Five Minute Major

*Photo from AM New York* New York wins series 4-3     We got a stunner for a game 7 everyone. Chris Kreider delivered two goals, Mika Zibanejad dished out 3 assists, and the New York Rangers rolled past the Carolina Hurricanes with a 6-2 victory on Monday night in Raleigh.    Trailing in the series 3-2 entering game 6 at home, the Rangers did what had to be done there to win and force game 7 on the road. It was a daunting task, but thanks to stellar performances from Kreider and Zibanejad, they were able to get the first win by an opposing team in Raleigh all postseason.    Kreider said of the team's win that "I think that's how you win in the playoffs. It's a team game, you need 20 guys pulling in the right direction, and we had that tonight. Obviously, having a good start helped, and I think special teams came through for us tonight in a pretty big spot, and our goaltender was once again our best player."    On the power play 3:40 into the ...

*Photo from Editor in Leaf*     One of the stalwarts of the NHL is officially hanging them up. Toronto Maple Leafs C Jason Spezza has announced his retirement after almost two decades in the NHL, according to Pierre Lebrun of TSN. The news has been confirmed.    Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas said of Spezza retiring that "The level of care and passion he has not only for the game of hockey, but in genuinely helping every staff member, every player, anybody who really needed any help whatsoever at all hours of the day, every moment he was a member of the Maple Leafs as a player was quite remarkable to see, and it was a truly an honor to have him as a member of our team."    The veteran Spezza retires just weeks away from his 39th birthday on June 13th. Spezza has played 19 NHL seasons, split between the Ottawa Senators, Dallas Stars, and the Maple Leafs most recently. Spezza retires without having won a Stanley cup in his playing career.    Spezza ...

*Photo from Sporting News* Series tied 3-3     As with any series featuring the Carolina Hurricanes this postseason, the home team gets all the spoils. Tyler Motte scored, Filip Chytil added two goals, and the New York Rangers defeated the Hurricanes with a 5-2 victory on Saturday night in Manhattan.    With the win, the home team has won all 6 games of this series so far, with the Rangers tying the series up 3-3, forcing a do or die game 7 on the road. Chytil's two goal game made him the leading point scorer with the Rangers having been on the brink of elimination.    Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said that "I knew we'd come out hard and play well. It was a competitive game. We jumped on them early, got a couple-goal lead, so that was key. The three games in Carolina were different type of games than the three games in New York. Why? I don't know. We open it up, get more scoring chances, but we also give up more. I ask them to play the same way ev...

*Photo from Colorado Hockey Now* Colorado wins series 4-2     It was only fitting that a crazy series had an equally crazy ending. JT Compher scored two goals, Darren Helm scored with seconds remaining, and the Colorado Avalanche defeated the St. Louis Blues with a 3-2 victory on Friday night in St. Louis.    With the victory, the Avalanche officially won the second round matchup with the Blues, punching their ticket to the Western Conference Finals, with home ice advantage throughout the remainder of their playoff run. They were driven by a two goal game from Compher, and a buzzer beater from Helm.    Colorado forward Nathan MacKinnon said that "I think you really have to enjoy the journey. That's the most important thing we're going to look back on is the journey of getting to this point. There will only be four teams soon and obviously the job's not finished, but that's a great accomplishment for us."    The only goal of the first period came f...

*Photo from Oilers Nation* Edmonton wins series 4-1     We have another series that has reached it's end, albeit a little early. Zach Hyman scored a goal, Connor McDavid scored the winning goal, and the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Calgary Flames with a 5-4 overtime victory on Thursday night in Calgary.    With the victory, the Oilers officially won their 4th straight game since losing in game one. They punched their ticket to the Western Conference finals with the win, prevailing in the battle of Alberta and knocking out the rival Flames to advance. One might say, they doused the Flames(pun intended).    Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said that "We're only halfway, but it feels good to take that next step for now. It feels good to see we grow as a team, we grow as an organization. I'm really proud of the guys. This was a hard series. That's a really good team over there and they made it hard on us and they pushed back, and we had to push back twice as ...

*Photo from TheScore* Carolina leads series 3-2     Home ice in game 5 was just what the doctor ordered for the Carolina Hurricanes. Teuvo Teravainen scored, Andrei Svechnikov added a goal of his own, and the Hurricanes defeated the New York Rangers with a 3-1 victory on Thursday night in Raleigh.    With the win, the Hurricanes retook the series lead after two road losses, holding a 3-2 series lead, one win from advancing to the 3rd round. They remain a perfect 7-0 on home ice this postseason, yet are somehow 0-5 on the road to this point.    Teravainen said of bouncing back that "We had just kind of talked after the last game. Just reset and start over and just we don't have to think too much of what's behind, keep thinking what's going forward."    Starting the scoring for the Hurricanes was Vincent Trocheck, who gave them a 1-0 lead with his 4th goal of the playoffs, scoring shorthanded 12:57 into the game, assisted by Jordan Staal. On th...

*Photo from the Columbia Missourian* Colorado leads series 3-2     You didn't really think there was going to be two short series in the second round did you? Robert Thomas scored two goals, Tyler Bozak scored the winning goal, and the St. Louis Blues rallied to defeat the Colorado Avalanche with a 5-4 overtime victory on Wednesday night in Denver.    The Blues found themselves trailing by two goals entering the 3rd period, with their season on the line. They then scored 3 goals in the 3rd period, forcing overtime, and then won it in OT, keeping their season alive for one more game and forcing a game 6.    Bozak said of his goal that he "Just got a little bounce up top and saw lane to the net, and in overtime there's definitely no such thing as a bad shot. So just tried to get it through on the traffic and it went in. Obviously, feels great. Just a resilient group of guys. Got down and didn't want the season to be over and fought hard. Got some big goa...

*Photo from the Taiwan News* Edmonton leads series 3-1     The momentum for the battle of Alberta has shifted to the farther north part of the Canadian Province. Evander Kane scored two goals, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice, and the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Calgary Flames with a 5-3 victory on Tuesday night in Edmonton.    With the win, the momentum in this second round battle of Alberta has completely shifted. It's all Oilers right now, having won 3 straight games since the scoring fest of game one, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead in the second round series, thanks to the contributions of Nugent-Hopkins and Kane.    Oilers interim head coach Jay Woodcroft said that "I've been really impressed with our group's ability to handle adversity. Our guys were saying the right things on the bench. There was calm, there was composure, and we knew we had to continue to do the things that lead to success. For us, it was making sure we had the right peop...

*Photo from TSN* Series tied 2-2     There's something funky about the Carolina Hurricanes and road playoff games. Andrew Copp scored and had two assists, Adam Fox had a goal and an assist, and the New York Rangers defeated the Hurricanes with a 4-1 victory on Tuesday night in Manhattan.    After leaving North Carolina with two losses and a 2-0 series deficit, the Rangers woke back up at home, winning their second straight game to even the series at 2-2 and forcing a game 6. In the playoffs, the Rangers have now won 5 straight games at home.    Copp said of how the series has gone that "I think we've played a pretty good series so far. Just trying to build on some of this momentum we've created in these last two games. Guys are feeling a little bit better about themselves and we've got to ride this momentum into Carolina."    Starting the scoring with a power play goal 13:31 into the game was Frank Vatrano, scoring his 3rd goal of the playoff...

*Photo from Colorado Hockey Now* Colorado leads series 3-1     Nazem Kadri learned from his past mistakes. He responded the right way. Erik Johnson scored, Kadri potted a hat trick, and the Colorado Avalanche defeated the St. Louis Blues with a 6-3 victory on Monday night in St. Louis.    After playing a part in knocking Jordan Binnington out for the second round and receiving racist comments and threats, Kadri didn't take out his frustrations on an opposing player and get suspended, as he's done in recent years. Instead, he had a 3 goal and one assist game to lead the Avalanche to the win, taking a commanding 3-1 series lead.    Kadri said that "I wanted to come out tonight and really put a mark on this game. I tried to do that as best as possible. Sometimes you've got to be patient and you've got to wait. I was able to strike early in the second period and was able to get the mojo going, in terms of individually and as a team, so it felt amazing. Esp...

*Photo from West Hawaii Today* Tampa Bay wins series 4-0     No matter how often he plays in the regular season, no matter what the team around him looks like, Andrei Vasilevskiy rises to the occasion in the playoffs. Pat Maroon scored, Vasilevskiy recorded a shutout, and the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Florida Panthers with a 2-0 victory on Monday night in Tampa Bay.    With the win, the Lightning have won their 6th straight game of the playoffs, securing a series sweep of their cross state rivals, the Panthers, winning the latest edition of the battle of Florida, and advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals, the first team to advance from the second round field.     By securing the series win, the Lightning have won 10 straight playoff series, becoming just the 3rd team to win at least 10 playoff series in a row. The Lightning join the New York Islanders from 1980-1984 with 19 straight series wins, and the Montreal Canadiens from 1975-1980 wit...

*Photo from TSN* Edmonton leads series 2-1     If you cannot contain the amounts of high end talent that the Edmonton Oilers, you're in for a bad night. Evander Kane recorded a hat trick, Leon Draisaitl had a 4 assist game, and the Oilers defeated the Calgary Flames with a 4-1 victory on Sunday night in Edmonton.    With the win, the Oilers picked up their second straight win of the series, improving to a 2-1 series lead in the second round battle of Alberta. The 3 headed monster of Kane, Draisaitl, and Connor McDavid combined for 10 points, with Draisaitl alone responsible for 4 assists, including all 3 goals from Kane.    Kane said of Draisaitl's play that "He has been really good for our group. He is getting better and better each day and you are seeing it in his play. He has been great for us this series and he just seems to find another level each and every night. He made some really good plays, especially on the wall tonight."    After ...

*Photo from ABC News* Carolina leads series 2-1     They needed a win to get back in the series, and that's what they did. Chris Kreider scored a goal, Mika Zibanejad tallied a goal and an assist, and the New York Rangers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes with a 3-1 victory on Sunday afternoon in Manhattan.    Needing a win after losing two straight games on the road, the Rangers took the home ice momentum and rode it to the win they needed, trailing in the series 2-1 instead of 3-0. Zibanejad led the way with his goal and assist night, and they also got some great goaltending to get back in the series.    That great goaltending came from none other than Igor Shesterkin. Picking up his first win of the series, Shesterkin stopped all but one of the 44 shots that the Hurricanes sent at him, good for a .977 save percentage in the victory.    New York forward Filip Chytil said after the game that "I think we played, finally, 60 minutes. In the fir...

*Photo from TheScore* Tampa Bay leads series 3-0     So far, this series has not been close at all. Steven Stamkos scored two goals, Nikita Kucherov had a goal and 3 assists, and the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Florida Panthers with a 5-1 victory on Sunday afternoon in Tampa Bay.    After winning game one by 3 goals, and winning game two at the buzzer, the Lightning picked up the win in game 3 at home, widening their series lead in the battle of Florida to 3-0, sitting one win away from advancing to the eastern conference finals. Teams that have a 3-0 series lead in the playoffs have an all time record of 197-4, and 1-0 this postseason.    Stamkos said of going up 3 games in the series that "At this time of the year, it's about winning and you need to do what's going to produce the wins. It's not always pretty and it's not always going to be the highlight plays, although there are some, especially with Kucherov out there."    Getting the...

*Photo from the Globe and Mail* Colorado leads series 2-1     It was a game of injuries, loss, and resilience, but the Colorado Avalanche prevailed. Logan O'Connor scored, Artturi Lehkonen added a two goal game, and the Avalanche defeated the St. Louis Blues with a 5-2 victory on Saturday night in St. Louis.    With the win, the Avalanche quickly bounced back after a loss in game two at home, picking up their 6th win in 7 playoff games so far. Aside from Lehkonen's two goal game, Nazem Kadri also had a goal and an assist, while Mikko Rantanen had a two assist game.    One big negative for the Avalanche came early in the game. Blues forward Ivan Barbashev checked Avalanche defenseman Sam Girard into the boards less than two minutes into the game. Girard went down hard, and was transported to a nearby hospital for evaluation. There, he was diagnosed with a broken sternum, and will miss the rest of the playoffs.    Colorado head coach Jared Bednar sa...

*Photo from Sports Illustrated* Series tied 1-1     The game started off with what was looking like more of the same for the Edmonton Oilers, until it wasn't. Leon Draisaitl picked up a goal and two assists, Duncan Keith had himself a 3 point night, and the Oilers defeated the Calgary Flames with a 5-3 victory on Friday night in Calgary.    With the win, the Oilers even the second round battle of Alberta matchup at one game apiece. They were driven by 3 point nights from Draisaitl and Keith, who both had a goal and two assists, as well as Zach Hyman, who scored the game winning goal while logging 23:14 of ice time.    Oilers captain Connor McDavid said of evening the series with a win that "We battled harder, that was all. It's just working, being harder in battles, winning some 50-50 pucks. We didn't win many in Game 1. Obviously, we defended better I thought, still gave up some chances, but Smitty played well."    Starting the scoring ...

*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune* Carolina leads series 2-0     This was a game of defense, but the most goals always wins the game. Brendan Smith scored the game winning goal, Sebastian Aho scored, and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New York Rangers with a 2-0 shutout victory on Friday night in Raleigh.    Dating back to game 7 of the first round, it's the 3rd straight win of the playoffs for the Hurricanes, each of which have come on home ice. They've won all of their games to date this postseason on home ice. Thanks to Smith's goal and Aho's one goal, one assist night, the Hurricanes opened up a 2-0 series lead on the Rangers.    Smith said of his middle frame goal that "Teravainen makes great plays and he can chip it into space, where I saw Aho moving. I tried to get going as fast as I could and find the lane. Aho is an elite passer, and he put it right on the money, so I can't take too much credit, but it was a good read by ...

*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune* Series tied 1-1     This was a critical game for both teams, to try and gain some momentum. Jordan Kyrou scored, David Perron tallied two goals, and the St. Louis Blues defeated the Colorado Avalanche with a 4-1 victory on Thursday night in Denver.    With the win, the Blues have pulled even in this second round series, handing the Avalanche their first loss of the playoffs in the process. It's a critical win for the Blues early in the series, because things can snowball quickly against a team like the Avalanche. Perron and Pavel Buchnevich were the leading scorers, each registering two points.    Blues head coach Craig Berube said that "We put pucks to good areas and were on it. We had numbers on it all night and made them play in their own end and did a good job. When the puck turned over or they get their possession, we reloaded well, and I thought that we did a good job coming back in our own zone, protecting the...