Playoff Takeaways: By no means-say-die Panthers exhibiting the very best of post-season chaos

And the rats rained down.

When was the final time we noticed a sequence so completely encapsulate the chaos of the Stanley Cup Playoffs? It’s not even what occurred in Friday’s Sport 6 between the Boston Bruins and the Florida Panthers. It’s not even Sport 5. It’s the entire thing.

The Authentic Six squad, led by a few of the recreation’s most revered veterans, by one of many sport’s most dynamic offensive skills, by the goalie who lit the league on fireplace this season — this squad that stitched collectively the best common season in NHL historical past, that made all the correct deadline choices, that appeared unstoppable. 

And throughout from them, the 30-year-old franchise nonetheless searching for their first chip, the one routinely mocked for his or her attendance numbers, the one which needed to scratch and claw their approach into the playoffs, solely getting there on the again of a sizzling goalie who was run out of the web three video games into this sequence.

By Sport 4’s remaining buzzer, this matchup appeared performed and dusted — the B’s up 3-1, heading again house for the ultimate blow, the Bruins trustworthy and the hockey world at massive already projecting how Boston would possibly fare in Spherical 2.

After which the Cats made fools of us all.

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Ten objectives by Linus Ullmark in two video games, a resilient effort to outlast Boston in Sport 5, after which in Sport 6, and these Panthers have pushed the Bruins to Sport 7, with all of the stress shoved again within the Presidents’ Trophy winners’ faces. Identical to all of us drew it up. 

It might’t be understated simply how monumental a second that is for the Panthers. Whether or not they see it via to the top in Sport 7 or not, they’ve already performed way over anybody gave them credit score for. They’re the story of the primary spherical, little question.

And on the centre of all of it was No. 19 in pink. Whereas the common season appears a poor predictor on one aspect of the ledger, with Boston’s dominance being dismantled as shortly because it was constructed, it’s served as indication for a way crucially vital Matthew Tkachuk is to this new iteration of the Panthers.

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After a career-best 109-point marketing campaign for his new membership, the 25-year-old has been cash for Florida within the post-season, too. Recent off potting the OT aim that saved his membership’s season alive in Sport 5, Tkachuk was entrance and centre to do the identical in Sport 6. He was there early, establishing Florida’s opening aim to earn their first lead of the evening, then scoring himself to revive that lead as soon as Boston had erased it. He was there late, developing with clutch defensive performs to carry the Bruins at bay, after which battling within the crease to tie the sport late after a shorthanded Boston aim had appeared a remaining backbreaker.

The previous Flame heads into Sport 7 with 5 objectives and 10 factors via six video games, each totals sitting within the prime three league-wide, each already the very best of any Panthers participant of their debut playoff sequence for the membership, and his 10 factors simply two shy of probably the most any Panthers participant has ever collected in a single sequence.

Who could be shocked to see his identify throughout a Sport 7 win Sunday?

Andersen stands tall, upends disappointing streak as Canes shut out Islanders

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If the Bruins want any inspiration on the subject of trusting their intestine and selecting the ‘tender who will maintain down the fort with every part on the road, inform them to offer Rod Brind’Amour a name.

Coming into their very own Sport 6, Carolina discovered themselves in an identical spot: after increase a 3-1 sequence lead on the New York Islanders, the Canes bought dropped in Sport 5 of their first try to shut out the matchup. Friday evening, they too bought another crack at it, another probability to finish it earlier than inviting within the anxiousness of an all-or-nothing Sport 7.

And in that state of affairs, with the stakes as excessive as they could possibly be, Brind’Amour turned the web over to Frederik Andersen — for his first begin of those playoffs.

Restricted by accidents once more this season, the 33-year-old netminder hadn’t performed a hockey recreation in two weeks. And on this specific sort of recreation, his monitor document hasn’t precisely been stellar, the previous Maple Leaf having misplaced his final eight straight video games by which his workforce had an opportunity to clinch a playoff sequence.

Nonetheless, Brind’Amour rolled the cube. Ten minutes into Andersen’s evening, dicey is precisely the way it appeared, the veteran overwhelmed by a clear probability from Cal Clutterbuck — for his first aim, and level, of the sequence — on the Islanders’ fifth shot of the sport. However after the lone early gaffe, Andersen settled in. And he by no means appeared again.

By the top of the evening, he’d turned away 33-of-34 pictures from the Isles, besting possible Vezina nominee Ilya Sorokin and giving his membership each probability to complete the sequence on the opposite aspect of the rink. Six minutes into additional time, Paul Stastny did simply that, beating Sorokin with a daring shot from a pointy angle to clinch the sequence win.

In doing so, Stastny additionally accomplished one of many wildest full-circle moments in NHL historical past: 

There’s no transferring on with out giving Sebastian Aho his flowers, too. With all of the speak of clutch performances, of marquee names delivering when it’s wanted most, how’s this for clutch: by scoring halfway via the third interval on Friday to tie up Sport 6 — after his Canes trailed all evening lengthy — Aho’s now amassed eight objectives and 12 factors within the 10 elimination video games he’s performed. 

That’s greater than another Hurricanes (or Whalers) participant, and leaves him with the third-most objectives, and third-most factors, in elimination video games league-wide since he made his post-season debut.

Oettinger continues writing playoff legacy as Stars bounce Wild

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A yr in the past, the Dallas Stars’ transient post-season run turned the Jake Oettinger Present. 

It was the end result of a wild 2021-22 journey that began within the minors and completed with Oettinger enjoying out of his thoughts as he pushed the then-division-champion Flames to seven video games, his Stars ousted solely after an absurd 64-save evening from the younger goalie. That 64-spot ranked because the ninth-most saves ever amassed in a single playoff recreation. Oettinger completed these playoffs with a ridiculous .954 save share.

And for his follow-up act? The 24-year-old did it once more.

In his second first-round look, Oettinger was as soon as once more the distinction for his Stars, this time permitting them to see it via to the top and shut out the Minnesota Wild in six video games.

It wasn’t all the time as straightforward because it appeared Friday evening, although. The Lakeville, Minn., native bought off to a powerful begin in Sport 1 of this matchup, turning apart 48 pictures to maintain his Stars within the combine so long as he may. Nonetheless, the Wild outlasted him in that sequence opener, taking the win in double additional time. Over the following two, he appeared stable however not distinctive, permitting seven objectives over the pair of video games as the 2 golf equipment traded wins.

Within the remaining three video games of the sequence, although, Oettinger merely shut the door.

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In a nail-biter of a Sport 4, he did it with a 32-save efficiency, holding off a Wild aspect that outshot Dallas and appeared primed for a comeback proper to the top, Oettinger preserving his membership’s one-goal lead via a 3rd interval that noticed Minny double the Stars in pictures.

In Sport 5, he ensured a a lot calmer affair, stuffing the Wild’s makes an attempt to take the sequence lead and as a substitute placing up a 27-save shutout to earn Dallas the sting.

Friday evening, in Sport 6, it was extra of the identical, Oettinger extending his shutout streak to simply over 114 minutes earlier than it was snapped within the latter half of the third, with the sport already out of attain for Minnesota. The younger netminder’s sterling streak ranks because the longest of this post-season up to now, and his Stars are transferring on to Spherical 2.

The defence in entrance of him is owed loads of reward, too, after limiting Minnesota to simply 24 pictures within the series-clincher. And heap some extra on Roope Hintz’s identify as effectively, because the surprising engine of this Stars offence took over the playoff scoring lead along with his twelfth level of the post-season.

Erik Johnson’s redemption arc helps Avs push Kraken to Sport 7

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Take a fast look at Colorado’s depth chart and it ought to be clear how far the 2023 iteration of this group is from the one which lifted the Cup 10 months in the past.

With out two of their finest wingers in Gabriel Landeskog and Valeri Nichushkin, with out Cale Makar for one recreation of this sequence, with out 2022 Cup-run hero Nazem Kadri, the new-look Avs are having a a lot more durable go this time round. That they entered Sport 6 on Friday preventing for his or her playoff lives towards the league’s latest membership is proof sufficient.

To get again to the place they’re anticipated to be, the considering went, Colorado would wish extra of that age-old ingredient, pivotal to all significant playoff runs — some surprising heroics from the quiet corners of the lineup.

In Sport 6, with their season on the road, they bought it — and from the longest-tenured member of their squad, no much less: 35-year-old defender Erik Johnson.

When the evening began, it appeared prefer it was going to be a depressing one for the Avs’ elder statesman. Fifteen minutes into the lean, Johnson discovered himself on the improper aspect of the motion, gifting the Kraken a straightforward opening aim by way of an aimless cross off the boards in his personal zone, picked up by Seattle’s Vince Dunn and fired straight into the cage.

Placing his membership on the again foot early, Johnson was bailed out by the Avalanche chief who’s been bailing his workforce out all sequence, Mikko Rantanen netting his league-leading sixth aim of the playoffs to get Colorado again to degree floor.

Seven minutes into the following interval, although, with each golf equipment preventing for each inch of ice, Johnson redeemed himself. 

Manning the purpose as Nathan MacKinnon and Rantanen waded via a gutsy battle within the nook, deep in Seattle’s zone, the puck was dug out and flipped Johnson’s approach. The veteran rearguard drifted to the slot, loaded up a shot, and flung it on web, the puck careening off a stick, off the ice, and previous Philipp Grubauer.

The aim stood as the sport winner, Artturi Lehkonen including a pair of insurance coverage tallies and the Kraken held to Dunn’s lone rating.

That Johnson picked the proper time to rediscover his scoring contact could be a colossal understatement — his recreation winner Friday, to drive Sport 7, wasn’t simply his first of those playoffs, it was his first aim of the season. The final time No. 6 fluttered the twine: 11 months in the past, when he scored in the course of the 2022 playoffs. That one completed as his solely tally of the Cup run.

With Johnson’s annual playoff aim within the books, Colorado will get one other probability to maintain their repeat bid alive two days from now, amid what’s turned out to be a wild Sport 7 Sunday.

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