NHL Playoffs 2023 - First Round Day 15

There's just one game left to close out the first round, as the New Jersey Devils host the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Akira Schmid are in between the pipes. New Jersey got going in the second period with a Michael McLeod shorthanded goal, set up by Ondrej Palat. The Devils added on with a Tomas Tatar goal, assisted by John Marino and Nico Hischier. New Jersey extended the lead in the third period as Erik Haula scored his fourth of the postseason, thanks to Jack Hughes and Palat. The Devils iced it at 4-0 with a Jesper Bratt empty net goal, set up by Marino. The three stars were Schmid (31 save shutout), Palat, and Marino. The Devils won the series 4-3 and will face the Hurricanes in the second round. 

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NHL Playoffs 2023 - First Round Day 14

It's time for some Game 7s. First up...

The Boston Bruins welcome the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Jeremy Swayman man the nets. Florida led off in the first period with a Brandon Montour power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Anton Lundell and Bobrovsky. The Panthers added on with a Sam Reinhart goal in the second period, his fourth of the playoffs, assisted by Eetu Luostarinen and Lundell. Boston got on the board with a David Krejci power play goal, with assists provided by Dmitry Orlov and Pavel Zacha. The Bruins tied it in the third period with a Tyler Bertuzzi power play goal, his fifth of the postseason, made possible by Orlov and Krejci. Boston took the lead on a David Pastrnak goal, his fifth of the playoffs, guided in by Brandon Carlo and Krejci. Florida retied it on another Montour goal, his second of the game and fifth of the postseason, helped along by Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe. The Panthers won 4-3 in overtime with a Verhaeghe goal, his second of the playoffs, fueled by Sam Bennett and Matthew Tkachuk. The three stars were Montour, Verhaeghe, and Krejci, while Lundell and Orlov get the honorable mentions. The Panthers won the series 4-3 and will face the Maple Leafs in the second round. 

Out in Colorado, the Avalanche bring in the Seattle Kraken. Philipp Grubauer and Alexandar Georgiev are the masked men. Seattle got going in the second period with an Oliver Bjorkstrand goal, via Yanni Gourde and Adam Larsson. The Kraken added on with a Bjorkstrand goal, his second of the game, passed from Eeli Tolvanen and Gourde. Colorado pulled one back with a Mikko Rantanen power play goal, his seventh of the postseason, powered by Nathan MacKinnon and Devon Toews. This only made it 2-1, the eventual final, with the three stars being Bjorkstrand, Grubauer (33 for 34 in saves), and Gourde. The Kraken won the series 4-3 and will take on the Stars in the second round. 

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NHL Playoffs 2023 - First Round Day 13

There's three games on tonight as more teams face elimination. First up...

The Tampa Bay Lightning host the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ilya Samsonov and Andrei Vasilevskiy protect the nets. Toronto got going in the second period with an Auston Matthews goal, his fifth of the postseason, courtesy of T.J. Brodie. Tampa Bay tied it in the third period with a Steven Stamkos goal, his second of the playoffs, via Darren Raddysh and Anthony Cirelli. The Maple Leafs won 2-1 in overtime with a John Tavares goal, his fourth of the postseason, guided in by Matthew Knies. The three stars were Samsonov (31 for 32 in saves), Tavares, and Matthews. The Maple Leafs won the series 4-2.

Up in New York, the Rangers welcome the New Jersey Devils. Akira Schmid and Igor Shesterkin man the nets. New Jersey opened in the first period with a Curtis Lazar goal, assisted by Kevin Bahl and Damon Severson. New York tied it on a Chris Kreider power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, powered by Mika Zibanejad and Adam Fox. The Rangers took the lead with a Zibanejad goal, coming off of Kreider and Vladimir Tarasenko. New York added on with a Tarasenko goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Kreider and Fox. The Rangers extended the lead in the third period as Barclay Goodrow scored, thanks to Jimmy Vesey and New York padded the lead on a Braden Schneider goal, fueled by Niko Mikkola and Filip Chytil. Vitek Vanecek replaced Schmid in goal. The Devils got one back on a Dawson Mercer power play goal, his second of the postseason, with assists provided by Nico Hischier and Jack Hughes. The final held at 5-2, with the three stars going to Kreider, Zibanejad, and Tarasenko, while Fox gets an honorable mention. The series is tied at 3-3.

Finally, the Los Angeles Kings bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Stuart Skinner and Joonas Korpisalo are in the creases. Edmonton started in the first period with a Connor McDavid goal, his third of the postseason, assisted by Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm. Los Angeles tied it on a Sean Durzi goal, helped along by Kevin Fiala and Quinton Byfield. The Oilers retook the lead with a Klim Kostin goal, his second of the playoffs, fueled by Ryan McLeod and Vincent Desharnais. Edmonton added on in the second period with a Leon Draisaitl goal, his seventh of the postseason, guided in by McDavid and Bouchard on the power play. The Kings shot back with an Adrian Kempe power play goal, his fifth of the playoffs, powered by Fiala and Viktor Arvidsson. Los Angeles tied it on a Fiala power play goal, with assists provided by Drew Doughty and Arvidsson. The Oilers retook the lead with a Kostin goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, passed from Kailer Yamamoto and Desharnais. The Kings tied it again in the third period with a Phillip Danault shorthanded goal, his second of the playoffs, going in unassisted. Edmonton took the lead with a Yamamoto goal, with helpers from McLeod and Kostin. This held for a 5-4 win, with the three stars being Kostin, McDavid, and Yamamoto, while McLeod, Bouchard, Desharnais, Fiala, and Arvidsson get the honorable mentions. The Oilers won the series 4-2 and will face the Golden Knights in the second round. 

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NHL Playoffs 2023 - First Round Day 12

We're getting down to the wire in the first round, as each game could see an elimination this Friday. First up...

The New York Islanders host the Carolina Hurricanes. Frederik Andersen and Ilya Sorokin guard the cages. New York led off in the first period with a Cal Clutterbuck goal, via Ryan Pulock and Casey Cizikas. Carolina tied it in the third period with a Sebastian Aho goal, his fourth of the postseason, coming off of Brett Pesce. The Hurricanes won 2-1 in overtime with a Paul Stastny goal, his third of the playoffs, courtesy of Derek Stepan. The three stars were Stastny, Aho, and Andersen (33 for 34 in saves). The Hurricanes won the series 4-2.

Down in Florida, the Panthers welcome the Boston Bruins. Linus Ullmark and Sergei Bobrovsky are between the pipes. Florida began in the first period with a Brandon Montour power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov. Boston tied it on a Tyler Bertuzzi power play goal, his third of the playoffs, with assists provided by Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy. The Panthers retook the lead with a Tkachuk goal, his fourth of the postseason, via Nick Cousins. The Bruins tied it again in the second period with a David Pastrnak power play goal, his third of the playoffs, with helpers from Marchand and McAvoy. Florida gained the lead again with a Barkov goal, helped along by Anthony Duclair and Carter Verhaeghe. Boston tied it on a Bertuzzi goal in the third period, his second of the game and fourth of the postseason, made possible by Brandon Carlo and Marchand. The Bruins gained the lead with a Pastrnak power play goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, guided in by Bertuzzi and Marchand. The Panthers tied it again with a Zac Dalpe goal, coming off of Eetu Luostarinen and Anton Lundell. Boston reclaimed the lead with a Jake DeBrusk shorthanded goal, his fourth of the postseason, set up by Pavel Zacha and Dmitry Orlov. Florida retied it on a Tkachuk power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the playoffs, fueled by Lundell and Gustav Forsling. The Panthers pulled ahead on a Luostarinen goal, his second of the postseason, with a lone assist by Montour. Florida iced it at 7-5 with a Sam Reinhart empty net goal, his third of the playoffs, passed from Radko Gudas. The three stars were Tkachuk, Bertuzzi, and Pastrnak, while Barkov, Marchand, Luostarinen, Montour, Lundell, and McAvoy get the honorable mentions. The series is tied at 3-3, heading back to Boston one more time. 

Northwest to Minnesota, as the Wild bring in the Dallas Stars. Jake Oettinger and Filip Gustavsson tend the twines. Dallas opened in the first period with a Roope Hintz goal, his fifth of the postseason, coming off of Tyler Seguin and Jason Robertson. The Stars added on in the second period with a Wyatt Johnston goal, via Evgenii Dadonov and Ryan Suter. Dallas extended the lead as Mason Marchment scored his second of the playoffs, thanks to Max Domi. Minnesota got on the board in the third period with a Frederick Gaudreau goal, his third of the postseason, helped along by Gustav Nyquist and Jake Middleton. The Stars iced it at 4-1 with a Domi empty net goal, set up by Marchment. The three stars were Oettinger (23 for 24 in saves), Marchment, and Domi. The Stars won the series 4-2. 

Finally, the Seattle Kraken host the Colorado Avalanche. Alexandar Georgiev and Philipp Grubauer are the goalies. Seattle started in the first period with an unassisted Vince Dunn goal. Colorado tied it on a Mikko Rantanen goal, his sixth of the postseason, made possible by Evan Rodrigues and Devon Toews. The Avalanche took the lead in the second period on an Erik Johnson goal, via Rantanen. Colorado added on with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Toews and Makar. The Avalanche iced it at 4-1 in the third period with a Lehkonen empty net goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, set up by Makar and Lars Eller. The three stars belonged to Rantanen, Lehkonen, and Toews, while Makar gets an honorable mention. The series heads back to Colorado tied at 3-3. 

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NHL Playoffs 2023 - First Round Day 11

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

The Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning. Andrei Vasilevskiy and Ilya Samsonov man the nets. Toronto opened in the first period with a Morgan Rielly goal, his third of the postseason, via Matthew Knies and John Tavares. Tampa Bay tied it on an Anthony Cirelli goal, his third of the playoffs, fueled by Brandon Hagel and Nick Perbix. The Lightning pulled ahead with a Mikey Eyssimont goal in the second period, courtesy of Zach Bogosian and Ian Cole. Tampa Bay added on in the third period with a Nick Paul goal, coming off of Ross Colton and Eyssimont. The Maple Leafs pulled back with an Auston Matthews goal, his fourth of the postseason, assisted by Tavares and Mitch Marner. The Lightning iced it at 4-2 with an empty net goal by Alex Killorn, his third of the playoffs, set up by Victor Hedman and Cirelli. The three stars were Cirelli, Eyssimont, and Tavares. The Maple Leafs remain ahead 3-2 in the series.

Down in New Jersey, the Devils welcome the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Akira Schmid are set to start in goal. New Jersey started in the first period with an Ondrej Palat goal, his second of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Devils added on in the second period with an Erik Haula power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Dawson Mercer and Damon Severson. New Jersey extended the lead as Mercer scored a shorthanded goal, set up by Haula. The Devils iced it at 4-0 with a Haula empty net goal, his second of the game and third of the postseason, made possible by Nico Hischier and Ryan Graves. The three stars were Haula, Schmid (23 save shutout), and Mercer. The Devils are now up 3-2 in the series.

Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights bring in the Winnipeg Jets. Connor Hellebuyck and Laurent Brossoit are in the creases. Vegas kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Chandler Stephenson goal, his third of the postseason, fueled by Mark Stone and Brett Howden. The Golden Knights added on with a Stone goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Alex Pietrangelo. Vegas extended the lead as William Karlsson scored his fourth of the postseason, thanks to Michael Amadio and Reilly Smith. The Golden Knights padded the lead on a Stephenson power play goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, powered by Stone and Jack Eichel. Winnipeg got on the board with a Kyle Connor goal, his third of the postseason, coming off of Blake Wheeler and Adam Lowry. The final held at 4-1, with the three stars being Stephenson, Stone, and Karlsson. The Golden Knights won the series 4-1 and are the first team to advance to the second round. 

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NHL Playoffs 2023 - First Round Day 10

A quieted Wednesday sees just two games on. First up...

The Boston Bruins welcome the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Linus Ullmark man the nets. Florida began in the first period with an Anthony Duclair goal, guided in by Carter Verhaeghe. Boston tied it in the second period with a Brad Marchand power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Charlie McAvoy. The Panthers retook the lead with a Sam Bennett goal, his third of the playoffs, courtesy of Verhaeghe and Nick Cousins. The Bruins tied it on a Patrice Bergeron power play goal, helped along by Marchand and McAvoy. Florida reclaimed the lead with a Sam Reinhart power play goal, his second of the postseason, with assists provided by Matthew Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov. Boston tied it again with a Taylor Hall goal, his fifth of the playoffs, fueled by Brandon Carlo and Charlie Coyle. The Panthers won 4-3 in overtime with a Tkachuk goal, his third of the postseason, helped along by Verhaeghe. The three stars were Tkachuk, Marchand, and Verhaeghe, while McAvoy gets an honorable mention. The Bruins remain ahead 3-2 in the series.

Out west, the Colorado Avalanche bring in the Seattle Kraken. Philipp Grubauer and Alexandar Georgiev are set to start in goal. Seattle got going in the second period with a Morgan Geekie goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Jaden Schwartz and Alexander Wennberg. Colorado tied it on a Nathan MacKinnon goal, his third of the playoffs, fueled by Mikko Rantanen. The Kraken took the lead back with a Tye Kartye goal, coming off of Jordan Eberle and Will Borgen. Seattle added on in the third period with a Yanni Gourde goal, made possible by Carson Soucy and Oliver Bjorkstrand. The Avalanche got one back with an Evan Rodrigues goal, guided in by Devon Toews and MacKinnon. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Gourde, Kartye, and MacKinnon. The Kraken head home with a 3-2 series lead in hand. 

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NHL Playoffs 2023 - First Round Day 9

There's three games today as the scheduled stretches out a bit. First up...

The Carolina Hurricanes host the New York Islanders. Ilya Sorokin and Antti Raanta protect the nets. New York led off in the first period with a Pierre Engvall goal, assisted by Brock Nelson. The Islanders added on with a Nelson goal in the second period, his second of the postseason, fueled by Engvall and Kyle Palmieri. Carolina got on the board with a Derek Stepan goal, courtesy of Jalen Chatfield and Jesse Puljujarvi. New York replied with a Mathew Barzal goal, his second of the playoffs, made possible by Bo Horvat. The Hurricanes got one back in the third period with a Sebastian Aho goal, his third of the postseason, coming off of Seth Jarvis and Jesperi Kotkaniemi. This only made it 3-2, the final, with the three stars being Nelson, Engvall, and Barzal. The Hurricanes remain ahead 3-2 in the series.

West to Dallas, as the Stars welcome the Minnesota Wild. Filip Gustavsson and Jake Oettinger guard the cages. Dallas began in the first period with a Tyler Seguin power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Jason Robertson and Roope Hintz. The Stars added on with a power play goal by Robertson, his second of the playoffs, made possible by Miro Heiskanen and Hintz. Dallas extended the lead in the second period as Mason Marchment scored, thanks to Seguin and Hintz. The Stars padded the lead in the third period with a Ty Dellandrea empty net goal, set up by Max Domi and Ryan Suter. The final held at 4-0, with the three stars going to Oettinger (27 save shutout), Hintz, and Seguin, while Robertson gets an honorable mention. The Stars hold a 3-2 series lead.

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers bring in the Los Angeles Kings. Joonas Korpisalo and Stuart Skinner patrol the creases. Edmonton kicked off the scoring in the first period with an Evander Kane power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Darnell Nurse and Mattias Ekholm. The Oilers added on with a Leon Draisaitl goal, his sixth of the playoffs, coming off of Connor McDavid and Ekholm. Los Angeles got on the board with an Alex Iafallo goal, his third of the postseason, guided in by Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar. Edmonton shot back with a Brett Kulak goal, via Ryan McLeod and Warren Foegele. The Kings pulled one back on a Kempe goal, his fourth of the playoffs, courtesy of Carl Grundstrom and Drew Doughty. The Oilers fired back in the second period with a Nick Bjugstad goal, helped along by Cody Ceci and Nurse. Pheonix Copley replaced Korpisalo in goal. Edmonton extended the lead as Zach Hyman scored his second of the postseason on the power play, thanks to Evan Bouchard and McDavid. The Oilers padded the lead on Bjugstad's second goal of the game, helped along by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the third period. Los Angeles got one back with a Quinton Byfield goal, assisted by Gabriel Vilardi and Kevin Fiala. The final remained at 6-3, and the three stars were handed to Bjugstad, Kempe, and McDavid, while Nurse and Ekholm get the honorable mentions. The Oilers hold a 3-2 series lead. 

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