NHL Playoffs 2022 - Day 22

We're up for two more games today. First up...

The New York Rangers host the Carolina Hurricanes. Antti Raanta and Igor Shesterkin man the nets. New York started in the first period with a Frank Vatrano power play goal, his third of the postseason, powered by Andrew Copp and Adam Fox. The Rangers added on with a Fox goal, his fourth of the playoffs, with assists provided by Ryan Lindgren and Copp. New York extended the lead in the second period as Mika Zibanejad scored his fifth of the postseason, thanks to Lindgren and Vatrano. Carolina got on the board in the third period with a Teuvo Teravainen goal, his third of the playoffs, guided in by Sebastian Aho. The Rangers fired back with a Copp goal, his fifth of the postseason, made possible by Ryan Strome. The final held at 4-1, with the three stars going to Copp, Fox, and Vatrano, while Lindgren gets an honorable mention. The series heads south again tied at 2-2.

Out west, the Edmonton Oilers host the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Mike Smith are in the creases. Edmonton opened in the first period with a Ryan Nugent-Hopkins goal, his third of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Oilers added on with a Zach Hyman power play goal, his seventh of the playoffs, powered by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Edmonton extended the lead as Evander Kane scored his eleventh of the postseason, via Draisaitl and Cody Ceci. Calgary got on the board with an Elias Lindholm power play goal, his fifth of the playoffs, with assists provided by Noah Hanifin and Tyler Toffoli. The Flames got closer with a Mikael Backlund goal, his fourth of the postseason, coming off of Christopher Tanev. Calgary tied it on a shorthanded Rasmus Andersson goal, his third of the playoffs, going in unassisted. The Oilers retook the lead with a Nugent-Hopkins goal, his second of the game and fourth of the postseason, with helpers from Tyson Barrie and Kailer Yamamoto. Edmonton iced it at 5-3 with a Kane empty net power play goal, his second of the game and twelfth of the playoffs, set up by McDavid. The three stars were Nugent-Hopkins, Kane, and Draisaitl, while McDavid gets an honorable mention. The Oilers hold a 3-1 series lead. 

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NHL Playoffs 2022 - Day 21

We're set to have some Game 4s on. First up...

The Tampa Bay Lightning host the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy tend the twines. Tampa Bay dented the scoreboard in the third period with a Pat Maroon goal, his second of the postseason, coming off of Zach Bogosian. The Lightning added on with an Ondrej Palat empty net goal, his fourth of the playoffs, set up by Anthony Cirelli. This stood for a 2-0 win, with the three stars awarded to Vasilevskiy (49 save shutout), Maroon, and Bobrovsky (24 for 25 in saves). The Lightning swept the series 4-0 and will wait to learn their opponent for the Eastern Conference Finals. 

Out in St. Louis, the Blues host the Colorado Avalanche. Darcy Kuemper and Ville Husso are between the pipes. St. Louis drew first blood in the first period with a David Perron goal, his eighth of the postseason, passed from Pavel Buchnevich. Colorado tied it on an Erik Johnson goal, via Alex Newhook and Bowen Byram. The Avalanche took the lead on a Nazem Kadri goal, his third of the playoffs, coming off of Valeri Nichushkin. Colorado added on with a Devon Toews goal, his fourth of the postseason, going in unassisted. The Avalanche extended the lead as Kadri scored his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, thanks to Byram and Cale Makar. The Blues got one back with a Perron power play goal, his second of the game and ninth of the postseason, powered by Scott Perunovich and Brayden Schenn. St. Louis got closer with a Buchnevich power play goal, with assists provided by Jordan Kyrou and Brandon Saad. Colorado shot back in the third period with a Kadri goal, completing his hat trick on his fifth of the playoffs, with the help of Nichushkin. The Avalanche iced it at 6-3 with a Mikko Rantanen empty net goal, set up by Kadri. The three stars were Kadri, Perron, and Byram, while Nichushkin and Buchnevich get the honorable mentions. The Avalanche hold a 3-1 series lead. 

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NHL Playoffs 2022 - Day 20

There's three games on today to complete the scheduling quirk. First up...

The Tampa Bay Lightning host the Florida Panthers. Sergei Bobrovsky and Andrei Vasilevskiy man the nets. Tampa Bay opened in the first period with a Corey Perry goal, his fifth of the postseason, made possible by Ryan McDonagh and Nikita Kucherov. Florida tied it on a Sam Reinhart power play goal, his third of the playoffs, powered by Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov. The Lightning retook the lead in the second period with an Erik Cernak goal, via Ross Colton and Ondrej Palat. Tampa Bay added on with a Steven Stamkos goal, his third of the postseason, coming off of Kucherov and Victor Hedman. The Lightning extended the lead in the third period as Kucherov scored his fourth of the postseason into an empty net, thanks to Nick Paul. Tampa Bay iced it at 5-1 with an empty net goal by Stamkos, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, set up by Kucherov. The three stars were Kucherov, Stamkos, and Vasilevskiy (34 for 35 in saves). The Lightning are on the brink of advancing with a 3-0 series lead.

Up in New York, the Rangers welcome the Carolina Hurricanes. Antti Raanta and Igor Shesterkin protect the nets. New York started in the first period with a Mika Zibanejad power play goal, his fourth of the postseason, powered by Artemi Panarin and Adam Fox. The Rangers added on in the second period with a Chris Kreider goal, his sixth of the playoffs, passed from Zibanejad and Jacob Trouba. Carolina got on the board with a Nino Niederreiter goal, his fourth of the postseason, courtesy of Jordan Staal and Brendan Smith. New York shot back in the third period with a Tyler Motte empty net goal, going in unassisted. This made it 3-1, the final, with the three stars going to Zibanejad, Shesterkin (43 for 44 in saves), and Kreider. The Rangers got on the board in the series but still trail the Hurricanes 2-1. 

Finally, the Edmonton Oilers bring in the Calgary Flames. Jacob Markstrom and Mike Smith are in goal. Edmonton got going in the second period with a Zach Hyman goal, his sixth of the postseason, assisted by Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid. The Oilers added on with a Kane goal, his eighth of the playoffs, via Draisaitl. Edmonton extended the lead as Kane scored his second of the game and ninth of the postseason, thanks to McDavid and Draisaitl. The Oilers padded the lead on another Kane goal, completing his hat trick on his tenth of the playoffs, coming off of McDavid and Draisaitl. Calgary got on the board with an Oliver Kylington goal in the third period, passed from Calle Jarnkrok and Dillon Dube. The final was 4-1, with the three stars going to Kane, Draisaitl, and McDavid. The Oilers own a 2-1 series lead. 

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NHL Playoffs 2022 - Day 19

Due to scheduling, there's only one game today. First up...

The St. Louis Blues host the Colorado Avalanche. Darcy Kuemper and Jordan Binnington are the masked men. St. Louis kicked off the scoring in the first period with a Colton Parayko goal, his second of the postseason, via Ryan O'Reilly. Ville Husso replaced an injured Binnington. Colorado tied it on a Logan O'Connor goal, passed from Josh Manson and Darren Helm. The Avalanche took the lead in the second period with a Nazem Kadri goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen. Colorado added on with an Artturi Lehkonen goal, his third of the postseason, assisted by Kadri. The Blues got one back with an O'Reilly goal, his seventh of the playoffs, fueled by Nick Leddy and Pavel Buchnevich. The Avalanche replied in the third period with a Gabriel Landeskoggoal, his fifth of the postseason, with helpers from Nathan MacKinnon and Rantanen. Colorado iced it at 5-2 with a Lehkonen empty net goal, his second of the game and fourth of the playoffs, set up by Valeri Nichushkin. The three stars were Lehkonen, Kadri, and Rantanen, while O'Reilly gets an honorable mention. The Avalanche retook the series lead at 2-1. 

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NHL Playoffs 2022 - Day 18

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

The Carolina Hurricanes welcoming the New York Rangers. Igor Shesterkin and Antti Raanta man the nets. Carolina got going in the second period with a Brendan Smith shorthanded goal, set up by Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. The Hurricanes added on in the third period with an Aho empty net goal, his fourth of the postseason, going in unassisted. The final was 2-0, with the three stars given to Raanta (21 save shutout), Aho, and Shesterkin (20 for 21 in saves). The Hurricanes own a 2-0 series lead.

Out west, the Calgary Flames bring in the Edmonton Oilers. Mike Smith and Jacob Markstrom protect the nets. Calgary struck first in the first period with a Michael Stone goal, his second of the playoffs, guided in by Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk. The Flames added on with a Brett Ritchie goal, his second of the postseason, made possible Erik Gudbranson and Trevor Lewis. Edmonton got on the board with a Duncan Keith goal, via Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Calgary replied in the second period with a Tyler Toffoli power play goal, his second of the playoffs, powered by Elias Lindholm and Gaudreau. The Oilers got one back with a McDavid goal, his sixth of the postseason, passed from Keith and Draisaitl. Edmonton tied it on an Evan Bouchard power play goal, his second of the playoffs, with assists provided by Keith and Evander Kane. The Oilers took the lead with a Zach Hyman shorthanded goal, his fifth of the postseason, set up by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Edmonton extended the lead as Draisaitl scored his seventh of the playoffs, helped along by the goalie Smith. This made it 5-3, the final, with the three stars going to Draisaitl, Keith, and McDavid, while Gaudreau gets an honorable mention. The series is tied at 1-1 heading to Edmonton. 

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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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