Five Minute Major

*Photo from the Red Deer Advocate* Edmonton wins series 4-2     Just like last year, the same team moved on. Klim Kostin had two goals and an assist, Kailer Yamamoto scored the winning goal, and the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings 5-4 on Saturday in Los Angeles.    In their series last season, the Oilers knocked out the Kings in 7 games in the first round. In their rematch this season, the Oilers only needed 6 games to advance to round two. It was the contributions from Kostin and Yamamoto that got it done in this game.    Edmonton captain Connor McDavid said of the team that "I think a lot of people look at the Oilers and think it's a two or three-man team. Couldn't be further from that at all. Up and down the lineup we got contributions. That's what playoff hockey is all about, and it's a good sign for our group."    McDavid started the scoring right away, giving the Oilers the lead just 1:25 into the game. Sean Durzi fo...

*Photo from AM New York* Series tied 3-3     This series is going to go the distance. Chris Kreider had a goal and two assists, Vladimir Tarasenko had a goal and an assist, and the New York Rangers beat the New Jersey Devils 5-2 on Saturday night in Manhattan.    After losing 3 games in a row, the Rangers came back on home ice and took it to the Devils, keeping their season alive and forcing a deciding game 7. Mika Zibanejad also joined Tarasenko with a goal and an assist, while Adam Fox had two assists.    Fox said of the win that "Backs against the wall, you're going to leave it out there. No one wants the season to end. I think we maybe rode our high a little too high for the first two games and understood that we have a lot better in here. We were able to get into this Game 7, and we're excited for it."    The Devils took the lead first in this one. Curtis Lazar started the scoring, netting his first goal of the series 11:49 into the game...

*Photo from the San Diego Union Tribune* Toronto wins series 4-2     After all these years, the monkey is finally off the back. Auston Matthews scored, John Tavares scored the winning goal, and the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in overtime on Saturday night in Tampa Bay.    The Maple Leafs went a perfect 3-0 on the road this series, and it allowed them to win the series against the Lightning, who went to the Stanley Cup Finals for 3 years in a row and won two. It's the first playoff series win for the Maple Leafs since 2004.    Maple Leafs head coach Sheldon Keefe said that "It's been a long time coming, a long time coming for a lot of players in our room, long time coming for myself, long time coming for Leafs Nation. It's a big deal. You see that puck find its way in the net and it's just an incredible moment. Playoff hockey is incredible. This whole night was incredible."    Starting the scoring in this one was M...

*Photo from Yahoo Sport UK* Series tied 3-3     One of the more entertaining series is going all the way. Devon Toews had two assists, Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist, and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Seattle Kraken 4-1 on Friday night in Seattle.    With the Avalanche facing elimination, they won on the road, keeping their season going and forcing a do or die game 7 coming up. Toews and Rantanen paced the Avalanche on the scoresheet, while Cale Makar also chipped in with two assists. Arturri Lehkonen added two goals.    Rantanen said of the road win that "The intensity level we had right from the start, I think we played simple and we were skating. We were relentless. That was the first time we did it for three periods. We were just relentless on the puck and off the puck, support everywhere on the ice."    It was the Kraken who jumped out to the lead first. Vince Dunn scored his first goal of the playoffs, coming unassisted 15:48...

*Photo from the Mitchell Daily Republic* Dallas wins series 4-2     The knockout punch has been delivered. Mason Marchment had a goal and an assist, Wyatt Johnston scored the game winner, and the Dallas Stars beat the Minnesota Wild with a 4-1 victory on Friday night in Saint Paul.    On the road, the Stars took care of business to knock out the team right behind them in the Central Division standings and secure their spot in the second round. Marchment and Max Domi were the only multi point players for the Stars, with each having a goal and an assist.    Marchment said after the game that "I think it just says we can play any way. You want to play physical, you want to play skill, when we play our game, that's the most important. We play our game, we're hard to beat. So just keep sticking to the details and that's all we can do."    The only goal of the first period came from Roope Hintz, giving the Stars a 1-0 lead with his 5th goal of the ...

*Photo from the Boston Globe* Series tied 3-3     There is no simple way to describe this game. Only chaos. Eetu Luostarinen had a goal and an assist, Matthew Tkachuk had two goals and an assist, and the Florida Panthers defeated the Boston Bruins 7-5 on Friday in Sunrise.    With their second straight win, the Panthers have forced a deciding game 7, once again keeping their season alive. Anton Lundell had two assists while both Brandon Montour and Aleksander Barkov had a goal and an assist to add to the multi point party in Florida.    Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky said that "It's a big win. It's a 0-0 score. The next game is the biggest game, so we have to be ready, be humble, but enjoy tonight. It's a huge win. It's a fun win. And I'd say it's a great feeling for sure."    Montour started the scoring 2:01 into the game, making it 1-0 Panthers with a power play goal. At the 6:09 mark of the first, Tyler Bertuzzi scored on the power play ...

*Photo from the Toledo Blade* Carolina wins series 4-2     Game over, series over in this case. Sebastian Aho scored, Paul Stastny added the game winner, and the Carolina Hurricanes defeated the New York Islanders 2-1 in overtime on Friday night on Long Island.    The win clinches a spot in the second round for the Hurricanes, knocking out the top wild card team in the eastern conference in the Islanders. 4 different players had a point in the win for the Hurricanes, who get some extra rest ahead of round two.    Cal Clutterbuck started the scoring, giving the Islanders a 1-0 lead with his first goal of the playoffs, coming 9:21 into the game. Casey Cizikas and Ryan Pulock assisted. No goals were scored again until 9:24 into the 3rd period. There, Aho found the back of the net for the Hurricanes, tying the game with an assist from Brett Pesce.    That eventually led to overtime. Once the extra period began, it was time for the Hurricanes to win it...

*Photo from the Las Vegas Sun* Vegas wins series 4-1     We have our first elimination of the playoffs. Mark Stone had a goal and two assists, Chandler Stephenson had two goals, and the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4-1 on Thursday in Vegas.    After dropping the first game of the series, the Golden Knights won the next 4 games to reverse sweep the Jets and knock them out, securing a spot in the second round of the playoffs. The big keys were Stone and Stephenson, with Stone assisting on both of Stephenson's goals.    Stone said of working with Stephenson that "Often times, you just find chemistry with a guy. We see each other's game very well. It's hard to explain. Maybe Chandler's speed backing guys off kind of gives me time on the walls with the puck and puts them on their heels a bit. Chemistry is weird. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Fortunately, we made it work."    The only goal of the first period came fro...

*Photo from Yahoo Sports* New Jersey leads series 3-2     What a turnaround this series has been. Dawson Mercer had a goal and an assist, Erik Haula had two goals and an assist, and the New Jersey Devils beat the New York Rangers 4-0 on Thursday night in Newark.    After losing the first two games of the series, the Devils took control after that, winning the next 3 games to take a 3-2 series lead, just one win away from the second round. This time, it was Haula and Mercer that led the way for the Devils.    Haula said of the team's progress that "We've grown as a team. Even during the playoff series, we've taken steps. A lot of credit to all the younger players of realizing what it takes to win and doing the right things."    Starting the scoring for the Devils was Ondrej Palat, who gave the Devils a 1-0 lead with his second goal of the playoffs, coming unassisted just 39 seconds into the game. On the power play 3:27 into the second period, ...

*Photo from CP24* Toronto leads series 3-2     Yeah, the Tampa Bay Lightning aren't done yet. Nick Paul scored, Mikey Eyssimont had a goal and an assist, and the Lightning defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs with a 4-2 victory on Thursday night in Toronto.    Both Eyssimont and Anthony Cirelli had a goal and an assist for the Lightning, who staved off elimination and forced a game 6 in the series. As a result, they head home with their season still alive, with a chance to pull off a comeback win.    Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said that "When you have a team like this, you don't want to let these opportunities slide. We've got a phenomenal team. Have all the tools, and these are the type of games you want to play. There's question in that room about fatigue or that we've played a lot of hockey. These are the type of games we want to play. It was a tough situation going into a place like this with our backs up against the wall, but I think...

*Photo from TSN* Seattle leads series 3-2     This series has been really fun so far. Tye Kartye scored, Yanni Gourde added the game winner, and the Seattle Kraken defeated the Colorado Avalanche with a 3-2 victory on Wednesday night in Denver.    The Kraken have now won two straight games, taking control of the series to push the defending champions to the brink of elimination. There were no multi point players for the Kraken, but the story of the day was Kartye, who scored a goal in his NHL debut, in the playoffs nonetheless.    Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol said that "You get to this time of year, the stage is a little bigger, it's a little brighter. There's a little bit more on the line and everything means a little bit more, but you still have to fall back on who you are. And that's where I believe our veteran guys have done a nice job, in keeping our group pretty even keeled and just kind of focusing on the next job at hand."    After a sco...

*Photo from WCVB TV* Boston leads series 3-2     How's that for a season saver? Carter Verhaeghe had 3 assists, Matthew Tkachuk won the game, and the Florida Panthers beat the Boston Bruins 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday night in Boston.    In this series, the home team has lost 4 of the 5 games in this series, all in a row. This time, the Panthers kept their season alive with the win on the road and forced a game 6 in the series. Verhaeghe and Tkachuk were the multi point scorers for the Panthers.    Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of the win that "We've been so close to elimination from January on that we're pretty good at taking a few punches if we have to. I liked our overtime. I liked the way we approached it. So we learned from it, and we continue to try to stay out of the penalty box, and then get off the mat."    Anthony Duclair scored the only goal of the first period, making it 1-0 Panthers with Verhaeghe assisting. Brad Marchan...

*Photo from the Globe and Mail* Edmonton leads series 3-2     Oh, how the momentum can change so quickly. Mattias Ekholm and Darnell Nurse had two assists, Nick Bjugstad scored twice, and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Los Angeles Kings 6-3 on Tuesday night in Edmonton.    After rallying in game 4 to tie the series, the Oilers blew right by the Kings in game 5 to take the series lead ahead of game 6. Connor McDavid also had two assists to join Ekholm and Nurse in that category, while Bjugstad paced the Oilers with two goals.    Getting the start for the Oilers was Stuart Skinner, right back at it after being pulled in game 4. Skinner played well, making 25 saves on 28 shots he saw from the Kings, which was good for a .893 save percentage.    Skinner said after the game that "I thought it was just huge that we were able to get the win. The guys in front of me did an outstanding job. Obviously, we were able to score a few goals, which was huge. I...

*Photo from the Dallas Morning News* Dallas leads series 3-2     This has the ingredients of a 7 game series to me. Roope Hintz had 3 assists, Tyler Seguin had a goal and an assist, and the Dallas Stars defeated the Minnesota Wild 4-0 on Tuesday night in Dallas.    The Stars won the pivotal game 5 on home ice, taking a 3-2 series lead and now just one win away from the second round. In addition to Hintz and Seguin's multi point games, Jason Robertson also had a goal and an assist in the win.    Stars head coach Pete Deboer said that "I think we're getting better as the series goes on. We got behind early, we've chased it. We wanted to take the opportunity to get out in front for the first time in the series. The last win is always the toughest, but we've got an elimination game in Minnesota. We've been a real good road team all year. I think our guys are excited."    It was Seguin who started the scoring for the Stars in this one. He scored h...

*Photo from the Press Democrat* Carolina leads series 3-2     We might just have a series here. Pierre Engvall had a goal and an assist, Mathew Barzal added the game winning goal, and the New York Islanders defeated the Carolina Hurricanes with a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night in Raleigh.    Needing a win to stay alive in the playoffs, the Islanders got it done with a win on the road, forcing a game 6 back in their building. Engvall and Brock Nelson had multi point games with each recording a goal and an assist, while 3 other players picked up a point.    Islanders head coach Lane Lambert said that "They come out hard in this building. We knew they were going to come out hard. We knew Sorokin would have to make a few saves, and he did. There was no, for lack of a better term, panic in our game. We just made sure that we stuck to our plan. We knew we'd need a couple of saves going home, but certainly we did that. We just played pretty steady and pret...

*Photo from Reuters* Series tied 2-2     There's usually some history happening with new NHL teams. Daniel Sprong had a goal and an assist, Jordan Eberle won the game, and the Seattle Kraken defeated the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 on Monday in Seattle.    The win goes down as the first playoff win on home ice for the Kraken, who also tied the series 2-2 and forced a game 6 in the process. In their second ever playoff win, the Kraken saw Sprong post two points, while 6 other Kraken skaters registered a point.    Kraken head coach Dave Hakstol said of the historic win that "Everybody contributed. It took a few extra minutes tonight getting into overtime, but through the ebbs and flows of the game, there's always some momentum, there's always some pushes either way. But our group was pretty comfortable in their own skin tonight."    Starting the scoring for the Kraken was Will Borgen. He found the back of the net 3:56 into the game, making it 1-0 Kraken ...

*Photo from TheScore* Vegas leads series 3-1     The White Out up North was quieted by an army of Knights. Shea Theodore had two assists, Brett Howden scored two goals, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Winnipeg Jets 4-2 on Monday night in Winnipeg.    After losing the series opener, Vegas has now won 3 straight games to put the Jets on the brink of elimination ahead of game 5. In addition to Howden and Theodore, Chandler Stephenson also had a two point game thanks to two assists.    Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy said that "At the end of the day, no panic, just take care of business. Play the right way and end up getting the win, that's what we came here for. I think we're the better team, but usually when you watch the game you can get a better feel for it, but I never felt we were in trouble tonight."    Starting the scoring for the Jets was Blake Wheeler, who gave them a 1-0 lead with assists from Neal Pionk and Nino Niederre...

*Photo from Bay News 9* Toronto leads series 3-1     Is this year finally the year for these guys? Auston Matthews scored two goals, Alex Kerfoot scored the winning goal, and the Toronto Maple Leafs rallied to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4 in overtime on Monday in Tampa Bay.    The Maple Leafs entered the 3rd period facing a 4-1 deficit, only to storm back and win their second game on the road. They earned a commanding 3-1 series lead as a result, sitting one win away from something that has eluded them for quite a long time: the second round of the playoffs.    Toronto head coach Sheldon Keefe said "I hope that we look at this as a positive sign of the spirit of our team and what we can overcome. I hope they take that and recognize that we have to keep pushing. The team we found a way to beat tonight, they are who they are because they very rarely lose two in a row, obviously don't lose three in a row very often and winning four in a row is going t...

*Photo from the Morganton News Herald* Series tied 2-2     Down for the count? Yeah, nice try. Jonas Siegenthaler had a goal and an assist, Jack Hughes scored, and the New Jersey Devils defeated the New York Rangers with a 3-1 victory on Monday night in Manhattan.    Through 4 games this series, the home team is 0-4 after the Devils won both games in New York, leaving the series tied 2-2 and a game 6 guaranteed. Siegenthaler's goal and assist made him the only multi point scorer for the Devils, with 6 other skaters recording a point.    Hughes said of tying the series that "They took two in our building so we wanted to come in here and even the series up. We've been a really good road team all year. We're going to bring that same effort and come back and have a really good Game 5 at home."    The only goal of the first period came from Hughes, who scored on a breakaway 2:50 into the game, making it 1-0 Devils with Siegenthaler getting the ass...