NHL Playoffs 2022 - Day 17

We're back to the first series of the second round today. First up...

The Florida Panthers welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky tend the twines. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with a Corey Perry power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman. Florida tied it in the second period with an Eetu Luostarinen goal, coming off of Gustav Forsling and Claude Giroux. The Lightning took the lead in the third period with a Ross Colton goal, his fifth of the playoffs, courtesy of Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Palat. This made it 2-1, the final, with the three stars going to Colton, Vasilevskiy (35 for 36 in saves), and Perry. The Lightning head home with a 2-0 series lead.

Out west, the Colorado Avalanche bring in the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Darcy Kuemper guard the cages. St. Louis got going in the second period with a Jordan Kyrou goal, his fifth of the postseason, via Ryan O'Reilly and Pavel Buchnevich. The Blues added on with a David Perron power play goal, his sixth of the playoffs, powered by Buchnevich and Vladimir Tarasenko. Colorado got on the board with a Gabriel Landeskog power play goal in the third period, his fourth of the postseason, with assists provided by Mikko Rantanen and Nathan MacKinnon. St. Louis replied on a Perron goal, his second of the game and seventh of the playoffs, passed from The Blues extended the lead on a Brandon Saad empty net goal, his second of the postseason, set up by Brayden Schenn and Justin Faulk. The final held at 4-1, with the three stars going to Perron, Binnington (30 for 31 in saves), and Buchnevich. The series is tied at 1-1 heading to St. Louis. 

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NHL Playoffs 2022 - Day 16

We've got two games again today, beginning with...

The Carolina Hurricanes hosting the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Antti Raanta man the nets. New York began in the first period with a Filip Chytil goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Alexis Lafreniere. Carolina tied it in the third period on a Sebastian Aho goal, his third of the playoffs, coming off of Seth Jarvis and Teuvo Teravainen. The Hurricanes won 2-1 in overtime with an Ian Cole goal, via Brendan Smith and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. The three stars were Cole, Aho, and Raanta (27 for 28 in saves). The Hurricanes established a 1-0 series lead.

Out west, the Calgary Flames host the Edmonton Oilers. Mike Smith and Jacob Markstrom are between the pipes. Calgary led off in the first period with an Elias Lindholm goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Rasmus Andersson and Johnny Gaudreau. The Flames added on with an Andrew Mangiapane goal, his second of the playoffs, courtesy of Mikael Backlund. Calgary extended the lead as Brett Ritchie scored an unassisted goal. Edmonton got on the board with a Connor McDavid goal, his fifth of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Flames fired back with a Blake Coleman goal, helped along by Mangiapane and Andersson. Calgary padded the lead as Coleman scored his second of the game, thanks to Noah Hanifin and Trevor Lewis. The Oilers got one back with an Evan Bouchard goal, via McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The Flames answered with a Matthew Tkachuk power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Gaudreau and Tyler Toffoli. Edmonton pulled one back with a Zach Hyman goal, his third of the postseason, set up by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers got closer with another Hyman goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, fueled by Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto. Edmonton pulled closer with a Draisaitl goal, his sixth of the postseason, made possible by McDavid. The Oilers tied it in the third period with a Yamamoto goal, his second of the playoffs, with a lone helper by McDavid. Calgary retook the lead with an Andersson goal, his second of the postseason, with assists from Mangiapane and Calle Jarnkrok. The Flames continued with a Tkachuk goal, his second of the game and third of the playoffs, an unassisted goal. Calgary piled on with a Tkachuk empty net goal, completing his hat trick on his fourth of the postseason, set up by Lindholm and Gaudreau. The final stood at 9-6, with the three stars awarded to Tkachuk, Coleman, and Mangiapane, while Andersson, Gaudreau, Lindholm, McDavid, Draisaitl, Hyman, Yamamoto, and Nugent-Hopkins get the honorable mentions. The Flames are up 1-0 in the series. 

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NHL Playoffs 2022 - Day 15

We're on to the second round of the playoffs now. First up...

The Florida Panthers welcome the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Sergei Bobrovsky protect the nets. Florida began in the first period with an Anthony Duclair goal, via Jonathan Huberdeau and Brandon Montour. Tampa Bay tied it on a Corey Perry power play goal in the second period, his third of the postseason, powered by Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning took the lead with a Pierre-Edouard Bellemare goal in the third period, his second of the playoffs, coming off of Perry and Pat Maroon. Tampa Bay added on with a Kucherov power play goal, his third of the postseason, with assists provided Victor Hedman and Steven Stamkos. The Lightning extended the lead as Ross Colton scored on the power play, his fourth of the playoffs, thanks to Nick Paul and Mikhail Sergachev. The final was 4-1, with the three stars going to Kucherov, Perry, and Vasilevskiy (34 for 35 in saves). The Lightning established a 1-0 series lead.

Over in Colorado, the Avalanche bring in the St. Louis Blues. Jordan Binnington and Darcy Kuemper guard the cages. St. Louis led off in the first period with a Ryan O'Reilly goal, his sixth of the postseason, courtesy of Brayden Schenn. Colorado tied it on a Valeri Nichushkin goal, his third of the playoffs, via Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. The Avalanche took the lead on a Samuel Girard goal, coming off of Josh Manson and Gabriel Landeskog. The Blues tied it on a Jordan Kyrou power play goal in the third period, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Justin Faulk. Colorado won 3-2 in overtime with a Manson goal, helped along by Landeskog and Nazem Kadri. The three stars were Manson, Landeskog, and Binnington (51 for 54 in saves). The Avalanche hold a 1-0 series lead. 

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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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