals. Ilya Samsonov and Sergei Bobrovsky protect the nets. Washington began in the first period with a T.J. Oshie power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by John Carlson and Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Capitals added on with a Justin Schultz goal in the second period, via Lars Eller and Alex Ovechkin. Washington extended the lead as Oshie scored his second of the game and fifth of the playoffs, thanks to Kuznetsov and Connor McMichael. Florida got on the board with a Carter Verhaeghe goal, his fourth of the postseason, guided in by Aleksander Barkov and Claude Giroux. The Panthers got closer with a Patric Hornqvist goal, passed from Verhaeghe. Florida tied it on a Sam Reinhart goal, his second of the playoffs, assisted by Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett. The Panthers took the lead with another Verhaeghe goal, his second of the game and fifth of the postseason, with a helper from Barkov. Florida added on with a Giroux goal, his second of the playoffs, helped along by Verhaeghe and Gustav Forsling. The final was 5-3, with the three stars awarded to Verhaeghe, Giroux, and Barkov, while Oshie and Kuznetsov get the honorable mentions. The Panthers head north leading the series 3-2.

Finally, the Calgary Flames bring in the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Jacob Markstrom tend the twines. Dallas got going in the second period with a Jason Robertson goal, via Jamie Benn and Esa Lindell. Calgary tied it in the third period with a Mikael Backlund goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Andrew Mangiapane and Blake Coleman. The Flames took the lead with a Mangiapane goal, fueled by Backlund and Nikita Zadorov. Calgary added on with a Trevor Lewis empty net goal, his second of the playoffs, set up by Johnny Gaudreau and Elias Lindholm. This made it 3-1, with the three stars going to Mangiapane, Backlund, and Markstrom (20 for 21 in saves). The Flames leave home with a 3-2 series lead. 

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NHL Playoffs 2022 - Day 9

We're back to the top-seeded teams' arenas for Game 5s. First up...

The Carolina Hurricanes host the Boston Bruins. Jeremy Swayman and Antti Raanta man the nets. Carolina led off in the first period with a Jaccob Slavin goal, his second of the postseason, via Tony DeAngelo and Sebastian Aho. The Hurricanes added on with a DeAngelo power play goal, powered by Teuvo Teravainen and Vincent Trocheck. Carolina extended the lead in the second period as Seth Jarvis scored his second of the playoffs, thanks to Aho and Teravainen. The Hurricanes padded the lead in the third period with another Jarvis power play goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, helped along by Trocheck and DeAngelo. Boston got on the board with a Connor Clifton goal, courtesy of Erik Haula and Taylor Hall. Carolina iced it at 5-1 with an empty net goal by Trocheck, his third of the playoffs, set up by Martin Necas and Teravainen. The three stars were DeAngelo, Teravainen, and Jarvis, while Trocheck and Aho get the honorable mentions. The Hurricanes reclaimed the series lead at 3-2.

Up in Toronto, the Maple Leafs welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Jack Campbell tend the twines. Tampa Bay began in the first period with a Steven Stamkos goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Ondrej Palat and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning added on with a Victor Hedman power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Kucherov and Alex Killorn. Toronto got on the board in the second period with a John Tavares power play goal, with assists provided by William Nylander and Mark Giordano. The Maple Leafs tied it in the third period with a Morgan Rielly goal, his second of the postseason, via Tavares and Nylander. Toronto took the lead with a Nylander goal, his third of the playoffs, coming off of Ilya Mikheyev and Justin Holl. Tampa Bay tied it again with a Ryan McDonagh goal, helped along by Ross Colton and Nick Paul. The Maple Leafs regained the lead on an Auston Matthews goal, his third of the postseason, courtesy of Mitchell Marner and Michael Bunting. This stood for a 4-3 win, with the three stars awarded to Nylander, Tavares, and Kucherov. The Maple Leafs hold a 3-2 series lead.

Westward to Minnesota, as the Wild bring in the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Marc-Andre Fleury guard the cages. St. Louis opened in the first period with a Ryan O'Reilly power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Scott Perunovich and Brayden Schenn. Minnesota tied it on a Kirill Kaprizov power play goal, his sixth of the playoffs, with assists provided by Jared Spurgeon and Kevin Fiala. The Wild took the lead with another Kaprizov power play goal, his second of the game and seventh of the postseason, via Fiala and Mats Zuccarello. The Blues tied it in the second period with a Brandon Saad goal, assisted by Jordan Kyrou and Robert Thomas. St. Louis took the lead in the third period with a Vladimir Tarasenko goal, his second of the playoffs, made possible by Pavel Buchnevich and Justin Faulk. The Blues added on with another Tarasenko goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, with helpers from Ivan Barbashev and Faulk. St. Louis iced it at 5-2 with a Tarasenko empty net goal to complete his natural hat trick on his fourth of the playoffs, set up by Buchnevich. The three stars were Tarasenko, Kaprizov, and Faulk, while Buchnevich and Fiala get the honorable mentions. The Blues head home leading 3-2 in the series.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers host the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Quick and Mike Smith are the veterans in goal. Los Angeles started in the first period with a Troy Stecher goal, his second of the postseason, courtesy of Alexander Edler. Edmonton tied it in the second period on a Zack Kassian goal, via Connor McDavid and Brett Kulak. The Kings retook the lead with an Adrian Kempe goal, helped along by Anze Kopitar and Alex Iafallo. Los Angeles added on with an Andreas Athanasiou goal, coming off of Dustin Brown. The Oilers got one back in the third period with a McDavid power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Zach Hyman and Leon Draisaitl. The Kings replied with a Phillip Danault power play goal, his third of the postseason, with assists provided by Kempe and Sean Durzi. Edmonton pulled back on a shorthanded Draisaitl goal, his fourth of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The Oilers tied it on a Draisaitl power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the postseason, assisted by McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Los Angeles won 5-4 in overtime with a Kempe goal, his second of the game, with a lone helper by Stecher. The three stars were Kempe, Stecher, and McDavid, while Draisaitl gets an honorable mention. The Kings take a 3-2 series lead back home. 

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NHL Playoffs 2022 - Day 8

Today marks the first chance for an elimination. Our four games begin with...

The Washington Capitals hosting the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Ilya Samsonov man the nets. Washington started in the first period with a T.J. Oshie power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by John Carlson and Nicklas Backstrom. Florida tied it on a Carter Verhaeghe goal, his second of the playoffs, via Aaron Ekblad. The Capitals took the lead back in the third period with an Evgeny Kuznetsov goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Alex Ovechkin and Oshie. The Panthers tied it on a Sam Reinhart goal, helped along by Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. Florida won 3-2 in overtime with a Verhaeghe goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, with helpers from Sam Bennett and Ekblad. The three stars were Verhaeghe, Ekblad, and Oshie. The series is tied at 2-2 heading back to Florida.

Over in Pittsburgh, the Penguins welcome the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin faces a lesser foe in Louis Domingue in goal. New York opened in the first period with an Alexis Lafreniere goal, guided in by Braden Schneider. Pittsburgh tied it on a Sidney Crosby power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Jake Guentzel and Kris Letang. The Penguins took the lead in the second period with a Mike Matheson goal, via Crosby. Pittsburgh added on with a Guentzel goal, his fifth of the playoffs, fueled by Bryan Rust and Crosby. The Penguins extended the lead as Mark Friedman scored, thanks to Teddy Blueger and Brian Boyle. The Rangers got one back with an Adam Fox goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Artemi Panarin and Mika Zibanejad. Pittsburgh shot back on a Danton Heinen goal, his second of the playoffs, with a lone assist by Letang. The Penguins padded the lead as Jeff Carter scored his third of the postseason, with the help of Jason Zucker. Pittsburgh finished it at 7-2 in the third period with an Evgeni Malkin goal, his second of the playoffs, helped along by Kasperi Kapanen. The three stars were Crosby, Guentzel and Letang. The Penguins leave home with a 3-1 series lead. 

Along to Nashville, as the Predators bring in the Colorado Avalanche. Pavel Francouz and Connor Ingram are the backups in goal. Colorado kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Andre Burakovsky goal, via J.T. Compher and Bowen Byram. Nashville tied it on a Yakov Trenin goal, his second of the postseason, fueled by Colton Sissons. The Avalanche took the lead back in the second period with a Cale Makar goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Compher. The Predators tied it with another Trenin goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, assisted by Sissons and Tanner Jeannot. Nashville took the lead in the third period with a Filip Forsberg goal, with helpers from Mattias Ekholm and Matt Duchene. Colorado retied it on a Devon Toews goal, his third of the playoffs, made possible by Erik Johnson and Burakovsky. The Avalanche gained the lead again with a Valeri Nichushkin goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Makar and Burakovsky. Colorado iced it at 5-3 with a Nathan MacKinnon power play empty net goal, his fifth of the playoffs, set up by Makar. The three stars were Makar, Burakovsky, and Trenin, while Compher and Sissons get the honorable mentions. The Avalanche swept the series 4-0 and will play in the second round.

Down in Dallas, the Stars host the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Jake Oettinger tend the twines. Calgary got going in the second period with a Rasmus Andersson power play goal, powered by Matthew Tkachuk and Tyler Toffoli. The Flames added on with a Johnny Gaudreau penalty shot goal in the third period. Calgary extended the lead as Elias Lindholm scored his third of the postseason, thanks to Gaudreau and Noah Hanifin. Dallas got on the board with a Tyler Seguin power play goal, with assists by Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz. The Flames iced it at 4-1 with a Mikael Backlund empty net goal, set up by Trevor Lewis. The three stars were Gaudreau, Markstrom (34 for 35 in saves), and Lindholm. The series heads north again tied at 2-2. 

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