Vegas Golden Knights (39-26-17, in the Pacific Division) vs. Anaheim Ducks (43-33-6, in the Pacific Division)
Anaheim, California; Sunday, 9:30 p.m. EDT
LINE: Golden Knights -119, Ducks -101; over/under is 6.5
NHL PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND: Golden Knights lead series 2-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Vegas Golden Knights visit the Anaheim Ducks in the second round of the NHL Playoffs with a 2-1 lead in the series. The teams meet Friday for the seventh time this season. The Golden Knights won 6-2 in the last matchup. Mitchell Marner led the Golden Knights with three goals.
Anaheim has gone 43-33-6 overall with a 20-14-1 record against the Pacific Division. The Ducks are sixth in league play with 323 total penalties (averaging 3.9 per game).
Vegas has a 17-6-6 record in Pacific Division games and a 39-26-17 record overall. The Golden Knights have allowed 242 goals while scoring 264 for a +22 scoring differential.
TOP PERFORMERS: Cutter Gauthier has scored 41 goals with 28 assists for the Ducks. Jackson LaCombe has two goals and nine assists over the last 10 games.
Marner has 24 goals and 56 assists for the Golden Knights. Jack Eichel has one goal and 12 assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Ducks: 6-4-0, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.3 assists, 3.2 penalties and 6.7 penalty minutes while giving up 3.3 goals per game.
Golden Knights: 7-3-0, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.1 assists, 3.6 penalties and 7.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.
INJURIES: Ducks: Radko Gudas: day to day (lower body), Petr Mrazek: out for season (lower-body).
Golden Knights: Jeremy Lauzon: out (undisclosed).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
After splitting Games 1 and 2 in Las Vegas to open their second-round series vs the Vegas Golden Knights, the Anaheim Ducks returned to Orange County for Game 3 on Friday.
The feeling around the Ducks locker room is that, with the way they played in Vegas, they could have easily entered Friday with a 2-0 series lead, as they earned to build off of that heading into Games 3 and 4 at home.
Vegas felt they had more to offer in this series than what they showed in the two opening games, and aimed to turn that corner on the road. Knights head coach John Tortorella made some lineup adjustments at the end of Game 2 and stuck to them for Game 3. Former Duck William Karlsson lined up between Brett Howden and Mitch Marner, while Hertl slid to the middle between Pavel Dorofeyev and Keegan Kolesar. Mark Stone started on Vegas’ top line. Dylan Coghlan made his series debut on the third pair.
Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville made a dramatic lineup change in the moments leading up to Game 2, swapping out Mason McTavish and Ian Moore from the Ducks forward group and inserting Jansen Harkins and Ross Johnston. With no changes from Wednesday, here’s how the Ducks lined up to start this game:
Kreider-Carlsson-Terry
Gauthier-Granlund-Killorn
Viel-Poehling-Sennecke
Johnston-Washe-Harkins
LaCombe-Trouba
Mintyukov-Carlson
Hinds-Helleson
Lukas Dostal got the start for the Ducks and saved just five of eight shots before he was pulled after the first period. Ville Husso was inserted in Dostal’s spot and saved 17 of 19. In Vegas’ net, Carter Hart got the nod and stopped 31 of 33 shots.
Game Notes
This game opened poorly for the Ducks and didn’t get any better for the duration. Possession numbers were fairly even, but defensive lapses, stale offense, and sub-optimal goaltending sent the Ducks into too great a hole to climb out of.
The Ducks continue to struggle on the power play and have now given up more goals while on the man-advantage than they’ve scored. Carter Hart is establishing himself as a capable big game goaltender, but the Ducks and his team’s defensive structure are also making his life easy.
“We certainly knew they were going to come play their best game, and they were better,” Quenneville said after the game. “They had the puck way more in the offensive zone; they spent some time in our end. I didn’t mind the start til they scored, and we lost some momentum there. Getting that third one at the end of the period certainly was a killer, and that was basically the game.”
Lukas Dostal-The numbers will illustrate that Dostal ended the first period with a .625 SV% and -1.82 goals saved above expected. Of the three goals he let in, the only one that could be considered soft was the second, a shorthanded shot from the left dot by Knights’ defenseman Brayden McNabb. The shot was unscreened and didn’t appear to be tipped. It was, however, unconventional, as it was a pre-composite stick style drag wrist shot, and McNabb didn’t fully follow through: a change-up of sorts and an awkward shot for Dostal to stop. It’s one he needed to stop, nonetheless.
The first goal was completely screened by Ducks center Ryan Poehling, and the third pinballed around and off of Dostal, leaving him scrambling and attempting to react before Mitch Marner buried from the left post.
Cycle-The Ducks generated a fair amount of shots (33) and shot attempts (55), but the majority of them were from the perimeter, blocked, didn’t produce rebounds, or were seen by Hart the whole way. The Ducks insisted on feeding pucks low to high and funneling them toward the crease. The success they found late in the game came when they were generating shots from below the dots and/or finding soft ice in the mid-slot, away from the crease.
While possession time wasn’t discouraging, the Ducks may look to add wrinkles of forward movement, skating with the puck from low to high and activating defensemen down the wall, involving more offensive talent while drawing Vegas’ Goliath defenders away from the net front.
Lineup-The Ducks played disciplined and detailed with this lineup in Game 2, but the offensive limitations were apparent when they were desperate to get back into the game and craved different ways to generate offense. Mason McTavish is a highly-paid, highly-skilled, offensive player who very probably doesn’t win the Ducks this hockey game, but having him in the lineup wouldn’t have made them worse defensively.
The Ducks will look to even the series on Sunday and avoid a 3-1 deficit to a Vegas team that appears as confident as they are talented from the net out.
Most of the time, hockey is a game of momentum– both teams control play in stretches and chase the game in others, and whoever handles those swings best goes on to win the game. But sometimes, a team grabs the bull by the horns and doesn’t let go until the game is completely out of reach.
That’s exactly what the Vegas Golden Knights did on Friday night. They rolled into Honda Center, scored 66 seconds in, and made the Anaheim Ducks look like a beer league club for two periods of hockey. The Ducks broke Hart’s shutout bid, but it was too little too late, and the Golden Knights won Game 3 6-2.
The Golden Knights broke the ice just 66 seconds into the first period. Mark Stone entered the zone, rolled away from John Carlson’s check, and worked the puck deeper for Jack Eichel. Eichel found Shea Theodore in the slot, and the defenseman snuck a wrister past Lukáš Dostál for his third goal of the postseason.
Jack Eichel finds Shea Theodore in the slot, and the Duck hunter does his part to silence the crowd early.
The Golden Knights doubled their lead at 12:13 in the first while shorthanded. Mikael Granlund turned the puck over, and Mitch Marner took it back the other way. Marner entered the zone, pulled up, and left the puck for Brayden McNabb, who rolled around John Carlson and beat Lukáš Dostál far-side.
The VGK penalty kill continued to outscore the opposing power play. Brayden McNabb gets in on the fun.
Hertl drew a penalty late in the first period, and the Golden Knights extended their lead on the ensuing power play. Jacob Trouba blocked Mitch Marner’s shot point-blank; Lukáš Dostál denied Pavel Dorofeyev on the rebound, and Marner finally got it to go on the third attempt.
Mitch Marner says thanks for coming. Gets his own rebound on the power play and this is getting ugly.
Joel Quenneville made a goaltending change to start the second period, swapping Lukáš Dostál for Ville Husso. Unfortunately for the Ducks, the Golden Knights were even better in the second, and this change did little to spark a comeback. They generated nine high-danger scoring chances while holding Anaheim to two.
The Golden Knights added to their lead at 9:19 in the second. Jack Eichel led an odd-man rush up ice, entered the zone, and found Brett Howden at the point. Howden one-touched a pass to Shea Theodore in the middle of the ice, and the defenseman rolled into the slot. Theodore avoided the stick of Alex Killorn and threaded a pass to Mitch Marner, who crashed the net and tucked the puck in.
Mitch Marner shows off his hands in tight, tucks in a second… and waves to the Ducks fans.
The Golden Knights made it a five-spot at 17:56 in the second. Ivan Barbashev won a board battle, and William Karlsson got to the loose puck. Karlsson protected the puck, circled behind the net, and dropped a pass back for Mitch Marner. Marner slammed on the brakes, rolled out towards the left circle, and snuck a shot past Ville Husso short-side.
So, I think Karlsson and Marner might stick together for a bit. Mitch completes the hatty and registers his fourth point of the night!
In the third period, the Golden Knights appeared to take their foot off the gas. The Ducks are a young, dangerous team, and they used their speed to take advantage of a team trying to coast to the finish line.
The Ducks got on the board at 6:30 in the third. Beckett Sennecke prevented Noc Dowd from flying the zone, held the puck in, and zipped a cross-ice pass to Alex Killorn. Killorn snapped it to Granlund at the point, who rolled deeper into the zone. Granlund passed it back to Killorn, who fired a one-timer that squeaked through Carter Hart. Rasmus Andersson and Colton Sissons tried to clear, but Sennecke dove for the loose puck and chipped it home.
A blast from Alex Killorn squeaks by Carter Hart, and Beckett Sennecke dives to punch in the loose puck.
The Ducks added another at 15:09 in the third. Leo Carlsson raced up ice with the puck, entered the zone, and flew around Pavel Dorofeyev and avoided Jack Eichel’s poke check. Carlsson worked it deeper for Troy Terry; Terry drifted behind the net and found Chris Kreider all alone in the slot.
Leo Carlsson does Leo Carlsson things, and Terry and Kreider connect on a bang-bang play.
Down by three, the Ducks pulled Ville Husso for the extra attacker with just over four minutes remaining in regulation. They generated a few good looks and managed four shots on goal, but the mountain proved to be too steep to climb. Brett Howden hit the empty net at 18:04 in the third, and the Golden Knights rolled to a 6-2 win.
Three Takeaways of the Knight
1. Don’t look now– Mitch Marner is the postseason leader in points and tied for the lead in goals. In his last four games, Marner has six goals and nine points.
“I try to always be an energizer guy, a guy that goes out there and brings a lot of passion and energy to games,” said Marner following the win. “It’s always nice to contribute, but at the end of the day, you just want to win games.”
Marner, of course, remained humble after his four-point performance. Golden Knights head coach John Tortorella, however, had no issue singing his praises.
“I think he’s a hell of a hockey player,” said Tortorella postgame. “I think he’s very cerebral and very confident in what he brings. You know, people give him s— all the time about playoffs and this and that, and I don’t think it bothers him a lick. He just plays.”
2. Another day, another perfect penalty kill. The Golden Knights have killed off 26 of the last 27 penalties, and haven’t allowed a power play goal since Game 3 against the Utah Mammoth. Thanks to Brayden McNabb’s shorthanded tally, the Golden Knights’ penalty kill has outscored their opponents’ power plays 3-to-1 this postseason.
3. A concerning loss overshadows the dominant 6-2 win. Mark Stone was not on the bench to start the second period, and, despite returning for a brief time, didn’t play another shift. Before exiting the game, Stone recorded an assist and finished the night with 4:24 TOI.
As this is the postseason, John Tortorella was tight-lipped postgame and provided no update on the Golden Knights’ captain.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mitch Marner had three goals and an assist in his first career playoff hat trick, and the Vegas Golden Knights routed the Anaheim Ducks 6-2 on Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in their second-round series.
Shea Theodore had a goal and an assist and Brayden McNabb scored a short-handed goal as the Golden Knights stormed to a 5-0 lead after two periods, silencing a sellout crowd in Orange County and erasing memories of their rough offensive outing in Game 2.
Carter Hart made 30 saves as Vegas moved halfway to the Western Conference finals while sending the upstart Ducks to the worst loss of their first postseason in eight years.
Game 4 is Sunday night in Anaheim.
Marner got his natural hat trick in the first two periods, giving him six goals in the past four games of his first playoff run with his new team. The longtime Maple Leafs forward delivered Vegas’ first four-point playoff performance since 2019 and prompted a few hats to be thrown onto the ice when he slipped his third goal under Ville Husso with 2:04 left in the second.
Marner’s three goals were more than he scored in last spring’s entire 13-game playoff run with Toronto, where the Ontario native frequently got criticism for not delivering in the postseason.
Rookie forward Beckett Sennecke and Chris Kreider scored in the third period for the Ducks, who got embarrassed in their team’s first home game in the second round since 2017.
Lukas Dostal gave up three goals on eight shots in a rough first period before Husso replaced him, but Anaheim lost at home for the first time in four games this spring.
Vegas captain Mark Stone didn’t play in the third period after apparently incurring a lower-body injury in the first period.
Theodore put Vegas ahead 66 seconds after the opening faceoff with his 20th postseason goal off a clever assist from Jack Eichel. The Ducks drafted Theodore in 2013, but former general manager Bob Murray traded him to Vegas in 2017 in a questionable scheme to keep defenseman Josh Manson in the expansion draft.
The 35-year-old McNabb then scored the third short-handed goal of his 14-year NHL career when he crossed up Dostal with a fluttering shot.
Marner capped the Knights’ stellar first period with his fourth playoff goal on a power play when Dostal couldn’t control a rebound. Marner got another midway through the second period, tapping in a pass from Theodore while the Ducks stood around watching.
Brett Howden put his sixth playoff goal into an empty net with 1:56 left.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Alex Newhook had two goals, again providing Montreal with some much-needed secondary scoring, and the Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-1 on Friday night to even their second-round playoff series at one game apiece.
Mike Matheson, Alexandre Carrier and Nick Suzuki, with an empty-netter, also scored for the Canadiens. Rookie goalie Jakub Dobes made 27 saves, and Montreal extended its trend of alternating wins and losses after doing so in a seven-game first-round series win over Tampa Bay.
Montreal advanced to the second round on Newhook’s game-winner 11:07 into the third period of a 2-1 series-clinching win on Sunday. Meantime, the Canadiens’ top offensive threats continue to struggle. Cole Caufield extended his point drought to five games, while Juraj Slafkovsky has one assist in his past eight outings.
Zach Benson scored for Buffalo, but Alex Lyon allowed four goals on 27 shots. He previously allowed seven goals in six-plus appearances since replacing Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who was was pulled after two periods in a 4-2 loss to Boston in Game 2 of their first-round series.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mitch Marner had three goals and an assist in his first career playoff hat trick, and Vegas routed Anaheim to take a 2-1 lead in their second-round series.
Shea Theodore had a goal and an assist and Brayden McNabb scored a short-handed goal as the Golden Knights stormed to a 5-0 lead after two periods, silencing a sellout crowd in Orange County and erasing memories of their rough offensive outing in Game 2.
Carter Hart made 30 saves as Vegas moved halfway to the Western Conference finals while sending the upstart Ducks to the worst loss of their first postseason in eight years.
Game 4 is Sunday night in Anaheim.
Marner got his natural hat trick in the first two periods, giving him six goals in the past four games of his first playoff run with his new team. The longtime Maple Leafs forward delivered Vegas’ first four-point playoff performance since 2019 and prompted a few hats to be thrown onto the ice when he slipped his third goal under Ville Husso with 2:04 left in the second.
Marner’s three goals were more than he scored in last spring’s entire 13-game playoff run with Toronto, where the Ontario native frequently got criticism for not delivering in the postseason.
Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb celebrates after scoring past Ducks goalie Lukas Dostal in the first period of the Ducks' 6-2 loss in Game 3 on Friday night at Honda Center. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
How do you stop a flock of high-flying Ducks? You clip their wings.
At least that was the remedy the Vegas Golden Knights used Friday to rout the Ducks 6-2 in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinal, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series, which continues Sunday at Honda Center.
Half the goals came from Marner, who also had an assist. Defensemen Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb and winger Brett Howden had the other goals — with Howden’s coming into an empty net — handing the Ducks their first loss in four games at home this postseason.
Beckett Sennecke and Chris Kreider scored in the third period for the Ducks. But by then the game was all but decided, with Vegas scoring three first-period goals — on just eight shots — and never looking back.
“It wasn't a great start,” Alex Killorn said. “It's tough to win a game when you put yourself in spots like that. The kind of mistakes that we made are not typical of our team.
“But it’s a seven-game series.”
The fast start followed two games in which the plodding Golden Knights watched the Ducks skate rings around them. So they got physical Friday, using an aggressive forecheck to ground the speedy young Ducks. Vegas also did a good job in the first two periods of limiting the Ducks’ possession time in the offensive zone.
“They're a bigger team, and that's how they play,” Jackson LaCombe said. “They’re experienced too. They played well tonight and we just have to match that the next game.”
Vegas, which never led in Game 2, went in front 66 seconds into Game 3 when Theodore, who started his NHL career in Anaheim, got past Ducks winger Cutter Gauthier to the puck on the inside edge of the right circle and beat Lukas Dostal cleanly on the first shot of the night.
Vegas players celebrate after a goal against the Ducks in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals at Honda Center on Friday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Jack Eichel got an assist on the goal, his 10th of the postseason.
With Eichel in the penalty box for hooking, McNabb, a former King, doubled the lead with a shorthanded goal less than eight minutes before the first intermission, banging a shot from the center of the left circle just inside the far post.
The Golden Knights killed two penalties on the night and have killed all 11 Ducks power plays in the series.
Marner took advantage of a fortunate bounce to make it 3-0 on a power-play goal with five seconds left in the first period. A shot from Colton Sissons on the right wing ricocheted off Ducks defenseman Jacob Trouba and went straight to Marner, who was charging into the slot.
Marner took a couple of whacks at the puck before finally getting it past Dostal.
“That goal certainly was the killer,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “They were desperate. They were hungry.”
Ducks coach Joel Quenneville shouts from the bench during the team's 6-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Friday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Dostal wouldn’t see another shot, with Ville Husso taking over in goal to start the second period. It seemed like a quick hook for Dostal, who came within a few seconds of the Ducks’ first shutout of the season in a 3-1 win in Las Vegas on Wednesday. The change didn’t work, with Marner extending the lead on his next shot midway through the second period.
Marner then completed the hat trick with 2:04 left in the second period, taking a backhand pass from William Karlsson behind the net and skating untouched toward the left circle before beating Husso with a quick snap shot.
A chorus of boos from the sellout crowd at Honda Center chased the Ducks to the locker room after the second period. Sennecke responded, diving headfirst between two defenders and into the crease to knock in the rebound of a Killorn shot from the far edge of the right circle for the Ducks’ first goal 6:30 into the third.
Kreider scored with less than five minutes left.
“I think that there's a lesson to take out of today's game: it's only going to get harder,” Quenneville said. “Every single game, it’s not going to get any easier. So let's get ready to go to war.”
The Minnesota Frost avoided elimination with a 3-1 comeback win against the Montreal Victoire on Friday night in Game 4 of the PWHL’s semifinals.
Montreal forward Maureen Murphy opened the scoring 41 minutes into another tight contest. No stranger to the pressures of playoffs, however, the Frost stormed back, scoring three goals in the final 12 minutes of regulation to force a deciding Game 5 back in Montreal.
Defender Sidney Morin continued her torrid playoff scoring pace, netting two goals in under four minutes to help the Frost force a deciding Game 5 back in Montreal. Morin’s second goal of the night — scored on the power play after Laura Stacey was called for roughing — would prove to be the game-winner. It also broke Minnesota’s uncharacteristic streak of failing to score on 10 straight power-play opportunities. The Frost had the league’s best power play (23 percent) in the regular season.
Kelly Pannek — who led the regular season in both goals (16) and points (33) — scored her first of the playoffs with the Montreal net empty to seal the win. Maddie Rooney, playing on back-to-back nights, was stellar again for the Frost, making 29 saves on 30 shots. Montreal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens stopped 28 of 30.
The Minnesota Frost are now 5-0 when facing elimination in the playoffs.
Sidney Morin plays hero (again)
After Minnesota lost four critical pieces to its blue line in the offseason — Claire Thompson, Sophie Jaques and Mellissa Channell-Watkins signed with expansion Vancouver; Maggie Flaherty signed in Montreal — the Frost went out and signed Morin from the Boston Fleet.
“Our staff had identified Sidney Morin as a top target heading into the signing period,” said general manager Melissa Caruso back in June. “She’s a reliable defender whose work ethic and offensive abilities will complement our D-core perfectly.”
Morin played a consistent role on the Frost blue line, but failed to score in her first regular season in Minnesota. The playoffs have been a different story. Morin’s four goals through four games tie her career goal total through 84 regular-season games and now lead the postseason.
She has now scored three of Minnesota’s last four goals in a rare playoff back-to-back and scored a critical goal in Minnesota’s 5-4 overtime victory in Game 1.
Much of Minnesota’s regular season was about its stars. The Frost had the best offense (91 goals) and the best group of five forwards in the league all regular season. Kelly Pannek, Taylor Heise, Grace Zumwinkle, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Britta Curl-Salemme combined for 65 goals this season, which is more than three entire teams — Toronto, New York and Seattle — scored all season.
But it’s their depth getting it done in the postseason so far.
Maddie Rooney stands tall
It was somewhat surprising to see Rooney start four straight games for Minnesota, including on back-to-back nights Thursday and Friday. Minnesota coach Ken Klee has typically rotated his goalies, and with three games in four nights — including travel from Montreal to Minnesota — it would have made sense to see Nicole Hensley in at least one of Games 3 or 4.
If Hensley was going to get into a game, it likely would have been Game 3, to give Rooney a rest for a high-stakes Game 4. However, Rooney has been exceptional in the series and has earned every bit of the net she’s gotten.
That much shouldn’t come as a shock. Rooney, like the Frost in general, is a proven playoff performer. She went a perfect 5-0 in last year’s championship run and posted an absurd 1.12 goals against average and .948 save percentage in Minnesota’s first Walter Cup championship.
This year’s playoffs have been no different, save for Game 1, where Rooney and Montreal’s Ann-Renée Desbiens allowed a combined nine against in the second-highest scoring game in PWHL postseason history.
Rooney followed that game up with a 51-save performance in Minnesota’s 1-0 triple overtime loss and has been the most important player on the ice for the Frost on a nightly basis.
She now has an incredible .937 save percentage through four starts and a 1.68 goals against average.
“She’s a top goalie in the league there’s no question,” Klee said on Thursday. “She’s really on her game. I think it gives all our players a real confidence boost.”
The playoff schedule
While the Ottawa Charge and Boston Fleet had a six-day break in the league’s other semifinal, the schedule for Montreal and Minnesota has proved challenging.
Game 3 on Tuesday went to triple overtime and did not end until 11:29 p.m. ET. Both teams then traveled from Montreal to St. Paul, Minn., on Wednesday and have since played games on back-to-back nights.
“I think it’s a little inappropriate, honestly,” Heise said after Minnesota’s loss in Game 3. “Both teams are going through it. The other teams (Boston and Ottawa) had six days in between games and we didn’t, and that’s just the reality of what the league wanted.”
There are scheduling conflicts at play at Grand Casino Arena, with the Minnesota Wild hosting the Colorado Avalanche for Games 3 and 4 in the second round of the NHL playoffs on Saturday and Monday. In Montreal, the Victoire have also had to schedule games around the AHL’s Laval Rocket.
Still, it’s hard to argue with Heise’s assessment. At least now both teams should have one true day off – and another day of travel – before Game 5 on Monday night back in Montreal.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Alex Newhook had two goals, again providing Montreal with some much-needed secondary scoring, and the Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-1 on Friday night to even their second-round playoff series at one game apiece.
Mike Matheson, Alexandre Carrier and Nick Suzuki, with an empty-netter, also scored for the Canadiens. Rookie goalie Jakub Dobes made 27 saves, and Montreal extended its trend of alternating wins and losses after doing so in a seven-game first-round series win over Tampa Bay.
Montreal advanced to the second round on Newhook’s game-winner 11:07 into the third period of a 2-1 series-clinching win on Sunday. Meantime, the Canadiens’ top offensive threats continue to struggle. Cole Caufield extended his point drought to five games, while Juraj Slafkovsky has one assist in his past eight outings.
Zach Benson scored for Buffalo, but Alex Lyon allowed four goals on 27 shots. He previously allowed seven goals in six-plus appearances since replacing Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who was was pulled after two periods in a 4-2 loss to Boston in Game 2 of their first-round series.
The series shifts to Montreal for Game 3 on Sunday night.
It’ll be the Canadiens’ first trip home after being on the road since traveling to Tampa Bay last weekend. The team stayed in Florida for two days before flying directly to Buffalo on Tuesday.
The Sabres dropped to 2-3 at home this postseason, but they won all three games — including the Game 6 series clincher — at Boston.
After falling behind 2-0 in the first period of Game 1, Montreal flipped the script.
Peyton Krebs’ turnover in Buffalo’s zone led to Newhook scoring at 1:36 by sneaking a shot under Lyon’s blocker arm. Matheson scored 2:51 later by floating in a shot from the left point that beat Lyon over his right shoulder.
Buffalo’s power play came up empty on five chances after going 2 for 3 in Game 1. The Sabres have converted just three of 32 power-play opportunities this postseason.
Newhook’s second goal, scored 4:47 into the second period, came four seconds after the Sabres’ power play failed to register a shot with Carrier off for hooking.
Carrier’s goal 3:54 into the third was emblematic of Buffalo’s evening. With the Sabres buzzing the Montreal net, Tage Thompson kept the puck in at the right point only to lose his balance and spin down to the ice. Carrier picked up the loose puck and scored to put Montreal up 4-1.
Benson whiffed on a tip-in chance two minutes later. In the first period, Buffalo’s Alex Tuch had the puck roll off his stick while attempting a shot breaking up the right wing, and Jack Quinn shot over the top of the net after being set up alone in the slot.
The Grand Rapids Griffins are hoping to gain the upper hand by eliminating the Manitoba Moose in the Calder Cup Playoffs, currently enjoying a two games to one series lead after rebounding from their Game 1 loss.
And it was defenseman Axel Sandin-Pellikka who scored what was nothing short of a highlight-reel worthy goal to try and help them make that quest a reality.
Sandin-Pellikka took a pass in the neutral zone and proceeded to dangle through a pair of Manitoba defenders before slipping the puck through the pads of goaltender Thomas Milic into the back of the net, sending the crowd at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids into a frenzy.
The goal gave the Griffins a 2-1 lead over the Moose with 5:10 left in the second period.
The Swedish defenseman, who was Detroit’s first round pick (17th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft, was one of several rookies to make the Red Wings roster this past fall thanks to a strong showing in Training Camp and the preseason.
He ultimately appeared in 68 games, scoring seven goals with 14 assists while averaging just over 16 minutes of ice time per outing.
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Buffalo Sabres forward Beck Malenstyn appeared to take a skate to the hand in Friday's Game 2 but stayed on the ice against the Montreal Canadiens while killing a penalty.
The incident happened in the second period of Friday's game while the Sabres were killing the leftover time on a first-period penalty to Josh Doan.
Jordan Greenway leveled Canadiens rookie of the year finalist Ivan Demidov with a big hit in the defensive end. Demidov's skate came up and appeared to clip Malenstyn. His glove came off and he shook his hand.
Demidov got up and skated to the Canadiens dressing room, but Malenstyn couldn't leave because the Sabres were still killing the penalty.
The Carolina Hurricanes are one game away from advancing to a second straight Eastern Conference Final thanks to a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 3 Thursday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Here are 10 takeaways from the win:
1. 4 Goals, 4 Ways
The Carolina Hurricanes scored four goals in their Game 3 win and interestingly, all four goals came at different player configurations.
The Hurricanes opened the scoring on a 5v4 power play as Jordan Staal got a good bounce off of a deflected shot by Andrei Svechnikov.
Then the Canes scored a 4v5 shorthanded goal as Jalen Chatfield finished off a 2-on-1 rush.
Next, the team scored on a 4v3 power play with Svechnikov blasting home a power play one-timer and then Nikolaj Ehlers scored a 5v5 breakaway goal in the third period for the fourth different type of the game.
"You have to find different ways to win in this league," Staal said. "There has been a lot of different guys that have stepped up. That just kind of goes to show the depth of our team and how it's been built. There's been certain guys every other game stepping up and making plays and helping us win."
And if you want to go even a step further, the Flyers' one goal came on a 6v5 pulled goalie, extra attacker situation as a delayed penalty had been called on Carolina.
As colleague Cory Lavalette said to me at the game, it was like the Mario Lemieux of hockey games in a sense.
2. Three More Postseason Firsts
In Game 2, the Hurricanes' first two goals came from players who scored their first of the postseason in Nikolaj Ehlers and Seth Jarvis.
In Game 3, the Canes got three more players to break the ice as Staal, Chatfield and Svechnikov's goals were all their first of the playoffs.
"Obviously it gives you a little bit of confidence and it feels a little bit lighter on the ice and all those stuff," Svechnikov said.
That's now 10 different players who have scored at least one goal in these playoffs for Carolina and 16 different players have collected at least a point, which is pretty impressive given that the Canes have only played in seven games total so far.
3. Another Day, Another Great Showing For The Penalty Kill
I mean, how many more games are we gonna have to talk about how great the Hurricanes' penalty kill has been?
"It's been good," Brind'Amour said. "Certainly in the playoffs here. I think it's just sacrifice. Guys are obviously working extremely hard and I think we've been in sync. And we have good players. They know what they're doing out there. That helps."
The Canes went another 5-for-5 Thursday night and outscored the Flyers 1-0 while shorthanded.
For once, Philadelphia actually did manage to have more shots on goal than Carolina on their own power plays this time (3-1), but that one shot on goal they gave up was obviously the shorthanded dagger.
The Flyers even had over a minute of a 5v3 opportunity and just did nothing with it as the Hurricanes thwarted them at the blueline multiple times and just generally kept everything to the outside.
"When we step over the boards, no matter if it's 5v3, 5v4, bad call or not, we're looking to kill it and we have no excuses," Chatfield said. "We're holding each other accountable and everyday we're watching video and getting better. Working on the small details that maybe not the average person would see. It could be two feet that way, a stick position that way and I think we've dialed that in a lot and I think that's been huge and showing off."
4. The Power Play Is Starting To Heat Up
On the other side of the special teams coin, the Hurricanes are starting to get the ball rolling on the power play.
Last night was the first time the top unit has found the back of the net and they did it twice, now giving the team five power play goals in the postseason and back-to-back games with power play tallies might I add too.
"We got two goals today and that's big for our unit," Svechnikov said. "Just have to continue working, watching video and hopefully we're gonna do that [again] next game."
Obviously it helps having a plethora of opportunities as the Flyers were so gracious to hand out, but I really liked the way that the power play was moving the puck and putting shots on goal.
"I think for us, it's just about sticking with it and taking what they give us," said Shayne Gostisbehere, who collected his first two points of the postseason in the win. "Not forcing anything. We know when the seams are going to be available. We don't have to fit it through or anything. Just back to basics. When you're struggling a little bit, just put pucks on the net and get some good bounces."
5. Not Backing Down
In both of the Canes' series now, we've seen teams trying to raise the physicality and engage the Hurricanes in post-whistle antics.
However, Carolina hasn't backed down one bit from any of it and have shown to be as feisty as anyone that has challenged them.
Two of the Flyers' biggest guys in Nick Seeler (6-foot-3) and Rasmus Ristolainen (6-foot-4) both went after Logan Stankoven toward the end of the game, but he didn't back down one inch.
And as he stood his ground, all of the Hurricanes' skaters rushed over to help him out too.
In years past, we've seen the Hurricanes getting pushed around a bit without a response, but that hasn't been the case at all this year.
6. Discipline
Having said that, discipline is going to be vital for Game 4.
The Flyers are obviously an extremely frustrated group and that's starting to spill over into the scrums that have been popping up.
I'm sure Philadelphia won't want to go quietly, but the Canes' best course of action will be to just to play between the whistles and take care of business.
Obviously you can't let them take liberties, but if they want to take dumb penalties, let them. The best response would be to score on the power play and potentially end their season at the same time.
7. A Couple Of Milestones
With his two-point night, Svechnikov became just the second player in franchise history to record 50 playoff points (Sebastian Aho was the first).
The Russian winger has really elevated his game the past few playoffs and he now has 24 goals and 51 points in 73 games.
Jordan Staal's two-point night also moved him into fifth all-time in for playoff points with 41 in 96 games.
According to Hurricanes team reporter Walt Ruff, Jordan and Eric Staal both rank in the franchise's top five for both playoff and regular season points.
The only other pair of brothers to do that with one franchise are Henrik and Daniel Sedin with Vancouver.
8. Andersen Continuing To Stack Wins
In a win where his save percentage actually went down despite allowing just one goal, Frederik Andersen reached a few milestones of his own.
The Danish veteran is now 7-0 to start the playoffs, becoming just the 12th goaltender in NHL history to do that.
That seven-game winning streak also matches a franchise record set by Cam Ward.
In that span, Andersen has a 0.957 save percentage, a 1.02 goals against average and two shutouts.
"To have goaltending like that, it can win you games and you need goaltending like that," Chatfield said. "He's been nothing short of excellent and we know he's gonna keep going like that and we have to play hard in front of him to do our best job."
9. Alexander Nikishin Back In The Lineup
After missing the last two games due to a concussion, the rookie defenseman was back in the lineup for Carolina and it looked the team wanted to ease him back a bit.
Nikishin played just 13:55 in the win and while he didn't start the game with the second power play unit, he did end up there when K'Andre Miller wound up in the box.
It was a fine game for the Russian blueliner, which is pretty good to say about a defenseman as that normally means nothing went wrong with him on the ice, but I do want to compliment his work on the PK.
Coming out of the 5v3 into the 5v4 kill, Nikishin did a tremendous job of killing a play three separate times. At that point in the game, it was still a fairly close contest, so those plays he made ended up mattering a lot.
It was good to see him back in the lineup and hopefully he can start making more of an impact as he readjusts.
10. Job's Not Done
Despite the 3-0 series lead and dominant 7-0 start to the postseason, you won't see too much celebrating in the Hurricanes' locker room.
This is a team with big goals and they know that this series is just a step on the path.
Everyone in the room echoed the same sentiment when asked about the approach to Game 4, that being coming in with the exact same mindset as every other game this postseason.
Carolina's built a winning culture and it starts with nobody being satisfied with anything they've accomplished so far.
"Just the same approach that it's been," said Jordan Martinook. "We've been taking it one game at a time and every game is so different. We just have to be ready for their best and show what we can do in a close out game."
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The Vegas Golden Knights and the Anaheim Ducks face off in Game 3 of their second-round NHL playoff series. The teams split the first two games in Las Vegas. Game 3 is in Anaheim. The Golden Knights are slight favorites in Game 3 at 1.5 goals.
How to watch Vegas Golden Knights vs. Anaheim Ducks
The Montreal Canadiens face the Buffalo Sabres in Game 2 of their second-round NHL playoff series. The Sabres won Game 1 4-2. Buffalo is also favored in Game 2 by 1.5 goals.
How to watch Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres
The Detroit Red Wings had a choice to make this past offseason following the acquisition of goaltender John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Petr Mrazek.
Either they re-sign Alex Lyon to another short-term contract and continue rolling forward with three goaltenders on the roster as they had done for much of the previous two seasons, or they could allow veteran Cam Talbot to battle it out with Gibson for the starting role.
They chose the former, and Lyon's time with the club ended. He decided to join his third Atlantic Divison team, signing a two-year, $3 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres.
While Buffalo's start to the season was inconsistent, they caught fire midway through December and remained one of the NHL's hottest clubs all the way through the Stanley Cup Playoffs, for which they qualified for the first time since 2011.
Lyon, who broke the Buffalo club record by Hall of Famer (and former Red Wing) Dominik Hasek for most consecutive regular-season wins, has posted elite numbers so far in the playoffs.
Lyon, who replaced Ukko-Pekka Lukkonen during their opening round series victory over the Boston Bruins, currently boasts an impressive 1.30 goals-against average and a .950 save percentage through six games, in which he's gone 4-1.
His goals-against average and save percentage are both second overall among NHL playoff goalies behind only Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen, who has gone a perfect 7-0.
Lyon has bounced around the NHL throughout his career, having played with both the Philadelphia Flyers and Hurricanes before joining the Panthers. He was their initial postseason starter in 2023 for what would be the first of three straight trips for the club to the Stanley Cup Final before eventually being replaced by Sergei Bobrovsky.
Following that run, he signed a two-year contract with the Red Wings, and went 35-27-6 across 74 total contests, racking up a 2.96 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.
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