Monday saw vintage Stanley Cup Playoff hockey return
Photo Credit: Nick Wass/Associated Press
Monday night’s slate of games showed why the Stanley Cup Playoffs are the best. No other league or sport can match the intensity, physicality, passion, and atmosphere of playoff hockey.
The NHL has had a successful year, with a positive response to the 4 Nations Face-Off, league-altering trades, and Alex Ovechkin’s chase of the all-time scoring record. With all that in the rearview mirror, attention turned to the Stanley Cup Playoffs over the weekend. While the first two days of games left a lot to be desired, Monday made up for it with vintage playoff moments. From last-minute goals and overtime winners to big hits and thrilling comebacks, night three of the NHL playoffs had it all.
Washington Capitals 3 vs. Montreal Canadiens 2 (Overtime)
After Alex Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky’s scoring record on April 6, the Washington Capitals lost four of their last six games. Having already clinched the top spot in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference, the end-of-year slide didn’t negatively impact the Capitals. There were more questions about potential fatigue due to a long year that involved a season-long chase for the greatest record in the sport. However, the Capitals came out hot with Ovechkin scoring on the power play in the first period and Anthony Beauvillier scoring midway through the second.
With 10 minutes left to play, the Capitals had produced a strong showing for 50 minutes. A Canadiens power play changed the trajectory of the third period. Cole Caufield fired home a loose puck in the slot to put the Canadiens on the board. With under five minutes left, Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki would patiently out-weight Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson and find the back of the net. After struggling for most of the game, the Canadiens turned up the pressure to send their first playoff game since Game 5 of the 2020-21 Stanley Cup Final to overtime.
It might seem like Ovechkin accomplished everything in his 20-year NHL career. He won a Stanley Cup and scored a league record 897 goals, but had never scored an overtime winner in the playoffs. That all changed Monday night when Dylan Strome set up Ovechkin for a tap-in in front of the net just 2:26 into overtime. This was the Russian’s first playoff overtime game-winning goal in 152 career playoff games. Ovechkin and Strome each recorded three points to lead the Capitals to a thrilling Game 1 win.
Winnipeg Jets 2 vs. St. Louis Blues 1
There is nothing quite like the atmosphere inside Winnipeg’s Canada Life Centre during the NHL Playoffs. So much was made of the Jets’ lack of attendance during the regular season, even with the best record in the league. No matter what, Jets fans show up for the playoffs, wearing all white and waving their white rally towels. The energy inside the arena has led the Winnipeg Jets to an early 2-0 series lead over the St. Louis Blues.
After a comeback win on Saturday, the Jets fed off the momentum from Kyle Connor’s game-winning goal with 1:36 left in the third period. 10 minutes in, a big hit just outside the blue line by Jets defenseman Logan Stanley sent Blues forward Jordan Kyrou flying. The Blues would also throw the body around, with Brayden Schenn leveling Adam Lowry in front of the Jets’ bench in captain-on-captain violence. However, the Jets wouldn’t let that hit phase them, scoring the opening goal a minute later thanks to Mark Scheifele. With two seconds left in the first period, Blues rookie Jimmy Snuggerud scored his first career playoff goal via the power play.
No goals were scored in the second period due to strong play from Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington and Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. The hero from Game 1, Kyle Connor, would break the deadlock 1:43 into the final frame. Cole Perfetti would feed a pass from behind the net to Connor, who made no mistake, firing past Binnington from the slot. Stout defensive play and constant physicality helped the Jets hold on to their one-goal lead, winning the game 2-1. The series switches to St. Louis on Thursday, a pivotal game for the Blues.
Dallas Stars 4 vs. Colorado Avalanche 3 (Overtime)
One of the most anticipated series in the playoffs this season, with Mikko Rantanen playing against his former Colorado Avalanche teammates, Game 1 failed to live up to the hype. A bruised and battered Dallas Stars team was beaten 5-1 at home to open the series. After Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon scored his third goal of the series on the power play in the first period of Game 2, it looked like the game might be headed for a similar result.
It was Tyler Seguin’s one-time slap shot from the near circle that lifted the lid off American Airlines Center. A much-needed power-play goal from the veteran forward brought life back into the Stars’ game. A goal almost four minutes into the second period by defenseman Thomas Harley gave the Stars their first lead of the series. Down a goal, the visitors turned the pressure up, tying the game through Jack Drury’s goal 1:02 after Harley scored. The Avalanche would retake the lead late in the second when Logan O’Connor scored a backhand while falling in front of the net. The Stars would get the equalizer halfway through the third period when Evgeni Dadonov dove to poke home a loose puck in the blue crease.
With nothing settling the teams in regulation, the Stars and Avalanche would be the second game to go to overtime on the third night of the playoffs. The overtime period was filled with end-to-end hockey, with both goalies playing hero each time they were called into action. Stars forward Mason Marchment thought he won the game two minutes into overtime, but Avalanche goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood had other ideas. Marchment latched onto a cross-ice pass from Seguin but was denied by the outstretched right pad of Blackwood. Unfortunately for Blackwood, Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger would wind up getting the win. With two minutes left in overtime, Colin Blackwell would dance through the Avalanche defense, firing a shot on goal and chipping his rebound over Blackwood’s left shoulder. The Stars earned a huge victory to tie the series as the two teams travel to Denver for Games 3 and 4.
Los Angeles Kings 6 vs. Edmonton Oilers 5
The Los Angeles Kings and Edmonton Oilers are meeting for the fourth consecutive time in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Oilers won the three previous series dating back to the 2021-22 season. The Kings haven’t beaten the Oilers in a playoff series since 1988-89. Many fans and analysts think this could be the year for the Kings to beat the Oilers, given they’re fully healthy and have had the best record in hockey since the trade deadline on March 7. The Kings would come out of the gate swinging, scoring two goals in the first period and two in the second.
With six seconds left in the second period, Connor McDavid worked his magic, setting up Leon Draisaitl to make it 4-1. The Oilers would make it a two-goal game early in the third period, but the Kings quickly responded with Kevin Fiala’s power-play goal. No matter what the deficit is, there is always a chance for a comeback when you have the best player in hockey on your team. McDavid held off a defender while driving to the net, setting up Corey Perry for a tap-in. The Oilers would get within a goal with 2:04 left in the third period when McDavid made another pass across the face of the goal, where Zach Hyman was there to score. With three assists on the night, it was time for McDavid to get a goal for himself. With a minute and a half left, the Oilers captain danced around two defenders on the right wing before banking it off the far post to tie the game at five.
The man Oilers fans call “McJesus” was on hand to save their team the Monday after Easter. Unfortunately, the three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner could only do so much. With 41 seconds left on the clock, Phillip Danault fooled Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner with a changeup-like shot that beat the 26-year-old from the slot. After a massive comeback, led by the best player in the sport, the Oilers were undone by an unlucky bounce. The Kings survived Game 1 thanks to Danault’s second goal of the game, taking a 1-0 series lead into Game 2 in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The wild Kings-Oilers game capped off a fantastic night of playoff hockey.
