NHL Playoffs Daily 2023 – Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues on the brink

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Kane Dane
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Sunday brings us our first two elimination video games of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs: the Colorado Avalanche and Boston Bruins can safe their tickets to Spherical 2. In the meantime, the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals are struggling to remain alive, with each groups making an attempt to interrupt out of their post-championship playoff slumps.

There’s been some drama off the ice — together with loads of yapping about officiating — however Saturday was all in regards to the blowouts. All 4 video games had been determined by three or extra objectives.

Take a look at the ESPN NHL Playoffs Day by day to catch up daily of the postseason till the Stanley Cup is handed out in July.

Extra: Playoff schedule | Playoff Central

Sunday’s video games

Recreation 4: Carolina Hurricanes at Nashville Predators | 2:30 p.m. (Canes lead 2-1)

This sequence has the arenas with the 2 finest atmospheres within the playoffs thus far. However after a double-overtime loss in Recreation 3, Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour was seething in regards to the officiating. “We performed our butts off, performed nice, performed laborious,” Brind’Amour mentioned on Friday. “We’re taking part in an ideal crew and we’re in a battle. Nashville is an exceptional crew. However we’re additionally combating the refs. It’s that plain and easy. You possibly can’t inform me two video games in a row we get seven and eight penalties and so they get three, when the sport is that this even? It’s not proper. I give my guys tons of credit score for simply sticking and going and taking part in their butts off and having a superb probability to win.” Filip Forsberg is wanting harmful for Nashville after posting a 84.2% anticipated objectives for share in Recreation 3.

Recreation 4: Colorado Avalanche at St. Louis Blues | 5 p.m. (Avs lead 3-0)

The Avs might be the primary crew to advance to spherical two with a win right here. Brind’Amour isn’t the one coach annoyed with playoff officiating. St. Louis coach Craig Berube mentioned in his sequence, “It’s so one-sided, it’s not even humorous.” The Blues have been beset by accidents, particularly to defensemen Robert Bertuzzo and Justin Faulk. The crew’s highest paid forwards — Brayden Schenn, Ryan O’Reilly, Jaden Schwartz and Vladimir Tarasenko — have mixed for simply two factors and are a collective minus-24. It’s a stark distinction from the 5 objectives in three video games Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon has scored, although Recreation 3 additionally flexed Colorado’s depth, with 20-year-old Alex Newhook scoring his first NHL objective.

Recreation 5: Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals | 7 p.m. (Bruins lead 3-1)

If the Caps lose this sequence, it will mark their third straight first-round exit following their 2018 Stanley Cup win. The Caps lastly had all of their skaters again and wholesome for Recreation 4, however they got here out lifeless. Some gamers might nonetheless be banged up, however it appears that evidently Washington could not be capable of overcome its myriad of points, which have additionally included key gamers sidelined due to COVID protocols. The Bruins have actually been the faster crew. With defenseman Kevan Miller (who was hospitalized, however launched following successful from Dmitry Orlov) dominated out for Recreation 5, which means both Jarred Tinordi or Urho Vaakanainen will enter the Bruins’ lineup.

Recreation 3: Edmonton Oilers at Winnipeg Jets | 7:30 p.m. (Jets lead 2-0)

Edmonton was considered as a serious favourite on this sequence, however the tables have turned. The Oilers’ greatest benefit, after all, is Connor McDavid. Nonetheless, the Jets’ have successfully shut McDavid down, clogging down taking pictures lanes and preserving him to the surface. McDavid has been held and not using a level in two video games thus far. Coach Dave Tippett even reunited McDavid with Leon Draisaitl for Recreation 2 — which normally equates to magic — and infrequently paired the duo with Darnell Nurse on protection, however no cube. Now the sequence shifts again to Winnipeg, however possibly that doesn’t equate to home-ice benefit for the Jets. The Oilers went 4-1 in Winnipeg throughout the common season.

About final evening

Tampa Bay Lightning 6, Florida Panthers 2 (Lightning lead 3-1)

The Battle of Florida introduced the warmth, however might it quickly be over? The Lightning have taken management of this sequence after scoring a pair of objectives on their first three photographs to cruise to a win in Recreation 4. Not a super begin for Sergei Bobrovsky, who made his second begin of the sequence. Tampa Bay felt nice about having Nikita Kucherov again, and he scored a objective and three assists on this one. However the sport ended on a somber notice because the star winger went down after being slashed by Florida’s Anthony Duclair halfway by way of the third. The extent of Kucherov’s harm is unclear. This one bought sloppy, as each groups ended up with 13 penalties. “The hockey sport ended midway by way of the second interval, then it become one thing else,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper mentioned. Full recap.

New York Islanders 4, Pittsburgh Penguins 1 (Tied 2-2)

That is the final 12 months of the Nassau Coliseum because the Islanders are scheduled to maneuver to their new area, at Belmont Park, subsequent season. The Isles are saying goodbye to the legendary area in model. Saturday’s sport — which locked this sequence at two video games apiece — featured a scoreless first. Then the Islanders broke it open with a pair of power-play objectives (from Jordan Eberle and Oliver Wahlstrom) in a 24-second span, the quickest two energy play-goals in Islanders postseason historical past. Ilya Sorokin, who served as backup for Video games 2 and three, stopped 29 of 30 photographs. The Penguins can be lamenting their six penalties. And as soon as once more, New York was in a position to silence the Sidney Crosby line (Crosby, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust have mixed to attain simply two objectives on this sequence). Full recap.

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Ryan Pulock offers the Islanders a 2-0 lead over the Penguins as he rebounds the puck and ricochets in an unlikely objective by way of the 5-hole.

Toronto Maple Leafs 5, Montreal Canadiens 1 (Tied 1-1)

John Tavares goes to be out at the least two weeks, after injuring his knee throughout his scary Recreation 1 collision. Tavares additionally suffered a concussion, so it’s robust to say once we’ll see him again. However Toronto rallied round its captain, with an offensive outburst in opposition to the Habs. The Leafs scored two power-play objectives for the primary time since March 3. Toronto is meant to have an explosive energy play, however during the last 33 video games, it had gone 6-for-82 (7.3%), which isn’t nice. The Maple Leafs dominated practically your entire sport. The one vivid spot for Montreal was Jesperi Kotkaniemi scoring, after being scratched in Recreation 1. Full recap.

Vegas Golden Knights 4, Minnesota Wild 0 (Knights lead 3-1)

Minnesota stunned Vegas by taking Recreation 1. However the Golden Knights — behind Marc-Andre Fleury the entire time — have stormed again to take the subsequent three, and now the Wild are getting ready to elimination. Alex Tuch continues to torment the crew that gave him up within the growth draft. We additionally bought among the finest cellies of the postseason: Introducing Mark Stone’s jazz palms. Full recap.

Three stars of the evening

Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs

After turning into the primary Maple Leafs participant to win the Rocket Richard trophy, Matthews scored his first objective of the playoffs. It gave the Maple Leafs their first lead of the sequence, and so they by no means seemed again on Saturday.

The younger American additionally assisted on two different Toronto objectives, and received 16 of his 20 faceoffs.

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Carey Value stops Justin Holl’s shot, however Auston Matthews follows on the rebound in Toronto’s Recreation 2 win over Montreal.

Ilya Sorokin, G, New York Islanders

After making 29 saves on 30 photographs on Saturday, the 25-year-old has taken management of the Islanders web; for now, at the least. By way of his first two NHL playoff begins, Sorokin is 2-0 with a 1.76 goals-against common.

Sorokin grew to become the second rookie goaltender in Islanders historical past to win a number of playoff video games for the franchise, becoming a member of Glenn Resch.

Alex Killorn, LW, Tampa Bay Lightning

The Lightning have scored 19 objectives by way of the primary 4 video games of their sequence in opposition to the Panthers, their most by way of the the primary 4 video games of any sequence in franchise historical past

Killorn did his half for the offense Saturday, scoring two objectives and including two assists.

Speaking level of the day

Avalanche ahead Nazem Kadri was suspended eight video games for an unlawful verify to the top of Blues defenseman Justin Faulk. (The St. Louis defenseman, by the best way, missed Recreation 3 and stays uncertain for Recreation 4).

In figuring out the size of suspension, the NHL thought of Kadri’s historical past with the Division of Participant Security — which is lengthy, and consists of back-to-back postseason suspensions whereas with the Maple Leafs. Toronto traded Kadri to the Avalanche following the second such occasion, a five-game ban in 2019.

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar took umbrage to the most recent ruling, noting that Kadri hasn’t run into hassle since becoming a member of Colorado.

“They lay out the foundations of what’s a repeat offender and in my understanding, it’s 18 months,” Bednar mentioned on Saturday evening. “So that you watch the video and so they discuss him being a repeat offender, however he’s not. He’s been with us for 18 months and he doesn’t have any historical past. So I don’t essentially perceive it.”

The issue is, whereas Kadri isn’t a “repeat offender” in line with the CBA, the NHL remains to be permitted to extra severely punish gamers “who repeatedly violate league taking part in guidelines.” The Division of Participant Security had no downside reminding Bednar of that on Sunday. (Be aware the refined trolling: the FAQ the DOPS tweeted is from 2015).

Fan of the day

We’ll go together with New York Jets offensive lineman Dan Feeney on the Isles-Penguins sport:

Jets quarterback Zach Wilson was additionally available, however maybe he was the designated driver.

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