NHL 2020 Eastern Conference Finals - Tampa Bay Lightning v. New York Islanders

This post will contain the whole Eastern Conference Finals series. 

Game 1: The goalies are Thomas Greiss and Andrei Vasilevskiy. Tampa Bay began in the first period with a Brayden Point goal, his seventh of the postseason, coming off of Blake Coleman and Luke Schenn. New York tied it on a Jordan Eberle power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, powered by Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal. The Lightning retook the lead with a Victor Hedman power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, with assists provided by Point and Nikita Kucherov. Tampa Bay added on with a Ryan McDonagh goal, courtesy of Kucherov and Mikhail Sergachev. Semyon Varlamov replaced Greiss in the Islanders' net. The Lightning extended the lead in the second period as Yanni Gourde goal, his fourth of the playoffs, thanks to Pat Maroon and Kevin Shattenkirk. Tampa Bay padded the lead on a Point power play goal, his second of the game and eighth of the postseason, assisted by Hedman and Kucherov. The Lightning struck again in the third period on a Kucherov goal, his fifth of the playoffs, fueled by Point and Shattenkirk. The Islanders got one back with a Nick Leddy goal, his third of the postseason, guided in by Lee and Eberle. Tampa Bay replied with an Ondrej Palat goal, his sixth of the playoffs, made possible by Point and Kucherov. The Lightning finished it at 8-2 with a Gourde power play goal, his second of the game and fifth of the postseason, passed from Shattenkirk and Hedman. The three stars were Point, Kucherov, and Gourde, while Hedman, Shattenkirk, Eberle, and Lee get the honorable mentions. The Lightning staked out a 1-0 series lead. 

Game 2: Semyon Varlamov and Andrei Vasilevskiy protect the nets. New York led off in the first period with a Matt Martin goal, his fifth of the postseason, made possible by Nick Leddy. Tampa Bay tied it on a Victor Hedman goal, his seventh of the playoffs, assisted by Barclay Goodrow. The Lightning won late in the third period with a Nikita Kucherov goal, his sixth of the postseason, passed from Ryan McDonagh. The three stars of the 2-1 game were Vasilevskiy (27 for 28 in saves), Kucherov, and Hedman. The Lightning lead the series 2-0. 

Game 3: Russians Andrei Vasilevskiy and Semyon Varlamov play in goal. New York opened in the first period with a Cal Clutterbuck goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Ryan Pulock and Matt Martin. Tampa Bay tied it on a Mikhail Sergachev goal, his second of the playoffs, via Yanni Gourde. The Islanders retook the lead in the second on an Adam Pelech goal, passed from Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mathew Barzal. New York added on with an Anthony Beauvillier goal, his ninth of the postseason, assisted by Brock Nelson and Devon Toews. The Lightning got one back in the third period on an Ondrej Palat power play goal, his seventh of the playoffs, powered by Nikita Kucherov and Sergachev. Tampa Bay tied it with a Tyler Johnson goal, his fourth of the postseason, guided in by Erik Cernak and Carter Verhaeghe. The Islanders reclaimed the lead on a Nelson goal, his eighth of the playoffs, helped along by Beauvillier and Josh Bailey. New York iced it at 5-3 with a Pageau empty net goal, his eighth of the postseason, set up by Bailey. The final held at 5-3, with the three stars being Nelson, Beauvillier, and Pageau, while Sergachev and Bailey get the honorable mentions. The Lightning remain ahead 2-1 in the series. 

Game 4: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Semyon Varlamov again start in goal. New York got going in the second period with a Brock Nelson goal, his ninth of the postseason, courtesy of Josh Bailey. Tampa Bay tied it on a Blake Coleman goal, his fourth of the playoffs, assisted by Yanni Gourde and the goalie Vasilevskiy. The Lightning pulled ahead with an Ondrej Palat goal, his eighth of the postseason, via Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point. Tampa Bay added on in the third period with a Point goal, his ninth of the playoffs, fueled by Palat and Kucherov. The Lightning iced it at 4-1 with a Pat Maroon empty net goal, set up by Gourde and Cedric Paquette. The three stars were Vasilevskiy (26 for 27 in saves), Palat, and Point, while Kucherov and Gourde get the honorable mentions. The Lightning pushed their series lead up to 3-1. 

Game 5: Semyon Varlamov and Andrei Vasilevskiy patrol the creases. New York started in the first period with a Ryan Pulock power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Nick Leddy and Mathew Barzal. Tampa Bay tied it on a Victor Hedman goal, his eighth of the playoffs, via Blake Coleman and Luke Schenn. The Islanders won 2-1 in double overtime with a Jordan Eberle goal, his fifth of the postseason, coming off of Anders Lee. The three stars were Eberle, Pulock, and Varlamov (36 for 37 in saves). The Islanders stay alive, but trail 3-2 in the series. 

Game 6: Andrei Vasilevskiy and Semyon Varlamov are in the blue paint. New York struck first in the first period with a Devon Toews goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Anders Lee and Mathew Barzal. Tampa Bay tied it on a Victor Hedman goal, his ninth of the playoffs, via Erik Cernak and Nikita Kucherov. The Lightning won 2-1 in overtime with an Anthony Cirelli goal, his third of the postseason, assisted by Barclay Goodrow. The three stars were Vasilevskiy (26 for 27 in saves), Varlamov (46 for 48 in saves), and Cirelli. The Lightning won the series 4-2 and will face the Dallas Stars for the Stanley Cup. 

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NHL 2020 Western Conference Finals - Vegas Golden Knights v. Dallas Stars

This post will contain the entire Western Conference Finals series. 

Game 1: The goalies are Marc-Andre Fleury and Anton Khudobin. Dallas led off in the first period with a John Klingberg goal, his third of the postseason, assisted by Jamie Benn and Radek Faksa. This stood for the 1-0 win. The three stars were Khudobin (25 save shutout), Klingberg, and Fleury (24 for 25 in saves). The Stars have a 1-0 series lead. 

Game 2: Robin Lehner and Anton Khudobin start in goal. Vegas got going in the second period with a Paul Stastny goal, his third of the postseason, via Max Pacioretty and Brayden McNabb. The Golden Knights added on with a William Karlsson power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, powered by Shea Theodore and Stastny. Vegas extended the lead as Tomas Nosek scored his second of the postseason, with the help of Chandler Stephenson and Nicolas Roy. Jake Oettinger replaced Khudobin in goal in the third period. The final stood at 3-0 with the three stars given to Lehner (24 save shutout), Stastny, and Karlsson. The series is tied at 1. 

Game 3: Anton Khudobin and Robin Lehner draw the starts in goal. Dallas dented the scoreboard in the second period with a Jamie Oleksiak goal, his fourth of the postseason, via Miro Heiskanen and Blake Comeau. Vegas tied it on a Shea Theodore power play goal, his seventh of the playoffs, powered by Mark Stone and Jonathan Marchessault in the third period. The Stars took the lead back with a Jamie Benn goal, his sixth of the postseason, helped along by Tyler Seguin and Joel Hanley. The Golden Knights tied it again on an Alex Tuch goal, his ninth of the playoffs, guided in by William Karlsson. Dallas won 3-2 in overtime with an Alexander Radulov goal, his eighth of the postseason, made possible by Joe Pavelski and Benn. The three stars were Radulov, Benn, and Khudobin (38 for 40 in saves). The Stars are up 2-1 in the series. 

Game 4: Anton Khudobin and Robin Lehner occupy the creases. Vegas drew first blood in the second period with an Alec Martinez power play goal, his second of the postseason, powered by Nate Schmidt and Paul Stastny. Dallas tied it on a Joe Pavelski goal, his ninth of the playoffs, via Andrew Cogliano. The Stars took the lead on a Jamie Benn power play goal, his seventh of the postseason, with assists provided by John Klingberg and Alexander Radulov. This stood for a 2-1 win, with the three stars given to Khudobin (32 for 33 in saves), Benn, and Pavelski. The Stars now lead the series 3-1. 

Game 5: Robin Lehner and Anton Khudobin are the goalies again. Vegas began in the first period with a Chandler Stephenson goal, his third of the postseason, made possible by Shea Theodore and Alex Tuch. The Golden Knights added on in the third period with a Reilly Smith goal, his fifth of the playoffs, guided in by Paul Stastny. Dallas got on the board with a Jamie Benn goal, his eighth of the postseason, coming off of Alexander Radulov and Esa Lindell. The Stars tied it with a Joel Kiviranta power play goal, his fourth of the playoffs, powered by John Klingberg and Denis Gurianov. Dallas won 3-2 in overtime on a Gurianov power play goal, his ninth of the postseason, with assists provided by Klingberg and Roope Hintz. The three stars were Gurianov, Klingberg, and Benn. The Stars won the series 4-1 and they're headed to the Stanley Cup Finals. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 13

The final game of the second round of this year's playoffs has the Philadelphia Flyers against the New York Islanders. Thomas Greiss and Carter Hart make the starts in goal. New York kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Scott Mayfield goal, coming off of Devon Toews and Jordan Eberle. The Islanders added on with an Andy Greene goal, his second of the postseason, made possible by Derick Brassard and Brock Nelson. New York extended the lead as Nelson scored his seventh of the playoffs, thanks to Josh Bailey and Ryan Pulock in the second period. The Islanders padded the lead in the third period with an Anthony Beauvillier empty net goal, his eighth of the postseason, set up by Nelson and Bailey. This stood for a 4-0 final score, with the three stars going to Nelson, Greiss (16 save shutout), and Bailey. The Islanders won the series 4-3 and will play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference Finals. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 12

The Western Conference series will be decided today, beginning with...

The Colorado Avalanche versus the Dallas Stars. Anton Khudobin and Michael Hutchinson start in goal. Dallas led off in the first period with an Alexander Radulov power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, powered by Joe Pavelski and Miro Heiskanen. Colorado tied it on a Vladislav Namestnikov goal, his third of the playoffs, assisted by Ian Cole and Nazem Kadri. The Avalanche took the lead with an Andre Burakovsky goal, his seventh of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Stars tied it in the second period with a Joel Kiviranta goal, courtesy of Denis Gurianov and John Klingberg. Colorado took the lead back with a Kadri power play goal, his ninth of the playoffs, with helpers from Mikko Rantanen and Burakovsky. Dallas retied it as Radulov scored his second of the game and seventh of the postseason on the power play, thanks to Klingberg and Jamie Benn. The Avalanche took the lead again on a Namestnikov goal, his fourth of the playoffs and second of the day, guided in by J.T. Compher and Nikita Zadorov. The Stars evened it with Kiviranta's second goal of the game, fueled by Roope Hintz and Heiskanen. Dallas won 5-4 with a Kiviranta goal to complete his hat trick in overtime, helped along by Andrej Sekera and Jamie Oleksiak. The three stars were Kiviranta, Radulov, and Namestnikov, while Heiskanen, Klingberg, Burakovsky, and Kadri get the honorable mentions. The Stars won the series 4-3 and will meet the winner of the next series in the Western Conference Finals.

Next up, the Vegas Golden Knights take on the Vancouver Canucks. Thatcher Demko and Robin Lehner man the nets. Vegas dented the scoreboard in the third period with a Shea Theodore power play goal, his sixth of the postseason, powered by Reilly Smith. The Golden Knights added on with an Alex Tuch empty net goal, his eighth of the playoffs, set up by Paul Stastny. Vegas iced it at 3-0 with a Stastny empty net goal, his second of the postseason, with helpers from Nicolas Roy and Jonathan Marchessault. The three stars were Stastny, Lehner (15 save shutout), and Demko (33 for 34 in saves). The Golden Knights took the series 4-3 and are set to face the Stars in the Western Conference Finals. 

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NHL 2020 Playoffs - Second Round Day 11

Two games on tonight, beginning with...

The New York Islanders versus the Philadelphia Flyers. Carter Hart and Semyon Varlamov are the goalies. Philadelphia opened in the first period with a Kevin Hayes goal, his fourth of the postseason, coming off of Travis Konecny and Robert Hagg. The Flyers added on with a James van Riemsdyk goal, his second of the playoffs, via Jakub Voracek and Travis Sanheim. New York got on the board with a Derick Brassard goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Devon Toews and Brock Nelson. The Islanders tied it in the second period with a Matt Martin goal, his fourth of the playoffs, with a lone assist by Cal Clutterbuck. New York took the lead with an Anders Lee power play goal, his seventh of the postseason, powered by Mathew Barzal and Jordan Eberle. Philadelphia retied it on a Michael Raffl goal, his fourth of the playoffs, guided in by Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Ivan Provorov. The Islanders regained the lead on a Barzal goal, his fifth of the postseason, helped along by Brassard. The Flyers tied it again as Scott Laughton scored his fifth of the playoffs in the third period, thanks to Claude Giroux. Philadelphia won 5-4 in double overtime with a Provorov goal, his third of the postseason, with a lone helper from Hayes. The three stars were Provorov, Hayes, and Barzal, while Brassard gets an honorable mention. The series is now tied at 3, with Game 7 scheduled for Saturday.

Out west, the Vancouver Canucks take on Vegas Golden Knights. Robin Lehner and Thatcher Demko man the nets. Vancouver started in the first period with a Jake Virtanen goal, his second of the postseason, assisted by Tyler Motte. The Canucks added on in the third period with a J.T. Miller goal, his sixth of the playoffs, guided in by Quinn Hughes. Vancouver extended the lead as Hughes scored his second of the postseason, with the help of Miller and Christopher Tanev. The Canucks padded the lead on a Bo Horvat empty net goal, his tenth of the playoffs, set up by Tanner Pearson and Brandon Sutter. This made it 4-0, the final, with the three stars handed to Demko (48 save shutout), Hughes, and Miller. The series is tied at 3, heading to a Game 7 tomorrow. 

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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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