Playoffs - Sun, 05 May - Results

Pittsburgh v NY Islanders 5-4 - Game 3 - In the end, the Pittsburgh Penguins had just a little too much star power for the New York Islanders. Sidney Crosby drew a penalty in overtime, then set up Chris Kunitz's second power-play goal of the game, 8:44 into overtime, as the Penguins outlasted the New York Islanders, 5-4, in Game 3 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals series at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum on Sunday. Islanders defenseman Brian Strait was called for holding Crosby as Crosby drove to the net, giving the Penguins their fifth power play. Crosby then set up wide in the left circle, took a pass from Paul Martin and found Kunitz in the slot for a quick shot that beat Evgeni Nabokov cleanly for the win. The assist was the third of the game for Crosby, who had two goals Friday night in his return after missing nearly five weeks with a broken jaw. The Penguins now lead the best-of-7 series, 2-1. Game 4 is Tuesday night at the Coliseum, where the Islanders have lost seven consecutive playoff games. New York hasn't won at home in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since beating the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 2 of the 2002 playoffs. Goals by Jarome Iginla, Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis late in the opening period rallied the Penguins after Matt Moulson and rookie Casey Cizikas had given the Islanders a quick 2-0 lead. Defenseman Douglas Murray, a late-season acquisition from the San Jose Sharks, added a goal late in the second period for the Penguins, the top seed in the Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh took its 4-2 lead into the third period, but New York's Kyle Okposo, who scored the game-winner in Game 2, scored shorthanded early in the third period before Tavares' first Stanley Cup Playoff goal, a laser from the right circle, beat Marc-Andre Fleury at 10:48 to force overtime. Kunitz's goal silenced a packed house of 16,170 that was roaring from the opening faceoff and had plenty to celebrate when the Islanders scored twice before the game was six minutes old. New York needed just 1:43 to electrify the building by grabbing the lead when Moulson finally jabbed a loose puck into the net for his second goal in as many games. A little less than four minutes later, Michael Grabner's perfect pass found Cizikas for a one-timer from the left circle that beat a helpless Fleury at 5:41. The 2-0 lead sent the noise from the Coliseum crowd to decibel levels that hadn't been heard on Long Island in years. The Penguins quieted the building by scoring a pair of power-play goals 19 seconds apart to tie the game. Mark Streit and Travis Hamonic were issued penalties 34 seconds apart. That was enough of an advantage for the Penguins, who got on the board at 13:18 when Iginla deflected Kris Letang's shot-pass behind Nabokov. Hamonic was still in the box when Kunitz snuck behind the defense, took Evgeni Malkin's perfect pass and beat Nabokov on a breakaway at 13:37 to tie the game. The back-to-back power-play goals on consecutive shots were the Penguins' fourth and fifth conversions in their first 10 opportunities in the series. Crosby, who drew the second assist on Iginla's goal, made the play on Dupuis' go-ahead goal at the 19-minute mark, feeding a backhand pass to Dupuis, who was crashing the net, to get a piece of it and deflect home his third goal of the series. Thus, for all the good work during their fast start, the Islanders went to the dressing room trailing 3-2 after 20 minutes. Murray scored his first goal since joining the Penguins just before the NHL Trade Deadline, picking the top far corner at 17:10 for a 4-2 lead. The Penguins appeared ready to put the game away when Crosby drew a hooking penalty on Strait 3:50 into the third period. Instead, the Islanders got new life when Okposo took a breakaway pass from Nielsen and ripped a wrist shot past Fleury at 5:31 to cut the deficit to one goal. Fleury preserved the lead a little more than a minute later when he dove to glove Hamonic's right-point wrister just before Nielsen could deflect it. But he could only watch as Tavares sizzled a wrist shot past defenseman Mark Eaton and into the net to pull the Islanders even again. It was the second time in as many games that the Islanders overcame a two-goal deficit; they trailed 3-1 in Game 2 before rallying for a 4-3 victory. The inability to hold leads has Bylsma looking for improvement from his team in Game 4.
Chicago v Minnesota 2-3 - Game 3 - Five days after denying Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker of a moment hockey players dream of from the time they are kids, the hockey gods atoned for Zucker's steely dose of bad puck-luck. After ripping a shot off the crossbar in overtime of its Game 1 Western Conference Quarterfinal series against the Chicago Blackhawks, a game it lost just minutes later, Zucker got his game-winner 2:15 into overtime of Game 3, leading Minnesota to a 3-2 victory Sunday at Xcel Energy Center. The Blackhawks now lead 2-1 in this best-of-7 series. Game 4 is Tuesday night in St. Paul. After Chicago had tied the game with just under three minutes to play in regulation, a goal which sucked the life out of what had been a rowdy building all afternoon, the Blackhawks carried the first couple shifts of overtime. Minnesota got the puck into the zone for the first time, where Pierre-Marc Bouchard slipped the puck to Matt Cullen behind the net. Cullen was tripped but was able to get just enough on a pass from his stomach to Zucker standing below the left circle. Crawford, who had gone down to protect the post against the wrap around, was out of position for Zucker's one-timer blast, which beat him short-side high. Not only was the goal a bit of payback, but also a reward for Zucker, perhaps Minnesota's most dynamic player through the first three games of this series. He was credited with just one shot in Game 1, but had several glorious chances, including his crossbar, just miss. His three shots in Game 2 were second-best on the team. The result was a deserving one for a Minnesota bunch that played perhaps its best game in weeks. One of the best teams in the NHL throughout the month of March, the Wild trudged through a 5-8-1 April, holding onto the eighth and final spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs on the regular season's final day. After Game 1's OT defeat, the Wild were out-played and out-classed in a 5-2 loss in Game 2 Friday in Chicago. In the hours before Game 3, Wild coach Mike Yeo preached desperation and physicality as keys to getting back into the series. After falling behind 1-0 on a Johnny Oduya blast 13:26 into the contest, the Wild evened the score on a backhander by Bouchard at 18:30, taking advantage of a great hustle play by Cal Clutterbuck, who chased down his own rebound and tipped the puck to Bouchard for a back-hand shot near the left hash. Neither team scored in the second, but the Wild out-shot and out-hit the Blackhawks at every turn. After 40 minutes, Minnesota held a 29-17 edge on the shot chart and a 24-6 advantage in hits. Minnesota grabbed its first lead of the game 3:09 into the third period when Charlie Coyle beat Michal Rozsival to a loose puck behind the net at fed Zach Parise in front, who flipped a backhander high, top-shelf, nearly the identical spot of Bouchard's tally in the first, for his first of the playoffs. The Wild continued the onslaught until the 15-minute mark of the third, when a shift by Patrick Kane's second line seemed to turn the tide. They didn't score on that shift, but the next time out, Kane found Duncan Keith at the left dot for a blast which beat Josh Harding, tying the game at 2-2. Harding made 25 saves to capture his first career playoff victory, including one on Jonathan Toews with just over a minute remaining in regulation after the Blackhawks captain had deked Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon and burrowed in for a chance in-close.
Montreal v Ottawa 1-6 - Game 3 - Jean-Gabriel Pageau is hoping the tooth fairy can bring the Ottawa Senators closer to the second round. The rookie center continued his ascension towards playoff-hero status, scoring a hat trick and losing a tooth in the process to lead his team to a decisive 6-1 win against the Montreal Canadiens to take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series Sunday night. Ottawa will host Game 4 on Tuesday. In 78 regular-season games as a professional (all played this season), Pageau has nine goals. He scored seven in 69 games with Binghamton of the American Hockey League and two in nine games with the Senators. His hat trick Sunday gave Pageau four goals in three Stanley Cup Playoff games, giving him the League-lead in that department. A wild finish to the game that saw the two teams combine for 210 penalty minutes in the third period alone, including 14 fighting majors and eight game misconducts, took a bit of the attention away from Pageau's magical night. Pageau's first goal turned out to be the winner when he was sprung in on goal by a Sergei Gonchar pass that split Montreal's top defense pair of Andrei Markov and P.K. Subban. After beating goaltender Carey Price with a great shot high too the stick side, Pageau took a Subban high-stick in the mouth. Instead of celebrating, Pageau and his Senators teammates were looking for his tooth on the ice. He scored again 1:18 into the third, beating Price with another wrist shot on the glove side. The Senators crowd took to chanting his name to the tune of the Canadiens' rally song, replacing "Ole" with "Pageau." Ottawa not only won on the scoreboard, it exacted a physical toll on the Canadiens that could carry over to Game 4, playing a physically assertive game right from the start that ultimately resulted in one third period shift where there were five fights going on simultaneously. When it was over, Matt Kassian stood at the center ice faceoff dot and incited the sellout Scotiabank Place crowd of 20,249 to get louder than they already were. It felt like a turning point in the series. Only the Canadiens will determine whether it actually was. The Senators also got goals from Kyle Turris and Jakob Silfverberg and Craig Anderson turned aside 33 of 34 shots, including a breakaway save on Brian Gionta in the third period of a 3-1 game just before Turris scored to make it 4-1. The Canadiens got their lone goal from Rene Bourque. Price went the distance and made 24 saves. The Senators had perhaps their best period of the series in the first, flying all over the ice and hitting anything in a red, white and blue sweater, being credited with 19 hits in the opening 20 minutes. The Senators also clearly decided to target Subban, and it began on his very first shift of the game. Subban was lining up Erik Condra as he entered the Canadiens zone, but instead of taking the hit, Condra got his hands up and appeared to hit Subban in the head with his stick. It didn't end there, as Subban had a long first period and a long night overall, taking three penalties and ending his evening by taking his frustrations out on Turris, drawing an instigator, an instigator with a shield, a fighting major and game misconduct at 8:31 of the third. The Senators opened the scoring with their first power play goal of the series, and their fifth in their past 63 chances over the past 17 games. Playing with a two-man advantage after Max Pacioretty and Josh Gorges took penalties 1:22 apart, giving Gonchar all the space he need to find Alfredsson with a perfect slap pass at the side of the net. Price made the initial save on the deflection, but the Senators captain slid the rebound in at 5:58 for his first of these playoffs and the 48th of his career. The Canadiens tied it up with a power play goal of their own after Neil went off for roughing when Bourque's fought through a stick check by Zack Smith to get a weak shot off from the slot. The change-up fooled Anderson and just crossed the goal line at 14:34 of the second. Pageau gave Ottawa a 2-1 lead at 4:40 of the second and made it 3-1 at 1:18 before Turris scored at 7:00 of the third period to put the game out of reach, setting the stage for the donnybrook that followed. Silfverberg's second of the series only came eight seconds later at 7:08, but in fact it was at least 15 minutes after Turris' goal. Appropriately enough, the game ended with Pageau completing his hat trick with a power-play goal at 18:02 of the third, with hats raining down on the Scotiabank Place ice to honor the local boy turned hero.
Vancouver v San Jose 2-5 - Game 3 - The San Jose Sharks entered the third period Sunday night at HP Pavilion nursing a 2-1 lead and expecting a desperate battle to the end from the Vancouver Canucks in Game 3 of their Western Conference Quarterfinals series. Then in a span of nine seconds, the Sharks got goals from Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau and turned a tight game into a rout, beating the Canucks 5-2 and grabbing a commanding 3-0 lead. The Sharks can end the series Tuesday night with a victory in Game 4 at HP, where they've lost just twice all season in regulation. The Sharks took a one-goal lead into the third period on the strength of Joe Pavelski's two goals. Couture made it 3-1 with a power-play goal just 1:40 into the third. Marleau made the Canucks pay for a turnover, scoring from the slot, giving him a goal in three straight playoff games. Then just 4:07 into the third, Couture scored another power-play goal, the Sharks' third of the night in eight attempts against a Canucks team that paid a steep price for its parade to the penalty box. After Couture's second goal, that was it for Canucks goaltender Cory Schneider, who experienced a nightmare in his first playoff start of the series after missing the first two games with an undisclosed injury. He allowed five goals on 28 shots. Roberto Luongo, who started the first two games, replaced Schneider. The question now is, which Canucks goaltender will start Game 4 Tuesday? Sharks goaltender Antti Niemi stopped 28 shots, earning his third win of the series. He's allowed just five goals in those three games, putting the Canucks on the brink of elimination. Only three teams in NHL history have come back from a 3-0 to win a seven-game series, but the Sharks don't expect Vancouver to go quietly and know better than to get overconfident. The Sharks nearly blew a 3-0 lead two years ago in a semifinals series against the Detroit Red Wings. Detroit forced a Game 7, but the Sharks survived in a 3-2 win. That same year, Vancouver won its first three games against the Chicago Blackhawks in a first-round series that didn't end until the Canucks won Game 7 in double overtime. Alexandre Burrows scored a second-period goal for the Canucks, and Dan Hamhuis added a goal late in the third. Pavelski gave the Sharks a 2-0 lead with a goal in the first period and one in the second. He ignited memories of his playoff exploits earlier in his career. He had nine goals and eight assists in 15 postseason games in 2010 when the Sharks reached the Western Conference Finals against the Blackhawks. In one five-game stretch he had eight goals and five assists, scoring twice in three straight games. The next year, he had five goals and five assists in 18. Pavelski entered the playoffs this year with 20 goals and 21 assists in his postseason career, but went scoreless last year in five games against the St. Louis Blues. He already has two goals and four assists this year against the Canucks. The Sharks went 0-for-5 on the power play in Game 2, but Pavelski capitalized on a 5-on-3 advantage to give San Jose a 1-0 lead at 14:08 of the first. Canucks wing Dale Weise went to the penalty box at 12:40 for roughing, and Hamhuis joined him 24 seconds later for slashing. Thornton patiently controlled the puck in the right circle then threaded a pass to Couture in the slot. Couture sent the puck to Pavelski, just left of the crease, and he beat Schneider with a one-timer that went just under the crossbar. The Canucks, who juggled their bottom three lines, had their chances to score in the first period, but Niemi stopped all 14 shots he faced. The Sharks killed both of Vancouver's power plays. Vancouver outshot the Sharks 14-13 in a high-paced, chippy first period, but San Jose owned a 1-0 lead at the intermission. The Sharks made it 2-0 at 7:20 of the second period when Pavelski scored his second goal, redirecting a shot from Tommy Wingels. From along the right boards, Wingels sent the puck toward the net. As Pavelski glided past the crease to Schneider's left, he reached back, got his stick on the puck and sent it into the net, to the far side. The Canucks answered with their first goal at 11:07 of the second when Burrows beat Niemi from the left circle. Henrik Sedin took a long pass from Daniel Sedin, then hit Burrows with a cross-ice pass from the right circle. Burrows did the rest, elevating a shot past Niemi. Thornton actually had a great chance to increase San Jose's lead late in the second when he took a long outlet pass and headed on a breakaway. But just as he shot from the low slot, Canucks forward Jannik Hansen cross-checked Thornton from behind, sending him to the ice and hard into the boards as the puck went wide. Hansen received a two-minute penalty and the Sharks opened the third period with 1:46 still left on their power play. Couture scored early in the third, and the rout was on.