Colorado Avalanche (55-16-11, in the Central Division) vs. Los Angeles Kings (35-27-20, in the Pacific Division)
Los Angeles; Thursday, 10 p.m. EDT
LINE: Avalanche -157, Kings +131; over/under is 5.5
NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Avalanche lead series 2-0
BOTTOM LINE: The Colorado Avalanche visit the Los Angeles Kings in the first round of the NHL Playoffs with a 2-0 lead in the series. The teams meet Tuesday for the sixth time this season. The Avalanche won 2-1 in overtime in the previous matchup.
Los Angeles has a 15-17-9 record in home games and a 35-27-20 record overall. The Kings have a 26-4-11 record when scoring three or more goals.
Colorado has a 29-7-5 record on the road and a 55-16-11 record overall. The Avalanche have a 48-6-6 record when scoring at least three goals.
TOP PERFORMERS: Adrian Kempe has 36 goals and 37 assists for the Kings. Quinton Byfield has six goals and two assists over the past 10 games.
Nathan MacKinnon has 53 goals and 74 assists for the Avalanche. Gabriel Landeskog has scored three goals over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Kings: 5-2-3, averaging 2.9 goals, 4.3 assists, 3.3 penalties and 7.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game.
Avalanche: 8-1-1, averaging 2.2 goals, 3.8 assists, 3.5 penalties and seven penalty minutes while giving up 1.2 goals per game.
INJURIES: Kings: Kevin Fiala: out for season (leg).
Avalanche: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Buffalo Sabres (50-23-9, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Boston Bruins (45-27-10, in the Atlantic Division)
Boston; Thursday, 7 p.m. EDT
LINE: Bruins -110, Sabres -110; over/under is 6
NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Series tied 1-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Buffalo Sabres visit the Boston Bruins for game three of the first round of the NHL Playoffs with the series tied 1-1. The teams meet Tuesday for the seventh time this season. The Bruins won the previous matchup 4-2. Viktor Arvidsson scored two goals in the win.
Boston is 45-27-10 overall and 12-13-3 against the Atlantic Division. The Bruins serve 11.9 penalty minutes per game to rank second in league play.
Buffalo is 17-7-4 against the Atlantic Division and 50-23-9 overall. The Sabres have a +43 scoring differential, with 283 total goals scored and 240 allowed.
TOP PERFORMERS: David Pastrnak has scored 29 goals with 70 assists for the Bruins. Sean Kuraly has one goal and five assists over the past 10 games.
Tage Thompson has 40 goals and 41 assists for the Sabres. Alex Tuch has five goals and five assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Bruins: 4-4-2, averaging 2.9 goals, 5.3 assists, 4.1 penalties and 10.1 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.
Sabres: 6-3-1, averaging 3.5 goals, 5.8 assists, 5.3 penalties and 14.7 penalty minutes while giving up 2.7 goals per game.
INJURIES: Bruins: None listed.
Sabres: Jiri Kulich: out for season (ear), Sam Carrick: out (arm), Justin Danforth: out for season (kneecap), Noah Ostlund: out (upper-body).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
LAS VEGAS -- The wide-growing theme across the NHL this season - youth, speed and skill - caught up with the Vegas Golden Knights in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Utah Mammoth in Game 2 of the opening round.
Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev scored for the Knights, while Carter Hart stopped 26 shots.
The veteran-laden Knights chased the game for much of the second and third periods, while Utah's youngsters shone brightly to help the Mammoth steal home-ice advantage in the best-of-seven series.
Meanwhile, Vegas' big guns Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner couldn't find the back of the net, perhaps a cause for concern with the team shifting to Salt Lake City for Games 3 and 4.
Eichel hasn't scored in either of the first two games and has been limited to two goals in his last 10 games. Since March 14, he has three goals.
Marner hasn't scored in this series either and has just one goal in his past eight games.
Utah, which has the 13th youngest team with an average age of 28.15 years old, got its game-winning goal from Logan Cooley, the team's youngest active player, with six minutes left in the game.
Also scoring for the Mammoth was Dylan Guenther, the second-youngest active player on the ice last night. Veteran MacKenzie Weegar gave Utah its first goal of the game.
Karel Vejmelka made 19 saves to earn the win for Utah.
KEY MOMENT
Vegas was a perfect 4 for 4 on the penalty kill, but it might have been a Knights penalty that set them back a step early in the second period. Nic Dowd was called for tripping Cooley just 2:27 into the period, and the Knights appeared to be on their heels to rest of the game. After being outshot by Vegas in the first period, 10-6, the Knights were outshot by Utah in the second and third periods, 13-4 and 10-7, respectively.
KEY STAT
1 ... Carrying over from their aforementioned scoring droughts, Eichel and Marner each had just one shot on goal in the game. That's not going to cut it in the postseason. Eichel, who averaged 3.1 shots per game during the regular season, had three in Game 1. Marner averaged 2.0 shots per game in the regular season and had just one in Game 1. For the Golden Knights to steal home ice while the series is in Utah, and win this series, these two not only have to put more on net, but also find a way to put more shots in the net.
WHAT A KNIGHT
Barbashev now has a goal in each of the first two games and has scored in three of the past four games. He's scored six times in the last 14 games. Barbashev's consistency will be key when the series moves to the Delta Center, which hosts its first playoff game on Friday, in what should be a frenzied atmosphere.
UP NEXT
The Golden Knights continue their best-of-seven playoff series with the Mammoth as the scenery changes to Salt Lake City for Game 3 on Friday.
PHOTO CAPTION
Vegas Golden Knights left wing Ivan Barbashev (49) looks to deflect the puck towards Utah Mammoth goaltender Karel Vejmelka (70) during the first period of game two of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena.
DENVER, COLORADO - APRIL 21: Gabriel Landeskog #92 of the Colorado Avalanche celebrates after a goal against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period in Game Two of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena on April 21, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Michael Martin/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
Another game at Ball Arena in this first round series against the LA Kings where the Colorado Avalanche hoped to sweep the home portion of the opening schedule. While it took until just before the clock struck midnight, the Avalanche achieved just that with a 2-1 overtime victory.
The Game
The first period was defined with cheap shots and fruitless power plays as seven minor penalties were called and the teams combined went through five power plays. No score was put on the board but Colorado did hold a 14-6 shot advantage through the first frame. Martin Nečas was the recipient of one of those cheap shots on a high hit to the head. He had to sit out for a bit but returned to the ice by the end of the period.
Cale Makar smokes the crossbar
EJ:
“You could hear that all the way in Greeley”#GoAvsGo
The start of the second period saw the Avalanche take a penalty on Quinton Byfield whilst on their own power play which was deemed worthy of a penalty shot. Scott Wedgewood stonewalled the young forward and the game remained scoreless. Right after that a pane of glass shattered behind the Kings bench and there was a lengthy delay. That loss of momentum didn’t help as it was an ugly period with only eight shots apiece and still a scoreless game after 40 minutes of play.
Some urgency that developed at the end of the second period carried over to the third as suddenly this game was ripe for either team to claim it. With under seven minutes to go in the game a goal finally found its way into the back of the net — just unfortunately it counted for the Kings. Artemi Panarin broke through on the power play just like he did late in the contest in Game 1.
Of course this game wouldn’t end quietly as Gabe Landeskog tied the score with just over three minutes to go. As the Kings are no stranger to overtime having been a NHL record 33 times in the regular season, an extra frame was needed to settle the 1-1 tie at the end of regulation. After half a period of back-and-forth action Nic Roy broke through on Colorado’s second shot in overtime to give the Avalanche the 2-1 victory.
Takeaways
It will be interesting to see if Jared Bednar chooses to ride the momentum and decline to make any lineup changes leaving Ross Colton and Mackenzie Blackwood out of action as the Avalanche hope to wrap up the series on the road.
Upcoming
The series shifts to Los Angeles with the first game on Thursday night. Puck drop is at 8 p.m. MT televised on TNT.
Historically, teams that have gone up 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs went on to win their series 87.5% of the time. After winning Game 1 by a score of 4-2, the Vegas Golden Knights entered Tuesday’s matchup with the Utah Mammoth desperate to grab a stranglehold over the series.
Or, at least, the Golden Knights entered the first period desperate to grab a stranglehold over the series. They controlled play and outshot the Mammoth 10-7. They generated 12 scoring chances while holding Utah to four.
The Golden Knights broke the ice on the power play at 11:42 in the first. Mark Stone threw a centering pass towards the net, and it went off of Mikhail Sergachev’s skate and in past Karel Vejmelka.
Stone with the centering feed. If Tomáš Hertl got a stick on that, it’s his first goal since March 4th. Nope— went off of Sergachev’s skate.
The Mammoth responded at 16:59 in the first. Noah Hanifin blocked MacKenzie Weegar’s shot on goal, but the puck took a bounce into Rasmus Andersson’s shin and into the net.
Another own goal. Hart makes the save on Weegar, but the rebound kicks out into Andersson’s skate and into the back of the net.
All of that first period urgency slipped away in the second. As the parade to the box continued, the Golden Knights struggled to find rhythm. The stats reflect it— the Mammoth outshot them 13-4, generated 16 scoring chances while holding Vegas to just three, and controlled 88.76% of the expected goal share.
The Mammoth took their first lead of the night at 14:56 in the second. Kailer Yamamoto jumped to glove down Noah Hanifin’s flip-pass and found Dylan Guenther above the left circle; Guenther ripped a one-timer past Carter Hart short-side for his first career playoff goal.
The Golden Knights found the equalizer just 1:02 later. Jack Eichel got a stick on Mikhail Sergachev’s stretch-pass attempt, and Ivan Barbashev corralled the puck at the blue line. Barbashev entered the zone, split the defense, and beat Karel Vejmelka on the backhand.
Ivan Barbashev goes 1-on-3 and scores on the backhand. What a move.
In the third period, the Golden Knights were largely unable to generate any kind of offense. Shots were 10-7 in favor of the Mammoth, and Utah controlled 70.79% of the expected goal share.
The Mammoth regained the lead at 14:00 in the third. Kailer Yamamoto backhanded a pass to Dylan Guenther, who entered the zone with speed, flew past Shea Theodore, and snapped a shot on goal. When Carter Hart made the save, Guenther got his own rebound and put it off the post. Undetected, Logan Cooley cut to the middle and scored on the third attempt.
Dylan Guenther flies past Theodore. Hart makes the save, and Guenther puts the rebound off the post. Pittsburgh’s own Logan Cooley gets that rebound and puts it into the net.
The Golden Knights pulled Carter Hart for the extra attacker with 2:51 remaining in regulation and tried to mount yet another third-period comeback. They generated their looks, but managed only two shots on goal, and the Mammoth held on for a 3-2 win.
“I thought our first period was one of our better first periods in a while,” said Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella postgame. “We lost any type of flow in the second period. The way everything was going on, we had a good start to the third period and had some opportunities. We couldn’t score, and they found a way with some of their speed.”
Three Takeaways of the Knight
1. In Game 1, the Golden Knights were the more physical team by a wide margin and out-hit the Mammoth 51-31. For whatever reason, they just didn’t have that same edge in Game 2. It was a less intense affair, but the Mammoth had the edge tonight, 39-33.
“Being physical and playing hard… when you go out searching for it, that’s when you get burned,” said Brett Howden postgame.
2. Carter Hart was excellent tonight against the initial shot, but struggled to control the rebound. For the most part, the team in front of him did a good job of boxing the Mammoth out and preventing any second-chance opportunities. But on Utah’s game-winner, no one caught Logan Cooley crashing the net, and it cost them.
3. It’s been a long time since Hertl has scored a goal. He’s had his fair share of chances, but he just can’t seem to finish one. He’s not playing poorly– Hertl is doing the little things right, and he’s recorded eight hits over the first two games of this series.
But he’s not scoring. And that, more than anything, continues to haunt the Golden Knights. With a chance to go up 2-0 in their second power play of the night, Hertl stared down an empty net… and sent it wide.
Colorado defenseman Brett Kulak knocks Kings left wing Trevor Moore into Avalanche goaltender Scott Wedgewood. (Jack Dempsey / Associated Press)
The Kings haven’t won an NHL playoff series since the last time they won the Stanley Cup, which is to say it’s been a while.
They’re halfway to another early exit after a 2-1 overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday, a result that gave the Avalanche a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. The winning goal came from Nicolas Roy 7:44 in the extra period.
The Kings’ lone goal came from Artemi Panarin while captain Gabriel Landeskog had the other Colorado goal.
“We did play really well,” interim coach D.J. Smith said. “We’ve got to find a way to win a game. Clearly, good isn't enough. We’ve got to win a game and keep taking a piece of them and keep playing physical and give ourselves a chance to keep lengthening the series.”
Panarin gave the Kings a 1-0 lead on a wrister from the inside edge of the right circle with less than seven minutes left in regulation. It was his second power-play goal of the series and it came on the Kings’ fifth power play of the night.
It also came after the Kings got a fortunate break, with a Colorado clearing pass striking a linesman, leading to a faceoff in the Kings’ offensive end.
Landeskog evened things for Colorado 3 1/2 minutes later, escaping Kings forward Scott Laughton to skate to a Martin Necas pass through the crease before pushing the puck inside the left post to send the game to overtime.
For the Kings, it marked their 34th overtime in 84 games this season, an NHL record. They lost 21 of them but Tuesday’s was the most painful, with Roy scoring on a deflection in the crease.
“We had every opportunity,” Smith said. “You’ve got to be able to close it out.”
The teams now head to Crypto.com Arena for games Thursday and Sunday with the Kings needing at least one win to extend their season.
“I expect that we'll be better at home,” Smith said.
To do that, the Kings are going to have to stop wasting the kind of opportunities they had in Denver, where they converted just two of nine power-play chances and failed to score on a penalty shot in the first two games.
The physical series turned chippy in late in Game 1 and that carried over to the start of Game 2 with a pair of scuffles, each involving more than a half-dozen players, breaking out 12 seconds apart midway through the first period. The teams combined for seven penalties in a fast-paced opening 20 minutes played with a lot of open ice.
Quinton Byfield had two chances to put the Kings on the board just more than three minutes into the second period but Colorado goalie Scott Wedgewood came up big both times.
Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg makes a save during overtime of Game 2. (Jack Dempsey / Associated Press)
The first came when Byfield charged Wedgewood on a breakaway, only to have the goalie stop his wrister from in close. But Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar was called for hooking Byfield from behind on the play, setting up a penalty shot. Wedgewood stopped that too.
An over-excited group of fans celebrated the two saves by breaking a pane of glass behind the Kings bench, sending the coaches scurrying and pausing the game for several minutes as workmen repaired the damage. But 16 seconds after play resumed, the Avalanche took another penalty, their sixth of seven on the night.
The Colorado penalties left the Kings with a man advantage for nearly a quarter of the game’s first 25 minutes, but their power play couldn’t take advantage against a Colorado penalty kill that ranked No. 1 in the NHL during the regular season.
“Obviously, you just want the opportunities,” forward Trevor Moore said. “Now we’ve just got to make the most of them.”
Colorado’s best scoring chance in the first two periods came on a three-on-one rush less than five minutes before the second intermission, but Kings defenseman Mikey Anderson reached in to break up the play and keep the game scoreless.
Colorado celebrates its Game 2 victory over the Kings. (Jack Dempsey / Associated Press)
Sam Malinski appeared to give the Avalanche the lead on a slap shot from above the left circle 10 seconds into the final period, but after the horn sounded and the goal was put in the scoreboard, the officials correctly ruled the puck had struck the outside of the net.
Five minutes later Byfield fanned on a loose puck in the crease, allowing Wedgewood to roll over and clear it from in front of the open net.
Now the Kings come home, where they won six of their final seven regular-season games, the only loss coming in a shootout. But they haven’t beaten the Avalanche anywhere this season and if they have to at least once in the next two games to avoid their seventh straight first-round playoff exit.
“Thought we played better tonight,” Moore said. “So we’ve to to try to just take the positives and get to L.A. and play a good game.”
In what was one of the wildest games we've seen so far in the postseason, the Los Angeles Kings entered Game 2 in Denver in what was as big a game for the Kings, looking to tie the series 1-1.
As it turns out, LA suffered a heartbreaking road overtime defeat after a back-and-forth effort, resulting in a 2-1 loss. The Kings were exceptional on defense, led by Anton Forsberg, Mikey Anderson, and Mathieu Joseph, holding the Avs to two goals, but once again couldn't score on offense, leaving the door open for Colorado to strike.
Arguably, it was the greatest defensive performance we've seen from the Kings this season, with 23 hits, 26 blocked shots, and Colorado going 0/3 on the power play. LA was making all the plays on defense to try to steal this game, but they couldn't hold on late.
The Kings wanted to play physical, and we got it against the Presidents' Trophy winners. The game had no flow in the first period, several minor penalties, and scrums in the first 14 minutes of regulation.
Once again, both teams were very slow offensively, especially on the power play, missing easy shots that should have gone in. LA and Colorado combined for five power plays in the first period and converted on zero of them.
The physical play and hits were there, making it hard for either team to generate good looks. Trevor Moore had a very good look early in the game after finding himself alone for a chance to give LA the lead, but Avs goaltender Scott Wedgewood made a nice save to stop the goal.
Both goaltenders did an excellent job in the first period, especially on the power play, killing the opposing team's scoring chances. Even with the Avalanche having more shots on goal, the Kings had plenty of chances to score, but once again were struggling to capitalize after getting timely stops.
For the second straight game, we ended the first period scoreless. LA did a good job of increasing its physicality and taking big hits against the Avalanche, despite being outshot 14-6 after 20 minutes.
LAK increased physicality and PK keeps them in game through 20. Through 4 periods, Anton Forsberg best King. Has to change.
To open the second period, at the 16:48 mark, Colorado was on the power play, and Quinton Byfield stole the puck for a breakaway rush by himself against Wedgewood, but came up short after an extended glove save to stop the breakaway goal.
LA continued to miss opportunities on offense, with its defense coming up big; the offense needs to start capitalizing on those key turnovers and stops at some point.
The game continued to get physical. LA did a good job getting hits, especially Mathieu Joseph, who already had six hits midway through the second. Certainly, it was his best game with the Kings this season.
LA's defense continued to make big stops, especially on the 3-on-1 with the Avs having a chance to score, but Mikey Anderson got a stick on Martin Necas to kill the play. In the last few minutes of the period, the Avs had good chances to score, but credit Anton Forsberg, Drew Doughty, and Mikey Anderson for playing their role on defense.
After 40 minutes, the game remained 0-0. Great effort from the Kings defensively in that period to keep the Avs off the scoreboard, but LA still was struggling to capitalize on offense.
0-0 through 40 minutes.
What an effort from the Kings thus far. Forsberg exceptional in the final few minutes to keep that game without a goal.
At the 19:50 mark of the final period, Colorado thought they had scored a goal, but the puck landed on the outside of the net, overturning the goal. LA kept dodging serious bullets with the Avs struggling to score, but so was LA, leaving the door wide open for Colorado to score.
The tension was so high that the referees were just letting both teams play, without calling penalties.
Finally, at the 6:56 mark, LA scored the first goal of the game to take a 1-0 lead. It was the breadman, Artemi Panarin, scoring the power play goal on a one-timer goal, the biggest goal of Panarin's time with the Kings.
Definitely the best all-around game we've seen from the Kings this season, especially in a hostile playoff environment on the road.
But it was clear at one point the Avs would strike back, and they did. At the
But it was clear at one point the Avs would strike back, and they did. At the 3:35 mark, Colorado got a very good look at the net after great puck movement. The open look secured a goal for captain Gabriel Landeskog to tie it 1-1.
After a gritty last two minutes of regulation, we were headed to overtime in Denver for extra periods. Credit LA for the effort on defense, holding the No. 1 offense in hockey to just one goal.
In overtime, the Kings once again had an opportunity to seal this game and tie it 1-1 after forward Samuel Helenius had an easy shot with Wedgewood losing his stick, but another clutch save by Wedegwood killed the chance.
The Avalanche sealed the game in the extra periods, capitalizing on LA's missed chances to win and take a 2-0 series lead. Center Nicolas Roy cleaned up the rebound and put the puck just under the legs of LA to win a gritty game.
Key Stats
Despite the loss, credit the Kings' defense for playing an excellent game throughout regulation. To hold the league's best offense to just two goals was special.
Anton Forsberg, starting in his second playoff game, was exceptional, finishing with 34 saves on 36 shots. Artemi Panarin, for the second straight game, scored a goal, the only King so far to score in the playoffs.
Mikey Anderson and Mathieu Joseph were also great in this game defensively, combining to finish with eight hits and eight blocked shots.
Tough loss for the Kings and an opportunity to secure the split, now they're headed home trailing 2-0.
Game 3 will be on Thursday, 7:00 PM PT at Crypto.com Arena.
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Apr 21, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Utah Mammoth center Logan Cooley (92) takes a face off against the Vegas Golden Knights during the first period of game two of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
LAS VEGAS — Logan Cooley scored off a rebound with six minutes left to give the Mammoth a 3-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night, and they will head back to Utah with a split of the first two games in their first-round playoffs series.
Game 3 of the best-of-seven series is Friday night in Salt Lake City.
Cooley, a 21-year-old from Pittsburgh, is the youngest U.S.-born player to scored a goal in each of his first two playoff games.
It's the first playoff victory for the Mammoth since the organization relocated from Arizona two years ago.
This was the Golden Knights' first regulation defeat under coach John Tortorella (8-1-1).
Dylan Guenther had a goal and assist for the Mammoth, MacKenzie Weegar scored and Kailer Yamamoto finished with two assists. Karel Vejmelka recorded 19 saves.
Mark Stone and Ivan Barbashev scored for the Golden Knights, with Jack Eichel picking up the primary assist on each. Carter Hart, who stopped 26 shots, suffered his first loss under Tortorella in Vegas after winning his first seven starts.
With the score tied at 2 in the waning minutes of regulation, Guenther took a shot off the rush, got his own rebound and then hit the puck off the post. Cooley was waiting there, knocking in the puck to pull the Mammoth even.
The teams traded goals in each of the first two periods.
After Stone scored in the first period on a shot that went off Utah defenseman Mikhail Sergachev's skate, the Golden Knights, for the second game in a row, had an unforced error in which the puck ended up in their net. Weegar was credited with the goal after the puck went off two Vegas defensemen — Noah Hanifin's stick and Rasmus Andersson's shin — into the open net.
Guenther delivered a shot from the left point in the second period for the Mammoth, before Barbashev answered 1:02 later by weaving through the slot to put in a backhand.
ST.
LOUIS – The
St. Louis Blues tried their darndest. Oh, did they ever.
They
tried to overcome near impossible odds
to break the door down to the Western Conference playoff race for a
second straight season.
But
in the end, it was just too much to overcome this year. Living on the
edge, in the end, is not the way to go, to be honest.
The
Blues got into the tournament as the second wild card in large part
to a franchise-record 12-game winning streak, and even then, they
squeaked in past the Calgary Flames by winning on the final day of
the regular season and getting in on the first tiebreaker with one
more regulation win (32-31).
They
were 14 points out of the wild card heading into the Olympic break
but were able to get as close as three points as late as April 5 but
finally ran out of steam, before finishing this season 37-33-12, four
points behind the Los Angeles Kings.
So
why are the Blues of the past two seasons so good late but so poor
early?
“It’s
kind of hard to say what really caused it,” Blues
forward Jordan Kyrou said.
“I think that’s something as a team internally, we’ve got to
talk to each other about and find out as a group and then obviously
down the stretch after the break, we kind of found our footing a
little bit. We started to play kind of how we wanted as a team and
kind of to our identity.”
Let’s
look at the numbers by month of the past two seasons:
*
October – 8-13-2
*
November – 12-10-5
*
December – 13-12-3
*
January – 9-16-1
*
February – 7-4-2
*
March – 22-4-3
*
April – 9-4-2
So
October-January, the team is 42-51-11, and once the clock turns and
they go to February-April, the Blues are 38-12-7.
And
after bulldozing their way into the playoffs last season and
expectations rising to a level of at least competing for the playoffs
once again. And losing in the fashion that they did in Game 7 of the
first round against the Winnipeg Jets, there should have been a
summer’s worth of motivation to come in with their skates on fire.
It
never happened.
“Disappointing
I would say,” Blues
general manager Doug Armstrong said.
“I thought we were, based on the second half of last season and
then the playoffs, I thought we had progressed to a spot where we
would be more competitive out of the gate. Obviously our first half
of the season was not to the standard that we had hoped for, made us
re-assess our short term and maybe medium-term plans, not our
long-term plans. I would say that I thought that we would be a better
team.”
Coach
Jim Montgomery added, “Poor start, and then I would say not being
able to find solutions early enough to be able to get on the right
path was very frustrating, for everybody involved, and we all need to
be significantly better. We all need to change and affect change
within ourselves, and that’s not easy to do, whether it’s your
training habits, it’s your attitude, it’s your mindset. All of
those things need to be different for us to get off to a better
start. It’s two years in a row that I’ve been accustomed to
what’s happened here. I don’t know what happened in the two years
prior to that, but they were non-playoff years as well. Getting off
to a better start and trying to find the attitudes and the mindsets
that we’ve had in the last two months of the season in the last two
years, not because of results, but because the mindsets and the
attitudes were significantly different.”
Montgomery
used a word there that’s key to everything: attitude.
Why
is it that this particular group, and it likely won’t look exactly
the same as the one that ended the season against the Utah Mammoth,
doesn’t view October-January games like it does February-April?
Those
games mean the same on Oct. 28 mean exactly the same as the ones
played on April 5, and that’s attitude, and until that changes, the
Blues are going to be the same group that disappoints early, gets the
fans’ hopes up late, only to more times than not, come up short.
“Attitude’s
the most important thing,” Montgomery said. “All of us have to be
willing to do the right things on a consistent level and it’s got
to be an attitude of, I believe it’s a Truman quote that it’s not
who gets the praise but it’s the common good of the group that
succeeds. It doesn’t matter who gets the credit for the success. It
matters who’s doing the work together to create the success, and
that needs to be the attitude by everybody, and I’m not just
talking players.
“I
don’t care of you drive the Zamboni. Drive the Zamboni the best way
that you can and make sure you don’t miss a line. Those are the
kind of attitudes that we’ve got to make sure everyone’s having.”
Armstrong
agreed.
“Yeah,
there has to be a reckoning of what happened and how it happened and
make sure it doesn’t happen again,” he said. “I’m not talking
about the wins and losses, it’s just our attitude of how we came to
work every day. I shared with some people today, the groups that I
have worked with that have had success loved the grind. They loved
the challenge. They loved the adversity. They couldn’t wait for it.
They thrived under it. They wanted someone to punch them in the mouth
so they could respond. That’s what you’re seeing (from) 16 teams
playing now that had that and we are not one of them today.”
So
how do they change it?
“I
think it’s preparation, but I think guys got to truly sink into
that,” said Blues forward Dylan Holloway, who ripped off 34 points
(14 goals, 20 assists) the final 25 games of the season. “It’s
not that guys aren’t prepared, per se. Everybody’s working all
summer, everyone’s training hard, but I think more mentally, it’s
kind of like, ‘OK, we start on this day’ like mentally. I think
mentally we’ve got to take it back a little bit and truly like be
mentally prepared for the season because like you said, we got off to
two slow starts. But for me, it’s not like this team doesn’t have
the capability to be an elite team, to be a playoff team. It’s just
kind of finding that consistency more and the start’s huge.”
The
Blues never had more than a four-game winning streak this past
season. That’s part of the consistency that was missing for large
swaths. Last season, they were the last team to reel off a three-game
winning streak. This season, they never won more than two games in a
row until the first of three four-game streaks starting March 1-6.
The
harsh reality of having to sit at Enterprise Center this past
Saturday and think about why they failed really set in.
“I
think it starts with training camp,” Armstrong
said.
“And it’s going to be interesting because we’re all going into
a new training camp format. We’re down to four (preseason)
games,
it’s two weeks, there’s a lot of pressure on the players to show
up in great shape. The nagging training camp injuries you see are
going to bleed into the first and second week of the season now. So
players are going to have to skate harder in the summer, they’re
going to have to take care of themselves, they’re going to have to
have leadership practices that are almost NHL practices. You can’t
have sore groins and sore backs like you could when Bernie [Federko]
was playing. You have to show up ready, so I think that’s going to
be a main focus and then I think respecting the league. Understand
that it’s a very difficult league and if you’re not prepared
mentally and physically to play, you’re going to fall back and I
think our mental toughness has to improve. Our ability to turn the
page quickly, I think we hung onto things organizationally too long
and they dragged into the second game, the third game, and then I
think we didn’t get grounded quick enough after a couple of wins.
It felt like it took us five years to win multiple games in a row
there for a while. We didn’t have that mental resolve that
playoff-caliber teams have.”
Montgomery
wasn’t around for the off-season going into the 2024-25 season but
was last year. It was his first full camp as the coach and
understands when players report, there will be no easing into camp.
“There’s
a couple of things you can do. I’ve always been a coach that looks
to get the team off to a … pace is really important in camp, I’m
just talking about training camp,” Montgomery
said.
“I think training camp bleeds into … players got to do their work
to be in great shape and be ready to go and having done improvements
in their games on their own in the summer because they’re not under
our guide at that time. When you start the year, training camp, I
always believe you build the whole, which means five-man groups and
you get off to pace and you start to build the details and habits
within that. The finer points, they have to teach individuals. You
build that as you go along. So you start with a whole, then you build
the small parts, and then you go back to the whole. That has usually
driven a lot of success, but I would say my last two training camps,
that hasn’t happened. So now I’m going to be looking at those
habits and details starting with the small parts and that requires a
lot more gruntwork, a lot more grind on the players. It means camp’s
going to be harder, but that’s the way it needs to be. We need to
change things in order … to affect change, you need to change. So
that’s the things I’m looking at to affect change.
“After
being done with the year-end meetings with the players and getting
their perspective on some of the questions that you guys are asking,
I’m asking them pointedly, ‘What will they do to affect change?’
I told you guys that. Then I’ve got to start looking for assistant
coaches. Then it’s going to be working a lot with ‘Steener’ on
how we see the team, not only playing, how we’re going to make our
team have a better camp. All those things, him and I need to discuss
ad nauseum because it’s really important that we have a great
summer. In order to have a great start, you have to have a great
summer. It starts right away. For us, that’s this week.”
The
players get the long off-season to reflect but they’ve really got
to dig into it and understand that the status quo isn’t nearly good
enough.
“I
think we’ve all got to really reflect on it,” said
Blues forward Robert Thomas, who also ended the season on fire with
31 points (14 goals, 17 assists) in 22 games.
“Obviously it’s been something that’s happened the last two
years in a row. I think a lot of opinions and stuff should be kept
private and handled inside. After those conversations happen, I think
we can all come together and kind of voice our opinions and plans on
how we’re going to change that.”
And
just just change one thing, it’s change plenty, because early this
season, goaltending was poor, defensive play was poor, the offense
was lacking consistency and special teams were bad.
“Obviously
everybody strives to get into the playoffs and go for a run,” Blues
defenseman Philip Broberg said. “Obviously sitting here, it’s
disappointing. We didn’t get (off) to a good start to the season
and then we kind of got going. But I think it was pretty
disappointing to not make the playoffs for sure.”
But
as much as the Blues need to change with their attitude towards Game
1 to 84 – yes, 84 next season, Holloway wants to make one thing
clear.
“Our
culture in the room is amazing,” he
said.
“I feel like everybody’s friends with everybody, everybody talks
to everybody. The guys go for dinner with everybody. It’s a rare
thing to have as tight of a group as we do. It was weird like that to
start. I feel like everybody thought that we were going to get off to
a hot start and it was just going to continue from where we were last
year and then when that didn’t happen, it was kind of a shock to
everyone. It took us a little bit to get it back together and then
when we did, you can see how good hockey that we did play. I think
the goal going into next season is to find that right away.”
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BUFFALO, NEW YORK - APRIL 21: Viktor Arvidsson #71 of the Boston Bruins celebrates his goal against the Buffalo Sabres during the second period in Game Two of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at KeyBank Center on April 21, 2026 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Ben Ludeman/NHLI via Getty Images) | NHLI via Getty Images
After the Bruins melted down in the last eight minutes of Game 1, Marco Sturm and several of the players cited a desire to learn from the experience and move forward for Game 2.
Tonight’s last seven minutes showed they learned a thing or two—but not quite enough to avoid nearly giving their fans a collective heart attack in the process.
After taking a 4-0 lead into the final half of the third period, the B’s held on down the stretch to skate out of Buffalo with a 4-2 win and a series even at a game apiece.
Viktor Arvidsson scored twice for the Bruins, while Pavel Zacha and Morgan Geekie added one goal each.
Jeremy Swayman was immense for the Bruins, making 34 saves, including 18 in the third period alone.
Buffalo scored twice in a span of 1:14 in the last few minutes of the third period, raising blood pressures across New England, but Swayman made a few more saves and the Bruins emerged with the win.
Exhale.
After a scoreless first period, Arvidsson got the scoring started five minutes into the second period to make it 1-0 Bruins.
Geekie doubled the lead ten minutes later, beating Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with a hiiiiiiiiiiiiigh fly ball from center ice to make it 2-0 Bruins. As Judd Sirott said on NESN, “E-1” for Luukkonen.
Peyton Krebs would add another for Buffalo (with the goalie pulled) a little more than a minute later, making it 4-2 Bruins, as Sabres fans were thinking about another crazy comeback.
Buffalo would continue to push in the last five minutes, but the Bruins held on (for dear life, at times).
Bruins win, 4-2.
Game notes
Aren’t the playoffs fun? As a few of you said in the comments, that was probably the most nerve-wracking two-goal win I can remember for quite some time, especially given what happened at the end of Game 1.
Speaking of the playoffs, it was funny to see Buffalo getting really angry about a penalty call on Connor Timmins, only for the penalty to be as clear as day. “It’s the f***ing playoffs” generally doesn’t excuse a crosscheck to the neck, but maybe I’m just sensitive.
This game featured plenty of rough stuff, with Mark Kastelic fighting Logan Stanley (one of you fine commenters told us prior to the series this would happen at some point) and ten-minute misconducts for Nikita Zadorov, Andrew Peeke, Tage Thompson, and Zach Benson. In total, the game featured 94 penalty minutes, split evenly at 47 each for both teams.
The Sabres seemed to be seeking opportunities to “accidentally on purpose” make contact with Swayman, with Buffalo players running into the Bruins goalie multiple times in the first half of the first period alone. Something to file away, I guess, and something Zadorov noted postgame.
Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy had monster nights for the Bruins, skating 27:40 and 27:22, respectively. Some of that was due to the third period misconducts for Peeke and Zadorov, but it was also evidence of Sturm leaning on his two most dependable defenders.
Swayman grabbed the bull by the horns and told his coaches to call a timeout after the second Buffalo goal, something Sturm failed to do to stem the tide in Game 1.
After a bad game in Game 1, the Bruins got a much better performance from their second line tonight. Arvidsson’s two goals get the headlines (along with Zacha’s, though that was on the power play), but they were much more involved across the board (in a good way) than they were in Game 1.
Arvidsson’s first goal came via a backhand that beat Luukkonen. In the first period, Arvidsson skated onto a loose puck for a mini-breakaway after coming out of the penalty box. Because he was in tight, he elected to hold onto the puck and go forehand, only for Luukkonen to make the save. I can’t help but wonder if that was on his mind when he went backhand on the second opportunity.
Speaking of mini-breakaways, tonight saw a few more (mini or standard) for the B’s, coming on the heels of a few breakaway opportunities in Game 1. I’m not sure if the Bruins are a making a conscious effort to try to sneak behind the Buffalo D or if it’s a circumstantial thing.
While they didn’t end up on the scoresheet, the Bruins’ third line had another good night. Fraser Minten, Marat Khusnutdinov, and James Hagens were involved in a good way, creating a handful of half-decent chances and generally bringing positive energy. Hagens did take a stick foul penalty with nine minutes left in the third period, but I’d imagine Sturm won’t hold that against him when looking at the big picture.
Along with the aforementioned fight, Kastelic also had four shots on goal and won more than 71% of his face-offs. The Bruins had a much better face-off night in general, winning 36 out of the game’s 66 draws.
David Pastrnak had two assists tonight, giving him 1G-4A-5PTS in the first two games of this series. He’s now tied with Bobby Orr for eight in all-time franchise playoff scoring.
Game 3 will be at TD Garden on Thursday night. That game is slated for a 7 PM start (not 7:30), so plan accordingly.
The San Jose Sharks have been linked to Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Morgan Rielly by insider David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period. Sharks general manager Mike Grier has been clear about his desire to improve on the blue line this offseason, but what would the long-time Maple Leaf bring to the Sharks?
In short, Rielly is an offensive defenseman who can help on the power play, although his offensive numbers have taken a considerable step backward under the current Maple Leafs head coach, Craig Berube. He’s not the type of defenseman who will help the Sharks keep the puck out of the net and improve their goals-against, which was third-worst in the league this past season.
Fit in the Lineup
At this stage in his career, it’s hard to imagine Rielly as a true number one defenseman. He can be a reliable option on the second pairing, but it seems that he’s struggled in a top-pair role for the Maple Leafs as of late.
Back in January, my colleague Adam Proteau wrote, “Rielly has clearly regressed this season. He's a team-worst minus-13 despite having 26 points in 42 games. You can chalk up some of that to averaging 21:55 of ice time, but compare that to McCabe, who is averaging 22:01 and is a plus-26 while chipping in 16 points, and you can see why Leafs fans have grown tired of Rielly's subpar defensive play.”
Rielly finished the season with 11 goals and 36 points while playing in 78 games for the Maple Leafs, his lowest total since the 2020-21 season when he had 35 points in 55 games. The one bright side for him offensively this season was his goal-scoring. 11 goals were the most that he’s scored since the 2018-19 season, when he hit the 20-goal plateau for the only time in his career.
Although Rielly has occasionally filled in on the penalty kill when necessary, he’s certainly not reliable enough in his own zone to be counted on regularly in that regard.
As a second-pairing puck-mover and power play specialist, he could be an effective player. If he’s used as a top-pairing player and given the most difficult defensive assignments, he’ll struggle mightily. Currently, that would leave Dmitry Orlov as the Sharks’ top defenseman if Rielly slotted into the second pairing; however, Grier will likely make additional moves that could move either of them down the lineup.
A Hefty Contract
The biggest concern with Rielly at this stage of his career will undoubtedly be his contract. He’s signed through the 2029-30 season with an average annual value of $7.5 million. The Sharks could undoubtedly handle that contract now, and the rising salary cap will help prevent it from becoming an issue later on down the line. With that being said, players like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and quite a few others are going to be due for pay raises in the near future, which could quickly eat up cap space.
The main concern with an offensive defenseman in their early-to-mid 30s with a big contract is simply a fear of regression. Their legs can slow down at any moment, and they can lose a step without much warning. With that being said, Rielly is still a very quick player. His maximum skating speed during the 2025-26 season was 22.71 miles per hour, which puts him in the 87th percentile around the NHL.
Shooting Tendency and Leadership
One area in which Rielly has shown some regression over the years is his shot. While he’s never been known for having the hardest shot, his fastest shot during the 2025-26 season was 87.13 miles per hour, according to NHL Edge. That’s a reduction of four miles per hour from his fastest shot the season before, and 12 miles per hour slower than his all-time fastest recorded shot from the 2021-22 season. His average shot power is also below league average for a defenseman, and he has a tendency to pass on taking one-timers from the point.
On the other hand, Rielly has been a key member of the Maple Leafs’ leadership group for many years. It was often praised earlier in his career, and he’s been an alternate captain for Toronto since the 2016-17 season. As a result, he could be a good mentor for the Sharks’ young players, especially a young offensive defenseman like Sam Dickinson. He should also, on paper, fit the locker room culture that the Sharks have been building as of late.
Ultimately, like with every player, there are positives and negatives for the Sharks if they were to acquire Morgan Rielly. There’s the risk of his age, his contract, and his shot as well. On the other hand, he’s a leader who has maintained his footspeed to this point in his career and could help fill the role as a puck-moving defenseman, something the Sharks certainly need at this point. It remains to be seen if this is the type of move Mike Grier will pull the trigger on over the summer, but it certainly is an interesting idea to ponder at the very least.
Apr 21, 2026; Buffalo, New York, USA; Boston Bruins left wing Viktor Arvidsson (71) takes a shot on goal during the first period against the Buffalo Sabres in game two of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at KeyBank Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Morgan Geekie bounced in a shot from beyond center as part of Boston’s three-goal second-period surge and the Bruins beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 to even their first-round playoff series at 1 on Tuesday night.
Viktor Arvidsson scored twice and Pavel Zacha also scored. David Pastrnak had two assists to give him five points in the series and tie Bobby Orr for eighth on the Bruins career playoff list with 92 points.
Jeremy Swayman stopped 32 shots, and this time Boston managed to not blow a multigoal third-period lead.
Bowen Byram and Peyton Krebs scored 1:14 apart to cut Boston’s lead to 4-2 with 4:52 remaining in regulation before being stymied by Swayman, who stopped the final eight shots he faced.
The Sabres opened the series with a 4-3 win in which they overcame a 2-0 third-period deficit by scoring four times in the final 7:58 of regulation on Sunday.
The series shifts to Boston for Game 3 on Thursday night.
Rather than carry over the momentum from Sunday, the Sabres gradually sagged due to spotty goaltending and an anemic power play.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen finished with 15 saves and was pulled after allowing Arvidsson’s second goal 16 seconds into the third period to put Boston up 4-0. Alex Lyon mopped up and finished stopping all seven shots he faced.
Luukkonen looked shaky on three of the four goals allowed.
Arvidsson opened the scoring 4:54 into the second period by beating Buffalo defender Mattias Samuelsson to a loose puck. He then drove in and beat Luukkonen through the legs after the goalie was late in getting his stick down.
Then came Geekie’s goal some 12 minutes later. From just outside the center line, the forward flipped a high backhander at the Buffalo net. Luukkonen came out of his crease in an attempt to glove it, only to have the puck bounce past him.
After Zacha redirected Pastrnak’s centering pass for a power-play goal with 1:50 left in the second period, Arvidsson scored by driving up the right wing and beating Luukkonen through the legs from 25 feet.
Buffalo’s power play continued to struggle in going 0-of-5 on Tuesday and 0-of-9 in two games. The drought extends into the season, after Buffalo closed 0-for-22 over its final seven games.
The Sabres are making their first playoff appearance after winning their first Atlantic Division title and snapping an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought.
With the city still buzzing from Buffalo’s stunning win in Game 1, Bills quarterback Josh Allen kicked things off by beating the drum to lead the “Let’s go, Buffalo!” chants. The new father, wearing the jersey of Sabres forward and occasional golf partner Alex Tuch, then chugged a can of beer before violently throwing it to the ground to a crescendo of cheers.
TAMPA, FL - APRIL 21: Nikita Kucherov #86 of the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrates his goal with teammates Darren Raddysh #43, Anthony Cirelli #71, J.J. Moser #90, and Brandon Hagel #38 against the Montreal Canadiens in Game Two of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Benchmark International Arena on April 21, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mark LoMoglio/NHLI via Getty Images)
NHLI via Getty Images
TAMPA, Fla. — J.J. Moser scored 12:48 into overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, tying the first-round playoff series at 1-1.
The series shifts to Montreal for two games, with Game 3 set for Friday night. Game 4 is Sunday.
Brandon Hagel had a Gordie Howe hat trick with a goal, assist and a fight, and teammate Nikita Kucherov also scored for Tampa Bay. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 25 shots.
The Lightning had lost four consecutive home playoff games and 10 of the past 11, dating to Game 4 against Colorado in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.
Lane Hutson and Josh Anderson scored for the Canadiens. Jakub Dobes finished with 31 saves.
Kucherov forced overtime at 12:33 of the third period, collecting a deflected puck off the stick of Hagel and scoring on a wrap-around. The goal was the first playoff goal for Kucherov since April 19, 2023, a span of 17 postseason games.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — J.J. Moser scored 12:48 into overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, tying the first-round playoff series at 1-1.
The series shifts to Montreal for two games, with Game 3 set for Friday night. Game 4 is Sunday.
Brandon Hagel had a Gordie Howe hat trick with a goal, assist and a fight, and teammate Nikita Kucherov also scored for Tampa Bay. Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 25 shots.
The Lightning had lost four consecutive home playoff games and 10 of the past 11, dating to Game 4 against Colorado in the 2022 Stanley Cup Final.
Lane Hutson and Josh Anderson scored for the Canadiens. Jakub Dobes finished with 31 saves.
BRUINS 4, SABRES 2
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Morgan Geekie bounced in a shot from beyond center as part of Boston’s three-goal second-period surge and the Bruins beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-2 to even their first-round playoff series at 1 on Tuesday night.
Viktor Arvidsson scored twice and Pavel Zacha also scored. David Pastrnak had two assists to give him five points in the series and tie Bobby Orr for eighth on the Bruins career playoff list with 92 points.
Jeremy Swayman stopped 32 shots, and this time Boston managed to not blow a multigoal third-period lead.
Bowen Byram and Peyton Krebs scored 1:14 apart to cut Boston’s lead to 4-2 with 4:52 remaining in regulation before being stymied by Swayman, who stopped the final eight shots he faced.
The series shifts to Boston for Game 3 on Thursday night.
After a 4-3 overtime win in Game 1, the Montreal Canadiens were back at it on Tuesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Martin St-Louis’ men were hoping to win a second game in a row and take a 2-0 lead back to Montreal. Jon Cooper had laid his cards on the table, inserting Scott Sabourin in his lineup, a clear sign that the Bolts were coming in with the intention to create some mayhem.
Meanwhile, Martin St-Louis stuck to his guns, making no changes to his winning lineup. After all, why change a winning formula?
After the first game, Cooper didn’t hesitate to call his players’ play stupid because they took several penalties in the offensive zone, and one has to say they didn’t act any smarter in Game 2. Right from the get-go, Sabourin was running after Josh Anderson, trying to bait him into dropping the gloves. It made sense given how much of an impact the power forward had on proceedings in the first duel, but he just brushed him off, avoiding the trap laid by the Bolts. Needless to say, had they dropped the gloves and been sent to the box for five minutes, the Canadiens would have suffered a much bigger loss.
Later in the first frame, it was Corey Perry who tried to bait Alexandre Carrier into fighting. The Tampa agitator dropped his gloves and tried his hardest to get the Canadiens defenseman to dance, but he wouldn’t, despite mayhem breaking all around them. As a result, the Bolts got an extra penalty, and the Habs were able to tie up the game.
Anderson Comes Up Clutch…Again
Tampa Bay tried to concentrate a bit more on hockey in the second frame and dominated in shots with 11 to the Canadiens’ nine, but St-Louis’ men were the only ones to find the back of the net, through Anderson, who scored for a second game in a row. The Habs patiently played the game in front of them, taking no unnecessary risks and pouncing when the time was right.
After 40 minutes, Anderson had four of the Canadiens 21 shots, more than any other Hab. While much of the chatter ahead of this series was about the Habs being a one-line team, their defence-first and fourth line scored in both games, this time getting the better of the Bolts’ third line featuring Yanni Gourde, Nick Paul and Zemgus Girgensons.
It’s not Juraj Slafkovsky’s job to drop the gloves, but when Brandon Hagel challenged him, he answered the bell. It was obvious that the power forward didn’t have much experience in that department, but he was still able to throw a couple of good hits before Hagel connected with his chin, sending him down to the ice. Still, the former first-overall pick jumped right back up, in time to throw another punch. One could say he took it on the chin literally and moved on.
With just two minutes left on the boards, Cooper sent out Sabourin, who blindsided Anderson with a hit in the lower back. The refs called a five-minute major, then reviewed the play and gave him a two-minute minor. The Canadiens were unable to capitalize on the power play, and the game went to overtime.
They downgraded this to a two, which is probably fair, but what a dirtbag hit by Sabourin.
While the Canadiens had a good game, the overtime belonged to the Bolts. They had nine shots while Montreal had none. Jakub Dobes was making big saves after big saves, but eventually it caught up to them.
The game-winning goal came after Kirby Dach iced the puck unnecessarily, which led to a faceoff right by Dobes, which the Lightning won. Then, as the play unfolded, Dach felt he was being interfered with and raised his arm in protest, rather than focusing on the play. J.J. Moser found the back of the net on Anthony Cirelli's pass. Dach had no shot, no blocked shot, three hits and one giveaway. If St-Louis feels it's time to bring someone else in, Dach might just have volunteered his spot.
The series is now tied 1-1, and it becomes a best-of-five. While a split on the road is still a good result, the way in which they lost Game 2 could be deflating for the young Canadiens. The next game will take place on Friday night, at 7:00 PM in Montreal.
